New Beginnings
By Fiery-chan (Beta-Read by LyssaQuill)

A/N: *Cheers madly* So many reviews! Yay!

Fiery: Can you believe it Lyssa?
LyssaQuill: No, I can't. Take two teenage girls who only see each other one period out of the school day, have them swap e-mail addresses, and the result is a way cool story. What are the odds of that happening?
Sean: Two. Slim, and None.
Fiery: Woah! It's Sean Biggerstaff! He plays Oliver Wood in the Harry Potter movies!
LyssaQuill: *groans* Thank you Captain Obvious.
Sean: Well, why am I here?
Fiery: Elementary my dear Watson-- I mean Biggerstaff (Emma Watson won't be joining us until next chapter). Each chappie we like to bring in a different actor from the HP movies to hang with us, and annoy the readers with interruptions throughout the story. After losing Tommy-wommy to those goddam fish, you were the next hottie on the list! You want an icepop?
Sean: Oh I see. Well, let's play Twister! Accio Twister *Twister board magically zooms toward Sean and he catches it with ease, due to his training as Gryffindor Keeper* Oh and sure, cherry ice pop for me!
Fiery: *is awed* Cool trick. One cherry ice pop comin' right up! I get to spin first! *Spins pointer on Twister board* Right foot green!

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. However, once Tom returns from his fishing trip, he will be mine once again! Bwahahahaha!

Chapter 2

Hermione awoke to sunlight streaming through the curtains and onto her face. She rolled over and looked at the clock, which read 6:05.

LyssaQuill: Wait, whose point of view is this story in anyway?
Fiery: Um… I switch around.
LyssaQuill: Oh, ok.
Fiery: Right hand blue.
LyssaQuill: Wha? Oh, right.

"Geez, it's early." Hermione mumbled. She looked over at the bed where Draco slept. He wasn't in it. Hermione got out of bed and brushed her curly hair into a ponytail, smoothed out her pajamas, pulled on her slippers, and walked downstairs.

Hermione found Draco sitting on the couch in the den reading Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger.

"Morning." Hermione said, flopping down in an armchair and turning on the TV with the remote control. At this, Draco jumped six feet into the air and Hermione fought in vain to hold back her laughter.

"What in bloody hell is that?" Draco demanded, a look of pure bewilderment on his handsome fa--

Ah! What made me think of that? Hermione demanded of her own brain. Maybe you fancy Malf-- The first part of her brain cut the second one off. Don't even say it.

LyssaQuill: Ooh! Do I smell a crush?
Sean: Nah, that's probably just my arse... I had a burrito fro lunch. Sorry.
LyssaQuill: Oh. Ew. Forgiven.
Fiery: Left foot Yellow!
LyssaQuill: Ugh! Sean, stop poking me! Isn't your hand supposed to be on blue anyway?
Sean: That's not my hand.
LyssaQuill: Aaah! Jackie help! I'm being rap-
Sean: Don't say it! Or we will have to boost the ratings of this fic to R for suggested sexual situations! Besides, it is just my ice pop. You sick freak.
LyssaQuill: Oh. Hehe. Silly me *Blushes*
Fiery: Right foot red and get back to the story for god sakes!

"It's a TV." Hermione replied, She then proceeded to explain how it worked, and taught Draco how to use the remote.

"Very interesting." He mused, flipping through the channels. When he passed by MTV, he stopped flipping abruptly to stare wide-eyed, and oggling at the video on the screen. It was "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-lot.

Fiery: Why do we keep mentioning that song in this fic?
LyssaQuill: Cuz I am a pop-culture dud and I don't know of any other songs from way back in 1996.
Fiery: Oh. Ok then.

Hermione laughed at his expression.

"Got a problem Granger?" He asked turning his attentions away from the video long enough to give her a signature glare.

"Nope, it's just funny watching your reaction to the video."

"Well, it's a bit.... um…" He trailed off, distracted yet again by curvaceous women in hot pants, and catchy rhymes coming from the television.

"Vulgar?" Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, that could work. But not in a bad way" He was now practically drooling at the images on the screen.

"So are you a fan of big butts then?" Hermione inquired, barely hiding a snigger. Draco scowled and was about to respond when the song ended and was replaced by the video for Alanis Morisette's "Fill In Title of Song from 1996 Here".

"Hey!" Draco shouted, "Where did that other one with all of the arses go? I want that one back!"

"Oh be quiet, I like this song!" Hermione shushed him, trying to watch the video.

Sean: Hey, what year does this story take place in anyway?
LyssaQuill: 1996… before the 6th year.
Sean: Oh, that explains the out-dated *Nsync music.
Fiery: Damn straight! Why did I just say that?
LyssaQuill: Cuz it's written on the paper you're typing from.
Fiery: Hm, I see, everything has been made clearer, except, why is Draco so ooc?
LyssaQuill: Because our writing skills are inferior.
Fiery: Oh. Right… back to the story!

"Kind of depressing." Draco commented after a minute of intent TV viewing.

"True." Hermione nodded as the video came to an end. Hermione clicked off the TV and turned to Draco. "Say Malfoy, do you know what a movie is?"

"Maybe." He responded. In truth, Draco had no clue what a 'movie' was, but he wasn't about to let on just how little he knew about the muggle world.

"Cool, maybe we can go see one this afternoon."

"Sure. It's not like I've got anything better to do." Draco said. At that moment, a bright orange tabby with a smushed looking face and a bottlebrush tail, followed by Coela entered the room and they began to groom themselves in front of Draco and Hermione. "That your cat?"

"Yes, his name is Crookshanks. They seem to be getting along well." Hermione commented. "Coela is gorgeous."

"Yeah. But if your cat impregnates mine, then you're in trouble." Draco commented, gesturing his head towards the two felines who where now sniffing each other interestedly and looking rather cozy.

"Don't worry. Crookshanks is fixed." Hermione laughed.

"That's terrible! I could never imagine someone cutting off my--" Draco shuddered before he could complete his thought and Hermione snorted. "Did you just snort Granger?"

"Yeah." She blushed.

LyssaQuill: Can I just ask one burning question I have?
Fiery: Shoot.
LyssaQuill: When are they gonna get together already?!?! You know that's what the readers are waiting for!
Fiery: Sh! I like to keep the readers on their toes.
Sean: You're evil.
Fiery: Bwahaha *Cackles maliciously and throw hands into the air, causing Twister board to hit Lyssa in the head and she falls to the ground*
Sean: I win! I win! You fell! Ha Ha!
LyssaQuill: Oh just get back to the story already, will you? *Rubbing the spot on her forehead where the Twister board hit*
Fiery: Yeah yeah, whatever.

"How sophisticated." Draco remarked.

"Shut up" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"Have it your way. I'm hungry. Let's go get breakfast." Draco stood up and Hermione lead the way to the kitchen.

"In here." She showed him to a rectangular room off of the dining room. It had a circular glass table, four chairs, and an island in the middle of the room where there was a sink and some extra counter space. Draco took it upon himself to sit down at the table. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Hello?" Draco called looking around. "Can we get some food here?" Hermione burst out laughing, and Draco glared at her. "What?"

"What the hell are you doing? It's not just going to appear out of thin air. We have to make it ourselves." She indicated the various appliances and cabinets that filled the kitchen.

Honestly. She thought. I know he comes from a wizarding family, but I would never expect him to be so ignorant. I suppose money can't buy insight...

"And how exactly do you expect us to 'make' this food?" he asked disbelievingly as he rose from the table and strode over to where Hermione was standing near the refrigerator.

"Ok Draco, just watch me." She sighed opening a cabinet.

"Since when are we on a first name basis?" Draco inquired.

"Since we are spending the next month together."

"Fine, have it your way... Hermione." Draco replied, saying (almost spitting) that last word as if it were foreign. After all, it was probably the first time he had ever referred to her as anything but 'Granger'.

"Good." Hermione took out the box of pancake mix and a large mixing bowl. She poured in the powdered mix, the eggs, oil, and milk, and stirred it up. She handed the whisk to Draco. "You try."

She guided his hands and together they mixed up the pancake batter. Hermione then took down the pancake griddle and greased it with butter. When it was hot enough she spooned the batter onto it in circles. Between the two of them, they managed to make a bunch of pretty decent pancakes. They sat down at the kitchen table and ate them.

"Wow these are good." Draco said, taking in another bite and smothering the rest in syrup. "Wow I can cook." He added after some thought. Hermione laughed.

"I've got to hand it to you. You cook quite well." She replied.

"Thanks." He gave a slight smile through his mouthful of pancake, "You're not a bad cook yourself"

Malfoy! Snap out of it! Draco's subconscious yelled at him. This is Hermione Granger, and a mudblood, and best friend of your sworn enemy! Stop being so nice to her! The second half of his brain replied, But I can't help it! . She's so- The first one took over again, Stop it! You're making me sick!

LyssaQuill: Are they like schizophrenic or something? They are arguing with themselves! And losing!
Fiery: Shut up, it's an 'internal battle'. Didn't you ever learn that in English class?
LyssaQuill: Yeah but-
Fiery: Yeah but nothing. It is a literary device used to express inner conflict and indecision, and if you don't like it you can shove it up your-
Sean: Ladies, ladies... no need to argue! Now who wants to give me a massage?
LyssaQuill and Fiery: *simultaneously* Me! Me!
LyssaQuill: I saw him first!
Fiery: No, I did!
LyssaQuill: No! I di- *is unable to finish sentence due to a fist making contact with her jaw* Jackie! You little bitch!
Fiery: You want a piece of me? *Advances on her poor defenseless Beta*
LyssaQuill: No, I want a piece of him! *Points to Sean who has been sitting back smugly enjoying the view. Lyssa whips out a bottle of Pepper Spray and sprays it straight in Fiery's eyes, causing the author to crumple to the ground in a heap (Guess she wasn't so 'defenseless' after all) and makes a grab for Sean* You're mine!
Sean: *struggling under weight of Lyssa, though he is secretly enjoying it (and she only weighs 77 lbs. anyway)* Uh... back to the story!

"Draco? You still there?" Hermione asked snapping her fingers in Draco's face, and bringing back to the real world.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm still here, just lost in thought."

"That happens to me a lot." Hermione offered. Draco gave an inaudible grunt in response and nodded. "Ok, now I'll teach you how to wash dishes." Hermione added, standing up, before the distracted expression could once again overtake Draco as he drifted into his own little world. She picked up her plate and carried it to the sink, Draco followed. After they started, Draco took the spray nozzle and pointed it at Hermione, spraying her with water.

"Ahh! That's cold!" She cried. Draco laughed. Hermione scooped some water into her hands and threw it at him.
"Ok, this means war." The two broke into an all out water-war and began splashing each other like crazy. Draco contemplated lunging at Hermione and tickling her but his brain yelled at him and told him not to. After about ten minutes of battle, Hermione ended it.

"That's enough. I'm soaking wet and freezing. I'm going upstairs to take a shower." Hermione turned and headed off to the bathroom, leaving Draco to clean up the mess.

***
Hermione stood in the shower letting the hot water fall onto her shoulders and roll down her sides. Her curly mane now soaked with shower water rather than sink water fell in ringlets just below her shoulders. It wasn't so frizzy when wet.

"Do I like him?" She asked herself aloud. "I mean, it's Malfoy, I used to hate him. Why all of a sudden do things seem different? We just had a playful water fight for god sakes. I don't think I ever did that with even Harry or Ron! This makes no sense whatsoever. I need to figure this out."

***
Draco had a towel wrapped around his now wet self and was sitting in a rather comfortable hammock suspended between two oak trees in the Grangers' backyard. Locks of wet blonde hair fell into his eyes, he didn't bother to push it back. He was very comfortable indeed and felt himself slowly drifting off.

"You know you like her dear, just go with it." Draco turned in the direction of the voice to find that it belonged to Coela, his cat, sitting next to Crookshanks in a flower bed.

"You talk?" He asked the cat.

"Of course, I'm a magical being from a magical land filled with other magical beings who live a quite magical existence." Draco wore an expression of pure shock so Coela added hastily, "We all talk. It's an incredibly long and magical story that I do not wish to get into now. But back on topic, it's obvious you like her."

"But I can't like her! I'm a Malfoy, she's a Mudblood. It would never work! It can't."

"I'm not too sure about that." Coela mused smugly, her lovely patterned tale twitching in amusement.

"And what is that supposed to mean? Not too sure about what?" Draco asked, beginning to get slightly annoyed with his cat's evasiveness.

"It's time that you forget your previous misconceptions and prejudices. And opened your eyes to the opportunity that surrounds you. I guarantee you will favor the results. That's all I'm saying, cats are supposed to be mysterious and elusive like that. I will leave it to you to figure out on your own." And with that, Coela walked away, flanked by Crookshanks who was purring madly, to go off to god-knows-where to do god-knows what.

"Damn cat." Draco muttered, but before he could say another word, he was suddenly knocked to the ground with an almighty 'thud'.


A/N: Ha ha! That's all for now! Review people! You know you want to!

Fiery: That's it. *Nursing her burning corneas with a damp cloth*
LyssaQuill: That's it?
Fiery: It's over.
LyssaQuill: It's over?
Fiery: We're not gonna go through this again are we?
LyssaQuill: Erm, good idea, better not. *Getting up from her position sitting on Sean's lap*
Sean: So this chapter is over. Good work ladies. Am I free to leave?
Fiery: Of course hun, we'll call if we need you.
Sean: You know my number *winking, he disapperates*
Fiery: Can he do that?
LyssaQuill: Yeah, why not?
Fiery: Oh. Ok.
LyssaQuill: Oh, and for those of you who didn't realize- Talking Coela: Dream sequence! (Even though your lovely author put up quite a fight and insisted that the cat could talk in real life... despicable)
Fiery: Yes, well, get over it. Review people!!!

Luv'n'stuff!
Fiery-chan