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Night Time Visit

            "Well, well, well Draco.  It looks like you have been having fun!"  he spat out the last word as if were vial and the very sound of it could harm you. 

            Draco looked up at the man whom he called father.       It repulsed him though, he wasn't a man, but a puppet for the Dark Lord.  Sick and disgusting; his father hadn't acted out of his own will since he joined Voldermort's side.  Draco did not speak. 

            "The Dark Lord always said that I had been      too soft on you.  He said I ought to have raised you with a hard hand.  But your mother pleaded, unwilling to see that forced on her own flesh and blood.  Yet now, I can see that the Dark Lord was right, and your mother is not here, is she boy?  And she will never know."  Lucius put a silencing charm on the room, so no one outside the common room would be able to hear. 

            Draco was getting rather worried.  Something unpleasant was going to happen and he didn't exactly know what.  But he could guess, and each guess was more horrible than the last.  All this he thought, but his face remained placid and unchanged. 

            "You will learn boy, you will learn not to mix with Mudbloods!"

            And the next thing that happened, was nothing Draco had expected.   His father aimed his wand at the boy and said, "Crucio!"

            Hermione awoke the next morning to find herself laying face down on top of her bed, still in the robes she was wearing last night.  Why had she gone to sleep without even getting under the covers?  Then it hit her.  Last night's events replayed in her mind and she felt very confused.  Curse that Malfoy!  She had hated him before, and if possible, she hated him even more now.  Hated him for the way he made her feel last night. 

            It wasn't supposed to feel like that when you kissed your enemy.  You weren't supposed to kiss your enemy at all, but if you did, it should be disgusting.  But she had liked it.  Curse him!  That boy was nothing but trouble, and had been causing her nothing but pain since they started speaking again.  If he had just let her do what she wanted to do a few nights ago, she wouldn't have to deal with this now.  Stupid Slytherin git! 

            Still fuming, she began to dress and get ready for classes.  There was plenty of time before breakfast, but being busy would help to hush her mind.  She had taken a bath and put on her robes; she didn't do make up that wasn't her style.  Hermione was confident enough to not wear the stuff on a regular basis.  The best thing that she could think of to do was go talk to Ginny.  She couldn't hide anything from that girl any ways, and she was sure that simply walking into the Great Hall for breakfast, Ginny would see the sign on her forehead that everyone else was oblivious to and said  Draco Malfoy kiss me?!? on it. 

            Having finished getting ready, Hermione made her way to the portrait, but she was stopped in her tracks when she heard a low painful moan coming from somewhere in the room.  After a small inner struggle in which she weighed just leaving and helping the noise maker, her altruistic side won and she went to investigate the sound. 

            It didn't take long to find the source of the sound.  As soon as Hermione walked into the common room, she saw Malfoy sprawled face down on the floor.  She had to overcome another argument with herself before going over to him, but no matter how much of a git he was, he had saved her life twice. 

            "Malfoy?"

            He moaned.

            It was easy to see that he was in no fit condition for anything talking included.  There wasn't enough time to brew a potion, but Hermione knew a couple spells that would temporarily ease the pain and let Malfoy speak.  She muttered them quickly and then aided Malfoy to sit up. 

            "You're hurt badly; we've got to get you to the hospital wing."

            Draco could barely hear the words, they sounded like they came from so far away.  But he did hear them and understand them; they wanted to take him to the hospital wing.  There they would want to know what happened, and he couldn't tell them what his father had done!

            "NO!!!"  He screamed.

            "Malfoy, calm down its going to be alright."

            The words were closer this time and he recognized the speaker.  "Granger?"  he was panting now. 

            "Yes, yes, it's me."

            He opened his eyes as if to confirm the sounds and when the world came into focus, he saw that it was indeed Hermione.  "Granger," his breathing was heavy and he could hardly speak, "Sorry….for what happened…should never… he saw… not safe… be careful!"

            "What?  I don't understand you make no sense.  Look I'm taking you to the hospital wing."

            "P-please d-don't."

            Hermione looked down into his pleading eyes and for a moment, her animosity died down.  "Fine," she agreed, "Mobilicorpus."  Draco Floated down a hallway and into his bed, where Hermione brought the covers up around him.  She left and returned an hour later.  "Malfoy,"  she shook the sleeping boy who opened his eyes, or tried to, the pain was back full fledged.  "Here drink this."

            He felt a glass touch his lips, and he parted them unquestioningly.  Instantly he felt relief, and he let his head sink back onto his pillow as sleep overtook him again.  He realized that he would probably have to explain what happened later, but for right now he could sleep. 

            Hermione had now missed breakfast, and she was going to be late for her first class.  And to top it off, that first class was Potions.  She crept down into the dungeons hoping that Snape wouldn't be too hard on her.  Who did she think she was kidding? 

            She opened the door, and entered the classroom.  The professor stopped talking which means she interrupted what ever it was that he had been doing.  "Ah, Ms. Granger," here his voice was nice and soft, but it turned harsh and gruff when he continued, "So you finally decided to grace us with you presence.  Ten points from Gryffindor for being late!  And another ten points for disturbing my lesson.  And, Detention!  Because you tardiness was so extreme." 

            Twenty points and Detention?  Oh god!  This sucked.  The only open seat in the class was next to Harry, and she hadn't forgotten what he had said to her the last time they spoke. 

            "Well are you going to take a seat Ms. Granger?  Or should I remove another ten points and extend your detention to all week for continuing to disturb my class?" 

            "Sorry Professor."  She sat down next to Harry and didn't look at him.  He had tried to whisper to her to get her attention, but she ignored it.  Apparently Harry got the hint, because he went back to taking notes.  But after a moment, the notes were pushed in front of Hermione and she glanced down at them. 

Mione,

            I'M SORRY!!!  Look, I know that the last time I talked to you that I said something that upset you very much.  And I know that your life isn't perfect, and that no one's really is.  I was just upset about losing Ginny, you know?  I was acting to emotionally, and I never should have yelled at you or said what I said.  Can you forgive me?  Please? 

                                    Harry

            Just then the bell rang, and Harry got up before Hermione could say any thing.  She ran down the hall to catch him.  "Harry, Harry!"

            He stopped and turned around nervously.
            "Of course I'll forgive you!" she said just before she flung her arms around his neck.  He returned her hug, and if felt nice to be wrapped in the arms of a friend again. 

            The rest of her classed went smoothly that day, and Hermione found that studying in her classes helped a lot in taking her mind off of things.  She hadn't seen Ginny yet as she didn't go to lunch.  But she would make it a point to find her after detention that night. 

            Her classes had ended and she had some business to attend to.  She walked up to her dorm, into the common room, and straight into Malfoy's room.  "Rise and Shine!"  she called. 

            "What the…"

            "Come on, up!"  she said prodding him in the ribs.

            "Ouch couldja stop?" 

            "As long as you're up."

            "I'm up!"  He sat up fully to prove this fact and looked at her to see what she wanted. 

            "Good, I suppose that you can copy my notes from today seeing that you missed all your classes."

            "Thanks"

            "Don't thank me yet, there's a catch."

            "A catch?"

            "Mmm hmm.  You have to tell me what happened."

            "Never mind, I'll get my notes from somewhere else."

            "Right, ok then who, name one person who would lend you their notes that actually takes good ones."

            Damn it!  I hate it that she's always right.  "What do you want to know?"

            "What happened."

            "Nothing important."

            "Okay then I'll just go tell Professor Dumbledore, it is my duty as Head Girl to ensure that students are safe, and if something happened that could infringe on your safety, I must inform a Professor."  As she turned to leave he caught her wrist, pulling her down so she now sat on the bed. 

            "I never told anyone about what happened to you."

            "But you knew what happened!  I don't."

             She was right, and after all, he had read her most private secretes.  It was only fair that he told her what had happened.  He looked down at his hands.  "Last night, after you know" he looked up hoping to see a change in her features that would tell her feelings about the kiss, but she seemed to be just as stoic as him now.  He continued, "Well, I walked into the common room, and my father stepped out from the shadows by the fireplace."  He wasn't sure if he could continue, but he felt something warm on his hand and realized it was Hermione's hand.  Glancing up, he saw that she was looking down evidently unnerved about his father coming into the room and then finding Draco so badly hurt. 

            Draco grasped her hand before he went on, it was comforting.  As he spoke, looking at their intertwined hands, Hermione looked up to watch his face.  "He had seen the whole thing, my father," He looked into her eyes and she adverted her own.  Looking down again he continued.  "He was upset, said that it was wrong of me to mix with, with any one born of muggle parents."  This caused Hermione to snap her attention back to his face.  He hadn't called her a Mudblood.  Draco knew she was watching his face again, and he went on.  "He said he'd teach me a lesson."  The memory was too painful, he couldn't do this. 

            Hermione scooted closer to him on the bed, and squeezed his hand.  Draco tried to continue, but he couldn't.  He looked away and bit his lip.  Hermione removed her hand from his, and Draco cursed the loss of warmth.  But then he found Hermione pulling him to her, and cradling him in her arms.   Draco clung to her desperately.  He needed her, more than he had ever needed any one before. 

            "And then, he put a silencing charm on the room, so no one would hear.  And he yelled out Crucio!"  Hermione held onto him tighter.  "I don't know how many times he did it, after the fifth time, I could no longer think."  There was something wet on his cheek.  But he didn't know he was crying.  Then he realized he wasn't.  It was Hermione.  Tears were flowing profusely from her eyes. 

            He held on to her tighter, "Shh, Mione, it's all okay now.  It's all over now."

            She pulled slightly back from him, and looked him in the eyes.  They were still holding onto each other though.  "You, you called me Mione." 

            "I uh, I mean…."

            But he was saved from having to make up an excuse by Hermione's lips touching his own.  He kissed her back, softly at first, but then passionately.  Holding her in his arms, tasting her lips, smelling her hair, it all felt so good.  He didn't want to ever let go again.  "I need you," he said into her lips. "I don't want to let you get away ever." 

            She smiled as she kissed him and said, "I don't think I would let you let me."  and he smiled too. 

            It was the best thing either teen had ever felt.  Both finally felt as if something was filling a huge void that had been growing inside them.  Together, they were complete, a whole.  Gradually, the kisses slowed down, but each teen was reluctant to stop, and they kept touching their lips, just one more time.  Then Draco gave Hermione an Eskimo Kiss, making her giggle.  And then the two sat looking into each other's eyes for a long time, an occasional sigh escaping from one of their lips. 

            Eventually Hermione looked down at her watch and realized that her detention was rapidly approaching.  Woe ith the student who showed up late for one of Snape's detentions. 

            "Why did you get a detention?"

            "Because I stayed here to make you a healing potion, and I was late." 

            "Oh," Draco blushed. 

            "Don't worry about it."  She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before leaving his room. 

            "I want you to scrub out all the cauldrons, with this,"  Snape handed Hermione a bucket of soapy water and a brush, "And I want them to shiny so much that I can see my reflection in them." 

            But that would just make all the cauldrons break.  It was a good thing she had learned to hold her tongue.  She sank petulantly in front of the cauldrons and got to work, aware of Snape's eyes on her the whole time.  She had removed her robe, so as not to get the sleeves wet, and was now wearing a button up top and a plaid skirt, the uniform.  What she didn't realize was that every time she bent over the cauldron to clean it, her skirt went up a little in the back. 

            Hermione noticed a shadow sink over her, and she slowly stood up. 

            "Don't let me stop you, Ms. Granger."  And as he spoke his words, he trailed his fingers progressively down her spine. 

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Oh no!  what now?  I guess you'll have to wait to find out!  I know that I posted ch 8 twice, is was a mistake, and I think I am going to try to fix that, you see, the first chapter 8 really came up as ch 7, but it's this whole long big story, and I wont tell that now. 

Well, thank you to all of my reviewers!!!  You guys make me really happy!  You're the reason I keep on writing!  THANK YOU!!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Well, with that said, I hope you enjoyed it! I must be going now.  Don't forget to review!!

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Bye!

~Atiannala