Fidelitas

The weeks following the incident in the dungeon corridor were a hectic blur to Hermione. Between classes, homework and meals, she and Draco snatched every opportunity possible to meet. Hermione had originally been very firm about how much time was to be spent working on their research and how much time could be set aside for more personal pursuits. Unfortunately, all her plans were usually thrown in the dustbin as soon as Draco's arms went around her.

Draco had switched from one extreme to the other. Instead of avoiding her personal space, he now seemed unable to not touch her. If they weren't cuddled up together, he would still have his hand on her arm, her hair, her leg. One day when she sat across from him in the hopes that the table would give her the distance necessary to focus on research, Draco tangled his feet with hers and then lifted one of her legs to his lap. The sensation of his hand gently stroking her ankle had banished all of Hermione's ability to concentrate. Their study session was quickly adjourned to a nearby classroom where they could cuddle uninterrupted.

As much as she was enjoying these new feelings - being cared for and treated as special, attractive, and feminine - Hermione did force herself to at least try to be rational about the situation. When she did, all sorts of thoughts came rushing in, not the least of which was fear that perhaps the whole relationship was simply based on that strange brew that she and Draco had drunk at the start of term. Had they accidentally produced a love potion? Hermione was fairly sure that Snape would have stopped them, as love potions were banned at Hogwarts, but what if the professor hadn't known?

And even when she dismissed that thought, there was another worry: what her friends would say if they knew. If they had problems with Draco now - well, she didn't want to think about it. It felt like she had been at odds with Harry and Ron all year, but their recent truce had begun to lessen the tensions. There was no reason to make everything worse again.

As Draco had pointed out, they couldn't tell anyone anyway because in the newly-undivided-school-wide gossip network would get the news back to the wrong ears before they could stop it. While Draco had decided not to try to ask Collier for information, he still was not ready to take the last leap and publicly change allegiances. Most of the school assumed that he was still enchanted and blamed his socializing with Hermione on the potion.

In the end, though, Hermione had decided that it made little sense to fuss over her relationship with Draco. Whatever it was, or what it was based on, would only become clear over time. And from everything that Draco was saying and doing, it seemed like there would be plenty of time to sort everything out. Draco's affectionate caresses were nothing compared to his kind remarks. Hermione, who had never spent much time on her appearance, was constantly being made to blush as he complimented her every feature. He had a particular soft spot for the fly away, messy hair that Hermione normally tied up. His fingers were forever tangled in its strands, undoing the plaits or buns that she generally wore, while he talked of how much he enjoyed the colour, the feel, and the scent of it. It was very disconcerting sometimes.

The best part of their new closeness, though, was having someone to rely on. She and Draco talked everyday, often spending half an hour curled up in each other's arms recounting their daily adventures in class and out. It was much like her evening chats with Harry and Ron, but there was a sense of being cared for and perhaps even cherished that made these conversations different. Draco was always there to tease her out of a bad mood, or support her in her indignation at some academic error made by a fellow student. Most amazingly, he told her over and over that his time with her was the best part of his day.

Outside of her private life, events were less confusing but just as positive. As the second week of December approached, Hermione was beginning to believe that they were getting closer to being ready to confront Wormtail. The charm she had found to stop a spell from completing was quite complex, but with practice both she and Draco had become more and more capable. The previous weekend, in fact, Draco had managed to interrupt Ron's disarming spell before the other boy had finished saying 'Expelliarmus.'

The other charm, a reversal spell, was not as effective. It didn't seem to have an effect on transfiguration. Though they had tried and tried, spending hours and hours switching beetles to buttons and caterpillars to pipe cleaners, none of the charm's variations could change the objects back. Hermione was afraid that if they left Wormtail partially transformed, it could kill him. Ron rather viciously said that that outcome would suit him fine. However, any change of exonerating Sirius would be lost, as would the information Wormtail knew about Voldemort's plans. Harry and Hermione had convinced Ron to not take that risk, even if it meant putting off the confrontation until they had another solution.

~*~~*~~*~

When the Heads of Houses came around to collect the names of the students staying for the holidays, Hermione, Harry and Ron all signed on as usual. When Hermione told Draco about this, he started to wonder if he could face the idea of going home for the term break. Before he had even had much chance to consider the matter, though, a tersely worded note arrived from Malfoy Manor. His mother wrote that she and Lucius were leaving the country over the holidays for unspecified reasons, and that they felt it would be better if Draco remained at Hogwarts for the break. She wished him a good holiday and promised that his presents would be delivered from wherever she and his father were going to be.

It certainly wasn't the first time that Draco had stayed at the school for the term break, but during the second and fourth year holidays he had been there on Lucius' orders. The first time to watch for any hint of how the Chamber of Secrets was being opened, and then in fourth year to 'socialize' with Durmstrang students. Draco didn't mind that his father wasn't paying much attention to him, nor did the thought of spending holidays away from home bother him. It would postpone the inevitable moment when he would have to stand up and declare himself as being against all that Lucius stood for.

As he spent more time working with Hermione, and by extension with Potter and Weasley, Draco felt his interest in their adventures growing. The research could be deadly dull, however if they didn't do it the consequences would be just plain deadly. It wasn't a situation he had ever been in before and it certainly added some spice to his life. Of course, Potter was still a maniac with a severe death wish at the best of times, but the seriousness of what he was involved in was not lost on Draco. And from Hermione's tales, this was a pretty minor altercation they were going into - no werewolves, giant spiders, basilisks or killer plants. One exchange on the subject was clear in his mind.

Draco had been working in the library with Hermione when Potter had dropped by for some reason. Unlike Weasley, he didn't seem to come around to protect Hermione's virtue, or whatever bizarre notions filled carrot-top's head, but Potter still showed up now and then to chat about the research. The books on the table where he was perched were all advanced potions textbooks. Potter picked up a stained and battered copy of Moste Potente Potions.

"This brings back memories," he murmured, smiling down at Hermione.

Draco looked at the pair curiously. Hermione was blushing slightly while Potter flicked through the book's pages.

"Perhaps you could have written the author and offered to become an additional illustration on how not to use the potion," Potter continued. " 'And this is an example of why the Polyjuice potion is not used for animal transformation.' "

"What is he talking about, Hermione?" Draco asked, watching her face start to match the red of her school tie.

"A bad experience I had in second year," she said, trying to sound dismissive.

"A bad experience with Polyjuice Potion?" He stared at Hermione and then up at Potter. "You were using Polyjuice Potion in second year?"

"Yeah, part of our attempts to find out something about the Chamber of Secrets. Near waste of time," Potter snorted. "Although we did learn some interesting things about ... people."

Draco snorted. "Good grief, I wish I had had half the adventures you three seem to have gone through. I am so jealous of you sometimes," he said, smiling across the table at Hermione.

"Jealous? Of constant danger and near death?" Potter asked, incredulous.

"Well, yes. I mean, you're the most famous person in the country and you're only my age!"

Harry shook his head and stared down at Draco. His expression was a mixture of amusement and sadness.

"Well, maybe you can take over for me. I'm well past being sick of it all. I'd rather be nobody special and live a normal life than have people staring and pointing at me. And the whole part of my life where I'm the main focus of Voldemort's hatred, for some bizarre reason - I'll trade you that one in an instant."

This time it was Draco's turn to shake his head. Potter was such a snot about his situation. Fame was fame, and meant to be enjoyed and used. Admittedly, nearly dying on a yearly basis wasn't such a good way to live, but to whine about everything in his life? It really got up Draco's nose sometimes.

Draco blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. Too many pages of tiny handwriting and smudged ink were really starting to wear on him. Look across the table, he watched Hermione's bright eyes and smiling lips as she chatted with Potter. Her face was lit up with enthusiasm as she tried to explain the possible uses of a potion that seemed very promising.

Small strands of hair had slipped loose from the bun on the top of her head. They danced around her face as she moved, and Draco's fingers twitched as he restrained himself from reaching across the table. He knew Hermione wouldn't appreciate him showing any signs of their closeness in front of Potter. And really, Draco wasn't interested in the black eye or bloody nose Potter was likely to give him when he found out about Draco's relationship with Hermione.

"So do you think this one will work?"

Draco started when Potter addressed him. He looked up blankly, and then realized that Potter was talking about the Evaginarus Elixir that Hermione had found. It was a spell-reversing potion specifically designed for turning transformations back, and it looked very promising. The only flaw in the plan was that brewing it would take almost three weeks and involved several ingredients that student potion kits didn't hold. When Draco had pointed this out to Hermione, she had just smiled at him.

The two expectant faces across the table reminded Draco that he was supposed to be answering Potter's question.

"I do think it will work," he said slowly. "It's designed to 'turn inside out' shape to shape transformations for living beings. Though the description didn't say Animagus, what else could they mean?"

"Alright then," Potter said. "This is our potion. Let's get it ready as soon as we can. We have the whole holiday to work on it. I checked the lists and I know that Collier, Goyle and Crabbe are all staying, so I have a feeling something is up."

~*~~*~~*~

On the first proper day of holidays, Hermione curled around a cup of coffee at the breakfast table. It had been yet another late night in the clearing. They had gone through several of the final stages of the potion, but it meant that the clock read twenty past three when Hermione finally made it into her dorm room.

The secluded spot in the woods had been chosen as their best place for making the potion after Ron had watched Collier sneak into several hiding places and tunnels that they might normally have chosen. Eventually it seemed safer to take the potion right out of the castle. The complicated procedure required to brew the potion had been handed to Hermione and Draco as the ones with real talent in that area. Harry and Ron took over all the surveillance of Collier's and Wormtail's activities.

Their nightly reports were becoming more and more upsetting. Just the night before, they had seen Wormtail inside the castle. Apparently the wizard had finally managed to defeat the wards put on the castle. This only gave Hermione and Draco more incentive to get the potion exactly right.

As she sipped the cooling coffee, Hermione looked across the Great Hall to the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting facing her, wrapped around his coffee mug as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. Hermione grinned as he pushed his fringe out of his eyes and slurped from the mug. Draco sleepy was adorable, she had found out recently. Over the past two weeks, their extremely late nights had left both of them yawning and struggling to stay awake.

Between their homework sessions in the library and potion brewing in woods, Draco had started to insist on a naptime in whatever abandoned classroom they could find. The first evening, Hermione lay curled up with her head against Draco's chest. As she listened to his slow breaths and steady heartbeat, she was sure she would never be able to sleep. But when the insistent bleats of her wake-up charm sounded, Hermione had blinked groggy eyes and realized it had been almost an hour since she'd last checked the time.

It was now one of her favourite parts of the day, snuggling up beside Draco and dozing off. They would chat for a little while until it became too difficult to keep their eyes open. Then, when the alarm would sound, they would slowly wake up. Often, while they were lying there, Hermione would feel Draco's lips in her hair. He would stroke her hair and tell her how lucky he felt. If she woke before he did, there was nothing she liked better than to trace the lines of his face, his neck, his collarbone.

The previous night, they had rested together in the empty Charms classroom, snuggled in a large pile of Professor Flitwick's practice pillows. It was warm and comfortable, and when the alarm had finally chimed Hermione had been tempted to suggest that they stay in the room a while longer. Unfortunately, there was a potion that needed its final portion of newt liver waiting for them in the clearing. If they missed that step, everything would have had to be started again, and that had been even less appealing that venturing out into the chilly night air. She smiled, remembering the scene that had played out:

Shaking Draco's shoulder gently, she whispered his name.

"Mmmmph, what?" he grumbled. "Few more min'ts, jus' a few."

Hermione smiled as his face screwed up and he turned away from her slightly. Falling back on a proven technique, she slid her hands around his back at waist level. He sighed slightly and leaned back against her. Bending her fingers, Hermione began.

"Yeeearrgg!"

Draco was upright before Hermione could blink. The first time she had found out that he was ticklish she had thought he was exaggerating his sensitivity, but over time it became clear that a few finger twitches on his abdomen could send him into convulsions. It was a handy technique for keeping him in line, since even the threat of a touch could make him cringe.

"That was uncalled for," Draco huffed, glaring down at her. "I was waking up."

Hermione looked up at him, biting her lower lip so she wouldn't break out in a grin. "Of course you were, Draco," she replied. "I'm just in a hurry."

She opened her eyes in attempted innocence. His grumpy expression faded to a smile, and Hermione rose to stand beside him. She tucked her arms around his waist again, this time leaning against his chest. Looking up at his sleepy gray eyes and pale face framed by hair that was currently sticking in about seventeen different directions, she felt her breath catch. This boy had become surprisingly important to her in the past month.

Draco leaned down and kissed her forehead. Slowly sliding his arms away from her shoulders, he stepped back.

"Well, if we're in a hurry, I suppose we have to get going," he said, sounding regretful. "There's at least two hours of work to do out there."

Looking across the table now, she saw the same sweet sleepiness in his face. He looked up and caught her gaze. Their eyes locked and the rest of the Great Hall faded from Hermione's awareness. Magic or not, she thought, this is one of the best parts of my life.

~*~~*~~*~

Christmas holidays were almost over by the time the potion was finished. They had brewed a large amount, though the book said they should only require a few tablespoons. They had transfigured various animals and objects and found that all of their spells were reversed. As for whether it would work on an Animagus, it was all a matter of trust. As Ron pointed out, it wasn't as if they could practice on Professor McGonagall.

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room making plans. They knew the entrances that Wormtail was using to get into the castle and had worked out the mostly likely times to intercept his approach. At this point they just needed to come up with the courage to take the final leap before the school filled with students again. And there had been a new development, which was also spurring them along.

"I still can't believe what Dumbledore said," Ron muttered, staring at the row of potion vials on the table. "I really can't believe it. My parents have finally cracked."

"Your parents are doing the right thing," Hermione said. "I think it's wonderful for them to step up and help Draco this way."

"But having him in my house this summer? It's just beyond wrong."

Harry smirked at his friend. "I have to admit I like the thought of us hiding him. Can you see the look on my Aunt and Uncle's faces? 'This is Draco. He's hiding from his evil wizard father. Can he stay with us for the summer?' I think I'd do it just to see Uncle Vernon go right over the edge."

"I don't think that that's going to happen," Hermione pointed out. "Dumbledore is going to be keeping Draco safe at Hogwarts until his father gets put in Azkaban. Then he'll be allowed to leave the castle and go somewhere else safe."

"I don't see why Dumbledore thinks this is all necessary," Ran said. "It's not as if we're putting an advert in the Daily Prophet announcing that Malfoy's switched sides. He's not being a spy or anything. He's just going to keep on not being a Death Eater. Not much of a change."

"But he's not able to go home, Harry," she argued. "If his father decides to force his loyalty and Draco says no, then what happens? Lucius Malfoy is not going to be happy about this and the magics that family can use against each other are truly horrible."

"Besides, Malfoy's a bit important in this new version of the plan, strange as it is to say that," Harry put in. "I don't think that any of us can do the spell freeze as fast as he can. And that way each of us can have one action, so there's less risk. Malfoy will stop the transformation, I'll Stupefy the little rat, and then Ron'll administer the potion. We'll haul him to Dumbledore and it's done."

"Exactly, and when it comes out that he was involved in this plan, then everyone will know. At the very least, Collier will know, and he's going to report it to the Death Eaters." Hermione sat back and smiled, glad that her point was proven. Then she frowned. "Wait a moment, you said that each of us could have an action. I didn't hear my name on the list."

"Well..." Harry and Ron exchanged sheepish looks.

"What did you two do?" Her eyes narrowed.

"It wasn't just us!" Ron cried defensively.

"It wasn't just you," she growled. "Really, so what have you planned and who else is in on this secret plan?"

"It was Malfoy," Harry admitted after a long silence. "We all decided it was too risky to let you come with us. We just want to keep you safe. You can go alert Dumbledore for us."

"Oh, I can, can I? How kind of you to let me have some small part in your grand plan."

She stood and stormed around the table. Turning, hands on her hips, she glared down at the two nervous boys on the couch.

"Well, believe me, this is not how the plan is going to work. And you know what else? I have as much right as any of you to fight this fight. I've proved myself before. So don't even think you can stop me."

With that, she stalked from the room.

Harry looked over at Ron. "I told him it wouldn't work."

"Yeah, he doesn't realize that you can't tell her what to do. Idiot."

"Nah, not an idiot. He's worried about her. It's all wrong, but he actually seems to care about her."

"It's very wrong. I hope he's not getting any ideas."

"Ron," Harry sighed. "I think we're past worrying about that. They're getting awfully close."

"He'd better keep his hands to himself. If he starts moving in on Hermione..."

"Ron, shut up. Let's go back to the plan and put Hermione back in it."

~*~~*~~*~

Saturday night came far to quickly for Draco's peace of mind. He had gone through the plan in his head hundreds of times and it never turned out well. The idea of bringing Hermione along was one of his worries, of course. Keeping her safe when she seemed determined to leap head first into danger was impossible, and that truly irritated him. Maybe her so-called best friends could stand by and watch her try to get killed, but it didn't sit well with Draco.

Of course, it had also dawned on him that he was about to enter a confrontation with an adult wizard, a Death Eater no less, who had killed over a dozen people just to save his own skin. This was possibly the stupidest decision he had ever made, Draco realized rationally. This didn't stop him, though, from throwing himself into it with all his enthusiasm. It was becoming strangely enjoyable to take risks and make stupid choices when they were the right choices in Hermione's eyes.

While Hermione's approval was wonderful, the people who had come forward to give him help and support since the decision to abandon his father and his upbringing had been astounding. The headmaster had set up a network of students and teachers who were providing safe places to stay, protective charms and wards, and many other ways of keeping Draco safe from his new enemies. Even Pansy had sent an owl promising that she and her friends were ready to take him in over the summer holidays and to offer him any protection he needed during the school year. Having watched Pansy, Regina, and Millicent Bulstrode during their cat-fighting years, Draco knew that the girls would be a better bodyguard than any trained fighting wizard.

The clocks in the Slytherin common room chimed quarter to nine as Draco fastened his winter cloak around his throat. Checking that he had all the supplies needed, he made his way out of the dungeons. In a few minutes he was standing in front of the Great Hall doors. Rapid approaching footsteps warned him that the others were on their way.

"Quick, Malfoy, we've got to get moving," Weasley panted as the trio came to a halt.

"We've got to get to Dumbledore's office. The headmaster is nowhere to be seen, and Wormtail's on his way there," Hermione explained.

"C'mon, Malfoy, let's go," Potter called over his shoulder, already moving away.

Draco followed at a quick trot. They made their way as quickly as possible to the statue that guarded the headmaster's doorway. Potter pulled out the parchment map from his pocket and unfolded it. Putting his finger to the map, he cursed.

"Dammit, he's already in there. We're going to have to get in there and stop him. Um... Sugar Quills?" he said experimentally.

"The password's Blood Lolly."

Three heads turned to stare at Draco. "I was in there not two days ago, remember. Professor Snape told me the password in case I ever had to get to the Headmaster in a hurry."

Weasley turned to the gargoyle. "Blood Lolly," he said clearly, then jumped into the air in surprise when the gargoyle moved away to reveal the staircase.

As soon as the stairs were clear, Weasley lead the charge up to the office. Draco followed Hermione through the doorway the top of the stairs just as Potter let out a loud curse. Looking down, Draco saw a small chubby brown rat racing for the doorway. He made a lunge for the rodent, but it made it across the landing and was heading down the stairs before he could even kneel to the floor.

Immediately, he turned and started running down the stairs. Reaching the bottom, he stared around the hallway. There was no sign of which direction the rat had chosen, no movement behind any of the tapestries hanging from the walls. Hermione came rushing down a moment later, gasping out directions.

"He went left and to the main staircases. Harry doesn't think that there are any hidden passages that way, so Wormtail's probably headed straight to the main doors. We can catch up with him if we use the stairs that way."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the corridor straight ahead. They ran down the hall then turned down a staircase to the right. Clattering down the stairs, Draco could hear the sounds of Potter and Weasley following them. He squeezed Hermione's hand and glanced over at her quickly. Her brown hair was flying behind her as she focused intently on the stairs. In her free hand was the parchment where they had written the descriptions of the charms they might use. Draco had an identical parchment in his pocket, along with a vial of elixir.

As they rounded the final turn in the staircase, Draco saw the main doors of the castle standing slighting ajar. It seemed that the rat had re-transformed to manipulate the large doors. Draco ran forward, feeling a stitch forming in his side, and pulled the door further open. The other three ran outside, and then Draco pulled the doors closed in the hopes of closing off a possible escape route.

Cries of "Lumos" rang out in the night air. The three ahead spread out and searched by the light of their wands. Draco could feel his heavy sweater sticking to his back under his cloak. He saw a dark shape against the white: a small animal struggling through the deep, soggy snow. As he watched, Weasley's long legs carried him within twenty feet of the rat. The redheaded boy shouted, incoherently at first, until he finally managed to complete the spell. A blue-white flash shot from his wand and, as Draco watched, the rat began to transform into a man.

A man who turned on Weasley and jumped at him with a yell.

Hermione and Potter rushed up, Draco a few steps behind. The man thrashed and yelled in Weasley's grip, his arms and legs striking out. Ron's wand went flying out of the struggle The man and the boy rolled over and over, each attempting to grab the wand. Potter leapt in and snatched it. Hermione followed and tried to grab at the older man's legs while Potter stumbled back as Wormtail's hand reached for his ankles.

Draco stopped a few steps away from the struggle, leveling his wand. His heart was beating so fast he was afraid it might come out of his chest. If only Weasley and Hermione would just move so he could stupefy the older wizard.

Just then a flailing leg hit Hermione in the knee. With a cry of pain, she fell to the ground. Draco made a move towards her, but Potter put a hand out.

"You can't Draco. Just wait until we can stun him."

"She's hurt," Draco shouted. "Let me by. She's hurt."

Potter moved between Draco and the struggling men on the ground. He raised his wand. "Stupefy!"

The struggle stopped. Ron pushed the limp body off his chest and slowly stood.

"About time, Harry. That guy fights dirty. I think I need to get checked for rabies... rat bites," he explained, putting his hand out.

Draco ignored the redhead as he rushed to Hermione's side. She rolled over onto her back as he dropped to his knees beside her. Sliding an arm behind her shoulders, he propped her into a sitting position. She was pale but flashed him a quick grin before looking down at her legs.

"My knee's not feeling very good," she said faintly. "I think something snapped when he hit it."

Draco stroked her hair gently. "We'll get you to Madame Pomfrey as soon as possible. Don't worry. Just relax, lean on me."

He leaned over and tipped Hermione's chin up with his free hand.

"And promise you'll never do that again," he asked with a faint smile.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Make my heart stop," he said. "Honestly, when you fell down, I thought I'd never breathe again. I can't face the idea of you getting hurt. You're too important to me."

Hermione smiled slightly and turned her head to rest her cheek against his shoulder. "You shouldn't say things like that," she whispered, her eyes closing. "People will start thinking you've gone soft."

"Only for you, honey, only for you."

~*~~*~~*~

A few hours later, Hermione sat in the infirmary, surrounded by a crowd of worried looking faces.

"She's going to be fine, right?" Ron asked.

"For the twelfth time, Mr. Weasley, your friend will be just fine as long as she gets some rest. Which means that you should leave her alone." The nurse glared at Ron, then turned to include the other people in the room.

"That goes for all of you, in fact. Even you, Headmaster. I want all of you out of here in fifteen minutes."

Head high, she swept from the room. As soon as the door swing shut, Hermione turned to Harry.

"What happened? It all worked out? We didn't even need all those potions and charms, did we?"

"Actually, Miss Granger, your research was very helpful. As you had anticipated, Mr. Pettigrew did transform as part of his attempts to escape. Your friends reacted very quickly and saved us all the trouble of having to chase him through the castle a second time."

"Oh Hermione, it was great," Ron broke in. "It went just as we planned. Malfoy stopped the transformation so quickly that Wormtail was only just starting to get furry. I threw the potion at him and it worked exactly like you said."

"Yeah, he turned right back into the cringing little creep we met in third year. I stupefied him and then the Professors restrained him so he couldn't try that trick again," Harry finished. "It was really something."

Hermione took in the grins on the faces of her best friends. The boys were so proud of their adventure, as they should be. It was a great accomplishment to bring in such an important Death Eater. Dumbledore's voice broke into her thoughts.

"I have Professors Snape and McGonagall accompanying Mr. Pettigrew to the Ministry of Magic. There they will hand him over to the Aurors for interrogation. I have friends in Magical Law Enforcement who will guarantee that this does not become a repeat of last year's disaster with young Mr. Crouch.

"I expect the four of you will want to discuss these events with your friends, but I must ask you to keep these events quiet until such time as I can speak with you again. I must admit I admire your decision to perform this intervention during the holidays. I do wish that you had spoken with myself or another professor about what was happening, but I realize that this might not always seem possible."

Dumbledore smiled down on four rather shamed faces. Then, patting Hermione's shoulder gently, he turned to the boys at the foot of the bed.

"Please respect Madame Pomfrey's request - you have another eight minutes by my count, but then Miss Granger deserves her rest."

As the Headmaster swept from the room, Draco sat on the left hand side of Hermione's bed. Ron glared at Draco, but looked away when Harry punched him in the side. Harry leaned down and kissed Hermione on the forehead, then squeezed her shoulder.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning. Try to get lots of sleep - bone healing is pretty exhausting."

Turning away, he nudged Ron again. The redhead looked over at Draco again, but then approached Hermione. Awkwardly, he bent down and bussed her cheek. Hermione grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Great job tonight, Ron. You deserve a giant celebratory feast - but first a good night's sleep. You look as tired as I feel."

Ron smiled and squeezed her hand back. With a final glance at the Slytherin across the bed, he stood.

"I'll see you in the morning, 'Mione. Sleep well."

Draco watched as the other boys left the room. Looking down at Hermione, he slid his hand into hers. She gripped it tightly, and then leaned forward to pull him into a tight hug.

"I'm so glad that's over," he whispered into her hair. "I don't want to see you in danger ever again."

She kissed his cheek, then his nose, pulling back slightly in his embrace. "I think you'll have to get used to it. I can't not get involved in these events. You know that."

"I guess so," he said reluctantly. "I suppose this means that I'll have to brush up on my fighting skills some more." Hermione looked up at him, confused. "I mean, if you're going to insist on risking your neck, I figure I'll have to tag along to make sure you make through in one piece."

Draco smiled broadly then leaned in. As his lips met hers, Hermione could feel herself smiling too.

~*~~*~~*~

The new term began and the school filled with students again. Crabbe, Goyle and Collier had been taken out of Hogwarts by their parents, but few people even noticed. Draco was relieved by their departure, though he was still waiting for some reaction from his parents. He hadn't heard anything from them since his presents arrived Christmas morning. The fact that there had been no word since the other three Slytherins had been so suddenly pulled from the school seemed odd.

Still, he knew that he was safe at Hogwarts. In fact, the only danger he was worrying about was Professor Snape's potion class. The Potions Master had announced during the previous class that he felt that the friendship potion experiment had resolved itself satisfactorily. It was his intention to administer the normalizing potions to those few partners who still hadn't taken it.

This was scaring Draco. He and Hermione had never taken the antidote, for some reason known only to Snape. And though many of the pairs who had done so had found that it made no effect on their newfound friendships, Draco was still worried that it might change what was between him and Hermione. They had jokingly discussed the possibility that the strange blue liquid had in fact been a love potion, but had dismissed it as impossible. Still, what if the affection that Hermione felt towards him disappeared when she took the antidote?

Taking a deep breath, he marched resolutely into the Potions classroom. He made his way to the desk where Hermione sat waiting. From the broad welcoming smile on her face, she apparently did not share his fears. He sat down and started unpacking his bag. A sudden blow to his shoulder made Draco look up.

"So are we on for a rematch?" Weasley was standing beside his desk. "I have a reputation to defend you know."

"What, as the most easily distracted chess player in all of Hogwarts?" Draco drawled. "I suppose I owe Regina something for helping me trounce you so easily. Not that I need help: your strategies stink, Weasley."

"I was a little off my game last night," Ron admitted. "But how do you know it wasn't just a ploy to make you feel superior so that I can thoroughly humiliate you tonight?"

"I doubt you can make plans that complex," Draco shot back. "Save what little cunning you have for the chess board."

"See you at eight."

Weasley wandered off, and Hermione turned to Draco with a glare.

"You'd think you could try to be a little civil. You two don't hate each other anymore; you don't have to keep talking like that," Hermione said. Then a worried look crossed her face.

"You don't hate each other anymore, right?"

"I'm not about to take him home to Mother," Draco said with a grin, "but he's not actually that bad. Can't play chess to save his life, but he's got a few redeeming features. He didn't punch me in nose when you told him about us, for one thing."

Just then Professor Snape walked into the room, ending all chance for conversation. He walked to the front of the classroom and lifted a tray of goblets from his desk.

"Alright, before we begin our work on the medicinal properties of the Elros tonic I want to administer the remaining normalizing potions. Don't worry, as your classmates can attest, they will not affect you physically in any way."

The professor began to walk through the class, distributing goblets of sweet-smelling pink liquid. He handed the last dose to Blaise Zabini and returned to his desk.

"Drink up," he encouraged. Draco's hand shot into the air. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco lowered his hand, wondering why he was even taking this risk. "Professor, Hermione and I need antidote too."

"Actually, Mr. Malfoy, you and Miss Granger do not need any normalizing potion. The Fidelitas potion, which you drank -"

Draco exchanged surprised glances with Hermione; this was not the name of the potion they were supposed to have made.

" -Is actually a time limited potion. It should have worn off sometime in November. The effects would have been slightly different than that of the Amicabilitas Elixir, but from my observations, you both showed all the signs of being under the influence of the potion.

"I have given you both Acceptable on this project - it would have been higher given the quality of the work, if it hadn't been the wrong potion," Professor Snape added, walking into his office to put away the tray.

Draco winced slightly at the sarcastic tone in the professor's voice. Then he began to realize the implications of what had been said. He looked over at Hermione, who was looking back at him.

"So this is all real?" she whispered. "No magic?"

"I guess not," Draco agreed, reaching for her hand and kissing it. "Though it still feels magical to me."