As she left the library, Hermione was inwardly groaning. She expected that Draco would immediately report to his cronies, giving them a full account of how "inferior" she was. She moaned at the thought of being constantly tormented by the Slytherins for the next few weeks.

So when not one of them mentioned it to her, Hermione was incredibly surprised. Each day she awoke thinking that it would be the day she heard one of the Slytherins giggling about it, or torturing her for it. Each night she went to bed, surprised that he hadn't told them yet. Why was he keeping this secret?

Hermione had, of course, told Harry and Ron what had happened as soon as she'd gotten back to the Common Room. Predictably, they were both irate and promised her vengeance, which she politely declined.

"But Hermione!" Ron whined, giving her a pleading look, "We're just trying to defend your honor."

Hermione sighed. "I know, Ron, but really—you two will only make it worse."

"How could it get any worse?" asked Harry.

"He could say something to his friends, and that would be terrible. Not only for me, you know, but for all of the other muggle-born students here. We'd never hear the end of it. Please, let it be." Hermione concluded sensibly, knowing that both of the boys were starting to see her point.

Ron stared at his feet sullenly, then suddenly perked up. "If he says something, can I punch him?"

Hermione and Harry only laughed, which Ron took to mean "yes".

Yet the days since their altercation stretched on, and Hermione's agitation increased. Why did he keep this secret? It was certainly not out of respect for her, or for their other muggle-born classmates. It was certainly not because he was nice. No, he was a Slytherin, and that meant he was scheming.

But what was his scheme?

She sighed heavily to herself. He was never one for patience, so everything was sure to come out into the open soon. Perhaps during Potions on Monday.

A/N: Wow—sorry this update took longer than usual. I only ever got three email alerts about reviews, and I was disappointed. Imagine my surprise when I signed in to find out I had much more than that! Whoops! Sorry! To answer a few questions/statements—this story WILL have a good amount of chapters. I'd say somewhere between thirty and forty, though I can't be sure. And I'm sorry that I didn't go into Draco's reaction too much. I personally feel that Draco was unaffected, but I don't know. What do you guys think?

Thanks go to—chichirixxx, WinnieThaPoo92, crazy-emerald-blue, Ehlonna, kazfeist, Gwinna, Rictumsempra, Harry's Lil Bitch. You guys helped my little story reach 60 reviews! Maybe we could make it to 70 for the next chapter? Hmm?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! (: