Disclaimer: Still own nothing but the plot.

It was Wednesday, and the giant clock tower on top of Hogwarts had just struck seven, meaning that dinner was over. The food began to magically disappear from the plates, and the plates began to stack themselves into high piles and levitate into the kitchen hall. Without a word, I silently began to gather my things and remove myself from the table, when Ron suddenly grabbed the hem of my sleeve.

"Where are you off to?"

"My room, where else Ronald?" I heard myself snap waspishly at him. I softened my voice. "Sorry for that. I'm just a bit tired. Goodnight." I didn't wait for Harry, Ron or Ginny to reply, but instead I hurried away and didn't look back, knowing that I wouldn't be able to handle the suspicious look that would be adorning Ron's face. Earlier he had wondered why I had brought my bag to dinner, and I had brushed him off. I wouldn't be able to talk to him again without letting something out, and I knew that. It would be best for Ron to stay out of this, Harry and Ginny as well.

Silently, I snuck through the doors of the castle and began to speed walk towards the back where the large oak trees stood. It was dark, and I could barely make out their shape, but at the same time, I didn't want to bring out my wand, just in case there was a teacher watching the grounds. I would get in tons of trouble if I were to be caught, so it was best to remain hidden in the darkness.

"Damn", I whispered as I reached the trees. There were about ten, and in the dark, it was nearly impossible to tell which one I had sat in the other day. Straining my eyes to see, I realized that it was no use. I would either have to risk using my wand, or go back the castle. I sighed.

Suddenly, I heard a twig crack on the ground, and I whirled around, my breath caught in my throat. I tried to control myself, but my imagination in the dark was heightened by tenfold.

"Who's there?" I whispered. A tall dark figure stood out from behind a tree, their striking silvery blond hair standing out in the moonlight.

"Who do you think?" Malfoy replied. I let out a giant breath of relief, and he stood and looked at me.

"You know Granger, you should really learn to get a hold of your nerves. There's nothing out here to be afraid of. I would've thought hanging out with Potter taught you that, if anything."

I scoffed. "You really have some nerve, Malfoy. I'm sorry that I'm not a slimy git like you that has no problem creeping around in the darkness. You'll have to excuse me."

Although it was dark, I could tell he was smirking. "You didn't think I was such a slimy git when you pounced on me in the library, Hermione."

I went to retort, but I forgot what I was going to say when I heard my name come out of his mouth.

"What did you call me?"

There was a moment of silence between us, and crickets chirped, filling the air with their harmonies.

"Am I not allowed to call you that? Fine, back to Granger then." He replied, and something in the tone of his voice made it difficult to decipher whether he was just musing or…upset?

He couldn't be. There was no way.

It seemed as if he had been awaiting my answer, and when I didn't give him one, he began to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

He turned slightly, and gestured me to follow him. I ran to catch up with him, but he kept walking. Typical Malfoy behavior. After a few paces he stopped, and I nearly slammed into his back. From my proximity to him, I could smell his cologne, which contained hints of musk, ginger, and something citrusy. It was extremely captivating, and dark, not to mention alluring. He turned his head, and his hair glinted in the moonlight. He realized that I was right behind him, and went to sit at the small bench by the lake. When I didn't follow his gesture, he smiled slightly, and patted the spot next to him. In slight shock, I sat beside him.

What was with him today?

"So?" He asked. Wordlessly, I reached into my bag and pulled out 'The Whisper of the Night', and placed it on his lap. He raised an eyebrow as he skimmed through the book. "Creepy, isn't it?"

"I suppose so."

I was beginning to get a bit impatient. I didn't like the way how he was acting like nothing had happened between us in the library, and I wasn't here to discuss how creepy the book was with him.

"Seriously, Malfoy? You know we aren't here to discuss that."

He shut the book, and looked at me appraisingly. "Well what else is there to discuss, Granger? Yes, we kissed. Yes, we both felt something that we can't figure out for the life of us. What else do you want? I only came out here because I thought you knew what you were doing."

I felt anger bite at my conscience. "So is that it then? You just automatically expected me to know what I was doing. Don't you dare try to blame all of this on me, you had a part in this too. You were the one the kissed me."

"Oh and because I wanted to?" He retorted, his voice becoming louder and sharper. "Are you really that daft? I can't control this, and I thought you knew that! I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for you to have this type of affect on me, but it happened, alright? I can't believe you would actually think that I would want you."

I recoiled for a moment, trying to delude myself from the fact that that had actually hurt. Something inside me burned with agony, and I couldn't tell him why. I couldn't tell myself either. He must've seen my reaction, because he bit his lip for a moment and said nothing. No matter how hard I had tried to cover it up, he saw. He always did.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. We only kissed because we had to. Whether you want me or not has not effect on me." I replied, my voice coming out more harshly than I had meant it to be. He nodded, running his fingers across the pages of the book. As I turned to get something from my bag, I heard him hiss.

"Ouch!"

I turned toward him and saw his whole index finger covered in blood as he pushed the book away from him. Without a word, I grabbed his hand, smirking slightly when it tensed, and tapped my wand against it, making the wound disappear completely. Although I had finished, he had yet to remove his hand from mine. Something his eyes looked undetermined, and I bit my lip for his response. What was wrong with him?

What was wrong with me?

"Thanks", he mumbled, slowly taking his hand away from mine. I cleared my throat and let another moment pass by.

"So are we going to try and figure this out? Otherwise this whole meeting is just pointless."

"Of course", I replied to him. "I suppose we should start with the –"

"The kiss?"

"Probably."

"Which one?" He joked, raising one of his brows. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. He smiled something I had never truly seen him do, at least properly anyways. This smile was different. It was bright and happy, not malicious and snarky like all of the other ones I'd seen him wear. After our laughter had faded, I still couldn't help but look at him. Something was different. Maybe it was because I had never really taken the time to acknowledge his face, or actually have a nice peaceful talk with him.

"I know this awkward, but I have to admit, I'm glad we're going to figure this out….together." I whispered.

He turned his head towards me, the remnants of that bright smile still remaining on his lips.

"Me too."

Something inside me twisted with warmth but instinctively, I pushed it away. We stayed quiet for a moment, while he pondered his thoughts, and I pondered my feelings.

"When I kissed you, Granger, did you feel anything? I mean….inside of you?" He asked.

He had no idea.

"Yes." I whispered. "It felt like a thousand needles prodding at my body, but in a good way, kind of like electric, but not as cliché. It felt like I was –"

"Somewhere else? It felt like an outer body experience. As if you were trying to tell me something. I can't figure this out, and we won't be able to do it alone. You know that."

I nodded. I felt the exact same way, but what were we supposed to do? Go to Dumbledore? Snape? Who could help?

"Right now, all we're going to have to guide us is books." I replied firmly. He nodded.

"Well in that case, it seems like we'll be working together a bit more than expected Granger." He paused for a moment.

"How about a truce?"

I sat quietly for a moment. Draco Malfoy wanted to have a truce with me, a mudblood? I knew better than to trust him, but something told me I should. This would be the only way for us to get our lives back sooner. I nodded and we shook hands on it.

"Truce." I sighed.

He had a weird expression on his face, as if he were biting back a smile.

"Good. Because I don't work well with my enemies."

I smiled.

Maybe we were more alike than I'd thought.

VVVVV

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, things are going to get pretty intense soon, hopefully! Reviews and constructive criticism are definitely welcomed! Thanks loves!