Hermione lay with him for a while more before she felt her eyes growing heavy. It wasn't any time at all before she could barely keep them open. She kissed him goodnight and crept out of his room so as not to wake her parents and have them thinking all sorts of nonsense.

She climbed into her cold bed and sighed. Why couldn't he go back to breaking the rules? She chuckled to herself. She never thought she would think something like that. Maybe it was just that she wanted to fall asleep back in his arms.

She wasn't going to complain though, she loved the fact that he wanted to impress her parents and become a better person for her.

So why do I feel guilty?

Suddenly she was so very awake. She sighed again. He was changing so much for her, it almost seemed unfair that she was letting him.

It's what he wants… or is it? How am I supposed to know when he never talks to me?

She grunted and rolled over, planting her face firmly into the pillow. Trying to get him to open up is like trying to tell a centaur how to behave; or like pulling teeth.

How was she going to find out whether all of this was something that he wanted for himself or what he thought that she wanted of him? But why would he have approached her in the first place if he didn't want to change something? It was all too much to think about really. For now she was just going to have to accept the fact that everything in his mind was a tightly guarded secret

Soon enough, the sleep that had been evading her since she climbed into bed began to overcome her. It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep.

The next morning she woke up and stretched out, still groggy and sleepy. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was already nine.

Had I really slept in for that long? She thought to herself as she reluctantly swung her legs over the side of the bed and rubbed her eyes. She stretched her body out and sighed. When she saw her hair in the mirror she pulled a face and decided that she didn't want Draco to see her looking so dishevelled and brushed it down a little before heading downstairs.

She could already hear her parents as she walked down the stairs. There was laughter coming from the kitchen and when she rounded the corner she was surprised to see Draco sitting at the bench with her mother.

The moment he saw her he gave her a big smile and her mother turned around to do the same.

"Morning sweetheart, I was beginning to wonder if you were even still here." She chuckled. "Draco and I were just discussing our love of books, though I must say that I have not heard of half of his favourites, I suppose that's the price I pay for being a muddle."

"I think you mean muggle, mum." Hermione said lightly.

She waved her hands about and made a tsk sound. "Muddle, muggle, it doesn't matter how you say it dear, it's probably true. You will have to get me a copy of that one you were talking about Draco, I would love to read it." She put a hand over Draco's and gave it a little squeeze. "What was it called again?"

"Uh, Blue Cauldron." He said as his eyes darted up to Hermione and back to her mother.

"I shall have to get Hermione to go looking." She whispered. "Your father is just having a shower, we thought we could go for a wander through Arboretum Park before lunch." She said, turning back to Hermione.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Hermione replied, rubbing her eyes a little.

"Good, well, I'll go and see what's taking your father so long while you get some breakfast." She hopped up and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek before wandering off into her bedroom.

Draco sat looking a little awkward in the chair. "Why do you look so traumatised? Sorry that I slept so long, I hope my mother didn't ramble too much." Hermione said.

"I didn't mind, honestly. I actually… quite liked it."

Hermione smiled and sat on his lap, giving him a fleeting kiss. "So what's this book you were telling my mother about?"

"Oh, just one I've read." He shrugged.

She felt like screaming right in his face. Sure, he can talk to my mother but he closes up for me? She just couldn't understand him. "I will find out you know, even if it is just to appease my mother." She gave him a little smile and stood up to make herself some breakfast.

Draco had already eaten, Hermione's mother had insisted on making something for him. He thought that he probably had a perpetual pinkness to his cheeks having been given all this attention. It was quite unusual for him.

Hermione finished her breakfast and her parents walked out and sat by the table as they waited for her to grab a warmer coat before heading out for the day.

As they drove the short distance to the Arboretum Draco finally saw everything around him in such colour. He noticed the green of the grass that was coming through after the winter snow, he noticed the red brick roof panels on the houses down the laneways, even the small yellow buds on the new plants; everything seems so different now.

He couldn't remember the last time his parents took him out anywhere, or let him invite someone to their home who wasn't a Slytherin… or worse… Hermione's parents didn't care about any of that. Maybe that was because they were muggles and didn't know, but that didn't matter to him.

They parked outside the visitors centre at the Arboretum and went for a wander through it. Draco wasn't too sure what the point of all this was but he enjoyed it all the same. He liked listening to Hermione's father talk about working here when he was in high school. Muggle jobs were actually interesting, in the fact that they seem rather aimless and he's not sure why they would like to do them, but that was the fascinating part.

They decided to take a walk around the park; Hermione hoped that it would be a brisk one because it was a little chilly. She walked with her mother and discussed her exams while Draco walked alongside her father; who was still going on and on about his past jobs.

The man could definitely talk.

"I suppose you have a whole other spectrum of job choices ahead of you. If I were in your shoes my head would be absolutely spinning." He said.

"It's a bit like that, but I couldn't imagine doing any of your jobs either. I've never even heard of an electrician." Draco said.

He was starting to feel more comfortable around her parents now.

"Are your parents both magical?"

"Yes, they are." Draco gritted his teeth, he really didn't want to talk about them but he didn't want to be rude either.

"So I suppose you're about as used to all this as we were those few times we visited diagonal alley with Hermione." Draco smiled as he mispronounced the name but he didn't correct him.

"It does feel a bit like that." He smiled.

"Well, if you ever need anything, advice or maybe an electrician, you can count on me." He put an arm around Draco's shoulder.

"Thanks."

Hermione and her mother were walking a little way behind the other two and Hermione smiled as she saw her father embrace Draco. She just felt so happy in that moment.

"Your dad seems to have really taken a shine to Draco." Her mother gave her a little nudge.

"I suppose he has. How long do you think we should wait before saving him from any more of dad's stories?"

Her mother laughed. "You know what; I think he rather enjoys it. You should have seen him ranting and raving about his books this morning. You'd think he had no one to talk about them with." She gave Hermione a look that she tried to avoid. There was sure to be some kind of intense questioning to follow.

"I suppose he just loves his books."

"You suppose or you know?" Hermione looked over at her mother and sighed.

"He doesn't much like to talk about himself with me; I think he's just worried about what I would think."

"Perhaps he just needs a little bit more of a push."

Hermione had thought about it, but their relationship had been so volatile early on that she didn't want it to turn back into that. She knew that any arguments that they had would probably turn into those kinds of fights eventually but she didn't want to induce them when they weren't necessary.

"The charity dinner for the community centre is on tonight, we were thinking about going like usual, unless you would rather go out somewhere nice." Her mother said.

"No, I love the dinner. I'm sure Draco will enjoy it."

"You might even be able to coax him up to dance." Her mother laughed and linked arms with Hermione as they walked a little faster to catch up.

"So what is this thing we're going to?" Draco asked as they sat up in the guest bedroom later in the afternoon.

"It's a dinner for charity, you buy a ticket at the door and get a meal. There's dancing and music, and my mother usually lets me have a glass of champagne. It's no butterbeer but it's alright." She smiled hopefully.

"I don't really like to dance much; the ball back in fourth year was bad enough." He shrugged as he sat back against the headboard.

Hermione crawled up to him and pressed her lips against his. "Maybe you could manage just one?" She whispered.

He put a hand on the side of her face and pulled her into him. He parted his lips around hers and closed his eyes, savouring the moment. He felt her hand press against his chest and rested his other hand over it. He felt his heart beat through their hands and snuck his tongue behind her teeth. She let her hand slip down over his stomach and he pulled it back up to his shoulder. Her lips tightened into a smile under their kiss and she whispered against his lips.

"You're so cautious." She laughed.

He curled his lips up into a smile and in one swift move he was hovering his body over hers with a smirk firmly plastered on his face. "You think it's funny do you?" She laughed harder and he pressed himself against her with a hard kiss that, had she been standing, would have knocked her off her feet.

She loved the way his lips felt, the way they tasted. Everything about him intoxicated her. Perhaps it was because it was almost like indulging in a fantasy from a better time. Even back then when she hated him, she couldn't deny the fact that he was attractive, darkness and all.

Just as her fingers had started tangling in his hair, her mother called out from downstairs causing Draco to leap back to the end of the bed.

"Hermione! Did you want to come out and get that hair cut before we go out tonight?" She tried to hide the smile on her face as she looked over at Draco.

"Yes! I'll be down soon." She yelled back. "Are you alright?" She laughed.

"Of course." He said stiffly.

She giggled again and stood up to kiss his forehead. "I won't be long, just find a good book or something, I hear you're quite fond of them." She raised her eyebrows and he scowled over at her before she left.

Hopefully that would make him think a little.

As she headed out with her mother and her father was having an afternoon nap Draco was alone for the first time in what seemed like a long time. Silence may have been a solace for him once, but now he was wishing there was someone around to talk to.

He took it upon himself to look around the house a little more. He walked through the small kitchen and into the living area where there was a small television set and a couch with a rocking armchair. He ran his hand over the furniture as he passed it, there was a fireplace on one side of the room with old pictures and a few cards left over from Christmas. One of the pictures caught his eye; it was Hermione and her mother at what must have been her fifth or sixth birthday party.

She was sitting behind her cake with a sparking candle lit on top and beaming straight up at the camera. If only muggle pictures were like wizard ones.

"She was a beautiful child wasn't she?" Draco jumped as Hermione's father seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

"Sorry, I was just-"

"Don't apologise boy! I'm sorry if I startled you, please feel free to look around however you like. Denise was telling me that you're quite the avid reader, would you like to take a look at our collection?" He offered.

"Uh… well yes, okay."

Mr Granger led him down the hall to his study where there was a stocked bookshelf against one of the walls. Though it paled in comparison to his library at home, he was sure that not one of those books was the same.

"Have you read this one?" Mr Granger pulled a book off the second shelf and passed it over to him.

David Copperfield.

"No, I've never heard of it." Draco shrugged.

"Never heard of it! Why, it's a classic!" Mr Granger sounded almost horrified. "Keep it."

"I couldn't take it." Draco protested.

"I insist, I have more than just the one copy I'm sure of it. Please take it, and promise you'll read it." He grinned back at Draco before he headed out of the room.

It was almost two hours later when Hermione returned home with her mother, Draco had made it about a quarter of the way through David Copperfield and was just sitting on his bed. Hermione poked her head around the corner with a little smile.

"Hey, sorry I was longer than I expected." Draco put the book down and smiled back without a word. "We're probably heading out in about an hour, in case you were wondering."

"Okay."

"I guess I'll just be getting ready then." She slipped away and wondered why he had seemed so far away.

He was just enjoying the book.

Hermione walked into her room and closed the door. As she looked through her closet she could almost understand what the other girls meant when they said that they had nothing to wear, despite a fully stocked wardrobe. She wanted something that would impress Draco, but at the same time she thought that she was being ridiculous. She shouldn't let someone else govern what she wears.

She eventually settled on a modest red dress that sat above her knees and had a sweetheart neckline. She found a pair of black kitten heels to match. She wasn't the flashiest girl around, but she wouldn't be able to stand herself if she was. Her mind drifted to Pansy and she felt a pang of jealousy. Of course he had found her attractive, what boy wouldn't? Though in Hermione's opinion she was an overstuffed cocktail frank with a pug face.

She laughed at herself as she thought so spitefully about Pansy. She didn't feel guilty though, Pansy had always been ten times more spiteful than Hermione, and that was just to her face.

She pulled her trench coat over her shoulders, knowing it would be cold outside before she headed downstairs.

Draco considered it lucky that he had developed a decent sense of style in the last few years; he had plenty of nice things to wear. He pulled on some black pants and a dark red shirt under his black blazer before giving his hair a very brief brush and heading downstairs for dinner.

Hermione looked beautiful as always, and even though he didn't notice any difference with her hair he whispered to her.

"It looks very nice."

"Shall we be off then?" Mrs Granger asked as she tucked her purse under her arm and put in her earrings.

"Let's get going!" Mr Granger said.

They headed outside and into the car for their dinner. Every time they left the safe haven of the house Draco felt a little uneasy. There was always the possibility of someone seeing them who knew all about their past. He wasn't ready for people to find out yet. He wasn't ready to make this hard.

They reached the hall and Mr Granger bought tickets for the four of them and they headed inside. As they walked through the doors Draco looked around at all the other muggles. They were dressed in such dull clothing and chattering about such strange things. As they headed to their table Hermione took off her trench coat and Draco almost walked into a man holding a pocket watch.

She was completely stunning.

She was beyond beautiful.

As they sat down he put his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "You look amazing." She smiled shyly and kissed his cheek.

All through their meal he couldn't stop looking at her and she tried to avoid his eyes even though she could feel his gaze scorching her all over. She laughed as she watched her parents dancing the quickstep on the dance floor.

They looked so happy together and she wished that one day she could be that happy with someone. She looked over quickly and under her eyelashes at Draco just as the music began to slow down.

[press play]

His eyes flickered over to her and her gaze softened. With a small sigh he stood up and took her hand in his.

"Are you asking me to dance?" She said tenderly.

"Would you just stand up?" He said.

She laced her fingers with his as he led her over to the dance floor. He looked as though he would rather be anywhere else but when he slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her into him his eyes said something entirely different.

Their bodies swayed gently to the song that neither of them had ever heard. She rested her head on his shoulder and listened to his heart beating even louder than the music. She couldn't imagine ever feeling better.

His body was warm and comforting, she felt so safe and secure in his arms. His hands slid even further around her and she looked up into his eyes. Those words were itching to come out of his mouth but he knew he could never do it. He just couldn't believe that he could feel it, or that she could feel the same.

"Do you ever just wish that things were different?" Hermione asked softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at them," she looked around at all the muggle couples, "they don't have to worry about what other people would think or constantly look over their shoulders in case someone notices them together. Don't you think it would be easier?"

"Maybe it would be." He tilted his head a little and gazed down at her.

"Do you still see me as one of them?" she whispered.

"I… I don't know what you mean." He shook his head and gulped.

"Is that why you won't talk about yourself with me? Are you afraid that I'll think less of you because of who you are and the sides we represented?" She looked so vulnerable, like she was scared that he would snap.

Instead he craned his neck and kissed her lightly on the lips. For a moment she indulged, but pulled away just as fast. "Draco…"

"It's not because of our sides. I don't know how to… to act. I don't want you to think… I'm not good at this." He twirled them around a little and this time she reached up to kiss him.

"Can you just… be you? I don't know who you are, only what you've shown me. I just want to know you."

No one had ever told him that before; and meant it. "Okay." He said.

She looped her arms around his neck and gave him a long hard kiss that said more than she ever had. He held her sides in his hands and relished her touch.

He was only here for a few more days but right now, the idea of leaving was the farthest thing from his mind.