Chapter 5

Sunlight spilled through the window, illuminating a mop of blonde hair. It moved, as Draco turned over, waking up. He stretched out, yawning. Suddenly he felt the fluffy bed, warm quilt, many pillows behind his head…

He sat up, the blankets spilling off his body, and he looked around. Beside him, was the bed she had set up for him, also made and neat. Draco rubbed his face, and then looked down, slightly confused when he saw that he was wearing only his boxers. He slid his legs out the quilt, and walked into the bathroom, looking at himself. 

His hair was quite a mess, and as he looked closer it looked like someone had run their fingers through it numerous times. He rubbed his hand over it, messing it up more.

"What on earth…" He muttered and went through his routine that she had set out for him, with a few written instructions. Draco finished, and turned his head slightly, and froze. Something purple was on his neck. He reached up gingerly, brushing his finger across it.

The thing didn't technically hurt, it was just sensitive. He turned in a circle and saw two more. One under his left ear, and one on his shoulder. He was even more confused. That was where Hermione had been sleeping last night….

He quickly left the room, but thought for a moment, before grabbing a pair of shorts. He pulled them on, and tied them, while putting on some deodorant. He had no clue what this was, why they were sensitive. Where in the name of Merlin they had come from.

He then walked out of the room and found his way back to the kitchen. He found Hermione standing with her back to him, kneeling on the floor. He walked closer and saw her playing with the dogs. She seemed to have bought some form of chew toy. He examined her slightly and smiled. 

Hermione was wearing a pair of leggings, which he noted fit very nicely, and a hoodie. He tilted his head.

"I recognize that hoodie." He said out loud. She startled, dropping the toy, and jumping up, and he noticed a faint blush had spread over her cheeks.

"Oh!! You're awake!! I- This hoodie? Oh, yeah, it's yours…It's the one you were wearing in your lab when the explosion happened. I collected it once the fires were out as it wasn't harmed…Uh- You can have it back-" She made to pull it off, but he grabbed onto the hood, pulling it back down.

"Don't worry, Hermione. You can keep it." Draco responded with a small smile, and he then said, "So…Uh, what are these?"

He motioned to the three marks on his neck and shoulder. Her eyes widened, and her hands shot to her mouth, "Oh…. My god…That actually happened-"

He looked confused, "What actually happened?"

"Draco…Those- those are love-bites…Hickeys…." She mumbled.

Draco tilted, "I don't know what that is…"

She face-palmed, "It means I bit you. I bit you when I kissed your neck!"

His eyes widened, and he slowly touched it, "Then why does it-"

She shook her head, "I don't know, ok? It's a romantic gesture. Here. If we go out today, I have makeup I can put on this one-" Touching the one below his ear, and she pulled her hand back when he twitched, "Sorry, I forgot how extremely sensitive they are…"

Draco sighed, "Alright. I was just confused."

"Uh... You aren't mad?" Hermione asked, tilting her head.

"What reason did you give me to be mad at you?" He asked with a smile.

"I uh…" She looked so confused; it was adorable.

Then Draco did something and he didn't know why. He walked towards her, until she backed into the counter, his hips blocking her in, "Now, it is only fair that you gave me three…So why not let me give you three?"

He tilted her head up, bending his own, and his lips pressed into the sensitive skin behind her ear, and he bit down sucking slightly. He heard her grunt, and suddenly her hands grabbed into his hair. He smiled, and kissed her deeper in the spot, before pulling away.

"Hmm…Maybe I should just leave you like that, one big one…?" Stepping away. She looked pale, shocked, panting slightly. "Yeah... That's all."

"You just…"

"Gave you a hickey against your kitchen counter? Yes. I did. Get used to it." Draco said slyly.

"Oh my-"

He smirked, and then smiled, "Don't be so shocked, you started it…" And then he walked off, back towards their shared room, leaving a very shocked and breathless Hermione behind him. He didn't know what he had just done…But he had loved it.

He walked into their bedroom- Draco froze for a moment, shaking his head. Her bedroom. Not theirs.

He walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He changed the size and color, pulling them on, before walking over and grabbing the flipflops she had put by his bed. Draco stopped, and looked down at his forearm, as he pulled the hoodie back off, staring at a strange mark. It was black, slightly faded, the color that instantly put someone into a foul mood. He felt a sense of dread fill him as he reached out and brushed his fingers over it. The skull at the top, had its mouth open, as a horrid looking serpent slid from it, down his forearm, curling and twisting, and then coming to a stop at the bottom, fangs bared, hissing in silence.

Draco swallowed and felt slightly sickened when he noticed that it moved, just slightly, little head flicks, the tongue sliding in and out. One thing he noticed, was the dull burning as he examined it. 

He then walked out the room, in another pair of sweatpants, wearing flipflops, the hoodie around his neck. Any sense of his flirty mood gone, as he found her on the couch.

"Hermione...?" He asked quietly, as she looked up, and her eyes locked onto his forearm. "What's this...?"

She didn't answer, swallowing heavily, staring at it. He saw the fear in her eyes.

"It's called a dark mark, Draco." Her voice was tight, strained.

He drew closer, and saw her move away slightly, "It's a symbol burnt into the arms of Voldemort's followers.... A symbol of their leader..."

As she talked, suddenly Draco wasn't in the room, but he was 15, in a dark mansion, kneeling, his shirt torn off, as a man, a horrid man controlled his body, with one of the sticks, a wand. A bald man approached, hissing, wearing a cloak. Draco heard himself begging to stop, begging for them to let him go back to his room, cursing his parents. A 15-year-old being doomed to hell. 

A wand was brought forwards and stabbed into his arm, as he screamed, and a horrid black tattoo began burning into his skin. A blonde man with long hair holding him down, a woman beside him, controlling his body with a wand, the horrifying snake-like man laughing as the spell continued.

He snapped out the memory, and found himself flat on his back, cold wood underneath him. It wasn't a dark scary room. He was panting heavily, shaking a bit. Then his sight came into focus, followed by his hearing.

"Draco!? Draco answer me!! Draco??" He heard faintly, and then he blinked a bit, moving his head and he saw her face come into focus. She seemed to be kneeling over him, holding his shoulders.

"What...?" He murmured drowsily, as she got him to sit up, holding onto him.

"You just seized up and collapsed, but your eyes were open, just until a few seconds ago and then they closed. What happened?" She asked, and he could hear the concern etched into her voice. He suddenly felt the ache in his back and head from collapsing.

"I just...I remembered a moment from...When I was 15....I- I was kneeling in this dark mansion, and this man with long blonde hair was holding me down, a woman with blonde hair had me under a spell so I couldn't move.... This...This weird, snake-like man had one of those wands and stabbed it into my arm...I was screaming to be let go, make it stop.... Then...." HE slowly looked down at his arm, "That thing was burnt into my skin..."

Her eyes widened slightly, "You remembered the day you got your dark mark.... You knew how old you were? Anything else?"

He shook his head, "But I did scream about letting me go back to my room.... And the word Mum...Numerous times...And I heard some crazed laughing and giggling, like...like someone was laughing, "Drakey's getting marked.... Drakey's getting' marked..." He murmured.

Hermione had to hold his head up, as he grew more and more exhausted. "Let's get you a potion to help wake you up...." And she gently laid him back down He heard her walk away, and then walk back, lifting his head once more.

He felt a cold glass bottle pressed to his lips as she slowly made him down a good portion of a reviving potion. He swallowed it and felt energy flood his body, as he opened his eyes again. He saw her smile of relief.

"This is good. You got a memory and have retained it long enough to tell me what you saw. And... I just need you to know that your memories...Aren't going to be very happy..." Hermione explained as he sat up on his own. She helped him pull on his hoodie, so he was warmer. And he looked at her, moving slightly, before reaching out awkwardly, and embracing her at a distance. 

She chuckled and reached towards him, and pulled him from his knees, down onto his side so he was strewn across her lap. She held him there, and sighed, "The memories you get are from your past. You got redeemed by the Wizengamot and-"

"What's the Wizengamot?" He interrupted.

"It's like a muggle justice system, just-"

"What's a muggle?"

"Uh, It's a non-magic person. The Wizengamot-"

"So, it's a version of the regular people justice-"

"Draco, let me finish."

"Fine..."

"All of your actions have been excused, as you were just a kid...Your just like every other worker at the ministry.... Just, the newer ones survived a war."

His eyes went downcast, as she held him, "I shouldn't be here..."

"What...?" She asked quietly, confused.

"How many people died in the war?" Draco said in a stern voice.

"Almost every single person on the dark side...Only two escaped. You and your mother...." She explained, "Many of them have been sent to Azkaban, the wizarding prison. Your mother was detained and proven guilty, killed on the spot. You, however, were on the brink of insanity, and proven innocent. St. Mungo's helped for a while, and you settled in a job at the ministry...I didn't know about this until I asked Harry, the boy who you saw when you woke up? He's an auror. Kind of like a police officer."

Draco nodded a bit, and then got up, standing. He wiped his face, obviously wanting a change of subject, "What's for breakfast?"

"I was going to take you to a coffee shop in the village near your house." She responded, as she pulled on a wooly hat and some winter boots. He smiled.

"Ok, I'm good in flipflops." Draco walked towards the door, as she grabbed her bag, rushing to catch up with him. She grabbed a small vile of creamy stuff, taking his hand, making him stop.

"Here, tilt your head," she instructed him, and he did. She squeezed a bit of the ointment onto a soft plush thing and patted it on below his ear and neck. "That covers the hickeys." Fixing her one as well.

"They aren't exactly positively looked at in public." She said, shoving the stuff into her bag.

He held the door open and watched as she ran down the sidewalk to the car, and he smiled, noticing that he liked how normal it felt to see her in his hoodie, rushing out the house so they could go get a coffee and croissants. 

He sighed as he closed the door, and followed her, opening the car door and getting in, as she had to reach out and strap him in, as he had forgotten that was a thing. Hermione wondered if Draco had ever known cars had seatbelts, but didn't comment, as she started the car and reversed out the driveway, driving down the road.

The drive was quiet, but the silence settled around them was comfortable. Hermione's mind, however, was loud as ever. He remembered getting his dark mark, and she wondered how soon more memories would come back. She reached into her purse, pulling out her phone and handed it to Draco.

"I need you to make a call." She instructed, keeping her eyes on the road.

"A... call?" He asked, looking at the black box with a colorful case that she had thrust into his hands.

"Yes. A call. Swipe up on the screen, and type Crookshanks, with a capital C." She continued, waiting. It took him almost seven minutes to figure out how to swipe the screen, and she had to hide her smile.

"Ok, look for a green square with a white phone on it. When you find that, tap it with your finger," she said as she turned a street corner.

Draco struggled with it, and then found the app, pressing it, "Woah- a bunch of stuff appeared!!!"

She smiled, "Yeah? Ok, find a box at the top that says 'search'."

This was amusing to her, sitting here as a wizard tried to figure out a phone.

"Oh! Found it."

"Ok, good job. Now, the keyboard that appeared, can you type 'Harry Potter'?" She asked, as she got onto the highway, speeding up.

"Uh...Mhm. Done." He said, and then asked, "Do I click the tab that says his name?"

She nodded, and then said, "Yes, once it opens, click the line of numbers."

He did and the phone started buzzing, "It's angry!!"

Hermione laughed at the fear in his eyes, "No, it's calling him. Press the button that has the word 'speaker'." He did so, and then she could hear the call, as Harry answered.

"Hey, Hermione." The phone buzzed at his voice filtered through. Draco stared at it with wide eyes, as Hermione smiled.

"Hey, Harry. So, news to help Mungo's and the Aurors. He got a memory back, not a good one. He found the dark mark on his arm and came out the bedroom asking what it was. I explained only a little bit, and suddenly his body seized up and he collapsed. He got the memory back from the day he received his mark. I'm taking him out for coffee, he's holding the phone. Just tell Mungo's that he managed to retain a memory now." Hermione explained, as she turned on her blinker, pulling into a parking lot, as Harry responded.

"Oh, Hi Draco. Ok, grabbing a quill now. And be careful. They let Ron go, as he didn't do anything more than punch someone who has given him reason to attack in the past." Harry explained as well, and Draco gritted his teeth, as Harry sighed, and said, "Alright. I must go. Bye, Mione. Bye, Draco."

The phone beeped as he hung up. Hermione took the phone out of Draco's hands, instructing him to get out the car. Draco struggled with the seatbelt, and as he tried to open the car door, he fell out of the car, hitting the concrete, his ankle caught in the seatbelt strap.

"Uh…... Are you ok?" He heard Hermione ask, as he turned over, managing to disentangle himself and scramble up.

"I'm fine!!" He called, and he closed the door, and quickly followed her into the restaurant.

She smiled slightly as he followed, rolling her eyes and muttering, "What am I going to do with you…"

A voice whispered in her ear, "I don't know, but I want to find out…" And she jumped a few inches, looking at Draco's smirk.

"Don't do that!!! You are so sly!!" She snapped, slapping his arm as he snickered and laughed.

She was blushing, "You can't say things like that in public!!"

He smirked wider, standing behind her, and she felt his hand close around her waist, pulling her close against his waist.

"Draco!!!" She yanked away, blushing more.

He laughed again as she approached the desk, and smiled, "Hi, can I get two croissants, a pumpkin spice latte, two shots of espresso with that, and a mocha Frappuccino, two shots with that as well?"

The lady raised an eyebrow at her, at the amount of energy she was adding into their drinks, "Alright…Anything else?"

Draco glanced around, and mumbled, "Could I have the pumpkin spice muffin as well…?"

She smiled, and turned to the waitress, "And a pumpkin spice muffin."

The woman behind the counter looked down and finished the order, obviously hating her job, and said, "A'ight, totals £13.00."

Hermione obliged and gave her a few notes before she walked over to a two-person loveseat and sat down. Draco sat beside her, stretching out his long legs. Hermione looked him up and down quickly, before smiling to herself and looking down. She noticed a newspaper under the table, and grinned. A wizarding paper, hidden by magic.

Hermione picked it up and got closer to Draco.

"Hey, look at this. It's called the Daily Prophet and-"

"Hermione, why am I on a newspaper...?" He asked, opening it fully.

Her eyes widened, her mouth opening slightly, "Oh no..."

Draco pulled his knees up and used them as a table, as they read the news story.

INFAMOUS VILLAIN ALIVE!?!?

On September 1st, not even two days ago, many witnesses claimed to have seen infamous villain, Draco Malfoy, freely walking in Newlington Park. An anonymous bystander claimed that he approached a woman, and grabbed her, taking her from the park.

This woman was later revealed to be a defenseless Hermione Granger, our beloved war heroine!! Her boyfriend, Ron Weasley, came in to speak to the Prophet about the incident.

"He just grabbed her!" He states firmly, obviously furious, "And drags her from the park!! He must have cast a muddling spell, as she was even calling him by the name Adam."

Weasley also stated that even a muggle woman attempted to stop this kidnapping, who apparently got in his way, and barely missed by a few seconds or he would have cursed her.

Miss Granger has not been seen by any authorities since the incident, although she was spotted inside the ministry just yesterday, once again accompanied by Mr. Malfoy.

"That boy is dangerous!!" States a worker at St. Mungos, who had to deal with him after he almost destroyed part of the Ministry of Magic's Potions department.

"He even grabbed onto my arm at one point!! He was so angry and vicious as he snarled to be left alone..."

Be wary if you see this man and send your prayers that he doesn't harm Miss Granger and that she gets out of this safe and unharmed.

Draco looked at Hermione, his eyes wide, "People think I... Kidnapped you...?"

She tried to explain, and then he said, "Infamous villain!? Freely walking...? Wh... Wh-"

He looked so hurt and confused, "Let's get the coffee and just get out of here...."

Before Hermione could explain, he got up as their order got called, and he grabbed it, quickly leaving the diner, and stalking out to the car. A bad mood? She didn't need him in a bad mood. Not today.

She sighed and thanked the waitress, before following him out. He was sulking in the car. She opened the door and slid in, buckling her seatbelt, and closing the door, before turning towards him.

"Oi. What was that?" She asked, folding her arms.

"What was what?" He asked, not looking at her.

"You! Having a hissy fit. What was that?"

He folded his arms and glared at her, "Shut up!"

Her eyes widened, and her face hardened into a scowl, "You don't tell me to shut up. You shut yourself up, because- because when we get home you're going straight to your room!!!" She decided to play this like a parent angry at her kid. "And no sweets!! Until you can learn that you can't just throw a tantrum!"

She snatched the muffin and other treats away from him, putting them in her lap.

Draco looked furious, and folded his arms again, "You're not my mum!!"

"Oh yeah? I know. Because I saw your mum get killed, so I know for a fact I'm not your mum!! I hate you enough already!! Behave!!" She yelled.

She saw the change in expression like lightning. The anger disappeared, and fear replaced it, along with absolute shock and sadness.

"You....What...?" She realized what she had said, and she gasped.

"Draco, I didn't- no- No I didn't mean that!!" Hermione said gently.

He wiped his face, "Fine. Fine. Just drive home. I don't want to talk to you anymore..."

She placed a hand on his arm, "Draco, please, I was just angry, I didn't-" He ripped his arm away from her.

"Don't touch me.... Just drive home..." He muttered, looking out the window.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy. You look at me right this instant." She said sternly, and he did, slowly, and then dropped his eyes again.

"People get angry- hey." She took his chin in her fingers, tilting it upwards, "People get angry, and they say things they don't mean. Hey, look at me." And he slowly made eye contact with her.

"I do not hate you at all. If I did, you wouldn't be living with me, in my room, eating my food, talking with me. I do care about you. I got angry, and accidentally let it out on you... I'm angry at the daily prophet for printing that story, angry at Ron for telling those lies, angry at people for not accepting that you aren't guilty of anything, and many other things, but not you. Take a deep breath, and when we get home, we can have our treats ok? I might even turn on another muggle movie for you. Sound good?" She asked him, and saw his eyes soften, as he seemed to relax.

"Ok.... Promise?" He asked sheepishly.

"Yes, Draco, I promise." Hermione responded, and the next thing she knew, his lips were on hers, as he had leant forwards slightly. This time, she didn't let the shock win, and smiled.

As he pulled back, Hermione sighed and sat back in her own seat, closing her eyes as she listened to him click the seatbelt. That kiss.... Felt so right.

-____________________________________________________________-

Draco was lounged out on the couch, wearing a pair of sweatpants, having ditched the hoodie when he started sweating. On his chest, Hermione had laid her head, her legs stretched across the rest of the unused couch. His fingers were gently rubbing along her arm, as he watched another one of those muggle movies, she insisted he try. From what he had gathered, it was about some American teen boy, who managed to get himself bitten by some weird spider, and now could stick to things and swing around. It was interesting, but the witch on his chest distracted him for at least half of the movie.

He felt her move and glanced down, to see that she had turned around, facing him now, her cheek pressed against his bare chest, her breath tickling slightly every time she breathed out. Her eyes were closed but he knew better than to assume she was asleep.

Hermione then moved again, and opened her eyes, "I can feel how intensely you are staring at me." She said with a slight smile.

They had spent the morning at home, and she had agreed to finally watch another movie. When this was over, she had told him that they would start some magic. An attempt to trigger memories.

Draco smirked down at her and said, "Good."

She rolled her eyes, and sighed, and he smiled as she nuzzled against him.

"Don't fall asleep Hermione....Mione?" When he didn't get a response, he looked back down at her, looking at her now sleeping face.

"Mione...?" He asked again, before sighing. He moved a bit, getting his arms under her knees, and behind her neck, before picking her up, and standing.

He stretched his legs out, and walked towards the bedroom, having to maneuver around his dogs, who circled his feet, wagging their tails, wanting to play. He shooed them away, as he nudged the door open.

He approached her bed, as she pressed against him, and sleepily mumbled, "Stay...."

He took a deep breath, "No, you need to go back to sleep. And I need to leave the room."

He pulled back the covers with one hand, and let her slide under, as he laid her down. Her hand reached out and grabbed the waistband of his sweatpants, yanking him forwards. He hadn't expected her to do it so hard, and almost fell on her, catching himself by putting his hands either side of her head.

"Hermione. Let go," he said quietly, yet sternly.

Her brown eyes opened.... Milky, beautifully soft brown eyes. "Make me...."

Draco smirked. He took another sharp breath, holding it, as her hand snaked behind his neck, "You shouldn't be doing this...."

"What if I don't care..." Came her sleepy response, as her hand on his sweatpants tightened, and the one around his neck pulled down, as she kissed him. He sighed, letting her, and then pulled back slightly.

"You should go to sleep Hermione...." He tried once again, and he let himself lay down beside her. He let her snuggle up against him, and he looked down at the now sleeping which at his side. 

He remembered her, slightly. A little fiery Gryffindor girl, who always bested him in class, always was right. Always knew the answers. And was always tugging at the back of his mind, making him question everything he had been taught. He remembered little glimpses of an eleven-year-old with bushy hair, a thirteen-year-old who started to grow into her features, a fifteen-year-old who made Draco feel butterflies every time they got close, usually yelling in each other until they were blue in the face. But that was it.

He smiled slightly, wondering if she had ever found him attractive or if she had always just hated him.

Draco then slowly sat up, letting her gently slide onto the pillows, and got off the bed. He dimmed the lights for her and closed her bedroom door. The blonde walked down the hallway, making his way back into her living room, and opened the blinds again, and he walked into the kitchen. The layout wasn't familiar like some stuff was. He knew his way around, but nothing was triggering memories, making him think the first time he had been here was when she had collected him from that hospital.

He heard a chirp, and he glanced towards the massive black owl she had told him was his. He held his arm out, and made a clicking sound with his tongue and a high-pitched sound, and the owl instantly jumped from its perch and fluttered onto his arm. He smiled, not very sure what he had just done, but it felt normal, and it called his pet.

The owl hopped along his arm and nestled into his shoulder, chirping and whistling. Draco wondered how attached he was to the creature, who seemed very affectionate. Had it been sad from his time of neglect towards it? Had he upset his dogs by not playing with them?

He then said outload, "Well, she's asleep. I can spend some time with you guys..." Looking down at his two dogs sitting in front of him, their tails moving as fast as helicopter blades.

He snapped and he was holding two tennis balls. He then looked around for a door, and opened it, seeing a nice and large fenced in back garden.

Wholesome was all he could think of.

"If you two dig a hole, Granger will have my head." He said sternly, and then reached back, chucking the two tennis balls into the yard, Scotch and Severus almost running over each other to get out the door first, barking. Draco grinned and walked outside fully, closing the door, not giving Hermione a second thought, letting her sleep, while he spent time with his pets.

Draco watched as his retrievers as they bolted back towards him, each of them dropping a ball at his feet. He bent down and threw them again, farther than last time, letting them run. He did this over and over as time went past. 

Almost an hour later, his owl having left from his perch on Draco's shoulder to a nearby shaded tree, Draco let himself fall onto his back on the grass, his dogs around him. They sat either side of his head, Severus's abandoned ball a few feet away, as Scotch leant his head over Draco's and promptly dropped his green tennis ball to smack Draco square in the forehead.

"Was that necessary?" He asked as he reached his hand up to rub the golden retriever's head. Scotch just barked in response, and pawed at Draco's shoulder, clearly wanting more playtime.

He sighed, "No, Scotch. I'm tired, buddy."

A paw to the face was the response he got, "You really are a human-like animal, aren't you?"

He stretched out as Severus ran to fetch his ball, and in turn dropped it onto Draco's chest.

"Fiiiiine..." He groaned out, getting up, and he picked up Severus's black ball, and chucked it as hard as he could. He then in turn grabbed Scotch's and threw it the other direction. Both dogs went bolting for their toys, as Draco sighed, wiping sweat off his head. He then brushed off a few dead pieces of grass from his bare chest where I had been dropped off the tennis ball.

He glanced up at Nox as the bird hooted, and he made the same high pitched clicking sound with his tongue to call her down. She fluttered from her perch back to his shoulder.

"I know. It's hot out. I'll get you inside soon. Scotch!! Severus!!" He called the dogs to his side, making them heel and drop their toys.

"It's hot out. Come on." Picking up the toys and vanishing them again, before walking inside. He was sweating and his fringe of blonde hair was matted against his forehead. Draco walked to the kitchen and got a bowl, putting water down for them, and searched a little to find Nox a snack she could have before he set her in her cage to let her rest. He stretched, his muscles flexing, and he yawned, as he retrieved a glass from the cabinet, filling it with ice water as he turned around, leaning on the counter.

He glanced up and froze, staring right into milky brown eyes.

Draco had the glass halfway to his mouth as he saw her, and almost dropped it, his jaw dropping.

Hermione had her hair pulled back into a messy bun, a few stray baby hairs hanging in her face, her tired eyes staring drowsily at him, locking onto his bare chest. She was wearing a sports bra, some tight leggings as her bottoms, and fluffy slippers on her feet. She had no makeup on at all and Draco's only thought was how beautiful she was.

Hermione yawned and mumbled, "Why do you look like you fell in a swimming pool...?"

He couldn't come up with a cohesive sentence as she walked over and just walked right into his arms, hers slipping under his own, hugging him. He was still frozen, and took in a sharp breath, and spoke.

"Uh...Did- did you sleep well?" He asked dumbly as she nodded against his chest.

"I'm still tired but didn't know where you had gone..." Her drowsy response came.

He looked down at her, and smiled slightly, "Hermione, why don't you go and lay back down?"

Hermione sighed against his chest, "Fine…." She pulled away, and he watched as she slowly wandered back from the kitchen.

He spoke gently, "Hermione?" And saw her stop. "Don't be worried…I'll come to bed soon." He wasn't sure why he had said it, but it seemed to make her content, and she walked back to the bedroom, and he heard the door close.

He looked at Scotch who was staring at him, "Don't look at me like that!!"

He kept staring, "Cut it out!! I was just being nice!!"

Scotch tilted his head, "Fine!! Maybe I was being a bit more nice- nicer. Nicer too her."

Scotch whined, "Fine!! Maybe I like her!!"

Scotch barked and wagged his tail, and Draco folded his arms, not looking at him.

Seven minutes later, he was pulling the covers back and laying down beside a fast asleep Hermione Granger, letting himself fall asleep, feeling safe.