(Author's Note: Hrm. That is really, really odd. The carets opening to the right show up as opening to the left. Odd. Anyways. all next week, I shan't be here, as I will be at EPCOT with my gifted and talented class. Oh so much fun. Just because I'm having the time of my life, doesn't mean I will not be thinking of possible plots twists, and cruel cliffhanger places to end the chapters. He he. And I know this one is left in a cruel place, but I'm leaving tomorrow, and I can't write a whole chapter in one night. Sorry!)

The students all mobbed the loading dock, nearly breaking it down in their rush to go to Jolilieu. Come on! Let's go. I want to be there as soon as possible! Do you think it'll be fun? was heard from around the crowd, all of it in as excited a tone as possible.

The dinghies were quickly loaded, three to one ratio. Draco, Thomas, and Hermione all sat together, Hermione denying Harry's request to sit with him and his companions.

The three from Soleil sat in a triangle formation, Draco at the head, and the two lovebirds aft. The lover-wannabes talked of odd things, sentences punctuated only by the long sigh escaping from their lips. Draco felt like the odd one out, like he had nothing to do with these two and hardly knew them. He almost wished he was sitting over there with Potter. Thinking of him, Draco glanced over at their craft, and noticed Potter gawking at the lust flowing between Thomas and Hermione's love struck eyes. Ha. It served the boy right. "Can I make a comment, you guys?" Draco interrupted their reverie. "I feel like a third wheel. I think either I need a girlfriend so I can identify with you two, or you guys should get a clue and let me in the conversation at times."

"Of course! I'll find you a girlfriend!" exclaimed Thomas, contrary to what Draco had wanted.

"No, that's not what I meant! I-" he tried to explain, but was distracted by the sight, from the corner of his eye, of Harry leaning over and smacking Genevieve on the cheek with a wet one. Potter looked just as stunned as the planted one did, or even more so, if that was possible.

"Ha! Pothead's got a girlfriend!" Draco shouted, planning to rub this into Harry's face.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call my friends tha- What? Who?" Hermione said angrily. "That little liar told me he didn't like anyone here! Argh." Draco merely sat back, exasperated once again by this turn of events taking the focus off of him, and watched the French countryside flow by.

The river they were drifting along on was fairly small, and bordered occasionally by petite villages. The women typically were doing the washing, heaving up wash water from the river, and boiling it in large metal vats. Draco found this interesting, as he had really never seen any physical labor done, either. Everything at his mansion was done without his knowledge, things appearing, so it seemed to him, magically. And some of it was done magically, but in actuality, most of it was done by house-elves, not seen, not heard.

After what seemed like an eternity, the students of Beauxbatons finally reached Jolilieu. The town was small, lacking even such modern inventions as cobbled streets. It was set into the side of a hill, with quaint cottages scattered up and down the periphery. Draco muttered, "Does this little. hamlet really have such a big library?"

"Oh, yes. It does. I think the teachers told me that it would have a sign hanging beside the door to it. Please, can we visit? Please, please, please?" Hermione begged.

Thomas shrugged. "I personally didn't come all the way out here to do some studying, and I really want to check out the Quidditch robes, if they have a store here at all."

"Oh, someone has to go with me. I hate going places by myself. Someone might kidnap me or something! Please, someone come with me?" she pleaded the onlookers.

"Fine, fine. I'll go with you. Where is this stupid library of yours anyways?" Draco asked resignedly. "I hope it's not too far. These hills are steep!"

"Look, it's just up the hill. See it, right there? Come on!" She dragged him up the hill, leading him to the front of a small, almost ramshackle bungalow. A sign in front proclaimed it, The Biggest Library.

"Conceited a touch, isn't it? I mean, look at it. It's barely as big as my bedroom at home. Surely it can't hold many books." Draco scoffed at the hovel.

"Well, we won't know until we get in there, will we? Hustle! Get a move on it!" She hauled the lug into the ancient annals. All that presented itself to them was an itsy bitsy room, barely large enough to hold a front desk. A decrepit old man was sitting behind the counter; barely visible behind mammoth stacks of parchments.

"Can I help you young'uns? You look confused there. What are you looking for?" he asked in a wheezy scarcely audible elderly man's tone.

"Well, actually we're just looking for the libra-"

"Hush! We're just looking. How do we get to all the books?" Hermione asked.

"You see that door over there? I don't, but that's just my age. Well, walk up to the door, say what room you want to go to, like the history section, for instance, and then you walk through the door! The room will appear, and then when you want to leave, just walk through the door labeled 'exit'! Simple as that," the old man explained. The two youngsters heeded his advice, and went to the door.

"Where do you want to go, Draco? How about the transfiguration section? OOH! Can we go there? Please please please? Great! Um, Mr. Door? I want to go to the transfiguration section if you would." Hermione politely pronounced.

"Why, thank you, dear. That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day. It's Mrs. Door, by the way. Right this way, dearie," The door opened herself, showing a dim interior loaded with books.

The two walked in, wondering at the massive amounts of tomes weighing down the shelving. They wandered around, mostly Draco following Hermione around and watching her every move. She moved so gracefully, like a swan gliding along the cool water. Draco sighed, knowing that it was a slim to none chance that he would ever hold her in his arms.

"Did you say something, Draco?" She turned, bringing their faces .very. close together. She paused, holding her breath without realizing it. The tension was severable, even a dull knife would cut it. Draco didn't think, but instead leaned in.

He kissed her, and she didn't protest.