Harry Potter 1. The First Encounter

"H-Help! Anyone?" Hermione coughed as she lie on the floor of the Astronomy Tower. She, Harry, and Ron had just been fighting off 6 Death Eaters, all of whom seemed thirsty for blood as they attacked the Muggle-born and her companions. Something, probably Fred Weasley, distracted them as they focused their attention on shooting blasts of green light in the direction of the stairs. The masked villains seemed to have forgotten about Hermione as they bolted down the stairs after Harry and Ron, who ran to Fred's aid.

The Granger girl stood up and leaned against a post at the edge. Heavily breathing, she wished she wasn't left alone. She knew that Harry and Ron didn't mean to leave her, and she wasn't upset with them; no, not in the slightest. Harry and Ron were her best friends, Ron even more.

_Or, that's at least how it's supposed to be, right?_

_Hermione had been asking herself that question for years._

_Ever since Harry, Ron, and Hermione bonded over the troll in the girl's lavatory, Hermione had an inkling she'd be ending up with Ron. They were, as many said, "made for each other", what with his humorous outlook and her logical intelligence, they were a class-A case of opposites attract. Hermione wasn't necessarily opposed to their destiny- Ron was sweet. He made her laugh and though he could be slow at times, he had a nice personality and a face she enjoyed. She decided that she would be complacent with spending her life with him._

_Just complacent._

_She loved Ron- really, she did but there was always someone else in the back of her mind. Someone vastly different; incredibly unexpected and frowned upon. Someone with hair white as snow…_

"No." Hermione whispered as she shook her head and laughed to herself. "How could I even-"She pushed the seemingly demonic think to the outskirts of her thoughts.

_However this wasn't the first time the white-haired boy popped into her head. As a girl she would have thoughts of this unexpected male but simply shook them away, assuming they were her female desperate-for-love hormones playing tricks on her brain. But as she got older the boy kept appearing- in her dreams, in her thoughts, in her day to day routines. She dreamt of them spending long hours by the countryside, living freely and defying all odds, growing old together as they taught their children about loving unconditionally whomever they choose._

_She'd even fantasized about him. She never dared admit it to herself, but she could secretly recall numerous fantasies with the pale boy. In the late hours of the night when she let her mind run freely, she imagined his soft, light skin on hers- bodies intertwining as they passionately kissed and explored each other's crevices, living without regrets and feeling pleasure Hermione never dreamt of experiencing with Ron-_

"_Stop it!" She'd scream at herself. She would take long showers and bathes, hoping to wash her thoughts away. However they were always there- in the back of her mind. The white-haired boy had a piece of her heart, whether Hermione wanted him to or not. _

She heard light footsteps surreptitiously creeping up the winding staircase. Wand at the ready, she stood at the foot of the steps with a confident and brave look in her eyes.

"Wh-who's there? Ron? Harry? Show yourself!"

The footsteps ceased as Hermione breathed heavily.

"R-Ron?" She was getting nervous now. She began to back away and plan the quickest way out of the Astronomy Tower when a familiar light face appeared at the foot of the steps.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione shouted before Draco Malfoy had time to say a word. His wand was flung out of his hands immediately as he looked at Hermione.

She glared at him, _though inside her heart was pounding. Why was it racing? He had come up to capture, murder her, right? _

"What do you want Draco." She said coldly.

"I-I noticed you weren't with the others. I came up to find you I- I was sent to nap you but I-Please put the want down, Hermione. I'm not going to hurt you."

Ha, never would she put her wand down in the face of Draco Malfoy, the boy who'd been taunting her- calling her a filthy Mudblod since their first term at Hogwarts. _But my God, he looked beautiful. The way the dark moonlight and the dim lightning reflected off of his face made him glow. His hair radiated and his eyes stared deeply into her. She made eye contact with him for a split second, but in that moment she saw something much, much more than that foolish boy she'd come to know…_

"So what, then? Are you going to capture me?" Hermione lowered her wand.

"No." Draco said. Hermione was shocked. _She barely had time to analyze this word because oh God Draco was walking towards her, take one beautiful stride at a time, his firm and elongated body begging to be touched by her soft hands…_

"I heard you cry for help. I knew it was you by your voice. I couldn't stop myself- I needed to help you." Draco grabbed Hermione by the hands. _She'd been waiting for this for as long as she could remember. Her hands brushed over his and they we're one- their forbidden compassion beginning to become revealed as she interlocked her fingers into his_.

"Draco, what on _earth_ are you doing?" Hermione yanked her hands away as she battled with herself. Her outer thoughts were telling her to run; that this was all a trap to lead her to her death. _However her desires were telling her that nothing mattered except that Draco Malfoy had just touched her hands and she felt as if she'd experienced life for the very first time._

"Get away from me. Get away now, I said." She yelled at him as tears began to form in her eyes. _She didn't mean to yell she wanted him to stay "Draco please I take it back" she wished she shouted_.

"Hermione…"

"No. Draco I don't trust you. You're a foul, loathsome, evil li-"

Hermione's lust filled insult was cut off instantaneously; her imaginative fantasies colliding with her realistic cautions as Draco Malfoy pressed his lips onto hers in the most passionate kiss ever known to both the young lovers' fantasies.

Their faces finally pulled apart as Hermione looked into Draco's deep grey eyes. This was wrong, vastly wrong, and no matter how badly she desired to kiss him again her personality made her do otherwise.

"Draco I- We- We're in the middle of a war. We can't. _I _can't. This isn't right. We're not meant to be together. You and your family hate people like me. You and your family want to and are _killing_ people like me. I can't do this. We aren't meant to end up like this. It's not what's supposed to happen-"

"Fuck what's supposed to happen." Draco blurted out as Hermione looked shocked. She'd never heard Draco curse like that, but in some sick and twisted way it made her feel extremely aroused.

"Do you want to know the truth? I hate my life, Hermione. I hate it. I hate being tied down the way I am. I hate being born into the Malfoy family. I hate the constant life threatening remarks I get from everybody. My life is always on the line and I never know when the 'Dark Lord' is going to decided to stop my breathing. It's terrifying, and I hate it."

Four soft tears fell from Draco's eyes and slowly journeyed down his cheeks.

"I dread lifting my head off of my pillow in the morning for I fear more than anything what will happen and who I will disappoint. Every day I have to look at my mother and see the fear, the loneliness, the anger, the resentment in her eyes. I have to see my father and the mess he's made of our family, of our entire lives." Draco was breaking down. He stopped to take a few breathes as Hermione began to tear up as well.

He continued, "But there's one thing that brings me to lift myself out of my bed. One thing that motivates me to stay alive and one thing that keeps me from digging myself even more into this hell. One thing that's the reason I came up here tonight…It's you, Hermione."

She felt her knees wobble as she tried to grasp the words that just poured out of Draco Malfoy's mouth.

"W-"Hermione tried to speak but it was as if someone had torn her vocal chords from her throat. She let Draco continue.

"The thought that I may see you passing along the corridors, even if you are striding and glaring at me with hatred in your eyes, motivates me. Hearing your name arouses me, even if it's being used in vain, because when I hear Bellatrix or my father or Yaxley or Voldemort say 'And then there's that Mudblood Granger…' I'm just reminded that you're alive and breathing. Just the mere thought that someday," Draco was fumbling to find words "S-someday we will get out of this hell-hole we call our world and I will be able to see you under circumstances other than the ones we are faced with today; the thought that someday I will be able to b-be with you, Hermione, in a world where I'm not spat upon for feeling this way about a Mudb- about a Muggle born; f-for _loving_ a Muggle born.

Hermione leapt on top of Draco's trembling body, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist, kissing him straight on the mouth. In that passion filled kiss Hermione transferred all of her desires and emotions she felt for Draco. He knew her lust for him, her forbidden desires, her fantasies, her guilts, her cautions, her secrets, her fears; but most importantly, her love.

Draco began unbuttoning his white shirt and wasn't surprised when Hermione got impatient and ripped it right off his body. She explored his torso with her hands, investigating and learning the bumps and crevices she'd fantasized about for God knows how long. She worked her way up his body with her kisses, softly placing her lips on his navel, his abs, his pecks, and finally reaching his collar bone where Draco moaned with pure arousal. She started sucking on his neck as he attempted to remove her shirt.

Hermione let her lips free of Draco just for a moment to assist him in undressing her. Draco uttered something incoherent while the now exposed Hermione continued sucking on his neck. They were completely intertwined- Hermione's lips on his body as his hands explored the young girl's soft torso…

The rest is a blur- an aroused, sweaty, pleasurable, lust and love filled blur to the young, inexperienced girl. She remembers making love to the boy. She remembers the feeling of connection while he was inside her. She remembers the pain that swiftly turned to pleasure as she lost her virginity to the man that had filled her fantasies. She remembers the passionate kisses and the desire filled glances that she and he shared during. But most of all, she remembered his eyes.

Draco's eyes had always seemed beautiful and mysterious to Hermione- their deep shade of grey masking emotions, fears, and desires the boy never dared share to the rest of the world. However on that night it seemed that Hermione peeled away his masquerade, because she remembers seeing not the dark, musty grey color she'd become so accustomed to, but a glistening silver that penetrated deep into her beautiful brown eyes.

Hermione had pulled back the evil and loveless façade that was Draco Malfoy and revealed the true beauty behind the most misunderstood and pressured boy she'd ever known.

Hermione remembers falling asleep beside Draco, her hands over top of his bare torso, their chests moving rhythmically and at the same pace. She remembers falling asleep almost instantaneously and feeling the safest and most secure she'd felt in her entire life. What she doesn't remember, however, was waking up and leaving the tower…

Hermione opened her eyes to the familiar sight of a small, dusty, dimly-lit poor excuse for a bedroom. She turned to her side and saw a wooden nightstand with a light piece of parchment hidden underneath the lamp that sat atop the stand. She was moments away from grabbing the note when a familiar voice drew her attention.

"Hermione! Are you awake? More importantly, are you _ok?_" Ron's voice rang through Hermione's ears.

Hermione sat up all the way and saw Harry and Ron sitting by her side. Was she in the Burrow? How did she get here? _Where's Draco?_

"Hermione! Thank Merlin you're ok. What happened to you? Why didn't you -" Ron was interrupted by Harry

"Ron, give the girl a second to wake up. Let her collect her thoughts before we penetrate her with questions." Ron gave Harry a glare then turned back to Hermione.

"I-H-Are you guys ok? How did you-"

"We managed to get rid of the Death Eaters. Ron, Fred, Ginny, Luna, Neville, George and I got them out of Hogwarts. Fred's a little banged up and Luna got hit with a bad curse but everyone's fine. Gave us a scare, it sure did. But we were more worried about you! How did you manage to fall asleep on the floor of the Astronomy tower?" Harry exclaimed.

"I, well. I guess I was just feeling faint. I- I don't really remember…" Hermione trailed off, trying to figure out what was going on. _She'd fallen asleep next to Draco after making passionate love to him, that's what happened, Harry. But, why didn't they see Draco? She fell asleep with him, wouldn't they have seen him as well? Is it possible that-_

"It's ok. The important thing is that you're safe." Ron interrupted Hermione's thoughts with a kiss on her forehead. Hermione was confused as ever.

"How did I get here?" she asked, puzzled.

"We were looking for you for a while. We then realized that the last place we saw you was up there, and sure enough there you were. Ron lifted you up and carried you away- we didn't want to wake you. We used the tunnels to get back into Hogsemede and apparated once we got there." Harry explained.

"And no one saw you?" Hermione asked

"The castle was basically empty by the time we found you. Oh, well except for Malfoy. " Harry said as Hermione's heart skipped a beat. _How beautiful his name truly was…_

"He seemed weird, though. Not himself. He kept looking towards you, Hermione. He didn't say a word but it looked as if he was trying to tell you or show you something…

"Don't worry, though!" Ron continued as he saw a strange look in Hermione's eyes. "We rushed you away quickly. We don't trust him, either, that foul…"

Ron continued insulting Malfoy but Hermione stopped listening. _What did Draco want to tell her, show her? How did he get off the tower? Why was she alone on the ground?_

_Had it all been a dream? Another one of her made-up fantasies that would never become a reality? Did she simply imagine that Draco had admitted all those things to her, that they kissed, that they made love? Was it a dream? It couldn't have been. No. _

"_I have been known to have a very active imagination' Hermione thought to herself as she felt her heart break in half. 'It was all a dream. It never happened, Hermione. Stop lying to yourself. Draco would never love you- a filthy Mudblood. You're destined to be complacent with Ron. Draco despised you. It will never happen. It will never happen. It will never happen..." _Silent and transparent tears began to fall down Hermione's face.

"Hermione! What's wrong? Are you crying?" Ron jumped in closer to her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, sorry. Just exhausted. My ankle hurts a little too. Say, would you mind leaving me alone for a minute? Maybe get me some ice? Thanks, Ron." Hermione gripped his hand and looked towards Harry.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, then left the room. Ron turned to look at Hermione and shot her a small, loving smile as he closed the door and left her alone.

Hermione turned to her side, curled into a ball, and just cried. Ron and Harry must have noticed she was upset, for they didn't dare enter back into the room for hours. _Hermione lie there for what seemed like centuries simply crying. She felt broken. She felt lost. She felt like she didn't know what was worth living for. She couldn't believe herself. She would never, ever be with Draco, and she was foolish for believing her childish fantasy was a reality- That someday she and Draco Malfoy would be together. Though despite everything and my foolish imagination, the night did seem strangely realistic, much more real than her previous fantasies…Maybe that's why she hurt so badly. Or maybe-_

Hermione's train of thought was broken as she once again noticed the light piece of parchment hidden under the lamp of the wooden nightstand.

"_Accio parchment_" she whispered as the note floated delicately out from under the lamp and into her palms.

The note had the feeling of bliss, and radiated a scent that seemed extremely familiar. Hermione had no idea what spell could make a simple piece of parchment cause her to feel a sudden rush of, what was that, "love", at its touch, but she didn't care. She loved the sensation she felt. _It reminded her of the blonde haired boy; the way he smelled, the way he felt, the way he touched her, the way he loved her…_She carefully opened the folds of the note and saw, written in black ink, a few simple words that made her heart nearly stop.

"_Someday, Hermione…_

_I promise._

_-Draco"_


	2. Winter Holiday

"Hermione? Hermione you've been lying here for hours. I'm coming in," Ron said as he cautiously opened the door to Ginny's bedroom which was currently being occupied by Hermione. He was carrying a tray with what appeared to be a bowl of soup, some bread, and a jug of butterbeer. "I've been worried about you," he explained as he tried not to spill the hot soup. "so I wanted to talk to- Oi, what's that in your hand?"

Ron nodded his head at the piece of parchment Hermione was clutching between her shaking fingers.

"This? Oh, it's, erm, just something I found…in my pocket. Yeah, I must've taken it from the library a few days ago. It's nothing, really" she said as she cautiously shoved the piece of parchment into her pajama bottoms, careful not to rip it. _She didn't want Draco's scent to escape from it. _"Oh, Ron, look what you've brought me! How kind…"

"Oh, this?" Ron placed the tray on Hermione's lap. "From Mum. She's insisting. But I don't mind bringing it up. Why would I? I love spending time with you, Hermione…" Ron smiled at her. Hermione could tell he was trying to flirt- He'd been doing it all year. Complimenting her, offering her things, listening more…Hermione did find it quite charming. _Not nearly as charming as the white-haired boy_,_ of course._

Hermione flashed a subtle smile back, but Ron noticed it wasn't her regular beam. Inching a little closer, he put his hand on hers, leaned in, and kissed her forehead. As he pulled away, the silent, transparent tears slowly descended from Hermione's eyes once again.

"Hermione, please. Tell me what's on your mind. Please." Ron desperately exclaimed as he tightened his grip on her soft hands. "I want to help. You know how much I care about you."

"It's nothing, Ron," she lied. "I promise," Hermione had never made such a fake promise, _but Draco was worth it_. "I care about you too. I guess I'm just really exhausted. Maybe this winter holiday will cheer me up! Say, it's Christmas Day tomorrow, isn't it?" she tried to change the subject, but Ron didn't buy it.

"Hermione I know you. I've known you for nearly seven years. I know something is going on, and I want to help…" Ron leaned into her lips, about to kiss her when Hermione turned her head to the side. She'd never denied a kiss from Ron before, no matter how horrid she was feeling._ He's going to know something's up. He has to. But he'll never guess, will he?_

Ron paused for a moment, gazing at her face. He was hurt. As he spoke, his words read anger but his voice screamed pain.

"Fine. Fine. Whatever. You don't want my help that's perfectly fine, Hermione," snarled Ron as he hastily stood up from the bed and made for the door.

"Ron! Ron stop, please!" Hermione slid out from under the blankets and went to follow him. "Ron I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Ron-"

But the ginger boy was already out the door. Hermione could hear him storming down the stairs, and she was pretty sure she could make out his voice venting to Harry about what had just happened.

Hermione folded her arms in a self-comforting sort of way. She put her head down and slowly glided back into the bed. She felt horrid. She was sickened by herself. Here is this outstanding guy who wears his huge heart on his sleeve, ready to drop everything in the blink of an eye to help her, yet she denies him. She almost hated herself for it. _But then she remembered why she did it in the first place- Draco. He made her a different person. He could sense that she wasn't fully satisfied being with Ron, and in some unexplainable way gave her the strength and confidence to show Ron just that._

Though she knew it hurt him, Hermione concluded that it was the right thing to do. She couldn't keep lying to him, pretending to love him _when there was really someone else_. That wasn't in her blood.

But how was she supposed to tell Ron? _Oh hey Ron. I know we're destined to be together and all but I had sex with Draco on the Astronomy Tower and I plan on living the rest of my life with him so sorry_. She couldn't do that. She didn't want to admit it to herself. _And what about Draco and his family? What would they say about her? What would He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named say to him? Would he hurt him? Would his family disown him? Would his life be ruined? Would they kill him-_

"No!" Hermione exclaimed to herself, careful to not be too loud. Tears fell from her eyes for the third time in a matter of hours. "I could never do that to him. Never. Not my Draco. Not my Draco. Not my Draco…"

_Hermione was distracted for a few moments at the remarkable way "my Draco" felt on her tongue_

Snapped back into reality, Hermione let out a long, full sigh. Her chest rose and fell as she felt the Burrow's dusty air fill her lungs, linger for a moment, and unwillingly escape. She knew she could never tell Ron. She could never tell her closest girlfriend Ginny. She could never even tell Harry, her absolute best friend, who she'd talked with about boys, thoughts, and feelings since their third year at Hogwarts. No, this had to be her secret. _Their secret._ Nobody could know. _He meant too much to her_.

Hermione settled into the covers and pretended to be asleep when she heard Ginny enter the room. The red-head stopped by the foot of Hermione's bed, looked at her, let out a sigh, and turned to fall into her own bed. But Hermione barley even noticed. _She was already too busy thinking about the white-haired boy. The way he looked, the way he smelt, the way he felt, the way he touched her; made her feel, his smile, his eyes…those silver, glistening, deep eyes…_

The room fell silent as both girls slipped into their sleep stages- one dreaming about the boy with Lily's eyes, _the other fantasizing about the most mysterious and sensual boy she'd ever known._

It was the last day of the winter holidays, and Ron was still upset with Hermione. He only spoke to her when necessary, and despite Harry's peacemaking attempts, their conversations remained not much longer than a few short, meaningless words strung together by poor excuses for sentences. The holiday was quite uncomfortable for Harry, Ginny, and the rest of the Weasleys, so when it came time to return to Hogwarts on a cool, snowy morning, it would be an understatement to say everyone was relieved, especially Hermione. _She absolutely could not wait until she could see Draco alone once more…_


End file.

Harry Potter, Angst, Romance