A/N: I won't make excuses :\ I'll just say that I've been really off lately. Hopefully my writing's improved a bit since I last posted, if not, feel free to beat me with your magical wand. Unless you're a muggle, if that's the case, just give me your best virtual, internet punch. It's well deserved. :3 Well, enjoy.

Narcissa grabbed hold of the book, scarcely able to contain her excitement, "This chapter's called, "The KnowItAll Knows," a frown fell upon the woman's face as the implications of the title had occurred to her.

Hermione flushed as Draco sunk lower into his chair. Would this be the chapter where they'd all find out...?

"I wonder what the know-it-all knows," Zabini smirked to himself, satisfied at the mild discomfort of his friend. Serves him right for being so bloody oblivious…

Still recovering from the spectacle of being seen with Draco Malfoy – in public, no less – Hermione had doubted things could get much worse –

Blaise looked at Draco, almost as if he was seeing him a new light. "Is it really that embarrassing to be seen with him? Maybe I should reconsider my friendship…"

Draco scowled, still not liking the title of the chapter. It was bound to be troublesome.

Until word had spread that –

"Let me guess," Hermione grimaced, her eyes narrowing at the book in Narcissa's hands. "Lavender ran her mouth – "

"Would you shut up?" Ron had shoved his fists into his front pockets, a way of suppressing his anger. "She's not that bad, really, Hermione."

Hermione simply stared, bewildered, at the ginger boy.

She and Draco Malfoy were together.

"Well, you shouldn't be surprised," Harry pointed out, still a bit dazed from the last chapter. He knew that his reaction to Malfoy being around Hermione wouldn't be pleasant, but he hadn't expected to snap so harshly. "You did go gallivanting around with him at Hogsmeade."

Hermione's face flushed. "With good reason!"

"To show Lavender up?" Harry teased, "I don't think that counts as good reasoning, Hermione."

Of course, they weren't. Not really.

Hermione and Draco shared a knowing look, infuriating Lucius, who remained silent in his angry musings.

She was avoiding him like the plague –

"Oh no!" Blaise slapped his hands onto his cheeks, and widened his eyes comically. "It's Draco! Run!"

"Shut up, git," muttered Draco.

Or was he avoiding her?

"What?" Narcissa questioned down at the book, her pale eyes confused.

She really couldn't tell anymore. For weeks, she woke up to find the Head common room empty. He'd leave exceptionally early, his intentions very clear. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.

"That's not true," Draco mumbled, knowing how his book-self must have been feeling so conflicted…

Lucius grumbled something unintelligible to himself.

Well that was fine with Hermione. She was happy for one less distraction.

"One less distraction?" Narcissa inquired, tempted to read ahead, but contenting herself with just waiting along with the rest of the group.

Harry had been bombarding her with letters since the reunion, or rather, confrontation.

Harry blushed. He really did think of Hermione as a sister and knowing she was around Malfoy would certainly make him worried.

Each sounding suspiciously similar to the last; What are you up to at school?

Hermione smiled slightly.

Has Malfoy tried anything yet?

Her smile faltered and she gave Harry a steady glare, to which he responded with a slight shrug of the shoulders.

Are you nervous about the N.E.W.T.s? Auror training is fine…What's Malfoy been up to?

"Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy," Zabini whined, his dark eyes narrowed. "He hasn't been the only bloke moving in on Granger! What about me? Why aren't you questioning my motives, Potter?"

This was all a joke, of course. But Harry took it seriously. "Because you're not a threat."

Draco didn't know whether to be flattered or angry at his deduction, but Blaise had settled on outright indignant. "Yes I am!"

Draco met Harry's eyes, both pairs narrowed. Suddenly, things didn't feel so lighthearted and easygoing anymore…

Hermione found herself responding with just as monotonous replies.

School's fine, she'd scribble with her quill, feeling vindicated at her own vague response, purposefully ignoring the questions about Draco.

"Why would you do that?" Zabini asked, truly curious.

Hermione paused before replying, "It just said that we were avoiding each other. I guess that means I don't find it relevant."

Draco cringed inwardly at her words.

Ginny's fine, too, she'd write as well, because she knew how much he would have wanted to ask.

Though he never did.

Harry frowned at the book, and Ron raised his eyebrows as well, surprised.

I rarely received any letters from Ron, besides on the rare occasion that he decided to fill me in on the details of the Auror business.

Ron felt his own lips tug into a grin, thrilled at the idea of being an Auror.

"Why look so surprised?," Hermione gave him a small smile, which he returned hesitantly.

As happy as she was to hear from her good friend –

His smile fell at this, though. Good friend? Not even best friend?

She was less than enthusiastic at the thought that she'd gotten more information out of Lavender than she ever did out of his letters.

Hermione's brown eyes narrowed instantly at the book.

"Oh yes," Lavender would gush over breakfast in The Great Hall. "He's just doing fabulously at work, they even offered him a higher position – "

"Bollocks," Ginny retorted, having already chewed a biscuit to bits. "They offered that position to him because he's a hero now."

The words sounded bitter on her tongue.

"Hero, huh?" Ron liked the sound of that.

Harry sighed, knowing that Ginny would have hated anything that reminded her of the war, but still glad with the knowledge that at least she was alright for the most part.

Hermione decided to change the subject. "Have you been working on your Charms essays?"

Ron and Harry both shared a look, before grinning widely at Hermione who grinned back.

They really missed the way things had been at school – you know if you eliminated Voldemort from the equation…

Both girls gave Hermione incredulous looks before returning to their own conversation.

"Denied," Zabini whistled.

"He's certainly my hero," Lavender swooned, twirling a strand of curly hair around her finger.

"Disgusting," Draco grumbled to himself.

Ron looked as though he didn't know how to feel, his face bright red.

"Don't make me sick," Ginny spat before taking a long swig of pumpkin juice. "That's my brother you're acting like a fool over."

Ron rolled his eyes, while Harry chuckled fondly.

"Fiesty," Blaise commented, much to Harry's dismay, and the boy who lived stopped laughing promptly.

"Hermione knows what I'm talking about," Lavender giggled –

Both Hermione and Ron frowned, neither of them liking where they knew she was certainly going with that statement.

"She's snogged him. Isn't he brilliant, Hermione?"

Grimacing, the pair looked at each other briefly, before coming to an understanding. They would talk about this later. They had to before they let a stupid book come in between their friendship.

Hermione nearly choked on the bagel she'd been gnawing on. "W-What?"

Lavender blinked before her cheeks reddened.

Hermione glanced at the book, not quite believing it.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," she said, her tone low. "I shouldn't have said that, I was completely out of line."

"What?" Hermione was now flat out gaping at the book.

Ron smiled to himself, "I told you she wasn't that bad."

A frown pulled her lips downwards and she leaned back into her seat as she realized that she may have misjudged her fellow classmate entirely.

Hermione was flabbergasted. "That…That's okay," she managed, slowly, giving her classmate a tiny smile.

"Ew," Zabini rolled his eyes. "Can we get back to the action? I'd rather read about Hermione and Draco doing it than this – "

"Silence, Zabini," Lucius said coolly, paling at the thought of his son associating with…He paled even more as he realized that it was bound to happen sooner or later. They were mates.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Enough of this nonsense," she said, determined to deter the conversation. "Now, Hermione, you are planning to attend the Quidditch game this afternoon, aren't you?"

Harry grinned at the reminder of Ginny's love for Quidditch but frowned as he remembered that she was none too pleased with him at the moment.

"Quidditch match?" Hermione hadn't honestly paid much attention Quidditch, even when Harry had been playing. She'd always snuck a book with her into the stands.

"Hey," Harry said, half annoyed and half teasingly. "And here I was thinking that you were honestly there to cheer me on." He rolled his emerald eyes.

Hermione smiled, "Of course I cheered you on." Between chapters…

"You're coming," Ginny grinned without waiting for a response. "Well, I've got to be off – Slughead – I mean Slughorn will have my head if I'm late. Again."

Blaise smirked. Maybe the littlest ginger wasn't such a nuisance after all…Harry didn't like the look on Zabini's face at all.

With a sly wink over the shoulder, Ginny left.

Harry found himself sighing yet again.

Hermione found herself trudging towards the Quidditch field that very same afternoon.

"Ginny has this way of willing people to do what she wants," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Bet she got it from Mum."

She was surprised that she'd missed the field. It brought back memories of her, Harry, and Ron that she'd completely forgotten in the aftermath of the war.

Everyone took a deep breath at another mention of the war that was still continuing on at this very minute.

Harry glanced from the corner of his eye to Lucius, wondering why the Death Eater had made no attempts to kill, or even harm him yet.

Somebody shoved past her and treaded further onto the field.

"How rude," Narcissa chided, before her eyes narrowed, having read ahead a bit.

She shouldn't have been so surprised to see the Slytherin Quidditch uniform on the figure,

Blaise leaned forward in anticipation.

or the blond hair atop his head.

"Well now, that could be anyone. You've got to learn to be more specific, Granger," he drawled, sarcastically.

Hermione glanced towards Draco, slightly hurt. He didn't miss the look, but rather, he avoided it.

Or the stupid smirk on his face as he looked over his shoulder just once.

"What's your problem?" Hermione demanded, now a little angry.

Draco just gave her that stormy look of his and she settled down with the realization that it was just a silly book…Wasn't it?

"Malfoy," she gritted her teeth and he stopped.

"Oh boy, now you've done it," Ron whistled lowly.

Harry nodded in agreement.

He turned around, smirk still firm in place. "What is it, mudblood?"

"You idiot," Zabini growled lowly to his friend who had stiffened.

There it was; what she'd been waiting for all the time.

His smirk fell as Hermione stomped on the damp grass to catch up with him.

Draco shut his eyes tightly.

She reached for her wand in her robe's pocket and held it up to his neck; he stumbled backwards a bit, understandably.

"Oh no," Narcissa bit out, worriedly.

Hermione and Draco both recalled a certain event in third year and looked towards each other. It was fleeting, though, and Hermione was the first to look away, still hurt.

"Granger," he swallowed,

"He swallowed you." A proper snicker emitted from Blaise's lips that had been turning blue from suppressed giggles.

"Shut up, Zabini," Hermione said, ignoring his innuendo.

"Listen to me," the words were weak sounding, as if he were trying very hard to repress something.

Draco's eyes widened before he felt his mother's eyes on him, concerned. He shook his head, knowing for certain that he wouldn't hurt her…He couldn't.

Her wand dug itself further into his neck, he winced.

"Oh my." Narcissa shook her head at Hermione. "Dear, I know what he said was wrong but violence is not – "

"That's nice, coming from you," Harry snorted, the implications were not lost on the Death Eater's wife, who sighed tiredly.

Lucius glared at the boy but said nothing.

Hermione laughed coldly, the sound making Malfoy flinch even more. She knew she shouldn't be threatening him like this – but he shouldn't have insulted her. "So, if it was all going to come back to this," she said, angrily. "Why bother even being nice to me at all?"

Draco sighed sadly into his hands. "It's not like that…at all."

"You've got to listen to me…" His stormy eyes widened as she began reciting an incantation. "Hermione, please."

"That's the first time you've said my name," the real Hermione remarked quietly.

Hermione arched an eyebrow. It was the first time he'd called her anything but mudblood or Granger.

If circumstances had been different, she might have pulled her wand back, but as things were she didn't.

"Good," Ron nodded approvingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, bitterly.

"What? So I'm only mudblood when I haven't got my wand to your neck, am I?"

"Hermione," Harry commented, lightly, as to not offend the girl. "I don't think that's exactly what he means. As much as I hate to admit it," he added, reluctantly.

Hermione felt herself nod once before she turned more towards the book, so they couldn't see the deep frown that was forming on her lips.

If they couldn't make it through a few chapters in a book, she thought, they'd never make it at all.

"Not like that at all," he smiled despite his situation. "Just let me explain, please."

"That's not going to happen," Hermione shook her bushy head of hair. "I won't like hearing that at all…Sounds too much like an excuse."

Draco watched as she turned back around. Strange as it seemed, he felt a little regretful about the way his book-self was acting.

"No," she snapped, pulling her wand away from his neck. "Just do me a favor and leave me alone."

Draco frowned. He'd rather have been hexed than hear that, and he was sure that his book-self would feel the same way. Veelas didn't take well to the absence of their mates and it seemed like they'd been avoiding each other for a while.

He wouldn't let her go as easily as that.

A hand pulled her back roughly when she tried to walk away.

Ron glowered at Draco. "If you hurt her…"

Draco ignored him altogether.

"Listen," he said huskily into her ear. "Meet me in the library after curfew. I'll explain everything, I promise."

She ignored the quickening pace of her heartbeat as he did so,

Blaise grinned widely. "Oooh! She's in loveeeee!"

"Shut up," the two in question replied simultaneously

"The library will be locked up," she retorted, still angry. "Not the brightest, are you Malfoy? If you want to explain things so badly, then try staying in the Head's common room for more than a minute."

"So we can snog," Blaise feigned a dreamy, Luna-like voice.

Malfoy reeled back, genuinely surprised. "Even better."

"You're daft."

"You really are," Harry said, with a slight smirk. "You've got a whole common room to yourselves and you're convinced you have to sneak out?"

"Explains why you weren't put in Ravenclaw," Ron chimed in.

Draco glared at both, "Speak for yourself, Weasley."

She walked away without as much as another word. She didn't even want to stay and watch the stupid game, Ginny would understand.

"But that would mean explaining things to her," Harry said, hinting at how persistent Ginny could really be. "Which I'm not sure you'd really want to do."

Right now, Hermione only had one thing on her mind.

"Draco," Blaise said in a sing-song voice.

N.E.W.T.S

Draco rolled his eyes, almost smiling.

She had gone promptly to the library after her encounter with Malfoy, mostly because people knew better than to disturb her while she was immersed in her studies.

All except one, apparently.

"Ooh, it's me, isn't it?" Zabini sang excitedly. "Yay! I'm going to be in the story again! It's about damn time, gosh Granger; I'm surprised you haven't dropped dead from withdrawals."

Most rolled their eyes at his antics.

"Good day to be cooped up in a library, eh, Granger?"

Hermione scowled as Zabini

"What do you mean 'scowled'?" Zabini did his best to look offended.

Slid into the seat across from her, uninvited. He smirked.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. He knew that Blaise had asked out Hermione before just to get him angry, but what was he doing now?

"Not with you," Hermione bit out, irritably.

Blaise pouted, mockingly.

"Easy now, Granger," he licked his lips, like that were supposed to impress her or something.

He did the same; his face right in front of hers. "Well, does it impress you?"

"Not in the least," she answered, though she was blushing slightly, which amused one of the Slytherins, not so much the others.

"You don't want two Slytherins to become infatuated with that charming personality of yours."

"Shut up."

"Charming, indeed," Blaise rolled his eyes. He'd grown to tolerate the mudblo- muggleborn witch, maybe even like her in a friendly way, but she was by no means 'charming'. At least not by his standards.

She was satisfied that she hadn't blurted out the first question that had popped into her head. Two?

"Aw, you should have," Harry laughed a bit. "Because we clearly don't know at least one of them."

Hermione flushed and pushed some hair into her face to hide it.

Zabini slammed her book shut, ignoring the disbelief expressed on her face.

"How very dare I?" Zabini said, very amused with himself.

Draco's eyes drifted towards his friend, suspiciously. "I wonder what you're there for…"

"Listen," his voice was no longer flirtatious, rather very serious.

"Hmm," Blaise considered this.

"Whatever ideas you've got about Dra- I mean, Malfoy," his slip had not gone unnoticed by Hermione, but she remained silent. "Get rid of them now. He's not the same arse he was at twelve, got it?"

"I'm not going to like that either," Hermione remarked.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, daringly. "Who do you think you are, trying to tell me what to do?"

"Blaise Arlo Zabini," the smirk returned along with his playful demeanor, "At your service."

"That doesn't mean much to me," she sniffed, opening her book and trying to find the page she'd left off on.

"And I'm not going to like that," Zabini teased.

The book was promptly shut again. "Well it should." And with that he disappeared in a crowd of people exiting the library.

"Dramatic exits are so my thing."

"Shut up."

Hermione wasn't sure why she'd stayed up this late and actually cared to show up in the Head's common room. She wasn't even sure Draco would show up…The stupid prat.

Draco shrugged the insult off, knowing that everything would be out in the open soon enough.

"You actually came."

He sounded so surprised that she almost wanted to laugh and run to her room, leaving him alone.

"That's terribly mean," Narcissa said, pursing her lips.

Hermione bowed her head a little.

"Not that it isn't justified," Narcissa admitted, with a small smile, much to Hermione's blatant surprise.

But she didn't.

"Explain," was all she had to say.

"Let's get to the good part," Blaise rubbed his hands in anticipation.

This was going to be good.

He scratched the back of his neck, anxiously. Then he pulled at his loosened tie and sighed dramatically.

"Just say something already," Ron muttered. Despite his previous anger, he was just as curious as the rest of the bunch – save the Slytherins and Hermione who already knew.

Harry had an inkling but he couldn't be certain.

"Fine," Hermione said annoyed. "I'm going to bed then."

"No! Wait. No, stay. I'll – I'll explain. Just sit down."

Hermione sat herself comfortably on the sofa. "Okay. I'm listening."

Narcissa looked incredulously down at the page. "It…It leaves off there."

"WHAT?"

She glanced at her husband and handed him the book, which he took with a grimace upon his face.

A/N continued: Oh, by the way. I'm back for good now. No way I'm leaving until at least this story is finished, plus I've got some other ideas floating around my noggin. ILOVEYOUALL just because I do.