Disclaimer: Well, though JKR and I share the same birthday, I am not her and do not own the Harry Potter World....damn.

Oh My God guys!!! I am unbelievably thrilled with the reviews you left for the last chapter. I got fourteen!!! FOURTEEN reviews in just one night of the chapter being up....I am actually gobsmacked!

Love sent to: Sparkie3222 (despite her potential death threat)//CFCRockAngel//cyriusblack//Samara Longbottom - This chapter is going to be mostly about Draco and Hermione, but I'll shove the other couples in somewhere in the next chapter!// Spikeecat// Hermione'sBFF454// CrazyFrenzylaughing// confuzzled9872// RainbowKatie- hehe, she thinks I'm fantastic// Esmeralda2134// sk8tergrl700// weasleyandtaylor// kleipoppetje// Crossy –To answer your many questions, I wrote the whole of the 4th chapter and this one and Claire added/ deleted where she felt appropriate, PRC was explained in chapter 4. There is an idea behind the beds being like that, you will find out in later chapters. Yes Malfoy in a towel does = Yum! and The idea of room status is, because the houses are supposed to be united, they shouldn't be competing against each other for the House Cup, so the idea is that the rooms fight for the most points, the amount they have is represented in the phial on the door, which was empty to start with, but now has silver and gold crystal beads in them e.g. Slytherin and Gryffindor. I thought I had written this in chapter 3, but it must have been in the version that got wiped from my RAM. *Gives Cat evils*. In that version it also mentioned a reward that would be given to the room with the most status at the end of the year. But I'm not sure what that reward should be. Any Ideas? Share them in a reveiw.

So in order to make up for all that writing and explaining of my ideas and why they weren't there, I am going to re-read all the wonderful reviews you guys gave me and start writing, and chaps and chapesses please carry on reviewing, I don't care if you have already reviewed, they all mean so much to me and it isn't my email box they cram up! They always help!!

Sorry for the late update. Also, because of the distractions, I haven't been able to write very well; hopefully Claire will make it better. ;D

Much love.
Natalie xxxx :)

p.s. Sorry about the length of this authors note, But as I cant reply to each and every one of you, I'm afraid I have to do it here, because it would be rude not to do it at all.... (=


Chapter 5: The Nightmares

"So," Ginny said as Hermione walked through the door coming back from dinner. "Spill."

"Spill what?" Hermione replied feigning ignorance as she dumped her bag on the couch next to Ginny in their small common room. Then she sat down opposite Ginny and fiddled with the nails. It was a nasty habit and she wished she could give it up.

"You know very well what Hermione Jean Granger! I want to know absolutely everything that happened since I left you this morning. Plus, I want to know why Malfoy has started being civil," Ginny almost shrieked with exasperation.

Hermione smiled to herself, "Fine," she stated. "On one condition, you tell me something of my own." Her eyes flashed with cunning.

"Deal," Ginny grinned.

"Who looks better topless? Zabini or Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Zabini. Your turn, why is Malfoy being nice?" she said without hesitation.

"Whoa! Hold up! You didn't even have to think about that!" Hermione replied, her eyes widening at Ginny's statement.

"Of course not! Harry plays Quidditch, but Zabini has had hours of sex with Parkinson to tone his body up....in all areas!" She winked.

Hermione blushed. How does she know that?! "Hang on! How do you know about all his areas?"

"That's two questions, and we agreed on one." Ginny replied mischievously. "So why is Malfoy being nice?"

"We called a truce. Simple." Hermione said shrugging.

"It can't be as simple as that. What happened to make you call truce?"

"Okay, Fine. Malfoy used Legilimency against me, reading my thoughts, when I was thinking about how he looked when he got out of the shower that morning."

"How did he look?" Ginny quizzed, her blatant curiosity made Hermione laugh.

"Extremely good, can I continue please?" Ginny inclined her head to invite her to carry on her story.

"Anyway, I was thinking about how he looked when he got out the shower, and he started laughing to himself, just as I got my potion right, so it made me suspicious. That was when I realised what he was doing, so I told him to stop invading my privacy and get out my mind. He refused and told me to make him. So, I thought of 3rd year, when I punched him because he was trying to spy on Buckbeak's execution," Hermione paused to breathe.

Ginny took advantage of the pause, "Well that would have pissed me off! Not made me want to call a truce with you."

"Hush up! I haven't finished." Hermione snapped, "Anyway, I thought of that and he told me it was low, but he still wasn't leaving. So, after much trouble, I thought of Malfoy Manor, last April, when his father told him to come and identify Harry, and also I remember seeing him and Narcissa when I was being tortured by that madwoman."

Ginny's mouth dropped open, "Malfoy was there?! Merlin, Hermione you never said that!!"

Hermione winced and said breezily, "Really? You never asked. Well, getting back to the story, after showing him that memory he went all quiet apologised and turned back to his potion and didn't do anything for the rest of the lesson."

Ginny blinked, "Okay....So when does truce come back into this?"

Hermione laughed.

"Well, during PRC he was being like he always was. So after asking him what his problem was he told me it was me and that 'his father would freak if he found out he has to marry me.' So I told him that his father couldn't do anything and that he may hate my blood but he will have to live with it, and all of a sudden he got real defensive and asked why I assume he is like he always was. Then he said that showing him the memory had hurt him."

"Whoa." Ginny sighed.

"I know. So, because I felt suddenly guilty, I apologised for bring the memory up and told him that thanks to him I probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, and he seemed surprised at that, but he didn't ask me to elaborate. Then we called a truce," Hermione said before adding quietly, "and he called me pretty."

She blushed at what she had said and wondered why she was obsessing over that moment. He called me pretty. So what? He is my assigned partner; he probably just thought he had to say that.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, "Whoa, and I thought Blaise and I were getting on well."

"Yeah, what is going on between you two?" said Hermione Interested

Ginny uncharacteristically blushed and said hurriedly, "Well, when I saw Malfoy come into your room, I slipped into my room and Blaise was lying on the bed, topless, looking quite at home.

"I sat down on the end of the bed and told him that it looked like world war 3 was going to happen any minute in your room, and he laughed and we started talking. He really isn't a bad guy once you get past his Slytherinness! Then he told me he had a crush on me for a while throughout the earlier years of school but couldn't do anything about it because of the whole Gryffindor vs. Slytherin house war thing going on.

"He said when Dumbledore mentioned this house unity thing; I was the best he could hope for. He said the best part, was that he didn't have to fake happiness when we get married and he would actually be glad to be able to call me his wife. He told me that I was really pretty and I beat Pansy hands down on looks and then.....he kissed me." Ginny blushed again and looked at Hermione.

Hermione was trying to understand what she had just heard, "Wait a sec. He what?!"

"He kissed me. Not a proper kiss just a quick one on the cheek, but it meant so much, it was lovely. Then I had to go to Care of Magical Creatures and he had Potions. Oh by the way, New Years Eve; Blaise and Ginny's wedding." she finished smiling dreamily.

Hermione smiled happily before replying, "Cool, Valentine's day, Hermione and Draco's wedding. But wow Ginny, he sounds like he likes you a lot. Maybe this matching up wasn't as random as I thought."

"You've had a change of tone I see," said Ginny, "Just this morning you were saying how wrong they were!"

Hermione laughed.

"I've had time to think," she said, "anyway, it's getting late, I'm going to go and lie in bed, awake for the rest of the night! I'll see you in the morning."

The two friends hugged and Hermione departed through the door on the left side of the room into her and Draco's quarters.

"Tell Me! Where did you get this sword?" Bellatrix said, "Have you been in my vault? Well HAVE YOU, you filthy mudblood?!"

"No, no! I swear we haven't! We- we found it!" Hermione moaned, her voice taught with pain.

"Found it?! Don't humour me mudblood! You stole it didn't you?! What else did you steal? TELL THE TRUTH!!!" she spat furiously.

"No, no please! Believe me! That's the truth!!! It- it isn't real, it's a fake!! A FAKE!!!" she screamed desperately, she wanted the pain to end. She wanted Bellatrix to believe her but Bellatrix wasn't going to believe a 'filthy mudblood'.

"A fake you say? Is that so? We shall soon see. Draco, bring up the goblin. He will tell us if it is the true sword or not." She pointed her wand threateningly at Hermione as she saw Draco disappear from her line of vision.

"While we are here...CRUCIO!"

Hermione's scream tore through the darkness. Her eyes flew open and she stared at the ceiling. She had wrapped herself up in the quilt - much to Draco's dismay, who had given up trying to take it back after a while and conquered up a blanket in its place- and was drenched in cold sweat, gasping for breath. She sighed and got up to untangle herself but tripped, fell over and wacked her head on the bedside table.

"Ouch!" she squeezed her eyes shut.

At this, Draco stopped pretending to be asleep and got up out of bed to help her. He picked up his wand, muttered, "Lumos," and upon seeing her on the floor he knelt down besides her.

"Okay?" He said, genuinely concerned, as he looked her in the eyes.

"No." She said a tear slipping down her cheek, "That hurt and I can't sleep well."

"I noticed." He flicked the light on and picked her up by the shoulders and sat her back on the bed. She was deathly pale, had large bags under her eyes, was crying, and was covered in sweat. "Jesus, Granger! You look awful! I've seen ghost's with better colour!"

Hermione smiled weakly.

"I'll be alright in a minute," she sniffed, "Just go back to sleep."

"Not until we've got you sorted out. It doesn't matter anyway. You'll just steal the quilt."

"Sorry about that. It tends to happen a lot. Especially since I've been...getting these…nightmares. Is that why you have the extra blanket?" she quizzed, trying to move the subject away from her nightmares.

"Yeah, but don't worry about that, I want to get this bump sorted out, to stop you crying, 'Vigoratus!'" Draco muttered, pointing his wand at the back of Hermione's head leaning over her in the process. "There that should do it. Better?"

She nodded and went to get up. "Thanks."

"Whoa! Where do you think you're going?" he said pushing her back down onto the bed.

"To shower, because I don't enjoy the feeling of being covered in sweat thanks." She pushed past him. He allowed her up.

"Oh, okay then. Just be careful. And don't like pass out in the shower or anything. Not that I would mind having to come in and help you, just the fact that it might make things a little awkward between us when we've been getting along ever so well." He chuckled, flashing her a sly smile.

"Whatever Malfoy." Hermione said shaking her head. Ouch! Yeah shaking my head hurts, I shouldn't do that again…..

She got into the shower and felt the calming water run down her back. She should be used to this by now. She had been having these dreams for almost a year. It makes sense to be used to it. Why won't the dreams stop? She climbed out the shower and wrapped a towel around herself as she dried off and put on clean pyjamas. She climbed back into bed to see Draco tossing and turning, murmuring to himself. Well at least someone can sleep.

At that point Draco turned over muttering, "No please Father, leave her alone...."

Okay so maybe not peaceful. She took the quilt and put it over both of them and then she fell into a dreamless sleep.


Sorrrrryyyyy!!!!!! It's short, but I wanted to get something to you guys!

Natalie xxxx