Hey everyone, I know, I know, I can't apologize enough! Anyways, here you go. Hermione may seem a bit our of character here, but try to understand that she is potentially losing the only person who knows how she feels. Let's face it, she's a basket case, but in this chapter she is a little funner to watch. Enjoy, and please review Phaedra

Chapter 13

The Catalyst

Hermione rolled to her side and forced her eyes open. Her entire room was dark. She could have sworn she had slept for a year. Her body was as groggy as her mind. She sluggishly pulled herself into a sitting position and squinted at her clock, 12:32am came into focus. Hermione's body begged for more rest, but her mind began reeling. Without the dulling effects of the liquor she could clearly think upon the events of last night. She remembered the tale Draco had confided in her.

Hermione gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand. She could not put the pieces together when things went wrong. Draco had placed his trust in her, even grudgingly, and then she put her trust in him but sleeping in his lap. Then after the sun came up he was his same hateful self again. She knew an even harsher moment of desperation at his abandonment. Draco was the only one she knew who understood what it was like to lose someone you love. The only person capable of helping her to cope. She could not lose this one thread. She refused to lose the tiny bit of companionship she had won over. Hermione faced an ugly truth, she needed Draco to be there for her, she needed him more than anyone. She needed to share her grief.

Hermione steeled her nerves and decided what she would do. She ran her fingers through her tangled tresses and went to her dresser to find a suitable outfit for her mission. Hermione knew one thing about Draco for a fact, he spoke the language of lust very fluently. She colored slightly at her devious plan, she had never done anything this risqué before. Her morals and standards chafed against her decision, but she was determined to have it out with Draco one way or another.

Draco sank further into the mattress of his bed. He was absently flicking his wand around making a pair of pants and a shirt battle. His mind wasn't in the sport however. Draco could not stop thinking about Hermione no matter how hard he tried. He had taken out all of his aggression and frustration on Pansy, but she liked it that way. His body ached from all the forgetting he had tried to do that day. Draco scratched his bare torso and sighed deeply. He had wondered all day if Hermione was truly ill. He had been half tempted to check on her, but his pride wouldn't allow him. He had sustained a dark bruise on his perfect skin because of her little tantrum.

Draco was too busy musing over Hermione's attitude problem to hear the password to his room being spoken. He did however hear the statue grinding to the right. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" He yelled, unable to see who was on his stairs. When no one answered he grew impatient and got to his feet. He began advancing on the corridor relinquishing the game with his clothes which fell in a heap on the floor. He raised his wand prepared for any sort of attack, assuming the worst.

He was not however prepared for the sight that met his eyes. Hermione presented herself at the entrance to his room. She was clad in a black pair of lace boy shorts, and a matching tank top that exposed at least three inches of her abdomen above her navel. Draco's wand fell to the floor and rolled under his bed. His mouth gaped as Hermione tired to put on her best impersonation of a vixen.

Draco finally regained a few of his senses. His mouth had gone dry. "Wh... What are you doing in here Granger?" He ground out, still absorbing every inch of her exposed skin. The blush the crept across her face did not escape him. The innocence he knew she had only succeeded in arousing him even more. He did not know what she was playing at.

"Well aren't you going to invite me in?" Hermione asked coyly.

"What are you trying to do Granger? What is this all about? For Merlin's sake put on some clothes." He said staring hard at the stone floor beside him. He knew he would lose his cool if he looked upon her for even one more moment.

Hermione's mind raced. She had no idea what she was doing. This was the most embarrassing situation of her life. She would never have dreamed of offering herself up like this. But she was desperate. If Draco had looked any closer he would have seen the look of wild terror and hopelessness in her eyes. He would have known that she was clutching at straws. Hermione kept repeating in her mind that he was the only one that understood. She could not lose this. She didn't feel so alone in her grief when she was with him. She feared this was her last hope before she lost everything she had worked for.

Hermione took a deep breath and slowly, and deliberately walked toward Draco. She couldn't help but smile a bit when he took a step back. They continued this game until the back of Draco's knees bumped into his mattress. He silently cursed his luck. Draco had no idea what Hermione was doing. He was almost afraid. Quickly he ran through a check list in his mind of everything that might be wrong with her. Each seemed as unlikely as the next. His fire whiskey was still under his pillow, and no one had any reason to use the imperious curse on her. 'Well, one person' Draco amended to himself, but that was not possible. He was drawing a complete blank, and then he smelled lavender.

Draco drew his eyes up from the stone floor to see Hermione standing only a foot away from him. They were so close that he could see the tiny pulse hammering on her delicate neck. For some reason he wanted to follow the vein with his tongue. He was losing control. He mentally screamed at himself to get a grip, but nothing was working. Not even images of his father, nor of his threats, seemed to stem the tide of hormones rushing through his blood. He turned to the only defense he had left, his hate.

"What the hell do you think you are doing Granger?" He rasped, refusing to break eye contact. He knew if he did, if his eyes roamed down her body again, the battle would be over, and she would be declared the victor.

"I just wanted to come in here and have a little chat Malfoy, that's all." She said with a slight shrug that drew Draco's eyes to her bare shoulders. She could see the frustration in his eyes when he whipped them back up to her face. For the first time since she walked through those doors she felt in control. She was winning. 'And it really wasn't that hard at all' she remarked to herself, not allowing her grin to form on her pouty lips. She knew the only way to gain any ground from here was to take charge while he was obviously showing weakness. She had stayed strong, her eyes had not once left his face, because if they had she knew her knees would have buckled at the sheer perfection of his bared chest.

"A chat about what?" Draco asked suspiciously. He wanted to smack himself the moment the words were out of his mouth. He knew he had opened Pandora's box, and there would be no going back, for better or for worse he knew things would never be the same.

"I wanted your opinion on my sleeping attire actually," Hermione said simply, "I thought you would be the best at judging a girls under-things since you have seen so many."

Draco visually paled at her response. Never in a million years would he have imagined something like this. 'Get a hold of yourself Draco!' he urged 'She is just toying with you. You are losing your ground. You cannot let her get to you like this. Not like this.' he berated himself.

"You're right, I have seen a lot of girls in lingerie, but I'm sorry, I can't help you." He said with as much sarcasm as he could muster, but while he said the words his eyes crawled across her skin hungrily, making his arousal almost painful, and definitely visible.

"And why is that?" Hermione asked rolling her eyes.

"Because I find nothing attractive about a dirty mud blood in her skivvies." He said glaring at her. Hermione's eyes widened in outrage. Two could play at that game.

"Well, for the sake of house unity, perhaps you should give it a go." She coaxed. "Here let me try this." Hermione slowly began to turn counter-clock wise. She paused when her back was facing Draco. She slowly, in what she hoped was a sensual gesture swept he long hair off of her back and coiled it around her hand. When she came full circle she nearly burst out laughing, except that her nerves were so frayed, and blush was slowly creeping to her cheeks.

When Hermione had turned around Draco was treated to the sight of a perfectly shaped set of butt cheeks poking invitingly out of the very bottom of the lacy black underwear. He nearly fainted. He slowly lowered himself onto the bed, and adjusted his manhood. He had never wanted to touch anything so bad in his entire life.

"So, can you at least give it a little tiny ity bity try Draco?" Hermione purred, closing the gap between them yet again.

Draco's mind was spinning. Hermione was the most perfectly proportioned and beautifully shaped girl he had ever seen. His hands were almost shaking with the desire to run his fingers from her neck to her navel. He knew he should be screaming at himself, or at her, but he couldn't muster the strength. His pulsing desire was sucking all logical thought from his mind.

"Well?" Hermione asked, turning slightly to the side so he could view a portion of her rear end again.

"Oh you damn well know what my opinion of those things are. You are just playing games like every other girl." He said in a disgusted tone.

"So... I take it that you like them? One a scale from 1 to 10 they would be a..." She prompted. Hermione was actually beginning to enjoy this little charade quite thoroughly.

"Ten, damn you. Now get out of my room!" He ordered.

"Alright." Hermione agreed simply. She turned and began walking toward his corridor. "Oh actually Draco, I was wondering if you could help me out with one more small thing."

"Oh Merlin! What?" He said, clearly agitated.

"I was wondering if you could tell me how I stack up to other girls when it comes to kissing."