Chapter Ten

Hermione

"Hermione!" My eyes slowly open, revealing the face of Ginny Weasley above me. "Get up! We're going to Hogsmeade today!"

Hogsmeade. I had forgotten all about it. I hastily jump out of bed, my knees wobbling as I take my first few steps. Ginny rushes urgently across the room, gathering her things. The sun shines bright through the window, casting our shadows across the room. It seems to be a lovely day for a visit to Hogsmeade.

I clamber around the room, changing into my day clothes and brushing out my hair. My mind buzzes with a dream I had last night. At the thought of it, I can't help but smile.

But being Draco Malfoy's girlfriend can't be real. I'm going to see him, and everything that happened will just have been my imagination.

Sighing, I head out of the dormitory door just as Ginny did a couple of minutes ago. At the end of the stairs, I see that barely anyone is in the common room; even Ginny is gone. I must be very late.

I run through the common room door, maneuver through the corridors, and meander down the stairs until I finally reach the courtyard. Professor McGonagall is taking up permission forms from the last few younger students and letting us leave. I'm about to walk over to her when I realize that Draco doesn't know about Hogsmeade. If he did, he would have mentioned it at some point. He's probably still asleep in the common room.

Quickly, I turn around and make my way back up the stairs towards our common room. As I do, I run into Professor Bane, our Potions teacher. Professor Bane is the new teacher that I saw sitting at the High Table on the first day back at Hogwarts. He is probably twenty-five, much younger than any other Hogwarts professor. He's very polite, and also an exceptional teacher.

"Greetings, Miss Granger," He says, smiling politely.

"Hello, Professor," I answer.

"Aren't you going to Hogsmeade? It's a lovely day to be there, I daresay. I'm on my way myself." He inquires, and I nod my head.

"Yes, sir, but I seem to have forgotten something." I respond.

"Very well. Have a nice day." He says, bowing his head for a second by way of farewell. As nice as he may seem, I have always been skeptical of new teachers at Hogwarts. Who knows what Bane is capable of?

I brush those thoughts out of my head: Voldemort is gone. There's no need in worrying about the Dark Arts finding their way into Hogwarts again. I continue venturing towards Draco's and my common room.

Finally, I reach the door to the common room and draw the pattern, revealing the door. I go inside and begin searching for Draco. Just as I predicted, he is asleep on the couch. Since a fire is blazing in the fireplace, he doesn't have on a blanket or a shirt. His face is relaxed, and it makes him look even younger. I place my hand on his head, stroking his hair, despite my uncertainty of our relationship's standing.

Suddenly, he jerks, his face contorting into a look of agony. He grasps his left arm, and emits a cry of pain. I gasp and place my hands on the side of his face.

"Draco! Draco, wake up! It's just a dream! You're asleep," I yell, but he continues to writhe. I grab his hand, the one that's not gripping his arm. "Wake up!"

Finally, he shudders. His gray eyes pop open, and he sits up. For a few seconds, he looks around frantically, as if looking for someone. But when he sees me, his face and posture relaxes.

"Hermione," He sighs, wrapping me in his embrace. I hug him back, alarmed, and I can feel how fast his heart is beating.

"Draco," I respond, "what happened?" He pulls back and looks at me straight in my eyes, leaving just a hand on my shoulder. A slight smile emerges at the edge of his lips.

"Good morning," He says.

"Same to you," I reply, and he looks down at his bare chest, pulling his pillow out from behind him and placing it in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm indecent," He laughs, and I grin, standing up.

"That you are," I joke, "We're going to Hogsmeade today. Do you want to come?"

"Really? That's today?" He asks, looking surprised, "Yeah, of course I'll come, just give me a minute."

"I'll wait outside," I say, walking outside of the door. I only wait outside for about a minute before he emerges. The sight of him is almost breathtaking. He's in a baby blue, long-sleeved polo shirt that brings out his eyes, and his hair- which the shirt also enhances- is neatly combed. I can smell his cologne. He offers me his arm. I take it and we start walking towards the courtyard.

"Don't I feel underdressed?" I laugh, and he looks me up and down. I'm in a pair of jeans and a pink short-sleeved shirt since we don't have to wear our robes to Hogsmeade.

"Oh, come on. You look brilliant." He assures me, and I feel myself blush.

"How nice of you." I answer, and he smiles. As I expected, neither of us mention last night. In a way, I am relieved by this, but I am also curious: are we really dating, or was that part just a dream? Sure, I suppose the answer is pretty clear in this moment, given the fact that our arms are interlocked as we venture down the corridor, and that he said I look brilliant.

"Hermione!" Someone shouts from behind me, and when I turn around, I see that it's Harry. Instinctively, I pull my arm away from Draco's and step away from him.

"Yes?" I ask, breathing hard. That was close. Harry can't know about Draco and me for a while.

"Can I talk to you," he inquires, and, upon looking at Draco, adds, "alone?"

I nod, and Draco walks away, suddenly becoming very interested in a random portrait on the wall. Harry grabs my wrist and pulls me even farther away from Draco.

"What is it?" I ask, hoping it isn't about Draco, but knowing that it will be.

"Yesterday Ron told me he was going to be at the Quidditch pitch-"

Oh Merlin, no.

"-so I went looking for him."

It feels like a weight has been dropped onto my shoulders. I steal a glance at Draco over Harry's shoulder; he's watching us with his eyebrows raised, probably aware of where this is going.

"Oh, yeah? Did you find him?" I ask, acting oblivious.

"No, I didn't see Ron." He looks me dead in the eyes, electric green meeting dark brown.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" I begin, but he cuts me off.

"But I see something else."

My heart rate increases rapidly. What is he going to say? How angry will he be? I can't lose Ron him as a friend. I simply can't. I look away from him, down at the floor. But now at least I know that it wasn't a dream.

"Hermione."

What am I supposed to say?

"Harry, I-" I begin, but I have no idea what I'm going to say, so I abruptly stop talking. Harry's lips are pursed.

"Why, Hermione? How did it come to that?" He asks.

"You don't understand, Harry, what he's been through-"

"But look at what he's put us through!" Harry's voice is rising to a shout, and I signal for him to quiet down; Draco is still looking at us.