I walked bouncily down the hall, the heavy texts books in my shoulder bag weighing my excitement down a bit. I had just grabbed my Defence against the Dark Arts homework from the common room after dinner, now I was off to the boat house.

I had met with Draco 3 times a week for the past 4 weeks in the boat house since the Ball. We had been doing homework in the later evenings, getting to know each other a little better, better than anyone else knew each other.

Harry and Ron hadn't ever gotten to know me on a personal level the way I knew them. Sometimes I felt like their friendship was a little more special than the 3 of ours, but that was okay. Now I had someone and he had me.

I placed my left hand on the cold stone wall for support and headed down the long spiralling stairs to the underground. I felt the cracks in the wall and indents in between the stones under my fingers.

I hadn't really seen Ron or Harry for the past weeks. I'd occasionally check on Harry to see if he had found out how to breathe underwater for an hour, concerned for his life, but other than that, I hadn't even eaten with him at meals. Ron I hadn't seen each other since our argument so it wasn't all that difficult staying out of conflict between them and Draco, which was one of my worst fears right now.

I jumped off the 2nd last step, a tiny echo of the impact surrounding the room. Draco sat in his usual spot, back pressed against the wall. He wore his silver and green stripped scarf and black cloak with a matching crest. He looked up at me and smiled, "Hey."

"Hey," I replied in a sweet tone, "Have you been here long?" I wondered out loud. He was writing in his notebook on top of his hardcover Transfiguration text book, 2 other text books lay open in front of him.

"Nah, I came early anyways, I've got a lot to catch up on." He spoke with no concern. I slid down the wall to sit beside him like always and pulled my bag off my shoulder. I reached in and grabbed the Defence against the Dark Arts text book and set it aside.

"Whatcha working on?" I said playfully.

"Oh, just Arithmancy and Astronomy." He replied. I scooted closer to him to take a look. We worked on Arithmancy together then when we got to Astronomy Draco knew what he was doing.

"The only thing I have is Moody's homework." I sighed, "Do you like him as a Dark Arts teacher?" I looked over to Draco.

"Well sometimes he can get a bit freaky, no wonder everyone says he's mad." Draco said jokingly, "But he must know what he is talking about being an Auror." I nodded in agreement.

"Hey, you know what I've been dyeing to try since last year?" I sprung up from the ground, "Last year in the Forbidden Forrest, Harry produced a patronus! Since then I've just wanted to try and see if I could do it?" I knew I was supposed to be studying and finishing Moody's stupid report but I had lots of time for that.

"Sounds like fun," Draco said in an awkward voice getting up, "You first then, let's see." I took a deep breath, lowered my shoulders and lifted my neck in confidence. I took my wand out of my jean pocket and raised it up, slightly above my head, following the tip with my eyes.

I thought of the moment I put of the sorting hat, when it shouted Gryffindor! I was so happy to know that I wasn't just brains, that there must be a bit of bravery in me. "Expecto Patrollum!" I shouted demandingly. A wisp of a pure white smoky fluid evaporated in front of me, floating higher into the air. I gripped my wand tighter and a defined animal glided toward me, like it was swimming through the air and surrounding mist. It was an otter.

"You did it!" Draco exclaimed in amaze. I lowered my wand and ran up to him. We embraced each other in a warm cozy hug. He swung me around a couple of times then I lowered my foot to steady myself and pulled back my arms still wrapped around his neck.

I stepped down from my tippy toes and pulled my arms down to my side smiling, "Now you!"

He bit his lip, sighed and walked over to the exact spot I had been. He raised his wand to his eye level and commanded, "Expecto Patrollum!"

The same silvery white mist spilled from the tip of his wand, more and more. It made a thick cloudy haze far in front of him and slowly formed into a creature I had once seen before. It pranced around him then ran towards the ceiling and gently exploded in mid-air.

My eyes widened as I looked towards him. I noticed my jaw hanging open and I snapped it shut, "Oh my god." I said stunned.

Draco reached his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it eagerly as if it helped distract him from the conversation. "Kind of girly, I know." He said embarrassed.

"Draco, your patronus is a Unicorn!" I exclaimed, "Didn't you know patronuses are especially powerful when in the form of a magical creature! Draco this isn't girly it's special!"

"No, Hermione, it's not special it's embarrassing!" He argued loudly, "It may be a magical creature but it doesn't show bravery or strength or anything manly, it means that I'm like a unicorn!"

"Oh!" I sighed in relief, "You think a Patronus represents you! A patronus isn't a reflection of the person casting it Draco, it's a reflection of who the caster sees as their protector. So you see someone with characteristics of a Unicorn and that someone you are thinking of makes you feel safe."

"Oh," He bit his lip and lightly blushed, "Then why was yours the otter? What's so protective about someone like that?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure," I admitted shyly, "But I think I might have a clue."

"When I got my letter my parents were ecstatic, don't get me wrong! But after knowing I was a witch I did feel somewhat secluded from everyone. My parents didn't really act proud, more like I was a special needs child or something." I watched my words not wanting to misinterpret my parent's support, "After I met Ron and got to know his family over these past years, they've just felt like my 2nd family. They're always full of joy and life, they comfort me and somewhat reassured me that I wasn't different in a bad way."

I didn't like bringing up Ron and Harry with Draco, worried that he might get worked up about it but it didn't seem to bother him as much as I thought. "Well I feel the Weasley family is like my own family and that would do anything to protect me like their own. An otter is part of the weasel family, so if you put 2 and 2 together, weasel and Weasley. But I'm just guessing."

I smiled as the memories came back of staying at their humble little home. I thought about Ron and Harry. I was forgetting something, something important.

"Draco what day is it?" I looked up at him worried.

"It's the 24th is it not?" He replied in confusion.

"Oh my god!" My voice faded as I came to a realisation.

"I have to go!" I said wide eyed, Draco looking confused, "I'm sorry." I said sympathetically and packed up my single text book and slung the bag over my shoulder and ran up the stairs. I had to find Harry.

I had never blown them off! What was I supposed to tell them I had been doing? I couldn't tell them I had been with Draco, I'd just say I was finishing my report in the common room, that's it! Hopefully they wouldn't be too suspicious to ask anyone if I was there. Or if they could copy my report.

I dashed down the halls, faster than I had ever run before not needing to think of where to turn, I knew this route from anywhere, to the Library. I was supposed to have met Harry and Ron there almost an hour ago!

I turned to face the door and lightly opened it, hoping my heaving breathes weren't as loud to everyone else as they were to me. I crossed aisle after aisle finally coming to the Herbology section. I looked through for useful books. Out of all books I have read, none of them have suggested how to hold your breath underwater for an hour!

I turned around and saw Harry sitting at a desk with books piled up beside him, "Did you find anything?" I walked over to him nervously. He shook his head, his nose for the first time almost touching the pages of the book he was reading. He kept repeating the same words under his breath over and over, some tricky riddle.

I looked through books on the shelf behind him, "It's obviously in the black lake, we knew that." I said to myself and Harry reviewing what I knew, pretending that I had been there the whole time. Harry had told me weeks ago that he had figured out the egg, all we needed to figure out was how he could manage breathing underwater for an hour! But that was so long ago and he still hadn't found a way.

"This is going to be an even bigger problem than I thought." I said a little too loud, Harry thought I was talking to him and turned to look at me with his mouth open and eyes narrowed.

"A big problem?" He said offensively, "Hermione when is the last time you held your breath under water for an hour? The challenge is tomorrow, if we don't figure it out I could die!" He stuck his nose back in the book, I doubt expecting he would actually find anything. He had given up.

"Look Harry! We can do this!" I shouted for the first time in the Library, looking over to Ron who was in an aisle over scanning for useful books, "The 3 of us, together. Look I kn-"I was interrupted by a familiar voice which disgusted me.

"Hate to break up this studying session but Professor McGonagall would like to see you." Moody smiled and we all walked forward glumly to go with the Professor, "Not you Harry, just Weasley and Granger." He ordered. I looked back at a vulnerable looking Harry as we walked away, leaving him helpless in the hands of absolutely no one.

The walk was silent and short considering McGonagall's office wasn't all that far from the Library. Moody pushed the large dark wooden door open and followed us in. When we stepped into the room we saw McGonagall sitting at her desk pleasantly smiling at us. A crash of what sounded like china or something delicate shattering came from far behind her in another room. We slowly walked over to her desk a little suspicious, and took a seat.

"Here have some tea." McGonagall suggested and a tin tea kettle poured the hot drink into 2 tiny matching teacups. I looked up at McGonagall expecting her to speak but she just sat there waiting for the cream and sugar to finish. I picked up the little cup and took a short silent sip while Ron was still waiting for his sugar.

"I'm sorry you 2." She sighed. She continued to speak but the words all blurred together. I looked to my left dreamily to see Ron finish gulping his tea down and then my eyelids shut and I hung my head.