Disclaimer - Harry Potter and all the other LOVELY characters created by the noggin of one smart author, a.k.a J.K belong to that smart author, a.k.a J.K, and only the plot really belongs to me.

We Belong Together

Chapter 4: Wake Up Call

Hermione awoke with a start the next morning. She was shivering, but she didn't notice it. She reached up to her forehead only to realize that she had broken out into a cold sweat, but she didn't care. She jumped out of bed and ran to her trunk, pulled out a small red box and opened it. Hermione let out a sigh of relief and shut the box with a snap.

"Are you alright?" came a voice from the doorway behind Hermione.

Hermione spun around so fast she hit her head on her bedpost, letting go off the box and collapsing on the ground. Draco ran over to her, helping her to her feet.

"God, Hermione! What the bloody hell happened to you? Are you okay?" he asked trying to get her to regain her balance. "Well of course you're not okay; you're practically passed out in my arms. You have a bloody high fever and I don't think you can hear me right now" he muttered to himself. "Hermione! Wake up, damnit!"

"Draco... Draco… what… what happened?" came Hermione's soft voice as she tried to open her eyes.

"Thank God, Hermione! Come on, try and stand up. You bumped your head. You're sick. I need to get you to the Hospital Wing. Can you walk? Open your eyes, Granger!" said Draco as he started walking towards the door with Hermione in his arms, when he laid her gently on the floor. He quickly darted into his room, grabbed his robes, threw them on him and gingerly picked up Hermione again and walked out the door.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?" asked a helpless Hermione.

"We called a truce, didn't we? I'm trying to be nice here. Look Granger, we can talk all you like later, but for now, I just want to get you to the Hospital Wing safely and without any more interruptions. So please, just stay quiet and let me take you there."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. He hadn't noticed Hermione's eyes close and her body fall heavy and limp. Draco's mind was racing.

'Why am I helping her? I mean, I know we called a truce and everything but… what the hell happened to her? Why was she screaming bloody murder this morning? And what was in that red box she was holding? Damn… she's already corrupted my mind… I mean… what the hell am I thinking? She's Granger… but God she looks gorgeous this year! And she's changed. She's not all prissy and up-tight, she's let go, she's… normal for once… but I can't help her. People will wonder, things will be said, and my reputation I've worked so hard to build will be ruined. The strong walls I've surrounded myself with will be broken. I won't let her get through to me, no one would believe me if they knew the truth about my life and what I'm going through and bad life or good, nothing's going to change...'

His thoughts were cut short as they reached the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey came running outside, huffing and fussing.

"Oh my, Merlin! What happened to her? Get her inside now! Mr. Malfoy, I would much appreciate you talking to me and telling me what happened to Ms. Granger here, rather than just standing there like a baboon white faced and sickly."

"I-I… She-she bumped her head on her bed post this morning, collapsed, has a high fever… probably from screaming all night long. I didn't know what was wrong with her, she kept slipping in and out of consciousness, I just decided to bring her here." came the fast paced response.

"Dear boy, I think you should lie down. You seem very tired, and don't worry about Ms. Granger; she's in good hands now."

That certainly snapped Draco out of his reverie as he turned around to face Madam Pomfrey head on and looked about ready to break something.

"I am NOT worried about Granger, I'm bloody mad is what I am. How would you like not getting any sleep on you're first night here because a bloody know-it-all princess thought she could shriek all night long and not affect anyone. That's why I look tired; I need some damn good, well earned sleep!" bellowed Draco. Obviously a lack of sleep, and the realization that truce or no truce, he was still a Slytherin and she was still a Gryffindor, and the two just did not, absolutely no way in hell mix well and he could not, did not want to worry about her as well as everything else he had to deal with. He thought it ridiculous and impossible! He was back to being his arrogant and conceited self.

"Mister Malfoy, please do not yell in my face and do not talk to me that way. And on top of that, especially not in a hospital wing, where there are patients. Ever. Now please, mind your manners and LEAVE THIS MOMENT!" retorted a very livid, purple-faced nurse.

That's exactly what Draco did. He turned around and stormed out of that bloody hospital wing angry and weary with only one thing on his mind: Granger and how he couldn't believe he actually cared for her earlier this morning.

Well damn her, he didn't need this. He didn't need extra weight on his shoulders; he didn't need people thinking he'd gone soft, even if it was only Madam Pomfrey and even though she hadn't really said that in any way. He knew she had meant well and she was just worried about Granger, but to point out that he was worried about her? That drew the line, because it would start with the nurse, then the professors, then the students and above all, he especially didn't need his reputation ruined by a Muggleborn.

He wasn't paying attention to where his feet were carrying him but when he looked up at last he was sitting down at the table in the Great Hall, food on his plate with Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zambini on either side of him. Most of the student body was filing in through the doors and seating themselves at their appropriate table, stuffing themselves with food.

'Disgusting. It's as though they haven't eaten in ages!' thought Malfoy, still highly disgruntled. He noticed Harry and Ron over at the Gryffindor table, noticed their faces go from cheery to confused as they realized Hermione was no where to be seen and neither one of them had bothered to check on her this morning. He noticed the horror on their faces as they came to, no doubt, absurd explanations that he was surely involved in some way as the bad guy since they kept throwing evil glances. He was starting to feel better. Knowing that he was the reason of them being uncomfortable and seeing them jolt from their chairs and run out the door, no doubt to check on Hermione, he felt pleased with himself. They wouldn't find her and they would come to more revolting conclusions. Oh, how he enjoyed playing with their minds.

Pansy was the first to notice Draco's smile grow wider, and it was starting to creep her out, not to mention annoy her since she had just glanced over her time-table for her first term and wasn't very eager to begin classes.

"Why are you so joyful?" she asked, in a not so nice manor.

"Why are you so dejected?" he shot back.

"Not a good time-table. I have double Divination this morning with the bloody know-it-all Ravenclaws and then Herbology with the damned Gryffindors." she replied sourly, and then added, "By the way, here's yours. I picked it up along with mine since I hadn't seen you. Where were you all this time? It's almost time for classes to begin."

Draco grabbed his schedule, scanned it over quickly, then crumpled it up and stuffed it in his robes. He reached out for some pancakes and dribbled maple syrup over them before answering Pansy. "Thanks, and I was at the Hospital Wing. The stupid Granger girl woke me up before the bloody sun had risen, she was sick so I took her to the nurse. Let her deal with the insufferable girl." he explained to one of his best friends. No matter what people thought, Pansy was not an idiotic, shag-everyone girl. She was smart, decent and he thought of her as his own sister.

"And you still seem to amaze me…" she trailed off softly.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. His mood was lightening since talking to Pansy was like talking to a sister, and he enjoyed it. "What do mean 'I still seem to amaze you'? What have I done that is oh so heroic?"

"Don't flatter yourself Draco. I didn't say anything about heroism. I just meant that no matter how much of an enemy she is, you've still got to be gentlemanly. You couldn't have just left her?" Pansy was trying hard to suppress a smile. She loved arguing with the blonde-haired Slytherin.

"Of course I couldn't just leave her! Did you not hear me, woman? She was screeching so damn loudly! I couldn't sleep! But you know, you're right. I guess I'm just too much of a gentleman."

"Becoming everything but your father I see."

Draco froze. He hated talking about his father, even with Pansy. "Don't you know it." he answered rigidly before getting up, brushing off his robes and walking off to Divination with Pansy right beside him.

Hermione woke up, slowly rubbing her tired eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night. She couldn't even remember the events that had taken place. She looked around her, the white walls dazing her slightly. Then it all came flooding back in a head rush that gave her a headache. She had awoken from a nightmare, collapsed in Draco's arms, he had taken her to the infirmary, the red box, the slipping in and out of consciousness, the spells Madam Pomfrey had cast on her, and the vile medicine she was forced to drink which would put her into a dreamless sleep – something that she desperately needed. But all of that had taken place before the beginning of classes, and by the looks of it, it seemed about mid-day.

'Where is Draco anyway?' she wondered. "Well, probably having lunch, of course" she muttered to herself. 'It sure was nice of him to take me here though. I wonder if he'll come and visit. I wonder if anyone's come to visit me by now…'

Madam Pomfrey had just bustled by her bed when she realized Hermione was awake.

"Ms. Granger! How are you feeling, dear?" asked the maiden.

"I'm alright, just a little tired, thanks. Has umm… well… what I mean is… has-has anyone come by here?" Hermione spoke in a feeble voice.

The nurse's expression softened at her patient's inquiry. "Indeed Miss. Your three young friends seem to never miss a thing. Harry, Ron and Ginny were in here after the end of first class."

Hermione smiled, this was exactly what she needed. She felt happy at the confidant thought running through her head. 'I need them more than ever this year, and it sure is good to know that they care so much!' Although she never doubted them for a second, she just felt more assured and secure. But then her mind wandered to a certain arrogant albino and she reprimanded herself inwardly for letting her thoughts drift. He was kind last night, and even this morning, but he was so confusing. Why hadn't he come to visit her?

"Classes are just ending, dear." came Madam Pomfrey's kind voice, returning Hermione back to reality. "You're fever has died down and as long as you're feeling capable, you're welcome to leave."

"Thank-you Madam Pomfrey. I think I'll go. I'm feeling a lot better." and with that, Hermione rose from her bed and exited the hospice, heading towards the Head Common Room and longing for a hot, relaxing bath.

Draco walked out of Ancient Runes with another of his best friends, Blaise Zambini, and feeling a lot happier than he had this morning. He had cleared his head and had come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to let a mudblood such as Hermione Granger change him. It was his last year and he would get through it with people thinking of him the way they had thought of him since his first year. He had nothing left to live for and he didn't care about anything now, except for himself, Pansy and Blaise.

He walked in through the Head Common Room door, only to be in the same place as the person he hadn't wanted to see. Hermione heard the portrait swing open and she heard the footsteps enter the dormitory, but she didn't want to spin around. She didn't want to face him just yet, because for some reason, for some odd, unexplainable reason, she had a bad feeling.

"I should have expected that a mudblood such as yourself wouldn't even be grateful for saving your life" came the cold, harsh words from the mouth of a malicious Slytherin.

"Excuse me?" was all she could squeak out as she spun around, face flushed with anger, embarrassment and stupidity from ever believing he could actually have had heart and might have actually changed for the better. But all that came to her mind was 'Liar! He was just putting on a bloody act yesterday and last night!'

Draco was smirking, and Hermione was way past the point of being furious.

a/n - Well then. To begin... I am SOOO sorry for the long delay but I do have reasons. First off, school started and grade 10 sure is a lot harder than I expected. Second, someone died. Third, I've been going through a rough time, that I've been numb for a long time and my heart just wasn't into the things I once loved. Fourth, writer's block did clog my brain for a little while, but that eventually turned into my fifth reason, laziness. So, I'm sorry, but I hope that was happy reading. I know things took a curve, but I like twists, because not ever good relationship started out that way, and it definately isn't happy and lovely all throughout.

Also, thank you for all those brilliant reviews! My mind is already in motion for the 5th chapter, and thanks to the holidays, I should be able to get it very soon. Now, thanks again, and keep reading, and keep reviewing! I love you guys so much.
Ciao