Disclaimer: Hey I don't own anything but the plot okay, so don't sue me!

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far (

**Stars mean thought**

Okay on with the story, yay!

Hermione didn't know what she should do, one minute she had been talking quite happily with Draco when the next she was being grabbed from behind for the second time this week. She started waving her arms around and screaming like crazy in an attempt to get Draco's attention. Sure enough, it worked.

He turned to face her and whoever she was being held by, and yelled "Hermione!" He ran towards them and whipped out his wand. Who ever was holding on to her had a mask covering their face, but that didn't stop Hermione from re-living the terror she had experienced at the hands of Ron Weasley, and by ~him~.

"Let her go!" Draco shouted at the masked man, or was it woman? Neither of them knew, for whoever it was, hadn't uttered a single word as of yet.

"No, I don't think I will" the now apparent man, drawled out. The voice was familiar to both of them and when Draco bit out "Lucius" harshly, his voice was in no way hesitant.

"Get your hands off me, scum!" Hermione complained to him and demanded to be released. Lucius however was in no mood to comply, and remained his hold on her.

"What are you doing here?" Draco hissed "Its broad daylight for gods sake!"

"Well Draco, had you joined our little.." he trailed off, looking for a word suitable to say out loud "our little ~club~, you'd be well aware of the reason for my presence" he finished and you could almost hear the smirk that was set on his face.

"Yeah yeah, you're here on Voldemort's orders" Lucius visibly stiffened when she said this but immediately regained his cool composure. "But why would you be capturing ~me~ of all people?" Hermione asked

"Yeah, no offense, but what does Voldemort want with a mudblood, just to kill her?" Draco asked, doubtful "That seems a bit extreme, to go out of his way to get Hermione captured"

Hermione nodded as best she could while being in the grasp of Lucius Malfoy, he hadn't shown his face, but they were both well aware that was his identity.

"Voldemort has taken a special interest in you" Lucius told her "Oh yes indeed, that's why he sent me to fetch you. Wont you come to our little get together ~Hermione~?" he finished the sentence laughing.

"Well, whatever reasons he has, I wont allow it" Draco said, and he put his foot down and crossed his hands over his chest, waving his wand around distractedly.

"Well that's too bad boy, you've had your chance and now I really must be off" Anger could be heard in Lucius's voice as he continued "Don't stand in my way Draco, I won't hesitate in taking desperate measures"

Hermione was starting to panic, so she elbowed Lucius in the gut and being caught off guard he released her from his grasp for a moment, but it was enough for Hermione, she ran over to Draco and got behind him, holding on to his arm with her hands. Then she too pulled out her wand and pointed it at him.

Shakily she said, "You had better go. Now" motioning with her wand for him to leave. This only succeeded in making Lucius angrier. He already had his wand pointed at the both of them and his lips were forming a curse, when they heard footsteps headed their direction.

Lucius being no fool ran out of there, but not before yelling at them that he'd be back for the girl. Anger was radiating off Draco and Hermione was shocked to see how protective he had gotten of her.

The footsteps got closer and the person making them did too. It was Pansy Parkinson, Slytherin Slut. "Hey Drakie!" she called out to him "What are you doing with the mudblood?" she asked him jealously, staring at Hermione with anger and disgust.

"We're talking Pansy! What does it look like?" Draco asked her, pissed off. "Well come on then," she said, motioning with her hand for him to come with her. "What are you talking about?" he asked her

"Draco, come on, is that anyway to treat your girlfriend?" At this Hermione felt a stab of jealousy but she pushed it down on the grounds that it was most likely a false statement. In fact Hermione didn't know why she was feeling jealous in the first place.

"Pansy how many times do I have to tell you, you're not my girlfriend!" Draco exclaimed exasperated. "W-what are you saying Drakie?" she whimpered and when her face got all screwed up in her attempt at producing fake tears, she looked quite homely.

"I'm saying that you have never, are not, and never will be my girlfriend" Draco knew it was harsh but it needed to be said. He was tired of her following him around like a puppy. Besides, he wanted to make sure Hermione knew he was single, although he didn't consciously know why. He kept telling himself that he felt nothing but friendship for her.

Pansy just glared at Draco and Hermione in anger. "You! You big jerk! I practically throw myself at you and you say no!" she shrieked "What's wrong with you Draco? What has this idiot mudblood done?" she questioned him in annoyance

"Don't call ~Hermione~ an idiot" He said slowly in a calm, but angry voice. Hermione smiled to herself still behind Draco. It was cute really, how he stood up for her. "It's her isn't it?" Pansy pointed to Hermione "You've been spending all your time with this mudblood, and now she's brainwashed you. You poor baby" she reached out to stroke his face but he shied away.

"And now your smitten aren't you Draco? Aren't you? Everyone sees how you act around her, and you've never treated anyone so nice! Not even me!" Pansy yelled angrily

"And I try and I try and I try and nothing ever seems to be good enough for you! You and that stupid little bookworm, well I've had enough!" With that Pansy lunged for Hermione and landed on her, starting to pull her hair and scratch at her. Hermione fought back just as much, losing herself in the anger she felt all welling up inside of her.

For a moment Draco just stood by and watched, getting a little turned on by the event being placed in front of his eyes. He snapped out of it quick enough though and pulled them apart.

"Draco? What are you doing?" Pansy asked him; shocked "I'm trying to help you by getting rid of that filth" she pointed to Hermione who was getting more and more pissed off as the day went by.

"Shut up Pansy, you're just pissed off cause Draco doesn't want to be your boyfriend!" Hermione said back to her. This pissed Pansy off because she knew it was true, but she wasn't going to leave things like this "Are you going to let that mudblood talk to me that way?" Pansy asked Draco.

He made no move to do anything and that's when Pansy burst "You! You bitch, you've stolen him from me!" she screamed at Hermione with all of her might. Then to Draco "You stupid fool! Loving a mudblood, what will your father think? You're disgracing your family's name!" And then she stalked off still angry.

Draco made no move to correct her comment and his face was filling with a pink tint. Hermione supposed that this was the most Draco blushed. **Could he love me? No, that's insane, Draco could never love me, no that's just Pansy being her jealous Slytherin self, nothing more.** Hermione thought to herself.

"Well, living with that has got to be annoying." Hermione commented. She just now realized that she still sat on the floor and Draco offered her a hand up. She gladly took it and smiled at him. "Why thank you" Neither of them spoke of what Pansy said about Draco being in love with Hermione, though it was still in the air.

"Gods but this has been a tiring day!" Hermione said, and they continued walking with eachother, until they reached the grounds outside. They walked over by the lake and sat down on a soft patch of grass.

"I love this" Hermione said propping herself up on her hand, to face Draco "Being outside like this, it's nice"

"Yes it is" Draco agreed. He couldn't push a thought from his head. Something that Lucius said earlier. "I wonder what exactly it is that Voldemort wants with you?" Draco voiced what Hermione was thinking about at that very moment.

"I don't know, I mean I'm just.." She trailed off "I'm just a mudblood, nothing special" she said in a low voice.

"No, you are" Draco said, seeing her puzzled look, he continued "Something special" he smiled at her, but then his face darkened, as did most people's these days, when talking of such things, like Voldemort

"But in all seriousness, Voldemort doesn't capture people often, its not likely that he wants you dead, or Lucius would have just done that and left no questions asked." Draco went on to say "No, something here is off, there's something about you Hermione, something Voldemort is interested in, and this" he finished, "is not good"

"I know, but I wish I knew why he was after me" Hermione started "I hate not knowing things, especially things like this"

Draco nodded and then "So, are you going to tell Potter?" he asked "Oh, Harry, I completely forgot! Of course I'll just have to!" she exclaimed, then jumped up, but Draco pulled her back "It can wait" he said, then laughed "Potter might be glad that he isn't the only one Old Voldie is after" he said in attempt to make Hermione laugh.

It worked and she lay back down next to Draco giggling. They stayed that way for a while, chatting with each other and staring at the sky. All the time Draco couldn't help but sneak glances at Hermione, watching as she pointed to clouds, the way her hair was just so, how her face lit up when she spoke about something passionately. He was so drawn to her, and he didn't want to admit that he was falling for her, but he was, and he was falling hard.

In the shadows, Hermione and Draco didn't notice that a certain red haired someone was watching them talk to each other. After they got up and went back to the castle, he too left. When they said their good-bye's Hermione walked towards Gryffindor Tower and Draco headed for the Dungeons.

Ron Weasley followed Draco Malfoy, because at this moment he was on a mission. "Good, you made it," said an unknown, but female voice, when Ron walked into an empty Dungeon.

"Yeah, I did" he agreed with a malicious grin "And I have loads to tell"

A/N: Well that's it for this chapter, not too much a cliffie, but just enough to keep you wondering. So if you want more, please review!