A/N: Okay, this is the first chapter of my second Draco-Hermione romance. I hope it turns out as well as the original idea did, which I have to give most of the credit to iloveslinky, a Jimmy Neutron fanfic writer, for this idea. She was going to use it, but was kind enough to let me steal it from her. Also, this one may contain spoilers, but I do not plan on having it follow a strict format like my last fanfic, so if you're expecting this to closely relate to any of the seven books, hit the back button now. So, on with the idea.

Disclaimer: I am obviously not the owner of HP, or Draco would not have been such a wimp in the seventh book, because, let's face it, we all know he was. Also, the title of this chapter, "Next To Nothing," is based off of a Breaking Benjamin song, so the credits for that title is all theirs.

Next To Nothing

Hermione stood placidly next to Harry and Ron as Hagrid spoke on about the danger of consuming poisonous leeches from the Great Lake. She had looped her thumb through the strap of her backpack as she listened to the Slytherins around her making rude and crude jokes about the half-giant looming before them. She sighed at their attempt to ruin his class as he began to turn a beet red shade and delivered his final lines before releasing them to go and play with the poisonous leeches the merpeople had been so kind to donate.

"Okay, now yer all gonna get en'ter pairs o' two," he stuttered finally. At those words, the Slytherins and Gryffindors split up, none daring to mix the two houses. Hermione was soon standing by herself in the middle of a crowd of couples. She stared at her two best friends in shock as they linked arms like a pair of school girls. She wondered slightly if there was a romance they weren't telling her about. She shook her head and looked around to see if anyone else was available. She groaned at her incredible bad luck.

"Well, it seems like we've got ourselves a new pair fer once," Hagrid rumbled.

"Please, Hagrid, don't pair me with…him," she pleaded, her voice acidic as she said the informal indication to him. She turned to glare at him with malice. His grey eyes were staring determinedly at anything but her face.

"'Mione, don't start a fuss. Besides, he may end up helpin' yer." Hermione nearly snorted at the idea of Draco Malfoy helping anyone but himself. She sighed in defeat and grumbled a fine, causing Hagrid to light up and clap her a little too hard in the back. She was nearly sent sprawling as he beamed down on her. "Mister Malfoy, if yer lookin' fer yer pairin', she's over here." Draco looked at Hermione, as if seeing for the first time that she was the only one left to choose from.

"Well, if I'm stuck with the mudblood, at least make sure she doesn't touch me. God only knows how contagious that…smell coming off her is," he retorted, causing a spiral of laughter from the other Slytherins. Hermione felt her cheeks redden.

"Don't make me call Mad-eye, Malfoy," she spat back. "You never know when a furry, slinky, white ferret will be bouncing around here." She grinned triumphantly at the look of terror on his face. Hagrid's voice came out in a slow drawl.

"Now, ye two are gonna stop callin' each other names 'n such or I'll call Dumbley-dore down here, an' he'll get ye two ta stop." The two students bowed their heads silently. Hermione took one last glance over her shoulder as she followed Draco to their stump, the farthest away from the castle.

Harry was mouthing his apologies while holding on to Ron's arm as he shook and practically fumed with anger. She just shook her head and returned her attention to following the almost-white haired blonde.

When they reached the stump, he continued to walk about three feet and slid down a tree trunk in an oddly graceful manner, placing his hands behind his head. Hermione began to take copious notes on the leeches as they slowly moved around, snapping at one another when they passed. She finally sighed and spoke without turning around.

"Draco, I am not doing the entirety of this project alone." She stopped writing to lift her head up and massage her cramping neck.

"Now, I do believe you are," he replied. "See, I need a decent grade in this class, and you're going to help me get it."

"Malfoy, you're the second smartest student in our grade, second only to me. There is no way in bloody Hell you'd need my help in any class, especially Care of Magical Creatures." She sighed and turned to face him. His eyes were closed, and he opened one eye carelessly to watch her movements. He wasn't about to trust her when she wasn't working.

"Look, Granger, Pansy's decided to work with Blaise on this one. She usually did the work on assignments, thanks to careful and seducing maneuvers from me. Now, I must be forced to tell you, you are going to do the work on this one." He raised an eyebrow, daring her to question him.

"You evil, slimy, oily, little--"

"Ah, ah, now we do remember what Hagrid said about name calling, don't we?" Draco chastised contemptuously. Hermione continued to glare at him for several unsuccessful minutes until she gave in and returned to her notes. She heard him chuckle behind her as he slid farther down the grass in the shade.

"Now, see what simple cooperation can do for you?" he whispered.

"Careful how far you slide down that tree, Malfoy. You may end up looking like you snogged me, and you don't want to get that kind of attention, do you? Because I'd have no problem going along with it just to spite you." He was silent, and she was left to work alone. Hermione wondered why Pansy had decided against working with Malfoy. Yes, he was a despicable creature who lived to harm everyone else just to build his ego, but she was one of the few who liked him. Then again, for a Slytherin, Blaise wasn't half bad looking. She shrugged and focused full-heartedly on her work.

An hour, one cramped hand, and a sore neck later, Hermione, Harry, and Ron strolled up the path to the front of Hogwarts' castle. "Hermione, I'm really sorry," Harry was saying. Ron was still clenching his fists in anger, but this time it was because one of their leeches had decided to attach itself to his arm in the middle of one of his Malfoy rants. He turned his trademark red, making both houses laugh uncontrollably. Hermione and Draco, however, had been completely unaware, since the first was deep in her notes, and the latter was fast asleep.

"Harry, it's okay, really. Just a few days of work meant for two people, and it will be over. No more Malfoy in that class. I already told Hagrid off for forcing me to do such a…horrid thing." Harry and Ron both looked at each other, feeling sorry for Hagrid, since they had both been subjected to being told off by Hermione on past occasions. Harry returned his attentions back to the conversation at hand.

"But really, if I had known you'd be paired with Malfoy, I would have forced Ron to work with Neville instead." This received a glare from Ron and a chuckle from Hermione. Harry smirked in spite of himself.

"'Mione, just let me get at him. He'll work with you after that," Ron said, recovering from the insult. She looked at him in disbelief.

"Ron, you do remember the last time I let you go after Malfoy, right?" He looked at her expectantly, hoping there really wasn't a last time. "You were puking slugs for about a half an hour because your wand backfired."

"Yeah, but that was just 'cause the whomping willow snapped it in two," he protested. Hermione just looked at him sternly.

"Thank you, both of you, but I'll get through this…somehow. There's next to nothing you can do to help me," she said. She pressed her fingers to her temple as they entered the crowded Great Hall, preparing herself for lunch. She sat opposite Ron as usual, and was unsurprised to find Ginny seating herself to her right. Ron began to dig in to the food already out on the table, to the great disgust of both girls and Harry.

"Ron, must you eat like you're starving?" Ginny asked.

"Bfft I amff starffingh," he said with his mouth full. Ginny rolled her eyes, then turned to face Hermione.

"So, I hear you're paired with Malfoy in Hagrid's class," she said. "I can jinx him for you, if you'd like." Hermione shook her head once more.

"No, that's okay. But how'd you hear about that? Harry, you didn't, did you?" Ginny laughed her bell-like giggle.

"No, Neville told me. He came running in here to find Hagrid to get several leeches off of his face--"

"So I'm not the only one!" Ron interrupted, taking a small break from eating. Ginny continued.

"When he got them off, he filled me in. You three were especially slow today." Hermione could only nod silently as the blonde entered with Pansy in tow, with barely a foot between them. Blaise, who usually followed behind Crabbe and Goyle, seemed more sullen than usual. Hermione wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Pansy was no longer paying attention to him.

Her eyebrows furrowed together slightly. It was then that Draco turned his head quickly, but slightly. In that split second, blue eyes locked with light brown, and for the first time, he resisted a chance to insult her. She felt something swell in her chest as he tipped his head a fraction down, a movement only she detected, before he linked his arm around Pansy's waist and made his way to the Slytherin table.

For the rest of the day, no matter what class she was in, she pondered the meaning behind his greeting. Never since they had exchanged names had he treated her with any form of respect. She wondered if he really needed more help in the subject than he had let on. The thought would haunt her until she could get a decent answer to it, but she wouldn't see him until the next day when they had Potions with Snape. Yet, as she walked to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for dinner, she felt oddly buoyant, as if some sort of weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She remembered the swelling in her chest and wondered if there was any connection.

She sighed as she sat in her usual spot once more. This time, she deliberately searched for him. When she couldn't find him, she began to search his table. It was there that she found him, already sitting. Their eyes locked once more, and she sighed. It would be the same as before.

And yet, it wasn't. He whispered something to Pansy, who was seated next to him, and they looked at her and began to laugh. She knew that moment before had meant nothing to him, and that it was just a moment when he had been too tired to try. After all, he had just woken up. She could feel her face turning a scarlet color. How could she have been so foolish as to think that the Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy, would have any feelings for her whatsoever except for deep scorn?

She turned away quickly as she began to hear the laughs from his table grow louder. Ginny bothered her for the rest of the meal, along with the time she spent in the common room working on what little homework she had left to do. Eventually, once she had finished her work and lent her Herbology essay to Harry, she shoved her books in her bag and escaped to the Library, planning to dissolve into the depths of a good book, away from everybody else. Maybe she would re-read Hogwarts: A History for the twenty-fifth time that year. She planned on spending the rest of the night there, hopefully as far from reality as possible. She breathed in deeply as she pushed open the wooden door to the quiet room, and released it as the door closed behind her.

A/N: Okay, first chapter done. I know it's not exactly the next great American novel, but I think it could develop into a very controversial story. I hope all of you guys liked it and I'm hoping to update soon!! So, review quickly!!