A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter except the story line. Please review.

Chapter 3

"You look beautiful, Granger." Hermione was standing right outside of the Heads bathroom dressed in a gorgeous lavender ball gown. She looked to the floor when she felt her cheeks getting hot.

"Thank you, Malfoy." She said meeting his eyes

"You're going to knock them dead at the dance. I am going to get really jealous when all those guys try to come and whisk you away." He smiled endearingly at her.

"Really? And why is that?" She tried to hold her ground.

"I feel like I have this unspoken claim on you. I like you, Granger." He slowly walked towards her and took her hands in his. "More than I thought I ever would." He traced his hands up her bare arms before placing both his hands on her cheeks. He leaned in close to her face, his lips barely touching hers. "You wormed into my heart, and now you will pay." She could feel the smirk on his face and then his lips were on hers in a hot, tangling mess. She found herself hankering for more and didn't want it to end.

A loud boom from thunder sounded and Hermione sat straight up in her bed. She looked at her watch to see that it was six in the morning, but thanks to the thunder and her dream she was wide awake. Hermione decided that she would go take a shower. Gathering her things she made her way to the bathroom. Even though it was early she knocked just to make sure that Draco wasn't in there. She ran the water and waved her wand to raise the faucet up and then stepped into the shower. She tried to get the images of her dream out of her head as she washed her hair but her attempt to do so was failing miserably. Why had she dreamt that? Where did it come from? Frustrated, she finished her shower, got dressed, and brushed her teeth. It was still storming outside and too early for breakfast so she decided to go upstairs and try to unpack. Leaving the bathroom she bumped into something firm and hard and fell to the ground.

"You should really pay attention to where your walking," Draco said sarcastically. He held out his hand to help her up. Hermione stared at it for a minute, not really sure she should take it or not. "I'm not going to bite you." She took his hand and he pulled her up.

"Thank you." She gave him a weak smile and made to walk around him quickly. She could feel her face getting hot and didn't want him to see her all flustered.

"No problem, Granger. I hope you didn't use all the hot water, but it's no matter. I will just charm it." Hermione heard the bathroom door being shut and continued to walk upstairs to her bedroom. Why was he being so nice? Was he up to something? She began to unpack and that helped take her mind off things. She managed to get everything set up and in it's perfect place. Hermione glance down at her watch and saw that breakfast had started and she suddenly felt the growling in her stomach. She left her room and walked quickly down to the common room where she saw Draco sitting on the couch. He was facing the fireplace with a blank stare on his face. There wasn't even a fire going. She didn't know whether or not to say anything, but she felt obligated to.

"Draco? Are you ok?" She asked, before she realized she just used his first name. He looked at her, kind of confused and uncomfortable by the fact that she just used his first name.

"Um, yeah.. Grang…Hermione." He tested out her name on his lips and decided he didn't feel comfortable with that just yet. "Granger," he added correcting himself.

"I'm sorry. I know we are not on a first name basis. It just kind of slipped out."

"It's ok." He looked at her and gave her a weak, forced smile.

"Well, I am going to breakfast." And with that she head out of the portrait hole. She walked through the halls slowly. She still couldn't understand the civility between the two. It was almost as if the past six years never happened. She didn't even know if she liked it. She turned the corner and walked through the huge doors leading into the Great Hall. Ginny and Harry where already sitting there eating along with Ron. She sat down beside Ron because Ginny had taken her seat beside Harry. You could have cut the tension with a knife. She suddenly would have rather been in the Heads common room with the awkwardness between her and Draco.

"Morning, everyone," she stretched everyone so that Ron knew she was talking to him as well.

"Morning, 'Mione. How did you sleep last night in your new room?" Ginny asked.

Suddenly she felt embarrassed. She couldn't tell Ginny about her dream. Not in front of the other two. She felt her face getting hot and Ginny gave her a questioning look. "I slept fine, Ginny. The bed is huge and the room is really quite comfortable. Oh and the bathroom! You have got to come see it." She tried her best to cover up her thoughts. Ginny gave her an huge smile.

"I definitely will have to. I hope you don't mind that I sat over here today. Ron was being a prat."

"No, I don't."

"Good morning, Hermione," Harry said to her. "It just wasn't the same with you not hanging out with us in the common room. I trust that everything went ok with Malfoy considering he is still alive." He winked at, and then tilted his head in the direction of the Slytherin table.

"Yes, well. That's a story for a little later." She tried to hint in her voice that she would tell him later, and then she nodded her head so slightly towards Ron hoping that he wouldn't notice.

"Oh, so what? You are going to tell me anything anymore?" Ron had spoken up out of the blue. It took everyone by surprise.

"You haven't spoken to me, Ron. I'm sorry," she barked.

Ron scoffed. "I haven't spoken to you because you broke us up. I wasn't ready for that. You know that."

At that point Hermione was fuming. She hadn't been the one that suggested they break up, but once it was set out there she thought it would be best. They had just grown apart, and Ron still acted very immature. She needed more maturity in her life. "You are such a prat! You know very well it was mutual and this whole thing isn't my fault. Grow up!" She stood up and left the Great Hall without another word. Draco who had been sitting in his own little world at the Slytherin table took notice to this. He watched as Ron threw his fork down and sulked. Harry and Ginny stood up to leave as well.

Meanwhile, Hermione was storming around on the grounds outside the castle. She stomped over to a tree right beside the lake and sat down. Ron was so infuriating. He could never take responsibility for anything and he always blamed everyone else. She pulled her knees up to her stomach, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her head against them. It wasn't too long before she felt someone sit down beside her.

"You have go to learn to ignore him, 'Mione," Harry gently said. She raised her head up. Then she gently rested it against his shoulder.

"He is just so infuriating. You were there, Harry. You were there when we decided to call it quits. He said he wanted out of the relationship first, and then when I thought about it I agreed. Why is he trying to make me feel like I purposely hurt him." Tears were coming down her face now.

"You know how he is. Ron will say he wants something but in all actuality he doesn't really want it, because it hasn't got a clue what he wants. He's upset Hermione because he never really wanted to let you go. Now that it's over with, he is feeling lost. Last night he said he wasn't sure he could be around you. I don't believe that for a minute. He'll get over you. Just give him time."

"We weren't right for each other. We're just better off being friends. I still love him, Harry, but just like a brother. Like you."

"I now, Hermione. It will get better." He kissed the top of her head. She lifted her head and gave him a smile.

"Thanks, Harry." She stared at the lake for a minute and then remembered that Ginny had stolen her seat this morning. She knew that Ginny like Harry and vice versa. "So, you and Ginny were looking awfully comfortable together this morning. Any reason in particular why she stole my seat, because she deals with Ron on a daily basis. I'm sure this one time wasn't any different."

"We've been sort of seeing each other. We just haven't told you or Ron, yet. Not that Ginny didn't want to tell you. She just hasn't had the chance. After you and Ron broke up we didn't want to give you news like that and because you are Head Girl we didn't get to ride with you on the train. Plus, we are still wanting to wait to tell Ron. Don't tell Ginny I told you. She would kill me. She really wanted to tell you herself."

"Well, I had expected this much and I promise I will act very excited." She looked at the ground and was almost lost in thought.

"You want to tell me about, Malfoy?" Hermione looked up, quickly.

"I,um, don't really know where to start. He has been so different. I mean really different." She tried to replay the previous day and this morning in her head.

"Different, how?"

"Well, for one, he hasn't been mean to me. In fact, he's been rather nice. He didn't call me a mudblood yesterday on the train. And this morning, I bumped into him coming out of the bathroom and fell to the ground. He actually offered me his hand to help me up."

"Are you serious? That not like Malfoy at all. Normally he would have just left you lying there with some smart ass comment." Harry looked out at the lake with a questioning look.

"I know. I'm curious to see where this goes. I didn't want to say anything at breakfast because of Ron."

"I know and just be careful, 'Mione. If things get out of hand, you let me know. Like if Malfoy takes a turn for the worst."

"I will, Harry." They both stood up and gave each other a hug.

"I have to get back to the common room. I let Ginny go on ahead because I wanted to make sure you were ok. Let's hang out soon, ok?" Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "Bye, 'Mione." Hermione bid him goodbye and turned to stare back at the lake. There was a lot happening in so little time and class hadn't even started yet.