WEEK TEN

A/N: I'm a week late, I know! But here's some more Dramione goodies for you to enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews and comments, each and every one of them means so much. Thank you!

Disclaimer: Haven't we been through this? I don't wield J.K. Rowling's wand, Draco and Hermione are not mine! (Not yet, anyway *evil laugh*)

It's hard to pretend to love someone when you don't, but even harder to pretend not to love someone when you really do

~Anonymous

"Hermione!" Tyler threw himself at the figure walking down the path, almost throwing her of balance. The witch in question had been so deep in thought she hadn't seen the child running at her until he yelled out her name.

"Woah, Tyler, slow down there!" she laughed as she picked him up for a minute and spun around with him, her auburn curls catching the sunlight in a most enticing way - at least, that's what Draco couldn't help but notice as he slowly followed his son along the path.

"You were supposed to come over last night for dinner, why didn't you? Daddy said you had too much work but it was empty without you," Tyler observed sadly once Hermione had set him down on the ground again.

The young witch bit her lip at this, unsure of how to respond, when she noticed Draco nearing them. For a moment, any excuse she might have had flew out of her head when she saw him, looking more handsome than ever in a charcoal turtleneck and fitted jeans and...

She shook her head angrily as if to shake such thoughts out of her mind. She had been thinking of the blond wizard more than she cared to admit since she last saw him in the library, and had tried to avoid all contact since, much as it had pained her to disappoint Tyler. She just thought that she needed a chance to gather her thoughts and not see the two Malfoys for a while. Of course, a walk in the park was usually what helped her to think, so without analyzing the decision too much she'd chosen this way home, not stopping to realize that Draco would probably have taken his son out to enjoy the sunshine, too.

"Hermione," Draco nodded to her in greeting and attempted a smile, but something in her expression, uncertainty perhaps, he wasn't quite sure, made him feel awkward. This was not how he'd envisaged their first meeting since kissing her at the Manor the previous week.

"Hi, Draco," Hermione said, her smile as superficial as his.

"So did you have too much work? What did you have to work on?" Tyler pressed on, oblivious to the thoughts and confused feelings of the two adults towering above him.

"Oh... Well, we've had a lot of meetings this week and some new employees I had to supervise," Hermione turned her attention back to the boy, avoiding Draco's eyes.

She was sure he'd seen right through her owl that she'd sent the previous night telling him she couldn't make it to dinner, and she was too embarrassed to meet his eye now. After all, she'd never claimed to have too much work to see them since they started to meet, and besides, she knew Draco was perfectly aware of her capabilities when it came too work - she was too organized a person to ever cancel her engagements.

"Oh," Tyler nodded as if understanding. "But you'll come over now, right? Gran had the elves make the best apple pie you've ever tasted!"

"Well, I-"

"It's a Friday, Granger, you can't seriously claim to have too much work to do tonight, now, can you?" Draco interjected, eyebrow raised, and received a glare in return.

So perhaps he did sound a bit irritated now, but he felt horrible knowing that Hermione was trying to avoid him. He just wanted to talk it over with her so that they could go back to enjoying each other's company as they had before... Or move forward and enjoy each other's company in different ways, but he wasn't about to voice these thoughts to her just yet. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it certainly wasn't this. After all, he had never in his life considered Hermione scared of anything, but she was almost taking the coward's way out of this situation by pretending as if nothing had happened, and trying to avoid him at all costs, if the owl he had sent her with an apology that went unanswered was any indication. He thought maybe that if they'd bump into each other by accident, when she'd see him again, she'd realize there was no point avoiding each other, which was also one of the reasons for which he had happily given in to his son's pleading to be taken to the park that afternoon - he was hoping to see her.

But the rather cold welcome, the awkwardness and the obvious uncertainty she was feeling made him feel rejected, and this angered him.

Of course, he didn't realize that Hermione's uncertainty had nothing to do with wanting to reject him, and everything to do with the confusion she felt in his presence. She wasn't sure what she felt anymore, or what she thought of him. She'd thought they were just friends, but taking recent events into account, and the way that one simple kiss made her feel, she was forced to reconsider, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it all.

"I guess I can pop by for a while, yes," she replied, seeing no other way out of the situation, but promising herself silently that she would avoid being left alone with Draco at all costs. While he thought that getting it out in the open and out of the way would help matters, she preferred to get control of her thoughts and emotions before facing Draco alone again - lest she do something stupid, like kiss him, or something.

Not that she'd ever do that, of course. That was a one off incident and would not happen again, she thought for the umpteenth time that week as she walked with them to the Apparition spot. She was still focusing on this thought when she walked through the Manor doors, as if it were a mantra that would keep her safe and would come true if she said it enough times.

"Hermione! We missed you last night, dear, they should really not be working you so hard at the Ministry! Lucius used to complain they don't let a person breathe down there while he still worked, you know, you'd have thought they'd have learned by now to let people take it a it easier these days," Narcissa greeted her.

"I am sorry about that, Narcissa, some last minute things popped up," Hermione made her excuses again, feeling worse than ever for lying. She had had work to attend to, of course, as always, but nothing so important that could not have been done today either.

"Well, it's a good thing the boys found you today then, I know they were both worried you might just Floo or Apparate home and they'd miss you," she observed, causing Hermione to shoot Draco a startled glance, only to find the blond staring intently at the fireplace in the dining room where they were just sitting down, as if he had not heard his mother's words at all.

"Really?" she asked, but Draco didn't look up, though she couldn't help but notice him turn a little red.

"Tea?" one of the house elves asked her as he appeared by her elbow.

"Yes, please," Hermione replied, for the first time letting a genuine smile grace her features since running into Draco and Tyler in the park. She always had had a soft spot for house elves, thanks to Dobby and Winky.

"I'll bring the apple pie!" Tyler announced excitedly, bouncing out of his chair and rushing off in the direction of the kitchens. Hermione noticed Narcissa and Draco exchange worried glances as Narcissa stood up as well.

"The last time he tried doing that the pie he was bringing in ended up all over the wall and one of the elves' heads," she explained. "I better help him carry it in, won't be a minute," she added, also disappearing through the door and leaving Hermione thinking that a minute was too much time anyway.

"Hermione..." Draco began, seeing his opportunity, but stopped at her raised hand and shaking head.

"Don't, there's nothing to talk about, all right? It shouldn't have happened, won't happen again, we can just go on like before the... Incident."

"Incident?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "You mean when I kissed you, and you kissed me back? Look, I think that it's pretty clear-"

"What's clear is that it won't happen again," Hermione said, the anger in her eyes matching his own. They sat there staring at one another for a moment, before the cheerful patter of Tyler's footsteps behind the door caused them to look away from each other and smile at his comical entrance, the pie he was proudly bearing unbeknownst to him supported by the magic flowing from Narcissa's wand, who was following right behind the little boy.

"Looks great, doesn't it, Hermione? I'll cut you the biggest piece!" Tyler declared, and set about doing just that, to the horror of his father when he saw the big knife he was wielding. The pie was cut without any bloody incidents, however, and when she tasted it Hermione had to admit that it was an absolutely delicious dessert. She left the Manor a few hours later feeling very full but very confused by her short private conversation with Draco. Could he have possibly meant that he wanted more than just friendship from her, that he might want to kiss her again?

And Draco, on his part, felt just as confused when he closed the door behind his guest - could he have possibly met a woman who was truly immune to his charm and his kiss?

A/N: Okay, so perhaps there's not so much going on in this chapter, but I needed to introduce what both Draco and Hermione were feeling after their kiss in the library. Now, in the next chapter we can get down to what they're going to do about this whole situation... Just two more chapters left, guys, so please be patient as I'll try to make them the best yet! Thanks!