A/N: I'm so sorry. If it's any condolence, I've been busy as crap this whole summer. I'm so sorry. Thank you all for sticking with me. I don't deserve you people.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP. *muffled scream*

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I sat in the Great Hall for Godric knows how long, just fuming. I may as well have been made of stone, for I didn't move a muscle until I got up to leave. Plotting was the only thing active within my brain, which was more angry unrealistic death-filled scenarios than anything. A waste of time, really.

Unless, of course, I utilize one of those angry unrealistic death-filled scenarios.

When I made to leave, no one dared follow after having witnessed me gaze into the distance murderously for an extended period of time.

Well, almost everyone.

"So?" Ginny asked, appearing from behind me and dragging out her vowels. "How'd it go?"

I looked at her in confusion. "How'd what go?"

"You know," Ginny whispered, looking over her shoulder before continuing. "When you and Malfoy...you know…"

It took another thirty seconds of staring at the anticipating look on Ginny's face until it clicked. "Ginevra!"

Ginny stopped in her tracks and pouted. "Fine, I should've known you wouldn't want to share-"

"Nothing bloody happened!" I bellowed, attracting a few stares from the few others in the hallway. I sighed and wrapped my arm briefly around her shoulders to steer her in the direction I needed to go. "Look, Gin, Malfoy was being a prick. We're kind of at war at the moment."

Ginny started laughing. "So Malfoy's idea of revenge is to come into the Great Hall looking freshly-"

"Ginny," I muttered, holding the bridge of my nose. "Please keep the obscenities down, thank you."

She rolled her eyes. "I feel like you're not telling me everything. If you and Malfoy weren't getting it on last night and almost all morning, then what the hell were you doing? Knitting?"

"We weren't knitting," I said with a bit of irritation seeping through to my voice. "Just sleeping in the same bed. Fully clothed." Malfoy's shirtless-ness came briefly to mind. "Mostly."

Ginny raised an eyebrow, but accepted my statement. "I'd like to help you win this war you were talking about."

I scrunched my nose. "It's not really a war. I just need to teach him a lesson about not always getting what he wants and using respectful language, and I'd like to win by myself, thank you."

Ginny nodded. "But if you need any help...I am related to Fred and George." Ginny frowned. "Just George now, I suppose."

"You're still related to Fred, Ginny," I said softly, putting a hand on her upper arm. "He's just not...here."

Ginny was steadily appearing more depressed by the second.

"I never said you and Luna couldn't help," I blurted all-of-a-sudden. Ginny's expression went from wounded puppy to curious cat quicker than you can say snap.

She glanced up at me. "What?"

"You and Luna can help. I'd hate to leave her out of it. Ravenclaw's are supposed to be creative, after all," I said cleverly, almost to the point of smirking.

Ginny smiled. "I'll let her know. Meet in your common room tomorrow before dinner? I would suggest an earlier time, but I've got quidditch in the morning and-"

"Deal," I said before Ginny could ramble.

"Great!" We high-fived before splitting up. I noticed the slightest spring in her step, and I didn't feel regret at all for allowing my three second plan to hatch and prosper.

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Once my password was changed yet again-this time it's Jane Eyre-Ginny, Luna, and I started our meeting.

"Okay, so I propose we write down all our ideas on this piece of parchment-"

"I think it would be best to label ourselves first," Luna said, playing with the homemade charm bracelet she wore.

"Label ourselves?" I asked tiredly. It had been a long day, chock full of smirking Draco Malfoys and glaring Draco Malfoys (this occurred only after I smacked his hands away and sneered at him, which was quite frequent).

"Like a team name," Ginny supplied. "Personally I think 'Malfoy's Murderers' would do the job perfectly."

I glared at Ginny. "It sounds as if you've thought about this. We are not going to label ourselves, this isn't a bloody club-"

"'The Downfall of the Ferret' has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Luna said.

I groaned. "Not you too, Luna!" My complaint fell on deaf ears, however, for both of my friends continued their debate whilst ignoring my existence.

"I don't know," Ginny moaned, stretching out more on the sofa. "'Malfoy's Murderers' took me half of Transfiguration to think up. I'm kind of attached." She picked at her nails and glanced up at Luna from under her eyelashes to gauge her reaction.

I sucked in a breath of air, preparing my voice to sound loud and threatening. "If you two haven't forgotten, I've already stated that we're not naming-"

"Maybe we could compromise? 'The Ferret Murderers'? Or possibly, 'The Downfall of Malfoy'?" Luna suggested. With my arms thrown into the air, I gave up trying to switch the topic. May as well let them pick a bloody title.

"'The Ferret Murderers' is good, I'll give you that," Gin muttered, rubbing her chin.

"'Malfoy's Murderers' sounds like we're working for him, instead of to end him," Luna urged, leaning forward and raising her eyebrows even higher than they usually are.

Ginny's face crumpled. "'The Ferret Murderers' it is, then!"

They both cheered. "Joy," I said sarcastically. "Now we can get t-shirts."

I cringed at the hopeful look on Ginny's face. "I was not being serious," I said sternly. "Can we get started now?"

They nodded, Ginny with a pout on her lips. "Good," I said. "So, as I was saying, I believe it would be best to write down all our ideas on this piece of parchment. Then on the second piece, we decide the best ways to execute the chosen plans."

"This sounds exhausting," whined Ginny. "Want to snag some crumpets and tea from the Kitchens?"

My mouth was open to object when Luna spoke.

"All in favor," she said, raising her arm in the air. Ginny followed suit.

"Great! Majority rules!" Soon they had dragged me off my chair and we were on our way to get crumpets and tea.

I sighed in irritation. "Dinner is in an hour-"

"Then we better hurry." Ginny quickened her pace. We were there and back in record time. Luna didn't spill the tea, either. It was quite surprising, seeing as how she balanced it on her head the entire duration it was within her grasp.

"So on with the lists then, correct?" Ginny asked, a certain gleam to her eye that meant trouble. "I say we break into the Slytherin dorms and transfigure all his clothes pink with frills."

"I want him to learn from his mistakes, not dress like Umbridge," I said, fearing the mental image that came to mind when Ginny's idea was spoken.

Luna slowly dipped a crumpet in her tea. "More actual punishment than blind fury, then?"

I nodded. "If we just attack him, he'll only retaliate. Any disciplinary action without a lesson is just a smack on the wrist for Malfoy."

"Then we should disguise it," Luna said softly before taking a bite of her drenched treat.

"What?" Ginny asked, more out of a reflex then actually expecting an answer. "I wanted to see some mass humiliation!"

I ignored Ginny. "How do you propose, Luna?"

"Well, instead of implementing some sort of prank and telling him to be respectful-right after we destroyed all respect he has for us-we should help Hermione teach him to be a better person."

"Okay, I get that," Ginny grumbled. "But can we at least slip a few buckets of itching powder into his pants drawer? No? Okay…"

"Silent treatment, then? As a starters?" I asked. Luna nodded.

"I can help decipher his body language too, if you like," Luna said, pulling out a quill and writing on the first parchment, 'Luna's plan. Executed by Hermione; Silence for the Ferret.' She then moved to the second piece, writing a short paragraph about tactics for ignoring and keeping an apathetic nature.

A glance at the clock told me that we better start heading down to dinner. "We should go now. Good job, team."

"Ferret Murders dismissed!" Ginny announced, weaving out of the way of my glare and to the safety of the hallway quicker than I thought was humanly possible.

"Our plan will have to be executed as soon as we get to the Great Hall," Luna said from a few paces ahead of me. "You haven't eaten with Malfoy yet, correct?"

"No," I said regretfully. I was just so vexed-I couldn't help but to childishly procrastinate being forced in his presence.

Luna clasped her hands behind her back. "Don't glare at him, don't speak. Just blankly stare at him if he asks something and look away only after he does. Seem bored around him; that's the important thing. Malfoy's ego should deflate tremendously."

I nodded slowly. "Thanks Luna, I'm glad you're here to help."

She smiled crookedly with her head cocked to the side before leading us both through the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Good luck," she murmured, skipping off to the Ravenclaw table.

Ginny sat in front of me, starting up a conversation about her mother's out of control obsession with Celestina Warbeck. She was describing the severity of Molly's lyric memorizing when Malfoy sat down beside me, nudging my shoulder with his as he did so.

Dinner was unnervingly anti-climatic. Malfoy didn't even try to talk to me; he just sat there eating his stew and listening to my conversation with Ginny. His leg was bouncing like a rabbit's, sending annoying friction between our thighs. Once I finished eating, and was simply talking with Ginny, Malfoy brought his mouth a hair away from my ear and whispered into it.

"Can we go somewhere more...private?"

He wasn't asking it in a sensual way; he wasn't trying to be flirtatious. This meant he wanted to be alone to do something other than snog. My face almost shone with panic when I realized he wanted to talk. Is this going to be a regular thing now? I don't think I can handle all this mush so soon from Malfoy; in my mind he's still a cold-hearted bastard.

Okay, a cold-hearted bastard with a few soft spots. And nice hair.

Ginny was scrutinizing me, shaking her head ever so slightly to and fro. I'm positive Ginny didn't hear what Malfoy had said, but her eyes were screaming at me to deny him whatever the hell she thought he had whispered into my ear.

I was still debating when and how to react when Malfoy stood up, grabbing my hand and tugging gently when I didn't immediately follow his movements. Though my goal is to seek revenge, I didn't want to embarrass him in the middle of the Great Hall-even though the severity of it wouldn't have been that humiliating. But I went with him anyway. My hand was limp in his grip, but he didn't let go. His thumb even started to caress circles into my flesh, which was oddly soothing. I had to focus hard on my mission and the reasons behind it to remain apathetic because damn Malfoy was distracting.

He pulled me into an abandoned classroom after walking for a few minutes and let my hand go to scratch the back of his neck. Malfoy's eyebrows were slightly pushed together.

He inhaled through his nose before speaking. "Granger…" He spoke softly, as if he didn't know how to start. "What happened yesterday-"

He stopped himself and stared at my passive face, void of any emotion. Five seconds passed before he squared his jaw and hardened his eyes. "I'm an arse, okay?"

A brief moment of shock shot through my mask.

"I shouldn't have said what I said-I thought I was being cute, but I went too far this time. It was wrong of me to challenge your bravery and to not take your happiness seriously," said Malfoy awkwardly. The tiniest grimace popped over his face before he bit the inside of his cheek and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Shit. He's being sincere and thoughtful. He reavaluated his actions and apologized. And I was childish enough to give him the silent treatment. The flipping silent treatment. I swallowed thickly, already imagining Ginny's pout when I have to tell her that the war is over. Maybe I'll voluntarily go shopping with her to lesson the blow.

"I forgive you," I said with a soft smile, cupping his face with my hands. Immediate relief swarmed Malfoy as I watched his shoulders loosen and lips quirk skyward. Standing on the tips of my toes, I kissed his forehead, embracing him for a microsecond afterwards.

Malfoy exhaled, shoving his hands into his pockets and staring at me through his hair. "Can we study in your room until curfew?" He was hesitant as he spoke, almost timid. It was only somewhat cute, simply because it's insanely rare for Draco Malfoy to be hesitant or timid.

I was already walking out the door when I replied by gesturing him to follow me with the flexing of my index finger.

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My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw the two pieces of parchment used for plotting Malfoy's downfall sitting in the middle of the coffee table. To make matters worse, Malfoy was making a beeline for the couch the coffee table was in front of.

Distraction! I need a distraction!

In my haste to kill the awkward that would become of our situation once the parchment was discovered, I squeezed in front of him and slammed our mouths together before he sat down. Feeling behind me desperately, I crumpled the parchment into my fist and shoved it deep within an outside pocket in my robe. Malfoy grinned against my mouth and snaked his arms around my waist, moaning when I straddled his lap.

"Fuck," Malfoy breathed once we parted for air. "What was that for?"

"Because I wanted to," I replied simply, standing up after pecking him on the lips. "I'm going to go get my books from my room." Malfoy's face went from dazed enjoyment to disappointed sadness the moment "books" left my mouth.

The second I closed my door I conjured a jar and pulled out the parchment from my pocket, proceeding to rip it to shreds, put the shreds in the jar, and burn them.

I sighed in relief before grabbing my school bag and walking down the stairs.

Studying was going well; I had revised my potions and DADA notes, and was currently working on re-writing my Arithmancy notes from the fast-paced lesson Professor Vector gave yesterday when Malfoy started to get frisky.

"Malfoy," I said sternly, removing his traveling fingers from my shirt. "We're supposed to be studying."

"Oh come on Granger," he moaned, throwing an eye roll in for emphasis. "Did you really think that's what I meant when I said studying? It's January, and we don't have an essay due for two weeks." His thumb brushed over my lips, and he smiled. "Besides, I can't stop thinking about that kiss."

He started kissing down my neck, but I successfully evaded him. "It's never too early to start preparing for your N.E.W.T.s!"

"Salazar you sound like a bloody pamphlet," Malfoy muttered with a sad attempt at hiding his eye roll by looking to the carpet. We locked gazes before he continued. "Aren't you worried about stressing yourself out? That's not good for your health."

He had managed to snatch the book out of my hand and place it on the coffee table as I pondered the negative effects of stress in my head. I had delved so far into my thinking process that I didn't even notice Malfoy getting closer. Or his evil little smirk. Damn his Slytherin traits.

My eyelids fluttered shut on their own accord when Malfoy's hands started to massage my scalp. His lips had just touched my neck when I spoke.

"I suppose too much studying will simply overload the brain and not allow it to absorb any knowledge presented to it," I muttered, wrapping an arm around Malfoy's neck when he started to push me flat on my back.

Malfoy grinned. "See? It's healthy to take breaks. Let your mind wander for a bit."

"Sometimes you have good ideas," I muttered, my brain having almost fully shut off all forms of coherent speech.

"Sometimes," Malfoy agreed as our lips connected once again.

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I woke up with a tingling sensation in my arm. I flexed my fingers, vaguely aware that they were still attached to my body. My eyelids slowly peeled open to find Malfoy's blond, spoiled head sleeping on my forearm. That prat. No wonder I can't feel anything in my pinky.

Sitting up was no better, for my back was stiff as hell. Mental note; no more sleeping on couches with Draco Malfoy. A line of lazy sunlight was peeking through a crack in the curtains, stabbing me in the face. It wavered faintly, Crooks having been pawing at it for Godric knows how long.

Wait, what time is it?

"No!" I groaned once I looked at the clock above the fireplace. "Not two days in one week!"

"Hermione, what the hell? Why're you screaming?" slurred Malfoy. "Is the Dark Lord fucking back or something?"

I grimaced as I rubbed my hand roughly down my face. "We slept in again. What are our professors going to think?" I stood up, having resorted to pacing. "We can't keep doing this-this is unethical! All that knowledge wasted! And I have no clue why my alarm didn't wake me, blasted thing, I probably forgot to set it-"

"Saturday," Malfoy grumbled.

"What?" I stated more than asked, ceasing my pacing to turn sharply to face Malfoy.

"Today is Saturday," Malfoy said slowly. "Fucking calm yourself. I just woke up and you're giving both of us migraines."

My stomach sank to my toes. "That's even worse!"

Malfoy sat up slowly, looking at me like I was insane. "Now it's my turn to be confused."

"Harry and Ron are coming," I said, eyes wide.

"So?" he asked blandly.

I put my face in my hands. "I was supposed to meet them three hours ago."

Malfoy sighed. "Go get ready. I'll be back in thirty-five minutes with something from the Kitchens and an excuse for your friends."

"But we're having lunch together," I blurted, feeling remorse immediately at the look on his face.

"Then I'm going to go change my clothes and hope an excuse pops out of my pants drawer," he snapped, pausing at the door for a moment. "Make that twenty minutes."

I let out a long breath when the portrait door shut behind him, not moving until Crooks meowed against my leg.

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A/N: Word count: 3,157.

Ughhhh I suck at life so much. I hope you guys enjoy this! Please review and tell me your thoughts/constructive criticisms!

My schedule this year for school shouldn't be that hectic because I'm dropping sports to focus on schooling, so maybe I'll update more, eh? That's the plan, at least. Until next time,

GG222