Dramione and the Half Blood Prince.

5. Hogsmeade

As the weather got colder more and more people stayed inside the castle itself, making it a lot harder to find anyone. Draco knew he shouldn't want to, but he kept finding himself coming up with plans to bump into Granger somewhere quiet - but with there being so many people in the library and him never knowing where she would be, he had to resort to ongly seeing her in lessons. They were sat on the same table, and indeed next to each other in some classes, which made it easy to become comfortable around her. They had grown to know each other enough to know that they weren't going to talk about their class convocations to other people, which comforted Draco greatly.

The whole school seemed to start buzzing as there turn to visit Hogsmeade drew ever closer. The 3rd years, 4th years and 5th years had already been which meant it was time for the 6th years to go next. There was only one person in the whole year that wasn't excited, Draco. He was dreading the visit as he had been given a plan by the death eaters to plant a hexed neckless in the girl's bathroom and wait for someone to come in before bewitching them to take it to Dumbledore. It was a very temperamental plan in his option and a lot could go wrong, but, it kept him from physically ...killing... him.

"You coming Draco?" Blaise called at the doorway to the Slytherin dormitory knocking Draco from his traumatic day dream.

"Gimme a minute" Draco replied, his face was kept in his regular sneer and his posture remained ridged as always.

"Alright, better hurry up though or Nott will finish all the bacon again" Blaise called as he was dragged away by Theodor Nott, he was the year bellow but had grown up with Crab and Goil so was introduced to Draco and his friends very early on.

"Definitely!" came a call from Theo.

Draco waited until they were all out of the room and down the stairs until he picked up a quill from his luggage. A demented look of horror flashed in Draco's eyes – just for a moment, but it was there. The quill absolutely reeked of dark magic; as Draco placed it in his back pocket he felt a sudden lurch of fear form in his stomach. 'You're not a coward. You're not like him. You're Not a coward!' He thought. Composing himself and inhaling, he made his way to the Great Hall.

Once he sat down with his friends he rested his head on the palm of his hand and stabbed at his egg on toast unenthusiastically.

"What's wrong Draco?" Pansy whispered turning towards the blond wizard.

He raised his eyebrows and turned to look at her "Nothing. I'm fine" he countered, returning to his thoroughly stabbed egg. He couldn't even think about food, 'How is everyone else okay? How can they not tell what is about to happen?' he asked himself before catching sight of a bushy haired witch in front of the fire. 'She looks so beautiful' he thought as he saw her laugh at the Weasel tugging his fiery hair either side of his face and pulling a studious expression; he was clearly taking the mick out of a Ravenclaw sat on the end of their bench. Draco had long since tried to stop himself from looking at Hermione, it didn't work... besides, it was only him that knew.

*

"How are you not even slightly curious?" Hermione asked Harry quizzically but he was kicking at the snow down the path not really paying attention.

"What were you going to say Hermione?" Ron exhaled slowly, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Well I was curious" she started, taking a deep breath and looking at the other two. "So I went to-"

"The library" the other two cut in, Ron's expectations being answered.

"And?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.