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Across from him Hermione blushed and looked simultaneously sorry and confused.

Without thinking Draco reached out and touched her cheek.

A part of him immediately regretted it. What if she pulled away?

Hermione's hand came up and covered his own and instead of pulling his hand away she leaned into his touch.

Something inside Draco shifted and the nightmare she had just woken him from faded away from the fringes of his memory as his focus trained in on the woman in front of him.

Her gaze flicked down from his eyes to his lips.

What would happen if she kissed him?

What would it be like to kiss her?

Hermione leaned in but instead of a kiss she came in for a hug.

It was completely unexpected and Draco blinked, caught entirely off guard.

For a moment he didn't know what to do with his hands.

Draco was used to women either hating him or kissing him and he realized, as her arms went around him, that Granger was comforting him.

Draco raised his arms and wrapped them around Hermione's warm torso.

She pressed into him as if willing the darkness away.

Draco's breath shortened.

This was not a dream. It felt far too real. The silk of her skin, the softness of her leaning into him was setting his nerve endings on high alert.

All at once Draco felt oddly overwhelmed by her kindness and concern.

The comfort was more intimate in some ways than a kiss could have ever been.