Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I am just an unemployed ballet dancer right now, with no money.

Chapter 8

The two of them sat quietly for a moment. Hermione was still soaking in all of her newfound knowledge of Draco's background, and Draco was wondering how she was going to react.

"Draco?" Hermione asked cautiously. "Why did you seek me out that first day of classes? Why did you ask me to study with you?"

His expression was one she wouldn't forget for a while. After his whole confession, this was the question she asked?

"I don't know," he replied cautiously. "You were a familiar face. Most people like the anonymity of going to a place where no one knows them or their background. I guess I had met so many new people for so long that I craved someone from Hogwarts. From home. I mean, Hogwarts had been our home for so long. I'd lived there almost half my life." He shrugged and a grin spread across his face. "And, I liked your purple knickers. It proved that you weren't the uptight little bookworm anymore. That there was more to you than I had always thought there was."

Hermione's jaw dropped and she gasped. Grabbing a pillow from the sofa, she wailed on him. Draco dodged her blows, laughing. The tension was released from the atmosphere. He rose from his spot on the table and ran down the hallway. Hermione chased after him, catching up to him with the pillow in her hand.

Midway down the hallway, Draco grabbed her around the waist, trapping her arms. He pulled her close to him and leaned against the wall. Losing her footing, she fell against him, dropping the pillow.

"Why, you little rotten…" Hermione's voice was light and breathy. She pressed her hands against his chest, and she could hear the rapid beating of his heart beneath her palm.

Draco captured her lips with his own, holding her tightly to him. It wasn't soft or light or even sensual. It spoke of desperation and hope and something else… something Hermione couldn't place.

He released her lips and bent his head so that his forehead touched hers. "Stay the night with me," he whispered. There was a soft plea behind his words. "I just want to hold you. I want company. I… I've never told anyone before."

Hermione swallowed. "Okay," she answered, unsure of how to react.

A relieved smile crossed his countenance. "Thanks," he murmured. His hands slipped down her arms. "I don't think I want to study anymore tonight. Want to watch a movie?"

Hermione nodded and they walked down the hallway to relax a bit more before bedtime. They didn't speak much more that night.

Later that night, lying in bed, Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione and squeezed her tightly to him. She lay with her back to his chest and she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. Smachimo curled himself in a ball at their feet, purring contentedly. She fell asleep feeling safe and secure for the first time in a long time.

Three days later, Hermione received a scathing note from Harry. He clearly had not gotten over Sunday's argument. She repeatedly told herself that Harry needed time and to overlook the nasty comments he made about her character. He concluded the letter with, "When you finally realize that he is just using you, I know that you'll return to me."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stuffed the note in a desk drawer. There wasn't a "Harry" side and a "Draco" side. Harry needed to get over his prejudices against Draco and move on with his life. Harry would apologize later to her; she would make sure of that.

The next day, Hermione received a letter from Ron, who was studying magical creatures in the Redwood Forest in California in the United States. He had been thrilled by the opportunity of the two year internship, which he had started in June of that year. She had only heard from him once since he had left.

Dear Herms,

If what Harry told me is true, Malfoy has finally emerged and found you. You don't really think he's changed, do you? You're just deluded by your hormones. Don't let a good snog warp your brain. I didn't trust him at Hogwarts. I don't trust him now. Stay away from him. Don't make me have to come home to fix things.

Ron

She had torn that letter up and thrown it out. She was going to murder both boys before Lucius did if they weren't careful.

She had a supporter in Ginny. They went out together for a day of shopping several weeks after the Quidditch match. Wandering in Selfridges on Oxford Street, they piled their arms with dresses and jumpers and skirts and pants to bring into the dressing rooms.

"Harry will come around," said Ginny, as she pulled another pale green jumper from the rack. "It's just taking time. He and I had a long talk about you and Malfoy the other night."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I can't believe the two of you actually spent time discussing my love life." She blew an errant strand of hair out of her eyes as she pushed aside a few skirts to find her size and the color she wanted.

"Well, it's more interesting than mine right now," declared Ginny, grinning. "Once you get past the whole 'I've fallen for you' and 'Let's move in together' faze, it gets kind of boring."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "You're moving in together?"

Ginny nodded.

"How did your mum take it?" Hermione asked.

Ginny paused in her perusal and looked at Hermione. "How do you think she took it?"

Hermione shook her head, laughing. Ginny went back to searching through the jumpers.

"Yeah, Mum blew a gasket. She was in kittens." Ginny's voice rose two octaves as she imitated her mother. "'Ginerva Weasley, I never thought I'd see the day when one of my children moved in with a member of the opposite sex before getting married. I forbid it. You're not even twenty years old!' Then, she started wailing." Ginny sighed and gathered the clothes she had been carrying into both of her arms. "I understand where she's coming from. It's, just, I don't want to leave Harry alone in Grimmauld Place by himself. There're too many memories. She agreed, finally, but only if someone else moves in with us."

Hermione gazed at her skeptically. "So who is moving in with you both?"

They made their way into the dressing rooms and found two that were adjacent to each other.

"You'll never believe it," said Ginny. "We think Neville and Luna are both going to move in."

"Really!?" cried Hermione. She pulled on a skirt and a shirt before exiting the stall. She turned sideways to look at herself in the three-way mirror.

Ginny emerged from her own dressing room in a pretty blue dress, nodding. "Really. Luna loves the idea of venturing into London. Plus, she thinks she may have gotten a job at the Ministry. Neville's ready to move out of his grandmother's place and was looking anyway. They both jumped at the chance." She joined Hermione in front of the mirror. "Do you think this makes me look fat?"

Hermione shot her friend a look and rolled her eyes. "Ginny, you always look great in everything. Shut up." And, indeed, her friend had a petite frame and subtle curves. She carried herself very well in most clothes.

The girls returned to their respective stalls to dress in their next outfits. Ginny came out in another dress, but Hermione had changed into a sage jumper and an A-line corduroy brown skirt. They returned to the three-way mirror. No one else was in the dressing room.

"So, do you believe me when I say that I think Draco's changed and grown up?" Hermione asked, casually. She tugged on the sweater a bit.

"I think that you think that he's changed," stated Ginny, sliding her hands down her sides.

Hermione tilted her head towards her friend. "I really do believe he has. At first, I thought it as just an act, but he and I had a good talk the other night." One side of her mouth tilted upwards in the beginnings of a smile and she quickly avoided her friend's gaze. "Well, he talked and I listened. It was… enlightening, to say the least."

Hermione paused before she questioned, "Gin, how did everyone else at school view Harry? I mean, I know that they got really angry when Harry was picked to participate in the tournament, despite the fact that he was underage. And, half the school believed he was opening the Chamber of Secrets in Second Year, but on a day-to-day basis, do you think that Harry got privileges that none of the rest of us did?"

Ginny seemed to think about her question. Slowly, she replied, "I think that a lot of people felt second-best to Harry, especially the students in your year. Harry got away with a lot of stuff, and a lot of times, he was rewarded for breaking the rules because in the end, he saved the rest of us from You-Know-Who. The other kids never realized what he was going through, emotionally, I mean. Let's face it—we were kids. We don't think about other people's feelings. We're so wrapped up in our own lives."

Hermione nodded, a little surprised that Ginny's words echoed Draco's words. "How did that make you feel?"

Ginny shrugged. "I think I was so in love with him, even at that point, that it didn't bother me. I was always thinking about him and his feelings that I didn't have time to feel jealous over all the attention that he received. Why?"

Hermione half-heartedly smiled. "Nothing. Just a discussion from the other day."

Ginny let the statement slip by. She glanced one more time at her reflection before saying, "Let's go grab some lunch. I'm hungry."

They finished trying their clothes on, purchased a few and headed to Figo's, where Hermione caught up on the latest gossip about her former Hogwarts' dorm mates.

Autumn faded into winter, and with winter approaching, so were end-of-semester exams. Hermione had outlined a full study schedule for herself as well as Draco. She was shocked when he smirked at her and handed her the schedule that he had made up for her. They were so similar that they scratched them both and created a schedule together.

They had signed up for classes for the following semester, and they managed to secure three classes together. Hermione was hesitant to assume that their relationship would still be congenial at that point, but something about the way Draco looked at her made her think that they would still be getting along well.

One evening, they were absorbed in studying at Draco's flat when something caught Hermione's eye. She gazed out the window and saw soft white snow floating gently from the heavens. It was lazy and gentle as it fell, and Hermione was entranced by the sight.

"Oh!" Her breath caught in her throat. "It's snowing." She slid her text book off of her lap, and walked swiftly to the window to gaze outside.

She felt Draco approach her, and he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her snugly to him. "It looks like it's been snowing for a while."

Hermione leaned against the glass to peer down at the ground below them. "Oh, wow. It has been." An inch of white snow had settled on the grass, and icicles had formed on some of the tree branches outside.

Draco abruptly pulled away from her. "I have an idea." He tossed her shoes and her coat to her. "Put them on." He hurried down the hallway to the guest bedroom without waiting to see if Hermione obeyed him.

Hermione did as she was told. Draco emerged once again wearing a warm coat and a knit hat, carrying a green blanket.

"Come on," he said, smiling eagerly. He headed back down the hallway, a very confused Hermione in his wake.

He reached the end of the hallway and stopped at a door. Hermione had always supposed it was a closet, and she let out a gasp when she saw the stairs leading upwards.

"It leads to the roof," Draco explained, climbing the stairs. Hermione followed him. "My mother insisted on a rooftop patio when she found out that I was moving to London. She hates being away from the country, and she believes everyone needs a garden. So, I let her change whatever she wanted up here."

Hermione gazed around as she reached the top of the stairs. A four foot wall surrounded the whole flat rooftop. Greenery filled large pots. Long, shallow planters that would fill with colorful wildflowers in the spring were separated by brick paths. Benches and large boulders were scattered around, and a trellis stood against the west side of the building. Everything was covered with a light dusting of white snow.

"This is beautiful," she declared as she stepped into the paradise before her. "I had no idea."

Draco shrugged, sticking his hands in his jeans pockets. "I haven't really brought anyone up here yet." He had laid out the blanket on a flat boulder. Reaching out to her, he said, "Come here. Lay down."

They settled themselves down on the rock. It was cold outside, but not bitter. Hermione charmed the air above them to create a transparent bubble to keep the snowflakes from hitting their faces directly. She closed her eyes and smiled. Silence filled the air, and neither spoke. They lay there for several minutes before Hermione heard a rustle.

She opened her eyes to see Draco propped up on one of his elbows looking down at her.

"You look so peaceful lying there," he observed. Leaning down, he gently pressed his lips to hers before pulling back. "I was just wondering what you were thinking about."

Hermione smiled shyly. "I was thinking about us. If anyone at Hogwarts told me that we would be friends in the near future, I would have punched them in the nose."

"Friends? That's it? We're just friends?" Draco cried, mockingly. "Do you kiss your other friends like you kiss me?"

She giggled again and hit him playfully. "Okay, we're more than friends. I guess… I guess you're my boyfriend."

Draco's mouth twisted into a smile. "Boyfriend, huh? I kind of like the sound of that." He nodded to himself. He leaned over and kissed her again before laying back down.

They stayed there for a long time together, holding hands and enjoying each other's company in silence until they got too cold to remain outside.

Classes would not end until December twenty-third, just before the holidays, but their exams were scheduled for the first week of December. This would enable them to find out if they would be able to return the following semester. Anyone with a grade point average of below 2.50 would be dismissed from the program.

They were given WWIDs—Wizard and Witch Identification Numbers. These consisted of two letters—WD if you were a wizard or WT if you were a witch—three digits for the class (they were the 132rd class to have entered the program), and two digits for the individual. For instance, Hermione's number was WT13222. These numbers were to protect the identities of those students who didn't wish everyone to know their grades.

Hermione studied more and more as the days approached. Between classes, she could be found in the Student Center buried in book or in the cafeteria reciting her notes. She became more irritable as exams approached, and even Draco left her to her own devices for the last two days prior to the week of exams.

Every evening after their exam, she wanted to rehash the answers with Draco. The first day, he grudgingly obliged. The second day, he started to get annoyed. By the third day, he cut her off immediately.

"Hermione, it's over!" he cried. "I don't feel like discussing every aspect of the exam right now. I want to go over Physiology and Anatomy one more time."

She huffed off, muttering. Draco caught the words "just like Ron" and "Hogwarts", and began to secretly sympathize with Potter and Weasley.

Finally, exams were over, and classes returned to normal. Their results were to be posted in three days time, and Hermione bit off all of her nails in anticipation. All of their results were to be posted on the bulletin board by the Charms classroom. The parchment would list their WIDDs and then all of their exam results next to it for the rest of their classmates to see.

A group of twenty or so students were surrounding the results when Hermione approached the Charms classroom on the Wednesday after exam week. She stopped, dead still, reminding herself not to get upset if her grades were not what they were at Hogwarts. She was competing with some of the brightest witches and wizards of her age.

She convinced herself to join the crowd and slowly trudged over. She heard a few squeals of pleasure and a few groans of frustration. Pushing her way through the crowd, she approached the parchment hanging on the wall. The others surrounding her grew silent, aware that Hermione was one of the top in their class.

Hermione's eyes scanned the parchment. Her fingertip rose and scanned the list of numbers representing names, starting at the bottom. Slowly, her finger and her eyes rose. Her breath hitched. Her throat caught. She swallowed tightly as she found her name. Her eyes had stopped one line before the top. She was number two in the class. Her GPA read 4.23. The wizard above her had earned a 4.25. She had been beaten by two-hundredths of a point.

Her voice wavered as she whispered, "Who is WD13267?" No one answered; they were slightly afraid of her. Louder, she demanded, "Who is WD13267?"

A masculine voice from the end of the hallway answered, "Who wants to know?"

The crowd turned to the voice. Draco Malfoy sauntered down the hallway, his book bag thrown over his shoulder, his face flushed from the cold outside.

Hermione strode purposefully towards him. "Are you WD13267?"

Draco stopped several feet away from her, taken aback by her fierce gaze and hard voice. He nodded slowly.

"You jerk!" A small female bundle hurled herself at him, playfully smacking his chest. He stumbled backwards and fell, dropping his bag; Hermione ended up on top of him, straddling him. She was pounding his chest and screaming nonsensical words.

Draco managed to understand "Number One" and "beating me" before he was grabbed by his collar and kissed senseless in front of a bunch of his classmates.

There were a few hoots and hollers before he broke the kiss. Hermione was staring down at him, breathing heavily.

"Do you mean to say that I beat you in all of our exams?" A satisfied grin spread slowly across his face.

"Not all of them," huffed Hermoine, crossing her arms over her chest and blowing a strand of curly hair out of her eyes. "In general, you… you… succeeded in obtaining a slightly… and I mean slightly… " She was unceremoniously shoved off Draco's lap.

Draco shoved his way to the results as Hermione picked herself up off the floor. He stared at his scores for a long moment before punching the air with his fist and letting out a "Yes!" He whirled around, picked up Hermione around the waist and spun her around. Setting her down, he gave her a deep kiss.

The other students laughed and turned back to their conversations.

"I did it." Draco grinned stupidly. He squeezed her tightly. "I beat you."

Hermoine stared up at him, excitement coursing through her. "You did." She paused. "This time."

But Draco didn't hear her. He was in a state of total bliss. He picked up his bag, grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her into the Charms classroom.