Heeeeeeeey- so here's the next chapter! Hope I didn't lose too many readers after that cliffhanger-ish ending. My beta totally kicked ass on this chapter- not that that's a surpise to anyone! Just to be safe...Harry and Draco are slightly-ish OOC_maybe, maybe not, but just a warning in case anyone thinks so...

Ummm... I don't think I've got anything else to say except I love all the reviews I've gotten thus far and I can't wait to get more! (Hint, hint)

My dream did not do her justice! I can't believe that just happened! The image of Hermione standing naked in the doorway would forever be etched in Draco's mind. For what seemed like hours, but really was only seconds, he stood staring at the now closed door.

Shaking his head, he gathered his towel around his waist. He then proceeded to knock on her door. What am I doing? She's going to think I'm a total pervert! Hell, after what just happened, she probably already does! Slowly, she opened the door. Her expression was one of complete mortification. She opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her. "Don't apologize. It was my fault for not locking the door and I'm really sorry. I certainly didn't plan on that happening and I really hope this doesn't get awkward because of it." She looked like she was in shock, so he decided not to push her. "Okay, well I just wanted to let you know that I'm done with the room now." He turned and headed for his room.

"Thank you."

Draco turned and looked at the beautiful girl still standing where he had left her. "Don't forget to lock the door. We don't want a repeat performance." Well, he wouldn't mind; he was a teenaged male! A hint of a smile broke through the planes of her face and he closed his door.

Draco quickly rummaged through his clothes and found an outfit. Being dismissed from classes definitely had its fashion advantages. After pulling on a pair of jeans over his boxers, he strode over to his mirror to style his hair. Over the years, he had outgrown the gelled look and now favored a 'sexy' look. It was slightly messy, pieces falling over his eyes, but still held a sophisticated edge. Satisfied with his hair, he pulled on a black button up shirt, rolling the sleeves partway to his elbows.

Having finished dressing, he turned to survey his reflection a final time. His jaw was a disgusting shade of purple, but that was the extent of the damage from Ron's blow. I can't believe that prick actually hit me… I can't believe I actually blacked out! That's never happened before. Well, he does have who knows how many brothers; he must have had to learn to fight at some point. Even with the obvious change, the man in the mirror looked different. The hard exterior he was used to seeing was somewhat softened; it didn't look guarded, but protective. Protective? Has Hermione changed me that much in two days? Yeah, I guess she has… or I have changed myself because of her. She really is something… I wonder why I never saw it before.

A knock on his door broke him from his thoughts. He answered to find Harry staring back at him. "Can we talk?" Draco motioned him towards the armchairs in the Common Room.

"What's up?"

"I want to talk about Hermione since we're alone." He paused before continuing. "Now I know I haven't been here the past few days and I don't know exactly what you've done for her… but I wanted to thank you." Draco was shocked; Harry Potter, his sworn enemy, was thanking him! He wanted to look outside to see if the world was ending. "I also need to say that I don't trust you, but, for some reason, Hermione does and I'm going to trust her judgment. You'd better know though, if you do anything to hurt her I will kill you."

"Well that's a bit extreme Potter." Draco chuckled.

"She's my best friend." Harry was stone faced. "She's the closest thing to a family that I've got."

"I- okay." He nodded.

"Well now that all of that is out of the way, I promised Hermione that I'd try to get along with you." Harry held out his hand. "We get along, for her sake?"

Draco's hand met Harry's and both men shook firmly. "You should know… I really have changed. And it isn't just because of this that I'm getting along with her, although, it probably sped up the process."

"I owe you a lot for what you did." His tone was solemn.

"Alright, I'm getting sick of the serious talk." Draco reclined in his chair with a smirk on his face. "So, 'Boy-Who-Lived,' are you ready to get your ass handed to you by Slytherin in a few weeks?"

The mood between them lightened after that. By the time Hermione joined them, they were both laughing and trash talking their opposing team. Draco jumped up when he saw Hermione watching them with tears in her eyes.

"Hermione!" His heart went out to her. He hated seeing her grief. Harry jumped up too.

She grabbed a hand from each of them. "Thank you, both of you." She pulled them to her in a hug. It was the first time Draco had ever been this close to Harry and, yet, he didn't mind; of course, Hermione was closer so that probably had something to do with it.

Harry pulled away suddenly, looking at the clock. "Shit! I'm going to be late to Potions!" He hurriedly picked up his bag. "Are you two coming?" He had realized that neither of them were wearing school clothes and raised an eyebrow.

"We've both been excused for two weeks because…" Draco motioned towards Hermione.

Harry looked at the floor. "Oh, right, of course! That makes sense…" He shifted his gaze from the floor to Draco. "Thank you."

Draco nodded and Harry turned to leave. "Harry!" Hermione stopped him. "Could you… well spread it around that we're excused for Head's duty or something? I don't want it getting out that…" The tears formed again and Draco handed her a tissue.

"Of course, I'd do anything for you Hermione." His brother-like side was definitely showing. "I've got to go, but I'll check in on you soon, after I kick Ron's ass that is." With that he left.

Draco and Hermione moved to the couch, since she was still crying. He was amazed that she had anything left in her to cry, she'd been doing it for so long now. Her eyes might even be permanently bloodshot because of this terrible, stupid, Muggle catastrophe. How could her parents die and leave her all alone like this, even if they weren't her real parents? Hermione… Hermione was book-smart, but she wasn't the sort who could manage life on their own outside a library. And now with her being Gryffindor's heiress too… the pureblood community would eat her alive if they ever found out. He held her close enough that he could smell her shampoo, a mango scent. She buried her head in his chest and cried for hours, his heart breaking with every sob. Eventually, her lessened and ceased altogether. She was still breathing heavily, but he could tell she felt better. "You okay?" She nodded against his chest. "Want to talk about it?"

Slowly, she sat up, resting her head on his shoulder. It felt like it belonged there; like two pieces of the same puzzle. "I'm just feeling so much. I'm depressed about my parents, about never being able to see them again. I'm never going to be able to talk to them again or tell them I love them. I'm angry and upset and just plain hurt by the way Ron treated me. And I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to look at him the same way again, let alone continue to be friends with him." She sighed heavily. "I'm really happy that Harry understands, although I was petrified at first that he wouldn't stay to let you explain." She bit her lip and they both remembered the events of the morning. "I'm really overjoyed that the two of you are coming together for my sake. It means a lot to me. And…" Her breathing hitched. "And I feel horribly guilty that I'm able to feel any happiness only a few days after finding out that my parents died."

"Herm-"

"I'm not done." He sighed and let her continue. "I also feel really confused. You confuse me. I mean… I've told Harry and Ginny that you've changed, but…" She looked up at him. "I never thought you would be comforting me and taking care of me and… and defending me to my friends instead of defending yourself." A single tear formed in her eye. "There's something else I feel, but I don't know what it is. I feel attached to you, like you're my guardian angel or something… That could just be my emotions running haywire though."

He caught her chin and pulled her face up to look at him. "I feel like that too. When I found you the other night… I just… I know what you mean… The night of the big battle last year, when I had to kill my father… I realized then just how arrogant I had been to everyone in my life. I always did what HE told me to do and never thought about my actions, like I was better than everyone else. It's almost poetic that I was the one to kill him… It's like everything came into focus; I had to destroy him to live my own life. I realized just how immature I was for the past six years and I don't want to be that little boy anymore."

Hermione had a very Draco-like smirk on her face. "Who would've thought that death would bring about something so good?"

"Yes, it truly did." His silver eyes met her brown ones. "And the other night when I found you... I remembered how I had always treated you worse than everyone else. I already knew that I was starting to see you more as an equal, but this… finding you like that made me feel like I was tied to you somehow… Even though you had been crying, you looked absolutely beautiful. Right then I realized that I couldn't stay away from-" Neither of them realized until that very moment that they had been moving closer to one another. She slinked her hands behind his neck and his eyes were focused on her lips. A few more millimeters Draco… show her how you feel. Her nose brushed against his; her eyes closed in anticipation. Their breath mixed together as they came closer to touching lips.

*Hides under a table so no one kills me for the cliffhanger*

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