Chapter Fifteen:

(A/N. Hey all! Thanks for reviewing! Sorry about the cliffhanger! Actually, I'm not! Heehee! I got so many reviews! Yeah! Um…everyone? I meant the blue eyes thing as in he's stepping out of his father's shadow and his father has silver eyes so Draco gets blue eyes. Get it? As for Miss. Lupin, I said before that Draco is turning eighteen and he's going into his seventh year. So it's like some people who graduate when they're seventeen and others eighteen. Okay? Rightio. Read on and don't forget to review!)

 Draco trailed off as he looked over Hermione's shoulder and his eyes hardened at the scene before him. There were two boys standing beside a frightened looking girl.

"Wh-What do you want from me?" The girl demanded. The boys leered at her lustfully.

"As if you don't know." One of them growled. They moved in on her and she pulled away shaking.

"You're not that evil!" She cried. They laughed and began pulling at her clothes groping at the exposed flesh. Draco had seen enough. They were going to rape her if he did nothing. Draco got up and saw as the girl struggled futilely, the larger boy covering her mouth with his large hand. They continued to paw at her as Draco moved closer. He pulled his wand out of his sleeve.

"Stupefy." He muttered and all three muggles fell to the ground, unconscious. Draco went over and carefully pulled the two boys off the young girl. He fixed her clothing and carried her to the entrance, setting her down on a patio seat. He walked away and hid behind a bush.

"Ennervate." He whispered. The girl blinked and looked around in confusion. She rubbed her eyes and he watched until she went back inside. Then he went back to the two boys who were still unconscious. He stared down at them in disgust. He kicked them hard to make sure they were still out cold. He pointed his wand at them think cords shot out leaving the two muggles bound and gagged. "Mobilicorpus." Draco said and the two limp bodies floated in mid air. Draco led them to a large tree and tied them up. Then he went back to Hermione. She stared at him and he wondered why she looked so stunned. Then it dawned on him. The Draco Malfoy he was at school wouldn't have saved the young girl. In fact most people would probably think he would have laughed because all Malfoys believed muggles were inferior. She would probably think that he was trying to deceive her, that his feelings for her were fake, a plan to get Harry Potter into Voldemort's grasp.

"Why did you do that?" She asked softly. She stood up and stood before him. He thought about lying but he soon dismissed the idea. He had to make her trust him. Relationships couldn't be founded on lies and deceit. "Why did you save that girl?"

"I don't know, Hermione. It felt like the right thing to do. She didn't deserve it." He whispered. Hermione smiled and took his hand.

"Let's go." She said. They walked back to the dance and he twirled her as a slow song came on. He held her close as the swayed to the song. Draco ran his hands though her silky hair breathing in it's fresh, rosy scent. Yes, come what may he would cherish the memory of this night. The song ended and people clapped as the dance came to a close. They glided past the muggles and slowly made their way back to the suite. In the common room, Hermione leaned up and kissed Draco softly.

"Goodnight, Draco." She whispered. He pulled her close. He had the strange feeling that this was more of a good bye than it should have been.

"Goodnight, Hermione."