"So who's the Head girl?" Zambini asked Malfoy as the two friends waited in the Heads common room to see who Malfoys roommate would be for the year.

"I don't know. She should be here later on. You're not even supposed to be here, man." Draco said. "It's for heads only"

"I'll talk to you later. Lemme know if she's hot."

"Later man."

Once Blaise left, Malfoy was alone in the dormitory sitting across from the warm fire, his school registration forms in front of him.

About ten minutes later he heard the portrait open and a soft voice call out.

"Hello." He heard a girl call from across the room as he watched her set her bag down.

"Hey." He called, causing her to quickly turn in his direction. He was surprised to recognize her face.

"Granger?" he exclaimed.

"Malfoy?" she replied with the same surprise.

"Are you the head girl?" he asked, standing up from the couch

"Yea. Head boy?" she asked in return

"Yea."

"Oh. Well this should be pleasant." She said with a heavy sigh as she grabbed her bag and made her way towards the stairs. A year with Malfoy? Not how she wanted to spend her last year at Hogwarts.

"Hey Granger." She heard him call, turning around to face him.

"Yea?" she asked, waiting for his first insult of the year to be fired.

He looked at her with a stare that she couldn't quite describe.

"You look nice." He nodded towards her.

Hermione stared at him for a moment before she smiled a small smile at him. "Thank you." She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

He held her glance for a moment before sitting back on the couch to finish filling out his class forms.

Chapter Two: I Want To

Classes didn't start for another week and the next morning Hermione and Draco both rose around 9 o'clock.

Hermione stood in her room looking in the mirror. She used a straightening spell for her hair which was now cut to fall to her middle back. She lined her green eyes with liner and grey shadow. She quickly threw on a pair of blue jeans and a tight black tank top before heading downstairs. When she got there, she saw Malfoy already sitting in front of the fire.

She hadn't taken time yesterday to notice but he had changed a lot over the summer. Aside from the compliment he gave her yesterday, he also looked a lot different. His hair was no longer greased back but now hung lightly across his face. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a green hoodie. She also looked at him and noticed that look in his eyes was gone. His eyes always seemed so dark with hate and anger but were now almost silver-grey and emotionless.

When she reached the last step, it creaked slightly and Malfoy turned around to look at her. He didn't say anything for a moment. He just seemed to look at her making Hermione slightly uncomfortable.

Draco noticed how different she looked. Her usual bushy dark brown hair was now almost a dark blonde and straight. She was wearing makeup and she wore tight muggle clothes. He never noticed how attractive she really was. All these years he was to busy being an ass to her, shooting insults and rude remarks whenever he saw her.

"Hello?" she asked, waving a pale hand in front of his view

"Sorry." He said quickly, moving his attention to the burning fire in front of him.

She laughed lightly and sat down beside him. "No worries." She said with a smile.

Draco narrowed his eyes in confusion at her cheerful voice. He looked over at her on the other side of the couch.

"What's this?" he shot at her suddenly, the edge finding its way back into his voice

She flinched slightly before meeting his eyes.

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"What are you doing?" he continued, his eyes dark again with hate.

"…sitting?" she spoke hesitantly, wondering if there was a right answer to this question.

"Yes, sitting. Near me." He explained. She didn't know what happened but it had happened too suddenly for her to fully grasp right now.

She opened her mouth slightly as if to speak but no words seemed right for this moment.

"You're getting this dormitory dirty with your filthy blood. Keep your filth in your room only." He spat.

Draco watched her reaction to his words and he felt an emotion he never felt before. Sadness.

He saw her shoulders relax and her eyes immediately leave his. She looked down for a moment before silently standing up.

"That's it?" he asked, disgusted by her easy surrender.

"What did you want me to do?" she asked, her voice no longer cheerful but sad and hurt.

"I don't know. Something. You're just going to let me say that and not stand up for yourself?" he questioned

She shook her head and stared into his eyes. "I don't have anymore fight in me." She whispered sadly before turning to walk up the stairs.

When she reached the top she heard him call her name and she turned around.

"I'm sorry." He said, avoiding her glance.

"Their always sorry." She said to herself although he heard her just the same.

Hermione walked back into her room and sat on her bed.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." She muttered.

Chapter Three: So Take Me Home. I'd Rather Die Them Be With You

The next day came quickly as Hermione changed clothes and walked downstairs.

"Hey." She heard Draco greet her.

"Hi." She said sadly.

Before Draco could say another word, there was a knock on the portrait leading into their dorm.

They both looked at each other in confusion, wondering who would be there.

Draco walked over to the entrance as Hermione stayed back with curiosity.

"Who is it?" Draco called.

"It's Jason. I'm looking for Hermione." A deep voice said from the other side of the wall.

Draco looked over at Hermione and noticed her eyes glaze over with fear. Her normally green eyes were now a dark emerald.

She shook her head at him urgently to show she didn't want to talk to whoever this Jason guy was.

"Uhh, she's not here right now. Sorry man." He said.

Malfoy heard an aggravated sigh from outside before the man spoke again.

"Hermione, let me in now." He exclaimed, his tone causing Draco's eyes to narrow in slight annoyance.

Hermione's eyes wandered before she walked over to the entrance and let the man inside.

"Who's this guy?" Jason asked when he entered, pointing towards Malfoy.

Before she could answer, Malfoy introduced himself.

"I'm Draco Malfoy. Slytherin." He said.

"Jason Fox. Slytherin." He replied back.

"Well at least I know you're in good hands. With another Slytherin you should be beaten into shape in no time." Jason said to Hermione.

She just smiled briefly before looking at the floor.

Draco stared at her with confusion.

"So are you her boyfriend?" Draco questioned the new kid

"Yea."

"No." she countered, her voice firm. "He's my ex-boyfriend." She corrected.

"Oh." He said awkwardly. "Well ill just let you guys talk alone then."

"There's no need. Jason was just leaving." Her words stopped Draco from leaving the room.

"What? Do you think this guys going to protect you? He's a Slytherin like me. He's not on your side." Jason said, his voice gaining anger by the second as he took a step towards the young girl.

"Now we're getting back together and that's it." He continues, Malfoys presence not at all changing how he acted.

"No, we aren't. Now leave." She said.

"Really, I should leave you two alone to talk." Malfoy said.

"No." Hermione said quickly, wiping her head around to look him in the eye. "Please, don't." the urgency in her voice made him stay.

"Okay." He whispered to her, nodding.

"He isn't going to help you."

"Don't speak for me." Draco remarked, not liking this guy at all.

"Sorry man but I know what Slytherins stand for."

"Just leave, Jason. We're done. Go." She interrupted, pointing towards the portrait.

Before Hermione had time to realize what he was doing, she felt the back of his hand slap her across the face.

"Don't ever tell me what to do you little mudblood." He seethed, stepping closer to the thin girl.

"Hey!" Malfoy exclaimed, not waiting one more moment to intervene.

"Is that what Slytherins stand for?" he asked, stepping between Jason and Hermione and pushing the man back with force.

"Yea, it is." Jason replied, taking another step back towards Hermione when he regained his balance.

"Well I don't stand for that. Now back up." He shot back, standing in front of Hermione.

"What?" the other man asked with confusion. "Why are you standing up for her? From what I hear you hate her."

"Well from what I've seen today, the only one I hate is you. Now back up and get the hell out of here if you have any type of self preservation." Draco said angrily.

"Fine. But we're not done here." Jason said, looking over Malfoys shoulder at Hermione who looked embarrassed.

Jason left the dormitory and Draco and Hermione were left in silence.

"Well then." Draco sighed, moving to sit on the couch.

"Yep." She replied, sitting in the chair that was close to the couch.

Chapter Four: Tonight We Forget Everything

"You sure know how to pick em, don't cha? " Draco shot at her, annoyance in his eyes.

"Sorry about him." She said with embarrassment.

"You should be. Please don't get me involved in your fucked up life okay. You can deal with abusive boyfriends yourself. Don't ask me to stay downstairs with you like a scared little girl."

Okay, now she was getting a bit annoyed.

"You didn't have to do anything. You intervened on your own." She replied.

"Well don't plan on me doing it again, okay? If he wants to hit you let him hit you. You probably deserved it anyways." He exclaimed. The moment those words left his mouth he knew it was wrong. He sounded just like his father.

Hermione actually tensed as his words hit her hard. She lost her will to argue with him. Maybe he was right anyways. "I'm sorry. I won't ask you for help anymore."

"Granger, I-" she cut him off.

"Why do you hate me so much?" she asked, her sudden question catching him off guard.

"Because I'm suppose to." He answered, his voice gentle towards her.

Hermione's pocket suddenly vibrated as her cell phone received a txt message.

"What's that?" Malfoy asked

"It's a muggle thing. It's a telephone but smaller and I can get messages on it." She explained

"Who's it from?" he asked

"Jason. She replied. "He's going to come over again soon so could you just go to your dorm for a bit until he leaves."

Draco laughed with disgust. "Gladly. When you get the mess beaten out of you, try not to be too loud."

Hermione huffed quietly before standing up. "Why do you do that?" she asked him

"Do what?" he stood as well about to go upstairs until the fire passed.

"Deliberately try and hurt me." She explained.

"Because Granger." He said, stepping closer to her, towering over her slightly. "I like it."

Hermione looked away from him, wiping a tear away off her cheek before he could see it. But he did. And it killed him inside.

"Miss me?" a voice called from the other side of the room. They both looked over to see Jason standing there.

"You can go upstairs now Malfoy. I'm not asking for your help." She said softly, blinking back the rest of her tears, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

"Later you two. Have fun." He spat before walking up the stairs.

"Well, well, well. Looks like it's just you and me now, beautiful." Jason grinned, walking closer to her.

Chapter Five: I'll Be Okay. Is That What You Want Me To Say?

"We can date again, okay Jason? If that's what you really want, fine."

He smiled an evil grin at her before he brought his knee up to hit her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground.

"I wasn't asking your permission." He said, grabbing her and pulling her back up before slamming her into a wall.

Draco sat on his bed, listening to every word that was being said downstairs. He heard a slam and he knew Jason was hurting her. But he just sat there. He didn't help her and he tried not to care. But the truth was, he was slowly becoming his father and it was killing him. And even after that realization, he still sat upstairs and listened to his classmate get hurt. Just like he did at home when his mother would get beat.

Jason held Hermione to the wall by her neck, her feet a couple inches from the ground as her hands gripped his on her throat.

"Now if you tell anyone about this, I will make it so much worse, understand?"

"Go to hell." Hermione said, her voice barley audible as she gasped for breath.

"I'll see you there." He said through gritted teeth. He released her and her body fell against the wall and she took a deep breath. A second later Jason crashed his lips against hers forcibly and smiled into the kiss as she refused to kiss him back.

"Bye girlie. I'll see you soon." He said before leaving the common room. Hermione was left alone now slumped against the wall taking a few slow breaths to calm her down.

As much as every punch and beating from Jason hurt her, it was nothing compared to the words she heard next from the top of the stairs. These words hurt her more then she anything she had ever endured.

Chapter Six: You're Like A Black Cat With A Black Back Pack Full Of Fire Works. You're Gonna Burn The City Down Right Now!

"So, you going to let him rape you too or just slap ya around a bit?" Malfoy spat as he walked down the stairs and stood in front of her.

Hermione tried to push herself off the wall and walk upstairs but he blocked her in by stepping as close as he could to her and putting his arms on either side of her face.

"What do you want Malfoy?" she asked, tears now rolling freely down her cheeks, her pretty green eyes dark with pain and fear.

"I want to know why you're so pathetic!" he yelled at her, his face barely inches from hers in the dark room.

"You don't know anything about me!" she yelled back

"I know the only reason he hits you is because you let him"

"Just leave me alone, Draco." She said, using his name for the first time in her life. It made his eyes change momentarily before they turned back to normal.

She tried to move away from him but he stopped her before she could move an inch away from him.

"No." he said, his hands moving to her waist and falling to each side, grasping her hip bones firmly, holding her still. He pulled her against his own body and pushed her back against the wall, his own body against hers, his voice now filled with anger.

"What are you doing?" she whispered in confusion as their lips were almost touching.

He looked down at her and moved one hand from her hip up to her face and held her to him. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her smooth cheek slowly before looking her in the eye.

"He doesn't deserve you." He said through gritted teeth. He gently brushed her bangs to the side of her face before kissing her lips carefully.

The kiss barley lasted 3 seconds before Malfoy pushed away from her.

"You better not tell anyone about that" he said, his voice no longer caring.

"Ok." She whispered, confused at what had just happened.

"I mean it Granger. If anyone found out I kissed a dirty mudblood I would make you regret it." He threatened, his voice making her flinch back.

"You afraid of me now? "he asked in annoyance, mostly at himself.

"Of course not." She said, her voice not entirely convincing.

"Well you should be." He said, shoving her shoulders back roughly, slamming her into the wall.

Hermione didn't react at all to the pain she felt as her back slammed against the cold wall and her shoulders burned from the tight grip he had on them. She just stood there with sad eyes as her body leaned against the concrete walls sadly.

"You want to hit me too? Like every other guy?" she said, her voice calm and broken.

"Yea, actually I do." He shot back, taking one step towards her.

She looked up at him, not knowing how to respond. Before she had time to say anything, he slapped her across the face causing her head to whip to the side violently. He put more feeling into that hit then she ever felt from another guy before. And it scared her.

"Feel better?" she asked, a tear falling down her cheek silently.

"Lots." He grinned as the words escaped him lips. It was a lie. He hated hitting her. He didn't want to be another guy that abused her. But if he didn't, she might tell someone about the kiss. And then he would be in a world of trouble. So he had to. He had to hit her. Make her afraid of him. But he hated it.

"You sound just like him." She whispered, walking over to the couch and sitting in front of the fireplace. She waited for Malfoy to go up to his room or out of the commons but he didn't. Instead, he walked over and sat beside her.

"What now?" she asked, looking up at him as he sat close beside her, their arms brushing against one another. "Want another go?"

"No." he said, his voice full of regret.

"Then what? I said I wouldn't tell anyone about the kiss. It would ruin your reputation, I know." She said, exhausted.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I kissed you, I'm sorry I yelled at you, insulted you, hit you. All of it. I'm sorry." He said, sincerity ringing in his every word.

"Whatever." She said, her eyes now staring into the fire. "It doesn't mean anything because it's just going to happen again."

"I promise you, it will never happen again."

"How can you be like this? Say that Jason doesn't deserve me and then turn around and be exactly like him?" she asked. Her voice had an edge on it and she turned to look into his ice blue eyes.

"I'm nothing like him. I'm not an abuser."

"You're worse. You're a liar." She whispered.

"You know what? No wonder he hits you. You're an annoying little bitch. Just let it go!" he yelled, drawing his wand and pointing it at her.

"What are you going to do, Malfoy?" she asked, her voice soft and sad with exhaustion.

"Marrvle" he uttered, casting his wand at her. A blue spell hit her in the chest but did nothing.

"You're a sad excuse for a wizard." She said, standing up and walking over to him. "What did you just try and do to me?"

"It was a spell that poisons filthy mudbloods like yourself." He replied.

She stared at him with more sadness in her eyes then he had ever seen in another human being. And it hurt him more then he wanted it to.

"What?" he asked, concern inching its way into his voice.

"You tried to poison me?" she asked, tears falling down her cheeks silently.

"It's not like it would've killed you. Just tortured you a little." He said, his actions now fully sinking in. She was right. He had just tried to poison his own classmate and worse then that is, he didn't even care.

"I don't even know what I did." She whispered, crying silently now as she turned and ran out of the common room and into the hall. It was dark as the clock chimed 11 pm but she didn't care.

"Granger, wait." He called, chasing after her. When he got outside to the hall, he was surprised at how much her reaction affected him.

"What the hell do you want, Malfoy?" she asked, throwing her hands up in helplessness. She was sitting on the ground outside the portrait, her back against the cold wall.

He slid down next to her and hid his emotions as best he could.

"Why didn't it work?" he asked, looking at her, tears streaming down her face silently.

"What?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"The spell. Why didn't it work? It's specifically to use on mudbloods."

"Well, that's why then."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

She didn't respond. She simply stood up and walked back into the dorm. He followed to her surprise.

"Hey!" he said, grabbing her wrist roughly and pulling her towards him, stopping her in her tracks.

"Let go of me." She said, attempting to pull her arm away with no luck.

"No!" he seethed, pulling her closer, her chest crashing against his. He continued to hold her wrist tightly, his nails digging into her skin. "No until you tell me what the fuck is going on."

"Why do you care?" she asked, stopping her struggle when she saw it was pointless.

"I don't. I just want to know so that next time I try and hurt you, it works." He lied. Truth was, he was curious about her. No matter how much he tried to hate her, he couldn't. Something about her just kept pulling him back in.

"I'm not a Mudblood, ok!" she exclaimed, pulling her hand away from him, not moving back.

"What do you mean?" he asked with narrow eyes.

"I mean I'm a pureblood. Both my parents are magic." She explained, sitting down in front of the fire, not meeting his hard stare.

"But I saw you with your parents last year at school. They were muggles." He said, sitting down beside her, closer then she expected.

"I'm adopted." She whispered, looking over at him from under her long eyelashes.

"So your real parents are magic but they didn't want you so some other muggles took you in?" he asked.

"Yes, ok? You happy now?" she asked, tears falling from her dark green eyes.

"Why didn't you ever say anything before?" he asked her, brushing his fingers through her hair briefly.

"Cause it's nobodies business. There's a lot you don't know about me, Malfoy." She replied, looking over at him, her eyes glazed with tears.

"Like what?" he asked, forgetting about trying to be an ass to her and letting his true self act.

"Why would I tell you? My secrets just saved me from being poisoned." She shot back, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I really am."

"Just forget about it, ok? It was easier when we just hated each other. You tried to be decent towards me but let's face it. You're not very good at it. So as much as I like being slapped and poisoned, I think we should just go back to hating each other." She said.

"Is that really what you want?" he asked, staring her straight in the eye.

"What I want?" she said in astonishment. "What I want is for you to be that guy I know you can be."

"What guy? You don't even know me." He said, slightly put off.

"You're right. I don't know you. But I know during third year, when I punched you, you didn't hit me back. I know that during the Yule Ball, you went with Pansy but you beat up Krum later that night for how he treated me." She listed, the two now closer to each other on the couch then they ever should be. His arm brushed hers and it chilled her.

"How do you know that was me?" he asked in surprise.

"Because he told me some blonde Slytherin attacked him."

"It's not like that suddenly makes me a good person or something, Granger. I'm still not the type of guy you should be hanging out with. Is that the one thing that really made you think I could be different?" he asked, interested in this new side of her he was witnessing.

"Not just that."

"What else was it then?" he asked, his voice softer then she ever thought it could be.

"You didn't tell anyone you did it. You didn't brag to your friends, you didn't rub it in Krum's face. You just did it when no one was looking and never spoke of it again."

"He deserved it." Draco said with a shrug, trying to act like he could care less.

"That's to be determined but that's not the point."

He cut her off before she could continue. "Oh, come on Granger. I saw what he did to you when no one else did. You came out of that classroom with tears streaming down your face and bruises up your arms and around your neck." He exclaimed, not even trying to hear her deny it. "Don't try and tell me he didn't deserve it. I know what he did to you." He added, his voice full of sympathy that Hermione never knew he could even feel for another person.

"He didn't do anything." She whispered sadly.

"Then what happened in that classroom, Hermione?" he exclaimed. Both of them fell silent as Hermione looked up at him with surprise. She had never heard him call her anything other then Granger or mudblood and when her first name came from his lips, she thought she was going to go into shock.

Draco knew he had let her name slip but he didn't care. This was something he had always wanted to ask her and now he could. He was to far gone to act like he hated her now. It was too late. He already showed her that he cared.

"He tried to but he didn't." she answered after a moments hesitation. She tore her eyes away from his and looked into the fire, holding back tears from the memories.

"Did someone stop him or what?" he asked.

"Yea. Jason." She said, causing Malfoys eyes to widen. He waited for her to continue.

She took a deep breath and tried to keep the shakiness out of her voice. She didn't know why she was telling him any of this but it was too late now.

"Krum dragged me into some classroom and took my wand before I had a chance to do anything. When he was about to.." she trailed off, tears sliding down her cheeks silently. "Jason came in and pulled Krum off and said he was going to get a professor. So Krum ran off and Jason stayed."

"So Jason saved your from being raped?" Draco asked, not completely understanding.

"He saved me from being raped by Krum." She whispered, glancing over at his reaction for a brief second before turning her head away from him.

"What do you –" he trailed off. "Oh." Then it hit him. That seemed more like the Jason Fox he remembered from just a few days ago. He raped the small, beautiful girl beside him and made it look like Krum did it.

"Yea." She replied with a sad shrug. "You beat up the wrong guy." She added, trying to lighten the mood.

Draco smiled at her even though she couldn't see it. He knew what he wanted to know and there was no reason for them to dwell on it anymore. It happened a while ago and he didn't want to make her remember it anymore then he already did. So he took her offering at lightening the mood and added to it.

"It's ok. I know who he is now. And I got all year to find him walking alone somewhere at night." He joked.

"I can't tell if you're joking or not." She said softly with a smile, her tears slowly stopping.

He shook his head in response. "I can't either."

"Can I ask you a question?" she said after a moment of silence passed between the two Heads.

"Sure, why not. I guess I owe ya since you answered mine. What's your question?" he said, his voice quiet as the clock chimed midnight across the room.

"I'm kind of scared to bring it up." She said with sad eyes that were now glued on his.

"Why?"

"Cause I don't feel like getting slapped again." She whispered, looking up at him. They sat perfectly still beside one another and Draco's next move startled her a bit.

He touched her cheek with his cold hand and pushed it back, moving her hair behind her ear to fall down her shoulder. "I wont slap you. I promise." He assured her, his face now inches from Hermione's.

"We don't know each other well enough for me to know how much your promises are worth."

"I guess you just have to trust my word that I'm not going to hurt you." He said withdrawing his hand from her pale skin.

"Why did you kiss me?" she asked in a hushed tone, their faces still mere inches apart.

"Honestly? Because I felt sorry for you." He answered.

"Draco Malfoy felt compassion for someone besides himself? This must be what it feels like when hell is frozen over." She joked with a small smile on her face.

"I'm just as surprised as you are. I've never felt it for anyone before in my whole life." He shrugged, moving back and pressing his back against the couch with exhaustion.

"So you kiss people when you feel bad for them?" she asked.

"I guess so. This is the first time I've ever cared about anyone so I guess kissing's how I react." He laughed softly.

She nodded in response.

"If I hadn't pulled away so quick and gotten mad at you, would you have pushed me away?" he asked in return, looking over at her.

She bit her lip gently as she contemplated his scenario, shaking her head after a moments thought.

"Probably not." She whispered, turning her head back to him.

"Why not? You have a boyfriend, Granger. And you don't seem like the cheating type." He replied.

"I only have a boyfriend because every time I break up with him, he comes back and forces me to date him." She explained.

"Does he know you're a pureblood?" Draco asked.

"No. Nobody knows." She answered with a shrug.

"I know." He said, moving his face closer to hers, his hand touching her chin gently.

"You're the only one." She whispered, their faces inches apart once again.

"I wont tell anyone." He assured her.

"You promise?" she asked, a cute smile playing across her lips.

"The depends. How much are my promises worth to you now?" he grinned, bringing her chin slightly forward, moving her face closer to his discreetly.

"A little more then I ever thought they would be."

"And why is that?" he asked, moving his hand up from her chin to her smooth cheek, running his thumb over her flawless skin.

"Because you didn't slap me when I brought up the kiss." She smiled back at him in the dark room.

"And I won't ever do it again." He promised.

"You wont ever slap me again or you wont ever kiss me again?" she flirted, her green eyes shining bright against the small light of the fire.

"I wont ever slap you again." He emphasized. "Can't promise I'll never kiss you again." He smiled.

"Oh really?" she drawled with a smile. "And why is that?"

"Cause I was thinking about doing it right now." He whispered back, bringing her face closer to his and pressing his lips against hers, kissing her softly for a few seconds before pulling away just barely, his lips still brushing hers when she spoke.

"Are you going to take this one back?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "Never." He answered softly, pressing his lips to hers again, kissing her with more emotion then he had ever felt before. He was glad when she kissed him back passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck. He ran one of his hands through her dark hair, the other pressed against the small of her back, holding her to him protectively.

Review please J