Hermione woke up alone in the hospital bed. She wondered breifly why she was there, but as the memory of what had happened came back to her she reached up to touch her mouth. It tasted ever so slightly of cinnimon. She stood quickly and glanced around the room for the boy who's taste was still on her lips. The sun had begun to set, and Hermione's stomache rumbled. The hourglass on the far wall said it was just a few minetes before she was supposed to serve her detention. 'I'm going to have to serve alot more after missing all of today's classes.' she thought, sighing.

She worked her way down to the Potion's classroom, all the while thinking about everything Draco had told her. How did it come to this? She hated Draco for so long, and he hated her. But they only knew each other from a distance. Now they had gotten to know each other a little, and already Hermione knew all of Draco's darkest secrets, and already they had had more passion between them then Hermione had ever felt before.

She entered the potions classroom to find it empty. On the desk was a list of ingredients with a scribbled note on the bottom.

You know what to do. See you soon.

- Draco

Hermione got to work brewing the potion, being extreamly careful about makeing sure every measurement was correct.

Draco was pacing. A little after dinner he had woken up in the hospital wing, with Hermione in his arms. He didn't have any clue what he was suposed to do, so he left her there and bolted. Madame Proffey had told him he could leave wherever he felt like it, as long as it was after noon. Now he felt like it, because as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was terrified. He had never felt this way about anyone, and now suddenly it happends, and it is the one girl he has always hated. He went all the way to the Slytherin common room and burst into the seventh year boy's dorms. The two boys inside ran out when they saw the look on Draco's face. Now he had the room to himself, and he paced.

Hermione heard the door creek open behind her. She turned to see Draco, who was now back to his normal color.

"I thought the potion was supposed to last for 24 hours. Why are you back to normal?" She asked.

"I just used a color extracting potion to suck the purple dye from my skin. I am actually quite skilled with potions." Draco shut the door behind him and looked directly at her. His silver eyes sparkled in the candlelight. Hermione felt her knees weaken. Draco noticed this and smiled slighty. In one fluid motion he crossed the room, gathered her into his arms, and kissed her. Hermione's head tilted back as he pressed her up against a desk. Quickly breaking from the kiss, Draco picked Hermione up and sat her on the desk, before resuming his attack. His lips traveled slowly, starting at her lips and moving down to her neck.

"Dra... oh god.. Draco.. Draco, what are we doing?"

Draco pulled away slowly, looking her directly in the eye. "We can't keep having you get detentions. But this potion needs to be made." He touched her face lightly. "I'm so sorry I dragged you into all of this, but we need a reason for you to disappear every night, and some reason to see me. Last night's attack only happened for about an hour, and it was still the worst of them all. If Snape had not found me..." Draco sighed. "The Death Eaters would rather have me dead then have me betray them."

"Draco, I am so sorry." Hermione looked toward the floor. "I shouldn't have-"

Draco grasped her chin and turned her face to look at him. "No, don't blame yourself. You have no guilt here. None of this was your fault. I dragged you into this."

"No, Voldemort did. He and his followers." Hermione smiled at him. "You are as sinless as me." Draco smiled back at her. "Okay, I agree that we need a plan. Got any ideas? You are the Slytherin. You are supposed to now how the manipulate people."

"Thank you ever so much. But being me, I do have a plan. I don't know how convincing we would be, but concidering our actions today I think we could pull it off. Then again Potty and Weasal might get in the way..." Draco trailed off.

"Draco, what is it?" Hermione asked.

Draco hesitated, then blurted out the words that had been stuck in the back of his throat all day. "Will you be my girlfriend? Then you could see me at any time and it wouldn't be weird, and if you disappered for a while everyone would just think we were snogging or something-"

"Wait, is this why you kissed me? And all that shit about how you felt, all of it was bullshit. Merlin, I should have known. I would prefer detantions, thank you very much, over being used." Hermione shoved him away.

"No! Hermione, please." Draco reached for her but she slapped his hand away and glared.

"Don't touch me. I'll make your potion, but don't expect to get laid as a bonus."

"Hermione, thats not what I ment. Please, belive me. I really want you to-"

"Oh shove it Malfoy." Draco flinched as she used his surname. "I can't belive I fell for this shit." Hermione spun on her foot and marched up to the cauldron, muttering to herself and she began to chop her roots into small even chunks. Draco mentally slapped himself. How could he have done this so wrong?

Hermione was furious. How had she ever belived him? What a bastard! She continued to grumble to herself when she felt a soft hand grasp hers. She jerked away but he held on, grasping her other hand as well. The knife fell to the ground.

"Let me go!" Hermione tried her best to pull away, but he was just too strong. Draco wrapped his arms around her, pining her hands behind her back. His cheek brushed against hers as he resisted Hermione's attempts to free herself. "Damnit Malfoy let go!"

"Not until you listen. Please, don't strugle, I don't want you to hurt yourself. I just want you to hear me out." Draco felt her relax just slightly. Resting his head on her shoulder, he breathed in her scent. She smelled like roses. "Please, I know you have no reason to, but I need you to trust me. I am probably doing this all wrong, but this has never happened to me before. I've never... cared about anyone. I don't have any idea what I am feeling, but I want to get to know you. Find out what you enjoy. Learn about you. I didn't think you would let me be around you, so I thought if we were to pretend to be a couple for the sake of the potion, then maybe..."

Hermione realized that Draco had released her hands and was now just holding her, resting his head on her shoulder. He probably didn't even realize it. Yet she had no urge to push him away. "Maybe what?"

Draco breathed in deeply. "Maybe you would let me get to know you. Learn to trust me a little. Then if by some grace you wanted to be with me, it wouldn't be that weird, because we had acted like it for so long anyway." For a while they stood there in silence, frozen. Neither of them knew what to say. Slowly Draco pulled away, his eyes focused on anything but her face. He made his way to the door, never saying a word. As the heavy wood fell shut behind him, Hermione sighed.

Draco gazed up at the heavens. It was a clear night, every star shinning perfectly in its own brilliance. If only his head was that clear. A million thoughts spun through his head, mixing together into one overpowering message. 'You fucked up.' Draco truly didn't know what to do from here. A shooting star shot across the sky, and Draco wished he could grasp it, hold onto it as it took him far, far away from here.

He didn't know how long he had been in the Astronomy Tower, but it didn't seem to matter. Below he could see the forbidden forest stretch out before him. The trees looked dark and alive. He shuddred at the memory of a certain detention once served in that forest.

A centar stood on the edge of the forest, staring up at the castle. Draco watched him for a moment, then realized something. The centar was not looking at the castle, it was looking at him. Not knowing what to do he waved lazily. The centar pointed to the moon, then back at Draco. Seeing that Draco did not understand, he picked a stick up off the ground and began slashing it through the air like a whip. Draco just stared. 'Is this centar going mental? I guess I would too if I lived in that freaken' forest.' The centar tossed the stick to the ground and started making motions like he was drinking something. Draco continued to stare, until it hit him. Terror filled Draco as he realized the centar's message. The potion! It was well into the witching hours, and Draco still hadn't taken it. Within less than an hour the cloaking effects would wear off, and the attacks would begin. Draco bolted from the tower, running as fast as he could to the dungeons, which were well on the other side of the castle. As he dashed past the Great Hall he felt a burning sensation begin in his neck. He ran faster.

Hermione sat with her back against the wall in the front of the potion's classroom. After Draco left she had finished the potion and waited for him to return, but he hadn't. After a while she had fallen asleep on the hard floor. She woke up now to the sounds of a clock chiming, proclaiming that it was a new day. A loud cry of pain broke the quiet night, followed by the sound of something tumbling down the stairs and landing outside the potions room door. Hermione ran to the door and threw it open.

Lying before her was a mass of black robes and blonde hair. Hermione quickly nelt beside the body, gently pushing him onto his back. The boy's face was pale, even more pale then he was usually, and he breathing was rapid and uneven. Hermione ran back into the classroom to retrive the potion. She knelt down next to him and parted his lips. His forhead was sweating. She poured a bit of the potion into his mouth, but he spat it back out at her and coughed.

"Draco, wake up, please, you have to drink this." Draco's eyes fluttered slightly, then opened. Hermione was shocked to see the pain that filled them. "Please, drink." She brought the potion to his lips again, and this time he drank it thankfully. When he was finished she tossed the vial aside and held the trembling young man. Slowly his breathing calmed and he relaxed in her arms.

"Come on, lets get you to the hospital wing." Hermione whispered softly.

"No, no, its alright. I just need to rest." Draco stirred slightly, then compleatly relaxed, his body currling up next to her, his arm around her waist. Hermione watched him fall asleep as she stroked his soft hair. Eventually she streatched out beside him, waiting for him wake so she could help him to the Slytherin common room before returning to her own bed.

I LOVE my reveiwers, I just LOVE my reveiwers! What WONDERFUL people, they're READING my story. I'm WRITING all proud, and I'm SINGING all loud, I just LOVE my, LOVE my reveiwers!

Taking into account the load protests from my brother in the other room, maybe I should stick to writing fanfics instead of coming up with different versions of "singing in the rain."