DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING…

CHAPTER 6: Let the Rain Fall

They had been searching for 3 hours before Harry began to complain that he didn't see anything. "Hermione we've been here forever! I'm hungry and I'm tired and I…"

"Alright, alright… go in I'll just search for a bit longer and then I'll turn in."

"I can't just let you stay here…"

"I'll be fine. Just a few more minutes before the sun goes down alright?"

"Fine fine, I'll go and pick up something for you to eat from dinner and I'll meet you in our common room. Don't stay out too long, it looks like it's going to rain."

"okay DAD, and Harry…Thanks… you're the best." Harry gave Hermione a big smile before leaving her to search for the locket a bit more. "Oh you have to be here somewhere…" but her thoughts began to travel and landed on the subject of Draco Malfoy. "UGH! I need to stop thinking about him…" she said. Truthfully she hadn't really been searching for the locket, just making it look like she was. Her mind kept replaying the scene, but in slow motion of her hearing the floor creek, being pushed, then saying his name. She walked a bit further and bumped into something that had not been there before. She looked up to see the person that had been filling her mind all day.

I…uh… I…"

"Watch where you're going mudblood before you get into another accident and need me to rescue you."

"Yea sor… wait a minute… that was this one time, you can't hold that against me. I was just about to move when you pushed me down to the floor." She lied, but turned a light shade of pink. She couldn't help it. Around him, she just didn't have the power or something to lie. She didn't understand, she lied easily, well relatively easily, to teachers and her friends, but why him of all people did she have to turn a different color…

"You're a horrible liar. You know that?"

"I… What do you want Dra… MALfoy.."

'You did it again. Why do you keep doing that? That's three times you've let it slip in front of me."

"Yea and that's the only time it slips." She said under her breath, but incidentally loud enough for Draco to hear.

"I…" before he could finish his sentence it began to rain. He surprised them both by taking her hand in his and began to run pulling Hermione with him as he ran for cover. They reached the school and Draco with his hands still clutched to Hermione's took out his wand and performed a drying spell on himself and Hermione.

"Thanks…"

"Yea" An awkward silence fell upon them and the fact that they were still holding hands became an issue. They quickly let go at the same time and moved away from each other.

"Well I guess I'll be heading inside then…" Before Draco could reply she quickly opened the door to the school and walked away. "Stupid stupid stupid… ugh… why am I so…" Frustrated she picked up her pace and almost ran straight into Harry. "Oh… Harry, where are you going?"

"I was coming to get you. It began to rain and I was afraid your stubbornness would keep you outside for a while. I was trying to come and convince you to come back in, but I guess I wasn't needed."

"Yea… Thanks…." She replied vaguely. She wasn't paying attention. All she could think of was how her hands felt in the warm hands of Draco. "I… well… I… lets go and eat then." She said quickly remembering how hungry she was.

"Is something wrong? You seem a bit out of it. Did something happen? By the way you aren't jumping up and down for joy I'm going to guess you didn't find it."

"Huh? Oh yea, yea… I couldn't find it, and I didn't want to catch a cold or anything…" she said again trailing off. They finally reached the common room and with a quick "Dragon's Snare" she was inside the nice and warm common room. "Harry is this all for me?" she asked in awe. In the common room Harry had set up a nice table for two with a whole meal out. Also there was a small candle in the middle with a rose in a small vase as the centerpiece.

"Uh… yea… I… well…" He turned a deep shade of red as he stammered to come up a good reason for the occasion. "Well it's… it's… just a way of me telling you thanks…"Harry said, immediately regretting it. "I mean for all your help and all, especially after what Dolohov did to you… I…"

"Oh Harry, your such a sweet person, but really, it's nothing. I only do it for all the fame anyways." She said sarcastically. "I mean why would anybody want to be your friend, but for the publicity. Maybe I should get Colin in here and take a picture of me kissing you. I'm sure everyone will have a field day, and just think of all the…" At the look of Harry's face Hermione couldn't continue. She flat out just began to laugh. "Harry you need to get a mirror, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you actually took me for serious. Was it the part of me kissing you that got your face all turned?" She asked laughing a bit harder.

Harry quickly recovered and put on a serious face. "Yea just laugh it up, but don't forget why I'm friends with you." Harry said in a serious tone. "I use you for the homework and all the class notes. I mean why anybody would want to be seen with the likes of you…." Harry finished with a grin. Harry couldn't hold it back any longer and began to laugh, all the while Hermione pretended to be offended and tried to give him a death glare that failed miserably due to the fact she couldn't hold back her laughter.

The next day, the rain had not ceased to fall. Hermione thanked Merlin that she had no classes with Draco. She actually had no classes until after lunch, Ancient Runes right after lunch, and Double Astrology. She was thankful since, she had time for herself to go to the library and catch up on her work, although she wasn't behind in class, she was behind in her own personal schedule.

She chose the squeaky table all the way in the back of the library to find some peace and quiet, and also hoping no one will find her. She was happy that her relationship with Harry and Ron had become normal again, but it seemed that after both the drowning accident and the shelf accident they were afraid someone was actually out to kill her or something. They just wouldn't leave her be. Just yesterday they had sent Ginny to her Head Room to check that she was okay. It was sweet, their concern for her wellbeing, but it was becoming a bit hard to endure when all she really wanted sometimes was to be by herself and think.

As she was working, she felt like she was being watched. She looked up to find Draco Malfoy sitting across from her and watching as she finished up her work. "what do you want Malfoy?" she asked, thankful she didn't say his real name again. They sat in silence as she waited for his reply, but instead he turned his head, looked down at his feet, bent over then pulled out some books.

"studying"

"Why here?" Hermione asked a bit alarmed at his nonchalant behavior.

"Because everywhere else is full." Draco replied again in an expressionless tone.

Hermione immediately surveyed the other tables and saw indeed it was all full. She also surveyed that they seemed only to be full because Draco Malfoy was sitting at the same table as Hermione Granger. She could see their gazes immediately turn away as soon as she looked toward them. She scoffed at the immaturity of the students in Hogwarts. Also feeling she had been stared at enough for the past week, she began to pack up her bag and was just about to leave when his hand shot out and grabbed Hermione's in midair.

"No, don't. I'll go. You were here first." Draco said in an almost pleading voice.

She didn't really know how to respond to that. All she could do was obey. She immediately sat down and just stared as Draco began to pack up his books. "No… don't go. It's my fault. You have every right to sit here also. I… don't go." Hermione said quietly, just loud enough for Draco to realize what she had said. He stopped mid process of putting his books away and laid them back out.

They sat in an almost comfortable silence, as they worked silently on their respective homework. Just then there was a bit of a ruckus by the door of the Library. "Hermione! Hermione!" she could hear both Harry and Ron calling for her. She saw Madam Pince rush over to them and quiet them down, then point them to the table she was located at.

Harry reached the table first. He grabbed her arm and was about to lead her out, when she stopped him. "Harry! What are you doing?"

"Have you really been put under a spell? When Seamus ran to us and told us what happened we thought it was all just a joke, but… sitting at the same table as him."

"What are you talking about? A spell?"

"Yea Seamus told us you were about to leave when he sat down in front of you, but he said something to you and you immediately just sat down, as if in a trance."

"Harry, he told me to stay because I was here first. He was being considerate. Why would you accuse anyone of such atrocities?"

"Your defending HIM? I can't believe it, he must really have done something to you."

"Harry, don't be such a git! Just in case you forgot, he was the one that saved me just two days ago in Potions! Anyways, he was about to leave and I told him to stay. And if your not going to be studying, I want you to stop making noise and leave me be! I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself!"

Harry was beyond surprised. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe she could just forget who he was just because of that one incident. "Fine." Harry said coldly and turned to leave, but Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a hug.

"Harry, I understand you're worried, but you have to trust me when I say I'm okay. You can't always be my knight in shining armor. You know I would never go and put myself in harms way, I'm not you." She said in a light tone. Harry couldn't help but smile at that last statement. She always was able to make him feel better just by a hug. "Don't worry too much or you're going to have wrinkles at the age of twenty."

"Okay, but if anything happens to you and I hear about it I'm never going to let you out of my sight again." Hermione smiled at him. She appreciated the thought.

"Thanks Harry."

After Harry left, she turned back to Draco. "Sorry about that. But in his defense you haven't been the best person to hang out with." She said in a light tone. Draco smiled at the statement. He couldn't help it. Just something about her made him this way. "Is that a smile I see on the ever glowering face of Draco Malfoy?" He immediately stopped smiling and looked down at his book, pretending to be interested in what ever he was reading. "you know that book is upside down right." He immediately turned it around to find she had tricked him. It turned it the right way again and looked up. He saw something he had only seen from a distance. Hermione Granger was laughing.

"That was a nice trick. And thanks." He looked down after he said it feeling his face heat up a bit. "You should… ehem… finish your work." He said clearing his throat in the process.

"Was that a 'thanks' I just heard? I do believe it is, judging by the way your face is turning a shade of pink. I didn't think it possible for Draco Malfoy to lose his cool and actually blush." Hermione said a bit teasingly. "But then again, I never thought you'd save my life either." She waited for a reply, but when none came she merely nodded her head and decided to take his advice and get back to work.

They sat in silence for about another half hour before Hermione couldn't take it and began to poke Draco. He at first ignored her poking, until it became unbearably annoying and looked up. She quickly brought her hand back to her side of the table and pretended to be studying again. He couldn't help but smile at her child like innocence. He decided to let it slide and looked back down at his book. Just when his head looked down, the poking began again. He again ignored it until he shot his head up and grabbed her hand once more in the air as she was quickly trying to retreat to her 'study look'.

With his free hand he reached in his pocket, pulled out a chocolate frog and put it in Hermione's hand. He let go and looked back down at his book, when he felt her poking him again. He couldn't take it anymore. He looked up and whispered with firm lips "WHAT!".

"I just thought you'd might want to go out with me." She whispered back.

He looked at her in such surprise. "I don't think that's such a good idea… you, me… wouldn't your boyfriend Potter blow a stack if he heard I stole his girl."

Hermione looked at him strangely for a minute before it sank it. "Not that you dolt, I meant outside to get a breather. And Harry's not my boyfriend. He's like a brother to me."

Draco felt real stupid, but decided to make her think she was the one with the weird mind. "I don't know what you're talking about, but Potter just knowing you were sitting here with me blew a stack, what makes you think walking with you outside, alone might I add, is any better?

Hermione turned a shade of pink for assuming Draco meant going out on a date. Luckily for Draco, Hermione didn't realize he had. "Fine, you stay here then while I go out. I feel a bit cramped up just sitting here. Anyways, it's almost lunch time. I feel a nice walk outside will help my day go by a bit quicker." She began to pack her things up again and saw in her peripheral vision that Draco was doing the same. She pretended to not see him pack his things and when she was done, she merely put her back on her back and walked out, with Draco Malfoy hot on her heals.

"If anything, I think you put a damn spell on me. You know as Head Girl that's against the rules."

"Why in Merlin's name would I put a spell on you to hang about me?"

"I don't know, maybe my dashing looks…" before he could finish Hermione began to laugh. "What are you laughing at?"

"I… can't… believe… "She couldn't even finish her sentence it hurt too much to try and breath, talk, and laugh at the same time. When she calmed a bit she stopped walking and placed her hands on his shoulders. Although he was a lot taller than she was, she was still able to reach and looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Draco… Honey… I think you need to go see Madam Pomfrey. You might be losing you mind." She said before she began to laugh again. Before he could reply, she sticks her tongue out at him and runs for her life down the stairs out the front doors. Draco immediately began chasing after her and for the first time felt like he was free.