I saw Avengers last night!

The first thing Hermione realized when she woke up was that she wasn't in her bed. The surface beneath her was hard and uncomfortable, and she groaned as she peeled her eyes open. She didn't recognize the couch in front of her, and with a start, she realized that she was not even in her dorm, at all. She slowly pushed herself up, hair spilling around her shoulders as she looked around the room.

She was still in the Room of Requirement. As if suddenly remembering her roommate, she looked to her left to see him on the floor, not far from her. They had talked for the rest of the night, and somewhere along the way, they'd fallen asleep. It had been so late, and she'd been so tired, that she couldn't even remember when that was. She glanced at him again, suddenly blinking.

Malfoy looked…different when he slept, she noted. Since the beginning of the school year, he hadn't looked as mean as he used to, but not nice either. He looked intimidating, for lack of a better word. His sharp features combined with his hard eyes and stinging tongue made him intimidating, but asleep…

His face had softened, pink lips in a straight line instead of curving downwards into a sneer or upwards into a cruel smirk. His eyebrows were evened out, pale hair in disarray as it brushed against his forehead. His head was lolled to the side as soft even breaths escaped his parted lips. He looked peaceful, and Hermione shook away the unusual thoughts. She glanced at her watch, a habit, and her eyes widened to a comical degree.

"Oh, Merlin!"

She reached over towards Malfoy, shaking him and watching in satisfaction as his eyes flew open in shock, a confused frown on his face.

"We've overslept. We've already missed our first class," she practically screamed, in a panic.

She began to rise, determined to make it to their next class when he stopped her. His hands rested on her shoulders, holding her in place, and Hermione tensed at the contact.

"Hermione," Malfoy said, and she gave him her full attention. "…you've missed one class already. The damage is done. You might as well skip the rest of the day."

"I'll do no such thing! I still have other classes, so the damage is most certainly not already done. Besides, I skipped out on a good chunk of my classes the other day. I can't make a habit of it," she replied with a pout.

Malfoy smirked, brushing his thumb along her chin before sitting up.

"You're adorable, Granger," he chuckled, standing. "By all means, stumble away to class, but I'll be using this opportunity to take a personal day."

Hermione gazed up at him as he stood and stretched.

"What kind of personal day?" she asked as she eyed him.

"I'm not sure. I'll probably be working on my little project," he said, bending down to grab his things.

"…oh."

Hermione suddenly didn't want to go to class, the prospect of helping Malfoy much more interesting. She reached out, grabbing his wrist and stopping his movements. Her gaze met his.

"…can I help?"

"So what exactly are you working on, anyway? You kind of avoided the question the last time I asked you…"

They were at the Black Lake, now, walking parallel to the shore. If Hermione was going to play hooky, then she wanted to take full advantage, so she suggested going to the Black Lake. The corner of Malfoy's lips curved upward just the slightest.

"I don't know if I should tell you," Malfoy honestly replied.

Hermione frowned at that, slightly offended.

"Why? Is it…bad?" she hesitantly questioned.

"That's a relative term," he replied.

He looked like he was joking, but Hermione didn't laugh.

"If I'm helping you with this, I feel like I should at least know what I'm contributing to…what I'm getting myself into…," she reasoned.

Malfoy stopped walking with a sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked out over the lake.

"Can I trust you?"

Hermione was taken aback by the question, and she swallowed. Could he trust her? It was a strange question, considering she was probably the most trustworthy person she knew, so it was a question she'd never been asked before. However, it was even stranger coming from Malfoy of all people. Malfoy was asking if he could trust her, and that clued her in on how important it was.

He looked at her then, eyes boring into her own.

Could he trust her? She asked herself that, and oddly found the answer to be yes. Even odder, she realized that she wanted him to trust her. Over the past month or so, he'd helped her, a lot, and she was grateful for it. She felt better about herself, a new feeling festering inside of her that made her feel…good, and it was thanks to Malfoy. He'd apologized for his past behavior, a genuine act, and honestly, that and his changed behavior was as far as he needed to go, but helping her like he had was going above and beyond. In a way, she felt like she owed him… She wanted him to feel like he could trust her. The notion of otherwise caused a bad feeling to settle in her stomach.

"…yes."

"It's a slow acting venom," he immediately confessed.

Hermione's eyes widened as she stared at him, waiting for him to continue with a light hearted joke or something. Only…he didn't.

"You're kidding," Hermione slowly said. "…right?"

Malfoy turned away from her, a smirk on his lips as he shook his head. Hermione ran her eyes over him, suddenly viewing him in a new light, a darker one. She was tempted to walk away, but her curiosity won.

"For what?" she demanded.

"For Nott Sr.," he said, glancing at her again.

Hermione's eyebrows rose, mouth going dry as he gazed at her. He seemed to be watching her closely, gaging her reaction lest she try to run or something. She wondered what he would do if she did.

"For…Nott's father? W-why?"

"…because he's an abusive cretin," he simply answered with a shrug.

Hermione blinked, heart clenching as she frowned. She took a stumbling step towards him, shock and disgust and confusion flowing through her all at once.

"What?" she asked in a breathy voice.

"I shouldn't be telling you. Teddy would kill me if he knew, but I trust you, Granger, and you're going to help me…right?"

Hermione scoffed in disbelief.

"Malfoy…you're talking about…murder," she breathed out.

She should have been running straight to Dumbledore, but she didn't, and she didn't know why.

"That's one way of looking at it, I suppose-."

"It's the only way of looking at it! There has to be another way… Surely…," she trailed off.

Malfoy looked at her from beneath his lashes, gaze piercing.

"I imagine the Muggle world isn't too different. Surely, you have people with a lot of money and power who get away with things they shouldn't, right?"

"Yes," she quietly answered, knowing exactly what he was getting at.

"Okay. What do you think will happen to his father then if he's caught? Nothing, that's what. What do you think will happen to Teddy then?"

Hermione's heart clenched again, and she stepped towards him. She gazed up at him with solemn eyes as he looked down at her.

"Is it…that bad?"

"Would I be resorting to this if it weren't?"

Hermione released a breath, turning away.

"You can't just go around killing people…no matter what they've done," Hermione argued.

"Why not? I have the power to do something, and if I don't, Teddy could get seriously hurt next time…or worse," he fired back.

Hermione spun around to face him, her words dying in her throat as she processed his own words.

"That's true, but… Malfoy, you can't… That's murder!"

"So I should let Teddy die instead then?"

"No! No," she repeated. "Just…let me think. We could go to Dumbledore-."

"Not an option," he snapped.

She frowned in confusion.

"Why not? Dumbledore could help-."

Malfoy cut her off with a scoff, narrowing his eyes at her.

"You really trust that old man, don't you? Despite the fact that he always knows more than he lets on…you really trust him…"

"Yes," Hermione sadly answered. "Don't you…?"

Malfoy's eyes bore into her own.

"No."

Hermione let out a breath she'd been holding for a while.

"There has to be another way. Just…let me figure it out, okay?"

She hurried towards him as he had already begun to shake his head, turning away.

"Malfoy," she called after him as he walked away.

She huffed in irritation, stumbling over her feet as she grabbed his arm.

"Draco."

He stopped and turned to face her, gazing down at her, eyes hard as she stared up at him, eyes pleading.

"Please," she begged. "Wait. I'll figure something out, I promise. I won't let anything happen to your friend. I just need time, because…there has to be another way, and if anyone can figure out what it is…it's me, right?"

His nostrils flared as he stared her down.

"You've got one month."

She released a sigh of relief as she frantically nodded in agreement.

"One month," she repeated.

Malfoy ran his eyes over her, drinking her in as he did so. He lifted her chin, his thumb drawing patterns into her skin.

"You said I could trust you, Granger. Don't prove me wrong. I'm counting on you…," he whispered.

"I won't let you down," she whispered back.

"…so you're just going to let this go on forever? Hermione, you hurt them. Congratulations on a job well done, because they definitely deserve it, but you and I both know that Harry needs you."

Hermione glanced up from the large text before her, eyes landing on Ginny's frantic form.

"This…isn't good. This is perhaps the worst time to be fighting, and over what? A lie?" Ginny pointed out.

"It isn't over a lie. We're fighting, because your brother and Harry put each other before me…once again," Hermione replied.

"Why can't you see how ridiculous this is? It only escalated this far, because you lied, Hermione-."

"So what? They lied to my face for an entire month! They will be fine for a few more weeks," she argued.

"A few more weeks could cost a lot," Ginny bellowed, drawing attention to themselves in the library.

Hermione had just opened her mouth to reply when she was interrupted.

"Granger, it's getting rather late, and we need to patrol, tonight."

Both she and Ginny turned to look at Malfoy leaning against a neighboring bookshelf, the fabric of his shirt stretching as he crossed his arms over his chest. Hermione caught herself admiring him, and turned away, closing her book. She stood up as she looked at Ginny, eyes apologetic.

"He's right, I have to go."

She heard Ginny sigh as she replaced the book, joining Malfoy shortly after. They'd barely taken a few steps when Ginny called after them. They turned as she approached, eyes hard and focused on Malfoy.

"Look, Malfoy… I know the truth. I know that you two didn't really sleep with each other," Ginny said.

If Malfoy was surprised, he didn't show it, but Hermione had a feeling that he wasn't. He only raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"I know that you realize how crazy this whole thing is. She needs to tell them the truth, right?" Ginny pleaded.

Malfoy stared her down for a moment before tilting his head, a smirk on his lips.

"Granger is a big girl, Weasley. She makes her own decisions," he said with a shrug.

Ginny glared at him.

"This is your fault," she spat.

"How do you figure that?" Malfoy purred with a dark smile.

"Yes, Ginny, how do you figure that?" Hermione asked.

"None of this would have happened if it weren't for you," Ginny continued, ignoring Hermione completely.

"That's not true, and you know it," Hermione disagreed.

"Isn't it?" Ginny questioned, facing Hermione, now. "The flame that sparked the fire came from him."

"Ginny-."

"No. Let Weasley talk, Granger. She clearly has a lot to say," Malfoy murmured, smirk growing.

Ginny sneered at him.

"Why couldn't you have left things the way they were? You're the reason they started trusting her less and less, and maybe if that wouldn't have happened…maybe they would've told her-."

"I'm sorry. Are you blaming Malfoy for Ron and Harry lying to my face? Are you blaming him for them hiding the truth about Ron and Lavender from me?" Hermione interrupted with a frown.

Ginny looked at her, eyes apologetic.

"I'm just saying that maybe things would have happened differently-."

"…and maybe they wouldn't have. This behavior isn't exactly new for Ron and Harry. The only difference is I thought they'd grow out of it. How could you possibly blame Malfoy for this?"

"I…"

Hermione took a step forward.

"No, I genuinely want to know how you came to that conclusion. None of this is his fault," Hermione continued.

"I disagree. I feel like he had a hand in this," Ginny said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hermione scoffed in disbelief.

"…by apologizing to me… Oh, what a horrid person he is," Hermione sarcastically replied.

"He knew how they would react-."

"Malfoy matured and apologized for his wrongdoings, and Ron and Harry react by getting angry at him for that. Yet, here you are putting him at fault for not anticipating their childish reaction… Does that make sense to you?" Hermione slowly questioned.

Ginny huffed before releasing a sigh.

"I just think…this is going too far," Ginny repeated.

"Why are you suddenly changing your tune?" Hermione questioned.

She didn't need to elaborate, because they both knew what she was referring to. Ginny briefly glanced at him with a frown.

"…because you're putting him over what's important. Harry needs you, and you know why."

"It's funny. You say that Harry needs me, and yet…he's nowhere to be found," Hermione mused.

"Why can't you just be the bigger person…?"

"…because I'm always the bigger person!"

Hermione didn't care that her outburst drew attention to them. She stared at Ginny with tears in her eyes, lips trembling, her anger taking over.

"I have always been the bigger person. Every. Single. Time," Hermione lowly spat. "I am always expected to swallow my feelings, my hurt, so that things will run smoothly. I's always me, and I'm tired, Ginny."

Ginny at least looked ashamed, a frown on her features.

"I'm sorry… I didn't-."

"Harry may be the Chosen One, but he is not divine. He is flawed, he is wrong sometimes, and this is one of those times. How about he be the bigger person for a change. Ron has already apologized, admitted to his wrongdoings. Harry needs to catch up," she spat.

They stared at one another for the longest time when Hermione suddenly felt hands on her shoulders, guiding her away.

"Come on, Granger. We have to go," Malfoy murmured.

Hermione turned away as Malfoy led her out of the library.

"Are you alright?" Malfoy asked later that night as they patrolled the dark corridors.

"No, I'm not," she replied, rather rudely.

He didn't reply, and she released a frustrated sigh.

"How dare she say that to me…? She knows more than anyone that they always expect me to just 'get over it', so that things will go back to normal. I can count the number of times on one hand where I've been wrong, but the number of times that I've apologized or let bygones be bygones is endless."

She huffed again, crossing her arms over her chest. She could feel Malfoy's eyes on her.

"Back in the library, you said something about Weasley changing her tune…"

Hermione rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"You're not going to believe this but, it wasn't even a week ago when she was suggesting that I finally shag you, since everyone thinks I did, anyway."

"Oh, really?"

She looked at him, finding a smirk on his face as he gazed at her.

"Maybe she Weasley isn't so bad, after all," he mused.

"Oh, please," Hermione scoffed. "Don't be a pig. Focus on what's important."

"I am."

He stopped walking, and so did she. In the low lighting, Hermione could see that his heavy gaze was focused on her and nothing but her.

"I want you, Granger," he said, voice low, causing her heart to race. "You know that."

She swallowed, taking a step back, and he took one forward.

"Do you want me?" he continued.

"I…don't know," Hermione honestly answered. "There are things that need to be considered."

"Such as…?" he questioned, taking another step forward.

"Just…things," she lamely replied with a shrug.

"Things like…?"

"What is it that you want from me exactly…?" she elaborated, hoping he would do the same.

Malfoy chuckled, and she inhaled the calming smell of jasmine.

"Must you always have all of the facts?" he teased.

"Yes."

Malfoy sighed, taking another step forward as he ran his eyes over her. Hermione did not move this time, and let him reach up to trail his fingers down her clothed arm, the fire she felt making her feel naked.

"For now…I just want you. I want to feel you, taste you. Can we just focus on that, for the time being?"

"…yes…I suppose we can," Hermione breathed, feeling hot, all of a sudden.

Malfoy nodded.

"All of this is still entirely up to you, Granger."

"Why?" she questioned. "I mean… I know what you're like, Malfoy. When you want something, you go after it, and get it. Why are you leaving this up to me when it's more than obvious of the affect you have on me. I'm not too prideful to deny that…if you were determined to get me…you could have me, and we both know it."

Malfoy took in a shuddering breath at this, and he leaned one hand on the wall, next to her head.

"…because, Granger, if you decide to…put some truth to these rumors, I want it to be of your own volition. I want it to be completely up to you, because you want to."

Hermione swallowed.

"I want you to want me like I want you."

Hermione felt something in her chest bloom with a feeling she couldn't name, but she nodded.

"I understand," she replied.

"So," he took a step back. "Whenever you're ready…you know where to find me."

Hermione nodded, suddenly having a lot to think about. Malfoy suddenly smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Let's see if we can find some horny teenagers shagging in a broom closet…"

That Friday evening, when Hermione walked into their dorm, she found it occupied by two other familiar beings.

"Granger!"

Her eyes widened at Zabini's greeting, surprised to hear him speaking to her in what could be described as a friendly tone.

"Join us, please. Teddy needs some advice from a female, and as much as the fact perplexes me at times, you are, indeed, a female," he continued, waving her over.

She frowned at him, rolling her eyes as she thought to herself that that sounded more like Zabini. He was sitting on the couch, Teddy seated in the chair across from him while Malfoy sat in the chair next to him. Hermione saw three glasses sitting on the table in between them, a large bottle of whatever glinting at her in the low light. Ah…

"No, thanks, Zabini. I have some studying to do," she replied.

Her answer was met with a chorus of disapproving groans.

"Granger…it's a Friday night. Don't you ever have fun?" Zabini questioned.

"Of course, I do. I just take my marks very seriously, thank you," she quipped.

"Sit with us for five minutes, just five minutes of your time, and then you can go read whatever boring book I'm sure you're reading, at the moment," Nott pleaded.

"Insulting me will get you nowhere," she said, but reluctantly sat beside Zabini on the couch, nonetheless.

Malfoy chuckled at her, and she threw him a glare.

"So, here's the thing," Nott began, leaning forward. "I like this girl…but she's still getting over her ex-boyfriend. How do I navigate this?"

"You give her time," Hermione answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Nott's face pinched as he hummed.

"…I'm rather impatient, you see. I've had my eye on her for years," he confessed.

"Well, that's all fine and dandy for you, Nott, but if she's as hung up on him as you say, then you could just become some meaningless fling used to get over him. That's all…and you like her, don't you?"

Nott nodded.

"I assume you want it to last…?"

"Surprisingly, yes," he honestly answered.

"Then you just have to be patient," she added.

Nott groaned, and she heard Zabini clear his throat, shifting beside her.

"How did you get over Weasley?" he asked.

Hermione could feel Malfoy's eyes on her as she looked at Zabini, biting her lip.

"I didn't," she sighed.

Zabini rolled his eyes, pulling an extra glass out of thin air, and began to poor her a drink.

"Tell me, Granger…what is so special about Weasley?"

She hesitantly took the glass as he handed it to her, scoffing.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand…"

"I don't. That's why I'm asking you," he replied, speaking to her as if she were dumb.

Hermione huffed, feeling all of their eyes on her as she shrugged.

"He's…handsome-."

She was cut off by another chorus of groans, and Hermione defended herself.

"He is! He is," she said, pointing her finger at Zabini. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

He held his hands up in surrender as she heard Nott mumble something behind his glass.

"He can be funny…"

"Funny looking," Nott threw in and she scowled at him as Malfoy and Zabini laughed.

"I'm serious! He can be funny…and sweet," she said, fingering her glass. "He's not so bad, and he can be a really good friend."

She felt her mood dropping as she reminisced, fingering her glass as she stared into the brown liquid.

"…and yet, here you are," Nott sneered.

"Yes," she sighed in agreement. "Here I am."

"What exactly happened between the three of you, anyway? If I might be so bold…," Zabini said, leaning on his knees.

Hermione heaved another sigh, taking a nice gulp of the drink they'd given her. She hummed, noting that it was an improvement from whatever they had last time.

"Ron and Lavender had been seeing each other for some time, now, and instead of telling me, Harry and Ron just let me make a fool of myself for weeks… I finally found out the night we won the Quidditch match…when she kissed him in front of everyone," she sadly answered, looking down.

She heard Nott let out a low whistle as Zabini exhaled.

"That doesn't really sound like a good friend to me," Zabini quietly replied.

"No…you're right. Hence, why I'm sitting here drinking with you lot, of all people," she mumbled.

Zabini and Nott began to protest, voicing their offense, and she leaned back into her seat. As the two of them went into a tangent about how so much better they were than her friends, she lolled her head to the right to find Malfoy gazing at her. His familiar smirk lifted her spirits just the slightest, and she turned away, downing her drink before opening her mouth to make Zabini and Nott shut up.

What seemed like hours later, Hermione found herself seated next to Malfoy in front of the fireplace. Zabini had long left while Nott was passed out on the couch behind them. Hermione leaned her head against the back of the sofa, exhaling.

"You know what, Malfoy? I'm really tired of talking about Ron," she suddenly said.

"Finally come to your senses, have you?"

She shrugged.

"I just imagine that he's probably not even thinking about me. Well…at least he wasn't…before he thought I'd shagged you. Now, he's probably cursing me every chance he gets. Him and Harry…"

"In their defense, they think you're sleeping with the enemy," he said with a deep chuckle.

Hermione didn't join in, but instead turned to face him. She raked her eyes over his profile, admiring the way the fire highlighted his features. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned to face her, expression unreadable.

"Maybe I should…sleep with the enemy," she murmured.

She didn't give Malfoy a chance to respond before leaning in. Her lips were a hair's width away from his own when he stopped her. She frowned, surprise and confusion filling her.

"…what's wrong?"

Malfoy smirked down at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You're drunk," he said.

Hermione felt her face heating up, but brushed her embarrassment aside.

"…so? You told me to do what I want remember?"

"Not like this," he sneered.

"Why not?"

She felt herself getting angry, unable to keep up with his confusing behavior. He glared at her then, tangling his fingers in her hair.

"You have to be drunk to kiss me, Granger? That's a little insulting, don't you think?"

She swallowed.

"Ever heard of liquid courage?"

"Ever heard of growing a pair?" he fired back.

Hermione blinked, huffing as her anger rose. He was right, and she hated it. He suddenly let her go, and she clenched her jaw as he stood, glaring down at her.

"Come to me when you're sober. Nobody likes a coward," he coldly said.

She looked away, glaring into the fireplace as the sound of his door slamming shut reached her ears.

~ Let me know what you think ~