AN: I wanted to get this up before the weekend since my new puppy is keeping me plenty busy. Next chapter probably won't be posted until Sunday at the earliest. Also, I felt it appropriate to up the rating of the story considering what happens at the end of this chapter (I'm not graphic or vulgar, promise). Enjoy, readers! I'm particularly curious to hear your comments on this chapter so please review or PM with anything on your mind.

Chapter 6

Draco Malfoy glared at his pumpkin juice as though it had committed a mortal sin. The blonde was sitting stiffly at his usual spot at the Slytherin table, squished in between Crabbe and Goyle and across from Pansy Parkinson, who was watching him with concern. He spoke little and harshly stabbed his steak though he made no attempt to actually eat it. He barely noticed when Pansy took one of his hands between her own and stroked it affectionately.

The excited chatter of the students looking forward to the first Hogsmeade weekend did not serve to improve his mood. His plans were ruined because he still hadn't spoken to Hermione after their fight a couple of days ago. Nott's increasingly frequent questioning about how he was moving ahead certainly didn't make the prospect of admitting defeat any easier either.

Pansy's whiney voice broke into his thoughts. "Draco!"

"What?" he asked, trying to mask his irritation.

"I want us to be together today," she purred with an adoring smile. "Why don't we go to Madame Puddifoot's?"

Draco was intending to refuse when he glanced over her shoulder and noticed Hermione watching them. Feeling petty, he returned her smile and reached out to stroke Pansy's cheek in almost the same fashion that he had with Hermione.

"Sure. I'll meet you there around two." Though the words left his mouth, Draco had no intention of following through. Madame Puddifoot's was absolutely vile and he wouldn't be caught dead there. Still, he knew that even if he stood her up, Pansy would forgive the slight. She was predictable and loyal like that.

"See you later." Malfoy got up from the table with Crabbe and Goyle flanking him.

He wanted to go back to the Slytherin dorm to get some spending money for Hogsmeade, intending to buy himself an arsenal of potentially dangerous joke items so he could let off a little steam on some unsuspecting first years. Draco cast only one glance at the Gryffindor table on his way out. Granger wasn't looking in his direction anymore. In fact, she was staring down at her plate and poking her breakfast half-heartedly.

He was pleased that she seemed to be feeling bad. Malfoy had gotten over that pesky burst of emotion after their fight. He'd concluded that it was simply the fact that rejection didn't sit well with him, especially when he'd pulled out all the stops for a girl. Really, what more could he do? He'd told her practically everything she'd wanted to hear in the most convincing way possible. Hell, for a moment he had even believed what he'd said. And still it wasn't enough for her.

But Malfoy had to try something. Maybe Daphne's off-hand suggestion of a gift would work in this case.

"All right!" Hermione cried in exasperation. "So your sister is dating! Big deal. Michael in a nice guy, she could have done worse." Like me, she thought bleakly, wincing. "Personally I think you're sore about it because you haven't managed to land a girlfriend yet."

Harry watched the scene with some amusement. While Hermione had been very pleased about how well the meeting at the Hog's Head had gone, her mood declined after she'd made the mistake of mentioning that Ginny was dating Michael Corner. It hadn't taken long for Ron's constant harping on the subject to irritate her. And she had to admit that Draco was on her mind, which also didn't help her ire.

Ron looked shocked at her snippy outburst and after a moment he spluttered, "That- that has absolutely nothing to do with it! It's the principal of-"

"Nnnh!" she cut him off with an upraised hand. "I've just realized that I need some parchment and ink to go along with my new quill and if you don't mind, I'd like to go get them alone. I'll see you guys back at the castle."

She heard Ron mutter, "What's gotten into her?" as she walked away and Hermione stiffened defensively.

"Dunno, mate. Must be some girl thing," Harry replied and then she was out of earshot.

She didn't actually need any parchment or ink but she bought some anyway and then wandered aimlessly around the village. Hermione wondered if she'd made the right decision by not trusting Draco. Was that truly how she felt or was it simply a case of old habits dying hard? At the time, her choice had felt correct but she had regretted it ever since. If it was the right thing, she shouldn't feel that way.

"Oh," Hermione said aloud, pausing. A small gate bore a sign that proclaimed 'Hogget Park' and recognition dawned. "This must be the place he wanted to meet me," she muttered to herself.

Hermione pushed open the gate and wandered into the park. It had a wooded path that went for at least a good twenty feet until it opened into a huge clearing. The clearing held a wizarding garden with a bench and a sparkling fountain in the center of it. The copse of trees completely obscured the center of the park and that was a shame; it was lovely. She carefully skirted a bulbous orange plant that was smoking slightly and made her way to the bench.

She sat, stretching out on the sun-soaked wooden bench. It was incredibly foolish to think that he would still come but she had to admit she held out a little hope. While it was true that they'd only been meeting for a couple of weeks, she rather disliked these past few days of not seeing him. She'd gotten used to being with him and their fight had really hurt her. She probably wouldn't ever admit it to Draco but she missed him.

As a distraction, she reached into her bag and pushed aside the roll of enchanted parchment bearing all the names, to locate her Transfiguration book. Hermione flipped open the cover and found her spot, promising herself that if he hadn't shown up by the time she finished the chapter, she would give up and go back to the castle. She ended up staying for two chapters and still she was alone. Defeated, Hermione closed her book and left the little park. She had to talk to him. Soon.

The explosive backlash from Educational Decree Number Twenty-four effectively put her thoughts of speaking with Draco on hold. The Gryffindor Quidditch team was outraged by the entirely unreasonable declaration. Harry was vexed with the problem of trying to find a place to secretly teach 28 people Defense Against the Dark Arts because there was no way they were letting Umbridge win.

Eventually it was Dobby who'd had the solution and the Room of Requirement absolutely fascinated her. The day after the first Dumbledore's Army meeting she was buoyant with their success. Hermione had just gotten out of Transfiguration and spilt with the others for a moment so she could stop in at the girl's loo before Charms class. She rounded a corner and paused.

Draco was coming her way with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him. He said something quietly to them and they looked confused but walked ahead, sneering at Hermione as they passed her. Malfoy crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly. Her mouth was dry with nervousness and she approached him hesitantly.

She didn't really know how to start so she simply blurted out, "Hey. I… waited for you at the park on Saturday. You didn't…" Hermione trailed off. Of course he knew he hadn't come.

"Well, with the way we left things I assumed that date was broken," he responded coolly. Then Draco's expression softened. He'd known that Granger would cave eventually; her face was easy enough to read by now. So he decided to make it easy on her. "I'm sorry. I wish I had come. It would have been better than what I actually did."

Hermione felt a little relieved that he wasn't going to lay a major guilt trip on her. Eager to continue the easy conversation, she asked, "What did you end up doing?"

Malfoy ticked the events off on his fingers. "Avoided Pansy. Went to the Three Broomsticks, Zonko's, and a few other places… Oh yeah. I got you something as a sort of peace offering." He pulled out a thick leather-bound volume out of his school bag and handed it to her. "Your favorite; a book. It's, um, a history of famous muggleborns. Thought you might like it."

"Well," she whispered, accepting the book with mild shock. The gesture was touching and unexpected. And it meant that he'd wanted to make up as much as she had. Hermione beamed at him. "Thank you. I love it and I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Draco replied with a smile, pleased that she liked his choice.

She tucked it under her arm and continued, "Look, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I should trust you… and I do." Hermione made a snap decision. "In fact, I want to prove it to you. Tonight at eight, meet me on the 7th floor by that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy."

"The one with the trolls doing ballet?"

"That's the one."

"Alright," he agreed uncertainly.

She reached out and took his hand. "You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone where you're going, okay?"

"Okay, I promise. But-"

"No time for questions," she whispered and quickly dropped his hand. A group of people was heading in their direction, their boisterous chatter announcing their arrival. Hermione brushed past him before any of them rounded the corner and hurried off to Charms.

Draco was on time but Hermione was already there, pacing impatiently in front of a stretch of wall. "I'm not late," he pointed out as he approached.

"I know…. Yes!" she exalted, stopping in her tracks.

He stared in astonishment at the door which had appeared in the center of the wall. "Huh. That wasn't there before."

"Yeah, I'll explain inside." Hermione opened the door and ushered him in.

The good-sized room was scarlet and draped with gold wall hangings. One whole wall was covered in bookcases but strangely enough there were no windows. The room was lit by a huge fireplace and a few sconces. Near the crackling fireplace was a sprawling crimson velvet chaise lounge piled with red and gold pillows.

"Hmm. Not bad." He crossed the room and plucked a gold pillow off the chaise so he could sit. Draco examined it for a moment and then tossed it aside. "A little too Gryffindor for my taste but passable."

"Oh? And I'm not too Gryffindor for your taste?" Hermione teased as she sat beside him.

He slipped an arm around her. "Sometimes. Now what is this place? I've never seen it before."

"It's called the Room of Requirement. All you have to do is walk back and forth in front of the wall three times and think of what you need and then the room provides it for you." Before he could comment, she rushed on. "I'm really trusting you to keep your word and not tell anyone about this place. It's very important. Do you remember the Dark Arts club I told you about?" He nodded. "We meet here. I thought maybe the times we weren't using it, you and I could come here."

"Ah. So it's very top secret." An idea formed and a rakish grin spread across his face. Innocently he said, "I don't know if I can keep my mouth shut. I wonder what you would do to protect your secret."

Hermione looked alarmed and very wary until she processed his expression. She smiled back, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, please don't tell," she pleaded mockingly, putting both hands on his chest and sliding them up to hook behind his neck. "I'll do anything."

"Prove it," he hissed.

She climbed into his lap and molded her mouth to his, kissing him fervently. His body reacted but he held back and let her have control for awhile because Malfoy enjoyed her obvious desire for him. His restraint frayed and he pushed her back onto the chaise, scattering pillows in his haste. He bit at the tender flesh of her neck, soothing the spots with his lips and tongue afterward while she mewled in pleasure.

The buttons of her crisp white uniform shirt were enticing him to rip them off but Draco resisted. She would undoubtedly resist that advance. Finally, when his breathing was too ragged and his face flushed, he rolled off her and pulled her against him so they could lay together on the chaise. She fitted herself more comfortably and then wound her hand through the one he'd slung around her waist.

"I missed you," admitted Hermione softly. "And I don't just mean all the fabulous snogging. I could have that with anyone, you know."

He gazed down at her in the flickering firelight. She was sweetly vulnerable in that moment but still cheeky. He liked that about her. "Oh really?" Draco teased. "You little tramp. Who have you been kissing behind my back?"

"No one. But I could be. Remember that."

Malfoy chuckled. "I will… And I suppose I missed you too. Things are certainly more interesting when you're around."

She turned her head to smile at him. "Then you have a pretty good reason to keep me around."

"Yes." He kissed her cheek. "It seems that I do."

They stayed cuddled up for about another half hour, talking. She eagerly told him about their Dumbledore's Army and lamented his inability to attend a meeting. Somehow he didn't feel like he was missing out. After they got all caught up, the pair reluctantly parted with plans to meet in the same place the day after tomorrow.

Later that night Draco was nestled in his bed and teetering on the edge of sleep when he felt the mattress move. His eyes flew open and he saw a dark shape moving towards him. He had just begun to reach for his wand when the figure came closer and moonlight spilling through a gap in the bed curtains illuminated its features.

"Pansy," he growled in irritation. "What the hell are you doing?"

She crawled towards him in a silky green nightgown and laid down beside him. "I haven't seen much of you these past couple of weeks. Not even on the Hogsmeade weekend when you promised we'd be together. Baby, I've missed you," Pansy cooed as she playfully tugged at the buttons on his pajama shirt. She freed them easily, pulled his shirt open and began to trail kisses over his bare chest.

Her hands were icy and her lips cool as well so the contact caused Draco to shiver and she seemed to take this as excitement. "I only wanted to spend a little time with you… like we used to," she purred in between kisses.

"I've been busy. You know that," he whispered, not bothering to make apologies. "And I don't have the time for you now either so go back to your own bed. I need my sleep."

"Oh but I can help you get to sleep," Pansy whined desperately, sliding her hand beneath the bedcovers and taking hold of him. He rolled his eyes but said nothing else as she began to work on him. This wasn't the first time that he'd mentally departed from the act; she was so dull in bed. Tonight's adventurous move didn't even stir his blood.

When he was ready, she mounted him and he watched her with passionless eyes. While Pansy was convenient at times, Malfoy felt nothing for her and she was really more trouble than she was worth. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see her pinched face as she moved above him in the darkness and let his mind wandered further. He thought of Hermione in the Room of Requirement that night, the shimmer of the firelight on her brown curls and her eagerly seeking lips.

Draco recalled the press of her soft body against his much harder one and the warmth of her skin under his already heated palms. Just as he was beginning to enjoy himself, Pansy finished and slid off him. Draco growled in frustration as she cuddled against him like a contented kitten. He was no more sated than he'd been earlier and thinking of the mudblood was driving him mad.

Feeling particularly spiteful, he pushed her away. "Go back to your bed. And don't ever come back to mine. I'm quite done with you. You bore me, Pansy."

After a few moments of stunned silence she whispered, "You're… you're joking… right?"

Malfoy didn't bother even looking at the expression on her face when he replied, "Not at all. You're dull and clingy and while you've been useful at times, I'm incredibly sick of you. So I'd prefer if I didn't have to spend another second in your vapid presence. Good night. I'd say thanks for the shag if it was any good but…"

He didn't have to finish the sentence because she'd already left but Pansy's muffled sobs weren't as gratifying as he'd expected. Draco shifted onto his side and curled up guiltily. What he really hated was that he didn't feel bad for what he'd done to Pansy… Just what he'd done with Pansy. It would wound Hermione deeply if she ever found out and the thought of upsetting her is what bothered him most. He'd never cared about anyone's feelings but his own before. Merlin, when did he become such a woman?