Draco finished the last bite of his dinner and set his fork on his plate. He pushed away from the Slytherin table and grabbed his school bag. "I'll see you later," he told Blaise and Pansy, who had been chatting across from him.

They stopped their talking and looked at him. "Got a hot date?" Blaise asked.

Draco gave one of his infamous smirk. "What do you think, Blaise?" he said.

"Who is she?" Pansy asked. Draco could see a small bit of jealousy in her eyes.

He shook his head. "Don't need you scaring her off, Pans," he teased. He didn't return her romantic feelings, but he was glad that she was his friend.

Pansy pretended to look offended. "Really, Draco. I would never scare off your new girlfriend," she said. She picked up her goblet. "Besides, if she scares just at me, she'll never stand your family."

Draco snorted. "Isn't that the truth," he said before turning and walking out of the Great Hall, heading toward the library.

He'd debated all day as to wether or not he should meet the She-Granger that night. At the end, he had figured that a father angry at him for seeking a Granger's help, was far better than a father who was angry at his low marks in a class. He'd just keep her as a tutor until he improved, then walk away. If people found out that pureblood Draco Malfoy was asking muggle-born Hermione Granger for tutoring, he'd never hear the end of it. At least Blaise had inadvertently given him a lie to tell. A date was never unheard of for Draco Malfoy.

He quietly pushed the library door open, slipping in and closing the door behind him. "Granger?" he called out. The library was dark, the only light coming from the moon shining through the large windows.

"Back here, Draco," she called from somewhere in the back.

Draco walked farther in and down a few aisles before seeing candle light pouring from a small study area. He headed towards it and turned the corner. She was sitting at the table, fiddling with a deck of playing cards in her hands. Her school robes were draped over the back of her chair. She'd pulled her tie loose and unbuttoned the top button of her blouse. Even her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. She was completely at ease.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me Granger when I'm tutoring you," she said, motioning to the chair opposite her.

Draco took the seat. "Why?" he asked.

"Besides being impersonal, it makes me feel like you're categorizing me with my family; like you have expectations that I may or may not live up to. It's why I call you Draco, instead of Malfoy. As far as I'm concerned, you're just another person asking for my help." She smiled gently. "So, Draco. Let's play poker."

Draco looked down and saw that, while she'd been talking, Hermione had dealt each of them seven cards. He looked back up Hermione, who had already picked up her cards and spread them out so they looked like a fan. "What is this?" he asked.

Hermione smiled. "You have played poker before, right? It's all about lying and bluffing. I thought all Slytherins would know this game and be good at it."

"I know what poker is," Draco said hotly. "I'm asking what is the point of this?"

Hermione leaned back in her chair. "It tells me a lot about you. Like, how you think, how you play, when you're lying. I need to know these things so I can effectively teach you. Now pick up the cards." She sent him a challenging smile. "Or are you too scared you'll lose?"

Draco frowned and picked the cards up. He looked down at them and bit back a smirk. Two fives and three kings. Three of a kind. It was good.

"How much are you betting?" Hermione said, drawing his gaze up. She'd summoned a small pile of red, white, and blue betting chips. She flipped a blue chip in. "I open with 10."

Draco's eyebrows rose barely a millimeter. "You must be confident with your hand," he said.

Hermione nodded. "It's the best hand anyone could have," she said, meeting his gaze head on.

Draco returned his gaze to his cards. What could be better than his hand except- Did she have a royal flush? It was the only thing that could beat this hand. He kept his face composed as he looked up at her. "What are we playing for?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Anything you want. Sweets, hours of tutoring, favors. I generally don't care."

Draco smirked, tossing in a blue chip and a white. "How about favors, then? The one that wins each hand will have a favor the other must fulfill. I see your ten and raise you one."

Hermione chuckled. "My kind of thinking," she said, meeting his bet. "You in or out?"

Draco considered his cards. If she had a royal flush, it was useless to bet anymore of his chips. He put his cards on the table. "I fold."

Hermione spread her cards face up and Draco stared. She had...crap! "You bet twenty one on a three, six, two, eight, ten, an ace, and a jack? You said you had a hand that anyone would want," he said, a little unbelieving.

She pulled her winnings toward her and said, "Did I forget to mention that I'm a superb poker player?" She split the deck, shuffled them, and dealt again as if she were a dealer from Monte Carlo.

"You won't get lucky again," Draco said, pulling the new hand toward himself. Great! A straight flush. He'd win this hand yet.

"Who said anything about luck, Draco?" she asked, picking up her own cards. "Poker is all about bluffing and counting the cards. Of course, if you're a Divination major...it helps a lot when you're playing with cards that tell you the future."

Draco's head shot up and he saw Hermione's satisfied smirk. She'd switched her position so she leaned against the back of her chair, her elbow resting on the armrest and her cheek propped on her knuckles. He blinked. "Did you just say these are-"

"Divination cards," Hermione finished for him. "Yes. Tarot cards, the bright shiny ones, are just used for tourists. These cards may look like playing cards, but, if you study them carefully, you'll note that they're not." She tapped the deck with a fingernail. "You've just had your fortune told, Draco. Your first hand told me everything I'd ever want to know about you." Draco's mouth fell open. "If I had bothered to even read it," she added.

Draco relaxed a bit. "You mean to tell me that playing pokers is a way of showing me that you can read my future?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Yes and no. I'm playing with you because I want to play poker. Ron doesn't want to play, Harry sucks, and my brothers can't be bothered. So, I play with the people that come to me for help. It shows me a little about them, and we get a nice evening with nothing but relaxation."

"Do they know you read their future?" Draco asked.

She laughed. "No. They would stop being my student after that. Lots of secrets to hide." She leveled a look at him. "You're the first I've told." She tossed in a few chips. "35," she said.

Draco looked at his cards and tossed in 35, raising it up to 50. She smiled and they betted a few more. The pot was large by that time. "Call," Draco said.

Hermione spread her cards out. She had three of a kind, kings high. Draco smiled and put down his. "Straight flush," he said proudly, pulling his winnings toward him.

She shuffled and dealt again. "So," she said. "Do you need help in just Divination? I know you're good in potions, even if Snape wasn't your godfather. You couldn't do any better in Care of Magical Creatures, minus the Hippogriff incident; and I've heard that you're the best in Ancient Runes."

Draco looked at his cards. "I'm good. Just Divination. Trelawny isn't the most sane of teachers. Can't trust anything that comes out of her mouth. I'm not a fan of the class, but I need to pass."

Hermione nodded. "I get it. Trelawny and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. 5 in."

Draco tossed in his own chips. "How so?"

She shrugged. "She gets dates wrong, misinterprets things and says that they're 100% true. Mostly on the method of how you see into the future. While she's with crystal balls and tea leaves as the most accurate fortune telling," Hermione shook her head in agitation. "There is no clear future. Nothing is written in stone and a bunch of tea leaves isn't going to tell you anything you can't figure out by looking hard at your life. And crystal balls are only good for reflecting lights and using as paperweights. No, cards are more accurate. They form a picture. Plus, they're easier to use."

Draco looked at her, slightly surprised. "You seem a bit bitter. Raise 10," he said.

Hermione looked up and sighed. "Sorry," she said. "I usually don't rant. But Trelawny is just so infuriating. You can't believe anything that comes out of her mouth. Then again, to pass her class, you only have to repeat what she says. Which comes to my question, Draco," she looked up and captured his gaze intently. "Do you want my help to pass the class, or do you want to know what real Divination is?"

He stared into her chocolate brown eyes and thought. Yeah, he wanted to pass the class. That was why he was here. But if it was as easy as Hermione said, he could just leave now. No one would know he had gone to her for help. His reputation would be in tact.

But, if he stayed, he could learn real Divination. A method that worked, at least for Hermione. He could read the future. The real reason behind his for taking the class in the first place. That was a kind of power he wanted. And it was worth anything they might say about him if they found out about the tutoring.

He spread his Full house out on the table and said, "I want to learn real Divination."

Hermione smiled as if it were the million muggle dollar question on a game show. She stood up, waved her hand to make their game vanish, and picked up her things. She smiled. "Meet me tomorrow in the Room of Requirements. When the door appears, say 'I seek the truth'. Tap it with your wand and open it. It will take you to a special room that I designed myself." She started to leave, but stopped and turned back. "Tell Blaise that you're meeting your hot date again. Say that she's shy and doesn't want anyone to know who she is, so you can't give him a name." She then left.

Draco stared after her. How did she know what he'd said to Blaise? Only Blaise and Pansy knew and they were there. Either word got around faster than he thought, or she'd...read it in the cards? He shook his head. He didn't know what to think except that Hermione Granger was definitely something else.

He stood up and picked up his school bag. He left the library and headed to the dungeons. When he stepped into the Common Room, Blaise and Pansy looked up at him. "Good date?" Blaise asked, smiling.

Draco returned the smile. "Nothing I ever expected," he said, raising his eyebrows a bit as if to convey a certain message.

Pansy frowned. "Oh?" she said suspiciously.

Draco chuckled. He turned and walked up to his own room. Each Slytherin had their own rooms. No one trusted the others with their stuff, so it was just a little less tense than the other houses.

As he changed into his pajamas, his owl flew through the window and dropped a letter on the bed before taking its perch on Draco's trunk. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and opened the envelope. He broke the Malfoy seal and unfolded the paper.

Draco,

I assume your studies are proceeding well. There is little doubt in my mind that you will pass your exams with little trouble. You are, of course, a Malfoy. And we get what we want.

I am writing this letter because your mother insists that I should 'check in with you'. I do not understand her reasoning, but I write to amuse her. She will just get upset if I do not comply.

Pay attention in your classes and send my regards to your godfather; I assume this is what one says in a pleasant letter.

Lucius

Draco snorted. His father wouldn't know a pleasant letter if one bit him on the end of his...broom.

Draco wrote a curt reply back, saying he was studying, and sent his owl off with it. Once done, he curled up under his covers and dreamed of poker. Most importantly, though, he dreamed of cleaning up the winnings after trouncing her with every hand.