Disclaimer: I don't own these characters but I hope you enjoy how I play with them!

Just as the Welcome Feast was winding down a piece of parchment appeared in front of Hermione's plate. She gasped and grabbed a hold of it before either of the boys could try to get it first.

She quickly read the note and then stuffed into her pocket.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked, pointing his fork in the direction of the note.

"Dumbledore asked to meet with me after the Feast is over. Something about reworking my schedule to make all my classes fit."

"Don't tell me you're going to have to use a Time Turner again," Ron spoke around a mouthful of pudding.

Hermione sighed. "Of course not Ron. All the Time Turners were destroyed during the battle at the Ministry. Besides there are rules regarding how often one can use a Time Turner."

Harry froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth. "Really? I didn't know that. Why?"

"When I used the Time Turner I was repeating hours. I was in two places at once, right? But every time I repeated an hour it was added to my age so the Ministry probably has it on record that I'm several weeks or so older than my birthday says I am."

Ron's eyes widened. "So does that mean if you went back too long or too often..."

"I could accidentally end up an old woman regardless of today's date and how many years ago I was born."

"I never would have thought about that!" And with Harry's comment everything went back to normal. The boys continued shoving food into their mouths and they forgot all about Hermione's mysterious meeting with the Headmaster.

Dumbledore smiled at Hermione as she stepped into his office. "Do make yourself comfortable Miss Granger," he said, gesturing to the two chairs across from his own. "I expect Mr. Malfoy will arrive shortly and then we can begin. I must say I am very intrigued as to why you called this meeting."

The Headmaster was just in the middle of offering her a Lemon drop when Draco burst through the doors without even bothering to knock.

"I would have been earlier but Pansy tried to follow me." Draco straightened his robes and nervously looked back and forth between Hermione and the Headmaster. "Is it really so bad you needed to go to him?" He finally asked. "I thought maybe Lupin or Mr. Weasley could figure something out."

Dumbledore spoke up before Hermione could even form a response. "It's a good thing she did Mr. Malfoy because I can help you far more than anyone else could. The first thing I can do is ease your conscience."

"Oh really? And how are you going to do that?"

"Because I'm going to have Miss Granger here help you with your mission to kill me."

Hermione gasped. Draco's facade broke and he allowed a look of surprise and amazement to cross his face. And Dumbledore merely smiled.

Hermione finally managed to find her voice. "You want us to do what?"

"Mr. Malfoy was given an assignment. An impossible assignment to kill me off right under the noses of everyone at this school. What I want you to do is help him Miss Granger. Make sure the attempts are believable but not fatal."

Draco shot up from his chair. "But I never wanted the assignment in the first place! And I never wanted this!" He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. The Dark Mark was especially lurid against his pale skin.

A chill ran down Hermione's spine at the sight of the mark. She'd been hoping to prevent it from ever appearing.

Dumbledore looked back and forth between the two of them and sighed. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen but there's just too much bad blood between Voldemort and your father. Even as Tom Riddle he could never just let things go."

"There's more to it though. You're so calm about the idea of Draco attempting to murder you. Why is that?" Hermione asked.

"You've heard about my hand Miss Granger. You must already know."

Hermione's gaze flicked to the Headmaster's blackened hand. Harry had told her about it after he'd been brought to the Burrow and she'd spent hours researching. "I take it you were cursed by something or someone."

Dumbledore nodded his head.

Hermione's voice was low. "So you're going to die anyways. When?"

"If the curse doesn't take me first I will die when the time is right. Just please don't tell anyone of this conversation or we might lose our only hope of winning this war." He only relaxed once they had agreed.

"Now that we've settled that I will make a promise to you Mr. Malfoy. If you will plot to do whatever tasks Voldemort assigns you then I will find a way to get your mother out of his clutches."

Hermione paused after the big reveal that she and Draco had known that Dumbledore had been doomed to die. The room was so quiet that she could hear her heart pound.

Harry looked at her, pain evident in his eyes. "You knew he was going to die and you never told me?"

"He asked us not too!" Draco interjected. "Like you never did something just because Dumbledore asked you too."

Ginny offered Harry a half hearted smile. "He's got a point."

"I have one question though," Neville hesitantly asked. "Did you know of the bargain Dumbledore had made with Snape? That he had asked Snape to kill him?"

Draco was already shaking his head before Neville had finished his sentence. "No. He told us he had a plan but he never mentioned Snape's involvement."

Hermione double and triple checked the Marauder's Map which she'd borrowed from Harry without his permission. But she'd needed it to safely get to the Room of Requirement where she'd agreed to meet Draco. Chills ran down her spin as she remembered what it was they needed to do. She'd never have guessed she'd spend her spare time plotting an attempt on the Headmaster's life.

She sighed as she stepped into the Room which had turned itself into a Potions lab/library. There was also a comfortable sofa and a large table with chairs so they could either sit comfortably or studiously spread their research out. Now all she needed was Draco.

"Hey Granger."

Hermione spun around in surprise. She hadn't heard Draco slip into the room. She offered him a small nervous smile. "Glad you could make it. I just figured we should jump right in and get started. I've never really attempted to murder someone before."

"That part won't be hard, I don't think," Draco said as he inspected the room. "I think the hard part will be making sure the attempt fails but sounds like it could have worked."

Hermione pulled her wand out and started charming books off the shelf. "That just means we have to do what I do best." She levitated a pile of books over to the table and let them fall with a slam. "Research."

Hermione raced to the Room of Requirement. By the time she reached the room she was dripping sweat as she tore off her mittens and scarf.

When Draco slipped through the door he was nearly smacked in the face with Hermione's winter coat.

"What went wrong?" Hermione screeched. "That wasn't supposed to happen! Katie was simply supposed to deliver the necklace and just be a little confused."

After weeks of planning Draco had remembered the cursed opal necklace he had seen at Borgin and Burke's over the summer. They'd decided he should order it and then send it to Dumbledore, after removing the curse of course.

"I don't know! We both held the necklace with no ill effects. We couldn't have known," Draco pointed out as he stepped towards her.

She couldn't prevent her heart from falling as she remembered how Katie's body had seized into such an unnatural position before slumping to the ground. "She could die Draco and it would be my fault."

After a moment of hesitation Draco pulled Hermione into a hug. "None of this is your fault," he murmured as he stroked her hair. "You wouldn't even be involved if it weren't for me."

"You proved to me at the Yule Ball that you had a shred of human decency." She tilted her head to look at him. "You deserved a chance to make your own decisions about your life."

"It still surprises me that you thought I was worth redemption." He searched her eyes, waiting for a sign that she was feeling what he was feeling.

And then her hands clutched the back of his head, pulling him down until their lips met. It wasn't sweet or chaste like he'd been imaging it would be the second they kissed.

Her lips parted and she pulled away when he didn't take advantage. "Draco, I want you to kiss me. Not because I'm upset but because I've thought about it dozens of times since ˗"

Before she could finish her sentence Draco pulled her even closer and lowered his mouth to hers. The second she relaxed he gently slid his tongue over the seam of her lips, his tongue slipping inside the moment she let him.

They lost all sense of time as their tongues battled for dominance. But then Draco slowed the kisses down until they were less bruising and more languid.

Draco was already pacing around the Room of Requirement when Hermione rushed in. He took one look at her tear streaked face and nearly broke down himself. "I am so sorry Hermione."

They met in the middle of the room and Hermione wordlessly pulled him towards the couch. They wrapped their arms around each other, both of them needing the comfort.

"I am so sorry," he repeated as his fingers idly drew lines on the small of her back, just under her sweater. "I didn't know that would happen. Is Ron okay?"

Hermione sniffed and buried her head against Draco's chest. "He'll be okay after a while. Fortunately Harry remembered the Bezoar."

Draco clutched her tighter as she sobbed. "I should have known there was a chance Slughorn wouldn't give Dumbledore the mead. I just assumed if anyone but Dumbledore were to drink it it would be Slughorn himself and as Potions Master he'd know how to combat the poison."

"I know Draco. I know," she whispered as her fingertips danced over his bare arm in a soothing rhythm. "I could have told you not to do it but I didn't. I'm responsible too."

They met in the middle of the Room of Requirement. Draco slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Did you and Dumbledore discuss everything?" he quietly asked.

Hermione nodded. "He's taking Harry out for a trip tomorrow evening. He said you should let the Death Eaters in then. Extra sentries will be posted around the castle while he's gone."

Draco slowly pulled away and Hermione moved to make herself comfortable on the couch. But comfort was hard to come by when they both knew what was going to happen the next day. Dumbledore would be leaving the castle and Death Eaters would be entering it.

"I can't believe Dumbledore thinks this is a good idea." Draco paced back and forth, occasionally tugging his hair out of frustration.

"Blame Voldemort not Dumbledore. He's the one who wants Death Eaters in the castle. And Dumbledore's only going along with it because he's prepared and he doesn't want you to blow your cover before he can get you and your mom to safety."

"But he shouldn't have to risk everyone else's safety just for me!" Draco cried out. "I'm not worth it."

"Come here," Hermione demanded, patting the couch cushion next to her. Once Draco complied she gently cupped his chin, forcing him to meet her eye. "You deserve to be saved. And don't worry. My friends and I have already faced a group of Death Eaters before. We can do it again." She slowly let her hands fall and she turned away.

They had been nice to each other, and very flirtatious (there'd even been quite a bit of kissing for Merlin's sake) but emotions hadn't been a big part of it. She didn't want to do or say anything that would take their relationship to the next level.

"Hermione?"

She quickly turned, amazed at the hesitancy in his voice. She'd seen Draco Malfoy express arrogance, anger, sometimes confusion but he'd never seemed so unsure of himself. "What is it Draco?

The blonde took a deep breath and looked her right in the eyes. "When this is all over, if we both make it out alive, will you go on a date with me?"

Ginny smiled as Draco stopped to take a sip of his Butterbeer. "I wasn't expecting such a sweet story. I don't know if I should be saying "awe" or if I should yell at you for being disappointing."

Hermione looked at her friend in surprise. "We told you we'd be explaining how we fell in love. What were you expecting?"

"Passion! Fireworks! Steamy sex in a library alcove!"

"Sorry Ginny but you won't be hearing that kind of story."

"But we saw the memories of your lunch date during Draco's trial so it had to have gone from sweet to steamy at some point!" Ginny insisted.

Draco finally spoke up. "You're not thinking this through. You already know when that all changed."

"Ohh," Luna exhaled. "I take it you didn't need nearly as many Head Boy/Head Girl meetings as you said you did."

Hermione and Draco suddenly couldn't keep their eyes off each other but then Ron interrupted.

"If you guys were getting all lovey dovey by the end of sixth year then why didn't you do anything to save Hermione when we were taken to your house Malfoy? Hermione was tortured there!"

Hermione gulped as the memories of her torture at Bellatrix's hands flashed before her eyes. Draco gently took her hand in his. "I did the best I could. I did call Dobby there to help you."

"And he snuck Bellatrix's hair into my pocket, giving me the idea to sneak into Gringotts disguised as her."

"Other than at the Final Battle we didn't see much of each other until we returned to Hogwarts for Seventh Year. And it surprised the shit out of me when McGonagall named me Head Boy to Hermione's Head Girl. But it had been a provision in Dumbledore's will along with the plan for the Heads to have their own private bedrooms with a shared Common Room."

"I only think he did that because he wanted us together for some reason," Hermione said with a wry grin. "He knew we'd worked together before. Why else would he have kept pushing us together?"

"Yeah yeah," Ginny pushed away their musings. "Now back to what Luna said about the fake Heads meetings."

Hermione blushed and Draco laughed. "She's right. We'd have dates disguised as meetings."

"And we went to all the Inter-house events together because we wanted to, not because we had to," Hermione added.

"By December I'd told her that I loved her." Draco lifted Hermione's hand and kissed her palm. "And by February the only time I returned to my own bedroom was to retrieve fresh clothes and school supplies."

"What about your parents Draco? Aren't you worried what they'll say?" Fred asked.

"Mum's actually known I liked Hermione since about three weeks after Voldemort's downfall. I owled her immediately after Hermione and I went on our first date. Mum was happy because I was happy."

"Lucius was a different story of course. Draco kept refusing to tell him. But then we went to one of the Malfoy chateaus to celebrate graduation and he forgot to tell his mum we'd be there. They showed up and well…" Hermione trailed off as she blushed bright red.

Ginny's eyes twinkled. "Now we're finally getting somewhere."

"Not it wasn't like that, not really!" Hermione insisted. "They didn't see us doing anything. There was just one morning when I heard a noise in the kitchens. Thinking it was Draco I walked out in nothing but a short silk robe. Only it wasn't Draco."

"I walked in just seconds later and my father looked like he was about to explode. He finally just grabbed my mum's arm, muttered "I don't want to know" and then Apparated them both out of there." Draco chuckled at the memory. "But mum talked to him and a week later the four of us went out to dinner. Father wasn't exactly pleasant but he was civil."

"And he advised us to keep our relationship a secret. At least until he'd helped the Ministry track down the rest of the Death Eaters. Which was probably a good idea since the attack on Muggleborns started not long after. If we had revealed our relationship I'm sure I would have been more actively targeted."

The group grew silent as they thought of the crimes. For over a year there had been attacks on Half Bloods and Muggleborns nearly every Friday. No one had been killed or charged with the crime though Draco had been implicated. Hermione had been able to give him an alibi which superseded the memory of the witness who had seen him attack Dennis Creevey.

"I'm still curious about one part of that trial," Ron said. "I thought Pansy was in love with you. Why would she turn you in when she thought you were behind the attacks instead of just asking you about them?"

"Or assuming you'd done it and asking to help you. Hell, we all know she's no Muggleborn sympathizer," Fred interjected.

Draco sighed. "It's probably payback. She's spent forever thinking we'd end up together because of something her mum told her when she was younger. I've been telling her it would never happen for years but a few months back I finally admitted it was because I was seeing someone else."