After painstaking hours of going back and forth, contacting various people of the Daily Prophet, he was finally done in the early hours of the morning. It should arrive in the next few hours, with a special copy for Hermione. (A/N: So, have you guessed what he's done yet? ;D) I need to get some sleep. Draco rubbed his eyes, got up and lay down in bed. Granger's going to drive me mad. I don't even bloody well know why I'm doing this. Draco leaned against the headboard. Or.. Do I? Out of nowhere, piped up Blaise's voice.

"So, have you figured it out yet?" Blaise said a smile in his voice. Draco started and hit his head then swore loudly. Fortunately no one stirred, it was too early.

"Bloody hell, Zabini! And what're you on about? I've figured nothing out." Draco grumbled, rubbing his head.

"You know... Why you're doing this? For Granger? A girl?" Blaise said slowly. Draco stared at him incredulously.

"God Zabini, don't start on that again. I don't fancy h-." Draco stopped, and then actually thought about. He couldn't actually (gulp) like Granger? No. Of course not. Impossible. "Of course I don't!" Draco finished uncertainly. The way her hair falls down her back. The curve of her lips. Her small hands.

"Yeah. Right." Blaise said sarcastically. "So what do you call this? You don't want her angry with you, you're going all out, and staying up at these hours. And for what? For her."

"Okay, okay!" Draco said furiously. "Maybe a little, okay? But it's only for her looks. God." Blaise raised an eyebrow and waited patiently. Her logic. Her intelligence. Her laugh. Her eagerness. Her argument. Her coolness under pressure. Her defiance. Her fire. Oh Merlin. This can't be happening. I can't like her! Blaise watched all of this and knew Draco had finally cracked it.

"I know, Draco. I've known for a while." Blaise said gently. Then he suddenly realized anyone from the dormitory could be listening. "Come on, let's talk in the courtyard."

~.~.~.~.~.~

Hermione couldn't get back to sleep, so she sat up in bed, her knees drawn up. The main theme of thought was 'What's Draco going to do?' Wait, I'm calling him Draco now? What am I doing? He's Malfoy, not 'Draco'. Malfoy Malfoy Malf-

"Hermione, what's bothering you?" Ginny said, as quietly as she could. Hermione still jumped and banged her head against the bed.

"Just... Malfoy." Hermione murmured. Ginny nodded understandingly.

"You know, it's a good thing Harry and Ron don't mind Malfoy anymore." Ginny said.

"Why?"

"Well," Ginny said, and then chuckled. "Long story short, Malfoy would've gotten a black eye by now. I think they... They trust that he's going to make it up. That's what I infer, anyway." Ginny finished, shrugging. Hermione smiled, grateful that Draco wasn't hurt. Wait, what?

Just then, a note whistled in, and landed on Hermione's lap. She could tell instantly from the careful, cursive writing it was from Draco.

'Dear, Hermione (Ginny squealed that he said her name, and Hermione rolled her eyes)
My apology is all ready. You'll see it at breakfast, and I went all out like you said I should. I hope you'll accept it.

Lo From,
D.'

'Lo'? Why were the letters 'lo' crossed out? Hermione brushed the question from her mind. She got a piece of scrap parchment and wrote back,

'Dear,

What should she call him? Malfoy, or Draco? She weighed them up in her mind and decided to go for Draco, since she liked the sound better anyway.

'Dear Draco,
I just hope it isn't... Well, I don't know. I told you to go all out after all, didn't I? At least you kept your word, haha. And as for forgiving you... I think I'm already halfway there. But I don't know why.

From,
H.'

She strapped the small roll of parchment to the sleek, silver owl's leg and lightly stroked its head to set it off. Then she paused, braced herself and looked across as Ginny.

She was near to bursting out into squeals.

Before she could do any damage, she dragged Ginny out of the dormitory, before she exploded.

"Oh my God! He sent you a n-" Ginny yelled, before having her mouth sharply covered up with Hermione's hand.

"Shush!" Hermione hissed. She gestured to both dormitories, suggesting some could be awake. Ginny nodded secretively. "We're going to the courtyard."Hermione muttered.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"What do you mean, you've known?" Draco said, sitting on a bench on a courtyard. Blaise shrugged.

"Just... You know when we were kinda mates with Potter and Weasley?" Blaise said. Draco nodded. "It was just the small things. You know when you like someone, you just... You know, do stuff." He finished, wanting to spare Draco embarrassment.

"I guess." Draco mumbled.

"You obviously didn't notice these things, until you triggered a negative reaction in her. Then it got all thrown back into your face." Blaise said buntly. Draco bit his lip and looked down. Then he looked up.

"Its.. Impossible though! I can't like her." Draco said, miserably. "I mean, if Potter and Weasley find out, they'll kill me, never mind fricking Hermione. And then there's the rest of the school." Draco clenched his fists in irritation and they sat in silence for a while until Blaise tapped his shoulder.

"To be honest mate, you shouldn't care what everyone else thinks. Your whole reputation doesn't matter, Draco." Blaise said, shrugging. "If you want, I can tell Potter and Weasley?"

"Yeah. Thanks. But only after breakfast, okay? Maybe even later. Just only do it when I'm not around. Or should I be around? Merlin, what the hell am I going to do?" Draco said, putting his head in his hands. Then his owl fluttered down and shook off a note. Hermione's note.

'Dear Draco,

She called me by my name.

'I just hope it isn't... Well, I don't know. I told you to go all out after all, didn't I? At least you kept your word, haha.'

Well, at least she isn't swearing or verbally abusing me. Haha.

'And as for forgiving you...'

Draco's heart suddenly sped up, and what Blaise said clicked into place.

'I think I'm already halfway there.'

Draco's heart leapt, and he grinned from ear to ear.

'But I don't know why.'

His heart slammed right back into his chest and his grin turned sour. He skimmed the rest of it, and turned his head to see Blaise looking at him intently. Draco realized he had seen all his expressions. Blaise waited for a few counts. Draco exhaled strongly and leant back on the bench, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I guess I do like her then." Came Draco's muffled voice in the still silence of the courtyard.

"Well, at least you're not in denial anymore." Blaise replied while Draco looked up.

"I mean, bloody hell, and couldn't have been someone else? Why bloody Granger of all people?" Draco whined. Blaise looked at him, puzzled.

"Why someone else?"

"Because.. It's Granger! I mean.. Draco stuttered, desperately thinking. Then Blaise touched his arm.

"We're not twelve years old anymore, Draco. We've grown up, and so has everyone else." He said in a low voice. Draco nodded. "Let's go back to the dormitory, eh? Might as well get ready."

~.~.~.~.~.~

Hermione and Ginny were walking down to the Courtyard. Hermione thoughts were still muddled and all she could think about, even though she didn't want to, was a platinum headed boy. She bit her lip harshly, hoping it would banish away the ramblings of her mind, when suddenly, her head suddenly bumped into someone's chest. She looked at it curiously, and then looked up at who owned it. Draco.

"Um. Sorry." Draco mumbled. He wasn't looking at her properly, and his face was strangely flushed.

"It's okay." Hermione said automatically, and then she looked at Blaise.

"Hi, Blaise."

"Hi Hermione."

"What're you doing up so early?"

"Well, you know us two." Blaise said, gesturing to himself then an uncomfortable Draco. Hermione took a moment to study Draco. Why was he all shy? "We like having strolls around the castle. Hi Weasley."

"Hi, Zabini."

"How are you?"

"Good." Ginny replied. Then they fell into silence, and Draco shifted uncomfortably on his heels.

"Well, we better be going. Remember to be there in time for the surprise, okay?" Blaise said, smiling pleasantly at both of them.

"Don't worry; I wouldn't miss that for the world." Hermione said grinning. Ginny smiled at her. Draco risked a glance at her.

"Well, bye Hermione, bye Weasley." Blaise said.

"Bye!" Ginny said, smirking at the awkwardness of the whole thing.

"Bye Blaise," she paused and finally caught Draco's eyes. They were dark metallic silver today, the low light bringing out the flecks of almost white silver. She swallowed. "Bye Draco." She murmured. Then it was Draco's turn. He was still blinking at both of them, before Blaise nudged him quite hard in the ribs. He scowled, and then looked back at Ginny and Hermione.

"Bye Weasley," Draco said, and then caught Hermione's eyes. They were dark brown, the low light bringing out the subtle honey strokes, and the curiousness in her expression. It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like whole minutes. Finally, he said in a low, unsteady voice, "Bye H-Hermione." Then they all nodded at each other, and then hurried out of each other's ways, Draco and Blaise to the dormitory, Ginny and Hermione to the courtyard.

"You really like her, don't you?" Blaise said, out of ear shot. Draco and he just shared a glance, and that was more than words could say.

"Do you like him?" Ginny murmured quietly. Hermione stayed silent. She didn't know anymore. Her brain and feelings were on totally different wavelengths now. Then they kept on walking.

A/N: Deary me. Hopefully you liked more reading, eh?I know the whole thing is cliché, but to be totally honest, I have no idea where I'm going with this. Originally, it was probably going to be 3 chapters max, but now I don't know, it might turn into a fully fledged story, based on Hermione's first kiss. So, I have no idea how I'm going to tie everything up, lol. :3 Hopefully I haven't put you all off the story now! (Hopefully...) Thank you SO SO SO much for everyone who put me and the story on the alerts and even on their favourites! I'm so happy, thank you.

So, Draco isn't in denial anymore! Yay! Next chapter is the surprise apology, but Hermione already thinks she's halfway there.