Draco sighed as he finished the song he knew so well. It reminded him of his situation with Hermione, from the time they first met to now. He heard a small noise from the bathroom and quickly looked towards the door only to find it was just Hermione's door shutting. He wondered if she had heard him singing, but thought it to be impossible. With another small sigh, he continued playing a few songs that he had picked up over the summer. The guitar was his refuge, his solace in times of need, and with his dad popping in and out all summer he could use all the escape he could get.

Lucius hadn't been in Azkaban for very long until the Dementors had joined the dark side and Lucius was allowed free again. He did have to keep hidden for the most part, which left Malfoy Manor out of the question. Sure, he'd stop in every now and then to check up on Narcissa and Draco, who were both doing just fine on the money Lucius had left, but other than that Lucius remained by the Dark Lord's side. Draco was surprised his father had held up this long under all the stress of being in hiding, but he still managed to take care of his family. He'd never truly been a good dad, but Draco knew in his heart of hearts that he cared about them. Lucius just wasn't the parent type.

He glanced out of the window and saw lightening striking off in the distance. It looked stunning against the dark night sky and Draco was entranced by nature's work. After a few moments of watching the violent sky, he put away his guitar and got ready for bed. Small rolls of thunder could be heard in the distance as he crawled into his four poster.

Unfortunately, Draco was finding it hard to sleep. His feelings for Hermione had only grown deeper over the summer and now that they were sharing a dorm she was inescapable. He stared up into the green hangings of his bed and tried to think of anything but her, but that was absolutely impossible. Her beautiful face, her melodic voice, everything about her down to her scent were embedded onto his brain. He sensed that she still had feelings for him, but he was sure they were dwindling. Draco was appalled that she was still with Ron, because he certainly hadn't matured over the summer.

Why couldn't she have fallen for him the way he had fallen for her? She had admitted her feelings, but was too stubborn to follow her heart. He wanted to strangle Ron when he thought of what he and Hermione could have shared if he and Hermione could be together. He knew what they would have would be something special, something that no one could take away. Draco clenched his sheets in his anger. Why couldn't he have the one thing he truly wanted? Finally, after an hour or so of thinking about Hermione, Draco felt himself falling asleep.

Draco was walking the line between sleep and reality when a huge clap of thunder jerked him awake. He opened his curtains and glared out the window to find that the heart of the storm was now over the castle. A bolt of lightening struck right over the lake and another boom rattled his windows. Draco knew he was in for a long night, and shut his curtains again.

He had only just settled into bed and shut his eyes when his velvet curtains flew open and a small figure jumped into his bed, slamming his curtains shut. He could feel his bed shift under the pressure of a new presence and he quickly scrambled away from the source.

"Who's there?"

"It's me," Hermione whispered, and Draco heard her sniffle softly. He relaxed and slid back into bed where he was before. He felt her crawl closer to him and slip her arm over his bare stomach. She sniffled again.

"Are you ok?"

"Yea ... well, no... I- I'm afraid of thunderstorms."

"What?" He tried not to snicker, but amusement was written in his voice.

"Please, please don't laugh. I just... I don't like it, it's scary. I used to crawl in bed with my parents whenever they happened. Of course it was kind of harder in school because of my dorm mates, but I could still keep it under control because I knew there were four other people in the room. But, sleeping by myself… I just... can I please sleep here tonight Draco, please?"

She pulled her body closer to him as another roll of thunder could be heard outside. He wrapped his arms around her and told her that of course she could stay. He began to softly stroke her hair and Draco kissed her forehead. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. Draco suddenly realized how intimate they were; he was in nothing but a pair of his boxers and Hermione was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. He could feel her hot breath fanning his collarbone and her smooth skin pressed up against his torso.

He pulled the down comforter around their bodies and she snuggled into his warm body. Hermione suddenly lifted her head up and looked into Draco's eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You're always there for me." She leaned into him and kissed his cheek.

He sucked in his breath as her soft lips lingered on his skin and his eyes instinctively shut as she curled back into his body. He pulled her hair away from her face and ran his fingers through it as she fell asleep. Draco watched her face as her breath slowed and her body relaxed. She looked like an angel, lying there in his arms, and he couldn't resist.

"I love you," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. A small smile crossed her sleeping face as she nuzzled her nose against his chest. His heartbeat quickened in fear that she was awake, but yet her small sleepy moan let him know she was deep in sleep. He smiled softly as he too fell asleep.

Hermione woke the next morning in a very good mood as she recalled the dream she had. She had been walking along the beaches of southern France, her small hand in Draco's when suddenly he stopped her and kissed her. It had been the sweetest kiss, one she never wanted to end when he pulled back. He smiled down at her, his silver eyes meeting hers. Then, she could barely hear him, but the words were clear: "I love you." She couldn't keep the smile off her face, and she pulled into his chest and murmured "I love you, too."

She reached up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. As the world came back into focus, she saw that the red hangings of her bed were replaced by velvet of deep green. Hermione was suddenly very aware of a pair of strong male arms wrapped around her. She looked up to see the peaceful face of Draco. A small smile graced his lips, and she smiled at the picture he presented. His blonde hair was haphazard on his head and his entire face was relaxed in deep sleep.

She looked around. They were wrapped together, a tangle of arms and legs wound up in blankets and sheets. Their clothes were a bit skewed around their bodies, the waistband of Draco's boxers twisted a bit and the strap of her tank top fallen from her shoulder. The image was not one she would want any teacher to see, for fear of them getting the wrong ideas. Reluctantly, she moved from the circle of his arms. The smile on Draco's face turned into a small frown, and he reached out for Hermione. He groaned silently to find nothing there, and his eyes fluttered open to see the curtains of his bed slowly shutting.