A/N: I am so sorry for the long delay you guys! My wi-fi has been down and I'm so technologically challenged. Lots of action coming up in the last few chapters! I won't keep you waiting any longer.

-He felt her soft hand against his left forearm, trying to unbutton the bottom of his sleeve.-

His eyes snapped his eyes wide open staring down at the soft delicate arm about to uncover what a monster he truly was. He watched for a brief second as she tried to unbutton his sleeve, her hands trembling. He was truly shocked in this moment; she was so worried about him that she was shaking; she was literally shaken with worry for him. He didn't deserve her worry, he didn't deserve her. He couldn't let her see; see it…not on him.

"No!" He shouted as he watched her hands recoil away from him.

That icy painful gaze set her warm eyes ablaze with a thousand emotions.

Hermione was confused, upset, worried, shocked, annoyed, just to name a few. This was one time when she was with Draco she wished her brain would work correctly like it usually does. He was clearly in unbearable pain, yet he wouldn't tell her why, or let her try and help him. She wasn't used to being un-needed or rendered unnecessary; it didn't sit well with her to say the least.

"Draco Malfoy!" She shouted in an anger and frustration.

He was surprised at her reaction; he hadn't expected her to get this angry with him. He was usually pretty good at anticipating her emotions and reactions, especially towards him. He kept his eyes on her, his face still scrunched up in pain as he gripped his arm tighter, the pain becoming worse by the minute.

"Now you listen to me! I am helping you whether you and your male pride or ego or whatever the bloody hell is going on here likes it or not! Ok? I don't want to hear another word about it." She said sternly, her voice never shaking, and her hands on her hips. "Now then, I'm going to get Madame Pomfrey." She turned on her heel walking quickly towards the door.

"No!" Draco said his voice little high.

"Don't care what you say." She said coolly, her voice becoming distant as she continued walking, dressing herself with a swipe of her wand.

"Please!" He heard her stop as the pain kept his pale eyes forced shut. "Don't get her."

"Draco she's the only healer here, I know you don't want me going to my friends for help, and your friends would sooner kill me than help me…which by the way what are we going to tell people about us … I-I mean you know you and me, not that there is an us… is there an us?"

"Hermione." She stopped as she heard him groan in pain.

"Oh Merlin I'm sorry. I'm not good at the whole perspective thing in these type situations. But you know what I am good at, helping! So would you bloody tell me what I can to do help you, or I swear to Merlin I will come over there put you in more pain than you are in now!" She yelled her voice reaching an octave not normal for any human being.

"Snape." He groaned out as loudly as he could.

"Snape?" She questioned with a quirked eyebrow and her hands in the air. "You want me to go get Snape? Draco I don't even know where he'd be, and what am I supposed to tell him, he thinks I'm up to something whenever I blink in his direction!" She shouted, confused. A slight panic hit her, she knew she would do whatever he asked, anything to relieve him from the pain he was in. But she didn't want Snape of all people to be suspicious about them, she didn't know why exactly but the thought of that made her stomach drop.

"He's in his office." He groaned.

"His office? Is that pain affecting your brain? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Trust me!" He shouted in pain.

"I do." He heard her whisper, he felt a pang of pain nowhere near his arm. He tried to soften his voice as much as he could. " Listen go to his office bang on the door, tell him you hear someone screaming in this hallway and you thought you would need a professor's help. He'll like that a Gryffindor felt they needed his help. He'll think you're incompetent as a prefect; he likes his loony suspicions vindicated. Please, go." She could hear his voice clearly for the first time since his arm started bothering him; she really wanted that voice to go back to normal permanently. She couldn't stand to look at his perfect face suddenly imperfect with the anguish his forearm was causing him. "And please I know it's hard for you but… just do what he says."

She gave in, "Fine. I'll go. But I want some answers as soon as you're better."

Hermione made her way down to Snape's office as quickly as her feet would take her and began banging loudly on the giant door. She could hear a slew of curse words unbecoming of a professor before the giant door swung open with a loud creek.

The dark looming man stared down at the petite girl visibly shaken up. He stared down hi hook nose at her,

"Ms. Granger out of bed after hours and causing a ruckus, may I ask what is so important you felt the need to disturb me-" Hermione cut him off as she held up her hands, she didn't have time for his smug comments.

"I was on my rounds and I heard someone screaming." She said through gritted teeth. "And-"

"And- what Ms. Granger do spit it out."

Oh he better be worth this.

"And I didn't know what to do and I felt as if I needed a Professor's help… so I came to get you." She felt as if she would need a thousand showers to get the stench of this horrid moment off of her.

He better be able to help Draco.

"Me?" He sneered.

"You." She stared him down.

"Well I'm rather busy at the moment as you can see I was in my office you should've went to your own head of house." The hooked nose greasy haired man drawled out quickly as he turned away from her.

"It sounded like Malfoy." She said desperately searching for whatever would make him go to Draco.

She watched as the man suddenly turned and pushed his way past her his billowing black cloak disappearing down the hallway. She trailed quickly after him as he stalked towards the Room of Requirement.

I didn't say where I heard screaming, how could he possibly know where Draco was? It's a huge castle. Something is going on.

He must've not noticed her trailing behind this whole way because as they turned a corner he seemed shocked to see her next to him. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ms. Granger you are to go straight to your dormitories. You are not to speak of this to anyone."

"No." She said without thinking. "I'm not going anywhere accept where you're going."

"Look I know you've got some kind of warped hero complex from hanging around Potter but you listen to me you stay away from Draco Malfoy. You are not needed here, and don't think for one minute I think you were on your rounds at this hour. Forget this happened." With that he turned on his heel leaving a stunned Hermione.

What the hell is going on here?

All she knew was that Draco had told her to listen to Snape, and she would… for now anyway.

TBC Reviews!