A/N: Holy jeesus. You guys, I am so so sorry. I really didn't mean to leave you hanging this long... holy fuck. I feel like a total piece of shit right about now...

But on with the story. I have left you waiting long enough.

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Of course, seeing Draco Malfoy was something that Hermione had gotten used to over the past six years of her life, as she DID just so happen to attend the same magical boarding school as him, and he WAS probably the richest, most famous wizard there...

Aside from Harry Potter, of course.

But, however, this Malfoy sighting was something that utterly shocked the Muggle-born witch. Of course, though, being around Malfoy meant that something was up with the Dark Lord... something was happening, and although she didn't feel as though anything was wrong, Hermione knew that she couldn't always trust her instincts.

Her eyes narrowed as she took in the appearance of the boy standing in front of her. She had almost expected something... different about him, something... more. She knew that she wouldn't be able to explain it, not even to herself, but she somehow knew that somewhere deep inside her, she really truly thought that something had changed with the youngest Malfoy.

Hermione's hand went straight for her wand, just making sure that if something DID happen, she was prepared to defend anyone in the area at the smallest sign of danger. She glanced quickly around, scanning the area for any signs of danger. She just needed to be prepared.

However, she could never have prepared herself for what happened next. Malfoy, DRACO Malfoy, kneeled at her feet, and put down his wand. She just stared at him in shock.

When his steely grey eyes met her hard brown ones, he sighed, and seemed to slump a bit. A tendril of hair floated down from its place and into his eye, just as he opened his mouth to speak. He glared slightly at the unruly lock, and huffed, before calmly smoothing it back into place.

Hermione could not believe her eyes. Malfoy was human. Who knew.

Finally, with the offending strand of wheat colored hair taken care of, Draco began to talk.

"Look, Gr- er, Hermione," he said, squirming uncomfortably as he said her name for the first time, "I really haven't come here to piss you off or anything... I just wanted to say that I have spoken to Potter, and, while he has not forgiven me (obviously) for any of my past actions, he has decided to reconsider his feelings towards me. I know that you will not understand his reasons for doing so unless he tells you, which, he will not, I assure you, but I would just like you to know that from now on, I do not think of you as an enemy, of someone that I must beat. Nor do I see you as the little Muggle-born girl who constantly had her nose in a book. I have gained a deep respect for your intelligence and wit, and I someday wish to be as sharp as you always are, and always have been." After he was done, it seemed that he could barely meet her gaze. His cheeks seemed to be a bit pink...

"Malfoy, are you BLUSHING?" Hermione giggled, loving the way his eyes narrowed in response to her gentle teasing. IT made her feel more comfortable, more like it was the old Malfoy standing in front of her, and not the polite, and charming young man before her. Though she was loathe to admit it, she could picture herself being with this man, had she not known the way he had been during the majority of their scholarly career.

Suddenly, an elbow came into contact with one of her ribs, breaking her out of her thoughts, and back into reality... How fucked up it was that now her reality was that she was sitting at lunch with Draco Malfoy, who had basically just apologized for all the years that he had called her horrible names, such as "mudblood", and was still kneeling in front of her as if he were about to propose...

"-IONE JANE GRANGER!" Hermione blinked, and looked over to her cousin, the girl who had just so kindly screamed her name in her ear. She had a slight look of amusement on her face, as well as one that Hermione didn't quite know yet. It was one of those looks that said she didn't want to know what exactly was going on behind that pretty face of hers.

"Are you not going to introduce me to this kind young lad, darling Hermione?" Cara questioned, the sparkle still in her eyes, and a wide grin on her face. However, that grin promptly disappeared, to be replaced with a look of shock and horror, when Hermione opened her mouth.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, meet my cousin, Caralynne Bailey Johnson. Cara, the so-called "kind young lad" is Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, and heir to the Malfoy fortune."

The entire cafe went dead silent as Cara's hand connected hard with Malfoy's face, turning his head and sending a reverberating crack throughout the square.

Hermione couldn't have done it better herself, or at least, that was her opinion. Malfoy's face had the telltale marking of a man slapped, and his eyes had a dangerous sparkle to them.

"Malfoy! I can't even BELIEVE that you'd see fit to show your face around here, especially to my cousin." Cara said, leaping to her feet, and getting right in Malfoy's face. "Haven't you caused this poor girl enough pain already? She has had to spend 6 years of her life listening to you little ferret calling her names, and making her doubt that she was anything less than extraordinary."

Malfoy looked as if he had been slapped across the face again, and opened his mouth, as if to speak, before closing it again, and turning and walking away. Cara huffed, and started ranting about "the NERVE of the guy! Can't believe that he'd just saunter on over here…" Hermione tuned her out, and watched Malfoy's slowly retreating back. She didn't trust him, but she was fully aware that something had changed in him, and knew that he wouldn't lie about going to see Harry. 'I wonder what he could have said to make Harry understand, or believe him, and not just send him right to Azkaban…' she wondered.

"Hermione! Are you even listening to me?" Cara asked, once again breaking Hermione out of her thoughts.

"Uh, yeah, sorry. That git Malfoy just got me to thinking about school again. How different it will be without so many people…" She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. She raised her head slightly to look at her cousin, who seemed as confused as she was.

"… Well, I guess we better get back to shopping, shouldn't we?" Cara said, a gleam in her eye, and a laugh in her voice. "We can't have our little Gryffindor Princess looking, for all the world, the part of Hogwarts' resident bookworm, now, can we?" She laughed, the bell-like sound tinkling throughout the square where they sat.

Hermione rolled her eyes and agreed, making sure to drop a few bills on the table as they walked away. She hated shopping.

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A/N: OH MY FUCKING GOD, you guys …. I am so so sorry! I totally did not mean to keep you all waiting so goddamn long! I almost forgot about this story, and I promise I won't let it happen for a while. I have just gotten my grove back on, after reading an entire summer full of romance novels and fanfiction.

I just want you guys to know, right off the bat, that it takes a long time for a relationship full of trust and love (real, not lust), and that I will not be following the grain of most Dramione stories and making them fall in love right away. That is not fair to you guys, nor is it an accurate portrayal of how these two would act in such a situation.

I apologize for the ridiculous wait, as I remember writing this when it was still cold outside.

I thank you all,

MissusMalfoy