Hello Loves,

Hope your Saturday has been most splendid. Thank you a million for the follows & reviews! Glad you are enjoying the story More to come later…I have too many cigarettes and wine to just quit while I'm ahead. Enjoy

M. x

Dolores Umbridge was becoming a very irritating thorn in Hermione Granger's side. And everyone who knew her knew what happened to those who aligned themselves against Hermione Granger. She was known to be highly logical as well as ruthlessly savage when it came to protecting those who couldn't defend themselves.

In Hermione's mind, Dolores Umbridge was the worst sort of person. She was not only extremely vocal and vindictive in her discrimination against magical creatures, and fervor to eradicate people like Hermione from the Wizard world; but she tortured Harry as well as consistently flopped sides within the corruption of the government for her own personal gain. Yes, Dolores Umbridge was the type of person that Hermione wanted brought to justice more swiftly than ever, the type of person she would spend the rest of her life trying to personally destroy. If not for any other reason than her cruel, mean, bigoted spirit. She was the most wicked woman on earth, and therefore Hermione, logically, knew that she must be connected to their mission.

There was no doubt in her mind, after reading through several pages of suspects, that Dolores was definitely the mastermind behind the killings. It was clever really. She used these poor, unfortunate creatures, without education or homes; people who were left with nothing after the war and who would do anything for a bit of money. Not completely unlike Draco, she reminded herself. But the difference was, Malfoy was given a chance, he had the intelligence and skill to excel.

So Umbridge bribed them into settling her debts. These men were nothing but henchmen, doing Dolores' dirty work, killing off people who had wronged her…That was something she was already suspected of and wanted for, but now…killing innocent Muggles as well? What was the purpose? Was it for her own sick pleasure? That seemed to be a definite possibility. Draco was set on this theory and they had spent several research sessions arguing about it. Hermione's insistence was always the same: Umbridge had been on the move for more than a year…where was she getting the money from? Someone else must be involved.

Hermione snarled with frustration as she flipped back through Umbridge's file to see where she might have missed something.

Malfoy shuffled his notes , all pristinely piled in a neat stack next to his whiskey. Hermione jumped at the sound, forgetting that he was still there. They had been at this for hours and had spoken only when something relevant had surfaced. She liked him when he was quiet. Hermione assumed he was still brooding about their latest argument over Ron.

Ron, he seemed to be the root of most of her and Malfoy's disagreements… but wasn't it the same with Malfoy? God, that was all Ron ever wanted to discuss anymore. How awful Malfoy was, how could, she, Hermione be pleasant- more than friendly, he had accused several times, with Malfoy. She would rather get run over by a Hippogriff than admit it, but yes, her and Ron's sex life had definitely suffered within the last few months, but should she really be blamed for that? Why couldn't he just get over her decision to give Malfoy another chance? She brought her concentration back to the matter at hand.

Draco's hair fell into his eyes as he leaned over slightly to make a note, Hermione noticed it was in his always perfectly elegant scripture. Her eyes narrowed with irritation. Did he have to look so bloody perfect? All the time? They were to leave for their mission in exactly 43 minutes and he looked as if he were merely reading the paper, waiting perhaps on a servant to bring him a Port before bed. She snorted at that but she kept examining. His muscular frame took up much of the chair, a few buttons undone on his pristine white shirt…his face in a slight frown as he lifted his quill to his mouth…his sinfully deviant mouth…

Hermione snapped to attention, gasping slightly as she realized she was subconsciously leaning forward, towards him. She glanced away mortified. Where had that thought come from? She ran her hands through her now, impossible hair, trying to push the idea of Malfoy's lips from her brain. She grimaced as she came upon a particularly defiant knot and tugged on it painfully. She chanced a glance back at Malfoy, he was smirking sardonically at her.

"Nervous? " He barely breathed, his sexy mouth brought a blush quickly to her face.

"No. You're just annoying me." Lame, Hermione. So lame. Draco rolled his eyes returning to his notes.

"Can you just not make so much noise?" His gaze raised to hers with something close to incredulity. "I mean-" she stammered . "Yes, okay? I'm fucking frazzled!" She pulled at her hair reaching for the cigarettes that lay between them on the table of her messy, unreadable notes. Funny how they probably resembled her hair, her love life, and her current situation. The thought of her losing her mind seemed to relax him.

"What's got your hair in a….eh?" He couldn't seem to find a word to describe her current state.

"A bee, a bee in a bonnet." She replied testily, lighting the fag with her wand. That made him angry.

"Whatever Granger, I get points for trying. Would you rather me revert back to 'knickers in a twist'?" She sighed with exasperation.

"I'm just. I mean aren't you even a little bit nervous about tonight?" She asked desperately. He raised an arrogant eyebrow as if to say, Malfoy's are above nerves.

"Or nervous in general? Let's try that."

"In general?" He drawled.

"Yes. You know…like aren't you feeing the anticipation?" His cruel, beautiful mouth turned up with suggestive intent.

"Oh…very much so. But why should that make me nervous?" He had set aside his notes, apparently ready to make the most of her current state. She shook herself mentally, there was no way she was going to avoid this.

"Because, it's the unknown-"

"Granger! That's the whole point. The not knowing. To just throw yourself in and feel." He was suddenly looking very alert, very passionate. Hermione gulped.

"Yes, I'm familiar with the concept, but doesn't that scare you?" He scoffed in disbelief running his hands through his, in Hermione's opinion, much too soft hair.

"Of course not. Why would I waste time fearing something I can't control?"

"But you can control it. That's what I'm saying."

He regarded her with an air of her suddenly being much less intelligent of a human than he had previously thought.

"For once in your bloody life…" He began with complete disdain. "Why don't you just try to forget all your logical thoughts and annoying facts and just feel. Just abandon your need to be constantly in control. It seems to be the only thing holding your stuck up, bitchy, insufferably logical self together."

He had probably overstepped the line, she was looking like quite the murderess, her eyes fell quickly to her wand then snapped back up to his with fury. Good, at least she had stopped being scared. He couldn't stand that in a woman. "What are we supposed to be afraid of? Not living? Fuck, Granger, haven't we been through enough? Haven't we seen it all? What's left to fear?" The fight seemed to have gone out of him he looked tired, and defeated. Hermione suddenly felt guilty about considering the nasty jinx she had up her sleeve.

"I'm just worried." She whispered. His eyes dragged to hers in irritation. "We didn't all make it out alive, so what if that isn't enough? It's not over really, is it? I don't think it will ever be over." And now tears were silently streaming down her face. Goddamit, couldn't he do anything right? Feeling supremely awkward and against his better judgment, he lowered himself onto the couch beside her.

"Granger." He lifted her chin to look into her desperate eyes. "It's over when we say it's over. Tonight, we are going to go out there and kick the shit out of these stupid fuckers-" She choked back a horrified laugh at his suggestion.

"Draco-"

"I mean it. Okay? We are going to use your brains and my brawn and brains to get the information we need to take down that stupid bint. This will be easy. You've outwitted smarter enemies than her." That seemed to cheer Hermione up a bit, she was strange like that.

"Yes, I did defeat you, didn't I?" Her eyes still sparkling with tears looked up at him teasingly. He thought about making a nasty jab at her, but as soon as it came it went and instead he just stared down at her, trying to take in as much of her as he could. Slowly he reached out to move her hair behind her ear and she looked up at him in wonder. He wasn't scared. He was petrified. If one of them died tonight, that could be it. How he felt about her would never be revealed. How did he feel about her?

"Exactly." His warm, breath caressed her and his intense eyes were now devouring her lips. Was she leaning in? Let this be real, he begged. And then he remembered where he was and whom he was with.

Reality, came smashing down on him like some sick suffocating tidal wave, that fucking bitch. The idea of him rotting six feet under while Granger and Weasely danced merrily on his grave in wedding garb, slashed across his mind. He pulled back suddenly his mind racing with jealously, he sneered at the thought of Weasely. Embarrassment raced across her features, mistaking his look of disgust for his moment of weakness. Her heart was pounding so loud she was sure it would wake Sirius' mum. Hermione quickly busied herself with the papers around her.

"Sorry. You're right." She whispered. Draco stood suddenly and nodded once before gathering his forgotten notes in his slightly shaking hands.

"Get it together, Granger." He muttered distractedly. They returned to silence, but Draco could no longer concentrate, she was stuck somewhere between his heart and this throat. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Merlin knows with what sort of comment, she tossed the upside down file she was pretending to read onto the table with a huff and turned her gaze to the clock.

"I'm worried about Ron." He scowled dramatically.

"Why? Because he's fucking too stupid to-?" She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"And I'm worried about you…" She added as an after thought.

"Fuck, Granger, don't do me any favors." He needed to get away from her. She was making him sick in the head. He was torn between wanting to strangle her and kiss her senseless. Hurriedly, he packed up his notes, jamming them rather forcefully into his briefcase.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Where was all this passive honesty coming from? He frowned at her in confusion.

"We leave in 27 minutes, I don't really think we have the time to list all the reasons Weasely disgusts me." He snapped his case shut and threw back the rest of his drink.

"I'm serious, Draco."

"So am I!" He roared. "Jesus Christ, Granger, are you such a fucking pest that you can't bear to have information withheld even at the expense of the other participant of the conversation's privacy?"

"How do you know about Jesus Christ?" He saw the shock in her eyes before she could mask it, which, was followed by her warily regarding him as if he were a mismatched puzzle. Her lack of faith in him was still infuriating and he raised a challenging eyebrow.

"I've read every fucking book you own in the last six months. I know a lot more than you give me credit for." Draco spat.

"I give you credit." She accused with what sounded like hurt. " I'm just…surprised." Draco gave her a mock bow.

"Ah, that's what I live for. To constantly surprise Griffyndor Golden Girl Granger." She glared at him with begrudging amusement.

"Really? I thought you lived to torture me?"

He grinned wickedly. "That too." Hermione wasn't to be deterred by his charming looks.

"So tell me." His smile disappeared so fast she was sure she had only imagined it. There was an acute silence, and moments passed. Hermione wanted to fall through the floor, be back in her room, out fighting Umbridge, anything but having to endure his overwhelming presence for another second. He seemed to be locked in an internal battle with himself.

"You want to know why?" He began in a deadly calm, stepping once again much too close for Hermione's comfort and nerves. His gaze made her feel as if she was a naked, virgin schoolgirl once again. He lowered his lips to rest against her ear. It sent waves of shock rippling through her skin.

"I despise him," He breathed. Coming even closer, lifting his gloriously perfect hands up to her rest possessively on her waist. Hermione was sure she had died and gone to hell. Only in hell could Malfoy touching her feel so sinfully delicious.

"Because…he gets to do this." And with a growl of frustration and one swift movement, he had captured her lips and she was powerless to resist him. Months of tension sped out of her body and into the kiss. She was as ravenous as he, they attacked one another mouth's with such intensity she was sure she was going to spontaneously combust. Could that even happen? Logically? Was it a possibility?

Stop thinking! She screamed at herself, reaching up to get a better hold of Malfoy's ridiculously gorgeous shoulders. Such shoulders should be illegal, she thought. Maybe I could arrest him. And that had her off on thinking about handcuffs and...what the fuck was she doing?!

Malfoy was mercilessly plundering her mouth with his tongue, in the middle of the library where any second, anyone could just…With all her strength, she shoved him off her, their eyes met and what she saw there absolutely terrified her more than any Death Eater could. He stumbled back against the table, catching his breath, as a steely mask of indifference snapped itself into place. He regarded her with a mixture of lust and anger.

He had seemed to rob her of any coherent thought. Centuries could have passed for all Hermione knew, her whole body felt as if it was on fire, what the hell had he been thinking? Was he just trying to get under her skin? Prove a point? She took a shaky breath before looking up at him. His face was carefully blank, giving her not one clue as to what he was thinking. The clock chimed, they ignored it. He must have realized she was in too much of a shock to speak, because finally, with a huff he turned away from her.

"Did you mean it?" The words were through her lips before she could stop them. He paused on his way to the door. Without turning she saw the muscles in his back tense.

"And here I am defending you as the smartest witch of your age." He taunted. Hermione wasn't sure how to take that. Thoughts she hadn't dared let herself consider were now flying through her brain like colorful blasts of confusion. "Did you mean it?" He countered, still not sparing her a glance. She paused at that question, lifting her fingers to her swollen, buzzing lips.

"What?"

"Keep up Granger!" He snapped. " That I'm heartless. Do you believe it?"

"I…" She was fairly lost with the conversation, something that rarely ever happened.

"Do you honestly think I would loathe your little pet because he is a blood-traitor?" He spat the last two words with disgust. "I thought you realized…I'm not the same person." His body was shaking with so many contradictory emotions that he was sure he was about to erupt. That was until he felt her hand, gently on his back. He closed his eyes at her soft touch, willing away the demons tearing apart his brain.

"Draco…" He couldn't take it anymore. He spun around, pulling her tightly against himself.

"Tell me. I need you to tell me Hermione." Her name sounded so lovely, so desperate spilling from his lips. She slowly raised her eyes to his and then placed a hand over his heart. He swallowed thickly, aching to be inside her. Her warm skin against his cool chest. She was the perfect contrast.

"I can't tell you." She whispered softly and he closed his eyes to block out his pain. "I can't even think right now, so I am going to take your advice and just feel. And I can…feel you." She dropped her head to his chest as his arms tightened instinctively around her. They stayed like that for several moments, just focusing on the racing of one another's pulses and nothing else outside their bubble of warmth. No Purebloods, no Mudbloods, no imminent danger or rational fear.
Draco lifted her face to his and looked deeply into her eyes, she saw uncertainty and concern. Too very unlikely emotions for him to unveil.

"Don't give up on me," he rasped. "Just… don't. I'm selfish and I don't give a damn."

She raised an eyebrow, pulling back from his gaze just bit so she could give him a haughty grin. " Give up? Do you know who I am?" He smirked slowly at that, she watched as his eyes quickly sought out her lips again. She needed to put as much distance between them as possible unless she wanted to do something even more incredibly stupid than she already had. He licked his lips in anticipation. Oh no, oh no. She opened her mouth to protest when the library door swung open.

Hermione was sure she had never used her reflexes quicker, not even in battle. Her heart thundering somewhere in her throat, she threw herself out of Draco's arms in a sloppy half-pirouette, almost falling flat on her face in the process of shoving him back onto the couch where he landed with exceedingly annoying grace. Her eyes slammed towards the door, Hermione breathed a massive sigh of relief which was quickly followed by a deep, crimson blush. Snape stood aloof in his billowing robes, his eyes flickering between the two clearly, up to something, Aurors. Of course, Hermione looked guiltier than the Bloody Baron, while Draco was lounged, looking supremely unconcerned, studying his nails with an awful lot of smugness.

"Was I….interrupting….something?" Snape began. Draco opened his mouth to say "Yes, you nosey old git, bugger off!" But Hermione beat him to it.

"No, no of course not!" She grimaced at how shrill and obvious her voice sounded. She cleared her throat a couple of times as to try and regain control of the situation. "We were just preparing." She muttered, chancing a glance at Draco, whose smug look had turned to one of awfully amused arrogance. Snape raised his eyebrows at her.

"In…deed." Draco thought it was impossible for Hermione to become even more flustered. She reached for her notes, trying to pile everything together, but ended up slamming her shin against the massive coffee table and dropping the ashtray of butts all over her pants. The two men watched her as if she were a mildly interesting bull in a china shop. Hermione closed her eyes and counted to 10, before turning to face them.

"I need to change and grab my things…I'll meet you in the foyer in…" She glanced at the clock. My time seemed to move quickly when you were snogging your former enemy in the library. "6 minutes." Without another glance at either of them, she tore from the room as if the hounds of hell were snapping at her heels. Draco watched her trip on the carpet before stumbling into the hall and letting out a string of nasty curses. He chuckled to himself as he grabbed his belongings he would need for the mission.

"What in the name of Salazar did you do to her, Draco?" Snape's voice was stern, but Draco heard a note of wonder in it all the same.

"Something you tried to accomplish for 25 years." That earned him a smack across the back of his head. He winced. Hadn't he been battered enough this week?

"Oh Malfoy, you don't seem to understand. I was once as taken and foolhardy as you, and look where it has gotten me." Draco snorted.

"This is different."

"How?"

"It just is."

"Oh you are…delusional. Do you honestly believe she would pick you…over them?" Draco's eyes narrowed at the twisted smile that crept upon his Godfather's visage.

"I can deal with a Potter."

"How...clever, you are." Severus bared his teeth with contempt at Draco's dig. "However, Potter is the least of your problems." Ron's face appeared like an inflamed burn on the inside of his lids. Just the thought of them together made his guts feel as if they were being shredded to pieces with a machete.

"I'll handle it." Was his curt reply.

"Of…course, you will." Draco's eyes shot to Snape's. "You won't have a choice…but….to handle it." There was a double meaning in there somewhere, he was sure.

"It's none of your business." Draco spat. Severus smirked and headed back out the door, he was bored with the semantics. If Draco wanted his pain, who was Severus to stop him?

"Good luck…with Miss. Granger." Now that definitely had a double meaning. Snape disappeared into the shadowy hall as Draco stared after him in fury. The clocked chimed again, it was time. He tossed on his black jacket, and grabbed his wand.

She had felt it. She had acknowledged that he was human. He had broken through her impossible defenses. If Snape thought he was going to give up now, he was seriously mistaken. Draco stalked down the corridor, ignoring the snide remarks from the Black family portraits.

"Looks just like his father." A particularly nasty Uncle sneered in his direction. Draco stunned him without missing a step down the rickety stairs.

He smirked to himself. What was wrong with using his snarky, dead relatives as target practice? More forgiving than using a fucking Weasely. That was only something a true Malfoy could lament over.