Chapter 20


"Hermione! Hermione, where are you?!" Ron's voice was faint and the darkness in the black tiled hallway weighed down on her. She heard shuffling behind her and tried to run, but her legs were barely moving under her. "Hermione!"

She opened her mouth to call out to him, but couldn't make her voice sound. The darkness felt like a living thing, pressing in on her; coiling, tightening. She had almost made it to a door when they started to spin, speeding past her. The air moved around her, uninhibited by the oppressive darkness in it. Finally the doors slowed to a stop and she stared at the one in front of her. Someone was banging on the other side, trying to beat it down.

She stood still, perfectly in place as whoever was on the other side of the door threw their fists into it, thundering blow and blow onto the dark wooden door. Hermione filled her lungs with air. She didn't know how, but she knew who was on the other side. Maybe she had always known.

The doorknob turned. Creaking slowly it opened and there he was. The Death Eater with the metal mask and silver eyes. She stopped breathing. He placed one big black boot over the threshold, eyes locked onto hers.

The Death Eater held out a black gloved hand. "You want me?"

Her arms weren't working, just hanging limply at her sides. She knew his voice; deep and throaty, commanding. Hermione opened her mouth but nothing passed through, not even air. She was trapped. Trapped in his silver eyes glittering in the mask.

"Say it."

She was lost in the moment as time moved past the two of them, steady in a swirling world.

"I want you," she breathed out in a whisper.

"Hermione!" Ron had burst through a door on the other side of the round chamber. Hermione turned her head and looked at him. "Hermione, hurry he's-"

"Come with me. Come with me, Granger." The Death Eater spoke again. Hermione glanced between them for a moment. Ron's blue eyes were pleading with her, his freckled hand beckoning her back to him. The shining silver eyes flashed dangerously and the Death Eater stuck his hand out a little further, fingers open and waiting for hers.

She looked down at the gloved hand. Her hand hovered over it.

"Yes, Pet," he spoke gently now, but with an underlying danger.

"Hermione, no!" Ron shouted and she glanced back at him.

The Death Eater growled in frustration and he grabbed her wrist tightly. Hermione gasped in pain. Her toffee colored eyes cut up to his and the mask was gone. It was him. His silver eyes were boring down into hers, his lip curling and pale skin shone in the darkness.

"Draco!"

Hermione awoke with a start, thrashing against the sheets that had tangled around her arms and legs like snakes. She was breathing fast and heavy. It was him. It was Draco. She had always guessed, but seeing his face in place of the mask for the first time… Hermione sat up and pushed her tangled hair out of her face.

Lavender and Parvati were both sitting up in their beds staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths. Oh no…

"Did you just say Draco?" Lavender asked, blue eyes lighting up sickly. "As in Draco Malfoy?"

Hermione pushed the sheets back from her and stood up, grabbing her robe. "I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, mind still reeling from her dream.

"I heard it too," Parvati chimed in. "Is there something going on with you two?"

Hermione pulled the tie of her robe tight, gasping as it squeezed her waist.

"Do you like him?!" Lavender's voice was full of incredulous triumph, like she couldn't believe it, but also desperately wanted to.

Hermione threw her a nasty look. "You must have misheard me."

"Oh no, I've heard you call out Ron's name enough times," Lavender said nastily and Hermione paused. "I guess you're done with him now and onto someone new. Just had to ruin my relationship first, right?"

Lavender's words stung and Hermione glared at her. "I didn't do anything to your relationship. It fell apart all on it's own," she snapped.

Lavender pulled back, hurt by this. Parvati, as always, jumped to her defense. "I've seen you staring at him. Malfoy. Or I guess Draco to you."

Hermione had never really gotten along with her dorm mates, but she had never felt so attacked by them either. "Like I said," she enunciated, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She closed the door sharply behind her then leaned against it, finally allowing herself to catch her breath.

"I swear there is something going on with them." She heard Lavender say through the closed door.

"I know, have you noticed he hasn't picked on her lately? He always found a way to make fun of her or call her names, but now, nothing."

"But he's a Slytherin and a Pureblood, what could he possibly see in Hermione?"

"I don't know," Parvati said thoughtfully. "She did say she liked Quidditch players that one time," Hermione rolled her eyes; that had just been to upset Ron. "She went to the Yule Ball with Krum and Slughorn's party with Cormac… Maybe Malfoy is next on her list."

"I can't believe Ron would fall for someone like her. I always thought he kept her around because she did homework for him. Now I wonder what she's really doing with all these guys." Hermione's face fell; Lavender's tone was sharp and accusatory.

"Well, if it's Malfoy you know what she's doing then."

"I bet Ron won't think she's so great now."

Her heart tightened. Lavender wouldn't… would she? She had told Ron about the night she hadn't come back to the dorms and she blamed Hermione for ending her relationship. Certainly she would have no problem telling Ron what she had said in her sleep.

"Still… Malfoy? Even if she's trying to get with him, I don't think he'd have her. He's as Purist as they come," Parvati commented.

She didn't want to hear any more. Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, trying to brush out the tangles in her curls and headed down to the common room. It was early for a Saturday, but there were a couple of people already down. Rain was pelting against the windows and the wind howled outside. She assumed her fellow students were those awoken by the storm and unable to return to sleep.

Once Ron had woken her from sleep at the Burrow when there was a storm during the middle of the night and they had sat in front of the dying fire and he told her how he could never sleep during a thunderstorm. She had stayed up with him, for hours, until eventually it calmed to a pattering rain and he had drifted off, head falling back on the couch they shared together.

It didn't take long before she spotted his red hair tucked away in the far corner in a large armchair. She padded towards him, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hi, Ron," she said, sitting down in the chair across from him.

"Hermione," he sounded surprised. "What are you doing up?"

She shook her head a little. "Couldn't sleep."

"Did the storm wake you up too?"

"No, a dream actually."

Ron leaned forward a little, blue eyes bright in the dark room. "The Department of Mysteries again?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she sighed and looked at the paned window and watched a few drops of water stream down.

"Sorry," he muttered.

She looked back at him. At her best friend. He hadn't brought up their almost kiss since she told him to drop it and he had seemed to accept that she didn't feel that way towards him anymore. She gave him a small smile.

"It's fine."


Draco couldn't keep the smug look off of his face as he walked down the corridors. He had her back. He had Granger back. She was his and he was never, ever letting her go again. The rain was pouring, pounding against the windows but to him it felt like spring shower, cleansing and calming because he had Granger and she liked him.

She wasn't like Pansy who liked him for the position it brought her or Daphne who liked him for his money. Granger liked him. And he liked her. It was… odd, but he enjoyed her quick wit and little jokes. He liked her shy smile and bright eyes. He liked… Granger. Draco Malfoy liked Granger.

But he liked fucking her even better. Or at least, that's what he kept telling himself. He had spent the better part of the previous week in a drunken stupor, only sobering up enough to work on the Cabinet and then drowning his sorrows again. That's where all those other, messy feelings were coming from. The alcohol and the lack of control it brought him. It must be.

Because when he was in control of himself, he could take all those confusing feelings about the Gryffindor Princess and lock them away inside a chest inside a room inside a heavily walled part of his mind and leave them there. Where they belonged. Well, they didn't belong in him at all; he was Draco Malfoy for Salazar's sake, but he would figure that out later. Right after he figured out how to get Granger to leave with him.

He sauntered into Charms with Theo and Crabbe right behind him. Goyle had decided to sleep in because Draco had kept him waiting in the hall outside the Room of Requirement until almost four in the morning. Pussy.

He slouched gracefully in his seat, twirling his wand between his fingers when Potter, Weasley, and Granger walked in, heads bent together and talking quietly amongst themselves.

He immediately leaned forward, brows resting heavily over his grey eyes. Granger was chastising Potter about something. Good.

Well, maybe not. He'd prefer if she stopped hanging out with those two altogether. They were sure to be an issue in the future and Granger was strangely attached to them. When he took her, no, not 'took', more like… well yeah, took. When he took her with him he knew giving them up would be her biggest hurdle and honestly, they very well could come looking for her.

Let them. Draco sneered as he leaned back and Granger took her seat, dropping her overfilled bag with a large thud. After Dumbledore, Potter and Weasley would be a breeze. And he wouldn't be on his own then.

The sudden image of Potter lying still at his feet with wide staring eyes flashed in his mind and he was surprised by the uncomfortable churning inside of him. He saw that Muggle's pale face as he stared unseeingly at the ceiling. He'd been alive when Draco left him on Christmas… right?

Left just enough of him so he could burn alive. Draco blanched. He hadn't looked back. Maybe they got out, maybe… But he had felt the heat on his back. No screams. There hadn't been any screams. He tried to reason it out; he didn't have a choice though, Bellatrix had made him… no. That wasn't entirely right either. He didn't have to go with them that night and after the first couple crucio curses Rabastan hadn't even barked, "Again!"

Theo elbowed him in the side, nodding his head to the front of the class where Professor Flitwick was clearing his throat with a high little cough. Draco quickly gathered himself and pulled out his book, glancing at Theo's to see what page they were supposed to be reading.

He stared down at the page, not even bothering to move his eyes as he felt the deep ache of the mark under his robes. Granger could never know. She could never find out what he'd done. She wouldn't understand.

She wasn't from his world. She didn't know the way he was raised, the pressure he'd been under his whole life. The threat of failure that his Dark Lord had promised him with. His father had failed and was now dying in a prison cell and was only granted that long of a reprieve because the Ministry had gotten to him first.

He watched as his mother fell to her knees in front of the Dark Lord, begging for her husband's life. Tears streaming down her thin face as she clawed at his robes. Draco had stood silently a few feet back, frozen in place, watching the Dark Lord smirk down at Narcissa Malfoy, star of Pureblood society, begging at his feet while he sat in his father's chair.

"There is one thing," Bellatrix had chimed in sweetly. "One thing you could offer to replace Lucius' failure to retrieve the Prophecy."

The Dark Lord's red slit eyes had slid over to her. "Yes?"

Bellatrix took a tentative step forward, so unlike her normal boisterous self and dipped her head. "Draco," she said his name softly and his head cut towards her. "Draco could take the mark, take his place."

His fate had been sealed with those words. His mother hadn't dared protest once the Dark Lord took a liking to the idea, but her deep blue eyes told him everything he needed to know as they welled up with tears again and she looked at him, pleading, but for what, he hadn't been sure.

It had never been a choice, not really. Even if his aunt hadn't suggested it then, even if his father had retrieved the Prophecy, it would have ended with the black brand on his arm. One day or another. Ever since the Dark Lord returned at the end of his fourth year he had known- he would serve as a Death Eater.

It was in his blood.

His scalp prickled a little and he glanced up to see Granger's chocolate eyes on him. She had the smallest little smile on her lips and she crossed her ankles, shifting a little in her seat. As always, she was able to bring him out of his dark cloud of thoughts with the sunshine of her smile.

His eyes tightened mischievously and she glanced down at her open book just to look back up at him through her dark lashes. She really was a beauty. Simple, not like the girls who layered on makeup around their eyes and lips, Granger looked… pure.

Damn, he could fuck the shit out of her right now. She was glancing up at him, biting her goddamn lip and reminding him of the strange little looks they used to share before. He'd be lying if he said she hadn't intrigued him for quite a while now. He fantasized about lots of girls, but never as much as he had Granger.

At first he had chalked it up to being horny all the time. He was a teenage boy after all, but the fact that she was something he shouldn't want kept her locked in his head time after time. It was one thing to think about her when he was beating off, it was another when he started to imagine she was the one face down on his bed when he was balls deep in Pansy. That's when he knew it wasn't just hormones. It was her.

And now? Now he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had stopped looking at other girls, stopped flirting with them. It was all about Granger. His girl. His… were they something now? No… well…

Draco looked down at his open book in thought. He had only ever dated Pansy for a bit back in fourth year and that had mostly been because she wanted a boyfriend and he wanted regular access to her snatch. What did a boyfriend do exactly?

He wasn't fucking anyone else. He had planned out their flying excursion and the night in the Room of Requirement. He didn't do things that he knew she didn't like such as calling her Mudblood and drinking. Sweet Salazar… were they dating?

No. Nope. No.

Fuck no.

He didn't do girlfriends.

He was just doing… her.

Draco smirked. He looked up to catch Granger staring at him again. She blushed a little and he threw her a wink. Her cheeks darkened to that beautiful shade of Gryffindor red that he loved.

Mmm, the same shade they had been when he had gotten done with her in the bathroom the other night. The memory of her mewling under him as he took her back made his trousers feel a couple sizes too small in the front and he cast his eyes back down. The last thing he needed was to get a hard on in the middle of class when Granger was looking at him with her big doe eyes.

Lightning struck close outside one of the windows and a few students jumped, one Hufflepuff girl screamed and covered her mouth. Flitwick climbed back on his stack of books and tried to quiet and settle the class. Draco looked over at the window, dark and grey despite it only being midmorning.

With the rest of the class distracted, Draco took a chance and looked up at Granger again. His smugness faded as he saw her with her head bent down low close to Potter's, whispering something in his ear with a concerned look on her face. Were they planning something? Potter always did seem to find his way into trouble and most of the time he dragged Granger along with him.

Not this time though. No one was taking her away from him now. If anyone was going to be dragging her off somewhere it was going to be him.


"Hermione!" Ginny pulled at Hermione's hand. "It stopped raining! Let's go outside!"

Hermione looked up from her book and into the excited faces of Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. Ginny's light brown eyes were shining and Luna's pale blue ones were larger than they normally were. She glanced over at the window and it indeed had stopped raining. In fact, the sun was out.

It had been almost a week of nothing but grey rain, whipping winds, and stormy skies. She had been avoiding her dorm as much as possible and had spent several late nights and/or early mornings sitting in the common room with Ron. She had sat by the window with him and watched the storm outside, thinking about Draco.

She hadn't minded being kept in the castle too much really. Hermione already spent most of her time indoors and it also meant that she had gotten to catch Draco's eye multiple times a day. They hadn't had a chance to be together since the night in the baths, but there had been a shift between them. They had acknowledged their feelings, they had tried to go without, and they had both come back.

But it was nice to see the sun again. Hermione grinned up at them and stood up, setting her book down on the table. "Ron, can you take that back upstairs for me?"

Ron looked slightly disappointed then muttered, "Yeah, sure."

Hermione felt herself smiling wider as she followed Ginny and Luna from the Great Hall and outside the castle. The grounds were still soggy, but for the first time in days the sun was peeking out from behind the grey storm clouds and Hermione pulled off her sweater, wanting to feel more of its warming rays on her skin.

Luna laughed dreamily as Ginny spun around in front of them, doing a sort of dance with her long red hair flying out around her. Hermione couldn't help but join in. Her good mood had persisted despite the rain, but now was rising into giddiness with the small glimpses of blue sky in between the cloud-streaked sky.

They wandered around outside for a little bit, making their way down to the Lakeshore. Ginny and Luna were talking about some of the people in their year and Hermione let her mind drift, gazing out over the still surface of the Lake, sparkling every now and then as the cloud cover shifted and the sun hit it just right.

Draco had been flirty recently and it was making the bubbles inside of her fill almost to the bursting point. It felt different now. It wasn't just random hook ups in an empty classroom anymore. She didn't really know what it was, but she liked it. What she didn't like was that it had been quite some time since they had been able to be alone together. She had wandered up to the seventh floor landing on a few of her patrols and even took a detour into the Restricted Section, but Draco hadn't been around.

She was a little disappointed, but she knew that eventually he would slide out in front of her behind a corner or something with that devilish smirk on his face and she would melt. Without Draco's attention, her mind had been working overtime again, especially about Harry and what he had learned in his lessons with Dumbledore. She felt like there was something he was leaving out and she was worried about what he might be holding back and trying to deal with on his own. She still remembered the outbursts of angry shouting that had been so common last year.

The more she thought about it, the more dire everything seemed to be. So why was she sitting here thinking about Draco Malfoy of all people and bouncing her knee because she was so excited to see him again? Because she liked him. She really liked him. She might even- no. She… didn't. Couldn't. Wouldn't.

If she let her feelings for him progress there then it could be a distraction when the war came. She had to remember that he was the son of Lucius Malfoy, who was, up until last summer, one of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's greatest Death Eaters.

And he hates you.

Hermione's smile faltered and fell. She had thought this through time and time again. Draco might hate Muggleborns, but she didn't think he hated her. Not really. At least not anymore. He had said that he liked her and sometimes they way his silver eyes shone when he looked at her… that wasn't hate. That was… something else.

He hated what she was, but he didn't hate her. It was all very confusing and anyone else she would make them sit down and have a straight, open and honest conversation with her about this, but Draco… no. Hermione raised her chin up. No, she should talk to him about this. She had a right to know how he felt about her. She had a right to know if this was going to go somewhere.

Her breath caught in her throat and she blinked her eyes a few times as she realized that she did want this to go somewhere. She wasn't sure what or where, but… she wanted whatever this was to continue and she wanted Draco. Not just a hidden tryst in a closet, but she wanted- him.

Oh dear. That was disconcerting.

Hermione glanced over at Ginny and Luna who were talking about Divination. Luna had seemed to understand her feelings when she had spoken to her, but that was weeks ago. Ginny on the other hand might very well never speak to her again if she found out.

She glanced down at her feet. She couldn't lose her friends. Not Ginny, not Ron, and not Harry. She loved them and Draco… she wasn't sure what she felt for him.

"Luna, did Hermione ever tell you about when she stormed out and dropped Divination?" Ginny said with a wide smile.

Luna's eyes enlarged. "Oh, no! I've never heard that story."

Hermione turned to join their conversation when thunder rolled in the sky above them. All three girls looked up to see dark storm clouds moving fast over the tops of the towering trees in the Forbidden Forest. Hermione's loose curls were blown back off her shoulders by a cold wind.

"Oh balls," Ginny muttered and held her hand palm up for a fat drop of rain to fall directly onto it with a small splash.

Hermione only had time to blink her eyes once before the heavens opened up and the downpour began.

"Luna! Come on!" Ginny had already jumped up and was trying to pull her Ravenclaw friend to her feet as Luna turned her luminescent eyes up at the falling rain, vaguely smiling.

Hermione followed suit, gathering her feet under her and looking up at the long distance between them and the castle.

"We'll have to run!" Ginny shouted as the heavy rain began to fill the warm air around them with noise.

Hermione nodded and followed after Ginny who was hauling Luna by her hand.

By the time they reached the large doors to the Entrance Hall Hermione was soaked through, not a inch of her dry. Her curls long and dark, were dripping water onto the stone floor. Not to mention her clothes that were sticking to every inch of her.

"Bit chilly now," Luna commented in her dreamy voice, lazily rubbing her hands over her arms.

Ginny was swearing enough that Hermione had to remind her that they were back inside now and to lower her voice. Luna stuck a bit of her long blonde hair into her mouth as sucked the rainwater from it. This made Ginny's scowl turn into a bright smile as she laughed and even Hermione forgot about her waterlogged shoes for a moment.

"Here, I know a charm," she offered and pulled out her wand and pointed it at Ginny who held out her arms. Hermione was proud of her use of nonverbal magic and made sure to focus carefully so as to not make the air too hot while she dried Ginny's clothes.

"Luna?" She offered, but Luna merely shook her head, sucking on another long piece of hair and waved goodbye before wandering in the direction of the stairwell that led up to Ravenclaw Tower.

"Here, let me do you," Ginny said, running her fingers through her hair and tossing it to make it fall how she liked.

Hermione would have preferred to cast her own charm, but Ginny looked excited to try it so Hermione gave her the incantation and lifted her arms to let her practice.

Ginny's light brown eyes narrowed in concentration as she moved her wand over Hermione. The air was hot almost to the point of being uncomfortable, but Luna had been right when she said it was chilly. The rain had sapped most of Hermione's warmth and the air not only helped dry her clothes, but also returned some of the feeling back to her fingers and toes.

"Almost done," Ginny muttered. Hermione felt dry enough and actually, it was starting to get uncomfortable under the direct blast of hot air. She sucked in a breath and felt her shirt contract as her chest expanded.

Looking down, Hermione's mouth opened in surprise.

"Done." Ginny grinned at her.

"Ginny!" Hermione admonished. "You shrunk my uniform!" Her shirt was pulled tightly across her chest and sucked in at the waist before it tucked into her skirt that… Oh good Godric, her skirt! Never in her life had she ever worn anything that short! The hem hugged her thighs above her knees and she quickly tried to pull it down only to make her shirt pop out from the top and expose her stomach.

"Ginny!" She struggled a little as Ginny smiled proudly.

"Honestly, Hermione, it's the size that actually fits you."

Hermione glared at her and managed to get her shirt tucked back in. There was nothing to be done about the skirt though, not if she didn't want to walk around with her midriff showing.

Hermione tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Let's just get back so I can change out of this."


The Great Hall had mostly cleared out after dinner, save a few students still hanging around. Blaise was looking down at the chess board, concentrating hard at the small pieces. One of the Knight's mounts reared and stamped his hooves against the marble plaque under him. According to his friend there was less temptation for Draco to drink if they weren't holed up in the common room so Blaise had hauled his chess set up here for the evening.

Blaise pinched his lips and slid his Queen a few spaces up, effectively stopping Draco's Rook in its path. He had placed it there to draw the Queen out, knowing that he would end up losing it. Call it a casualty of war. It was only a Rook, after all.

Draco stared down at the pieces on the board, playing out their potential movements in his mind's eye. Chess was a welcome distraction from the problems he was currently facing. He had tried a less direct approach to killing Dumbledore, trying to send him the necklace and the poisoned mead, but the more and more he plotted, it seemed he'd have to do the dirty work himself and turn his wand on the old Headmaster. He had been mysteriously absent from dinner again and Draco was silently thankful for that. He hated being in the same room with the man now, even if the room was the Great Hall.

Every way he looked at it, he was going to be blocked or risk his own King in a daring attempt to take Blaise's and Draco was not one for needless risk. Every move he made was calculated, plotted, and planned. Like Granger. Draco stopped his lips from turning up. No, he shouldn't be happy about being like her. He was nothing like her. She was a Mudblood and he was…

Draco shoved a pawn forward carelessly. He was falling for her. Fuck. How long had that been happening? He cringed as Blaise swept his pawn from the board mercilessly.

"I think you're getting worse," Blaise commented drolly.

Draco looked up from the chessboard between them. "I've got a lot on my mind."

"I've noticed," Blaise mumbled.

"What was that?" Draco raised his brows a little and Blaise cut his obsidian eyes to meet Draco's granite ones. "What exactly have you noticed, Blaise?"

His fellow Slytherin regarded him carefully before answering. "Nothing too interesting."

"Damn right you haven't," Draco grumbled and pushed his Bishop across the board, seeking revenge for his lost pawn. Blaise quieted as he studied the new placements and Draco took this time to study him.

Blaise was clever; he had picked up everything Draco had accidently let slip about Granger so far. His latest binges though… there were a few nights he didn't remember too well. Had he said something he didn't mean to?

Blaise took out his Bishop with a cheerful smile and sat back. Draco turned his eyes back down to the board and felt Blaise's dark gaze on him.

"I've noticed something about you," Draco casually commented, making note of the Knight Blaise was encircling his King with. "You and that Ravenclaw with the red hair?" Blaise flashed him a cheeky grin and Draco returned it. "Seal the deal yet?"

"Not entirely," his dark eyes glittered. "But she'd been very…. Amenable."

They shared a laugh together. Blaise was one of the few people he could stand to be around anymore. Crabbe and Goyle just complained and Theo was getting to the point where Draco wanted to use him as a tester for the Cabinet and if he got stuck or splinched… oh well.

He and Blaise talked about girls a little more. He had stopped checking out other girls, but Blaise had not and was giving him a run down of each of the houses.

"You know Astoria, Daphne's little sister? She's starting to turn some heads."

Draco shrugged. Daphne had been a boring fuck. He liked girls who obeyed and let him take charge, but there was a difference between that and girls who laid there like a limp fish.

Draco was losing his focus on the pieces and gripped his Queen with two fingers to enter her into the fray when he stopped, pulled back, and slid his King one space to the right.

He looked up to find Blaise staring at him intently. Sitting back and masking himself behind a mental wall, Blaise began to smirked at him before continuing. "Now that Weasley girl? Talk about a great ass."

Draco rolled his eyes and caught movement out of the corner of them. Theo was whispering something to Crabbe and Goyle. They each nodded and then headed out as Theo walked proudly in, dark blue eyes glinting in Draco and Blaise's direction.

Draco turned back to Blaise. "Yeah?" he said, in an effort to continue their conversation and exclude Theo from it as he flopped down at the table with them.

"You're telling me you never noticed? Check it out at their next match. Gryffindor is playing Ravenclaw soon. That uniform," Blaise let out a low breath. "Does wonders for her."

Draco laughed a little as Blaise's dark eyes glittered and trailed his fingers along the black edge of the board.

"Who are we talking about?" Theo asked as he picked at the shards of one of Draco's ruined pieces.

"The Weasley girl, you know, in Gryffindor?" Blaise said, glancing over to Draco again.

"Oh yes," Theo's face lit up. "Bet she's a tiger in the sack." He laughed loudly. "Probably have to use a whip. What do you think Draco, isn't that your area of expertise?"

Draco's mouth twitched up. "Something like that," he murmured and made his move.

Blaise's attention was drawn back to the few pieces still remaining and his face pulled tight in thought. Theo shoved his shoulder into Draco's playfully. "Thanks for that, by the way. Pansy's a right doll." He boasted a cold smile.

Draco knew what he was trying to do. He had marked his own territory enough times that he recognized when someone was doing it to him. Theo wanted to make it clear that he was the only one fucking Pansy now, a fact that Draco did not try to amend.

"Glad you're enjoying her. I sure did." Well, just because he wasn't fucking her anymore didn't mean he had to stop being a dick.

Theo scowled a little. "This is boring. Let's go back down and actually do something fun."

Blaise's expression darkened. "Chess is fun."

"Chess sucks. Draco, back me up here."

If he was honest, he would much rather be down the in the dungeons with a bottle in his hand, laughing about some dumb joke Theo made. He'd also like Granger to be sitting on his lap, maybe playing with his hair a little. He rolled his eyes to discard the vision of her biting her lip and looking up at him with her please-fuck-me eyes.

He shrugged and stared down at the board. There was no way he was going to win this one. "Fuck it, let's go back."

Theo grinned and jumped up.

"We haven't finished," Blaise said, frowning in disappointment.

Draco pushed himself up. "You win. Congratulations," he said sarcastically.

Blaise sneered at him and waved his wand, collecting the pieces as the board snapped shut around them.

They made their way out of the Great Hall and were halfway through the Entrance Hall when he heard her voice.

"Speaking of Gryffindors," Theo nudged Draco's arm and turned the conversation back, "that Mudblood up there-" he shook his head appreciatively and Draco's eyes locked onto Granger's form. "She might be a know-it-all, but I bet I could teach her a thing or two." Theo stuck his tongue through his teeth and grinned.

Blaise gently turned his head towards Theo, but his probing eyes stayed on Draco.

Draco had turned as still as a statue. His blood was the only thing that moved in his body. Granger was across the Hall from him and Sweet Salazar, what was she wearing?

"Bet that tongue is strong from all the blabbing she-"

Draco launched himself at Theo, pushing him up against the wall between two statues of armor. He hadn't even realized he had done it until he saw the shock in Theo's dark blue eyes turn to fury as he struggled against him. Draco pressed his marked arm into Theo's throat and chest. He could feel the ache burn stronger as it pressed into his adversary. Theo pushed back, but Draco held him firmly in place.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Theo snarled and struggled against him. Draco only let him far enough so that he could shove him back against the wall again. Hard.

"Draco, what the hell?" Blaise said seriously. Draco vaguely wondered if Granger had noticed them yet.

He leaned his face in close to Theo's. "You want to fuck that Mudblood?" Draco asked between heavy breaths. His stomach curled strangely as he said that word. Hearing Theo talk about Granger like that had made his blood turn to poison in his veins. "You disgusting piece of shit."

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Theo pushed back against Draco again and this time Draco let him up. It was foolish to react that way, but he had done it instinctively. Picturing Theo kneeling behind Granger, grabbing her hips and pulling her back into him had black spots dancing in his vision.

"Don't tell me you'd turn Blood Traitor for pussy," Draco summoned up all the venom he had, spitting the words he wanted to say to himself out at Theo instead.

"Fuck you!" Theo spat and straightened his shirt, brushing it off as he glared back at Draco. He might throw a barb at him every now and then, but he knew better than to take a swing at the Slytherin Prince. Instead he just glared, the hatred clear in his dark blue eyes.

"We should leave," Blaise warned, ever the voice of reason. Draco looked around; there were no teachers present, but… yeah. Granger had seen. Something strange burned deep within him and he dropped his eyes from her shocked face. They rested a second longer on her legs. Seriously, since when did she wear something like that?! The burn inside him changed, turning from sick coolness to a pleasant warmth.

"Cunt is cunt. And that Mudblood," Theo raised his brown brows up his forehead. He was breathing heavily, mouth open and tongue playing at the edge of it. Draco could practically feel Granger's gaze on them. Theo hadn't tried at all to lower his voice so she wouldn't hear as Draco had; there was no way she could ignore them now. "Is prime pussy."

Oh hell.

Draco threw his fist into Theo's face and he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Fuck, Draco! What did you do?!" Blaise shouted, hurrying to crouch at Theo's side.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

It was bad enough Granger had to see him lose his temper and now she had seen him knock someone out. Fuck.

What was she even doing down here? And what the hell was she doing wearing that?! He glanced back over at her and saw she had covered her mouth with her hand and her chocolate eyes were wide. The Weaslette was standing next to her watching Draco warily. He saw her pull on Granger's arm, but she remained unmoved.

Draco shook his hand a little. Merlin, Theo had a thick skull. He should have had Crabbe do that for him. But… maybe not. Theo had been talking to them about something. Him, maybe? And what he was doing in the Room of Requirement? Theo had grown curious as to where he was spending his evenings recently. Shit.

Granger was still standing there in her little fucking skirt and shirt that showed exactly how he knew she felt underneath her normally frumpy clothes. The Weasley girl had started up the stairs and was calling her name.

"Hermione, let's go!"

Fuck off, she knows what she wants. Who she wants.

Draco stalked towards her and Granger just stared at him blankly as if she couldn't believe what she had just seen. He kept the scowl on his face, which wasn't hard once he remembered that she was gallivanting around the castle looking hot as shit and he only saw because he had stumbled upon her.

Draco stopped at her shoulder and glared down at her, but couldn't help his heart from racing in his chest. "What the fuck are you doing?" He growled in a low voice. "Pull your fucking skirt down before you flash the whole school. You keep that shit for me, understand?"

Granger's pretty pink lips were barely open and his hands twitched at his sides, wanting to grab her and crash his lips onto hers. He took a deep breath and smelled the cinnamon vanilla of her. His eyes darted down to the strained buttons on her shirt and he could see the outline of her bra through her shirt and- oh shit. Her nipples were hard.

Draco winced as his dick responded by deciding now was the perfect time to get a boner. He clenched his jaw and Granger must have mistaken it for anger because she mumbled, "Draco, I-I didn't-"

But she stopped short as her own eyes flickered down to where Draco was trying to push his hard on to the side before anyone else noticed. Deep red flushed in her cheeks and she looked back up at him. He could hear Theo moaning as Blaise hauled him to his feet. Goddamn it, if they weren't in the middle of the Entrance Hall with people around them he would push that skirt up the few inches it covered and sink himself into her.

"Walk away from me or I'm going to fuck you right here," Draco warned in a whisper and he watched her pupils grow with arousal. She glanced behind her at the Weasley girl who was already halfway up the stairs before taking a step back towards them herself.

Then she turned back towards him and surprised him with a cheeky grin. Oh shit, please go. He knew she had to be wet from the hungry look on her face and that skirt was so damn short. Draco groaned internally as his cock throbbed.

Granger bit her lip and tucked a wild curl behind her ear. She was so fucking adorable and so adorably fuckable.

Granger batted her long lashes at him once and his heart skipped a beat in his chest. "Yes sir."


The rain did not stop and contained everyone to the castle for the next few days as it raged outside. Outdoor classes were either canceled or held in the Great Hall and a few of the unused classrooms on the lower floors with the exception of Herbology in which students had to dart from the school, over the muddied grounds, and to the greenhouses.

Everyone was starting to go a little stir crazy whereas Draco had bypassed crazy and gone straight to outright insanity.

Because it just didn't make sense. Why, when he had fucked so many other girls and had no issues, no feelings, that screwing her would lead to the fire in his chest that he could not put out no matter what he did or how hard he tried; she just kept burning and taking over, and burning, and scorching, and burning, and Sweet Salazar he loved it.

Shit.

He had watched her in Transfiguration the other day, her caramel and coffee curls loose and wild around her head, falling over her shoulders as she leaned down, nose almost to her parchment and glancing up quickly as McGonagall sped through her lecture. Granger hadn't missed a beat.

If she wasn't a Mudblood, she would be destined for great things. Clever, driven, and determined, Granger should have a bright future ahead of her, instead her best bet was to follow him through the Vanishing Cabinet and agree to… what? Even if he could convince the Dark Lord to let him keep her, she'd be his slave in name. She'd belong to him, like an object. How would she react to that?

Badly. She'd react very badly to that fact. But what else was he supposed to do? Leave her behind to be rounded up with the rest of the Muggleborns and… Oh wow. He had never called them Muggleborns before. They had always been Mudbloods. But… she wasn't. She was something else. Something more.

She was his. She had taken him back and she was his again. No, she had never stopped being his, not really. He had seen how solemn and silent she had been the few days that they hadn't been together. And how many times had she tried to walk away from him always to turn and come back.

She'd done it before, she could do it again, right?

It might take time, but at least they have time if she came with him. They'd have all the time in the world because he wasn't letting her get away from him again. Even if he had to drag her through the Cabinet, he wasn't leaving Granger behind. Not this time.

"Blaise?" Draco asked and Blaise looked up from his book. He chose his words carefully. Blaise already knew too much, knew he had a girl on the side and one that he wasn't bragging about, but there was no one else he could talk to about this. Ghostie was good for some things, but not this. "Do you ever wonder where Mudbloods come from?"

Blaise's eyes darkened and he slipped a piece of parchment into the pages before gently closing his book. "Where they come from?"

"You know," Draco went on. "How they got their magic. Why Muggles suddenly have a child with abilities."

Blaise's face was like a mask, but Draco could see the thoughts swimming in his deep eyes. Finally he took a breath and answered. "My family is a bit different than yours. My father, before he died, told me a bit about our heritage. We're Pure, but it's different where he's from."

"Where's that?" Draco asked. In all the years he had known Blaise, he'd never really spoken much about his deceased father.

"Italy. Bloodlines are regarded a bit differently there. Similar, but… they care more about being able to trace it back as far as they can instead of how Pure it is. Large families, lots of heirs, things like that."

Draco leaned forward, interested in this new information. He had never really considered how Purity might be measured in other countries or regions of the world or if it even mattered in those places. For him, it had always been a given.

"Growing up here, I got used to the British idea of Purity, through blood and all that. But it's not like that everywhere. Other places… mix more." He was choosing his words carefully too.

For a second, Draco wanted to tell him he didn't care what he said as long as he shared with him this information. It was vague and it didn't make much sense so far. Blaise was holding out on him.

"So since bloodlines are more interested in continuing instead of being Pure, they… incorporate who they need to in order to survive," Blaise went on, setting his book down on the table next to his chair. Draco was listening intently; he had never heard anything like this before from his own father. He had always said Mudbloods were abominations and freaks of nature. Mistakes which needed correcting.

"Which means some wizards marry Muggles and do not produce magical children at all. Those children often take non-magical spouses and live in the mundane world. Eventually," Blaise dropped his eyes to the rich carpet under their feet. "Someone in one of those families is born with magic."

Holy shit. That's how it happened. At some point, one of Granger's ancestors had magic. Maybe they hid it from their spouse or maybe they were a squib or… something, but it had lain dormant in their blood until… her. She was special.

"So what you're saying is that you think Pureblood like us," Draco said, not fully accepting or understanding, but more so testing, "Share some sort of magical bloodline with Muggleborns at some point."

Blaise looked confused for a moment, but it quickly went away. Shit. He'd called them Muggleborns again. "That's what my father believed."

Draco sat back and drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, considering this. There were bastards of the Pureblood families out there. The Lestranges were almost infamous for it and after seeing his uncle Rabastan out in the field, he could understand why.

Many Pureblooded men took mistresses of lesser blood status and many of those unions resulted in illegitimate children. The Malfoys though, were proudly bastard free. He didn't know if his father had ever taken anyone else and didn't like the idea of him not being faithful to his mother. He liked the idea of having a half sibling even less, but thankfully that was something he had never had to worry about.

But one day he would be expected to marry a suitable Pureblood woman to carry on the Malfoy name and bloodline. Producing an heir was required of him. Even if he took Granger he'd never… Shit, he was getting way too far ahead of himself. Thinking about marriage and heirs and how she would fit into it. Still, his wife would be for continuing the Malfoy line and Granger would be just for him.

Like she would ever agree to that. Draco frowned darkly.

"Yes sir."

Maybe…? Maybe if she cared about him enough, he could convince her? She's smarter than you. But love made people do stupid things. He was living proof of that.

Wait. Love? No.

Shit.

"Why are you asking me this?"

Draco was pulled out of his thoughts and looked back up into the inquisitive eyes of Blaise across from him.

He leaned back into the chair. "If we know where they come from, it will be easier to stop it at the source."

There. That ought to throw him off the scent.

Blaise's face fell. "You're a cold bastard." He stood up. "They're children. Babies."

Draco shrugged, feeling anything but indifference, but he couldn't let it show. "They're a problem."

His throat tightened uncomfortably as Blaise shook his head and looked at him in revulsion before descending down the stairs to their dormitory.

Draco rubbed his hand over his face. Better Blaise think him a cold bastard than know the truth. The truth that he wasn't sure what he thought of Mudbloods and Muggleborns anymore. All he knew was what he thought about one of them and that thought was a very dark and dangerous one for him to have. But he wasn't letting it go either.


Hermione was taking refuge in the Library. After a long and exhausting day of talking with Harry and Ron about everything he had found out about… Lord Voldemort's formative years she wanted nothing more than to lose herself in a good book.

She was working on using his name like Harry did. His courage and bravery had always inspired her and it was time that she stepped from behind her fear and called him by his rightful name. But after reading about all the terrible things he had done when he was in power the first time, she still felt the shake of nerves when she said it.

She browsed the stacks, looking for something interesting to take her mind off of the serious conversation that still weighed heavily on her. She should pick something out that she could use for research. Maybe a book on dueling spells or something on healing potions…

She stopped outside the metal gate of the Restricted Section. So much had changed for her in those dark aisles. It was the first place that Draco had approached her and the place where she had lost her virginity. Hermione pulled out her wand, tapped the lock, and whispered the password. The metal gate swung open with a creak.

The air was cooler in this part of the Library and the blue candles began to float in front of her, lighting her path. She wasn't sure where she was headed, but at least it was quiet back here. Students rarely came back here and when they didn't stay long. She had gotten used to the pale blue lights and the musty smell of old books that hung in the air though. In fact, it was almost comforting in a way now.

She stopped in front of a large shelf with a faded red leather book. The gold writing on it was almost nonexistent, but she was just able to make it out as a blue flame candle drifted over her, "The Sacred Twenty-Eight".

Hermione pulled it down off the shelf and blew off a layer of dust from the top of it. She had heard of this book before and although she had never been that interested in the lineage of Pureblood families, she was now intrigued as to what it might hold about the Gaunts.

Sitting down and crossing her legs, Hermione cracked it open and began to read.

She had finished the chapter on the Gaunts and saw the name Greengrass on the next page in fine Edwardian script. One of the Slytherin girls in her year was a Greengrass… Diana, maybe? Draco would know.

Draco…

Her fingers flipped the pages before she stopped to consider if this was overstepping her bounds or not. It was just a book, she told herself. Just a book where his family history was laid out detailing their accomplishments and… goodness. Some of the things his ancestors had done… Hermione gulped as she turned the page, unable to stop reading.

The line in this book ended with Abraxas Malfoy, Draco's grandfather. He had not fathered his heir at the time of publication. She saw an older version of someone who looked similar to Draco with white hair instead of blond and a cold, discerning expression on his face. She had a hard time seeing Draco's grinning face in his the longer she stared down at it..

"Look at you, all snuggled up with a book," Draco's voice was condescending yet… playful. Hermione blinked as her eyes adjusted from reading words on a page to trying to read his hidden expression. His long legs bent and he exhaled deeply as he sat down next to her, leaning back against the shelves just as she was. "So, what are we reading?"

She felt a little strange admitting to him that she had been reading about his family, but how was she supposed to hide it? "You."

Draco's rain grey eyes locked onto hers, studying her and Hermione held him gaze.

"Me."

"You."

"Hmm."

Draco plucked the book from her lap and flipped it closed to read the cover. At the same time he somehow placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. A frisson passed through Hermione. This was… nice. Draco, with his arm around her. Like… like they were just two people who liked each other. She tried to keep her body from tensing too much with excitement.

"This is shit." He tossed the book on the floor. "Not even an original copy."

"What?"

"It's abridged. The original copies were only given to Pureblood families. They have a lot more…" he turned towards her, smirking in his devilishly handsome way. "Details."

Details? Details that could have more information on the Gaunts? Details that could help Harry?

"What sort of details?"

Draco twirled one of her curls around his finger, watching as it encircled him. "You want to know all my secrets then?" His voice was soft like velvet.

Oh my. The fluttering in her chest was distracting her from her mission of research. Draco was licking his lips and his arm tightened around her, holding her. Yes. Oh yes. This felt amazing. Sitting here, under his arm, with him looking at her like she was the only person on earth with him.

But they weren't. There was a whole world out there and soon it would be caught in the middle of a war. A war where they might very well be on opposing sides.

"What's wrong, Sweetheart?" Draco cooed, running his hand down her arm. How could he be so sweet sometimes and other times… Wait, did she just call Draco Malfoy sweet?

"N-nothing."

Draco's eyes hardened slightly. Fiddlesticks. He knew she was lying. How did he always seem to be able to read her so well?

"What, did you read something about how my great uncle's father's brother's grandfather murdered a few dozen Muggles?" He sat back and rolled his eyes. In almost a second his affection was replaced with aggravation. But he kept his arm around her.

Hermione sat up a little straighter. "No," she sneered.

He cocked his head, looking at her again. "Then what is it, kitten?" He purred. "You seem tense. You know I can help you out with that." His smirk was back and Hermione caught herself smiling back at him.

"I'm not tense. I'm just…" she took a breath. "There's just a lot happening and-" she glanced back up into his face. She couldn't tell him anything about Harry's meeting with Dumbledore. Not if he might become… one of them one day. Who knew how long it would take them to hunt down all the horcruxes? "And I'm tired."

"What's wrong?" He asked again, a bit more forcefully this time

He didn't care. He just wanted her to spit it out so he could tell her it was stupid and she should let him make her forget it about it. She didn't want his fake pity. What happened to the guy who couldn't stop sticking his hand up her skirt. Oh. Hermione looked down as Draco placed his hand above her knee, tracing small circles with his index finger. There he was.

"You're not answering me, Granger." His voice was deep again and Hermione felt her resolve beginning to weaken. "I could make you tell me."

Conflicting emotions tumbled around inside her. Harry, Lord Voldemort, Draco, the war, Ron, the Malfoy family, the strange bubbles that kept floating up every time she thought about him, the way she felt when he left her… it all was building up inside her.

"Are you going to break into my mind and find the answer yourself?" she snarled, not exactly sure where her anger was coming from.

Draco pulled back a little, looking confused and… concerned.

"Granger, I…"

"That's what you threatened to do before, isn't it?" Why was she snapping at him? Was she mad at him? Well, yeah. A little. Why did he make her feel so much?

"I… what's this about? Did I do something wrong?"

Hermione sighed. "No. I mean, yes. I mean," She rubbed her forehead. "I'm just stressed about things and I'm tired. I haven't been sleeping well." Her dreams about the Death Eater in the Department of Mysteries was another thing she was placing on the list of things she couldn't ever tell him.

"Can I help?"

"Sorry, Draco, but I'm just not… up for it right now."

"As much as I'd like to fuck you until you couldn't walk tomorrow, I meant do you just want to… I don't know, hang out?"

Wait… what? He wanted to hang out? With her? Hermione looked over at him. He looked sincere. And… yeah. She wanted to hang out with him. Maybe spending some time with him, clothed, might help her organize some of these emotions.

"You're not just going to get mad at me for something and storm off?" Hermione asked him as a test. If he glared at her or got ruffled by this, there was not way that they could-

Draco grinned. "No, Sweetheart. I'm clean and sober. I'm in much better control of myself when I haven't been drinking."

She narrowed her eyes and pinched her lips, but Draco's returning grin let her know that he had seen through her attempt to look serious. He cared. He cared enough about this to not mess it up. That thought warmed her.

Draco stretched his arm back around her and picked up the copy of "The Sacred Twenty-Eight" she had been reading again.

"Find anything interesting in here?" He paged through it a little and Hermione did her best to lean comfortably against him while her blood sang in her veins at the fact that he had his arm around her again.

"Some things, yes. I was almost done with the Malfoy line," she glanced up and saw him watching her carefully. "I had just gotten to erm, your grandfather."

"Abraxas Malfoy," Draco stated and flipped to the page, staring down at the picture of the pointed-faced man. "He died before I was born. Never knew him. But that didn't stop my father from telling me how many times he would have been ashamed of me." Draco's voice turned sour.

Hermione felt a tug on her heartstrings. She remembered seeing Draco with his father at the World Cup and in Diagon Alley. Neither time their interactions had been affectionate, but somehow it was still hard to imagine him being so cold to his only son behind closed doors.

She looked up at him as he ran his finger along the page, reading a bit. His brows hung heavily over his eyes and his mouth tightened. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, about his father, and his mother, and his life, but instead, Hermione took a page out of Draco's book and placed her hand on his leg.

His granite grey eyes cut to it instantly; watching it like it might unsheathe claws and sink them into him. Well, that was better than treating it like it was something foul. Hermione watched as slowly his expression turned back into its normal impassiveness and he looked back at the book on his lap.

"Twats."

Hermione stifled a giggle. Draco glanced over at her, entertained by her reaction. He stretched out, getting comfortable and pulled her a little closer to him at the same time. The bubbles were rising, filling her up inside with giddiness. Good Godric, when was she ever giddy?

He flipped a few more pages, landing on the Nott family tree. "He's the one that wrote this," he said, pointing to a scrawled name on one of the offshoots.

"Cantankerous Nott…" Hermione read aloud, not recognizing the name from any of her history readings.

"Theo's great uncle."

She looked up at him, surprised that he was… talking to her about this. And honestly that he was just talking to her in general.

"Can't fucking stand him," Draco muttered and closed the book back.

"I thought you him were friends." Hermione thought back to the other day in the Entrance Hall when she saw Draco knock him out. Draco scoffed. "I heard what he said. About me."

His rain grey eyes caught hers and he stared at her like he was trying to read the words before she said them.

She went on quietly. "And… you stood up for me."

Draco's jaw clenched slightly. "Yeah, well… no one talks about my girl like that."

His girl. His girl. His girl. Hermione was trying to keep her body from vibrating and melting at the same time.

"You aren't mad that I hit him?"

"Well, I'm not pleased that you resorted to violence as your initial reaction. You could have gotten in trouble."

"If you want to blow me in another closet all you have to do is say so," Draco said in a dark voice and Hermione swatted him lightly, making him laugh. Laugh. It was strange, not his deep chuckle or the cruel laughter she had heard in classes, but it sounded like… him. Like Draco.

"Now who is being violent?" He gave her a knowing look.

"You deserved it." She stuck out her chin.

Draco grabbed it and held it. "I can say whatever I want to about you. Only me, though."

There was a familiar warming and tightening between her legs and she realized she wasn't breathing. Get it together. Hermione took a deep breath and swallowed hard before pulling her face away and nervously tucking her hair behind her ears. His girl.

"So why are you sitting on the floor in the Restricted Section?" He asked after a moment to which Hermione was grateful for because her mind was spinning so fast she had no idea how to continue this conversation and she so didn't want him to leave, not now that they were…. hanging out.

"Just needed a break from Harry and Ron," she muttered. "Sometimes it's a bit much."

"I can imagine they aren't very good company. Chosen one this and Orphan boy that," he sneered. "And I'm sure Weasley only knows about ten words so I assume conversations are a bit limited when it comes to him."

"Don't insult them." A few bubbles popped.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes.

Fine? Fine? Oh wow. Okay. She took another breath. "Harry has a lot going on in his life. It's not as easy as you think it is."

"Sure. Must be so hard to be everyone's favorite and a Quidditch star and get house points for breathing. Poor boy must be exhausted."

"Draco,"

"Yes, Pet?"

Hermione blushed. How could he do that? Disarm her so quickly. His grey eyes were gleaming and peering into hers again. "Let's not talk about them then."

"Best thing you've said all evening," he flashed her another smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes at him this time. "Why don't you tell me where you got that little skirt you were wearing the other night?" His eyes darkened a little.

Hermione dropped her gaze down to her hand, still perched on his leg. There was a time he would have jinxed her for touching him and another time where he would never have allowed such an affectionate gesture. And when had she changed, letting him drape his arm over her and call her his girl?

"I was out by the Lake with Ginny and Luna. Lovegood," she clarified.

"That ditzy blonde from Ravenclaw?" He screwed up his nose.

"Don't start on Luna."

"Wasn't going to," he muttered.

Hermione narrowed her eyes for a moment, making sure he wasn't going to slide in another snide comment before she went one. "Anyways, we were outside and got caught in the rain. When we got back in we were drying off and Ginny shrunk my uniform."

"And here I thought you were just trying to get my attention."

"Don't I always have your attention?" Hermione played along.

Draco smirked. "Yes, pet, you do."

She couldn't help the swelling of pride in her chest. She knew Draco's reputation with girls and the thought crossed her mind that maybe he was always like this with the girls he was with, but then she remembered that none of those girls had lasted long and he had never bothered to do anything to keep them around. Not like with her.

"Well I have to say, I guess I'd rather you keep company with the Weaslette and Looney Lovegood than your regular choices of companions."

Hermione sighed. She wanted to be able to hang out and talk to him, but this was Draco still and just because he liked her didn't mean he was suddenly going to like her friends. And in a way, she understood. She wasn't going to be rubbing elbows with Pansy anytime soon either.

"At least I don't have to hit my friends." She thought about the little yellow birds she had sent after Ron last term. Draco didn't need to know about that. He'd be too happy.

Draco snorted. "Theo's not my friend. He's a prat." Hermione bit her tongue and instead of asking the questions she wanted to, took a softer approach again and let Draco continue his thought. "He's always envied me. He wanted to be Seeker back when we tried out and moped for weeks after I beat him at tryouts. Girls always liked me better too."

"Hmm."

"He keeps thinking I'm going to take Pansy off of him again."

"Again?"

"Well, because she was mine first."

Mine. Hermione didn't like him referring to another girl as his.

"I just meant I had her first."

"Right."

Draco sighed. "I'm not going to. Don't worry. I like you." He squeezed his arm around her again.

Oh wow, okay. The bubbles were getting bigger, rising up from the pressure that was settling deep in her. He said it so easily this time, almost… too easily. Was she just being paranoid that he was a Slytherin who had no problem lying to get what he wanted? Or could it be possible that he actually did like her? And maybe more?

"Why do you like me?" Hermione asked, trying to clear up some of the thoughts in her head.

Draco was quiet for a moment and she glanced over at him, hoping that he'd let something slip from his cold exterior. "Granger, I…

"I mean, I just sat here and read about your family history. You've told me yourself what you think about people like me."

"It's… different with you." He sounded uncomfortable talking about this, but she wanted to know. Needed to know. She had taken a soft approach with him and now it was time to get down to the meat of it.

"Different how?"

Draco looked at her; his rain grey eyes strangely open. She could see the conflict in them and even something that looked a bit like pain. His brows were furrowed in thought and a muscle in his jaw twinged.

"I'm not sure," he said in a low voice. "You… you make me… fuck. I don't fucking know."

Astonishingly enough, she did kind of understand where he was coming from. Her own feelings towards him defied explanation as well. Anyone else and she could logically see how she could arrive here, but the fact that he was Draco Malfoy and she was Hermione Granger made all of this seem unfeasible. Except it wasn't. This was proof.

"I think I do know," she said in a small voice. "I've tried to reason my way out of this time and time again, but I just…" she sighed and looked up at Draco who was watching her intently. The bubbles burst, popping in her chest. "I like you, Draco. I really like you. I don't know why, but… I do."

Her heart was beating so fast. They had done unspeakable things together, but this felt more intimate than any of them.

"I know you do, Sweetheart." Draco cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb along her cheek before he lightly dragged it over her lips. Her mouth parted just a little and he dipped his thumb inside her lips, placing it in between her teeth.

Hermione tongue brushed against the tip of his tongue and she opened her mouth a little wider. He slid his thumb into her mouth, running it over her tongue. Hermione closed her lips around him and watched as he inhaled sharply and his pupils enlarged until they were only encircled by a ring of silver.

"Merlin, Granger, you're not in the Entrance Hall now so if you don't want me to jump you then don't tempt me."

She let his thumb pop from in between her lips and they parted in a wide smile. His eyes sparked silver. Hermione felt emboldened by his reaction and their mutual admission of feelings. She was nervous, but plucked up her courage and climbed onto his lap, placing one leg on either side of his.

"Holy shit."

She settled herself down on top of him, placing her hands on his chest and running them up to his shoulders.

Draco's hands landed on her thighs and slid up to her waist, which he grabbed onto and pulled her further onto him. "What are you doing to me?" he murmured as he ran his hands up her back making her lean into him.

Burying his face in her neck she heard him breathe in deeply. Hermione threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer and dipped her head down, letting all her loose curls fall around them. Draco groaned deeply and flexed his hips up into her.

"I thought you didn't want to do anything tonight," he said in a husky voice.

"You're not the only one who gets tempted," Hermione murmured and her body clenched in anticipation.

Draco growled and grabbed her hair in his fist. Yes. She knew what this meant. It would be about three seconds and then Draco was going to shove her down and dive into her. She wanted him, needed him. And in this moment, she felt everything she had not let herself explore. Whatever was in the bubbles spread through her.

Hermione pulled back, resting her hands on his shoulders and pushing herself up from him.

"What? What is it?" Draco asked sharply. His chest was rising and falling, his hands still holding her.

She was breathing quickly and her eyes felt wide and dry, but she couldn't blink. Couldn't do anything because of the swelling feeling in her chest, her heart.

"Granger, what is going-"

"Why do you still call me Granger?" Her voice was sharper than she meant it to be.

"What?" Draco asked, clearly confused.

Her heart was thundering in her chest, beating with the word she didn't dare say or even think.

"You never call me by my name." Why was she doing this? Pushing him away and arguing about this? She knew why, but like that word and the feelings attached to it, she was ignoring it.

"What… what does that have to do with anything?" Draco's tone lowered to match hers. No more breathy whispers, he was arguing back with her like she had known he would.

"You don't like me," Hermione shook her head a little. "You just like having sex with me."

"What?" Draco's brows were furrowed and frustration clear on his face. "Granger-"

"There it is again," she snapped. "My name is Hermione."

He gaped up at her, still straddling his lap. Maybe this wasn't the best position to try and start a fight in, she thought, but she had to do something to combat the… oh Godric, the way she was feeling right now.

"Okay."

"So call me Hermione."

Draco looked like the awkwardness and uncomfortableness was almost causing him pain. He opened his mouth and then closed it, grinding his teeth together.

"Like I thought," she huffed and pulled herself off of him and back onto the cold floor where she had been before.

"Salazar fucking Slytherin, girl, you're driving me fucking crazy," he grumbled and ran his hand through his hair, messing it further.

Hermione straightened out her skirt and frowned down at it. They had been getting along, actually talking and then… and she ruined it. On purpose. Because it was the only way she knew to get that feeling to stop and… and she didn't want to feel that way for him. Did she? Ugh, it was all too much.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked softly.

Hermione looked over at him. Draco was staring down at the faded red leather copy of "The Sacred Twenty-Eight" again. In all honesty no, she didn't want him to go, but she didn't know what to do if he stayed either.

"No," she muttered and picked at her fingers a little.

She thought admitting that might alleviate some of the tension in between them, but no such luck. Draco's dark expression stayed on his marble face and she tried to remember how to breathe properly because it felt like she was breathing too fast, but then when she tried to slow it down she felt like she wasn't getting enough oxygen and she tensed up and-

"It's not just about fucking you," he said quietly.

Hermione blinked. Okay, this breathing was definitely not normal. "What?" she whispered.

"You heard me, Granger." His tone was definitive. Solid. Final. His eyes were still on the book.

"What is it about then?" She had to know. Because she knew what was growing in her heart and... she couldn't keep doing this if-

"You know..." he offered, still not meeting her eyes.

"No, I don't." Because maybe he did feel like she did in which case she wanted him to say it. And if he didn't, and this was just a passing fancy, she could collect what was left of her dignity and... who was she kidding? She couldn't walk away. He had her. And worst of all, he knew it.

It felt strange, sitting here trying to deal with the fact that she might be falling for him and all he did was admit that it wasn't all just physical and still refused to call her by her name. Goodness, she was a fool. This was Draco Malfoy for Godric's sake. Did she really expect him to fall for her too?

His hand snaked around the side of her neck and up to her face, turning her head towards him. She stopped breathing as it wasn't doing much for her anyways and she met his smoking grey eyes, open and… unguarded. Oh wow… she felt a strange pressure in the front of her head, like something was pushing on her brain. What was…?

His lips landed on hers. Usually his kisses were urgent and demanding, but this was different. This was… engulfing. His mouth moved with a tender pressure, slower than normal, but more enveloping. Their lips parted at the same time and his tongue slid into her mouth, pressing against hers before softly pulling it back. He tilted her head back a little farther and shifted closer to her, sliding it back in to softly brush hers again.

Hermione reached out, placing her hand on his side and moving it up a little, feeling the firm muscles beneath his shirt. She felt his breathing change a little at her touch, getting deeper, fuller. He still held her face, but spread his fingers out to cover her neck, around her ear, and into her hair.

He kissed her. And she kissed him back.

Gradually his lips slowed, softly taking her back down from the strange world they had entered. He breathed out deeply, rested his forehead against hers for a moment and swiped his thumb over the top of her cheek before placing one last soft kiss on her lips.

"So now you know," he murmured, his voice deep, yet strained.

Draco pushed himself up off the floor and dusted his hands off. She could do little else except stare up at him. She had thought it had been too much before, but that kiss… maybe he did feel the same. And if he did, what did that mean?

Of course. He was going. Hermione blinked and then looked down at her lap again, picking at her nails. If he did feel like she felt, was it so bad then? Would that change things between them? Did she want it to? She bit her lip, thoughts beginning to swirl again.

"Granger."

Hermione looked up to see Draco's hand outstretched towards her. Without putting too much thought into it, she reached up and took it. He pulled her easily to her feet.

"You shouldn't be wandering around by yourself. It's not… safe anymore. I'll walk you back."

The sound of their footsteps was echoed in the empty corridors.

"Uhm, it's this way," Hermione said in a small voice as they came to the top of a staircase. Draco corrected himself, glancing at her with wary eyes and then took a step in the direction she had said.

It was the first time either of them had spoken since they left the Library. She wasn't exactly sure it was a good idea to lead him to the Gryffindor common room, but it's not like she was giving him the password or inviting him in. Oh goodness… Draco in the common room. Draco in her room.

Stop it.

"I can make it from here. It's not far now," she said as they came to the edge of the hallway with the Fat Lady's portrait in it.

Draco looked over her head down the hallway and then back down to her with a smirk. "You don't want me to know where your common room is?" he asked with a hint of playful sarcasm in his voice.

"It's just-"

"Afraid I'll break in and sneak into your bed in the middle of the night?"

Yes.

"No."

"You should be."

Oh my.

Draco chuckled a little and trailed a long finger down the back of her hand.

"I'm not scared," Hermione said, hoping she sounded firm.

"No," he mused. "You're not, are you?" His fingers snaked through hers. "My little Gryffindor kitten."

And with a surge of courage, Hermione looked deep into his stormy grey eyes. "I think I want to do what you said." She held his gaze as he searched her eyes. Hermione took another breath. "I'll let you… use this," she ran her finger along his belt. "To restrain me."

The energy between them charged in a second. Draco was unnaturally still and then inhaled sharply. His face remained impassive, but his silver eyes burned like they were molten. For a moment she thought he might launch himself at her, but he swallowed hard and she couldn't help but smile a little at the effect she was having on him even if he tried to hide it.

"Think about that tonight," she whispered and lifted herself onto her toes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

Hermione turned and headed down the hall, glancing behind her a couple times to see Draco standing there, staring at her with disbelief and desire.


A/N: Sorry this one is a little late and also I didn't edit it so if you found a mistake, congrats! You win a prize. I know you're all itching for it and trust me, the dark mark is imminent.

Thank you EVERYONE who reviewed. I wish I could do more to show you how much I appreciate them, but alas, what else can I do other than keep writing and try to update on time lol?

Dindore- The last chapter was a weird one for me to write too because of those same reasons. I have gone back and forth on Hermione and Draco's relationship and how dark I want to take it, so I hope I didn't cause too much trouble for you.

Temari's Shadow- Ooo, you'll just have to keep reading to see what happens! Based off your review I think you're going to like the sequel that I have planned for this. I'm taking this story to the end of their sixth year and then the sequel will be what happens after. Dun dun dunnnnn!

CrazyWithABook- I'm soooo happy to hear you like my Tedromeda stories J That makes my day! And once I am done with this fic, I have another Dramione story in mind that does run with Sweat the Battle and Light Years. Also if you're reading Light Years you will get a little sneak of Dramione later on it too.

Cordiallyra- You are so sweet to do that. Love you, darling. And yeah, I'm thinking about trying to also post on AO3 (I have one chapter on there already) or maybe on my tumblr too? FF has been my main source but I'm willing to try new avenues.