Prove Me Wrong

Chapter Eight Almost Human

A/N: Okay so I lied. Completely one-hundred-percent Unintentionally. I was at my college this past Friday, not two weeks ago. I looked at the calendar wrong. I was busy getting ready, gone all weekend, busy all week and I still should've written this up but I was dying to.

I just want to thank eoz16 for not only reviewing but messaging me like 4-5 times (kind of lost count) insisting I update soon. You're the best, so touched. Sorry to make you wait so long.

To my amazing reviewers: Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, voldyismyfather, Diddle10, musicluva4eva, haileydelacour101, CherriLuvsMusic, eoz16, CheshireCat23, PoisonsOrchid, HorcruxesandHallows, UltimateLoveStorys, Amusant, Regan-from Shakespeare, elle baybee, SasoLOVE111, clairerichardson711, ObsidianPup, Blood-blossom16, beautifly92, Tishica, tenseien, Nuisha, .Weasley, papster168, Mason and Alex, Michell-11e, FiOnAFiO, & TeukieBear

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Hermione was still in a huff as she snuck out of the castle to meet up with Blaise a couple hours later. Blaise looked up from retying his shoe with a smirk on his face. His smirk slipped as he saw her face. He held up both hands in mock surrender.

"Don't, until I have earmuffs, please," he said half seriously and half sarcastically.

"Don't what?" she said feigning innocence.

His amused teasing face fell and was replaced with a frown, "What is it?"

"Ron is a-a-a complete and utter PRAT! He's a total hypocrite! He can go bloody see Lavender BEHIND my back while he's supposed to be dating ME and I can't see Theodore PUBICALLY when I am not dating or cheating on ANYONE!" She ranted pacing back and forth pausing to lift a finger every so often to emphasis a point. Glaring at Blaise every so often as if it was all his fault. "Are you even listening to me?" she exclaimed frustrated.

Blaise removed his hands from his ears, "Of course I was, wait Theo? You're dating Theodore, since when?"

"Since tonight, like a couple hours ago," she said sinking to the ground face in her hands.

"Hey don't do that, get up. I believe agreed to teach you to fly not be your therapist," Blaise smirked, pulling her to her feet.

She wiped away a stray tear, "Yeah right, Blaise?"

"Hermione," he replied.

"Can you teach me how to play Quidditch?" she inquired.

Blaise stared at her unfazed, he was quickly learning to accept all these unusual requests as normal, "we'll see."

For the next couple hours she used all her anger at Ron as motivation to learn how to fly. Fears forgotten, she was actually enjoying flying. She landed perfectly at Blaise's beckoning from the ground. Blaise just stared at her in disbelief and shook his head briefly.

"Who would've known, the girl who was scared of flying is a natural? I might even go so far as to say almost better than me and Draco," Blaise uttered, face blank and void of emotion.

Hermione arched her eyebrows in surprise, "really?" she questioned, breathless.

"Really," he stated, "well," he sighed, "that's Granger for you. Never ceases to absolutely stun and confound you without a wand and is so bloody good at absolutely everything."

"You exaggerate," Hermione said rolling her eyes.

"Eh, just a little. Let's just say whoever he is later on down the road, you know once I approve of him, he's never going to be bored ever." Blaise said, punching her in the arm.

"Of course you'd need to approve," Hermione mumbled sarcastically.

"Oh and want to know what I am giving you as an engagement present?" Blaise queried teasingly.

"Yes, pray do tell," Hermione replied in a similar manner.

"I am giving him earmuffs and pain/headache reliever potions. As for you, you're getting a bunch of I-am-Sorry cards." He said and with a glance at her face jumped on his broom and kicked off.

"BLAISE ZABINI I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" She screamed after him, before hopping on her broom and following after him.

"That's what I was afraid of!" he called back sarcastically at her, lazily zooming around doing tricks.

"You better be scared, Zabini!" she swore seriously.

Glancing her direction another time and seeing she was very close with that determined I am-mad-as-hell face, he quit the show off antics and started flying towards the Quidditch Pitch. She bent forward and zoomed after him. The moon sunk behind the clouds and it was pitch dark. He, of course, was wearing all black so he blended in with the night sky unlike her. For a few moments she hovered aimlessly scanning the inky backdrop. At last she caught sight of him, lazily leaning on the broomstick examining his nails by the goal post at the far end of the Quidditch Pitch. She smirked and flew as fast as she could in his direction.

It was so dark, she didn't notice a mop of blond hair against the black sky until it was too late. They collided with a thud. Not expecting the collision, she was thrown from her broom. Pale spidery fingers grasped hers at the last possible second. Her broom spiraled down to the ground, hitting it with a final thud. She glanced up to gaze at the owner of the hand she was grasping for dear life, ironically, quite literally.

"God Granger, you clearly do have a death wish," Draco growled, gazing down at her. He was hanging onto his broom with one hand and her hand with the other precariously dangling her.

"I don't," she interjected, furiously.

"Do you trust me?" he managed, clearly biting back any further retorts.

She stared up at him like he was insane, "of course not," she stated simply.

He flashed her a sardonically amused smile, "unfortunately for you, you're just going to have to try. Grasp the broom, when you can," he instructed, as she frowned confused at him.

He didn't give her time to think or question his words, but instead swung her and pulled her up over his head. She grasped the broom, swinging her leg over the other side of it, as he grasped the broom, with both hands still hanging. Now safely on the broom she glared at him for doing something so incredibly dangerous with her.

He smiled that sardonically amused smile again in response, "scoot," he instructed, nodding at her to move backwards a bit.

She did as he instructed and he swung himself onto his broom in front of her effortlessly. As soon as the pair were once again safely on the broom, the insults began.

"What the hell are you doing out here flying after hours without someone else? I thought we were past this Granger; are you trying to kill yourself?" Draco snapped, pulling her arms around his waist and diving down to the area where her broom had fallen.

"I am not by myself, and I am not trying to kill myself! I was doing fine until I collided with you!" She snapped back.

"Oh really, you sure looked like you're doing fine, running right into people, that's fine. Sure," he said snidely.

She yanked her arms from him as soon as they reached the ground, getting off the broom with ease. She summoned her broom non-verbally and whirled around to face him, "I thought you said you didn't make a habit of saving bookworms during night rounds," she spat.

"I don't have a habit of colliding with them either, yet here we are," he said sardonically, stepping forward so they were breathing furiously in each other's faces.

"Well then just stop," she screamed, not really making any sense just saying things because she was so mad.

"Fine, I will! I'll stop! Next time I'll just let you fall! I'll stop trying to be a good guy! I don't get you Order people. You say you want me to be better, not be like my father, yet you always automatically assume I still am! No matter what I do, I am always just the bad guy to you! I am bloody sick of being viewed as the mess up, the failure, death eater who switched sides to save his own sorry ass," he blew up.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up at this explosion. She'd never seen Draco Malfoy more emotional or venerable before. Under the moon's scattered beams streaming over the beads of sweat, strong shoulders, pale features, and glazed grey eyes—he'd never seemed more human, like a normal teenage guy. She instinctively started to reach.

"I am sorry," she whispered.

"No," he swore violently, "not you too, I am not some bloody charity case either!"

It seemed to hit them both like a ton of bricks they were standing way too close to someone they'd dedicated their lives to hating passionately. They both stepped back several feet. Walls were back up, guarded expressions were worn. She stared at his stoic face and wondered if her imagination had been playing tricks on her. This couldn't be the same guy she'd been talking to earlier.

"Try not to kill yourself in my absence, Granger," he growled, gripping his broom tightly as he brushed past her, jolting her shoulder.

She stared into space for a few seconds mulling the conversation over in her mind. She glanced over her shoulder. His retreating form was already almost gone. She watched as it disappeared and then turned to find Blaise.

"Granger!" a voice called, "Hermione, are you still mad?"

She followed the voice, and found Blaise where they'd first met up by the lake.

He glanced up and viewed her face as if to determine whether or not to jump right back on the broom again or not.

"So are you going to teach me to play Quidditch or not?" she insisted, smile breaking over her face.

He flashed her a relieved look, "So I am forgiven?"

"You never really did say you were sorry, so I don't know," she played along.

"Sorry," he smirked.

"I forgive you," she mumbled into his chest as he pulled her into a hug.

"Good," he returned, "so what position…?"

"Chaser," she returned without any hesitation.

I apologize for the lack of Draco/Hermione in this story so far. Hermione is focused on gaining self-confidence, while Draco is focused on self-redemption before anything happens.

This preview was selected due to a comment made by CherriLuvsMusic & Amusant… enjoy.

Chapter Nine In Which All Hell Breaks Loose….

"What the hell are you doing sitting with Weaselette, the boy-who-just-won't-die, tomato-hair-cheater-face, the Gryffindor-slut-tess, and the rest of the big happy family?" Draco demanded.

"Aren't you forgetting somebody?" Pansy inquired, glancing up from her nail filing.

Theodore rose to his feet, "don't you dare insult my girlfriend," he said threateningly.

Draco visibly paled, if that was even possible for the almost albino, "Girlfriend? Granger?" he choked out, in a very un-Malfoy-ish manner.