TOO SHORT??? NO. Just…no.

Eric? Yes…hmmm… where does he come in. Well. I'm not giving anything away, mwahahaha!

---

"Granger, for Merlin's sake; go read a book or something." Draco muttered while fluttering his hands in annoyance to give her leave.

"Malfoy." She grimaced. "We're on duty. Does that mean anything to you?"

The expression on his face, suggesting that he never thought such thing possible, was enough.

"Is You Know Who really back?" She asked in an innocent whisper. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as the snowflakes gentle ornamented her hair. The puffs of steam shooting out of her nose and mouth as she spoke were another matter.

"Really, Granger." Draco tried to brush her off. "I'm delicate; I shouldn't be out here slaving for Merlin knows what."

"Is that a yes?" She assumed when he avoided her previous question. Annoyingly brushing away the snow, he looked in her eyes.

"Yes." It didn't occur to him to lie to make her feel better, but she didn't flinch as she heard the blunt truth.

"Does it have anything to do with what happened last year?" Hermione asked, never wavering from Malfoy's intense gaze. He arched his eyebrow even though he knew exactly what incident Hermione was referring to. "At your Manor."

"Possibly." Draco admitted, his tone below a whisper. They stared at each other in silence getting enveloped in white.

"You're right. It's kinda cold." Hermione changed the subject, knowing it wasn't a good idea to push Slytherins too far. Draco reached fro her hands and Hermione didn't pull away. Rubbing them together he bought her hands close to his face and breathed in on them in a vain attempt to keep them warm. As the cloud of fogging steam thinned, Draco saw Hermione grinning impishly back at him.

"Am I interrupting something?" Eric asked as he watched the ridiculous scene before him. From what he had heard, Gryffindors and Slytherins do not willingly go within 10 ft of each other. A Ravenclaw, judging by his robes, stood behind Eric; Hermione had seen him around but never really talked to him in all her seven years.

"No." Draco muttered before taking Hermione by her hands and leading them away from the interruption. Eric and what's-his-name followed.

"Uh, Hermione? Where's Harry, you shouldn't be here alone! And you; Malfoy init? Where's your partner? Perhaps you will let me escort Hermione back to her commons and partner, as we all know what the likes of you think of her kind." Eric asked, giving Hermione back her hands as he took them away from Malfoy. Hermione stared at him in horror.

"The likes of me? Her kind?" Draco asked too calmly, masking all emotion. Draco walked away from Hermione and the other Ravenclaw, Eric motioned for them not to follow and they didn't.

"Yes, a Slytherin. I heard they aren't fond of Gryffindors, much less muggle borns. A Malfoy, I've heard that name before you see; even in Durmstrang you're famous. You and your family, of all wizards, prize the pureblood principals more than ever." Eric answered, blissfully unaware of the rage building in our Slytherin angel of doom.

"I am a Slytherin." Draco confirmed. "I am a Malfoy; Draco Malfoy, a pureblood; just like you Eriv van der Strandsen."

"Then you wouldn't mind? Go back to your partner, you of all people must know when you're not wanted." Eric replied haughtily, and began walking back to claim his Gryffindor prize. "Heard your father's in Azkaban, no wonder, really though. Striking resemblance you two have."

"WHY YOU!!!" Draco lost it and lunged for Eric's throat.

"Going to murder me to complete your dream of following daddy's footsteps are you, Malfoy?" Eric provoked through gritted teeth.

"Dead people can't talk. No one will ever know." Draco threatened, his wand aimed dangerously towards Eric.

"You may be a splitting image of him, Malfoy; but I know you won't do it. Do you know what they say about you?" Eric asked, getting up and brushing the snow from his robes. "You'll end up just like your father. Everyone can see the same Malfoy through your eyes. The same Malfoy threatening to end my life now. But then there's something else; we purebloods all know who was there to help The Boy Who Lived wriggle free from Voldemort's grasp a few month's ago. We know how much power you must wield in order to do so. I also know why."

"You claim everyone is afraid of me. Why aren't you? I'm that famous." Draco gave a fake bow, "I'm a Malfoy, Stransen; deal with it. No; I won't kill you. You must think us other houses dense, you stuck up Ravenclaw; we Slytherins are cunning." Draco withdrew his wand and just looked at Eric up and down as if in criticism. As no one moved, Draco decided to go and escort the waiting Hermione back to commons before she froze to death because of the incompetent Ravenclaw.

"Cunning?" Eric scoffed and raced towards Draco's unprotected back. He got out his wand.

"Kilandr-" Eric was interrupted.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione's voice echo through the woods and Eric's wand flew out of his hand.

"Yes; yes I am." Draco replied, picking the wand up and leaving Eric defenseless.

---

"More students are missing." Dumbledore declared to everyone's non-amazement in yet another emergency assembly. There was a quiet murmur, but it was all some would dare. Very few people would step out of line.

It was a Gryffindor. Hermione stared blankly in front of her; the reality of what was happening finally struck her. People were going missing. The Dark Mark was spotted on campus twice. A Gryffindor had finally gone missing; someone she knew. No wonder why the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were so sullen before. No wonder why the Slytherins were so placid.

Dean was missing.

Gone.

Hermione bought her hands together, not quite registering what had really been announce but was glad to the end of Dumbledore's ramblings. She had respect for the great professor, but now wasn't the time to appreciate it.

Gone.

"We are doing what we can with no leads. We have shut down contact with outside; so there will be, as from now, to Hogsmeade. This should prevent all abductions. May you all sleep soundly tonight." Professor McGonnagal assured the school.

Gone.

---

"It's so strange." Hermione admitted, the darkness forming a bubble around them to shield the two from the outside world. "It's… It's finally hitting me."

Draco stared back at her and thanked what powers there were for his position as Head Boy and such a thing as a night round. How ironic she would confide in him of all people.

"And the only thing in common; the only thing anyone knows is," Hermione lowered her voice to a strained whisper; as if someone other than random prefects, too, doing their rounds would hear, "they're all Muggle Borns."

Her lower lip trembled as she looked up to him her eyes straining from the welling up of tears in them, struggling not to release the pool of water. He reached up to her face and traced around her lips, ceasing the trembling and brushed away the forming tears.

"Granger; Potter will solve everything. He has ideas, knows things; amazing luck and is destined to defeat the Dark Lord." Was all Draco offered her. It was all he could. Hermione looked down, frustrated she couldn't decode what inner message there was.

There wasn't one.

"Draco." Hermione sighed as he closed his eyes and inched away from her as she used his first name.

"Everything will be fine. He loves you," Draco's eyes were still closed, but his voice was strained; unused to masking this type of emotion and failing to do so with lack of practice.

"Malfoy; you will solve everything. You have ideas, you know things… you are my hero." Hermione tried to make him understand.

"He loves you." Draco reminded, opening his eyes to search hers,

"I lov-"

It was the only way Draco could stop her uttering the three words of his damnation. The three words that would destroy his every resolve and rebuild everything he believed in. It was the only way.

He kissed her.

---

I gave you wanted, now your part of the deal... (REVIEW!!!!)

That's how bribes work!!!