I'm back with a new chapter(duh)! Hehe. I want to thank 'Guest' for reviewing, I have corrected my mistake, I uploaded the original 6th chapter. *^~^*

Last time :

Hermione dismisses all three(if not four) boy's attempts at asking her to Hogsmeade. She is disgusted with how each of them fight over who will spend time with her, not asking her for her opinion. She storms off and goes to her class and discovers that she did not bring parchment with her. This is the final straw for her, everything had been exhausting, and she breaks down in tears unwillingly in front of Draco Malfoy. He lends her his own parchment and she accepts it graciously. When class starts Draco Malfoy loses points for Slytherin for not paying attention, instead staring at Hermione. As the class ended, Hermione feels guilty, seeing Draco with notes of his own, and offers to do her homework with him. He says yes.

Disclaimer : The fact that Harry Potter belongs to the fantastic J.K. Rowling is basic knowledge. If this is new news to you, there is something siriusly ron with you. (Giggles and runs away)

Chapter 7 : The Bloody Git is Jealous

"What?! What do you mean you're not free this evening?!" Ron demanded, staring at Hermione for an explanation. "I need you to help me with my homework! What are you doing tonight?!"

Hermione huffed indignantly. She rolled her eyes. "Classic, Ron Weasly, classic. I have some business of mine to tend to, and I don't see how knowing it will be of any help to you. Can't we just eat lunch in peace?"

"Yeah," Ginny added, shooting Ron a dirty look, "All we do is fight nowadays, let's just eat like normal people."

Ron glowered at the two girls and snatched chicken leg from a plate and bit down on it in surrendering. Harry reached out for a sandwich and Hermione handed it to him, seeing it was on the plate right in front of her.

"Thanks, 'Mione." Harry stuffed the sandwich into his mouth and chewed thoroughly before swallowing. When the four had enough food to satisfy them, they all picked up their cups and had a drink of water.

"Now, let's share who each of our compatibles are." Harry directed. Ron groaned loudly. Hermione rolled her eyes and Ginny pinched him, with scolding words on how he was being immature.

"My compatibles are Harry, Theodore, and Blaise." Ginny revealed, resulting in horrified looks from Harry and Ron.

"Nott and Zabini?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded, confirming the fact, to Ron and Harry's horror. Harry curled his lip in disgust while Ron stuck out his tongue as if he had tasted something foul.

"Since when do you call them by their first names?" Ron spat, sending a glare towards the Slytherin table. Ginny sighed and sent Hermione a look that meant something along the lines of 'they're doing this again.'

"They haven't done anything to me to make me dislike them. I'm simply acknowledging them, nothing more, nothing less." Ginny explained. Harry and Ron did not look happy with this, but they grudgingly accepted.

"Well, I'm compatible to Parkinson, Looney Lovegood, and Lavender Brown." Ron said, changing the subject. Ginny grimaced at the word 'Looney.' Ron noticed and quickly revised his words ; "Luna Lovegood."

Hermione nodded, even though she already knew, she had seen their names on the list.

Harry looked around to see if anyone else was about to speak, and when he saw that they were all looking at him for his compatibles, he revealed them. "Hermione, Ginny and Parvati."

They all looked at Hermione, their eyes demanding answers. "Harry, Draco and Evan."

Ron wrinkled his nose. "Since when do you call Malfoy, Draco?"

Ginny whacked his head. Hermione sighed, she had expected this. "We're suppose to work together, being the Head boy and girl and all, and we have agreed to be civil."

Harry frowned, but did not say anything. Ron, on the other hand, looked liked he had a lot that he would like to say. "But he's...Malfoy." He wrinkled his nose distastefully. Hermione gave him an exasperated look. Hermione couldn't believe Ron still didn't grow out of the petty rivalry. Even though Draco Malfoy had went out of his way to make their lives miserable, it's not like Harry and Ron hadn't done anything about it.

"Hermione, don't you remember? He called you," Ron glared at the Slytherin table again, "That word."

"I've learned not to dwell on the past. What's done is done. What's said is said. We shouldn't hold grudges for something he did a long time ago. I won't, I refuse to. End of discussion."

The veins on Ron's face burned red. "Why? Are you warming up to him, 'Mione, because he's your compatible?" Ron accused, pointing a finger at Hermione.

"No! It's nothing like that. And even if it was, I don't see how you're affected by it." Hermione shot back, glaring daggers at Ron. Her patience was wearing out. Ginny looked agravated and she stood up, declaring she had to meet up with her friends.

"I am affected by it! Do you think I like my friend being all buddy-buddy with my arch-nemesis?!" Ron shouted, fire blazing in his eyes. "Hermione, he's a death eater! He-"

"Not 'is', was, Ronald, past tense! The war is over! Stop over-reacting!" Hermione yelled, standing up. Ron stood up as well, his face as red as his hair.

"Stop defending him, then! You're defending Draco Malfoy, of all people! The same person who called you a mudblood!" Ron ranted, his arms flailing in anger. "The same bloke who watched you get tortured in his fucking house! Don't tell me you forgave him for everything he did! You shouldn't get involved with people like him! You're so...so..."

"So what? What am I?!"

"Naive, Hermione, fucking naive! You're an idiot if you believes the crap that he tells you, an idiot!" The people watching them gasped. Ron and Hermione paid no attention to them. "He's bad news! Don't you see?! He was placed in Slytherin for a reason, why do you spend time with him, when you can spend time with good people?"

"Good people?!" Hermione laughed bitterly. "Like who, you?!"

"Yes!"

"You're just as bad as him, no you're worse! Stop being so biased, Ron. I'm fine with it, Harry's learned to accept it, Ginny's okay with it! You're the only one who's acting like a spoiled brat!"

"Me?! No, it's not me, it's you! You're the one who's acting weird! I don't even know you anymore! You don't even deserve to be a Gryffindor! You're nothing to me, Hermione, nothing."

Hermione gasped as tears welled in her eyes. Ron's expression showed that he regretted what he said, but he did not apologize. The apologetic look in his face faded quickly, and was replaced by a unfamiliar expression of triumph.

Harry, as well as everyone else in the Great Hall, was stunned. The whole hall was quiet and the only sound that could be heard was the sound that the large doors made when Hermione pushed them open to fled.

Draco slammed his fork on the table and he stood up. He marched over to the red-headed boy, who still had an expression of odd joy on his face, pulled back his arm and punched him, hard in the jaw. Ron fell to the ground, the force of the punch overwhelming his balance system.

Ron looked to Harry for help, but he was met with a cold gaze. Draco kicked his stomach, and Ron rolled over in pain. He groaned in agony. Draco turned around and went past the doors, his robe flapping behind him.

"You foul git." Harry spat at the boy, who was still lying on the floor, clutching his stomach. He ran after Draco and the doors made the loud sound again as it was slammed shut. The Hall was met with complete silence again, as everyone tried to process what had exactly happened. They had never expected such drama from the three Gryffindors who had worked together to save the wizarding world. Many believed them to be perfect. The still air was broken by the ringing voice of Headmaster McGonagall.

"50 points from Gryffindor."

Draco ran after Hermione. He saw her hair disappear through the portrait leading to the Head's rooms. He yelled the password at the painted person and it let him in.

Judging by the sounds coming from her room, he assumed that she was in there. Her sobs filled the air, making Draco even more angry. He regretted hurting the Weasel only two times, he deserved far worse than that. He deserved to spend a month in the hospital wing.

Colorful language followed. Draco could not fight the small smile as it made its way upto his face as he heard a particularly foul description of the Weasel. A quiet knock came from the other side of the portrait.

"Who are you?" Draco asked.

"Potter."

Draco sighed and let him in.

"Where's 'Mione?" Harry demanded.

"You should go to Weasly." Draco said, ignoring Harry's words.

Harry looked angry. "Why?"

"Because he deserves more pain." Draco snarled.

Harry cocked his head. "You can go and hit him."

Draco exhaled loudly and messed up his hair in annoyance. "It won't mean anything, I beat him up on a regular basis. It'll mean more, being hit by your best mate, or whatever you two are."

"I understand and all, but I need to see Hermione." Harry insisted, trying to walk around Draco to approach Hermione's room.

Draco moved so he was in front of Harry, blocking the path. "No." he said stubbornly.

Harry ruffled his hair, he had an agitated look on his face. "May I ask why?"

"Well, you need to understand her, and you-" Draco was cut off by Harry.

"What, I don't understand her?! You may not be aware of this, but she and I and Ron had been friends since the first year! We went through a bloody war together! We're called the Golden Trio for a reason, Malfoy," Harry ranted, "and this trio isn't going to break up anytime, I won't let it happen!"

Draco raised his eyebrows. "And what will you do? Tell her words of assurance, then convince her that Weasly's not that bad a guy?"

"I suppose, yes!"

"Well you're wrong, Weasly's a git. Don't you remember fourth year? The Yule Ball? Believe it or not, you weren't the only ones to see her sitting on the ground, crying because of something Weasly said to her. He's not good to her, he doesn't deserve to walk the same ground with her, much less be best friends with her. Don't you, Potter? He uses her. You do, too, but not as much. He takes advantage of her loyalty, smarts, and kindness. Don't you see? He needs to learn a lesson, Potter. And I'm pretty sure he won't listen to me."

Harry knew that he could not change the blond head-boy's mind. It was no use, whatever he said to convince Malfoy. "Fine." Harry growled. He marched out the portrait.

Draco sat on the couch, listening for any sounds that came out of her room. The sound of sobs were small and there was the occasional sniffle from her. After waiting for a few more minutes, he stood up and walked over to her door. He hesitated before knocking on it softly.

"Granger? Are you okay? Can I come in?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, you don't need to busy yourself with me. I already feel bad for you staying behind here, and missing your lesson. I'm really sorry, by the way. I made a mess of myself, I completely destroyed the mood and-"

"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. I'm coming in." Draco said harshly. He twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. He saw Hermione sitting on the edge of her bed as she tried to wipe the tears off her face.

He approached her. She looked up into his eyes.

"Why'd he say that?" she asked faintly as tears sprang to her eyes once again.

Draco breathed out deeply. "He's just being the bloody git that he is."

Hermione nodded slowly. "He is a bloody git." she echoed, looking down at her shoes.

Draco cracked a smile. "About time you realized."

"But why did he have to say that? And in front of all those people, too. I'm humiliated. How will I go to classes now?" Hermione scooted to her left. "You can sit, if you want."

Draco sat. "He's just jealous."

"Of who?" she asked.

"Me." he said with a smirk.

"You?" she snorted. "Why you?" Trust Malfoy to make this about him, she thought.

"Because you were taking my side." he replied breezily. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't taking sides-"

"Yes, you were, Granger."

"What are we, five? There's no your side and his side. There's only the right side and the wrong side."

"So you do admit that there are sides." Draco chided. He grinned triumphantly.

"Still. I was just standing up for what I believe it. Fairness. I did nothing wrong. There is no reason that he should get all heated up."

Draco did not answer immediately, which made silence reign for about six minutes. Draco spent all six minutes glancing and thinking about the girl sitting next to him. She just getting on his nerves. She was just...so excessively nice, to the point of being sickening. How could she let herself be pushed around like that? No, he thought to himself, she did not do anything wrong. It's the people that push her around that did something wrong. Like Weasly.

"Are you really okay? I heard that we were learning something important in Herbology today, I don't want you to miss out on it. I'm really fine, I'll just stay here for a bit longer." she spoke in fake cheery tone.

There she did it again. The bottomless lake of kindness that was Hermione Granger.

"You're more important than grades, Granger. And you're not fine, stop lying to me, you twit." Draco snapped.

"Don't call me a twit, you twit." she retorted, hoping her reply will hide the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks, caused by his sudden confession.

"You don't like him, do you?" Draco asked, he had been wondering about this for some time now, and it seemed like a good chance to ask.

"Huh? Sure I like him, he's one of my best friends!"

"No." Draco spoke. "I mean, do you like him romantically?"

"I might have liked him a long time ago, but I was never really sure. I mean, after our kiss-"

"You kissed him?!" Draco sputtered.

"Well, yes. Around the time of the war. But... there was no connection. No sparks, no fluttery feelings, nothing of the sort."

"He clearly thinks differently." Draco said bitterly. Hermione looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she queried. She leaned a little closer to him, expressing that she was curious about why he said it.

"He obviously likes you. It's disgusting, actually." Honestly, Granger could be so thick sometimes.

"Why would he say mean things to me, like today, then?"

"I told you, he's jealous." Draco repeated, exasperated. "Do you not understand? He's smitten with you, and you're not compatible to him. But you're compatible with his best friend, Potter, his worst enemy, me, and someone that you barely know, that Ravenclaw. It must have gotten on his nerves."

"No, he can't like me. It's not possible, it makes absolutely no sense! We're best friends! Nothing more than that! And even if he did like me, he should have realized that we weren't right for each other! I thought that the amulet proved it!" she exclaimed.

"So he doesn't fit your taste in men?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed again.

"Then explain your so called 'taste', Granger. Describe your ideal man, someone's who's right for you."

Hermione pondered on that thought. "Well..." she started. "He has to have a similar intellectual status to me. He also has to understand me, you know? He should also give me freedom, he cannot be a burden. I don't want a man who wants me as a normal housewife, like Ron wants. He has to be caring, and I don't mind a bit of possessiveness. I'm a bit possessive, myself. Oh and he has to respect my wishes."

"So in other words, the complete opposite of Weasly, except for the possessiveness part?" he questioned.

"I guess so." Hermione nodded.

"Well there you have it." Draco declared suddenly after a pause.

"Excuse me?" Hermione knitted her eyebrows, unsure of what exactly the boy was talking about.

"It's me."

So? How was it? I'm really for the abundance of dialogue, I hope it wasn't too confusing. Thank you for reading!