Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in Harry Potter…wish I did though.

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Sorry for such a long update…been super busy with school and college coming up next year

Enjoy this chapter

The day after their conversation in the common room, Hermione took out a quill and parchment and wrote a letter to Harry.

Harry,

Sorry to bother you during this time…I suspect you are very busy but I hope you will read this letter soon. As you probably know, I became Head Girl this year and Draco Malfoy became Head Boy, Well I accidently happened to walk in the common room before he put his jacket on and I glanced at his arms…there's no Dark Mark on his left arm. I know that you said you saw it but it's not there anymore. When he didn't kill Dumbledore, it vanished. I really don't know but right now I think we can rule out Malfoy being a threat. Please be careful and I'll keep an eye on Malfoy.

Love you Harry

Your best friend,

Hermione

Hermione sent an owl off into the bright sun, hoping it wouldn't be intercepted. I love you Harry and I know you want to keep us safe but I really hope you come back to us soon. We need you here with us. I felt safer when we were on our journeys than I feel right now. Being Draco's girlfriend helps with the fear but I really wish you were here. I'm scared. Hermione was so lost in thought that she didn't realized Draco was sneaking up on her. He grabbed her shoulders and she screamed; and it wasn't a soft scream, it was a scream that made Draco's hair stand up on end.

"Bloody hell, Granger! What the fuck was that for?" He was clutching his heart looking at her sternly.

"Oh Draco…I'm so sorry. I was just thinking about some stuff and then you did that. I was scared." She moved over to where he was standing and grabbed him around the waist and hugged him.

"What were you thinking about? Obviously it was about something horrible for you to scream like that." He held her close to his body and started rubbing her back.

"Well I was thinking about how unsafe I feel here without Harry with us. I just always feel protected. Plus Dumbledore is gone too. I just don't feel so safe. It was a worse feeling before we started dating and it's subsided a little bit but it's still hard to walk about the castle at night without him around."

"Potter really needs to come back if you feel that way without him. I'm surprised you haven't dated him yet."

"Why do you say that?" she asked as she backed away from him.

"Well, since you feel so strongly towards him."

"Let's get something straight Draco Lucius Malfoy," she steps away from him and gives him a look then said, "Harry and I have a great friendship and I would count on him in a serious situation or a minor situation but that's all we have is a friendship. I never felt that way about Harry and I'm pretty damn sure he has never felt that way about me; so don't ever question my feelings about him."

"Ok, I guess I can't agree with the facts. I was just worried about the scream that came out of your mouth just now."

She laughed and said, "That wasn't anything. Get me on a broom and you'll really be terrified." She continued to laugh but Draco didn't find it funny at all. "What?"

"I was really worried about you." Hermione's face broke into an enormous smile. "Well, you're my girlfriend now…it's my job."

"I'm surprised you know about jobs to girlfriends."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, because you're known to have many girlfriends – or should I say lovers – so I figured you wouldn't know the proper protocol for a serious relationship."

"Well, Pansy and I did 'date' for awhile. It was very much against my will but she taught me a little about relationships. Plus being worried about you kinda came natural. I didn't teach myself to worry about you; I just was." She turned beat red and turned her head away. Draco found out she likes to do that when she's embarrassed. He forced her to look at him and he leaned down for a kiss.

"Draco…we have class…we have to go…"

He groaned and moved away from her. "Alright. It's Potions today first. Let's go." They left the common room and headed down to the dungeons. Slughorn was reading a potions book when they walked in the classroom. As always, they were the first two people to seat themselves. To keep up appearances they sat as far as possible from each other. That was until Slughorn says, "I would like the two smartest kids in the front next to each other please. Maybe being the smartest and Heads, the rest of the kids would follow your example." He pointed to the front to chairs. They made fake faces of hatred. "I realize you two are Slytherin and Gryffindor, but you are also Head Boy and Girl…pretend to like each other."

"Okay." They both said together. They looked at each other when Slughorn was looking away and smiled. Then people started coming in and they stared at their potions books.

Hermione was daydreaming about Draco and his life growing up. She knew a lot about his life but not enough to quench her thirst. She wasn't listening to the lesson which is not Hermione.

"Miss Granger?" Slughorn asked. Draco was concentrating on his book, but not really reading. "Miss Granger?" Slughorn asked again. Draco shifted his eyes over to her. She was thinking; however it wasn't about the lesson. "Miss Granger?" Slughorn was getting mad. Draco kicked her slightly.

"OW!" she said loudly.

"Glad you could make it back to reality Miss Granger. Now would you please tell the class what the Draught of Living Death needs?"

"Wormwood, asphodel, valerian roots, sloth brain and a single Sopophorous bean," she said, without thinking.

"Yes, correct; very good Miss Granger. For answering the question right, 20 points to Gryffindor. However, for daydreaming in class, 10 points from Gryffindor."

Draco looked at Hermione; she had a guilty look on her face. Underneath the desk, he grabbed her hand. She was shocked and looked at him slightly. Then something that made his heart skip, she smiled. She continued to watch Professor Slughorn teach franticly. Every time he asked a question she was the first to raise her hand-as always-and got it right every time-as always also.

When class was over, Draco and Hermione stayed behind until everyone left before they headed out. Draco led her to a hidden corridor and pushed her into the wall.

"What were you thinking about Hermione? You never space out; especially during class."

"Nothing." She tried to get away but Draco pushed her back and looked at her sternly. She sighed and said, "Okay, fine, I was thinking about you. I realized that I've known you for 7 years and I'm just now getting to know you. Sorry if that made no sense at all but…" she trailed off into thought. He took his finger and lifted her chin up so she would look at him. "I'm sorry. I should have asked a long time ago about your life."

"You couldn't. Hermione, we weren't exactly friends."

"But I'm asking now. I want to know everything about you. We are dating and I care about you." She smiled and he looked at her and started laughing. "What?"

"You're so cute, Hermione." Suddenly, Crabbe and Goyle come around the corner.

"Mud-Blood causing you trouble, Boss?" asked Crabbe. He pushed Malfoy out of the way and got in Hermione's face. He took her by the shoulders and slammed her into the wall.

Malfoy watched Hermione fall to the floor as a single tear ran down her cheek. "Where's your precious protectors now, Granger?" asked Goyle. He then kicked her in the stomach that made her gag. Draco couldn't believe his eyes and couldn't snap to the rescue until Hermione coughed up blood.

"Hey!" Draco screamed. Crabbe and Goyle jumped at the sound of their leader's voice – which until this moment had been absent. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I…um….well…" they stuttered. "Why aren't you joining in?" one whispered.

"Because if anyone is going to beat up the Head Girl, it's going to be me. But obviously, you have no respect for me. Leave my sight at once. Worthless….completely worthless." Hermione had never seen them move so quickly that hadn't been involved with food. As soon as those losers were out of sight, Draco rushed to Hermione's side. "You okay?"

Hermione, who was attempting to hold onto the wall to stay standing up. "I don't know." The blood was running down her face at fast pulses now. Almost her whole face was covered with blood. "I think I hit my head on the wall." She tried walking over to the door and almost fell over – if Draco hadn't been there, she would have.

"Whoa, Hermione, take it slowly. I'll help you." She nodded and they slowly started ascending the secret passageway to the Hospital Wing.

Madame Pomfrey took one look at Hermione and rushed to her side. "Miss Granger!" She asked no questions and Draco stayed by her side the whole time. Soon enough the blood was gone and her head was bandaged.

Hermione stayed overnight in the Hospital Wing with Draco at her side. "Can we play 20 questions?" she asked.

"Sure," he smiled. "You start."

"Okay. Question one: Do you like your father."

A shield came over his face quickly. "Not anymore. I used to admire him so much but then Voldemort came back into power, the more we grew distant. They – my father and the Death Eaters – started pressuring me. What really pushed me over the edge was Dumbledore. I didn't want to kill him." Hermione reached over to touch his hand. "Question 2."

"Um…yeah…right…well, do you think you could survive in the muggle world?" Draco went to say something but Hermione intervened by saying, "Without magic?"

This made him think. "I don't know. To be honest, I've never tried."

"Question 3: How many women have you had?"

Draco raised his eyebrows at her and smiled. Then something Hermione didn't expect, he frowned and sighed. "You need to understand something, Hermione. If I was beaten by anyone at anything then I was beaten literally by my father. So after Christmas break first year, father threatened me to beat Potter, Weasley, or you at something or I would pay. To make myself feel better, I had to become the 'Slytherin Sex God.' I haven't even remembered their names. Except yours."

"So I was just being used?"

"No!" He jumped up and looked at her. "No, don't ever think that. You're the only one who I've just been with based on want – or need. Everyone else was just to fill the emptiness. You're a person I am with because I want to be."

She smiled. "Okay, good. Because from the sound of it, it sounded like you really were just using me."

"No, never. Can I ask a question?" she nodded. "Okay, why me?"

She looked at him sadly. "Okay, Draco, before I answer this, I just want to apologize. Originally, I just wanted an excuse to write harry. So I set out to find out whether you had your Dark Mark or not." He looked at her, obviously hurt but he stayed until she was finished. "But, then you touched me. And my heart and body wanted you. Then just being with you became my only priority." He leaned in and kissed her passionately.

"So," she started when he pulled away, "you said the earlier about beating us. What exactly did that consist of?

"Well, second year I joined the Slytherin Quidditch team to beat Potter with Seeker. Um…third year I was trying to make fun of him with the whole Dementor thing because then maybe he would slip up on his school work or something. But I didn't work." She was at a loss for words so didn't speak. So then Draco picked up the conversation. "So, question for you, what was it like punching me third year?"

She started laughing. "When I did it, it felt good. Because I blamed you for sentencing Buckbeak to death."

"And now?"
"Well, now, I just feel guilty that I did it. I wouldn't dare think of hurting you."

Draco was about to give her another kiss when the door opened quickly and Ginny Weasley came charging in with Ron trailing behind her slowly. Draco ran and hid while he eavesdropped on the Gryffindor gang.