(A/N: Ok I am sooooo sorry for how long it took me to update, but I did give you fair warning if you read my notes. It took so long to write this because after the last chapter nothing seemed good enough. Hope you enjoy it anyway. The characters don't belong to me.)

The next week was quiet, a sense of normalcy returned to the students at Hogwarts. The whispers about who had attacked Hermione Granger stopped. Draco had told her about the confession and how Dumbledore was going to take care of it. No one even batted an eye at the disappearance of the blond Slytherin student, these days more and more families were pulling their students out of Hogwarts. As far as everyone was concerned, the week had passed without anything of importance occurring.

By Friday Hermione was certain that things were on their way back to normal with her friends. Ron was slowly getting more comfortable around Hermione again, no apology came for the way he acted, but she didn't expect one. Ron would probably never admit that he was wrong, but she had to be the adult in this friendship. He was still a bit cautious around her when they were left alone but it was getting better at least, and as much as Hermione wanted to talk to Ron about what had happened, she was eager to get things back to their version of normal.

Hermione was in the Gryffindor common room after dinner that Friday, it was the first time all week that she'd been left alone. Harry, Ron, and Ginny had surrounded her in an attempt to get things back to normal but they all had Quidditch practice tonight, the game Saturday afternoon against Slytherin was highly anticipated. For the first time she wouldn't have to make up a thinly veiled excuse to get away.

She had barely gotten any work done since dinner, the essay due next week was just not happening at the moment. Vanishing her books back to her dormitory and pulling her sweater back on she set out towards the Great Hall, where she was to meet up with her patrol partner. She was supposed to patrol with Ron but that had been changed because of the impromptu practice. She hadn't found out who was replacing Ron but she wasn't overly concerned, whoever it was had lucked out. She was in no mood or mindset to patrol around ruining her classmates' Friday night. Hermione just wanted to be done with patrols for the night so she could try and unwind

Thursday was when Ron was told of the extra Quidditch practice, not sure if he should praise or criticize Harry for scheduling the practice at the same time as his rounds with Hermione. He needed to find someone to cover his patrol with her and the idea that came to him was nearly enough to make him forget the whole thing. But he scrounged up that Gryffindor courage and took action.

He knew the Slytherin team had their last practice tonight and would be leaving the pitch around nine. Hopefully the person he needed to find would be among the rival team. As the green cloaked players walked past he scanned the aristocratic faces for one. He ignored the snickers and comments that were made in his direction, finally catching the sliver eyes of the prefect he'd been looking for.

"Malfoy." Ron stopped him, ignoring the spark of anger that started as he endured more jabs at his house, his family, and himself that came from the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"What is it Weasley?" Draco sneered at the ginger, waving his housemates off.

"It's about patrol tomorrow night."

"What about it?" Draco was in no mood to talk to Ronald Weasley right now, he still hadn't forgiven him for leaving Hermione alone on rounds earlier that term.

"I need you to cover for me on patrols tomorrow night."

"Why would I help you Weasel?" Draco countered, slightly impressed that Weasley would ask him for help, but he'd never admit that anything about Weasel would ever impress him.

"Because my patrol partner is Hermione, and I can't let her patrol alone a second time." Ron countered back, unsure where the quick reasoning came from but watching Draco's reaction closely. Draco tried to control his reaction, not wanting to give away anything. He couldn't agree to help Weasel too quickly or even the thick headed ginger would notice that something was off.

"Why can't you patrol with her?"

"Harry scheduled a last minute practice tomorrow night." Ron explained.

"Why should that matter to me, why don't you just miss practice." Draco suggested, the competitive side of him was curious as to why the Gryffindor team needed the extra time.

"If I tell you why will you help me?" Draco nodded, hesitating at the start, "I've been off my game this week, just terrible, and we don't have a backup keeper." The two boys were silent for a moment, both thinking and watching the others' reaction. "So will you do it?"

"Fine." Draco walked away, leaving Weasley behind. Ron didn't give the Slytherin's hasty leave much thought before he left as well. Ron wasn't sure how Hermione would react but at least she wouldn't be patrolling alone.

Draco was waiting by the Great Hall, he was a bit early for patrols but he hadn't seen any sense in going all the way back to the common room only to have to meet Hermione back here. He was perched on the stone ledge just below one of the windows that looked out over the courtyard. The snow that had been dumped on castle grounds over the holiday was finally starting disappear, in most places all that was left was soggy ground. Only in places where snow had been piled high in attempts to clear a path was there still visible snow. Although the traces of winter were leaving, the temperature was not. Strong heating charms were still set up on the castle, though it seems that they were weakening as of late, the charm was no longer preventing the chill from slipping through the stone walls.

Draco couldn't shake the strange feeling that had clung to him ever since Weasley asked him to cover his patrol with Hermione. Why did Weasley come to him? It didn't make much sense to Draco. If Weasley was concerned about Hermione's safety than why ask the one person in the school who had real ties to dark witches and wizards. And he'd come to find out that Draco was the only person Weasley asked to cover his patrol. So why would Ron ask him and why did he seem so sure that he would say yes? Draco was certain that Weasley was too thick to have picked up any of the slight reactions from him, but he was still concerned about them being found out. He reasoned that maybe the fear of being found out was making him overly suspicious, after all, Weasley wouldn't have picked up on the subtle changes in him and Hermione's relationship, Ron hadn't even noticed the crush Hermione had on him for the first few years, and young Hermione Granger was anything but subtle.

Draco was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning away from the window he came face to face with the source of that noise.

"A bit jumpy Draco?" Hermione teased, masking the playfulness well.

"Just dozed off waiting for you, Weasley is having me cover for him, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get this over with." He slid off the stone ledge, standing dangerously close to Hermione, his head so high above hers it almost intimidated her. Almost.

"Well excuse me for being…" she checked her wrist watch, "five minutes early." She glared back up at him, the glint only visible to him.

"Let's just get going." Draco and Hermione started on their rounds, both concealing smiles from the few surrounding classmates that barely glanced up at the common sound of their arguing.

Draco had held the belief since his first patrol that eight o'clock was far too early to begin. People were still milling around after finishing dinner and many students would be moving about the castle for detentions or to go to the library for at least another two hours. He shouldn't have to give up precious hours that could be spent doing his own schoolwork to patrol hallways that weren't intended to be empty yet.

Currently the irritation had more to do with just how many people there were in the corridors. Stragglers mostly, but it still meant that he and Hermione had to keep acting as though they were still enemies. They had to walk distanced from each other, they couldn't even carry an amiable conversation without it being cause for suspicion. Again the regrets of old actions were weighing heavy on his shoulders, he could feel his posture suffer from it.

He often wondered where they would be now if he hadn't been influenced by his father's beliefs and followed blindly after the death eater. Would he have been sorted into Slytherin? Would he be friends with Potter and Weasley, Longbottom? Would he and Hermione share such strong feelings if there was no friction between them? It was strange to think about but strange in the way a utopia seems strange; foreign and new but oh so tempting.

"Draco! Are you listening to me?!" Hermione yelled at him, he took note of his clenched hands, how they nearly reached out to touch him; but that would hint to the outside world that they were on a level where physical contact was welcomed. Draco looked at her, a bored expression on his face. She took that to mean he hadn't been listening.

"I was saying… we might as well just wait in the library for a bit, there is no sense in us walking around patrolling when curfew isn't for another hour and a half. Don't you agree?" she was quieter when she spoke this time, sounding almost bored and most definitely tired. He nodded and followed, keeping a few steps between them as they followed the all too familiar path to the library.

The library was deserted for the most part, only hardcore academics were studying or working on assignments, other students would put this work off but not this group. The group there were mostly quiet Ravenclaws that didn't even twitch as the doors such behind the two prefects. Draco stood there in a dazed sense, not noticing immediately when Hermione continued towards the small section of fiction novels.

He watched her from a distance, her lips pouting as she scanned the spines of the book, her fingertip grazing along the worn covers until she found one that interested her. She plucked it off the shelf and took it to one of the faded brown couches that were arranged just beyond that shelf. When she took a seat and noticed he hadn't followed her there was a second of concern etched on her features before she found him standing in a daze. Glancing around them she faced him again and smiled, patting the space on the couch next to her. He followed her direction and found himself leaning against the plush fabric, his body turned towards her and on leg crossed over the other.

He watched her read, she leaned against the opposite side of the couch, her knees tucked under her and shoes left abandoned on the floor. She held the book delicately, almost reverently, between her hands. He looked at the cover briefly, the title was written in faded gold script, standing out just enough from the brown cover.

"The Hobbit?" Draco didn't realize he had spoken out loud but quickly figured it out when she glanced his way.

"Yeah, it's a muggle fairy tale of sorts. My mum read it to me when I was young and it was the first book I read all by myself. It's my favorite." She smiled, her thoughts somewhere else, "you should read it; you might even like it." She teased before focusing back on the small typewritten words. He could see that she was more interested in the book than in him, and he was content to watch her.

It wasn't long before Hermione looked over to Draco, his head was drooping to side, and he looked more at ease in that moment than he had all week. She watched him for a few moments before glancing down at her watch. It was only nine o'clock, they could go back to rounds in half an hour, no one would notice. Before she returned to her book she shifted closer to Draco, leaning closer and giving his cheek a soft kiss. She continued leaning against his shoulder as she read, enjoying the comforting warmth that came from being so close to him.

(A/N: Ok hope you enjoyed this chapter. Got some cutsey Dramione at the end. Anyone got any ideas who saw Hermione and Draco in the chapter before this? Hope you enjoyed this and please leave me reviews, even if it's just a 'I liked this chapter' comment, really know that people are enjoying the story helps me keep it going.)