Draco yawned and stretched.  His hand brushed over the soft curve of Hermione's hip.  Her features were set in a peaceful smile as she slept.  Her hair was fanned out on the pillow and she breathed sofly, lost in her dreams.  The sunlight streamed in through a gap in the curtains, and yet this did not reflect on Draco's mood.  He was perturbed.  The rush of emotions he had felt last night were gone.  He raised a hand to his chin and rubbed his his stubble ruefully.  He opened the window, revelling in the breeze that came into the room.  A fluttering piece of parchment caught his eye.  He stooped and snatched it up, in one smooth movement.  Draco unfolded the letter and began to read.

Hermione,

Thanks for letting me crash here.  It was really nice to see you again, despite the circumstances.  From here I am flying to France, to see Ron.  I know that he will want to help search for Ginny.  I hope to see you soon, Hermione, I didn't realise how much I had missed you!

Love, Harry

Draco snorted in disgust and tossed the letter back onto the floor.  He pulled on his trousers and shirt and picked up his shoes.  He pulled them on and quietly slipped through the door.  He walked down to the Dining Hall and picked up a tray, adding food to it as he went.  He paid for the food and made his way back up to Hermione's room, whispering "Alohomora" and letting himself in.  He shut the door quietly behind him, setting the tray lightly down on the desk.  He had no idea what he should do.  "Perhaps I should slip out quietly," he thought to himself.  He was just about to leave, when a little sigh indicated Hermione had woken up.

"Good morning, Draco," she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

Her hair was no longer a sleek curtain of hair, as he had remembered it from the night before.  It was now bushy brown curls, messily spread about every which way across her pillow.  Her eye makeup was smudged a little, and bare arms, leading to bare shoulders extended out from a blanket.  Hermione sat up, leaning her back against the wall, wrapping the blanket firmly around herself.  The effect was instantaneous to Draco, who was determined to become immune to her seemingly powerful charms.  She sighed again and stretched, yawning.  "Why did you allow that to happen last night?" his conscience screeched.  "She's a mudblood! Father would be furious if he heard of this!"   Hermione looked at him curiously.  He realised he had been staring at a rather bare patch of wall unmovingly for a few minutes.  "What a disgrace to the family name," the voice kept on.  Draco shook his head a few times, as if this would solve the problem. 

"I said, last night was nice," Hermione almost shouted, her face now only inches from Draco's.

Draco curled his lip into a sneer.  "Well, I hope Potter enjoyed the show!  You wait until the Ministry hears of this!"

Hermione's face drained of all colour within seconds.  "Draco.  You cannot tell anyone.  Please," her gaze was imploring.  Draco held her gaze, willing himself not to melt.  "I think you had better go." Hermione stated with quiet authority.

******

                Harry yawned and stretched.  He had not thought of the fact that taking Ron with him meant Ron would have to also endure these dire standards of living.  He uncurled his legs from underneath him, and the joints cracked loudly, causing Harry to shudder.  He looked into the seemingly endless bleak horizon of Hogsmeade and the afternoon drizzle spattered lightly onto his skin.  He looked around at Ron, who was still fast asleep, curled up in the little alcove where they had slept.  Harry nudged him gently with his foot.  "Ron! Wake up!" he said, with some urgency in his voice.

Ron wriggled out of Harry's reach and mumbled "Leave me alone," in a sleepy voice.

Harry nudged him again, a little harder this time.  "WAKE UP!" he bellowed fiercely and Ron's eyes immediately snapped open.

"No need to yell," he groaned, pressing his palm to his head, "my ears are still ringing!"

"We have to go.  Now." Harry ordered.

"I'm hungry," Ron whined.  "If we go to the Three Broomsticks and you slip in and keep your head down, then no one will know you are there.  What do you say?"

"All right," Harry agreed grudgingly.

They walked down to the Three Broomsticks, with Harry trailing behind at a distance, cautiously surveying the surroundings.  His cloak was wrapped tightly around his body and his hood was drawn up, so his face was completely hidden.  They entered the tavern, with Harry slinking in after Ron and sneaking straight to a table in the corner, obscured by a screen.

"Hello Madame Rosmerta," Ron said, "I would like two Wormwood Cocktails and some cheese sandwiches please.  Oh, and some pumpkin pasties.  And a little of that cake wouldn't go amiss!"

"Hello Ron," Madame Rosmerta exclaimed exuberantly, "here you are."  She handed him two flagons brimming over with amber coloured liquid and a tray filled with food.  Ron walked back to the table, a self-satisfied smile on his face.  "Ron! Wait!" Madame Rosmerta hustled after Ron clutching a rolled up piece of parchment.  "This was left here for you," she explained, slightly out of breath.  Ron thanked her and continued walking to the table.

He dropped the parchment on the table.  "What's that?" Harry asked.

"It was left here for me, apparently," Ron responded, puzzled.  He settled his gawky frame awkwardly onto a stool.  He seized the parchment and unravelled the black velvet ribbon from it.  His face turned pale.  Two small pieces of cloth fell out, but he ignored them.

"What is it? What is it?" demanded Harry impatiently.  Ron handed it to him without a word.  Harry read.

Masters Potter and Weasley,

I see that you have used your intiatives and came here first.  My felicitations.  Miss Weasley is still in our midst, and still well, although perhaps for not much longer.  Enclosed you will find one small piece of cloth.  This was torn from Miss Weasley's cloak yesterday  and is a memento for you, for when she no longer is in existence.  It is sent to you with my regards.  I may be seeing you soon, Potter and Weasley, and sooner than you think.

Whilst Harry had been reading the letter, Ron had stooped to pick up the piece of cloth on the floor.  The moment he had touched it, there was a slight breeze and Harry was surprised to see that Ron had gone and there was nothing left but a piece of cloth in his place.

"A Portkey," he breathed.  Nobody had turned a hair when Ron had disappeared.  He took a deep breath and reached for the relatively harmless looking piece of cloth.

******

                Ginny was awoken by something prodding her side insistently.  She opened her eyes and  gazed blearily at the face in front of her.

"Miss Weasley." the voice acknowledged, very businesslike.  "I have come to take you to see my master at long last."

Ginny recognised it as the voice of her keeper, but less amicable than he had been previously.  He took her arm and pulled her to her feet.  He seemed nervous and his eyes darted around the room nervously.  "Why?" was all she could manage.

"Because it is time, Miss Weasley, because it is time."

She walked beside him, her legs quaking in fear.  She walked down long stone passages, illuminated by burning torches.  The air smelled damp and musty and a rat ran across her path.  He stopped in front of a pair of double doors and turned to face her.  He opened the door and motioned for her to enter.  A cloaked figure was sitting at the back of the hall, intently gazing into what looked like a crystal ball.  As she neared, Ginny could make out the tiny characters of Ron and another cloaked figure sitting in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.  She watched as her brother vanished suddenly, and then the other character.  "That's Ron! That's my brother!" she exclaimed.

The guard looked pained "Shhh..." he started to say, but it was too late, and the cloaked figure looked up, the clear picture in the orb fading to a grey swirling mist as he did so.

"Who dared disturb my concentration?" he demanded angrily.

"It was the girl, sir," the guard replied smartly.

"Oh, the girl, eh? Come closer, Miss Weasley, so I may take a closer look," the voice sneered.  Ginny could not help feeling she had heard that voice before somewhere.

Ginny found herself being pushed forwards, towards man who was, supposedly, the brains behind this scheme.  "What is this place?" she asked uncertainly.

"This? This is all and this is nothing.  This is a dream, yet still reality.  Welcome to my world, it's all a bad dream."  Whilst Ginny was still trying to figure this out, he crossed over to a table to her left.  He whipped off the table cloth to reveal a smooth opalescent sphere underneath.  "Behold! The Orb of Macrinus!" he exclaimed with obvious pride in his voice.

Ginny remained completely nonplussed.  "What does it do?" she questioned nervously.

"You have never heard of The Orb of Macrinus, Miss Weasley?" he said irritably.  "The Orb of Macrinus is the legendary Shape-shifting Orb.  There is only one in existence currently.  I have it."

"By, how?" Ginny asked, "you have to break into the Ministry to get it and there are all sorts of powerful spells-"

"That, at least was not a problem." he replied smoothly.

"Who - who are you?" she stammered.  The figure silently pulled down the hood and Ginny gasped.  "Lucius Malfoy!" she blurted out.

******

                Hermione wrapped her arms around her knees and continued to stare vacantly out of the window.  She chided herself for being so stupid.  Her hands flew to her stomach, almost protectively.  She had to do the test.  On unsteady legs, she walked to the bathroom.  She had no one she could tell.  Harry had gone, she couldn't talk to Draco, Alina was jealous of her because of Draco and she could certainly not talk to Zackary.  She rinsed her hands under the tap as she waited.  It seemed to torment her, standing on the side of the sink like that, so she turned away from it and slid down the wall, relishing its coolness.  "Hermione, you slept with  Malfoy!" her conscience shrieked. "How could you be so ridiculously stupid!" It was ready.  She picked it up and slowly turned it over in her hand.  It was negative! Her legs, unable to carry her anymore, deposited her unceremoniously onto the bathroom floor with a thump.  She checked the test again.  Still negative.  She cheered inwardly and stood up.  It was time to go to her Potions Lecture.  She started to pack her bag, when she heard a tapping at the window.  She let the owl in and it settled haughtily on her newly made bed.  It eyed her disdainfully with its tawny eyes.  It extended a talon and proceeded to rip Hermione's blanket to shreds.  "All right!" she said loudly, and the owl ruffled its feathers and eyed her with contempt.  She fumbled in her purse for some loose change.  She found a few knuts and gave them to the owl.  The owl fluttered out of the window and she shut it firmly.  She tucked the letter into her bag and ran to Potions.

******

                Professor Oriana had just began to lecture her class when Hermione burst in.

"So good of you to join our lecture, Miss Granger," Professor Oriana said, somewhat irritated.

Draco watched with amusement as she stammered out an excuse and, face burning, walked over to their shared desk and sat down.  She set her books down on the table and Professor Oriana resumed her lecture.  Hermione's thoughts, however, were elsewhere.  Draco watched as she stealthily unrolled a piece of parchment under the desk and began to read it.

"Not content on being late to one of my lectures, but now you are not even prepared to give me your full concentration, Miss Granger.  What, may I ask is so compelling that you didn't hear that I asked you a question three times?"  Hermione shoved the letter into her bag and mumbled incoherently.  "Speak up, Miss Granger, I'm quite sure a few of your fellow students didn't catch it."

Hermione took a deep breath, willing herself not to deliver a catty remark in response.  "Nothing," she stated, hiding her face beneath her hair.

"Very well.  As I was saying, class, and Miss Granger, if you would be so good as to give us your attention, over the next few weeks, we will be learning how to prepare medicines and restorative draughts.  In the light of the recent theft of the Orb of Macrinus, we will also be attempting shape-changing potions."

Draco idly cast a glace at Hermione from the corner of his eye.  She was studiously scribbling notes down on parchment about their latest project.  As she looked up, he quickly slid his glance to the other side of the room.

******

                Hermione rushed out of the laboratory, her face on fire.  She ripped her bag open and hurriedly took out the parchment.  She unrolled it once more and had just noticed the large Malfoy family crest at the top of the headed parchment, before a shadow fell across the page.  She turned around and looked straight into Malfoy's slate grey eyes.

"What are you doing with my family's headed paper?" Draco sneered and snatched it off of her, with moves like a cat.  Hermione, who had adopted the stance of a small furry creature looking in to the gaping maw of a relatively large and unfriendly creature protested and raised her hand to snatch it back.

"Miss Granger," he read in a taunting voice, "You are the cleverest witch, I shall hope to meet, no doubt.  For shame that you are a Mudblood.  I expect you will be wondering what has become of Masters Potter and Weasley?  Well, they stupidly grasped a portkey which transported them back in time.  Miss Weasley is wasting away, and if you do not want her to die, I suggest strongly that you do not try anything stupid.  And by stupid, I mean,  do not try to save her.  It is already too late.  Yours Luci- What?!"

Hermione seized her chance and grabbed the letter from Draco's hand.  "Your father has Ginny Weasley," she said in a low, menacing voice.

Draco was equally as shocked.  "Why the weasle? Why not you? What did he want with her?" He stopped when he realised what he was saying.

"I have to find them," Hermione said and fled down the corridor.  Draco raced after her and rounded a corner to see her mounting a broom she had presumably found lying around.  He cursed as she took off and soared into the sky.  He ran back to Luciva Hall, and into his room.  He cast around for his old Firebolt and opened the window.  He pushed off and saw the ground hurtling towards him dizzyingly quickly.  He pulled out of the dive and felt a smile of satisfaction spread across his face as the other students milling about on campus looked up at him in amazement.  He pressed his body against the broomstick, willing it to fly faster.  His broomstick was faster than Hermione's and he was able to catch up with her in no time.  She was flying blindly, not really paying much attention as to where she was going. 

"Hermione!" Draco shouted after her, his words mostly lost in the wind.  She looked at him, then nodded and proceeded to touch down, in a forest clearing and Draco followed suit.

******

                Harry and Ron hit the floor one after the other with loud thumps.  "Remind me next time to bring full body armour," Ron grumbled, easing himself up.  He dusted himself off and looked around the room.  Torches, mounted on the walls were burning brightly around the room and Ron could see a four poster bed with the curtains drawn.  He heard light snoring coming from within the closed curtains.  "Oh, shit," he cursed hoarsely.  "Harry, get up! We have to hide!"  Harry groaned and rolled over.  His forehead was bleeding and his glasses were broken.  Ron grabbed him under the armpits and hauled him through a door into another room.  He flung himself against it, panting.  The torches immediately began to burn brightly in the room.  Ron saw that they had merely reached the bathroom.  They could hear the person in the next room moving about. "Please don't let them come in here, anywhere but here!" he begged silently.  Harry located his wand from his robes and muttered "Reparo".  His glasses mended themselves and Harry put them back on.  Ron looked cautiously around the bathroom.  There was a bath in the corner, except it was not so much as a bath, but a miniature swimming pool.  The floor was paved in cold grey stone and portraits lined the walls of various predecessors.  Ron heard footsteps pattering over to the door.  He saw the latch begin to lift.  Thinking quickly, he seized Harry and they hid in the bath, pulling the shower curtain around it to hide themselves.

"Who is it?" Harry mouthed at Ron.

Ron shrugged worriedly.  Presently the door closed and both Harry and Ron breathed sighs of relief.  Ron leaped out of the bath and slowly opened the door.  The room was vacant, except for a large stuffed barn owl in the corner, regarding him with impassive, glazed over eyes.  He walked around, revelling in the lustrous velvet draped room and feeling insanely jealous.  Harry stumbled into the room after him, blinking in the light.

"Where are we?" he asked thickly, still dazed from hitting his head on the floor.  A voice behind them made them jump.

"Perhaps I can answer that," the voice said imperiously.

Both Harry and Ron spun around and came face to face with Lucius Malfoy's head, projecting from the emerald green flames in the fireplace.

"Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed angrily.

"That's right, Weasley.  My my, you have grown up since I last saw you," Lucius said smoothly.

"What brings you here, Lucius?" asked Harry warily.

"Only to tell you I have your Virginia here, and that you are in my house, of course."

Ron looked thunderous.  "What the fuck have you done with Ginny?" he swore loudly.

"Wait a minute," Harry interrupted, "what do you mean, we're in YOUR house?"

"Oh well, that portkey has transported you back to nineteenth century England.  And you're at Malfoy Manor.  Executions galore," he laughed evilly.  "Anyway, must dash, evil things to do, people to senselessly torture and brutally murder, that kind of thing.  Ta-ra!"

"Wait! What are you doin with my-" Ron started, but Lucius had gone.

******

                Draco leant against a tree, wheezing and trying to catch his breath.  "Granger," he gasped, clutching his side, "you could have got yourself killed!"  Hermione avoided his eyes and purposefully strode over to a tree trunk and sat down with her back to him.  "Hermione, if it's about the comment I made earlier, I didn't mean it, I -"

"Save it, Malfoy," Hermione snapped.

"But I truly didn't and I know I acted badly this morning and I am sorry for that also, but this does not change anything.  You are still a mudblood and I a pureblood.  We do not mix." Draco gabbled desperately.

"Shut up!" A long pause.  "Why did you follow me, Draco?" she asked directly, and swivelled around.  She fixed him with a stare.  Draco looked away.

"I just did, that's all," he muttered.

"That's not a reason," rebuked Hermione.

"Well, because I couldn't let you go alone, something may have happened and-"

She cocked her head on one side, still looking at him searchingly.  "Something may have happened to me? And you cared about that? You wanted to help me?"

Draco snorted sarcastically.  "As if it matters anymore, we crossed the line last night, Hermione.  We cannot do it again.  Ever."

"Do you really believe that?" Hermione asked simply.

Draco paused for a moment.  "Yes." he declared with finality.

He turned away.  He heard Hermione come up behind him and felt her place a hand on his shoulder.  "I don't believe you," she whispered.  The hand left his shoulder and he heard Hermione walk away again.

"Funny you should say that," he said to himself, "because I don't believe me either."

He turned to face Hermione, but she had gone.  He walked blindly into the woods, and came to a gushing river.  He followed this river upstream and reached a pool which played host to a crashing waterfall and several nymphs, who disappeared as soon as Draco came crashing through the underbrush.  The glade had an ethereal feel about it and Draco felt calmed by the sound of the rushing water.  Gradually the nymphs reappeared and they flitted around the glade, alighting on tiny flowers.  He took off his shoes and paddled in the shallows, enjoying the fact that the only sound he could hear was the sound of the water.  He sat on a mossy log, and eventually, plagued by confusion, he fell into a deep sleep.

******

                She happened across him whilst wandering aimlessly in the dense woodland, looking for somewhere they could sleep for the night.  He looked so peaceful asleep that she left him for a while.  In one hand she carried the broomsticks andin the other, Draco's chain, which she had found lying on the ground.  She sat by him on the log, enjoying the spray from the waterfall and presently, he awoke.

"Lose something?" she asked softly and handed him the chain.  It was quite a spectacular chain, with a silver dragon pendant hanging from it.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly and took it from her.  He struggled to fasten it around his neck.

"Here.  Let me," Hermione offered and took the chain from his unprotesting hands.  Her hands trembled slightly, and her fingers fumbled for the clasp.  She felt her face grow red as she brushed a few strands of Draco's hair out of the way to allow her to see.  He flinched slightly at this unexpected contact.  "There." she stated as she finished the task.

"Thanks." he said again.  The glade was silent for a moment.

"I-" Hermione started.

"You-" Draco said, at exactly the same time.

Hermione smiled.  "You go first," she said and smiled.

Draco took a deep breath.  "You were right.  About not believing me, I mean.  I just coulnd't say it then." he looked expectantly at her. "Your turn."

Hermione suddenly smiled and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes.  She leaned forward and gently kissed Draco on the mouth, sending butterflies fluttering to his stomach.  He tangled his fingers in her hair, remembering her scent from the night before.

"Ive-" he tried to say, but Hermione playfully covered his mouth with a kiss which left him quite breathless.  "Been-" he tried again, but once more Hermione kissed him.  "So-" he attempted, laughing into her mouth. "Stupid." he finished and allowed a rare true smile to radiate his features.  Just once.