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**Stars mean thought**

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In the back of the cave, each person's heart was pounding like a caged animal trying desperately to relieve itself from the prison that it lives in. Ron took another step towards them and strained his ears in an attempt to hear any more noises.

Those who were hiding drew in an unnecessary breath and watched him come closer still. Any moment now and they would be discovered. There was nothing that any one of them could do to prevent it from happening. Each of them silently tried to will themselves invisible. One more step and..

"Ron, come on, you're being silly. Nothing is over there." Hissed Pansy

Ginny wrapped her arms around herself and silently cursed at her own stupidity for not bringing a cloak out in this weather. Ron turned around and looked at them. "Are you sure that you didn't hear anything?" he asked them and continued with " 'Cause I'm pretty sure that-" Pansy cut him off with "Yes, werre sure, now come on! You're being paranoid!" she exclaimed. Ginny nodded her head fervently.

"No worse that you two thinking someone was following us. " he sneered. It was so unbecoming on him and it hurt those in the back of the cave to see the once, ever so full of life boy, so full of hatred and anger.

"Whatever, Ron, can we just go now? Fudge will get angry if we're late and it's getting to be about that time." Ginny said hesitantly, not wanting to anger her brother. He simply nodded distractedly and the three of them walked out of the cave into the chilly December air.

For some odd reason, it hadn't began to snow yet, but people like Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, just hadn't seemed to notice or care.

Those in the back of the cave sighed in relief and slowly moved out of their hiding places. They all stood up and brushed them selves off and just as Hermione was about to open her mouth to speak, Dumbledore said "You two had better head back to the castle."

"But-" she tried to plead but Dumbledore would have none of it. "Now, now, Ms. Granger, I don't want you two getting in trouble. We'll be in touch" he was firm, but Hermione was just too curious for her own good.

"But what about-" she started to ask, but was yet again cut off. "Your secret?" asked Dumbledore, knowingly. "Yes, I know you must be curious, but this isn't the time or the place to get into that. All will be explained in time," the tone of his voice meant business and Hermione reluctantly nodded her head and made no more attempts at questioning.

Oddly, Harry had kept quiet the entire time and just kind of stared off into space. "Harry!" Sirius yelled, and shook him a bit. Snapping out of it, he began to blush and muttered "Sorry," sheepishly "guess I spaced out for a second there." The other three people present nodded.

"Well, we'd better be going then," said Hermione to Harry, who nodded. They said their goodbyes and then left the cave.

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Draco Malfoy had been listening to Pansy, and the Weasley's talk for about 30 minutes and from what he understood, Pansy and Ron were working for Voldemort as Death Eaters. This came as a shock to him, because he wasn't aware that they were recruiting at only 16 and because although he had his suspicions about Ronald Weasley, he couldn't quite grasp the fact that a member of the Dream Team would join the ranks.

After they'd gone into the cave, Draco had been slowly moving towards the entrance for better hearing. He heard them ask Ginny to join and he heard her refuse. Then, he heard them take her memory. He listened as they argued about something and then when he heard them getting closer to where he was standing at the entrance, he ran as fast as he could to his hiding spot behind the rock.

Draco watched them walk by and was just about to follow, when who should step out of the cave after them, but Hermione and Potter. They hadn't seemed to notice Draco yet, but he stepped out so that he was in plain view. Draco felt anger rising up inside him fast and his fists were clenching. "What were ~you two~ doing in ~there~ with Parkinson and the Weasels?" he hissed at them.

They stared speechless at Draco for a moment until Hermione came to her senses. Right on time too, because Draco was just about to walk away. "Wait!" she shrieked and grabbed his arm.

He spun around to face her and "What?" he spat with venom. He looked betrayed.

"Harry and I had to meet someone there" then she paused and said "Mr. Padfoot. Ron, Harry and I used to visit him all the time. We thought he might be useful in figuring out what was going on so that's why we were there," she explained

Draco had calmed down a bit, but he still felt mad "and why were those three" he gestured to the retreating trio in the distance "in the cave too?" he finished

They stated silent for a moment but then Harry spoke up "He wanted privacy. I don't see why we have to explain ourselves to you anyway" he complained angrily "Its not your business!"

Hermione didn't know what to say either **It is rather off that Draco is all of a sudden helping us out like he is. I wonder if he's up to something**

"Because Potter, It is my business!" Draco yelled at him "whether you like it or not. Hell, whether ~I~ like it or not, I'm involved with this now"

"You may not be a Death Eater, but your still Draco Malfoy. Why after 5 years of torment, help us now?" Harry asked the very question Hermione had been wondering for a while now. Harry had different reasons though; he was trying to get Draco to admit his feelings for Hermione.

To be perfectly honest, Draco Malfoy didn't know why he felt so compelled to help them out, but he did know that it had something to do with Hermione Granger.

"Stop it! Both of you! Harry you just knock it off, and Draco quit with the third degree. Draco is right, he's involved in this, but Harry so are you, so no more fighting for now!" she scolded them and they both looked properly ashamed.

She began walking back to the castle as it was getting late and Hermione didn't want any unnecessary trouble to mar her record. Harry and Draco stared at each other for a moment and then followed her.

"Now" she said brighter than before "Dumbledore was in the cave as well" she was cut off by Draco who asked "Dumbledore, really?" he received a glare from Hermione and wisely shut up.

"Yes, Draco, really. Anyway, we told him and Mr. Padfoot about everything that's happened. Even your saving of me" she said, then smiled at Draco "he seemed unsurprised and had complete faith in you"

It was Harry's turn to get into the conversation again "He knows things. Dumbledore knows secrets about all of us. He knows her secrets" he gestured to Hermione, then went silent.

Draco couldn't take it anymore "well" he said, expectantly.

Harry just stared at him, a puzzled expression donning his features. "Bloody Gryffindorks" Draco mumbled under his breath, then "well, what's her secret!?" by now he was yelling, as he couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't know. Ron, Ginny and Pansy came in before he could tell us and by the time they left, we had to leave as well or we'd be late getting back," Hermione explained to him.

"I have a feeling that things are going to keep happening to prevent us from getting that information" said Draco

"Why do you say that?" asked Harry. Draco replied with "I don't know. I just have a feeling. Some one doesn't want us to know." They walked in silence after that and Draco noticed that Hermione was shivering. Being the gentlemen that he was, he pulled of his own cloak and wrapped it around her.

She stopped shivering and then turned to face him. It was getting late and the sun was going down. He looked quite handsome to Hermione right then and she slyly moved herself closer to him as they were walking. Instinctively, Draco wrapped his arm around her shoulder and his gaze lingered on her long enough to see the smile that was set on her face.

Potter hadn't missed the exchange and sped up to give them some alone time. Draco felt that this was the perfect time to tell Hermione how he felt about her. Unfortunately all he got out was "Hermione-" because she cut him off with "Oh Draco look!" pointing towards the sky.

Upon closer inspection, that and a few snowflakes landing on his head, Draco realized that it was snowing. "The first snow of the season" he said, softly. Then he faced her. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked him. "It sure is." he answered and she looked over to find him staring directly at her. "What is it?" she asked and started touching her face. "Have I got something on my face?"

Draco chuckled a little bit, but said "No" then he continued to say, "I was just answering your question. It most certainly is beautiful"

Hermione felt a blush rise in her cheeks and she turned away so that Draco wouldn't see. Just then the wind picked up a bit and Hermione leaned into Draco. Her head was right on his shoulder and he couldn't help but inhale the smell of her hair. He wasn't too obvious, but the smell was intoxicating.

"We'd better hurry up and get back, our curfew is in 35 minutes," Hermione said breaking the silence after glancing at her watch.

"Draco?" she asked him "What did you want before?" only just remembering that he'd said her name, only seconds before she noticed the snow. Draco shrugged his shoulders and just said "Nothing important"

Hermione however wasn't satisfied and kept asking. Finally it seemed that he had given in "All right, all right" he said, "I'll tell you"

Hermione squealed with glee, which was very un-Hermione-like but waited patiently for Draco to continue. "I was going to ask for your advice" he lied

"Advice on what?" she asked, curiously. "Well, you see, there's this girl I have a thing for" as soon as the words left his mouth, Hermione's cheerful expression vanished and Draco noticed, but made no action that would indicate that he had.

"Oh," she said, then continued with "I see"

"Anyway, I don't know if she's interested in me, and I don't know how to go about telling her" Draco said, then asked "Any suggestions?"

She seemed upset by what she'd just heard, but came up with an answer anyhow. "Well, if it were me, I'd go with the direct approach. Just tell this girl, whomever she is how you feel," she said this a bit bitterly.

He stared at her for a moment then asked "You sure?" and she replied with "positive" then turned away so he wouldn't see her forming tears. **Stop getting so worked up Hermione! You knew all along he didn't like you**

Before she could stop herself, curiosity got the best of her and she asked, "So, who is this girl, that you have a thing for?" He didn't answer right away and Hermione was positive that she heard him say under his breath "Your about to find out"

Then all of a sudden, Draco stopped. She of course stopped too. "Hermione" he said gently and then took his hand and placed it upon her chin, making her face him. He noticed that tears were running down her cheeks "Y-yes?" she asked him shakily

"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked her. She just nodded her head. So Draco did the only thing he could do. He did something he'd been longing to do for a while now. Something that was rash and spontaneous. He did something absolutely perfect. He kissed her.

A/N: THAT'S IT! Anyways, if you want more, REVIEW!!!! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!