Monday 12: 15 pm

"The tower is this way," Hermione said leading Draco towards the door that she had found unlocked the day before. She reached the door and pushed it open, glad to find it still unlocked.

"So this is what, our own secret tower?" Draco asked with a grin, slipping an arm around her as they climbed up the spiraling steps.

"Yep," Hermione said, "As far as I can tell its not used at all."

"Wow," Draco said as they stepped out onto the top, "The view's amazing."

"My parents are coming the day after tomorrow," Hermione told him leaning her head on his shoulder.

"That's great!" Draco said turning to kiss her forehead softly.

"I think Harry is a little bit weirded out from the sudden transition of you from enemy to my friend," Hermione said.

"More than friends," Draco said.

"Exactly why I can't see how we're ever going to tell them," Hermione said and Draco felt her frown, "They're reactions have been okay so far, but who knows, I'm sure Harry will blow up."

"We can manage it, normal life should be easy," Draco said with a slight smile then touched her chin softly turning it up so he was looking into her eyes, "I love you."

"I love you too," Hermione said feeling her heart rise, she did love him, and that was all that mattered, "I don't see how I can feel so happy, yet other times so awful."

Draco said nothing instead kissing her on the lips pulling her closely. She leaned into the kiss closing her eyes.

6:30 pm

Ron entered Firenze's classroom carrying a stack of large books with he dropped down onto the moss floor. Sen glanced up from her log.

"I thought you'd be here," Ron said smiling slightly, then glanced at the books, "Books on souls and stuff. I was thinking about getting You-Know-Who to leave, and since you know the most of all of us..."

"Yeah," Sen said with a grin, "Haven't seen much of you guys recently, especially Draco. How's he doing?"

Ron shrugged, "He's not really, our friend.. just kind of Hermione's."

Sen grinned and bit her lip looking up, "You guys don't know?"

"Know what?" Ron asked.

"Ah, never mind," Sen said standing up and picking up one of the books.

"Where'd you get these?" she asked curiously, "I've looked for some in the library, but I didn't see very many."

"Er, the restricted section," Ron said, "I think its because they don't want students learning how to like do too much stuff with mind stuff or something."

"Shall we start looking through them?" Sen asked, "We can teach shielding your mind, but I know You-Know-Who gets stronger every time he possesses someone, he draws a little bit of their strength with them. One of these days he'll take a teacher, then move on to Dumbledore, or try to kill Harry and other people on the way. Ron, a lot of people don't notice this, but the situation is very steadily getting worse."

Ron nodded seriously then opened another book, "So should I be looking for stuff like mass shielding and trapping souls or minds or whatever?"

Sen nodded and sat down next to him flipping through the book she'd picked up, pulling over a piece of parchment to take notes, "Hopefully we can gather enough information to put together a way to trap him."

Ron nodded copying Sen's example.

8:15 pm

"Hey Ron, do you think there's something more going on between Hermione and Draco?" Harry asked as they did their potions homework.

Ron glanced up and gave a tentative shrug, "Its not really our business though is it?"

"But, Draco, you know. How do we even know he is nice, he could be pretending or something," Harry said.

Ron shrugged again then said, "I don't think he'd do that. Too much work, and he's not really getting too much out of it."

"Except Hermione," Harry said. Ron made a face.

"Sen and I found some good information," Ron finally said, changing the subject, "We should be able to put together a good spell soon."

"That's good," Harry said, "Well I'm going to get dinner, haven't had a chance to this evening."

Ron raised an eyebrow but kept any comments to himself as Harry gathered his books up and left.

Hermione came in a moment later looking flushed and happy and sat down next to Ron.

"Hey Hermione," he said, "Been at the library?"

"Ah no, I don't have any homework, I'm forbidden to any, or do much of anything in classes except watch. They want me to take it easy the rest of this year," she said, "We've been thinking of taking a half year or summer classes in order to make up what we missed."

"We?" Ron asked curiously.

"Draco and I," Hermione said then bit her lip and said, "So, how's it been going lately?"

"Been doing a lot of research on souls and stuff," Ron said, "Trying to find a way to stop You-Know-Who."

"I can't help but wonder whether it was really a good thing when those rocks crushed his body, if he'd still been alive, he'd be easier to kill. You can't kill souls," Hermione said, her face darkening as she thought about the dungeons.

"What was it like down there?" Ron asked softly, knowing he was treading on thin ice.

"Awful," Hermione said getting a glazed look in her eyes, "Screams and moans, I can still hear them at night. It was a place full of suffering and horror. I can't believe how people could so readily join his side, how they so quickly revert to such, ways, given a chance."

Her gaze stared off into the distance, Ron touched her should softly.

"They revel in pain, in other people's misery. Did you know they burnt Draco with a red hot poker, straight out of the fire?" Hermione asked.

Ron shook his head, "Draco hasn't really said anything, I mean he's not really, our friend."

"They tortured you?" Ron asked carefully. Hermione nodded and sighed pursing her lips then said, "I'd rather not talk about that."

Ron got the feeling there was something she wasn't telling, but let it drop at that.

"Oh, and by the way, do you think there's something going on between Harry and Ginny?" Hermione asked her face changing as she switched to a lighter topic.

Ron raised his eyebrows then shrugged, "There had better not be. If he's kissing my little sister... why do you think that?"

"Oh, just Harry's not around that much, and I saw them talking this one night, but I was sleepy, so I could have been mistaken," Hermione said, "but I think they were kissing. They do seem closer."

"So do you and Malfoy, er Draco," Ron said then coughed wishing he hadn't said that.

"Hm?" Hermione asked.

Ron shook his head, "Never mind."

A/N: Soul is getting close to being over, ten more chapters perhaps? I'm also thinking of writing a different Hermione/Draco story, un Dungeon/Soul related. I also might change my user name from Stormy Phoenix to Tiger Lily or something, so be on the look-out. :-)

Dedications to:

SkittlesStar27

Snowbear

Marissa03

Crazy Poet

LiLbLueangeL1223

Balsam

dracohermioneluver