Disclaimer: Sorry, all characters would have dearly - I mean - I would have dearly liked all characters to have been my creation, but alas! I am not as ingenious as Ms Rowling.

Author's Note: I am so sorry to have delayed for so long, I was caught up in a lot of competitions and examinations so hopefully this one will be a bit better. It's more Hermione-Draco interactions (albeit not physical haha) so have fun!

Yun Fei: I will be interested to know how Hermione will be of help too! Haha, Pansy will play a more visible role later on. Now she's only like this shadow at the moment. Ron is minding his own business at the moment; I think he's still sore from being ignored by Hermione. I couldn't leave Harry waiting too long so I had to put him in considering he IS the protagonist of Hogwarts. Ron will come back soon after he's finished being peeved. Hope you enjoy this one!
witchyinuyashagurl: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you found it compelling. Yes food beckons to me too actually but I shall finish typing this first. Well...hope you will like this next (late) chapter!
slytherin-kittycat: Something prevented me from reviewing your latest chapter but I shall do so soon enough when the system has recovered. Ooh Pansy is such a terror isn't she. I like her character better like that. This chapter she's a bit more clingy but there's still that hint of danger in her...haha. Enjoy!

The bell rang shrilly; students burst open their classroom doors – some in a flurry to settle down early in the best seats for the next class, some in a flurry to pop their heads in at the Owlery, some in a leisurely mood as they sauntered to their next class, while some merely shuffled along.

Hermione was one of those who were shuffling along, quite unheeding to the flurriness around her. Usually, she would have been one of them, rushing ahead to the next class to get the best seat where the teacher could be in full view of her enthusiastic waves. This time, she just had no mood to even speak. She was getting increasingly worried that she was starting to think about Draco almost every second of the day! It was so frustrating for her; she never liked Draco, but somehow with every thought of his that she could sense at certain times, she could not shake him off from her mind.

Draco, on the other hand, would have loved to be one of those shuffling folks, but with Pansy Parkinson chatting incessantly alongside him and dragging him along, he had to be upgraded to be of a decent pace. He was just thinking about yesterday's meeting with Granger, when – when she said she knew he was a Death-Eater. It hadn't struck him then; but he realised that his occasional flashes of thoughts that didn't seem to belong to him, had some connection to the fact that Granger could understand him somehow. She knew what was going on with him – he wasn't too bothered by that for some obscure reason. He seemed to know what it was like to be feeling something someone else felt…and it was a most uncomfortable feeling…

Why am I thinking of him? Why am I thinking of him? That thought suddenly surfaced in Draco's mind. Him? He stared incredulously ahead of him as he felt it jerk in his brain. I'm not thinking of a boy! Wait – he was – he was…and he looked back at the crowd of students moving towards the other end of the tower. He saw a bushy mane of brown hair somewhere in the midst and flinched. Granger. Without warning, another flow of thoughts came: I don't like him! He's Harry's nemesis! He's been a horrible ferret for the last few years; why am I thinking about him? He can go and be a Death Eater for all I care – oh why do I have to CARE!

Draco jerked a little, and it affected Pansy, who was hanging on his arm. Pansy raised her eyebrow as she stopped her chatter, analysing Draco's confused expression for a moment. Then she frowned.

"Draco, is anything the matter?"

Her sickly-sweet voice was enough to jerk Draco back to reality. "Yeah. Get on, we don't want to be late for Snape's class. He's got enough of those complaints about us."

"Aww Draco you know…"

What Pansy thought Draco knew, he never knew, because he was swept up in his own confusion again. He was hearing Granger's thoughts! And to add on to that, he could sense genuine misery and worry from her thoughts. It was as though…like she felt…she cared. Draco never really had anyone to care about him so genuinely. His father did care; but he was bound by the Dark Lord to torture his son. His mother was a weakling; she knew nothing about the things that happened around her. And his Slytherin friends were probably sucking up to him while secretly waiting for the day he would be dismissed as a mere weak creature so that they could be favoured by the Dark Lord. Yet, here was that Miss Know-It-All who was the Potter boy's good friend, caring for him. Draco just couldn't piece it altogether.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins gathered in Snape's class. His back was facing them, and he was heaving quite dramatically. There was an aura of uneasiness surrounding everyone. Whilst Snape was still distracted by what he was doing rather secretly away from them, Draco stole a glance at Hermione, who was in front of the class as usual, but her shoulders were sagging far more than usual. Then he stared back at Snape.

Severus Snape. Their Potions teacher. That black cloak around him.

That black cloak.

It looked a bit blacker than usual. For some reason it looked bigger all of a sudden.

I felt my eyebrows crease. Worry and anxiety had been knotting them together of late. I haven't had a chance to sleep well. Every night I would be thinking about how I should help him, when I can't. But when I go to sleep, I will dream of that thing. I will dream of how he would have killed Harry's parents. And Cedric. And I will dream of how he would bless his minions…with his curses. There's something in me. I don't know what. I don't want his life to be ridden with curses. I don't want his life to be ruled by that evil force. It's not worth it. However hateful he may be, Draco Malfoy is a decently clever guy who deserves to have his intelligence showcased in something else, not being a Death Eater! But oh why must I be afflicted with this ability to know Malfoy? I wished I just saw him as that evil, emotionless, insensitive creep he appeared to be since the start of our Hogwarts year. I wished he had never appeared to be so vulnerable such that I would enjoy it if I ever penetrated through his steel-like cover. I wished I had never seen him in the library that other day such that I never knew about the whole fiasco between the two Quidditch teams which happened because of his father. I know it. Even if McGonagall didn't say it, I know it. I know it wasn't just because Draco Malfoy told on Naomi about some stupid gum thing. It was Lucius' interference. He came that day. He must have said something about the Gryffindors and Naomi was forced to lie about it. But why did Draco lie? Why did he make me blame him? Oh sheesh, now I'm calling him Draco. No he's always Malfoy! Malfoy! But why I am doing this? Why am I feeling this way? Oh heaven help me!

Suddenly Snape's cloak reverted to its original size.

Draco shook from head to toe as he tried to grasp back full control of his own senses.

"Mr Malfoy? You can sit."

Draco realised everyone around him had seated and was looking at him. He cleared his throat, tried to look fine, then sat down with a gracious air. But he was shaken by the whole truckload of thoughts that had just zoomed by. I had felt myself in Granger's body staring at Snape, feeling her thoughts!

Draco could not pay any more attention to the lesson. He touched his quill tentatively, then withdrew his hand. Then he turned his gaze to a red mop somewhere near the brown bushy curls.

The weasel.

But a cold precipice suddenly hit him full blast and he reeled from the impact, almost overbalancing from his chair. Luckily, he grabbed the sides of his table in time to avoid too much suspicion. He could feel Pansy looking at him at the corner of her eye, but he tried to calm down.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't harm Ron Weasley.

He knew if he did, he would be harming someone else. And he just didn't want to do anything to Ron. It was just…just so wrong.

What have I been thinking? I was actually reveling in the pleasure of torturing that Weasel. I must be kidding myself! Draco cursed under his breath. Maybe the Imperius Curse still had some lasting effects on him. I was actually thinking of how to get rid of him in the library yesterday!

Feeling helpless, he slumped back on his chair.

Hermione had zoned out halfway during Snape's lesson, something she would never do. But this time, it was either a combination of exhaustion and depression, or that she was just daydreaming. Quite unlikely, she thought, as she picked up her quill to copy down Snape's words. Yet somehow she felt like the monotonous typewriter, hardly processing the information at all as she scribbled down the words. There was – there was just something not right. She could sense it.

Hermione hated the way she was being a psychic right now. She could hardly let out her feelings to her two good friends Harry and Ron because they would think she was nuts to be thinking about Draco Malfoy all the time, especially if the thoughts were that of pity and worry. Hermione could almost picture Ron going ballistic if he knew she was that "crazy" over him. Then again, he probably had that thought running through his head ever since the day she "protected" him over the Quidditch thing.

She snorted inwardly. Talk about the Quidditch thing! She just couldn't believe how lowdown Lucius Malfoy could stoop to. Fancy manipulating the situation to benefit his son's team. Yet if that was the case, Draco would have been blunt about it, airing the fact that his father was the powerful guy able to do anything. Why did he have to make her think that he was the one responsible for all the problems Gryffindor Quidditch had? And Hermione had a nagging feeling Draco was not at all pleased with his father's actions. She hadn't gone to sound Naomi out about the entire thing considering she was probably sworn to oath not to reveal Lucius' presence in the school, but she was quite sure this was the case because of the random flashes she was having…about Draco talking to his father…on the Quidditch pitch…a shouting match with Naomi…

I'm going insane – Hermione shuddered as she gripped her quill. I can see things through Malfoy's eyes. I can feel his emotions…I can read his memories. Why?

But that was not the scariest thing bothering Hermione at the moment.

The scary thing was that, Hermione had a premonition. She hadn't had very accurate premonitions before, but this one was appealing to her so strongly she could hardly dismiss it.

Draco Malfoy was about to fail his first task, and he would have to pay dearly for it.