Hermione knocked on the door quietly. There was a rustling sound from inside and then Draco looked out from behind the door, obviously ready to slam it if it was a visit from someone unwanted.

"Hello," Hermione said shyly. She didn't know what to say to him. Guilt had been itching at her all night. She knew he wanted to be left alone but she needed to see him. She needed to be with him. She needed to make sure he was okay.

"Hey," he said, opening the door for her to let her enter. "I didn't know who it was. It's really late."

"Or early," Hermione said vacantly, looking at the sky that was slightly blue rather than black. "Depends on your definition." She turned to him finally, unsure of herself.

"It's okay, Hermione," he said gently. "I'm fine."

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

"No." He gestured to the books lying on his bed. "This Room of Requirement is really something."

"Draco… I…"

"You what?" He suddenly noticed her troubled expression. "Hermione, I told you, it'll be fine."

"No it won't be," she suddenly burst out. "Look what they've done to you! It's not fair, Draco! I can't…I won't… let them hurt you again. You can't stay in here forever. You're going to have to go back to the Slytherins and they're going to hurt you again… unless…"

"Unless what?" he said sharply. Tension flew in the air between them as they stared each other down. Draco, perhaps from exhaustion, dropped down his gaze to the floor.

"Unless…" Hermione stepped up to him, obviously nervous but determined all the same. She took his chin in her hand, making him look into her eyes again. Draco saw that they were flooded with held-in tears. She slowly caught his lips with hers, something both he and she had wanted to do for quite some time now. Draco savoured the moment, letting everything wash over him.

She broke the kiss, as quickly as she had started it. She watched him for a minute, watched him breathe heavily, then nodded to herself. "Unless we stop this," she said in a calmly detached voice, "they're going to keep hurting you. And I won't let them, Draco."

She dropped his face from her hand, locked eyes with him for one long glance, and then left the room shakily.

Draco started after her numbly.

'''''''''

She'd done it. Hermione left that room and entered her own Common Room without many thoughts that made sense. All she knew is that she had done it. Hermione couldn't remember doing a more horrible thing but she had done it. Her Gryffindor bravery had come through at last.

She sank on to a sofa in the empty Common Room, blinking back tears. She had cried to much over the last couple of days. She could cry no more. Her eyes fixed on the window in front of her, and she spent a long time there, watching as the sky grew brighter and the sun rose up until it was high in the sky, without her really seeing it.

''''''''''

He entered the Great hall. Everyone turned to stare at him. Draco glowered back at them all, his mood foul and dark. He sat down at the very end corner of the Slytherin table and pushed a plate of sausages to him. He ate them, with his eyes set upon each of the Slytherins. He stared at them all stonily, with only a few bold enough to make real eye contact.

How he hated them all…

This was all their fault. Everything. The last two days had been their fault and the would make them pay. The thing with Hermione today was again, all their fault. Draco Malfoy would not forget it in a hurry.

But for now, he had to go to class.

His eyes searched the Gryffindor table. There she was. Talking with Potter. She hadn't looked over at him since he had entered. Not once. He'd talk to her later.

''''''''''''

"Mister Malfoy, where have you been?!" McGonagall was not in a good mood.

"Sick," he answered curtly.

"You know the rules. You have to get a note form Madam Pomfrey! You can't just go and have a lie in, you know that."

Draco just watched her until she finally calmed down and dismissed him to his desk. That had been the fourth teacher to say the exact same words and Draco was getting tired of it now.

He always felt Hermione's eyes on his back, urging him to tell the truth and rat out the Slytherins. He never would though. He wished Hermione would understand that.

He didn't know what she thought she could gain from ignoring him. The Slytherins were not going to leave it be because they weren't looking affectionate.

It was only when Draco was passing by her table when he heard her plan. "Yes, okay, he DUMPED me, are you happy now? The Slytherin dumped the Gryffindor like everyone knew he would and now you can all feel satisfied with yourself! Was he nice about it? Of course not! He dumped me! It was probably all a game to him anyway!"

Hermione was saying her words loudly, so loudly in fact that all the Slytherins could hear her. Which, of course, was what she wanted. They all turned and stared at her, hanging on to her every word. Draco saw Pansy's hands fly to her mouth in a deranged giggle and saw Blaise Zabini rise a cool eyebrow in his direction.

"Draco, man, is it true?" one Slytherin boy asked him at his side. The Slytherins all turned to him. Hermione stopped talking and looked at him. Her eyes were burning. He paused and looked slowly at them all, adding to the suspense. Then he stepped up towards her, took her by the shoulders, pulled her from her chair and kissed her softly as it sucking out her soul.

He broke of the kiss after a considerable amount of time and whispered to her, "Your plan didn't work…"

"It would have done, if you hadn't messed it up," she hissed at him. But she was grinning.

Draco turned and looked at all the houses. "To be honest, I'm getting sick of all this nonsense. Who cares what house we're in? I can tell you for a fact that the Sorting Hat considered putting me in Gryffindor only I immediately yelled at it for Slytherin that it put me in that house. And I also know that Harry Potter was going to be put in Slytherin! So, don't you think it's time to stop being so immature and get on with things like normal?"

"I agree, Mister Malfoy." Standing there was Professor Dumbledore, obviously having heard the whole thing. His eyes were twinkling. "I, myself, was in Hufflepuff and McGonagall was in Ravenclaw. Professor Flitwick was in Slytherin. The houses we are sorted into do not determine who we are. And after your great speech, Mr Malfoy, I hoped that perhaps you would stop 'being so immature' as you say and tell me and your other Professors where you have actually been for the last two days."

Draco looked at all his fellow students and broke the Slytherin Code by telling them all, "The Slytherins locked me up in a toilet."

The Slytherins looked at him, appalled, that he could have told on them. A couple of students sniggered but most just stared at him, shocked. A couple of voices exclaiming, "For TWO days?!" could be heard.

Dumbledore turned and looked at all the Slytherins. They all glared defensively back. "I can see things have got out of hand," he said, "and therefore I would like to show you something. Your Transfiguration Class is cancelled. Sit down." Dumbledore moved to the top of the class. "Professor McGonagall, if you could call the rest of the seventh years into this class room…"

Professor McGonagall left and quickly returned with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. All looked confused.

"Please sit down," Dumbledore said graciously.

They all sat down, their expressions changing from confusion to excitement. They had never been thought a lesson by Professor Dumbledore before.

"Accio Sorting Hat," Dumbledore said. "Now, the exercise is, you are all to put back on the Sorting Hat and be resorted again. You may all be surprised this time around. We have all changed in six years, surely you all realise that. You are not the small people that you were back then. Back then you wanted to be in the same house as your friends. But now… now we shall know once more. The Sorting Hat will not listen to your pleas now, of which house you want to be in. It is going to act on what it sees inside your head. You may all be surprised…"

Dumbledore touched the head and it once again came back to life. It didn't sing, but stared at them all. Draco guessed it only sang when it was sorting first years, to tell them about the houses, which of course, seventh years all should know.

And so the Sorting started.

"Hannah Abbott!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Lavender Brown!"

"Slytherin!"

"Millicent Bulstode!"

Draco paid attention.

"Slytherin!"

No real surprise there.

"Vincent Crabbe!"

Draco nearly fell over when it shouted, "Ravenclaw!"

And so it went on.

"Gregory Goyle!"

"Gryffindor!"

Draco was puzzled.

"Hermione Granger!"

Hermione looked very nervous. She cast him a wobbly smile which he returned.

"Ravenclaw!"

Draco listened for the others, amused but not to interested. So Hermione would be in Ravenclaw? The smart people's house. Draco supposed it made sense.

"Neville Longbottom!"

"Ravenclaw!"

Many people looked surprised at this. Neville looked frightened.

"Draco Malfoy!"

He jumped when his name was called and put on the hat. There was a pause. What house would he be in?

"Slytherin!"

Draco took off the hat… and smirked at them all.

"Parvati Patil!"

"Gryfindor!"

"Padma Patil!"

"Gryfindor!"

"Pansy Parkinson!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Harry Potter!"

"Gryfindor!"

Harry looked pleased.

And so it went.

"Ron Weasley!"

"Slytherin!"

Draco found this very amusing. Ron Weasley went extremely red.

"Blaise Zabini!"

"Hufflepuff!"

Draco smirked at him. At least he was a real Slytherin. Then Draco realised that what he was thinking was against the whole purpose of the exercise. So he just dropped all his train of thought and listened to Dumbledore instead.

"You see," Dumbledore said, "A lot of you have been sorted into different houses. People do change; people don't stay the same. You all have mixed qualities. You are not just brave; you may also be smart. You may be loyal but you may be cunning too. In fact, I'm worried that you lot take it so seriously."

Some people looked abashed, others confused.

"Now I would put you into these houses but then I would not be able to punish the Slytherins. So everyone is still in their original houses but I hope you have all learned a lesson from this lesson. Oh, and one hundred points from Slytherin and a detention from all those involved. I shall know. Oh, and I shall reward Draco Malfoy fifty points to Slytherin for his bravery and his rather nice speech."

"Ah, don't," Draco said, smirking at all the Slytherins. "Give them to Gryffindor."

The students who were able to add up the house points knew that this put Gryffindor in the lead. And since it was so near to the end of the year Slytherin would not be able to catch up.

Draco felt a deep sense of amusement and satisfaction. He cared no longer for his house.

Hermione laughed out loud. She got it; Draco was glad that she got it.

''''''''

Draco lay on the bed, looking around happily. His eyes kept moving over to the clock though. He was waiting for her.

Ever since that incident, Dumbledore had allowed him to stay in the Room of Requirement. Hermione was not allowed to stay full time although she was allowed visit him, as long as she wasn't out after hours. Which she normally was.

There was a knock.

Draco had to force himself not to run to the door to let her in. He walked over to it calmly and opened it enough for her to get in.

"Hi," she said, smilingly.

"I was thinking we could go for a walk?" Draco offered. "As celebration? We have studied in here for too many hours."

"We won't have to do that again," Hermione said, smiling so hard that her eyes were crinkled. In truth, both her and Draco had enjoyed their time together, pouring over books and quizzing each other rapidly. But both would never admit it now. Tonight they wanted a reason to celebrate.

They both walked along the Great Hall. It was their last night at Hogwarts. They were graduating tomorrow. Without thinking. Draco steered her towards the Step.

"And this is where it all began…" she said, seating down on that step. He sat down beside her and she immediately tucked into him; a position that they were now well used to.

"I'm so glad I met you at this step that night, Hermione. You don't know happy you make me feel. I know I'm… not great at showing emotions and stuff but I do… I do love you. I hope you know that."

She moved her head from his shoulder to look at him and he was slightly surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Of course I know that, you dummy!" she said, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. The tears hadn't gone away.

He watched her.

"And I love you too, obviously," she said, sighing. "How could I not, Draco Malfoy?"

He sighed into her hair, smelling her fresh scent. This was where it all began…

"So what happens now? After Graduation, I mean?"

He thought for a moment before replying, "How about a holiday?"

"Ooooh, can we go to Egypt? I've always wanted to go there… ever since Ron did in…" Her voice faded away but she found it again shortly, "I talked to him today."

"Oh?"

"He told me he was sorry. I know things will never be the same between Ron and I but… it meant something to me that he cared."

"That's good, Hermione." He stared into the distance and imagined them tomorrow. Graduation. Harry and Draco were now friends, bordering on good friends. They had Quidditch and Hermione in common now; how could they not get along? It was hard work, breaking through all the old school grudges. It wasn't easy. But they did it, just as Hermione and Draco had done it. Perhaps it wasn't so hard after all…

Harry and Draco and Hermione would go up together… and maybe Weasley? Why not Weasley? If he was sorry, then Draco could be sorry. Draco couldn't pretend that he was all innocent. Draco had done many things to Weasley too. Maybe, maybe they could get along to. Draco would do it; he'd do it for Hermione. He often saw her happiness when he and Harry were bonding. It couldn't hurt to try with Weasley, could it?

They'd all graduate together and then there was the future. Draco's future. He saw it now and it all included Hermione. It was bright and as far from his future before as it could be. His old future had been dark, uncertain and forbidding. His new one was bright, happy and exciting.

And it was all because of this one step and this one girl.

"Thank you," he said to her.

She snuggled into his arms, happiness shining on her face. "You're more than welcome, Draco," she replied.

;;;;;;;;;;;

And that's the end to this story, Steps! I know it wasn't all fluffy but I didn't want it to be all fluffy. I wanted to make it sort of realistic. I hope I half-way succeeded. Anyway, here's the thanks for the last chapter:

Many thanks to: Foxer, Teri-Neko, Alessandra-Elisabeth (Sorry about the Cho thing. Can we just pretend she's dumb and had to repeat? But well spotted!) Bubbly Blondie, ShimmeringEvil, Ptst (I'd be inclined to agree with you. But no harm done, eh? Thanks for all your supportive reviews in this and in my other stories) and Mystical4

Anyway, thanks very much for all your love and support! Thanks for reading this far! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!