Set in Chamber of Secrets - Hermione has just been petrified.
Draco had heard the news. The whole school had heard the news yet Draco could not stop thinking about it since pansy told him with a laugh that made him want to hex her so she wouldn't be able to look into a mirror without crying for some time. However, he restrained himself covered his worry with a smirk and said in a menacing voice that even surprised him "Good, the stupid know-it-all Mudblood deserves it. Can't say I didn't know it would be her, I did warn potty and weaselbee."
The statement seemed to satisfy his slytherin followers and Pansy, Theo, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle carried on with their conversation allowing Draco alone time with his thoughts. However, he wasn't glad. Why wasn't he glad? He should be glad he hates Hermione, has hated her since he first laid eyes on her stupid frizzy hair bouncing into his first year compartment on The Hogwarts Express enquiring whether or not he had seen Neville Longbottom's toad. But the truth was that he couldn't stand the thought of her laying in a hospital bed petrified. He was worried and that scared him. He wanted to see her and that scared him. He wanted to hold her and make sure no harm ever came to her again and that scared him. But most of all it made him angry to be scared, Malfoys are never scared, a line drilled into his head by his father after receiving it as a child after waking up from various nightmares and not allowed to be comforted by a parent.
His whole body itched to see her, to stroke her hair and admire her beauty upfront. It was interrupting his life, his schoolwork, his homework, his sleep and he decided that he would visit her tonight when every one was asleep and he could finally shout at her for feeling like this.
It was past twelve and every one in Draco's dormitory was finally asleep. Blaise being Draco's closest and probably only true friend seemed to think something was wrong, of course he was right, but that didn't change the fact that Draco denied it and ushered him to bed. Draco snuck out of the room without a backwards glance and ran through the slytherin common room. He muffled a low 'lumos' and slowly walked down the familiar halls to the hospital wing. As he got halfway he heard a fast approaching noise behind him and whispered 'Nox' and hid behind a statue of a bird with wings waiting for the thing to pass him. A couple of minutes later the older Weasly prefect passed probably finishing his rounds looking for young students out of their beds just like Draco. His name was something like Piers or Perry maybe Percy, Draco wasn't sure and didn't care much all he knew was that he was very annoying and disliked slytherin very much. He probably wouldn't be very forgiving to Draco who had snuck out to see his younger brother's best friend in hospital. However with a quick look around with his wand he turned around and headed back to the Gryffindor common room.
Draco breathed a sigh of relief and waiting till the low glow of the wand properly disappeared before coming out of his hiding place and carried on towards the hospital wing. As he opened the door however and entered he saw another Weasly and immediately dropped to the floor to prevent the ginger from spotting him and asking him unwanted questions he wouldn't have an answer to. This particular Weasly was Ron and he was hunched over Hermione his hand tucked into her frozen one. He was having a conversation with and Draco crawled closer to hear better. Draco scoffed, he was crawling on a stone floor to try and hear a conversation between a Mudblood and a blood-traitor what would father say he wondered but honestly didn't give a crap and needed to be closer the close intimacy between them really bothering him.
"I know you can't hear me mione and its probably better that way. Don't know if I would be able to say this to your face otherwise. But I miss you Hems I really do. I miss you sitting in the common room with a book way to big for you hands to hold. I miss you moaning about my handwriting when you look over mine and Harry's potion essays. Harry misses you too. I know he does just not the way I do. But don't worry Hems the mandrakes are coming along and your be back to us soon, back to me. And I know you cant hear me but in a few years you will know where you belong too and I will tell you about this chat on our wedding night. Tell you that it took you being petrified by a creature we at this moment do not know for me to realise that I've fallen in love with a bushy head know-it-all and wouldn't change a thing." The ginger said and Draco was mentally fuming he practically stole his whole speech for crying out loud.
But the ginger continued "What was you doing in that library Hermione? You know it was dangerous especially for a muggleborn you're the prime target! I swear as soon as you wake up I'm going to kill you." he looked up to the clock and sighed. "Gotta get back herms you know how dangerous It is being out of the dorm but I will be back soon. I promise." He got up and pushed a slow lingering kiss to her forehead. "Love you Herms" And then walked out, pass Draco obviously too wrapped up in his thoughts to even realise he was there.
Draco breathed in for a second before pushing himself up and looking at the beauty before him. Her face normally so warm and smiley had changed so much, her eyes were wide in shock her mouth slightly open like a frozen gasp and a little blush still held on her cheeks. He took his hand and rested in on her cheek, It was cold like stone. So he removed it not wanting to remember her like this. He took the seat Ron was just occupying and hunched forward his elbows on the edge of her bed, his hands in his hair. He gulped down the salvia and opened his mouth to speak.
"Hey Hermione bet I'm the last person you ever expected to see here" he let out a dry laugh then continued "trust me I'm surprised too. I'm sorry about calling you a Mudblood I didn't mean it and I didn't want this for you. To be honest you being here is making me feel sick. But why is that Hermione you're the smartest witch of our generation come tell me when you figure it out okay? I'm counting on you because I have no idea. All I know is that I'm worried and I seriously want to beat up your ginger friend for wanting to marry you. Is that unfair? your probably have a better life with him than me. Not that we will ever get our chance. We are enemies and we have to know our place. Your good, I'm evil. Your light, I'm dark. Only you can change that, only you can bring me back from the dark." He stroked a piece of loose hair behind her ear and continued "We could be good together. I suppose our intellect fits. Even though I'm always one step behind you that always pissed my dad off, thank you very much" He smiled and imagined her doing the same. "I hope this mandrake potion hurries up you are interrupting my studies. Your grades may never fall but some people have to work hard for there grades we all cant be natural genius'." He sighed and held his hand to her cheek. "Seriously now I need you back. Even though nothing is going to change, our little fights are the highlight of my day. I'm going to carry on being a bastard to you Hermione I want you to know that I don't mean a word of it even if you only know deep down in you subconscious." He breathed a sigh of strength in and said "It seems you have two suitors Hermione because I think I'm falling in love with you too."
"You're what?" Draco heard from the doorway of the infirmary and whipped his head around a lightening speed to see who had followed him and heard every word he said.
Blaise Zabini. Thank god it could be worse.
"Your in love with Hermione Granger, Gryffindors Princess?" Blaise asked
Draco silently nodded seeing no point in lying. Blaise walked towards him and sat down next to him in the empty seat and starting speaking to Hermione as well.
"Wow, this must be a shock. Two slytherin in one night. What would godric say? You would be lucky to have drake he's not the arrogant, horrible prejudice git you see round school everyday. There's way more to him. Just thought you might like to know for when you wake up. Come to the Dungeon we will make you feel right at home"
Draco looked up at him in shock before Blaise started walking. He turned around and said "Come on drake its late, I'm tired, say goodnight and lets go. Your secret is safe with me." before turning round and giving Draco some privacy.
"See Granger im not who you think I am. I'm your soulmate masquerading as your enemy. Maybe one day your see the true me." and with that he lightly kissed her cheek and left.
A week later when Hermione had been un-petrified she ran into the hall and hugged Harry and Ron before taking her seat. However what everyone failed to see was her glance at Draco Malfoy two tables over for what most wizards didn't know that being petrified doesn't mean you cant see, smell or even hear. For what Ron, Draco and Blaise failed to realise was that Hermione heard everything and had some thinking to do in the upcoming years of being at Hogwarts.