The research that they did that night came up fruitless. Hermione was far from willing to try any of the reversal type spells that either of them found on the pretenses that they were incredibly dangerous or idiotic.

There was one, The Dungolucious spell that somehow would switch their mouths but Hermione truly preferred her own lips to Dracos sneering mouth. Her eyes wandered over to his face and the usual sneer was replaced by a faint look of concentration as he read over a particularly musty tomb. Hermione's thoughts began to wander around how his lips weren't actually that bad when they weren't hurling insults and she quickly dashed this train of thought away. The night was uneventful and both awoke Sunday morning to find that they had fallen asleep in the library and that the perfects from the younger grade had had to cover for their absences in patrolling the hallways. Both were frustrated, sore from sleeping at tables and very grouchy. The day itself mocked their cutthroat mindsets by winking cheekily at them with bright clean sunshine and a pleasant breeze.

This wind ruffled against their hair through an open window as they spent the entire day reading through dusty tombs. Draco had hidden behind the couch when Harry and Ron had come in to visit Hermione. The following hour was nerve racking as she waited for Draco to start being horrid to them, but, to her surprise, he responded in a way quite similar to how she would. Though she had been impressed, it was the end of the conversation that brought her the most worry.

"So Hermione, did you get those History notes on the Green Fairy wars yet?" Harry looked at her very sheepishly. "I know, I know, I slept through his class on Friday again….I am sorry, I really will try harder next time okay, Herms?" Hermione stood and Draco voiced out for her from behind the couch, "Well next time, at least try to stay awake for ten minutes. If Neville can manage that then at least the Famous Harry Potter can do the same…."

Ron and Harry looked at her, mouths open, and then turned to stare at each other before bursting out laughing, "Hermione, are you channeling Malfoy or something? I mean seriously, I know it's a terrible effort to have to spend so much time with the great git, but honestly, do you hear yourself?" Ron said plainly before the two of them burst out laughing and Hermione smiled weakly, she knew what was coming up next or at least she thought that she did.

"Sorry, I guess I have been working too hard, that "git" you referred to is working just as hard as I am and I really need to keep up so do you think that we could talk later? I would really hate to fall behind such a sniveling and pretentious prat like Malfoy there, who only ever does what people tell him and is a worthless shell of a human being and does not deserve to live." Draco's words drawled out. Again Harry and Ron just stared at her.

"Hermione what has gotten into you?"

Draco was dumbfounded as he listened to the following conversation.

"It's usually you who stands up for the ferret when we poke fun at him but now you want him dead? Either you have been working too hard or he did something horrid to you…." Harry trailed off and Hermione cringed inwardly. 'Oh great,' she thought.

"Did he hurt you, Hermione? Because if he did I will hex him so bad that his own parents wouldn't be able to identify him." Ron stood up and glared around, "Where is he? Let me at him!" He stalked to the portrait wand drawn.

Hermione rushed forward to dissuade him from leaving. She was mentally telling Draco to say something but nothing came as she goggled at Ron who looked at her with worry. Silence from her was heard as Harry and Ron rushed to her side.

"Hermione what's wrong? Tell us!" Harry peered into her face as she slowly walked over to the couch and fell over the back of it dramatically so that she could hit Draco soundly on the head. Awoken from his stupor he got into the act.

"Oh no!" she said dismissively, "Draco hasn't done anything…hasn't even said a word to me in days, actually. I am just really stressed with the Newt's and everything; I really should rest you know? Take a bubble bath or sleep…" Draco started to ramble and the boys each gave her a hug before leaving. Ron left last and before he did he pulled her off to the side and said, "I am really worried. I know that you will do superb on the tests, but I think that all this stress is too much for even you, the super witch." He smiled and turned beet-red. "I only want what's best for you, Herms, and I just want to see you happy." He squeezed her hand before exiting out of Madame Monicles portrait.

Hermione turned to see Draco sneering at her from behind the couch as he walked around and gracefully flopped down onto and picked up a book. "I think that the weasel has an itty bitty crush on the book worm." She reddened and he began again.

"I think that he wants to take advantage of her, do lots of naughty, bad things to one of his nearest and dearest friends…" His eyes flashed. "I think he wants to F…"

His words were cut off by Hermione who said, "Enough! I don't want to hear any more! Until we figure out how to change us back we need to cooperate and I won't have you driving me insane!" Draco's mouth shrieked out.

He smirked and Hermione held herself up proudly. "Now since we have not found anything at all I say that after rounds tonight we go straight to Professor Dumbledore to get this nonsense reversed!" She sat down heavily on one of the plush armchairs and began to rub her temples and mumble. Hermione was doing it unconsciously and Draco picked up every word.

"Completely absurd! Not only is he made Head boy, but I have to tutor him and partner with him in that stupid inter-house cooperation class and plan this ridiculous graduation ball. And on top of it all he is the one who is closest to me in marks…" she let out something low that sounded suspiciously like a growl…"and now we have this spell on us, which is entirely his fault anyway! Ah, why do I put up with him?" Sighing she stretched and tried to pull her hair into a ponytail with the elastic that practically lived on her wrist and she stopped mid-pull when she heard him voice.

"Because I am just too damned sexy?" Her mouth purred and she looked up to see him glaring at her.

"You were right! I am stressed! I need a bubble bath or something…and yes I was taking my frustration out on you, but it's not like you can't take it…" Standing she walked slowly over to her room and called back to him.

"You can keep reading or you can stop if you want. I think that we are supposed to patrol at nine tonight so do what you like until then. I would not suggest going down to supper though, unless you either want me to randomly insult Harry or sing Weasley is our King over and over and over…" he could feel the laughter in her tone and grimaced.

"No, Granger I will just have it sent up here. You can have whatever's leftover."

"Oh, Joy!" Said his sarcastic voice.

Hermione stalked by with her bathrobe and some old things to change into clutched in her arms. She made her way to the Perfect's bathroom that was thankfully empty with everyone being down at the Great Hall eating supper.

She did feel guilt at saying those things under her breath but she had been griping about him for years now. It was done to his face more often of late and she did not think that he had been hurt by her words. "You could not hurt someone with no heart," she thought sadly as she lowered herself into the purple shimmering bubbles of her bath. The only sound was that of the water gently lapping at the sides of the large tub. She had chosen a smaller one because the larger pool like tub always made her feel lost. She wanted to relax and bathe, not swim laps. She began to feel the tension leave her shoulders as she mulled over their situation.

It seemed as if fate was forcing them together, but one thing that she did not understand was Draco's dropping marks in Charms. He was far from stupid and after going over a spell once he knew it as if he had been doing it for years, which he had. The more she thought about it the less sense it made. Professor Flitwick had shown her his marks of previous years and they were always in the top five of the class.

Her thoughts swirled like water over the rough clear stones of fact. Draco had always done well in Charms until this year. It was their last year and he had been made head boy. After Graduation he would be…." Her eyes shot open wide in horror. He had been faking the entire time! He was going to his father about her and her friends, and he was going to tell him about the wandless magic! All of them were in danger now because of her and her shock and fear blazed into a vengeful rage.

Jumping out of the bath and almost slipping on the tiled floor she hastily yanked on her clothes and stalked back to their tower. He was going to pay.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Draco had decided to change into something more comfortable and after wearing the same clothes all night and day he needed to at least feel cleaner if he could not use the bathroom. He chose a pair of plain pants and a white shirt and began to peel off his wrinkled clothes. Draco had just sat down on the corner of his gray comforter to take off his socks after removing his pants when Hermione flung the door open and leaped at him.

"Jesus, Granger! Couldn't you knock?" Her mouth said in surprise, "What in the BLOODLY HELL?" She had pushed him roughly back onto the bed with her hands forcefully around his neck. Little droplets of water came down her wet locks of hair and dotted his bare chest as she screamed at him.

"YOU BLOODY LIAR! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I BELIEVED YOU OR EVEN TRUSTED YOU, YOU FILTHY LITTLE DEMON! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS! I WILL TAKE YOU TO DUMBLEDORE AND TELL HIM EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU BECOMING A DEATH EATER AND THEY WILL LOCK YOUR SORRY ASS AWAY BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN BLINK!"

Draco's shock was evident on his face as well as his fear and confusion. He was not used to being man-handled and this was really all too much. He shifted his weight so that she fell onto her side and he pinned her down and she gasped.

"So are you going to kill me now is that it? Well I fucking hope that it was worth it! I hope that all the blood you spill won't weight too heavily on your mind at night. I HATE YOU!" His voice cried out her words at her in hurt tones and his face was one of horror with his mouth slightly open. Both were breathing heavily and he found that he was shaking with his hands clamped down on her wrists above her head. Hermione felt it too and even though she was still in the fire of rage a thought of doubt flickered up in the back of her mind.

"Alright!" He growled out at her in her own voice and then pulled up her wrists with ease and pushed them back into the bed unkindly, just to reaffirm that he was the stronger of the two. "Now, if you would just calm the fuck down and please tell me what you are blabbering on about now? Because I haven't the foggiest idea of what you are accusing me of."

"You—are—a—liar!" she clipped out at him.

"Yes, but I don't know why you've suddenly become so angry of the fact! I always lie, I am Slytherin after all." He grinned but it left in its place his cold mask as she glared at him.

"Now what exactly did I lie about?" Her wrists were beginning to hurt and she squirmed and he tightened his grip almost painfully.

"You Jerk! You were faking all along! You never needed Charms tutoring! You have always done well before and you were failing just so that you could get close to me and learn my secrets and now you have or will go to your evil father and tell him about the wandless magic and they will have me killed! But I promise that I won't go easily and if I have to I will come back as a ghost and haunt you and drive you to bloody suicide!" Her eyes had welled up with tears and even though her words sounded without hope her face was still defiant.

He laughed at her. "Is that all?" He could not stop laughing and as he chuckled she saw her chance and swung him off of her onto the floor with a thud and then put her hands to his throat again.

"…w-wait! Wa-it!" He breathed through end trails of laughter and lack of air.

She eased up on her hands but she still kept a firm grip. Why in the hell was he laughing? Was he already part way into insanity? She wondered before he began to talk.

"I promised that I would not tell and I have kept my promise! He knows nothing! Well at least not from me, because I have not spoken or written a word to him about it! And as far as me failing Charms, I told you already that I black out during the classes and I honestly could not remember one Charm from another. I thought that you had believed me, well believe me now or go ahead with the strangling, because murder of a fellow Head would look great on your transcripts." He sneered and she responded coldly.

"Why should I believe a liar?"

"Because I am not lying now! Yes it was me who spilt ink on you shoes last month, and not your stupid cat and yes I did eat both of the deserts for tonight but I know you don't like blueberry pie anyways and I left you all of the chicken! I swear BELIEVE ME!"

Something in his tone made Hermione's grip loosen slightly and she just stared at his slate gray eyes. His face told the tale of complete honesty and Hermione felt very confused. She was even more bewildered when she realized that she had attacked and strattled Draco while he was mostly naked and she gulped as she quickly pulled off of him blushing.

"You really are a little spit-fire when you want to be, you know that, Hermione? A right bloody hellion." He said as he rubbed his sore neck.

"Well something has to be going on! Blacking out in class is not a good thing!"

Her eyes widened as an idea dawned on her. "Draco, do you think….."

He heaved himself up onto his bed and held out a hand to help her up beside him.

"Draco, when exactly did you start not being able to retain anything from the classes?" She asked with her eyes discreetly staying on his face as she turned to him. 'Could he be bothered to dress himself? Honestly, the boy has no sense of decency,' she though while fighting the blush threatening to creep over her cheeks.

"Well it started after Christmas; I had been getting good marks up to that point and when I came back I just thought that I had lost some interest in the class when my marks began to slip so I tried studying after school, or even getting Blaise to test me but nothing would stay in my head when it came to Charms. My brain would almost block it out, even if the simplest word about it came out in conversation. I would go all blank and McGonagall even took me to Snape thinking that I had some sort of bloody drug problem because I was spacing out in her class rather frequently."

"Ahh Draco, do you think that someone cast a spell on you? Do you think that your father may have done this without your notice just so you would have to get closer to me?"

He stared at her with eyes unseeing as he processed this new concept. He did remember his father being very adamant about the new black suede shoes he had gotten him for Christmas, that he should wear them everywhere because they had a self cleaning charm on them and that they were very expensive. He would have ignored them except that he was rather fond of them; they were really comfortable and damned near indestructible. He even wore them to the Quidditch games for good luck.

"Do you know a way to tell if there is, some sort of spell, I mean…" His voice was weary as he stood to pick up his beloved shoes.

"Yes! Of course! Oh yes Hermione, thinking that this is a good way to review charm detecting charms," she said sarcastically as she took a shoe out of his hand.

"Suede?" His voice came out slightly mockingly.

"Hey! They are really nice shoes!" Her voice cracked out indignantly.

Hermione laughed as she raised her pant leg to show him a pair of tan suede slip-ons.

"I need to get my wand from the bathroom. I rather left in a hurry."

He scoffed at her. "You forget your wand but remember your clothes, you are beyond strange." Hermione ignored him and as she left his room called out, "And put some clothes on! We have to patrol in ten minutes!" Draco laughed as she left and he hopped into his pants and tried very hard not to think about how confusing it had been to have her jump him and hold him down. Yes he had been afraid and startled but there were other emotions that flashed through him that left him more confused than scared.

When Hermione returned she saw him poking his shoe with his wand on his bed looking bored.

"Alright, the incantation to see the more rudimentary charms or curses is Kiyorothi Sa-Fjuki, and with the third and eighth wand movements. Now you try…" She sat down on his bed and he followed her instructions flawlessly. Nothing happened.

"Okay if that did not work then the next one to see more advanced charms is Heri-Halack, with the same wand movements."

"Say is Hearee- Hoolackah, with a hard K at the end."

"Yes, Professor," he replied sarcastically.

Again nothing happened and Hermione just stared at the shoes for a very long time. After a while she said, "I wonder…"

She quickly took the shoelaces out of the shoes and set them on the bed and asked, "Can I try something?" He nodded and she proceeded to explain the spell.

"This is one of the more advanced detection spells, Professor Moody taught it to me last summer but it won't be taught in the school. He learned in Auror training in his third year." She smiled sheepishly.

"Why Hermione! I am shocked! The pure nerve of it!" She frowned and then recited, "Hgnuu tree fung, Harl tray lintoski." With this accompanied a few of the more delicate wand movements and Draco watched as his shoelaces began to glow dark green.

A thin reedy voice began to say in a whisper, "Grantfundai Charm, Pleasance Charm, Funneling Charm, a Traidun Spell and a Sedume Charm, no curses."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What are those?"

She looked up from the now normal shoe laces and said in a plain voice, "Grantfundai is a word charm that makes your mind black out whenever you hear a certain word. It's probably the word Charm but its not affecting you right now because you are not wearing the shoes. It also is set to gradually wear off over time so that it would look like I was actually teaching you things. A Pleasance Charm makes it so that you are more pleasant to people, that was probably directed at me, the funneling charm takes certain thoughts and makes them leave and the Taidun spell makes it so that you can think these thoughts and retain them when alone or with another person." She avoided his eyes.

"And what about the other one? That Sedume Charm…Is it something really bad?" He asked with worry.

Hermione stood up and started towards the door, "Its nothing really bad but you probably don't want to know what it is." He ran up to her side and said, "What?"

"Well look it up you lazy devil!" She said before hurrying away to her room to dry off her hair that was beginning to frizz at an alarming rate.

Draco frowned and went to his Charms text book. The definition of the Sedume charm was, "A subtle charm that causes slight feelings of admiration or attraction to the person that it is placed on. It has to be directed to a particular person and this person may experience dreams or have moments of overwhelming emotion directed towards the other. This is the lowest form of a love spell possible and can only be dangerous if the person that it is directed to has had feelings towards the other before the spell has been cast. Then it can turn into a Hartilkag level love Charm, see Hartilkag for further details."

Draco flipped to the index to find the page that it was on and after reading it began laughing. It said that the person it was directed to could develop large blue spots all over their feet and may deflect the entire love spell onto the person it was originally cast.

Draco could not decide if he was horrified or highly amused. His thoughts flashed back to when Hermione had shown him her suede shoe and then small blue dots that had placed themselves around her ankle. Breathing deeply he wandered out into the hall to wait for her. When she came around the corner her face was a mask of bland and he now felt almost completely certain that he had been seeing things. 'I most certainly am not feeling any sense of admiration toward her—and even if I did, there's no chance that she's ever felt anything toward me other than an intense loathing…and that's the way it should be,' he thought ruefully as he wandered down the Ravenclaw hallway to catch two students huddled in a corner together.

He made them feel horrible before stripping away too many house points and sent them back to their towers. Now this was something that he enjoyed. The idiots in the younger grades had been warned about him and with a mere glare he could have them shaking. Draco truly loved this power and could easily understand why Snape had built up a very horrible persona for himself in order to do this kind of thing. At ten thirty he met Hermione in front of the stone gargoyles that led to the Head Masters office and after saying, "Cotton Candy" the statues leapt aside to permit them entrance.

There was a fire lit in the office but not a single sign of the Head Master. The light was dim over his old tables that were covered in trinkets and opened books and notes in strange languages. A few of the professors in the paintings startled awake at their entrance and watched them curiously as they peaked around the doorway.

Hermione called into his private rooms but silence was her reply. She looked at Draco then noticed a note on his desk. It was basically a complexly coded request that called for Dumbledore to spend the night at Grimmauld Place. "Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said in a shaky voice, "We'll just have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him."

Both were moody and wordless as they made their way back to their tower.

Draco spoke up, "We can meet him first thing in the morning, maybe even get up early and wait for him in his office?" He had a defeated look as he turned away to close the door to his room.

"Good night," she said to him from his mouth. He whispered the same to her after a moment of silence.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

He crawled under the soft gray covers and after trying very hard not to think about everything that was going on between him and Granger he drifted off to sleep. Hermione, however, was having no such luck. She stared blearily out of one of her moonlit windows as her thoughts floated dismally in circles.

Draco Malfoy was the first person she had ever hated. He was the worst type of human, if you could even call him that; he lied constantly, viciously put anyone down who did not measure up to his obscenely high standards, and did so remorselessly. Everything he did came off as remorseless, and she remembered when she thought that he couldn't be in possession of a soul. He went around doing things for personal gain or pleasure without a second thought about anyone else—save for his precious father.

Lucius Malfoy had, in fact, produced the perfect copy of himself in looks and personality. Draco's one goal in life was to please his father, and it was utterly beyond Hermione's realm of comprehension to grasp why someone would want to prove themselves so desperately to a man as cruel and terrible as Lucius Malfoy. All these things she had easily thought before this year. The year in which she and many Gryfindors were shocked to find out that Mafoy Jr. had been chosen over Harry and some other very qualified seventh year boys to become Head boy.

Okay so Harry, Ron and her all knew that Harry could not be Head Boy because it would put him in too much danger and he almost seemed relieved when Dumbledore told him this. He also needed to spend spare time working with Snape and Dumbledore on the Occlumency. The rest of the school was shocked into silence as the two of them went up the head table to be officially addressed as Head Girl and Head Boy. All had feared the worst for the two, with everyone thinking that by the end of the year only one would still be alive. The first week had been fine. Both were consumed in schoolwork and getting adjusted to their new dorms and it wasn't until the second week that all hell had broken loose.

It had started when Draco had walked into their common room to find that Hermione had plastered the room in text books and papers. She had been wandering furiously amidst stacks of scrolls muttering and taking notes for the past two hours after supper because she had gotten a breakthrough in her wandless magic research.

He had become furious at her for messing up the common room and she had returned his anger with equal fervor. It was theirs to share and she was offended that he thought that she would leave it as it was. Hermione casting a Gribleton Hex on Draco and him casting a Munty drow Curse on her decisively ended their argument. The end result of which saw the two of them in the Hospital ward, Him with an extra set of arms that had a mind of their own and her developing bright orange scales and breathing out green foul smelling smoke whenever she laughed or smiled.

Dumbledore had given them both very chastising lectures about being good role models for the rest of the school and then he gave them both a choice to talk out between each other, while they lay still in their beds side by side in the hospital wing.

Drawing up to his full towering height between the feet of their beds his voice came out gravely. "I will give the two of you a choice: Either you decide to keep up with this petty grudge that you have harbored for far too long, and I will not hesitate to strip you of your Head badges. Or you can act like the mature young adults that you are and tolerate each other. You must live and work together…surely mere civility isn't too much for you both to handle?" His gaze softened after a moment of silence.

"The two of you were selected because of your natural leadership abilities. The students do look up to you, each in very different ways, but I thought that I could count on you both to behave more like the proper wizards that I hope you are and not like first years that you are acting like. Now I will take my leave, and you have one hour to reach a decision. Let me remind you that if there are any lingering doubts as to whether you'll be able to cooperate, you will have to reach a mutual decision, for I don't feel it would be fair to allow one of you to stay on as Head should the other choose to hand in his or her badge. You are in this together, and I feel compelled to tell you that this is the first time we've had a situation like this—even Percy Weasley managed to avoid being hexed by his fellow Head." He left without a sound and closed the door with a snap.

For a long time neither would speak, because both were too upset at each other to say anything besides insults. Then Hermione croaked out, "If we are expelled I promise to make your life a living hell."

Draco coughed as his extra hands twiddled their thumbs, "As if you could ever do any thing to hurt me, mudblood."

"Do you really want to get expelled? I bet your father would be so proud."

He glared pure venom and replied coldly, "I would be sent somewhere else. I can get into any school in the world."

Hermione rolled her eyes and just came right out and said it, "Amazing what money can buy…but I am willing to try to be civil with you, if you even understand the meaning of the word."

"Civil. Definition: Not rude; marked by satisfactory or especially minimal adherence to social usages and sufficient but not noteworthy consideration for others." He looked thoughtful while one of the extra hands scratched his head. "It's an interesting concept. Alright, mudblood, I except your apology, just don't let it happen again." He said and one of the extra hands went out to make as if to shake her hand and Hermione edged away.

"I did not apologize you prat!" She growled and the hand went up and gave her the middle finger.

"What are you so scared of? They were your creation after all and they really are quite harmless."

"Well it's just odd to see an extra pair of arms growing out from your shoulders; I'm a bit squicked, is all."

"I actually quite like them! I am not saying that I would want them permanently, you know, but I could think of some fun that I could have with them…." Draco trailed off and watched in horror as one of the arms snaked around his back and gave his butt a pinch.

Hermione howled in laughter at the look of complete terror on his face as he tried to fend the hands off as they attempted to do only god knows what. This caused her foul smoking hex breath to come out with a vengeance and Draco looked up at her with a look of disgust on his face and he said, "Bloody hell! Shut up, Granger! Warn me next time because that is simply vile!"

Dumbledore chose the exact moment to walk in when Hermione was trying to help Draco hold down one of his extra arms that was still struggling to pinch him again and she merely hoped that this was all that it was trying to do as one of his hands was preoccupied with holding his nose and the other his other struggling arm.

Hermione was still laughing so hard that a foul-smelling green fog was hovering about the room and Draco was too afraid of the roaming hands to comment

The Headmaster quickly raised his arms all the windows in the room flew open and then muttering an incantation two pieces of leather binding sprang up out of the air and tied and hands down to his sides. Draco breathed in a giant breath of fresh air and Hermione immediately sobered up.

Dumbledore gave them an appraising eye and then said, "So have you two made a decision?"

They both nodded and Hermione spoke up, "We will stay and work it out. I promise you will have no more problems from us." At least that you will find out about she added in her mind while he nodded his agreement.

"Excellent! Now let us have a look at those arms Draco, my boy, they seem to have some very interesting ideas of their own, don't they?" He added with a twinkle in his eye as he bent over them and began to mutter out the counter-hex.

Madame Pomfrey hurried over to Hermione and forced some rather nasty tasting potions into her before she was sent into a deep sleep. She awoke, in her own room, scaleless and when she laughed all that happened was that she coughed slightly and her throat was sore. 'I will make this work if I have to kill the little bastard to do it,' she thought with vengeance.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was that dream again.

He had been having the same dream for years.

In it he would awake in a very dark place. He would stand up and then a sudden feeling of dread would wash over him. Someone was watching him and wanted to do him harm. He could always hear his heart beat like a drum, like the tick of a clock counting down the minutes to something horrible happening. Blindly, He would run through his darkened and dank dreamscape but no matter where he ran or how fast, the noise was always there. He would begin to cry out, but his pleas and screams became distorted, the sound being thwarted by this unknown evil, they were merely weak bursts of pointless effort, and they would fade away echoing into the abyss.

Then he would fall. It always seemed as if he had been running forever but he always fell and at that moment when he finally turned around into the grayness that he knew that he was without hope. Darkly robbed and faintly glowing with malice and evil intent stood the one person who he feared above all others. And he would wake up sweating with the tail end of a scream on his lips and panting.

This time though it was different. With mounting fear he did not wake up immediately and the hooded figure drew back its swirling darkness around its head to reveal the pure source of his mortal fear.

Draco awoke with a fresh scream tearing through his sobbing throat. He was so disoriented that he did not realize that he was not alone in his room in his first moments of waking. He was clutching painfully onto Hermione. She had been a little confused to find that she was saying things and pleading and screaming out Lucius' name when she realized that Draco must be dreaming and talking in his sleep.

She had quickly gone to his room to tell him to bugger off when she looked onto Draco's slightly trashing form. He looked positively delusional with fear, and Hermione was even more confused to see his eyes wide open and glassy while he looked unseeing into his nightmare. The blankets were damp with sweat and his hands were balled into tight fists as if he wanted to do something but was unable. Hermione knew that it was unsafe to wake someone from a nightmare but she went to his side quickly as the pleas for his life became louder and she sat on the edge of his bed.

His moans were silenced and all became quiet as she watched his body become rigid on the bed. She thought that his nightmare was over and moved to rise from the bed to go to her own room, but Hermione's thoughts were cut short when he screamed and shot up in bed, shivering. On instinct, she reached out and held him and he clutched onto her tightly while she rubbed his back slowly. He was positively shaking in fear and Hermione knew right then and there in that exact moment that she would have to revise all of her previous thoughts about the Prince of Slytherin. People change, but she knew that he had not done so. It was her view of him that had changed and it was not that simpering little adoration spell that had been cast on his shoelaces by his father for her.

She had seen Draco as a person and she felt utter sympathy and sorrow for him.

His shudders died down and he pulled away; ashamed that she had seen him in such a state of weakness as the tears twinkled over his face in the light from the moon. Draco hung his head and waited for her to say something but the silence was kept. His unease grew and he flashed a look up at her.

Hermione sat in perfect anguished patience as she waited for him to start. There was no way that she could make the first move here. She only wanted to hear what he was willing to tell her and it would not be right for her to try to pry anything out of him.

"It was me…." He said in her voice weakly, "It was my father….I….think…it was …me. I don't know! I just don't know any more!" He sobbed dry. Allowing the sound to come and his face to contort but he would not allow any tears. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Her voice yelled at him with his words.

Hermione sat and watched him. Draco the Ferret, Malfoy the Coward, Malfoy the Bully, Draco the Deatheater's son, Draco the vile, the horrid, the wicked.

Draco the Human being; just like her.

Hermione put her arms around him slowly and, even though he twitched and grew tense under her touch, he did not pull away. She could feel his heart beating beneath his bare chest and it was the only indication he gave of being alive, of having emotions, of being human. She held him, to comfort herself as much as him and then she whispered in her own ear.

"I am here for you. We all make mistakes but I swear I will always be here for you. You are not alone…..Sweet Dreams Draco." Her tone upon ending was sad and she arose and walked back to her room and softly closed to door.

"Thank you." Passed timidly across her lips from him lying motionless in his room and she smiled before she let sleep flow into her mind.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Okay 'nother chapter! Man I still have so much to write! I hope I can get it done in a month but I am not counting on it….I know that I could probably make the story like ahh one….fixed…two….grad….thee….that….four….more of that…….five….free….six….aftermath……seven….more aftermath…..lol yeah about seven more chapters! Wow….that would be nice! Hey Carla? Is this chapter okay? I kinda liked it but it rather ran away with me….the dream bit is to be credited to Justin who is a real person that read my story….this amounts to three people I physically know that read it…..lol, well then this is dedicated to Carla Beta Carla or course, Tara who will hopefully get around to reading this…..to Jaru who is CUTE, Me because my feet are cold and to Justin! And yes you should write too! Stop putting it off! Procrasinate today! Bye Carla…till next week same bat channel same bat station…..SEVEN MORE? What am I thinking? groan A.N. Update…Justin wrote two chapters of his story already! GO READ BECAUSE IT IS BLOODY BRILLIANT……His author name is Expressive Silence and the story is called Secrets between friends….. Hey Jaru! Read and review his because I know you will if I ask nicely…its not much and he is a really talented writer so support him! Because I think I am the only one who has commented on it….it would be nice if Carla and Rootbeer did the same but hey…..no pressure! Laughs….so Justin tell me what you think?