The next week Draco and Hermione had a blissful time together, they spent their days working themselves to the bone in class and their nights talking and kissing, and studying and kissing, and joking around and kissing, in their common room. Hermione found that classes were more enjoyable when she knew what she had to look forward to that evening. They kept it a secret on Draco's request, he had no interest in proving to anyone else that he was different, which was quietly a relief to Hermione. She knew that perhaps one days she would have to enlighten the others, but she was happy to put it off as long as possible knowing full well how they would react. The Christmas break was looming ahead of them, and for the first time Hermione was less excited then perhaps what she would normally be. Whilst it would be great to see how everyone in the Order were going, she never really had anyone left behind to miss before.

Hermione and Draco were lying on the floor next to the fireplace in each others arms, with Draco tracing shapes into her contours of her back.

"We should be doing our Defense Against the Dark Arts homework." Draco sighed.

"Mmm." Hermione muttered sleepily without lifting her head or opening her eyes.

"Or that essay Mcgonagall gave us today." He contemplated further.

"Mmm."

"Am I going to get nothing more coherent than that out of you today?" He laughed.

"Mmm."

They lay there in a comfortable silence for a while longer, before Draco made another attempt and starting a conversation. "Where are you going for Christmas break?"

At this Hermione finally looked up at him sheepishly. "Actually, I don't even know. Someone in the Order's house but they won't won't tell us yet."

"Or you don't trust me." Draco smiled warily at her. "You know we can be honest with each other."

"I do trust you, I really do." She quickly assured him. "I honestly don't know, it's part of their security measures. They won't tell us till we are there basically. And besides which, as much as I want to believe you it will probably take a while before we are completely there."

"I suppose that's fair enough. I don't care how long it will take, I'll prove to you that I'm different." He stroked the side of her face. "Besides which, I'm not at all interested in what the Order is up to, unless it involves you of course."

Hermione grimaced. "Well at the moment, not much involves me. They seem to think only qualified witches and wizards can be useful to the cause."

"Good, I don't want to have to worry about you over the break."

"I think I have more cause to be worried then you, given who you will be around." Hermione frowned. "Speaking of, where will you be spending the break?"

"The Manor." Draco grimaced. "A lot of... Business is done out of there. Needless to say it won't be enjoyable."

"I can imagine. What a Merry Christmas" Hermione muttered sarcastically and paused, contemplating how to ask the next question. "Have you decided what you are going to do next year?"

Draco didn't answer for a couple of minutes, looking into the fireplace whilst still tracing shapes on her back. "I don't... I don't know. There is so much to consider. Whatever I do... well it affects my family in so many ways."

"Yes." She sighed. "I can't imagine Voldemort is too forgiving."

"No, he is many things but forgiving is not one of them."

"I just don't even know how you could stand it!" She rolled over to face him properly. "Even going back for the holidays must be awful."

"Yes it probably will be. But I have to get on with it right? At least until I know what I am going to do." He looked extremely grim for a second before changing his expression. "But it doesn't help that everyone on the other side are so completely painful to be around." Draco grinned arrogantly at her. "I don't think I could handle spending the rest of my life around insufferable Gryffindors."

Hermione punched him playfully. "We obviously have different views on who is insufferable." She laughed.

"Oh, and do you still find me insufferable?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Completely and utterly." She stared him down, trying to keep her facial expression as serious as she possibly could.

She let out a loud squeal as he rolled her over in an instant and pinned her arms above her head. "Am I still insufferable?"

"Yes."

He leant down and kissed a trail of slow kisses down the side of her neck, leaving goosebumps behind them. "And am I still now?"

She let out a soft gasp. "Yes..."

He kissed a trail of slow kisses down the other side of her neck, with Hermione still squirming underneath him. "And now?"

"Yes..."

"Mmm, I'm not so sure you mean that Granger." He leant in and kissed her softly on the mouth, taking one of his hands away from hers and grabbing the side of her face, pulling her into him. With a quick glance up he saw the time on his watch and swore.

"I have to go," He grumbled with Hermione looking at him quizzically. "Patrol." He rolled his eyes and jumped up striding out of the room. Just as he reached the door he turned. "Try not to miss me too much." And with a cheeky grin he had left the room.

Hermione lay by the fire, feeling warm and content. She couldn't believe the difference a few months had made in her life. Even when she thought back to all that had happened she still had trouble believing that it was real. She let out a large scoff when thought of what she would have said if someone told her 3 months ago she would be in a relationship with Draco Malfoy and that she would be happy about it no less.

She frowned as her thoughts trailed to the conversation they had earlier. She had no idea what was going to happen at the end of the schooling year. She felt sick at the thought of him returning to his parents, to him, but she couldn't imagining him shooting off to join the Order either. The thought of Draco sitting at the Weasley's table was laughable. At this thought Hermione sat up and moved over to the table and decided to write a nice long letter to her parents as a distraction. She seemed to be all about distractions these days.