A/N: Thank you all sooooo much for reading and reviewing my story! I'm so sorry I didn't get to update sooner but I had exams and stuff :\ Then I had soccer (football, if you're in the UK) all summer and for the past two months. They're all over now though so I should be able to update much more often! I apologize and thank you for being patient with me! Also, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but this story takes place AFTER the war! The trio and Draco and all in their year have returned to finish school so they're in what would be their EIGHTH year. When the graduation chapter comes, Hogwarts will be graduating two classes. The trio's and Ginny's years. Lastly, I've stopped naming the chapters in accordance to the song lyrics because I cant be bothered to make the chapters correspond to the title (idk if they were even doing that before). Laziness FTW! Okay, now to the story!

Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter, though I'd find myself extremely lucky if I owned Draco Malfoy ;D *le sigh* He's such a sexy man...

Chapter 4

Hermione woke the next day to the sun in her face and an owl at her window. She got up quickly and opened the window to let the bird in. It held out its leg and she untied the piece of parchment, opened it and began reading.

Miss Granger, I hope you enjoyed your...

"Hoot hoot!" The owl looked impatiently at Hermione and hooted again. Quickly, she realized and opened the drawer to her bedside table, grabbed a treat from inside the bag, and fed it to the owl. It hooted appreciatively and flew off. Hermione sat down on her bed and began reading once more.

Miss Granger, I hope you enjoyed your first night in your common room. When you arrive at the Great Hall for breakfast, please see me to get your schedule before eating breakfast. I shall see you soon. Professor McGonnagal

P.S. Please have Mr. Malfoy accompany you.

After she read the letter, Hermione sighed and got out of bed to shower. There's no use trying to avoid him, she thought. He'll always find some way to annoy me.

She climbed into the shower, hoping the hot water would take her mind off the tall, blonde Slytherin boy. It did just the opposite. The whole time she was showering, the only thing she could picture was Draco Malfoy. She thought of his face, his hair, his nose, his perfect cheekbones, his gorgeous, deep gray eyes, his soft, smooth, pink lips. She imagined staring at them, watching as they slowly parted and his tongue slipped between them wetting them. She imagined herself looking up into his gray eyes, watching as one of his blonde eyebrows raised inquisitively. She imagined she somehow found herself leaning into him and saw that he was leaning back. She saw his lips, mere centimeters away from her own, and knew that they would soon be kissing her. 5, she stared into his eyes, not blinking...4, her mind started going blank...3, he licked his lips, preparing for the kiss...2, she licked hers, silently assuring him that she wanted this...1, their lips...

"Oi! Granger! Will you hurry up in there!? We'll be late for breakfast!"

Draco Malfoy's yell had startled her out of her daydream. She sighed; how she wished it real. Wait, no! She didn't want that to be real! She hated Malfoy! Stupid ferret, he probably placed some spell on her. He probably spiked her drink with some love potion last night.

Grumbling, she made her way out of the shower and dressed herself. She used one of her newly-learned anti-friz charms to soften her hair and pulled half of it back in a clip at the back of her head. She returned to her bedroom and grabbed her robe and bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She took one last look in the mirror before opening the door and stopping dead in her tracks.

Malfoy's fist, about to knock on her door once more, was staring her in the face. Hanging limply from his fingers was a dark green t-shirt. Hermione gasped in a sharp breath as her eyes made their way up his arm, pausing slightly to stare at his flexed bicep, before making their way across his shoulders and down his chest to his abdomen. Six defined bumps stared back at her, calling for her to reach out a hand and stroke them. Her eyes suddenly snapped to his face, which contained a satisfied smirk.

"It's impolite to stare, Granger. Surely you were taught that."

"I...I wasn't staring," she mumbled, pushing past him into the hallway. "And why are YOU complaining about ME not being ready? You don't even have a shirt on." She turned around to shoot him a glare only to eat her words. He had pulled the green shirt over his head, but that didn't stop Hermione from staring. The fitted shirt stretched across his shoulders, clinging to the boy's skin, his delicious abs still distinguishable through the fabric.

Malfoy smirked again. "What was that?" He walked past her and reached through his doorway, grabbing his own bag and robe. "Ready?"

"Let's go." The pair climbed silently down the stairs to the common room and pushed the portrait hole open. Neither of them spoke until they entered the Great Hall and Hermione groaned. The table for two was still set up in front of the head table. This better not be a regular thing. I better not be expected to sit with this prat all year long at EVERY meal.

The two made their way to the head table to receive their schedules from Professor McGonnagal. "The two of you will have first and fifth periods free for head duties. Both of your schedules are identical." The professor noticed Hermione eying the table beside her with a look of displeasure on her face. Before she could ask, Professor McGonnagal answered her question. "And, yes, Miss Granger. The two of you ARE expected to sit at this table at each meal. It's to show all younger students that the both of you are to be respected."

Malfoy nodded and sat down where he had been the previous night, thinking to himself, Perfect! I don't have to rush this! I've got every minute of all year to show her I've changed. By the time we graduate this place, I'll have her hooked!

Hermione too turned to sit down and heard a hushed "I'm sorry" come from the mouth of her favorite teacher. She turned back and smiled understandingly before taking her seat across from the Slytherin. She sighed. "So, head duties first period."

Malfoy nodded and swallowed his bacon. "What exactly does that entail?"

"Didn't you do anything the past two years? Didn't you notice that the head boy and girl were always in charge of us? I couldn't wait until I became the one in control..."

"So, we just boss around the prefects? Seems easy enough."

"That's not ALL we do. We have to make sure all the portraits are doing their jobs, as well as the suits of armor."

Malfoy frowned at his plate for a minute before looking up at her. "They have jobs?"

Hermione sighed, exasperated. Honestly, ...Draco," she forced herself to use his first name, to which he looked pleasantly surprised. "Haven't you ever read Hogwarts, A History? It tells that every aspect of this castle has a role in protecting the school, even the walls."

"No, Hermione, I haven't. I have no interest in the history of anything. Very well, if that's all these duties are then this should be fairly easy work."

"Extremely easy, I think." She cleared her plate and checked her watch as the first bell rang. "Ready?"

Draco sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be." He stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, watching as Hermione followed suit.

As they made their way into the Entrance Hall, they noticed a group of sixteen people standing around.

"You must be the prefects!" They all nodded and Hermione introduced herself. "I'm Hermione Granger. Most of you know me, I expect." The majority of the group nodded, "And this is..."

Draco then stepped forward. "Draco Malfoy." He introduced himself. The group in front of them muttered various greetings as the two heads pulled clipboards out of their bags. Hermione cleared her throat.

"First things first, we have to split up the duties. You four," she pointed to the four Hufflepuff prefects, "take the second and third floors. Slytherin prefects take the dungeons and the grounds. Ravenclaws take floors four and five, and Gryffindors," she gave a small smile and a wink to Ginny, "take floors six, seven, and the astronomy tower."

"What about YOU two!? I don't see you leaving any of this place for you to patrol!" One of the Slytherin prefects had interjected, rudely. "I expect you'll be sitting around drinking butterbeers the whole time..."

Hermione shot the boy a ferocious glare and opened her mouth to defend herself and her partner, but Draco beat her to the punch. He stepped forward, snarling at the boy who was two years younger than him. "Unless you want the whole damned castle to yourself, I suggest you shut your mouth!" Then he spoke more loudly, addressing the group as a whole. "Keep in mind that you can lose those badges just as easily as you got them. Now, get going!"

The sixteen scampered off to their designated areas of the school, leaving Hermione and Draco alone. "Er...thanks."

Draco shook his head. "No thanks necessary. That one's always had a mouth on him. It's just nice to be able to lay into him like that."

Hermione nodded; she knew a few too many people like that, one of whom happened to be a ginger-haired best friend of hers. How THIS boy managed to become prefect she wouldn't know. But, then again, how did Ron become prefect?

Hermione and Draco climbed up the marble staircase to the second floor and started checking all the portraits for their inhabitants, an awkward silence one could almost feel among them.

In an attempt to break said silence, Hermione cleared her throat. "So, er...how was your summer?"

Draco froze. Did he really want to tell her how his summer had been? He resumed walking again; thankfully she hadn't noticed his delay. "It was, er...fine." This couldn't have been farther from the truth. It bloody well was not fine. Sitting in my bedroom each day, finally getting up the courage to...

"Are you sure? That seemed a bit forced."

"Yes, it was perfectly fine. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Hermione wasn't convinced but didn't push the matter. She looked in on a painting of an old wizard at a wooden table, a pint of butterbeer in front of him. The old man was nodding off, his head lolling around on his neck, but everything else seemed to be in order so she checked if off on her clipboard and moved on to the next one.

Should I ask her about it? Do you think she got it? "Erm...how was YOUR summer? Anything interesting happen?"

Hermione looked a little shocked but smiled. "Nothing TOO exciting. Just spent some much needed time with Mum and Dad."

"Anything else?" Draco asked, trying to hide his anxiety. It didn't show, but he was desperate.

"I got a letter. Well, it was more of a declaration, but it was sweet. I've made it a goal to find who wrote before I graduate."

Draco let out a relieved breath. She got it. She read it. She liked it. More than that, it sounded like she had loved it. She said she wanted to 'find' him. Does find mean find out? Does find mean thank? Does find mean date and possibly fall in love with? What does 'find' mean? Either way, I've got a shot. Once she knows it was me she wont be able to hide it any longer. She wont be able to deny her feelings any more. I'll be hers, and she'll be mine, and I'll be happy. "He may be closer than you think..." But Hermione, who was already four feet ahead of him, didn't hear what he'd said.

A/N: I really hope you guys are liking it so far! Again, sorry its taken me FOREVER to update but it shouldn't take me nearly this long again. Please review! I really love reading what you guys think. Any suggestions, feel free to let me know and if you have any questions, I shall answer them! Hugs to all of you!