Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and my own twisted ideas.
A/N: Since it's been so long since I last wrote, here's a long chapter for your (re)viewing pleasure! O, and yes, chapter 4 was very un-Draco. Sorry, but I had to get a lil sympathy now b/c of something he does later that everyone will want to hate him for. Cept mione will remember how vulnerable he seemed and stuff and will sorta forgive him. Don't worry, neither of them dies...at least not anytime soon...Muwahahahaha! And since everyone also makes Hermione the good girl, I decided she should get a lil chance to be not-so-good every once in a while...so yea. That explains my reasoning for last chapter's weird character moods. OK, back to story...
The One I'll Always Love Chapter Five: Summer Dreams
A few days later, Draco was released from the hospital with only a slight limp and sore ribs. Hermione had felt extremely guilty after what had happened between her and Harry and was not about to let Draco find out. She was constantly worried about him these days: she had worried he would hurt himself if he went to get Harry and Ron, but now she worried he would find out that his mother hadn't killed herself and that he would find out about that horrible kiss. It wasn't horrible as in a bad kiss, simply a forbidden one. But she knew that when she got over worried she acted weird, so she tried as hard as she could to just brush it off. If her friends had noticed anything wrong with her, they hadn't said a word. Harry had come up to Hermione earlier that week and apologized profusely, but they were still on uneasy terms. Ever since Hermione confessed to liking Draco to her best friends, Ron and Ginny had been especially nice to him; not friendly really, just nice. Harry on the other hand avoided Draco at all costs, worried that his hate for Draco (added to the fact that Draco had Mione and he didn't) would make him send the Slytherin back to the Hospital Wing with even more severe injuries than before. Hermione noticed that no one else in the school seemed to know about the relationship between the Gryffindor and Slytherin prefects, and she couldn't say that made her upset. She and Draco had decided to unveil their feelings for each other at the beginning of next school year. So Hermione had to deal with Pansy-the-cow hanging all over Draco and Draco had to deal with Terry Boot attempting to flirt with Hermione (attempting a key word here, the poor boy had no idea what the hell he was doing). So they met under the cover of night in the library or out by the lake. Hermione was getting anxious though. The end of the school year was quickly approaching, but Draco had no where to stay. She kept hoping Dumbledore would ask to speak to her in private so that he could tell her it was OK for her to bring him home, but as the last few days came and went, Dumbledore would pass her and give her only a smile or a wave. Soon the last day of her 6th year arrived. All of Hogwarts had gathered in the Great Hall for the points ceremony (Gryffindor won for the 6th year in a row) and acknowledged the Gryffindor Quidditch team for their outstanding performance and sportsmanship at every game that past year. Harry beamed proudly as Dumbledore praised Harry's team (A/N: Yea, he's captain. Nothing could keep him from returning to Quidditch after toad lady left, so he rejoined and was made captain). Hermione smiled at Draco's look of pure boredom as Dumbledore rattled on about things for next year. Then, the unexpected happened. The feast was well underway when the beloved headmaster again took to his feet. "Students, faculty, I beg your forgiveness for again talking in the middle of this wonderful feast. However, I would like to say congratulations to a member of Gryffindor House and to a member of Slytherin House. Would Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger please come forward? Not only did these two outstanding students get the highest grades on this years exams that I've ever seen in all my long years here, they have bridged the competitiveness that so brutally separates their houses. Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to introduce you to the first Heads couple we've had since James and Lily Potter: next year's Head Boy Draco Malfoy, and next year's Head Girl Hermione Granger." The entire crowd gasped. Scattered whispers could be heard throughout the great hall. "Did he just say they were a couple?" "So, what's this Gryffindor got that's got Malfoy interested? She's pretty sure, but she ain't drop-dead gorgeous like his usual girlfriends." "Don't you mean whores?" Hermione could feel her face burn as she stood there in front of the crowd next to Draco. She could hear him muttering next to her. "They want something to talk about huh? Well, we can give them something to talk about." He turned to Hermione and drew her close. The whispers died almost instantly. Hermione looked at Draco questioningly. He smirked and said "Just follow my lead. Don't worry, at worst we'll get a detention." Hermione's eyes widened as he leaned ever closer. So instead of worrying what the crowd would think if she made out with Malfoy in front of everyone and worried instead about what Draco would say if she didn't. So she leaned closer to him too. And then the crowd gasped as the couple kissed obscenely right in front of everyone. Snape snarled at the teachers' table and when he had had enough, walked over and pulled the two apart, muttering, "O, get a room!" Hermione blushed as she walked back to her seat. Harry and Ron both looked furious; though at Malfoy, not her. Ginny, as well as most of the other girls in the room looked a cross between jealous and amused. Pansy and the rest of the Slytherins were, however, disgusted beyond everything that Malfoy would even go that near to the know-it-all 'Mudblood'. Hermione giggled nervously as she sat down and looked across the table at Harry. The boy who lived had a look of pure agony written across his face. Hermione gazed intently on his features and asked worriedly, "Harry? What, what's wrong? You saw what happened. He initiated it, not me. You know I wouldn't do something like that in front of you on purpose, right? You trust me, right?" Harry sighed deeply and sadly. "Of course I trust you. I'd trust you with my goddamn life. It's him I don't trust. Mione, what if he, what if he hurts you? Or cheats on you? Or, something worse? I could never live with myself if he made you cry. That's why I refuse to like him, or even be friendly. I know you were never mine, nor most likely will you ever be mine, but it still feels as though he's taken something from me. So there." Hermione gasped. Harry's words had both aggravated her and touched her. 'He really cares about me. I had no idea his feelings ran so deep.' Harry sighed sadly before returning to his half eaten dinner. Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table to see how Draco was faring. He was surrounded by almost all of the Slytherin boys and shunned by the Slytherin girls. Draco looked at Hermione and winked mischievously at her. She blushed profusely and quickly returned to her own meal. Draco laughed softly and said to himself "O Mione, why are you so perfect?" Goyle looked at Draco with his usual dumbfounded expression and said "I'm not Mione, Draco. I'm Goyle." Draco looked confused for a moment until what his blundering crony had said settled in. He then threw his head back and laughed a genuine, hearty laugh.
After the Feast...
As she was leaving the great hall, Hermione heard Dumbledore yell out her name. She walked back to him after telling her friends that she would catch up. As it turned out, Professor Dumbledore had also called Draco over as well. "Hermione, I know you wanted permission to let Draco stay with you over the summer because of Lucius' recent actions towards the boy. So I wrote your parents and they said it would be alright as long as you two had separate bedrooms. So, do you still want Mr. Malfoy to come home with you?" Hermione grinned widely at Dumbledore's answer. "I'd love to have him stay over! That is, if he wants to." Draco looked at Hermione intently before speaking. "Why not? It'll give us a chance to know each other better and this way I know I'll finish my homework in time." Draco winked at the blushing girl and wrapped his arm around her waist. Dumbledore smiled and sent them on their way. "Ahh, young love. It's a wonderful thing, isn't it Severus?" The Potions master, who had walked over to try and convince Dumbledore to give him the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position as he did every year. "Albus, we agreed to never bring up that topic. And may I-" "Severus, don't ask me again. Besides, I've already found the perfect person for the job. Perhaps you remember Lyra Malfoy?" Snape blushed and nodded. Then he raised his head as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "But I thought she was dead. At least, that's what Lucius wrote." "Cassie is no more dead than you or I. Lucius hates his sister because of something that happened 18 years ago. So he told everyone she had died after she disappeared to do her work. It's very tough to be an Unspeakable you know. But she's coming here next year. She's been living with her sister Cassiopeia I believe." Snape sighed and opened his mouth to ask one last question. "No Severus, she's not married." Snape smiled and walked towards the door to watch the students leave for Hogsmeade Station.
Meanwhile...
Draco and Hermione were busy getting their things packed up. Hermione hadn't told anyone but Ginny, who she trusted with all of her secrets, that Draco was going to be at her house for the summer. Ginny had squealed happily for her friend and promised to keep Ron from finding out. But now Hermione was worried about Harry. He had been unusually silent since the feast and it was scaring Hermione. She put the last of her books in her heavy trunk and tried to close it. Alarmed that the lid wasn't shutting, she called to Harry to help her. He came to the foot of the stairs then stopped. "What's wrong? Why aren't you coming up?" Harry looked at her with a 'what do you mean' look on his face. "I can't. Remember the anti-boys spell?" Hermione gasped as she remembered what had happened to Ron the previous year. She pulled out her wand and said a spell to make her trunk feather light and threw it down to Harry yelling "Catch" as she did so. Harry (amazingly...) caught it. Hermione ran down the steps and walked to Harry who was still holding her trunk. "I can't get it to close. Will you sit on it while I lock it? Please?" Harry laughed. "Ah-ha! So that's the reason you keep me around! Just in case you need me to sit on your trunk when you can't get it to close. I knew you didn't appreciate me." Hermione shook her head. "You're right Harry. I hate you but you're just heavy enough to weigh down the lid of my trunk so that I can close it. Never mind that you're my best friend and I thought you'd like to help me." Harry pretended to pout as he set the trunk down. He crossed his arms and hunched over like a little kid who didn't get their way. Hermione laughed and pushed him down on the trunk. He rolled his eyes as he heard her laughing. "Fine. I hate you too Mione." Hermione looked up at him before saying seriously "And that's why you're so worked up over me and Draco, huh? Well then, I guess I don't have to worry about your feelings if I tell you that you're the worst kisser I've ever kissed." Seeing his slightly hurt expression, Hermione kissed his cheek softly and whispered "Just kidding. You're one of the best." Harry felt his cheeks flush as Hermione kissed his cheek again. "OK, its closed. Thank you Mr. Potter for your services. Now, we really should get going. We're the only two left in here." Harry stood and nodded numbly as though what she had just said hadn't really settled in. He followed her slowly out of the common room. He was still silent when they got downstairs. Hermione looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he had a hand placed on his cheek where she kissed him earlier; a faint pinkish tone still lingered on his cheeks. Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him out side to the carriages. She called to Ron, who had been talking to his current crush, Mandy Brocklehurst, and then looked around for Draco. Harry and Ron climbed into the carriage and each held a hand out for the girl. She, however, had barely even noticed her best friends. Then she saw him. He was looking for her too. He smiled when he saw her and walked over to her carriage. The smile on Harry's face left the second he saw Draco and Ron's wavered. "O come on. He's OK, really. And we'll behave. Even keep our hands to ourselves if you want." At the last statement, she heard a noise of protest form Draco. She swatted him playfully then climbed into th carriage. Draco followed tentatively and was about to sit next to Hermione when Harry protectively sat down on the seat. He shot daggers at the pale boy with his eyes and, taking the hint, Draco sat down next to Ron. When they got to the train, Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and glared at Harry. Although she said nothing, her 'Why are you doing this to me?' look said volumes to Harry. He sighed sadly and followed the couple and Ron onto the train to find an empty compartment. Hermione found ne first and dragged Draco in behind her. They sat next to each other and Draco snaked his arm around Hermione's waist. Harry walked in and his eyes immediately found Draco's arm around the thin waist of his best friend. Hermione looked at pleadingly to behave and so he sat down without a word. "Now, tell, me Malfoy. Where will you be staying this summer? I am guessing you will not be able to go back to your house after what happened with your father?" Draco tightened his arm around his girlfriend before answering "I will be spending the summer with a close friend of mine. Dumbledore is arranging my clothes and everything to be brought over. And I will be attending my mother's funeral service tomorrow with that close friend." Harry, not receiving the answer he thought he would hear, looked taken aback. He decided to press the matter anyway and asked "So, who is this 'friend' of yours? Do they go to Hogwarts?" Hermione gasped; she hadn't planned on telling Harry or Ron where Draco was really staying and she knew Draco would have a hard time convincing Harry for too long. So she did something she hated have done to her. She interrupted. "Say, Harry, where's Ron? I haven't seen him since we got on the train. Perhaps you should go look for him?" Harry looked at her in surprize as it dawned on him that Ron had seemed to disappear. "Alright. I'll go look. But you two behave yourselves. I do not want to come back to a rendition of what happened at the feast." Draco pouted when he saw Hermione nod slowly. Then his smiled returned as she winked at him. As soon as Harry left, she turned to him and said coyly "Now Mr. Malfoy. I believe there was something we started earlier? I would so like to finish it before my dad gets here. Or Harry. Or Ron. But, I understand if you think we should follow wh-" She got to say no more as Draco's lips suddenly silenced her. Soon they were finishing what they had started in the Great Hall earlier that day. It wasn't until Harry interrupted them that they broke apart (A/N: harry was gone for about 10 minutes...lol...so that means our fav almost head boy and girl were rather busy .). Ron walked in behind Harry, totally oblivious (as usual) to what Harry had walked in on. For the rest of the trip, Hermione and Draco 'behaved' themselves (A/N: ha, draco? Behave himself? Never...), Ron cracked jokes about different things that had happened all year and Harry looked out the window with a look of deep hurt plastered across his face. When the train pulled into the station, Harry was the first out of the compartment. Ron followed right after, leaving Hermione and Draco by themselves. Draco's lips went straight to Hermione's neck as she proceeded to tell him something about how they should leave at separate times so that no one would figure out that they were leaving together (A/N: Draco wasn't really listening...and yea, I know I've done about 3 of these just in this section, but it needs to be done.) Hermione pushed Draco off of her and got up, laughing at his fake look of hurt. Rolling his eyes, he stood up and got his things as well (A/N: ok, I know they didn't carry them out to the train, but they're there...ok? It's never explained in the book how the trunks are taken to the train either, so there). Hermione walked out to the rest of the world first and ran over to Harry and Ron, giving both a huge hug a quick kiss on the cheek. She then waled over to her awaiting parents who were looking slightly put out that a boy who they didn't know would be staying at their house all summer. Mr. Granger took his daughter's trunk out to the car while Hermione and her mother waited for Draco. When she finally saw him, Hermione pointed him out to her mother excitedly. Mrs. Granger sighed as the tall pale boy walked over to them. Mr. Granger returned right then and looked Draco up and down. Draco attempted a warm smile as he stuck out his hand. Mr. Granger took it slowly and dropped it quickly. Hermione looked imploringly at her father, begging for his acceptance of Draco. The irrate Muggle sighed and then picked up Draco's trunk. Hermione's mother followed him closely. Hermione took Draco's hand and led him out to the car. Little did she know that Harry had been watching closely to see if his suspicions about where Draco were true. And when they were, he muttered under his breath "Have a good summer Malfoy. That's one heck of a friend." and then he wiped away the single glistening tear that had slid down his cheek.
A/N: Since it's been so long since I last wrote, here's a long chapter for your (re)viewing pleasure! O, and yes, chapter 4 was very un-Draco. Sorry, but I had to get a lil sympathy now b/c of something he does later that everyone will want to hate him for. Cept mione will remember how vulnerable he seemed and stuff and will sorta forgive him. Don't worry, neither of them dies...at least not anytime soon...Muwahahahaha! And since everyone also makes Hermione the good girl, I decided she should get a lil chance to be not-so-good every once in a while...so yea. That explains my reasoning for last chapter's weird character moods. OK, back to story...
The One I'll Always Love Chapter Five: Summer Dreams
A few days later, Draco was released from the hospital with only a slight limp and sore ribs. Hermione had felt extremely guilty after what had happened between her and Harry and was not about to let Draco find out. She was constantly worried about him these days: she had worried he would hurt himself if he went to get Harry and Ron, but now she worried he would find out that his mother hadn't killed herself and that he would find out about that horrible kiss. It wasn't horrible as in a bad kiss, simply a forbidden one. But she knew that when she got over worried she acted weird, so she tried as hard as she could to just brush it off. If her friends had noticed anything wrong with her, they hadn't said a word. Harry had come up to Hermione earlier that week and apologized profusely, but they were still on uneasy terms. Ever since Hermione confessed to liking Draco to her best friends, Ron and Ginny had been especially nice to him; not friendly really, just nice. Harry on the other hand avoided Draco at all costs, worried that his hate for Draco (added to the fact that Draco had Mione and he didn't) would make him send the Slytherin back to the Hospital Wing with even more severe injuries than before. Hermione noticed that no one else in the school seemed to know about the relationship between the Gryffindor and Slytherin prefects, and she couldn't say that made her upset. She and Draco had decided to unveil their feelings for each other at the beginning of next school year. So Hermione had to deal with Pansy-the-cow hanging all over Draco and Draco had to deal with Terry Boot attempting to flirt with Hermione (attempting a key word here, the poor boy had no idea what the hell he was doing). So they met under the cover of night in the library or out by the lake. Hermione was getting anxious though. The end of the school year was quickly approaching, but Draco had no where to stay. She kept hoping Dumbledore would ask to speak to her in private so that he could tell her it was OK for her to bring him home, but as the last few days came and went, Dumbledore would pass her and give her only a smile or a wave. Soon the last day of her 6th year arrived. All of Hogwarts had gathered in the Great Hall for the points ceremony (Gryffindor won for the 6th year in a row) and acknowledged the Gryffindor Quidditch team for their outstanding performance and sportsmanship at every game that past year. Harry beamed proudly as Dumbledore praised Harry's team (A/N: Yea, he's captain. Nothing could keep him from returning to Quidditch after toad lady left, so he rejoined and was made captain). Hermione smiled at Draco's look of pure boredom as Dumbledore rattled on about things for next year. Then, the unexpected happened. The feast was well underway when the beloved headmaster again took to his feet. "Students, faculty, I beg your forgiveness for again talking in the middle of this wonderful feast. However, I would like to say congratulations to a member of Gryffindor House and to a member of Slytherin House. Would Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger please come forward? Not only did these two outstanding students get the highest grades on this years exams that I've ever seen in all my long years here, they have bridged the competitiveness that so brutally separates their houses. Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to introduce you to the first Heads couple we've had since James and Lily Potter: next year's Head Boy Draco Malfoy, and next year's Head Girl Hermione Granger." The entire crowd gasped. Scattered whispers could be heard throughout the great hall. "Did he just say they were a couple?" "So, what's this Gryffindor got that's got Malfoy interested? She's pretty sure, but she ain't drop-dead gorgeous like his usual girlfriends." "Don't you mean whores?" Hermione could feel her face burn as she stood there in front of the crowd next to Draco. She could hear him muttering next to her. "They want something to talk about huh? Well, we can give them something to talk about." He turned to Hermione and drew her close. The whispers died almost instantly. Hermione looked at Draco questioningly. He smirked and said "Just follow my lead. Don't worry, at worst we'll get a detention." Hermione's eyes widened as he leaned ever closer. So instead of worrying what the crowd would think if she made out with Malfoy in front of everyone and worried instead about what Draco would say if she didn't. So she leaned closer to him too. And then the crowd gasped as the couple kissed obscenely right in front of everyone. Snape snarled at the teachers' table and when he had had enough, walked over and pulled the two apart, muttering, "O, get a room!" Hermione blushed as she walked back to her seat. Harry and Ron both looked furious; though at Malfoy, not her. Ginny, as well as most of the other girls in the room looked a cross between jealous and amused. Pansy and the rest of the Slytherins were, however, disgusted beyond everything that Malfoy would even go that near to the know-it-all 'Mudblood'. Hermione giggled nervously as she sat down and looked across the table at Harry. The boy who lived had a look of pure agony written across his face. Hermione gazed intently on his features and asked worriedly, "Harry? What, what's wrong? You saw what happened. He initiated it, not me. You know I wouldn't do something like that in front of you on purpose, right? You trust me, right?" Harry sighed deeply and sadly. "Of course I trust you. I'd trust you with my goddamn life. It's him I don't trust. Mione, what if he, what if he hurts you? Or cheats on you? Or, something worse? I could never live with myself if he made you cry. That's why I refuse to like him, or even be friendly. I know you were never mine, nor most likely will you ever be mine, but it still feels as though he's taken something from me. So there." Hermione gasped. Harry's words had both aggravated her and touched her. 'He really cares about me. I had no idea his feelings ran so deep.' Harry sighed sadly before returning to his half eaten dinner. Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table to see how Draco was faring. He was surrounded by almost all of the Slytherin boys and shunned by the Slytherin girls. Draco looked at Hermione and winked mischievously at her. She blushed profusely and quickly returned to her own meal. Draco laughed softly and said to himself "O Mione, why are you so perfect?" Goyle looked at Draco with his usual dumbfounded expression and said "I'm not Mione, Draco. I'm Goyle." Draco looked confused for a moment until what his blundering crony had said settled in. He then threw his head back and laughed a genuine, hearty laugh.
After the Feast...
As she was leaving the great hall, Hermione heard Dumbledore yell out her name. She walked back to him after telling her friends that she would catch up. As it turned out, Professor Dumbledore had also called Draco over as well. "Hermione, I know you wanted permission to let Draco stay with you over the summer because of Lucius' recent actions towards the boy. So I wrote your parents and they said it would be alright as long as you two had separate bedrooms. So, do you still want Mr. Malfoy to come home with you?" Hermione grinned widely at Dumbledore's answer. "I'd love to have him stay over! That is, if he wants to." Draco looked at Hermione intently before speaking. "Why not? It'll give us a chance to know each other better and this way I know I'll finish my homework in time." Draco winked at the blushing girl and wrapped his arm around her waist. Dumbledore smiled and sent them on their way. "Ahh, young love. It's a wonderful thing, isn't it Severus?" The Potions master, who had walked over to try and convince Dumbledore to give him the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position as he did every year. "Albus, we agreed to never bring up that topic. And may I-" "Severus, don't ask me again. Besides, I've already found the perfect person for the job. Perhaps you remember Lyra Malfoy?" Snape blushed and nodded. Then he raised his head as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "But I thought she was dead. At least, that's what Lucius wrote." "Cassie is no more dead than you or I. Lucius hates his sister because of something that happened 18 years ago. So he told everyone she had died after she disappeared to do her work. It's very tough to be an Unspeakable you know. But she's coming here next year. She's been living with her sister Cassiopeia I believe." Snape sighed and opened his mouth to ask one last question. "No Severus, she's not married." Snape smiled and walked towards the door to watch the students leave for Hogsmeade Station.
Meanwhile...
Draco and Hermione were busy getting their things packed up. Hermione hadn't told anyone but Ginny, who she trusted with all of her secrets, that Draco was going to be at her house for the summer. Ginny had squealed happily for her friend and promised to keep Ron from finding out. But now Hermione was worried about Harry. He had been unusually silent since the feast and it was scaring Hermione. She put the last of her books in her heavy trunk and tried to close it. Alarmed that the lid wasn't shutting, she called to Harry to help her. He came to the foot of the stairs then stopped. "What's wrong? Why aren't you coming up?" Harry looked at her with a 'what do you mean' look on his face. "I can't. Remember the anti-boys spell?" Hermione gasped as she remembered what had happened to Ron the previous year. She pulled out her wand and said a spell to make her trunk feather light and threw it down to Harry yelling "Catch" as she did so. Harry (amazingly...) caught it. Hermione ran down the steps and walked to Harry who was still holding her trunk. "I can't get it to close. Will you sit on it while I lock it? Please?" Harry laughed. "Ah-ha! So that's the reason you keep me around! Just in case you need me to sit on your trunk when you can't get it to close. I knew you didn't appreciate me." Hermione shook her head. "You're right Harry. I hate you but you're just heavy enough to weigh down the lid of my trunk so that I can close it. Never mind that you're my best friend and I thought you'd like to help me." Harry pretended to pout as he set the trunk down. He crossed his arms and hunched over like a little kid who didn't get their way. Hermione laughed and pushed him down on the trunk. He rolled his eyes as he heard her laughing. "Fine. I hate you too Mione." Hermione looked up at him before saying seriously "And that's why you're so worked up over me and Draco, huh? Well then, I guess I don't have to worry about your feelings if I tell you that you're the worst kisser I've ever kissed." Seeing his slightly hurt expression, Hermione kissed his cheek softly and whispered "Just kidding. You're one of the best." Harry felt his cheeks flush as Hermione kissed his cheek again. "OK, its closed. Thank you Mr. Potter for your services. Now, we really should get going. We're the only two left in here." Harry stood and nodded numbly as though what she had just said hadn't really settled in. He followed her slowly out of the common room. He was still silent when they got downstairs. Hermione looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he had a hand placed on his cheek where she kissed him earlier; a faint pinkish tone still lingered on his cheeks. Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him out side to the carriages. She called to Ron, who had been talking to his current crush, Mandy Brocklehurst, and then looked around for Draco. Harry and Ron climbed into the carriage and each held a hand out for the girl. She, however, had barely even noticed her best friends. Then she saw him. He was looking for her too. He smiled when he saw her and walked over to her carriage. The smile on Harry's face left the second he saw Draco and Ron's wavered. "O come on. He's OK, really. And we'll behave. Even keep our hands to ourselves if you want." At the last statement, she heard a noise of protest form Draco. She swatted him playfully then climbed into th carriage. Draco followed tentatively and was about to sit next to Hermione when Harry protectively sat down on the seat. He shot daggers at the pale boy with his eyes and, taking the hint, Draco sat down next to Ron. When they got to the train, Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and glared at Harry. Although she said nothing, her 'Why are you doing this to me?' look said volumes to Harry. He sighed sadly and followed the couple and Ron onto the train to find an empty compartment. Hermione found ne first and dragged Draco in behind her. They sat next to each other and Draco snaked his arm around Hermione's waist. Harry walked in and his eyes immediately found Draco's arm around the thin waist of his best friend. Hermione looked at pleadingly to behave and so he sat down without a word. "Now, tell, me Malfoy. Where will you be staying this summer? I am guessing you will not be able to go back to your house after what happened with your father?" Draco tightened his arm around his girlfriend before answering "I will be spending the summer with a close friend of mine. Dumbledore is arranging my clothes and everything to be brought over. And I will be attending my mother's funeral service tomorrow with that close friend." Harry, not receiving the answer he thought he would hear, looked taken aback. He decided to press the matter anyway and asked "So, who is this 'friend' of yours? Do they go to Hogwarts?" Hermione gasped; she hadn't planned on telling Harry or Ron where Draco was really staying and she knew Draco would have a hard time convincing Harry for too long. So she did something she hated have done to her. She interrupted. "Say, Harry, where's Ron? I haven't seen him since we got on the train. Perhaps you should go look for him?" Harry looked at her in surprize as it dawned on him that Ron had seemed to disappear. "Alright. I'll go look. But you two behave yourselves. I do not want to come back to a rendition of what happened at the feast." Draco pouted when he saw Hermione nod slowly. Then his smiled returned as she winked at him. As soon as Harry left, she turned to him and said coyly "Now Mr. Malfoy. I believe there was something we started earlier? I would so like to finish it before my dad gets here. Or Harry. Or Ron. But, I understand if you think we should follow wh-" She got to say no more as Draco's lips suddenly silenced her. Soon they were finishing what they had started in the Great Hall earlier that day. It wasn't until Harry interrupted them that they broke apart (A/N: harry was gone for about 10 minutes...lol...so that means our fav almost head boy and girl were rather busy .). Ron walked in behind Harry, totally oblivious (as usual) to what Harry had walked in on. For the rest of the trip, Hermione and Draco 'behaved' themselves (A/N: ha, draco? Behave himself? Never...), Ron cracked jokes about different things that had happened all year and Harry looked out the window with a look of deep hurt plastered across his face. When the train pulled into the station, Harry was the first out of the compartment. Ron followed right after, leaving Hermione and Draco by themselves. Draco's lips went straight to Hermione's neck as she proceeded to tell him something about how they should leave at separate times so that no one would figure out that they were leaving together (A/N: Draco wasn't really listening...and yea, I know I've done about 3 of these just in this section, but it needs to be done.) Hermione pushed Draco off of her and got up, laughing at his fake look of hurt. Rolling his eyes, he stood up and got his things as well (A/N: ok, I know they didn't carry them out to the train, but they're there...ok? It's never explained in the book how the trunks are taken to the train either, so there). Hermione walked out to the rest of the world first and ran over to Harry and Ron, giving both a huge hug a quick kiss on the cheek. She then waled over to her awaiting parents who were looking slightly put out that a boy who they didn't know would be staying at their house all summer. Mr. Granger took his daughter's trunk out to the car while Hermione and her mother waited for Draco. When she finally saw him, Hermione pointed him out to her mother excitedly. Mrs. Granger sighed as the tall pale boy walked over to them. Mr. Granger returned right then and looked Draco up and down. Draco attempted a warm smile as he stuck out his hand. Mr. Granger took it slowly and dropped it quickly. Hermione looked imploringly at her father, begging for his acceptance of Draco. The irrate Muggle sighed and then picked up Draco's trunk. Hermione's mother followed him closely. Hermione took Draco's hand and led him out to the car. Little did she know that Harry had been watching closely to see if his suspicions about where Draco were true. And when they were, he muttered under his breath "Have a good summer Malfoy. That's one heck of a friend." and then he wiped away the single glistening tear that had slid down his cheek.