Witches, Wizards, and Muggles alike,

I am having a lot of fun writing this story. I hope this chapter gets things moving. I'm starting to formulate how I want things to progress…. So I hope it goes well. Please let me know what you think! This chapter is going to be a bit angsty… and a bit steamy also. Enjoy!

Love,

SweetSlytherinPrincess

Locomotive

Chapter VI

Consciousness came to him slowly. At first all was quiet, but as time went on he could make out hushed voices, the scratching of quills, and the clicking of shoes on the hard floor. He was laying, propped up slightly. The light was soft, and the room smelled like herbs and clean sheets.

"Madame…" A soft voice started.

"No. This sort of thing cannot be tolerated Stellamordis." The voice that spat back was familiar… crooning and wise. McGonagall. "I will not allow students to be brutalized by each other as a learning device in the classroom. You let go too far." Her voice was stern, with a hint of worry.

"Headmaster. These students have faced much worse. And will face worse again in the near future. I'd be mad not to have them truly practice battle." The voice of the petite women was fierce now, her tone biting.

"Hush. Do not speak such evil. If you wish to maintain your position here, I expect my orders to be followed. Good day." The sound of swaying velvet was the only one to be heard as McGonagall made her departure. Stellamordis huffing and storming off in the other direction, slamming her fist on an end table as she left.

Malfoy stirred, his memory finally returning to him completely. With a groan he sat up, taking in the familiar sight of the infirmary.

"Bloody hell…" He stretched, his limbs aching. The duel had been much more than expected. He was exhausted after dueling one after another after another. But the real game had begun with Hermione. The picture of her fierce determination sending a shiver of pleasure down his spine.

"Malfoy." A voice came softly. He flinched, his head jerking in the direction it came from. Only to find Hermione buried in blankets in a bed not far from his own. Her bruises seeming to mirror his own.

"Yes Granger?" he smirked at her. Her wild hair splayed about her pillow and the blanket pulled up to her chin had her looking like a decapitated medusa. Except of course, Medusa did not look quite as delicious. He could however feel himself becoming stone.

"Why did you hold back?" She managed. Her voice was low, as achy as her body was. "You are much more powerful. I may know more spells…. But you are far stronger. I have no doubt you could have ended me if you had wanted."

Malfoy nearly laughed.

"Ended you?" he pushed a hand through his now tousled blonde hair. "What the bloody hell are you blubbering about?"

"Professor had allowed us to duel. It would have just looked like an accident…."

"Oh hell! Shut your mouth Granger. You're bloody thick in the head if you think that's what I'm out for."

She was silent. Unmoving. Her eyes avoiding meeting his.

"I'm not the same as I was before…." Malfoy sat back against the headboard. "I may not like it here. I may hate nearly every face that reminds me of my past. But I am not the same. You think they would let me back if they really thought I was out to kill? Avenge?" He was speaking to her, but in a way it was almost as if he was consoling himself. Convincing himself.

"I'm here to finish school. I am here to escape whats left of my family. I am here because had I not come here, I would be wasting away in a cold, empty manor. Spending my time counting the house elves as they cleaned blood and dirt of off what is left." Hermione stared at him now, her mouth hanging slightly open.

"What is it that you truly think? Hm? Come on Granger. You've never been afraid to spit it out before." He scoffed. "Not that I really need you to say it. I know you will never be able to forget what I have done to you and your friends. But let me tell you this. You may not ever forget. But you will heal." He looked at her now. His moon-silver eyes boring into hers. "But I will never be able to. Until the day I day, the memory of what I have done will be a fresh, open wound that never ever closes."

"Malfoy…."

"No. Don't speak. You will never understand. I see these walls. I see your face…. And I am reminded of the monster that I was. The monster that I will always be. And I hate it all."

At this, the tears began to freely fall down Hermione's face. Her honey-brown eyes wide with sympathy and heartbreak. The man before her shining in a completely different light. She searched his face, desperate to find a hint of hope in him. But she came up empty.

Slowly she moved from the bed. Her legs weak and bruised, visible from the knee length cotton gown she wore. He watched her, his face hard and unmoving. Her heart raced as she neared him. Unsure of what exactly she was doing, or what exactly she was feeling. She had no idea if he would strike her in retaliation or simply stare past her in his hatred. But as she met his bed, she slowly pulled herself on top, moving over him cautiously. He made no move to stop her, simply stared at her face. Calm, but perhaps it was apprehension.

There she sat. One leg on either side of him. Her bottom resting lightly on his lower torso. Her hands clasped before her, fiddling with themselves in nervousness as she stared wide-eyed at him. He made no movement, his body frozen. His mouth pursed in a tight line.

"Well, this is different." He said finally, a deep harshness in his voice. His smirk was absent. Though internally he was screaming. Her soft weight driving him mad. Her sweet scent fogging his senses as he did his best not to focus on her wet, pink mouth trembling before him. What is god's name had gotten into her?

She learned closer to him, her eyes welling up with tears once more. The fragility of their situation screaming in her face.

"Please…." She whispered. Her breath warm against his skin. Her eyes were heavy low, her dark lashes blinking away tears as she stared down at his tense, strong forearm. The dark mark upon it faded now.

"Please what, Granger?" He was angry now. Fed up with this strange game she was playing. He grasped her wrists firmly and began to move her away, not ready to allow himself to be toyed with.

"Kiss me." Her words were spoken quickly, no more than a whisper. And yet his body froze, his eyes wide. He moved, staring her in the face, scanning over her blushing cheeks, wild hair, and passionate soul.

Draco Malfoy did not need to be asked twice. Then and there his grip relaxed, one hand snaking into her hair as he leaned forward. Her weight settled in his lap, and she had no time to rethink her request for his mouth met hers in a simple, cautious kiss that lasted no more than a few moments. But a few moments were all he needed, he pulled away slowly, raising his eyes to gauge her reaction. His heart raced now, and he could practically hear hers thumping out of her chest.

She was breathless. Her lips sweetly parted and her eyes remained closed as she savored the moment. The taste of him.

"... Granger…?" He said softly, his brows knitting into confusion as he looked upon her unmoving form. She gave no response, and with that his hands found either side of her face as he drew her in. Stronger this time, letting his mouth work against hers with passion. Slowly as first, but soon his mouth grew hungry as they worked together. She kissed him back, losing her mind in the heat of it all. Her own desire pooling between her legs as she parted her lips for his tongue to explore her. His hands fisted in her hair and her body molded against his, letting out a soft moan as his mouth left hers to tease her neck. The sweet sound rocked him to the core, his own body responding to the feel of her, aching to take it for his own.

There was a creak. There was a rattle of a doorknob. And in that moment they both froze, separating from each other in record time. Hermione nearly falling to the ground as she escaped from his lap, moving as far from him as she could before the door swung open to reveal Madame Pomfrey, cheerfully making her rounds.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Mr. Malfoy. And how are we feeling?" She tilted her head at them. "I'd say you both look rather feverish."