Kyla: All right, first off, this is not that long of a chapter... it's sort of a bridge chapter. Anyways, I'll try to work on the next one this weekend since I'm off work. xD Anyways, enjoy!

Draco of the Malfoy's No Longer
Chapter Twenty-One
by
Kyla

After classes, Draco and Blaise returned to the classroom they usually did their homework in. They talked about anything and everything for a few minutes until a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Yes?" Blaise called out in answer to the knock, slipping his wand out of his robes in case it was someone wanting to start a fight with them.

The door opened, and Harry's head popped in. "Can we come in?" he asked the pair of Slytherins. The two heard Hermione sigh and say something about them not having to knock in the background, and Draco and Blaise snickered at one another.

"Sure, come on in! You know you guys don't have to knock," Blaise grinned at Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they entered into the room. He and Draco made room for the three Gryffindors over by the windows.

"I told them that," Hermione grumbled and shook her head. She dug around in her bag, pulling out her Transfiguration homework, "But do they listen to me? No, of course not," she scoffed.

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry apologized in order to bring peace to the room, "we should have listened to you."

Hermione grinned and muttered, "Kiss up..."

"Ahem," Blaise said, breaking into the middle of the playful banter before Ron could jump in and possibly make things take a turn for the worse, "so, the next Hogsmeade Weekend is this weekend."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at Blaise for a moment, as if wondering why he brought that up so suddenly. "Yes, it is," Hermione answered evenly, and a silence fell upon them while they waited for Blaise to speak up.

"Well, would you guys mind if me and Draco hung out with you guys?" Blaise asked bluntly, a brilliant grin on his face.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry all looked at one another for a moment. "No, not at all," Hermione replied and smiled at the two Slytherins, elbowing Ron sharply in the side before he could say something rude.

So, the group of students made plans to meet up at the door that Saturday morning bright and early after breakfast. Then, they sat down and worked on some of their schoolwork, awaiting the Hogsmeade weekend with much impatience. All of them wanted to get out of the castle for a little while, and they had plans to go to just about every store in Hogsmeade.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione were about to leave, Blaise called out to Hermione. "Hey, Hermione!" When he had the muggle-born's attention, he asked, "Could I talk to you in private for a second? I gotta ask you something."

Hermione eyed Blaise cautiously but nonetheless nodded and replied, "Sure, I don't see why not..." She turned to Ron and Harry, both of whom were standing there waiting on her. "It's fine," she told them, "go on ahead."

"You sure?" Ron asked her.

"Yes, it'll be fine," Hermione reassured her two best friends, "go on. I'll be up soon." She shooed them off, then she turned back around to wait for Blaise to decide where they would talk.

"Thanks, Hermione," Blaise said and smiled at her. "Wait here for a few minutes, okay, Draco?" he added, looking to the blond, who was watching him rather suspiciously. Draco knew that Blaise was up to something, but no matter how hard he stared at Blaise, he could not figure it out.

"Fine," Draco sighed, "I'll wait.." He scowled in annoyance and shifted in his chair in hopes of getting more comfortable.

"Thanks, Draco," Blaise told the blond and hugged him swiftly. "I'll try to be quick," he whispered into Draco's ear before he stepped away from the blushing and scowling blond. He nodded to Hermione, and the two left the room, going a ways down the corridor before slipping into another classroom.

"All right, what did you need to talk to me about, Blaise?" Hermione asked and perched herself on one of the desks.

"Well, you know how Draco likes Harry," Blaise stated with a grin, and when Hermione nodded in reply, he continued speaking, "I was thinking that this Hogsmeade weekend, we could get them alone together for a while... I just need your help plotting."

"Oh," Hermione mouthed before giggling, "Sure, I would love to help, but... how?" Her mind began running a mile a minute while she thought of a way to get Harry and Draco alone together.

"Well, I was thinking," Blaise muttered, and his voice grew quieter, eyes shooting to the door now and then as if he was afraid Draco would just waltz in, "that you could conveniently and purposefully leave behind something that you need... and I'll..." The two plotted quietly for another few minutes until everything was settled.

"All right," Hermione giggled again, getting excited, "now... do we tell Draco about the plan?" she asked as she and Blaise stood up and headed for the door.

"No!" Blaise exclaimed. He apologized when he saw he had clearly startled Hermione, then he explained, "No... if he knew we were doing this, he would try to stop it. It's best to make sure they both stay clueless—ah, Draco!" He stopped midway through his sentence in order to greet Draco, who had been walking down the corridor to meet them.

"What are the two of you up to?" Draco asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowed and trained on Blaise and Hermione.

"I am hurt," Blaise said, faking a frown, and both him and the blond knew he was joking around, "I can't even talk to Hermione alone without someone thinking that we're up to something...! Can you believe this Hermione?!" he asked, looking to her.

Hermione shook her head and laughed, deciding not to comment on that. Instead, she started walking up to her Common Room. "Bye, guys! I'll see you tomorrow," she called over her shoulder as she went.

Once Hermione was out of sight, Draco turned back to Blaise. "Seriously, what are you and Granger up to?" he asked again, hoping to get an answer this time.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Blaise sing-songed as he and the blond began the journey down to the dungeons. He grinned at the scowl Draco had sent him. "Come on, Draco, it's fine. Nothing, really," he reassured him.

Draco eyed Blaise cautiously and inquired, "Blaise... are you and Granger... are the two of you together or something?" He did not know how he would react if Blaise told him yes.

"What?" Blaise asked, clearly dumbfounded, "No! No way... Hermione likes Ron! I don't like her! I like her in the friendly way is all, Draco, that is it!" he swiftly stated and shook his head at Draco. "Hermione and I just had... some business to attend to," he added and smirked slyly at his blond friend before falling silent and not answering any of Draco's questions.

The two finally got to their Common Room, and silently they bid one another good night before tucking themselves into bed. Draco could still tell that Blaise and Hermione were planning something, but he would just have to wait until the Hogsmeade weekend to see exactly what was going on.

While the two Slytherins were going to bed, Hermione had just entered into the Gryffindor Common Room, where Ron and Harry immediately asked her what Blaise had wanted to talk to her about. "Oh," Hermione sighed, "nothing... we just had something that needed to be taken care of." She grinned at them and told them good night, heading off to bed without another word to the pair of Gryffindors, who watched in confusion as she walked away grinning ear-to-ear.

Kyla: Okay, next chapter jumps to the Hogsmeade weekend, and we get to find out what Blaise and Hermione have planned! Even some Harry and Draco moments! xD Anyways, see you next chapter! I'll try to work on it this weekend!