Disclaimer: These don't belong to me. Hey, hope you like this chapter! It was sorta hard to write it because, well...you'll see. So, enjoy.

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Chapter 7: The Morning After.....

Hermione woke to the sunshine shinning through her eyelids. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times, while still getting used to the light, and looked up into a pair of blue-gray eyes. Draco was already awake and smiling at her. Hermione smiled back at her boyfriend and nuzzled her head in his bare chest.

"You know," he began, "I've always wondered what it would be like to wake up next to you."

"Ohhhh. Good line. Pre-planned or spontaneous?"

"Oh! Totally off the top!" Hermione giggled. She looked at the clock on the table next to them; it was almost time for breakfast. She sighed.

"We should start getting ready for classes Draco." She slung her legs over the side of the couch and went to get up when Draco slithered his arms her waist and pulled her into him. He shook his head.

"Nooooo." He wined like a little child. "I don't' want to go to class today. I want to lie here all day with you in my arms." He teased.

"Gods, wouldn't I just love that too! But, we can't. We have to go. We need to test our Levitation Potion. I do not need Snape giving us - me, another poor grade. You probably would get an 'A' anyway." Draco smirked, he knew it was true. He had always been Snape's favorite.

"Hmmm…" he placed his thumb and index finger on his chin and made a face as if he was thinking. "Well, like always, your right." Draco gave a slight laugh and Hermione smiled.

"Of course I am! I am deeply offended Draco, how dare you ever think I, Hermione Granger, would ever be wrong." She joked. He released her from his strong, warm grip.

"Alright, well, you take a shower. I will come back and take one during lunch or something." Hermione agreed and went into the bathroom. As he got up and went upstairs to get changed, Hermione was undressing and getting under the hot water from the showerhead.

Draco walked back down into the common room about 15 minutes later to find Hermione still hadn't finished with her shower yet. He walked over to the bathroom with a smirk on his face. He knew exactly what he was about to do. He opened the door slightly and popped his head in. "Ready yet?" he asked quickly while starring at her from behind.

Hermione spun around. "Draco! Shut the door!" she shrieked and wrapped a towel around her damp body. "I'll be out in 5 minutes!" Draco closed the door slowly, turned around. Apparently very satisfied with himself. He didn't even have to wait 5 minutes for her to come out. She walked out of the bathroom scrunching her hair dry in one of Draco's Slytherin towels; it was dark green with the Slytherin crest on it. "Why you little…" she shook her head at what he had just done. But at the same time was smiling. He was desperate. 'It was cute though. I have to admit.' She thought to herself.

He just smirked. "Are you aware that you are using a Slytherin towel?"

"Yes, I am aware of that. But, now that were dating, we have to get used to using each other's things. Like towels. And besides, all of the Gryffindor ones are still being cleaned by the house elves." Hermione had giving up S.P.E.W in the begging of this year, it was doing no good and Harry and Ron had finally convinced her of that. She threw the towel behind her back into the bathroom floor and put her hair up in a damp bun.

"You're so beautiful." Draco went over and kissed her deeply. Hermione parted her lips and Draco slipped his tongue in. She lifted her tongue and messaged his with hers. Their tongues were dancing together for what seemed like eternity. But soon enough one of them would need to come up for air. Draco did. "Gods, Hermione! You're a great kisser." Before she could say anything, he sealed her lips with another one of those passionate kisses.

"Well, what did you expect?" She licked her lips and he took her hand in his. They walked through the portrait holding hands. But then Draco took his hand and slipped it around her waist. They headed down to the Great Hall, arm in waist.

When they arrived at the hallway that led them to the Great Hall, Draco took his arm away from her waist. "Okay, you go first. I'll follow right behind you. No one will suspect anything." Hermione agreed and gave him a kiss good-bye. She turned around and Draco slapped her on her behind. She turned back around and stared daggers at him. "What?!? You know you liked it!" he smirked. Hermione couldn't help but letting a little laugh out. He was right, she did like it! She walked on down the hallway, with Draco following a good distance behind her.

Hermione walked into breakfast with a bright smile on her face, for once this week. She sat down next to Harry and across from Ron. She looked up at Ron, who was pushing his food around with his fork. Out of the corner of her eye she could see someone entering the hall. Hermione looked over to the gigantic doors and saw Draco come in. He saw her looking at her. He looked around to see if anyone was looking at him, no one was. Then, he mouthed 'I love you' to her. Hermione blushed and smiled. Draco walked slowly over to the Slytherin table and squeezed between his two oafs. His seat though, was in perfect view of his girlfriend. But still he wished that he could be sitting right next to her. But, that couldn't happen.

"So, how was everyone's evening?" she looked at Ron and Harry, whose heads shot up at her question.

"Er…It was erm, fine." Harry answered sounding a little nervous.

"It was interesting!" Ron added cruelly.

"Why? What happened?" a puzzled look wiped over Hermione's plastered smile.

"So, why were you just looking over at Malfoy again Hermione? Huh?" Ron shot at her.

"Erm…no reason. Why do you ask? You don't think he's doing something to me again guys? Do you? Because let me tell you something, he's not!"

"Hmm…I would not be so sure of that if I were you!"

"Ron. Stop interrogating 'Mione! Just leave it!" Harry shot at Ron, who glared back at him.

"I can't leave it Harry!" he said in a harsh but hushed tone.

"Too bad!" Harry looked back over at Hermione whose eyebrows were raised so high, she thought they'd jump off her head.

'Wow! What's eating them two?' she thought.

"Anyways, how was your night 'Mione? What did you do?" Harry wasn't being mean to her like Ron was, and she was grateful for that.

"Oh, er, I just stayed in my room all night. You know, I had to finish that Charms essay." Ron looked up at Hermione, his eyes were slits and his mouth was hanging open slightly in disgust. "What?" she shot at him. "How do you know where I was last night? I was in my room like I said!" Ron shook his head and began playing with his food again. "I'm telling the truth Ron." She said, while quietly crossing her fingers behind her back.

"I never said anything to you Hermione! So stop accusing me now!" she scoffed and the bell of first class rang.

"Okay, well time for Potion's. We have that stupid Levitation Potion to try. Ready?" Harry got up and looked back down at Hermione and Ron who were still arguing. Finally Harry repeated himself and all three of them went to Potion's with not as much as a single word to one another.

Before they entered class Ron held Harry back and let Hermione go in without them. "Harry! Why didn't you let me tell her? She needs to know! Incase Malfoy is going to do something to her. She might need to protect herself."

"I - I guess your right Ron. But, you have to stop snapping at her all the time! It's just I didn't want you two to start fighting, again. Who knows, Malfoy might not even be doing anything to her!"

"Or he might!"

"Still, we can't jump to any conclusions."

"That has to be the reason why though! Why else would he have a picture of her?"

"I dunno why Ron."

"It's because he is planning to do something to her. There are three choices why it could possibly be there. One, he is going to harm her. Which I believe, and I think you should too. Number two, someone planted it there. And number three, she knows it's there, or she gave it to him. Which I highly doubt!"

"Alright, alright. Class is about to start. Let's get inside." Harry tugged Ron in the room. When they got inside, they saw that everyone was already sitting with their partners. Ron looked over at Hermione and Draco with concern, and then looked back at Harry. "Come on Ron, just go sit over by Goyle." Ron nodded and headed across the room.

"Alright." Snape started, but people were still chattering over him. "Quiet! Now!" he bellowed and everyone shut their mouths. "Very well then. Today, we are going to test our Levitation Potion's. I didn't get a chance to tell you yesterday, since you all ran out of the class before I could say anything more, that we would be adding one more touch to the potion's, then test them out. We have to add only 4 drops more on Red Falcon's Blood. Stir clockwise 15 times, and up and down 8 times. Let sit for 9 minutes then both partners will each fill one cylinder of our final solution and bring it up to my desk. I will give you the proper drinking directions there and then and only then will you be allowed to test it on yourselves. Before we begin, who can tell me again how much Red Falcon's Blood we will be using today?" Hermione's hand shot straight up into the air and Snape sighed. "Anyone? Anyone at all?" she raised her hand even higher, if it were possible, and Snape sighed. "Yes? Miss. Granger?"

"4 drops."

"Very well, start! Go get your cauldrons and begin." Hermione got up from her seat and gathered her and Draco's cauldron, stirrer, and Red Falcon's Blood.

While she was removing her product's from the back cabinet, she ran into Ron who was doing the same. When he saw her he just turned his back to her and walked away with his products. 'How rude! He doesn't even acknowledge me! If he thinks something is wrong with me, he should check himself sometime.'

Draco cleared an area on their table so they could work. "I wonder why Snape is stressing so much to not add anymore Red Falcon's Blood than he says."

"Yea, wonder what it will do?"

"Let's find out" Draco went to add more and Hermione grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Malfoy! What the hell are you doing?"

"What happened to Draco?"

"You tell me! What in the hells do you think you were doing?"

"Kidding! I was just kidding! I would never do that! I would rather never find out."

"Mmm Hmm."

"I can't wait to try this potion, I have always wanted to levitate, or be weightless at least."

"Me too." Hermione said sadly running her hands down the sides of her torso. "What I wouldn't give to be weightless!"

Draco scoffed and shook his head. "Hermione! Your body is perfect! You are so beautiful! What in the hells are you talking about? Anyways, it's what's on the inside that counts. Your gorgeous both inside and out."

"I know that it's what's on the inside that counts. But, I would just like to look like all the other girls." Hermione glanced around at the other girls in the class like, Millicent, Lavender, Parvati. Draco took her hand under the table and gave it a little tug towards him.

"Hermione." she was still looking at Lavender. "Hermione look at me." Draco said quietly as she turned towards him. 'You don't want to become like any of them! They are ugly, and bitchy. Like I said before, your beautiful, but it's what's on the inside that counts. You are nothing like the other girls!" Hermione put a puzzled look on her face, which Draco notice straight away. "No, no, no. I mean that in a good way."

"Oh."

"Your something special, and I like that about you. You can be ready to go out in 30 minutes, you don't wear 10 pounds of make-up on your face and you don't act all snotty towards others. And that's what's perfect about you! Those and may other things make you who you are, the person who I fell for. Hermione.... I - I lo -" But Snape cut in before Draco could finish his confession. he looked away from Hermione sadly and turned his attention towards Snape.

"Attention, attention!" Snape boomed. "Fill your cylinders to the right amounts and…Mr. Longbottom! Stop tending to your potion this instant!" Neville whipped his wooden spoon out of the cauldron and placed it on the table that very instant. "Like I was saying, fill your cylinders to the right amount and I will call your pair up here one by one. Mr. Malfoy and Miss. Granger, you two first." Hermione dipped the spoon into the potion and filled her and Draco's cylinders. She handed him his and they headed towards Snape.

Back by Ron and Goyle, Goyle had dropped one of their cylinders. Ron had quickly volunteered to get a new one from the back counter. While Ron was at the back counted looking for a new one, moving around ingredients and such, he found out he could gain revenge on Draco. Ron got his newly needed cylinder, plus, something else that wasn't needed…two cylinder's full of Red Falcon's Blood. He was holding the empty cylinder in his left hand and hiding the two full ones under his robes with the right. Ron looked around the room to see where everyone's attention was, they were all tending to their potion's at the last minute. Attention was not drawn to him at all. Instead of turning right and going back to Goyle, Ron turned left and went to Draco and Hermione's table.

Ron could only hope two things. Draco would take more potion. Two, Hermione wouldn't. And to make this happen, he knew what he had to do. He emptied the two cylinders into their cauldron, quickly stirred and placed the spoon back on the table. Now it was time to carry out part two of his plan. He had seen that Snape made Hermione and Draco place their cylinders on a small table next to his desk. *Swish* "Wingardium" *Flick* "Leviosa." Draco's cylinder rose off of the table slightly and cracked open on the floor.

"Damn it!" Draco exclaimed.

"Mr. Malfoy, watch your mouth in my classroom. Just go and refill your cylinder, no points off of your grade. It must have just rolled."

Ron, pleased very much with himself, scurried back over to his seat even before Draco could turn around. He sat down and turned slightly towards Draco, watching him out of the corner of his eye. Draco refilled his cylinder and walked back over to Snape. Ron scoffed and turned back towards his potion, with an evil smirk playing on his lips.

"Here you are professor. Shall I place it back on the table?"

"No. We are going to test them now. Miss. Granger, please get yours." Hermione reached behind Draco and got her cylinder off of the small table and held it tightly in her hands. "Now," Snape handed them each a Sweet Pea pedal. "place this in each one of your potion's and drink it." They placed it in their potions and it fizzed up a bit. "Make sure to drink the whole contents, so to get the full effect of your levitation. Hermione and Draco looked at each other quick enough to catch each other's eye. "Everyone turn your attention towards Mr. Malfoy and Miss. Granger, as they are now to be the first ones, in your class, to test the Levitation Potion. If they have brewed it correctly, which I trust they and they rest of you did, they will rise about 4 feet in the air and stay there for about 1 to 2 and a half minutes." he nodded to them to tell them to drink it and they did.

At first everything was fine. They levitated up and Hermione stopped as they got to the three feet mark. Small audible gasps and "wows" could be heard. But Draco kept on rising upwards, higher and higher. Until he was about 7 or 8 feet up in the air. His body started to twitch slightly, then it began to convulse. It looked like he was having a seizer. But the worst was still to come. Very rapidly his body began to thrash around in the air like a ragged to doll.

"Oh my god! What's happening?" some of the girls cried. Hermione had to get down so she could help Draco. After about 30 more seconds, her body began to slowly descend towards the ground. She landed and was crying. Draco was still thrashing around in the air. Snape ran over to her, grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard.

"Miss. Granger! Listen to me, stop crying!" she couldn't she was sobbing uncontrollably. "What did you do to the potion? Did anything happen to it? I need to know so I can figure out how to get him down! Look at me, tell me what happened!" he shouted at her.

"I don't know what happened! Don't you think I would have told you already if I did?" she cried. "We did the potion correctly, I know we did! Professor, what is happening to him? Oh my god, Draco!"

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Harry pried his head away from Draco's still thrashing body and looked at Hermione. He rushed over to her, she was kneeling on the floor with her head in her hand crying. Harry crouched down next to her. "'Mione, 'Mione look at me! What happened?" Ron strolled over to beside the two of them smiling. "Ron, why in the seven hells are you smiling? I mean I know we hate him but still!"

Ron just kept on smiling. Harry got up from his knees, leaned in towards Ron and whispered in his ear. "Ron, don't tell me you did this! Did you?"

"Of course I did Harry! I had to protect Hermione!" Fortunately for Hermione, but unfortunately for Ron, Harry's whisper wasn't really at whisper volume.

"Ron!!! Oh my god, Ron you did this? Why? How on earth could you do such a terrible thing to Draco?" Hermione rose up from her knees and screamed at him so loud that nearly everyone could have heard.

Ron pulled away with his brow stitched together. "Hermione! I had to! To protect you!"

"Protect me? From what?" she hollered.

"Last night Harry and I found a picture of you in his room. He is going to do something to you! Hurt you! I told you he would Hermione!"

"Oh my god." Hermione breathed. "Ron oh my god no! Harry we have to get him down."

"How come Snape hasn't already?" Harry asked.

"Because, there is no way o get him down." Ron said coolly. "No way to undo it. It has to just wear off, unfortunately. I put a lot of extra Red Falcon's Blood in his potion before he refilled it. There's no counter-potion for it. And if there is, there is no way to get it to him. Malfoy is unconscious, but his body is still moving about." Hermione and Harry's mouthed dropped down to the floor. "I did research." he laughed at his own evilly joke. Ron ran to a spot under Draco, still raised in the air, and pointed his wand at him. Ron was now controlling Draco's body, keeping it levitated in the air.

"We have to stop him Hermione, come on." Harry and Hermione ran towards Ron with wand's at the ready. "Reductor!" Harry shouted.

But Ron was to fast for him. "Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand flew straight out of his hand and he landed on the floor. Hermione ran to him and helped him up.

"Harry we have to do something to save Draco!"

"Hermione, there is nothing we can do! He's in Ron's control. And Ron is not going to give that up."

"But Harry-"

"Hermione, I told you already, there is nothing to do!"

"Harry - I love him!" her eyes were glassy and she was ready to cry again. "I love him Harry! I cannot let Ron harm him!" Harry mouth was opened in shock.

"What? You what?" Ron boomed.

"I love him! And he love's me Ron! We're going out, that's why he has my picture! I knew he had it! He told me!"

Ron's broken heart was showing on his face. "Hermione, you don't love him! You can't love him!" Ron sounded as if he were about to break down in tears.

"And why not?" she screamed/sobbed.

"Because I love you!"

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A/N- So you like it?????? See it was hard to write, I didn't wanna hurt Draco!!! Wahhhhhh. tears :'-( Oh well, hope you liked it. Did you? Even if you didn't, just tell me, review people!!!!!!!!!!