Save Me

Hermione took her usual seat at the back of Potions just as Professor Snape came striding into the room. He wore his usual sneer. Tossing an angry glance at the Gryffindors, he gave out instructions.

"Today, all pairs will get together around separate cauldrons and make me a sample of the potion you are all reporting on. If it is a strong potion, like that of Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger, please dilute it. This exercise will be carried out for the entire session of class. That is all," he told them. The class hurriedly separated into their pairs and began looking up recipes and pulling out ingredients.

'Why today? Why do we have to work together today? I'm not ready to face Draco today! You couldn't have waited until next class, eh Snape? Damn it!' Hermione thought as she reluctantly got up and walked over to the cauldron Draco had picked. She picked up the book he had brought to the cauldron and began scanning the ingredients. She knew the entire potion off by heart but knew it was best to play along that she was new to it.

"I'll go get the powdered Bicorn horn and the Boomslang skin," she told Draco quickly. He shot her a look of thanks and she headed for Snape's desk.

"Sir, Draco and I need some powdered Bicorn horn and Boomslang skin for our potion," she told the professor. Snape looked at Hermione with a nasty look on his face.

"Very well Ms. Granger. But take only what you need and return the rest to my cupboard," he said, handing her the key to the cupboard. She marched over and unlocked the cupboard. She took out the two bottles needed and relocked the cupboard. She walked back to the cauldron her and Draco were sharing and measured out the portions they needed for each ingredient and added the powdered Bicorn horn.

"Do you want me to shred the Boomslang skin, or will you do it?" Draco asked her.

"I will when I get back," she told him. She headed for the cupboard again and replaced the ingredients, locking the cupboard back up. She returned the key to Snape and went to shred the Boomslang skin. The rest of Potions class ended without much incident, except for when Neville added too much knotgrass to his potion and it gave off a very foul odour for about ten minutes. Harry and Ron excused themselves from lunch, as they had a Quidditch practice to attend. Hermione skipped lunch too and headed for the library instead. She took her usual table at the back and began searching through one of her books for more information on her Potions assignment. She was startled by a small tap on her shoulder. She looked behind her and found Draco standing there.

"Do you mind if I sit with you so I can work on our Potions assignment some?" he asked her quietly. Hermione shook her head and Draco took the seat across from her. She pushed some of her notes across the table to him, their hands brushing each other's. They both looked at each other and both quickly turned away, Hermione blushing. They spent the entire lunch period copying each other's notes and every so often asking a question about the notes, or about how to present their report. Finally the bell rang to warn the students of the following classes. Hermione stood up and began gathering up her notes. As she bent over, the necklace fell out of her robes. She did not notice, but Draco did. He smiled, knowing there was still hope with her.

"Well, thank you for your help Hermione. We should get together tomorrow at lunch to do a little more research. See you later then," Draco said. Hermione nodded as he turned and left.

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That evening Hermione grabbed a book off her bedside table and took a seat in a chair by the fire. She curled up and began to read. Ron and Harry walked up, their Potions assignment tucked under their arms.

"What are you reading?" Ron asked her. She held up the book a little so they could see the title.

"Hogwarts: A History again!?! Don't you already know the entire book, front to back?" he continued. Hermione looked up from her book.

"This is the newest edition Ron! There is new information in here that is not in my copy at home. And even if it was, I have every right to read the same book more than once!" she snapped at him. Ron gave her a hurt look and sat down on the floor next to the table in front of the fire. Harry patted Ron on the shoulder and joined him on the floor. Harry and Ron worked on their project for hours, finally giving up just before eleven o'clock.

"Are you going to bed soon Hermione?" Harry asked, as he and Ron packed up their notes.

"Yes, I just want to finish this. I only have another chapter to go through," she told them. They bid each other good night and Harry and Ron headed to their room. Hermione finished her chapter but wasn't yet tired enough to go to bed. She took a risk and left the common room without the protection of an Invisibility Cloak. She walked and walked until her legs carried her to the Divination tower. She whispered the password and entered the portrait hole. She climbed the stairs to the roof of the tower where she and Draco spent many enjoyable hours together. She fingered the necklace, remembering the past she had with him. She walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down. She continued to finger the necklace and think about Draco well into the night. Around two in the morning she did not hear the portrait hole open. She did not hear the footsteps follow the stairs up to the roof, nor did she hear the gasp when the visitor saw Hermione sitting on the edge of the roof. She didn't budge from her seat until the sun began to peek over the horizon. She got up and headed for the Gryffindor common room, not noticing a figure pushed deep into the shadows of the passageway and she did not notice the cloak the stranger had draped over her shoulders in the middle of the night as she dozed on the tower's edge.

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Draco walked into Potions and took his usual seat next to Harry and Ron. He didn't mind sitting with them as long as they didn't talk to him. But he wished Hermione was there, too. Draco was shaken out of his thoughts as Professor Snape began to talk to the class.

"Today, all pairs will get together around separate cauldrons and make me a sample of the potion you are all reporting on. If it is a strong potion, like that of Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger, please dilute it. This exercise will be carried out for the entire session of class. That is all," he told the class. Draco approached the nearest cauldron and began adding the first few ingredients. Hermione soon joined him. She picked up his textbook and began scanning it. She informed him she would get the ingredients they needed from Snape. When she left, Draco raised his textbook to his face and gave it a small sniff. It smelled of old paper, with the faintest hint of strawberries. He smirked and put the book down, continuing with the adding of the ingredients. Hermione came back with two bottles. She measured out the first ingredient and added it then measured the second one. He wanted to say something to her, anything.

"Do you want me to shred the Boomslang skin, or will you do it?" he asked her.

'Shit! Why the hell did I have to say that? Couldn't come up with anything more charming Draco? Nice one, now she'll think I'm the world's biggest idiot. Well, she already thinks I'm that, but it'll be worse now! Wonderful!!!' he yelled at himself within his head.

"I will when I get back," she answered him. Draco spent the rest of the class in a daze. Neville's potions problems had nothing to do with it, as far as he knew anyways. When Snape dismissed the class for lunch, Draco watched as Hermione quickly packed up her books and walked over to Harry and Ron. After a small discussion with the two, she left the classroom alone. Draco grabbed his books and notes and hurried after her. He followed her from a far distance. He followed her to the Gryffindor common room. He hid behind a suit of armour until she left the safety of the common room, where she led him to the library. He ducked behind a bookcase for several minutes, pretending to be interested in the books in front of him as he watched her. He gathered up his courage and approached her. He tapped her on the shoulder and asked if her could join her to work on their Potion assignment. She agreed and he took the seat across from her. His stomach was in knots, filled with butterflies, as they shared the table, as he copied some of her notes. He occasionally glanced up at her, in hopes that she was looking back at him, but he never caught her. When the bell rang for the next classes, Hermione jumped up and gathered her books. He watched her. He noticed something silver slip out of the neck of her robes. He recognized it was his necklace. He smiled slightly, hoping she didn't notice. He decided to make the first move. He stood up and thanked her. He walked away, his insides screaming at him to go back and apologize to her for hours on end. But he fought the voice and left the library without looking back.

Draco paced his bedroom nervously.

'She was wearing my necklace! She was wearing it!! WOW! I mean, I wasn't actually expecting her to read the letter, let alone keep the necklace and wear it! Oh, I miss her so much! I just wish I could make it up to her. I will though. I will tell my father I love her and then I will make it up to her for the rest of my life.'

"I love her," he said aloud.

"Who do you love?" Draco spun around to find Crabbe and Goyle standing just inside the doorway. 'DAMN IT!' he cursed himself as he searched for an answer.

"I, uh, love, um......it's none of your business! Why were you eavesdropping?" he yelled at them.

"We weren't eavesdropping, Draco. We came to get our Potions assignment stuff to work on it. We walked in to hear you say you loved someone," Goyle told him. Draco made an 'Oh!' face and sat down on his bed. Crabbe and Goyle grabbed their books and left the room. Draco lay down on his back and looked at his canopy for hours. He slowly fell asleep. He woke up suddenly and found the room to be dark and cold. He glanced around at the surrounding beds and saw they were all filled with sleeping figures. He grabbed his cloak and left the common room. He walked up to the roof of the Divination tower. He whispered the password to the portrait and slinked through the portrait hole. He climbed the remaining stairs and let out a small gasp when he saw someone sitting on the edge of the tower roof. He crept up to the figure quickly and quietly, afraid to disturb them. He found it to be Hermione and instantly felt at ease. She was resting peacefully, her head against the wall. He took off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. He crept back to the stairs and stood there, admiring his sleeping beauty. He stood there for many hours, just looking at her, thinking about her, wanting so bad to just rush over to her and hug her. As the sun began to rise, casting shadows over the tower roof, Hermione began to stir. He took a few steps down and pressed himself into the shadows of the stairway. As she walked by, Draco held his breath, hoping she didn't catch him. He waited a long time before he moved from his hiding place in the shadows. He began his walk to the Slytherin common room slowly, mulling over what had happened. It never occurred to him that Hermione still had his cloak.

Hermione walked to her common room, not realizing she was wearing Draco's cloak. She entered her room and was greeted by the soft snoring of Lavender and Pavarti. Hermione sighed and climbed into bed, not bothering to change. She was exhausted and just wanted another hour or two of sleep before she had to be up to get ready for another day. She was shaken so violently, she thought her head was going to fall off.

"What the hell do you want Lavender?" she demanded, wishing her two hours of sleep hadn't felt like two minutes.

"Um, well, I thought you'd like to know you're wearing a Slytherin cloak Hermione," Lavender said, pointing to the Slytherin crest on the cloak. Hermione snorted.

"Why would I be wearing a........Slytherin cloak?" she asked as she looked down at the crest. Hermione gasped when she saw it.

'How did I get this? Wait! I was up on the tower roof. I must have fallen asleep. But why did someone give me their cloak? Unless it was Draco, but still. Why would Draco give me his cloak? Oh right, he told me he still loves me. He must have come up when I was sleeping and left it with me so I wouldn't be cold. Oh, damn him!' Hermione thought to herself.

"Well thank you for letting me know before I left the bedroom with it on," Hermione told Lavender. Lavender nodded and headed for the bathroom. Hermione quickly unfastened the cloak and placed it in her trunk. She then gathered her bathroom supplies and left to take her shower. She returned to her room half an hour later feeling refreshed and clean again. She changed quickly and ran her brush through her hair. She ran down to the common room to wait for Harry and Ron. After breakfast, the Gryffindors had History of Magic. Hermione had never been so bored in any class in her whole life. She shocked herself when she announced so to Harry and Ron during the lesson.

"This class is so ass-numbingly boring and dull!" she whispered to them. Harry's eyes widened with shock and Ron's mouth fell open. She glanced at them and then realized what she had said.

"What did you just say, Hermione? Am I losing my mind or did you just say this class is boring?" Ron asked her, shocked. Hermione stumbled over her tongue as she tried to come up with an answer.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, would you care to share your secret with the rest of the class? It seems to be most interesting," Professor Binns asked. 'Shit!' Hermione thought.

"Sorry Professor. We were discussing some homework we hadn't finished for another class," Hermione quickly explained. Harry and Ron continued to look at her in shock.

"Very well Ms. Granger, but please save the discussions for after class," the professor told them before continuing with the lesson. Harry scribbled something on a spare piece of parchment he had and slid it towards Hermione.

Are you feeling okay? You just said class was boring AND you just lied to Professor Binns.

Hermione rolled her eyes and scribbled back 'No, I'm fine. Now pay attention' then proceeded to ignore them both for the remainder of the class. After class, Hermione packed her notes into her bag quickly and fled the classroom. She ran to the Gryffindor She put her bag on her bed and went to her trunk. She quickly slid out the Slytherin cloak and took a small sniff common room and up the stairs to her bedroom. Her nose was greeted with the familiar, baby powdery scent of Draco. She smiled brightly as she kept her nose hidden within the cloak. She stood like this for ten minutes before finally giving up and packing it back into her trunk. She grabbed her bag off her bed and ran to her Arithmancy class. Inside, she took her seat at the same table as Draco, not bothering to look at him in the face. As the professor gave out a few instructions, Hermione jotted something on a piece of parchment and slid it quietly to Draco.

I think I may have your cloak. Do you want me to return it tonight or tomorrow at lunch? Draco thought her question over a moment and wrote a short reply.

Keep it; I don't need it as much as you do. Hermione looked at Draco in disbelief. She put the piece of parchment away and paid attention to the rest of her lesson.

Again that evening, Hermione sat in front of the fire. She sat there until every last student had headed up to bed. Once she was sure it was safe, she ran up to her room, grabbed Draco's cloak and fastened it around her neck. She left the common room and headed up to the Divination tower. She stopped on the landing just underneath the Divination classroom. She gave the password to the portrait and proceeded up the remaining stairs to the roof of the tower. Once on the roof, she sat in the exact same place she had sat the night before. She hoped Draco would come up again that night. She hoped he'd stay with her. She stayed awake for many hours, fighting sleep. She was about to doze off when she heard the faint, familiar creak of the portrait hole opening. She turned around and saw Draco walking up the stairs. She got up and rushed over to him. He held her tight. They stayed in each other embrace for many minutes, perhaps hours. No words were spoken, nothing but silence. As the sun again began to rise, Draco looked into Hermione's eyes, placed a tender kiss on her lips and finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said clearly. Hermione bit her lip. She opened her mouth to say something, but Draco put his finger over her mouth. He waited a moment to take it off. When he did, he kissed her again and then turned and left. She felt tears flood her eyes. She dropped her head and looked at the tower floor where she saw a small piece of parchment, folded in two. She picked it up and clutched it. Walking towards the portrait and exiting the tower roof, Hermione felt a sudden rush of warmth and happiness surround her. She knew she was supposed to be angry and Draco, but she loved him too much to stay angry with him. She made a decision on her way to Gryffindor tower. She made the decision to tell Draco that he didn't need to tell his father to win her back. He already had.

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Draco spent the afternoon, going over an imaginary note he would give Hermione. He kept re-writing it, always saying the same thing, but always in a different way. He finally decided on the way he'd write it and raced to the Slytherin common room after Arithmancy. He wrote his letter quickly, not wanting to forget a single word. He finished and decided he's deliver it to her himself, as long as she showed up on the tower roof again that night. He paced his room all evening, not even leaving to eat dinner. He waited until his roommates began coming in for the evening. He then took his pacing to the Slytherin common room. He paced and paced, until the moon was high in the sky. He ran back to his room and grabbed his second cloak and the letter. He fastened the cloak and held the letter tightly in his fist. He ran to the tower and up the stairs. He stopped outside the portrait hole a moment to catch his breath. He gave the password and entered. He walked up the stairs, quickly and effortlessly. He saw Hermione get up and run to him. All of a sudden, he forgot about the note. He forgot she was angry with him. He forgot everything that mattered for those moments he held her on the tower roof, because he had all he wanted right there in his arms. He held her for what seemed like days. He saw the sun rising and decided it was time to go. He gave her a kiss, the first kiss they'd shared in weeks and he loved every second of it. When their lips touched, a million shivers raced throughout Draco's entire body. And then, he said what she'd deserved for so long.

"I'm sorry." She opened her mouth to protest, or perhaps to forgive him. He never found out because he stopped her. He kissed her again and left the tower roof. He kept walking until he reached the Slytherin common room. Once inside, he collapsed next to the door and began sobbing uncontrollably. He sat there and cried for a long time. He only stopped when he began to sense movement in the dorm rooms. He quickly wiped his eyes. It was only then that he realized he hadn't given the letter to Hermione. He searched all his pockets several times, hoping he would find it. He had to explain a few things before he gave it to her. Giving up, he knew he'd dropped it somewhere, his words to Hermione lost forever.

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Lucius Malfoy sat down at the Malfoy Manor breakfast table, a letter in his hand. Narcissa Malfoy looked at her husband, then glanced at the letter, which was now tightly gripped, almost in anger.

"What's that dear?" Narcissa asked him, not taking her eyes from the letter.

"What? Oh, this.....This is a letter from Draco. All he wrote was that he asks me to come to Hogwarts right away. It was marked urgent," Lucius shared with his wife. She wrinkled her nose.

"What could possibly be so urgent?" she asked him. Lucius gave a small shrug of his shoulders, absentmindedly.

"Who knows?" he said.

'I know,' a voice within Lucius began to speak to him, 'The boy is about to reveal to us. Reveal to us where his loyalties lie, that he is to become a Death Eater!' Lucius gave his head a bit of a shake and the voice stopped. He stood up from the table.

"Well, I'd better be off now. I have some other important business to attend to this afternoon." Lucius straightened his robes, gave his wife a small kiss on the cheek and then left the room.

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Draco walked through the castle hallways, anxious for his father's arrival. It was breakfast at Hogwarts and most of the students were in their common rooms or in the Great Hall. Draco thought this was the best time to tell his father. He knew how Lucius would take his news. Draco stopped walking just outside the Great Hall. He had turned the corner to find Professor Dumbledore talking with Draco's father. Dumbledore sensed another person's presence and turned around, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"Ah! Young Mr. Malfoy! Your father is here to see you. He tells me you sent him an owl," Dumbledore said. Draco nodded.

"Yes Professor, I did. I asked my father to come meet me here. I have something important to talk to him about," Draco explained.

"Very well!" Dumbledore replied. The twinkle in his eye dimmed only slightly as he left the father and son to their important matters. Once Dumbledore was out of hearing range, Lucius turned to Draco.

"What is so important that I had to rearrange my meetings for today just to accommodate your matters?" Lucius asked him. Draco cringed slightly at all the trouble Lucius had gone through to get here. Draco's heart began to beat madly against his chest, his palms were sweaty, his mouth dry. He'd never been so nervous to talk to his father before. Draco took a deep breath and spoke.

"Father, I've given this a great deal of thought. It's been on my mind day and night. I've also given a great deal of thought to how I would tell you this. Father, I.....I....." Draco couldn't finish. He knew the worst was yet to come. Lucius looked at Draco with a nasty glare.

"Finish what you have to say son!" Lucius hissed. Draco looked down at the ground for a moment, regaining his composure. He took another deep breath to continue. He heard the Great Hall door creak open, but ignored it.

"Father, I've found someone I love very much. She and I have been in love for over a month now. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She's everything I could wish for, and more!"

Lucius gritted his teeth and asked quite sharply, "And who might this lovely young lady be?" Draco hesitated a moment.

"Hermoanygringer," Draco said so fast even he didn't quite understand. Lucius gave him a puzzled look.

"Her name again please, Draco," Lucius asked. Draco froze, then whispered, "Hermione Granger." Lucius looked as if he'd just been slapped across the face. Surely he had misunderstood Draco.

"Ms. Granger?" Lucius repeated. Draco nodded.

"What could you possibly want with that filthy little Mudblood?!"

"DON'T EVER CALL HERMIONE A MUDBLOOD AGAIN!" Draco screamed. Lucius' eyes widened with shock.

"Draco, keep your voice down! You're making an unnecessary scene!" Lucius commanded. Draco just looked at his father.

"You're not getting a scene! You're getting a bloody Broadway musical!" Draco shouted. Lucius had had enough. He took a step towards Draco, reaching for his wand as he walked.

"YOU, my dear son, will NEVER disobey me again! You WILL forget about this silly little school crush! You WILL come home with me right this moment! You WILL follow after me and become a Death Eater, a proud follower of Lord Voldemort, on your NEXT birthday. And you WILL NOT, I repeat WILL NOT see, speak to, talk to or think about your perfect little Hermione Granger EVER AGAIN!" Lucius told Draco, just below a shout. Lucius raised his wand and pointed it at Draco.

"CRUCIO!" Lucius shouted. Draco began screaming, falling to the floor.

"STOP!" a voice shouted from behind them. Lucius spun around, breaking his curse on Draco in the process. Draco crawled into the nearest classroom.

"YOU!" Lucius shouted at the intruder. Both people had their wands raised, ready to attack.

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Hermione shuffled her way to the Gryffindor common room, tears streaming down her face. She flopped down on a chair and stayed there for a few moments, just staring into the dark fireplace. The fire had died down and now there was nothing but faintly glowing embers. Hermione sighed as she hoisted herself up. She took her time climbing the stairs to her dorm room. Inside, she unfastened the cloak from around her neck. She hugged it close, breathing in its scent, then placed it carefully inside her trunk. She retrieved a new set of clothes from her dresser, grabbed her bathroom accessories and headed off to take a nice, long, relaxing bath. Once she finished, she returned to her room. There she replaced her things then headed to the common room where she awaited Harry and Ron. She didn't wait long however. They came down the stairs just as she found a comfortable position in her chair. They bid each other their good mornings as Harry and Ron joined Hermione in front of the now blazing fire. They made small talk about the previous day's lessons, the homework, today's lessons, their Potions assignment and their plans for the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. About an hour later, the trio left the hustle and bustle of the Gryffindor common room and entered the eerily quiet Hogwarts corridors. They walked quickly and quietly, giving off only the occasional heavy footfall and the billowing of their robes. They entered the Great Hall and took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table. They each piled their plates with eggs, sausages, bacon, toast, waffles and fruit. They munched happily on their breakfasts in a contented silence.

"Well, we'd best be off to Defence Against the Dark Arts class," Hermione mentioned as she bit into her last strawberry. Ron and Harry were about to start their second game of wizard's chess. The boys packed up their game and the three headed for the Great Hall doors. Once outside, they saw Lucius Malfoy and Draco, arguing. Hermione didn't want to be seen but was rooted on the spot. They listened as Draco and his father argued over........Hermione. Hermione heard Draco tell his father about his relationship with Hermione. She heard him profess his love for her.

"Holy poo on toast!" she heard Ron react to hearing Draco say he loved Hermione. She heard Harry shush Ron and she swore she heard Ron mumble something like "I don't give a flying fart in space if they hear me or not!" Hermione drew her full attention back to Lucius and Draco. Draco had just defended her when his father called her a Mudblood. Hermione felt tears sting her eyes, but she only blinked them back as she continued to watch and listen. She heard Lucius command Draco to never see her again, to become a Death Eater. And then, he did it.

"CRUCIO!" Lucius shouted. Hermione watched in horror as Draco lay suffering on the ground. She'd had enough.

"STOP!" she screamed. She felt Harry and Ron inch towards the empty classroom to their right. Hermione pulled out her wand.

"YOU!" Lucius shouted at her. Lucius and Hermione raised their wands.

"Impedimenta!" Lucius shouted, aiming his wand at Harry and Ron. Both boys froze like ice statues. Hermione panicked slightly.

"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled, her wand pointed at Lucius. Lucius fell backwards, a confused sort of look on his face. They both stood there a moment, then Lucius usual nasty sneer returned.

"You're not strong enough to take on an experienced wizard like me, Mudblood!" Lucius growled as he backed Hermione into a corner.

"Now you'll pay! You'll pay for continuously evading death! You'll pay for slowing Lord Voldemort's attempts at returning to full power! You'll pay for casting a spell on my son and making him believe you two are in love! You'll pay for being a Mudblood!" Lucius raised his wand and pointed it at Hermione's heart.

"AVADA....." but Lucius stopped short.

"SILENCIO!" was yelled from behind Lucius. Lucius could no longer speak. He whipped around to find Draco standing there with Harry and Ron, all three of their wands were pointed at Lucius. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were rushing down the hall, followed very closely by Madam Pomfrey.

"I told you never to call her a Mudblood again!" Draco said before being whisked into the classroom, with Harry and Ron, by McGonagall.

"Incarcerous!" Dumbledore said. Ropes came out of nowhere and tied up Lucius.

"Ms. Granger, please join Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey in the classroom," Dumbledore asked her, "I will see that Mr. Malfoy is properly taken care of." Hermione slid past the professor and Lucius and into the room. She was greeted by a group hug from Harry and Ron.

"I'm so glad you two are all right!" she told them, breaking the embrace. Ron blushed furiously.

"Oh, it was nothing Hermione," Harry told her. "We couldn't have done it without Malfoy, I mean Draco." Harry and Ron stepped aside to reveal Draco sitting in a chair. He got up carefully and Hermione walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear before she buried her face in the shoulder of his robes. He pulled her closer, tighter.

"No, thank you," he told her as they stood there, rocking each other.

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Draco watched as Hermione got off her bed and thanked Madam Pomfrey. Sliding over to his bed and sitting down on the edge, Hermione looked deep into Draco's eyes.

"I love you," she whispered. He pulled her closer to his face and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, too," he said. She smiled and gently squeezed his hand.

"Draco, that night, up on the tower, when you apologized, you dropped a note. I picked it up, but I haven't read it. What did it say?" she asked him. Draco closed his eyes a moment and thought back to the note. He remembered exactly what he'd written. He'd remembered it all, down to the dotted i's and crossed t's. He'd been avoiding it, thinking Hermione knew nothing about the letter.

"You weren't really supposed to find it the way you did. I wrote it, explaining a few things, mainly that I was going to be telling my father about us. I apologized in the letter, told you I loved you no matter what happened. And I was telling the truth. No matter what happens, I will always love you. You mean everything to me. I'm so glad he didn't get the chance to hurt you today," he confessed. Hermione bit her lip as tears began to flood her eyes. She squeezed his hand even tighter.

"It was you who stopped your father, Draco. You proved your love immensely to me today. You told your father about us, and that was enough for me. But, when you defended me to your father, that was honourable. When you saved me from your father, that was pure love. Nothing can break that." Draco looked into Hermione eyes, taking in all her beauty. She wiped her tears away and leaned in, placing a tender kiss on his cheek.

"I'll be back at lunch," she told him. He watched as she left the room. He smiled and settled into his bed for a nap. Hermione went to Draco at lunch, and then again at supper. She stayed with him until Madam Pomfrey kicked her out at curfew. She reluctantly left for Gryffindor tower. Hermione waited until everyone had gone to bed. She slipped out of the common room and ran quietly to the Divination tower. She gave the portrait the password and slipped inside. She climbed the stairs slowly, wishing it were easier to sneak into the hospital wing. She wanted to visit Draco some more. She closed her eyes and let the cool spring breeze hit her face. She came to the roof and opened her eyes. She was shocked to find someone already there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked them.

"Just admiring the view, the breeze," was the response.

"Draco?" she asked again. The person turned around to reveal their face. Hermione was greeted with Draco's smiling face.

"But, what....how?" Hermione stammered.

"Shhh!" Draco said, "I snuck out." He patted the ground next to him. Hermione sat down and curled up to him. They held each other as they waited for the sun to rise once again.