Disclaimer: Guess.. No, no, just guess! Haha, no I'm not JK Rowling. Guess again!

A/N: I thought I would throw the last finished chapter up before everyone gets lost in the world of Deathly Hallows. Not counting those of you morons have read it online already. :P I'm severely annoyed about it, supposedly, leaking online. Why does some people have to ruin the fun for everyone else all the time? Come on, some of us have been waiting for this for a decade. I for one know I want to read the book holding it in my hands; the real deal!

Chapter 10 / The Score

"Hermione, dear, you look a mess."

Hermione looked up from her book and used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. The faint outline of Miranda was barely noticeable in the blinding sunlight, but she could recognise the voice anywhere.

"I slept really badly," she explained evasively and pulled out the chair next to her as an invitation. And it wasn't even a lie. She hadn't slept well... correction; she hadn't slept much at all.

"Ah, I see," Miranda replied knowingly, taking the seat offered to her.

Hermione frowned at that, feeling fairly certain that Miranda did not see. It's not like she could know Hermione had acted like an hormonal teenager, climbing walls just to make sure Malfoy didn't 'befoul' himself with Lola.

"Yesterday was Draco and Lola's date," the older lady commented, keeping her watchful gaze on the girl next to her.

"Oh yeah?" Hermione answered, trying to sound as uninterested as possible. "I suppose it was, now that you mention it."

"You don't happen to know how it went?"

"Er, no. I haven't asked him about it," she lied, hoping her expression didn't give it away. Deliberately lying had never been her strong suit.

"So you've seen him?"

"Briefly."

Hermione saw the other lady smile distantly, and she found it rather unnerving. She couldn't understand what this was all about, or what Miranda's goal was with this conversation.

"I heard Lola had a magnificent time. I had Ella floo me this morning, and she said Lola was so impressed by Draco and was absolutely delighted by his company," she rambled and Hermione wanted so very desperately to roll her eyes.

"Yes, he is a very delightful man," she replied dryly, thinking back to some of his more unflattering moments in time.

Miranda didn't seem much perturbed by Hermione's obvious lack of enthusiasm, and she turned in her seat to face the girl who deliberately avoided her gaze.

"Lola is of course very certain to attain a new date. She reckons they had a very good... chemistry."

The implied physical contact between the two almost made her flinch. But Lola hadn't been there when she came, and he said she had gone home an hour previously. Though that didn't necessarily mean that absolutely nothing happened. She began to fidget slightly in her chair, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach, and not from embarrassment this time.

"Of course, their children would look absolutely ador –"

"Stop it!" she suddenly screeched, feeling whatever it was rising in her chest, almost suffocating her from the inside.

In desperation she had darted up from the chair, her curls standing like a wild halo about her head. "Why are you telling me all this? What are you trying to achieve?!"

"That," Miranda said calmly, giving her first true smile that morning.

Hermione found herself heaving for breath, looking at the older lady in absolute confusion. This was making no sense, and as if that wasn't enough she had let her impulses win again. She noticed that she was standing by her chair, her hands clenching and unclenching, like some raving lunatic right out of St. Mungo's psych ward. Feeling her cheeks burn, she fell back into the chair and buried her face in her hands.

"I was looking for a reaction, Hermione," she said soothingly. "Love, it's so obvious to anyone but you, and I wanted to help you see what the rest of us do."

Hermione peaked at her through her fingers, not knowing if she should feel grateful or aggravated beyond belief. She was honestly leaning towards the latter at the moment. What gave this woman the right to look for her reaction?

"Look, I'm sorry if I upset you," she said genuinely, looking slightly put down. "But I mean what I told you the first time we met... Draco is too proud to let anyone else choose a woman for him."

She rose from her chair, her last comment standing as the final words between them. Hermione watched her retreating back with disturbingly mixed emotions. In other words; She was mighty confused.

So it was horrendously obvious that she was somewhat jealous of Lola. If the wallclimbing last night hadn't convinced her of that, the recent conversation certainly had, but she couldn't quite understand why. Miranda was definitely implying that she had feelings for the blonde, but she couldn't embrace that. Why would she ever have feelings for him? They weren't compatible, they had a complicated past, he was everything she had said she would never want and they would have what felt like the entire wizarding world against any relationship they might try. And of course; he wouldn't have any feelings for her anyway. Why would he? She was everything he had always despised.

The more she thought about it, the more certain she became. He was the only one she had really made any contact with, and she had grown used to his undivided attention for weeks. Any competition from another female would of course interfere with their routines and limit the time they could spend together. Of course she would be annoyed, as his friend and neighbour. There was also the fact that he was a connection to her life back home. Yes, she loved the small town she had found herself, but she also missed London, especially Wizarding London. She had always liked how vibrant everything was, how pulsating it seemed when everyday life sent people to their respective destinations. Her friends all resided in or around London, and she missed all of them dearly. In an odd way he seemed like her connection to it all. When she saw him she was instantly reminded that there was a life beyond her current quiet existence. A life she was planning to return to once she felt entirely ready.

Her explanation for the sudden jealousy made her calm down, and she relaxed in the comfortable chair, enjoying the heat from the midday sun. She spent hours lounging in her garden, reading and relaxing, until the pressing matter of a low food stock forced her onto the road leading to town.

She always loved walking into town. It was always so quiet and serene, and so very easy to enjoy. It was such a contrast to London, but she loved both opposites in its own way. The calm versus the vibrant, the loneliness versus the crowd. It was strange how you could love both of those at the same time.

As she walked on, having grown used to the sound of her footsteps against the gravel road, it became apparent that they were no longer the only sound heard. And it was strange, since she could not spot another being in either direction. She turned around several times, peering carefully up and down the road. It was beginning to unnerve her slightly, especially since she could only hear the foreign sounds when she was in movement. While she was standing still, everything was completely silent.

The minutes rolling by left her war-ridden senses raw and aware. Her pulse was rapidly growing, adrenaline surging through her body as she listened carefully at the foreign noises. When she felt a light pressure on her shoulder, her fighter instinct was so elevated that her reflects were unstoppable. She turned within an instant and cast the first hex that came to mind, before throwing another just for good measure. Even if the blinding hex should keep her attacker in check, nasty boils was a good way to suffer for daring to follow her and attack her from behind.

After the cloud of adrenaline and the shouts of anger calmed, she remained standing limply in the middle of the road, a dawning horror slowly developing in her mind.

"FUCK, Granger," he bellowed, writhing uncomfortably on the ground.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," she cried back, finally realising what she had done. "You can't sneak up on me like that, you idiot. I'm a trained soldier. You know that!"

She bent down to help him up, but he flinched when she touched him. For a second she felt offended, thinking he still couldn't stand her 'dirty' touch, but then realised parts of him were covered in nasty boils from her very competent hex. And... oh God no.

"What the hell is covering my eyes. Get it off, you maniac."

"There's... nothing covering your eyes," she muttered in defeat, finding his hand and pulled him carefully off the ground with some difficulty.

"Of course there is, I can't see a... YOU CRAZY BINT," he screamed so loudly she nearly jumped out of her own skin. "You've blinded me!"

"I thought you were a Death Eater," she said, defending herself furiously as she put his arm around her shoulders. "You followed me for ages and then grabbed my shoulder. I thought I was being attacked."

"Why on earth would there be a Death Eater, here of all places? Never mind the fact that there are practically none left. And those who are left are completely off their rocker and spends all their time sitting in their vaults throwing their Galleons into the air while laughing menacingly!"

"I wasn't exactly thinking straight, now was I? I was in defense mode!"

"Well my intention wasn't to scare you, you paranoid troll," he muttered under his breath, having a hard time keeping upright even if she had put her hand around his waist, trying to guide him safely back.

"Oh yes, my bad," she bit, still guiding him back along the road. "How could I ever be freaked out by wondering if I was going to be raped and killed right on the side of the road?!"

Her voice had increased in volume by every word, making him wince slightly at the end of her tirade.

"I would never rape you."

She sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes for good measure. "I didn't know it was you. If I had known I would have bound your feet together and cackled evilly as you fell flat on your face, not blinded your arse."

Her comment suddenly broke the tense atmosphere as a chuckle escaped from his lips. "That would be so like you, you conniving little witch."

"Oh, shut up," she laughed, relieved to see their houses coming up on the right side of the road. "Okey, we have to turn right now."

He slowed down immediately and she could sense his insecurity.

"It's alright, just mind the stones on the pathway."

She managed to help him into her house, which was marginally closer than his, and finally got him seated on her couch. Her guilt flared when he winced in pain just as he sat back towards the pillows. Impulse action was really beginning to become somewhat of a problem for her.

"I have some potions that will help for that," she muttered, watching as he sat stiffly on the couch, trying not to rub any part of himself against another.

She didn't wait for a reply before she headed up the stairs to her personal potions storage (i.e the ornamental chest resting in front of her large mahogany bed). In addition to what she had brought from home, there was bound to be something usable among what she had bought from the local potions store. She squatted down and started rummaging through her labelled vials and bags, searching for anything to sooth the pain or make it vanish completely. Feelings of guilt, pity and something else she couldn't quite pinpoint swirled in her head as she tried to focus on the task she had set herself.

When she walked down the stairs with what she could find of useful potions, she couldn't help but wonder how she had ended up with a blind and wounded Malfoy on her couch without feeling any satisfaction from the situation. Instead she just felt incredibly bad and an unexplainable urge to make things right.

He seemed to be straining his ears and straightened up when he heard her footsteps closing in. It pained her oddly to see him so helpless, sitting on her couch with a confused grimace on his usually confident face. His eyes were wavering, moving from one spot to the other, presumably trying to find her, but she knew he couldn't see anything but darkness.

"Hey," she said lamely, partially to let him know where she was standing. His head slowly followed the direction of her voice. "I didn't find any antidotes that might work, but I found some potions I can rub on the boils and hopefully they'll vanish completely."

He gave a jerky nod, which she took as an invite to place herself next to him on the couch.

"How bad is it?" she asked, her voice quiet and dripping with regret.

"I think it's just my arms and shoulders, the rest have somehow gone away on their own," he replied, giving his right shoulder a trying shrug and grimaced.

"Sorry if this is an expensive shirt. I'll replace it," she said before vanishing the garment completely, leaving him to shiver from the sudden rush of cold air against his skin.

Now, Hermione had always been professional. And she always tried her utmost to be professional, but when the certain male sat inches from her in only his jeans and conveniently handicapped in the sight division, she had to restrain herself not to stare sheepishly at his bare torso. She shook her head and chastised herself firmly, before pouring potion on her hands.

The pale skin on his arms were covered in gruesome looking boils and irritated skin, making her take a sharp intake of breath before lowering her hand down on his forearm. He hissed immediately, but remained quiet as she worked the potion as gently as she could onto the damages. She did a splendid job on ignoring who she was running her hands along, and fixed her stare on the awful looking blemishes on his skin.

"Not that I don't enjoy your company, but I would like to be able to take care of myself for a number of more years. I hope you didn't intend on blinding your rapist permanently"

She glared at him, even if he couldn't see it.

"I'm not stupid, you know," she replied indignantly. "I modified the spell years ago to last for a couple of hours, leaving enough time for me to transport any captives I may have blinded in battle."

"So I'll be somewhat unharmed in a couple of hours?"

"You should be just fine," she said dully.

"Except for the emotional scars. I'll come screaming through your front door, horrified by my awful night terrors about the crazed ex-soldier on a mission to blind all charming, sweet men in her path."

"Aren't you just hilarious." She rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Damn, you know how to whine. Who would've guessed you've gone up against the most powerful dark wizard for decades."

"The fine art of whining is a treasured family secret, very well conserved through generations of Malfoys," he smirked, finally relaxing into the pillows.

"You have got to be the greatest talent for a few millenniums, though," she remarked, closing the lid on the potions vial.

"I cannot deny my birth gift," he replied in earnest.

She allowed a smile to grace her face as she shook her head slightly. "Does it feel any better?"

"Not as painful. How does it look? Are my astounding looks going to be mutilated? I might have to take you to the Wizengamot."

"They're decreasing in size, and seems to grow less visible by the second,€" she assured him, putting the vials on the table before she cast a cleaning charm on her hands. "And your skin will look as it always has, you enormous cry baby."

"Enormously handsome cry baby," he corrected, and she snorted inelegantly in response.

She allowed herself to sink back onto the pillows and flung her feet up on the table as he seemed lost in thought. Her eyes fixed on the many-coloured lumps as they gradually seemed to remove themselves from his skin, and she found herself slightly relieved. Now she only had to make sure he could actually see again.

"You know... When you stalk me, I kiss you. When I stalk you, you blind me and try to mutilate me," he suddenly said, a hint of amusement apparent in his voice.

Her eyes grew wide as she suddenly realised what he had been doing.

"You followed me because of yesterday?" she asked incredulously.

"It's only fair," he retorted, smirking at her reaction. "You get to stalk me, I do the same."

This was a development she hadn't quite anticipated. She had considered her actions yesterday a lapse of judgement based on her unwillingness to divide attention between herself and another female, but he was not only not bothered by her behaviour, but also reciprocated it in similar fashion.

And if he reciprocated to her actions, shouldn't she follow his lead too? Like he said.. it was only fair. And that was the only reason she was thinking it. It was certainly not because she liked it and wanted to.

"Yes," she replied slowly, nodding her head. "It is only fair. If I get to do something, you should get to do the same."

"Exactly!" he said triumphantly.

"So, if you do something, I should get to do the same, shouldn't I?" she asked, looking at his now confused expression.

His eyebrows knitted into a frown, and he chewed on his lip for a second as if looking for an appropriate reply. "Er..."

She chuckled quickly at his unintelligent retort.

"According to my logic, you should, though I'm not entirely sure what specifics you're referring to," he admitted, raising his eyebrow slightly at her.

Oh, all the better. The prey was unsuspecting. Just the way she liked it. And it was blind. Oh well, that only made it easier.

He frowned again as she sat up in the couch, and she could only imagine how his mind raced to figure out what she was about to attempt. If he hadn't figured it out yet, she supposed it was a large clue when she swung her leg over his lap and dug her knees into the couch on either side of his thighs. She both felt and saw him take a startled breath, and her eyes instantly locked on his lips as they parted slightly to let the air pass. He was so intoxicatingly close. A miniscule movement and their lips would touch, move against each other in magnificent euphoria.

But while their lips had locked before, she had never been this close to the entirety of him. She remained inches away from his face, enjoying the feel of his distractingly naked skin under her fingertips. They rested in a feather light pressure on his chest, barely touching his smooth skin, refraining from moving an inch. Her eyes roamed his face, enjoying how his breath was getting heavy and erratic, and on an impulse she moved her hand towards his hairline, letting the amazingly soft locks run through her fingers. She let her fingers run down his cheek, her thumb swiftly caressing his parted lips which quivered suddenly under her touch.

That uncontrolled reaction made her patience slip from her grip and her thumb was replaced by her lips in a split second. She dug one of her hands into the wonderful texture of his hair as he began answering her kiss, the undescribable feel of his soft lips on hers overwhelming her completely. Her muscles seemed to lose control and she relaxed further into his body, almost sighing in contentment when his arms reached around her, his hands resting on the small of her back.

She was so lost in the feeling of him that there was no room for hesitation when the tip of their tongues met. She could not for her life answer who had initiated it, but there was not a fiber of her being protesting when he won the little initiation dance and skillfully entered her mouth, sliding along her own tongue. It took all her control to hold back a moan, focusing on answering him with a hunger only a woman rejected could hold.

It seemed all too soon that she broke the contact due to the frightening lack of air. She knew the moment was immediately ruined, and the lust finally suffered a blow from her overwhelming embarrassment. Biting her now bright red lip, she climbed off his lap and sunk back into her seat with an audible sigh.

She gave an awkward cough to break the silence only interrupted by their heavy breathing.

"I believe the score is even," she proclaimed in a raspy voice, her cheeks flaming red at the thought of her flirtatious behaviour.

"Oh I beg to differ," he replied, his voice equally influenced by the recent activity.

"What?"

"Well, for one... you can still see!"

Despite the tension she gave an appreciative laugh.

"Well, if you go on another date with Lola I might have to pry my eyes out with a fork."

A/N: Thanks for all reviews. You are all so very sweet and I appreciate it a lot!