Sorry I took so long to update! The first full week at school, and I kept on forgetting to buy pads and stuff... it sucked. But here's another chapter, and thanks to all who reviewed! :D 65 reviews!

HERMIONE

After reflection, the past few months have been quite normal.

Who am I kidding, normal?

Harry had to do the second task, which involved me being a hostage… Rita Skeeter tried to ruin my life because I stood up to her about what she did to Hagrid. She got at least one boy right, but honestly, who would think I would have more than friendly, maybe even brotherly feelings towards Harry? Granted, the few photos of me and Harry hugging, he holding my hand, were a bit … incriminating, but nothing more. Colin admitted that they had gone missing (didn't he have anything better to take photos of?) and the next day it had appeared in the papers. Mrs Weasley hates me because she thinks that I dumped Harry for Krum, along with the rest of the world. Ron won't say another word about what happened between, and was delighted when he got kissed by Fleur. Viktor asked me to Bulgaria over the summer, and I suppose Ron is a bit curious. The Third Task is tomorrow, and Ron and I have been helping Harry learn new spells…

And Malfoy…

Malfoy.

Malfoy's being Malfoy.

Incriminatingly frustrating! He isn't being mean, which is curious. He's smiling at me, in his own smirky sort of way, and waving at me. I try my best to ignore it, but Ginny – and Harry – are convinced that it's flirting. Ron is as naïve as ever, but…

I mean, honestly! Really? Who would expect me to be flirted with by Draco Malfoy?

Then again, who would expect me to be kissed by Draco Malfoy.

He likes me.

Shudder.

Actually, it's strange for me to find anything surprising these days.

"'Mione – Harry reckons we can give it another go. But it's your turn to get stunned," he added hastily.

I moaned a bit. "Why can't you just fall on the pillows?"

"Because it's awfully hard when you're knocked out!" he repeated, annoyed.

I huffed and scowled at him.

"Harry," I said as we went back into the classroom. "I think it's time to work on the Jelly-Legs Jinx."

I casted a sideways glance at Ron, who was scowling at me.

Harry laughed and agreed.

Ron scowled at him.

oOo

DRACO

Ah… the past few months have been amusing at the very least.

It was nice to see Scum get pissed off over the supposed 'relationship' that Potter and Granger supposedly had. I wasn't bothered because I planted it.

Why?

I was bored.

OK, Blaise made me want to do it.

He wouldn't leave me alone.

But I still flirt with Granger in his face.

He gets all red…

I truly wonder if he's gay, sometimes.

But, whatever.

Oh, flirt, you ask?

Yes. I've been flirting.

Who cares? It's pretty harmless.

Yes. Harm-less. It does no harm. Strange, maybe?

OK, so I do it in front of the Weaslette too.

Why, you ask?

Because, I heard her tell Granger that I liked her. Granger, I mean.

I just want to plant that seed of doubt in her. And I think that it's working. She seems nervous if she's ever around me, and I'm a good guesser at what people are thinking.

Why would I want to plant that seed of doubt in her? That little voice inside of her head, saying 'he likes you'?

Because, I have come to the conclusion that I might.

Might.

And that's enough for me to flirt, pretty much.

oOo

HERMIONE

"Hey Hermione."

I actually screamed.

"Ginny!" I scolded. "How did you get in here?"

"Lavender let me in," she said simply, getting up from my bed, holding my bag, looking through.

"What are you-?"

"She's upset. You don't speak in your sleep anymore," she said, still looking through my bag.

"Oh… I don't." I didn't. I didn't need my loud mouth spilling out my secrets to Lavender Brown without me knowing about it, so naturally, I went to Madam Pomfrey for a sleeping draught. I haven't had any more dreams, either. "That's why she's so upset," I said, realizing. "How silly. I doubt I'll be getting any sleep tonight anyways." She nodded, but didn't look up from the inside of my satchel. That was annoying. I tried to snatch it back, but she turned around. "What are you doing with my bag?" This time it was a demand.

"Chill," she said.

"Chill?" I asked, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"Oh," she said, turning around. "I was looking for another one of… this."

I frowned to see what was on the piece of paper she was holding up in front of me, and gasped. She flicked it in front of her before I even had time to think about snatching it back.

"Who's Wings? And I so hope Freckles isn't one of my brothers."

I just gaped at her.

"Um… no?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were so confused? I thought we were friends."

"We are. I'm not confused. It's for… school. It's school stuff."

Oh, come on, Hermione, you can do better than that.

"Really? School? What does this have to do with anything school related?"

I sighed. "Nothing, OK?" I did that months ago-"

"Who's beautiful?" she asked. I gaped some more, opening and shutting my mouth. She smiled and rolled her eyes. "You've got it so bad!" she teased.

"What? There are two other people on that list," I said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but Silver is beautiful and you have loads of issues. That's just you trying to ignore the deeps feelings-"

"There are no deep feelings!" I snatched it away from her.

"D'you want to talk about it?" she asked.

I made an indignant noise. "No," I said obviously. She frowned at me. "Yes," I moaned.

She grinned and we went to sit on my bed.

"Are we going to learn the names of the mystery guys?" she asked

She was actually giving me that option? "Maybe," I said in an unsure voice.

"Maybe," she repeated carefully, and then hummed.

"What are you humming?" I demanded.

"Not important," she answered shortly. "So… Wings. Lives far away?" I winced. "I think it's safe for me to assume that it's Krum," she said matter-of-factly. That was my thing! "But I'm not saying that it is," she added quickly, seeing my angered expression. "What I don't understand… is the problem." She frowned down at the paper in my hand and I hid it behind my back.

"Well, that's nice for you," I said, because I couldn't really think to say anything else.

She stared at me. "Freckles isn't-"

"Blank! It's blank!" I said quickly.

"O-Kaaaay," she said, frowning at me, but obviously decided that she was better off not knowing.

"So, Silver…"

"SHH!"

She looked hurt. "No! I let you get away with Freckles, but-"

"No, shh someone's coming!" I hissed.

"Ginny! You're still in here? It's really late – Oh. Hello, Hermione."

I rolled my eyes. "Hi, Lavender."

She nodded and went to her bed, looking at Pavarti, and they whispered.

I sighed and looked at Ginny. "We're going to have to pick this up another day," I said.

"That other day should be tomorrow," Ginny said sharply.

"Sure, whatever," I said dismissively, and accompanied her to the door, scrunching up the piece of paper, intending on throwing it away.

"Hermione Granger just said whatever," Ginny said thoughtfully.

"Whatever." I clamped my hands over my mouth. "Oh," I said quietly. She laughed and left. I went back to bed, trying my best to ignore Lavender and Pavarti's stares and whispering.

I sighed and decided that I was going to have to live with it, before I took the little bottle of sleeping draught out of my bedside draw and took another sip. There. That should do it. I don't care how hurt Lavender is.

oOo

DRACO

"Ah, the school year is nearly over…" Blaise said.

I snorted. "And?"

"Time to do things we've been holding back the whole year."

I aimed a frown in his direction, but it was dark, and I was in bed, and I didn't want to have to get up, lumos up, and go all the way to his bed to scowl at him. Obviously.

Why am I exaggerating? It's not to distract myself from what he had said.

"I'm not even going to ask you what you're talking about because it'll be a waste of time," I said slowly.

"O-K," he said, and I heard him roll over to go to sleep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The Dark Lord is back.

Yeah, I'm annoyed. That's what father has been going on about. Well, he could have told me, or something. Am I to be kept completely in the dark? No. Oh well. I wonder what it's going to be like. I haven't seen a thing in the papers. Isn't that strange?

"We'll have to get ready for one of the old man's speeches," Blaise told me as we made our way down to breakfast. I nodded, not really listening. What was coming towards me right now seemed way more frightening than the prospect of Dumbledore speaking about good and evil.

"Malfoy," Granger said, "We need to talk."

I gave Blaise a confused look, but he just blinked at her.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped at Blaise.

"You're ugly face," he sneered. How nice of him. She scowled at him and grabbed me by the arm.

"Get off of me!" I demanded.

"No," she said sternly. She took me into a classroom and I looked after Blaise, doing my best to look confused and disgusted and not happy. Happy? I don't know. That's how I felt. But it had nothing to do with her touching my arm – OK, it had everything to do with that! Sheesh.

"What do you want?" I asked, using my best sneering voice.

She looked around the classroom as if she expected someone to be there. I frowned.

"I want to make a few things clear," she said once she seemed sure that it was safe.

"OK?" I said.

"I don't like you," she said simply. She may have well stabbed me. Ouch. "I mean, I really don't like you," she said, laughing a bit. "But I don't know what's going on with you," she waved her hands in front of me and I stared at them, confused. "And everyone seems to think that you like me, and that I like you-"

"That's ridiculous!" I said at once. "And disgusting."

She frowned at me.

"That's what I thought. Yet last year, you kissed me," she said cautiously. I squirmed uncomfortably.

"That wasn't my fault," I said sternly, not knowing what else to say.

"Whatever, the point is, no. OK?" I opened my mouth to argue, but she stopped me. "I don't care if you like me or not, just stay clear, OK. Ginny's doing my head in, Harry thinks I'm mentally ill, which I don't argue-"

"Why on Earth would you tell him?" I asked, panicking.

"Why wouldn't I? He's my best friend! Though I suppose you wouldn't understand what that meant-"

"That was a low blow, Granger," I snarled, stepping up to her. She held her ground, and stared at me spitefully.

"I don't care," she snarled back slowly.

"Why not?" I asked, stepping back, probably not looking scary anymore. I didn't care. I was actually curious.

"Why not what?" she asked, confused.

"Why not. Why no."

She blinked.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Hypothetically speaking, of course," I lied. "I want to know that, if I'm desired by all the girls in the school," she snorted, I ignored it, "where have I gone wrong with this one?" I pointed at her.

"Honestly?" she laughed. "I'm afraid any girl who's looked at you twice has very low self esteem," she said.

"Ouch."

She frowned. "When did the insults turn into conversations?" she asked quietly, challenging my answer.

"What? I can leave now, you know."

"So why don't you?" she asked. And then her eyes widened and she let out a little gasp.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

She didn't answer that question, but she started a new sentence.

"Malfoy," she said carefully. "This is too strange." I frowned more and my upper lip lifted at the side into a snarl of confusion. "He's back," she said suddenly.

I laughed. "Said who?"

"Oh, don't pretend that you don't know," she snapped. "I bet that your father is having a jolly old time with the old gang," she said, annoyed. Before I could snap back a response, "Harry was almost killed!" she cried quickly in anger. "Which I suppose that you don't care about, but I do! Cedric was killed!" her voice shook and faltered. "It's too much, Malfoy!" she said at my impassive expression. "The time will come to choose sides, and you'll choose the wrong one!"

"Wha-"

"Shut up!" she snapped, and stomped out of the classroom.

"O-kay…" I said to myself.

That had been strange.

And it had hurt. I sat down on one of the chairs, and cursed myself for feeling this way. It was ridiculous. And painful.

I stared hard at the floor, as if had done something to me. I would have kicked it, if I hadn't remembered how painful and counterproductive that was.

oOo

HERMIONE

I truly am mentally ill!

But Ginny, Harry, Fred, George… they're all right! About him, anyways!

But Ginny couldn't be right about me.

Why had I approached Malfoy? Because I was tired. I was sick and tired of him.

And all I had found out was that it was true. It had just been so obvious! I must be really stupid not to have noticed it before! And now, everything was different.

Which, quite frankly, sucked. Pardon my French.

Voldemort, was back. This changed everything.

Even if I wanted to (which I don't) I couldn't be with him. So there.

But I will think about him. All the time. Until I come to a rational, level-headed explanation for everything.

Next up, year five! Oh, and what I have in mind is... it's gonna be great :D So be patient, my little reader friends (Oh, that looks so much more creepy when I type it)

I'll try and update as soon as possible, it's the weekend! :D

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