"Hey Harry, would you pass me the Boomslang essence please?"

"Er, sure." Harry handed Serena the jar.

"Aren't you going to write all this down? Remember we have to hand in a written folio as well."

"Oh. Yeah, um…" Harry busied himself with his quill.

"Did I ever compliment you on your articulacy?" she grinned.

"Er, my what?" Harry looked up, confused.

Serena sighed. "Never mind," and continued adding ingredients to the bubbling potion.

Harry looked over at Ron, who gave him a big thumbs up and mouthed "Go for it!" Just then Pansy Parkinson barked something at him and he flinched, cowering under the pointy-nosed Slytherin. Harry let out a small chuckle but shot a look of sympathy in Ron's direction, before turning back to Serena.

"So, er, you and Malfoy, huh?" He attempted conversation, avoiding her eye.

"Draco? What about him?" she asked indifferently.

Harry could feel his ears burning. "Are you, uh, together then?"

"Him?!" she laughed. "No way. I could never go out with that ponce."

Harry heaved an inward sigh of relief, but tried not to let anything show on his face.

"Well, I don't have anything against him, he's a friend – he's just not my type. Besides, I don't go for blondes," she said, catching Harry's glance and holding it.

Harry stared back, and when green eyes met brown, the two minds came to an understanding. He smiled at her, and hesitated, before placing his hand atop hers, not breaking their eye contact. She smiled back, and bit her bottom lip, then slowly started to lean towards him.

A sudden hissing and spitting from their cauldron made them both jump, and they grinned guiltily, before busying themselves with their own tasks under Snape's eagle eye.

xXx

Across the Potions classroom, Draco and Hermione were having a rather dissimilar conversation.

"Pass me the Boomslang essence, Malfoy."

Draco lazily pushed the jar towards Hermione, and continued picking imaginary bits of fluff off his immaculate robes, a look of pure boredom on his face.

It was their fifth potions lesson together, and Draco just refused point blank to cooperate. He sat in smug silence the whole way through the lessons, leaving Hermione to do the work. She tried to ignore it, and concentrate on the job in hand, but it was becoming increasingly difficult, as new feelings about Draco had begun to occur in her mind; feelings that shocked her, but were impossible to shake off.

She glanced sideways at him as she picked up the jar and unscrewed the lid. A blush threatened to stain her cheeks as she noticed once more the intense blonde of his shiny hair, his clear silver eyes, and perfect, pale complexion. Shaking her head, she tried to push her thoughts away, and force some severity into her voice.

"Look, you're not helping, just sitting there. You may be Snape's favourite, but I have to work to get good grades from him."

"Of course you do. You Mudbloods are as thick as anything."

"Watch it Malfoy," she warned, her voice edged with anger, but inside her heart was stinging with hurt.

Draco looked up with a sarcastic smirk, but his eyes widened when he saw her about to add far too much of the Boomslang essence. "Watch out, you idiot! You want to-"

BOOM! Hundreds of glass test tubes and phials clinked and rattled on the shelves lining the dungeon as the cauldron exploded, sending a tremor through the room. Hermione was thrown backwards off her stool by the force, and Draco leaped off his own seat to shield her with his body. He looked down at her shocked face, but at that moment some flying debris hit him in the back of his head, and his vision blurred, then blacked to nothing.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hermione sat by Draco's bedside, watching his peaceful sleeping from wistfully. She bit her lip, and dared to reach out and touch his face. His skin felt soft and warm, and she stroked it gently, wishing she didn't have to feel the way she did.

What chance did she think she had anyway? This is Draco Malfoy, the perfect Slytherin, ready to join his father in league with the Dark Lord. And yet…he did rescue me from getting burned or worse just a few hours ago…just maybe…

A slight stirring from the blonde told Hermione he was waking up, and she snatched her hand away from his face guiltily.

He woke to the familiar glaring whiteness and antiseptic stench of the hospital wing. Groaning, he rolled over, painfully aware of a large lump on the back of his head.

"Hello Draco."

A female voice made him flinch instinctively. Oh wonderful. Pansy bloody Parkinson. Last year he had found her quite attractive, until she attached herself to him permanently after the Yule Ball, labelling herself "Draco's Girlfriend," to get popular by association. He had gone off her within a few days, but she persisted in clinging to him like a sickly sweet lollipop. He shuddered.

She chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to attack you – not on purpose anyway…" The voice wasn't Pansy's, but it was familiar, and it sounded almost…guilty, and apologetic. It couldn't be…Granger?

He peeked out from under the sheets to see her sitting by the bed, and immediately twisted his face into his trademark smirk.

"Come to gloat? You finally got me hospitalised, Granger. Happy?"

"Actually-" she paused and took a breath. "I came to say thank you for what you did in Potions."

He raised an amused eyebrow. "Isn't this rich coming from a Gryffindor? Where are your friends Granger? Are Potter and Weasley hiding in the cupboard, giggling like little girls-"

"I think you care about me, Draco," she said softly.

"What?" he exclaimed, a look of distaste on his pale face.

She leaned forward. "You don't have to be something you aren't just because people expect it of you. Draco, why did you help me?"

He studied her closely, examining the soft contours of her cheeks, her smooth skin and her deep brown eyes that conveyed nothing but sincerity. "I, I didn't-" he stuttered, but at that moment Madame Pomfrey bustled into the room, carrying a bottle filled with thick, mud-brown sludge.

"Honestly, it's a wonder that my patients ever recover when nobody lets them rest! Visiting hours are over Miss Granger, now Shoo!" and she propelled Hermione towards the door with surprising force. The girl knew resistance was futile, and left quietly, but dared a glance at Draco before she was pushed through the door. It slammed in her face, and she sighed, looking at her watch. 4pm. Time to receive her punishment from Snape. She shuddered and headed in the direction of the dungeons.

When she had left, the nurse turned and strode back to Draco, muttering under her breath, and he couldn't help but smile slightly at her temper. However, he wasn't smiling a minute later when she force-fed him three spoonfuls of sludge from the bottle.

"It tastes like feet!" he spluttered.

"Nonsense, stop wriggling like a first year and OPEN YOUR MOUTH!"

He scrunched his eyes shut and held his nose, knowing it would do no good to protest further. The slimy mixture slid down his throat like three spoonfuls of mushed brain, and he squirmed, trying not to wretch.

Madame Pomfrey tutted and went back to her office. Draco scowled at her departing figure and huddled down again, still tasting the foul goop in his mouth, but within a few seconds the potion took hold and he was once more lost in slumber.

xXx

Draco walked through the corridors of the Malfoy Manor, legs quaking with every step. His shoes made an ominous sound on the cold stone floor, and he looked towards a flickering light, but it did not comfort him, for he knew whom it illuminated. All too soon he was knocking on the large oak door of his father's study.

"Enter," came the sinister reply.

The blonde swallowed, and stepped into the room. A fire blazed, sending shadows dancing over the expensive couches and tables that furnished the study, but there was no other source of light, and threatening shadows loomed out of the dark corners. Draco studied the patterned carpet beneath his feet, but he was fearfully aware of the faces that stared at him from the paintings lining the walls, and still more aware of the pair of eyes he was least anxious to meet. He lifted his gaze slowly, and inch by inch took in the intimidating silhouette of his father, swathed in black, the firelight deepening the shadows on his face. The man looked down at the small boy cowering before him.

"Draco." He rolled the name off his tongue as if it had a bad taste. "Would you care to explain your behaviour this afternoon?"

The boy made no reply.

"If you thought for one second that I would have the smallest inclination to let you mingle with that…that filth… Have I not told you, boy, that no Mudblood is ever to set foot in my house? And you not only bring the little wretch in, but you actually dared to invite her to dine at my table!" he spat, and slammed his fist on the mantelpiece, making the ornaments quiver.

"But Sir-" Draco's voice was no more than a whisper, and he clapped his hand to his mouth as he realised what he had said

"Did you say But? How dare you…" His voice dripped poison. Draco watched in silent horror, his eyes wide with unshed tears, as his father raised his wand and hissed "Crucio."

Pain, and nothing but pain filled Draco's world, as he fell to the floor, screaming louder than he had ever screamed before, though he did not hear it. Eternity stretched before him, each moment darker than the last, but eventually, his young mind could no longer bear the torture. It shut down, and the boy fainted.

Draco was nine years old.

xXx

The blonde sat up in bed, his face soaked in sweat. Gulping deep breaths of air, he stared around, until his eyes rested on the wall clock opposite. 7:30pm. Good. There was still time.

Leaping out of bed, he threw on his robes, not even pausing to comb his hair into its usual slicked back style, and ran out of the hospital wing.

He finally found Hermione near the library after receiving more than a few odd looks from passers by.

"Hermione!" he yelled, running down the corridor after her. She stopped bewildered, and turned to find out who was calling her name. When she saw him racing towards her, his blonde hair flopping into his face, and his robes askew, her features softened, and she waited, smiling slightly. He reached her, panting, but without a word he grabbed her hand, and hurried off again, pulling her with him.

When he found a quiet corridor, he finally let go of her, and bent over, catching his breath.

"Draco, what on earth do you want?" She eyed him amusedly.

He didn't answer for several minutes, but eventually he straightened and moved towards her, looking directly into her eyes, his breathing controlled and even. Hermione backed away nervously, until she was against the wall. Still he advanced, stopping inches from her face, then in one swift movement, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, never breaking their eye contact.

Her heart stopped.

And then he kissed her, and stars exploded in every molecule of her body. For a few seconds, nothing else existed, just her, and the person holding her. She threw her arms around his neck, surrendering herself entirely to him. To Draco.

Draco?

The realisation of exactly who she was kissing dawned and she broke away, staring at him in shock, but he just smiled. Not his usual sarcastic smirk, but a genuine, honest, smile of pure gladness and relief.

"I'm not afraid anymore," he said simply. Hermione understood, and smiled back, then put her arms around his neck, and pulled him in for another kiss.

A/N: In the wonderful words of fea…"Reviews are the food of life…*cough hint cough*