Hermione could not believe what she was seeing, but her eyes didn't lie.

Draco was kissing Pansy. Pansy was kissing Draco.

Someone has to put a stop to this disgusting public display of affection, she thought. Although technically this empty classroom isn't public.

Hermione cleared her throat.

Pansy gasped and covered her mouth, and proceeded to run out of the room.

'Hermione,' Draco started.

'Look, I don't want to hear it.'

'Oh, come on. I was only kissing her.'

'I KNOW! But you're supposedly going out with ME!'

He opened his mouth to speak.

'We're through.'

'You always say that when I do something stupid.'

Hermione laughed hollowly. 'Except none of those stupid things has ever involved cheating. We. Are. Through.'

'Aww, Hermione…'

She waved at him over her head and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

He's not upset now. But he will be when he realizes I've put a four-hour sticking charm on the door so he can't get out of there.

Hermione and Draco's break-up went public after he stormed over to Gryffindor table during dinner to yell at her. Actually, their relationship in general also went public since only Harry and Ron had known about it up till then.

'Hermione, I missed Potions!'

Everyone turned and stared. He had, after all, just used her first name.

'I can't help that,' she replied coolly.

'You're still annoyed?' he asked, peeved.

'Annoyed?' She raised an eyebrow. 'Draco, I'm way past annoyed. I'm livid. And we're through, so go away.'

There was a collective gasp across the Great Hall.

He remained standing at her shoulder.

'Come on, babe,' he said in a low voice.

'You're sorry, then?' she asked, a sly smirk on her face.

He cleared his throat and looked around, although at that point secrecy would have been impossible. He looked a bit confused as well.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered.

'Good,' she said sweetly.

He grinned and put a hand out to touch her face. She slapped it away.

'Goodbye, Draco,' she told him and turned back to her dinner.

Draco stormed out of the Great Hall to avoid the snickers following the fall of his pride.

'That was brilliant,' Ron said, grinning.

'Shut up, Ron,' she said.

'Hey, after what he did – '

'Ron! He's a prat. I know that,' she hissed. 'But I liked him.'

'Sorry,' Ron muttered.

At dinner, Hermione received a package.

'Aren't you going to open it?' Ron asked.

'No.'

'Aren't you even wondering who sent it?' Harry asked naively.

'Draco did.'

'So, why don't we burn it or something?'

'I want to make him sweat.'

Ron looked at her carefully.

'Please tell me you aren't going to take the git back.'

'Certainly not.'

'Then why do you want him to sweat?'

'He deserves it.'

Ron and Harry stared at her.

'Hermione, you told me that revenge isn't healthy,' Harry said. 'You wouldn't let me go after Snape for that very reason.'

'Harry, have you ever heard the saying, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?"' She raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry nodded reluctantly.

'Well, Harry, I am a woman scorned. Therefore, I have license to torture Draco.'

'But he's just going to think you're playing hard to get.'

'That's his problem.'

'Okay, Hermione,' Harry said. 'But I still say revenge isn't healthy.'

'I agree,' she told him. 'But I'm quite angry and what's life without a little danger?' She gulped down her drink. 'I'm off to the library, not to be disturbed.'

'I notice you're taking the package with you,' Ron commented.

'Goodbye, Ronald.'

Hermione opened the package with suspicion in the Entrance Hall. There was a note on top of the contents.

Dear Hermione,

(Hah. If I were so very 'Dear,' you wouldn't have been kissing that cow.)

I am sorry. I don't know what got into me.

(Her tongue, perhaps…)

Please, accept my apology. I know you're angry, but please don't deny what's between us.

(There is a lot of space between us. And it's going to stay that way.)

Yours,

Draco

'Loathsome little cockroach,' she muttered. 'Well, what's in here?'

She pushed aside the tissue paper and found copy of Hogwarts: A History.

She opened the cover to see if he had written a note inside, too.

'First edition!' She breathed out and closed the book. 'But I can't keep it.'

'Why not?'

Hermione jumped.

'I say you keep the book, Hermione.'

'Easy for you to say, Blaise.'

'It will make him even crazier when you keep rejecting him.'

'But that's wrong,' she said, gazing longingly at the ancient tome. 'This is a priceless gift. It's a Malfoy heirloom.'

Blaise sauntered over to her.

'You headed to the library?' he asked.

'Yes. I need to finish my Arithmancy essay.'

'Me too. We could share a table.'

Hermione smiled.

'I'm glad you aren't cutting me off, Blaise. I thought for sure you'd side with Draco.'

'Yeah, well, I'm not,' he said.

'I think this may be a historic moment,' she teased. 'A Slytherin siding with a Gryffindor instead of his own house-mate.'

Blaise just nodded and started down the corridor.

'Are you done with that book?' Hermione whispered to Blaise. They were sitting at a table in the back of the library but Madam Pince was sternly re-stocking shelves near them.

'Almost,' he said.

'You aren't even reading it anymore!'

'I could be.'

'You can't absorb information through diffusion,' she whispered back, raising an eyebrow.

'What is diffusion?' he asked curiously.

'Blaise, you know what diffusion is. Just give me the book.'

'I will when I'm rea – '

'I want a word, Granger,' Draco hissed from behind Blaise.

'No,' she refused, glaring at him. 'After what you did you do not get anything.'

Draco's face took on a cool mask.

'I think I deserve a minute of your time.'

Madam Pince swept over to them.

'If you're going to argue, please leave,' she told them.

'Fine, but only a minute,' Hermione snapped and stormed to the last stacks with Draco.

'Couldn't wait to have an excuse to get rid of me, could you?' he sneered.

'Get rid of you?!'

'You dumped me at lunch and only waited until after dinner to start flirting with Blaise.'

Hermione's eyes flashed.

'How dare you! After what you did – '

'Come on, I didn't show up last night. I had a meeting. Then I had to go see McGonagall.'

'That's not what I was referring to and you know it.'

'And you, Miss I'm-so-perfect, you didn't show up at the classroom – '

'So you decided to snog that COW?!'

Draco looked at her as if she were crazy.

'What?'

'I caught you snogging Pansy. Don't try the amnesia plea. I'm going.'

Draco caught her by the arm and turned her back around to face him.

'What are you talking about? I waited in the empty classroom next to the painting of that awful group of old witches – '

'I went to the empty Charms classroom,' Hermione said, mystified.

'But I thought – '

'The classroom you went to is for Tuesdays,' she said.

'But I sent you an owl last night to change the place. Nott's started hanging out near the Charms classroom.'

'I didn't get the note,' she said, puzzled.

'But I sent Blaise…' Draco clenched his fist. 'That rat!'

Hermione bit her lip. 'So, if you weren't at the Charms classroom, then that was Blaise?'

Draco raised an eyebrow.

'That rat!' She exclaimed.

'Just wait until I get my hands on him,' Draco growled.

'Draco,' Hermione said, catching his hand. 'I'm sorry I believed you would kiss Pansy.'

'No, I'm sure it looked real.' He smiled at her. 'Back together?'

She smirked and stood on tip-toe to whisper in his ear.

'I know how we can get back at Blaise,' she told him.

Draco smirked and pulled her close.

'Don't look now, but he's behind you,' Draco murmured in her ear. He kissed next to her ear and then trailed a line of kisses to her mouth. He kissed her hungrily.

'Draco,' she said softly as he began to kiss her throat.

A book dropped behind her and she held in her laughter until she saw Blaise's head disappear from sight.

'Want to go somewhere Pince isn't?' he asked her, his eyes stormy.

'Let's go,' she said.

Draco gathered up her books and dropped them into her bag. She reached out to take it.

'I've got it,' he said, taking her hand in his.

'How chivalrous of you,' she smiled as he lifted the bag onto his shoulder.

'Merlin, woman!' Draco exclaimed. 'How many books do you have in here?'

'A fair few,' she said. 'And thank you for the book you sent me, by the way.'

'I thought you might like it,' he said lightly.

They emerged about an hour later; each appearing thoroughly snogged, from the Room of Requirement. Draco whispered something in Hermione's ear and she swatted him, laughing.

'Hermione?!' someone yelped.

'Ron?'

'What are you doing?' Ron demanded.

'Er – Draco's walking me back to the Tower.'

Ron gawped at her incredulously as she smoothed out her robes.

'Were you snogging him in a broom closet?'

'Actually, we were in the Room of requirement,' Draco corrected.

'You bastard!' Ron shouted. 'You cheated on her. You can't have her back.'

'Well, it turns out that Blaise was using Polyjuice and set Draco up.'

'How do you know?' Ron asked.

'Draco and I figured it out.'

'He could be lying.'

'I don't think so,' Hermione said. 'Blaise seemed rather too interested in talking to me tonight, and he didn't side with Draco in our break-up.'

'So? Draco's not some angel. He could be lying.'

'Weasley,' Draco said while circling his arms around Hermione. 'Why on earth would I cheat on the loveliest and most brilliant witch of the age?'

'Because you're a daft prick.'

'I resent that.'

'Oh, hush, both of you,' Hermione butted in. 'Ron, really, Blaise did set it up. Pansy will probably squeal on him and soon we'll be hearing gossip about their escapade in the corridors. Now, we can all just walk to our dorms - ' she glared at her boyfriend. ' – separately, Draco – and stop making such a fuss.'

'All right,' Ron said. 'But I'm warning you, Malfoy – '

'Yes, yes, you've got your eye on me, I understand,' Draco cut across him. He turned back towards Hermione. 'I'll owl you tomorrow morning,' he said.

'Oh, for goodness sakes, just kiss each other goodnight and be done,' Ron groaned. He headed in the direction of Gryffindor Tower by himself.

'Goodnight,' Hermione told Draco, kissing him one last time.

'I thought I was walking you to the Tower,' he protested.

'You were, until Ron showed up.'

'He's gone now.'

'No, he isn't. I can see him waiting by that classroom.' She pointed.

'All right, all right,' Draco grumbled.

'Don't pout,' she said, laughing. 'Remember, everyone knows about us now. Since we've no hope that V – '

' – don't say his name – '

'You Know Who,' she amended, rolling her eyes, 'will know by this time tomorrow, you'll be punished…'

'Thanks for reminding me, I had almost forgotten, Hermione.'

'Anyhow, I think this has all worked for the best. We know that Blaise is a rat and you now have the perfect opportunity to – '

'Blackmail him?' Draco asked hopefully, knowing what she was really going to suggest.

'Go into hiding,' she finished.

'Tomorrow,' he said.

'Good.'

'And I'm taking you with me,' he said futilely.

'I'll visit.'

'Good enough,' he said, kissing her.

'Tonight?' she whispered.

'Fine.'

She smiled and threw her arms around his neck, peppering his face with kisses.

'I should agree to go into hiding more often,' he smirked.

She kissed him again.

'Oi!' yelled Ron 'You two still not done yet?!'