YAY! THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS.

Soooo, as a thank you, I'm going to reply to every single question that has been submitted (before I started this chappie at least) briefly. (unless doubled)

Konciawa(and all others who guessed this): You'll see who it is! (how redundant)

TheCrescentMoonWriter: It took me a while to understand what you said...but...I think you covered two opposites in there. So its no and yes? LOL. I don't really know. But I did try to trick you guys to think it was Steph. Or Ron.

Volleyballchick: Often, pregnant women like to think they are fat. When really, its just a big babby THING growing in their stomach. Well, so I see/read anyways. I, however, had not had that experience for I am 15. And not pregnant. LOL

Karen: I don't know what happened to Bob. Maybe he'll have a second appearance later. Ill try. Good old Bob.

On the Doorstep

And the doors flew open.

Lucius froze mid-step in the foyer, turning towards the intruder. His son was only mere steps behind him.

"Harry bloody Potter." Lucius tapped his walking stick on the ground loudly.

"Lovely to see you too!" Harry exclaimed, his arms wide open.

"Why is Harry Potter in my house?" demanded Lucius, bubbling with anger.

Nobody dared to answer him...that, and nobody but Draco was in the vicinity.

"I said," Lucius shouted, stomping his stick. "Why is Harry Potter in my house?"

Hermione chose that precise moment to hurry down the stairs, hearing the commotion at the front. "Oh," she faltered, her steps slowing down as she neared the bottom. Behind Lucius, Draco was desperately shaking his head. She frowned, unable to decipher what he was trying to say.

Draco pointed to Harry. Then shook his head. Don't say anything!

"Harry...he's my..friend," she tried. She bit her lip as Draco furiously shaked his head faster.

Lucius turned around, ignoring the man at the entrance. "Of course...the golden trio. You had to choose the girl that was bloody best friends with Harry Potter!"

"Father—"

"What am I going to do with you son?"

"Does that mean...you disapprove?" Draco hesitantly asked in a hushed tone. Suprisingly, he feared that his father would say yes.

"No! It means that I might have to live the rest of my life with Harry Potter trampezing around my house! And you are to blame!" Lucius pushed his long hair back, and glared briefly at Harry. "Bloody hell!" He yelled, storming up the stairs, pushing past Hermione in the process.

She stumbled the last two steps forwards, and manoeuvred her way towards Draco. "Well...that was something," she began uncertainly. "What did he say to you?"

Draco looked away from her. "Nothing," he lied. "Nothing of importance."

Hermione didn't push it. She took his hand and pulled him towards Harry.

"Does he not like me or something?" the man asked, running a hand through his dark hair, rather bewildered. "Because I don't know...you know..he just seems—"

"Oh no, he definitely loves you Harry," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just the way he loves me."

Hermione didn't know the half of it. Draco, however, gulped. The plan? The plan was officially one hundred percent down the drain.

"What are you doing here?" he heard Hermione ask her friend.

What in the name of god was Draco supposed to do now?

"I thought I'd spend the day with you," Harry responded, oblivious to Draco's troubled thoughts.

Hermione nodded happily. "Draco," she called, smiling towards him, "would you like to come?"

No, his mind told him. No, you don't need to spend the day with Harry Potter. No, you need to figure this out. You need to talk to Blaise, not that he'd talk to you. You need to talk to Steph. You need to—

"Yes."

The cobblestone path of the small wizarding village that they had chosen to go to seemed to run on and on and on, endless against the horizon. The street was lined with houses and shops—small and homely. Something that reminded Hermione of the small community she used to live in. She smiled and swung her arms while walking beside Harry, with Draco on her other side.

The village, or more accurately, small town centre was by no means lacking of visitors. Although not as busy as Diagon Alley, the streets were still lined with people, flowing in and out of the specialty shops all throughout.

Hermione had never been here before, and she revelled in the fact that Draco knew about this place. Apparently, he had an old acquaintance that owned a shop here.

"Oh lord, Hermione, remember the time in first year? The troll?"

"You and Ron," she scolded teasingly, shaking her head. Draco looked on curiously.

"Hey, it was you that ran into that washroom crying first!" he defended. "Besides, it was fun."

"FUN?" Hermione scoffed.

"Oh, oh and remember third year?"

Hermione frowned. "Which part?"

"You know," Harry hinted, nudging his head towards Draco lightly. "Yeah?"

Hermione frowned, turning her head to the side to face where Harry had been hinting at. While doing so, her foot caught on the uneven surface of the ground and she stumbled forwards, bracing herself for the fall.

Draco and Harry both instinctively reached forwards to grab her, one on either arm.

She blushed as the propped her upright, although Draco didn't release his hold on her as Harry did.

"Are you okay?" he murmured, not allowing Harry to hear. He didn't feel comfortable.

She nodded shyly. Harry took it as if she was nodding to knowing what he was saying.

"Yeah, bloody good punch you throw!"

Oh, that was what he was talking about.

"Harry, shut up," she said in a hushed town, glancing at Draco uncertainly.

"About that," she began.

"I deserved it," he said, smiling at her. "And you're right Potter," he continued on, still looking at Hermione, "she does throw a good punch."

Hermione feverishly shook her head. Inside, she was glad Draco was making an attempt to talk to Harry. All day, they hadn't spoken a word to each other, and it was getting slightly tiring talking to two people at once, while trying to ensure neither was left out.

She wanted them to be friends. If Draco could be kind to her, she hardly understood why he couldn't be kind to Harry as well.

She tried to think of a common topic for the three of them to talk about.

"Remember the Yule ball," she tried. That was at least something that all three of them had participated in.

"Boring," Draco commented.

"It was great!" Harry exclaimed at the same time.

They both hushed up.

Hermione coughed awkwardly. Or maybe not, she thought.

Draco knew what she was trying to do. It wasn't hard to figure out. But he also knew it was rather useless. Whatever topic Harry would find interesting, Draco would surely find boring.

"How about those N.E.W.T.s eh?" she chuckled nervously.

Both Harry and Draco gave her a pointed look, blatantly saying, are you serious?

Draco cleared his throat. There was one topic that was universal. "Quirk's Quidditch is just around the corner. They always have the latest brooms before the come to Diagon Alley and other stores."

He looked to the side, away from the two, although he could feel Hermione's grin. He tried to resist the smile creeping on his face. "Would you like to accompany me Pothea—er," he cleared his throat, "Potter."

Hermione nodded furiously towards Harry, her eyes pleading him to accept. Harry sighed silently.

"Sure..Malfoy."

It was an unspoken compromise. "You, Hermione?" Draco asked.

And for the first time ever, she went into a Quidditch shop with a smile on her face—not being dragged or pushed.

"Right Potter," Draco said as he took a sip out of his drink, "as if the Cannons would win this year."

"You don't believe it? They have Marlowe. He's the best keeper in the league."

Hermione sipped her own drink pleasantly, watching the exchange.

"So what if they have Marlowe. They have no offense. No one can score."

"No, they're going to win."

"They aren't."

"They are."

"They aren't."

"They are."

"Fancy a wager?"

Harry hesitated. "Hermione," he said, turning to the girl, "you won't tell Ginny would you?" He looked sheepish.

"Horsewhipped," Draco mouthed to Hermione.

"DRACO MALFOY," she scolded, frown lines deepening. She turned to Harry. "Don't wager with him. He probably cheats."

"I resent that!" Draco defended lightly.

Harry marvelled at the difference in the man. Throughout the whole day, he had never truly been rude. With the exception of a few snide comments.

He had laughed. He had smiled. He had teased.

Sometimes, Harry decided, Draco and Hermione seemed to have their own little secrets. He frowned. Draco wasn't a bad guy, no...but...

"Hermione, can I talk to you for a second?"

Both Hermione and Draco looked up from their separate conversation. Hermione looked at Draco, who rose graciously. "I was just going to the men's room."

Harry nodded.

Once he was out of earshot, he began. "Hermione, are you...falling for him?"

Hermione faltered. Harry chose to interpret it correctly.

"Hermione," he admonished.

She shook her head, and stared at her hands.

"Hermione, are you..or are you not...falling for him?"

"He's a good guy Harry," she managed.

"I'm not saying he's a bad guy."

Neither noticed Draco's return. He hovered nearby, hoping to give them some more time to talk. He never planned to listen in on their conversation. But sometimes, things just happen. Like how he happened to hear.

"Yes," she said finally.

Harry gulped. "Yes what?"

"Yes, I am falling for him. Yes, I like him. Yes. Yes. Yes."

"Hermione," Harry sighed.

She buried her head in her hands. "I know," came the muffled reply. "I know."

"You can't like him."

"Because he has a girlfriend whom he loves. I get it. Because it'll never happen between us. I know. Because we have a deal."

Harry nodded simply. "Has anything happened between you two?"

Draco held his breath. He shouldn't have kissed her. He knew he shouldn't have kissed her. It was instinctive. Purely impulse. It toyed with his emotions, and more importantly, hers.

"We kissed," she said simply. "It didn't mean anything."

"For you or for him?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

She merely confirmed it when she shrugged.

His eyes fell downwards, as he struggled to control his thoughts.

Draco was confused, to say the least.

Everything with Hermione was so wrong, but felt so right. And everything with Steph was so right, but felt so wrong.

But with Steph, he didn't feel guilty.

Hermione was everything that he had always wanted to be. She was like...an angel, and he was the devil.

The devil never deserves an angel.

Sin deserves punishment, not reward.

Draco...he didn't deserve—

"Oh Draco, you're back," exclaimed Hermione, plastering a smile on her face.

"I think we should get back," he said evenly, watching as the sun's last rays covered the sky.

Harry pushed his chair back. "Yes," he said, giving Hermione a pointed look. "Let's go."

Hermione looked away, trailing after the two men as they walked to the fireplace in the cafe.

Harry disappeared first, but not without a pitying glance at her.

She didn't need pity.

She followed after, flooing back to the Malfoy Manor. Draco, the last.

Finally, as he dusted himself off after the trip, his demeanour slightly reflective—the doorbell rang.

They walked towards the foyer, just as Lucius and Narcissa descended the stairs.

"It better not be Harry Potter again," he grimaced.

The butler opened the door.

"No, it's better," murmured Hermione sadly.

Draco took a step back in shock. "Steph?"

"Surprise, surprise."

STEPH comes back. Who thinks Hermione should fight?:)

Me! Me!

She throws some mean punches ;) maybe...LOL no just kidding!

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