Alright, you've waited long enough. This is my favorite chapter yet, I think.

The Moonlight Glares

Chapter 8

Diagon Alley was fairly peaceful during the evening. The stars were out, and Hermione, Draco, Anna and Phe were walking down to a beautiful little restaurant called Le Petit Chat. According to Mel, it was very good, and considering Hermione was starving, she hadn't waited to hear the other choices they had, but had instead dragged everyone to the fireplace and flooed to the Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione, with Mel's help, had succeeded in changing into an overrobe of midnight blue and a formal robe of pure white. She didn't know or care, but she was stunning. Draco himself had changed into deep green robes, and re-done his hair. (He wasn't about to be caught in a public place looking bad.)

As the little group approached the restaurant, Anna stopped.

"Oh, sis, I just remembered, Phe and I were invited to meet some friends at the pizza place across the way at seven. It's nearly that time. . . please please please can we go?" With the infamous puppy eyes, Anna won over her older sister after a moment's hesitation.

"I. . . fine," Hermione said, "Just meet us back out here by ten, and come get us if anything goes wrong." Draco was about to open his mouth to protest, but his little sister gave him a pleading look and he shut it.

Anna gave Hermione a big hug, and said, "Thanks Hermione!" before she and Phe turned and ran across the street. Hermione gazed after them for a moment. Then the gravity of the situation hit her. She was alone. Having dinner. With Draco Malfoy.

The situation seemed to hit Draco faster than it did Hermione. "I always knew Anna was clever," Draco mumbled, and Hermione looked at him.

"What?"

"Oh. . . nothing," said Draco, "We'd better go in."

Hermione nodded dumbly and followed Draco to the entrance of the restaurant. Before they entered, Draco turned around. "It's a pureblood society in there, you know." He said flatly. "You'll have to behave."

Hermione shut her eyes for a moment before saying, "Okay." With that, Draco offered Hermione his arm, and she tentatively took it as they walked into the restaurant.

Down the street, Anna and Phe had wide grins across their faces. They had seen everything, of course. As they turned to walk in, Anna walked right into a tall boy with messy black hair and glasses. Anna backed up, shaking her head.

"Hey!" she yelled.

"Oops, sorry, didn't see you," the boy said, then held the door open as Anna went in with her nose in the air. Phe gave the boy a sympathetic smile before following her friend in.

Back at Le Petit Chat, Hermione was just being seated. Draco had pulled out the chair for her and pushed her in before going to the other side of the table and seating himself. Hermione wasn't exactly sure what to make of the world at the moment. It was a world in which she was pureblood, and Draco Malfoy was kind to her. That was CREEPY. Just plain CREEPY. Hermione felt shivers run down her spine as a waitress came up to them suggesting the evenings' special.

"We'll have two of the battered cod, preceded with the chilled fruit soup, with the crème broule for desert. Oh, and please bring the day's special for wine." Draco Malfoy finished ordering for the two of them before handing the menus to the waitress, who curtsied and left.

"You didn't have to order for me," Hermione said as politely as she could muster.

"Well, Granger, maybe you should just trust my taste in food. And didn't you finish your reading? At an evening dinner, it's customary for the male to order for the two."

"Yes, but that's on dates," Hermione emphasized.

"What do you think this looks like to you? For being so smart, you sure can be dull. Your prat of a sister set us up."

"Hey! She is not a prat! Your sister must have had something to do with this too!"

Draco glared at her. "Calm down, Granger. People are starting to look our way. If we don't look like a happy couple, our –mainly mine, seeing as you don't yet have one – reputations in pureblood society could be at stake."

"Society shmiety. I'm leaving," Hermione threw her napkin and was about to get up when Draco's hand closed around her wrist.

"No you don't." Draco said, "I will not have my reputation ruined in public. Sit down."

Hermione sat her butt back on the seat, "Why did you take me in here then, if it would be so hard to leave, and you'd have to put up with me for several hours? We could have just as easily gone somewhere else!"

Draco sighed, "You think I had a choice? Your maid was in on this too. She made reservations, last minute. They're very hard to come by. You don't just not show up to Le Petit Chat. It's just not right."

Hermione pursed her lips and took a small sip of her water. "Fine." She said after awhile, "I'll play the charade. But only for tonight. No more messes like this."

Back at the much more casual pizza parlor, Anna, Phe and about ten other girls and boys were sitting at a table around four large pizzas, talking animatedly.

"Oh, but mum said she wanted me to apply to Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts. Can you imagine spending the year away from you all? In France, of all places?" A girl said.

Anna snorted, "Maria, it wouldn't be that bad. I've heard it's an all girls school. Then again, that would be a problem for you."

As the girls and boys continued their conversation, a few tables away, two red heads and one boy with dark black hair sat around a table talking.

"Ron, I really do think we should go visit Hermione though. Can you imagine spending the week with Malfoy? She'll need us."

"I know Ginny, I'm just being selfish. But why can't we invite Hermione to the Burrow? That way, we all avoid Malfoy, for much longer than a week."

"Not to disagree Ron, but I think Ginny's right. The best way to help Hermione wouldn't be to leave her in that place alone, but she needs to learn to live with her birth family. We can't just uproot her again." Harry slid his glasses back up the brim of his nose as he took a large bite of pizza. Meanwhile, Ginny was smiling brilliantly at him.

"Do I need to say I told you so?" Ginny said to Ron.

Ron glared at his sister, "It would just be a lot easier if Hermione could come and stay with us. You know, if we go visit, we'll have to review all that pureblooded etiquette they're intent on using."

"Still," said Harry, "She's our friend. We own it to her."

At Le Petit Chat, the table was silent/ Hermione was quietly eating, and had to admit that the food was delicious. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt like Malfoy kept glancing at her. But he wouldn't be, would he?

Draco, on the other side of the table, had had every one of these courses before, and was more busy paying attention to Granger than anything else. He found himself looking at her more often than he would've thought possible. He was pretty sure she began to notice, however, and broke the silence.

"You like it, then?"

"Huh?" said Hermione, coming out of her pensive state, "Oh, yeah, the food's delicious."

There was silence for a minute more, but then, "So you'll be with the Lanes the rest of the summer, right?"

Hermione reached for her water and took a sip, "Er. . . yeah, probably. At least through the month. I've got to make my decision then."

"Decision?"

"Whether to stay with the Lanes or stay with my adoptive parents and brother," Hermione said plainly.

Draco smirked, "So, whether to stay in muggle-ville or here?" he gestured to the restaurant, "Seems like a pretty easy choice to me."

Hermione pursed her lips, "If we weren't here, I would strangle you, you know that, right? Muggles are people too."

"Right. . ." Draco, however, was still doubtful, and changed the subject, "So, Granger, you seem to have a new look. Who helped you?"

Hermione felt her cheeks go scarlet, "Don't think I haven't forgotten about the muggle comments."

Draco's smirk was even wider at seeing her embarrassment. "Come on Granger, I know you couldn't have learned how to dress and act like a pureblood yourself. . ."

"Always forgetting I'm pureblood too," Hermione muttered under her breath, and then said to Draco, "It's none of your beeswax about my looks."

Draco leaned in closer to Hermione, "I think it is."

Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine. She was not comfortable right now, not at all. There was a glint in Malfoy's eye that she couldn't name. And she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to know what it was.

Draco leaned back in his chair with an inward sigh. "It was your sister, wasn't it? I think Anna is out to get us. That girl knows how to manipulate people."

Hermione gave a fakey, sarcastic smile, "How would you know anything about Anna?"

"You forget," Draco said, "I've been to closer to your family than you have."

That shut Hermione up, and she glumly let it sink it. Draco Malfoy was closer to her birth family than she was. That was depressing. For goodness' sake, she never called Mr. Lane by his first name, and he was her stepfather!

Draco looked cool and collected across the table, and took a sip of his water before continuing the now one-sided conversation. "The look on your face gives it away. So Anna helped you. You know Granger, you look the part of a pureblood now, but with the display of emotions you show, you'll die by the time to Malfoy Ball rolls around."

Hermione looked at Malfoy quizzically "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that," Draco gestured towards her face, "You give too much away by your facial expressions. Anyone raised in pureblood society would be able to see through you in an instance. Ever wonder why Pansy, Blaise and the other Syltherins have been able to tease you at the moments you feel the most down?"

"You're one of those Slthyerins, too, you know," Hermione said through gritted teeth.

"Like I said," said Draco, "You give too much away by your facial expressions. Not stop gritting your teeth and being frustrated. It doesn't make you look good at all."

Diagon Alley was quite dark by eleven o'clock, and, this time found Hermione and Draco walking down the street. Anna and Phe had sent them a message at nine thirty saying they were flooing home. Which left Hermione to walk the length of Diagon Alley alone, at night, with Draco Malfoy. Why did she seem to be thinking stuff like that a lot recently?

The stars were out, and Hermione was gazing at them, not paying much attention to where they were going, but instead just following Malfoy. When she saw him turn off the main road in the corner of her eye, she looked down.

"Where exactly are you going?" Hermione said, looking at Malfoy with concern.

"Shortcut," said Draco, and then he did something he never though he'd do. He took Hermione Granger's hand and led her down a side alley. Hermione's eyes widened in shock at the contact, but his grip was strong enough she couldn't very well let go.

Hermione saw the alley way narrow around her, and finally Draco stopped in front of a brick wall at it's end. He let go of Hermione, and she looked up at the skies as Draco started tapping something out on the wall, on specific bricks.

Hermione saw part of a consolation she loved, and backed up a little to see it better, but instead of seeing the consolation, found herself tripping over a trash can and falling backwards into Malfoy. He caught her and regained his balance just before they both hit the ground.

"You may want to watch were you're going, Granger," Draco smirked, and then Hermione realized what a precarious position they were in. Hermione was in Draco's arms, completely relying on him to not fall over, and very close. She could feel his breath on her, and his eyes widened in shock as her realized the situation as well. Somehow, he felt himself leaning down towards her. But then it was all broken by a single voice.

"So sorry to break up the pureblood love-fest, but some people would like to get out of Diagon Alley before one a.m.,"

Hermione and Draco jumped apart as if they had each been touching a poisonous snake. Hermione looked at the ground while Draco turned to the stranger- three strangers, actually. Three strangers he knew.

"Oh, Malfoy, I should've known," Harry Potter said, "You would be the one to make out in the middle of Diagon Alley."

Malfoy scowled, "It's a back alley. And ask your precious Granger about this, it wasn't just me." Malfoy gestured to Hermione before tapping the last brick and stepping through the wall.

Harry looked over to the crumpled over Hermione and realization shot through him. "Hermione?" he ran over to his friend, and lifted her face up so it was level with his.

Ron stood there gaping, his mouth going up and down with no words to fill it. Ginny rushed over to the other side of Hermione, and she and Harry helped her get to her feet.

"What was that?" Harry said, looking at Hermione with concern in his eyes.

Hermione looked at the gateway, which was now starting to close. "I don't know, Harry. I don't know."


I know, I know, cliffies are annoying, but I couldn't help myself. I honestly couldn't find a better place to stop. Oh, don't you love it when they almost kiss, but don't? Oh, wait you're the readers. whoops, sorry.

Okay, thanks again to all my readers, reviewers (the list is getting a bit long, so I won't bombard you with names.), people who have put my on your faves list, and people who have put me on your alert list.

Unfortunately, no one got the entirety of the question this time, but DragonOfWinterand Rebellion Authorcame really close! props!

Hmm... a question for this chapter. How about: What purplish plant's cry can knock out people for hourswhen they're children and kill someone if it's fully grown?