Disclaimer: J.K.R owns all the characters as everyone already knows. We just own the plot.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! We really appreciate it! Unfortunately we are both really busy at the moment so we don't think we will be able to update next weekend, but this chapter is a bit longer than usual so hopefully that makes up for it! And we will have a one shot ready to post next week too, but don't worry, we haven't given up on Odi... we still have lots of ideas!

Enjoy!

Chapter 5 – Two Knights and a Maiden

"I'm going to lunch," Draco told Hermione after a few minutes.

"You can't go anywhere without me, Malfoy. We're stuck together, remember?"

"Then you're coming with me." Even before Hermione had had a chance to stand up, Draco started walking away from her towards the Great Hall and she was forced to follow him.

When they reached the Great Hall it was almost empty as not many people had arrived for lunch yet. As they walked in, Draco saw their new table at the front of the hall and it filled him with dread. What were his friends going to think?

Hermione had a similar reaction, feeling a shiver run down her spine and again scanning er hbrain for a way out of this mess.

Draco sighed. "Come on," he said to Hermione. "If we're lucky and we hurry, we can be finished eating and leave before anyone notices."

They started walking towards the top of the Great Hall when they heard a voice behind them call Draco's name.

"DRAAAAAKIEEE!"

Hermione turned around to see Pansy Parkinson running towards them and groaned. She was surprised to hear that Draco also let out a small groan before greeting his fellow Slytherin.

"Hi Pansy," he said.

"Drakie! I missed you!" She pouted.

Drakie? Hermione thought to herself, and she sniggered.

Draco sighed again. "I only saw you yesterday, Pansy."

"Yes, but that was yesterday," she whined, then spotted Hermione standing next to Draco. "What are you doing with her?" She asked, clearly disgusted that Malfoy was with Hermione.

Before Draco could respond, Blaise came up behind Pansy, making Draco groan again. Blaise was his best friend, and he was happy he had saved him from Pansy's question, but he didn't need anyone else to see him with the mudblood.

"Hi Blaise," he greeted his friend.

"Hey bro," Blaise said to Draco, before turning to Hermione and winking. "Hermione."

"Hi Blaise," Hermione said, smiling.

Draco's eyes widened. "Since when are you two on first name basis?" he asked them.

"Since I asked her out," Blaise said without hesitation.

Pansy gasped and Draco started. "WHAT?" he screamed, looking from Blaise to Hermione and back to Blaise. "You guys are DATING?"

Blaise and Hermione burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked them, still shocked.

"I was just joking, dude!" Blaise told him. "Hermione and I are just friends. We have been for a while."

Draco looked to Hermione for confirmation and she nodded.

"Oh, well, ah, right. I knew that," Draco stuttered. "Of course."

Pansy threw herself into Draco's arms, looking up to him to say "But you don't care about that, do you Drakie!"

Draco reluctantly returned Pansy's hug, but said nothing.

Pansy pulled away from him and opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by Professor McGonagall who was entering the hall. As she passed the small group, she said to Hermione and Draco, "Don't you two have somewhere to be?"

Hermione jumped. "Y-yes, Professor!"

Draco scoffed and started to walk up to the Heads' new table.

Pansy grabbed his arm and stopped him. "What's she talking about Drakie? Where do you have to go?"

Draco sighed again. "We have a new… duty, as Heads. The old witch has decided that now we have to look like friends and sit together for meals. We have our own table," he said, pointing to it. Then looking at Blaise, Draco added, "Can you come join me? It will make it more bearable."

"Of course, Drakie! We'll sit with you! I won't ever leave you alone with that filthy mudblood," Pansy squealed, obviously under the impression that she was doing him a huge favour.

Draco mumbled something incoherent and looked to his best friend, who grinned and nodded.

They walked up to the table together and as they arrived Ginny appeared behind them, holding hands with Harry. Ron was also with them.

"What are you doing with them, Hermione?" Harry asked, confused. "Come sit at the Gryffindor table."

"Err, I can't, Harry. I, err, I have to sit with Malfoy. It's a new duty McGonagall has thought up. We have to eat together at this table," she explained.

"Oh, that sucks," Ginny said sympathetically.

Ron, meanwhile, was glaring at Malfoy with all he could muster. "Seriously? Have you to eat with that ferret?"

Hermione nodded.

"Gross!" Ron exclaimed.

"Don't you dare talk about my Drakie like that, you Weasel!" Pansy yelled at Ron.

"I'll talk about him however I like, slug!"

"You – " Pansy began, but before she could go any further, Harry intervened, realising that this would end badly if he didn't step in. "Can we sit with you, Hermione?"

"Oh, yes! You can. Please do!" Hermione said happily, thankful that she would at least have her friends to keep her company.

Draco rolled his eyes, shaking his head, something which Ron did not miss. "What's wrong with you, Ferret? You're got your friends sitting with you!"

Hermione stepped in front of Ron. "Ron, please, stop. This table is about house unity! We are all supposed to get along!"

Ron scoffed. "Yeah, right. You've got less change of us getting along with those snakes than you have you of convincing Hagrid that dragons aren't soft cuddly teddy bears!"

Harry laughed, but at the look he got from Ginny, he quickly covered it with a cough.

At that moment, Luna drifted towards the table. "Hi everyone," she said with her usual air of dreaminess.

Hermione let out a small sigh of relief. "Hi Luna."

Harry, Ginny and Ron also greeted the blonde, Ron temporarily forgetting his fight with Malfoy.

Without waiting for anyone else to sit down, Luna took a seat at the Heads' table. Following her lead, everyone else sat down, with Hermione and Draco sitting next to each other in the middle, and their friends sitting on the respective side of the table. The only person on the 'wrong' side of the table was Luna, who was sitting in between Draco and Blaise.

While the others began talking to each other, Blaise turned to Luna. "Hello ma'am," he said with a nod of his head. "I take it you are the famous Luna Lovegood?"

"Yes. Hi Blaise. You look like you have wrackspurts filling your brain," Luna told him.

The expression on Blaise's face turned to one of surprise and confusion. "What - ?"

Hermione had been following their exchange and mouthed to Blaise "Don't ask."

Luna appeared not to have noticed Blaise's confusion, and started helping herself to the food that had appeared as soon as they sat down.

"Why are we sitting with these horrible people, Drakie?" Pansy pipped up again, whining. "It's ruining my appetite, being surrounded by them."

"I told you Pansy," Draco said annoyed, "it's a new Head duty the old cat thought up. I have to sit here. So does Granger. The rest of you can eat where you like. Do you think I want to eat with blood traitors and mudbloods?"

Ginny had heard Draco's insult, and looked up at him. "That's not a very nice thing to say, you little cockroach." She said indignantly.

"Since when do I care, Weaselette?" he countered back.

Ron was on his feet, his chair tipped over in his haste to stand up. "That's my sister and friends you're talking about, you git!"

"Oh, if I've offended you, please feel free to leave," Draco drawled sarcastically.

"If you think I – err – we are going to leave Hermione here on her own with you lot you must be even stupider than I thought! It's bad enough she has to LIVE with you, let alone be stuck with your slimy self at meal times too!"

Draco jumped to his feet and pulled out his wand. Ron mimicked him, pulling out his own and pointing it at Malfoy.

Everyone's eyes were on Draco and Ron, except for Luna's, who hadn't noticed the fight and was still eating her lunch.

Hermione grabbed Malfoy's arm, who was closer to her than Ron. "Stop it! Both of you! Can't you go even ten minutes without fighting?"

Blaise nudged Luna, drawing her attention to the fight.

"Oh, they are like two knights fighting over the helpless maiden in old muggle stories."

Blaise just looked at Luna like she had told him she wanted to go on a date with the Giant Squid.

Draco had shaken off Hermione's arm and was yelling at her. "Get off me, Granger! I'm going to take care of the redheaded weasel once and for all!"

He was about to jinx Ron when a voice behind them screamed "WHAT IN THE FOUNDERS' NAMES DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

They all turned to see the headmistress storming down from the teachers' table, eyes like fire and her lips thinner than they had ever seen.

Before anyone else could speak, Pansy jumped up. "The weasel tried to jinx Draco!"

"I did not!" Ron yelled back at her. "He tried to jinx me!"

"It's true, Professor," Harry said. "Malfoy started it."

"He did not!" Pansy shrieked.

McGonagall looked at the students. She was inclined to believe Draco had drawn his wand first, Ron being in her own house, but she also knew Mr Weasley had a mighty temper. "Detention! Both of you! And twenty points apiece! The idea of this table was to show the students that our school leaders can get along and be friends, not start a duel in the middle of lunch!" Ron and Draco began to protest, but McGonagall glared at them and continued. "If this happens again," she said looking at everyone at the table, "I will have to prohibit you all from joining Granger and Malfoy at this table."

Ginny and Pansy both started complaining at the same time, so McGonagall could not understand exactly what they were saying, but she got the general meaning. "That's enough, girls! If you don't stop arguing you will find yourselves in detention with Weasley and Malfoy!" She scolded them.

Once everyone was quiet, McGonagall turned to Hermione and Draco and added "If you two will both come to my office this evening, there are a few more things I need to explain to you."

"There's more?" Draco asked, incredulous.

"More what?" Ron butted in.

"Never you mind," McGonagall told him. "Yes, Mr Malfoy, there are a few more details we need to discuss. Now, if you will all leave in an orderly manner and make your way to class." At that, the Professor walked back towards the teachers table, where she began talking to Professor Sinistra.

Draco stood up to leave, turning to Hermione. "Come on, Granger. We've got Transfiguration. Don't want to give the old witch any more reason to be mad at us."

"Ron, we have Transfiguration too," Harry reminded his friend.

They all stood up to leave, Ginny and Luna bidding their friends goodbye as they headed off to Care of Magical Creatures, Draco realising that Blaise's eyes followed them out. Harry seemed to notice this too; as they started walking he steped up beside Blaise and warned him quietly: "That's my girlfriend you're gawking after."

"What? Oh, no, I wasn't looking at Ginny," Blaise whispered back.

"Yeah, right," said Harry sceptically.

"It's true! Anyway, I have someone else on my mind."

"Oh, really? Who?" Harry asked, genuinely interested.

Blaise said nothing, but once again glanced the way Ginny and Luna had left.

Something clicked in Harry's mind. "Luna?" he almost screamed, surprise coming over his face.

"No!" Blaise said. "Just drop it, Potter." Blaise, who was usually friendly with almost everyone, felt himself blushing slightly as he snapped at the Gryffindor and was thankful for his dark skin which, he hoped, would hide most of this.

As the group exited the hall, Pansy threw her arms around Draco in farewell, exclaiming "I'll see you later, Drakie-poo!"

"Drakie-poo?" Ron asked, his eyes wide and a huge grin forming on his face.

"Leave it, Weasel bee!" Draco warned.

Harry grabbed Ron's arm and tried to pull him away. "Come on. Hermione, let's go."

"Err, I can't, Harry. I have to go with Malfoy."

"Why?" Ron asked at once, looking at Hermione suspiciously.

"Err," Hermione flushed. "I – We have to – Err…"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Harry said, frustrated at his friend's apparent lack of desire to explain anything today. "MALFOY! Since you and Hermione seem to be stuck together today, you better get a move on, or we're all going to be late."

The group walked to Transfiguration, Harry, Ron and Blaise noticing that Draco and Hermione walked unusually close to each other. When they reached the classroom, Draco took his usual seat at the back, giving Hermione no choice but to sit next to him.

This did not go unnoticed by Ron, who opened his mouth to question her. Just as he was about to talk, however, McGonagall walked in and called for silence.

After everyone had taken their seats, Ron and Harry sitting in front of Draco and Hermione, the lesson was relatively uneventful. McGonagall had them working on conjuring charms, which were extremely hard and which only Hermione and Draco completed successfully.

By the time they all headed off to Charms, it seemed as though Harry, Ron and Blaise had started to get used to the idea that their friends appeared to be strangely stitched together, and didn't complain when they again sat next to each other at the back of Professor Flitwick's class.

Dinner went much the same way as lunch had, bit without the fight and with a few more additions to the Heads' table in the form of Neville, Dean, Seamus and Theodore Nott.

After dinner, as much as Hermione wanted to go back to Gryffindor Tower to spend some time with Harry and Ron, she had no choice but to stay with Malfoy, who made it quite clear he did not want to go anywhere that they might risk being seen together. He, and Hermione agreed, was quite sick of all the confused and judgemental looks they had been receiving that afternoon.

Hermione and Draco were sitting side by side at the table by the fire in their common room, when there was a tap tap tap on the window. Draco ignored it, hoping Hermione would answer it, however Hermione was concentrating on her Potions essay and did not want to get up.

"Aren't you going to get that?" She asked Draco, annoyed.

"Why should I get it? It's probably for you anyway; a love letter from Weaselby no doubt."

Hermione blushed, but tried to ignore Draco's comment. "That owl doesn't belong to either of them."

"Fine! I'll get it!" He got up and then remembered they were bound together. "Looks like you're going to have to come with me if you want me to let the owl in," he told Hermione smugly.

With a frustrated sigh, Hermione stood up and stormed over to the window, letting the owl in herself. It flew in and landed on the back of Draco's vacated chair, sticking out its leg so they could remove the letter.

Taking the letter from the owl, Hermione said, "It's from Professor McGonagall, for both of us."

She opened the letter and read, Draco reading it over her shoulder.

Good evening Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy,

I hope you have started getting used to being together. It's time for one of you to reveal the first task on your list. Tomorrow night, the other will reveal their first task. Don't bother trying to get out of this. I will know if you have given the task and if it has been completed or followed. You can decide between you who will go first.

Good night,

Professor McGonagall.

"Well I ain't bloody going first," Draco said at once. I haven't even thought about my damn list yet."

"You have to," Hermione told him.

"Why?"

Hermione thought quickly. She didn't really know why Malfoy should go first, just that she didn't want to. "If you don't go first, I'll just give you something horrible."

Draco screamed. "You are so infuriating, Granger! Fine. I'll go first."

Draco sat down at the table, quill in hand, and thought for a while, with Hermione standing over his shoulder, watching him.

"Can't you turn around or something? Have a mudblood staring over my shoulder doesn't help me think!" he snapped.

Hermione did as he asked, but exclaimed, "You're such a big headed prat, Malfoy! Mad-Eye should have kept you as a ferret. It suited you."

"Hah! I have it!" Malfoy quickly scribbled something and handed the parchment to Hermione. "There you go," he told her. "That's your first task."

A/N: Sorry for another cliff hanger. Don't forget to review and let us know what you think! Constructive criticism is always appreciated. :) R&tR!