Hermione looked up from her blankets on the floor, How long she had been here she didn't know. She sat up and stared at the large wooden door ahead of her. The paint was peeling off, when newly painted she would have guessed it to be a dark green. Her eyes searched the room. It was a perfect square, with a small window that cascaded a tiny pool of light into the middle of the room. It was not big but you wouldn't expect that for a cell she thought to herself. The walls were made from stone, big, gray slabs from what she could see through the darkness. There was moss in all the joins, it gave the room a damp smell. Hermione touched the wall nearest to her. It was slimy to the touch, it left a cold residue on her fingers. She shivered.

She sat there in a daze for a further 5 minutes until she heard foot steps coming closer to her cell. She lay back down on the sheet which was now indented with the outline of her frail figure. They were awfully itchy, but they beat sleeping on the floor she thought to herself. She lay back down onto the chiseled blankets and pretended to sleep. She heard the scream of the door as it was forced open by its hinges. What was happening people came down, people looked in, they past food through. But they never entered her cell. She tensed up as the person moved closer and closer to where she lay. Her mind started to race, she opened her eyes slightly to see the door to her cell open. She didn't think she didn't even look at the person who was getting ever closer, she jumped to the feet and ran for the door, but the person thought the same as her and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Where do you think your going Granger" Came a cold voice.

Hermione did not look back she dug her nails hard into the person, she felt the tension from the wrist slip and she took that chance, she ran. She didn't know where she was going she just knew she had to get out. she reached the door. She didn't have time to think. She ran to the right,a long corridor lay ahead of her, she didn't notice the colours of the walls, the corridors were a blur. She could hear quickening footsteps behind her getting closer. She was blind with panic. "No" she thought "I am not going to let them catch me" She could now feel the breathe of the person on the back of her neck. It was making the hair their stand on end. Terror engulfed her , she could feel herself starting to tire, "NO" she screamed to herself, "keep running" The person behind, was ever persistent. She was slowing she could see a door if she could only just make it. She felt a hand grab a second time round her wrist, she screamed in frustration. She was wrenched back to the person that grabbed her. This causing her to smacked straight into them, unbalancing them both and sending them crashing to the floor. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and braced her self for impact but it never came. She felt herself on something soft, not the hard stone floor which she had become familiar with. She then felt them tense up. She gently peeled open her eyes to find, she was staring straight into a pair a cold, grey ones. Hermione gasped.

"MALFOY" She hissed.

She tried to get up but found his arm was firmly around her waist.

"Let go Malfoy" She said struggling.

But she couldn't get up. He was too strong for her. She could feel his eyes piercing her skin. she blushed under his gaze.

"What do you want" She hissed.

"You" He reply.

Hermione exhaled loudly. A breathe she didn't even know she held in.

She looked at him, his trademark smirk plastered all over his face.

"You will never have me Malfoy" She answered her anger now rising.

His eyes flashed dangerously. He flipped her over so he was now on top. The cold from the floor was now seeping through her body.

"Are you sure Granger" He whispered on her neck.

This sent a tingle up her spine, why was he being like this? He had been horrible to her for years. He hadn't seen her since he left Hogworts. That was three years ago. What made him turn up now.

"Get off me, you expect me to be with you after all you said to me in Hogworts and now kidnapping me" She shouted getting louder and louder with every word.

"I didn't kidnap you" He said simply.

Hermione lay there in shock, her body was now numb from the cold.

"Well if you didn't kidnap me, who did? And why have you come to see me?" She said thoughtfully.

Hermione felt the ground underneath her start to vibrate, she could feel rhythmic thuds against her back. Only one thing could make them thuds.

"Footsteps" She hissed.

Draco must have felt them too as he eased off her body and stood towering above her.

"Are you just going to lie there and get found" He whispered.

His hand reached towards hers. She grasped it, it was warm to the touch. I wouldn't expect Malfoy to be warm she thought.

What was she thinking, she actually thought Malfoy was warm, this horrible, arrogant bastard was warm, I don't think so.

Hermione was then jolted from her thoughts. She was shivering and her breathe was making a small cloud in front of her face. She looked around the place she was in, it looked similar to her cell except it was a lot smaller. The walls were still of the same dull grey, and still had moss protruding from the crevasses in the wall. The only decoration in the room was a table and chair. They stood tall and proud in their place, illuminated by the pool of light that was seeping through the dirty pane of the window. The two of them must have unsettled the ancient dust as it was tickling Hermione's throat.

The footsteps which they had heard in the corridor were now getting louder. The rhythmic thuds were ringing in her ears, each step made her heart pound louder. She felt a warm hand grip her own and give her a reassuring squeeze. She turned to her right to see Draco standing next to her. He was also shivering from the cold. Hermione then did something she would never dream of doing half an hour ago. She moved closer to Draco. She didn't know if it was fear, cold or something else that was drawing her to him. He wrapped his strong arms tightly around her. She felt safe and warm in his arms. The footsteps were now echoing in the corridor outside where they were hiding.

Hermione's breathe was becoming fast and ragged. What if they find me? What will they do to me? What will they do to Draco? Hang on Hermione thought why do I care what happens to Draco I mean he's only a horrible, arrogant bastard, or was he?

She looked up from his chest to see his grey eyes boring into her. It made her extremely uncomfortable. It was as though he was searching through all her thoughts and memories.

"Malfoy stop staring at me like that" She whispered through gritted teeth.

"Like what" he whispered back.

"You know what your doing" she hissed.

The footsteps that were pounding down the corridor suddenly stopped. Hermione held in her breathe, What if they heard them bickering?. She could hear the breath of the unknown person or thing outside there door. It sounded like he was having trouble breathing, it sounded heavy and fast. This unsettled Hermione further and she buried her head once again into Malfoy's chest. She was listening intently to the breathing on the other side of the door.

She then heard a voice she recognized.

"Hermione If your here shout, everythings going to be alright I'm here to save you"

Hermione's head whipped up from the comfort of Malfoys chest. She let out the sigh that she had held in for so long. She didn't realize how much she needed the oxygen. But before she could reply to the mans voice Malfoys lips were upon her own. She struggled against him but it was no use, she started to enjoy it. She deepened the kiss and placed her hands on his neck. His lips were so soft, her mind was going fuzzy she was losing herself. Then her conscience came into play. What are you doing it screamed. She pulled away instantly and slapped him hard around the face. She tried to struggle against him but it was no use, he was too strong.

"Let go Malfoy" she stammered.

He released her and she fell onto the cold stone floor with a bump. She looked up at him to see her hand imprinted in his skin. She darted from his cheek to his eyes. He looked furious.

"Why did you slap me" he hissed angrily.

"Because you kissed me, you idiot" she retorted.

"I just saved your ass" his voice was getting louder by the second.

"What do you mean you just saved my ass, he was coming to help us and you stopped me from replying" she shouted.

"Is that what you think" He virtually screamed.

"Well how else am I going to think" She screamed back."He been my friend for 10years"

Draco let out a loud sigh. He looked up at Hermione her face, it was all flustered and her eyes were ablaze with anger.

"He's not what you think" he replied his eyes darted to the floor.

He couldn't take her intense gaze. It was as though she was burning his skin.

She presently regained herself. She once again looked around the room, she then flicked her eyes back to Draco, who still had his eyes on the floor.

She shook with anger and walked past Draco towards the door.

"Why should I believe someone who has been horrible to me for the best part of my life" she hissed.

And with that she left the room.

"Because I love you" he whispered.

Hermione stormed up the corridor, she was blinded by her tears. Her body still shook from the confrontation with Malfoy. She stopped. She didn't know where she was going. She wiped the tears from her eyes. The corridor was long, it seemed to last forever. She tried to remember where the door she tried to get though earlier was. She searched through every memory, every incident. She lingered on one. That kiss it...it was so meaningful, so passionate and then what he said when she left. " Because I love you". She was so confused. What did he mean when he said "He's not what you think" Malfoy loving her, wasn't it him that called her a dirty mudblood.

Draco was still looking at the ground. What had he done. How is she going to believe him over that damn weasel. He should have told her that it was infact weasel who had kidnapped Hermione, it was him that was calling her, he had kidnapped her because he knew he that she could never love him, Draco was sent to find her, to free her, what a good job he did he thought to himself. He thumped his fist against the wall. Why won't she listen to him. If only he had been nicer to her at school maybe she would have He felt the trickle of blood run loving down his arm.

Hermione was torn between going back to Draco or going to find Ron. She couldn't help this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that Draco needed to tell her something important. Was Ron here to help her? She kept going back to when Draco said he loved her. Why would he say something like that? Was it to keep her there, so he could shove her back into that horrible cell. Was it some sadistic game he was playing to lull her into a false sense of security. She did know but she had to go back, she had to hear his story, now the question was how to get back.

Hermione turned round to face the way she had come. In front of her was a long winding corridor with many corridors running from it. Terror engulfed her. What if I can't get back? What if I bump into someone and they put me back in that cell. Her breathing started to get heavy. She heard a muffled voice calling her. She couldn't make out if it was Draco or Ron, She didn't know if she wanted to know who it was. But it was her only chance if she was going to get out of this horrible place.
She slowly crept down the corridor, every step she took the voice got louder. But still she could not distinguish whose voice it was. Her hands slid feverishly over the residue covered wall. Was she making a mistake? she was then jolted from her thoughts. She heard a yelp, a loud yelp.

She ran to where she had heard the noise her hand never left the wall. As she rounded the corner she took in the whole scene. Draco was on the floor with a large cut on his head, he was holding it forcefully, he looked as though he kept slipping in and out of conscientiousness. She hadn't noticed Ron in the shadows, his eyes were glinting angrily. She ran to Draco's side, by all the blood on the floor, she knew he did not have long to live, his face was pale, the life was disappearing from his eyes by the second. She heard a sound coming from the shadows, it sounded as though someone was laughing, a high pitched laugh full of evil and venom.

Hermione's head flicked round and she was met with the tall gangly form of Ron.

" Ron, we need help, he's hurt...he may not live" she stammered tears in her eyes.

Hermione looked into his eyes, they had no sympathy in them infact he looked enraged.

"DON'T YOU DARE CRY FOR HIM" he screamed.

He had gone red in the face. She noticed he was holding something in his left hand, his knuckles had gone white, from holding the object so tight. Then she noticed it had blood dripping from the end of it, Draco's blood.

"Ron what have you done" She cried backing away.

"He deserved it, he said I was crazy, he said I didn't love you" he shouted. "I put you in that cell so I could protect you and love you"

"Ron your scaring me, we need help...or...or he'll die" She stammered again.

"No we don't, he needs to be dealt with so we can live together forever" he said seriously.

" Ron...I can't, I love someone else" She said, the confidence was evident in her voice.

"WHAT" he screamed. " YOU CAN'T, YOU LOVE ME, AFTER ALL I HAVE DONE FOR YOU"

Draco limp form on the floor began to shake. First Hermione thought he was fitting, but then realised he was laughing.

"AND WHATS SO FUNNY MALFOY" he screamed.

"You actually thought she would love you after all you have done to her" Draco laughed.

" You actually think she would love you Malfoy" Ron retorted.

Draco went quiet as this. His body heaved loudly. It was racked with pain

"Yes I thought she would" he sighed.

He looked up at Hermione her face was streaked with tears. She looked beautiful, he hated seeing her sad. There eyes connected and she smiled. It was a genuine smile, full of love and happiness, but the pain was still evident in her eyes. He had always caused her pain. Even now when he told her he loved her, he was causing her pain. He felt like giving up there and then, let her be rid of her pain. She would be much better without him. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the spiritual world. He could feel it calling him, he just wanted to let go and give in. Then he felt something brush against his lips. He peeled his eyes open to see himself staring into a pair of honey coloured eyes. The pain in them was still evident but there was a hint of something else, he couldn't figure what it was. Then it clicked love. She had love in her eyes. Hermione's lips then connected with his. She kissed him gently, she closed her eyes tightly wishing for this moment to never end, her salty tears were falling onto his skin. She broke the connection and looked into his eyes. She placed her hand on his cut as gently as he could, he winced under the touch. He then felt a cold sensation where Hermione had touched his skin, he could feel his vision becoming clear again. He looked at her face, concentration was evident. He could feel her weakening.

"Hermione, Stop" he whispered.

But she would not let go. It was as though she couldn't let go. He reached up to her hand and tugged on it lightly. This broke the connection and she flopped on top of him. He started to panic.

"Hermione" he shouted.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER" Ron shouted.

He lifted her limp form off him and placed her on the floor next to him. But before he had chance to check if she was alive Ron tried to hit him again with the candle stick in his left hand. Draco managed to dodge it just in time. The dong from it hitting the floor was loud, it reverberated in his ear drum. He jumped to his feet missing a second swing from Ron. This caused Ron to swing violently round giving Draco the chance he needed. He shoved his fist hard into Ron's face. He heard his nose crack and blood sprayed up the wall. Ron screamed in pain and collapsed against the wall. Draco ran to Hermione. He checked for a pulse, he could feel one faintly. He picked her up in his arms. She placed her arms round his neck. He looked into her eyes.

"I love you to Draco" she said

This was the last thing she said before he apparated them out to safety.