Rain poured down on Hogwarts. The clouds above were so dark that it was almost impossible to tell if it was day or night. The rain hadn't shown any signs of easing off all day, but that didn't seem to matter to the Slytherin Quidditch team. They had been training for hours and showed no signs of stopping. From his seat in the stands, Draco could hardly make out the seven green blurs as they shot back and forth through the downpour, attempting to perfect the new tactics that Blaise had come up with. Based on the occasional shouts that he could hear floating over the wind, he was far from happy with their progress. Unlike the other captains that Draco had played with, Blaise was actually trying to turn Slytherin into a real Quidditch team, Draco admired his dedication. The others had all been convinced that sheer brawn and brutal, bully tactics were all that was needed. Blaise had other ideas, he was even trying to get Crabbe and Goyle to think before they acted – a practical impossibility as far as Draco was concerned but he persevered nonetheless, shouting her head off all the way.

He sighed as he picked out the dark shape of Etean swooping through the air dodging a Bludger. He was good, a natural flyer. Despite the fact that Draco had no choice but to step aside, and the fact that it was only a temporary arrangement, it still bugged him to see the team flying without him. The fact that Etean could take his place so easily only made it worse, was he that expendable? Draco shivered. It was getting very cold up here in the stands. His cloak was keeping him dry, but the wind was really starting to get to him. How much longer were they going to stay at it? He checked his watch. 'Shit!' It was nearly nine o'clock, he was supposed to be on patrol soon. He bundled his cloak around him and headed down out of the stands.

As he ran back up towards the school, his thoughts turned to the Quidditch Cup. He had to admit that even despite the fact that he wasn't playing, he liked the way the team was shaping up. Blaise was actually a good keeper, obviously he had spent the summer practicing. Nott, Daniels and Turner had the makings of a great team of chasers. Even Crabbe and Goyle actually looked to be shaping up to be halfway decent beaters, once they learned to tell one end of their clubs from the other that is. And then there was Etean. He was certainly well up for the task of playing seeker. Even with all the bad weather, he had managed to snare the Snitch in minutes every time Blaise had released it. Draco smiled to himself. He liked Slytherin's chances this year.

Draco reached the Entrance Hall, paused to shake the excess water from his cloak and headed up to the second floor to the Prefect's Common Room. There were still quite a few people around the corridors at this hour but he ignored them, his thoughts were still on the team. He reached the common room and went inside. One of the better perks of being a prefect, the common room offered a quiet place to pass the time or even to study when the house dorms were too crowded or too noisy. Draco had had some fun in here. The Inquisitional Squad had managed to pretty well commandeer the place last year. It had been the venue for many a good party. The room had been refurbished over the summer, paid for by some generous school governor no doubt. Expensive new rugs were spread across the floor in place of the old threadbare ones from last year. The tattered old chairs had been replaced by a dozen brand new leather armchairs. Draco liked the new chairs, by the feel of the leather they must have cost someone quite a bit. The smell of the new leather made the room feel rich. Draco wondered if there would be any parties here this year.

Inside the common room was dark, the fire was a dying red glow and none of the candles were lit. Draco carefully threaded his way through the chairs to the fireplace, he took out his wand levelled it at the dying embers.

"Ignitio!" he said quietly and the fire was suddenly roaring again. He pocketed his wand and stood on the hearth, trying to warm himself up. He heard a noise behind him and spun round, instinctively going for his wand. His hand stopped mid motion as he spotted the source of the sound. Hermione was sitting in an armchair facing the fire, fast asleep. Some book or other that she had been reading had fallen off her knee to the floor. Draco stood there, just looking at her. Ordinarily in this sort of situation his mind would automatically be planning some fiendish prank to play on her. At the very least he would make a sudden, loud noise to wake her, and hopefully scare the life out of her while he was at it. But this time, his reaction was different, she looked different somehow.

Before all he would have seen was the cocky little mudblood that had caused him so much grief. The girl he had despised since the second he had met her. Now as he gazed at her, she looked…his mind searched for a word to describe her. The only one he could think of that even came close was…delicate. The thought of disturbing her horrified him. It struck him just how pretty she was. He had never looked twice at her before but now he couldn't stop himself staring at her. There she lay curled up in the chair, her head resting on the leather, just sleeping, and he was mesmerised. A few strands of her hair had fallen free of the loose bun on the top of her head and hung down, framing her face. She frowned and twitched in her sleep. He smiled at the sight of her dreaming, he wondered what about. God, she was beautiful. How had he looked at her all these years and never seen her? He moved closer to her, wanting to get a better view. Up close he was surprised to see that she was wearing make up, he could make out the faintest hint of colour highlighting her cheekbones. Beneath her eyes, there was a tiny band of freckles that the colour didn't quite manage to hide. They made her face seem even prettier somehow. Did she leave them visible on purpose? No, she wouldn't bother going to all that effort, she didn't need to.

Her face was getting bigger. No, he was moving closer to her. He couldn't help himself. He held his breath and moved closer. Inch by inch he brought his face closer to hers. His mind raced, what was he doing? His eyes drifted closed as he felt their lips meet. It was only the faintest contact, her lips felt like a feather brushing against his. Draco held the contact for barely a second before she stirred. He pulled back and stood up as she licked her lips and woke up. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, a look of surprise spread across her face. Looking into her eyes made her seem all the more beautiful, Draco felt as if he was about to fall headlong into those brown pools. Forcing himself to look away, he turned his back to stare into the fire. He shut his eyes again and licked his lips. He could taste a subtle flavour on them that he couldn't identify. Some strange combination of fruits that she was wearing on her lips. His mind froze as he savoured the taste of her lips. Behind him, he heard her stand up. 'Snap out of it Malfoy.' Putting on his best superior expression, he turned to face her.

"Ah, so we're awake then?" he had wanted his tone to seem annoyed, but he didn't do a good job of it. Hermione rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"What were you doing just now?" she sounded groggy.

"What? …I was…I…what do you mean?" his heart began to thump in his chest, how was he going to explain kissing her?

"You were standing over me, just now when I woke up, what were you doing?" Draco let out the internal breath he had been holding. She didn't know.

"Oh…I was…I was going to wake you up." He forced his voice to sound calmer, "It's nearly time to go on patrol."

"What time is it?"

"Nine o'clock, well, just after." She stretched her arms and yawned again. He couldn't stop himself noticing her figure, slim but well filled out in all the right places. Every thing he noticed about her made her seem more beautiful. Was this the same mudblood he had hated for the last five years? Hermione rubbed her face and looked around.

"I must have fallen asleep." She shook her head and picked up her book from where it had landed on the floor. She stuffed it into her bag. Draco fought to stop himself staring at her as she bent down. 'Get a hold of yourself Malfoy!' He tried to think about something else, anything else besides how good she looked.

"What were you reading?" It was all he could think of. She spun round and frowned at him.

"What?"

"The book, what was it?"

"Oh…just something Professor Flitwick gave me to read. A book all about defensive charms and how to use them. He thought I needed the extra help after my pitiful performance on Monday," her voice sounded hollow.

"Flitwick called your performance 'pitiful'?" That didn't sound like a word he would use.

"No," she sighed, "That's my word for it. I was pathetic." She sounded really upset. Of course, he got it now. The fabulous student Hermione Granger, always top of her class, had failed a test in front of a teacher. It had to be killing her. Again, the old Draco would have been overjoyed at that kind of opportunity to dig at her. Now all he wanted to cheer her up.

"You didn't do that bad."

"Not that bad? I froze completely," she shut her eyes and shuddered, "you were there. Everybody laughed at me."

"I didn't," he said quietly, the words were out of his mouth before he realised it. Her eyes snapped open, her expression became more confused. 'Shit, what the hell am talking about?' He felt himself start to blush in embarrassment. "I mean…" he was desperate to cover himself, "I didn't do any better than you did." He gestured with his hand, still in its sling, "I think it's safe to say that I did worse than anyone." Her face relaxed, a look of concern replaced her frown.

"That was an accident. It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah," he let some real pain slip into his voice, "whose fault was it then? Flitwick's?" She shook her head.

"No, it wasn't anybody's fault. Flitwick didn't mean to hurt you." She stepped forward and winced as she pulled back the sling and looked at his arm. "How is it?"

"Numb! I can't move it at all." He looked at her, into those beautiful eyes. He could tell that she was really concerned for him. A lump formed in his throat.

"Can't Madame Pomfrey do anything?" he shook his head.

"No…she said…" he paused.

"What did she say?"

"You mean you don't know? The gossips of the school must be slipping. I thought everyone knew the gory details by now." His voice was starting to sound really shaky. Hermione bit her lip for a moment before she spoke.

"No…well…yes. I mean I have heard stories, but I didn't…There are always rumours here. But I don't know the truth." 'HA,' he laughed inside his head, 'would you even understand the truth if I told you? Do I?' He swallowed.

"Well…the spell Flitwick hit me with it…damaged my hand. Madame Pomfrey says that there's something about me that means magic can't heal this injury. I just have to get better on my own." Hermione looked down at his hand again.

"Oh, will you…get better I mean?" Draco shrugged, would he?

"I don't know…" his voice trailed off. Did she have to stand so close to him? Draco felt as if his heart was about ready to punch through his chest. Every time she looked at him he felt dizzy. Carrying on this conversation was getting harder by the minute. He took a deep breath and tried to get himself under control. He turned away from her and looked at the chart on the wall, the one that showed the areas of the school that the prefects were supposed to patrol. "Em, what sections do you want to cover?" he looked back to her as she shrugged, her eyes were still on his arm.

"It doesn't matter," her voice was quiet, "How about I do the top and you take the bottom," he nodded, the bottom, the dungeons and the dark corners. He was supposed to be at home there.

"Suits me." He turned to leave and noticed that she was still holding the sling. "Erm, I will need that arm back at some stage." She jumped and looked back at him.

"Oh, sorry," she let go and stepped back to finish packing her bag. As the distance between them increased, Draco had to fight the urge to follow her, to be near her again. He didn't trust himself to speak to her as they left the room to start their patrol. Outside in the corridor they parted, she went one way to the stairs and the upper floors. Draco stepped back into the shadows and watched her as she walked away, even the way she walked raised his pulse.

"Snap out of it Malfoy!" he scolded himself quietly, forcing himself to turn away and head off to the dungeons to start his rounds. He remembered the affect she had had on him in Diagon Alley. He had been fixated on her then too. 'Look where that got you!'

In silence he walked down the back staircase to the dungeons. The image of her face, the touch of her lips consumed all his thoughts. What had gotten into him? Kissing Granger…Hermione like that. What if she had woken up? How would she have reacted? Would she have screamed? He shook his head. No, more likely she would have hexed him and gone running to tell Potter and Weasley. That would have really made his week. Still, he wasn't scared of those two at all, especially not now. After going a round with Lucius and the Death Eaters, he was fairly certain that he could hold his own against the terrible twins. But if she had realised what he had done, Potter and Weasley would only be the start of his troubles. With the way gossip spread though the school, it would be less than no time before everyone knew. He would be a laughing stock. Draco Malfoy, kissing a mudblood, the Slytherins would probably roast him alive. At the very least, none of them would ever speak to him again.

Draco stopped in his tracks. 'Get a grip Malfoy. This is Hermione Granger you're thinking about here. You kissed her! What the hell has gotten into you?' He scowled and marched on down the dark corridors of the dungeon. The same thought kept repeating in his head, over and over again. 'I kissed her.' As he continued his rounds, paying no attention to where he was going, a second thought joined the first, 'I want to do it again.'

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Hermione's hand trailed along the marble surface of the banister as she strolled up the staircase on autopilot. The more practical part of her brain had apparently figured out that her mind was somewhere else and had taken over. Without even realising it, she avoided obstacles and hopped trick steps as she headed up to the top floor to start her patrol. She closed her eyes as she strolled down a deserted corridor and inhaled deeply. She imagined that she could still smell his cologne, the strong but subtle scent that he wore. She had never smelt it before, when had she been close enough to Malfoy to notice before? Her eyes opened again as she snapped out of the daydream. She became confused. In her mind she replayed the conversation over and over. She didn't feel angry like she normally did after speaking to Malfoy, was she actually sorry that the conversation was over? Had that really been Malfoy? Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? Did she just feel sorry for him because of his hand?

She frowned as her mind turned to his hand. Damn, Flitwick really took a lump out of him. It must be really terrible for him to have his hand paralysed like that. Her frown turned to a scowl as she remembered the way she had been acting. Like her failure with Flitwick was anywhere near as bad as what had happened to Malfoy. The look in his eyes when they had talked about it had been terrible. It had been all she could do to stop herself from hugging him. If they hadn't separated when they did…She stopped dead in her tracks. 'Hug Malfoy?' Yes that had been what she was about to do, he was hurt and she had wanted to make him feel better, that was just her natural reaction. 'Yes but…Malfoy?'

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Etean didn't look up as Draco entered the training room. He just sat there in the middle of the floor, cross legged with his eyes closed. Draco leaned against one of the pillars and watched him for a moment before he casually reached up and knocked the stone. He jumped back as a deep resounding boom echoed through the air. He stared at the stone of the pillar, 'Did I hit it that hard?'

"No, but you should be used to surprises in here by now Malfoy." Etean stood up and dusted himself off. "This is a Circle training room Draco," he said, seeing Draco's expression, "I told you when all this started that nothing is as it seems." He smiled and walked over to the side of the room, a small stool appeared out of nowhere, he sat down. Draco stepped into the middle of the room, he was anxious to ask the question that had been bugging him all night.

"Just what the hell have you turned me into?" Etean raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Now, while I'm sure this is going to be an interesting conversation Draco. I must admit that I have no idea what the hell you are talking about." Draco took another step forward.

"No? I'll tell you then. Do you know what I've been doing for the last three hours?"

"No, do tell."

"I have been on patrol, but I wasn't patrolling." Etean shook his head.

"You've lost me again." Draco shrugged and started to pace back and forth across the floor.

"What I mean is I have been wandering aimlessly through the corridors of this school like…like a lovesick puppy." Etean grinned.

"I see…now I presume, based entirely on your attitude that you are not exactly happy about that."

"Not happy?" Draco felt his voice starting to rise, "Of course I'm not happy."

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you why not. It's not like me that's why not." Etean stood up and put his hands on his hips. He nodded, his expression changed to one of confusion.

"You know, I think you have changed Draco."

"Oh you do, do you?"

"Yes, you are starting to sound like me. Making no sense to anyone that isn't you. Now can you please explain just what you are talking about?"

"Alright." Draco marched over to him, "I, Draco Malfoy, do not wander around in some sort of trance because of a girl. Not for any girl, especially not for this girl."

"And which girl are we talking about," Etean turned his back and walked over to the hourglass.

"Granger…Hermione Granger." Etean paused before he got to the pillar and turned round.

"Granger? That Gryffindor girl from the train?"

"That one, yes." Etean shrugged.

"She didn't strike me as your type." Draco advanced on him again.

"That's my point," he jabbed a finger at Etean's chest, "She isn't my type. At least she didn't used to be before you…before I met you. So what have you done to me?"

"You know what I have done to you. I've been training you, well trying to train you at least." Draco shook his head.

"No way, you did something else – 'Nothing is as it seems,' you said." Etean smiled again and shrugged.

"That's right, very little is ever as it seems. But I haven't done anything to you," Draco scowled, Etean just carried on, "Look Draco, before I met you, what were you?"

"What?"

"How would you describe yourself, as you were then?" Draco thought about it, how would he describe himself? It was a tough question, in the end, he just shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Fair enough. I'll tell you shall I?" Draco nodded, "Before I met you, the best word I could have used to describe you was 'spoiled'."

"Spoiled?"

"Yes, spoiled. You were Daddy's little boy weren't you? All your life you had everything handed to you, your life, your friends, even your opinions. Nothing you ever had was ever truly yours." Draco shut his eyes, Etean clasped him by the shoulders, "Now, after the summer, after all your training, you are finally thinking for yourself for once. And do you want to know where that leaves you?"

"Where?"

"I'll tell you where it leaves you," he released him, "It leaves you in exactly the same position as everyone else. We all have to form our own opinions about people and about life in general. Now you will just have to do the same," Etean shrugged.

"But everything is different now. I'm different. I had friends here, I used get on with people here. Now I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from taking their heads off."

"Who?"

"Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle…pretty much the whole of Slytherin house." Draco scowled, Etean laughed.

"That bunch of idiots," he stepped back to the hourglass, "Did you really think of them as your friends?"

"Well…no. I guess not. But I used to be able to tolerate them. And as for Granger…" he paused, Etean turned the hourglass over, the world shifted as its effects took hold.

"As for Granger?" Draco sighed.

"Well…she's a mudblood."

"Mudblood?" Etean turned and raised his eyebrow again.

"It means she's a…" Etean raised his hand to cut him off.

"I know what it means. What I meant was, was the fact that she's a muggle born the only reason you had to dislike her?"

"Isn't it enough?" Now Etean looked really confused.

"Is it? Why?"

"Well…Because mudbloods are…well they're…I mean we're better than them."

"We?"

"Purebloods."

"Ah purebloods. We're purebloods are we?"

"Of course we are. My family is as pureblood as they come, six generations and not a single muggle or squib." Etean laughed again, his tone became pure sarcasm.

"Six generations eh? That's impressive. What about before that?"

"What?"

"I mean, six generations goes back what? Six hundred years give or take?"

"About that, so?"

"So, what was your family like more than six generations ago?" Draco shrugged.

"I don't know, what does that matter?"

"It matters Draco, because your family didn't just pop into the world six hundred years ago. They arrived the same way we all do, which means that they had parents, they had ancestors. And their ancestors had ancestors and so on. You mean to say that in all the centuries preceding your six generations of purity, not one muggle or muggle born witch or wizard found their way into the mix?"

"How the hell should I know? But I don't see your point."

"My point is that the whole pureblood, mudblood thing is ridiculous. My family history goes back over two thousand years Draco. And, like you, I have never heard of a single muggle in my lineage. But even then, I can't be sure that there weren't any."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that purity of blood is a never absolute. We are all lost in between muggle blood and so called absolute purity. Who is to say where the line labelled 'Pureblood' should be drawn? I don't form any opinions on people based on their ancestry. I take people as they come. Take the Slytherin's for example. I was perfectly prepared to like or dislike them before I met them. Now," he shuddered, "Now I know them."

"And?" Etean shook his head.

"And, purebloods the lot of them may be, but I wouldn't give you a bronze Knut for a single one." Etean walked over to the far side of the room, Draco automatically moved back to his place in the centre, "So, that's my opinion and your question dealt with. Now we have work to do you and me. So, how about you put the girl out of your head for now and focus on the task at hand – no pun intended." Draco laughed. 'So,' Etean's voice sounded in his head, 'where were we?' Draco opened his mouth to respond, Etean tapped his head and cut him off. Draco relaxed and concentrated, he closed his eyes and pushed out his senses to Etean. He could feel the tingle as he their minds connected. He opened his eyes, struggling to maintain the contact.

'I think we were about here,' he sent back.

'Good,' Etean started to walk around the room. Draco felt the contact start to waver and flicker as he moved, 'Concentrate on the connection, don't try to track my movements. It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing. The connection is all you need.'

'I know, you've told me before,' Draco ground his teeth as he struggled to maintain the connection to Etean, 'It doesn't make it easy though…'

They continued like that for hours. Draco struggled to hold the connection, it gradually became easier. Etean continued to challenge him by increasing the difficulty. He carried on moving round the room, slowly at first, then faster and faster. He changed direction and speed over and over again until Draco could maintain the connection regardless of what Etean was doing. Draco was really pleased with himself but Etean wasn't done yet. The next stage turned out to involve Draco learning to communicate while distracted. By the time Etean was satisfied, Draco could carry on an uninterrupted mental conversation with him while Etean hurled spells at him in rapid succession, forcing Draco to duck and weave all over the room.

'Well done Draco,' Etean patted him on the back as they left the room, 'We'll make a fighter out of you yet.'

'Maybe, but not right now. I'm shattered.' Etean laughed.

'No, not right now. Now we sleep Draco. You're not the only one that's tired. Zabini is a real tyrant on the pitch you know.' Draco laughed.

"I know," he forgot and spoke out loud. Etean shook his head at him. 'Sorry, how was practice?' Etean shuddered,

'Don't ask. It's a good job you were busy tonight. It took me most of the evening just to dry myself off.' Draco laughed as they made their way back to the dorm.