Meeting by Starlight
By the Crystalline Temptress (C.T.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; J.K. Rowling does. Don't sue me. I don't own The Phantom of the Opera either. The author of this book is Gaston Leroux. The composer of the song Masquerade (which is used below) is Andrew Lloyd Webber. I'm not making any money out of this venture.

Notes: Wow, it's been a long time since I've written a fanfic. (And it's my first time to write a Draco/Hermione piece, to boot.) I'm a bit rusty, I think. I haven't edited this, so there may be some misspelt words or some typos. . . . Anyway, C&C would be lovely.

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She had been watching him for some time now. It was difficult not to do so, with the starlight burning halos of gold into his silver-cerulean eyes, gilding his pale skin, streaking threads of pearlescence through his blond hair. He looked more like a winter-kissed god than the haughty git she had known all throughout the seven years she had studied in Hogwarts, and it unnerved her. She had always looked at him as Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin brat who had time and again pathetically attempted to make her life miserable. The story remained to be as such during the day; she would be impassive, stoic--disapproving, sometimes--but indifferent nonetheless. But during the night, when he and she stood side by side under the light of the silvery moon . . . it was a different tale.

"So. You're here again." His voice was a rich, alto purr that made her quiver inside.

Hermione Granger chose to look out into the indigo night sky before answering. "I was first, anyway."

"No, you weren't," he drawled. "We came at the same time, if you recall." He leaned upon the stone wall casually, in one of the gaps along the stone designed for the medieval archers, mindless of the long plunge below if he were to accidentally slip. He drew his thick robes around him more tightly as the wind rose around them.

Hermione shivered with the cold. She followed Draco's example, gathering her robes to her body. They remained in silence for long moments before she spoke.

"Why do you come to the Astronomy Tower, anyway? I thought that only heartbroken lovers came here so that they could drink and wallow in their misery."

Draco glanced at her. "Are you heartbroken?" he asked simply.

"Of course not," she retorted.

"I'm not either." His lips curled into a smirk. "I came here to think. Which, I'm assuming, is the same reason why you're here. Everyone thinks that the Astronomy Tower is for the lovesick, so it's left alone. Which makes it a convenient place." He paused. "It's funny; we've been seeing each other here for the past week, and you only ask now."

"Well, you're usually so hostile," Hermione pointed out. "I wasn't in the mood to verbally spar with anyone, so I chose to keep quiet, until. . . ." Until you gave me your cloak. "Until you exhibited a remarkable display of manners and chivalry."

One evening of theirs was almost cut short because Hermione had forgotten her robes. She meant to return to her private quarters, thinking of spending the evening there instead, but Draco wordlessly offered her his own. She asked him if it was alright, and he replied shortly (but courteously enough) that he had thermal clothing underneath. So she took it, and that marked the start of their conversation.

Draco raised an eyebrow. She guessed that he knew what instance she was referring to, but he chose not to say a word. Again, the two of them immersed themselves in silence until this time, Draco broke it.

"Can you keep a secret, Granger?" he asked nonchalantly. "I guess you could. I mean, you could've turned me in for wandering the halls at night, being the Head Girl." He answered his own question.

Hermione stared at him. She shrugged. "As long as you won't be revealing plans of world domination or any Dark Activity."

To her surprise, he actually chuckled. The sound traveled through her like fire, setting her nerve endings ablaze.

"No, it's got nothing to do with that." Draco leaned forward slightly, closing the meager distance between the two of them. "Remember what you said about being hostile, Granger?" he breathed into her ear. She barely managed a nod, distracted as she was by his proximity. "D'you know The Phantom of the Opera?"

"Yes," Hermione said earnestly. "I've loved it ever since I was a child. . . . "

"So you would know Masquerade."

She nodded, already beginning to see what he was hinting at. "Masquerade/Paper faces on parade/Masquerade/Hide your face so the world will never find you. . . . " She trailed off.

"Seething shadows, breathing lies/Masquerade/You can fool any friend who ever knew you." Draco looked at Hermione intently, who, in turn, fixed him with a level stare that (she hoped) betrayed none of her emotions. "Slytherin is a house full of deception and subterfuge . . . as well as stereotypes and expectations. So if one can't meet the demands of society . . . he puts on a mask." He laughed humorlessly. "But you wouldn't know about that, would you? Gryffindors don't care for secrets and lies. . . . You're all honest, loyal--"

"Don't be presumptuous," Hermione said testily. "Not all Gryffindors are as honest and loyal as you think." An image of the Marauders briefly flickered in her mind, Peter Pettigrew's image lingering longest, but she shooed it away quickly. "So you're wearing a mask. Why don't you 'take it off,' then?"

"Leering satyrs, peering eyes/Masquerade/Run and hide, but a face will still pursue you. Does that answer your question?" he sneered. The arrogance in him sparked for a moment, but it didn't burn long. He exhaled softly and crossed his arms, staring out into the star-strewn heavens. "Walls in Slytherin talk, Granger. Whatever I say and whatever I do in there will get to my father. In fact, I'm not so certain that no one's listening to me right now." He sighed in agitation. "I come here to the Tower to get away from it all. I think about how I could possibly leave it all behind permanently, but the answer is always glaringly clear: I can't. At least, not while my father's alive." He buried his face into his hands.

Hermione searched for something to say. She didn't expect such soul-purging, especially not from Draco Malfoy. To her, of all people. To Hermione Granger, one of the best friends of his arch rival, Harry Potter.

She settled for the only thing she could think of. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said tersely.

Hesitantly, she reached out to him and placed her hand upon his back. He stiffened for a moment, tensing with the first physical contact they had established during their nights together. He raised his head from his hands to look at her sharply.

"Now I'll tell you a secret," Hermione whispered. "I have something to show you." She reached into the pocket of her nightgown and drew forth a tiny Sneakoscope. "This whistles whenever there's malicious intent around. It's a handy thing to have around as the Head Girl." She ventured a smile at Draco, who was watching her incredulously. "This assures me that you're not lying, and this assures you that I will keep your secret. At the same time, it makes sure that no one's listening to us." She slipped it back into her pocket and patted it proudly.

"Intelligent, aren't you?" Draco said with a wry smile.

"I want to do my job as Head Girl properly, that's all," Hermione said modestly, though she blushed with mild guilt at her own adventures atop the Astronomy Tower. Draco seemed to be thinking the same thing, though, for he smirked at her in the knowing way he was wont to do.

They drifted into silence one more time. This was a short one, though, because Draco muttered something unintelligible.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I said, 'Thanks, Granger.' " Draco glanced at her. His gold-limned eyes pierced her soul. "For listening to me whinging on about my life."

Hermione offered a tiny smile. "You're welcome," she replied. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out to him again and placed her hand atop his. This time around, he didn't tense up.

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Notes: I wanted to put a reference here to the Draco constellation, but I wasn't so certain whether or not they'd see it where they were, due to location and time, so I'll just save that thought for another fic.

I'm happy that I was able to explain Draco's belligerent behavior in this snippet. Whee!

I'm going to find time to do a sequel, this time from Draco's point of view. It'll be Hermione's turn to open up about her life. :)