Stealthily, Hermione made her way down to the dungeons. Harry and Ron had long ago informed her of the location of the Slytherin dorms, although she had no idea how she might get in without a password. She hoped that she would be lucky enough to find Draco wandering around the dungeons without his goonies. Then again, that might take a miracle, since those guys almost never left his side.
The one thing Hermione had going for her was the invisibility cloak she had bought over the summer. Not even Ron or Harry knew she had one yet, so she knew she was safe even if they bumped into her around the castle. She figured the trio could use an extra one in an emergency, since Harry's always seemed to get lost or stolen. There hadn't been any real dangers yet, so Hermione still hadn't mentioned it. Besides, the two would laugh at her for her other use of it: sneaking down to the kitchens to find out if the house elves were really as happy as every other wizard seemed to think they were. So far, she hadn't found any evidence to suggest they led unhappy lives, but Hermione was persistent. If any clues came up, she would waste no time at all in restarting her S.P.E.W. campaign.
As Hermione neared the Slytherin entrance, she started wondering about how Draco had gotten into the Gryffindor common room in the first place. He would have had the same trouble she did now, trying to find the password. It was not impossible. Another man had gotten into the Gryffindor dorms before, in Hermione's third year at the school. Sirius Black snuck in…he had found the password in Neville's schoolbooks. Of course, Hermione thought, at the beginning of the school year Neville had regained his privileges. No longer did he have to wait outside the Fat Lady's portrait for an older student to let him in. Surely that's where Draco had gotten the password…but how did that help her situation? There must be someone as forgetful as Neville in the Slytherin dormitory, thought Hermione.
Then it hit her. If Neville could get into the dorms without knowing the password, she could do the same thing. With her new invisibility cloak, she would only need to wait for a Slytherin to enter, and then sneak through behind them.
When she got to the Slytherin entrance, she realized this could be harder than it looked. Ever suspicious of others, the Slytherins had a trap set up with metal teeth above and below their entrance. When someone went through, the trap would open wide enough that one person could get through, and then slam shut on anyone still entering. Hermione thought she had enough time to get through if she didn't dawdle, but she didn't want to think about the consequences if she didn't make it. No one would find her damaged body, with the cloak on, until someone tripped over it.
Gritting her teeth, Hermione braced herself as a second year Slytherin approached the dormitories from behind her. She sidled up against the wall so he would not brush against her as he passed. He said the password and the metal teeth opened with a clang. They glared down menacingly at Hermione as she put her hands on either side of the entrance and jumped through. Luckily, there were no mishaps.
Now Hermione had to find Draco's room, since a quick inspection told her that he was not in the common room with the rest of his dejected Slytherins. They had probably cast him out after his Quidditch playing lost them the game. She hoped he was there; if he was elsewhere, she had spent a lot of needless time trying to escape the trap.
His room was not that hard to find, since Pansy Parkinson kept making gestures toward it while she was talking to her girl friends. It was obvious that she liked Draco; she did not even try to keep it a secret. It was almost as if nothing could embarrass the girl. She was forward about her emotions in a way Hermione would never be. Then again, Hermione thought, her forwardness had not exactly snagged Draco for her. Although tons of nastier rumors floated around the school, Hermione was not even sure if Pansy and Draco had ever even kissed.
Hermione didn't like the girl, but she silently thanked her now as Pansy pointed out the way to Draco's quarters. She hurried to Draco's room and pressed her invisible ear alongside the door. As she reached for the handle, she heard a thump against the wall, a sigh, and a plop that could only be Draco dropping onto his bed. She quickly turned the doorknob as the thought of Draco in bed filled her body with emotions she definitely did not want to be having when did she start calling him Draco anyway? and was greeted with the very sight that made her mouth water moments before.
Bathed in a cool blue light that mirrored his eyes, Draco sprawled out along his bed. His hands rested behind his head, drifting aimlessly through his light blonde hair. His chest was bare, his Quidditch robes gathered at the end of his bed. A thin green sheet covered the lower half of his body to keep out the chill of the dungeons.
Lost in his own thoughts, Draco appeared not to have heard Hermione come in. She paused at the door to soak in his beauty, if beauty was the right adjective. Slowly, she inched herself over to his bed. She sat down carefully beside him, and he remained still, but if she had only been able to hear his heart beat, she would know he was completely aware of her entrance. Unsure of what else to do, Hermione leaned down gently, and covered his lips with her own.
Both remained unaware that at that very moment, Ron and Harry were making their way down to the Slytherin dungeons to confront Draco about Hermione's weird behavior. They neared the jagged entrance as Hermione and Draco shared their third and most passionate kiss. If the two boys only knew what they would encounter in Draco's room, they would have gone running back to their own dormitory instead of looking for a way to sneak into the Slytherin dorms.
AN: Even though it's a tiny bit shorter than the others, this is the chapter I'm most proud of to date. You know you all love the cliffhanger between Hermione and Draco. Until next time…