Disclaimer: Harry Potter World = Not Mine! = Property of J.K. Rowling

My first fanfic peeps. I admit I am usually a Ron/Hermione shipper, but I like the alure of Draco/Hermione fics. So here goes! Please, please let me know what you think! Oh yeah, and I believe Chapter 2 is much better than Chapter 1, so don't just give up on me! Make it thru the intro and then decide what you think! Thanx!

Rated: PG-13 for language (and to give me some leeway, y'know, just in case...)

Chapter One: Home Away From Home

Draco Malfoy sauntered into the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, his long cloak billowing dramatically behind him. He had walked slowly behind the rest of the group of young students on the way from the carriages in order to make an entrance. Malfoys were always fashionably late, of course. The crowd of students now seated at the tables, sans first years, all turned to look at the latecomer. Draco flashed them his best wolfish grin as strode to take his seat at the front of the Slytherin table. He stole a glance at the Gryffindor table across the hall and was pleased to see scowls of the faces of The Dream Team.

"Don't worry Potter! I have arrived, finally! I'm so sorry if you missed me!," Draco called across the room. He saw Harry and Ron just shake their heads and turn back around in their seats to face the third part of the team, Hermione, who just rolled her eyes.

Draco gracefully took his seat next to Pansy Parkinson and across from Crabbe and Goyle just as Professor McGonagall entered the great set of doors, trailing a group of shivering and wide-eyed first years behind her. Draco watched with mild interest as the Sorting Hat was brought out and placed on the stool at the front of the room. He laughed quietly as the Hat began to sing, making all of the first years jump in surprise. Draco leaned on his elbow, picking up the gold spoon next to his plate and twirling it in his fingers. He was only half-listening to the Sorting Ceremony, clapping distractedly whenever the hat shrieked out, "SLYTHERIN!".         

Suddenly Draco realized the hat hadn't screamed anything for a few minutes and he glanced up. All of the new students had filled the empty spaces at the four tables and were looking quite relieved that they hadn't embarrassed themselves. Dumbledore was making his way to the front of the room. A hush fell over the chatty students as the Headmaster proceeded to give his beginning-of-term speech. Draco always found this to be quite a bore: "Here we are again… welcome back… no going into the forest… blah blah blah."

Draco shifted his weight onto his other elbow and peered around the Hall. He was quite amused to catch sight of someone else who wasn't paying attention to what the "old coot" was rambling on about. Hermione Granger sat across the Hall, fiddling with her fork. Her eyes were wandering over the candles that floated above their heads.

The mudblood know-it-all is actually disrespecting a professor! thought Draco.

Hermione's gaze slowly traveled down to meet Draco's. He grinned at her maliciously.

Caught you.

Hermione flinched and sat bolt upright, her unwavering stare now directed at the Headmaster. Draco could see her blush even from across the room. Just then Dumbledore announced, "Let the feast begin!". Draco quickly leaned back off of his plate just before the food appeared on the tables. He stole another glance at Hermione, but she was back to chattering with her friends. Draco snorted with amusement as he saw Ron dump a whole bowl of chicken drumsticks onto his plate while grabbing for the mashed potatoes at the same time with his other hand. Draco took one chicken drumstick from his own table using two fingers of each hand and began to bite at it carefully. He glanced back at the Gryffindor table and noticed that Hermione was mirroring his image. She carefully bit into her own drumstick as her eyes met Draco's. Draco swore he could see a hint of a smile cross her face before she dropped her chicken and hid her face in her goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Draaaaaco," a voice purred in his ear, "you're sooo quiet tonight!"

Draco groaned inwardly. Pansy. And to think I had avoided her all summer only to have to put up with her on the first day back to school.

Draco swallowed his disgust and turned to Pansy, flashing her a smile that ended up coming out more like a wince, but Pansy didn't seem to notice.

"I missed you so much over the holiday Drakey!" Pansy continued.

Draco nearly choked. The way she mutilated his name made him cringe.

"It's too bad you could never make it to my house when I invited you. Really, your father keeps you too busy!"

Draco mumbled an unintelligible response. Stupid girl. She really can't take a hint. Pansy had invited Draco to visit her home many times over the summer, but Draco had always made up an excuse not to come. He told her his father was "training" him over the holiday. Training for what, he never said. Pansy had automatically assumed that it had something to do with becoming a Death Eater. Right, like I'd ever actually join those lunatics. Actually Draco had had a thoroughly uneventful holiday. Not to mention lonely. Lucius Malfoy hardly spoke to his son anymore. He had realized that Draco was not yet willing to join in with the Death Eaters, even though the evil Lord Voldemort had seemingly risen again the previous year at the Triwizard Tournament. Lucius was convinced that his son would come around; all he needed was time. Let him think that, at least he gives me space, thought Draco.

Draco had spent most of his summer holiday in his cold tower room at Malfoy Manor reading anything he could get his hands on. He had answered the occasional owl from Crabbe or Goyle, though he could hardly read their chicken-scratch handwriting. The group had been losing touch over the last two years or so, and Draco knew Crabbe and Goyle only followed him around because they didn't know what else to do. Draco glanced across his table at the two idiots in question. Crabbe was chewing a large chunk of steak; some of the sauce dribbling down his chin. Goyle didn't look much different. Draco rolled his eyes and reached for a roll.

Draco wasn't even listening as Pansy rambled on about her various excursions over the holiday. An occasional "Mm-hm" or "Yeah" seemed to keep the flaky girl satisfied that she had an enraptured audience. Draco's gaze wandered around the glowing Hall again. It inevitably landed on the back of a head full of flaming red hair. This was Ron, who was jabbering animatedly with Harry. His swooshing hand gestures indicated that the topic of conversation was their favourite: Quidditch. Draco shifted his gaze to the mop of bushy brown hair on the other side of the table. Hermione was smiling politely at her two friends as she slowly tore apart a bread roll in her hands. She nodded whenever Ron looked her way, but Draco could tell she wasn't really into the conversation. Suddenly Draco saw Hermione's eyes shift focus and they were gazing at eachother. Again, Draco thought. Hermione glanced down at Draco's hands, and he only then realized that he too was rolling pieces of his bread roll around in his palms. They both dropped their food and attempted to rejoin the conversations in which they were never really involved in the first place.

But it was too late. The food was disappearing off of the plates and students were getting up from their seats. Draco took his place in the line heading towards the door, only mildly amazed to find that Pansy was still chattering on about her new dresses.

Draco realized as he got closer to the door that he would be passing through it at the same time as the Granger girl, who straggled behind her comrades. A grin played at his lips as he quickened his pace. He caught up to Hermione and bumped into her just as she was trying to make her way through the door. Hermione turned roughly around but the crowd only forced her closer to her assailant.

"Excuse… Oh, Malfoy," Hermione muttered.

"Honestly, Granger, I know you can't keep your eyes off me tonight," Draco drawled loudly, "but do try to keep your hands to yourself!"

Hermione glared at him disgustedly. "Malfoy, I wouldn't touch that pompous arse of yours if my life depended on it." With that she turned on her heel and jogged to catch up to Harry and Ron, who were carrying on with their conversation halfway down the hallway and hadn't noticed a thing.

Ouch. Well, that was rather interesting, actually. I'd like to see how far I could push the little goodie-two-shoes, thought Draco. He had taken it all in stride and his grin hadn't wavered for a second.

Draco walked slowly down the near-empty hallway, turned a corner, and skipped down the steps to the dungeons, thankful to be returning to the Slytherin dorms. Home at last.

* * *

Please, Peas, Peas N' Carrots! Review!!! I'll love you forever! Remember, Chapter Two is better, in my opinion!

But Siriusly