Draco would have been perfectly content to lie in that bed for the rest of the school year. He was tired in spirit, but that wasn't enough to put him to sleep. So instead of a dreamless slumber, he was forced to settle upon staring up at the curtains of his bed and trying to think of anything but Hermione. He didn't know how long he'd been laid up that way - hours, maybe days even. Truthfully, he didn't care how long he had been that way, just that he was there. Draco was just beginning to feel sorry for himself all over again when there was a knock at the portrait hole.

"Bugger it," he said, rolling over onto his stomach. The person at the door, however, wasn't going away any time soon.

"Oh, bloody hell," Draco groaned as he climbed out of bed and went to go answer the door.

If he thought what he was going to find outside that portrait hole would cheer him up, he was painfully mistaken. Standing there, stupid grin plastered all over her porcelain face, was none other than Karissa. Draco grunted in disgust, rolled his eyes, and turned around, slamming the portrait hole shut behind him. Karissa put her hand in the way just in time, and let herself into the dorms.

"Draco, why haven't you changed from the funeral? That was hours and hours ago!"

"Karissa, why haven't you gotten a bloody clue and left?" Draco didn't even turn to face her as he climbed back up the stairs towards his room. She would not be turned away that easily.

"Your mum and my mum both sent me letters saying that maybe I should come take care of you, so I figured that those were my clues to come see you. Why don't you get changed?"

"I don't need your help Karissa." She giggled.

"Well I wasn't going to offer to help you change." She suddenly ran in front of Draco, blocking the doorway to his room and lowering her voice to what she obviously meant as a seductive tone.

"But if you need any other kind of help, you just please let me know."

Draco pushed her out of the doorway, at which point she lost her balance and fell to the floor with a thud. She scowled as she got up, rubbing her butt as she wandered into Draco's room. He was standing in front of his open wardrobe without a shirt and his funeral clothes were rumpled on the floor. He had put on a different pair of pants, but couldn't find the shirt he was looking for.

"Listen, Draco you've been through a lot. As a way of thanking you for all of your tutoring, I thought I'd offer a little... stress relief."

"Karissa, what are you- " Draco had turned around to find Karissa trying to strike sexy poses, dressed in only her pink and white polka dotted bra and undies. Her lavender shirtdress lay on top of his funeral clothes.

"My God, cover yourself," he groaned as he leaned over her and tried to cover her up with his sheets.

Karissa resisted, mistaking his move for a come on, and she backed up further onto her bed. Draco followed her, and the ensuing tussle resulted in a tangle of limbs and sheets. Karissa grabbed Draco's face and pulled him in for a kiss.

This was, unfortunately, the scene that Hermione walked in on.

"Draco?" She pulled his curtain aside. "I just wanted to - oh. Oh, jeez, umm... hey Karissa."

"Hi," she giggled, waving her fingers from behind Draco's shoulder.

"Sorry for interrupting." Hermione turned around, letting the curtains fall shut.

"No, Hermione, wait," Draco cried while trying to untangle himself from the mess. "Put your clothes back on, NOW," he hissed at Karissa, "then GET OUT!"

He rushed into Hermione's room.

"Hermione, it's really not what it looks like, honestly."

"I understand, you just said what you did earlier because of all the emotions that you were feeling, I'm not about to hold it against you." She paused.

"Besides, it's not like you and I make much sense anyway. You and I are from completely separate worlds, it wouldn't have worked."

"Hermione, listen -"

"Draco, could you... well, could you unzip this for me? It's catching, and I'm not exactly a contortionist."

She held her breath as he slowly moved towards her, cautiously taking her zipper and carefully undid it. His pulse raced as he saw her pale and graceful back, and his breath caught as his fingers accidentally brushed against her soft skin. She sucked in a short amount of air as she felt the contact.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're - you're welcome," he softly replied.

She turned around and faced him, and they both stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment. Then Hermione looked away with a small cough, and Draco snapped back into reality.

"I'm just going to go. Good night."

"Goodnight," she nodded as she replied.

After he left, she shimmied out of her dress and changed into a warm pair of pajamas. A knock at her window startled her, and she let the familiar snowy owl inside. She rubbed Hedwig's beak, fed her a treat, and took the letter from her leg.

"Hermione,

How did it go? Did you tell him or not?

-Harry"

She sat down at her desk and wrote on the back of Harry's letter.

"Harry,

It would seem that you were incorrect. Draco doesn't really love me, whatever occurred between us was probably just lust or some crazy sort of crush. Sorry to disappoint. Tell Ron I want to talk to him tomorrow. Thanks.

-Hermione"

"Here you go, Hedwig," she cooed as she tied the letter to Hedwig's leg.

She watched the owl fly away towards Gryffindor tower, and she wished with all of her being that she could still be there. She missed the times that she shared in that dorm, and she would have given anything to be back there, a year earlier, before Draco, before her parents' death, before everything got so complicated.