This FanFiction is based in the year following the war against the Dark Lord. The survivors of the war (I have brought back a couple of characters I felt should come back), return to Hogwarts, as they feel continuing with their lives after spending a year fighting and on the run, making their own lives on their own would be too difficult, so going back to Hogwarts was to ease them back into normality. Some survivors have not returned, though.

He buried his nose in her soft hair once more, inhaling her sweet, spicy scent. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her closer against him. Her head lolled back onto his shoulder, and he gently kissed the edge of her jaw. She let out a content sigh.

They swayed on the spot like that for a while, under the canopy of stars above them, a warm summer breeze swept over them, and tugged at the curtains hanging in the balcony doorway behind them.

The girl in his arms tilted her head towards him, her eyes shut. He leaned down and caught her lips gently in his. They kissed for a moment, a pure kiss, of love, and adoration.

She softly pulled away, and leant her head into the hollow just above his collarbone. He sensed she was spent, and carefully removed one arm from his love's waist, and bent down to hook it behind her knees, lifting her into his arms. He carried her back into the bedroom, and delicately laid her down on the king sized bed, trying not to jostle her.

After pulling the duvet over her, he walked quietly round to the other side of the bed, and lay on top of the blanket beside her, watching the steady in-out of her breath. He was transfixed by the rise and fall of her chest. She rolled over unconsciously to face him, and he moved in closer, his eyes running down her straight nose, her high cheekbones, and across her full pink lips, drained into dark grey by the pale moonlight that fell across the bed. Her faintly lilac eyelids fluttered, at the same time her lips moved, very slightly.

"Draco..." she murmured. He smiled faintly.

"Hermione..." He answered, even though she couldn't hear him. "I love you." And he moved closer to her, to lay a soft kiss on her forehead, before draping one arm over her middle, and drifting off to sleep, his love beside him.

He woke with a start, and it took a moment for him to realise where he was. As soon as he realised it had been a dream, pain washed over him, and he dropped his face back into his pillow with a heartfelt moan. How could he let himself get like this? There were so many things wrong with it. Firstly, he wasn't supposed to fall in love, he was Draco Malfoy, for Slytherin's sake! He was a fighter, and strove hard for good grades, good reputation, and spent his free time captaining the Slytherin house Quidditch team. And these days, all he seemed to be able to do was watch her. Secondly, she was in Gryffindor, the enemy house of his own, and although there was dating between other members of Slytherin and Gryffindors, He was seen as the prince of Slytherin, and her, the Queen of Gryffindor, and her friends Ronald Weasley, and Harry 'The Chosen One' Potter were his sworn enemies. And thirdly, and possibly most importantly, depending on your views, she was a Mudblood.

As soon as the word slipped into his thoughts, he cursed himself for thinking it. The past weeks of his infatuation with her had completely changed his views. How could he hate something, no, someone so...amazing, beautiful, intelligent, and who could command magic so flawlessly?

What really surprised Draco, was how pure all his dreams of her had been. Nothing indecent had ever occurred in them, unlike other fantasies he had had in the past. And that's what told him how much trouble he was really in.

"Nice one, Draco, nice one." He groaned to himself.

Heavy hearted, he dragged himself out of bed and reached for his trunk, pulling on a dark pair of worn jeans, and a plain white shirt, the sleeves of which he pushed up past his elbows. Before leaving the dormitory, he checked his reflection in the mirror on the back of the door. With a hand, he subconsciously rumpled his hair, adding to the bed hair look, and then strode out of the door.

He ran into her as he entered the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Granger." He apologised hastily, befuddled. She gave him a scrutinising look, confusion showing through her annoyed glare. Probably wondering why he had apologised at all, he thought sadly, his heart sinking. Before...this, he would've pretended he had crashed into her on purpose, knowing she would get annoyed.

They stood, her glaring at him, and him looking apologetic for a moment. He gazed over her, and perhaps lingered his eyes too long on her chest.

"Don't make me slap you, Malfoy" She warned, in something close to a growl. She glowered at him once more before spinning on her heel and stalking off in the direction of her common room, leaving behind her the vanilla spice scent of her perfume. Malfoy stood, gawking after her, for several minutes.

When he had regained enough of his senses, he tried to understand what had just happened, and failed. Shaking his head to clear it of her intoxicating perfume, he headed into the loud breakfast room.

"Morning," He greeted Blaise Zabini as he sat down at the long table beside his friend.

"Hey," Blaise paused, " Are you okay man? You look...well, completely out of it, to be totally honest with you."

"What? Uh, yeah, I'm fine, weird night."Blaise nodded understandingly.

"Why didn't you wake me before you came down?" Draco asked, reaching for a slice of toast.

"Ah, sorry man. Though you did look like you were having a good dream, thought you'd be annoyed if you were and I woke you from it. I would be." He smirked.

"Thanks." Draco said, gratefully. It had been a good dream, he though to himself, as Zabini turned back to his conversation with Pansy Parkinson, who was sitting on his other side. Draco chewed distantly on his piece of toast, his mind still on the incident in the hallway.

He didn't know what he could do now, and he didn't think he could just keep his feelings suppressed anymore, though what he expected himself to do with them, he had no idea.

Ugh, he was so infuriating! She thought as she stormed down the corridor towards the Gryffindor portrait hole. Stupid, greasy, charming, handsome ferret boy! She snarled to herself, before; Woah, back up there, what did you say?! Charming? Handsome?! What? She mentally shook herself, confused. Where had that come from?

Malfoy had gotten under her skin once too many times. Maybe she should have slapped him in the hallway, after all. She hadn't hit him since third year, he must have done enough to deserve getting hit once more by now...

Or maybe she should just stop thinking about him. He had been all too present in her thought these days and it was starting to drive her insane.

Harry and Ron were lounging in two large armchairs by the fire when she reached the common room. They caught her furious expression the moment she entered.

"'Mi? What's up?" asked Harry, concerned.

"Malfoy," she snarled. Ron's hands balled into fists at the name.

Harry looked sideways at his friend, and guessed he was too tense to ask the next question.

"What happened?"

Hermione sighed. "Nothing really. I was just coming out of breakfast, and he ran straight in to me."

"...And?"

"And then he apologised!"

Harry's charms book hit the rug with a dull thud, his expression one of mock horror. Ron fell to join the book on the floor, clutching his sides, wracked with spasms of silent laughter. Hermione's scowl deepened.

"H-he ran into you, and th-then he apologised?!" Ron managed to choke from the floor, still in hysterics. "That's shocking, 'Mione, maybe Harry and I should go take care him for you, hex him or something," He laughed.

She could've explained the lingering glance he had given her, but for some reason she wanted to keep that private, her own memory, though why she wanted to do that, she couldn't think.

Harry caught her still looking annoyed. "Hey, why don't we head down to Hogsmead today, you look like you could use a break."

"Yeah, ok," She smiled at him, "That'd be nice, thank you."

The three of them huddled in a corner of the Three Broomsticks, sipping butterbeers. It was not warm for a March morning. The windows had fogged up, and there was no where in the room that escaped the cold draft that swept in whenever someone came in or left.

"Blasted Scotland," Ron muttered unhappily, "It'll probably snow later..."Harry grunted in agreement. The was another long pause. None of them felt particularly chatty that morning.

"Did that thing with Malfoy really bother you, Hermione?" Asked Ron, looking worried.

"Yeah, kinda. Also unnerved me a bit. Since when did he apologise? Normally he'd just pretend he walked into me on purpose, make a smooth comment, call me mudblood," Ron's grip on his butterbeer tightened, "and slither away. It just seemed...odd."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "It does seem a little weird..." He trailed off, leaving them in silence once again. Hermione ran her finger around the rim of her now empty glass. She sighed and stood up. Ron looked up at her, questioningly.

"I've got to go to Scrivenshaft's, I'm in need of some ink and parchment, Professor Flitwick has that essay set, and I only have two feet of parchment left."

"But Hermione, that essay is only supposed to be a foot long,"

"At least a foot. Just because you like getting by on the minimum amount,"Ron scowled, "How about I meet you in Honeydukes in half an hour?"

"Sure," said Harry, "See you later."

"See you." And gathering her winter cloak around her, she headed for the door.

He decided to head down to Hogsmeade, to escape the gloomy Slytherin common room, and the cold halls of the school. The weather was bitter, and Blaise and Theodore Nott both had work to do, so he went alone.

He wasn't sure what he was actually going to do once he reached Hogsmeade, as he was fully stocked on anything he might need, schoolwise, and a trip the the Three Broomsticks seemed less inviting alone. He considered paying a visit to the Hog's Head. You could have the most fascinating conversations with some of the people that drank there, and he needed that kind of distraction at the moment.

Draco saw her as she was leaving the Three Broomsticks, alone, oddly, and turned down the wide alley that ran alongside the pub. Staying well behind, he followed her.

"Hermione," He spoke, as he reached the entrance to the alley. She froze, mid-step. "I was wondering if...I could talk to you." His mouth said, while his mind still wondered what he was going to say. She turned.

"What, Malfoy?" She sighed in an exasperated tone, telling him that she wanted him to say whatever he was going to, so she could leave. He took a hesistant step forwards. And then was no standing barely a metre from her. She looked up at him, waiting for him to speak. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Frustrated at himself, he looked over the top of her head, frowning, trying to figure out what to say.

Without thinking, his left hand caught her chin, and pulled her face up to his, and before she could even react, titled his head to press his lips to hers...

Bam! Two things collided into him with the force of a charging bull, slamming him into the wall of the alley. The back of his head struck the stone with a sharp crack. Draco's vision swam out of focus, and pain shot through his skull. He was faintly aware of the tip of a wand pressed firmly against his jugular. A silent spell had obviously been cast, his wrists, waist and ankles feeling locked to the wall.

Weasley voice hissed threateningly in his ear, "Stay away from her you greasy, good for nothing slime ball. You may have done your bit in the war, but that's over now, and nothing has changed on the status of our friendship. Leave Hermione alone. Don't touch her, don't speak to her, don't even look at her. D'you hear?" He gulped, and felt the wand press harder into his throat. Raising his eyes to look over Potter and Weasley's shoulders, he found Hermione, and threw a pleading look in her direction.

"Hermione..."

"What did I just tell you?" Weasley snarled. His arm pulled back, his hand a fist, and snapped forwards, connecting with Draco's temple. Everything went black.