INNER CHARMS.
By Aoi (Aoi.Murasaki)

Meet Me After Dark
A/N: Hey! Thankyou all for your reviews, i'm afraid this chapter may be short. Sorry bout that :) Will update very soon!

Draco gathered his Potions text books. He ran a hand through his platinum hair and walked out of the Slytherin Dungeons. Draco's heart began to race as he got closer and closer to the Potions Classroom. She's going to be there. This is my chance, he thought, I have to corner her and ask her today.

Draco turned the last corner in the corridor and was hit with a tirade of stares from the group of students outside the dungeon. Looks like word had gotten round about him failing charms. He shouldn't be surprised, really. News, good or bad, travelled very fast in Hogwarts after all. Draco took a deep breath and faced the sniggering crowd eye to eye. He looked at the Gryffindor's. They seemed to be having the time of their lives, making fun of Draco's predicament. Potter and his followers, Weasel and Mud-bitch, were laughing the hardest. Fucking Saint Potter. He's only passing because of Granger's notes!

Draco looked up into Granger's face. His steel grey eyes met her chocolate brown ones and she gave him a look of pity and disgust. Draco flashed his trademark smirk in her direction, and she looked away. Then the door to the Potions Classroom swung open to reveal a very disgruntled Professor Slughorn.

"All right you lot, stop your chatting and get inside." He said.

Draco couldn't get in fast enough, just to get away from the stares. But the student's eyes never moved from his face. Potter, Weasly and Granger took their seats up the front. Almost immediately after sitting down, Granger raised her hand.

"What is it Miss Granger?" asked Slughorn.

"I was just wondering, Sir, are you okay?" Granger asked. Little sticky nose, can't mind her own business, thought Draco.

"Uhmm…if you don't mind, let's talk about something else. Yes?" Slughorn replied. In the back of his mind, Draco laughed at the bulbous Potions Master. What kind of a pompous answer is that?

Draco was snapped from his reverie when Slughorn announced a new assignment, much to the dismay of the class.

"Hush now! You will all pair up, I will choose them, and you will be given a potion. You are to detect all the used ingredients, and write an essay including each ingredient, the type of potion, the properties of each ingredient and the order in which the ingredients where placed to produce this potion. Understood?"

The class groaned but gathered their books, prepared to move.

"Right. Let's see…Potter and…Turpin,"

Harry looked around the dungeon and spotted Lisa Turpin, a pretty blnd girl who was good at potions. Lucky him.

"Yes, good. Mr Weasly and…"

Ron crossed his fingers under his desk and chanted to himself, "Please be Hermione, please be Hermione…"

"Miss Abbot."

Ron shrugged. Hannah may be a shy Hufflepuff, but she was just as good at her subjects as Hermione.

"Ahh…Mr Malfoy and…Miss Granger."

Malfoy couldn't believe his ears. The girl he hated most, yet this was a golden opportunity. What was he sulking for?! He could use this time to ask her help and she'd have to accept because they were going to be working together for a while anyway.

He was almost instantly snapped from his thoughts, as a heavy load of books and a piece of parchment landed on the table. Granger had marked her territory.

"Alright Malfoy, let's get this over with. I have no intention of spending more time with you than I have to, and you, I am sure, feel quite the same." She said.

"It's like you read my mind, Granger." Lies, lies, lies! He thought, Draco Malfoy you liar!

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Slughorn had the nerve to partner her with that spoiled prat. She knew better than to argue, however, and she hurried to his desk and slammed her books down.

"Alright Malfoy, let's get this over with. I have no intention of spending more time with you than I have to, and you, I am sure, feel quite the same." She said.

"It's like you read my mind, Granger." He replied. Slimy git.

Hermione picked up the piece of parchment with their potion on it, a sly smile spread across her face. Polyjuice Potion. This proved to be no issue. She had already brewed the potion once before in her second year. But nonetheless, she remembered most of the ingredients.

"What have we got Granger?"

"Polyjuice Potion."

"And in that potion there is-" he didn't get to finish as Hermione cut across him,

"Boomslang skin, lacewing flies, hair of the person to be impersonated," she looked up to find a look of annoyance on Malfoy's face. "Sorry."

"How, may I ask, do you know all this, Granger?" he asked, of course, he already knew the answer. It was common knowledge that she had turned into a human sized cat; only he was smart enough to figure out how.

"Oh, uhmm… I read it… in a book. Yes, I read it in a book."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he asked.

"Why do you look so surprised? I read quite a lot in case you haven't noticed!" she quipped.

Malfoy held up his hands in defeat, "All right! From now on I promise to never question your resources!"

Hermione curtly nodded her head, "Thank you." She said primly.

They sat in silence for most of the lesson, save for a few exchanges of protest at the others learning methods. The lesson was almost over, it was then that Malfoy decided to make his move. He nudged her under the table, trying to get her attention. When she didn't acknowledge him, he whispered in her ear,

"Hey, Granger."

She discreetly stared at him without moving an inch, "What is it Malfoy?"

"Meet me at the Room of Requirement and 10 o'clock."

She whipped her head around, "Why?"

He leaned into her ear again, so no one could hear, " 'Cause I want to shag you rotten, why would you think? I want to talk to you!"

She looked up, blushing a decent shade of pink. "Fine."