GirlEnigma: Oh how cruel life is Miss Granger! *secretly sniggering* Ah I know it's mean to laugh and Hermione youre def my favorite chara (as a girl) but I can't help it! Draco chose meeeee!

Draco: I did not... I chose to save Hermione's life! (You are one mad muggle...)

Lucius: NOOOOO!!! YOU CHOSE TO BE THE GOOD SLYTHERIN BOY I THOUGHT I RAISED!

GirlEnigma: Get over yourself... HE CHOSE ME!

Lucius: NO ME!

GirlEnigma: ME!

Lucius: MEEEEEEEEEE!

GirlEnigma: MEEEEEEEEEEE!

Draco: ^_^'' Sometimes I wonder really how old they really are...

Sorry the last chappie was so depressing! On a lighter note Happy St Patricks Day? I know you appreciate my St Patty's Day gift of updating ^^- But I have outlined the rest of this story and I now have an ending! So I know where I'm going now! Yay no aimless writing!

I gave blood yesterday! WHOOOO GO ME I AM BRAVE! Heh I didn't pass out either. I was perfectly fine. Although I really didn't appreciate how ppl would come up to me every 2 minutes and be like "How are you doing?" Me: "Oh yeah I'm doing fine considering I'm wired up to a blood bag..."

I don't own anything HP cept for this storyline (duh).

MysticalStormz: Ah don't worry too much. You'll like the ending I've got in store ^_~

Pinkrosepetal: Thank you! And I'll try to make this chapter less sad

c-fleurbleue: Arigatou gozaimasu! I appreciate it! I'm just sorry I can't write a fic in French for you! I'm not that good in French yet... But maybe I can convince my Canadian buddy to write a nice French fic for you ~_^ (Ah J'aime Sakura et Shaolin aussi!)

Madame Plot Bunnie: I agree! D/Herm is the best pairing! Thanks a lot!

Miyamoto-chan: Thank you for your encouragement! I know you don't like my Draco baby much but I'm glad you're willing to read this anyway. *huggles Miy* arigatou!

Dreaming One: Ah yes doesn't everyone hate Lucius? But don't worry this isn't a Hermione/Harry or Ron story. This is a Herm/DRACO fic. So they will eventually get together.

dustypage: one word: Thanks!

littletiger: ^^ I'll email you whenever I update! Thanks!

Harry had a distinct feeling that he was being ignored. He had circled the Gryffindor common room many times. His group had finally completed their assignment and Ron was finishing up as he paced. His mind kept wandering to Hermione. She hadn't even started to write hers up yet and usually she would be done way before them.

"Harry?" Ginny called out from the couch, "Harry... You've been pacing for over a half an hour. Should I worry about you?"

"No, no," Harry replied, "I'm just worrying about Hermione. So if you want to worry then worry for her."

"She's a big girl you know," Ginny said, "I don't think she needs anyone's worry."

"She hasn't talked to me since she found out about..." Harry sighed leaving the rest of his sentence drift.

"Since she found out that you are madly in love with her?" Ginny smiled, "Really Harry I would have thought you were more secure about yourself. If you think Hermione hates you or something..."

"Then I'm very wrong," Harry sighed, "I know. It's not that."

"Then what is it?" Ginny asked, standing up and walking over to him, "I know I'm not Ron but you can still tell me what's going on. I promise not to breathe a word of it to anyone. You trust me don't you?"

"Sure, sure," Harry said, "Of course I do Ginny."

"Then?"

"...I...think Hermione is involved with Malfoy somehow. I don't know why or what happened but she's been particularly distant lately and she even got lazy with her bookwork. That isn't like her at all."

"Quite right," Ginny nodded, "Go on."

"And she still hasn't come back since last night. Where could she be?"

"She'll turn up," Ginny smiled reassuringly, "You'll see."

Hermione had buried herself in her group assignment to try and not think about Draco. But this paper was frustrating her almost as much as Draco had. She couldn't focus on the paper. She wanted to look up things about the Sumnio Realm.

"I won't!" she yelled hotly into the empty library, "Anything that has a connection to that witless git I won't have a thing to do with!"

She fumed but inside she really did want to check it out. Hermione didn't want anything to happen to Draco Malfoy because deep down she really...

"Having fun?" Ron said, his voice echoing, "Usually you'd be done by now. What's up Hermione?"

"Oh..." Hermione said, giving a small fake smile, "Hello Ron."

"Going to answer my question?"

"I'd rather not tell the answer to you Ron."

"Why not?" Ron frowned, "We're best friends right? You can trust me can't you?"

"Ron... For all my life you've always been the hot-headed one. You've always been the jealous type," Hermione said quickly, "No offense."

"Go on," Ron nodded.

"But suddenly you've mellowed. It's as if you and Harry have traded personalities. Are you still the same Ron?"

"Sure I am," Ron smiled, "I just get better with things now. I know that you've been having difficulties these past months 'Mione. I know that someone has helped you, sort of, through it and it wasn't Harry or me. I want you to be happy. And if being with that someone makes you happy then I'd really like you to go for it. There will be other girls out there for Harry and I so don't worry about us. And even if it isn't about our current situation I'd still like you to tell me. I promise that I won't go off the wheel."

"...What about Harry? I said that it's as if you've changed personalities with each other."

"Harry is still a bit sensitive about these sort of things. You know his obsession with Cho lasted quite awhile," Ron said, "But I'd like you to know that we're still going to be here for you no matter what."

Hermione sighed. She knew Ron's intentions were pure but she just wasn't ready to discuss her relationship problems with him right now. But she didn't want to shut him out either...

"Ron," Hermione said, pointing to a shelf across the room, "Can you fetch me that book over there? It's in the 'S' section. Look for Sumnio. You can help me out."

"Right," he said, looking for the book.

Hermione would have plenty of time to finish her paper. She had to look up Draco's dream person first so that she could concentrate.

Draco... She wondered absently what he was doing at this very moment. She wondered if she could straighten out her feelings. But most of all, she wondered if she could even be with Draco anymore. Maybe it would be best if she could just solve this dream thing and then erase him from her life.

Draco hated waiting. He knew that his father was picking the perfect moment to just swoop into his Hogwarts house to tell him what a fool he was.

Draco sighed and sat down on a chair near his bed. He closed his eyes. He wanted to go back in time, when he was happy with his life, if there was such a thing. The first thing that came to mind was when he was a small child at the manor. Back then his father was gone most of the time so he didn't have to deal with him. His mother attended to his every need. He watched the house elves scurry around and he'd go adventuring through the darker places of the house.

He distinctly remembered his mother back then. She was always looked distant, as if she was always waiting, probably for her husband to finally notice her. Draco didn't mind if his mother ever hugged him or showed much interest in him. As long as she was always there when he hurt himself, so that she could heal him right up, and when he wanted some cookies. He knew that he had a busy family. He knew that they were important people.

Today, however, he wondered if she even cared about him. Did Narcissa love Lucius more than Draco? Draco had never felt real love until he'd kissed Hermione. And when she pleaded with him a few nights ago about staying together...he had almost given in. But luckily he had seen things that his father had done to people that he didn't like. Their dungeon wasn't for show.

Draco sighed again as he thought about Hermione. It would be harmless fun if he was just daydreaming about her but he kept picturing her in the dungeon and his resolve grew stronger. He would not even look at the girl.

"My, your facial expression looks angry," Lucius sneered, with a short laugh, "Wouldn't you like to share your inner most thoughts with your dear father?"

Draco set his jaw and slowly opened his eyes. He set a glare onto him that he wished could make him burst into flame. But he said calmly, "I'm afraid you'd think that my thoughts are quite boring."

"True. You're only an ignorant child, after all," Lucius sighed, almost disappointed that he'd remembered this fact.

"What do you want," Draco said flatly, standing up and walked as far away from his father as he could.

"...What a welcome," Lucius smiled wickedly, "What? Can't say 'hello father I'm so happy to see you!'"

"I ran out of them with I was 5," Draco said wryly, wishing that he'd leave.

"Well let me get straight to the point," Lucius smirked, "I want you to do me a favor. No, I want you to do your Lord and Master Voldemort a favor..."

Oh brother...

"Hermione," Ron sighed, "I really, really don't think that books and I get along much. Aren't you done yet?"

Hermione quickly flipped through the pages of the last book in her large stack. The mentions of 'Sumnio realm' were disturbingly thin. Hermione scanned the page and finally found a small entry. She read it aloud.

"The Sumnio realm is most commonly referred to as the 'dream realm' and although there is some truth to this in reality it isn't really a 'dream realm'. People of Sumnio are souls in the interworld, the place between life and death, and they watch over troubled souls in the living world. Certain important people in the Sumnio realm, such as Lady Anaxandria and Lady Wessin, tend to appear to living souls that are on the verge of crossing over to the dead world. Lady Wessin helps the living souls pass through the interworld through their dreams or their last moments of life and be at peace in death. Lady Anaxandria appears to living souls in dreams where they are trapped by their inner turmoil and signifies that the soul needs help escaping or she has to lead them to Lady Wessin. Both ladies are commonly referred to as the 'near death twins' because they indicate that the soul owner is likely to pass through the gates of death before the next full moon of the first sighting of either ladies in their dreams."

Hermione paled. That wasn't a very uplifting entry.

"Hermione!" Harry panted, running towards her, "I've finally found you!"

"I'm sure I couldn't have been that hard to find..." Hermione said, smiling a bit.

"Well I've come to ask you something," Harry said, blushing.

"Go ahead," Hermione said.

"...Hermione..." Harry said, his voice wavering the slightest bit, "I know that these last couple of months and well...days really have been a little...odd...but I want you to know that I'm going to try my best to change everything back to the way it was...with the exception of one thing... Hermione...I don't want you to be my best friend anymore."

"What?" Hermione gasped, a little shocked.

"...Well ok I still want to be best friends but...I want you to be my girlfriend..."

PS- ooo you know it had to come! Anyway don't kill me for my next chapter when I write it ^^ *hint hint* But don't worry 'it' won't last very long.