Chapter Nineteen

By the time he reached the portrait covering the entrance to his living quarters, Draco's anger was boiling over. Normally he would just take the things Pansy spouted off in stride and let them roll off his back, but considering his lack of sleep he was certainly taking things a bit more personally. He wanted to scream and yell at every single person he passed but he knew that that wouldn't solve anything. Instead, he began silently plotting a way of getting Pansy back for her little episode without getting into trouble himself.

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the Griffin that would allow him access to the Head's Tower. Unfortunately for Draco, the Griffin was sleeping. Feeling very sticky and gross, Draco prodded the Griffin with a finger and waited impatiently.

The Griffin raised its majestic head and looked at Draco sleepily. "It's very rude to wake a being when it's sleeping," it squawked.

"Really, I'm very sorry but as you can see I'm in need of a change of clothes," Draco snapped.

The Griffin snapped its beak and narrowed its eyes at him as it said, "Password?"

"Eternity."

The Griffin squawked loudly as the portrait swung open, allowing Draco to climb through and make his way to his dormitory. He slammed his bedroom door shut as he began stripping his pumpkin juice soaked clothes off. After finding a clean set of school robes, Draco walked into his bathroom and showered the sticky goo out of his hair and off of the skin that had been exposed to the tasty drink.

It wasn't too long before he was clean and dressed in his fresh clothes. He decided to leave his hair un-gelled and hurried out of his room. He was sure that he didn't have much time before his first lesson but since he didn't have his timetable, he needed to get certain quickly. He needed to find Blaise.

Just as he was exiting the Tower, his eyes caught sight of Hermione rounding the corner toward him. "Oh, I was hoping I'd find you here," Hermione said as she reached him.

Draco ran a hand through his wet hair and raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Coming to see if I was all right?"

Hermione blushed slightly as she said, "Well, that was the initial plan; however, I thought you might like your timetable so I got it from Blaise."

Draco took the piece of paper she was now holding out for him and looked it over. "It looks as though we've got Potions together again this year," he said.

"Lovely," Hermione said with a hint of sarcasm.

Draco gave her another questioning look and asked, "Is that a problem?"

"Well… not really," Hermione replied, "it's just that, apart from you and Blaise, I'm not particularly fond of the Slytherins."

"Can't really say I blame you there," Draco stated. "Although, they're not all bad; Crabbe and Goyle are all right once you get to know them."

Hermione gave him a skeptical look as she said, "Forgive me if I find that extremely difficult to believe."

Draco cleared his throat before stuffing his schedule into his pocket and saying, "So, was there another reason you were coming to find me?"

"Oh, um… I wanted to ask you something…" She looked at Draco for a moment and then took a deep breath before continuing, "I wanted to ask you if you'd join Ginny, Harry, Ron, Luna, Blaise, and me in the Room of Requirement after our last lesson today?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Hermione let out a light chuckle and said, "You sound just like Blaise. To be honest; it was Ginny's idea."

A slight look of shock came over Draco's face as those words sank in. "Truly?"

"Mmm," replied Hermione with a nod as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "Oh please, won't you come?"

Draco tilted his head slightly in thought and stated, "I'll think about it, all right?"

"Oh come on, Draco… please? Blaise won't come if you don't."

"Hermione, please don't press the issue; I don't want to end up saying something I'll regret," Draco told her with a slight tone of warning.

Hermione sighed deeply and took a few steps past him. "Oh, all right; I won't bother about it," she said. "If you decide to join us, then meet us outside of the Room of Requirement after your last lesson, if not then I'll see you back here later for rounds."

The portrait of the Griffin looked down at her sleepily and said, "Password?"

"Eternity," Hermione said.

The portrait swung open and Hermione disappeared behind it. Draco was going to wait for her, but just then, a fifth year Prefect by the name of Julian came running up to him. "Malfoy," he panted, "the Headmaster's looking for you. He said you were to meet with him this morning."

Draco swore under his breath and nodded at the boy. "I completely forgot!" he said, "Listen, wait here for Hermione; I don't expect she will have expected me to wait for her but tell her that I've gone to speak with Dumbledore all right?"

Julian nodded and just moments after Draco disappeared around a corner, Hermione stepped out into the hall carrying her school books she needed for the next couple of hours. "Oh, hello, Julian," she said sweetly, "can I help you with something?"

"Oh, no… Malfoy just asked me to wait here to tell you that he had gone to speak with the Headmaster."

"Oh, right… I had forgotten that he had asked to speak with him; not that I expected him to wait for me or anything."

"Well, we'd better be off to lessons or we'll be in trouble for sure."

Hermione nodded as she said, "Yes, you're quite right."

The two then scurried down the corridors to reach their lessons in time.

Draco reached the Gargoyle that guarded the staircase to the Headmaster's office and took a deep breath before saying, "Fudge nougat."

The Gargoyle leapt aside and allowed Draco to climb the stairs behind it. Draco took the stairs two at a time and quickly found himself standing in front of the door to Dumbledore's office. He raised his hand and wrapped lightly on the door with his knuckles. "Come in," came the muffled reply.

Draco turned the knob of the door and pushed it open. "I'm sorry for being late Professor Dumbledore," he said, "I had a bit of an incident with Pansy Parkinson."

Dumbledore nodded and motioned for him to shut the door and take a seat. "Yes, Professor McGonagall mentioned that. I do hope everyone is all right."

"As well as can be expected I believe, sir," Draco replied as he took a seat opposite the Headmaster.

Again, Dumbledore nodded. "I believe you had some concerns about a student's welfare?"

"Yes, sir… Hermione's."

"You believe Miss Zabini is in danger of something?"

"Well, I believe that Pansy will stop at nothing to keep me from marrying Hermione," Draco told him.

"I can assure you that Miss Parkinson is not a danger to Miss Zabini."

"But sir, she's threatened her in the past," Draco argued lightly.

Dumbledore held up his hand momentarily as he said, "Miss Zabini is a very capable young witch. I do not think that anything Miss Parkinson could come up with would be truly devastating."

"I'm afraid you don't know her the way I do, Professor."

"That is quite true, Draco, I do not know Pansy Parkinson as you know her," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Very well, I shall have Professor Snape keep an eye on Miss Parkinson to ensure that she does not inflict any harm on Miss Zabini."

"Thank you, sir."

As Draco began to stand up, Dumbledore asked, "Was there something else on your mind?"

Draco hesitated and then sat back down. "I don't really know if it's anything to be concerned about, but Hermione woke me up, screaming last night."

Dumbledore nodded. "Continue."

"Well, when I went in to check on her, she was thrashing about, pale, and clammy so I went over to wake her. I somehow managed to grab hold of her without being hit and that's when I noticed her eyes."

"What about them?"

"They were glassy, unfocused."

The headmaster pressed the tips of his fingers together and held them to his lips. "What happened next?"

Draco thought for a moment. "Um… It took a bit to bring her round, but she finally stopped screaming and her eyes lost the glassiness," he said, "I asked her what had happened and she told me she'd had a nightmare."

"But you think there is something more?"

"I honestly don't know, sir. I mean; sure it could've been a simple nightmare, but I've never seen anything like that before. And the screams… Sir, the screams were the worst part."

"Describe them."

"Sharp, piercing; kindred to those under the…"

"Cruciatus curse," Dumbledore finished for him.

Draco nodded. "She kept rubbing her temples and when I asked her about it, she said she'd been getting pain behind her eyes now and again."

Dumbledore nodded and looked thoughtful for several moments. "I cannot say whether your concern is necessary, or not, but it is obvious that you care for Miss Zabini so it is definitely worth looking into. I will do some research and see if I can come up with anything."

"Thank you, sir," Draco said with a sigh of relief.

"Please keep me informed if Miss Zabini has any more nightmares."

"I will."

Dumbledore nodded and stood up as he said, "I shall speak with Miss Zabini today to see if I can help shed some light on the pain you mentioned. I do not think it is anything too worrisome but I have been known to be wrong in the past. Also, if the pain persists, have Miss Zabini see Madame Pomfrey. She makes an excellent draught that alleviates pain."

"Thank you, sir," Draco said, stand up and following him to the door.

"Thank you for alerting me to these situations, Draco," Dumbledore replied. "Now, you should head off to class… I believe you have Transfiguration right now."

"Yes, I don't think Professor McGonagall will appreciate it if I'm late."

"I have taken care of that already," Dumbledore told him.

Dumbledore drew his wand in the air and produced a piece of paper with his curly writing on it. Draco took the paper and nodded kindly before opening the door and heading off to class. As soon as he left, Dumbledore closed the door and walked over to his desk. He then quickly set about writing a brief letter.

Meanwhile…

Lucius remained in his study for the duration of Bellatrix's stay, except to eat or sleep. For as long as he had known Bellatrix, he could only handle seeing so much of her. She was a thorn in his side and had been for the longest time. Normally he would tolerate her while she was visiting and socialize with her, however this time he had other things to deal with and he wasn't about to let her interfere with his personal affairs.

As it was, Lucius was already a bit behind in his planning. There was a task that he was to perform and if he didn't do it soon, Lord Voldemort would be on his case. That was something he truly did not want. He had been in enough trouble with his master over the past few years and he wasn't looking forward to getting into more.

At that moment, a letter appeared on his desk in a burst of cool blue flames. Immediately Lucius's hand grabbed the letter and tore it open. His eyes carefully read over the short message that was neatly written on the parchment.

Lucius,

Please meet me tonight at midnight near the old Oak tree in the forest near Zabini Mansion. Do not tell anyone where you are going. Burn this correspondence immediately after reading.

Pietro

Lucius sighed heavily and tossed the letter into the fireplace. He wracked his brain for any reason Pietro would want to meet him so urgently, but could think of none. He debated whether, or not, to send a reply questioning the meeting, but he thought better of it.

With Bellatrix still staying with him and his wife and he didn't want to risk anything falling into her hands. Besides, whatever Pietro wanted to meet about was obviously between the two of them, and the two of them alone. He would have to find some way of sneaking out of the house without his nosey sister-in-law tailing him. That's easier said than done, he thought with a sigh of annoyance.

Draco checked his watch as he made his way through the halls toward the Transfiguration room. His meeting with Dumbledore had been shorter than he'd anticipated so he had a little bit of extra time before class. He adjusted his grip on his school bag and glanced around.

Just ahead, he saw Astoria coming out of the girl's lavatory. He quickened his steps and easily caught up to her. "Got a second?" he asked, taking her by the arm and guiding her to an area under the stairs that would hide them from prying eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Astoria questioned, "I saw your spat with Pansy. I can't believe she threw her pumpkin juice on you! She's an absolute…"

"Astoria…"

She saw the annoyed look on his face. "I'm sorry. You're agitated, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, I just need to speak with you."

"You sound serious."

"That's because it is," Draco told her, "We've had a good thing going for a while and as fun as it's been, I'm sure you understand that things have to change. Hermione and I are essentially living together now and that's going to make things a little more difficult for you and I to get together so I just wanted you to know that I'll understand if you want to walk away. No hard feelings whatsoever."

Astoria furrowed her brow and tilted her head slightly. "Draco, we've always been very clear about what this is between us. We aren't exclusive. We're just having fun," she said, "I know where we stand and I'm not worried about promises or betrothals."

"Well, I just wanted you to know you're free to go at any time."

She slid her book bag from her shoulder and set it on the floor. She took his hands and linked her fingers through his. "Draco, what's brought this on?"

Draco sighed. "Nothing really. I was just doing some thinking last night and I needed you to know that I can't make you any promises about a future together."

"Darling, I'm not interested in promises. I know things are a little strained right now because of this whole betrothal business, but I'm not interested in walking away," she assured him, "Draco, being with you is the most fun I've had in a long time, and there's nothing that's going to change that. I know I said I was jealous that night your father caught us in your bathroom, but I've done a lot of thinking and I figured out I have no reason to be jealous at all. You have a duty to your family and I know what that means to you. So, relax, no hard feelings and no worries, okay?"

"All right," he said with a brief nod, "As long as you understand where I'm coming from."

She nodded and kissed his lips softly. "I do," she whispered.

Draco moaned quietly. "Well then, on your own head be it," he said against her lips.

He let his bag fall to the floor as Astoria's arms snaked around his neck. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and pulled her a little closer. It was a damn good thing Astoria wasn't much for lipsticks. She always wore something, but it was clear so he had nothing to worry about there.

After a few minutes, he pulled back and carefully wiped his mouth. "We should get going," he said, "Classes and all."

Astoria wiped at her own mouth and quickly reapplied her lip gloss. "Yes, quite right."

Draco grabbed his bag and left to go find Blaise. He sighed heavily and was thankful that it didn't take him long before he and Blaise were standing outside of the Transfiguration room.

It had been a long day and Draco was ready for classes to be over. Classes haven't even started yet and I'm ready for them to be done. That's a really great way to start the day, he told himself as he looked at his time table. "Double Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws," he said, looking at Blaise.

"Yeah, that should be fun," he replied sarcastically, "Bunch of smarties trying to make us look like fools."

"They're not all like that," Draco said.

Astoria walked by, casually brushing her hand against Draco's. Draco gave her a small smirk in return. There weren't many people around to see the interaction, but Blaise's sharp eyes caught it. "Draco, what was that about?"

"Hmm? What was what about?"

Blaise fixed him with an interrogating stare that he'd come to know very well over the years. "Cut the innocent act, Malfoy," he said, "I know you and Astoria had a thing for a long time. You're not still seeing her; are you?"

Draco blinked at him, unsure of what to say. The truth would anger Blaise, but to lie to his best mate would be even worse. He took a deep breath and said, "Can we talk about this later?"

Blaise didn't like the look on Draco's face. He'd seen that look far too many times. It was the look that said, "I've just been caught doing something I know I shouldn't be doing, but I did it anyway." He sighed heavily. "Draco, I've known about your ways with women for years now," he said, "It honestly doesn't surprise me. But you're betrothed to my sister. Don't break her heart. And yes, we can talk about this later."

Draco could see that Blaise had figured out that he hadn't officially ended things with Astoria. Of course, he had told her that he wasn't making her any promises, and that she was free to walk away if she chose to do so. That's essentially breaking things off, isn't it?

The two walked into Professor McGonagall's classroom took seats. They normally sat together, but Blaise chose to sit next to one of the girls that hung around with Pansy Parkinson, leaving Draco to find a seat elsewhere. Of course, the only seat that was left now was next to Astoria. He sighed and walked over. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you planned this," he said quietly as he sat down.

Astoria looked at him and smiled that sweet girlish smile of hers. "I didn't, but I'm glad it happened. If we aren't going to get to see each other very much, I want to take whatever small chance I can."

"Just remember what I said," he reminded her, "You're free to leave any time you choose."

She put her hand on his knee under the table and slid it up his leg. "I remember," she whispered, leaning into him a little, "And I'm not going anywhere."

Draco grabbed hold of her hand before it reached a certain area and politely removed it from his leg. "Behave yourself," he scolded her gently, turning his attention to the front of the class.

Professor McGonagall droned on and on about N.E. and how important they were to their future outside of Hogwarts. As if we don't know that already, Draco thought. He hated first day of school lectures. They were so boring it was all he could do to stay awake. He wasn't as bookish as Hermione, but he did prefer actually doing work as opposed to listening to lectures.

When class finally got out, Draco left Astoria without a word and walked out the door. He stood in the hallway and waited for Blaise. "Hey, can we talk now?" he asked when Blaise joined him.

Blaise shook his head. He'd been thinking while Professor McGonagall had been teaching, and the more he'd thought, the angrier he'd become. He needed some time to calm down. Despite how angry he was at Draco, he valued their friendship and didn't want to say anything in anger that he might end up regretting later. "I've got to meet Hermione. Perhaps we can talk after next lesson?"

Draco nodded and watched as Blaise began walking away. Suddenly Blaise turned and called, "By the way, Hermione wants to talk to you about something after next lesson."

"Thanks, I'll meet her in our Common Room."

"I'll tell her."

Later that afternoon…

After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Blaise cornered Draco just outside the classroom. He'd been doing a lot of thinking since Transfiguration and he needed to let Draco in on those thoughts. "Right, so, before you say anything, I have a few things I need to get off my chest," he said.

"All right," Draco agreed, "But let's take this somewhere else."

"Fine."

The two of them quietly wove their way through the halls and came to a stop at the portrait concealing the entrance to the Head's Tower. "I saw Hermione going off somewhere with Potter and Weasley so we can talk in here," Draco told Blaise after giving the password.

When they were inside and the portrait hole had closed behind them, Blaise set his bag down and glared at his friend. "Right," he said with a huff, "You're a rat bastard. I've always known that, especially when it comes to women. You've never been satisfied with one. But you're with my sister now, and that means something to me."

"Blaise, I…"

"I know I'm new to this whole brother thing, but I know that brothers are supposed to protect their sisters. So that's what I'm doing; I'm protecting my sister," Blaise rambled on, ignoring Draco's interruption, "Now, I want to know what the bloody hell is going on between you and Astoria. And don't try to say "nothing," because I saw you two under the stairs."

Shock crossed his face. He hadn't realized anyone had seen him and Astoria under the stairs, much less his best friend. Draco sat down and motioned for Blaise to do the same. Blaise didn't move, he simply folded his arms and gave him an expectant look. "Okay, well, you know Astoria and I were seeing each other before this betrothal thing came to light."

Blaise nodded.

"Well, my father had told me to end things with her, and I didn't."

"Obviously."

"Blaise, this is going to be difficult enough to explain without the sarcastic side comments," Draco said pleadingly.

Blaise sighed. "Go on."

Draco rubbed the back of his neck and continued, "I haven't slept with her since I found out about the betrothal, but that hasn't stopped me from kissing her and messing about with her."

"How often?"

"Not very," Draco confessed, "The night of your birthday party, a couple of times between then and today, and this morning after I told her she could leave me any time."

Blaise scoffed at that. "And you really think that worked?"

Draco looked skeptical. "She told me she wasn't going anywhere, but I've told her that I'm going to marry Hermione and that I'm not making her any promises."

A low growl escaped Blaise's throat. "You're leading her on, you know that, right? And not just Astoria; Hermione, as well. Mate, you've got to end things with Astoria if you really want things between you and Hermione to work."

"I did."

At Blaise's glare, Draco backtracked. "Well… technically."

"Technically isn't good enough. You need to make a choice, here, Draco; Astoria or Hermione. If you want Astoria, then you need to tell Hermione you don't want to get married. If you want Hermione, then you need to flat out tell Astoria that you're done with sneaking around and that you're committing to Hermione one hundred percent because I'll tell you right now, I'm not going to just stand by and watch you break my sister's heart."

"Blaise, I don't want to break anyone's heart, let alone Hermione's."

Blaise studied his friend's face. He could see the sincerity in his expression. "You're starting to have feelings for her; aren't you?"

Draco's head snapped up. "Her? Her who? Hermione?"

"No, Pansy," Blaise retorted sarcastically, "Yes, Hermione!"

"Well, let's just say I've moved from "ambivalent" to "strong liking". I wouldn't go so far as to say I have feelings."

He sat down across from Draco and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Would you say there's a possibility of feelings?"

"I wouldn't say there's not. It's all so new and confusing."

"Then why would you risk losing something that could be so good for you?"

Draco stood and paced. "I don't know, mate. Everything's happening so fast. I mean; I went from despising Hermione, to not knowing how I felt about her, to liking her all in the span of a couple of months," he blurted out, "I'm feeling things with Hermione that I've never felt with anyone, ever! I haven't even kissed the girl yet and I'm spinning! I'm so off balance. My up feels down, my down feels up, and I don't even know what ways my sideways are. Think about what you would do in my situation."

"I've been thinking about it; all morning! And to be honest; I'd really like to punch your face for sneaking around on Hermione."

Draco was shocked. In all the time he'd known Blaise, violence had never been the first thing the young Zabini would resort to. In fact; Blaise practically hated violence. "You're that angry with me?"

"Yes, I'm that angry with you."

"Blaise…"

He held up a hand and stood. "Listen, I'm done lecturing you and telling you what needs to be done, but don't think, for one second, that I'll back you up if Hermione ever finds out about your affair. You need to do something. I won't be keeping this a secret for long if you don't."

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione stood in the hall across from the large painting that masked the entrance to the Room of Requirement. They had thought about going in instead of standing around and waiting but Ginny had pointed out the fact that Draco and Blaise wouldn't know what to think if and when they showed up to join them. Hermione could tell that Harry and Ron were getting restless.

"Why don't you go on in?" she suggested. "I'll wait out here for Blaise and Draco."

Ginny and Luna looked at Hermione questioningly. "Are you sure?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded. "There's no point in the four of you waiting around when you could be inside chatting on about whatever your heart desires."

"That's all right, Hermione," Luna said. "I'll wait with you."

Hermione smiled graciously. "Thank you, Luna but you don't have to."

"Oh I don't mind," Luna replied. "I thought I saw a Visional Humphrumkin buzzing around Blaise's head earlier. I'm hoping it's still there; Daddy would love to study one."

"What are we going to think to get into the Room of Requirement?" Harry asked.

Ron crinkled his nose and scratched his head in thought. "I don't know," he said. "How about something like 'we need a place to hang out and spend time with friends'?"

Harry shrugged in agreement and the two of them began pacing in front of the painting and thought exactly that. After passing in front of the painting three times, nothing happened. "Why don't you try thinking something like 'we need someplace to spend time with each other'?" Hermione suggested.

"Good idea," Harry said with a grin.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny each thought that really hard and walked back and forth in front of the painting three more times. Hermione hadn't been sure that that would work but suddenly the door to the Room of Requirement began appearing in the wall. "Hey, it worked," Harry exclaimed with a grin.

"Come on, let's get inside and eat some of those snacks I see in the corner," Ron said.

Just as they were beginning to enter, Blaise rounded the corner at the end of the hall followed shortly by Draco. Hermione smiled brightly at them and motioned for them to hurry up. Blaise quickened his pace slightly but Draco kept his leisurely pace. "Sorry we're late," Blaise said with a deep breath when he finally reached them. "Professor Flitwick kept us after class for smart mouthing him."

Hermione's eyes widened. "How on Earth could you smart mouth such a sweet man?" she questioned in near horror.

Blaise chuckled as a mischievous grin slid over Draco's face. "He was incorrect on the proper use of a Charm," Draco said as they walked into the Room of Requirement. "We were merely correcting him."

"Really, Draco," Hermione said in exasperation, "You're Head Boy… you should be setting the example for the other students."

Draco, Blaise, Harry, and Ron all rolled their eyes. "Come off it, Hermione," Draco told her. "It's not like we were being really disrespectful."

"Yeah, he just kept us after class to tell us not to correct him in front of the whole class like that."

Hermione didn't let up with her disapproving look but she let the subject drop for the time being. The seven of them set their bags against the wall and walked over to the plush cushions that were sitting on the floor near a table of yummy treats. Once they were all seated, they dug into the tasty goodies and began chatting about their day and what homework they had.

Ginny noticed that Hermione was being uncharacteristically quiet so she nudged her a bit with her elbow and asked, "Hermione, are you okay?"

Hermione shook her head. "Well, honestly, I've had a lot on my mind lately," she told her.

"You want to talk about it?" Luna questioned.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I really think I should… but it's not only for me to decide," Hermione replied, looking at Blaise.

Blaise gave her a sheepish nod. "Go ahead. They should know everything… they might be able to help us figure it all out."

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Luna looked at Hermione questioningly. They weren't sure of what was going on but they each had the feeling that it was something big. "Hermione, what's going on?" Ginny asked.

Hermione glanced at Blaise one more time and took a deep breath before saying, "Well, there's two things I'd like to discuss with you, actually. The first being that Blaise and I have been seeing things."

The group looked at her, each face a mirror image of shock and concern. "What do you mean you've 'been seeing things'?" Harry asked.

She flinched at the tone in his voice. "I mean; we've been having… visions… of sorts."

"You mean like Professor Trelawney pretends to have?" Ron spat curiously.

"Well…," Hermione thought about this for a moment and then nodded, "yes."

"So, you're telling us that you can see the future?" Ron asked with a tone of uncertainty in his voice.

"I'm not sure what it is we're seeing, Ron," Hermione answered.

"What does it feel like when you have these visions?" Harry questioned, "Are you asleep, awake? We need details if we're going to help you figure this out."

Hermione glanced over at Blaise. "Why don't you start, Blaise?"

Blaise looked at her with uncertainty and, with her encouragement, sighed as he said, "Mine, I think, come when I'm asleep," he began, "It's as if I'm seeing things happening through someone else's eyes."

Everyone listened carefully as he explained the nightmares he had had. Hermione was surprised to learn that he'd had more than just the two she knew about but then again, she couldn't really expect him to tell her everything when they still hardly knew each other. Draco, on the other hand, was completely shocked.

He'd had no idea that Blaise was having any sort of visions. In some ways, he was angry with Blaise, but he couldn't really expect him to tell him every little secret. There were things Draco didn't share with Blaise so he couldn't really fault him for not telling him about his nightmares.

"Blaise, when you're having these nightmares, you said that it's like you're seeing through someone else's eyes?" Draco asked.

Blaise nodded.

Draco cleared his throat and glanced over at Harry. "Have you considered that maybe you're actually pushing yourself into the minds of the people you're seeing these things through?"

Blaise scratched his head and furrowed his brow. "Well, I suppose that'd be one way of looking at it, though I don't know how I'd be doing that in my sleep."

"A mind can do all sorts of things while a person is asleep," Harry said quietly.

Blaise blinked. "That's right, Hermione mentioned you'd been seeing into You-Know-Who's mind," he said.

"She what?"

"How did that work, exactly?" Blaise questioned, ignoring Harry's question, "I mean; did you know you were doing it? Or did it just, sort of, happen?"

Harry turned his glare to Hermione, who was looking rather sheepish as she stared at her hands. "Hermione, how could you?" he asked through clenched teeth. "That wasn't supposed to be something shared between you and your… brother. It's private!"

Hermione looked up at him pleadingly. "I'm sorry Harry, it wasn't something I intended to share," she told him, her voice cracking a bit, "I wasn't thinking and it sort of… slipped out."

Harry attempted to stand up but Ginny put her hand on his arm and said, "Harry, why don't you two work this out later? I think the more pressing matter right now is the visions Hermione and Blaise are having."

He huffed and folded his arms. "Fair enough," he said with an edge to his voice, "Why don't you start by telling us what happened the first time you had one of these nightmares?"

Blaise nodded and related everything he could remember from his first vision. Harry, though he was listening intently, couldn't help being angry that Hermione had told a stranger about his connection to Lord Voldemort. Of course, he didn't know the full extent of what she had said, but it still angered him. He had trusted her with something very private and she had told someone. And now Malfoy knows, he thought. He'll probably go blabbing to his father, or worse, Voldemort himself. That was a thought that he didn't like to think of. Then he remembered that Voldemort already knew of the connection.

"And that's when Hermione woke me up," Blaise concluded, "And then I vomited."

"That's why I drew the connection between what was happening to Blaise and what had happened to you, Harry," Hermione said softly, "I remembered being told about how sickly you looked and that you vomited straight away after you'd had that vision of Mr. Weasley."

"I remember hearing about that," said Draco, "Well, not the vision part, but about you getting sick and Arthur Weasley getting hurt. Umbridge was furious when she found out you all had been sent off."

"Let's leave that foul woman out of this conversation, if you please," Ginny said.

Draco nodded his agreement and Harry asked, "Have you had any more of these nightmares?"

Blaise confirmed he had and went into the details of that one. Hermione and Blaise had and an opportunity to talk earlier in the day, so she had already been filled in on what Blaise had seen.

This vision had, once again, involved the same young woman he'd encountered in his previous vision. Hermione thought there must be some sort of connection simply based on the experience she had with Harry's visions. She voiced this and everyone seemed to agree.

"I think if we can figure out who the girl is, we might be able to figure out the connection," Harry suggested.

They all agreed. "Hermione, what about your visions?" Ginny questioned, "Do they happen the same way?"

Hermione glanced at Draco briefly and quietly said, "No, they generally happen when I'm awake."

"Except last night, right?" Draco asked.

Hermione looked down at her hands and nodded. "Except for last night," she repeated.

Draco gave her a look of understanding. "I'm not even going to ask why you hid it from me," he told her. "Just explain what you've seen and how often."

She was silent for several minutes. She knew she needed help figuring all of this stuff out, but she also knew that it was risky telling Draco she was having visions of his father. She could, of course, leave out that "little" detail for the time being.

"Hermione?"

She came out of her thoughts and cleared her throat. "Right… Um… I don't really know what I've seen, exactly; I haven't had a clear picture," she told them.

"And how many times?" Harry asked.

"Twice. Once after I was brought to Zabini Mansion; I was awake for that one, and then once last night."

Harry leaned forward slightly. "Is there anything you can tell us about what you saw? Any detail could be helpful."

"Well, I didn't really see anything, especially the first time. The second time I could hear people talking, but not what they were talking about."

"Did you recognize the voices?" Blaise questioned.

She shook her head. "No."

Luna, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly said, "It sounds as though your mind's eye is blocked. You should go see Professor Trelawney, or Firenze; I'm sure they could help unblock you."

"I'll think about it," Hermione said in a reserved tone.

"What's the other thing?" Ron inquired.

They all looked at him. "You said there were two things you wanted to discuss… So, what's the other thing?"

"Oh! Well, I um… I don't think this is anything concerning, but apart from having visions, Blaise and I have had rather intense connection," she said, "It's almost as though we can read each other's minds."

"But it's more like strong feelings, right?" Blaise interjected, "I mean; like when you got that headache and I just somehow knew you needed pain killers."

"Yes. It's like we can just sense things about the other," Hermione agreed, "Like when we're upset, nervous… We can even determine what the other is thinking. Is that normal?"

Everyone looked at Ron. He blinked and shrugged. "Don't look at me," he said, "I have no clue."

"But you have twin brothers," Blaise pointed out, "Surely you have some insight to this."

Ron screwed up his face in thought. "Well, Fred and George have a knack for finishing each other's sentences," he allowed, "And from time to time they seem to know what the other is thinking, but I'm not them so I can't really be sure."

"I've read numerous books on the subject…" Hermione began.

Draco smirked. "Not surprising."

At Hermione's scowl, he shrugged and said, "What? You read a lot of books. Ahem… Anyway, you were saying?"

"I haven't found any references to anything that sounds as intense as what Blaise and I are going through."

"Wait a second," Blaise said suddenly, "When we were at home, I knew when you were in pain… You knew when something was wrong with me…"

He paused to collect his thoughts. "But last night, I had a vision and you didn't know."

"Probably because she was having a vision of her own," Draco suggested, "What's your point, Blaise?"

He slumped a little when he realized that he didn't have something as important as he'd thought he had. "Nothing, really; just that we don't always know what's going on with each other."

Hermione gave him a kind smile and squeezed his hand. When they touched, she felt an overwhelming sense of nervous energy, and gratitude. "Blaise, calm down," she said gently, "There's no need to be nervous."

Harry watched them quietly as they spoke. He could understand why Blaise was nervous; he was in a room full of people he hardly knew, with the exception of Draco, discussing something very private and intimate. "Wait, is your connection stronger when you're touching?" he asked.

They let go of each other for a moment and then took hands again. Hermione nodded. "Seems to be."

"But it doesn't seem necessary for us to touch," Blaise added.

Ginny cleared her throat. "I may be wrong, but there seems to be an obvious course of action here."

When they looked at her with blank stares, she rolled her eyes. "Seriously?" she looked at Harry, "After everything you've been through, I'm surprised you haven't suggested it."

"Suggested what?" Harry questioned.

"Dumbledore," Draco said softly, "She thinks we should go to Dumbledore. Right?"

Ginny nodded. Draco inhaled deeply and said, "I spoke with him this morning."

"You what?" Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Ron questioned in unison.

He held his hands up in defense and looked directly at Hermione. "I had a feeling that there was something you weren't telling me last night," he explained, "The way I found you; it was unsettling, to say the least, and I could tell you were holding something back. So, when I met with Professor Dumbledore this morning, I mentioned your nightmare, and the pain behind your eyes."

"Draco…"

"I know I shouldn't have gone behind your back, but, Hermione, I was concerned, and I thought someone you trust should know."

Hermione chewed her lip for a moment. "What did he say?"

"That he'd talk to you about it and that you should see Madame Pomfrey for a draught to alleviate the pain."

They were all quiet for several minutes before Hermione finally said, "Very well; I'll speak with him tonight after dinner." She checked her watch. "Speaking of which, we should probably head down to the Great Hall. It's getting close to dinner time."

They quickly gathered their things and headed for the door. Harry put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Any help you need, we're there, Hermione," he told her, "For you, and Blaise."

She hugged him. "Thank you, Harry, really."

Blaise cleared his throat. "Yeah… ahem… thanks, Potter."

Harry nodded, taking Ginny's hand as they left the Room of Requirement. Hermione smiled to herself. Although it hadn't been easy to let them all into something so private, she felt much better knowing that she now had help, and she was pretty certain she'd feel even better once she spoke to Dumbledore.

"Hermione?"

She turned and looked at Draco. She took a breath and hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. "Listen, I understand why you went to Professor Dumbledore, Draco, and I'm not angry. I just wish you had talked to me about your concerns."

"I tried, Hermione," Draco argued, "You wouldn't listen."

"You're right," she agreed, realizing that she had been closed off to his concerns the previous night, "I should have told you what was really going on, but, Draco, put yourself in my shoes. If you were having visions you couldn't explain, would you have told me?"

"Given our current state of relations; no."

It had been one hell of a day. His head was spinning from everything that had happened. From being confronted by Blaise, to finding out his best friend and his fiancée were having visions; he needed some time to wrap his head around it all.

He was standing on the balcony of the Astronomy tower, leaning against the railing, looking out over the castle grounds. It was peaceful up there and he often went up there when he needed time to himself. He often gained a better sense of perspective while there, which made him feel much calmer.

The first thing he realized was that he'd been right in thinking that there was more to the nightmare Hermione had had the previous night. He felt justified in taking his concern to Dumbledore.

Blaise had also been right.

Draco needed to make a decision in regards to Astoria and Hermione. As far as he was concerned, it wasn't a difficult choice. He held no feelings for Astoria. She had just been something fun to occupy himself with during a rather difficult time. But he had to admit that the fun wasn't really there any longer.

She was beginning to make him feel agitated, edgy, and irritated. When she was around him, he felt that she was demanding more from him than he could give… wanted to give. Oh sure; they had plenty of heat when it came to the physicality of their… relationship… but when it came to the emotional stuff; the things that really mattered… He felt nothing.

In the past couple of months, he'd had more fun with Hermione than he had ever had with Astoria. And that's saying something, he mused. Hermione and I haven't even done anything close to the things I consider fun in a relationship. He sounded like a pig, he knew, with thoughts like that, but it was the truth. He and Hermione hadn't even kissed properly and that was something he normally did fairly quickly when it came to the women he was interested in.

He thought about how challenging she was, how brilliant, how kind, and the many other wonderful qualities he was learning about. He probably could have listed them all on a piece of parchment and that still wouldn't hold a candle to the young woman herself.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. It all seemed so easy now, so clear. He knew what decision he was going to make. He didn't see how he could even consider making a different one.

Midnight…

It had taken some doing, but Lucius had finally managed to get out of Malfoy Manor without being followed. He was now standing where Pietro's letter had specified. "Lucius?"

"Yes, Pietro, it's me."

Pietro appeared from behind a tree and welcomed his friend. "I apologize for the secrecy, my friend, but I felt some privacy would be better to deal with this delicate matter."

"What delicate matter? Pietro, what is going on?"

Pietro clasped his hands in front of him. "I have been hearing some rumors of talks between yourself and Ivanov Parkinson about breaking your pact with me and marrying Draco to Parkinson's daughter, Pansy. Please tell me these rumors are not true, Lucius."

Lucius waved him off. "Of course they're not true," he said dismissively, "Do you honestly think I would even consider marrying my only son to that wretched girl?"

"There are many people talking about it."

"Pietro, you and I made a pact many years ago, I do not go back on my word," Lucius said, "Besides, who would I find that is a better match for my Draco, than your Hermione?"

His friend's dark eyes narrowed on him. "Not even the lovely Astoria Greengrass?" he questioned, raising his brow.

Lucius tutted and scoffed. "Astoria Greengrass is little more than a peasant. Not even close to being worthy of someone with the last name, 'Malfoy'," he sneered, "Pietro, I assure you I haven't been in talks with anyone about a marriage to my son. He is betrothed to your daughter, and that's not going to change."

Pietro nodded in acceptance. "Unless, of course, they choose not to marry."

Lucius inclined his head. "Of course."

"I apologize for the accusation, but I am sure you can understand why I needed to question you."

"I understand."

"Well, I will not keep you any longer, my friend. Please, give my love to Narcissa."

"Of course."

Lucius watched as Pietro disappeared the way he had come. He clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it against the tree next to him. "So, Ivanov Parkinson is spreading rumors," he said aloud, "I'll have to put a stop to that." I can't have him ruining my plans! Draco will marry Hermione if it's the last thing I do!