Another quick transition chapter but this is well worth what's coming up. How does Heather feel about all this that's going on...? We will find out... I haven't written it yet so I have no idea either... :)

Chapter 28: The Worth of a Slytherin

Draco lay on his back staring at the ceiling, hands folded behind his head. Wow… He thought and rolled over, shifting positions. By now he had realized he wouldn't be sleeping tonight. His head was swimming with too many new questions, new ideas, and new feelings that he could not suppress.

Licking his lips, Draco rolled over once again. "Shit…" He said, sitting up. There was no point in even lying down anymore. It only made him even more restless.

Standing, he began to pace. What was he going to do? He suddenly asked himself. The thought hadn't struck him as he had been gliding over the Quidditch pitch but now it was the only thing that he could think about besides… he groaned as his thoughts went down that path and he forced them back onto subject.

No one could know what had transpired between them, of course, but he couldn't keep screwing with her head like this, that he knew… He remembered what she had said outside her Gryffindor portrait hole and as he thought of it, the image came alive in his mind.

"Thank you." Hermione said, handing Draco his broom, which she had been carrying around almost possessively. She looked so shy now that they were back in the castle Draco realized.

"No… Thank you." Propping his broom up against the wall, he leaned his left hand against the wall, blocking her path (not that it needed blocking) and leaned forward, tipping her chin up with his right hand. As his lips were pressed over hers one simple fact made everything they were doing okay. She was kissing him back.

A moment later, Draco could feel the question floating in the air and he had no answer. He could say nothing that could dispel her fear and he could say nothing at all that would make this whole thing make sense in his own mind.

But as it turned out, he didn't need to say anything…

"It was fun?" Hermione asked herself furiously once she stood safely on the other side of the door. "It was fun…" Hermione sighed. I can't believe I said it…

Turning around, Hermione's eyes met the saddest scene she had ever witnessed. Half of the Gryffindor house was scattered about the common room. Some were asleep, some were bored, and some were angry. Hermione had to admit that the two angriest faces were those of Harry and Ron.

"We wanted to be the first to tell you, you know." Harry began. "But then Parvati told us she told you and you went storming off so… we decided to throw you a welcome to the team party." He finished, his tone growing lower every word. "Assuming that you would come back, that is."

"I…I…" But Hermione was speechless. She couldn't find one word to display how sorry she was and even though she searched for something to say, nothing she said would make things all right. She at least wanted to lie, they deserved at least a lie but her tongue felt trapped between her teeth and her jaw refused to open.

"Most of the team's gone to bed. We have to keep up on our academics and there's school tomorrow." Ron said. "I told Amber I couldn't go to her birthday party because I had duties to my own house, my own friends, my own teammate." Ron said harshly and Hermione tapped her foot.

"Well?" Harry asked and Hermione shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"Well what?"

"Where were you?" He asked and Hermione suddenly felt very attacked. It was her business where she had been and how fair was it that they were having this conversation in front of everyone else in their house?

"That is none of your business." She replied coldly and Harry nodded.

"You were with that git, weren't you?" He stated and Hermione glared. "Weren't you!" He shouted and suddenly two more Gryffindors in the room were forced to listen to their fight against their will as they were woken from sleep.

"It's none of your business, Harry!" Hermione roared. "Where do you go at night? That's something I'd like to know." Hermione shouted turning this around on him, and Harry threw a harsh look to Ron, who recoiled. "Well? Answer that!"

"I don't answer to you." He said and stood, walking forward very slowly. Hermione saw the look on his face and felt temporarily guilty. She had meant to bring that up in private.

"Oh, and I answer to you?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm your captain!" Harry shouted. He had begun to ascend the staircase into the boy's dormitories but now he turned back, placed himself straight in front of her, leveling their eyes.

"On the Quidditch pitch!" She replied scathingly. "I thought we were pretty good friends but the moment since Sirius died you've closed yourself off in this alternate universe of pain and I've all but moved on, Harry. You shut me out and that's fine, but you have to expect the same from everyone else." Hermione said, her voice lowered only a pitch. By now, every Gryffindor in the common room was listening, which didn't help her temper at all. "Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'treat others how you yourself wish to be treated'?" She asked and Harry nodded curtly. "Take it to heart."

"But I never knew all this trouble would be caused by one sleazy, slimy, little git of a Slytherin." Now he had hit a cord and Hermione was prepared to let him have it when she paused. Best explain this in a tone he'll actually hear.

"It's not about Draco at all, Harry." She lectured then, "It's about you and how you feel about him, which isn't reasonable in the least. If you were to take one look beyond that green and silver scarf, those cold ambitious eyes, and the dysfunction running through his veins then you would you see what I do. The worth of a Slytherin." She spoke, her voice taking on a preaching quality and Harry looked as if what she had just said shook him. "He's not just a Slytherin, either Harry. He's a human. He's a Malfoy, yes, and he's a jerk, but he's not a death eater. We're fighting Death Eaters, here, not Slytherins. I thought that, as Gryffindors, we were supposed to look beyond houses and blood and reputation but I guess in some ways were are all just as bad as Slytherins in our close-mindedness." Hermione turned to the left and walked down the stairs into the girls' dormitories, slamming the door behind her.