Author's Note: I'm doing my best to make Hermione & Draco suffer...hehehe, but it's a losing battle for I am soon going to end up suffering from that dreaded writer's block :-/ I can feel it coming for me right now....

Disclaimer: Ya'll already know what this stands for

Summary: Draco & Hermione were suppose to start their 7th year at Hogwarts as a couple, but due to a misunderstanding the previous year that dream soon crumbled and now they are to start their 7th year picking up the pieces of their tattered lives...

Setting: 7th Year

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IV. Moving On

Hermione hatched a plan the night before while out thinking by the lake. It would be pointless to pine for someone who obviously doesn't care for her. In as much as she love Draco she knew she had to move on and set her sights on someone else. But everywhere she looked none of the guys at Hogwarts raises her interest as much as Draco does.

"If only life was easy then I wouldn't be suffering like this." she muttered under her breath on her way to the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning.

"Talking to yourself again, Hermione?" Harry asked teasingly when he came up to walk beside her en route to the Great Hall where Ron already beat them to it. He was currently berating at Ginny for secretly stashing away a boyfriend right from under Ron's nose. Last night Ron caught his sister and the poor Hufflepuff boy necking somewhere in the school.

Hermione lifted her head and smiled at Harry. "Yeah. Just trying to put things into perspective, that's all." she sighed and hooked her arm around his, a habit she has grown used to doing whenever Harry or Ron are nearby. Some of the girls in school envied her for acting so casually around Harry Potter, the next hottest guy around after Draco Malfoy, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Harry frowned, "Still worried about Draco?"

Hermione gave him one of her rare sweet smiles reserved only for those whom she cared for the most. In this case she cared about Harry so much that she has a certain smile that could melt thousands of hearts at a glance. Harry, on the other hand, was already immune to this charm of hers, but there was still a time when Hermione Granger could catch him unaware--like right now for example--and make him appreciate the beauty that she exudes.

"How can I not be?" she asked flippantly, "I mean, he is a big part of my life now whether I like it or not. And after what happened..." she paused and let out a disgruntled sigh, leaning her head against the side of his arm as they both walked towards the Great Hall with their arms intertwined. "Sometimes I wished I never laid eyes on Draco Malfoy when I was suffering from selective amnesia. But it was weird though that I forgot everything I knew about him and remembered everything else!"

Harry chuckled and bestowed a loving kiss on her forehead, surprising both himself and Hermione for he never bestowed a kiss on anybody ever, but Hermione didn't make much of a big deal of this. Harry was just being Harry, her best friend who worries about her well being far too much as it seems.

"That was why it was called selective amnesia, 'selective' being the operative word." he pointed out to her matter-of-factly.

"Ha, ha, you're very funny, Potter." she playfully aimed a punch on his chest before possessively wrapping her arms around his once more.

"Thank you. You know I'm trying to become a comic genius, right?" he replied dryly.

Hermione shook her shoulder-length hair, "You're doing a fine poor job of it." she replied teasingly.

All eyes were on Hermione and Harry when they walked in to the Great Hall with their arms linked around each other's and Hermione leaning her head against the Boy Who Lived's arm. It was a very cozy scene the two made that everyone quickly assumed that something was going on between Harry and Hermione; not that none of them already assumed that secretly the brainiest Gryffindor girl and the famous Boy Who Lived were a couple because quite a lot of people already figured that they were.

~*~

Draco was livid as soon as he spotted Harry enter the Great Hall with Hermione wrapped around his arm, the two of them portraying a picture perfect couple. He wasn't aware of what the commotion was about until his gaze fastened on the couple that just entered the hall. He knew how close Hermione and Harry are to each other, but their coziness around each other unnerved him.

He followed the cozy couple cross the doorway of the Great Hall towards their designated seat at the Gryffindor table. Their arms remained intertwined and this was the second time in a span of a few months that Draco's hatred for Harry Potter became very much evident as he glowered at the lovely couple.

~*~

Ginny couldn't help her jaw from dropping on the table as she watched Harry and Hermione made an entrance to the Great Hall. Just then a bolt of lightning struck her and she realized just how good a couple Harry and Hermione looked. In as much as she loved her brother, who was obviously head over heels in love with Hermione, Ginny knew that Harry and Hermione are a much better off couple.

She waited until Hermione sat down beside her before Ginny scooted closer and whispered into her friend's ear, "What was that scene you and Harry made when you entered the hall?"

Hermione frowned and gave her friend a funny look, "What are you talking about?"

Ginny made a face at her friend and gestured what Hermione and Harry were doing when they entered the hall. Hermione raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"Oh Gin, it was just a normal thing for Harry and myself to do!" she assured her surprised friend, "You know I am touchy-feely with my friends."

"Not with Ron you're not." she mumbled.

Hermione made a face at that comment. True that with Ron she was hardly touchy-feely, but she had her reasons for that. Back in their fourth year she came to the realization that she fancied Ron, and she lived through that torment for over a year until finally, nearing the end of their fifth year, she figured that it was only one-sided admiration for Ron never asked her out regardless of how many times Harry, Ginny, and the other Weasley siblings teased her to Ron. She never made herself get too close to Ron for fear of suddenly spilling her guts out to him and telling him that she loves him, and since then it has become a habit of hers to make sure to keep her distance from Ron; never get too touchy-feely around him.

"I have my reason for that." she answered abruptly and turned to look at her plate and what was served for breakfast, "Now let's get some food to eat." she said enthusiastically and dug in to some cereals prepared for them.

~*~*~*~*~

to be continued...

A/N: okay, a little writer's block moment here...but needless to say I got to get this one done and uploaded ASAP! hehehehe, well, what do you people think so far? is it getting crappy yet? hehehehe

song*breeze: I gotta make 'em act cold around each other since...well, since they just have to! *lol* explanations are coming in later chapters as to why they are hating each other's guts (what else is new???)

Ali: well if you haven't read the 3rd chapter which I posted yesterday, then you've got like 2 chapters to read now...hehehe

Queen Li: thanks for loving whatever crap I'm writing for this fic so far *lol* seriously, writing a sequel is hard even though I already have the plot formulated in my head...can't wait to write the ending, but it's the in-betweens I'm having a hard writing :-/

Candy: hehehe, I like writing twists and turns and hardships before our star-crossed lovers end up together. I like building up that part of the story...and don't worry, a few more fluffs will be coming--I think

mattpenn: thanks for leaving your mark keeping a close eye on updates...hehehe, hope you like 'em

CindyLea: now I'm brilliant! hehehe, why thank you for saying that I'm brilliant, although I like being called "evil" too sometimes...just want to make my readers suffer along with the characters too...

Draco's one and only: I have to keep them apart because I don't want them to get together yet! *lol* And Hermione getting preggy has plagued my find for a while...I think it can be written into the story...but how and when...hmm...maybe I'll end this with another installment just to tease you people...hehehehe, but I won't be that mean...we'll just see where this story is going....

Kawaii_joshi: (u only left me your email addy so I'm just using that to address you, hehehehe) well I thank those fans who are waiting for the next update, and viola! here's the next chapter--hope you like it

Loki: hehehehe, hey, that's a nice idea you got there...actually, after reading your review and u mentioned about a confrontation between Draco & Harry, it got me thinking as to why they would be having a confrontation to begin with...and the product of that pondering? well I think I gave away the reason in this chappy! *lol*