What was she doing out here?

She was so cold. Too cold. All she was wearing was her dress robe and frankly, that just didn't keep out the winter chill that swept through the hall. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and sighed wearily. She was so tired. So sick of it all…

She didn't even know why she was exaggerating so much. She wasn't usually the one who sat on the main stairs, sulking and upset.

It was an hour and a bit after the Winter Yule Ball. Everybody was up in bed now. Everybody was wrecked after all the dancing and music and fun they had all had.

Hermione sighed again. She had spent so long getting ready. So long. Ginny had straightened her hair with all her magical hair products and spells. She had let Lavender do her wizard makeup. Wizard makeup hadn't been nice to put on, either. She had listened to the screeching cat noises from The Weird Sisters, Ginny's favourite band, for two whole hours. The end result had been Hermione looking nice. Well, she thought she had looked nice. Ginny and the rest of the girls had claimed she looked lovely.

Harry, Hermione and Ron had decided to go together. None of them had dates and none of them wanted dates. They just wanted to go and have a good laugh with their best friends. It was their last year, after all.

But they could have least had noted how lovely she looked. They could have offered her a compliment or two. Instead, Harry's eyes had rested on Ginny and he had smiled all goofily and Ron immediately started gushing over Lavender, even though the two girls already had dates.

"Harry, you look lovely," she had said.

"Ron, you look great."

"Thanks," they both muttered. They didn't even turn to look at her. They marched on ahead, following the two girls and Hermione was left wandering after them, raging, miserable, feeling both rejected and ugly.

They had pretty much ignored her for the rest of the night. Sure enough, Neville was the only one who complimented her.

"I like your shoes," he had said.

Hermione had to force her self to smile at him. It had been more of a grimace though.

So now here she was. She felt so alone. The main hall was extremely large and quiet. The stairs, in which she currently resided, went on for miles above her. Hermione had the feeling that she was the only person in the world awake.

She was supposed to be doing her prefect rounds. Yes, prefect. She wasn't Head Girl. It was a surprise to them all. And who was, you ask. Hermione gave an indignant toss of her head as she thought of the unfairness of it all. Pansy Parkinson! That pug faced, Slytherin cow! She wasn't even that smart! She had never once beaten Hermione in any test.

"Hermione," McGonagall had said when Hermione had told her this, "It's not all about grades. You have to give Miss Parkinson a chance." But McGonagall slightly rolled her eyes as she said this, which gave Hermione the impression that it was one of Dumbledore's wacky ideas and that McGonagall did not approve.

Presently, without warning, Hermione's felt like she was choking. She gasped, a rapid release of emotion, and the tears sprang from her eyes, gushing down her face. She was making a strange noise from the base of her throat. She let it all out. She hadn't once cried since she had heard Pansy was Head Girl. She hadn't once cried when her dad had got sick (thankfully, the operation removed the cancer from his hand) and she hadn't cried since Voldemort had been conquered by Harry.

Yes, cried. Because after such a moment, you need to cry. Nobody died (except Sirius and Cedric but nobody had died at the last battle) but you still need to cry. To let out all the emotions you had been carrying. Like the anxiety and desperate relief. Harry had cried. Ginny had cried. Ron had cried. Lupin had cried. Bloody hell, Dumbledore had a tear rolling down his face.

But not Hermione. She had just stood there, shocked.

She was so tired now! It was because of the insomnia that she was so tired. Every night she went to bed, pleading with some unknown force to bring sleep upon her but every night it was the same thing. She always listened to her fellow classmates sleeping and her insides always burned with envy. To be able to sleep for just once properly. Every now and then when she did fall asleep she would awake much too quickly and she would feel hot and sticky and uncomfortable and her sleep would be only a light shadow of the real thing.

She cried for a good four or five minutes before she felt the presence behind her. She sniffed, wiping away her salty tears as she turned to face him.

Draco Malfoy stood there; looking at her with his noise slightly upturned as if he was looking at something rotten.

"Bloody hell, Granger, get a grip," he sneered coldly.

She didn't know what he was doing up at this time and she didn't care. All she wanted was for him to go away.

"Sod off, Malfoy," she said, closing her eyes with an emotion somewhat like relief. At least it wasn't a teacher, or worse, Harry or Ron coming to make sure she was okay. She really couldn't take that right now. Surely, Malfoy would just go back to the dungeon in which he belonged and leave her alone now.

She was extremely surprised then when he sat down on the step beside her. She couldn't speak for a couple of seconds merely staring at him in angry shock. How dare he…

"Malfoy," she said, trying to keep her patience and failing, "get off my step!"

"Who is there to say this is your step, Granger? I don't recall the teachers giving out a step for every prized student."

"You immature git," she said, her hands shaking, "just go away. You're not wanted."

"Actually, I don't think the step minds my presence."

"This is my step! I was here first!" Hermione would have observed the immaturity of her words had she been in a calmer mood.

"Surely, if anyone were to have a step, it would be the Head Girl not some run-of-the-mill prefect." Malfoy cast her a smug look when she didn't reply.

Hermione felt tears gather in her eyes. Ashamed of herself that she'd let his stupid words get to her, she tried to shake it off. This is what lack of sleep did to her, she thought angrily, it made her some overly emotional twit, too weak to stand up for herself.

"Harry's Head Boy," she said weakly, "not you."

"I've noticed," he said coldly, "But I didn't really want to be Head anyway."

He didn't elaborate any further. Hermione, more talking to herself than him, whispered, "No? I did."

"Nah," he said, "too much extra work. I mean, it's NEWT year this year and study takes up so much time."

She looked at him, flabbergasted. "You're right…" she said quite uncertainly.

He nodded, seemingly talking to himself like she had been previously. "Also, you get stuck with all these idiotic jobs. Pansy had to arrange the Yule Ball with Potter. Imagine, having to arrange a insignificant ball when you could be studying for the exams that will affect your whole life!"

"You…are… correct," she said slowly, unsure why she had to tell him so and why she was so surprised by the relief that was spreading through her veins.

"And you have to spend so much time away from your mates. I mean, it's our last year. After Hogwarts, well…" He trailed off.

"Everything changes," she whispered.

They looked at each other, both startled by the realisation that they had both been having a conversation… and enjoying it.

"Malfoy, I-"

"You know," he said slowly and deliberately, "you look quite nice tonight. Of course you're hair's gone a bit wiry now but… you shape up pretty nicely, Granger."

The one thing she had wanted. A proper compliment. From her enemy.

"Cheers," she said awkwardly.

"Yeah," he smirked, "Goyle wouldn't stop going on about you."

He caught her eye and hers him and they both burst into simultaneous laughter that echoed through the large hall.

"Listen, we ought to go to bed-" Hermione stopped and put a shocked hand to her mouth. "I didn't mean, er, one bed together but two separate beds…"

"I guessed, Granger," he said, the sides of his mouth upturned. He stood up and waited for her to follow his example.

"Goodnight," she said, composing herself together eventually.

"Yeah," he said. His eyes searched hers for a minute and Hermione, for a split second, thought she could see the uncertainty she felt in his expression too before the moment was gone and so was he. He was walking away with his back to her and she couldn't get her feet to move before he turned a corner and was out of her sight.

Then she went to bed, for a night of tossing and turning and thoughts of Draco Malfoy.

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

Draco was standing at the same exact place at the exact time he had been the night before. He was waiting for her. He didn't know whether she would show up. They hadn't decided upon it or anything. He hadn't seen her at all during that day as it had been a Saturday but he thought he would try his luck and appear at the same place at the same time and hope for her appearance.

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.

He heard a step behind him and turned quickly. Granger was there, in her pyjamas and an old robe covering them. Her hair was no longer straightened but frizzy and he was pretty sure she had made no attempt to tame it. He, on the other hand, had spent the best part of thirty minutes staring in the mirror, arranging certain strands into better places.

Not for her, of course. Or so he thought, anyway.

"Well," she said and he could sense by her voice that she was much calmer than the night before, "Fancy seeing you here."

"Yeah," he said, "Amazing coincidence, eh?"

They both exchanged looks and sat on the same step they had before. There was a silence and then, when Granger couldn't take it much more, she asked, "So, how was your day?"

Draco proceeded to tell her of his day, including many sarcastic remarks mocking Goyle, Crabbe and Pansy. He enjoyed it when she laughed. It was so good to be able to talk to someone and have them understand. To look in her face and see some sign of comprehension. Normally, when he looked at his mates' faces, it was like looking at a blank sheet.

When he returned her question, she seemed uncomfortable. "Er," she said, squirming, "fine."

"You don't trust me," he said, catching on quickly. "That's all right."

"I, er, don't want to give you any more stuff to tease us with," she said quietly.

"Okay." He turned away from her to think for a minute. What was he doing there? What was he doing talking to Granger? His father would kill him. Why was he there, talking to little Miss Prefect when he could be in bed, sleeping or doing something more worthwhile? For Merlin's sake, the girl didn't even trust him. What was the point?

"Malfoy," she asked, "why haven't we ever got along?"

"Different houses," he said casually.

"Different friends, more like. I don't understand how you can stick that Pansy cow."

"Better than Potter or Weasley."

She sighed and Draco was very surprised when he heard her say, "It must be great to be in Slytherin."

"Where'd you come up with that one?"

"Well, you can be bad, can't you and nobody will say a thing because it's expected. But everyone in Gryffindor is so innocent."

"And you're not?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"I have a dark side!" she yelled defensively.

"Oh yeah?"

"Well, I'm meeting up with you, aren't I?"

He considered her for a minute then he shrugged, "True."

Actually he had noted the darker side in Granger before. She definitely had some Slytherin attributes anyway. Like when she had captured that journalism woman (Rita Skitter wasn't it? Draco couldn't remember) in a jar as a beetle and blackmailed her or when she had led Umbridge into the forest, fooling them all, knowing full well of the danger she was bringing Umbridge to.

"I hope this isn't the time I'm supposed to tell you I have a light side," he said with a delicate snort, "because I don't."

"Well," she said in the same tone she had used earlier, "you're meeting up with me, aren't you?"

Again he considered her for a minute then he shrugged, "True."

He watched as she smirked triumphantly, her lips curving upwards. For a strange dizzy minute, he wondered what it would be like to kiss Hermione Granger.

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

"Hermione," Harry said, "you've been so bloody distant in the last two days. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered, almost dreamily.

Truthfully, she was thinking about Malfoy. The last two nights had been great, just talking to him, even if only for an hour. They sat at the end of the main stairs on that same step, talking. When he thought she wasn't looking, he stared at her and when he looked away, she stared at him.

What was happening to her?

She had purposefully dressed down yesterday just to prove to herself that she didn't care, that she was just doing her night time Prefect rounds (even know they were supposed to be done much earlier) and that she didn't care about Malfoy at all. But her feet had wandered towards that step of their own accord and when she had seen him there, she had been glad.

Now she was wondering whether she had the time to use a Straightening Charm on her hair before dinner.

She was turning into a git; there was no doubt about it. But for some odd reason, Hermione didn't mind.

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

They were talking about teachers. Draco had thought perhaps it was a risky subject but after they had discussed their days (Granger expanded a little more than before, telling him what Weasley had ate for dinner) Draco felt a new subject was desirable.

It was clear that Draco and Granger did not share the same liking for the same teachers. Draco argued that Snape was a very clever teacher and that his punishments were both fair and justified while Hermione told him strongly that McGonagall was the best teacher to ever been born and that she, perhaps, knew more about Transfiguration than anyone else in the world.

They never raised their voices and Draco noticed that difference between this little squabble than from previous fights. Draco wouldn't admit it to himself but he appreciated the change.

Finally, after one long (and probably the most intelligent either had ever encountered) debate, the two finally settled. Draco admitted that McGonagall did deserve a little respect and Granger weakly said that sometimes the Gryffindors deserve some of Snape's punishments.

She smiled over at him after the debate and Draco was once again looking at her lips. What would it be like to kiss Hermione Granger, he thought again. That one thought had been plaguing his thoughts for the last twenty-four hours.

With one swift movement, his own lips advanced upon hers to kiss her. He felt the jolt of surprise electrocute through her and her whole body bristled.

"Malfoy," she muttered as she sharply backed away from him, "what are you doing?"

He looked at her flushed face then felt a jab of anger. What did she think? Was she that clueless? He was Draco Malfoy. She should be honoured.

He turned and purposefully strode away from her back to his room. He didn't look back over his shoulder but he knew she hadn't moved from the step until he had left, as he didn't hear her light footsteps.

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

She looked over at him all through dinner but Malfoy didn't once even glance in her direction.

Why did she have to over react? She groaned inwardly. Yes, it had been too quick for her to catch on but why did she have to seem so angry with him? She was the one who had been wondering at that very moment what it would have been like to kiss him? And the when he had, she had backed off harshly. Where was the logic in that?

Hermione Granger was one frustrated girl.

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

Draco could feel her eyes on him all day, even when she was not present. He was sitting in the Slytherin Common room, blissfully unaware as to what Pansy and the others were discussing until he heard her name.

"-that bushy haired Hermione Granger girl-" Pansy said bitchily in the middle of a sentence that Draco did not hear.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"I was just saying how Granger obviously loves Potter," she said with a nasty air, "and he obviously still loves Chang!"

"Potter and Granger?" Draco said, wrinkling his noise. The thought made his stomach feel odd.

"I say her, Potter and Weasley have threesomes every night!" Blaise Zabini said, forever dirty.

"But she's so ugly, with that frizzy hair-"

"And she's so annoying smart-"

"And them chipmunk teeth-"

"And she's always yelling for no reason-"

"And that blotchy skin!"

"And she's always studying in the library!"

"Guys," Draco shouted, "will you just shut up? Get over it. It's only Granger. Stop going on about her!"

All the girls and Crabbe and Goyle froze, staring at him.

Draco let out a roar of frustration. It was that time, the time they had previously met at for the last two nights, and he was in a very bad mood.

"I have a headache," he said sourly. "I'm going to bed."

He marched off, leaving Pansy to storm, "What's with him these days? Lately he's been all smiley and nice and now he's back to being a cranky old grandfather!"

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

Hermione waited on the step for an hour past the designated time. Then she sighed, her shoulders low, defeated.

She wiped one lone tear from her face with her sleeve and retreated back to the common rooms, with a heavy weight in her chest.

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

Draco hadn't been at the step that night before and he had no evidence she had been so he really didn't know why he was at the step at the same time, waiting for her to come.

After an hour and a bit he left, with a noticeable frown on his troubled face.

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

Hermione was lying in her bed, her face tilted to the ceiling, her eyes wide open. She hadn't seen Draco Malfoy for two days now apart from brief glimpses of him in classes… and she missed him.

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

Hermione looked in the mirror. She had spent the last hour getting ready. She knew she probably would only receive an isolated night on the stairs but she wanted to see if he would turn up. And if he did, she wanted to look nice.

There was something like a dull ache in her chest making her feel distinctly miserable. Sometimes she was all right and then she'd want to see him badly.

She would wait on the stairs for him.

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

He was going to try again tonight. He should have gone the first night. Merlin knows if she had been there or not. Draco hoped she was. Hoped she had to endure what he was enduring. And yet, he also hoped if she had stayed there, that she hadn't waited long, that she hadn't been too cold on the stairs.

They both looked at their watches then looked up to see each other. Draco's face cracked into a smile that he couldn't hide no matter how he tried while her face showed obvious relief. They both stepped closer to each other and Draco began in an apologetic tone, "Look, about that kiss the other night-"

He didn't finish because Granger had thrown herself upon him, capturing his lips with her own and kissing him with a mite he had not expected from any Gryffindor. He put his arms around her somewhat protectively and kissed her back. It felt so right kissing her. They fit together perfectly. He was happy, happier than he had been in so long.

He didn't know how long they stayed in that embrace nor did he care.

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

The next night, they both sat on the step with her head on his chest, his arms around her, his face resting in her hair.

"Can I call you Draco?" she asked.

Draco, smilingly, answered, "Of course, Hermione."

"I never said you could call me Hermione," she said in a relaxed tone, snuggling closer to him.

"Excuse me," he said in a mockingly polite voice. "May I?"

"Of course, Draco," she replied, laughing.

"It's so late," he said suddenly, glancing at the watch decorating her thin wrist. "Aren't you tired?"

"I'm so tired," she said, "but I still can't sleep."

"You can't sleep?"

"No. I don't know why."

He brushed his fingers through her hair. It was the first really intimate thing either of them had shared and he wanted to help her.

"Maybe if you sang me a lullaby…" she said, laughing.

"I can't sing."

"Pansy always goes on about how you can sing," Hermione said. "Go on, Draco. Please."

"I will if we make a deal," he offered.

She, expecting something awful or cheeky, replied somewhat cautiously, "What deal?"

"I'll sing," he said with a chuckle, "but you have to tell me about your days from now on."

"That's all?" She looked up into his eyes.

"You have to trust me." His voice had an odd hushed quality to it.

Everything was moving so fast for Hermione. She was confused. Her feelings towards Draco had altered so quickly that it was a little hard to comprehend. But she didn't hesitate in her reply.

"Deal."

He coughed jokingly to clear his voice and warned her that she had to live through the lullaby now that she had asked for it without any complaints. Then he sang, the only lullaby he knew:

"Rock a bye Baby

On the er … tree top

When the winds blows

The Cradle will rock

And when the er… cot breaks

The Cradle will fall

And down will come Baby

Cradle and all."

He finished laughing. She joined in.

"I told you I couldn't sing," he told her.

"That was definitely unusually anyway."

"So… your day?" he asked.

She filled him in. She told him of how Ron and Ginny had had a fight and how Ginny had cast a spell on Ron so he couldn't taste his food at dinner and how he had almost cried. She told him of how Harry just wouldn't do his homework and how she just didn't understand why not.

That night, as Hermione lay down to sleep, Draco's voice filled her head, singing his little lullaby.

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

She woke up the following morning, refreshed and new, after what had been a most beautiful non-interrupted night's sleep.

That was when she began to fear that she was falling in love with Draco Malfoy

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

They met up every night over the coming months. They met on the stairs, on that very step where everything had started. Sometimes they stayed there and sometimes they walked around the school. There was always the risk of getting caught but that made neither of them hesitate.

When the nights began to warm and Spring became close, they sometimes walked out in the Hogwarts Grounds. She loved walking along with him, sometimes staring at the stars while they talked and shared things they had never told anyone else.

It occurred to both Hermione and Draco that they both desperately had needed a friend. Draco's friends did not have the brains to understand him while Hermione's friends were too busy for her. Harry and Ron were such good close friends that Hermione sometimes felt that she didn't belong among them. Ginny's was too young and naïve to talk to and Lavender and the rest of the girls in her year were just too silly.

They shared about their families and friends and days and dreams. Together they discussed Hogwarts and how the school could be improved. She discussed House elf rights and he listened although he did seem uncomfortable about it and Hermione knew he didn't agree with her totally. She began to think of him as her best friend and he definitely considered her as his.

When they saw each other in the day, they exchanged secret smiles and when Pansy, Goyle and Crabbe and Harry, Ron and occasionally Neville had their fights, the two joined in heartily, addressing each other in rude terms and laughing about it later.

He never called her a Mudblood though and for that she was glad.

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

It was the day of Hermione's birthday and she was excited about meeting up with Draco. He had told her he was getting her something and yet when she pleaded with him to tell her what it was, he had said, "Hermione, I can tell you anything. Things I've never told anyone or even confessed to myself. But I won't tell you that."

Harry gave her a book, which he knew she had been trying to buy and collect for ages now. Hermione hoped she had time to read because with her studies and her ever wandering mind, full of thoughts of Draco, she had a lot to be doing and not enough time to do it. Ron gave her a fancy notepad and pen that had a photo of the three of them charmed to the cover and had the inscription, "The Golden Trio", written at the end of every page.

Late that night, she appeared of the stairs. He was here, waiting for her with his arms folded and a tall white envelop in his hand.

"Is that a present I see?" she quipped.

He turned to face her, smiling. He then offered her the envelope and she accepted it, feeling its smooth cover with her slim hands.

"Just open it," he grinned. "It's not a bomb."

She tore off the top and heard him say "I hope you like it" before taking a slip of newspaper and reading it. Then she looked up at Draco, shocked.

On the paper, it said:

"By Order of the Master of the Malfoy Manor, Mr Draco Malfoy, all of the current house elves residing in the Manor were freed and taken back into employment but only if the House Elves wished. The 453 House Elves are now to be paid £2 an hour and the elves are to be treated with, as Malfoy says himself, "suitable respect".

Draco Malfoy and his Mother are now the only residents of Malfoy Manor. Lucius Malfoy, a renowned Death Eater, was killed in the Last Dark Battle and Draco made himself Master of the house. Although he shares his father good looks, he does not follow his ways.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, member of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot has been fighting for House Elf rights for the last two years now. Apart from this occasion, the Malfoys have never shown any support.

But Draco Malfoy, 17, seems to have different views to his father. In a brief and exclusive interview with the Daily Prophet, he said, "House elves have been taken advantage of for many years now and I think it's time that this comes to an end, as my Headmaster also believes. They are not mere servants but creatures and they should be treated with compassion and respect."

The Malfoys, although they have been associated with the Dark Arts many times, are a very respectable Pure-Blood family and it is rumoured that many of the Malfoy's neighbouring pure-blood families may follow this brave and compassionate example."

"Draco!" she exclaimed. She jumped into his arms, capturing him in a strong and meaningful hug. "Thank you so much! You honestly couldn't have given me anything better!"

She knew how much trouble he must have gone to. He must have had to firstly get around his mother and then he must have had to deal with all the House elves, which, Hermione admitted, must have been a very difficult task. The wages for the House Elves would not come cheap either because of the amount of them. She was very pleased at what he had done.

"I didn't want to get you jewellery or anything because I knew you wouldn't wear it. I got you this though."

It was a blood red rose, so vivid in colour that Hermione was almost scared to touch it for a second.

"It won't ever die. It's real but it's ever lasting." Draco smiled. "Like us."

Her eyes watered and she gave him a wobbly smile.

"It's just a token," he said, apparently horrified at her tears.

"You really are a good person, I hope you know that. I know you don't think so but you are. I think I-"

"I'm only what you've made me," he said.

"Thank you," she said.

"No, thank you." He kissed her suddenly with every thing he possessed and when he was finished, he whispered, "Happy Birthday."

"It's the best Birthday I ever had."

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

A couple of days later, a Spring Yule Ball was announced to be happening on the 12th April.

"I know we can't go together," Draco said. "I know you want to keep us a secret until after Hogwarts. But it'll be hard."

"We'll meet up afterwards," Hermione told him, "and we'll have our own dance."

Draco brightened considerably.

She knew Draco would see her at the dance and made a point to look as nice as she could. She enrolled in Ginny's help as with all the other girls. At the last ball makeover she had been hesitant, only agreeing to some of their beauty tips and advice but now she let them do the works.

Her robe was a gown of gold shimmer. It was like liquid through her fingers and it caught the light in an eye-catching way. Her hair, also tinted with gold, was in beautiful curls which Lavender, a Muggleborn, styled the Muggle way to give it the more "natural" look.

Ginny coated her eyelashes in mascara, leaving them long and curly. She also applied black eyeliner and Hermione found, when she looked in the mirror, dark mysterious sexy brown eyes looking back at her. Ginny applied fair foundation to her skin, hiding any blemishes and freckles and then applied a light dust of powder. Her lips were then smothered with Ginny's special lipstick, leaving them slightly golden and shiny.

At the end, Hermione felt like she was shining with a golden light.

She thanked the girls heartily.

Ron had asked her to go with him while Harry was going with Cho Chang. Cho and him had finally made friends and had agreed to give it another go. Ginny was sulking and Harry kept looking at Ginny and then Cho with a conflicted expression when they were both near him.

Ron arrived outside of the girl's room. Although he couldn't enter, he waited patiently outside. When the girls finally appeared, Ron didn't ignore Hermione this time. He didn't even glance at Lavender or any of the other girls. No, he had his eyes on Hermione and he immediately started complimenting her.

Hermione appreciated the irony of the situation but apart from that, she didn't get much pleasure out of Ron's attention. She had Draco's now. She didn't need Ron's.

When she entered, she couldn't see Draco. Slightly disappointed, she accepted Ron in his offer for a dance and spent the next couple of minutes avoiding his clumsy gigantic feet from stamping on her own.

She saw Harry approaching them, with Cho on this arm looking pretty although her dress was not very flattering on her quite broad figure. Harry looked slightly odd in his black robes. His glasses were slightly titled and his smile was a little fake. Cho was scowling.

Just as Harry was approaching them, Hermione saw a silver head in the crowd. She turned properly and saw Draco, leaning against the punch table with his arms folded, obviously watching the whole dance with Ron and her. His grey blue eyes were burning and he was smirking slightly.

Then Harry caught her attention and she turned to look at him. When she turned back in Draco's direction, he was gone. Harry's kept smiling and then, when Cho turned to a Ravenclaw sixth year, he whispered in Ron's ear, "Mate, Cho's gone mental jealous about Ginny" before returning back to his bright fake smile and leading the grumpy looking Cho away, stirring her well clear of Ginny's table.

Ron turned back to her, grinning and opened his mouth to ask her-

"Weasley, I think someone's dropped a sickle on the floor. If you're lucky, you can find it." He butted in front of Ron and took Hermione's hand.

"Granger?" he said as if surprised.

"What is it you want, Malfoy?" she said in a convincingly testy voice.

"Oh nothing… a dance, maybe?"

"No way!" Ron yelled. "Go away, Malfoy!"

"It's okay, Ron," Hermione said, her eyes bright with surpressed laughter at Ron's outraged face. "Just… go find Lavender, would you?"

The last thing she saw was Ron's face going steadily purple before Draco whisked her away.

They danced so well together. Everything around them whirled and Hermione and Draco laughed as if in their own little world. Everybody was staring… but they didn't care.

Suddenly a hand clenched around Draco's throat. Hermione gave a strange squeal of fright as she saw Ron's furious face. Suddenly nothing was funny anymore. Everybody was quiet. There was no music anymore. Everybody was staring, hostile and afraid as Ron began to strangle Draco.

Draco couldn't stop him. Draco was probably stronger but Ron had an iron grip on his throat and Draco wasn't even facing him. Hermione watched, transfixed and horrified as Draco began to become weaker.

"RON! What are you doing? L-let go!"

Harry ran up to Ron, breaking everybody out of their trance. What followed was a confused jumble of events. Everything happened like flashes of lightening, too fast and confusing to make sense of. Hermione was only aware of the loud drumming in her ear as she heard Draco gasp. Her heart thumped madly in her chest as Harry tugged at Ron. She felt sickeningly dizzy as she looked at Ron's unbelievably alien face that Hermione had never seen before.

People were helping Harry get Ron off Draco now. Draco was kicking and fighting but in his current position, there was nothing he could do that would be halfway useful. Finally in a long withdrawn second that seemed like years to poor Hermione, Draco was freed from Ron's robotic grip.

There was a shocked silence in which Draco gasped for his breath. Ron seemed to come to grips with what he had just done. He looked at his hands then up and Hermione and –

WHAM!

Hermione slapped him so hard that his face was snapped to the side. She was furious and shocked and she raised her hand again to wallop him once again across the face.

Draco reached there first. He slammed his fist into Ron's face and Ron fell over with the force.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hermione shouted Ron once her inkling of satisfaction after Draco had hit Ron was over. "You bloody idiot! You could have killed him!"

"Oh yeah because p-poor Malfoy! He hasn't ever hurt anyone! I know!" Ron staggered and gave Hermione the impression that he was a bit drunk. "I know about y-you and him. Meeting up with, I mean, in, the corridors, kissing and… you're s-sick, Hermione!"

There was a pause and then Ginny cried, "WHAT?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're right, I am with Draco Malfoy!" she exclaimed loudly for them all to hear.

"And I'm with Hermione Granger!" he yelled, "and I'm damn proud of it!"

Their secret was out. Everybody was looking at Hermione and Draco like they had two heads each. Hermione grasped onto Draco's hand and faced her former friends and enemies fiercely. She wasn't scared.

She didn't know what would happen now.

She was with Draco. That was all that mattered. She loved him and he loved her.

They could face everything together.

They would face anything together.

And they could definitely face this together.

She gripped on to his hand and felt his squeeze hers.

And she smiled.

This was formally only a one shot but has no advanced on to a story. So, carry on! :-)