Hermione and Ginny were having lunch. Ginny was always trying to persuade Hermione to take a couple of hours out of her hectic life but rarely did Hermione agree. So this was a treat and Ginny was beaming. Hermione, who had even less time than normal at the moment, wasn't quite sure why she had agreed as she had a million things she should be doing but here she was and she was actually enjoying herself.

The latest news was that Eddie had asked Ginny out but Ginny was saying she wasn't sure. She said that they were dancing partners but they didn't have an awful lot more in common and Ginny didn't want to complicate their dancing partnership. Hermione narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"That all sounds very upstanding and moral but what you actually mean is he isn't quite good looking or charming enough," she teased. Ginny had very specific requirements when it came to men and she had many offers so she could afford to be picky.

"No I don't! Just how superficial do you think I am?" Ginny protested, but her eyes were twinkling. "Eddie is a great person, I really like him."

"But he's not quite good looking or charming enough..." Hermione repeated with a grin and Ginny rolled her eyes. "He's too nice for you, actually," Hermione said. "You like them a bit mean don't you? I never can understand why you go for the bad boy type."

"I don't!"

"Sebastian? Nathan?" Hermione started quoting Ginny's ex boyfriend's names. "And what about that last one...the one with the scar..."

"Joey...and it was a birth mark."

"Whatever," Hermione waved her hand, dismissively. "There's a theme and Eddie doesn't fit."

"You make me sound awful!" Ginny said. "I might just say yes to Eddie to prove you wrong."

"And then break his heart when you dump him?" Hermione asked. She touched Ginny's arm affectionately. "I'm only joking but I would like to find you a man who is nice and sweet but who has just enough backbone to stand up to you and keep you in check."

"You make it sound like dog training!" Ginny grinned. "Maybe you should sort your own love life out before you start on mine." She leant closer. "Speaking of which, how is that very sexy dance partner of yours?"

"I hope you're being sarcastic."

"Well, sort of. I know he's an arrogant twit but I haven't been able to help but notice that he has got ridiculously handsome. Merlin! Those hips when he's dancing..."

Hermione laughed at her friend's graphic description. "You're incorrigible! Believe me the chances of Draco Malfoy and I being anything other than dance partners is zero. In fact, its touch and go most of the time if we can even manage to be that!"

"I thought it was going well?"

"I suppose the dancing part is – we can dance together. It's just the personal part, I'm sure I don't need to explain to you how irritating he is – sometimes I really dislike him."

"They do say that hate is akin to love..." Ginny teased then she stopped when she saw the look on Hermione's face. "Ooh! What have I said? What does that look mean? Sometimes you hate him but sometimes?" She put words into Hermione's mouth but Hermione shook her head. She didn't realize her expression had been so obvious. Now she knew Ginny wouldn't drop it.

"Don't start looking for things that aren't there. It's just that every now and again he surprises me."

Ginny sat forward eagerly. "How do you mean?"

"Well, we had a big row yesterday. He moaned that I wasn't learning this really difficult move quickly enough – I elbowed him in the ribs, accidently. Anyway, as usual it escalated into us both throwing insults and Esme gave us a telling off. And then, when she'd gone, he just came over and offered me his hand and then he started going through the dance again and I just let him lead me..."

"Woah! The two of you dancing, without Esme, without music?" Ginny was shuffling on her seat in her eagerness to get the story. "That doesn't sound too awful to me."

"No, it wasn't awful. That's what I mean about him being different sometimes. We went through the routine and I did it perfectly. Then he tells me that I should ignore him sometimes and that his bark is worse than his bite..."

"Wow! How did you not think that this wasn't worth telling me immediately?" Ginny demanded. "This is the Draco Malfoy we're talking about! This is big news."

"Don't get too excited – he can change back just as quickly and he will do."

"What's it like dancing with him, Hermione? I mean being so close to him and you have to get pretty intimate don't you?"

"I told you he's a good dancer."

"I don't mean his dancing. I mean being close to him."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You really have got it bad for him, haven't you? Shall I try and get you two paired up? He could definitely stand up to you."

"No! He just fascinates me." Ginny narrowed her eyes. "He is The Jumper remember? So what was all that about that night on the bridge? Anyway, remember how attracted you were to him, when you didn't know it was Malfoy."

"I wasn't attracted to him! I was trying to stop him throwing himself off a bridge!"

"You were smitten; it was all you talked about for weeks," Ginny grinned.

"That's not true and if I'd know who The Jumper was I wouldn't have wasted my time worrying about him," Hermione said.

"Have you asked him about it?"

"No. He doesn't know that I know it was him," Hermione said then giggled at Ginny's puzzled look. "You know what I mean – he doesn't know that I recognized his voice."

"It's romantic," Ginny said and Hermione groaned.

"Throwing yourself off a bridge isn't romantic!"

"Being rescued is!" Ginny's eyes suddenly opened wide and she grabbed Hermione's arm. "Merlin!" Hermione turned to look behind her but Ginny squeezed her arm. "No! Don't look round."

"What? Why not?" Hermione was still half turning.

"It's him! Malfoy – he's coming in here now!" Hermione sneaked a look and sure enough, there he was coming in by the counter. He was with someone who had his back to them but he was tall and dark and he looked vaguely familiar to Hermione. She wondered if it was someone from dancing. Ginny's grip on her arm increased. "What are we going to do? They're coming over..." She glanced at the vacant table that was next to their own. "They're going to sit there! What are we going to do?"

Hermione frowned at her friends over reaction. "Say hello?" she suggested and she saw Ginny gulp. "You see him almost every day at dancing why are you acting like this?"

"Because I don't actually speak to him! It's alright for you; you're used to him and look who he's with!" Ginny said, her eyes dancing around.

"Who is it? I thought he looked familiar." Hermione turned again but Ginny hissed at her to turn back.

"Zabini. Blaise Zabini," Ginny whispered. "Who just happens to have grown up tall, dark and bloody handsome!"

Hermione smirked at the way Ginny made these attributes sound like bad things but as the boys sat down she glanced over and had to agree. Blaise Zabini was tall with beautiful, flawless dark skin and twinkling eyes which he now turned on her and caught her staring. He gave her a grin showing her some perfect, white teeth and Hermione couldn't help but smile back.

"Granger." Blaise acknowledged her and Draco, who wasn't facing the girls and obviously hadn't seen them turned around in surprise.

"Zabini." Hermione nodded at him and she felt Ginny kick her under the table to be introduced. "You remember Ginny Weasley – Ron's sister?"

"Hey, yeh. Draco mentioned she was dancing as well," Blaise turned his attention to Ginny who blushed and smiled. Hermione raised her eyes to the ceiling – why did she have to be so obvious? As always it seemed to be working because Blaise was all smiles as he said hello to Ginny. Hermione's eyes moved to Draco who was half turned towards her and he was pulling at face at his friend's obvious attention to Ginny.

"Maybe we should find another table..." Draco said to Blaise and Hermione glared at him. Why did he have to be so rude!

"No, this one is perfect," Blaise answered with a grin at Ginny.

"Move if you like!" Hermione snapped and Ginny kicked her again. "If sitting this close is that painful for you!"

Draco turned properly to her. "I meant, you might be enjoying your lunch and the last thing you want is your dance partner sitting a foot away."

"Oh." Hermione said, not sure how to respond and feeling a little guilty for presuming.

"What does 'oh' mean? Do you want us to move or not?" Draco demanded but before Hermione could answer Blaise leant over and grabbed the leg of the girls table and pulled it towards his and Draco's.

"No, they don't. I think we should all sit together – a bit of female company would make for a pleasant lunch," Blaise grinned at them all, ignoring the look of horror on Hermione's face.

"No...I mean...we were..." she stuttered but Ginny just shuffled her chair along until it was next to Blaise's and grabbed a menu. This left Hermione with no choice but to do the same, moving her chair along until she was next to Draco. He hadn't turned to look at her and she guessed he was as enthusiastic about this impromptu lunch date as she was. Ginny put her menu down with a flourish.

"I'll have the prawn salad," she tapped her perfectly flat stomach. "I like to watch my figure."

Blaise wriggled his eyebrows. "I'm sure you're not the only one watching it," he said and Ginny grinned at him.

"If you two could manage to keep control of your hormones until we've eaten, that'd be good," Draco said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Any more of that and I'll lose my appetite."

"You haven't got a romantic bone in your body, Malfoy!" Blaise said but not aggressively. "Has he, Granger?"

Hermione sat back and shook her head violently. "How would I know?"

"Well, you two are obviously getting intimate together..."

"It's a dance!" Hermione interrupted him. "We're just dancing!" She turned when she heard Draco chuckle and she stared at him in astonishment. She then turned back to Blaise who was also chuckling and she realized he'd been teasing her. She pulled a face at him. "Very funny."

They ordered their meals and Hermione bit her lip nervously. Despite spending many hours with Draco, rehearsing, this felt awkward. Blaise and Ginny were flirting outrageously and that made it even worse.

"Were you going straight to our lesson from here?" Draco's voice broke into her thoughts and she took a moment to answer, slightly surprised that he was initiating a conversation.

"Err...yes..." Hermione mumbled.

"Err yes?" Draco repeated her hesitant phrasing. "Is that the same as just a plain, old yes?"

"Yes, it's a yes! Why?" Hermione asked, sounding defensive.

"It was just a question, Granger, don't have an aneurysm!"

"Why do you have to be like that?" Hermione sighed loudly. "Every conversation with you is a battle!"

"I was going to suggest we walk back there together...these two obviously wish we weren't here..." he nodded his head at Blaise and Ginny who were sitting close together, turned to each other and chatting.

"Glad to see you're enjoying our lunch together so much!" Hermione said across the table to Ginny who turned to her.

"Yeh...sorry," Ginny answered but she didn't look sorry, she was grinning her head off. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to Draco who was looking at her. His eyes were their usual shade of grey and again they were warm, soft and mesmerising. She wished they weren't so beautiful. Beautiful! Hermione shook her head in astonishment. Had she just thought that Draco Malfoy's eyes were beautiful!

Their meals arrived and Blaise entertained them while they ate. Entertained was the right word because he was confident and exuberant and he made them all laugh.

"So have you two stayed friends since school then?"Ginny asked.

Blaise looked over at Draco. "Yes we have. He can't manage without me."

Draco gave Blaise a derisive look. "I think you'll find I can manage without you."

"He won't admit it," Blaise continued as if Draco wasn't actually there. "But he's very reliant on me – especially when he needs advice about women and stuff." Hermione and Ginny burst out laughing and Blaise chuckled. Hermione suddenly realized that she was laughing at the expense of her very sensitive and highly strung dance partner and she glanced at him expecting to see a glare. To her surprise he was grinning at his friend across the table.

"Zabini, both Hermione and Ginny are laughing so that must tell you what a ridiculous idea that is!" Draco put his head to one side. Hermione was still staring at him, partly because he seemed relaxed and easy going and now because he'd just referred to herself and Ginny using their first names.

"Well, you've definitely lost your edge if you ask me," Blaise retaliated. He pointed at Hermione across the table. "How can you be dancing that seductive dance with Hermione, now she's all grown up and gorgeous and not be trying to be partners with her in an entirely different way?"

Hermione blushed deep red and stared down at the table cloth. She was embarrassed by Blaise's compliment and mortified by his suggestion that Draco should be lusting after her. She didn't dare look over at Draco and she waited for his response with dread. He seemed to take teasing from Blaise in good humour but she knew he wouldn't like this suggestion.

"You've embarrassed her," Draco's voice said and Hermione couldn't help but sneak a little look at him. To her utter surprise he was smiling – a cheeky and utterly sexy little smirk. Hermione felt her cheeks grow even hotter and then she almost stopped breathing when she felt Draco's hand reach over and take her own, just for a split second. "Ignore him, Grang...Hermione. He's just jealous because he dances like an oaf so he can't come along and dance with either of you."

Hermione wanted to pinch herself but now she was totally convinced she was dreaming. Draco Malfoy was taking his friends teasing about them in perfectly good humour, he was then sticking up for her and calling her by her first name and last, but by no means least, he had squeezed her hand! When she did finally look up it was to be greeted by Ginny's grinning face across the table. Ginny then nodded her head towards Draco before raising her eyebrows and wriggling them leaving Hermione in no doubt what she meant.

Just how sexy is Draco! I'm writing him and I find him sexy! He only has to bend a little bit from his most uptight self and it makes him so attractive. Anyway, I'll try to control myself and concentrate on the story line...x