AN: I own nothing. All the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and put this story on alert! I'm excited to hear what you think about this one.

Chapter Two

***DaB***

October 27th, 1994.

Students made their way to the Great Hall, chatting excitedly about the Triwizard Tournament. The air was buzzing with excitement – none of the students were ever a part of that kind of grandeur event. Most of them were never in contact with witches and wizards from other Wizarding schools, and Beauxbatons and Durmstang had quite the reputation. Everybody seemed to be talking about it, and the rumours flew all over the castle. Who would be the Champion? What would be the tasks? Each suggestion was crazier than one before, as imagination ran wild and expectations grew.

Hermione spent most of the day lost in her thoughts, weighing the pro's and con's of Dumbledore's plan. She was currently walking to dinner next to her two best friends, who speculated who would be Hogwarts Champion. She paid them no mind as her mind worked itself into overdrive.

What if I tried to negotiate with Professor Dumbledore? Maybe not have all of my library privileges revoked, but just a fraction of them? Or maybe offer to work with Hagrid and his bloody Blast-Ended Skrewts every weekend in exchange for Restricted Section access?

"- Cedric Diggory is an idiot, he can't be the school Champion-"

And what about Malfoy? I'm sure he wouldn't want to work with me anyway, he hates me. The feeling is mutual, but nevertheless, he wouldn't teach a Muggle-born everything he knows, would he? Except maybe it's not such a bad idea... If nothing else, I could at least learn how to control those energy outbursts and maybe get some good night's sleep.

Her insomnia had gotten worse, and she now felt a constant string of electric current running through her at all times. She started fearing the DADA classes, terrified that Moody would make her perform a spell that would seriously hurt someone, because she wouldn't be able to control it.

She could feel that she was a danger to other people, and she wouldn't let herself hurt a friend or a colleague. That is why she needed these classes with Malfoy. As much as it pained her to admit, she needed him to teach her how to control herself before someone innocent paid the price. That did not mean that she didn't loathe the very thought of asking him for help.

"- Ravenclaw has some pretty smart people, perhaps one of them-"

I wonder what Malfoy decided? Did he have the chance to find a loop-hole in Dumbledore's plan? He must have been thinking about it too, he seemed distracted today in Potions. Maybe we could find something together tonight- SHOOT!

Hermione stopped suddenly.

I need to meet Malfoy!

"What is it Hermione?" Harry asked her, stopping his conversation with Ron to give her a confused look.

"I... I just remembered that I forgot my essay on the... the Goblin Rebellions in the library, and it's due tomorrow! I'll be back," she yelled at them, already running away. How could I have forgotten about our meeting?

Ron and Harry looked at each other, sharing a shrug and continuing their conversation unperturbed. These kinds of things happened often when you were best friends with Hermione Granger, and they were both used to it by now.

**DaB**

Draco came early to the Astronomy Tower, having ditched Crabbe and Goyle before their last lesson. He did not like being around them for longer periods of time – he could almost feel his intellect fading. They were alright for doing his bidding, but they could absolutely not hold an interesting and captivating conversation.

That is what Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini were for. Slytherins did not have any friends – acquaintances, perhaps, was the better word. You do not get emotionally attached to anybody in Slytherin, because it is extremely unwise. In the noble House of Salazar Slytherin, power was the most prominent feature, and it was what everybody aspired to. So it was good to have influential and powerful acquaintances, and to establish your place in the hierarchy early on.

Draco Malfoy was especially respected and feared in Slytherin, mostly because of his Father. Filling the shoes of Lucius Malfoy, former Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, successful businessman and member of Dark Lord's closest circle, wasn't an easy task. However, Draco knew when to be ruthless, when to be merciful, and he knew how to play the game of power better than anybody else.

He was Lucius's son after all.

So he claimed a place for himself high up the ladder of Slytherin House hierarchy, and planned on keeping it. At the age of fourteen, he stood shoulder to shoulder with 7th Years, and never showed any fear or reluctance.

He enjoyed a good conversation, and he liked to joke as any other boy of his age. In his Second Year, he found that he felt most comfortable in the company of Theo and Blaise, so the three of them spent more time together over the holidays, and formed a strong connection of mutual agreement and interest. His relationship with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott was the closest thing to friendship he had.

They had been talking in the Common Room just before he went to meet with Granger, and Theo made some excellent points about current political situation in South America. It was a topic of interest to all of them, as their families had investments all over the globe, but particularly in developing areas of the Wizarding World such as the one in question.

Theo expressed his opinion about how left-oriented radicals' approach would impact the economy, and Blaise disagreed, pointing out that status quo was the worst form of stagnation disguised as progress. Draco sat quietly by the fire, not speaking, deep in his thoughts.

"Drake, mate, what's wrong with you?" Theo asked him, and it pulled Draco from his reverie.

"Nothing, just... thinking about writing a letter to my Father and pointing out some of the points we established today in our conversation. He is always glad to hear my input, as I am the sole heir of Malfoy fortune. I will be in charge of every aspect of our business one day, so he likes to see I'm well informed," he said, quickly coming up with an excuse. Distraction was presumed as weakness in Slytherin, so Draco learned how not to let anyone notice when he was out of his element.

"I should better go, my owl will be hungry, and nobody will be in the Owlery at the time of dinner. It will give me some peace and quiet to write the letter."

Two Slytherins nodded in understanding as Draco stood from his chair and made his way from the Common Room, resuming their debate fiercely as they sipped pumpkin juice by the fire. Don't ask too many questions – another thing you learn in Slytherin.

That is how he found himself standing alone on the Astronomy Tower, waiting for the Muggle-born witch to grace him with her presence.

I should just send Dumbledore to hell. Who does he think he is, threatening me like that? And Severus, had he lost his mind completely, actually agreeing to the stupid plan?

The wind blew and twirled his robes, and the cold was a welcome change to the fire that burned inside him. That was it. He knew he should refuse, but after thinking about it for a long time, he knew that he was going to say yes.

And not because of Quidditch, nor because of detention. No, he was going to say yes because of the fire.

The clouds became thicker and darker as he felt anger course through his veins. He couldn't live like this anymore. He couldn't pretend that nothing was wrong, when everything was wrong. He had woken his roommates twice since they got back to school as the energy became impossible to control. He shrugged it off as exhaustion, but if it happened again, they would start to question his strength, and he couldn't let that happen.

He realized that fighting with Granger was the only thing that subdued the fire, and now he would have an excuse to fight with her, yell and hex her as many times as he needed to regain his composure, and that was why he would say yes, among other things. Those sort of things that were better left unsaid.

That didn't mean that he wasn't reluctant.

I am the Malfoy heir, a Pureblood, and a powerful wizard. I can do anything I want and get away with it. I have the potential to become even more powerful than my Father, and there are great things awaiting me in the future. And now I need to share my knowledge with someone as unworthy as her.

In a moment of synchronicity there she was, standing mere feet away from him, her eyes twinkling and her hair a mess. She was breathing heavily, having just run up too many flights of stairs. She seemed like she couldn't talk yet, so he kept quiet too. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, and she came closer to him.

"I think we should do this," the wind picked up her voice and brought it to him after a long period of silence. He stayed still and watched clouds scattering over the sky. He could almost see the stars now.

She was going to say no. She wanted to make him help her to find a way around detention and punishment that awaited them should they refuse. She thought of million and one reasons why they shouldn't be doing it as she ran up the stairs, but they all vanished from her head as she opened her mouth, and those words just came to life, tumbling out before her brain caught up with them.

Words once said cannot be unsaid.

From the Astronomy Tower they had a clear view of the Forbidden Forest. Treetops moved in the rhythm of silent music, and their dance looked like a well-rehearsed choreography. Hermione was always afraid of the woods; it was unknown territory. She had no control over the forests as they kept their secrets well hidden, and there was no book that she could read in advance and prepare for the unexpected.

She decided it was time she moved from the outskirts of the forest and stepped inside.

"I can't sleep. I can't think. Energy burns inside me and I have no idea what's going on. I think I am going to hurt someone soon. Will you help me... please?"

She regretted her decision to speak the moment the rushed words pierced the silence. It was too late to take it back when Draco turned to her with confusion etched into his features.

"Are you... begging me Granger?"

She knew she should be upset, and yell at him, because that was the way they worked. He pushed, and then she pushed. But she couldn't find the strength. All her courage was spent on those last words, and she was more vulnerable than ever.

Draco felt exhausted. He should be taunting her, now that he got her to beg. He should provoke her, make her lose control and tame the fire that burned within. Then he realized – there was no fire now. It was more of a dull spark, burning slowly and draining his physical strength. He could feel his knees weaken, and to mask the inevitable stumble that would expose his weakness, he decided to sit down.

Hermione looked at him from the above, observing his gracious movements as he lowered himself to the ground. There was almost no light present – after a certain height the stars were the only source of light left. But the clouds covered the sky, and the only thing she saw was his silver blond hair. She cast a warming charm on herself and on a crazy impulse she sat down beside him. The stones were cold, but the wind didn't blow that hard down here, and they could finally talk in normal voices.

Draco leaned his head back on the marble stone and stared at the sky.

Hermione leaned her head back on the marble stone and closed her eyes.

Neither of them spoke for a long time.

**DaB**

"I agree."

Brown-eyed witch opened her eyes and slowly turned her head towards him. He was already looking at her. Darkness covered his face and she couldn't see his expression. His voice was polite and reserved - the diplomatic voice he perfected over the years.

"Okay."

He nodded, and then stood up slowly. She raised her eyes to look at him, and there it was. Cruel, grey steel eyes that held contempt, anger and hate.

"You'll be begging me again Granger, only this time it would be to stop once I'm done with you. I'll see you Sunday; I'll notify you when and where when I prepare."

He disappeared quickly, and she shivered as the rain started to pour over her. She smiled, enjoying the soft teardrops on her skin. She arrived soaking wet at the Gryffindor Tower an hour later, feeling more like herself, determined to show Malfoy that nobody could mess with her.

Down in the dungeons, Draco Malfoy kissed Daphne Greengrass wickedly as she begged him to fuck her, remembering Granger's plead for his help and growing more satisfied with every second. He was going to make her life living hell, he vowed, as Daphne's moans filled the room.

They were back to familiar patterns of behaviour, as they separately decided never to mention that meeting at the top of Astronomy Tower again.

**DaB**

October 28th, 1994.

Professor Dumbledore,

I have decided to accept your proposition.

Have a nice day – that will make at least one of us.

Hermione Granger

*DaB*

Professor Dumbledore,

I'll do it.

Draco Malfoy

Dumbledore smiled sadly over his glasses, giving some owl treats to two owls hooting on his desk, hoping he didn't make a mistake by putting his students in this situation.

**DaB**

November 1st, 1994.

Hermione woke up very early, still groggy from lack of sleep. On top of her insomnia, the girls in her dormitory swooned and giggled over Harry, Cedric Diggory, and Victor Krum. It was like someone poured a cauldron of estrogens and other female hormones over them. The shock of there being four Champions in the Tournament didn't help alleviate the tension, and she was doomed to listen to Parvati Patil and Lavander Brown desperately trying to figure out which one of the male Champions was the most handsome.

She decided to go to the Great Hall and get some breakfast, putting on her S. P. E. W. badge on her robes. Ron was already in the Great Hall when she arrived, brooding.

"Good morning Ron, where's Harry?" she asked, reaching for toast.

"I don't know, I'm not the Champion's bloody nanny." Ron's voice sounded bitter as he tried to stare her down. She remembered his reaction when Harry's name flew out of the Goblet, confusion the most prominent, but some jealousy and envy that only someone who'd spent as much time as she did with him could spot. She decided to put an end to Ron's stupid thoughts.

"You can't honestly think he put his name in the Goblet?" she asked him incredulously. "You need to be an extremely powerful wizard to trick such a magic object! Probably dark magic, powerful confusion charms, maybe even put his name under a fourth school so that he could be the only one chosen... Harry couldn't have done it, Ron, don't be stupid."

He stood up suddenly, dropping his cutlery down with a loud clang. Quite some people turned to them, eager to see what the noise was about.

"Don't call me stupid Hermione! I'm sorry I'm not more like Saint Harry Potter, brilliant at everything he does, even at those things that he doesn't do! Forget it, I'm leaving."

He left before she could say a word to him, knocking a plate down in process. She sighed and decided to take toast to Harry because he probably wouldn't want to face others congratulating him and asking him how he did it, and maybe go for a walk, now that Ron made her lose her appetite.

Hermione wrapped some toast in a napkin and exited the Great Hall, slowly making her way back to Gryffindor Common Room. It was strange, seeing so many foreign students roaming the castle. She could understand some of the conversation between wizards and witches from Beauxbatons, due to her parents' persistence in paying for her French classes since she was seven years old. Bulgarian, however, was more difficult to understand, and to her ears it sounded rough and wild.

She thought about Ron's response to Harry being chosen as the second school Champion. She knew Ron was just jealous of Harry receiving all the attention, but on the other hand, why couldn't he understand that Harry never asked for it? He had been labelled his whole life with idiotic titles, such as The Boy Who Lived, or The Boy Who Defeated The You – Know – Who, and even she was sometimes sick of it. She could only imagine how Harry felt. It seemed as though everything was always happening to him, and Hermione was amazed that he hadn't lost it yet and just started cursing everybody. Or maybe he will experience one of those awkward teenage phases and will start wearing eyeliner and listening to Goth music. She smiled at the silly thought.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Draco Malfoy in front of her and she would have walked past him without even a glance, had he not reached for her. And that was when their skin touched for the first time.

She gasped in surprise as his hand curled around her wrist. His fingers were soft and strong, and he applied a bit more force than necessary. Hermione could feel the energy inside her coil and collapse for a moment. It only lasted a fraction of a second before it started buzzing through her, eating at her from her very core. Her hair became just a bit frizzier and she could feel goose-bumps erupt all over her skin.

"Malfoy."

Her voice was more a whisper than anything else. Had she not been Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born Gryffindor witch, and he Draco Malfoy, a Pureblood Slytherin wizard, anybody who passed would have mistaken it for a lover's promise.

Draco could feel her pulse through the soft skin as he held her wrist firmly in his hand, and suddenly it felt like his heart started beating the same way as hers, and the pounding of blood in his ears had the same rhythm as her pulse, only intensified by the fire that burned him from the inside and the scent of her, subtle in the air around. To rid himself of ridiculous thoughts, he tightened his grip as he spoke to her in hushed voice.

"Meet me tonight after dinner in the left corridor on the seventh floor, opposite the tapestry with the dancing trolls."

Without waiting for a response Draco let go of her hand and hurried down, not really knowing where he was going. He needed to get away from her and her scent as quick as possible, preferably go somewhere cold, somewhere where the fire would extinguish itself enough for him to breathe in the air without her aroma surrounding him.

As he let go of her hand, Hermione's beating heart slowed down and her energy was drained, making her unable to move for some time. She couldn't think about it, about flashes of green and silver on black foundation, and the way her pulse quickened and her heart felt like it was trying to escape her chest. She leaned on the railing, willing herself to calm down.

Anyone who happened to pass the stairs between third and fourth floor on their way to wherever they were going on that Sunday morning, would pass by a confused witch that stared straight ahead and gently caressed her left wrist, which now showed darkening marks of wizard's fingers.

**DaB**

Draco Malfoy was pacing in front of the tapestry when she arrived.

Hermione thought about their meeting for the whole day. She went for a walk around the lake with Harry, talking to him about the Tournament, and he seemed so relieved that somebody believed him when he said that he didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire. She convinced him to write to Sirius, and then left him to go do some homework of her own. She sat down in the library to study, and spent couple of hours there.

All that time, the dark markings that he left on her skin were there, taunting her, reminding her of him and his presence. The bruises didn't hurt, they just existed there, not allowing her to concentrate on anything else but the purplish - blue finger-shaped marks. They made her think about the odd way her magic reacted when he touched her. I will find out more about it tonight, she thought to herself.

And there she was, right on time, in the corridor on the seventh floor. She made some excuse about working late to Harry, and on her way she tried to prepare herself for things that were to come.

"Good evening Malfoy," she said, deciding to act civil.

"I don't need your pleasantries," he replied coldly. "Now, walk besides me and repeat this in your head. 'I need a place to practice duelling that no one can access except Draco Malfoy and me.'"

"What are you talking about-" she started, but the murderous look he gave her shut her up.

"I don't have time for this Granger. Just do as I say."

She decided against arguing and stood by him. He was one step in front of her at all times, but she caught up.

This is just stupid. I'm walking like a lunatic in front of an empty wall trying to do whatever it is Malfoy wants me-

"Concentrate Granger!" His voice effectively stopped her thoughts, and she decided to listen to him. He was now walking close to her, look of concentration on his features as he glanced at the wall every couple of seconds. With a final incredulous look, she repeated the words in her head, turning to walk the other way every time she finished the sentence.

I need a place to practice duels that nobody can access besides Malfoy and me.

Hermione felt extremely stupid, but continued to walk dangerously close to Malfoy.

I need a place to practice duels that nobody can access besides Malfoy and me.

The brick wall looked just the same as she looked at it, and Hermione wondered what the hell was Malfoy on about.

I need a place to practice duels that nobody can access besides Malfoy and me.

Turning once more, Hermione repeated the words.

I need a place – "- IN THE NAME OF MERLIN, WHAT IS THAT?"

She realized she yelled the last part out loud and stopped in her track, almost crashing into Malfoy. He was grinning next to her, looking smug and satisfied.

"Malfoy, what is that?" she asked, panicking.

"That, Granger, is the place where we will be practicing from this day onward." His voice mirrored his arrogant posture. Her eyes flied frantically from his face to the once empty wall, and he resisted the urge to laugh in her face.

There was a door on the wall. It appeared after their third repetition, slowly emerging from the bricks, and in a second it looked as if it were always there. The door looked ordinary, painted brown with brass doorknob. There was some sort of carving in the middle of it, but when she took a step closer to investigate it, it disappeared. Hermione wondered if she just imagined it all.

It all turned out to be very real when Malfoy reached for the handle and opened the door.

"Come on, before someone finds us," Malfoy ushered her, holding the door for her in a gentlemanly move that just confused her more.

Hermione sighed once, dazed by the turn of events, and took a step forward, following her enemy into the dark.

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