"So did he say it was over?" Ginny was perched on the edge of her bed and Hermione was laid out on hers.

"That's the point isn't it? There is nothing to be over!" Hermione sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Of course there is! He's besotted with you and don't even try and tell me you don't like him because that's a lie." Ginny insisted.

Hermione sat up. "Of course I like him... " she let her voice trail off and she looked down at her hands.

"So we need to sort this out then."

"He's not besotted, Ginny. He's just on this mission to prove he's now a good person and that he can get the girl who's hated him for six years to like him. So, at least that bit has worked out right for him!" Hermione lay back down with a groan.

"I might come over there and shake you in a minute," Ginny said. "This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about. You remember - The notorious womanizer? We haven't seen much of that lately have we? Why do you suppose that might be? He really likes you, Hermione."

"Has he told Blaise that then? Confessed his undying love for me?" Hermione was being sarcastic.

"No, not exactly but why do you think Blaise and I spent all that time trying to pair you up? Boys don't say things directly to each other like we do but Blaise knew he really liked you." Ginny shrugged. "I don't see why you're making all this so difficult. You like him, he likes you, simple!"

"It's not that simple, Ginny. He's Draco Malfoy!"

"Mmm. You mean the gorgeous, sexy, charming..."

Hermione groaned loudly interrupting Ginny mid sentence.

"Stop!"

"How about funny, clever, sweet, witty...stop me when I say something that's not true..." Ginny challenged Hermione. "Who cares what his name is? I'm not suggesting we entirely forget the past six years but everyone deserves a second chance. He's nothing like the old Draco so you need to draw a line under it. Bloody hell, Hermione he's not put a step wrong yet! Can you imagine any other boy at Hogwarts romancing you like Draco does?"

Hermione sat up again and stared at her friend. She bit her lip nervously and Ginny let her digest what she had just said for a moment. And just as Hermione had watched Draco make a decision, Ginny now watched Hermione do the same thing. Eventually she spoke quietly but clearly.

"I didn't know I liked him this much."

Ginny's face broke into a smile. "Hurray! A realisation at last."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Hermione had taken her homework out by the lake hoping it would help her concentrate. It hadn't and she knew that this was going to be the worst mark she had ever got. She flung her books to the side of her and lay back on the grass.

She and Ginny had talked for ages about her situation but were no further along. Hermione had finally admitted that she wanted to be with Draco but it was too late. It was hard to re-build bridges once they were gone and Hermione knew Draco would be unwilling to start being nice to her again after he'd made his decision to end it. She'd seen him yesterday across the hall talking to some 6th year girls who were giggling at him. He didn't exactly look like he was devastated! Hermione's thoughts started back on the same old circle, what could she expect? He was Draco Malfoy, she couldn't imagine him crying himself to sleep over her! So did she want to be with someone who could move on so easily? No. So she should be happy about her narrow escape. But she wasn't. She was miserable and she missed him.

She stood up suddenly, annoyed with herself for going over the same thing yet again. She grabbed her books and started walking back to the castle. She had only gone a few steps when she spotted him by the edge of the lake. She could see books on the grass next to him but he wasn't looking at them. He was staring across the water. She took a few steps the way she had been walking and then stopped. He was alone and he was obviously not concentrating on his homework either. If she was going to speak to him this was the perfect opportunity.

She turned to look at him again completely torn by her decision before she took a few steps towards him, then a few more and suddenly he was right next to him. He turned his head and looked up at her, his expression guarded. She took all her courage in both hands and lowered herself next to him on the grass before putting her books on top of his. She stared out over the lake.

"It's beautiful," Hermione said quietly and out of the corner of her eye she saw Draco turn to look at it again. He didn't respond so she turned to look at him.

"I can't do this, Hermione," Draco didn't turn away from the lake. "Sorry." He stood up, grabbed his books and without another word left her staring after him.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Ginny had tried to extract some information from Blaise to see if Draco was saying much to him but Blaise was being unusually tight lipped.

"It's not good you asking me, Ginny. Draco hasn't said much and what he has said was in confidence."

"But don't you want him and Hermione together? She's really miserable." Ginny pulled a face at him.

"Of course I do! I did try but he won't budge on it. It took a lot for him to let Hermione get close to him so now he's closed all the shutters down again."

So the girls decided to take matters into their own hands. They got to Transfiguration early and sat on different desks so that the boys had to split up as well. Hermione was slightly concerned about trying to carry out a plan in Transfiguration as their past record of not getting caught wasn't good but Ginny was confident.

Blaise and Draco arrived together and Ginny waved her arms at Blaise to indicate he should sit by her. He glanced over at Draco who didn't look particularly happy but nodded before taking the seat next to Hermione. Hermione bit her lip nervously, not daring to look at him. He didn't speak or look at her and they worked silently on the task they had been set. Luckily it was an individual task to change some rocks into feathers. It was difficult and the room was quiet with everyone having to concentrate. Hermione struggled with several of the bigger rocks but eventually managed to change them all. She glanced over at Draco expecting him to have finished and be sitting watching her but he had three large rocks left and was waving his wand at them. Hermione wasn't quite sure if she should give him any guidance because he wasn't aiming his wand at the middle of the stones but she decided to keep silent.

A few minutes past and she could see that several people had now completed the task and the Professor McGonagall was starting to approach the desks examining the pupils work. Hermione glanced over at Draco who still had three stones left to turn and who was now waving his wand frantically, his shoulders hunched over. Professor McGonagall was two desks away now and Hermione saw Draco look up at her before almost prodding the stones with his wand. She understood completely how he must be feeling. Plenty of pupils struggled with Transfiguration but she and Draco never did and it was humiliating to fail. Hermione suddenly made a decision and grabbed her wand. She leant over to Draco and waved her wand at his biggest stone which immediately turned into a large, white feather. Draco turned and stared at her and Hermione glanced back at him before turning the other two stones just as Professor McGonagall arrived.

"Well, as I expected Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger. An excellent job as always." She moved onto the next desk and Hermione leant back in her seat. Draco was staring down at the desk and she realised she was holding her breath waiting his reaction. This could go either way because although she had been trying to help him he could easily be annoyed at her. He turned his head to look at her.

"That was cheating, Miss Granger." He wasn't smiling but he wasn't glaring either. "I don't have to cheat to get good grades."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "You could have fooled me!" She leant closer to him and gently touched his arm. "As the best Transfiguration student in school, I like to help the less able students now and again." She couldn't help but smile at her own joke and the look on Draco's face. She could tell he was dying to laugh but was trying to stop himself.

"Very funny." Draco was stared at her for a moment and then looked round to make sure Professor McGonagall wasn't near. "Thanks."

Hermione shrugged. "You're welcome. You weren't aiming your wand at the centre of the stone that's why it wasn't working."

Draco stared at her again and turned slightly towards her. "You could have just told me that then there would have been no need to cheat."

Hermione smirked at him, glad he was talking to her. "Yeh, I could have done but then you wouldn't need to be grateful to me. I like to have you in my debt."

Draco gave her a small smile and said nothing more before he grabbed his books and left. Hermione turned to see Ginny and Blaise grinning at her and waving their wands. She looked at them puzzled and grabbing her bag went over to them.

"Why are you two grinning at me?"

Ginny lifted her wand again. "Did poor Draco have terrible trouble changing his stones?"

Hermione gazed at her trying to work out what she was on about. Blaise stood up and waved his wand at her.

"We were stopping Draco from changing his stones. A very accomplished piece of magic across the classroom, even if I say so myself." He grinned at Hermione who stared at him open mouthed.

"We knew you'd help him if he struggled and then hopefully you'd talk to each other and it worked!" Ginny was grinning from ear to ear and Hermione couldn't help but grin back.

"You two are so sneaky!" Hermione said.

"You're welcome." Ginny nudged her friends arm.

Oooh! A glimmer of hope? Keep reading and please review...x