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Disclaimer: I don't own any of JK Rowling's wonderful world or characters.

The Moonlight Glares

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Break

The weeks following Hermione's return to society were exceedingly busy. They were not only filled with event upon event, from balls to picnics, but also (at least in Hermione's case) a grand amount of studying. as they now had less than a month before school began again. Each of the sixth year students had been assigned a dreadfully long term paper by Professor Binns, and often Hermione found herself with Harry and Ron searching through gallons of books in the Lane library.

The paper was, in actuality, a choice paper of sorts - a persuasive paper on any aspect of wizarding culture in the last two hundred years. Harry had decidded to focus his on Quidditch, and was not having much difficulty as he had read Quidditich Through the Ages, well, more than once. Ron, for some reason, ended up researching (or rather complaining about) dragons, most likely because his brother Charlie could supply him with knowledge, a quick and easy source; but Hermione had chosen an evilly difficult topic to cover, which spanned over and over. Witches' rolls in wizarding society over the years and how they've changed. In other words, she had to look through pounds of books covering all different ages.

Needless to say, the three often needed a break (or at least Ron and Harry did) and they found themselves very often playing cards. Hermione, who had never been one for games, was surprised that Harry knew so many muggle card games, and that he and Ron enjoyed them so much. She learned hoow to play almost every game imaginable, and gladly joined in whenever they started. Much of the time they would find Ginny as well, and Fred and George popped in once in awhile.

The one game Hermione refused to played was poker. She was morally deadset against gambling, and seeing as she couldn't lie for the life of her, she would simply sit and watch when they cashed in. In fact, cards became such a trend for the group that one sunny day, while they were out in Diagon Alley getting a few last minute supplies, Harry and Ron decided to sit down at Floecence's Ice Cream Parlor and start a game.

Several other Hogwarts students around randomly joined in, and suddenly Hermione found herself sitting at a very large and very full table. It was during the second big game that Draco showed up. Hermione, who would see him that night for a dinner party, said hello and turned back to the game.

Draco put on a mock hurt face and came right behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders, "That's all I get? A small hello?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Is there a problem with that?"

Draco sighed, "I supposed not, since you'll be forced to make polite conversation with me tonight. So, what're they playing?"

Hermione made a face, "Muggle poker."

Draco's eyes lit up and her looked toward Harry. "Hey Potter, deal me in next time?"

Harry looked around the table, "No room Malfoy, unless you want to kick someone out of their seat."

Draco eyed Dean Thomas for a minute, then Ginny. They both shook their heads, then he looked down at Hermione.

"Hey, sweetie, could I have your seat?"

Hermione glared up at him, "First, never call me sweetie again. Second, no." Hermione flicked her hair behind her head and crossed her arms, looking at the cards in front of her.

"Okay, honey," said Draco, backing up for a second. It looked like he was going to leave when all of a sudden Hermione felt her chair come off the ground, and tip her off. He had lifted her out of her seat!

Draco smirked, "Thanks, dearest."

Hermione grumbled and rubbed her bum as the table laughed. Hermione grudgingly broke into a small smile and pulled up another chair as the game continued.

The next night found Hermione and company at a smaller informal dinner party, hosted by grandmother Longbottom. It was a very quiet, private affair, and basically it was half a room of the grandmother's friends and half a room of people Neville's age who his grandmother thought he should be friends with.

Hermione found herself sitting at a table next to Lavender Brown on one side, and Dean Thomas on the other. Chels was across from her, and two other students, from Beaubatons she believed, filled the last two spots. At the table behind her were Draco, Blaise, Giselle and one guy that Hermione didn't know. Draco was, for all purposes, directly behind her, thus she couldn't even talk to him without turning herself completely around.

During a very intense conversation about wizarding politics, Hermione, who had been in the process of eating a breadstick, set her bread down on her bread plate and turned full around to face Dean and explain to him why it was better if the office of the Minister of Magic had a set number of years to rotate. During the middle of her lecture, however, the entire tale burst into laughter. Hermione turned back to the center of the table with a quizzical look.

"Chels, what happened?"

"Oh, nothing," said Chels, grinning from ear to ear. Hermione shrugged it off and focused on the soup that was being put in front of her. Five minutes later, however, Hermione noticed something.

"hey, did someone take my breadstick?" she asked.

Chels Arina nearly spit out her soup she was laughing so hard. She swallowed and then explained, "I can't believe it took you so long to realize. Draco nicked your breakstick while you were talking to Dean!"

The whole table laughed as Hermione turned beat red. A few minutes later, Hermione turned around as Draco asked her, "How's the bread?"

Hermione smirked. "I wouldn't know," she said.

"Why not?" said Draco with an innocent face.

Hermione shrugged and turned back to her table as Draco shared a laugh with his. Later on that night when the king crab arrived, Hermione had just taken a bite of the delicious white meat when she heard behind her.

"How's the crab?"

All she could think to say was "Better than the bread."

One night where there was no social event, Hermione and Draco were, granted, working on their essays in a back room of the library. While she was writing the third draft of her outline, he asked a random question.

"Have you ever considered not being scarily conservative?" He looked her in the eyes.

Her immediate response, thinking he meant politically conservative, was "Yeah, but it doesn't appeal to me. Why do you ask?"

"It was mostly random," he admitted.

"Okay." A silence ensued, and then Hermione realized maybe he had meant lifestyle-wise, not as far as political views go. After tapping her pen against her paper for a minute, she said quietly, "Listen, I'm comfortable in my conservative shoes and happy with my life. so.. why bother changing it?"

Draco laughed. "Defending yourself fourteen minutes later, without provacation doesn't seem comfortable to me."

"I was working on my paper, hence I was distracted."

"Sure. Whatever you say."

Silence passed again for a bit of time, and the only sound was their quills scratching away on parchment.

"What do you think of this thesis," Draco said, reading off of his paper, "The total works of the wizards of the Order of Merlin, First Class, display the loss of self-determination that comes if independence hence happiness is lost."

"It's too wordy," said Hermione, "Here's mine: The roles of witches throughout the ages have repeatedly revealed a binary present in our system of living, a binary which restricts liberty to those submitted to one side of it."

"Hmm." said Draco, pretending to think hard, putting his hand on his chin. "Ah yes," he said in an ancient accent, "The long-awaiting solution for women's rights: close the gender binary."

Hermione laughed and playfully pushed him. "No really, what do you think?"

"Too vague," Draco said, "too vague."

Hermione faked a glare and set her quill down, crossing her arms.

"Oh come now, we can't have the short feminist mad at me." Draco moved over next to Hermione and put his arms around her, and there he held her until a smile crept to her lips.

Thank you sooo much to everyone who has returned to this story after my VERY long absence! I was so happy to get reviews from some farmiliar faces!

Also, I want to give a shout out to all the reviewers who mentioned/asked about the character Chels Arina, I'm so glad you like her!!

Lastly, certainly not least, thanks soooo much to Flo for keeping me going this time. I really think I'll be able to update regularly til the end of the story now. (think being the operative word, of course)

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, love you all, see you next chapter!

So, for a triumpent return of questions, what do you think will happen to Draco in Deathly Hallows?