I don't even know what to say...it's been way too long, and I apologize profusely for the wait! I was caught up in all of the graduation festivities for a while and then when summer came along, I was on vacation, and to be honest, I didn't have any motivation to write for a while. But, now I'm back! I hope to finish this story before I'm off to university at the end of this month, but we'll see. As long as this is finished before the year of the snake comes around, right? ;)

I've missed you guys! I hope that most of you are still around to stick with me. :)

Disclaimer: Only the Changs, excluding Cho.

"What makes you say that?" Draco drawled in a deceptively calm voice.

"Well," Grandma Chang started as she smiled sweetly, "it doesn't seem like you know much about your own girlfriend, child."

His jaw clenched. "I went to school with her, so I'm perfectly aware of what she's like." It was an evasive answer, and he knew it.

"Oh no, dear, it seems to me you weren't even aware of her birthday." The old woman shook her head and looked at him with something akin to pity.

He didn't like that at all. Malfoys weren't pitied, and they didn't pity either. (They had nothing whatsoever to do with that word.)

"Even I knew that Hermione was born in 1979." The dark-haired bloke next to Draco's "girlfriend" ventured to say when he shouldn't have said anything at all. Those words only added to Draco's silent fury.

The blond suddenly knew why the talkative wanker annoyed him so much. His black hair and green eyes made him an uncanny replica of Potter. The world doesn't need another one, thank you very much!

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Hermione spoke up. "That's my fault—I never told him my birthday. If any of you know me well enough, you'd know that I'm not one to announce the date of my birth to others, not even the people I care about. I don't like to make anyone feel obligated to buy me presents." Her voice rang true and clear.

Draco almost snorted. That definitely sounded like something she would do.

"Oh." Grandma Chang frowned, clearly unsatisfied with the Gryffindor's credible answer. "Then what about the fact that you two use surnames to address one another? Friends don't do that, let alone lovers." The air of confidence around her was back.

He actually snorted at this. "I've always called her 'Granger.' She'll always be 'Granger' to me."

Hermione nodded tersely. "The two of us have already established that in our relationship. He's 'Malfoy' to me, and I'm 'Granger' to him. Not to be rude, but I do believe that this isn't your business."

The old lady smiled grimly. "Of course not, dear. I was merely curious, and I didn't mean any offense." Of course you didn't. "Now enough of that, why don't we play a game?" Grandma Chang proposed enthusiastically, her eyes darting from one face to another.

The unlikely pair looked at one another, and both could see the evident relief they felt mirrored in the other's eyes. However, both of them knew that this was far from being over.

"Game!" Augustus broke the tense silence. Bless that little bugger! Draco awarded him with a light pat on the back.

"Yes, the Idiom Game! This year, it's four-character idioms with the word dragon!" The eldest member of the Chang family grinned. "lónɡ mǎ jīnɡ shén—I hope that all of us will continue to be full of spirit and vigor this year. I know that I will!" She grinned and everyone laughed save Hermione, who was too busy trying to decipher Grandma Chang's character, and Draco, who was cringing like he had just eaten something extremely sour.

Ten minutes and six more idioms later, Grandma Chang looked at her great-grandson. "Would you like to say one, Augustus?"

"I…I don't know any idioms." The little boy was crestfallen.

"Come here, Augustus." His mother beckoned him in a soothing voice.

Augustus pouted, seeming rather put off at having to get off of his role model's lap, but nevertheless did as his mother bade. Stretching his numb legs out under the table, Draco felt content for the first time in this nightmarish evening.

"Wàng zǐ chéng lónɡ, Augustus." His mother smiled affectionately as she picked him up. "I hope that you will become successful in the future, and quite literally, become like a dragon—powerful, strong, and well-loved by all. All Chinese parents wish this for their sons."

More like all parents. Except the well-loved part…Malfoy Rule Number 101: Be feared, not loved.

"That's sexist!" Hermione exclaimed before she could stop herself.

Everyone stared at her, some in mild amusement and others in careful consideration.

Iris laughed. "That's how the Chinese have always been, Hermione—Muggles and wizards alike. This doesn't mean that I agree with such a belief though; I have high hopes for my daughter as well. I value both of my children equally." She looked at her daughter, who was still situated on Hermione's lap. "Come here, April."

The little girl sucked on her thumb as she slid down to the ground and made her way towards her mother, turning once to give Hermione a longing look.

"I'm glad." The Muggle-born witch smiled. "We already have enough discrimination in this world as it is."

Iris nodded solemnly as she balanced the weight of her two children on her lap. "Although, the wizarding world has greatly changed its belief in pureblood superiority since the demise of You-Know-Who…and this is all thanks to you."

"Oh no, not me, don't you mean Harry?" Hermione asked, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Iris laughed before shaking her head. "Everyone knows that you were the brains behind the whole operation. Harry Potter couldn't have prevailed without your help."

"No, I—"

"Granger, just shut up and move on with your life. Accept the fact that you've done more than Potter to change the world." Draco interjected with an impatient roll of his eyes.

Hermione gawked at him, at a loss for words. Cho gave him a meaningful glance.

Iris hesitated before saying, "I know that you were discriminated because of your blood status, Hermione, but I just want you to know that no one here ever thought lowly of you."

Draco shifted in his seat and averted his eyes. That wasn't entirely true…here comes the guilt. Thank Merlin Granger was too preoccupied at the moment to notice.

"You're a remarkable young woman, and I can see why you easily became my April's role model." The mother of the twins declared. "And you, Draco…" The Slytherin glanced at her in surprise.

"I can see why my Augustus looks up to you. You're a brave young man with so much potential...I know that we can expect great things from you." Iris said resolutely with a mysterious twinkle in her eyes.

To say that he was speechless would be an understatement. Him? Brave? Potential? Great things? She was describing someone like Potter, not him. Never him. But her words really struck a nerve. He felt almost…hopeful.

Was it a crime to have hope?

Iris looked at the eldest Chang, who was openly observing Hermione with her ever discerning eyes. "Mum, can we get refills? I'd like to make a toast."

Grandma Chang reluctantly tore her gaze away from the young woman to smile at her daughter. "Of course dear." With a wave of her wand, the glasses were filled to the brim.

Iris raised her glass, smiling at all of the faces around her. "To another year of peace and prosperity!"

There was a chorus of agreement, and everyone drank to another year without having to constantly live in fear of a certain dark wizard.

Draco set down his empty glass and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Suppressing a yawn, he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall opposite of him. Nine o'clock. Just how long was this going to last? By now, his mother was most likely worrying. He frowned. Perhaps she should be worrying—he was completely out of his mind. Because of the Changs. And Granger. He should probably send a Patronus telling his mother to take him immediately to St. Mungo's if he somehow managed to get out of this…relatively unscathed.

"Ah," Hermione suddenly said as she set down her glass, catching everyone's attention. "I've got one!"

Grandma Chang arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "Pray tell, dear child…"

"Wò hǔ cáng lónɡ!" She beamed victoriously, a faint pink dusting her cheeks. Draco smirked in amusement. So Granger couldn't hold her liquor.

"Oh, that's a good one, Hermione!" Cho gushed enthusiastically. "Crouching tiger, hidden dragon!"

Hermione nodded. "Isn't it? I remember reading about it somewhere…although the meaning of it is escaping me right now." She muttered the last bit in a daze. Draco snorted. The liquor must be affecting her ability to think clearly, but she only had as much wine as everyone else had; she really was a light-weight.

"Oh Draco, my boy, why don't you grace us with an idiom as well?" Grandma Chang suggested, flashing him her creepy smile.

Why the hell did she have to include him in everything? He didn't even want anything to do with this, but alas, this was just not his day.

Sighing in annoyance, he wracked his brain for something that would divert all the attention he was receiving at the moment away. With a careless shrug, he offered the first thing that came to mind. "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."

Cho, along with all of people who had graduated from or were currently attending Hogwarts, burst into laughter. "Never—tickle—a—sleeping—dragon!" She managed to choke out between giggles.

Draco shot her a glare and snapped defensively, "No one said that it had to be Chinese."

Grandma Chang was as amused as always. "Very clever, dear boy." He didn't like the expression she was wearing; it was like she knew something that he didn't.

Hermione stopped mid-giggle, giving Draco a reproachful look. "You are so full of yourself, Malfoy."

Intrigued, he leaned forward in his seat with his chin resting on his palm. "What makes you say that, Granger?"

"Well, you just had to say something with your given name in it, didn't you?" She accused in her know-it-all voice. "Hah! I absolutely loathe to be the one to tell you this, but you're nothing like your name suggests you are."

He gave her a tight smile, willing his temper to not rise. "Oh really? I think that you've had just a bit too much to drink, Granger."

"No, I haven't!" She insisted, twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger.

"Yes, you have, honey." He gritted his teeth, flashing her a warning look.

But she was too indignant to comprehend it. "I thought I told you not to call me—"

Draco bolted up from his seat, made his way around the table, and grabbed Hermione by the wrist. Ignoring her protests, he yanked her up from her seat. Casting a swift look at the surprised and curious faces around the table, he gave an apologetic half-smile. "Please excuse us for a few minutes. My…girlfriend…isn't feeling good right now. Where is the bathroom?"

After getting directions from a smiling Grandma Chang, Draco dragged Hermione up the stairs and into the bathroom, locking the door behind them and murmuring a quick wandless Muffliato. He glared down at the confused girl who was sitting on the closed toilet lid.

"You nearly blew our cover."

"Malfoy, I told you to not give me any pet names. I don't want to hear words of endearment from you." She glared up at him, although in her current state, the glare wasn't as effective.

With a ragged sigh, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"But for some odd reason, my heart seems to like it…" she mused distractedly. "It speeds up, you see."

His eyes snapped open. Stunned into silence, he could only gape at her. Was this really happening?

"I don't like it when it speeds up though. It's not normal." She huffed. "And I don't like abnormality."

He let out a chuckle at that. It was good to know that she was still very much herself even when tipsy…although, she was saying some rather unsettling things. As he continued to stare at her, he couldn't help but notice that the color on her cheeks gave her a pretty glow. And periwinkle really was quite nice against her skin.

"My head feels weird." She sluggishly reached up and took out all of the pins holding her hair up in a bun.

He could only watch in strange fascination.

Hermione shook out her curly locks once they were free and released a satisfied sigh before her frown reappeared. "It didn't go away." She sounded very much like a lost child…and he thought that it was almost endearing. Merlin!

Draco took a shaky breath. He had a sudden inexplicable but inexcusable urge to run his fingers through her hair. Vigorously shaking his head, he collected his wits. He needed to be very wary of a drunken Granger in the future.

"Brightest witch of our age, my arse." He grumbled, drawing out his wand from the inside of his left sleeve.

Hermione was immediately on guard—or at least as on guard a tipsy witch was. "What do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" Her words were a bit slurred.

His breath caught when she struggled to hike up the hem of her qí páo to grab her wand, which was strapped to her inner left thigh. He quickly looked away and cleared his throat, involuntarily turning a light pink. He really did not need his lost mind to be in the gutter right now.

"I always keep my wand with me," she told him smugly, brandishing her wand like it was a trophy. "I'm ready when you are."

"Really, Granger? You can't even properly point your wand at me without wavering." Draco rolled his eyes, thankful for a distraction. "Now would you hold still? I'm going to cast a spell that will make you sober, and I need your cooperation."

"Are you insinuating that I'm drunk?" She angrily jabbed his chest with the point of her wand.

"I know that you're drunk." He placed a firm hand on her shoulder, and was disturbed at just how aware he was of her presence. "And we still have a situation downstairs, so do shut up and stop squirming because you're clearly not in the right mind to be able to fix yourself."

Hermione silently fumed. Even in a confused haze, she knew that he was right. But this was the second time he had told her to shut up. He would pay for this.

"I never signed up to become Granger's babysitter…" Draco mumbled to himself as he nonverbally cast the spell. He watched her blink a few times before drawling, "Are you lucid now?"

She blinked up at him. "You can do wandless and nonverbal magic." It wasn't a question—it was a demand for an answer.

"Can't everyone these days?" He gruffly slid his wand back into hiding.

"No. I was positive that Harry and I were the only ones in our year who even managed to do some wandless and nonverbal magic."

"Well, you're wrong then." It was immensely satisfying to be able to finally say those words to her. Knowing Granger, she probably wanted to ask him questions, but he wasn't in the mood to answer any of them. He turned away from her to open the door.

"I guess so…" she slowly conceded, blinking a few more times before standing up.

Draco pushed the door open just as Hermione let out a sudden squeak and pitched forward, grabbing onto him before she could hit the ground. He stared at the arms encircling his waist in shock. What just happened here? He looked up. Oh shit.

Blushing profusely, Hermione ducked her head. "Sorry, I lost my balance, and you were just conveniently there, so—"

"Well, aren't you two adorable!" The Ravenclaw exclaimed. Neither of them missed the underlying sarcasm.

Draco pulled Hermione to his side so that he could put an arm around her while her arms were still gripping onto him. This was the second time he had ever been this close to her in proximity (the first time being the embrace to dispel any suspicions Grandma Chang may have had before dinner), but this was his first time noticing that she was indeed a petite witch; he was a whole head taller than her. He found that he rather liked having her in his embrace. Other than it feeling natural, she was warm.

Draco cleared his throat. "We were just about to head downstairs."

Cho smiled. "Yes, well we're cleaning up downstairs. I was hoping that I could talk to Hermione."

He felt the witch tense ever so slightly. "Right, go ahead then. We're listening."

"Alone." Cho tilted her head to the side, her smile widening.

Hermione's arms around him tightened for a second before they dropped back down to her sides. She looked up at him, her eyes burning with their usual determination. "Why don't you go help clean up?"

Me? Clean up? Are you still drunk?

His lips curled into a sneer, and he voiced his thoughts.

But she just continued to grin. "Don't worry, dear, I'll be downstairs with you soon; you won't even have enough time to miss me!" Hermione reassured cheekily. Before he could say anything in retaliation, she bounced up on her tip-toes and planted a noisy kiss on his cheek.

He couldn't keep his jaw from dropping open. Nor could he keep his hand from reaching up to touch the red lip-stick imprint that he knew was there. And did she just refer to him as "dear"?

She looked at him expectantly, nodding towards the staircase. He had clearly just been kissed and dismissed.

Trying to pull himself together, Draco took a few unsteady steps before halting and glancing at Hermione over his shoulder, his initial shock still visible on his face. "If you uh, need me or something, you know where to, uh, find me." He said lamely.

Hermione giggled like a girl in love. If he hadn't been the one to perform the sobering spell on her, he would've been sure that she was still drunk.

More amused than she probably should be, Hermione watched his retreating figure blindly go down the stairs, laughing when she heard him uncharacteristically bump into the wall and loudly curse. Perhaps I should mess with him more often. His reaction had been priceless!

Ignoring her unusually fast heartbeat, she directed her attention towards the observer, who was staring at her with an unfathomable expression.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Cho?" Hermione asked, confused as to what the girl before her could possibly want from her but mentally preparing herself all the same. It was time to accomplish what she was here for.

Cho's demeanor abruptly changed, and a pleasant smile was once again on her face. She indicated towards the door that lead to the room where she kept all of her qí páos. "Shall we?"

Spoilers for the next chapter: A confrontation, the meaning of the idiom "crouching tiger, hidden dragon," and ice cream!

Now for a question. Who do you want Cho to end up with, if she does end up with someone? We all know that this is a Dramione, but I'm open to including other pairings that you guys suggest! ~Claudi Skies