Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing… except myself, but nothing else

A/N: Thank you to all my awesome reviewers; I cannot explain how you made my day. Keep it up and I'll keep pumping these chapters out quickly, although I promise to try and make them quicker than this one (and hopefully better).

Previously: "I know, I know. It's not just that. I … I… don't want to lose our awesome friendship. And I … I … want to see the same of you that um… I umm… saw last year. I mean, just please make sure you're over here a lot, or I will miss you." Ron blushed again, deeper than the last few times.

"Of course Ron, of course. I won't forget you two just because I'm Head Girl now," she replied.

"Promise?" Asked Ron, taking her hand and felling a rush down into his stomach.

"I promise," she replied, smiling and feeling the same rush in her own stomach.

"You two lovebirds make me sick," said Draco, ruining the moment and pulling Hermoine with him out of the portrait. Ron just stood there and shook his head. Maybe he would tell her tomorrow.

Hermoine sighed as she slid out of the portrait hole, following Draco to finish the rest of their Head duties. By the end of the night, the two had given out three detentions – one to a third year Ravenclaw, and two to a first year couple from Hufflepuff that they found hidden in the astronomy tower, snogging the night away. Draco gave a sly grin, indicating that he too had visited the astronomy tower his first year at Hogwarts. The Hufflepuffs blushed as they apologized and ran back to their house portrait to go to bed.

"Nice," said Draco, running his hand through his messy, yet styled hair, "next thing we'll know, we'll be scouting Ravenclaws through the Forbidden Forest and Gryffindors off of the third floor."

"Excuse me?" Demanded Hermoine, a bit playfully, yet still a little taken aback, "What about Slytherin? How do we know that they won't be the ones we find in forbidden areas. They do have a tendency for making trouble and sticking their noses where they don't belong." Hermoine playfully pushed Draco, who didn't know whether to take it as a joke or seriously.

"Look whose talking about being a busybody. And if I remember right, you have the tenacity to find a bit of trouble on your own." He decided that he wasn't up for playing games with the girl that evening. He glared at her before turning around and heading towards their common area. Hermoine just stood their in a bit of shock. 'What just happened?' she asked herself, not knowing when their truce had gone null and void. 'Oh well,' she thought and followed the ferret, albeit good looking ferret, down the hall.

Due to it being the first night at Hogwarts, both students tucked themselves immediately into bed, happy that they didn't have any homework to finish. Hermoine pulled the sheets tightly around her and prayed that sleep would soon come. She hadn't had much sleep all summer and hoped that being away from him would make it easier to sleep. Happy her charms hadn't fallen, she rolled around, tucked into a ball and fell into a fitful sleep.

Draco laid on his bed, thinking about the upcoming year, secretly a little sad that it was his last at this castle that had become a second home. He thought about writing his mother; without him she got so upset. She hated living in their mansion all alone, since his father was in Azkaban, and she would always tell him how lonely she felt. Once she even told him that she almost wished that she too had been sent to Azkaban, just to escape the rude stares and whispers of her former friends.

Ever since Voldemort's destruction, things had been different. Draco, nor his mother, had ever been a true follower, but with a father like his, it was either worship him or be thrust out of the Malfoy chain. Being as young as he was, he just did as he was told, and Narcissa, she was too in love with a dominant Lucius to just walk away.

Guilt and pain ate Draco up as he lie in bed, so he got up and began to write her a nice letter:

Dear Mother,

How I miss you so much right now. I hope that everything's okay back at the manor. Now that I'm in seventh year, and Head Boy, if you ever need me, just send me an owl and I'll floo to your side as soon as possible. Please take care of yourself and know that I'm sending all my love.

Love,

Draco

He sighed and went back into bed, mind rushing with various facets of his current life. Eventually, his mind wandered to the sleeping girl in the next room. 'Something's very different about her this year, in her eyes. They hold so much: fear, sadness, longing for something, or someone. They're so full, it looks like they might soon burst with heavy tears. Why would such a smart and beautiful girl be so sad and afraid?'

He didn't have long to ponder his thoughts, being roused by a scream from the next room. Tearing at his sheets, he flew to the door that connected theirs and tried to open it. 'Stupid girl,' he thought, when he found himself faced with a locked door. Pulling out his wand, he commanded Alohomora, and the door swung open, greeting the boy to a young girl, tossing and turning, tearing at the sheets and screaming in fear of someone she thought was in the room.

"Stop!" she screamed out, pleading for her intruder to leave her. She cried out again and pulled away, as if burned from a hot object. Her dreams racing, she relieved the nightmare, him pushing her back onto the bed and slapping her across the face. She involuntarily reached up towards her face and sobbed silently. "No!" she cried again, as if crying would stop what was about to happen. Feeling him rip her shirt and push up against her made hot tears pour down her face. She shook violently and screamed out.

It took Draco a second to realize that she was asleep and not actually afraid of someone in her room. Rushing to her side, he gently held her down to stop her from kicking him, which only made her scream more. He shook her arm and called her name and she quieted down, waking from her eternal nightmare.

Embarrassed, she jumped up and ran to the bathroom, crying. Throwing herself into a stall, she banged her hands and screamed at how stupid she was; thinking that just because she wasn't there anymore meant the nightmares wouldn't follow was stupid. She lie down on the floor of the bathroom, rocking, shaking, and crying lightly. Draco walked in slowly and tried to comfort her, albeit a bit out of character.

"Just go away," she stated, just above a whisper. He ignored her request and walked near her, reaching his hand out to console her, "and don't ever bring this up again."

Draco decided to use this moment against her, to find out what was going on, "Only if you tell me why you were screaming. Otherwise, the whole school will know by morning that their Head Girl is a big baby."

Sobbing lightly, she turned her face towards him. The moonlight from the window caught a tear and it hit Draco that she was honestly pleading for him to keep quiet. "Please," she whispered silently, turning her head back towards the wall and wrapping her arms around herself before pulling her legs into a tucked position and lying her head against the stall door. Draco walked towards her again and although she slightly twitched as he lay his hand on her shoulder, she let herself melt into his grip.

"Hermoine…"

A/N: Welp, a bit of a cliffie, I think, but sometimes suspense is a good thing :D Keep reviewing a lot and I'll get the next chapter out by Saturday night (two days) – promise ;)