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Description
Brand New Key

Draco left Lavender seconds after seeing Hermione run off. He felt a sharp pain in his chest when he saw she was on the verge of crying. Her attempts were not in vain. Seeing her that way is why Draco looked the other direction after a second of looking in her eyes.

Glancing down at his watch, he had fifteen minutes until he transfigured back to his regular form. He found the closet where he had hid Ron by the time he'd already transformed back.

"Damn it," grumbled Draco not so much at the task of having to deal with Ron's body, but of how he felt at that moment. He dragged Ron's body out in the open and used a spell to levitate it by him as he walked. When he reached the Gryffindors house, Draco saw that the Fat Lady was already asleep. Then he dropped Ron's body in front of the entrance and said, "Finite" before leaving for his own dorm.

As he was going up, he met Blaise who was going down the stairs, heading to the Slytherin's house.

"Hey, mate. Granger went out on her patrol a long time ago, but she isn't back yet. I'm guessing she…?" Blaise said as he passed Draco.

"Yeah, I-…I got it done. Thanks," Draco said thanking Blaise. They passed each other, but then Draco stopped and turned to Blaise who was already six steps below him. "Blaise, Why is it that you agreed to help me out on this when the bet is between us?"

Blaise shrugged and, at first, looked intently at Draco. Then, he smirked. "Oh, you know. Just because." Blaise resumed walking back down to the Slytherin's house, thinking, 'Because, Draco, in the end this'll all be a lost cause.'

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Draco lounged in the common room of the Head's dorm knowing Hermione wasn't in her room and that she was still out there somewhere. He waited and waited until he was furiously frustrated at the fact that she'd been gone an exceptionally long time. It was well over midnight and she wasn't back yet!

Sitting, Draco was fighting with himself about whether or not to go look for her. In the end, he ended up being to fidgety to calmly sit anymore and wait for her, got up and searched.

Being that no one was out at that time and he couldn't hear a single noise made by another being, made Draco's heart beat faster. In his search, he checked the bathroom used by Blaise and him earlier. She wasn't there. He checked the bathroom that was occupied by Mourning Myrtle and was informed that not a soul was in there, besides Mourning Myrtle herself. He checked the astronomy tower, Gryffindor's courtyard, the library and every other place Hermione's been known to frequently visit.

Draco couldn't find her. His pace quickened as he walked and though his face was straight, his eyes showed he was frantic. Draco worried that in Hermione's desperation to seek a place of total privacy, she had gone down to where the Slytherin's house was and got lost in the small, obscure, secret passageways that only Slytherins knew how to navigate. But then again, Hermione wouldn't dare step foot on 'Slytherin' territory.

Tired, out of breath, and needing a moment to think, Draco slumped down against a wall on the seventh floor corridor. He closed his eyes, thought and pictured Hermione just alone, by herself. He had no idea how much this would actually affect her. He hadn't taken into account the years rumours have circulated about her liking Weasley.

Feeling something against his back, Draco shot up, and whirled around so fast, his hair disarrayed all over his face. His eyes fascinated by what he saw. A Door. An actual door that wasn't there before. Then it dawned on him. This was where the Room of Requirement was! Feeling curious, he reached for the knob of the door, and pushed the door with a slight force forward, making the door go in a slow motion. He hesitantly walked through the entrance and looked about the room.

The room had a warm glow to it, possibly because of the candles lit up all over the room and the one chandelier hanging in the center. The walls, though obviously windowless, were draped in red velvet fabric. The walls had golden rims. As for furniture wise, it had one large sofa, which Draco was facing the back side of, a lit up fireplace, a lamp, and a chair. It seemed like the perfect getaway for the desire of solitude.

Walking slowly to the sofa, Draco put his hand on it, and peered over. Lying on the seat was a sprawled Hermione! Draco's heart almost stopped when he saw her. His instinct was to check if she was alive. He did and she was.

Draco walked around the sofa, elevated down until one knee was on the ground. He tucked away the hairs that were on her face in a cluttered fashion. He studied her for a moment, noticing the dried up streaks on her face created by tears before snapping out of it and using a hand to shake her by the shoulders.

"Granger, wake up. Wake up!" Draco said as he gently started shaking Hermione up from her sleep.

Hermione didn't wake up immediately, but she did eventually. When she spoke, it was obvious she was in a groggy state. "D…Draco?" When she said his name, Draco's breath got caught in his throat. "What…w-where are we?" Hermione said as she looked around.

Clearing his throat, Draco replied while looking away. "We're in the Room of Requirement."

"Why-" Hermione stopped. Her eyes grew bigger, possibly because she was recalling some due memories, then they drooped and stared off at the floor. "I remember."

Turning his head back to her, Draco felt some what angered. He didn't particularly like Hermione in this state. Being all depressed and what-not. He felt like kicking himself. This was his fault. In a way, it backfired because in a way, he felt these unwanted emotions.

Standing up, he held out a hand to Hermione. "Get up. We've got to go back. It's over midnight and I'm tired."

Hesitantly, Hermione took his hand and pulled herself up. They left the room and Draco turned his head around to witness the door slowly disappear. Being in an extremely groggy state, Hermione had as much balance as a muggle who've drank too much alcoholic beverage. Draco, being the good guy in this situation, used a hand to keep her balanced and from falling on some minor steps until she was some what walking like her normal self. But Draco noticed she was sleepy by the way her eyes drooped at times, causing her to be tempted to sleep. Then Draco decided the hell with it. She probably wouldn't even remember in the morning.

He stopped Hermione be turning her around to face him. In her state, she squinted to see him. Rolling his eyes, he advanced towards her, then using his two arms, took her up, bridal style.

This seemed to wake Hermione a little bit. Her voice cracked a bit as she shrieked, "Draco!"

Draco walked faster, with Hermione in his arms, so that the living portraits wouldn't be as bothered by them. Glancing down at her, he said, "Shut up and be quiet Granger. With the way we were travelling with you and your current state, it would've taken us just days to get back to our dorm. Besides, students shouldn't be out here at this time. Heads are no exception."

Using her hands to fuss around, Hermione argued, "Okay! Fine, I'll-…I'll" Hermione involuntarily yawned and covered her mouth with both hands when she caught herself. "I'll walk faster," she said when she opened up her hands for a few seconds.

Draco didn't respond. He knew she'd be true to her word and walk faster, but he didn't want to let her go. Surprisingly, he liked carrying her, despite the extra weight he had to carry up the stairs. Besides, they were pretty damn close to their dorm. He'd let her down when they got in there, but as for now, she wasn't going anywhere.

When they got to their dorm's portrait, Draco saw that the man in the portrait was sleeping. With no hands to knock on the painting to wake him up, Draco kicked the painting.

"Oh…ugh…WHAT!?" asked the angry Renaissance man.

"Open up. Reticent Bogart," replied Draco.

"Why are you kids out here at this time of-"

"Just open up," Draco cut in.

The man's lips thinned as he shook his head, but opened up nonetheless. "If the headmaster found out about this, he'd-"

"Oh, shut up," replied Draco as he walked in. Then he grumbled, "Like I give a rat's ass."

Hermione kept her mouth shut until Draco set her down. "Well…um.. Thanks, I guess." She rubbed her eyes. "I…I should go to my own room now."

"Wait," said Draco. Hermione turned to face him. "Why were you in that room?" Draco acted stupid.

"I…That's none of your business, Malfoy," replied Hermione. " Now if you don't mind-"

"Something happened, right?" Draco inquired. "With that Weasley kid, during your patrol tonight."

Hermione raised her chin. "Malfoy, like I said, that's none of your business."

Draco sneered. She was back to calling him by his surname again. "I knew it. It had something to do with that kid."

"Malfoy-"

Draco advanced toward Hermione put an arm around her, and guided her to her room. He pushed her inside. He himself couldn't go because he wasn't in his animagus form. "Go to sleep and forget that Weasley kid, Granger. There are plenty of other better, smarter, more-good looking guys in this school than him." He gave her a heart stopping smirk. "And you're looking at a perfectly good example right now."

Hermione rolled her eyes, yet smiled. Turning, began to close the door. Before closing she heard his voice again. "I mean it, Granger! Forget Weasley!"

Description
Brand New Key

Draco left Lavender seconds after seeing Hermione run off. He felt a sharp pain in his chest when he saw she was on the verge of crying. Her attempts were not in vain. Seeing her that way is why Draco looked the other direction after a second of looking in her eyes.

Glancing down at his watch, he had fifteen minutes until he transfigured back to his regular form. He found the closet where he had hid Ron by the time he'd already transformed back.

"Damn it," grumbled Draco not so much at the task of having to deal with Ron's body, but of how he felt at that moment. He dragged Ron's body out in the open and used a spell to levitate it by him as he walked. When he reached the Gryffindors house, Draco saw that the Fat Lady was already asleep. Then he dropped Ron's body in front of the entrance and said, "Finite" before leaving for his own dorm.

As he was going up, he met Blaise who was going down the stairs, heading to the Slytherin's house.

"Hey, mate. Granger went out on her patrol a long time ago, but she isn't back yet. I'm guessing she…?" Blaise said as he passed Draco.

"Yeah, I-…I got it done. Thanks," Draco said thanking Blaise. They passed each other, but then Draco stopped and turned to Blaise who was already six steps below him. "Blaise, Why is it that you agreed to help me out on this when the bet is between us?"

Blaise shrugged and, at first, looked intently at Draco. Then, he smirked. "Oh, you know. Just because." Blaise resumed walking back down to the Slytherin's house, thinking, 'Because, Draco, in the end this'll all be a lost cause.'

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Draco lounged in the common room of the Head's dorm knowing Hermione wasn't in her room and that she was still out there somewhere. He waited and waited until he was furiously frustrated at the fact that she'd been gone an exceptionally long time. It was well over midnight and she wasn't back yet!

Sitting, Draco was fighting with himself about whether or not to go look for her. In the end, he ended up being to fidgety to calmly sit anymore and wait for her, got up and searched.

Being that no one was out at that time and he couldn't hear a single noise made by another being, made Draco's heart beat faster. In his search, he checked the bathroom used by Blaise and him earlier. She wasn't there. He checked the bathroom that was occupied by Mourning Myrtle and was informed that not a soul was in there, besides Mourning Myrtle herself. He checked the astronomy tower, Gryffindor's courtyard, the library and every other place Hermione's been known to frequently visit.

Draco couldn't find her. His pace quickened as he walked and though his face was straight, his eyes showed he was frantic. Draco worried that in Hermione's desperation to seek a place of total privacy, she had gone down to where the Slytherin's house was and got lost in the small, obscure, secret passageways that only Slytherins knew how to navigate. But then again, Hermione wouldn't dare step foot on 'Slytherin' territory.

Tired, out of breath, and needing a moment to think, Draco slumped down against a wall on the seventh floor corridor. He closed his eyes, thought and pictured Hermione just alone, by herself. He had no idea how much this would actually affect her. He hadn't taken into account the years rumours have circulated about her liking Weasley.

Feeling something against his back, Draco shot up, and whirled around so fast, his hair disarrayed all over his face. His eyes fascinated by what he saw. A Door. An actual door that wasn't there before. Then it dawned on him. This was where the Room of Requirement was! Feeling curious, he reached for the knob of the door, and pushed the door with a slight force forward, making the door go in a slow motion. He hesitantly walked through the entrance and looked about the room.

The room had a warm glow to it, possibly because of the candles lit up all over the room and the one chandelier hanging in the center. The walls, though obviously windowless, were draped in red velvet fabric. The walls had golden rims. As for furniture wise, it had one large sofa, which Draco was facing the back side of, a lit up fireplace, a lamp, and a chair. It seemed like the perfect getaway for the desire of solitude.

Walking slowly to the sofa, Draco put his hand on it, and peered over. Lying on the seat was a sprawled Hermione! Draco's heart almost stopped when he saw her. His instinct was to check if she was alive. He did and she was.

Draco walked around the sofa, elevated down until one knee was on the ground. He tucked away the hairs that were on her face in a cluttered fashion. He studied her for a moment, noticing the dried up streaks on her face created by tears before snapping out of it and using a hand to shake her by the shoulders.

"Granger, wake up. Wake up!" Draco said as he gently started shaking Hermione up from her sleep.

Hermione didn't wake up immediately, but she did eventually. When she spoke, it was obvious she was in a groggy state. "D…Draco?" When she said his name, Draco's breath got caught in his throat. "What…w-where are we?" Hermione said as she looked around.

Clearing his throat, Draco replied while looking away. "We're in the Room of Requirement."

"Why-" Hermione stopped. Her eyes grew bigger, possibly because she was recalling some due memories, then they drooped and stared off at the floor. "I remember."

Turning his head back to her, Draco felt some what angered. He didn't particularly like Hermione in this state. Being all depressed and what-not. He felt like kicking himself. This was his fault. In a way, it backfired because in a way, he felt these unwanted emotions.

Standing up, he held out a hand to Hermione. "Get up. We've got to go back. It's over midnight and I'm tired."

Hesitantly, Hermione took his hand and pulled herself up. They left the room and Draco turned his head around to witness the door slowly disappear. Being in an extremely groggy state, Hermione had as much balance as a muggle who've drank too much alcoholic beverage. Draco, being the good guy in this situation, used a hand to keep her balanced and from falling on some minor steps until she was some what walking like her normal self. But Draco noticed she was sleepy by the way her eyes drooped at times, causing her to be tempted to sleep. Then Draco decided the hell with it. She probably wouldn't even remember in the morning.

He stopped Hermione be turning her around to face him. In her state, she squinted to see him. Rolling his eyes, he advanced towards her, then using his two arms, took her up, bridal style.

This seemed to wake Hermione a little bit. Her voice cracked a bit as she shrieked, "Draco!"

Draco walked faster, with Hermione in his arms, so that the living portraits wouldn't be as bothered by them. Glancing down at her, he said, "Shut up and be quiet Granger. With the way we were travelling with you and your current state, it would've taken us just days to get back to our dorm. Besides, students shouldn't be out here at this time. Heads are no exception."

Using her hands to fuss around, Hermione argued, "Okay! Fine, I'll-…I'll" Hermione involuntarily yawned and covered her mouth with both hands when she caught herself. "I'll walk faster," she said when she opened up her hands for a few seconds.

Draco didn't respond. He knew she'd be true to her word and walk faster, but he didn't want to let her go. Surprisingly, he liked carrying her, despite the extra weight he had to carry up the stairs. Besides, they were pretty damn close to their dorm. He'd let her down when they got in there, but as for now, she wasn't going anywhere.

When they got to their dorm's portrait, Draco saw that the man in the portrait was sleeping. With no hands to knock on the painting to wake him up, Draco kicked the painting.

"Oh…ugh…WHAT!?" asked the angry Renaissance man.

"Open up. Reticent Bogart," replied Draco.

"Why are you kids out here at this time of-"

"Just open up," Draco cut in.

The man's lips thinned as he shook his head, but opened up nonetheless. "If the headmaster found out about this, he'd-"

"Oh, shut up," replied Draco as he walked in. Then he grumbled, "Like I give a rat's ass."

Hermione kept her mouth shut until Draco set her down. "Well…um.. Thanks, I guess." She rubbed her eyes. "I…I should go to my own room now."

"Wait," said Draco. Hermione turned to face him. "Why were you in that room?" Draco acted stupid.

"I…That's none of your business, Malfoy," replied Hermione. " Now if you don't mind-"

"Something happened, right?" Draco inquired. "With that Weasley kid, during your patrol tonight."

Hermione raised her chin. "Malfoy, like I said, that's none of your business."

Draco sneered. She was back to calling him by his surname again. "I knew it. It had something to do with that kid."

"Malfoy-"

Draco advanced toward Hermione put an arm around her, and guided her to her room. He pushed her inside. He himself couldn't go because he wasn't in his animagus form. "Go to sleep and forget that Weasley kid, Granger. There are plenty of other better, smarter, more-good looking guys in this school than him." He gave her a heart stopping smirk. "And you're looking at a perfectly good example right now."

Hermione rolled her eyes, yet smiled. Turning, began to close the door. Before closing she heard his voice again. "I mean it, Granger! Forget Weasley!"