AN
Just because I love you guys, I thought I would release another chapter!
I was seriously intending to only do it every 2 weeks, but it really doesn't seem to be working out that way. Perhaps once my own buzz around this story calms down? Who knows?
A HUGE shoutout to you beautiful people who left reviews. It means a lot to me that you are liking this story so much!
If you have any suggestions or ideas, leave a review and let me know and I will incorporate it if I think it will fit the flow of the story!
As usual, I really hope you enjoy this next chapter! I dedicate it to xDarkDesiresLightx and hoshiakari7 who are both eager to meet my interpretation of Draco Malfoy!

Hermione just stopped and stared for several moments, not even daring to blink. What on earth was Draco bloody Malfoy doing at her house?

Finally, he cleared his throat. "Um… My mother sent me here. She said maybe we could talk and get to know each other seeing as we are distant family. Third cousins isn't it?"

Hermione shook her head. Clearly the world was ending. "Ahhh… yes, something like that." Was all Hermione could get out.

"So, are you going somewhere? Could I accompany you? Maybe you could show me around a muggle shop or something?" Draco looked really awkward. He had his hands deep in his pockets and was playing with a stone on the footpath with his old trainer clad foot. It was a strange sight to behold.

Thinking on the things she was meant to be doing, she realized she still had the whole day ahead of her. They could go somewhere muggle, have an early lunch. It would be interesting to see the ferret squirm in the muggle world.

"Come on then," Hermione said in a clipped voice as she walked towards the gate. "I'm guessing your mother or father told you all about how I am an acceptable human being now."

When she reached him, he replied. "Well, not in so many words. Mother didn't go into too much detail. She just said there had been some things that happened in the past, and because of that, you were raised as a muggle. If it's any consolation, I am sorry for being so rude to you for so long."

Hermione laughed. "Sorry? No, you aren't. Not truly. You might be sorry you were calling a pureblood a mudblood, but you aren't sorry you said those things in general. The only reason you are here is because you were told to do so by your mother. If you didn't know anything that was going on right now, you would still be sitting in your big Manor thinking up ways to make mine, and those like me lives miserable. Admit it."

Draco had the foresight to look abashed. They started heading towards the bus stop. Hermione planned on making this as uncomfortable for him as possible. With a sigh, Draco turned to Hermione. "I won't lie. You are correct there, for the most part. I do have other things to do other than bully you, the Weasel, and the Boy – Who – Won't – Die. I can't help that, though. That's who I am. That's how my family is. It's how I was raised. If you can forgive my mother for those things, surely you can forgive me?" He almost sounded hopeful.

Hermione gave him a sideways glance and was silent while she thought about it. What harm could come from it at the end of the day? She could have a new friend, who was also highly intelligent despite his personality flaws. Perhaps she could even sway his mind. "I'll give you a chance, but you have a lot of things to do before I consider forgiving you. There is too much history between us. I have met your mother once before yesterday. The worst she did was turn her nose up at me. You… you have made my life a living hell. It is a lot to forgive."

Draco nodded in understanding. They finally reached the bus stop. Hermione stopped and waited.

"What are you doing? Why don't you just hold your wand arm out so the bus can come?" Draco asked curiously.

"It doesn't work that way in the muggle world. Buses have different schedules and routes they take. Our bus will be here in about five minutes. I can't stand being late, and there are 20 minutes between each bus. So this way is easier." Hermione stood and waited for Draco's reaction. She wasn't disappointed.

"But, why don't you just fly to London? It's quicker right? Why would you want to be stuck on a filthy bus with filthy muggles?"

Hermione gave him a cheeky smile. "Oh, the bus doesn't go all the way to London. We will be catching this bus to Northwood Hills, then getting the Tube! How exciting is that!" She finished sarcastically.

"You don't need to speak to me like I'm a child Granger. Also, do I still call you Granger? I don't know any purebloods called Granger. Is Granger really your name?" He asked curiously.

"No, it seems it is not. However I don't think I trust you enough to tell you, so just call me Hermione. I'll try and refrain from calling you ferret."

Draco seemed to have to think about it for a minute. "How about we try and just start again." He held out his hand. "How are you? My name is Draco Malfoy."

Hermione couldn't help the giggle that rose in her throat. There seemed to be a wholly charming side to Malfoy she had never seen before. "Hi, Draco Malfoy. I'm Hermione. I am good thank you, and yourself?"

"Damnit. I thought I could trick your last name out of you. Oh well. Is that our bus coming? How am I gonna pay? I don't have any muggle money." Draco gave her a sideways smirk. "How about if you pay for my trip to London, I'll shout you lunch at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yes, that's our bus. And I suppose that is fair. It will be fun to see the reactions of people we might know if we see them in Wizarding London." Hermione said as she returned his smirk.

As the bus pulled up in front of them Draco gave her a strange look. "Well, it seems my smirk is a Black family thing because you just returned mine in an exact way. That was just creepy! How did I never notice that?"

Hermione gave the bus driver the money for the fares and found two seats for them to sit down before she replied. "I would think it would have something to do with the fact that you never did anything around me that would make me want to smirk or smile."

Draco wiped the seat with his handkerchief before he gingerly sat down. "This bus really is disgusting! The driver is picking his nose! And that man over there looks like he hasn't washed in ten years! How can you stand it?"

Hermione shrugged. "It's not so bad when you are used to it. My parents refused to drive me anywhere once I turned thirteen. They said it would help me become a more independent person. I felt much the same as you when I first started getting the bus, but you get used to it."

They sat in silence for most of the trip. There wasn't too much to say. They didn't know each other. They didn't have any shared interests as far as the other knew. It was only when they were nearly at the train station that Draco spoke. "So have you told your friends about all this? How did they take it?"

Hermione though for a moment the best way to put it into words. She didn't want to give the impression that her friends were terrible people, however much they may have made her feel bad about this. "They are skeptical, which is understandable. It's a lot of information to try and take in. I have no choice but to accept it. But they… they seem to think that it is just all in my head. Post O.W.L.S stress or something like that."

Draco shook his head. "That's not very fair on you, though. I mean, without any proof other than the word of some musty old painting, my family has been able to accept you as you really are. But your best friends can't even take your word? I know there are spells to check for bloodlines, have you tried doing one in front of them?"

Hermione nodded. "They think I may have gotten the spell wrong."

Draco snorted at that. "Please. You? Get a spell wrong? If that was the case you would have knocked yourself off by now. No offense."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well that's a bit extreme, but I see what you mean. I appreciate that you and your family have been so accepting. Except maybe your father. But you and your mother have both been so surprisingly nice about this all."

Draco gave a shrug. "I think my father came around when he didn't find your dead body in the Drawing Room. If He believes you, then it must be true."

That thought made Hermione shudder. She didn't want to think about Voldemort.

Draco continued. "I don't even know why father insisted on you meeting him? It's strange don't you think?"

Suddenly Hermione realized Draco knew more than he was letting on. "What do you know about all this? Be honest now."

The bus stopped. They were at the train station. They departed the bus before Draco replied. "Look, I may have been listening at the door when you were talking to The Dark Lord. We all were. Mother because she wanted to make sure nothing happened to you, and Father to see how long it would take for Him to curse you. I was worried too. I might agree with his ideas on purebloods, but I just don't have the stomach for torture. Not on someone I know anyway."

"So you know who my family is then?" Hermione asked with trepidation.

Draco nodded. "But that isn't the reason I am here. Honest. Like I said, Mother thought it would be a good idea for us to get to know each other. Something about though we are distant, we Black's should stick together or some rubbish like that."

Hermione gave a nervous laugh. "So it doesn't bother you that I am related to him?"

"All purebloods are related to each other in some way. It's kind of like the English nobility. They all intermarry and marry cousins and cousins of cousins and so on. It's what I have been raised to expect for myself as well. I'll probably wind up wed to Pansy or Millicent." He said, then gave a shudder. "If I had a choice I'd stay single. Especially with options like Millicent."

Hermione giggled. "I can't blame you there."

Hermione walked to the ticket machine and purchased two tickets to Kings Cross. "All you have to do is stick it in the slot at the gate then walk through. Your ticket will pop out the top."

Draco gave it a cursory look. "How does it know we will get off at the right station, though? We could get off at any of the stations?"

Hermione smiled at his curiosity. There is a code printed into the card. The code says which station we got on at and which station we will be leaving. It won't let us get out any other gates except the one at Kings Cross."

Draco nodded, however, he still looked confused. "So I just put it in this hole here?"

"Yup. And when you walk through it should pop out the top."

Draco did as he was instructed. He jumped slightly when the gates opened. "I didn't think muggles knew magic?"

"They don't." It was taking all of Hermione's willpower to not laugh. "However they are very good at making their own form of magic. They mix highly advanced math, which is kind of like arithmancy, and mechanics, which is making inanimate objects animate. Through the combination of the two, along with some electricity, they can recreate a lot of things that we take for granted in the wizarding world."

"That's actually really fascinating. I think I might be beginning to understand Arthur Weasley's interest in muggles." A man in front of him stopped and started to throw up right in front of them. "Or maybe not." Draco was looking a very bright shade of green.

Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him along. "It's best to just ignore people like that around here. He is probably a drunk or on drugs or something."

Draco let her drag him down to the train platform. The train was just pulling in. She pulled him on as well then sat down. He took the seat opposite her.

"This is my first time on a train other than the Hogwarts Express," Draco said nervously. "No one else is going to vomit are they?"

"They might. You never know with all these filthy muggles." Hermione said sardonically.

Draco looked abashed. "Well, I am sure they aren't all bad. But the people I have seen haven't really given me the greatest first impression."

Hermione had to concede the truth in that department. She tried to explain. "Much like there are many people in the Wizarding world who are less than desirable. And I am not talking about muggleborns. I am talking about the drunks, the addicts, the cutpurses. It is the same here in the muggle world. Your problem is that you believe that everyone is filth, or below you. So you are only seeing that which fits your impression of the muggle world. You didn't even notice the normal people going about their day."

"How can I not though? That man on the bus absolutely reeked!"

Hermione gave him a pointed look. "Yes, but he is one of the millions, of billions. If every single muggle was like that then there would be a lot less of them. And in turn, a lot fewer muggleborns. I can assure you I bathe more regularly than I am sure either of your cronies do. And don't even try and deny it."

Hermione was right of course, Draco had no answer to that.

They stayed in a companionable silence for the rest of the train trip. Draco was a bit more relaxed on the train, having gotten used to rail transport from the Hogwarts Express. He briefly made a passing comment that he was disappointed no one had come with candy and drinks, but other than that he was relaxed.

Hermione took the time to study him. She supposed he was attractive in a pointy kind of way. Angular her brain helpfully supplied. His face is angular. He was currently looking out the window, so there was no risk of him catching her at her observations. His face was relaxed and his eyes were half – lidded. He almost looked like he was falling asleep. He looked innocent. Hermione snorted. There was no way he was innocent. Hermione had heard the whispers around the Great Hall and even in the Gryffindor common room. 'The Prince of Slytherin' they called him; or the more common term 'The Slytherin Sex God'.

Draco had looked up at her snort. "See something you like, Gaunt?"

Hermione cringed as he used what she supposed was now her surname. "I thought we had agreed to call me Hermione?"

Draco gave a nonchalant shrug. "I figured I'd see how it rolled off the tongue in a setting it would be safe. I think I like Hermione better. You are too pudgy to call Gaunt."

Hermione spluttered. "I am not pudgy! I am at a perfectly healthy weight thank you very much!"

Draco started laughing. "Calm down now. I wasn't implying you were overweight. Just that you had more weight on you to justify calling you gaunt. Your face is full, and you have curves. Not overweight. Just not gaunt. The surname just doesn't fit you anyway."

Hermione didn't know how to feel about the compliment, backhanded as it might have been. So she just said nothing and gave him a glare. Stupid ferret making fun of her again.

This time is different though isn't it? He wasn't bullying you. In fact, it is probably the closest he has come to ever giving you a compliment. He was just having a bit of fun at your expense. Like friends do. Her mind gave its input.

"Shut up," She muttered to herself.

"But I didn't say anything!" Draco objected.

"Not you. I was talking to myself." Hermione blushed when she realized what she had done.

"So I figured you might be a bit insane. Gaunt and Black in one person. They must be absolutely bonkers!" Draco tried to joke.

"Can we please stop talking about me being related to that man? It's bad enough I'm related to you!" Hermione exclaimed.

Draco held a hand to his heart. "You wound me! And besides, we aren't that closely related. It doesn't really count."

Hermione sniffed and turned her head from him. His dramatics was starting to get on her nerves.

"Well, that attitude is definitely the Black side of the family. I have seen Aunt Bellatrix pull that face more times than I care to count." Draco said with a cheeky grin.

Hermione slapped his leg. "Don't ever compare me to that nutcase! I am nothing like her!"

"Oww! How are you still this violent! Further proof you belong in the families you do if you ask me!" Draco kept grinning at her, and unfortunately for Hermione, his grin was contagious, she returned it.

The last ten minutes of the trip were once again silent. They departed the station with surprising ease. Draco remembered how to use the ticket machine and they stepped out onto the busy streets of muggle London.

"You sure you don't want to try some muggle food? It's not all bad. I can even introduce you to a muggle tradition!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly. She had the craziest urge to take Draco to McDonalds.

"I promised I'd pay though. I don't have any muggle money at all." Draco replied.

Hermione pulled out her purse. "No sweat. I'll pay, then you can give me the galleons. I need to do some shopping later in Diagon Alley, so it saves me a trip to Gringotts."

"I suppose we could try it. Is it going to be terrible?" Draco asked, panic shaking his voice.

"Terrible is the wrong word for it. It will be an experience." Hermione gave him a reassuring smile. "Come on. I'm sure you will like it. Most boys your age do."

"Who you calling a boy?" Draco puffed out his chest. "I might be underage still, but I am no boy." He winked at her.

All Hermione could do was roll her eyes.