A lot of OC stuff in this one. I hope no one is bothered by my imaginary history of the Malfoy family :)

Draco awoke bright and early, his nervous heartbeat propelling him through his morning routine. He readied himself for the day as a knight might for war. He went over and over the plan in his head as he dressed. He paused only to stare himself down in the mirror and mentally remind himself that he could and would do what he must without self-doubt.

There was no more time for second-guessing.

He quickly headed towards the Great Hall, one destination and one goal in his head. He approached the Gryffindor table with purpose and came right up to where Hermione was sitting. Potter's radar had picked up on him long before he was standing in front of the pair, his eyes already glaring in the Slytherin's direction.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry snapped his body tensing, ready for a fight.

"Fuck off, Potter," Draco answered shortly, hardly giving him the time of day, "My business is with Hermione."

"What?" Potter questioned, slightly deflated. Hermione looked over her shoulder at Draco warily. She was also tensed like she would run if the opportunity presented itself.

"What business do you have with her? Anything you can say to her you can say in front of me," Harry defended valiantly standing up from the table so that he was more or less eye-to-eye with the blonde. As Draco stared down his polar opposite, the protagonist, he wondered what he had ever been so intimidated by.

"I'm sure you know she's my tutor, Potter. I just have a few questions for Hermione," Draco emphasized her name a second time with a wicked smile, implying their familiarity with one another. He watched Hermione glance around nervously. It was true people were beginning to stare. Draco was glad. He hoped the added pressure would force Hermione's hand.

"So ask them. Right here," Potter insisted, his arms folded across his chest, puffing himself up. It was at this point that Draco noticed Ron was nowhere to be found. Usually he would be right at Harry's side when it came to stand offs between himself and The Grand Trio. Draco was sure the poor git was still sulking. He almost wished Weasley were here to see this.

"Sorry but this isn't a group session," Draco purred bracing his hand against the table. He leaned in intimidatingly close to Potter, the scarred boy flinching back slightly. "I signed up for private lessons."

While Draco was distracting Harry and everyone else with their more apparent conflict the blonde had only leaned in to intrude in Hermione's personal bubble. His hand, obscured by a cloak, pressed delicately into Hermione's back. She didn't jump but Draco felt his smile widen when he heard the small gasp of surprise and felt her shift in her seat.

"If I recall, Hermione is now your ex-tutor," Harry snapped smugly. He smiled as though he had located the trump card. Draco grimaced realizing that if he didn't move things along he might start trying to throttle Potter and that would put him far off track. Instead he decided to lean away and ignore Harry. He instead turned his attention to Hermione. He sat down on the bench seat, his upper body turned to face her, his eyes catching and holding her gaze.

A roar of murmurs erupted across the Great Hall. They had expected a duel, not… whatever this was. Hermione, quite obviously uncomfortable from all of the attention, still managed to meet Draco's gaze head on. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"In all seriousness I do have an important question to ask. I would consider it a personal favor if you would assist me out in the courtyard."

All of Hogwarts reeled with a collective 'huh?' Harry especially looked flabbergasted. Draco had only ever expressed disgust towards Hermione and all mudbloods for that matter. For him to ask for help seemed unthinkable. Yet there he was, seated in enemy territory laying all of his cards on the table. Even the ones up his sleeves. He realized in the back of his mind that he truly was willing to do anything to get her attention at this point. He put that revelation to the side for a moment, waiting for Hermione's answer. After much deliberation and chewing of her lip she replied.

"Fine. Lets go."

Draco smiled victoriously, standing up and taking a step back to give her space to stand. He took a moment to shoot a smug glance at Potter whose expression was pricelessly confused. Draco let Hermione take the lead. He was afraid that if he wasn't behind her she might make a break for it.

The two left the Great Hall, colossal doors swinging closed, cutting off the uproar of the curious on lookers. Outside in a courtyard the two faced each other again in an inconspicuous corner.

"What is it? Hermione asked quickly, wanting to return to her average day, though that seemed impossible at this point. Draco took a calming breath, squaring his shoulders and preparing to ask.

"Would you please meet me in Hogsmead on Sunday?"

Hermione stared, dumbfounded. Draco could tell this wasn't the question she was expecting.

"N… no," she answered slowly staring at him with furrowed brows.

"Why not?" Draco pressed, keeping his tone reserved.

"Because I told you that I was severing all ties with you. What was unclear about that?" Draco paused, expecting this reply.

"It was clear, I just don't care." Hermione looked like she was about to roll her eyes so Draco jumped in, "Or to be more accurate I care more about what I have planned that your wishes right now."

"You. Are. Infuriating." Hermione sighed after a few moments of stunned silence. Draco felt himself smile which only caused Hermione to glare. "This isn't funny. I was serious about what I said and I didn't want to prolong this unpleasantness any further. I don't have any reason to follow through on your request and you know that."

"I do," Draco replied slowly, "you have every reason to refuse… but as I said I don't care. This is something I need to ask no matter what." He watched Hermione stare at him. He saw her expression warp and she looked to be in pain.

"Why? Why are you doing this? After everything that's happened? You have no idea the hurt that I have inflicted on my friends as a result of this fantasy gone awry? The pain I felt?"

"I do have an idea," Draco answered quietly. This took Hermione off guard, he could tell. "We may not have had the same things to lose but I can understand the pain. So please, even though there is no reason for you to meet me… I just hope you'll humor me one last time. "

In a loaded silence the two stared each other down. Draco could tell that Hermione's mind was racing, trying to choose the most logical option. His hands felt clammy. This was his last shot. There was nothing more he could do if she refused him now. He just hoped that his suspicions about where her heart really lay were correct.

"I'm not making any promises…" Hermione answered slowly, her tone revealing a subtle annoyance probably directed at herself for giving in again to Draco's wishes. "I might show up or I might not. I don't feel capable of making a definitive decision right now."

"That's fine," Draco answered, breathing half a sigh of relief. "I'll be at the Rosehip Tearoom at noon," taking a long pause Draco felt his mask of resolve soften a bit. " I really hope you are able to make it."

"We'll see," Hermione answered as she turned and retreated back into the castle.

…

The weekend arrived quickly and Draco took this opportunity to return home on Saturday. There was something there that he needed for Sunday and was glad that his family was rich and prestigious enough to possess such a rare item. As the carriage that picked him up neared Malfoy Manor Draco stared up at all of the dark windows. He was hoping he could just sneak in and out quickly without arousing any attention. Although he very much enjoyed his mother's company his father was another story. He and Lucius had never seen eye to eye, or rather Draco never quite measured up.

The carriage came to a stop and Draco shook the thoughts from his head. His father had nothing to do with his visit. This was for Hermione's sake. Draco got out of the carriage and gave the driver a few galleons and told him to wait for him to return and that he wouldn't be long. The pudgy wizard nodded and put his feet up, opening up a thermos of tea to combat the cold weather that was beginning to creep up on the land that day.

Draco took long strides through the gates and to the main door. He disabled the lock with his wand and heaved open the colossal doors. Several house elves ran over to assist him with his jacket but he waved them away. He didn't intend to stay long. He ascended several spiral staircases until he reached the family library. He sheepishly wondered when he had last cracked the spine of one of these dusty relics. Hermione surely would have thought it shameful to ignore such a plethora of information.

Draco gazed from one side of the slightly curved room to the other. He could recall that the books he was looking for were somewhere on the top shelf but where? At a lose Draco lifted his wand and spoke.

"Accio Draconis's Journals." Draco looked overhead and saw a few leather spines begin to shudder. Slowly five old volumes drifted down. Draco held out his arms and the books gently came to a rest in his grasp. He carefully peeked inside each volume making sure they were the ones he was looking for. He held the oversized books to his chest and returned to the stairs again making a quick decent. He was almost to the foyer when he glanced out the window and saw dark clouds circling overhead. Perhaps he should follow the driver's example and brew a cup of tea before he left.

He retired to the kitchen, flicked on the stovetop with his wand, and starting a temporary fire in the fireplace of the adjacent parlor room. Warmth immediately radiated through out the Manor with the help of his enchantment. Draco removed his heavy, outer, black jacket leaving him in just a light gray sweater and dark trousers. He chose a tea bag and cup from a nearby cupboard setting them down and leaning against the marble counter. Draco gingerly placed the large leather journals in his bag before pausing and pulling volume one back out. He opened it to the first page admired the beautifully scribed title page. The ink was still vibrant with the help of preservative spells.

"Studium Ignis Lacertae noto Draconis Mardling, " Draco read aloud. Of course these were the Latin words. Roughly translated they said "The Study of the Fire Lizards by Draconis Mardling" as he had been told time and time again. Draco flipped slowly through the seemingly brittle, magic-imbued pages. Inside was a very detailed field journal with beautifully colored and gold leafed illustrations of the earliest species of dragons. Draco smiled at the thought of Hermione pouring over these pages and spending hours translating the words from their original source.

In truth this book was the basis for all early knowledge of dragons. Draconis Mardling was actually one of the Malfoy family's oldest ancestors and he was who Draco was named after. He had made ground breaking discoveries in the field of studying mythical beasts. These journals were one of a kind and few knew they still existed. The only references that remained of these journals were in the reprints of reprints.

Draco heard the teakettle whistle and he placed the journal back into his bag, fastening it securely. He readied his tea bag, adding a dollop of honey and stirred the water into his cup slowly. As he let the tea cool for a moment he caught a glimpse of himself in the glass cupboard doors. As he observed his pleasing reflection he wagered that the sweater he was wearing was probably his favorite item of clothing. He slid the fabric of the sleeve between his thumb and forefinger. It was amazingly soft while not being too fluffy and was never too warm or itchy. Not to mention it was a very handsome shade of gray.

He wondered how Hermione would look in it. The collar would be open enough for him to see the shadows cast by her collarbones and the bottom would just barely reach mid thigh. The sleeves would be much too long, though. He could imagine just the tips of her tiny fingers poking out of the ends of the sleeves.

Draco looked back up into the glass of the cupboard doors and saw a big smile on his face. It quickly fell and he rubbed his forehead with both hands.

"What the bloody hell am I thinking?" he asked the empty manor. This was not a helpful thought to entertain. He knew it was a dangerous thing to hope for and yet his mind began to create the scene.

A small but cozy flat near the city, far from Malfoy Manor; just the right amount of furniture and two of every dish and plate; a place to warm up in the winter and cool down in the summer, shoes of two different sizes hastily removed at the door and a queen bed where the covers were never completely made. A new life void of the influences of dark magic, void of stoic and stiff gatherings among people you knew would sooner stab you in the back that give you a leg up in the world. Inside the door there would always be a sense of weight lifted and lingering warmth would always sweep over him when he returned home.

It would be a place that always smelled of her.

Lilac and honey suckle.

In a place like that Hermione could definitely wear his oversized sweater.

Draco saw his vision blur a little. He blinked hard and leaned away from the counter. He finished his tea in one gulp, the liquid burning the roof of his mouth. He left the cup in the sink and grabbed his coat and bag, running out the door before he had time to put them on. He reached the carriage and handed the driver a fist full of galleons and ordered him to return him to Hogwarts as soon as possible. The driver nodded and looked unfazed by Draco's attitude. He had dealt with his fair share of strange passengers.

Draco pulled on his coat roughly once he was in the carriage and plopped his bag down on the seat, forgetting for a moment that it housed family relics. He pressed his cold hands to his face, taking deep calming breaths.

He had been far too elated just then. He needed to get a hold of himself. Especially with Sunday looming so close.

When facing off with someone like Hermione Draco knew he had to remain levelheaded.

More to come!

R&R&Enjoy!