"Bloody hell, I forgot my wand!" cursed Draco as he; Crabbe and Goyle were slipping back into the Slytherin common room.

"Just leave it! You're sure to get caught if you go back for it now!" insisted Crabbe.

"You idiot! And just how do you propose I remain uncaught when one of the house elves discover it in the morning? The day you use your brain will be a cold day in hell!" Draco snapped.

"Fine, but we're going to bed. No need to drag us down with you." said Goyle.

Draco didn't say anything as the other two went to their rooms. They had gone to the kitchen for a midnight snack. A few pastries and chocolate frogs later the trio had thought they heard a teacher or worse- Mrs. Norris. So they decided to head back as quickly as possible. Draco, who had brought his wand to unlock the kitchen doors, had left it behind in the rush to get back unseen. But now he had to go back for it. He couldn't very well attend classes without it and as no two wands were the same; it would be obvious it belonged to him.

So Draco went down the corridors back to the kitchen. He saw his wand right where he had left it. He sighed with relief but the feeling was in vain. He whipped around to the sounds of Mrs. Norris meowing.

"Damn cat! Shoo, get out of here!" Draco demanded.

"A student of bed, my pet?" cooed Filch's voice from the other side of the kitchen door. Draco braced himself for what was to come.

"Well, well, well, Draco Malfoy, out of bed and sneaking food from the kitchen!" though his voice had its usual drone, Filch's glee was evident on his face.

"Better send me to Professor Snape, sir." said Draco. Worst case scenario, he'd get a slap on the wrist and be sent to bed. Draco smiled.

"I don't think so, Malfoy. The Headmaster sent Professor Snape away on some business." responded Filch.

"Business? What business?" asked Draco.

"I wouldn't know and besides, it is of no concern to students. Therefore you'll be sent to Professor McGonagall instead." Filch retorted.

"McGonagall? You can't be serious!" groaned Draco.

"Stop your whining. Now let's go." said Filch.

Damnit Draco thought. So much for getting off the hook. He followed Filch to McGonagall's office. She was arguing with another student. Draco rolled his eyes; he was never going to get to bed at this rate. He was surprised however, to see who the student was.

"But Professor, it was an accident! You know I would never intentionally be out of bed at night!"

"Granger?" Draco's surprised voice interrupted the argument they were having.

"Caught this one in the kitchen just five minutes ago, Professor." said Filch; an evil grin on his face.

"You see?" insisted Hermione, "He was actually misbehaving! I merely fell asleep and-

"Enough Miss Granger! While the circumstances are unfortunate, you were still out of bed after hours. I'm afraid I have no choice! I must set an example to the other students." insisted McGonagall. Then she turned her attention to Filch, "Thank you, Argus. You may go."

"Have a good night, then." Filch said almost mockingly and left.

"Now then, as punishment for your actions, you both will be cleaning the trophy cabinet down the hall. You will do so without the use of your wands." stated Professor McGonagall.

"Now?" asked Hermione.

"No magic?" Draco cried.

"Yes now, Miss Granger. And Mr. Malfoy this is a punishment not an opportunity to practice some cleaning charm you haven't mastered yet." quipped Professor McGonagall.

Draco and Hermione both scowled as they handed over their wands and took some cleaning cloths and wax from their teacher.

"Oh, and don't even think of leaving before every inch of that cabinet is spotless! If there is even so much as a speck of dust left in the morning, I will deduct so many house points from each of you that the chances of winning the house cup will be impossible!" said Professor McGonagall.

"But Professor-" started Hermione.

"Now go." dismissed Professor McGonagall.

Draco couldn't believe his bad luck. Somehow he'd got stuck in a detention with miss know-it-all. It was 2 am and the trophy cabinet was huge! Getting it clean without magic before breakfast started would take a miracle. He glanced over at Hermione. She didn't look any happier than he was. Taking the wax and cleaning cloths, they proceeded over to the trophy cabinet and began their long task. Draco was trying to figure out how he could get away with doing as little of the work as possible when Hermione began to rant.

"I can't believe I got in trouble for this! Honestly, it's an outrage! Detention! Unbelievable! And with you, no less…"

Draco rolled his eyes. She continued on, more to herself than to him but annoying nevertheless. Then he realized he really didn't know why she was here. His curiosity was getting the better of him but how to get her attention?

"Will you please shut up!" He yelled over her ranting.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, shocked that Draco had spoken to her.

"You heard me. The situation is bad enough without your annoying voice as a background noise." retorted Draco.

"Unbelievable!" Hermione repeated. Whether she was commenting once again on the fact she was in detention or that Draco had dared tell her to shut up he wasn't sure. If it was the latter, she ought to be used to it by now. The former on the other hand, could probably shock a dead person back to life.

"So Granger, how did little miss goody-goody wind up in detention." asked Draco.

Hermione looked at him for a moment as if she was reluctant to answer him. Finally she said, "It was the silliest thing. I was in the library doing some research for an extra credit assignment. I must not have realized the time or how tired I was because I fell asleep. When I woke up I was frantic of course because I realized it was after hours. I tried to get back to Gryffindor tower but McGonagall caught me. I tried to explain it was a misunderstanding but as you saw, she wouldn't hear it."

Draco laughed in spite of himself. "You fell asleep in the library? Only you would be in the library anywhere close to after hours. "

"It's not that funny!" Hermione insisted.

"Oh, come on! It's a little funny. I should've guessed the only time you would get detention is for a complete accident!" Draco countered.

"Well what were you expecting? Me ransacking the kitchen in the middle of the night because I have nothing better to do?" Hermione was laughing now too.

"Hey, I was hungry!" said Draco, "You know, you'd be cleaning this trophy case by yourself if I hadn't forgotten my wand in the kitchen.

"I suppose you want me to thank you?" joked Hermione.

"Well a little recognition would be nice. If it hadn't been for that I'd be asleep right now." said Draco.

"You'd also be asleep right now if you hadn't left your dormitory in the first place." informed Hermione.

Draco just looked at her. She was right of course, but he didn't want to admit it, or worse, have her to proceed into a lecture on the importance of following school rules. She'd make a great teacher some day, he thought, but he'd never tell her that either.

"You know, when you aren't being a pompous ass to people for things far beyond their control, such as who their parents are, you aren't half bad Draco Malfoy." said Hermione.

It was Draco's turn to be shocked. Except for this miniscule conversation they were having, he'd never been anything but rude to her and all of a sudden he wasn't half bad?

"Why do you look so surprised?" asked Hermione.

"Uh, well, it's just, you're about the last person I ever expected to hear that from." Draco responded, "I don't exactly deserve kind words from you."

"You're probably right. But just because you always been a jerk to Harry, Ron and I and whoever else doesn't mean I have to be a jerk back. Or that you aren't capable of being nice." Hermione replied.

"No one thinks I'm capable of being nice!" Draco retorted.

"But you are! The last ten minutes is proof. You have a good side Draco, I'm sure of it." Hermione smiled.

Draco stared at her, dumbfounded. For someone he'd hated ten minutes ago, he sure was having second thoughts. Maybe he had always put up a mean, rude front. Perhaps he meant to and perhaps he hadn't but Hermione's ability to see past it was surprising. And sort of nice.

"You aren't so bad either, Hermione." Draco finally said. He smiled too.

Draco was suddenly aware of how close he was to Hermione. He felt like he was looking at her for the first time. She was really rather pretty. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed to pierce his icy blue ones. He leaned in slowly towards her and she did the same. He was about to kiss her when they heard a loud clatter behind them. They whipped their heads around and saw several trophies on the ground and Peeves floating above them.

"Damnit, Peeves what are you doing here?" asked Hermione, standing up.

Peeves just cackled before becoming invisible yelling, "Oooh, somebody's in trouble now!"

Draco stood up too, "Great, just great!"

"What's going on out here?" demanded Professor McGonagall.

"It was Peeves, Professor. He knocked over the trophies." explained Hermione.

"Alright well enough of this." Professor McGonagall used her wand to replace and clean the remaining trophies.

"Are you sure, Professor?" asked Hermione.

"I'm sure. Besides, at the rate you two were going, they might've been finished by Christmas!" said Professor McGonagall, "Here are your wands back. Now get to bed."

She left Draco and Hermione standing in the corridor snapped of the lights in her office and Draco presumed, went to her bed chambers.

"I guess we should thank Peeves." He said softly.

"I'd rather not." said Hermione, "No need for it to go to his head."

"Good point." Draco agreed.

"Well, goodnight then." said Hermione. Draco couldn't be sure but she seemed to want to say something else. She didn't however.

"Yeah, goodnight." Draco replied.

He watched as Hermione left for Gryffindor tower. He waited till she was out of sight before he left for his own dorm. What just happened? He asked himself. Could he really be developing feelings for Granger? No, he shook his head. She's a mudblood AND a Gryffindor! Everything I stand against. Everything my father stands against. But Draco knew the truth. Those things didn't matter to him. Hermione thought him a good person and nobody had given him that chance before, nobody! Their almost kiss sent shivers up his spine. The only problem with this scenario was they were supposed to hate each other. He didn't know how he was supposed to explain a complete one eighty in his attitude towards her. He didn't know if Hermione would even want him to because after all, he could just be reading too much into this whole thing. Draco knew one thing for sure. He wasn't leaving his dorm after hours again for a long, long time.