Draco
The two young students entered their carriage, ready for another year at Hogwarts. They had secured their place as head students when they finished the potion and now they were off to fulfill those duties of head boy and girl at the school.
Looking at Hermione, he remembered the rest of the week and how she had spent it making every effort to ignore him. He couldn't blame her though because he would have done the same thing. Now the two of them were alone in this carriage with Dumbledore and the other teachers close behind in another carriage. Once they were situated, with Hermione on one side, eyes glued to the outside, and Draco on the other, the vehicle started making it's way to Hogwarts.
Draco's eyes left Hermione for a few moments, only to return to the same place. Why did he feel bad at all. He couldn't stand knowing that anyone could make him feel so bloody rotten.
"Did you want something Malfoy?" She asked, making sure to emphasize the 'Malfoy'.
"Why do you have to be like that?"
Hermione faked a laugh and leaned forward, so close Malfoy could have slapped her, or kissed her. He wanted to much to pull her into an embrace and never let her go, just to hang onto her forever. He wouldn't give in though, he wouldn't let that damn mudblood change him into a softy.
"Why do I have to be like this? I? Me? I always thought you were stupid but, this stupid? It's really quite an accomplishment to sink to a Crabbe or Goyle low!" She clapped her hands and settled back into her seat, clearly pissed.
"Granger, you are pushing me over the line. You don't want to get on my bad side."
"Now you're threatening me?" She mumbled, not really to Draco but, mostly to herself. She bit her lip then glared at him and rose her voice a little. "What are you going to do Malfoy? Send your damned deatheaters at me? All you are is a name. Once that name is tarnished you'll be nothing and you'll have no power of anyone or anything."
Her words stung him. He hated how she thought she knew everything about him and his life, he hated how she sat there so sure of herself, and how she bit her lip, to put it short he hated her.
"No come back? I'm disappointed."
Draco at once felt as though he had let his guard down by telling her all about his childhood only nights before. How could he have ever shared that information with anyone? What if she used it?
Hermione returned to looking out the window, just so that he couldn't see her face. When Draco went to look away though he heard stifled sobs escaping from Hermione. Obviously, she wasn't as tough as she thought. Her shoulders shook slightly and her breathing became erratic.
"Poor, poor Granger. Should I get Potty and Weasel to come wipe those tears away?"
Hermione said nothing, just continued to stare out the window.
"What, no comeback? I'm disappointed." Malfoy mocked. He had her right were he wanted, vulnerable and weak. "You a pathetic excuse for a witch, you know that? You hide behind your books and smart ass mouth to prove your better then me and everyone else in the fucking school. You want to talk about names? At least my father made something out of his name and himself, unlike you Granger. You'll never be anything. Once Voldemort's in control you'll be absolutely nothing but a pile of ash on the carpet of Hogwarts."
Hermione looked at Draco with her tear streaked face and lashed out. "You are a bastard Draco! At least I don't hide my feelings for people just because of my name and reputation. I didn't hide my feelings when I thought I had some feeling for you and now I'm not hiding my feelings of pure hatred for you!"
"You bitch."
"Ass hole!"
The name swinging began and didn't stop for several minutes. Draco's mouth became a thin straight line. "I don't need this."
The two of them were leaning close to each other at the edge of their seats. Hermione rolled her eyes and went to sit back. As she did, Draco slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her on top of him, so that she was straddling him. At first she tensed up and Draco could feel her pulling away, but he wouldn't let her.
He took his one hand and brought her head down so their lips touched. He felt Hermione shiver and pulled her closer, letting his hands drop to her sides. When he thought she would try to pull away again he only held on tighter and felt, in surprise, Hermione's arms wrap around his neck. The kiss was hard and passionate, unlike most he had shared with the girls at Hogwarts. Actually, unlike any he had shared with anyone.
Hermione
There was something about Draco that was so wrong it just felt right. One minute they were screaming at each other and the next they were tangled in each other's arms. Hermione had never been kissed like Draco had kissed her. It was intoxicating, a drug she didn't think she could live without. She knew she'd have to though. She would have to live everyday at Hogwarts knowing the emotions she felt for Draco didn't matter, that he was only interested in a little fling as long as it didn't interrupt his 'reputation'. The thought of this made her pull away from him.
"What am I doing?" She asked. "You just threatened my life."
"Come on! I did not."
"You said I'd be a pile of dust on the carpets of Hogwarts once Voldemort is in control." She wiped her lips and spat to the side. "I can't believe myself!"
Draco's expression softened as Hermione backed away from him, to her own seat again.
"I wont let you hurt me Draco. I know what you want. What most guys your age want and it's not the type of girl I am. Especially not with you."
"If it's the thing I said about Voldemort I was just-"
"It's not Voldemort, it's not me, it's you! You can't just pretend to have some interest in me and then throw me away at your own disposal."
He nodded and looked away. "For what it is worth Hermione, you weren't just some girl that I wanted to just throw away. I thought... I did..." He ended it there.
Not needing to hear more, Hermione let her eyelids close and fell into a restless sleep.
Draco
The sun shone through the carriage window, lighting up Hermione's face and if at all possible, making her even more beautiful then ever. Draco had sat across from her watching her toss as she slept. It was at that moment he knew his life was purposeless. At least it was to him. According to Voldemort it wasn't. He had a plan for Draco, a plan that would put Voldemort back into power. A plan that would rid the world of Harry Potter and then muggles and filthy mudbloods like Hermione Granger.
Draco could, of course, try to stop Voldemort. That would mean defying his family and his life. Voldemort wouldn't hesitate to take his life away, or the life of any of his family members. He glanced over to his backpack and sighed. Inside it held the key to everything. All he had to do was get Hermione to cooperate. He tore his eyes away and promised that he'd let nothing happen to her.
The carriage halted and shook the young girl to awaken. She blinked ferociously and glanced at Draco. The only expression he could read was the look of some one who had lost a loved one. She grabbed her bag and opened the carriage door to step out into the evening sun.
Draco grabbed his own bag. Nothing bad will happen to her. All I have to do is stay away from her.
The night before:
Draco's father shoved some close in his son's bag for him.
"Voldemort says your almost ready."
Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes at his pathetic excuse for a father. Some fathers played ball with their sons, others taught them the ways of fishing, while his father had much more planned for his son. He wanted a killer from him, a deatheater.
"He says you have something very important to him Draco."
"I do?"
"That jar you found in the library, it's the key to his whole plan."
"And you volunteered me for it right?"
"I could hardly defy the dark lord's wishes." Lucius turned to his son, suddenly stern. "You just deliver the jar to that mudblood you've been hanging out with."
"Granger? She's part of this plan?" He couldn't help the slight concern that shone through in his voice.
His father rose an eyebrow in amusement. "Son, you will do this or you will get all of us killed. Get her to open the jar and it'll all end for her and Potter, not to mention the rest of those vermin." He cringed when he thought of muggles. "You'll do this right? Imagine your future, it'll be grand."
Draco just nodded. It would have been futile to argue.
Present:
As Draco watched Hermione walk towards the school he let out a sigh. 'You're safe... for now.'
It was slightly reassuring to know he could keep her safe for a while but scarier knowing that his father could possibly persuade him to do something he would regret.
Hermione
"Hermione!" A voice called from behind her. When she turned, she was face to face with Ron and Harry.
"What are you two doing here? You shouldn't be here until later," She couldn't help the overpowering joy and confusion that rose in her voice.
"Dumbledore thought it would be nice for you to have your two friends here," Harry told her.
Hermione smiled the biggest smile she'd done all summer. It was so great to have her friends here with her, so great that, for a moment she forgot all her troubles. She'd missed them ever so much, especially while she was hanging around Draco and feeling pretty much like an ass.
"Why don't you just tell her the real reason," Ron said. When the young witch looked at her best friend she could see the paleness of his face.
Something wasn't right.
Harry elbowed Ron in the side, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Hermione was sure he was over exaggerating a bit, but it sounded like it hurt.
"Real reason?" The headgirl's stomach turned as she asked the simple question.
"To," Harry paused and looked down at Ron. "Just to say congrats and-"
Ron stood up, fully recovered as he dusted his jeans off. "Harry had a dream about you,"
"I can't see how a dream is of consequence here," Hermione's face was etched with annoyance now. She felt slightly embarrassed at the same time. "What's really going on Harry?"
"He really did have a dream about you! He dreamed-"
"Drea-" Hermione went to correct her friend's grammar, but before she could spit the rest of the word out Harry's elbow had connected with Ron for the second time, causing a loud thwacking sound to ring in her ears. Harry had really elbowed Ron this time.
Ron went down again, gripping his side as he laid on the ground.
"That's it!" She snapped and grabbed her wand from her robes. "Bindicus!"
An invisible force bound Harry's legs together first, then his hands. In a few moments he was in an uncomfortable squatting position with his hands bound between his legs. He looked up at Hermione, clearly perturbed with being bound this way.
"Ron, are you ok?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of Harry.
Groping his side, Ron nodded.
"Good. Now Harry, I want to know what is going on."
"I had a horrible dream about you last night."