A/N: a few chapters in quick succession here. Sometimes this story just runs away with me…hope you guys like this chapter, a little bit of the 'tension' as Kat puts it will be released! Yay! But only a little bit…

Oh and the title means thundery times. But it sounded better in Italian.

Chapter 9: Minaccioso tempi

Despite the darkening evening, the cavern seemed to glow from the warmth emitting form the area where Hermione had cast the spell. If an outsider had been able to look past the wards and glamours, they would not have been able to imagine the boy and girl sitting on the floor being anything other than close friends. And a Hogwarts outsider would have been shocked at these two former enemies sitting together and laughing.

"Did you ever hear about S.P.E.W.?" Hermione giggled helplessly. "I even tried to set them free with clothes in fifth year, and they wouldn't clean the Gryffindor Common Room for a year! Didn't you see them avoiding me when we were getting all this?"

Draco laughed at the memory of the sycophantic House Elves, standing as far away from Hermione as they could get whilst still trying to obey orders.

"Yes! They would have splinched themselves if you had gone any closer. And I remember thinking you were so stupid for all that elf stuff. I thought it was just for attention." He took a swig of his butterbeer. "How things have changed."

Hermione smiled faintly and took his free hand in hers. It seemed the right thing to do. Draco felt a jolt of electricity race through his body at her touch, but said nothing. The pair sat in silence for a while, picking at the leftover food. She broke the silence first.

"When are you going to go back?"

"To my room? I don't know. I really don't want to leave you on your own. You haven't got the protection of the castle of anyone, and I'm worried about you…what?" Hermione was looking up at him, a faintly surprised expression on her face. 'Her eyes are darker nearer the pupils…' Draco's thoughts were confused.

"You sound so different. You sound so…nice. As if you actually care."

They were edging towards each other, the space between their lips getting smaller. 'I can't stop this.' She thought. 'I have no control…' They were almost touching.

"Perhaps I do." Draco whispered, just before their lips met. The shock that flowed between the two of them at the first feel of the kiss took them by surprise. Hermione's eyes fluttered closed as she parted her lips slightly. It had never felt like this. She had never been kissed like this. Draco felt the soft movement of her lips against his and moved his hand up to her hair as he ran his tongue along her lower lip.

She allowed his the tiniest bit of entrance into her mouth, flicking his tongue with hers. 'This is…magical.' She thought before losing herself completely in the sensation.

After what seemed like hours, they pulled apart, neither knowing what to say. All that mattered was the feeling of what had just happened. Neither had any thought of their background, the school above them, their houses or their friends. The only world that seemed to exist at that moment in time was that inside the invisible boundaries.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. She could not tear her gaze away from his slate grey eyes.

"What for?" his voice sounded equally as distant. She shrugged slowly in reply. Again, Hermione Granger did not know what to say. There was nothing she could say, and no way to say it. They smiled shyly at each other.

A crash of thunder made them both start; they hadn't even noticed the storm break above their heads. Although it was pitch black, the noise of the rain was almost deafening.

"And I didn't even notice." Hermione murmured to herself.

"Obviously far too absorbed in me." Draco shot back, smirking. He put his arm around her and she reached up for another kiss.

Simultaneously there was another loud crash of thunder and a flash of lightning. They jumped apart, and without quite knowing why, looked towards the entrance of the cave. Hermione gasped as she felt Draco tense up next to her.

Silhouetted against the cave entrance, the sky lit up behind them, stood a tall figure with their wand raised high. The sky remained lit up, now tinged with pink and green, but the wizards face was still in shadow. Draco was slowly reaching for his wand when he noticed something. Although the wizard was ready to cast, he was looking around, as if searching for someone. 'He can't see us!" Draco thought. Maybe there was still a chance.

"Don't move until I say." He whispered to Hermione. Despite the wards they had both placed, he was not confident that the sound would not reach this menacing creature.

"I'm going to place a spell on you; you won't be able to make a single noise. When I tell you to, stay close to the wall and when you get to the first tunnel, run up it as fast as you can because the spell will wear off quickly. The tunnel will lead you to the Slytherin corridor, so you should be safe. Get to Dumbledore as quickly as possible."

Hermione nodded, her eyes wide, and Draco performed the spell. He pushed her through the boundary and watched her scuttle along the wall. He waited until she reached the tunnel before he leapt out and faced the wizard.

He screamed the first curse that came into his head and a jet of purple light sped towards the wizard, who was now looking directly at the boy. The purple light shot straight through the being and the boy finally understood.

"Oh." Murmured Draco, before he turned and ran for the tunnel.