Meetings with the Slytherins became a highlight for Hermione for the remainder of the school year.

She’d never been friends with people who seemed genuinely interested in her instead of what she could offer them. Since exams were approaching, they spent much of their time studying, but never once did they ask her to help them revise. In fact, it seemed Theo was the organizer of the group – deciding what they would study that day and helping the others.

Blaise seemed the least motivated out of the five. At some point during the night he would sigh heavily and turn from his book – usually towards Daphne or Draco – and try to distract them as well. Daphne was the easiest to distract and they would end up slipping off for small periods of time only to come back blushing furiously at each other.

Pansy also seemed to be in line with Blaise as far as reluctance to study went, occasionally slipping a fashion magazine or Witch Weekly into her book to read instead.

Draco seemed just as inclined to revise as Theo, but less vocal. He’d sit beside Hermione, occasionally helping to quiz her on History of Magic or the theory of whatever they were studying in transfiguration. More and more he was finding excuses to touch her, whether it was his fingers lingering as she passed him a book or parchment or brushing a stray curl from her face. Every time he did, she could feel a spark of electricity running through her veins.

Harry and Ron said nothing about her long nights when she went missing in the library. She thought perhaps they were just relieved she wasn’t nagging them to revise as she usually would have.

“Draco…” Hermione said absentmindedly a few weeks before exams. “Would you mind looking over these runes translations?”

Chatter at their table abruptly stopped at Hermione’s uncharacteristic request for someone else to look over her homework. When she realized what she’d done, she started babbling.

“Well… I mean… Because you’re the best in our class. You got a perfect score on the last test and I mistranslated uruz . I just thought… well…” Her voice started to fail her at the look of amused surprise on Draco’s face. “Since this is the last paper before exams…”

Draco shushed her in a playful way, reaching across her to slide the parchment towards him. With the movement his torso turned completely in her direction and she had to stop herself from leaning into his warmth.

“Of course I’ll look over it for you, Granger,” he answered in a purr that made her heart stutter.

The rest of the Slytherins struck up their original conversations, leaving Hermione and Draco in their own bubble. He leaned towards her, pointing towards one of the runes she’d translated, his signet ring catching in the candlelight.

“This is wrong – it’s eihwaz not teiwaz ,” he said softly.

She blanched, snatching the parchment back.

“That can’t be right! It’s teiwaz !” she huffed.

Draco laughed, stretching his arms over his head. As he lowered his arms, he rested one on the back of her chair and she almost wanted to laugh at the stereotypical boy move. But she didn’t, instead she felt a thrill at the way he leaned closer to her and tried not to gulp down the clean scent of his shampoo.

“It’s not… look at the shape of the horns – it’s eihwaz .” Again he pointed to the rune, his face now mere inches away from hers.

When she looked closer, she realized that he was right.

“Dammit,” she cursed, tapping her wand to the parchment to remove the incorrect answer.

“Thank you, by the way,” Draco said so softly she barely heard it under the conversations going on around them. “For this morning.”

Anger flooded Hermione veins at the memory.

She’d found Draco cornered by a handful of sixth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws who were jeering about Draco’s father and how he’d “gotten off easy” after You-Know-Who disappeared. One of the boys she recognized from the year before as being a Ravenclaw who helped spread the rumor that Harry was the descendent of Salazar Slytherin had cracked his knuckles ominously and proclaimed:

“If the Ministry won’t punish the Malfoys, then we will.”

Hermione hadn’t stopped to count the cost of her actions – hadn’t even thought really. She’d rushed forward flapping her arms like some giant deranged owl and exclaimed that McGonagall was coming this way and they should get out of there before they were caught.

It helped that, at that moment, Hagrid had been making his way around another corridor close by, his heavy steps sounding like closer footfalls.

The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sixth years had stared at her with wide eyes before scattering. Harry and Ron had caught up with her a moment after, wondering loudly about the pack of students they’d just seen running off and Draco had slipped away before being seen.

“It was nothing, Draco,” she answered quickly, keeping her gaze at the parchment in front of her.

A long finger crooked under her chin and her stomach swooped as Draco pulled her face to his.

“It was not nothing , Granger. What if those gits hadn’t believed you? Or turned on you?”

She shrugged. Truthfully, she hadn’t really thought about it.

His thumb stroked her cheek and it was like the rest of the world melted away. She couldn’t deny the feelings she had for Draco – it was why she hadn’t thought about all the reasons she shouldn’t have interfered. And… she was pretty sure by the way she sometimes caught him looking at her, and the things he said, that he maybe felt a similar way about her.

“You are magnificent,” Draco whispered, his eyes darting to her mouth then back to her eyes. “I’m not worthy.”

She swallowed, heat dancing across her cheeks.

“You are, Draco…” she couldn’t help but respond, nor could she help the words that spilled out after. “I’ll always protect you.”

The corners of his eyes tightened and he shook his head slightly. His thumb brushed her cheek before settling on her neck, index finger quietly stroking beneath her ear.

“I’m the one who should be protecting you, not the other way around,” he murmured.

She couldn’t help her smile.

“How about we protected each other?”

He smiled back.

“Deal.”

Blaise loudly cleared his throat, making both of them jump apart remembering their other friends at the table.

“As I was saying ,” Theo said indignantly. “It is almost curfew so we should call it a night.”

…

The night before exams, Draco was quieter than usual. She could see the tension around his eyes and in the set of his jaw. There was no flirting, no casual touches, he barely looked at her.

Blaise and Daphne had left early, saying they wanted to get some sleep before their first exam tomorrow – which by this point Hermione understood as a way of getting some alone time to snog. Pansy had left as well but she hadn’t felt the need to make an excuse.

“I don’t think I could fit anything more into my head if I tried,” she’d said with a snap of her book closing.

It wasn’t long after that when Theo quietly excused himself as well, but Hermione was almost positive she’d seen Draco shoot him a look.

They sat in silence at the table and she tried to focus on her runes notes as best she could. But as the silence lengthened, she couldn’t help but be aware of him. It was the first time they’d been alone together since she had found him right after the holidays. Her heart beat furiously and she was sure he probably could hear it in the silence of the library.

“I asked father to drop the charges against the hippogriff,” Draco said softly.

Her mouth popped open and she swiveled in her chair to look at him. He was still resolutely looking at the runes book in front of him, but she could tell he wasn’t reading.

“Why?”

His head dropped slightly, hair falling into his eyes.

“It just… didn’t seem right,” he said stiffly, turning a page.

Something warm swelled inside of Hermione’s chest.

“What did your father say?”

Draco sat back in the chair with a sigh, still not looking at her.

“He said he admired my ability to admit when I was wrong.” That surprised Hermione, she was sure that Lucius would have felt the opposite. “Unfortunately, it was too late – the Ministry is already involved and Fudge wants something to hold over Dumbledore.”

Hermione grimaced.

Draco turned to her. His eyes were wide and there was an open expression on his face as his gaze roved over her in almost a hungry way.

“I want to be better. I know I have to play the part as you said but I don’t want to be the cause of suffering or pain. Not anymore.”

Hermione slid her hand over his.

“I’m proud of you, Draco,” she said quietly. At her words, it looked like dawn broke over his face. “It will all work out.”

Draco interlaced their fingers on the table, his thumb rubbing a small circle on her palm. His eyes turned silver as he gazed at her.

“May… May I kiss you?” he asked so formally that at another time it would have made Hermione giggle.

But she didn’t feel like giggling now. Her heart seemed to have grown a few sizes too large and she was sure her hands were probably sweating. Not able to find her voice, she just nodded twice

Draco’s other hand reached up, tentatively touching her jaw with his fingertips. He leaned forward, his eyes searching her face for any sign she might have changed her mind. When she closed her eyes and leant to meet him, he pressed his lips lightly to her.

The kiss was gentle and very sweet. His thumb brushed beneath her chin as he pulled back to look at her. Eyes twinkling with joy.

Draco’s face broke into an eye crinkling smile that Hermione returned. They both laughed before Draco leaned forward and kissed her again.

“Will you come to the manor this summer?” he asked quickly.

She paused, anxiety replacing the warm happiness she’d felt just a moment ago.

“But… your parents,” she said shakily.

Draco shook his head.

“I told them what you did for me – for us. Theo told my mother as well.” At her raised eyebrows Draco explained. “He spends most summers and holidays with us. His father is… rough. So my family has sort of adopted him.”

She nodded but the anxiety didn’t dissipate which Draco seemed to notice.

“There’s so much you don’t understand, Hermione. So much Potter and the Weasel have wrong. My family cares about action and loyalty above all else. Blood status isn’t as important as everyone seems to think it is, though it is the easiest way to cut someone down – something my father excels at.” Draco’s eyes darkened. “But we meant what we said – you’re one of us now. Father and Mother recognize that and want to meet you.”

“But… I met your father last year…” She thought back to the disastrous trip to Flourish and Blotts.

Draco squeezed her hand.

“He wants to meet you properly , not when you’re surrounded by all those Weasleys. I’ll take care of you, I promise.”

She took a deep breath, then nodded.

“Daphne and Pansy will be there as well if you think that will help your parents say yes.”

Something brightened in her at the prospect of the summer spent with her friends, before it dimmed again.

“But… I told Ron I’d come to the Burrow this summer.”

Draco’s face fell.

“Spend a few weeks with us at least, then you can go to the…” He seemed to struggle with the word. “Burrow.”

He paused for a second, thinking. Unconsciously it seemed, he trailed his other hand down her forearm causing her to shiver.

“Do you think you could come with us straight from the train?”

Hermione frowned.

“Someone might see me leaving with you.”

Draco hummed, then grinned mischievously.

“Well, perhaps we can create a little diversion.”