Charades

A Draco/Hermione Story

Summary: At the end of her 5th year, Hermione was offered a post in a secret company in exchange for the knowledge of what was to come of the future. It's been one year and she's helped defeat Voldemort with the knowledge she gained, but can she keep her secrets from her friends? Who will be the first one to figure out what is wrong with her? Does love really conquer all? Post HBP, not DH compliant. OC characters involved.

Disclaimer: I neither own Harry Potter and its affiliated characters nor the song Charades.

Pairings: None yet, but it's coming.

Author's Note: Ok. So, the winner of the Challenge is ProwlingKitKat. One question: how did you guess? LOL. Good work.

I also couldn't wait to get this chapter up. Enjoy.

Last Chapter:

He didn't even know where she'd gotten the money for that car or her outfit or the flat that she shared with Blair. Blair had probably given her the money, but he doubted it. No, she worked for every penny, and that made her indulgences different. Made her human, something he doubted he had ever been. He was rarely anything but perfect, something that had been bred into him. That wasn't human. That was cloned, mechanical, nothing. He needed to stop this before it started.

He wasn't going to the Farewell Dinner.

Chapter 2: In My Finest Attitude

9:50 AM saw Hermione and Blair walking into Varden Manor, both looking fiercely beautiful. Hermione's long, curly honey hair was down hanging over her shoulders. She was clad in a black, tunic length sleeveless shirt. The shirt was open in the front held together by a single black button that closed at the set of her cleavage. The outfit showed off how well toned her honey body was and revealed her naval piercing that she'd gotten after the war ended, adorned at the moment with a diamond ring with a cross dangling from it. Her shapely legs were clad in fitted blue jeans and she wore black suede stiletto boots.

Blair had her straight, dark mahogany hair down as well. She was wearing a black halter vest, accentuating her small, muscular frame. The halter had a deep V-neck and was held together by two black buttons. Her muscular stomach was bare as well as her back and shoulders. All she wore underneath the halter was a red shiny satin bra, that would make appearances in glimpses. Her skin held no hint at a tan, but was perfect porcelain sheen. She too had a naval piercing, with a simple diamond ring adorning it. She wore low rider jeans that were acid-wash boot cut, showed off her shapely legs and her tight ass. Her feet were clad in black peep toe pumps.

Hermione's makeup was in light hues of bronze and black liner. Her lips were dressed in a rose color. Blair's was in shades of brown, with black liner and mascara, her lips dawned in a burgundy color. To the outside eye, they both looked like supermodels. They both walked across the wide empty floor.

Varden was a massive structure. The outside looked like a Manor house, but the inside was strictly business. Once you entered, it was much larger and open than one would suspect. The whole building was in colors of tan and brown, with geometric patterns. The second and third floors were visible from the lobby, a glass lined stairway took you up to each floor. It was lit with electricity, an oddity in the magical world. To their right was a desk, with one of the older Charadens manning it. The girls walked over and Hermione spoke, "Trance and Honey to check in. We're supposed to see Lilah and Xavier." The woman looked at them, checked their names off of a list, and pointed her pen to the stairs.

Both girls crossed the lobby floor. The building wasn't busy, but many Charadens were their walking from the RecRoom, where they worked on their physical strength and honed their combat skills. The psychiatric division was on the third floor, about 12 healers for the whole building. Each member of a Unit had a different healer. They walked up to the executive floor that was the second floor, where Xavier and Lilah's offices were, as well as a board room, a meeting room for clients, a Memory Room for the few Charadens that actually left to be cleansed of most of their memories, and some sleeping quarters.

When they reached the top of the floor, the girls split up. Hermione entering Lilah Hart's office and Blair entering Xavier Wolfe's. Hermione walked in, head held high, praying that she didn't have a mission tonight. Lilah smiled at her briefly, standing and waiting. Hermione went to the chairs in front of her desk and they shook hands. "Good morning, Lilah." Hermione said politely sitting down.

"To you as well, Honey. How did the Task go last night?" Hart asked.

Hermione shivered involuntarily. "It went well. He attempted to get rough, but he was dealt with simply enough." Hermione told the older witch.

"Rough? How?" Hart questioned, making a note in the file.

"I serviced him as was agreed in the contract, then made to leave. He tried to stop me, I wiped his memories before he had an opportunity to attempt anything." She spoke clearly, since the older witch was writing it all down in her file.

"Thank you, Honey. You are free until Christmas, but there are the usual exceptions of course." Hart told her. She sighed with relief, but wasn't completely at ease. Someone could request her, or she could be the first on the alternate list, or any other countless reasons that would require her to leave school and go on Task. She wasn't looking forward to that again. "I suggest visiting Healer Carter before you leave. The RecRoom is also an option. Other than that, you are dismissed." Hart concluded. Hermione and Lilah both stood, shook hands, then she left. Hermione didn't need to visit the Healer, she knew that now she'd had her Task filed, she didn't need it anymore, so she simply removed the rest of that from her mind. She took in a breath. Now she had the memory of being assigned the Task, but no memory of it.

She walked down the stairs to wait for Blair in the lobby when she saw Crow coming out of the RecRoom. He noticed her and walked over to her. "Hey, Honey. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Fine. Did you have a Task last night?" She asked him.

He shook his head. "No, I just came in to work out. Excited about tomorrow?" He asked.

"I am. I won't miss having a Task every other day, lying to my friends…" She trailed off and he just nodded. "What about you?"

"I'm looking forward to it. Everyone pretty much is. You know, our evaluations are at the end of the year? We can opt out if we want to then." He told her. She smiled at that thought. She'd signed a contract to stay for two years, like the others had. The two year evaluation was up and any of them could leave. She didn't know who all would want to stay, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to leave—it was so hard, being what they were, but she felt a loyalty to Charade. She had a well, overly well-paid job that sometimes sucked, but had it's perks. One of those perks was her Porsche, another was her new figure and look, she enjoyed the perks. She hated the stress, the constant use of magic, the bureaucracy, the hypocrisy, and she wasn't the only one.

"Will you?" She asked.

Crow seemed to think about it for awhile before answering, "I think it really depends on the rest of you. If you girls want to give it up, I will. Raven, Flame, and Ice can take care of themselves, so if they stay— "

"We can take care of ourselves too, Bla-Crow." She was nearly called him his name in her indignation. He just smiled at her as more of their Unit came up. Sin and Baby were discussing something as they approached them. "Hello, guys." Hermione said. Sin looked at her and smiled. Baby seemed worried about something. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"She got asked out. For real, no pay." Sin explained, pulling her short black hair behind her pale ear. She wore tight black stretch pants and a sports bra on her tall physique. Baby's strawberry blonde hair was tied back, her blue eyes distraught. She wore a hot pink halter top and white dress pants, making her pale skin with red undertones pop.

"Who asked you?" Crow asked, his voice said he was ready to fight.

"Neville Longbottom." She said and Crow nearly started to laugh. His full lips nearly betrayed him as he tried to put a dark skinned hand over his both before it broke out. His dark eyes were betraying him though. "I really like him, but—he wouldn't be able to accept this part of me. How do I tell him that I won't be able to make this date or that? How can I expect him to understand, without explanation?" She was crying again. Crow straightened out, seeing the pain that she held, realizing it wasn't a joke. His stood tall, his 6 foot 3 dark frame towering over everyone except Sin's 5'8" disposition. He wore black basketball shorts on his dark brown muscular legs and a black sleeveless tee-shirt over his strong torso.

"Just don't tell him. It's one date, right, Baby?" He asked. She nodded. "Then worry about the future when it comes. We have until Christmas before we have to worry about Tasks, mostly. So put this out of your head and just enjoy yourself." He said, his deep baritone soothing visibly soothing her. Hermione smiled up at him. He was really great at playing Big Brother for everyone. He did his best for them all and he worked really hard at it. Baby dried her tears and smiled at him. Ice and Flame came up as Blair was walking down the stairs. Ice was wearing Ravenclaw colors, blue tee-shirt that stuck to him from sweat and black track shorts. Flame was wearing a white wife-beater over his pale muscular skin and fitted blue jeans. He wasn't sweating, his short brown hair was spiked and must've been on a call-in. Blair was talking to Raven as they joined the group. Raven wasn't as tall as Crow, but his skin was just as dark and rich. He was wearing a dark blue dress shirt and black dress pants. His head wasn't bald like Crow's either, he had a short mass of thick dark curls that he now kept trimmed to mere centimeters long. His eyes were a shade or two lighter, and he was nearly as protective. They joined the rest of their comrades, all joined in the lobby for the last time until Christmas. The school year would be hard on all of them as they were even closer this year than they had been last.

The boys were extremely close, especially Crow and Raven. They were roommates, living at the Manor in the sleeping quarters. Flame and Ice roomed together in a flat near Blair and Hermione's, Sin had stayed at her home, but slept over at Baby's a lot. They all spent as much as time as possible with each other, however, during the school term, they wouldn't be able to. Hermione and Blair could, Flame and Ice could, but Sin and Crow were in Slytherin, therefore forbidden to talk to the others. Crow could talk to Sin, Blair (though only rarely), and Ice. Hermione could talk to everyone except Crow and Sin. Sin had the same limitations as Crow. Raven the same as Hermione. Slytherins and Gryffindors couldn't communicate. The only exception now being Draco Malfoy, because who was really going to stop him? Crow and Sin wouldn't let it get in their way, if it weren't for the fact that all of their covers would be blown to hell.

***

Harry was alone for the first time today. He sat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Ginny had been called home and Ron was off to Diagon Alley for some broom polish. He was lost in thoughts, trying to find a rational subject. He thought about what he'd seen pass between Hermione and Malfoy the night before. From the look of it, it was innocent enough, but he'd had the feeling that it wasn't the end of it. He knew what was coming, even if no one else did. And he'd decided that he was ok with it as long as Hermione was. When it happened, because he was sure it wasn't an if, he would be at her side. Ron was questionable, though he'd spoken up about the fact that he'd been ok with Malfoy. They were still dating, even if it wasn't for anything other than convenience. Harry wondered if he had been jealous—yes, he was a bit jealous. He wasn't really sure why; was it because he'd slept with her? Was it because she was his best friend? Or could it be that he could see it really working between them?

Ever since Malfoy had said that Harry and Ginny weren't right for each other, he'd been reanalyzing his relationship with her. So far, he'd come up with four things they had in common: 1. they both had been violated by Voldemort in one form or another. 2. They both loved Quidditch. 3. They were both friends with Hermione. And lastly, they both loved the Weasleys. Was that enough to get them through the rest of their lives? Hell, he had more in common with Hermione than he did Ginny. Should he punish her? Make her marry someone when they would end up hating each other? He'd tried to chalk this all up to Malfoy being Malfoy, but the blond Slytherin was incredibly perceptive and he had the feeling that he wasn't the only one that thought that way. When he'd told Hermione, he'd seen something in her eyes. Some sort of warning sign. He'd thought that maybe it was because of what happened between them, but he doubted it since they had never talked about it.

And his thoughts also turned on Blair. He'd missed not talking to her last night. He would see her tonight, sure, but he'd never get a spare moment with her. He knew that. He didn't really know why he thought about her so much. Maybe it was because she wasn't around as much as she was during the War and school term. He'd fought at her side, spent all amounts of time with her uninhibited. Ginny had been under the protection of her family when he went out onto the battlefields. When he had been destroying the Horcruxes, Blair had been with him. He closed his eyes and he could see her in front of him. Her pale complexion, her dark eyes, her small figure, her smile—she was just out of reach. Why was he reaching for her? He was supposed to be happily engaged.

The doorbell rang and Mrs. Black started to scream. Who used that bloody bell? He got out of bed and went down the stairs and to the front door. He opened it, ignoring the wails of the portrait and his breath hitched. "Blair." He said, stupidly.

She stood there, her beautiful, entrancing face, unsure. She wore nothing but one of those halter-vests and a pair of hip-hugging jeans. She had her brown eyes looking up into his green ones. "Good morning, Harry. I'm not disturbing you, am I?" She asked, loudly over the still screaming portrait of Mrs. Black.

"Not at all. Come in." He said opening the door wider for her. She crossed the threshold and he noticed that she had a shopping bag with her. He closed the door behind her and motioned for her follow him into the silent bliss that was the kitchen. She followed and he couldn't help but wonder why she had come. Just when he was thinking about her too. "How's your grandmother?" He asked not wanting to be rude.

"She's better. Thank you for asking." She said politely back. She sat the shopping bag on the table. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it last night. Hermione told me that it was a great party."

"It was ok. And you have a perfectly legitimate reason to avoid this place." He said looking around the kitchen. She just shook her head.

"I wanted to give you this, but I didn't want to give it to you at dinner. Open it." She said, shifting the bag towards him. He took it and put his hand inside, pulling out a black leather jacket. The tag on the inside of the collar read Armani. On the right hand side, on the lining, was a label. To Harry, with Love. Happy Birthday. "Do you like it?" She asked.

"I love it." He told her, smiling. "You didn't have to get this for me."

"I know, but I didn't want to be the only one to not give you a gift for your birthday. I didn't want you to think that I forgot." She told him. "I ordered it before the final battle. It took a while to ship in from Italy, but I saw it in the magazine and thought of you." A light dust of pink graced her pale cheeks when she added that. He pulled the jacket on.

"Perfect fit." He smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. She was small and easily enveloped in his frame. Her hands were on his back, underneath the jacket, and she held him tight against her. "Thank you." He said, kissing the top of her dark hair. They stayed like that for a few minutes before both let go and they looked at each other. Harry felt the overwhelming desire to kiss her. He wanted to, everything in him begged to touch her soft lips with his. But, he thought about Ginny, about how he'd betrayed her once, he couldn't do that again. Sure, he hadn't been dating Ginny when he slept with Hermione, but he had lied to her about it. He couldn't do that to Ginny, even though the girl he held at the moment was slowly burning herself into his heart. "Why didn't you sign the label?" He asked, suddenly realizing that her name was no where on his new favorite jacket.

"I didn't want Ginny to know it was from me. I didn't want her to burn it or make you give it back. That's one of the reasons I wanted to give it to you in private. This way, she can't take it back." She told him honestly, not sparing any feelings he might've had on the subject.

"I wouldn't have let her, but thank you for making it easier." She reached up and kissed his cheek. She pulled back and smiled at him.

"I have to go; I can't wear this to Mrs. Weasley's." She said, pulling away from him entirely and grabbing the shopping bag. Harry walked her to the door, finding words escaping him. When they reached the door, she turned to him. "See you tonight?" She made it a question.

"Definitely. Malfoy was talking about a Quidditch match, so wear something broom-worthy." He ordered good-naturedly.

"How about I wear something feminine and sit this one out?" She asked, smiling at him.
"Whichever works for you, but you'll be missing out on some fun." He told her, smiling back. She rolled her eyes and walked to the other side of the threshold. He felt the urge to kiss her again, nearly taking him over, but he controlled himself, or at least he did a little bit, because he pulled her into another gentle embrace. This one lasted only seconds and they both pulled apart and she walked out to the sidewalk to her car, a dark grey new model Ferrari 430 Spider. As she walked away, her straight hair was caught by the wind and he noticed a tattoo at the base of her neck, in between her shoulder blades. He smiled. The top on her car was currently down and he couldn't believe just how amazing it was to know such a girl. She made his pulse race and all logic to escape his mind; he'd nearly kissed her twice. He needed to not be alone with her for too long or he might not be able to hold back. He needed to talk to someone, but who could he talk to about this? Not Ron, he was engaged to his sister. Not Hermione, she would think that he was being rash and irresponsible. Who?

***

As Blair drove home, she thought about Harry. Had she done the right thing? Giving him his gift like that? The rules of propriety that she'd been brought up with told her that she had been wrong. Not only had she given him something far more expensive than what anyone else had given him, but she'd given it to him without his fiancée's knowledge. She hoped now that Harry wouldn't tell anyone where he got an Armani leather jacket. She knew that if he wore it, they'd ask questions, especially the Weaselette. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could she have done that?

She pulled into the parking garage and parked next to Hermione's Porsche and enabled the alarm. She walked into the building and up to their floor. The flat was large, more of a penthouse than a flat, but that suited them both fine. Hermione was currently on the couch, reading a thick volume that Blair suspected was the latest Arithmancy purchase for the year. Blair went down the hallway and entered her room. She had about two hours to get ready, before they were due at the Burrow.

She entered her walk-in closet and looked among her dresses. She had quite a variety but had to think of respectfulness and the lack of formality that this dinner was going to have. The boys will be dawning jeans and tee-shirts, probably everybody will. She was never one for dressing down and she wanted to wear a dress. The thought of playing Quidditch was perfect to her, it would clear her head, but she wanted to be feminine, or at least a little feminine. She found a white spaghetti-strapped form fitted dress with a V-neck that hit her mid-thigh and a white rose-lace dress with long sleeves and the same V. The lace would flow away from the dress underneath and give it a nice effect. She grabbed a pair of white-metallic stiletto sandals from the bottom of the closet to go with, and brought them out to her bed. She placed her selections on the bed and went into her bathroom.

When she had finished showering, she magically dried her hair and began on her makeup. As a general rule, she did dark colors, but decided to lighten it up a bit for this. Her eye shadow was a deep bronze, her liner black, her mascara the same. Her lips were ornamented with a supple red-pink color. She had to admit, it looked good. She brushed her hair, deciding to leave it down, and put a white ribbon medium thickness headband with a bow in her hair. She went into the bedroom and dressed, then looked in the floor length mirror beside her dresser. She looked good, modest but still sexy, a look she loved. The lace over-dress was just an inch longer than the cotton dress underneath, giving it a nice effect. She added a silver necklace with a heart locket to the ensemble and declared herself ready. She looked at the clock; they had about fifteen minutes now. She grabbed a white purse with a gold chain strap, ornamented with a bow to match her headband, and put her wallet, wand, and cell phone into the purse. She slung it over her shoulder and walked out of her room and into the living room.

Hermione was waiting; wearing a red A-line chiffon dress with an Empire-waist dawned with a red ribbon. Her shoes were red satin peep toe stiletto pumps and she had a red clutch. Her curly honey brown hair was up in a high pony tail, tied with a red ribbon. Her makeup was in modest hues of tan, her lips were pink. She smiled at Blair. "Ready?" She asked. Blair nodded and they Disapparated.

They arrived at the Burrow with plenty of time; everyone was already there, waiting on them. The Weaselette rushed to Hermione, wearing a white sundress with cherries all over it and a red cardigan. She gushed over how beautiful Hermione looked without even glancing at Blair. But, Blair could hardly care, as she locked eyes with a green eyed be-spectacled boy, wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a blue tee-shirt under a leather jacket. He walked up to them and her heart skipped a beat. Hermione and Weaselette were chattering away, but her focus was on Harry. He reached them, smiling at her. "You look great." He said.

The Weaselette turned to him. "Doesn't she though?" She said, thinking that he meant Hermione. Then she noticed Blair. "Well, Radcliffe, decide to condescend to visit?" She sneered.

Harry rolled his eyes. Blair tore her gaze away from the Boy Who Lived long enough to reply, "Wouldn't want to miss a good game of Quidditch, would I?" Ginny then decided to ignore her as the four of them walked to the rest of the dinner party. Harry didn't take his eyes off of her, and she could feel the weight of his gaze. Ginny then drug Hermione into the house, leaving them alone for the moment. "Hi." She said in barely a whisper.

"Hi." He returned. "I thought you weren't going to play?" He asked.

"Who said that?" She replied, smiling at him.

He looked at the hem of her skirt and she laughed. "I don't want you to straddle a broom in that short a skirt, the audience will get far more than they paid for." He said laughing with her.

"Shut up." She joked, slapping his leather-clad arm. "Have they asked about it?"

He shook his head. "I think they figured that it was Sirius's or something." He told her, his smile faltering a bit. She kept her hand on his upper arm, comforting him with small movements, but she couldn't help but notice the muscle underneath the jacket. He was well-toned to be sure, especially for someone who wasn't in Charade. His green eyes looked at her, they were sad and unsure. She knew that he missed his godfather, having had so little time with him to begin with. He'd lost nearly every parental figure that he'd ever had and she could relate. Her parents had been killed during the War, for not joining the Death Eaters. Voldemort had visited personally. "Why'd you dress up anyway?" He asked, changing the subject.

She shrugged. "I felt like it. I didn't want to look shabby, and the outfit I had on earlier was inappropriate." She told him.

"Inappropriate? It wasn't inappropriate." He told her. "No one would've minded anyway." He added. She looked in those emerald eyes and could tell that he was teasing her, but he was serious at the same time.

"Ginny would." She reminded him.

He sighed and put an arm around her, leading her to the crowded backyard. There were tables set up in a long line. Mr. Weasley was talking to Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shaklebolt, the Weasley Twins and Charlie were discussing something a few feet from them, and Percy and his wife, Penelope, were talking with Bill and Fleur. Fleur was keeping an eye on a playpen set up a few feet away that held Victoire and Teddy. Harry kept his arm on her shoulders as they navigated through the crowd, reaching the playpen where a tall, blond man was playing pick-a-boo with the two babies.

***

He went to the Farewell Dinner.

Draco didn't know why, but he couldn't stay away. He vowed that he would be very careful around Hermione. When he'd arrived at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley started gushing that he doesn't eat enough and he had the suspicion that he was going to end up being stuffed with seconds and thirds. Potter and Weasley had provided conversation for a while, before Weasley went up to his room for something. Then Potter had caught sight of Blair and Granger, and he and the Weaselette went off to them. Wanting to avoid awkwardness with Hermione, he opted to go spend sometime by the children. Despite what anyone might believe, Draco loved kids. He couldn't wait to have a family of his own. A real one, not the show that his mother and father had put on for the first 16 years of his life.

When the war came, Draco saw his father's true colors and was amazed that he'd been wrong—his father really was an evil bastard. His father had gleefully tortured him for not killing Dumbledore and his mother had stepped in the way before the Killing Curse hit him. His father was killed soon after, for some reason that Draco forgot. He looked up from his game of pick-a-boo and saw Harry and Blair looking at him, smiles on their faces. He stood up tall, straightened his white oxford dress shirt and dusted off his jeans. Ordinarily, one would try to dispel his attentiveness to the babies by making up a lame excuse, but not Draco Malfoy. No one would judge him here, so he just shrugged in response to Potter's questioning eyes.

He was surprised, to be sure, when he showed up at the Burrow to see Potter sporting a brand new Armani leather jacket, but now, judging by his arm around Draco's favorite cousin's shoulders, he needn't guess where the Boy Who Lived received his upper crust new look. He walked around the pen to Blair and kissed her cheek. "How are you?" He asked, studying her face. Potter's arm had shifted from her shoulders to the small of her back. Did Potter realize how possessive he had just become? The gesture of moving the arm was a sign of trust for Draco, but he hadn't removed himself completely, displaying dominance. Draco should know; he'd done that many times with the few girlfriends that he'd ever gotten. Judging by the look in Blair's eyes, she didn't mind.

"Very well, thank you." She said, smiling at him. Her brown eyes met his blue ones, telling him that she was very well at the moment. She didn't realize the implications that she'd made with the jacket, he knew immediately. She also didn't realize Potter's actions. His cousin had never been much of a dater. At the Yule Ball in their 4th year, she'd gone with Blaise Zabini out of convenience more than desire. He always wondered if she thought that the men in their year were beneath her. That she was holding out for something better. He now believed that maybe she had been unconsciously waiting for Potter.

"You look brilliant." He complimented. She looked at her outfit self-consciously. "Bloody brilliant." He rectified. She blushed, never being one for taking compliments well.

Potter smiled down at her. "Told you." He said, joking with her easily. Draco noticed how well they complemented each other. Both were wealthy, strong, parentless, brilliant Quidditch players, loved Defense Against the Dark Arts, wanted to be Aurors, and a million other things. He felt his heart break for his loving cousin, Potter was engaged, marrying soon to a Weasley, and she wouldn't find her happiness.

"So, are we playing or what?" Weasley said, coming up with his broom over his shoulder. Potter and Draco both smiled and nodded. Blair stayed by the pen while the boys went to get their brooms. Draco needed to fly; he needed to clear his head of everything. He was worrying about Blair, worrying about himself…

The game lasted about an hour, Potter's team versus Charlie's team. Potter's team was made up of Draco, Ron, and Bill. Charlie's team was the Twins and Ginny, who had changed out of her dress and into pants for the game. It was fun and vigorous, and Potter won, as per usual. They were greeted on the victory field by Blair and Hermione who ran up as soon as their brooms touched the ground. He was shocked to receive a very warm hug and a kiss on the cheek from Hermione, and judging by the blush she wore after she pulled back, so was she. At the time, he just smiled and pulled her into another hug, before she turned to Potter. Blair had given him a kiss on the opposite cheek and he suspected that he had lipstick prints now, but ignored it as he wrapped an arm around her to talk to Potter.

Soon, it was time for dinner. Hermione sat between him and Harry, with Blair to Harry's left. Ron and his sister sat on the other side of the table, Weasley still talking animatedly about the game. Fleur and Mrs. Weasley had feed the babies first and taken them up to the nursery (Ron said that it was Percy's old room). Blair had chastised him for using Seeker moves while playing Chaser, which he'd just laughed at and stated clearly that he was a Seeker, just like she was, like Potter was, and like Charlie had been. He noticed that Ginny really didn't seem to like her, which seemed confusing since the littlest Weasley didn't seem to have a problem with him.

He tried to avoid talking to Hermione, but she had a commanding presence. When all the others had formed separate conversations, she turned to him. "Are you ok?" She whispered.

"Fine, why?" He whispered back.

"You're being distant." She observed. He looked at her. She had a worried look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm just thinking." He told her honestly, he was thinking. Thinking about too much.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, putting a gentle hand on his arm. He felt a spark rushing through his blood from her touch.

"Not at present. Maybe later." He promised. He could discuss Blair and Potter, if not his growing attraction to her and his involuntary moves. He could tell that she wasn't satisfied with his response, but she let it go and returned to her mash.

When dinner was over, he decided to take a walk. The property was large enough for a good clearing of the head, and no one seemed to notice, since Potter and the Weaselette were fighting about her latest jabs at Blair. He had tried to stand up for her, but Blair just told him to take a walk and that she would handle it. He saw what she was doing, protecting him, his new place in Potter's circle of friends, and she didn't want him to loose that since he'd already lost so much. It had been that way for most of their lives, someone would make fun of her and he would do his best to protect her, but she wouldn't let him, she didn't want him to loose anything. She was strong, stubborn, and self-reliant. He just let her do it, like he did when they were children, taking things on the chin so he wouldn't suffer the consequences. It used to piss him off, but now, he saw that it was what made her strong. She wasn't affected by insults, because she knew the reasons behind them. Jealousy, pride, those basic human emotions that caused people to lash out. He wished that he was as strong as she was.

He thought about Potter's reactions to her. If the man wasn't careful, he would fall in love with her, if he wasn't already. Potter was in just as much danger as Draco was. He hadn't been able to resist the honey scent of Hermione on the field, she was like Kryptonite. He had read a Superman comic as a child; Kryptonite was the only thing that could weaken him. Hermione was his Kryptonite. She was weakening him without even realizing it.

***

Hermione had watched Draco walk away, skimming the perimeter of the property. She hadn't meant to be so exuberant when he and Harry won the mini-Quidditch game in the clearing. She had just wanted to be in his arms, a desire that she hadn't been able to fight at the moment. He hadn't seemed to mind, but then he'd increasingly distanced himself throughout dinner. Last night, he'd been so romantic, so gentle and tender. She hadn't expected it, but she found herself not minding. She knew that she couldn't be with him; real relationships were out for her. Ron, Ron didn't count. He wasn't a real boyfriend. She had a hard enough time not telling her friends about what she did; she was deceiving him enough already without putting the complications of a relationship behind it.

Not that he would want to be in a relationship with her to begin with. He could have his pick of any girl in the world, she wasn't sure that he'd even be on his list. He was just a friend. An extremely good-looking, tall, muscular, heartthrob of a friend. She had one of those already and she never presumed that Harry would want a relationship with her—then again, they had slept together. Still, she wasn't going to make assumptions, especially when she couldn't have the assumed relationship anyway. She did, however, want to be his friend and a friend didn't let another walk around by themselves, or get away with being distant at a friendly gathering without explanation. Hypocrite, she thought as she walked to where he was, catching up with him quickly despite her heels. She doubted that he noticed as she slipped her arm into his, his hands thrust in the front pockets of his jeans, looking at the ground. But, her doubts were wrong, as he turned a smirk to her in response. "What are you doing, Granger?" He asked his voice filled with laughter.

"Spending some time with my friend, what about you?" She asked, giving a smirk of her own.

He chuckled. "The same." He said, turning his gaze back to the path that they were walking.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong, Draco? You know you can tell me anything." She told him.

He looked back at her, stopping briefly. "I know." He resumed walk, so did she. "I just don't think that this is something you can help me with." He told her, his silver eyes haunted. She was truly concerned about him. He glanced over at the dinner party and so did she. "What do you think of Blair and Potter's relationship?" He asked, curious. They could see the two people in question at that moment. Blair was sitting next to Remus at the table, stealing glances at Harry who was having a heated discussion with Ginny.

"I'm not sure." She replied honestly. "I think that they would make an amazing couple. Their incredibly good-looking, talented, and just genuinely good people. But Harry has a sense of duty and honor; he wouldn't betray Ginny more than he already has." Oops, she hadn't meant to say that last bit. Draco stared at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

She took in a breath. "I'll tell you some other day." She promised. He nodded, letting it go as easily as it was brought up.

"I wish that he would be with her. She deserves some happiness." He sighed, looking back at their walking path. He hadn't made a move to remove her arm from his, and she found him extremely comforting and comfortable.

"We all do." She whispered, resting her head on his arm as they trekked around the rest of the property.

Attention: Thanks to all who reviewed, all three that is. I decided to grace you with yet another chapter.

Results of the Challenge:

Z--Crow--S= Blaise Zabini

D--Raven--G= Dean Thomas

A--Baby--H= Hannah Abbott

F--Flame--H= Justin Finch-Fletchley

C--Ice--R= Michael Corner

P--Sin--S= Pansy Parkinson

Congratulations once again to ProwlingKitKat for her excellent deductions. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.

And I did give you a large chapter again, but I remind you they may not all be this long, so don't get spoiled. Also, new chapters won't always come this fast. Thank you for reading. See you next Chapter.