Thank you:

Lala-rainbowlight: In reply to your chapter 8 review-Haha,I like Daphne too! And thanks! In reply to your chapter 9 review, you may be on to something... or are you?

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Guest: Aw, thanks! And don't worry, it wasn't pointless!

Guest: Well, here's the update!

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Yes, I am JK Rowling and I own Harry Potter. Now, if you believed that, I'm sure someone could direct you to the nearest hospital to get your head checked…

"Drake, are you listening?" asked Theo, waving a hand in front of Draco's face.

Draco scowled, refocusing on the Head's common room and pushing Theo's hands away. "Sure."

"You gonna take Hermione to the Yule Ball?" he asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "No, I'm taking Daphne."

Something flashed through Theo's eyes. Jealousy. "You are?"

"No, you nitwit, of course he's taking Hermione!" said Pansy, smacking Theo.

Theo rubbed his arm. "What is it with women and violence these days?"

Blaise snorted. "If you weren't so gullible, they wouldn't need to be violent."

"Who are you taking, Theo?" asked Pansy, sensing a fight.

Theo grinned. "No clue. I told you, I'm staying as a bachelor."

Draco, Blaise, and Pansy all snorted simultaneously.

Theo frowned. "You didn't do that before. What changed?"

"Drop the act, Theo. We all know you've fallen in love with the Ice Queen," said Pansy, crossing her arms.

"Ice Queen?" asked Theo, looking thoroughly confused.

"Daphne Greengrass," huffed Pansy. "You know? The unpredictable one?"

"Oh!" said Theo.

Theo was just as much of a Slytherin as the rest of them.

"So, do you?" asked Draco.

Theo sighed. "She's just different," he conceded, quite quickly in Draco's opinion.

"Mate, I totally know how you feel," said Blaise. "At least you didn't have the misfortune of falling in love with one of those noble Gryffindors. Not to mention one of the most fiery ones."

"We're sounding like a bunch of Hufflepuffs," growled Draco. "Discussing feelings and the like."

Then what Blaise said registered in his mind, and he almost fell over the chair. "You love Ginny Weasley?!" he nearly shouted.

Blaise shrugged. "That's old news, Drake. Where have you been?"

Draco scowled, crossing his arms after regaining his composure. He still couldn't figure out what he did that made Blaise think he was allowed to make fun of him. He was a Malfoy, for Merlin's sake.

"Seriously though, Theo, you'd better ask her out soon. Before someone else does," said Blaise.

"Like Pucey," said Pansy, shuddering. "He's so creepy. Asked me out the other day, looked pissed when I said no."

"He's an asshole," said Blaise in disgust. "Saw him trying to flirt with Ginny yesterday."

"Who are you going with, Pansy?" asked Draco, changing the subject.

Pansy shrugged. "Currently, no one."

Blaise snickered. "Because she's waiting for a certain redhead to ask her, and everyone knows it."

Pansy blushed. "Shut it, Blaise."

"I probably should ask her soon," said Theo thoughtfully.

"Did you just get that?" asked Pansy. "You're fifty years behind the conversation!"

"Hey!" Theo protested.

The portrait swung open, and Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry walked in.

"Well," said Blaise, "Let me show you how it's done, Theo." He got up, walked to Ginny, and asked, "Ginny, will you go to the ball with me?"

She laughed. "Of course, Blaise."

Blaise turned back to Theo. "See? It's that simple."

"Oh, so I just ask?" asked Theo, clueless as ever.

Draco smirked. "Weasley, why don't you demonstrate?"

Weasley shot him a glare. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"Comeback of the century," he mocked. Taunting him was just too hard to resist.

Hermione shot him a glare. OK, maybe I have to resist. He was so whipped.

However, he was not the only one who wanted Weasley to demonstrate. Potter nudged him. "Ron, go demonstrate."

"Oh, come on!" he complained. "Why is the world always against me?"

"Just go with it, mate," said Blaise, grinning.

Weasley groaned. He turned to Pansy. "Will you go to the ball with me?" he asked, the tips of his ears red.

Pansy nodded, blushing.

Draco smirked again. "Funny how you asked Pansy and not anyone else."

Hermione smacked him. "That's enough, Draco."

"What is it with you and smacking people?" he all but whined, rubbing his arm.

"I know, right?" Harry, Ron, and Blaise said simultaneously.

"That was creepy," commented Ginny.

There was a knock on the portrait.

Hermione walked over to open it.

Luna Lovegood stood on the other side. "Hello, Hermione."

"Hey, Luna," she replied. "How did you know where the common room was?"

"I followed the wrackspurts," she replied dreamily.

"Oh… okay," said Hermione, looking flustered. "Do you want to come in?"

Blaise grinned. "This is like 'ask someone to the Yule Ball day,'" he said, shooting a look at Potter. "Coincidence that Lovegood came in, am I right?"

"Ha ha, Blaise," said Potter sarcastically. "Very funny." He crossed his arms.

"I know," said Blaise. "That's why I said it."

Ginny put her hands on her hips. "Behave."

"Better listen to her. Almost as scary as mum gets when she's mad," Weasley mumbled.

Hermione nudged Potter. "Go on, Harry."

"Come on, Potter," drawled Draco. "Not scared, are you?"

Flushing, Potter stood up and awkwardly went over to Lovegood.

"Hello Harry," she said airily.

"Luna. I was wondering if you'd like to… accompany me… to the ball," he said, blushing. Draco rolled his eyes. The Boy Who Lived was scared of asking a girl to the Yule Ball.

"Of course, Harry. That's why I came. The Blibbering Humdingers gave me the feeling you had something important to tell me," she explained. Blaise snorted. Potter glared at him. Blaise lifted his arms in mock surrender.

"Why am I always the last one?" asked Theo.

"Because you're Theo," said Weasley.

"That makes no sense," Theo informed him.

"I know," Weasley replied.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

Lovegood blinked, oblivious to the awkward silence that had settled across the group.

Draco took the opportunity to kiss Hermione. She let out a squeak of surprise, and he forced open her mouth, but before they could kiss any more, Blaise pulled Hermione away. "Can't you two control yourselves?" he groaned, not for the first time. "Honestly, at least Ginny and I keep what we do to the bedroom," he said, smirking at a blushing Little Weasley.

Weasley's face turned red. Pansy quickly put a placating hand on Weasley's arm. "Calm down," she muttered. Surprisingly enough, he complied. Draco smirked. Interesting.

"We'd better go," said Potter, standing up. "Or we'll get caught by Filch."

Weasley muttered his agreement.

Draco sighed internally. If only he was Head Boy. He could only imagine what he'd do to Hermione every night…

As if sensing what he was thinking, Hermione reached up and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. It was sweet, but a little too short for his liking.

"See you tomorrow," she said in her soft angelic voice.

"Love you," he mumbled before he could stop himself. His eyes widened, horrified, and he saw Hermione's shocked expression. He'd almost never said those words in his head, much less aloud, and she didn't even return the feeling! Before she could say anything, he was out the door, making his way to the Slytherin dorms. How could I have been so careless? I've probably scared her away, he thought. He didn't want to face her tomorrow.

He's finally admitted it! To Hermione! Yay! However, I have a lot more to add to this story. There's probably going to be at least 10-15 more chapters. Again, I would tell you what will happen if I could… I mean, I can, but… ugh. You know what I mean.

I'm going to be at an overnight camp for a week, so I won't be able to update until, like, the 16th. Because they don't allow electronics there. Sigh. Maybe I should smuggle my computer there.