Monday Night 8:30 pm

Draco sat watching Hermione, wishing that she would just wake up. It was starting to seem hopeless, he felt like he'd never be happy again, and knew that if she died, he wouldn't be able to live. He felt like he had to be doing something, wished there was some way he could help her. When she was awake, it only made him more afraid for her, he talked to her and tried to convince her that it would be alright, and they were safe from Voldemort, but somehow she didn't seem like she could believe that. She'd been so strong when they were down there, he didn't see how this could just happen to her. They'd gone through the same things, why didn't this happen to him?

He'd pulled the chair right up next to her bed and sat holding her hand. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and wished there was a window in this room to let in sunlight and bring some color to her pale face. Maybe he could ask about getting her moved to a new room. He gazed at her face, wishing she'd open her eyes and look at him and he'd know she was better, he'd never been so desperate for something in his life.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, then it opened and Sen stepped in. He glanced up surprised and waited for her to speak.

Sen's eyes studied him a moment then her gaze moved to Hermione and back to him. She still said nothing and took notice of the fact Draco was holding Hermione's hand. She narrowed her eyes a moment then looked back at Draco.

"You love her," she stated.

Draco raised his eyebrows and wondered if it was that obvious, and felt a little worry at not having told anyone. Sen would surely tell Harry and Ron, then it would get out over the whole school, and he wasn't sure wether their reaction would be good or bad.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sen asked curiously pulling over the other chair and sitting down as well.

"Before we'd been captured," Draco began, "We were enemies, I'm a slytherin and she's a gryfindor. I was a arrogant son of a bitch and she was a brainy, bushy haired girl with large teeth. It was in my blood to hate mud- half borns and gryfindors. She's both. Harry and Ron still hate me, and I don't think have quite forgiven me for all my bullying."

"Yet now, this is all different," Sen said knowing exactly where he was going, "You changed and saw her as different?"

Draco nodded, amazed at Sen's ability to see right to the point.

"I'm sorry," she said then, "For kissing you I mean, I didn't know, I see now, I mean"- she stopped and smiled slightly realizing she was started to babble. "Maybe we can just forget that ever happened?"

"Sure," Draco said glad that he'd be able to put that behind him. He also found that he didn't feel anything beyond friendship for Sen, he'd been worried that when he saw her again the feelings he'd felt when kissing her would arise. Then he asked, "You won't tell anyone, will you? I don't think, it would cause a war between the gryfindors and slytherins, not that there isn't already one, but it would make a lot of people call both of us traitors."

9:10

Draco sat staring out the window thoughtfully and took a moment to look back at what had happened since being back. It'd really only been one or two weeks, yet it felt like ages, years, since he'd been down in the dungeons. He gave a shiver and tried to push those memories away, instead deciding to think about, something else.

He realized that as well as his views, his personality had changed more than he'd realized. He was almost, mellow, not nearly as closed up and snappy. When Sen asked him something, he simply answered. Maybe in talking to Hermione he'd become accustomed to basically speaking his mind. He could of denied loving Hermione, yet, Sen would have seen through him. Lying, that was a large change, lies had used to come easily, his whole being was made up of lies. Now though, he couldn't remember the last time he'd lied. The truth was so much better out in the open and not covered up where it could see the world. He bit his lip thoughtfully then got into his bed hoping to fall asleep before th other Slytherins came in. They tended to be a little loud, and made it hard to get to sleep, though once he was asleep, not much woke him up. He found he slept fairly deeply, rather than lightly, since he'd gotten back. Down in their cell, he'd woken at the slightest thing. Now, he found his sleep uninterrupted, one of the tiny things you tend to take for granted.

12:03

Sitting up with a start Draco pulled open the curtains around his bed. He glanced around the room, wondering what had make him wake so suddenly. He felt wide awake, not at all tired. The moonlight shown through the window brightly and Draco knew it would be more than an hour before he got back to sleep. He climbed out of bed and slipped his robe on over his pajamas, then pulled on his shoes.

His footsteps made no noise on the carpeted floor of the dormitory, he pushed open the door carefully and stole up to the common room then out into the hallways. He shivered, disliking the damp feel of the stone hallways in the lower parts of the castle. It reminded him too much of You-Know-Who's dungeons. He quickly climbed up into the warmer parts of the castle and found himself heading towards the hospital wing, though he'd known all along he'd go there, he'd never actually thought it. He pushed open the door and sat down in the chair that was now quite familiar to him and pulled it closer, then on a second thought sat down on the bed and lay down next to her. She stirred slightly then opened her eyes.

"Draco?" she asked, and there was something in her voice that made Draco's heart jump wildly.

"I'm here," he said softly feeling his voice catch in his throat. He took her hand and gave it a slight squeeze to reassure her.

A/N: Heh, cliff hanger.. Thanks to all you guys for reveiwing! Reviews are what keep us authors going! I got such good reviews too!!!

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