Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or You've Got Mail.

Jealousy

Chapter 1

Hermione smoothed down her jumper and knocked on the door. While she waited, she stamped her feet and rubbed her arms, trying to ward off the chill seeping through her clothes. She noticed a thin dusting of white streaked across her shoulders and dusted the snow off, just before the door opened. Hermione looked up, meeting the gaze of strikingly blue eyes.

"Hermione," Blaise Zabini murmured, sweeping into an elegant bow as he raised her hand to press a kiss to the delicate skin. Surprised, Hermione felt herself blushing profusely at the overdone greeting. Blaise straightened, caught the light red suffusing her cheeks and winked roguishly.

"Er…" Hermione stuttered, feeling her face heat up at the attractive Italian's attentions.

Blaise's smile widened, looking pleased at her reaction. "It's good to see you again, bella."

Hermione laughed. "You too, Blaise." He still held her hand in a warm, firm grip. Hermione tactfully decided not to comment on it.

"Bloody hell, Blaise, it's cold." A petulant voice petered out from somewhere inside the manor.

Blaise and Hermione exchanged a wry look as feet sounded on the stairs. A moment later, Draco Malfoy, wearing a particularly sour look, padded into the entrance hall. He brightened momentarily at seeing their visitor before remembering to scowl pointedly at the open door.

"Don't stand there like an idiot, Granger, get inside already," Draco grumbled at the brunette witch.

Blaise shot Draco a warning look. "Draco, be nice." He gently ushered Hermione inside, spreading his hand almost possessively over the small of her back. Both men saw the young woman colour slightly again, Draco waggling his eyebrows at Blaise behind the witch's back when she turned slightly. Blaise's mouth quirked upwards on one side, looking remarkably satisfied. Firmly quelling the urge to smirk, Draco strode past and led the way into the sitting room, then headed off towards the kitchen.

Blaise sat down beside her on the nearest couch, settling her down next to a pile of soft, inky-black pillows. His arm slid up her back to languidly drape across her shoulders. Draco reappeared, bearing a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

"Here," the blonde man said, shoving the cup towards her rudely. When Hermione merely started in surprise and didn't reach for it, he growled at her gruffly. "Did I make this for you for nothing? Drink it, Granger." He sat down in the armchair near the couch, scowling at her.

She scowled at his tone, but obediently took the mug from him and sipped slowly. The milky chocolate smoothness rolled around her tongue, tasting absolutely divine. She sighed softly in appreciation and opened her eyes – when had they closed? – to find Blaise and Draco staring at her with mixed expressions on their faces.

"What?" She asked them, feeling self-conscious.

Draco exhaled slowly from his nose. "Nothing, Granger."

She glanced at their empty hands, and raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you two are actually holding off on the hot chocolate?"

Blaise smiled. "Of course not, we had some earlier."

"Oh," Hermione mouthed softly.

"So, what are your plans now that you're back home?" Blaise changed the subject fluidly.

"Well," Hermione sighed, "I've been offered a really good job here, researching healing potions." She smiled, then added enthusiastically, "they even said in the interview that they were considering opening up a branch to deal with integrating Muggle and Wizarding medicine."

Draco's lip curled. "Integrate Muggle butchery with real healing?" He looked genuinely appalled at the thought.

Hermione shot him a glare – the prat – even as Blaise not-so-subtly kicked him. Draco yowled and jerked his leg up, rubbing his injured shin and sending Blaise a wounded look. Blaise let his foot rise up an inch from the ground. Eyeing it, Draco got the hint and closed his mouth, swallowing his other remarks.

"What I don't understand, though," Hermione mused, ignoring the sulking Malfoy entirely, "is why my old employer actually let me leave."

Blaise shared a glance with Draco, then swivelled his eyes back to her. "Oh?" He inquired mildly.

Hermione frowned and didn't notice the absurdly smug look on Draco's face. "I'd wanted to change jobs, but my boss kept sending away offers before I got near them and even tried to tell one interested employer that I was incompetent." Blaise shot her a look, and Hermione added, "I didn't tell you two about it at the time," – mainly because she knew the overprotective men had nasty vindictive streaks – "but I spoke to Hannah Abbott about it. She had similar problems, actually." Her frown deepened but she missed the seething looks the males exchanged.

"Of course," she continued, "I tried to set things straight, but I'd signed a contract with the previous boss and Baxtor insisted I couldn't quit because of some 'technicality' about a non-existent infringement." She scowled. "His argument was completely bogus, so I thought I'd have to contact a lawyer but he suddenly dropped the issue and let me resign."

"Perhaps somebody interceded on your behalf," Draco drawled out, examining his nails and looking supremely bored with the long-winded tale.

"Well, yes, I suppose so," she said vaguely. "But who – and why?" she added, frowning in thought.

"Does it matter?" Blaise interjected smoothly.

"Well, I would like to thank them," She paused for a moment and furrowed her brow in thought, "and ask them how they did it, of course."

"I'm sure if they wanted to listen to soppy thanks they'd show themselves," Draco said dismissively. "Do you think we could get off the topic that's about as interesting as Flobberworms racing?"

"Well – " Hermione began hotly, but was cut off by Blaise.

"I sense an argument brewing," Blaise said teasingly. He quirked an eyebrow at Hermione. "Now that we finally have you alone, I don't suppose you'd like to just have a casual night in?"

Hermione smiled, irritation at Draco's comment forgotten. "Only if you've got a decent movie to watch."

Draco snorted, but Blaise returned the smile, winking at Hermione. "Your average…er…chicken flock, was it?" Draco groaned and thumped his head on the back of the couch.

Hermione choked back a snort of laughter, suddenly understanding Draco's latest peeve. "Chick flick," she supplied after a moment of struggling to contain her amusement.

"Right," Blaise said, not looking embarrassed at all by the correction. Catching the way Hermione's face contorted with her effort to stay quiet, he allowed his smile to turn crooked. "Draco wanted an action movie."

The pale man sank lower into the couch, somehow managing to make his pout childish but his posture incredibly sexy. Hermione absently noted that the way his hair fell into his eyes probably didn't help matters nor the way his lips looked when he sulked. She forced her eyes away from him, flushing at the direction of her gaze. What was wrong with her? Draco and Blaise were her friends, she firmly reminded herself.

Stormy grey eyes slanted a look at the now red-faced brunette beneath pale eyelashes. "Something wrong, Granger?" He drawled.

"Er – no, nothing," Hermione muttered hastily, then straightened and smiled rather forcefully. "So – how about watching 'You've Got Mail'?"

"What kind of title is that?" Draco sneered. "Trust Muggles to think of something so foolish."

Hermione's right eyebrow twitched, before she turned her head to glare at Malfoy. "Oh, yes," she drawled sarcastically in an almost perfect copy of him, "and wizards are just so much better at naming things. 'Cockroach Clusters' – I can only presume the maker had no intention of wanting them to sell if they gave it a name like that. And oh, what about 'The Magic Of Sex', what an inventive and completely non-corny title that is."

Draco sat up straight, tossing his hair back to give her a haughty look. "You, Granger, simply have no idea how to appreciate Wizarding Society."

Hermione bristled at him and opened her mouth to snarl something at the arrogant Pureblood, but Blaise intervened. "Hermione, you know Draco's a git sometimes, forgive him." Draco sputtered, looking offended. Blaise shot him a look, and then winked at him mischievously before turning back to the witch. "Care to tell us what you know about that book, Hermione?"

Draco, bad mood forgotten, leant his elbows on his knees and smirked at the squirming witch. "Been looking up sex spells, have we?" His voice lowered an octave. "Granger, Granger…if you wanted advice you could have asked us." He leered at her.

Hermione wasn't in the least worried about that leer. She knew very well where Draco's preferences lay. With an effort, she quelled her desire to squirm around and avoid her friends' gazes. "Of course I haven't read the silly book. Lavender and Parvati had a copy of it back at school."

"Maybe you should, Granger," Draco smirked. "You look a bit uptight. A night of wild shagging would be excellent for you."

Hermione stiffened. "Uptight? And I hardly think I need to walk out and have some random sha – sexual escapade with some stranger I'd pick up from bar or something," she huffed indignantly.

"'Sexual escapade'? Granger, you really are a prude." Draco mocked, a sharp smile spreading across his face, enjoying the challenge of riling the ex-Gryffindor.

"Now, now, children," Blaise placated, spreading his hands out in front of the arguing pair. "Play nice," he added to Draco in a murmur. Raising his voice again, he ambled over to the shelves by the wall and plucked out the DVD 'You've Got Mail'. He cocked an eyebrow at the others. "Shall we?"

Hermione flashed him a grateful smile for successfully heading off the argument, and rose to her feet, following Blaise into the lounge room to watch the movie, Draco stomping in behind them, muttering under his breath.