"Okay, once I finish gluing these magnets to the board, we'll be done with the building part."

Draco said glancing up Hermione from his workspace across from her. She nodded at him without looking up as she continued to put the finishing touches on their paper.

"How does this sound?"

She said pausing before continuing.

"Thus, the pencil is not really floating. As previously stated, it only appears that way because the magnets repel each other but are on the same plane."

Draco stared thoughtfully at the magnet he was holding in place while the glue dried.

"It sounds good to me, but as of right now you could tell me it was floating because of fairy dust and I'd agree."

He said yawing quietly. Hermione nodded in agreement and leaned back in her chair shoving her hands into the pocket of the sweatshirt she had changed into when they had stopped by her house. She couldn't help but smile a bit as she remembered how she had made a remark about how she looked homeless in her leggings and faded hoodie, and Draco had told her that "He quite liked them."

"What are you cheesing about?"

Draco asked nudging her foot with his own.

"Nothing."

Hermione said cheekily tapping her foot against his. He looked up at the large clock on the wall and sighed.

"I can't believe we spent the entire evening holed up in here doing schoolwork."

He whined as he rested his chin on his free hand. Hermione shrugged as she shoved her textbook back into her backpack. After stopping for supplies they had begun working around five, now it was an hour to closing.

"Better than doing it alone thirty minutes before its due."

Hermione said shifting in her seat. Draco frowned a little as he stared at her.

"I guess you weren't too horrible to work with."

He said jokingly. Hermione feigned a hurt look and threw a hand over her heart.

"Not too bad!? You're supposed to be madly in love with me."

Draco released the magnet he was holding and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes, I suppose I had forgotten about that."

He said thoughtfully standing up and pushing in his chair.

"Come along then love, it's almost eleven, and I don't want your parents thinking I kidnapped you."

He said winking at her as he grinned smugly. Hermione allowed her mouth to fall open as she blushed and looked around the empty library trying to see if anyone had heard what he had said.

"Stop that!"

She cried playfully leaning over the circular plastic table to shove his shoulder.

"What?"

He asked innocently smiling at her.

"You don't like it when I call you love, love?"

He asked impishly still smiling at her. Hermione only stood up and began wrapping the chord around on her hot glue gun.

"You're not saying no."

He said wiggling his eyebrows at her. She looked up from her bag and regarded him closely before speaking.

"Are you always like this."

She asked staring him the eyes pausing her hand and leaning them on the back of a chair.

"Like what… handsome, funny, or compassionate?"

He asked quirking an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes before responding.

"No, I was thinking more along the lines of happy."

She said looking at him carefully.

"You never act like this at school, so I was just wondering…"

She trailed off now, feeling as if her question was too personal. Draco only scrunched his nose and shrugged.

"No, not really. I'm not usually around people who would appreciate me having fun."

He said sighing loudly trying to keep his tone light.

"What about Blaise and the others."

Hermione asked her brow furrowing.

"Well, yeah. Theo and Blaise are cool, but I'm only friends with everyone else because I have to be."

Hermione's frown deepened as she pictured how miserable she would be if she secretly hated her friends.

"Why?"

She asked curiously as she began packing her stuff up again.

"Do you always ask so many questions."

He asked trying to change the subject as he laughed awkwardly.

"Do you always avoid answering them?"

She replied evenly. As she gave him a quick glance. He chuckled and shook his head slightly before throwing his hands up in mock surrender.

"Alright, you caught me."

He said putting their spare magnets in a Ziplock bag.

"I hang out with them for connections. Being friends with people in high places is how you're successful in life- that's what my parents keep telling me anyway."

"Do you think that's true?"

Hermione asked him as she closed her bag. He shrugged before responding

"Maybe- I mean I guess knowing people can't hurt, but it's not everything."

He said frowning lightly.

"That's why I don't want to marry Astoria, I barley know her. Hell, the last time I saw her we had just started grade school."

Hermione made a disgusted face at the thought of marrying someone she barely knew.

"Well…why don't you just tell your parents that."

Draco snickered at this.

"Trust me Granger I tried. But they believe your social standing reflects your level of success."

Hermione nodded slowly.

"And your success is based off how much you've accomplished. How much money you have, who you know, Where and who you married, and my personal favorite who got married the fastest. That's why my parents are withholding the rights to the company until I'm married."

He said laughing bitterly.

"To inspire me to find the one faster."

"That sounds awful."

Hermione said as she tried to put herself in his shoes. Draco shrugged as he began to speak again.

"Sometimes it's a lot, but what do I look like complaining about it."

He said pausing.

"Oh, poor Malfoy doesn't like his friends. Life must be so miserable for him in his mansion."

He said making his voice high and squeaky. Hermione looked at him intently before speaking again.

"Having money doesn't mean life can't treat you unfairly."

She said sternly, upset that he felt as if he had to bottle up his feelings because his family had money. He gave her a small smile as he picked up a discarded color pencil.

"Yeah, well everyone isn't as understanding as you are."

He said forcing a large grin on his face as he placed the colored pencils he had been collecting back in the cup in the middle of the table.

"Now, lets leave. If I spend another moment in here, I think I might start growing wrinkles and a beard."

He said stroking his chin as if he were making sure no hair had grown in the last couple of hours. Hermione found herself giggling at his expression and grabbed the board that held their project on it. Draco grabbed her bag and slung it over his shoulder and Hermione suppressed a smile as she imagined walking down the school halls hand in hand with him as he carried her bag on one shoulder.

"Goodnight!"

Draco called to the older woman at the front desk as he threw his hand up to wave. She gave him a sweet smile in return and Hermione widened her eyes as she realized what she had been thinking about moments ago. Mortified she ducked her head down and forced herself to repeat her physics presentation to herself all the way to Draco's car.

"Do you want me to walk you up?"

Draco asked as he parked along the curb outside Hermione's house.

"I'm truly flattered, but unless you want to play twenty questions with my parents, we better take a raincheck."

She said shaking her head as she unbuckled.

"hmmm. While that does sound like loads of fun, I'm afraid you're right."

He said reaching his arm back to grab her book bag off the floor of the back seat. He held the bag out to Hermione, and she placed it on her lap as she looked at him.

"I really did have a good time today."

She said blushing praising the powers that be that it was dark and that the streetlight didn't provide good light.

"Really?"

He said coyly as he leaned forward resting his arm on the center console closing the gap between their two faces leaving only a few inches of space. Hermione felt her stomach flip. She found herself unable to speak momentarily so she only nodded.

"Well, like I said before, we'll have to do it again some time. Who knows I might swing by and decide to kidnap you after school sometime next week."

Hermione shuddered as again the smell of spearmint wafted towards her from his mouth.

"Is it kidnapping if I go willingly?"

She said boldly raising an eyebrow at him. He opened his mouth to respond when her front door open and her fathers large silhouette filled the doorway.

"Guess that's your que."

He said leaning away from her. Not bothering to masque his disappointment.

"You can leave the project in my car, I swear I'll bring it to class Monday."

Draco said holding up his right hand. Hermione nodded at him and looked back once as she opened the door.

"Goodnight Draco."

She said as she stood up.

"Goodnight."

He said smiling up at her. She began closing the door before she stopped suddenly and opened it a bit.

"Text me when you get home, so I know you made it safe. Alright?"

She said looking down at him. An unfamiliar expression passed his face before he grinned hugely at her and nodded.

"Yes Ma'am"

He said winking at her. She nodded and bit her lip trying to withhold a smile for what felt like the thousandth time that day. She closed the door softly and pivoted beginning to make her way up the driveway. She reached the front door, and her father raised a hand in the direction of Draco's car, which only pulled away when she had fully stepped inside.

"Well aren't you rosy cheeked!"

Her mother exclaimed from her seat at the island. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked over to where she was sitting.

"I am not rosy checked."

She exclaimed widening her eyes at her mother looking back at her father who was frowning by the front door.

"He didn't walk you up."

He said gruffly walking into the kitchen where they were.

"Because I told him not to, begged is actually more accurate."

She said laughing as she walked towards the stairs.

"Well why not?"

Her mother asked indignantly.

"You know why."

She said giving her mother a knowing look before making her way to her room.

"Goodnight!"

She called before she shut her room door. She heard a muffled chorus from her parents before she turned and fell onto her bed. She sat up as she remembered how Draco had flopped back onto her pillow while he was waiting for her to come out the bathroom. It was weird. Ron had napped in her bed before and she had never given it a second thought, but with Draco everything he did or said was permanently imprinted in her mind.

"I am so hopeless."

She sighed aloud as she stood up and paced around her room. The small smile that graced her lips faltered when she heard her phone ringing in her pocket. She furrowed her eyebrows knowing that Draco couldn't possibly be home yet.

"Hello?"

She said answering the call that popped up with no caller ID.

"You have a lot of nerve ya know?"

A seething voice cried from the other end.

"He's using you, and you'll come crawling back to me when you realize. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows that you're mine."

Hermione stood in shock anger welling inside her. Without responding she hung up her phone and blocked the number along with Ron's contact without hesitation. She expected to cry, but she was surprised when the only emotion she could detect was relief. She was done with Ron, really and truly done. She wanted nothing more to do with him and this was the first time that she knew that she meant it. Hermione walked over to her closet and snatched down all the clothes that came from Ron. Every jacket, hoodie, and t-shirt. Along with other Knick knacks he had left. She shoved everything into a large trash bag and shoved it under her bed deciding she would drop it off at his place on Monday while he was at spring football practice. She stood with her hands on her hips and chest heaving in the middle of her room admiring how much neater it was now that all the stuff he'd left over was gone. Her phone rang again this time from her desk. She rolled her eyes and made a low sound in the back of her throat fully ready to give Ron a piece of her mind. The anger rising in her chest dissipated when she saw that the call was from Harry. She almost dropped her phone trying to answer the call. She hadn't spoken to Harry in months and she felt horrible about shoving him aside for Ron.

Harry?!"

She exclaimed joy present in her voce.

"So, it's true then? You finally rid yourself of that bloke?"

He asked amusement hanging on every word.

"How'd you know"

She asked sitting down in her desk chair a large smile etched on her face.

"Ginny told me that Ron came home fuming a few hours ago yelling about you and some guy in the park."

He said a bubble of laughter following his words.

"Oh, good riddance! I'm sorry Harry I know he's your girlfriends' brother, but he truly is senile. I don't know why I'm only just seeing it."

She could practically hear Harry shrug as he began speaking again.

"Nah, Ginny knows. She loves him because they're family, but she's aware of his troubling antics."

Hermione smiled a small smile. She liked Ginny and she was glad Ron hadn't ruined their friendship.

"Enough about Ron though"

Harry said suddenly.

"I have Ginny waiting in the other room, and we want to hear all about you outing with Malfoy."