Hermione sat there, still as a statue, while she watched Draco try to tempt her with a better look at the necklace she had wanted to see only moments ago. Ensnared in what amounted to a one-sided battle of wills that they both knew she would inevitably lose. He had much more patience than she could ever hope to possess.

"Come here." He coaxed, reaching forward in a gesture for her to take his hand.

She stared at his hand before rolling her eyes at herself and giving in. After placing her hand in his she let him help her slide across the blanket. Moving with the intent to cuddle up to his side, she was surprised when his other hand came up to grasp her hip and pulled her between his legs. He guided her so that she sat with her back to his chest.

Encircled by his long legs and arms, the feeling of being secure and guarded came over her. The same feeling that allowed her to sleep so soundly on the nights she was lucky enough to be able to stay with him. She could not help the sigh of contentment that escaped and willed herself not to blush over the show of placidity.

He pulled her curls back off of her shoulder which allowed her to look over and see him staring down at her. "Better?"

"Much." She admitted, there was no use in trying to deny it when her body had just turned to jelly against him. The smile that flashed across his face was worth any possible embarrassment she may have inwardly felt.

"Good." Draco reached over, grabbed the box and opened it once again before placing it in her lap.

The unmistakable tingle of eyes on her warned that he was watching but she could not muster up the effort to care. Her jaw fell open as she took in the antique gold locket. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry she had ever seen in person. The intricate design of a flower laid upon the dark teal face and tiny diamonds helped define each petal, instead of pushing it over the top they only added to the understated elegance.

For a second she allowed herself to touch the detailed knots of gem and metal. She shook her head and looked back at him. "I can't take this."

"And why the hell not?" He asked, clearly insulted by her second rebuke of the night.

"That is worth more than my entire tuition this year, Draco. It's... It's way too much." She argued, staring down at the decorative front to the locket.

When she went to close the box he wrapped his fingers around her wrist before leaning down and asking. "Who said I spent a single knut?"

"Oh, so you resorted to thievery then?" Hermione questioned.

"Is it thievery when it comes from your own family's vault?"

The moral quandary pulled her up short for only an instant and she replied. "If you did not have permission, yes, it still constitutes stealing!"

"Good thing I had permission then, no?" Cockiness rang in his tone and she peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. His smug smirk sat comfortably on his lips as if he did not have a care in the world.

"You really expect me to believe your mother consented to you giving anything, much less a Malfoy heirloom, to a muggleborn?" She shook her head again. This time at the absurdity of the words that had come from her own mouth. There was no universe in which Narcissa Malfoy, wife to Lucius Malfoy- known Death Eater, would ever condone her son's flirtation with a "contaminated" bloodline. Hell... She was way past contaminated, she was one of the reservoirs of infection as far as the other woman was concerned.

"Well, I didn't say that." Draco said evasively. "I might not have given her any more specific details than she needed, but I assure you she was quite indulgent when she found out I was interested in gifting it to a particular girl."

She sighed but looked back down at the necklace sitting in her lap. A smile tugged at her lips at the thought that ran across her mind and she blurted it without thinking. "Every mother's dream... For their son to settle down while in school."

"Let's say she has not been too happy with my philandering ways. Fathers tend not to look highly of you if you have bedded their daughters, making future business deals for the family business strained, you see." He told her, the irritation at the obviously well-known lecture was evident.

"Which do you think would be a bigger deterrent- Messing with their daughters? Or a mudblood?" She asked as casually as she could manage while using the derogatory term.

His body stiffened behind her at the uninhibited application of that specific descriptive. Rather than snap at her, he leaned back down and let his lips caress her ear as he whispered. "A Lady never uses such offensive language."

"Mmmmm... Somehow I highly doubt that the ladies you have come in contact with would have any qualms with my expression. Are you going to answer my question?" She asked, letting him know she was not going to go along with the deflection.

"If you think I am the first to sample the Forbidden Fruit you would be sadly mistaken. In fact, I have heard many drunken recollections of exactly how muggle women enjoy defilement… Or don't." He said, pulling far enough back that she could no longer feel his breath on her skin.

Slowly the implication settled like a heavy weight around her. She continued to stare down, afraid of giving in to the constant compulsion to look back at him. He would undoubtedly be able to read the fear in her eyes and that would end the open communication between them. "You don't mean..."

"That is exactly what I mean. It is not a hidden reality that we are not nice people, Kitten." He said. His voice cracked at the end, as if it was trying to betray him and stop the admission.

Nausea started to roll in her stomach. Her mind shied away from the question she knew she had to ask. Taking a deep breath she forced the words to tumble from her mouth. "We? But you've... You've never?"

Draco shifted so that he was pressed back against her and reached up, cupping her chin and gently guiding her to face him. He did not say anything, choosing to stay silent until she finally let her eyes meet his. "Never."

Such a simple denial was enough to push the breath from her lungs. She nodded and mumbled. "I didn't think... You would... You know... Be capable of something like that."

"You don't know what I am capable of." The dreaded cold hard mask fell onto his features. Sending the gray in his eyes two shades darker, the precise color of storm clouds swirling right before the damaging tempest of a thunderstorm descended.

She cleared her throat for the simple excuse to give herself a moment to think. Still being held there by the hand on her chin, so close to him, while he was like this was both terrifying and exhilarating. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as the adrenaline was pushed through her veins. A reminder of the potential danger she was in, but she had not been lying when she said she did not think him capable of that kind of extreme violence.

Schoolyard bullying was a toxic practice, of course, but what they spoke of was a whole different level of depravity.

"I know..." A whisper that was barely audible, even to her own ears, passed from her numb lips.

He didn't acknowledge her answer, instead choosing to continue to stare down at her. The realization that he was no longer there sank in. He was locked inside his head. Maybe even reliving whatever experience that had prompted the warning in the first place…

She grabbed his hand from her chin and interlaced their fingers. Bringing their connected hands down she placed them on her leg since her lap was already occupied with Draco's gift. Uncertainty at what to do next consumed her and she found herself wishing she could ask him how he always knew exactly what actions to take when she got like this.

There had to be some way to do this without startling him... An eternity seemed to stretch out in the span of a few seconds as she contemplated the best course of action. Before she was able to decide he blinked slowly and she squeezed his hand. Hoping to help ground him in the present moment.

She sat there patiently and waited as he reorientated himself, watching as his eyes eventually took on their characteristic sharp focus. A half smile lifted her lips when his fingers squeezed hers back.

"Are you okay?" She asked the preposterous question even though she already knew the obvious answer.

"I told you I knew how it felt." Was his straightforward reply, his voice didn't tremble in the slightest. Nor did his hand under hers. In every practical sense of the word, he seemed completely normal. If she had not witnessed what happened, she would have never believed that seconds before he had been tormented by his own mind.

"Yes. Yes, you did." She said, finally relaxing her grip on his hand before she continued. "The perfect messed-up pair. You and I."

He took a measured breath and leaned forward, encircling her with his free arm. A quick kiss to her temple preceded him murmuring into her hair. "That sounds much better than it should."

"Does it?" Hermione teased, understanding the unspoken desire for a distraction.

"Yes." He said much more enthusiastically. Still not moving from where he stuck his face in her unruly curls.

Unsure of where to go from there, she resorted to the first thing that came to mind. Her hand slipped to the box in her lap and she picked up the shiny bauble, dangling it before them. "So... How does this work exactly?"

"Open it."

An eyebrow arched at his evasive command but she followed it anyway, sometimes it was easier to comply than to question and considering just how stubborn her contender could be...

She flipped open the fancy casing and examined both sides of the interior. Engraved on the left was a simplified version of the Malfoy crest- an Old English M, guarded by a pair of dragons. Thankfully the family's motto of "Sanctimonia Vincet Semper" was missing. The last thing she needed was a constant reminder that "Purity will always conquer" attached to her body

Opposite the stamp of ownership, where a picture would normally be, sat the day's date and the time they had planned to meet. She stared down at the etched numbers and felt the smug smirk tug at the corners of her mouth. "A Protean Charm. Clever."

"It would be if I was the one to come up with the idea first." Draco acknowledged her use of the same spell the year prior for Dumbledore's Army.

"True..."

"There have been specific modifications for exactly what we need, of course." He continued, finally removing himself from the protection provided by her hair. "Ours is two-way for example. There is a fifteen character limit. If you would ever like to request an audience all you need to do is transcribe the preferred details and close the locket. I will then be able to confirm or decline- depending."

"Easy enough." She closed the locket and fumbled with the diminutive clasp for a moment. With a sigh, she quickly gave up and looked back up at him. "So where is your pretty necklace?"

Draco reached around, pinched the delicate chain and gently tugged it from her grasp. In seconds he had the clasp opened and the locket strung out in front of her, without missing a beat he flicked the wrist of the hand that held his Slytherin insignia ring. "Less suspect than a shiny new addition. Especially when it is the only piece of jewelry any of my dorm mates have seen me wear in the whole of my time at Hogwarts."

"And you don't think that me suddenly toting a small fortune around my neck will not raise suspicion?" Instead of being stubborn like her tone might have indicated she reached up and bundled her hair like a crown at the top of her head, leaving her neck exposed to him.

The locket came to settle right where her covered cleavage started to plunge once he had fastened the clasp back together. A quick kiss at the nape of her neck set all of her nerve endings on fire but he did not push any farther, choosing to answer. "Honestly... No. From my understanding, there are not very many people who will be in the position to ever see it. If the ones that do ever question you, I am sure your quick acuity will be sufficient in getting you through."

"Oh very funny..." She rolled her eyes as she pushed her hair back over her left shoulder which allowed her to go back to staring at him over her right.

"What would you like me to say, Kitten? Would they believe your parents sent it to you? Or a long lost relative passed and it was handed down?" The half-hearted generic suggestions were almost insulting but he quickly followed up with. "You know them better than I do. I cannot tell you what to say when any of my excuses would surely cause skepticism."

"I suppose not."

"But again I am sure such a simple task would not be insurmountable for you." He teased easily.

"You do remember who my friends are, correct? Trying to keep a secret in this castle from them is like well... Trying to get a werewolf to transform in the middle of the day!"

Her analogy had him rolling his eyes. "I think you overestimate their capabilities."

"While I think you underestimate them... By a long shot. Harry already irrationally suspects you were involved in Katie Bell's attack and I've told you he is watching you." She snapped. Irritated over the fact that he evidently still thought of them as talentless hacks, even though they had managed to not only figure out, but survive, every hurdle thrown at them since starting at school. Including helping (albeit in the most infinitesimal amount) to capture and jail his own father.

"Please! Potter is paranoid. Now, this is not advanced potion making here Granger. Tell them something. Anything. It will be sufficient enough to stop questions, I am sure. If for some reason it isn't, they will not torture you for the information so I am not understanding the issue here." His own tone was short as he continued uninterrupted. "Besides no one but you can open it anyway. So unless you decide to tell the truth there is no conceivable way for them to find out about us from your gift, alright?"

"Wait... No one else can open the locket?" This new tidbit was enough to distract her. She looked down to where it sat, the antiqued gold standing out against the deep blue fabric of her dress.

"Not even me." He stated, reaching up and running his forefinger over the object of her scrutiny.

"Really?"

Draco reached over and demonstrated he couldn't physically open the latch before he picked up his wand from where he had stowed it. He then pointed the tip a few inches from the gleaming face of the necklace. "Alohomora."

Regardless of his warning she still expected the pendant to spring open, when it didn't she internally chuckled.

"Accio Locket." Again nothing happened and this time she shook her head at him, impressed at the extent of his thoughtfulness. It was overwhelming to realize how much work he had put into every single detail of the night for her. From the time spent on the room to the time it must have taken to think of each scenario her exhaustive brain might be able to come up with in regards to keeping her gift.

A soft smile lifted her lips as she looked back up to meet his gaze. "You are absolutely unscrupulous. You do know that, right?"

"Who?... Me?" He feigned an innocent expression until his smirk cracked the perfect polished facade. "What better way to ensure the acceptance of your gift than guaranteeing that it is now useless to anyone else?"

"A scheming immoral swindler." She expounded on her earlier statement.

After setting his wand to the side it was his turn to shake his head at her. "And this is a surprise, Kitten?"

"Heck no! I was just verifying the facts at hand." Continuing the charade of mock disappointment she leaned forward and glared. "Of course the whole sweet unselfish hero thing did come as a bombshell."

"I could see why."

"A welcome one though." The responding smile that made his eyes actually twinkle was breathtaking. For what seemed like the thousandth time she found herself wondering why he would choose her when he was so damned good-looking. Before she was able to stop herself, she leaned up and closed the space between them, pressing her lips to his.

When she tried to deepen the kiss he gently pulled away and wrapped his arms around her to soften the sting of rejection. After placing a chaste kiss to her cheek he whispered. "As much as I do enjoy your affections. Tonight I would like to hear what you have been up to... Other than getting yourself into detention and having midnight conversations with my fellow Slytherins."

"It was one conversation!"

"Two."

"Only one was in the middle of the night!" She tried to keep the defensiveness from her voice but was not sure she succeeded. It wasn't as if she had wanted to meet up with Nott to discuss their relationship or anything else that had resulted from his untimely discovery…

A chuckle rang in her ears as he placed another kiss on her cheek. He did not say anything, instead, he let a heavy quiet settle around them. Somehow the silence seemed to put him at ease while it had the opposite effect and made her uneasy. Naturally, it ended up being her who shattered the phony tranquility. "I am just as boring as I was. I promise you."

"I highly doubt that Miss Granger. Why don't you try and convince me otherwise?"

So she attempted to make the days that had passed seem less depressing than they actually had been. There was no need to go into detail on how close she had come to a breakdown. If she ran out of things to say about a subject he was there asking her questions. Did Luna ever sit at her own table anymore? What had happened with Snape when he left? Why was Neville always checking behind his shoulder now? Had she heard anything that would lead her to think someone else knew?

Certain inquiries were easier for her to offer up an explanation for, she was pleased to be able to be honest with him in those moments. While other times she had to lie through her teeth or straight out refuse to answer. After his interrogation was finished it was her turn to learn what he had been doing, which admittedly seemed to be even less than her. Granted, that could have stemmed from the fact that Draco ended up answering far fewer questions than she did. From what she could glean off of the limited information given he had spent most of his spare time trying to work on whatever Voldermort needed "fixing" and Theodore was showing no lasting ramifications.

"...and I wrote her back stating that I could care less if she chose lilac or periwinkle for the tablecloths, especially when I will not be there." He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at her from where he had been staring at something she couldn't see. "My apologies, I am boring you."

"No you are not, though I do have to confess, I never thought that Narcissa Malfoy's linen conundrums would be quite so riveting." His laugh echoed off the walls of the room before he reigned himself in and she continued on. "I think that you should write her back and tell her to go with the periwinkle. It really would go better with the silver accents she has picked out."

"You paid attention to all of that?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because it is as entertaining as watching a potion brew but also a truthful look into what being a Pureblood is really all about." He cocked an eyebrow and gave his sarcastic smirk.

She ducked her head just in time to stifle her third yawn of the night into her shoulder "See... Like I said. Riveting."

"So riveting that it is time for bed for the Gryffindor." He whispered into her ear. Before she could put up an argument to his assessment he pulled himself away from her and stood up, offering her his hand.

Instantly she scrambled to his side of her own accord. She wanted nothing more than to make their way to his room and climb into bed together. So much so that she started ahead without him, knowing he would follow eventually.

Which he quickly did. It took him no time at all to fall into step next to her and take her hand in his. Lacing their fingers together tightly so he could control their pace. Instead of rushing like she wanted, he walked leisurely, rubbing his thumb along the downy skin on the back of her hand. The smile that tugged at his lips every time he peaked over in her direction was a clear indication that he understood exactly how that made her stomach clench in anticipation.

It felt like an eternity before they finally crossed the threshold into the suite. Hermione turned to head toward the beckoning covers. She was beyond eager to satisfy some of her more titillating fantasies. Rather than follow her- Draco dropped her hand and went to stand by the door.

Confused, she stayed where she was and stammered. "I... I thought we... were going to bed?"

"As alluring as that does sound, I do not think that is the most prudent course of action tonight." His eyes narrowed as if bracing for her reaction.

Dumbstruck by the slight she couldn't stop from whining. "But... Why?"

"If you would kindly join me I could explain." He gestured to the empty space in front of him and then crossed his arms, indicating he had all the time in the world to wait for her.

For a moment she considered strolling right on out of the room but ultimately decided to find out the reason behind the rejection. She made her way over to the exact spot he had pointed to. Crossing her own arms across her body like a shield, she glared up at him, determined to wait him out.

A platinum eyebrow lifted at her immature retaliation but he wasn't deterred from launching into his justification. "It is customary for a first date to end at the woman's door. Since I am unable to meet that requirement, I will have to make do with the only alternative available to us."

"From what I understand it is also customary to date a woman before bedding her, but yet here we are. So I am not understanding the issue." She tried to rationalize.

"True." He said looking over his shoulder at the bed behind him. When he turned back to her he closed the space between them and reached up to brush a curl back from where it had fallen into her face. "Unfortunately, I wasn't raised to be a hero but I was taught how to be a gentleman... And with that comes certain rules that must be followed, Kitten."

"Just so that this is made perfectly clear I want it known that I think your rules are archaic bullshit."

"Noted." He nodded as his eyes twinkled with amusement at her synopsis.

"Good."

Leaning down so his lips were only inches from hers he breathed. "Did you know that it's also traditional for a kiss to be bestowed if the lady was pleased with her evening?"

"I might have heard a rumor about such a silly practice." She teased before brushing his bottom lip with her own.

All plans of leaving after her taunt went out the window when he cupped her chin and kissed her fully. The soft moan that was pulled from her throat from the simple gesture was enough to ignite the electric need that was almost palatable. His hand slipped from where it sat on her chin up into her hair. He wrapped his fingers in her curls before guiding her head back so her neck was bent at an angle that offered up the skin there to his questing lips.

Sighing in satisfaction as he finally seemed to let go for the first time that night she barely even felt the pinch of pain from the grasp he had on her hair. Adrenaline once again started seeping into her veins as he worked his way down. Always the impatient one, she pushed her body against his, trying desperately to get some relief for the deep ache that had been building steadily all night.

He responded by nipping at the tender flesh where her neck and shoulder met. Expertly the tip of his tongue snaked out and swept all the way up to her earlobe. While she was distracted his other hand found its way to her hip, holding her still as he pressed firmly against her.

With the evidence of his arousal wedged between them, she'd had enough with his games. Reaching up she started to release the buttons of his habitual dress shirt. Encouraged by the fact that instead of stopping her he moaned around the lobe he had taken into his mouth to suckle. She quickly made it down to the sixth button and could feel the hard ridges of his defined muscles underneath the thin fabric as her fingers worked.

Abruptly his hands loosened from their respective holds and wrapped around her wrists before he growled into her ear. "Why must you test my self-control?"

She pulled far enough back that she was able to glare up at him. "I am not sorry."

Snickering as he placed her arms at her sides, he took a step back. "And I am not surprised by that. Should I be arrogant enough to assume, from such an enthusiastic display, that you found your night to be adequate at the very least?"

Taken aback by the concealed doubt that was hidden in the question she felt a blush immediately flair across her already hot cheeks. How had she not expressed her gratitude earlier than this? He had done so much for her!

"Okay... I guess I do owe you an apology... Not for testing your self-control, but for not thanking you. Tonight has been more perfect than I could have ever imagined. So... I guess what I am trying to say is... Thank you Draco, for making my first date a memory I will never forget." Her voice cracked at the end and she cleared her throat of the silly emotion that had crept up.

Closing the space that he had just put between them, Draco waited for her to look up at him. Once she did he reached up and cupped the side of her face so she couldn't look away before whispering. "You deserve it."

The surrealness of the words and who was saying them washed over her and in the confusion the question that bounced around in her head slipped out. "I do?"

An exasperated roll of his eyes followed another smirk as he stepped back and wrapped his fingers around the door handle. "Sure do. Regrettably, the fact that we both should be heading to bed so that we do not splinch ourselves tomorrow still stands."

"Ugh... Truth!" She conceded. That was all that either of them needed…

"Good night, Kitten." He said. His eyes ran over her body, drinking her in, as he pulled open the door and held it open for her.

Resigned to the fact that she was not going to be staying, no matter how hard she tried to change his mind, she went over to him for one last kiss. It was quick, almost perfunctory.

If she had to play by the rules she would...

Looking him over she realized that his collar had folded in on itself during her earlier onslaught. Naturally, she reached up and fixed the oversight, instead of pulling her hand away she let it fall to the bare skin of his chest that peaked out from the parted stark white material of the shirt. Slowly her fingers splayed across the hard muscles that had only teased her earlier. She slid her hand down lower until the buttons she hadn't finished stopped her, enjoying the feeling of his shuddering breath under her.

When his eyes fluttered closed she pulled her hand from the confines of the shirt. A smirk crossed her lips when he jumped from the sudden lack of contact, the vindictive part of her liked returning the favor. He looked down at her with confusion that quickly turned into a vexed understanding when she shrugged, there was no need to explain herself.

"Good night, Draco." Without waiting for his reply she turned and walked from the room. It took everything she had not to look over her shoulder. Particularly after a long string of groaned profanities that included "holy fucking hell-sent harpies" followed behind her. Somehow she won the internal battle and kept her head high as she sauntered away.

The click of the door closing echoed loudly in the empty corridor. Thrust into darkness she slowed down her pace while her eyes tried to adjust to the change. She outstretched her hand until she came into contact with the cool rough stone of the wall. Using it as a crude guide she continued on her trek, determined to make it to the corner where the moon would be able to light the better portion of her way.

Mercifully the wandering required less time than she had originally calculated and before she knew it she was stepping into the pale glow that streamed in from the windows. Emboldened by the restored sense of sight she hurried on. Ready for bed and the good dreams that were sure to suppress any nightmares.

As she went along the familiar route back to Gryffindor Tower flashes of the night kept replaying in her mind. All of them centered around him. Draco standing in the entrance to a storybook come to life. Draco laughing at something she had said. Draco chivalrously offering to help her up. Draco with his eyes closed, jaw drawn tight from her touch.

Yes, she was a lucky girl...

Her rumination lasted the rest of her uneventful journey. Outside the common room the Fat Lady was still awake, gossiping with her friend, so she didn't have to deal with the cumbersome task of waking her up. She waited patiently for the two to stop talking and gave the password.

"Looky here ,Violet! All dressed up with rosy cheeks and quite obviously trying hard to sneak in. Young love is adorable, is it not?" The Fat Lady smiled down at her affectionately.

"Ahhh, yes. The classic signs." Violet agreed from where she was perched on the lounge in the background.

Hermione stood there frozen for a second, unsettled by their joint appraisal. Young love? That was... Preposterous. Outright slanderous! And she meant to tell them so, getting as far as starting the denial before the painting swung forward in a blatant dismissal. She huffed her aggravation but chose not to press the matter further. Any show of anger on her part would only add fire to their ridiculous flames anyways.

Once she was safe under the toasty warm covers of her bed she pulled the chain of metal from the confines of her pajama top. Her fingers inched along until they found the small round disk that they quested for. There in the pitch dark, she studied the design by touch, learning each twist of gold and each raised diamond. Thirty perfectly matched miniscule gems in total.

While she stroked the locket one thought kept repeating in her head as she slowly drifted off to sleep…

How long would it take for them to be able to meet again?

-\?/- -\?/- -\?/- -\?/- -\?/-

Disclaimer: J.K.R. owns everything. Characters, universe, random names for things. All of it is hers. I get no compensation for the time I put into writing this fanfiction. Just the warm fuzzies from reviews (or follows/favorites/kudos/subscribers)!