Hello! Thanks to all who have read and followed, you have really given me a reason to push on and update! Would love some reviews, tell me what you like/dislike!

Several days had passed, and there had been no discussion of the kiss; sometimes Draco wondered if he had imagined the whole thing. The rumour mill had been in full production though, and all manner of ridiculous stories were being spread. He was getting looks and hearing muttered conversations, but didn't know quite what was being said until Nott sought him out in the library one evening.

"Well Malfoy, you moved quickly!" said Theo, plonking himself down at Draco's table, making him jump.

"What are you talking about?" said Draco, irritated at the interruption. He had three feet to write on the correct way to identify and brew the wolfsbane potion for Slughorn, followed by a further two feet on the dangers and advantages of human transfiguration for McGonagall.

"You know, you and Granger getting caught at it behind the Greenhouses by Filtch!" Theo supplied gleefully, leaning back in his chair.

"What?" said Draco. "Who the hell told you that?"

Theo laughed. "It's all over the school! You and Granger have been getting it on all over the place with various witnesses, but that one is my favourite. And do you know what makes it even funnier, is that I bet you are wishing that it was true!"

"Piss-taking bastard," muttered Draco, trying but failing to not crack a smile. As much as this nonsense pissed him off, it had been ages since he had someone to banter with, and he had to admit it was rather nice.

"Anyway, you have nothing to worry about," continued Theo. "These rumours are doing your reputation nothing but good!"

"Really?" Said Draco, sceptically. "Exactly how are these rumours a good thing?"

"Well, all the girls think it's terribly romantic that the Sytherin prince of darkness has fallen for the Gryffin-dork princess, and all the guys think that you got Granger to drop her little white panties for you where Weasley couldn't. Either way its win win." Theo looked smug at his reasoning.

"If you say so," said Draco dismissively, but wondering if it was true. Plus, if it was good for him, then surely it was doing damage to Grangers reputation? "Anyway, what do you want? Surely you haven't come here just to tell me that?"

"No," said Theo. "I have no idea what Sluggy was saying about brewing Wolfsbane, and I was hoping you could help me. I knew you would be in here due to you setting up home with Granger, and this is where she lives during term time!" He was grinning at his own joke again, and Draco was tempted to say he wouldn't help just to annoy him.

"I haven't done it yet either, but once I have I'll go through it with you. I'll see you in the dorm later." Draco had just caught sight of Hermione entering the library and wanted rid of Nott before he could say something to embarrass him. Nott saw her too, and got up with an evil grin on his face.

"Granger!" he called, "You and Draco have been busy!"

Hermione gave him a bored look, and continued walking towards Draco's table.

"About time you ditched Weasley and allowed someone else to Slither-in!" he chortled at his own joke and Draco was torn between wanting to punch him and wanting to laugh.

"Grow up Nott!" snapped Hermione, but Draco thought he could see the ghost of a smile on her face as she put her books down opposite his.

"Well, I had better leave you two alone; it's no fun being a third wheel. See you later Draco!" Theo sauntered towards the door, leaving Draco to deal with the fallout of his comments.

"Sorry about him," said Draco before Hermione could comment. "He is a knob, but the only friend in the dorm that I have."

"Its fine," said Hermione dismissively. "In fact, it's kind of funny. Not nearly as vicious as the sort of things you used to say about me!"

Draco felt rather sheepish at being reminded how insufferable he had been. "Still, I'm sorry anyway."

"Don't be." She said. "You're not spreading the rumours. And I'm ashamed to admit I'm rather pleased to see Ron so pissed off about it but not being able to say anything and risk upsetting Lavender." She gave him an impish grin. "Plus, Parvati said to me this morning 'I can't really blame you for going out with Malfoy. He has always been hot, you know, all the death-eater stuff aside!'"

"Of course I've always been hot!" said Draco, putting on the Malfoy arrogance. Maybe Theo was right about the girls thinking that he wasn't all that bad?

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, and opened her potions book. "Have you done the wolfsbane essay yet?" she asked him, obviously wanting to steer the conversation away from the subject of how hot he was, even though she was the one who had started it.

"Not yet." He said. Although how she thought he might have baffled him as it had only been set earlier that day.

"Are you going to add in the speculation about prophylactic use if there is a known risk of werewolf attack? I wasn't sure if it is relevant, but I read a really interesting article…"

She carried on in that vein and Draco let his mind wander whilst he watched her speak: He could just see her collarbones above the neck of her robes, and wondered what it would be like to run his lips along them, then trailed his gaze down to her slim wrists and delicate hands where she held her quill carefully. He brought his eyes back up to her face and realised that she was watching him.

"What?" she asked suspiciously. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing" he said quickly, feeling a flush of embarrassment creep up his neck. "I was just thinking about what you said."

She seemed mollified by this and carried on with what she was saying, finally answering her own unspoken question, and deciding to add in the extra information. 'She really is a total geek!' Malfoy mused, but somehow he found it endearing instead of an object of ridicule.

She fell silent, and he realised that he was sitting there with a vacant grin on his face.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You look like you've been confunded!"

"Sorry," he replied. "I'm fine. I think I'm just a little tired."

'Get it together' he warned himself. One thing his father had taught him was not to let his emotions be too obvious, and he would do well to remember the lesson if he wanted to keep his feelings for Granger under wraps.

"Are you going into Hogsmeade next weekend?" she asked, giving him a welcome change of subject.

"Not sure yet." The real answer was no, he couldn't afford to waste any money, but he still had a little pride left that stopped him admitting it.

"Well, if you decide to go then you are welcome to come with me." She threw the invitation out casually, not looking at him, and it took Draco a second to realise what had just happened. She had just asked him on a date!

"Ok," he replied, equally casual. "That would be nice." He managed to control his expression this time, hiding the smug little smirk that he knew was trying to appear on his face; seducing Hermione Granger was going to be easier than expected!

The next day Draco's mood was still high as he sat through Transfiguration, until McGonagall came over to speak to him;

"Stay behind after class please Mr Malfoy." She ordered in her usual clipped tone. 'Shit' thought Draco, what had he done now? He couldn't afford to have any more black marks against his name, even if it was for something minor.

After class he waited tensely for McGonagall to tell him what the problem was.

"I have been speaking to your other teachers," she began, and he felt his heart sink. "Both Professor Slughorn and Professor Vector say you have progressed very nicely in their classes, and I am equally happy with your work."

He breathed a sigh of relief; that was not what he had been expecting.

"As a result of this, we have decided to offer you additional lessons in Alchemy. There is no formal qualification at the end of the year, but it can offer advantages for certain career paths, and is an amalgamation of Potions, Arithmancy and Transfiguration. Would you like to take them?" McGonagall looked at him expectantly.

"Yes." He answered without hesitation; it meant more work but he would do anything to try and offset the damage his death eater history would do to his employment prospects. Also, if he proved successful the extra gold would really come in handy.

"Also," added the Professor "am I correct to believe that you and Miss Granger are on good terms?"

Oh crap, thought Draco, was he about to get in trouble for those rumours?

"Yes." Replied Draco warily.

"Good, she is the only other student we are offering Alchemy classes to this year. It will help if you can work together at times during the program. Besides, I think she will be a good influence on you. Although I trust that what supposedly went on behind the Greenhouses is not true?" McGonagall gave him a gimlet-eyed stare, and Draco squirmed with embarrassment; of all the teachers to comment, why was it her?!

"Don't worry Mr Malfoy, I'm being facetious," she said with a thin lipped smile. "I will let you know when the first lesson will be. Off you go."

Draco left the classroom slightly bewildered; when had McGonagall ever joked? Especially with him?

The day of the Hogsmeade trip was approaching, and Draco was feeling pretty good. It seemed to him that the rumours that were flying about had allowed Granger to consider that being seen with him in public was not a bad thing, and he felt it could only be furthering his suit.

He was at breakfast on the Friday before his 'date' when the post owls arrived with a letter from his mother. Expecting it to be full of doom and gloom as usual, he began to read:

Draco,

I hope you this letter finds you in good health and spirits. All is well here. I cannot remember if I told you of my intention to write to my sister, Andromeda, in the hope of re-establishing a relationship with the only blood relative I have left. She graciously responded, and I am meeting her today. As a result I will be staying overnight in Hogsmeade, and would enjoy seeing you if it is not inconvenient on Saturday. Please respond via this owl with your answer.

Loving thoughts,

Mother.

He shook his head at his mother's overly formal style; even though they were practically paupers, she still rigidly held to her pureblood standards, even in calligraphy. He was tempted to tell her it was inconvenient, and he wouldn't meet her, but knew it would hurt her feelings. Oh well, he thought, I will just have to cut things a bit short with Granger.

The next morning dawned bright and cold, and there was a flurry of excitement in the great hall at breakfast. The prospect of going into the wizarding village always raised the pupil's spirits, and there was a cacophony of happy chatter at the house tables.

Draco did his usual scan for Granger as he passed the Gryffindor table, and spotted her sitting with Potter and Weaslette; they had obviously made up. He was oddly excited about his date with Granger, he knew they weren't going to be sitting snogging in Madam Puddifoots, more likely they would talk about school work, but still it was a chance to spend time with her away from the stares and whispers of the other students.

Time seemed to slow as he waited until their meeting time in the entrance hall. He was meeting his mother at 1 for lunch, so had a good couple of hours to fill with Hermione. The obvious thing would be to go and get a drink in the Three Broomsticks, but it would be full of other students and it was where his mother was staying, so there was a possibility she would be in the bar before it was time to meet him.

"Hi Draco," said Hermione, breaking him from his reverie. He turned to look at her; she was wearing muggle jeans and a jumper under her cloak, with a Gryffindor scarf loosely knotted around her throat.

"Hey" he said, feeling rather overdressed in his smart trousers, shirt and cloak but he knew his mother would expect him to dress appropriately for being seen with her in public. They joined the queue of students leaving the school.

"Where would you like to go first?" he asked her as they began the long walk down to the village.

"Well, I need to go to Scrivenshafts for some more parchment and ink. I'm so excited about starting Alchemy! I'm glad you have decided to do it too so I will be able to discuss it with someone. Have you read 'Alchemy; ancient art and science'? I know we haven't been set a textbook for the class but I think it's best to know as much as possible…"

Draco and Hermione continued talking in that vein until they reached the main street. They went into Scrivenshafts, and then into Dervish and Banges for some new potion flasks.

"Shall we walk around to the shrieking shack?" He suggested, wanting to prolong the easy conversation and satisfaction he felt in her company.

All too soon it was time for him to go and meet his mother, and he left Hermione just outside Honeydukes with Lovegood and Longbottom. There was a moment of awkwardness on their parting; Longbottom was looking at Granger like she had lost her mind for being anywhere near him and Lovegood just smiled dreamily and said "Hello Malfoy" like she had never been kept prisoner inside his family home.

He entered the Three Broomsticks but couldn't see his mother immediately, although the bar was packed with students so it was hardly surprising. He fought his way over to Madam Rosmerta to enquire, feeling horribly uncomfortable; the last time he had spoken to her he cast an unforgivable curse on her. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him, and she said "in the private dining room" before he could ask.

"Thank you", he replied before entering the room.

"Darling!" cried his mother, getting up to kiss his cheek in welcome. He hadn't been in this room before, and was pleased to find it warm and welcoming, with a roaring fire in the grate and a pot of tea set on a table between two squashy armchairs.

"Hello mother. How are you?" he said, returning her kiss and then seating himself in one of the armchairs.

"I'm very well." She replied with a gentle smile. "As I said in my letter, I saw my sister Andromeda yesterday and met little Edward too."

Who the hell is Edward? Wondered Draco, but just nodded for her to continue.

"It was nice to see her and, although neither one of us approved of the others choice in husband, we are both on our own now and need to keep family close. I have offered to help her with Edward, and she is going to come and visit me soon. She has been struggling since the death of her husband and daughter and I want to do all I can to help; I don't know what I would do if I had lost you as well as your father. "

"Well, that's good." Said Draco. He was pleased that his mother had made contact with the last member of her family; he knew she was lonely out in the muggle world.

"Anyhow, seeing young Edward got me thinking about what we are going to do with you."

Draco realised then who Edward was; the son of the auror with the weird hair and his former professor, the werewolf. Potter was his godfather if he remembered rightly, and he was Draco's cousin.

"How does that affect me?" Draco asked, genuinely bewildered.

"Well, you are now 19, and although the previous arrangements with the Parkinson's are now unsuitable, we really should start looking for another match."

Draco was still missing something.

"I know we still have two years until you are twenty-one, but you know it is notoriously difficult for purebloods, Malfoys especially, to conceive so the quicker you start trying the better."

It clicked; she was talking about him getting married. Then something else she had said registered;

"Arrangements with the Parkinson's? You were going to marry me to Pansy?" The idea that he has narrowly escaped being bound to Pansy for the rest of his life was a horrifying one!

"Well yes," Said Narcissa. "I assumed you knew. Your father said he would speak to you about it and you seemed to be getting along with her very well at the time. Of course the situation has changed now and although we can't offer as much as we could before, Malfoy is an old name and still holds some weight."

"Mother, I know that purebloods always marry before they are 21, but I assumed that with all that has happened that we would be disregarding that!" He didn't want to add that he couldn't think of anyone who would want to marry into their family, especially as they could offer practically nothing.

"Nonsense Draco! There is good reason to marry young! Like I said, Malfoy's find it difficult to conceive; your father and I had countless losses before we had you and although we would have loved to produce a sibling for you we gave up trying after several more. The younger you and your wife start the better!"

His mother spoke like he should already know all of this, but it was truly news to him! The only thing his father had told him about was how to use a contraception spell and warn him that Malfoy's did not beget bastards! He had known an arranged marriage would be on the cards at some point during his upbringing, but hadn't thought his mother would be sticking with that plan.

"So, how are things going with the girl that you saw over Christmas?"

He saw what she was getting at; "Mother, I don't think it would be appropriate…"

"Well no matter," she said airily. "I'm guessing she isn't one of the twenty-eight, as I would know them already. There are only five eligible girls from those families anyway; the two Greengrass girls, the elder Bulstrode, Abbot's youngest and, of course Miss Parkinson. I should imagine all of them would have a bride price which we couldn't afford."

How depressing, thought Draco; they were his former marriage prospects. A choice of five different girls, one of them not so distantly related to him, were all that would have been acceptable to his family.

"So I'm guessing she is a half-blood, which to be honest is possibly for the best. There are plenty of respectable half-blood families, and the majority either won't want a bride price at all, or it will be low enough for us to afford. The downside of that is that not all will agree to arrange a marriage, or may object to their daughters marrying early. So if you tell me her name I will approach her parents to see if we can come to an agreement." His mother looked at him expectantly.

"Mother I really don't think that she would be amenable to that." Draco said, imagining Narcissa going to speak to Grangers parents, and the outrage it would cause Hermione. "I really didn't expect to get married this early in our current circumstances. I would hope to have found employment and a suitable residence before I take a wife." He was choosing his words carefully, knowing that an outright 'No way!' would do nothing but make his mother angry and unreasonable.

"But Draco, time is running out..."

"How about a compromise?" he said, appealing to his mother with Slytherin shrewdness.

"What sort of compromise?" she asked.

"You will give me two years in order to find a suitable wife, employment and home and if I don't manage it I will marry whoever you choose without complaint."

"No, you will be over twenty-one by then. Eighteen months." She countered. "And I will start making discreet enquiries before then also. It takes time to arrange a wedding; your father and I were betrothed for nearly two years due to negotiating contracts!"

"Fine." The whole conversation was making Draco feel rather despondent. He felt far too young to be a husband and a father, and felt the headway he had made in having a more adult relationship with his mother had been set back several steps.

"I'm glad that is settled," she said with a smile, taking a sip of her tea. "So how are you doing with your schoolwork?"

The conversation turned to more innocuous subjects but Draco felt almost like he had been trampled by a herd of centaurs. That kind of conversation was a specialty of his mothers, and had been used on many occasions in order for her to get what she wanted. It was an admirable skill, thought Draco, just not when it was being used against him.

The light was fading when he made the long, cold walk back to the castle from the village and it seemed like all the other students had already made their way back as the road was deserted. Draco found himself dwelling on what his mother had said, and contemplating marriage. Fairly quickly his thoughts turned to Granger, as they so often did these days. He was pursuing her, but to what end? He hadn't really thought much beyond getting her into bed, but he now had a feeling that she would want more than a quick shag, she would want something approaching love, and he didn't know if he could give her that. He didn't know if he was even capable of that anymore.