Hermione returned to her rooms feeling slightly strange. Had she just flirted with Neville? When she'd talked to Ginny yesterday and said how much Neville had changed she hadn't been thinking about him in that way. She could appreciate how handsome he had become but she didn't really think of him like that. However, there was no denying how she had reacted when he'd given out their timetables yesterday.

She sighed and lay back on her bed. Why did Parvati have to have noticed who she was staring at? She blinked a few times, surprised at her own actions. She had been gawping at Malfoy, there was no denying it. Since when did she gawp at Draco Malfoy?

Her own thoughts were beginning to drive her crazy so she left her room and went out into the communal room. She made herself a drink, intending to get out her book and have a quiet hour reading but as soon as she stepped out Ginny grabbed her.

"Hey! Have you seen the timetables for tomorrow yet?" she asked and Hermione shook her head. Ginny bit her lip. "Well, you're going to have a terrible morning and a great afternoon." She handed Hermione a piece of parchment.

Schedule of Lectures :

DAY ONE

10am Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger

- One not to miss! Miss Granger owns her own business selling top quality broomsticks and Mr Malfoy is one of the top Aurors at The Ministry. So - which one would you be suited to? Working for yourself or joining the well respected institution?

(Open to students Year 5 and above only.)

Hermione felt her heart sink and sighed. She scanned the paper and further down, found herself again.

3.30pm Mr Longbottom and Miss Granger

- Our very own Herbology Professor and Miss Hermione Granger will present a special presentation about their time at Hogwarts and how they eventually chose the careers. With open question time at the end.

Open to all students (limit 100 so please confirm attendance.)

"Great!" Hermione said her tone contradicting her word. "Who are you with?"

Ginny wriggled her eyebrows. "You'll never guess."

"Zabini."

"Yes!"

"All day?"

"No, I'm with Harry in the morning," Ginny waived this piece of information away with her hand. "Can you believe I got paired with him? I don't think I'll be able to concentrate!"

"Have you actually spoken to him yet?" Hermione asked. She glanced around the room and found Blaise by the window talking to Daphne Greengrass and Cho Chang.

"No - I have no idea how to start a conversation," Ginny confessed.

"Not like you to be so reticent!" Hermione teased her friend. "I'm surprised you haven't had him pinned against the wall while you have your wicked way with him."

"Eww!"

Hermione and Ginny turned to find Draco standing by them.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Ginny spat the words at him, her green eyes flashing.

"Are you about to jump on Potter's bones, Weasley?" Draco's voice was annoyingly smooth.

"What is your problem?" Hermione turned on him. "This was a private conversation so mind your own business!"

Ginny stepped closer to Draco who watched her suspiciously. "Actually it's Zabini's bones I want."

Hermione gaped at her friend, shocked at her confession and Draco's face showed his astonishment too. His lips curved upwards into a smile. "Why exactly would he be interested in you? You shouldn't set your sights too high." Draco looked around the room. "MacMillan is single - he's about the best you're gonna do."

Ginny leant closer. "Really? How about I prove you wrong?"

"Ginny," Hermione said, warningly. She'd seen Ginny like this before and it normally ended badly. Her warning was pointless however, because Draco's next words sealed the deal.

"He's the son of an Italian model with a wealthy family, class, style and breeding. You're a Weasely," Draco sneered. "Enough said."

Ginny stepped back from him without a word and then she turned quickly and headed across the room towards the windows.

"Ginny!" Hermione said again, running after her but Ginny ignored her. She walked straight up to Blaise and stepped between him and Daphne rudely.

"Well excuse me!" Daphne said but Ginny ignored her.

"Hi Blaise," Ginny said, having to look up at him because she was standing so close. Hermione had stopped a few feet away and she was now watching with interest. Everyone in the room was watching with interest.

"Weasley," Blaise said, his handsome face only showing slight surprise.

"Mission accomplished." A voice said close to Hermione's ear and she looked at Draco who was standing next to her. She glared at him, wondering what exactly he meant but Ginny spoke again so she turned back.

"Fancy a walk around the lake later?" Blaise raised his perfect eyebrows at her but before he could answer Ginny spoke again. "Your friend over there," she waved her arm in Draco's direction, "thinks I'm not good enough for you so I thought I'd prove him wrong."

Blaise bent a little closer. "If I say no you're going to look like a fool."

"So don't say no then."

Blaise grinned widely at Ginny who smiled back. "Cheeky, Weasely," he said. "I know we're back at school but this is all a bit childish." Hermione bit her lip, nervous for her friend. She heard Draco chuckle next to her. This was very brave but it could end up with Ginny looking very foolish. Hermione had to admire her friends courage because she didn't answer Blaise and just continued to stare at him.

Blaise broke the silence. "Okay - 7.30pm by the boathouse."

Ginny kept her cool, nodding briefly at him before walking out of the room. Hermione gaped after her, feeling elated on her behalf. The girl had guts! She remembered Draco standing next to her and turned to face him, a triumphant look on her face.

"I think you've just been proved well and truly wrong, Malfoy." She then noticed the look on his face and frowned. He didn't look upset, annoyed or angry. In fact he looked happy and pleased with himself. He turned his huge eyes onto her and she shook her head, bewildered. "Why aren't you angry?"

Draco stepped closer and grabbed Hermione's arm, not in the least bit roughly. She looked down at it and then back up into his face which was now uncomfortably close. "Would she have got up the courage to speak to him in the next ten days? Or come to that, ever?"

"Errrr..."

"Is it your mouth or brain that isn't working, Granger?" Draco asked. He let go of Hermione's arm and stepped backwards. "I just gave her a nudge in the right direction."

Hermione knew her jaw must have dropped open but she couldn't help it. Was Draco trying to tell her that he'd purposely riled Ginny so that she approached Blaise just to prove him wrong? It didn't make sense on any level because why would Malfoy help Ginny ask his friend out? And since when did Malfoy help anyone? "You were trying to help her?"

Draco's face changed and for the first time ever, Hermione saw him smile. A proper, genuine and utterly gorgeous smile. Hermione gulped at her own thoughts. Utterly gorgeous?

"See, that's your problem," Draco said, interrupting her thoughts. Hermione sighed, not wanting to hear the rest of his thoughts. Utterly gorgeous? Utterly unbearable actually. She turned to go but she felt Draco grab her arm again.

"I don't want to hear what you think my problem is," she said. "I'm sure you have a long list."

"Your problem is that you can't read between the lines."

"Let go of me," Hermione insisted.

"Neville Longbottom was a gormless, incapable idiot at school..."

"What are you talking about? Leave Neville alone!"

"You were terrified of broomsticks."

"I wasn't terrified..."

"I was a bigoted, arrogant twerp who thought the world owed him something for just being on it."

Hermione was about to retaliate again when she realised that Draco wasn't just throwing random insults. He was making a point and suddenly she understood it. He was trying to say that they were all different to the school children they had been - including him. Draco let go of her arm but she didn't move away because there was something in Draco's face that wasn't allowing her to drag her eyes from his. He was gorgeous and she was wasting her time denying it - especially when it was only to herself, especially when he had just said the first decent thing he'd ever said to her. His description of himself made Hermione stop in her tracks and think, because the Draco Malfoy of old would never in a hundred, million years have said anything derogatory about himself.

"Fiesty!" A voice said. "I like them fiesty." Both Hermione and Draco turned to find Blaise standing by them, grinning. "Who would have thought Weaslette had that in her?"

"Ginny." Blaise turned to Hermione as she corrected him. "Her name's Ginny."

"Thanks Granger but I know what her name is," Blaise said.

"Call it her then!"

"Oh, don't worry. I don't think she'll let me call her anything but what she wants me to!" Blaise gave a grin and turned to Draco. "McGonagall wants us to move those tables, remember? She'll pop an eyeball if we're late." Draco nodded and turned to follow Blaise. Hermione felt like she should say something to him but she had no idea what. So she blurted out his name and the first thing that came into her head.

"Malfoy!"

Draco stopped with his back to her and she thought he might just ignore her and not turn around. He then turned just the top part of his body to face her.

"Granger?"

"You are still an arrogant twerp," Hermione said, her words insulting but her face and tone telling him that she was joking. She was teasing him and she had no idea why. It was her way of offering an olive branch but it was risky. They were hardly at the point of acknowledging each other let alone teasing each other! She gulped, wishing she hadn't said anything.

"Yeh, you're still an uptight swot," Draco replied, his words as insulting as her own had been but said in the same, gentle, teasing tone.

"Thanks."

Draco's eyes did a final scan of her face before he turned to follow Blaise.

Mmmm - they're funny aren't they? Hope you enjoyed this chapter despite the story not really moving along very much. x