DISCLAIMER: I still don't own anything. Damn. It's all J.K Rowlings.

Thank you for the kind words :D

Draco raged at himself as he slipped into his green silk sheets. She had seen! As soon as their eyes met when she walked into their room, he knew she had seen the pain behind his normally marble face. He dug his fingernails into the white skin on his arms, and the sharp ache brought him the only kind of comfort he knew, repercussion similar to what his father would have done to him.

As he began to slide into sleep, Draco could see his father standing over him.

The next day, the Slytherin Prince woke up and quietly got dressed. It was 5 in the morning, but he knew Dumbledore would be awake. He walked out of his private room and into the common room, where he jumped in surprise at the sight of Hermione sleeping on the couch, a book in her hand and the fire still blazing. The flames made colors dance in her hair, and Draco had to turn away at the sight. He knew she would be upset at what he was about to do, but the fact that any part of him cared what she would think only enforced in his mind that he was right.

He walked up to the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office, said the password, and stalked up the stairs; the instructions from last night ringing in his ears. He knocked on the door, and he heard a gentle, "Come in."

Draco opened the door, and the Headmaster looked at him kindly. "Are you sure this is what you want, Mr. Malfoy?"

Shocked that the old man knew his purpose for being there, Draco said as firmly as he could, "Yes. I'm positive."

"You realize that by doing this, you are following in your father's footsteps, do you not? I'm giving you the opportunity to free yourself from him forever. Every night that you spend in the Head quarters helps severe your binds."

"Listen, every single night I can feel him. Working with a Muggle-born isn't going to help…it only makes him madder. All this house unity? It's crap. I can't do it. I'm sorry." Draco started his speech angrily, but by the end, he found that he could not even look the Headmaster in the eye.

"Very well. You are resigned from the position. You may gather your things and leave the house – perhaps I will put a Ravenclaw in your room instead."

At these words, Draco bit his lip, but stayed fast in his resolve. He turned from Dumbledore and headed back to the rooms he shared with Hermione.

When he opened the door, he noticed that the girl was no longer on the couch. He made his way to his rooms, but couldn't bring himself to put his belonging back in the empty suitcases that gaped at him accusingly. Instead, he made his way to the bathroom to take a shower.

He opened the door, and stood, completely shocked. In the steamy room, a naked Granger was just stepping out of the shower. Their eyes met before his involuntarily ran down her petite frame. Her wet hair ran in tendrils along her neck and shoulders, and stopped right above her pert breasts that matched her body perfectly. The nipples were hard with the sudden cold breeze that accompanied Draco. He managed to tear his eyes away from the seductive fight, and noticed her flat stomach and gently curved hips. The small patch of hair between her legs was damp and reminded Draco of a woman highly aroused. Her legs were toned and smooth and her skin looked perfectly soft.

Her scream snapped his eyes away from the sight, and she grabbed a towel. At the same moment, Draco slammed the door closed, and leaned up against it, his mind racing. He could feel the typical Malfoy reaction stirring within him – to open the door and taunt the girl into complete submission, but for some reason, he pushed the instinct back. There was also another reaction stirring in his groin, but the two cancelled each other out well.

Gradually, he walked away from the door, realizing just in time that Granger would have to come out of it. Right as he did, she stepped out, and hurried away with her eyes adverted, not allowing the awkward moment to happen. Draco stepped into the cooling room, and let his shaking hands loosen.

After a while, he stepped into the shower, trying his best not to think of who had just been in it. As the water poured down his face, he started to shake uncontrollably. Images of his father blended with Dumbledore's disappointed gaze, Hermione's naked body, and flashes of darkness. A scream ripped itself from him as pain seared through his head, and he couldn't control himself any longer, no matter what Lucius had taught him.

The last thing he heard was a door slamming open…