I wish I was J.K :)

"So, Hermione, who are you cheering for?" asked Ron as he eyed her neutral outfit consisting of the Hogwarts crest jumper.

"No team in particular as you can tell by my lack of color," replied Hermione as she took a bite of her toast while looking at Ron's exuberant yellow outfit, he was clearly showing everyone that he disliked Slytherin. Everywhere she looked people were either wearing green or yellow. The Slytherins and Hufflepuffs obviously wore green and yellow respectively while most of the Gryffindors also wore yellow. Ravenclaw was the house that sided with Slytherin more often than not so it wasn't a surprise to anyone to see more than half their table wearing some kind of green. Also, if Slytherin beat Hufflepuff than they would move up to second with Ravenclaw moving to third while Hufflepuff dropped to last place. At least this wasn't a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match; the day would be much more brutal.

Hermione looked over to the Slytherin table where she saw Draco ordering his teammates to eat something. Blaise seemed to be the only one eating, he was shoveling the food into his mouth, at least he had something in common with Ron - not that she'd ever tell either of them that. With forty-five minutes remaining until the match was to commence, the two teams started to make their way down to the quidditch pitch, no doubt going over some last minute strategies to beat the other team. There was a lot riding on this, as long as Slytherin won and neither they, nor Gryffindor lost an upcoming match, then they'd be playing each other in the final for the Quidditch Cup.

She polished off her slice of toast and looked around at her friends; Harry was chatting with Neville while Ginny waved her wand about lazily in her hand. That left Ron who was still pigging out.

"Okay, Ron, I think you're done eating, get up you guys," she commanded. Harry nodded to Neville before getting up; he would be going down to the match with the other Gryffindors. Ginny grinned and stood up, she was always excited to watch a Quidditch match, especially this one since Blaise would be playing.

"Hermione! I'm not done eating yet!" said Ron as he swallowed and forking some more food into his mouth. Hermione muttered a quick Evanesco vanishing all of Ron's food.

"Well, now you are, get up," grinned Hermione as she started to walk down the aisle with Ron following while grumbling about her to Harry and Ginny. It was a surprisingly good day for November. The sky was clear and the sun was out, there was only a slight chill in the air. They had left the Great Hall before most of the other students so hopefully they'd be able to get some good seats to watch the game. In fact, as they entered the stadium they would be getting some really good seats. They plucked themselves down right in the middle of the first row of the stands so that they could see both sides of the pitch clearly. The foursome just sat there waiting for the game to start, finally Ron broke the silence.

"Think Snape has ever dated someone?" The other three just stared at him.

"Why, Ron? You interested?" asked a cheeky Ginny.

"WHAT! NO! EW! GROSS! GINNY!" shuddered Ron.

"I don't know, Harry, it does seem like he's trying to cover up a crush doesn't it?" Hermione turned to Harry.

"It sure does, never took Snape as Ron's type though,"

"Well, I'm sure Ron's his type, he's got the red hair, all he needs is green eyes!" chortled Ginny. All but Ron burst into laughter; he on the other hand was glaring at his best mates and sister.

"That is not funny guys, you're all disgusting, and you know I like Pansy!"

"Relax mate, just a little teasing," chuckled Harry, they were all finding this amusing. They started to entertain each other with details of how Ron and Snape's first date would go.

"And then Ron will go, Oh Sevvy, why don't we go for a swim?"

"Ha-ha! And he'll reply, that's absurd! I am not going to risk washing my hair!" They all burst into laughter, Ron still failed to find any humor in this situation, luckily they couldn't continue with their teasing since the students were finally making their way to their seats. Finally, everyone was seated and the teams made their way onto the pitch.

"Here comes the Hufflepuff team, hope they fixed that problem they were having with the nargles," said a dreamy voice, echoing over the grounds. The four looked up at the commentary box and noticed Luna sitting with an uncomfortable looking McGonagall sitting next to her. They all smiled, Harry beamed at the sight of her while the others smiled because they knew they would at least be provided with amusing commentary with Luna being the commentator.

"Summerby, Fleet, Smith, Applebee, Rickett, Cadwallader and Captain O'Flaherty are all looking nice and ready to play a nice little game of Quidditch. Wonder if Smith will be able to concentrate on the match, I heard his girlfriend bro-" She was cut off by McGonagall who covered the mike and practically yelled for Luna to focus on the match.

"Well, that's not important, oh look! Here comes the Slytherin team, Crabbe and Goyle are looking rather scary today, oh well, maybe they are just nervous, Vaisey, Warrington and Zabini are looking good to go, they seem confident that they'll kick a lot of goals." People laughed at her incorrect term of the word,"Bletchley looks a little sick, that doesn't bode well for them, maybe Hufflepuff will be able to score a lot on them. Oh, and here is the Captain Malfoy! Wasn't that just absolutely adorable the way he apologized to Hermione? Maybe there was a wrackspurt in his brain." Laughter rolled through the stands, Hermione blushed red as people turned to stare at her, they were still talking about it and she guessed that they would be taking about it for a while. After all, it wasn't everyday that a Malfoy apologized, least of all to a Muggle-Born. She settled into her chair and prepared to watch the match, and then they were off…

Draco flew around the pitch a little; he relished the feel of the cool wind in his hair, on his face breezing past him as he flew. He saw Blaise shoot an excellent goal with his foot giving them ten points. They were in the lead and he looked over at Hermione who was standing on her feet cheering. He smiled a little, she was actually cheering for Slytherin, what a turn in events this was. The match was pretty boring for him. Thirty minutes in and still there was no sign of the Snitch anywhere. The score was 70-30 in favor of Slytherin. He knew he should be on high alert for the Snitch but he couldn't help but glance over at Hermione every few seconds. Her cheeks were flushed with the cold and her hair was blowing in the wind -she had never looked more beautiful… Wait, Beautiful? Wow, he really was getting soft, he had never ever called someone beautiful before, but then again, there really was no other way to describe Granger, she was so perfect…WOOSH, he narrowly swerved to miss the bludger that was shot his way, he nodded his head at Crabbe who had knocked it away. That was a close one; he should really focus on the game more.

He turned away from the stands and shot through the air, orbiting high above the pitch. He cleared his mind of Hermione. All that mattered was finding the Snitch.

Something flickered at the ground near the Hufflepuff goalpost, the Snitch? Had to be. He aimed his broom that direction.

"Oh, look." Luna's voice floated over the pitch. "Draco Malfoy is going really fast, I do like him. He's very nice," Professor McGonagall scolded Luna again for speaking about non-quidditch-related matters.

"I think he has spotted the snitch... where is the Hufflepuff seeker? Oh there he is, hobbling his way over to Malfoy, Smith really doesn't seem like a very good seeker does he? Very slow at catching up, how did he get on the te-"

"LOVEGOOD!"

"Sorry, Professor," she chirped.

Draco narrowed his eyes on the little glittering ball and sped up a little, he knew that Smith wouldn't be able to catch up to him with his little nimbus two thousand. Draco had a very expensive brand new broom that was even better than Potter's Firebolt. He had a Firebolt Shooting Star - the fastest broom in the world. He blinked and noticed that the snitch was gone, vanished, not there anymore. He grunted in frustration but only slowed down a fraction, it was enough for Smith to catch up and think he had a chance. When he was right behind him, Draco shot down to the ground acting as if though he was about to grab the snitch, he quickly pulled out of his dive and heard the thud as Smith crashed into the ground. He turned around and smirked, that's what he got for tailing him, he should obviously know better.

"Oh, what a pretty little wronky faint that Draco Malfoy just did, poor Smith, he looks okay though," and indeed he did, he was already on his broom and back in the air glaring at Draco who was flying away chuckling at Luna's pronunciation of the Wronski Feint. An hour and a half into the game, the snitch had not made reappearance. Slytherin was still in the lead though with a whopping 200 points over Hufflepuffs measly 40 points. This was really not their game Draco thought as Blaise scored another goal. He saw the She-weasel cheer for Blaise and then he got distracted by a glitter near Hermione's head. Bugger, the snitch just had to hover near Hermione's head. He noticed Potter looking at the snitch and then at him, but he wasn't saying anything, just choosing to ignore the snitch that hovered to close to him. Draco looked over to Smith and noticed that he was already flying towards the Snitch, Draco put on a boost of speed and rushed towards Hermione. Hermione for her part was completely oblivious to the snitch near her head, but she did notice the two focused seekers rushing towards her. She yelped and covered her head, expecting one to collide with her, but the collision never came. The snitch decided to shoot downwards towards the ground, and this time Draco wasn't performing the Wronksi feint, he was going for the snitch. Smith and him were neck in neck. Everyone stopped playing except the beaters. Everyone in the stands were cheering the two seekers on, they were leaning over their seats and the edges to get a better view. The snitch was just in his view when he heard a scream.

"HERMIONE!" He looked over his shoulder and watched in horror as a bludger collided with Hermione's ribs that made her lose her footing, she was slowly falling towards the ground! Get the snitch or save Hermione, it was really a no brainer for Draco which he would choose. She was speeding towards the ground when he rushed towards her, praying he would grab her in time. He heard Smith cheer behind him as he caught the snitch but Draco didn't care; all he cared about at the moment was Hermione. She was fast nearing the ground, he tuned out the screams of people, he reached out an arm, grasping for her hand. Oh Merlin, she was almost near the floor! He put on an extra burst of speed and caught Hermione just in time; she was about 2 inches from colliding with the ground, hard. He gently lowered his broom to the floor and placed Hermione carefully on it. She was unconscious; he guessed it was from the bludger hitting her.

"And Slytherin wins with 210-190!" Draco barely even registered Luna announcing that his team had still won, he was carefully picking Hermione back up, he was going to take her to the Hospital wing. He noticed his team dismount around him, Blaise looked concerned for Hermione while the rest of the team were just relieved that they had won. But Draco didn't care about winning; he cared about Hermione's well-being. He mounted his broom again with Hermione in his arms, it was definitely faster than walking back with her in his arms. He knew that her little Gryffindor posse would be following on foot, so he flew back to the castle, praying to Merlin that his little Mugglemuffin would be okay.

"SHH! Shut up you guys, I think she's waking up!" said a female voice.

Hermione groaned as she opened one groggy eye, awoken by the sound of people chatting. She felt as though she had just had the living daylights beat out of her, not that she had ever experienced that of course, but let's just say that she was in excruciating pain. Her abdomen area felt numb with pain. The light from the windows struck her full-force and she quickly shut her eye again. Where was she? What happened?

"Mione, how are you feeling?" asked a male voice.

"Arry?" she asked through her raspy throat, "What happened to me?"

"Thank Merlin you're awake! Well during the quidditch match you were knocked out by a bludger, you were falling to the ground when…" Harry trailed off he had just noticed Draco enter the hospital wing. When he noticed that Hermione was awake, he got such a relieved expression on his face, which quickly turned to anger. He stalked over to the group.

"Go Malfoy! Go get yourself something to eat, take a shower! Hermione won't wake up while you're gone!" He mimicked Harry whilst he glared at him. Ron snorted at Draco's pathetic imitation.

"Well… how was I supposed to know?" mumbled Harry, looking away. Hermione watched the two of them argue, she still didn't know what had happened to her and it was really starting to frustrate her.

"Will someone PLEASE explain to me why I am in the Hospital Wing?" she demanded, trying to get up from the bed. As quick as lighting, Draco was by her side, pushing her gently back onto the bed.

"Need rest. Do not move," he commanded. Hermione harrumphed and glared, she wanted answers and she wanted them now. Harry saw the little glint in her eye and decided to leave.

"Right, Ron, Gin, come on, let's go - we need to discuss Quidditch tactics." They got up reluctantly, but they did leave, they understood that Draco had to be the one to tell Hermione, after all, he was the one who'd saved her.

Draco watched them leave before turning around and plunking himself into the chair that Ginny had just been occupying. He wasn't in the mood to get Weasel or Pothead germs. He stared at Hermione, concentrating on figuring out what he would tell her. He didn't even notice her waving her hand in front of his face. She finally had enough, and snapped her finger impatiently in front of him,

"DRACO!" He quickly came out of his little trance and grabbed her hand. He set it down gently on the bed, he didn't want to agitate her or anything - he did not want to add to her anger, frustration, pain or impatience.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered. Hermione stared at him, her eyes softening, her mouth losing all the hard edges of anger she had had just a minute ago.

"Draco, please, tell me what happened, how long have I been in here?" Draco was silent for a moment.

"You've been in here since yesterday morning. As I was rushing to catch the snitch, I heard someone yell your name from behind me, they sounded so terrified. I-I looked over my shoulder quickly just to see what was happening… what I saw made my heart stop for a moment," He looked away from Hermione to the window, "you were falling to the ground rapidly, a bludger just hit you in your ribcage, the impact of it somehow managed to knock you out. I turned around quickly and rushed towards you. I was almost too late," he looked back at her, "you were about two inches from hitting the ground when I managed to grab your hand. You have been in here this long because Pomfrey insisted that you stay here until you make a full recovery," Hermione was speechless, why didn't she remember any of that? She tried to move up, but the stabbing pain in her ribcage prevented her from doing anything but moan in pain. Draco sat up straight and quickly became attentive.

"What's wrong? What hurts? Should I go get Pomfrey?" he asked, worried. Hermione sat back down and smiled.

"Not yet, I am still talking to you. Draco… Thank you, so much. It is likely that I could have fallen to my death if not for you, you saved me," then she frowned, "OH NO! You didn't get the snitch because of me! I'm so sorry! That means that you guys lost!" Draco chuckled and shook his head at her.

"Silly, little Mugglemuffin," She smiled at her nickname, "you're right, I didn't catch the snitch, but my team is just so superior that we won anyways, we're now in second place. And don't you ever apologize for my saving your life, I would do it again in a heartbeat… though I'd rather you were never placed in a situation like that again so actually I wouldn't, because then I might not get there in time, and you could get hurt, and I'd forever live with the guilt that-" Hermione cut him off.

"Draco, you're rambling… Stop," Draco smiled at her sheepishly.

"Sorry, I'm just kind of nervous, I'm working up the courage to ask you something." Well, that certainly got Hermione's attention.

"What do you want to ask me?"

"Patience, young grasshopper." Hermione burst out laughing at him.

"That's a muggle quote!"

"Your point?" he raised his left eyebrow perfectly - a talent that no one but a Malfoy had.

"It's just funny to hear you say it, but please continue!" she giggled.

"Glad to know I amuse you, I don't think I want to ask you anymore," he looked away.

"Oh, come on, Draco! Please! Pretty please? I'll even let you call me Mugglemuffin! Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please?"

"OK! Jeez, shut up," he started muttering about muggles and their strange persuasive methods.

"I'm not a muggle stupid, I'm a muggleborn, there's a difference,"

"Eh," he shrugged

"URGH, stop irking me you prat," she threw a pillow at him. His seeker reflexes kicked in and he caught the pillow before it touched him.

"Well, aren't you just a violent, little muggle." He smirked. Hermione frowned and gave him the puppy eyes.

"Awe, come on! Don't do that, my mum always does! Granger!" Finally, he sighed.

"Fine, I'll ask you what I wanted to." Hermione looked at him expectantly. "Hermione, will you go to the ball with me?" Hermione's smile faltered, Draco felt like waves crashed down upon him from seeing that one small move…

After Harry left the hospital wing, he didn't actually discuss Quidditch tactics with his team, he felt like being alone at the moment. He decided to walk down to the lake, it was always peaceful and quiet there, he knew he could have a moment alone there. He waved goodbye to Ginny and Ron and rushed away - he didn't feel like being followed either. He walked at a brisk pace down to the lake, and sat down by the tree. The tree, as they named it, was the tree that the trio had always spent at least one day before the end of the year at. They just sat and reminisced together, had a few laughs and went back inside. He loved it here; it was a place for him and his friends. He got up and leaned over the lake, he stared out at the calm waters of the lake, deep in thought. He wanted to ask Luna to the ball, that much he knew for sure. He just didn't know how to go about doing it! He didn't want to just walk up to her and ask her, but he had a feeling that that's what it would come to. All he needed was a sign, anything, something, to make him man up! Make him ask her!

"Hi, Harry," said a dreamy voice. SPLASH. Harry fell into the water after being startled by her voice. He came up for air, spluttering to breathe.

"HI, LUNA," he said. "Lovely day for a swim don't you think?" Luna stared at him, a soft smile playing around her lips.

"Would you like a hand, Harry?"

"Uh yea, that'd be nice," he muttered, swimming to the edge of the lake. Luna helped him out of the lake and dried him off with a quick drying spell. She stared at him for a moment, touched her Butterbeer cork necklace and looked at Harry.

"Would you like to go to the ball with me, Harry?" Harry looked up at her in shock, did she just… no she couldn't have… but she did!

"Luna! No, I was going to ask you! Now I can't!" He frowned. Luna smiled,

"Ok, let's act like I never asked you. Hello, Harry, how are you?"

"Luna," he shook his head, "you can't just act like you never asked me now, and it's not the same if I ask you now,"

"What are you taking about Harry? Ask what?" she asked, feigning a complete look of confusion. Well, Luna would be Luna, best let her have her way he figured.

"Luna Lovegood, would you do the honor of accompanying me to the ball on the 31st of December please?"

"Oh, well I'll have to think about that, Harry,"

"Luna!"

"Alright, I'll go with you, Harry. Bye! I'm going hunting for narles!" And she skipped off, back to the castle, just like that. That girl would be the death of him.

"Oy, Red!" Ginny Weasley smiled, she knew that voice.

"Hello, Blaise!" she replied, as she kept walking. He caught up to her in a few short steps thanks to his long legs.

"Ginny," he acknowledged.

"Blaise," she nodded.

"Weasley."

"Zabini."

"Right, we can do this for days, or I can get on with this. You, me, ball, yes?"

"Okay."

"Good." Blaise walked off. Ginny stood there… had she just agreed to go to the ball with Blaise? Her mind started screaming at her, shrieking with joy, she was going to the ball with Blaise! She smiled and kept walking, what an interesting day this was.

HEHEHE, I left you in suspense with Draco and Hermione! But at least you find out about Luna, Harry, Ginny and Blaise. Mwahahaha :) See how fast Blaise was opposed to Harry? Tsk Tsk Harry.

Thank you for reviewing! Please don't forget to review this chapter! Reviews are what make an author keep going you know?

Thank you to my amazing Beta! See you in a week!