The following day Hermione realised everyone was talking about Hogsmeade. The trip was tomorrow and she had totally forgotten. She didn't feel like going. She made herself answer the question why this was because she normally loved the trip. She didn't feel like going because she couldn't go with Draco. Oh dear, this was getting serious.

Draco had told her yesterday that he wasn't sure when he could meet her as it was his duty on study lessons. All the 7th years had to do this every few weeks, it meant supervising a class of 5th and 6th years having extra lessons to study for their exams and these were held into the evening.

When she hadn't heard from him by 9.30pm she decided to retire to bed with her book. How ridiculous that she was missing him so much after just one day! She must have dosed off because the next time she opened her eyes her fellow students were all asleep too and it was dark in the room. Then she heard the noise which must have disturbed her.

Tap, Tap, Tap

She jumped out of bed and tip toed to the window before anyone else woke. Draco's very distinguished looking owl was hovering outside with a distinctly annoyed expression. Just like its master, Hermione decided.

As quietly as possible she read the note attached to its leg.

Hi,

So sorry, it was after 10pm when the last lesson finished.

I did try and be good, knowing you would have probably gone to bed and took myself off to the Common Room.

It didn't work though because I couldn't stop thinking about you.

So here I am disturbing you're sleep like you've been disturbing mine all night.

I'll understand if you don't fancy a midnight stroll, just let me know.

Love D xxx

Hermione smiled to herself at how he had signed off. Did he realise he'd put "love Draco"? She glanced at her watch. It was 11.45pm. She grabbed her parchment and scribbled a reply.

Dear Draco,

Snore! I was fast asleep, thanks.

What time do you call this? After keeping me waiting all night!

So bugger off and stroll on your own.

H x

PS. Only joking of course, meet you in 15 minutes by the lake path.

Lots of Love

H xxxx

She chuckled to herself as she wrote the final line. He'd have a fit if he didn't realise already how he'd signed his note!

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Draco was surprised how warm it was tonight. You still needed a cloak of course but it was a lot warmer than it had been lately. When he'd got her note he'd read the first few lines half amused, half afraid she meant them. The final PS had made him grin as had the 'lots of love'! She had obviously noticed his sign off. Trouble was he was worried that he was beginning to mean it and he had never imagined using that word to anyone. After he had sent his note he did worry he might have laid it on a bit thick – 'couldn't stop thinking about you', 'keeping me awake all night', in fact the whole tone of the note was teetering on the edge of being too intimate. But as usual Hermione had taken it all in good humour.

"Boo!" a voice whispered behind him and he jumped a little.

He turned to see Hermione laughing, "It's about time I made you jump! You're always grabbing me and scaring the wits out of me!"

"Sorry, Very Sorry, Extremely Sorry and not sorry at all." Draco teased her with his reply. She put her head to one side and smiled at him.

"Go on...explain." she grinned

"Sorry if my note was a bit over the top I did wonder if it wouldn't have you hiding under your bed cover." He continued before she could reply "Very Sorry for not meeting you earlier. Extremely sorry for scaring the wits out of you."

"And..." Hermione prompted him

"And not sorry at all for grabbing you, can't help that or stop it." Draco realised he was being a terrible flirt but she appeared to be completely un-phased by it for she was now giggling at him.

"Draco Malfoy ! How dare you be so suggestive to me! I thought you were brought up to be gentlemen." she feigned being insulted but her eyes and smile told him the real story.

They walked along the lake path for a while in silence. It was a lovely night, clear with lots of stars and the lake was shimmering to the side of them. Hermione turned to look back at the Castle which always looked amazing at night. They stopped about half way around the lake and sat on a large tree trunk. Hermione turned to look at him before speaking.

"I don't know why you needed to apologize for the note by the way" she said as if they had only just been discussing this.

Draco looked a little uncomfortable but he had stopped his stand offish attitude when she broached a subject he didn't like very much. Instead he shrugged his shoulders.

"Just thought it might have been a bit too..." Draco struggled for the right word and when he couldn't find it finished with "you know."

"Were you thinking about me or was that just a suck up?"

"I'm always thinking about you."

"Oh please!" Hermione grinned at him and he returned it.

"What? It's true, I am always thinking about you. Anyway, maybe we shouldn't be discussing my note. You're the one who signed hers 'lots of love'" he saw her head turn but kept looking out at the lake.

"Only because you signed yours 'love from'!" Hermione retaliated using the same teasing tone.

He turned to look at her intently "Oh, so you didn't mean it then?"

She grinned at him "Couldn't possibly say, anyway did you mean it?"

Draco grinned back "Couldn't possibly say either"

They continued round the lake then headed back. Hermione yawned loudly.

"Gotta get back to bed, sorry," she said

"No apologies necessary it is after 1am! And I woke you up."

"Goodnight then, Draco."

"Yeh, goodnight."

Draco turned to walk round the castle to the side entrance which was quicker for him when her voice stopped him.

"Draco! I almost forgot."

He turned to look at her a puzzled look on his face.

"Sorry?"

"Listen, it's Hogmeade tomorrow. I did have a little idea."

"Go on?" he nodded his encouragement, liking the sound of this already. A little idea meant doing something together he was sure.

For some strange reason Hermione felt nervous. What if he had plans in Hogsmeade and she was putting him on the spot? She took a breath and stumbled on.

"Well I just thought that instead of going to Hogsmeade we could both make some excuse, I was going to say I wanted to catch up on studying, and then stay here." She rushed on with her words now feeling embarrassed. "I mean, it's no problem if you had plans in Hogsmeade or if you just wanted to go. I won't be offended..." her voice trailed off uncertainly.

Draco felt a sort of warm feeling spreading through him. If he was interpreting her rather garbled message right she was asking him to skip the Hogsmeade trip and spend the day here with her instead. And for some strange reason she seemed to think he might not want to do that?

"Hermione, are you asking me to not go to Hogmeade and spend the day here with you instead?" he asked just to make sure that was what she meant.

She nodded "Yes, yes that's what I meant. I thought I could cook you lunch in the tower room or something," she shrugged "but really, it's no problem if you don't want to or can't."

Draco sighed at her. "For heaven's sake Hermione!"

"What? What have I done now?" he was pleased she looked a little concerned.

"Now let me think about this. Spend the day with Crabbe and Goyle and probably bloody Pansy in Hogsmeade or spend a whole, uninterrupted 6 to 8 hours with you?" his voice was full of humour and Hermione gave him a small, shy smile before replying in her usual voice.

"Hogmeade it is then!"

Draco laughed at this, enjoying her irony.

"Yes I'm afraid so. Not sure my ears can take that long alone with you!"

She hit him hard on the arm "What excuse will you make?"

Draco rubbed his forehead in an exaggerated manner. "Oh, no sleep hardly, really bad headache, I can feel it coming on now."

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So, the following morning, Hermione made her excuses which her friends seemed to accept quite readily. Once the castle was quiet she headed up to the tower room and used her key to go in.

Draco was already there and as she opened the door a lovely smell met her. He was standing in the kitchen area stirring something that was sizzling in the frying pan.

"Mmm. What's that? It smells great!" Hermione didn't bother with saying hello and leaned over his arm to have a look.

He turned to look at her, "Morning to you too."

It struck her just how easy their relationship was becoming. Casual greetings, teasing, pretend arguments, they were acting more and more like a couple. Hermione felt a strange sensation at this thought. Really? A couple with Draco Malfoy!

"Sorry, Good Morning." She said "I thought I was cooking for you?"

"Couldn't let you do that, sorry. This is the first step towards lunch. They need to marinate after this for an hour so I needed to get on with it." Draco was staring intently at the pan.

"Marinate? I didn't think you would even know what that meant, let alone know how to do it!" Hermione grinned at him to soften the harsh words.

He turned properly to her now. "I can cook actually. Show's what you know."

"I thought you'd have a little team of House Elves to cater to your every whim."

"Yeh, we do. I like to cook for fun though," he turned the hob off now and emptied the contents into a dish which he shook some seasoning on and covered.

"All done now for a while."

Hermione, still looking amused at this whole spectacle, went and sat on one of the sofa's curling her feet under her. Draco washed his hands then joined her.

"You're just one surprise after another aren't you?" she asked him as he sat by her.

"Hope so." He grinned and Hermione felt the familiar stirring in her stomach. Cute! He looked really cute! What was happening to her?

"This is all Ok isn't it? I mean you haven't stayed behind for fear of upsetting me if you said no? I haven't anything exciting planned at all I'm afraid." Hermione looked at him from under her lashes.

"Nothing exciting planned?" Draco feigned indignation "Well, I may as well get off to Hogsmeade then..."

Hermione laughed at this. "Funny!"

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Lunch was fabulous. Draco hadn't been lying, it was obvious this wasn't his first attempt at cooking. The food was delicious and different. Hermione cleared up afterwards and Draco sat reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. It struck Hermione again that they were acting like an old married couple and she chuckled to herself.

"What's amusing?" Draco asked from across the room.

"Just us two. Acting like an old married couple!" she wiped her hands and joined him on the sofa. "that was amazing! Really delicious. Thank you very much."

"You're welcome," as usual Draco's reply was simple but said in his smooth and low voice making Hermione tingle. He was looking at her over the top of his newspaper, his eyes locked to hers again. They seemed to be doing this an awful lot lately. Hermione knew this was a good opportunity to try and tell him a little of how she was feeling but actually saying anything to him was a lot more difficult in practice!

"I don't know how I ever thought all those things about you." she shook her head.

Draco raised his eyebrows "What things? Or is it better I don't ask?"

"Mmm. Maybe better you don't ask."

"But you don't think them now?"

"Some I still do," she teased him nudging him in the arm playfully.

Quickly he dropped his paper and turned to face her, moving purposely close. "So what can I do to change your mind on those last few bad things then?"

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at him "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Draco asked innocently knowing full well what she meant.

"This!" she waved her hand at the two of them and how close he had moved to her "You're invading my personal space!"

"Good, that was the idea," Draco produced his famous smirk and moved back a little opening his arms wide "please feel free to invade my personal space anytime you want to."

Hermione laughed again and raised her eyes to the ceiling "Stop it!"

"You can't blame me for trying," he went back to his usual sitting position and picked up his paper, looking at her out the corner of his eyes.

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The afternoon passed quickly, both happy and comfortable in each other company. A couple of hours before students would be arriving back from Hogsmeade Draco plonked himself on the coffee table in front of her.

"I've got an idea for something to do before they all get back."

"Go on?"

"Well you know your favourite view?"

"Of course."

"Fancy seeing some of it a bit closer?"

Hermione put her head to the side "What do you mean?"

"On a broom." Draco said this and cringed away from her guessing her reaction wouldn't be exactly enthusiastic. He was right.

"You are joking!" Hermione said "I can't fly that far, or that high on a broom!"

"Year 7 and you've let it beat you." Draco said this on purpose knowing exactly how to wind her up. Hermione Granger did not let anything beat her!

"That's not funny! I have not let it beat me! I don't like it so I don't try very hard."

Draco was sniggering at her outrage until finally she gave in to a small smile.

"You're just winding me up," she acknowledged, to which he nodded.

He leant a bit closer "What I meant, was I could take you, on my broom."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him "Really? You'd let me on your broom?"

"Yes, why not?"

"You do remember I was raised by muggles? And you're willing to let me on your very expensive, best wizard money can buy broomstick?" Hermione knew this was sailing a little close to the truth but she hoped he would take it how she meant it, with no hidden meaning.

Just for a moment Draco's face looked a little shocked then he realised she was still teasing and he leant back and nodded.

"Yes, I did give it careful consideration but decided I could allow it," he said this in his best Malfoy voice.

"I'm not a very good passenger, I get nervous." Hermione readily admitted, it wasn't like it was a secret after all. Half the school knew she hated flying.

"I know. I'll treat you gently, I promise." Draco said in a gentle if slightly flirtatious voice. "You'll love it, the view from a broom is even more amazing."

Hermione didn't looked convinced but nodded her head "OK."

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Hermione and Draco on a broom next...please review...please review...please review...