Malfoy woke up from a restless sleep. He checked the clock by his bed. It was just after 2 o'clock in the morning. After a moment he realized why he had woken up. She was doing it again. "No," he heard her cry. "No, I'm telling the truth, please stop, no…" Her cries turned to screams and he sighed as he quickly got out of bed and walked down the hall to Hermione's room. He paused outside of the door. "Please…" he heard her sob, and he opened the door and walked in to see her thrashing in her bed. Without thinking he went quickly over to the bed and sat down beside her, gently touching her forehead. As soon as she felt his hand touch her skin she shot her fist out, her eyes still closed, and punched at him, missing his face by mere inches. "Sodoff, you bastard…kill you…" she mumbled, scowling in her sleep. He stifled a laugh and gently grabbed her arm.
"Granger," he said, leaning closer to her and touching her face again, "wake up. It's a nightmare. You're having a bad dream." She opened her eyes part way, staring at him, disoriented.
"Can't be that bad if you're in it," she mumbled blearily, rolling over away from him and burrowing in her pillow. Draco's mouth fell open before he began to laugh hysterically. As soon as she heard his laughter, she sat up quickly, noticing she was in fact not alone. She met his eyes and gasped. She looked around quickly, then looked back at him, mortified.
"Did I just…did you…" she started to turn red. "Bloody Hell, Malfoy, what are you doing in here?" she cried miserably, grabbing at the covers and pulling them up to her chin. He grinned at her, trying to stop laughing.
"You were having a nightmare, and I heard you all the way down the hall," he explained. Her face fell.
"Oh," she said quietly, still blushing. "I…er…sorry. To wake you, I mean." She looked at him warily, her expression somewhere between terror and curiosity. He reached out and touched her cheek. Her eyes widened and she backed away slightly.
"No…don't apologize. I don't care that it woke me," Malfoy said softly. He paused as they stared at each other in silence. "You have them a lot." She looked away.
"Well I wish you'd told me. I could've put a silencing charm on my room," she whispered. He smiled at her and shook his head.
"I don't mind, really," he said, moving a little close to her. She inched a bit further away from him. She's scared of me, he thought. I'm making her nervous. Draco slid off the bed and stood up. As he did her expression changed: she looked the same way she had that day in Hogsmeade when Parkinson had pulled him away from her. He smiled.
Don't want me to go, Granger? he thought, beginning to feel a warmth spreading through him. Tell me not to go. As she stared back at him, her eyes seemed to be saying just that, but she seemed unable to speak.
"You going to be ok?" he asked looking down at her. She finally smiled.
"Yes. Thank you, Malfoy," she said. "Sorry again to wake you." He walked back over to the bed and quickly, before she could move away, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She gasped, and he smiled at her.
"Goodnight," he said softly as she stared at him, obviously bewildered. She struggled with a response.
"Uh…yes. Goodnight," she stammered as he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
In the hallway outside her room, Malfoy leaned against her door, wondering what he had just done. I think I just kissed her, he thought nervously. Sort of kissed her. He thought of her eyes when she had looked at him. He chuckled when he replayed her words: "Can't be that bad if you're in it," she had said, half-asleep. He was suddenly elated that Parkinson had dumped him.
As he got back in his own bed, he smiled as he thought of Hermione. The way she looked at him…it just made him feel good. He closed his eyes, imagining what might have happened if he hadn't left her room when he did. It was the last thought he had before he fell asleep.