The Ten Labors of Draco and Hermione

Note: I think I should make this clear, this takes place after HBP, except Dumbledore's alive, Snape is not evil, and neither is Draco. Harry is Quidditch Captain, and so is Draco. Ron is still keeper, Ginny is a chaser, and I'll let you know if anything else comes up. I'm still deciding who the other Quidditch players will be… The new DADA teacher is undecided; I don't know if I'll make references to him or her in the story. I think I will just leave that out, unless I get any better ideas… Thanks to all my reviewers! By the way, in case you're confused, it was Draco who sent the chocolate hearts, because he did the third task for Hermione, remember?

I have no idea why I chose this title for the chapter, it's really weird… it sort of just popped into my head…

I warn you ahead of time that this chapter is a bit… cliché.

Disclaimer: Oh boy, I just hate not owning something, don't you?

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Chapter 8 – A Dreamless Sleep and a Sleepless Dream

Hermione was not in a good mood. Besides having her reputation ruined by the previous events of today, she was exhausted, just skipped class for the first time in her life and was bound to get in trouble for it, and plus she had a mountain of homework yet to be done. This day had been stressing enough, and she didn't need another addition to her nearly full schedule. The worst of it was: Malfoy was out to get her. From the Howler in the morning to the chocolate hearts at lunch, the tasks were definitely becoming a list of ways to make Hermione's life miserable… And they were working. For the rest of the afternoon, all she did was sit in the Gryffindor common room and pray that no one entered.

Draco was sitting on an armchair, carefully examining his "wounds". Hermione was watching him intently. It had never occurred to her that Draco could suddenly become so… cute. Hermione kicked herself for saying that, literally. Draco looked up, and their eyes met. Hermione found herself drawn helplessly to the depths of his eyes. They were so… meaningful, as if they had something to say. Hermione kept on staring, as if in a trance. She dared not even blink, in case this magical moment should slip away unexpectedly.

Hermione finally looked away, feeling highly ashamed of herself. She had entertained a slightly romantic thought about Draco Malfoy. It was a tiny thought, but a romantic thought, none the less. Draco continued staring at Hermione, although she didn't notice. He too was thinking along the same lines…

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Hermione lay in bed, unable to sleep. It was 3 AM, and yet she hardly felt tired at all. Her anxiety about the next task was getting the better of her, and Hermione couldn't stop wondering what kinds of horrible things Draco would make her do. Hermione's head was already full of terrible ideas, and she shuddered at the thought of herself doing something… with a certain Malfoy. But then again, the thought wasn't all that bad. Hermione was torn in half. Half of her felt impartial (or maybe a bit more towards the "like" side) and the other half wanted to murder Draco on the spot. Little did she know, inside the Slytherin common room, a very tired Malfoy was sitting in front of the fire, thinking of her.

Hermione couldn't stand it. She had to do something, anything. She got out of bed and made her way downstairs to the common room, looking for something to entertain her and get her mind off of the third task. Finding nothing, she exited the common room and walked to the prefect's bathroom on the seventh floor, more than ready to take a nice, relaxing bath.

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Draco Malfoy was restless. He paced around the common room, and his mind was uneasy. He knew what Hermione's third task would be, and wondered if she was still mad at him. Knowing her, she probably was. Draco had to do something to occupy him for the rest of the night. Sleep was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment.

Draco stepped out of the Slytherin Common Room. He walked to the prefect's bathroom, hoping that a good long bath would do him some good. Draco walked up the stairs to the seventh floor, eager to relax and rest his mind. He was in for a big shock…

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"Ohhh," Hermione moaned as she took off her pajamas and got into the large bath tub. She had filled it with all kinds of bubbles, which were so thick that they seemed like a giant layer of foam. She swam around the giant tub and immediately felt a lot better. But, that was about to change…

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Draco pushed open the door to the prefects' bathroom and many flowery scents (no doubt from Hermione's bath) rushed into his face. Draco looked around and his mouth dropped. It was Hermione. He was frozen to the ground. She looked so beautiful, and Draco noticed her wonderful form, half covered in bubbles. He was both horrified at seeing her in such a state, and amazed that no one else had ever noticed her before.

Hermione dipped her head under the water and brought it back up in one graceful motion. She was gorgeous. Draco couldn't believe his eyes. He let out a tiny gasp, which Hermione heard. She whipped her head around and saw him. The two of them stared at each other. Draco still had his mouth half open, and Hermione was in shock. It took a moment for them to realize that Hermione was half naked, and she ducked under the water and reached a hand out, groping around for her towel.

"You… you… I… um…" Draco stuttered. Hermione's head emerged from under the water, and she looked at Draco, half frightened, half embarrassed. "I'll be going now," Draco finally managed to spit out. He raced out the room, afraid that Hermione would get angry and splash him or something. Outside the prefect's bathroom, Draco almost ran into someone he definitely didn't want to see.

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The moment Draco went out the door, Hermione sprung out of the bath tub and threw her clothes on at lightning speed. She quickly toweled off her hair and grabbed all her stuff, before practically running away from the prefect's bathroom. She was still in shock. Just then, she bumped into one of her least favorite people in the whole world…

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Note: Sorry for the short chapter, I'm really busy and want to update for you guys…

PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WANT ME TO UPDATE THE NEXT CHAPTER! Just hit the little Go! button, you know you want to… Please? Pretty please?