Hermione sighed as she watched her friend's apperate back to the Order's Headquarters. Their visit was far too short, considering the long day that she had ahead of her now. Gazing longingly out the window, she thought of all of the wonderful things she could be doing today.

"Everything okay Granger?" inquired Draco from his chair in the corner of the room.

"Yes, everything is fine. I guess I'm just beginning to suffer from Cabin Fever. Being cooped up in this little shack isn't exactly stimulating for me you know. What I wouldn't give for a good old muggle telly right about now."

"Perhaps a story might cheer you up?" Draco suggested.

"That sounds good," replied Hermione. "Why don't you tell me some more about what it was like growing up in Malfoy Manor?"

"What is there to tell? My Father was a bully, who taught me to be a bully, and my mother was a snob. I feel guilty admitting this, but I used to wonder if she didn't have to keep her nose up like that because of some wonky eye problem" Draco laughed. Hermione laughed at him.

"Truthfully," he continued, "it was lonely. My father would only approve of pureblood playmates from families that he approved of. That's how I came to be saddled with Crabbe and Goyle for so long. Whenever our fathers would get together to rehash the 'good old days' I would be left entertaining these dimwits for hours. Purity of blood isn't exactly a guarantee of intellect."

"Caught that did you?" Hermione giggled. Truthfully, she had always wondered how they dressed themselves in the morning without somebody directing them.

"As a matter of fact, I caught that right away, thank you very much. How do you think I got them to do what I wanted them to? When my mother would tell me I wasn't allowed to have something like sweets, I would have Crabbe and Goyle fetch some for me. I learned to boss people around by dealing with those two." Draco eyes glazed over for a moment, as if lost in thought.

"What about you Granger, what was life like raised by muggles?" he inquired.

"Well, very different from yours I suppose. I went to a normal muggle primary school, and had normal muggle friends. People always ask you "what do you want to be when you grow up" expecting a ten year old to have their life goals mapped out already. I always said a teacher, because I knew that I would be allowed to read all day without anybody saying anything about it. When I got my letter from Hogwarts and we finally understood what it was, my parents were very proud of me, even if they still weren't entirely sure what they were proud of me for. It was decided that they would let me spend a year at Hogwarts, and if I didn't want to be there, or they felt that it was leading nowhere, they would allow me to resume my schooling in the muggle world."

"What about you, were you apprehensive about attending Hogwarts at all?" Draco prodded, thinking about the fear he had glimpsed in her eyes that first day.

"If you must know the truth, I was terrified. As soon as we got my books I dove right in there. I was so sure that everyone who had been raised in the wizarding world would know everything about magic, and I just didn't want to be left behind. I have an astounding fear of failure, and so I feel driven to succeed. Even if it did win me the title of "insufferable know it all" it was worth it."

"You have a fear of failure?" laughed Draco facetiously; "You would never have known it by your Bogart on the obstacle course third year."

"You know, I don't think I have ever managed to live that down," blushed Hermione, still embarrassed that her worst fear was revealed to be failing a test.

"Well don't we make a fine couple," Draco smiled as he moved to sit on the edge of her bed, "the bouncing ferret and the know it all". He took her hand in his as he looked into her eyes.

"I think it's a fine couple indeed."

Hermione stared into his eyes, getting lost in them. She was intrigued by the silver specks mingling with the blue of his eyes. She had never noticed that before, or the kindness that she saw in those eyes now. His white blonde hair fell into his eyes just a little bit, but he didn't brush the wayward strands away. Beautifully pale skin, like fresh milk, and the softest looking mouth, why hadn't she noticed that before? She had seen that mouth sneer at her and curse at her, but she wasn't accustomed to the gentle smile that played on his face at that moment. She closed her eyes confused by his tenderness and immediately she felt his lips on hers.

His kiss was gentle and sweet, and perhaps the most puzzling of all, it was hesitant. She knew that he was waiting for some sort of signal from her as to whether or not she would allow him to continue. Hermione responded to his silent questions by sliding her arms around his neck and pulling him closer.

Almost immediately, she began to argue with herself. What are you doing? You can't kiss him! He's a Malfoy first of all, the very boy who made your life miserable for so many years. Yes, but he's changed. He's sweeter somehow; more gentle, more like a human being and less like a toad than he was in school. But what about Ron? Don't you love Ron? More than anything in the world. My heart belongs to Ron and it always will, I need to stop this…I have to stop this…. come on Hermione, just pull away!

But Hermione's body wouldn't respond to her commands, only to the touch of the Blonde haired man before her now. The more she argued with herself the more she realized that she couldn't resist him, not when he was laying on the charm as thickly as he was. And if she were truly honest with herself, Hermione would have admitted to herself that she didn't want to resist him.