A/N: dudes! Thank you for your awesome reviews!! Now I have time to answer them! And I don't own the song 'without you'...just to clarify. It's by Michelle Branch feat. Justincase

Anon11: thanks so much...yup I'm noYpi!!(Filipino)...glad to 'meet' Filipinos who read my fanfic

RedPillow: thanks so much for all the reviews you've made! You rock!

Lynn: Thank you! ;)

Jewel: Thank you...!

SailorHermy: yup that's exactly how I wanted it to be...! Thank you for noticing.

Camila: I can't tell you when...or even if they do... (aww)...coz ill be spoiling it for you

Karina-sweets: I don't know why you can't open chap 12 coz it works for me and others... maybe try refreshing? Or restarting? And by the way, PTS are super easy this quarter...but there's no lakwa!! Grrr...

Deep blue quill: again, thank you!! I am trying so hard to get Draco into character...I'm not used to writing the 'bad' ones

Magick-wolf: whoa! Thanks for your review...keep on reading so you'll know what happens...

Avi-07- dude, sorry I was a little rude on YM (with you adding me and all)... I just didn't know who you were till I read your review...anyway, glad you like my story

Doggies45: well. Okay, I admit you got me there... I overlooked that one... (Darn!) But if I hadn't forgot about that I don't think it would've made much of a difference since they had different shifts and all. Thanks anyway...and for your great review

Mrsobssessedwithharryptter, kbluesmom and Callie: thanks for your awesome reviews...I'm updating as often as I can...right after school!

--

Chapter 13: Truly, Madly, Deeply

When they got back to the castle, Draco was really thankful and he tried his best not to look like Hermione, his rival, enemy, foe, had just helped him through a could've-been sticky situation. He didn't want to be in debt, he didn't want to feel like he owed her something. Of all people, why her?

He was imagining already, that at the exact moment that the chain breaks, she'd immediately be running off to the Potty and the Weasel and telling them that Draco Malfoy, the pureblood Slytherin, needed her help a few times. He couldn't even bear to think about their reactions when they find out.

"Hermione", said Draco, as they entered the common room, "about all those times when you helped me..."

"I wouldn't tell Harry and Ron?" she finished for him, "of course not"

Draco was relieved. Maybe Hermione wasn't so bad after all.

"Thanks", he breathed, slumping onto a couch.

Hermione was about to open the bedroom door when she suddenly turned back to look at Draco. He was taking out some spell books and parchment from his bag. She observed him. His brows furrowed with concentration as he turned the page of "Advanced defense against the dark arts volume I". His pale eyes looked tired, but they were just so beautiful. He brushed his platinum blonde hair away from his eyes. His hair; that was another thing. His hair was so...amazing.

Hermione was taken by surprised when he suddenly looked up and asked, "What?"

"Uhm, err, aren't you coming?" she asked, "It's a bit late"

"No it's okay", he replied, "I'm fine"

Hermione quickly got inside the bedroom and closed the door behind her. That was close. If Malfoy had ever caught her gazing at him...well, she didn't want to think about it. She quickly changed and got in bed. Soon, she was dreaming.

She was dreaming that she was alone in some bright room...it was completely white; walls, floor and ceiling. It reminded her of an American movie she had seen with her parents. She was completely alone. It was all so peaceful, and she started to walk and explore the room.

Then, she heard some music coming from far away. She had never heard this song before, and she sat down on the cold floor to listen to it.

It's been two weeks and three days long

I'm all alone since you've been gone

I can't keep myself from asking why

Just wanna see my reflection in your eyes

---

Meanwhile, in the common room, Draco's eyes were glazing over, and suddenly opened them to get off the couch and close his spell books.

He got into bed to face Hermione. She was sleeping, so peaceful, so beautiful. Yet, he couldn't possibly have feelings for Hermione, and even if he did, there was nothing else to do but deny, for Lucius or any other member of his family, would never allow him to love a mudblood. He slowly drifted off to sleep, thinking of the girl beside him.

He hardly ever had dreams, yet this night he did. He was alone in some open space, or maybe it was a room; he didn't know, for it was bright and everything was pure white; so pure, that it was hard to see where he was at all. He had never been there, yet he felt like he was at home. He was startled as he started to hear distant music. So far, yet the words were so clear. He walked further and further into the white space listening for the source of the music that was playing.

Just know that I'm with you

And what you feel, I feel it too

--

Hermione woke with a start the next day and she shook Draco awake as well after she checked her watch. They were going to be late for class!

Hermione and Draco got ready as fast as they could, but still managed to get late for their first class.

"Sorry Professor", Hermione muttered as she and Draco, who was still groggy, entered the classroom.

"Quite alright", Tonks said cheerfully.

She positioned herself at the front of the class, as Draco and Hermione scrambled to take their seats.

"Today, we will be having a quiz—"

They all groaned.

"—from the ministry...just to test how much you know"

Ron's hand shot up. "But professor, we hadn't any spells yet, just obstacle courses and stuff"

"I meant from the past years" Tonks clarified, "so that we'll know where to start"

Tonks gave out the quizzes and the students took the silently answered them. The only sound in the classroom was the scratching of quills and some occasional coughing from the back row. Hermione looked down at her quiz.

Question No 1: The incantation for the Four-Point spell is

Hermione smiled. She knew this all too well, and she answered the rest of the questions with ease. Draco on the other hand, was having a hard time, and was stuck on a few questions. He frowned and continued with the test.

Hermione, naturally, was the first one done. She looked around and saw Harry smiling at her. "Okay?" he mouthed. Hermione smiled and nodded. Draco looked up and rolled his eyes. For someone smart, he didn't get why Hermione's friends had to be so stupid. "I heard that", Hermione thought. Just then Draco remembered that they could read minds, "Quick Hermione, give me the answer to number 5", he thought hopefully.

Hermione shot him a warning glance. "You know we're not supposed to cheat"

At the end of forty minutes the quizzes were collected and they got out of the classroom to get into another.

--

The rest of the day wasn't that enjoyable. Every class had quizzes on what they had learned. Hermione had a particularly hard time on the Arithmancy quiz, and she finished just below the forty-minute limit.

She had blushed again, in her Potions quiz, when she was frowning at question 14 and Draco gave her a small, yet supportive smile. Then she remembered that the answer was "Phoenix Tears"

Draco didn't know why he smiled at Hermione, and he certainly didn't know why she smiled back, making him feel even more butterflies than he already had. He had been getting butterflies since the Halloween feast; so unexplainable, yet so amazing.

--

They took the last of the quizzes and sat down on their table in the great hall to eat.

Hermione was feeling relieved that quizzes were almost over, and she smiled at Draco, who smiled back. She didn't notice the tinge of pink in his skin when she had smiled.

Draco had turned red when Hermione had smiled at him, and not being able to help himself, he smiled back. He continued to smile at his soup, which had turned cold, since he hadn't touched it at all.

Hermione was daydreaming. She didn't often do that, but she did. Most of all, she was daydreaming about the pale-eyed boy sitting across her drinking pumpkin juice. She was startled when a Hufflepuff fourth year came up to them.

"Professor Dumbledore said to come right up to his office. He said he had something important he needed to discuss with you. He seemed pretty happy" she said.

Hermione clutched her glowing pendant, and then looked up at Draco. Was it possible that the chain was about to break?

Draco seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He held his own pendant and looked back at Hermione. Maybe the chain would break...

A/N: There you go chapt 13...If you liked it, please please please review, and if you didn't like it, please please please review and give me suggestions!! Thanks...and sorry if I should upset you, but I won't write the next chapt until you tell me what you think of this one. ;)