All of Harry Potter and anything related to it are the sole property of J.K. Rowling.

(Each title is derived from a song that, I believe, complements the overall narrative, if not the individual chapter.)

Hogwarts February 1997

"Why didn't I see you at Apparition lessons today, Granger?" He asked as he flopped himself down onto the blanket beside me.

"I got permission to take them last year and took my test early in the summer. Before everything started to get really bad," I said and winced as the last part came out. Sometimes it felt like the room wanted to remind us that we were on different sides of this war.

He took a breath and then said, "Teacher's pet gets special treatment again." I smacked him on the arm with the book I had been reading, and he laughed and grabbed it from my hands. "You are a very violent person, Granger."

"Only to those who deserve it," I said, but smiled back at him.

"I believe you should kiss me in apology," he said in all seriousness.

"Alright," I agreed at once and rolled onto him to do just that. His hand slid up to cup my breast, and he started to massage it through the material, making me moan, but we both jumped when the door slammed open.

We both looked over to it with matching looks of horror to see Professor Snape standing there, staring at us with a look much like our own. He quickly scrambled forward and slammed the door as if he needed to stop others from seeing our compromising position.

"Have you both lost your minds?" He yelled, and we finally had the presence of mind to move away from each other. Unfortunately, not before Professor Snape's chilly black eyes narrowed on just where Draco had his hand, and he sneered, "It seems so." We stood, but I was surprised and relived when Draco took my hand in his. That just seemed to frustrate Professor Snape, who snorted and looked at the walls.

"No wonder you have become so good at Occlumency. You really do have something to hide from your master," Professor Snape said, and I saw his eyes widen when he realised he had said something he hadn't meant to. I bit my lip and kept quiet; it wasn't me he was talking to at the moment anyway.

"She's aware of what I am," Draco said defiantly when Professor Snape gave him a look full of meaning.

"Does she now?" He asked and looked at me as if I had just become interesting. "In any case, this cannot continue. Draco, let's go." He swooped around, making his shoulder-length black hair and cloak swing out behind him, and went for the door.

"It won't open for half an hour," Draco told him as the teacher tried ineffectually to pull the door open. He gave a frustrated growl and turned a sneer on both of us.

"Detention, both of you," he said.

"Yes, sir," I said automatically, and Draco smirked at me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Take your love-struck eyes off each other this instant! Do you have any idea how much danger you are putting yourselves and your families in? You are playing with fire, and you will get burned. Your love is not only forbidden but also foolish." The harsh words of Professor Snape echoed in the mostly empty room before he turned his look of contempt on me.

"And you, Miss Granger? Are you really willing to throw away your future, your education, and your reputation for a fleeting passion that will not last? Do you not care that you are betraying the trust of your friends and all those fighting on the side of light?" I opened my mouth to respond, but Draco spoke before I could.

"Leave her alone," Draco growled furiously.

"You are inviting the wrath of Lord Voldemort, your master, boy, and he will not tolerate nor forgive what is happening here. You are making a grave mistake, and it will cost you your life and hers," he said, pointing a finger at me, though he was still talking to Draco, "if you persist in this madness."

"I love her, and I'll be damned if I let that monster lay a finger on her," Draco shouted at him. I just stared at his face, loving him too but scared by everything Professor Snape was saying.

Professor Snape snorted and shook his head. "How can you be so blind and naive to think that your love can overcome the war that is raging out there?" He asked, pointing out beyond the castle. "You are not Romeo and Juliet; you are enemies and traitors. You are not fighting for some romantic, noble cause. You are not lovers; you are fools. You are not only endangering yourselves but also your families and friends if this is discovered. The lives of countless innocent people are already suffering and dying out there because of this war, and no amount of love will save them. You are not only living a lie, but also a nightmare."

Draco squeezed my hand tightly when I gasped at that. He then pulled me closer so he could hug me to him, as if he could hide me from the terrible truth of the words. Professor Snape threw his hands in the air in frustration, and then for the next half hour we were subjected to his ranting about how stupid, selfish, and reckless we were. I was feeling all of that too when the door clicked open. I knew my face was red with embarrassment and shame, while Draco looked as if he could murder his godfather.

"Draco, come with me now," Professor Snape ordered, then turned for the door. Draco let go of me and followed slowly, but when Professor Snape disappeared into the hall, Draco simply shut the door again and leaned his head against it. I stood watching him and shook with worry and fear.

"Please don't let his words ruin this," he pleaded, his face still towards the door, as if he were afraid to look at me.

"I may think he was right, but I also know I can't stay away from you," I confessed in a shaky whisper. He turned and looked at me with relief.

"Thank Salazar for that, because I damn well can't stay away from you either," he replied. I rushed over and hugged him hard, my body still shaking with fear, and he held me back just as tightly.

"Do you think he is gone?" I whispered.

"Yes, and he won't remember a thing. He is right about the Occlumency. I have been practicing, but I discovered over Christmas that this room seems to create its own form of the discipline," he confessed.

"Really? How did you find that out?" I asked.

"I haven't produced results, and so I was being punished," he said with a shrug. He tried to move away, but I was having none of that now.

"Punished, how?" I asked, afraid I knew what he meant.

"Cruciatus Curse," he said softly. He paused for a moment and pulled me into a tighter hug. "I was in such agony, and your face came to mind. It wasn't even a real memory, merely a fantasy of what I imagined you might look like talking to me in this place, but it should have been enough for the Dark Lord to seize on it, yet he didn't."

"Maybe he just didn't care about what looked like a fantasy," I suggested, and his laugh was hopeless and bitter, devoid of any humour.

"The Dark Lord would have mentioned it. He would have taken great pleasure in the shock it would cause my parents'. Can you imagine what my father's expression would have been had he discovered that I was harbouring fantasies about you? He thinks half-bloods are beneath us," he said bitterly.

"Umm, Draco?" I asked with a frown. "Isn't your father in Azkaban?" He became a statue once again. "Draco?" I said, pushing away so I could see his face, and he looked down with fear and worry again. "He's not in Azkaban, is he?" I demanded and pushed away angrily. I couldn't believe that criminal was still getting around free while others went to prison just for being who they are.

"Please don't say anything, Hermione," he begged, and I was struck by the use of my name. He very rarely used it. It meant this was all the more important to him.

"I want your father to suffer, Draco. I am sorry if that hurts you, but he is a cruel man who deserves nothing but pain," I told him.

"Well, you will be delighted to discover that he is. Often and many times a day," he said in frustration and just a bit of anger.

"Oh Merlin, I hate this!" I shouted with angry frustration.

"Me too," he said sadly.

"We should go. I know you don't care about classes anymore, but I still intend to go," I told him, going to get my bag. I stopped as I considered writing something in my journal.

"Kiss me before you go," he said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me. "I hate it when we leave angry." And it was because I did too that I turned in his arms and kissed him with all the frustration I could put into it. He leaned back, holding my face between his hands, and said to me, "Tomorrow we put the chair in front of the door immediately." I nodded, gave him one last kiss, and left. I was glad he hadn't asked me to stay tonight. I didn't think I had the fortitude for that now.

The following Saturday, I had no such qualms about staying, and though I remembered every word Professor Snape had said to us, the week had given them time to blend into my own justifications for being here with him. I was sitting with my legs split over his lap as he cupped my naked breasts.

"I do believe I am not the only one still growing," he said as he lifted my heavy, sensitive breasts, pushing himself against me suggestively and wiggling his eyebrows outrageously. I giggled at the disturbing look.

"I thought I asked you never to do that?"

"You did, but I thought the situation warranted it," he said happily. "They really are bigger, nevertheless," he said as he stared at them and weighed them in his hands.

"Maybe a little, but that is to be expected. As you pointed out, I am also still growing, and I am also due for my period again," I explained. He grimaced at that, and it was my turn to smirk at him for his discomfort.

"Bloody annoying things, ruining my fun," he muttered in disgust, and then laughed as he realised exactly what he had said.

"Not all of it," I said, letting his asinine comment pass.

"True," he said with another satisfied grin. "Speaking of uncomfortable things, it has come to my attention that you are often seen coming out of the second-floor bathroom," he told me.

"How have you come by this information?" I asked with my head tilted in curiosity.

"Pansy Parkinson seems unduly attentive to your whereabouts lately," he said with an unconcerned shrug. I frowned, not remembering seeing her anywhere outside of class.

"I use that bathroom after leaving here on nights we stay here," I told him, a bit concerned as to why Pansy would be following me. "Is she planning on doing something to me?" I asked, pushed by the room.

"Pansy is no real threat to you," he dismissed with a shake of his head. "All bark and no bite. She has been taught that a wizard will fight all her battles for her and that her only responsibilities are to maintain an appealing appearance and produce babies for her husband."

"That is a very archaic attitude," I said with a grimace of outrage and pity on behalf of the brain-washed witch. Then I noticed his raised eyebrows.

"If that is true, then I must inform you, you are now living in a very archaic society," he told me seriously.

"That is a part of this society that Muggle-borns and purebloods will never agree on," I told him, crossing my arms under my breasts, making him drop his hands away. He lay back and linked them behind his head instead.

"I do not agree with the attitude either, Granger," he told me seriously.

"Good," I said huffily, and he smirked at the tone.

"Returning to the matter of the bathroom, why not utilise the one on this floor?"

"I didn't know there was one," I answered honestly, and he nodded.

"Just two doors down the dungeon corridor that leads to the common room is the witches' lavatory," he explained.

"Oh," I said, thinking. That really was a lot closer, but then I shook my head. "I can't imagine the Slytherin girls would appreciate me using their restroom," I told him.

"They wouldn't be caught dead in that room, Granger. All the little princesses have bathrooms attached to their dorms," he said.

"Alright. I will try that tomorrow morning. It will certainly get me to breakfast sooner," I agreed.

"Good. Now where was I?" He said, and pulled my arms away, so he had access to my breasts once again.

Valentine's Day fell on the following Friday, and the whole school seemed to go mad with it. Everywhere I looked, I saw couples kissing, hugging, or holding hands. The teachers were even turning a blind eye to the amount of affection that was happening in the hallways and courtyards.

I witnessed some couples being removed from broom cupboards by the other prefects, who looked rather annoyed by their duty. I commiserated, as I had had to do it a time or two as well. Lavender and Ron had been one such pair, and I was glad to find that my jealousy of the two had lessened considerably.

I supposed that after three solid months of seeing them snog at every opportunity, I had grown used to it and accepted that Ron was not interested in me. Well, no, not accepted, but something close to that, at least. I still felt a pang of sadness whenever I saw them together, but I tried to ignore it and focus on my studies.

Harry, on the other hand, looked wrecked whenever he spotted Ginny and Dean kissing. He would freeze in his tracks and stare at them with a pained expression on his face. I had to drag his frozen feet away from the sight and out of the common room for a walk several times already, and today was no exception. I knew he had feelings for Ginny, but he was too noble to act on them. He thought he was protecting her from Voldemort by staying away from her, but I knew that he was only hurting himself and Ginny. I wished he would listen to me and tell Ginny how he felt, but he was too stubborn to do so, and it didn't help when he pointed out the incongruity of my suggesting that course of action.

I wondered if there was anyone who felt the same way about me as Harry did about Ginny. I had never had a boyfriend, despite knowing I was somehow lacking my virginity (and didn't that just boggle the mind!), or even a date for Valentine's Day. I had always been too busy with my books and homework to pay attention to boys. I had hoped that Ron would notice me, but he had fallen for Lavender's charms instead. Now, though, I just wanted to spend the rest of the day with my best friend and forget about romance for a while.

"I suppose you are going to spend tonight studying?" Harry said with frustration, running his fingers through his ever-messy hair as we headed towards DADA for our next lesson of the day.

"Harry, I always study," I said with a laugh, and he grinned at me.

"I meant in your study room," he said, waving his arm around for emphasis.

"I had considered it. I really don't want to spend any more of this day watching Ron and Lavender try to strangle each other with their tongues," I said with a shudder of distaste. Harry laughed at that.

"They do look like that, don't they?"

"I could stay and keep you company if you like," I told him.

"No, that's alright. I do miss spending time with you, but I know how important grades are to you. Besides, I was thinking about taking a stroll around the school tonight," he told me.

"Oh, Harry. You are not going to look for Draco Malfoy again, are you? I just… I just don't believe he could be a Death Eater."

"That is because you believe the best in people, Mione, but I am telling you. I heard Snape talking about it with him. He wanted to help Malfoy with whatever he is up to this year," he insisted, while I looked at him and wished there was a way to reassure my friend, but also knew there was no talking my best friend out of his thoughts on the subject.

"Alright, but please be careful. If you are correct..." he gave me a sharp look at that, and I held up my hand to stop him from saying anything. "Fine, but Harry, if he is a Death Eater, he might... he could try to kill you if he suspects you of following him."

"No, he won't. Voldemort wants me for himself," he replied with an unconcerned shrug. I pulled him to a stop beside me.

"I am serious, Harry. Please, be careful! I couldn't stand it if you got hurt," I implored him.

"I know," he said, pulling me into a quick brotherly hug.

"I can't believe Lavender and Parvati haven't reported me to Professor McGonagall for spending nights away," I told him as we set off down the corridor again.

"I overheard Lavender boasting to Parvati that she had intimated you with her relationship with Ron and that she was glad to see the back of you," Harry replied, studying my face to see if I was hurt by that.

"Hardly," I said with a laugh. "I may have let my emotions get away from me that first night, but now I just find I enjoy the solitude." Harry nodded in understanding.

"Let's go sit by the lake after class. I don't know about you, but I could use the fresh air," I told him.

"It's a date," Harry said with a laugh as we passed through the doorway and into DADA. I didn't see the livid look Malfoy was giving us until I heard Harry ask with venom, "Got a problem, Malfoy?"

"With you? Always," he replied. His eyes flicked to me and then away. His friends poured into the room just in time to hear him, but Pansy was already demanding to know why he hadn't waited for them.

"Come on, Harry," I whispered to him, pulling him over to our usual seats.

"Behold, the mud-blood finally has a boyfriend, conveniently in time for Valentine's Day," Blaise Zabini, a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes, mocked behind us with a touch of Italian audible in his accent. Harry spun around at once and pointed his wand at the pureblood.

"Did you say something, Zabini?" Harry demanded angrily.

"Potter! Put your wand away at once, and that will be ten points from Gryffindor for instigating a duel in my classroom," Professor Snape said easily as he breezed through the door, his robes flying out behind him. Draco's chair scrapped loudly against the stone floor and then fell with a clatter before he hastily left the room. Professor Snape looked after him, but then just turned and started the lesson without comment.

Later that night, just as I was about to sit down to dinner with Harry and Ron, who was sitting on the other side with Lavender plastered to his hip, when a House Elf popped in and handed me a note, before quickly bowing and popping back away. Thankfully, I was still standing when I opened it, or the boys would have been trying to read it at the same time.

Your presence is requested immediately in your study room. Tell no one.

I frowned and wished I left myself more concise notes in my journal. I had no clue why I made them so vague, and it made me curious as to who had sent it. After a brief whispered chat with Harry, I left to see what was so urgent that I couldn't have my dinner first. I opened the door to see a romantic wonderland.

"Did you do all this?" I asked as I looked at the red and pink rose petals surrounding the room, creating a fragrant and cosy atmosphere. Just below the rune-inscribed ceiling hung twinkling white stars and a full moon, shining softly. Somehow the room had been dimmed, so the light appeared to come more from the fake night sky rather than wherever it usually did. There were even more soft cushions and pillows on top of a fresh couple of blankets than normal. And in place of the usual classroom chair and table, stood a slightly bigger one with two comfortable chairs. The table was set with a delicious feast of chocolate-covered strawberries, a heart-shaped cake, sparkling wine, and a few silver-covered dishes.

I was also enchanted by the soft music that filled the room, adding to the mood. It came from a device that looked like a gramophone, but it didn't need any records or winding. It was just pure magic, like everything else in this world. Draco's taste in music appeared to be something like classical rock, but it was nothing like the classic rock my dad liked to play in the car. It was mostly composed of violins and cellos, creating a harmonious blend of elegance and energy. It was surprising and beautiful, just like Draco. I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my chest as I watched him smile at me from across the room. The room was perfect, and I couldn't help but smile brightly in happiness.

"No, I didn't do it. I wish I could take the credit, but it was all Jomny," he explained, pulling a dining chair out and gesturing for me to come forward and sit. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," I said with awe as I sat. He went to walk away, but I grabbed at the front of his shirt. "Thank you," I said, and pulled him down for a kiss. He laughed happily against my lips.

"You're welcome," he said, standing back up and smoothing his shirt back down. He went around to his side of the table to sit and said, "Did you know that House Elves can't enter this room unless invited? They also don't get stuck, which is a relief. I don't believe Jomny would have been pleased to be left with nothing to do for most of the half hour," he explained.

"No, I didn't know that," I said with surprise. I knew he had mentioned the lack of dust before, but I had just assumed he was wrong on that.

"Did you?" he asked, and laughed at the look on my face as I realised I had been speaking out loud.

"I swear, room, I will get you back one day, and you will be sorry," I growled at one of the walls at random.

"Very scary," he laughed.

"Hush you and make yourself useful. Poor me some wine," I order imperiously. He raised an eyebrow but stood and bowed.

"As my lady would have it," he said, proceeding to do as I ordered.

"I think I could get used to bossing you around," I told him cheekily as he sat back down.

"You would be quite convincing as the Lady of Malfoy Manor," he said, and tried hard not to let me see the wince around his eyes.

"No," I said, tapping my glass as I pretended to think and not notice the look. "I was thinking more along the lines of you being my sexy gardener." He threw his head back and laughed hard at that.

"And here I was worried about the Weasel and Scarhead, when the real object of my envy should be Neville Longbottom," he laughed, but I could see there was a bit of truth in those words. Not Neville, but the other two. I ignored the childish names.

I reached across the table to take his hand in comfort, but said, "I don't think I would enjoy the look of Neville without his shirt on in the bright afternoon sun, half as much as I would enjoy seeing you that way." He grinned at that, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. I had noticed lately that his eyes had lost some of their sparkle, but I was determined to always try to make him happy while he was here. When I allowed myself to wonder what he was doing outside of this room, it scared me, and so I had become even more careful about how I asked anything.

"I wasn't certain what you liked, so I simply requested Jomny to prepare some of my favourites," he informed me as he first uncovered a silver dish of lobster tails covered in lemon and herb butter and then another that appeared to be macaroni and cheese.

"Are rich boys like you even allowed to have macaroni and cheese?" I teased.

"Do you swear to keep my secret?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I don't know. That sounds like blackmail material to me," I said, tapping my chin in thought, making him laugh again. "I still love that sound," I told him, and even managed to hold back the blush at that truth.

"Thank you," he said. "Lastly, we have mixed steamed vegetables, because Jomny insisted."

"I'm glad," I replied. "I get sick of the lack of healthy options."

"Should I serve you?" He asked.

"If you like," I replied. He nodded and stood to do just that. "Oh Merlin, I just remembered," I said when he was back in his seat and serving himself. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at my outburst, but I just leaned down to grab my bag as I continued to speak. "Weeks ago, I wrote myself a note, and although I followed it to the letter, I had absolutely no idea why I had wanted to do it." I smiled at the irony of that.

"You could write yourself better notes, Granger," he told me, looking uncertain and wistful. I chose to ignore the comment. I knew that if I wrote that I was meeting with him and read that on the outside, I would do something stupid out of guilt.

"I got you a Valentine's present," I said, handing over the dreamcatcher I had pulled from my bag.

"You got me a gift?" he asked, surprised as he took it. It had a silver hoop with silver glittering thread creating the web and green beads, crystals, and feathers to decorate it. "I was unaware that Muggles could create anything that felt like a Calming Draught," he said as he touched the beads in the webbing.

"They can't," I said with a grin. "That part was my contribution. I thought you would appreciate this more than a simple decoration. Besides, what would be the point of a dreamcatcher if it couldn't bring you peace? If you look closer at the crystals, you will see the runes I inscribed," I told him proudly.

"This must have taken you days," he observed, touching the crystals now.

"Yes," I agreed smugly.

"Thank you," he said with happiness. "Now I wish I put more thought into your gift," he admitted.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Draco, though I am sure I will love anything you give me." He opened his mouth to say something, but I could see the mischief in his eyes, so I said, "Don't even think about it, buster. We are having a romantic moment, and it will not be ruined by vulgarity."

"Of course, my lady love," he replied, haughtily and highly amused, but leaned down to pick a box up from under his chair. It was white and wrapped in the classic wide red ribbon, though the magical one sparkled in a way no Muggle ribbon ever could. "Perhaps I should hold onto this until after we have eaten. I would hate to let the food get cold."

"Draco, my love," I said imperiously again, with my hand held out, "these are magical dishes that will keep everything perfectly, as you well know."

"Very well then," he agreed, but I had not missed the way his eyes widened at the way I had said that, and the smile he had now definitely brought his sparkle back to his eyes. I hoped it was here to stay, but I didn't count on it. I took the box, and the ribbon unfurled itself at my touch. I lifted the lid to see a book titled 'The Art of Charm: Secrets and Techniques of Masterful Magic' by Euphemia Vane. "Do you like it?" he asked as I stared down at it.

"Are you joking?" I asked, looking back at him with tears in my eyes. "I tried to order this book last year, but when I found out the price..." I shook my head and blinked the tears back. "I simply couldn't justify it."

"Well, I am pleased that I could get you something that you wanted."

"Thank you, Draco," I said, and stood so I could walk around the table. I sat in his lap and kissed him. "You are wonderfully thoughtful."

"I do have my moments, don't I?" he chuckled.

I kissed him again, then said, "Yes."

He reached over so he could get the book, and handing it to me, he said, "Open the cover." I did as he asked, and in his perfect script were the letters G.H + M.D with a heart surrounding them.

"You graffitied a valuable book," I said in instant indignation, completely missing the importance of the gesture.

"You are priceless," he said, then kissed my cheek as I stared at the page. He closed the cover and said, "I vow every other page is in perfect condition." That was when I bit my lip and realised how absurd I was being. I thought perhaps most of the problem came from Harry still insisting on using that graffitied potions book and gaining praise he didn't deserve. He chuckled at my chagrined look.

"We really should eat. You have no idea how upset with me Jomny will be if we waste all of this," he told me. I nodded and went back to my seat. That night we enjoyed a delicious meal; we talked about our childhoods, and we laughed at each other's jokes and stories. And we danced to the music, feeling the warmth and rhythm of our bodies in another new way. But soon the passion of the night had us kissing with intensity, and of course that led to other satisfying endeavours.

I was surprised the next morning when I opened the cubicle door and stepped out to see Pansy Parkinson leaning back against a stone sink, glaring at me with hard brown eyes.

"Enlighten me, Granger," she said, standing up straighter, her wand held at her side, and taking a step towards me. "Why does my fiancé waste so much time watching a revolting mud-blood like you when he thinks no one will notice?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," I said, but I was almost certain I did. She took another menacing step towards me, and I knew I should release my wand from its holster, but I was sure that would just escalate things.

"Is it that pretty mud-blood visage of yours, do you think? Or does he just want to screw you and then cast you back into the squalor where you belong?" She all but growled at me. I just stared at her defiantly, knowing nothing I could say would mean anything to this Slytherin pureblood witch.

"All I can surmise is that the strain of satisfying his master is taking its toll on him. Were you aware of that mud-blood? That he is now in the service of the Dark Lord?" she asked with a cruel sneer, looking me up and down as if seeing something filthy in front of her.

"Yes, perhaps that's the case. He plans to screw you and then kill you. He could, you know," she informed me, a smirk spreading across her face when she saw that my heart was racing in fear and I was breathing harder.

"But do you know what I really want to know, mud-blood?" she asked and took another step towards me, this time caressing her wand with the fingers of her other hand. "Why is it that you turn those doe eyes on him every so often? Your gaze has no business being anywhere near him!" She snarled and threw a stinging hex towards my feet, but I managed to step out of the way.

"Or perhaps he is already screwing you and has decided that you would make a suitable mistress. I, on the other hand, find the mere thought of sharing him with a mud-blood to be utterly revolting. So, illuminate me, mud-blood, is he screwing you or is he merely desiring to?" she inquired, her anger escalating further.

"Pansy, I do not have a clue what you are talking about." I tried to keep my voice steady as my heart pounded.

"Is he screwing you?!" She shrieked, and suddenly her wand, a dark ebony one, was aimed at my face. I acted on instinct and shoved her arm aside before a jet of red light came shooting out and grazed my shoulder. Her wand went clattering to the ground noisily. She screamed in fury and used her other hand to scratch her sharp, perfectly manicured nails down one side of my face, drawing blood and making me wince in pain. She seemed to have decided to claw my eye out. Still trying to defend myself, I punched her in the face, and, even as she stumbled back, I punched her a second time.

"I will kill you, bitch," she said from a step away, but thankfully I had my wand out now, and I sent a stunning spell at her, knocking her out.

Shaking with adrenalin, I picked up her wand and put it in one of my pockets, then glanced in the mirror to see the damage to my face. My skin burning where she had scratched me with blood welling up, and I even had a bit of blood visible on the edge of my eye. The shoulder of my blouse was torn, and the skin was cut down to the bone, but thankfully not bleeding a lot, but I figured that was only temporary.

I flipped my cloak over it and then stood for a moment trying to decide what to do, but in the end, there was only one choice. I Obliviated her and left the bathroom as fast as I could, going straight to the study room, hoping no one else saw me.

When I got there, the cut on my shoulder was bleeding copiously, and I was getting weak with blood loss. I was just thinking I needed to try getting to Madam Pomphrey instead, but Draco Malfoy opened the door and looked at me in shock.

"Bloody hell, Granger," he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the room. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Pansy Parkinson happened to me," I growled as he guided me to a chair. He knelt down in front of me, then rummaged through his bag and produced a phial of something I couldn't quite make out as my sight had become a tad fuzzy, and then dripped a little on to my shoulder. I realised from the green smoke curling up that it was Essence of Dittany, but I soon didn't care because it felt like fire on my skin. I gasped in agony as the injury healed. It was worse than getting hurt in the first place. He handed me a Blood Replenishing Potion, which I drank at once and my eyesight cleared.

"Not that I am ungrateful, but why are you carrying around all of these potions?" I asked.

"I told you I was good at potions, Granger, best in the class in fact," he teased with a grin, but the worry was obvious in his eyes. "And it never hurts to be prepared."

"I will definitely need to make note of that. It is a good idea," I agreed as he dripped a little more Dittany onto my face, after making sure I had my eye shut, of course. I hissed again at the pain the healing caused.

"Sorry," he said with gentle concern, and put the bottle away. "Yes, it is," he said, replying to what I had just said. "Now tell me what happened?"

"That insufferable, pug-faced pile of human garbage attacked me, because apparently her fiancé has a habit of staring at me," I yelled in fury, looking him in the eye. He went to speak, but I wasn't done. "She has the strange notion that her fiancé is screwing a mud-blood!" I said, with all the sarcasm I could. His eyes widened in shock. I pulled the offending wand from my pocket and threw it across the room, making it clatter to the floor against the wall by the door. He followed the action and then looked at me with approval, obviously recognising the wand.

"I assure you, I had no idea she would do that," Draco said sincerely.

"Really, Draco, have you never heard the saying about a woman scorned? Trust me, the sentiment suits her perfectly right now," I told him with a bit of venom in my voice.

"Doesn't that apply to a witch in love?" He asked skeptically, and I gave him a glare at the preposterous question.

"Whatever gave you the idea she doesn't love you, or at the very least thinks she does?" I asked in exasperation and more than a little bit of jealousy. "You are supposed to be hers, Draco, or so she has always been told and conditioned to believe."

"But I'm not," he insisted, taking my face between his hands. "The only one I want staking a claim on me is you," he said, and then kissed me hard as if that would prove his point. Perhaps it did. A little anyway, because I found myself kissing him back, just as hard, and then pushing off the chair so I could wrap my legs around his waist as he sat back on his heels. It felt as though I had to lay claim to every inch of him right there and then and that if I didn't, I may scream my jealousy and perhaps go back and show that brainless bitch all the fury I could unleash.

I reached down and started on his belt, then his button and zipper. It only took him a second to realise my intention, and he pulled my skirt out of the way and shoved my knickers to one side. He probed me a bit with a finger, but I made an impatient noise against his lips. With a chuckle against mine, he took himself in hand and shoved himself inside me, making me gasp at the sudden fullness within me.

"Hmmm," he hummed thoughtfully, and then drew his face back and said, "While I am loving this, a change of position is in order, if only so I don't lose sensation in my legs."

"If you remove yourself from me, Draco Malfoy, I will not be responsible for my actions," I told him seriously. He grinned, showing a lot of perfect teeth, then somehow managed to lift and twist, so I was beneath him.

"How was that?" He asked smugly.

"Fine," I huffed, but couldn't hide how impressed I was with his strength. He knelt up so he could look down at our joined bodies again and hissed in a breath.

"By Salazar, but that is pretty," he said, and then started moving, watching the show as he did. "Do you want me to tell you what I am observing?" he asked, looking up to see me watching him.

"Yes," I whispered, feeling my face flame.

"Give me your hand," he said, holding out one of his own. I took his, and he guided it down so I could feel his hard, round penis shifting back and forth carefully between my fingers. "Can you feel that?" He asked.

"Yes," I whispered again, my hand becoming wet with fluids.

"My cock looks huge going in and out of you; your skin is stretched tightly around me, and I can see the tightness of it when I move back as though your pussy is attempting to hold on, and your juices are covering me, making my cock shine in the light... Salazar," he shuddered as if talking about it was almost making him cum. He smiled down at me. "Let me show you something else," he said, taking my hand from him and guiding it back up to where that little nub was. "Do you feel that slight hardness?"

"Yes," I whispered a third time.

"If you rub it a little with your finger, it will make you cum all the faster," he told me. "Will you let me watch you do that?" My cheeks were flaming and hot, but I didn't have it in me to say no. I nodded and did as he asked. He watched and then increased his pace as my moans came harder and louder.

"Don't stop," he said breathily, but I couldn't answer. He started to pound into me harder and faster, and I found that I was having trouble doing as he asked. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but I was having trouble focusing on the task through the pleasure. I had just stopped and pushed down on it when we both cried out loudly, waves of pleasure crashing through me, my nipples tightening in my bra, and feeling sensitive against the material. He was holding my legs tightly as if he needed the leverage to get himself through the torrent of his own orgasm, and when done, he lay down over me, giving little shudders of aftershock.

"I have died and gone to heaven," he mumbled into my shoulder. I laughed at that, but absolutely agreed. He leaned up enough to take my face in his hands before he started to kiss me thoroughly again and started to move in a slower rhythm. He rocked into me as he kissed me, both of us sighing into each other's mouths until we both shuddered again with softer orgasms that still had me shivering from the top of my head all the way to my toes, and the only thing that would have made it better was if we had been naked against each other as we made love.

"I'm afraid we have missed breakfast," I said, pleased and unbothered when we were done.

"Who needs breakfast when we can have this?" He asked, sounding very content as he lay on me and planting little kisses to the side of my neck. I reached up and stroked his hair, but he was becoming very heavy on my stomach. "Ugh," he said in frustration, and then pushed himself up, taking the pressure off before I could mention it. "It appears I'm going to have to go have a talk with Miss Parkinson, aren't I?" He said, sounding sarcastic and annoyed.

"Would it even help?" I asked, my own annoyance returning.

"I will do my best, and if nothing else, I may be able to use this to my advantage," he replied, and he pulled out of me, making us both shudder as he did. He dug in his bag, and before I knew what he was going to do, he reached below my skirt and wiped me with a piece of material I then saw to be a handkerchief. "Wouldn't do to have you walking the school sans knickers again. I think I would commit murder if I suspected any wizard was became aware of that fact," and then he frowned and got that horror-struck look in his eyes again. I sat up and pulled him in for a quick kiss, knowing it was something I had to ignore unless I wanted this to end, and I really didn't want to stop this.

"Thank you." He nodded and then used another handkerchief to wipe himself a bit and then straighten up. He took his diary, wrote something down, and left it open so he could read it outside of the room.

"Hermione," he said softly. He never seemed completely comfortable using my name, so I looked up at him with curiosity. "Please never use that word again." I had to think what he meant for a moment, and then comprehension settled in. "It kills me that I used that derogatory term while referring to you."

"I won't," I agreed.

"Are you going to the library?" He asked, knowing I had a free period now.

"No. I thought I would stay here. I have a new book to read after all," I said with a smile up at him from where I sat on our bedding, and he smiled back.

"Tomorrow then," he said with a nod, but looked pained that it was so far away.

"Tomorrow," I agreed. He picked up his bag and then headed for the door. His hand was on it when he let out a laugh and looked back at me.

"You are vicious when you are angry; do you know that? Insufferable, pug-faced pile of human garbage," he said with amusement and then left the room still laughing.

Draco's Point of View

Draco walked into the girl's lavatory to see Pansy still splayed on the cold, hard floor. Her face was an impressive mess that he couldn't help grinning at viciously. He schooled his face to one of seriousness as Kia Borgin stepped up beside him to look down at the witch himself. His face was also full of interest at the state of her.

"I will have to come up with something for that," he mumbled.

"She slipped and hit her face on the sink. Perfectly reasonable," I replied in a bored tone.

"Hmmm," the fourth-year hummed. Kai Borgin was a very interesting young wizard for a half-blood in Slytherin. I was aware he was very much like his grandfather, with a confident smile that could charm anyone but also a sharp tongue that could cut them down. He was always on the hunt for opportunities to advance his own interests, and he didn't care much about the rules or the feelings of others. He was a smooth talker and a greedy seeker of power and wealth. He was also a lean and tall figure, with pale skin and dark hair that he wore slicked back with gel, and his eyes were a piercing emerald green, like the colour of the house.

I was aware he was going to go far in Slytherin House, despite his blood status. And the fourth year and a couple of his friends had been very helpful to me of late, acting as lookouts on the seventh floor. That damned Potter had been following me more often, and the younger Slytherins made good distractions. Thankfully, young Mr. Borgin had been all too happy to help the rumoured Death Eater in their midst, and the small financial gain just sweetened the deal.

"I can embellish the story as I like?" He confirmed, looking up at me with a cocked eyebrow.

"Certainly," I agreed. The boy got a victorious smirk on his face and then squatted down, pushed his hands up under Pansy's school skirt, and removed her knickers in one quick action. Nothing was revealed that shouldn't be. I was kind of impressed and slightly worried by the action. Not for Pansy so much, but that the wizard was willing to take liberties with an unconscious witch.

"Evidence," the wizard said, putting the green scrap of lace in his pocket. I pulled Pansy's wand out of the inside of my cloak pocket and placed it on the floor beside her hip, and then used my own to revive her. She gave a groan of pain right away. "I swear, Draco; I didn't know what else to do," Kai said in a convincingly panicked voice.

"Pansy, my dear? Are you quite alright?" I queried with a note of sarcasm, and she looked up at me with incomprehension in her brown eyes for a moment.

"Draco? Where are we?" She said, sitting up, some of her straight brown hair swinging forward, coming free from the clip that was holding it all back. She then touched her face, winced in pain, and came away with blood on her hand.

"Are you okay, Pansy?" Kai inquired with worry and reached out with his hands as if he were going to help her sit up, but she shrank back from him and glanced up at me with confusion again.

"Draco? What is happening? And why are we in a bathroom?" She queried, finally noticing where we were, and gave a moue of distaste. She spotted her wand, picked it up with pinched fingers as if it were dirty, and put it away.

"I am on the verge of questioning Mr. Borgin myself. But when Mr. Borgin burst into the Slytherin common room in a state of panic, I thought it prudent to come here first. He appeared rather frantic as he searched around wildly for Millicent. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to inquire into the problem, and he said you had been injured and he needed assistance. Naturally, I felt obliged to come and check on your condition. You are my fiancée, after all," I said with a bitter and scornful tone.

She wore a look of guilt momentarily, but then lifted her chin defiantly and declared, "Yes, you are." I narrowed my eyes dangerously, and she shrunk back slightly but refrained from uttering another word.

"Mr. Borgin, please enlighten us. What has led to the unfortunate condition of my intended this morning?" I queried with a raised, sarcastic eyebrow, my arms folded across my chest.

"Oh well…" the younger wizard began, rubbing his neck in embarrassment, and then he cast his gaze towards Pansy. "Do you really want me to tell him?" He inquired of her.

"Yes, get on with it," she snapped at the wizard, attempting to find something to wipe her hands on, but they were merely fluttering uselessly about her. So repulsed, she was unwilling to even touch the floor now, leaving her unable to assist herself in getting up.

"Okay," the wizard said with a nod. "Well, you see, Pansy was all upset about the mud-blood. She was going on about how you have been staring at her. She is convinced something is happening between the two of you."

"Indeed?" I drawled, glancing down at Pansy, who appeared dismayed. However, she met my eyes and began shaking her head in denial. "Which mud-blood are you referring to, Pansy? There are so many of them about," I inquired, my tone dripping with disdain.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously and then spat, "Granger."

"Yes, that is the one," the wizard agreed, bringing our attention back to him. "Anyway, she was distressed and implied a plan of making you feel just as jealous as you are making her," he explained.

"I did no such thing," she retorted, clearly affronted by the younger wizard's accusations.

"Yes, you did. Don't you remember before breakfast? You were telling Millicent all about how you were going to hurt Granger or something, first chance you got, but you were also going to make Draco pay. I was walking behind you," he explained innocently, and the flush that covered her face said she did indeed remember that part of her morning, and I was impressed once again with the younger wizard.

"Not very Slytherin, Pans," I said sarcastically.

"But Draco… You must know I didn't truly mean it. I just miss you, and once this silliness with the Dark Lord is over, you'll return to your old self. You won't be distracted, and you won't cast your eyes at… that…" She wore an expression of repugnance on her face, and she waved her hand dismissively, as if she couldn't find a suitable insult.

"Whom I choose to cast my gaze upon should be of no concern to you, Pansy, married or not. So, I fail to comprehend why it should matter now," I told her evenly. She peered at me with a wounded expression, then quickly averted her eyes. I felt no sympathy for her pain, and I was furious that she had callously referred to anything related to the Dark Lord as silly. My respect for her intelligence plummeted to almost nonexistence. The Dark Lord was the epitome of evil and the greatest threat to our world. Even I, a forced servant, could perceive that. All I could do for now was obey his commands and try to preserve my own life and the lives of my parents for as long as possible.

"I..." she started but said nothing else.

"What else happened? We still haven't gotten to how you happened to come across Pansy in this bathroom," I told the wizard, who rubbed his neck in embarrassment again.

"Oh well, you see, on the way back, we saw that Granger chit coming out of this bathroom, and you were just down the hallway, leaning against the wall. You did appear to watch the witch as she passed," he said and then glanced up at me, as if he worried I would be angry at the observation, and I raised an eyebrow at him again.

"Yeah, so Pansy was so mad. I don't know where Millicent was at that time, but I was on my way back to my dorm for a book I had forgotten. And then Pansy started muttering something about teaching you a lesson. She looked like she was ready to hex anyone who crossed her path." He paused and cast me a meaningful glance. "You know, you really shouldn't mess with her. She's not someone you want as an enemy."

"Is that true, Pansy? Are you my enemy?" I questioned with a sneer.

"Of course not, Draco," she replied, her surprise evident at my question, but the guilt still lingering in her eyes.

"Continue with your story," I commanded Kai.

"Well, she grabbed my arm, looked me up and down, said, 'you'll do,' and dragged me in here," he said, gesturing to the room.

"I did no such thing," she declared, outraged once again. She appeared utterly ridiculous sitting down there, hands fluttering aimlessly every so often, blood covering her face, and parts swelling up. One of her eyes was already almost black.

"Why would she do that, Mr. Borgin? What was she implying when she said, 'you will do'?" I questioned him, paying no mind to Pansy's indignant protests. This time the wizards face blushed furiously, and I thought in any other situation I would have applauded. He really was a skilled actor.

"Well, I don't know if I should say," he told me. Pansy regarded him with confusion.

"Yes, you most certainly should," I told him.

"Yeah, okay, yeah," he said, sounding nervous, and then focused on the floor. "I really am sorry, Pansy. I hadn't realised that it would make you fall over."

"It?" She inquired and then glanced at me guiltily, as if she thought I should have been the one questioning the wizard and might've disapproved of her doing so. I had never realised just how naive Pansy was. Pathetic, mean-spirited, and petty, yes, but not this naive.

"Well, you expressed a desire to exact retribution on Malfoy for hurting you. You said you couldn't risk sex or anything but that you were fed up with the injustice of being overlooked and getting nothing," he told her, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

Her eyes darted to mine guiltily, and she stammered out, "I… I… I…" but seemed unable to utter another word, even as she vehemently shook her head in denial once more.

"Oh Salazar, it was great," Kai said to her, as if he didn't notice her reaction and had forgotten I was standing there. "I mean, I had never done anything with a girl before, but to be here with you..." he said pointing at her with awe on his face. "I mean, you are the most beautiful girl in the school, and you were letting me... and Salazar, but you Taste Fucking Fantastic." He ended with a wide grin. She gazed at him in sudden interest, I noticed, when he praised her appearance, but seemed downright confused at the latter part.

"So, you were kissing her?" I questioned, and he glanced at me as if startled.

"Well, a part of her," he grinned sheepishly, and I raised my eyebrows and turned to peer at Pansy, who appeared stunned again.

"No!" she said in denial. "I haven't the faintest idea what is happening here, but it most certainly is not…" more hand waving in Kai's direction, "that!" She ended, visibly appalled.

"Really, Pansy? Oral sex?" I drawled, my voice dripping with disdain, as if the very thought disgusted me. It wasn't even hard to do; I truly did find the idea of touching Pansy in that way sickening.

"No!" she shrieked.

"Yes," Kai said at the same time. "I can still taste you on my lips." And he licked them as if to prove it. Pansy's eyes widened, but I noticed she also seemed a little flushed, and it didn't appear to be caused by embarrassment.

"Draco, surely you cannot believe that I would allow this child to touch me?" She begged me.

"I'm fifteen," Kai said with a touch of annoyance. The implication was that there was only a year difference between their ages.

"As I see it, we have two choices here, Pansy," I told her. "You can either write to your father and inform him that you have changed your mind and want to dissolve the contract between us…"

"But, Draco, it isn't true. None of this is true," she begged me.

"Oh, I um… should give these back to you," Kai said, pulling the underwear from his pocket. He walked forward and held them out to her. She stared at them without comprehension for a moment, then reached up and took them so carefully you would have thought they were on fire.

"It is either you write to your father and explain that you are bored with me, or I write him and use my out clause. What do you suppose his reaction would be if he discovered you had committed adultery?" I saw the tears gleaming in her eyes, but she was so shocked she barely registered it.

"I have only ever wanted you, Draco. I just wanted you to love me," she confessed, staring at the underwear in her hands.

"But I never have," I told her. She nodded, no longer able to meet my gaze.

"Pansy? Let me help you to the infirmary," Kai said solicitously, holding his hands out to her. "You hit your face awfully hard on that sink."

"Oh, yes. Okay," she said and took his offered hand with both hers; her knickers still clutched in one of them.

"Here," he said, taking them again. "I'll put them in one of your pockets."

"Okay," she mumbled again, and I really did believe she was in shock.

"You know, Pansy," he said, leading her towards the door. "Now that you are free to date, maybe I could escort you to the next Hogsmeade weekend?"

"What?" She mumbled and finally raised her eyes to him, but she still appeared confused and pale, even under all that blood and black eye.

"I would love to escort you to Hogsmeade, Pansy," he told her, pulling the door open with his free hand.

"Oh, yes, okay," she mumbled. Kai glanced back at me, right as the door was nearing its closure and wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. It was a rather unsettling expression, to be honest. I then sauntered over to the door and cast a spell to allow admittance to only one individual at a time, the same one that guards the entrances to the prefect's bathrooms, before leaving as well.

Author's notes: - So, it has been brought to my attention that replying to reviews through private messages isn't always working, so I thought I would reply here.

loony old fan: - Yeah, I have trouble with that. Thank you for reading, though.

Dida Mac: - You are very insightful. Thank you for reading.

Kikidorn: - Thank you!

Gaufdig: - Thanks for all your help, but you are much too young to look at that stuff. Maybe when you are 30? And someone else has written it! : )

TuggingMyEarWhenever09: - Thank you so much! I hope I can keep up the level of interest. If you ever think I make a mistake though, or forget to add something, please feel free to let me know.

And to both the people who left the copy and pasted reviews that are supposed to dissuade people from reading these stories simply because you don't like Dramione fanfics, I say, 'Everybody is entitled to their opinion.'

I am open to any criticism and help anyone wants to offer, but please try to be nice. Thank you all again. : )