A/N: read 'Malfoy's Problem' before continuing with this chapter. If you want to :)

Plan A

'We should conduct some market research.'

Malfoy, poking his head out from his uniform jumper, said 'What's that when it's at home?'

Hermione absent-mindedly straightened his tie, while he just as absent-mindedly straightened hers. 'It's like conducting a survey to find out what people's opinions are on something.'

Malfoy shrugged on his robes. 'Again, in English, please.'

Hermione sat on his bed and pulled on her socks, an action Malfoy sound strangely erotic. 'We ask people what they think of us and compare responses.'

'Us, as in 'us together'?'

'No, we should probably start with something simpler. How about you ask your friends what they think of me, I'll ask mine what they think of you, and we'll see what responses pop up?'

Malfoy drew Hermione into his arms and kissed the top of her head. 'Okay, but don't expect miracles, all right?'

Hermione smiled up at him. 'I'll try not to.'

'And no tantrums or hex-throwing if you receive less-than-complimentary feedback.'

'Are you talking to yourself, or me?'

Hermione squealed as Malfoy narrowly missed smacking her arse and ran from the bedroom.

[ ]

Easier said than done, actually, Hermione mused while at breakfast in the Great Hall. Introducing Malfoy into a conversation with her friends, particularly Harry and Ron, was rather like flinging a lit match into a storeroom full of dynamite.

She looked under her lashes at Malfoy, breakfasting with the Slytherins. It turned out to be easier than she thought to pretend that Malfoy was nothing more to her than Head Boy, dorm-mate and arrogant prat. And that's not right. She didn't want to choose between her dearest friends and her lover.

Except Malfoy's more than a lover, she realised. He'd become one of her dearest friends, too.

Right. Hermione squared her shoulders. She was put in Gryffindor House for a reason, so here goes.

'Hey Gin,' she called over to the lovely young redhead who was cuddled up with Harry across the table. 'What did you think of Malfoy's broom?'

'Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.' Ginny rested her chin on her hand dreamily, while Harry pouted. 'It was awesome! Nearly better than sex.'

Harry blushed beet red while Ron yelled 'Oi! That's enough I want to hear from you on that topic!'

Ignoring Ron, Ginny tried to buck Harry up. 'I said nearly better, darling.'

Harry buried his burning face in his hands.

Eager to prevent Ron from soaring into orbit, Hermione sped the conversation along. 'So, it's a little more advanced than your broom?'

'Oh, for sure!' Not questioning in the least why Hermione wanted to talk about brooms, of all things, Ginny launched into a long and technical monologue about aerodynamics and balance and other mysteries that left Hermione way behind, but at least Ginny's speech drew Harry and Ron back into the conversation, albeit reluctantly.

'Sounds great!' Hermione said faintly when Ginny finally paused for breath. 'Doesn't it sound like a great broom, Harry?'

He shrugged. 'I'm happy with my own.'

'I'm sure you are, but if the opportunity came up for you to take a model like Malfoy's out for a test fly, would you turn it down?'

''Course not. But that's not going to happen – '

'Why not? He offered his to Ginny voluntarily. I mean, I know there's been bad blood between you in the past – yes, thank you, Ron,' she snapped at Ron who snorted into his pumpkin juice with great dramatic effect – 'but I bet you that if you asked him politely, he'd let you try it.'

This time both Harry and Ron snorted into their pumpkin juice. Ginny, who was sitting between them and got caught by the overspray, was disgusted.

'Honestly, the pair of you,' she fumed. 'You're acting like eight-year-olds, not eighteen-year-olds. Hermione should know what she's talking about, right? She lives with the git after all – sorry,' she said sheepishly to Hermione, 'old habit. Look, you two. It's a new year, and people in Slytherin have had to turn over new leaves, right? Why can't we? Stop being so bigoted, the both of you. Harry, if you want to try the broom – and trust me, you do – what's the harm in asking? And Ron? I'm in a relationship with Harry, so get over yourself and accept it.'

'You only said all that because you want another ride on Malfoy's broom,' Ron snarled with air quotes.

Harry leapt up from the table, but Ginny had it in hand. She slugged Ron so hard he fell backwards off the bench. Then she serenely strode out of the Great Hall with her head high to the sound of applause from Slytherin and Professor McGonagall screeching 'Detention, Miss Weasley! And twenty points from Gryffindor!' from her perch at the High Table.

Harry followed her, stopping first to call Ron a few loathsome names while he lay flat out on the flagstone floor, wondering how on earth he got there.

Hermione slumped over her coffee. That could have gone better.

At least she had Ginny's vote.

[ ]

'So, how did you do?'

That evening found Hermione and Malfoy curled up together on the settee, nursing medicinal Firewhiskeys.

Malfoy smirked. 'At least I managed to conduct my survey without a fistfight breaking out.'

'Technically, that wasn't related to the survey,' Hermione pointed out. 'That was Ron being a dick about Harry and Ginny.'

'One doesn't need an excuse to put the Weasel down a peg or two. As for Red's right hook - ' Malfoy kissed his fingers - 'c'est magnifique!'

Hermione sighed. 'Look. I realise that you and Ron are never going to be best mates, particularly given my previous relationship with him, but – '

Malfoy hmphed. 'It didn't last long enough to be called anything, let alone a relationship.'

'But,' Hermione continued impatiently, 'it would really mean a lot to me if you could at least pass each other in the corridor without calling each other names. Can you at least do that?'

Silence.

'Draco?'

He sighed. 'Fetch me another Firewhiskey and I'll think about it.'

'Oh, but the way…. Harry may or may not approach you about taking your broom for a – '

'Test fly? Yeah, he asked me this afternoon, you scheming little minx.'

Hermione looked up at his beautiful, chiselled face with trepidation. She found sleepy silver eyes and a smile playing on his lips.

She hugged him. 'I love you, Draco.'

He hugged her back. 'I love you, too. But don't try that stunt with the Weasel.'

[ ]

The rest of Hermione's Gryffindor survey produced the following results:

(1) Lavender thought Malfoy was hot, further inflaming Ron's continued ire

(2) Parvati agreed and added that Padma was of the same opinion

(3) Dean wanted to know if he could try Malfoy's broom, too ('Oh, for Merlin's sake!' growled Malfoy)

(4) Seamus said that Malfoy's stopped calling him rude names but that was all he could think of and could he get back to his breakfast, please?

(5) Neville was still in shock that Malfoy helped pick up his textbooks from when he tripped over a few weeks ago

(6) Luna (who was not, of course, in Gryffindor but was sitting next to Neville) ventured that Draco was 'very misunderstood.' Then added that he was hot.

Hermione poked Malfoy in the ribs when he became a bit too insufferable about the number of Gryffindor/Ravenclaw women who thought he was hot, and grumpily asked for his results.

They were:

(1) Zabini thought Hermione was hot

(2) Nott seconded Zabini with a little too much enthusiasm for Malfoy's liking

(3) Parkinson's opinion of Hermione was mostly unrepeatable, but she did concede that her hair seems to be slightly less rats' nest-looking this year

(4) Millicent shrugged and kept eating, so Malfoy put her down as 'neutral'.

(5) The Greengrasses deplored her Muggle fashion sense

(6) Crabbe and Goyle asked Malfoy what his opinion of Hermione was. Since they agreed with whatever Malfoy told them, he put them down as affirmatives.

'That wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be,' said Hermione with not a small dose of relief. 'Wow, Blaise and Theo think I'm hot, eh?'

Hermione giggled and glanced up at Malfoy, who bared his teeth back at her.

She smiled back demurely.

Malfoy thought a change of subject would be in good order. 'Now, my pretty young witch, what's the next step?'

Hermione tapped her chin. 'I think, perhaps, some light immersion therapy.'

'Granger…' Malfoy gritted.

'Sorry, just thinking out loud. Basically, we create a situation that shows us interacting in a pleasant manner toward each other in view of other people, and see what they say or do.'

'Are we going to snog in public?'

'No, we are not going to snog in public! Not yet, anyway.'

'Disappointing. Oh well, lead on.'