YEAR THREE

When Draco Malfoy arrived at his space to find it empty he walked away sadly.

The second time he arrived, he was faced with a similar empty corner and hence left with a frown.

After the tenth time of the similar occurrence, he decided enough was enough. They were well into the first term and where was Granger?

He'd heard she was taking all the electives and found it bizarre, crazy and completely Granger-like. Of course he'd expected her to busier this year but this was getting ridiculous.

That evening when he saw her at dinner, he realized exactly how much stress she was under.

There she sat, short dark curls tied in a sloppy ponytail, one hand flipping the pages of a textbook twice as thick as most of his own books on her lap as her other hand switched between bringing a cup of water, a spoonful of mashed potatoes or meat to her mouth and jotting down notes on a notebook on the table. Her bottom lip was bit at by her top row of teeth mercilessly as she scribbled, chewed, read and muttered to herself at a speed that had him amazed.

Even those around her kept their distance too fearful of the Gryffindor princess' rage if she was disturbed.

When he finally did find her at their space, she was doing exactly the same thing only this time: her hair was a frizzy mess.

He sat across her and cleared his throat.

"What do you want Malfoy," she asked. "Tsk Granger, I get this strange feeling that you are over working yourself." "Why does everyone keep saying that? I am perfectly capable of tackling all my electives and core subjects."

Ten minutes passed as he simply watched her work. Finally she sighed and looked up to face the blonde Slytherin. "What is it now Malfoy." "I do not believe that you lack the ability to keep up and excel in all your chosen subjects." At this she lowered her pen and tilted her head. 'Cute…'he thought to himself.

"However, I do believe that by pushing yourself like this and prioritizing your studies has made you stop caring for your actual welfare." "What are you talking about and why do you care anyway?"

"I am talking about you Granger. Mark the page, close the book and stop harassing that poor lower lip of yours."

The brunette giggled as she followed his instructions, ignoring the fact that he had not answered her second question.

The carpet was soft but prickly so with a sigh the blonde Slytherin prince summoned two rather large and thick blankets as well as two fluffy pillows.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh don't look at me like that Granger. Now let loose your hair as I spread out this blanket."

Five minutes later, Hermione Jean Granger was lying comfortably sandwiched between two blankets, her head resting on one pillow and her arms wrapped around another. Her back leaned against the smooth wall and her books were stacked on the side.

"Draco," she yawned, I can't possibly sleep. I've got an extra class with Mister Lupin in just over an hour and I haven't finished listing questions for him…"

Her eyelids felt heavy and she watched as Draco cast a barrier around the corner.

"Granger, Granger, Granger-Ever the hard-working bookworm. Take a nap for an hour then rush off to Lupin. He won't mind if his favorite student is a bit late. Now sleep."

He waited till she slept before adjusting the blanket around her and leaving, reinforcing the barrier as well.

…

The following day, Malfoy was wounded by a Hippogriff named Buckbeak.

The brown haired girl and the blonde boy didn't meet for the next two months.

But while Draco was recuperating in the Hospital Wing, she never once missed a daily visit. And following the escape of Sirius Black, Draco never slept without paying her a visit.

Of course, they both did this whilst the other was fast asleep…mostly anyway.

There were moments, precious moments. No words were exchanged. He or she simply sat by the other's bedside. Maybe they were too young to realize or maybe too stubborn too accept…that even if it was each other's presence, they were completely at ease and slowly falling in love.