hello my faithful readers! sorry about the lack of update with this fic, I've been busy with my other fic, To Love a Marauder, its Sirius/Hermione so you should defnitley check it out. this chap's not really long but theres plenty of little tidbits of a romance in the making. Review please!

Continued ...

"TheclueGranger," Malfoy mumbled under Hermione's cupped hand. She shot him a puzzled look.

"What did you say?" she asked him, keeping her hand firm against his mouth. Draco rolled his eyes and used both of his hands to wrench hers off of his mouth. Once he had detached himself from her clutches, he gasped for breath and wiped his mouth furiously.

"Damn it, Granger. You could have suffocated me," he said over dramatically. Hermione shook her head and sighed.

"You are such a baby, Malfoy. A little lack of oxygen never hurt anybody," she remarked, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Your filthy hand touching my mouth was not welcome," Draco scowled, with one last swipe at his lips. Hermione groaned and focused on the parchment in front of her.

"Honestly, we are never going to read this blasted clue at the rate we're bickering," she said to the blonde next to her. Malfoy launched himself backwards onto the couch and threw his arms up in mockery.

"What a bloody observation! How did you think of that one?" he asked her with false sarcasm in his voice. Hermione grit her teeth in frustration, trying desperately not to just lose all self control and hex Malfoy into oblivion.

Did I forget to mention how much I hate this boy? Don't think I did. I HATE HIM!!

"Are you going to read the clue? Or did you forget how to read, because that right there would make my year?" Draco questioned her, sitting back up from his lounged position. Hermione, realizing she had been defeated as of the moment, flattened out the parchment and cleared her throat.

"Here we go...

Your future is predicted here in this place

Specifically an object that doesn't deal with space

If you find what you seek, the next clue will be given

Just make sure you whisper to it "Knowing the future doesn't make life worthin living"

Hermione scanned the rest of the paper and flipped it over to see if there was more writing, but to her dismay, she found none. Looking at Draco beside her, she saw his mouth slightly gaped.

"Something wrong?" Hermione asked him, surveying his appearance. He outstretched his hands in front of him and opened his armspan wide.

"That's it?!" he miraculously exclaimed with his eyed bugged out in bewilderment.

Note to Self: It's official, Dumbledore has lost what is left of his pea size brain and has dove into a pool of Butter Beer filled insanity.

"I guess so," Hermione shrugged, double checking the paper once more. Draco reached over and snatched the paper out of her hand and read it through again.

"You mean to tell me you almost bloody lost an arm over this hogwash?" he gushed, throwing the paper to the side. Hermione picked it back up and raised an eyebrow at him.

Could it be that Draco Malfoy actually has said something similar to the term 'caring?'

"Gods, you losing the arm would have been more pleasurable than getting this," he pointed at the paper disappointedly

Ah, there's the Malfoy I know and love.

"Well, it's not going to help us by just sitting here and complaining about it. I'm sure it's not that difficult," Hermione said encouragingly. Draco put his legs up onto the coffee table in front of him and put his hands behind his head, sighing comfortably.

"If it's not that difficult, than why don't you take the first crack at it? I'll be in dream land if you need me," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"Lazy good for nothing git," Hermione mumbled, looking over the parchment once more. Draco opened one eye and peered at her.

"I heard that," he retorted. She turned to give him a death glare and scoffed.

"Good," she stated. Hermione turned back around and drew her attention to the clue.

Okay, so here it says your future is predicted in this place. Hmm…the only logical place I could think of is in the Highest Tower where Trelawney teaches. It makes sense. Now for what it is we're looking for the clue says it doesn't deal with space. So I'll safely assume it's not one of those star charts or rotating space models she has stashed up there. The only other objects she has are tea leaves, incense and crystal balls…..Crystal ball! That's the object!

"Malfoy, get up you great oaf!" Hermione said, not even attempting to conceal her excitement. She giddily bounced on the couch, causing Malfoy to jolt wake from his extremely short slumber.

"Huh, what's a matter? I was dreaming of you jumping into the lake and getting eaten by the giant squid," Draco mused, smiling inwardly at his dream.

Okay, so maybe I wasn't dreaming about Granger getting eaten by a squid…I MIGHT have been dreaming of getting awfully close to her. So close that I almost kissed her.

Now that's a nightmare.

"I figured out the clue," Hermione said, pining to suppress the grin that was emerging onto her face. That was the second time today she's beat Draco in something.

Score is Hermione-2 Draco-0.

"Leave it to beaver to save the day," Draco sneered, hoping it would cover up the bold smile that he was itching to give her.

I guess I underestimated my furry little friend. …okay maybe friend is the wrong word here. I'll go with my furry little pain in the ass. Yep, sounds good.

"So enlighten me with your detective work," Malfoy asked her, stifling a yawn. To his shock, Hermione simply stood up, dropped the parchment into his lap, and said two short words.

"Crystal Ball."

"That's too easy," Draco argued in disbelief. He picked up the paper and skimmed the clue once more. However, to his dismay, crystal ball did seem like the only logical answer.

"Too easy huh?" a wicked smile flickered onto Hermione's face. She couldn't help but appear smug. Draco looked back up from the paper to see his partner looking rather pleased with herself.

"Alright, fine. You win this round, but we'll see who gets the most clues during the actual contest," Malfoy triumphantly stated. Hermione bent down from her standing position to meet Draco eye to eye. She leaned forward towards her mortal enemy, dangerously close and spoke in a quiet whisper.

"I hate to break it to you, Malfoy but this is the actual contest."

The words spilled out of her mouth like liquid sugar; almost drowning Draco in the process. He tried painstakingly to muster up a intimidation worthy glare to give the honey-brown eyed girl in front of him, but he failed terribly. Satisfied with her performance, Hermione stood back up and flounced over to the side table to pour herself a glass of water. Draco remained immobilized on the couch.

What the fuck was that?!?! Is she trying to toy with my head or something? Ha, that Mudblood must think highly of herself if she assumes I'd fall for her weak attempts at over powering me. I'll say the only thing she did was plague my nose with the smell of her perfume. Something along the lines of sunflowers and roses. Ugh, I disgust myself.

"Water, Malfoy?" Hermione asked him as she sipped her own glass. Draco shook himself out of his daze and licked his lips.

"Yes, but I'll get it myself. I don't need your badger claws contaminating my drink," he scoffed as he rose from the couch to walk over to the stand. Hermione shrugged and sat down on a nearby armchair.

"Suit yourself," she replied, resting her glass on her lap. Draco came into view as he carried his own glass and took a seat onto the chair adjacent to Hermione's. For a few moments they simply drank their water and sat in silence, waiting on each other to say something. Finally, Hermione gave in and asked the question that was bugging her for an hour.

"What were you crying about before?" she asked him quietly, not taking her eyes off her lap. Draco looked up from his glass, obviously startled. He exhaled a long breath and continued staring at her.

"Why do you want to know?" he inquired, in an unusually soft voice that was foreign to him. He didn't understand why she would even want to find out something so personal about him, it was very odd indeed. She looked up from her lap and met his icy grey eyes.

"Because….." she trailed off, not really knowing why she had bothered asking him that question. She paused and thought for a moment, feeling his hard eyes piercing a hole in her own.

"I wanted to see if I could help you with…you know, whatever you're dealing with," she said slowly, her body tensing while it awaited his reaction. Draco shook his head and let out an awkward chuckle.

"Trust me, Granger. No one can help me with what I'm dealing with," he lightheartedly told her, ignoring the gut wrenching sensation in his stomach. Hermione seemed to be satisfied with leaving it be, and sat quietly for a minute, looking every direction except in his.

"I lost my mother too, you know. You don't have to face it alone," Hermione whispered, staring with comfort at the vulnerable boy in front of her. Her instincts were screaming at her, but she didn't care

He's a human for crying out loud. He shouldn't have to feel this way, even if he is the bane of my existence.

Time appeared to stop when the young Gryffindor reached her hand out to touch the Slytherin's ever so lightly. The warm pink fleshed hand of Hermione grasped the pale, white one of Draco's. An invisable blinding light of energy seemed to myseriously bind the two houses together for at least that single moment in history.

The pureblood wizard shuddered at first, feeling a strong urge to pull away and slap the girl with the hand she had desecrated. But almost as quick as that inkling of emotion came, it left, being replaced by a wave of heat rushing through his body. Draco for once in his life felt human.

"You don't have to—"Draco began in the lowest tone his voice could manage. Hermione ceased his words by squeezing his hand tightly.

"I want to."

Those words sliced through Draco like a sharp pointed knife, carving rapidly away at his thick guarded armor. Though he fought with himself to stay strong; he was losing horribly. The Malfoy gently pulled his hand away from it's bed of comfort, feeling the coldness of his soul rebuild itself. Draco stood up like a flash of lightning and turned to head towards the exit.

"Draco?" Hermione's voice squeaked from behind him. He turned back around to face her, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. Staring at her closely, he shook his head.

"You don't know what you want, Granger," he stated. The girl's brown eyes grew big and defensive as she stood up as well.

"I want to be there for you, I know how it feels!" she voiced out, making another reach for his hand. His reflexes jerked his arm back as he stepped backwards slowly. Anger seemed to be taking over his veins as he felt his face grow hot.

"You don't know how it feels! You think you know everything Granger! Well for once I can say that you don't know something. You have no clue what life is like for me," he spat, his breathing growing heavy. Hermione appeared to be transitioning to anger too for she threw her arms up in the air, her bushy hair flying all over the place.

"I do know what its like to lose someone that you love, Malfoy. Yeah , it's true that I might not have had your childhood, but I've experienced the pain you've felt!" she yelled back. Draco's eyes burned with fire as he walked forward and placed his face inches apart from hers. Sneering heavily, his voice developed a deathly sting.

"I would have liked to see you survive a day in my childhood," he growled. With a final glare, he spun around and stalked toward the door leaving Hermione confused and angry in the middle of the room.

I should have left him alone...I should have let him tear himself to pieces. I shouldn't have cared.

Once the door to the office slammed shut behind Draco, he carelessly threw himself against the nearest wall. He pressed his forehead to the cold stones and slammed his fist against the rock next to him.

Fucking hell Granger. Why did you have to care? Why couldn't you have left things be? Why did you have to change everything I've ever thought about you.

Draco pulled himself off the wall, hoping no one had seen his breakdown. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the corridor empty. Walking toward his dormitory, he felt regret dragging his feet as he remembered a comment he had made to the silly Gryffindor.

"I would have liked to see you survive a day in my childhood"

Note to Self: Truthfully, I would rather sell my soul to the devil then to have to watch Granger try to survive a day in Malfoy Manor. She doesn't deserve it…she's got too much blasted heart.