Hey everyone, dracos-sexy-bitch here again, with the first chappie of my brand new story. :-) I would like to apologize for how abruptly my last story ended, but I would like to assure you there will be a sequel, so don't worry too much. I love you all! Please R&R this story, let me know if ya like it. Thanks a bunch to my beta Cherbi161!

It's hard to say where it all began, to be quite honest. Compared to her, Voldemort seemed like a harmless, though at times annoying, fly. She was so desperate, so cunning, so evil, and yet she looked so innocent, it was hard to believe she was capable of the things she has done. There is no denying that there is a large amount of evil behind that pretty face of hers.

Granted, she had never actually killed anyone like Voldemort had, but she had certainly ruined lives with her cunning ways, and although she was not directly responsible, it has been suggested that she was an indirect cause of one student's tragic suicide.

We may never know what exactly went on in her head while she was doing all of these terrible things, as of course the only one who truly knows her thoughts is herself, but from the circumstances as well as testimony from the other students at Hogwarts, we can attempt to recreate the situation as well as possible.

It all began at Hogsmeade…

"Come on, Hermione, it'll be fun," Ron pleaded with his curly haired friend, getting down on one knee and taking her hand in his. Hermione arched a doubtful eyebrow at him in response.

She was seated on a couch in the Gryffindor common room, surrounded by Ron, Ginny, and Harry, who were all attempting to persuade her to come with them on an unsupervised excursion to Hogsmeade. They had been trying to convince her for over twenty minutes that it would be safe, that they wouldn't get caught, and that she really would enjoy the break from her homework, but she wasn't biting.

"There is absolutely no reason for me to go with you," she said simply, smiling regretfully at her friends. "Honestly, in three weeks we're going to have a school Hogsmeade weekend, so why not just wait until then?"

"Hermione, when was the last time you've done anything wrong?" Harry asked, with a tiny smile playing at his lips. Hermione was silent for a moment, avoiding everyone's gaze. Ginny grinned and poked Harry in the stomach.

"Good point, Harry," she said, smiling at him fondly. She turned to Hermione with the sweetest pout any of them had ever seen. "Please, Hermione? It will be absolutely dreadful without you!"

Hermione giggled and placed a teasing hand under Ginny's chin. "How can I refuse a face like that?" she laughed, and stood up. "Fine, I'll go. But if we get in trouble, I'll tell them you put me under the Imperius curse, and then you'll all be in a load of trouble."

Her three friends laughed, and were pleased that she had agreed to come, but none more so than Ron, who at that moment was blushing, having just realized he was still holding onto Hermione's hand. He dropped it quickly and moved a few steps away, hoping no one else had noticed. Their eyes met briefly, and each smiled shyly at the other, but quickly looked away, cheeks flushed.

"I still can't believe that Professor Ames is making you work with Malfoy," Ginny said, sticking her tongue out in distaste. "You'd think she'd know better, honestly."

The group of friends was walking slowly down the main street of Hogsmeade enjoying the freedom and the break from their regular studies. They all noticed how much better Hogsmeade seemed to be without the rest of the school buzzing about.

"Well, you know, since it is Defense Against the Dark Arts class, who better to work with? I need to defend myself against him as much as anyone else," Hermione said with a grin. "Especially since he's been so… different lately."

"Different?" Ron asked quickly, glancing at her suspiciously. "How so?"

"Oh, come on, Ron, don't pretend you haven't noticed," Ginny teased him. "He's not very subtle about it… always glancing over at her and making lewd gestures with whatever odd objects he happens to be holding at the time."

Hermione giggled. "I have to admit, that time with the breadstick and the bagel was one of my favorites," she said with a grin. "He just likes to be an ass, that's all."

Ron looked at her, horrified. "A breadstick and a bagel?" he repeated, his eyebrows disappearing into his hair. "What in the bloody – "

"Oh, look, it's a new store!" Hermione and Ginny squealed quickly, pointing to a store with a window displaying some of the most exquisite jewelry they had ever seen. This sudden change of subject seemed to throw Ron off topic, as they had hoped.

The two girls leaned against the glass lustfully, admiring how the beautiful necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and other jewelry sparkled so brilliantly in the light. This store seemed to have just about anything a young girl could dream of.

"Oh, can we go in, Harry?" Ginny asked, tugging at her boyfriend's robes gently. "Look how beautiful it all is. I just want to look, I promise I won't ask you for anything."

Harry laughed, and held the door open for her. "You can have anything you want, love," he said gently. "You're worth it."

Ron made gagging noises at the couple from Hermione's left. Hermione giggled and followed Harry and Ginny into the store, splitting from them to go look at the necklaces. Harry and Ginny were looking at rings, and Hermione thought it would be best to let them have their little discussions about that type of jewelry alone.

Ron followed her, and she blushed as she noticed his careful scrutiny of her. It was something in his eyes lately that made her shiver in delight whenever he looked at her. She had always had feelings for him, but had never thought he would return the feeling. When she saw him looking at her like that, she felt beautiful, like she was the only woman in the world at that moment, and that anything was possible for them.

He had been looking at her like that a lot lately, and things had been happening between them more often too, like him holding her hand longer than normal earlier. Even though these actions were usually unconscious, and recognized later in embarrassment, Hermione could still feel the sparks, and it made her giddy every time it happened.

A diamond necklace caught Hermione's eye, and she touched it gently, loving the feel of its elegance against her skin. It was a striking tear drop necklace that hung beautifully in a platinum setting. She gasped as it sparkled in her hand. She had never seen such a beautiful necklace before.

"Do you like it?" Ron asked from behind her, his breath tickling her ear. She smiled and turned to face him. They were very, very close now, and she reveled in this proximity. She loved his scent, a mixture of masculinity with a noble pride to it. She loved how his warmth hugged her body even though they weren't touching.

"It's beautiful," she answered, still smiling at him. "But very expensive."

"How much?" Ron asked.

"100 galleons," Hermione said with a pout. "It would take me years to save enough money to buy this."

"I'll buy it for you," Ron said cheerfully. Hermione looked up at him in surprise.

"Ron, absolutely not," she said. "That's very sweet of you, but impossible."

"Oh, I see," Ron said, becoming defensive. It had taken a lot out of him to get the courage to offer to buy her such a meaningful gift, and now she was rejecting it. "You think I can't afford it, don't you? Yeah, well, you're probably right, after all, I'm nothing but a Weasley. Pure blood, sure, but still trash. Thanks a lot, Hermione, for reminding me of something I should never forget."

"Ron, that's not what I meant!" Hermione said, confused as to how he had gotten all of that from her simple statement. "I just meant that – "

Ron cut her off before she could complete her sentence. "It doesn't matter, Hermione," he said sharply. "I know it's true, don't even bother denying it."

"Well fine, Ron," Hermione huffed. "If my opinion doesn't matter to you, I'll just leave. Tell Ginny I'm going to the Three Broomsticks to have a drink. Goodbye, Ronald."

Ron stared after her retreating form in a mixture of confusion and offense. How dare she storm off while he was scolding her? He turned around when he heart a fake cough behind him. Ginny and Harry were there, watching him in amusement.

"Have a bit of a scuffle, did you?" Ginny asked him with a cheeky grin. "What'd you do this time, darling brother?"

"I didn't do anything, it was her!" Ron protested, not because he actually believed it, but mostly to save face.

"Right," Harry said doubtfully. "May I suggest you run after her and patch things up?"

Hermione had found a table in the corner and was sitting, slumped against the wall, drinking her butterbeer. She pushed a handful of her bushy hair behind her ear and huffed. She hadn't meant to offend Ron, although she could see how he had taken it that way. He had always been sensitive about his money situation, and she knew she should have been a bit more careful of how she had phrased her statement earlier. At the same time, she knew Ron couldn't afford something that expensive, and either way he would have been upset about the situation. She sighed and took another sip of her drink.

As she sat reflecting, she heard someone shuffle their feet beside her. Ron was standing at the end of her table, red-faced and apologetic. She smiled gently at him, and motioned for him to sit beside her.

"I'm sorry for saying all that, Hermione," Ron said bashfully, avoiding her gaze. "I know you didn't mean it the way I took it."

"I should have been more careful," Hermione protested, not wanting him to take all the blame. She touched his arm gently and he smiled at her.

"It's just that... well, to be honest, I've been saving my money," Ron said, suddenly becoming nervous, and glancing away again. "You know… to get you something special. So I have the money, I was just waiting for the right moment and the perfect gift, and that just seemed like the time."

Hermione's eyes began to tear up as she listened to him speak. He must have been saving his money for years in order to have enough to buy her that necklace. She wasn't sure exactly what this gesture meant, but she could hazard a guess.

"Lucky for you, Hermione," Ron said with a grin, reaching into his pocket. "I happen to be very stubborn, and bought you the necklace anyway. I hope you don't mind."

Hermione smiled widely as Ron pulled the jewelry case out of his pocket and handed it to her. She opened it and admired the beautiful necklace inside. Ron took it out for her and placed it around his neck, touching her neck ever so lightly as he did so, sending shivers up Hermione's spine.

"Thank you, Ron, I love it," Hermione said, smiling brightly at him. She had never been given such a beautiful gift before, and it made her so happy that Ron cared enough about her to save up and buy something so nice for her.

At a table nearby, Lavender Brown sat with Parvati and a few of the older Gryffindor girls. She wondered vaguely how Ron and Hermione had slipped out of the castle to Hogsmeade, but soon came to the conclusion that Fred and George must have told them the secret passageway like he had told her.

Lavender struggled to keep her concentration focused on the conversation at her table, but her gaze kept drifting to Ron and Hermione, who were now talking and laughing happily, and Lavender noted a particularly deep flush on Hermione's face that she only saw when she was talking to Ron. She also noticed the beautiful necklace which she had admired only a few moments ago in the jewelry store around Hermione's neck. She wondered where she had gotten the money from, but shook her head from this thought.

She also wondered vaguely where Harry was, she didn't normally see him without his two companions. Her eyes wandered to the windows, where she could see Harry standing outside with Ginny. Oh yes, she remembered, Harry and Ginny had begun dating a few weeks ago, and were now practically inseparable.

Lavender sighed as she observed the new couple interacting with each other. She always got a twinge of sadness seeing people together like this, especially since she had never been in love. Sure, she had had many boyfriends in her life, most especially since she came to Hogwarts, but she had never truly made a connection with anyone.

She watched Harry as he stared at Ginny in such a loving way. She heard Ginny giggle, and sighed as she saw Harry gently brush a strand of hair out of her face. She felt a twinge of loneliness surround her heart as she wondered what it would be like to be with Harry. Would he hold her the same way he was holding Ginny? She imagined what it would be like with his strong arms around her, caressing her back, his soft lips nipping at her ears…

She had to have him. There was no alternative, she didn't care if he was taken, she was more attractive than Ginny anyway, she was confident that she could steal Harry from her. As she considered all these facts, she realized that there was one fatal flaw in her plan. Harry had never noticed her before, in all of their years at Hogwarts. Of course he knew she existed, everyone knew about her, but he had hardly ever spoken a word to her, much less seemed particularly aware of her presence. She would have to find a way to be around him more, some way to focus his attention on her so that he realizes how much fun she would be as a girlfriend, and how much more interesting she was.

But how?

Her eyes focused on Ginny for a moment. It would be so easy to befriend Ginny, the girlfriend. Perhaps that was too easy… and too boring. She shifted her gaze to Ron, and her eyes lit up. Why not? Ron would be a pleasure to befriend, he had grown quite attractive over the years, with his soft red hair, barely brushing his shoulders, and his bright blue eyes he could make any girl's heart flutter in delight and his strong muscular build that only a couple years of Quidditch could form. He would be the perfect, enjoyable gateway to the eventual goal of Harry's "friendship".

She giggled to herself as she thought of the future before her. She would become friends with Ron, and he would speak highly of her to Harry as a result. Once Harry had noticed her and had a pleasant disposition toward her, she would be able to make her moves. Once she made that girlfriend of his look bad, she and Harry would become the most talked about couple at school.

Harry and Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room by the fire, waiting for Hermione and Ginny to return from their study session at the library. Ron had been in a strange mood ever since they left Hogsmeade, and Harry had been waiting for a chance to talk to him about it. He glanced over at Ron, who was at that point chewing his lower lip as he stared off blankly into the fire.

"How you doing, mate?" Harry asked with a grin, nudging his friend to get his attention. Ron looked up at him in surprise, as if he hadn't realized Harry was even there.

"Oh, I'm bloody great," Ron said, pounding Harry heartily on the back.

"Any special reason?" Harry asked, knowing the answer already. "Something concerning our young curly haired friend, perhaps?"

Ron flushed a bright scarlet color. This was becoming a normal occurrence for him.

"Well yeah, sure," Ron admitted, with a slight smile. "I mean, she's bloody amazing. I've been crazy about her since first year, you know that."

"Yeah, you're fairly obvious," Harry teased. Ron glared at him, and Harry laughed. "Well, come on, it's not like it's a bad thing. She seems to like you as well, you should go for it. What's stopping you?"

"I don't want to ruin anything, you know?" Ron sighed. "You know how girls get, they get all… girly."

"Oh, the tragedy," Harry said, grinning.

"You know what I mean," Ron said. "I just don't want anything to change between us. Mostly I suppose I don't want to screw it all up."

"Did you consider that you might mess it up by waiting too long?" Harry pointed out. "Ginny was right about Draco, you know, he has been showing an uncharacteristic amount of interest in her lately. And you know what else, Hermione doesn't seem to mind it too much either. I don't know what he's planning, but if you want to be with Hermione, I suggest you do it before it's too late."

"But why is he interested?" Ron asked.

"That I do not know," Harry replied thoughtfully. "But I heard he can be very persuasive when he wants."

R&R please:-)