Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. God, why would you crush my dreams! :P

AN: Anyways, this is the second installment. I am so so so so so so so sorry it took so long, I kind of hate myself over it. And then, I think about how much time it's been since I've updated some of my other stories and I hate myself a bit more. Anyways, here's chapter 2:

CHAPTER 2

"Loosen up, Granger," Draco shot her an amused look, "it's going to be fine."

Hermione glared at him from where she was clutching the seat in fear. "Yeah, you can tell me that after you park the car," she said bitingly. Then, she sighed. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me. It's obvious that you've changed. I shouldn't-"

"Why shouldn't you?" Draco cut in, his eyes fixed on the road, "Why shouldn't you still see me as that spoiled brat from school? It's not like I've given you any reason to think otherwise."

"I-" Hermione looked taken aback, "I suppose I- I mean, you, well-"

"It's fine," he said briskly, brushing the topic away, "Tell you what. How about you come over tonight, for dinner? I know it must be rough, getting settled, and you could use a free meal. I make a pretty fantastic pasta."

Hermione hesitated. Well, if Harry and Ginny seem to like him, she thought tentatively, I guess he should be okay. "Alright, then," she agreed, "I'll see you tonight then."

"Dinner's at seven," he told her as he turned into their development, "Don't be late."

Hermione scowled to herself. How could he even insinuate that I might be late? She seethed, and then perked up. "Oh, this is mine!" she said excitedly, "Number 7!" Draco parked the car in front of the house.

He stared at her house for a minute, and then put his head down on the steering wheel, chuckling. "What's so funny?" she asked suspiciously.

"That one's mine," he told her, sounding resigned, pointing across the street, "I'm in number 10."

Hermione gaped open mouthed at him before managing a weak laugh herself. "Small world," she muttered before getting out of a car. Draco got out too and, before she could, had gotten her luggage out of the trunk and was carrying it to her house. "Um, Malfoy, that's okay," she ran after him, "I can get it."

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a lady carry her own luggage," he said lightly, "And plus, if I'm going to be spending the next few months proving to you that I've changed, might as well start now."

She didn't say anything, just followed him up her walkway until he set her luggage down on the front step. "I trust you have the key?" he said, raising his eyebrows at her as she just stood there.

"Oh, right!" she pulled her keys out, blushing.

"Dinner at seven," he told her before walking away, "Don't forget." She watched as he walked away. Malfoy may have been living in a common muggle development, but he never lost his haughty, aristocratic grace, as seen by the way he walked as if he owned the world. Hermione sighed and unlocked the door, planning on going to take a shower, and maybe a long nap. A very long nap.


As soon as Draco came home, he threw his keys on the table and headed for the fireplace. "Harry Potter," he called, throwing a handful of floo powder in the fireplace and sticking his head in it. "Potter!" he screeched when he was greeted with an empty room. "Potter, I know you're there! Get in here before I get impatient and start spitting ashes onto your carpet!"

"Why, Draco, it's so wonderful to see you again," Ginny said dryly, walking into the room, her hands on her hips.

"I need your help," Draco forced out, speaking really quickly.

Ginny let her hands drop. "I'm sorry, Draco," she told him teasingly, a smile playing on her lips, "We can't help you hide Hermione's body. You'll have to do that on your own."

Draco stared at her for a while, before raising his voice and yelling, "Can I get the sane Potter over here?" Then, he paused, reconsidered, and opened his mouth again, "The relatively sane Potter?"

"Ooh, you're just a bit too late, Draco," Harry smirked, walking into the room with his hands in his pockets, "James is napping."

"Well, I kind of invited Granger over for dinner," Draco continued, as if Harry hadn't said anything, "And it's going to be really awkward if it was just the two of us, since she still thinks I'm a death eater or whatever, and it's bloody Granger so I can't even hope that she'd cancel or anything, so I really need the two of you to come over for dinner, so it'll be, well, less awkward."

The two were silent for a while. And then, Ginny broke out into a wide smile. "You invited her over on a date, Draco?" she giggled. Harry smirked along with her.

"Did you two not hear a single thing I said after that?" Draco groaned, "Oh, bloody hell, I do not have the time to be repeating all of that for the dozen or so times it'll take for it to get into your heads you-"

"We'll be there, Draco," Harry cut in smoothly, putting his hands up defensively, "Seven, right?"

"Seven," Draco nodded in confirmation and disappeared, a worried expression on his face.

"Well, this should be fun," Ginny said deviously, rubbing her hands together. Harry looked as if he should probably try to keep her from wreaking havoc, but shrugged and decided that it was too much work.


Hermione straightened her skirt nervously. She had been standing in front of Draco's door for about five minutes, debating whether or not to knock. She had briefly though about just not going, but she honestly couldn't do that, especially since she gave her word. She checked her watch anxiously. 6:58. Good. So she had another two minutes to stand on this porch and reevaluate her life decisions and maybe make a choice about-

The door swung open and she looked up, startled, so see Draco's amused face in front of her.

"Granger," he said succinctly, his eyes glinting.

"Malfoy," she nodded at him as if she had not just been standing in front of his door for five minutes. Maybe he didn't notice. Maybe he had no idea. Maybe-

"So," he said casually, "Were you ever planning on knocking, or did you think we were going to have dinner on the porch?"

Hermione flushed dark red as she struggled to find a response. Draco laughed and stepped back. "Well, come in, then," he said pointedly, still smirking.

Hermione sniffed indignantly and stalked past him into his house, ignoring his chuckles, and stopped short when she saw Harry and Ginny sitting at his dining table, chatting about something.

"Harry!" she grinned happily, "Ginny, what are you guys doing here?" Draco pulled out a chair for her and she thanked him, giving him a strange look.

"Well," Harry smirked as Draco sat down as well, "Draco flooed us and was all-" Harry suddenly stopped short, bending over at the waist and his face contorting. "I mean," he coughed, "Draco wanted to make you feel more at home, so he invited us as well." He glared hard at Draco, who had obviously just kicked him.

"No," Ginny looked partly confused, and partly devious, "Draco flooed us, all panicked about inviting you for dinner, and harassed us until we agreed to come and relieve some of the tension."

Hermione giggled, despite the reddening of her face, and Draco sunk low in his chair, looking irritated. "Wow, Red," he rolled his eyes, "I'm pretty sure Percy would do a better job of relieving the tension."

"So, you agree that there's tension between you two?" Ginny leaned forwards, wagging her eyebrows, "Nothing a quick snog wouldn't fix, if you'd ask me."

"Ignore her," Draco said pointedly, "She's insane. I don't know why the government let her have kids."

"It's nothing I'm not used to," Hermione shrugged, grinning evilly, "I mean, this is the girl who accidently stuck her elbow in the butter dish the first time the famous Harry Potter came to her house." Draco, who was drinking when Hermione said this, chocked on his wine, sputtering, but still managing to smirk at Ginny, who had turned beet red and was now glaring at her chuckling husband.

"Humph," she crossed her arms, glaring at Harry, "Stop laughing, it's not like you were any more suave! You made Cho Chang cry the first time you kissed her!"

Harry's amused face dropped and Draco howled with laughter, banging the table in his amusement.

"Yes, well, Hermione," Harry tried, "Um, well, Hermione… what did Hermione do? Oh, well, Hermione had to be reminded by Ron of all people that she was a witch and could use magic! Some 'brightest witch of her age'."

"Well, who was it who nearly passed out at the thought of asking a girl to the Yule Ball?" Hermione demanded, enjoying herself despite all the yelling. Draco, on the other hand, could not stop laughing.

"W-well, Ginny sent me a singing valentine!" Harry countered turning to his wife.

"You swore that you'd never mention that again!" Ginny hissed, and then turned to Hermione, who looked back at her defiantly. "Well, Mione had a huge crush on Professor Lockhart!"

"That's enough!" Hermione said thunderously, effectively stopping all the yelling.

The four of them were silent for a while before Draco spoke up. "You made Chang cry with your snogging, Potter?" Harry fumed to himself as the other three burst out laughing.

"She was already kind of crying!" Harry tried to say, "It wasn't me!" But it was useless.

"God, this was so productive," Draco chuckled, "I've got so much dirt on you all now."

"Like we don't have any dirt on you, Draco?" Ginny said challengingly, "I mean, what about-"

Draco cut her off, leaning lazily back in his chair and saying, "I'd watch what you said, Weaselette. I bet Bill and Charlie don't know about this singing valentine." The paling of Ginny's face seemed to confirm that and he grinned evilly and continued, "It would be a shame if they found out, right?"

Ginny was silent for a while. "Rotten Slytherin," she scowled, stuffing a forkful of pasta in her mouth, ignoring the laughter around the table.


Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun.

She was laughing so hard that she could barely get her dinner down. Every time she put a bite of the pasta – oh god that heavenly pasta it tasted so good—in her mouth, someone would say something that would send her into peals of laughter, or some serious choking.

And as much it disturbed her to say it, she really enjoyed Draco Malfoy's company. He was hilarious, and charming, and had a lot of dirt on Harry, since they were both Aurors.

"Anyways," Ginny stood up, sighing, "We really have to go. My mum's expecting us back soon and I'll bet she's quite fed up with James's screaming by now."

Hermione pouted and waved at them with her cloth napkin, pretending to tear up. "Oh, I'll miss you, Ginny dear!" she shouted dramatically, brushing a few fake tears off her face.

"What's up with you, Granger?" Draco asked, amused, "I mean, you can't possibly be drunk."

"Oh, she basically is," Harry chuckled, helping his wife with her coat, "Hermione gets, well, I guess you could say she gets drunk off life."

"The best alcoholic experience ever!" Hermione sang, grinned at Harry.

"Well, anyways, Draco," Harry looked at Malfoy, "We'll just leave then, I'll see you in work Monday!"

"Oh my gosh, Draco," Hermione squealed, "You have a television?" She bounced into his living room, setting down on his couch and grabbing the remote.

Draco stared after her, a bit unsure. Ginny hissed his name and he looked over at her to see her making a series of hand gestures that Draco didn't understand. He shot her a confused look and she rolled her eyes and said, "Go over there and snog her!"

Harry sighed and said, "You don't have to snog her, mate, but you should probably talk to her." Draco shot them a look and crossed his arms. The couple rolled their eyes as one and stepped into the fireplace and flooed away.

As soon as the two left, Draco let his arms drop, looking back to the living room where Hermione was still lounging on his sofa. He gulped nervously and went after her.

AN: Alright, so I kind of ended it in an annoying way, sorry! In the next chapter, Draco and Hermione have a conversation, Hermione looks for a job, and a day full of shocking Weasley news!