A/N: I am stunned by the number of people who have followed/favorited this story! Thank you so much for showing your interest. I hope you continue to enjoy this story! A special thank you to those who have taken the time to review, I truly appreciate every single one. As always, JKR owns the sandbox, I just play in it. Enjoy! (and please review ;) )

Clandestine Meetings

ooooo

Hermione folded her arms across her chest, feeling defensive at Draco's remark. A frown marred her face as she said, "Why not? You call me that all the time."

She felt certain that Draco was up to something, but could not figure out what it was. Why was he suddenly interested in who she chose to sleep with and why on Earth did he have any sort of opinion about her sex life? They should have kept to the plan. She never should have indulged Harry. At the very least she should have ensured that she and Harry would have privacy. How could she have forgotten such a simple thing? A simple silencing charm would have made all the difference, or a locking charm at the very least. It would have meant that she could have continued her patrol in peace. Instead she found herself caught by Draco Malfoy of all people. She continued to glare at him, waiting for a response. She let out a soft gasp as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him once more. She could feel her heart pounding as he brought the other hand up to rest on her cheek. Her desire for him growing with every passing moment.

"I haven't called you that in a long time and I never should have." He replied softly, his brows knit together in what she could only interpret as regret. "You're so much more than that and you deserve so much more than to be called that." He kissed her then, his lips meeting hers in a searing kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise before fluttering closed. Her arms automatically wrapping around his neck, her body pressing into his.

The first thing to occur to her was that he was an excellent kisser, much better than any of the other guys she had kissed, and that included Krum. His kiss was, at first, soft and tentative, which surprised her, but quickly became hard and demanding. It was as though he couldn't get enough. The effect it had on her was immediate and visceral. She felt herself wanting to rip his clothes off, wanting to feel his naked body pressed against hers. Finally her senses returned and she brought a hand up to his chest, gently pushing him away.

"What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly.

"Kissing you." His lips returned to hers, kissing her deeply, his tongue meeting hers in an amorous duel, his hands tangling in her thick curls. She pushed him back again, struggling to regain her breath.

"Why?" She asked, panting, her heart racing.

"Why what?" He responded in between gentle kisses. His arms wrapped around her waist, effectively trapping her.

"Why are you kissing me?" She clarified. She couldn't fathom why he was kissing her. Sure they had shared a few amicable classes since the start of term and yes, she had found her self spending an inordinate amount of time thinking of him, but she had been certain that he felt only muted loathing towards her, and even then his loathing had only been weakened by the effects of her abilities.

"Because I want to." He said as he trailed kisses along her jaw.

"But why?" She could feel her cheeks flushing as he continued his kisses down her throat. She knew how wrong it all was, but part of her didn't want to stop him. Part of her wanted to wrap him in her arms and never stop kissing him.

"I already told you, because I want to." He said, kissing her yet again.

"But why now? You've never shown anything but revulsion towards me. Why on earth do you want to kiss me?"

"I don't know Granger!" He responded, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I don't know what's changed but I know that I want you and I'm tired of trying to deny it."

"What about Pansy?"

"What about Pansy?" Draco asked, confusion and frustration evident in his voice.

"Aren't you two together?"

"It's complicated," He reached out for her, pulling her into his arms again.

"I think I can keep up." She quipped. He sighed and dropped his head, then lifted it to look her in the eye as he explained.

"I have a duty to uphold a certain image, Pansy is part of that image. She and I... our families have made it fairly clear that they expect us to marry. Pansy is quite happy to accept their plans. I have always done as my parents have asked but lately...well let's just say I'm not as keen to follow their requests these days. Pansy is not who I want."

"Then why don't you leave her?" She felt almost surreal, standing in an empty classroom having hushed conversations and stolen kisses with Draco. It was like something out of a parallel world.

"That's where it gets complicated. It's not an easy thing to just go against my parents wishes. I haven't been left with much choice."

"You always have a choice." Hermione's voice was firm with conviction.

"Sometimes all you have are bad choices." His lips found hers again, kissing her slowly as though savoring the moment.

"We should really get back to patrolling." Hermione said quietly when he pulled away. She felt confused and flustered. She didn't know what to think about any of it.

"Right. Prefect duty," Draco said, shaking his head, as though he only just remembered that they were supposed to be patrolling the halls and not snogging in empty classrooms, "and Granger, this never happened."

"Agreed." She said firmly but couldn't help but feel the sting of his words and feel hurt by them.

"Right, then, shall we?" He asked gesturing for her to exit. He followed her out of the room, keeping pace beside her. They walked in silence as they continued their patrol, each lost to their own thoughts, neither brave enough to break the silence.

ooooo

The following morning found Hermione, Harry, and Ron in the room of requirement, as had become their routine. Hermione would pace in front of the bare expanse of wall three times and when the large wooden door appeared the three friends would disappear into the hidden room, keeping them and their deeds concealed from any prying eyes they might encounter. The room, as always, held a comfortable couch, not unlike the one in their common room, made from a deep red cotton fabric with squishy cushions. The coffee table, a simple rectangle on four short legs, was made from dark cherrywood and sat on a plush rug. Sconces in the wall held brightly burning candles and a fire roared in the stone fireplace situated across from the couch. It was a warm and inviting room which made the three friends feel right at home. Hermione took her seat on the middle cushion and Harry and Ron each took a side.

It had been three weeks since the first time Hermione had performed the transfer and although she now felt confident that she could perform it correctly, she still found herself feeling nervous every time she did. She thought back to the first time she had shared her magic with her friends.

The sun was shining brightly in the empty corridors on that Saturday morning as the three friends stole away to the room of requirement. They were lucky not to meet anyone on the way.

"Alright Hermione, go ahead," Harry said with a nod towards the empty wall.

"Me? Why me?" Hermione shook her head, a note of panic in her voice.

"Because you're the one who knows what kind of room we need." Ron responded. Hermione released a frustrated sigh.

"Oh, alright." She paced in front of the blank space three times, focusing on a place that would be comfortable and quiet. Moments later a large wooden door appeared and the three friends ducked inside. They were pleased to see such an inviting room and quickly made themselves comfortable on the couch, eager to start.

"So who's first?" She asked her friends, eyeing each in turn.

"Harry should go," Ron volunteered.

"Thanks mate," Harry's voice was thick with sarcasm, but he smiled and turned towards Hermione. "So, what do we do?"

"All you need to do is hold my hand. This might feel a bit odd," she warned, "Malum Praesidium." Hermione's hand began to glow, the glow slowly left her hand and made its way to Harry's hand. He let out a yell and she felt him jerk as her magic touched his for the first time.

"What's it like?" Ron asked as they watched the glow move through Harry's hand, up his arm, slowly fading away as it traveled. Harry did his best to explain the odd sensation of having Hermione's magic mix with his own.

It was Ron's turn next. Hermione released Harry's hand, the transfer complete and turned towards Ron. She took his hand in hers and repeated the process.

That first time she had been terrified of performing the incantation incorrectly, terrified that she might horribly disfigure her friends. This morning, however, she found herself even more nervous than she typically was owing to her exploits the night before. Not only had she yielded to Harry's needs, but she had allowed Draco to kiss her as well. Her lips still tingled at the memory. It had been such a confusing night. She never would have dreamed that she would find herself snogging Malfoy in an empty classroom.

"Hermione! Hello!" Ron's voice came crashing through her thoughts and she could feel her face reddening even more.

"Sorry," came her soft reply, "I was lost in thought."

"Yea, we had worked that much out for ourselves, thanks," Harry replied, a hint of laughter in his voice, "Where did you go just now?"

"Nowhere really. I was just thinking about the transfer, you know how nervous I get." She lied, well partially lied. While it was true that she did get nervous, that was not where her attention truly had been.

"It will be fine. You've done it perfectly for three weeks, I can't imagine you'd cock it up now." Ron said in an attempt to soothe her. She offered him a small smile and took his hand in hers.

"You're right. Now, shall we?"

"Whenever you're ready." He replied, nodding his head in reassurance.

"Malum Praesidium," Hermione said clearly, waving her wand, giving it a flick at the end. She felt her magic warming in her hands as they began to glow. They could see her magic leaving her fingers and traveling through Ron's hands, fading as it moved up his arm and mixed with his own magic. As always he gave an involuntary smile as her magic tingled in his veins.

She let go of his hand, the transfer complete and turned to Harry, ready to perform the transfer once again. She took his large hand into hers, taking a deep breath as she did.

"Ready?" She asked and he gave a nod in reply. For the second time she uttered, "Malum Praesidium," and felt her magic warming in her hand. They watched, still as fascinated as they had been the first time, as her magic moved out of her hand and in to his. Just as Ron had, he smiled as he felt her magic tingling as it moved through his veins and mixed with his own.

"That is just the oddest sensation." Harry commented as the transfer finished.

"Does it still feel like you're foot waking up after falling asleep?" Hermione questioned.

"Pretty much." Ron answered, Harry nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, but you're happy about it." Hermione and Ron laughed at that, Harry joining in a few moments later.

The three friends stayed for awhile longer, simply enjoying the freedom of Saturday, and then when their stomachs could hold out no longer, headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

ooooo

Early Saturday morning Draco crept towards the room of requirement, careful not to be seen by any prying eyes. The dreary weather helped to conceal his trek through the castle, the corridors darkened from lack of sunlight. He had been coming here every chance he had since the start of school, trying to work out how he was going to accomplish his seemingly impossible task. He wasn't exactly a slouch with his wand, but this was Dumbledore, the only wizard who had ever inspired fear in the Dark Lord. How could he possibly hope to kill him? He knew that that was the point. The Dark Lord had no intention of him surviving this, but he had to try. His mother's life was certainly worth that. So far he had had little luck, but he was committed to finding a way. He had to, his mother was counting on him. He also knew that the Dark Lord's patience wouldn't hold. He'd have to try something soon, show that he was at the very least trying, and so he found himself once again making his way towards the hidden room. He had, as of yet, not encountered anyone else using the room, making it the perfect place to work. He was therefore surprised when he was unable to gain entrance to the room and wondered who could possibly be occupying it. Fortunately for him he didn't have to wait long. As he watched from an alcove around the corner, the door to the hidden room swung open and the trio crept out, skulking away from their clandestine meeting. One perfectly groomed eyebrow arched as he watched them walk away. Why was he not surprised to see the three of them? They were always up to something. He began to wonder what havoc they were planning to wreck when his eyes then focused in on her.

He knew that he should feel some sort of regret for his actions; he had betrayed Pansy and disobeyed his father, but the only regret he had was the pain he had caused Hermione. He had seen the hurt in her eyes when he told her to pretend that it had never happened. It had hurt him to say the words, but they had no choice. No one could know what had happened and it certainly couldn't ever be repeated. If his father found out or worse the Dark Lord, well he didn't want to think about those consequences. So he had done his best not to think about kissing her for the rest of the night, and then, of course, his dreams took revenge. He had dreamed of kissing her, holding her petite frame close to his body, feeling her curves as his hands explored her flesh, and when he woke he felt bereft, cold and alone in an empty bed, wanting nothing more than to have her there with him. After a cold shower, he had dressed and assured himself that the night before was the product of momentary weakness and wouldn't be repeated. He could not jeopardize everything for his lust, but then there she was. He could feel his resolve crumbling as he took her in, his eyes devouring every inch of her delectable form and he knew, given the opportunity, he would give in again.

He waited until the three Gryffindors had disappeared down the stairs before walking towards the now all too familiar blank expanse of wall and paced back and forth three times, concentrating on a room in which to hide his work. A slim black door appeared moments later and he made his way inside.

The room was comfortable, similar in style to his room at home. The floors were made of a dark wood. Candles were floating in groups of three in each corner, brightening the room with their flickering light. A large wooden desk was set to the far side of the room, forgotten books on it's surface. A highback, dark green, velvet armchair sat angled towards the fireplace and on the opposite wall there were three bookshelves full of books on the darkest topics imaginable. Draco selected several tomes from the bookshelves before settling into the armchair. He was determined to find something, anything, which would help him to complete his task.

ooooo

The day was a dreary one, drizzling on and off throughout the day, resulting in Harry, Ron, and Hermione being stuck inside, relegated to the activities found within. So after a leisurely breakfast the three had wandered back to the common room. Hermione, as per her usual habits, set about doing her homework and getting a head start on the work for the week ahead. She set up her materials on a the coffee table in front of the fireplace, effectively claiming the spot for the three of them. Ron and Harry took up a game of wizarding chess, sitting on the couch behind Hermione.

"Are you going to study all day?" Ron whined, interrupting Hermione's train of thought, having just crushed Harry in their game.

"Possibly," she replied, her eyes never leaving the page she was reading.

"But that's so boring," came his melodramatic response. Harry laughed at his friend.

"Are you really surprised?" Ron rolled his eyes, of course he wasn't surprised.

"Well, no, but it is boring."

"I have an idea that could be fun," Harry said, a mischievous note present in his voice.

"Oh?" Ron asked, one eyebrow raised in interest.

Harry's voice lowered as he said, "Hermione's magic is supposed to have shield abilities right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"So I was thinking, maybe we should head back to the room of requirement and try it out, see how well they work."

"I'm in, let's go! Hermione?"

"Oh, yes," she responded with a bit of a sigh, "alright."

For the second time that day the three found themselves making their way, as surreptitiously as possible, towards the room of requirement. Once again Hermione paced in front of the blank spot, calling forth a rather different room this time. When they entered they found a room which was very similar to the room they had used the previous year for their DA meetings. The space was large and open. Bookshelves lined the left wall, a pile of cushions lined the other, and a fire roared at the far end. It was the perfect practice space.

"Excellent!" Ron complimented as they walked in the room, Harry shaking his head in agreement.

"It reminds me of our DA room."

"Well I was thinking about it while thinking up the room."

"So how does this work?" Ron asked. Hermione flicked her wand, the cushions moving out from their corner and arranging themselves to soften the blow.

"It's similar to how dragonhide or a giant's skin work, spells will just sort of bounce off, or they should at least. So I thought we would start with simple jinxes. Who's first?"

"I'll go." Harry volunteered. Hermione smiled as Harry maneuvered in front of one of the cushions.

"Stupefy" Hermione shouted at the same time Harry said,"Protego!" The effect of Harry's spell was immediate, Hermione was thrown back where she fell onto the surrounding cushions.

"Harry!" She admonished, getting to her feet, "You were supposed to let me stupefy you."

"Right, sorry. It was force of habit." Harry said with a laugh.

"Give your wand to Ron and let's try again." Harry, still chuckling, handed his wand to Ron, who was also laughing, and prepared to be stupefied.

Hermione raised her wand and, with a swish, said, "stupefy."

Harry flinched as the spell made contact, expecting to feel the jolt of being stupefied and then falling to the floor, but amazingly all that happened was the spell sort of bounced off Harry.

"Excellent!!" Ron exclaimed as he watched, "my turn." Hermione smiled and hurled a Petrificus Totalus at him. They laughed as the spell just seemed to bounce off of him. They continued to hurl jinxes and hexes at each other and were surprised that none of them stuck. Over an hour later, exhausted from laughing and spell casting, they collapsed onto the cushions that Hermione had laid out at the start.

"Well that was fun." Ron said Ashe caught his breath.

"Yes, it was,"Harry added,"we should try again tonight, see if it still works or if it's worn off."

"Good idea Harry." Hermione complimented. They made plans to return that evening and then left the room as stealthily as they had entered.