Hermione woke in a fright at the sound of a small cough, quickly scrambling up the bed, gathering the sheets around her to look into a pair of eyes intently watching her.

"Hello? What are you doing here?" she asked the timid little creature.

"Master is telling Dinky to see to Miss, Miss," the little elf said, bowing slightly at the end.

"Oh, right. Um, what time is it, Dinky?"

The elf's eyes went wider, if that was even possible, at a stranger addressing her in such a kind manner, almost as if they were equals.

"Just five minutes past eight, Miss."

"Oh, shit!" Hermione exclaimed, and flew out of bed. In her tired haze, she had slept past the time she was supposed to meet her parents.

"Does Miss need anything to eat? Dinky can ask the kitchen elves to prepare something," the elf said, following her in her confused haste to get ready to leave.

"No, thank you, Dinky. Also, please call me Hermione," she said, stopping to pat Dinky on the head.

"Will you please tell Malfoy I've gone to my parents house till the afternoon?"

"Dinky will tell Master, Miss," said the elf, before bowing again and leaving the room.

Hermione regretted being alone almost instantaneously. She didn't know how to leave.

Crap.

After a few minutes of frantic deliberation, she garnered the sense and the courage to go ask Draco how she was to leave.

Making sure no one was in the hallway, she tiptoed to the door he had said was his, and knocked on the door. She heard no sounds of anyone scrambling to hurry and open the door.

So she tried again.

Four unsuccessful attempts later, she tried the handle. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked.

Hermione stepped inside and shut the door behind her, marveling at the beautiful room. The room was enormous, carpeted in a plush cream expanse, complemented by the pale blue walls that shimmered with a soft and understated paisley print. The wall at the far end had ceiling to floor windows that were covered by white curtains, and amidst the filtered rays, she could see that the room overlooked the gardens.

And of course, there was the bed.

Where Draco Malfoy lay tangled amongst the bedding.

She had not anticipated that she would be walking in on a sleeping Draco Malfoy. She moved next to the bed, and lightly tapped him on his shoulder.

Thank Merlin he was clothed.

He didn't move, and just snored more loudly.

"Malfoy," she whispered urgently, shaking his shoulder lightly. He shrugged her off and moved away.

"Malfoy, get up. I need to leave," she called out again, resorting to poking him in the back. H

e muttered something incoherent and turned to lay on his stomach.

"Malfoy, I swear to Merlin, wake up right now or I'll-"she started, but her lecture turned into a shriek when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the bed. She lay awkwardly on her side against his torso, and looked at him in surprise.

It was evident that he was still asleep, and his actions had been an effect of his unconscious self. His face was relaxed to an extent she had never seen before, and it was the first time she had been close enough to notice each and every feature of his face.

He had a rather structured jawline, and she could see a very light stubble shadowing it. His eyes were framed by perfectly arched pale eyebrows, and soft lashes moved ever so lightly as he dreamed. He was pale, and she could find no marks marring his skin.

She shook out of her reverie, suddenly realizing what, or rather who, she had been scrutinizing so intently.

Hermione made the decision to leave the room then, carefully untangling her wrist from his grip, and vowed to never inform him of the moment. It had been way too awkward, and she could live without an added uncomfortableness after her impromptu hug the previous night.

Once she was back in her room, she had her second regret. Damn, she could have just stood up from his bed and asked him, pretending that the moment had never happened.

But there was no way she was going back into his room. Ever.

So she called Dinky, and the elf, who had already become a fan of the affable witch, showed her the floo network in the library.

Hermione's body vanished into the flames, and she felt a pull to her stomach, but instead of being transported to her parents' living room, she was repelled by the Manor's wards and found herself in a large hall bustling with elves and people alike.

Uh-oh.

(A/N: Sorry about the length on this one, but I didn't want to fit in too much information at once. I will be back to uploading regularly now, so thanks for all your patience and support. Hope you enjoyed, and let me know how you're feeling about this now. :D)