Hi all. Thank you so much for the reviews and all the follows and favs. I so appreciate it. If any of you Potterheads are, in fact, also fans of Lord of the Rings, please take a look at my other fanfic "A New Life". Also, I've started a new Dramione fanfic – in addition to this one – based post Hogwarts... called Mine. If that perhaps interests you!

So here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters – although I dearly wish I did. It all belongs to the amazing Jo Rowling.

Chapter 3: It's Strange

The following day dawned leaden and rainy. Hermione was woken several hours earlier than she would have liked by an ecstatic Lavender, who appeared to have received a letter from an admirer and wasted no time in informing the entire dormitory of it in a shrill, excited voice, at ten to five in the morning.

Hermione groaned and rolled over, pulling a pillow over her head to muffle Lavender's thrilled squeals and attempting to drop back off to sleep. But to no avail. Half an hour later, having finally reached the unfortunate conclusion that her morning lie in was cancelled, Hermione rose and dressed swiftly before making her way down to the empty common room and falling into a squashy armchair near the vacant fireplace.

She was tired, puffy-eyed and tousle-haired from the previous night's escapades. She had not drifted off to sleep until past midnight, having lain in bed for over an hour after she had re-entered the tower, turning the situation over and over in her mind until she simply could not stand it anymore.

As she sat, curled up in the armchair, a hundred questions resurfaced in her mind. What had really happened last night with Malfoy? Why had he been so kind as to offer her comfort when he had barely ever done anything but throw jeering insults in her face before? What was the strange attraction she had felt when she saw him, bathed in moonlight, at the top of the tower? Was she falling for Draco Malfoy? No, surely not. Of all things in this world that were least likely to take place, that was most certainly one of them.

And why did he touch her face before she left? The brief contact had left her skin burning and her mind whirling for hours afterwards. It seemed the strangest, most distant impossibility – Draco Malfoy showing her compassion. Even now, hours afterwards, she still wasn't quite sure if it hadn't all been a strange dream.

She didn't know how long she sat there, curled up like a bushy haired cat, caught up in her own thoughts, but the next thing she knew, people were descending the spiral staircases into the common room and heading off for breakfast.

Glancing at her watch, she was shocked to see that it was already seven o'clock. Hermione leapt to her feet, snatched up her bag and hurried out the portrait hole after a group of chattering second years.

She entered the great hall and made her way up the narrow isle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. Scanning the hall for Harry and Ron, Hermione caught a glimpse of Draco at the far end of the room. Their eyes caught and held for a split second and Hermione felt her stomach lurch pleasantly. But a second later Draco turned away, engaging Crabbe in conversation and Hermione continued up the table to join Harry and Ron.

Perhaps some of her pleasure at the sight of Draco showed on her face, because as she sat down opposite Harry and Ron and poured herself some coffee, Ron asked, 'What are you so happy about?'

Hermione quickly racked her brains for a suitable answer. 'The hats have all gone,' she said simply. 'Seems the house-elves do want freedom after all.'

'I wouldn't bet on it,' Ron told her cuttingly. ' They might not count as clothes. They didn't look anything like hats to me, more like woolly bladders.'

Hermione mentally resolved not to talk to him the for rest of the morning. It was true, she admitted to herself, that the hats were a little knobbly. But – woolly bladders indeed! – Ron had no right to criticise her work.

She piled toast onto her plate and set about buttering it. Munching on her breakfast, her eyes strayed to the Slytherin table. To her surprise she found Draco watching her but the moment she saw him, his grey eyes flicked away and she was left feeling a little disappointed. Why, though? Was she disappointed that he wasn't greeting her now every time they met? Was she disappointed that they hadn't become overnight friends after the little moment they had shared last night? Because such notions were ridiculous, she told herself firmly. Why else would he have asked her to keep her mouth shut about the tower if not to pretend that nothing had happened, so he could continue to uphold his cold and lofty demeanour – but now that she had been another side to him, it was very difficult to forget.

The bell rang and there was a scuffle and much scraping of benches as the hall emptied and the school hurried off to their respective classes.

'What do we have now?' Harry asked as they climbed the marble staircase, lagging behind and very loud, slow-moving group of Ravenclaw girls who, in their seemingly vast numbers, had blocked the entire breadth of the staircase.

'Double Charms,' said Hermione shortly, before hurrying ahead and pushing through the Ravenclaws. By the time Harry and Ron reached Professor Flitwick's classroom she was already seated at a table with Parvati and Lavender, leaving Harry and Ron to sit without her.

'Couldn't you have just given her a break?' Hermione heard Harry say as the boys sat down just behind her.

'It's not my fault she takes everything so personally,' said Ron testily. 'And Harry, mate, you've got to admit, those hats –'

'Just shut up, won't you,' snapped Harry, and Hermione felt a sudden rush of affection for her friend.

Double Charms was followed by double Transfiguration. During the duration of both lessons, both Professors Flitwick and McGonagall impressed upon the fifth years the importance of their upcoming OWLs and how it affected their career choices in the future.

Lunch was a irritable affair for Hermione, who, having refused to join Ron and Harry in the library as they struggled to get back up to date with their immense amount of homework, spent the allotted hour at the Gryffindor table with Parvati and Lavender, having to endure their endless accounts on a wide variety of gossip that did not interest Hermione in the slightest.

Lunch was followed by Care of Magical Creatures, with the Slytherins. A notion that perked her up slightly as it was chance to be, once again, in close proximity to Draco and try to figure out exactly what had occurred the previous night.

Not wanting to be rude, Hermione endured the brisk walk down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's cabin with Lavender and Parvati, offering up a vague 'Hmmm?' or 'Oh really?' when necessary. The day had become cool and breezy and Hermione relished the chance to be outside.

Upon arriving at Hagrid's cabin, the class found Professor Grubbly-Plank standing behind a long table of what appeared to Hermione to be Bowtruckles. Obviously Hagrid had not yet returned.

Hermione heard a shout of laughter behind her and turned to see Draco joining the group along with Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson. The sight of the pug-faced girl in Draco's midst made Hermione feel faintly sick. Draco seemed to be avoiding her eyes.

Once Professor Grubbly-Plank's lecture of the Bowtruckles was over, Hermione, unable to stand another moment in the presence of the giggling Parvati and Lavender, decided to join Harry and Ron to draw and label her Bowtruckle. They were crouched on the grass close to Draco's group, who were sniggering heartily at something he had just said. She had a feeling it was to do with Hagrid.

Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, she sat down cross-legged beside the boys who were struggling to keep their Bowtruckles still for long enough to draw them. Harry was fuming at Malfoy.

'If he calls Hagrid a moron one more time...' He snarled.

Hermione winced as this confirmed her fears – that Malfoy was indeed the same person he had been all along. What had she been thinking, wondering if he had really changed since last night? Honestly, it was pathetic.

'Harry,' she said patiently, trying to keep the pain from her voice, 'don't go picking a row with Malfoy, don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you...'

'Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life,' said Harry sarcastically. Ron laughed but Hermione frowned and didn't say another word until the bell rang. In the flurry of people clearing up their diagrams and bags, Hermione felt a hand close around her wrist, turned and found herself looking right into the cool grey eyes of Draco Malfoy.

'I need to talk to you,' he said, so softly Hermione had to lean forward slightly to hear him properly. 'Hang back after class, will you.'

For a split second Hermione considered refusing, jerking her arm out of his grip and walking but up the grounds with Harry and Ron – but she didn't. Instead she nodded and walked off to return her Bowtruckle to Professor Grubbly-Plank.

Under the pretext of sorting through some books in her bag to find a slot for her diagram, Hermione managed to hang back until the rest of the chattering group was halfway back to the castle, leaving just her, Malfoy and Professor Grubbly-Plank, who didn't spare them a half-glance.

Finally straightening up from her bag, Hermione turned to Draco who was standing some ten yards away, looking awkward. Swinging her heavy bag over her shoulder she took a couple of steps towards him, examining him quizzically. Draco glanced meaningfully at Professor Grubbly-Plank and motioned for her to follow him. A few moments later, he stopped at the edge of the forest and turned to her.

'Look Granger –'

'Granger?' The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. 'I thought we were on first name terms now?' Her voice could have frozen the lake at midsummer. She didn't know why she was treating him like this. Perhaps it was because he had spent the last lesson criticising Hagrid in a loud voice. Of perhaps it was the fact that, after the strange events of last night, he hadn't bothered to even meet her eyes properly that day.

Draco took a step back, shocked at her tone. 'Granger... Hermione, I just wanted to talk to you about –'

'About what? How you've been avoiding me all day? How you've been calling Hagrid a moron for the last hour and a half. You know Malfoy, it may not have occurred to you, but you have been treating me like dirt for the past four years, and one evening at the top of the Astronomy tower with me as a miserable wreck hasn't changed that.'

Draco looked as if she had slapped him. And indeed she wanted to – with all the strength she could muster. How dare he come and think he could just talk to her like this after how he had acted?

'You know, for a couple of hours last night, I actually thought you might not actually be that bad – but obviously I was deeply mistaken.' She turned on her heel, ready to march away – but his voice stopped her. It was soft ad gentle and sounded, strangely, close to tears.

'I only came to talk to you now because –'

Hermione whirled back around. 'Yeah? Why?'

His next words were barely audible.

'Because I'm sorry.'

Ok so there it is! Please, please, please review! Stay wonderful! Skye x