Disclaimer: Now it's time to tell you about young JKR. Archrival and nemesis to PassionPolice237. With powers comparable to PassionPolice237. What powers do you ask? How about the power to invent characters? Does that do anything for ya? That's creativity Holmes. How about the power to make money, from doing nothing 24 hours a day, with mind-bullets! That's pure laziness, Kyle. How about the power to piss you [off]? (Listen to the song WonderBoy by Tenacious D, if you're curious. Good song, by the way... inspired this disclaimer.)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Evade of Delimitation

"Hermione? Hermione, wake up," a familiar voice sounded. Hermione opened her eyes a bit and smiled as she saw Draco's face a few inches from her own. As she was laying on her back, Draco could see she was a wake and grinned. "Hi," he said and she smiled.

"Hi," she returned and paused. "What time is it?" Draco hesitated a moment, then looked at the clock.

"Quarter after six," he sated simply, without concern. Hermione smiled sweetly at him.

"And exactly why have I been awoken by a pale blonde boy in the wee hours of the morning?" she asked playfully. Draco smiled at her.

"Well, my dear, we have a date today, if you recall, and I would like to be relatively near Hogsmeade before Filch wakes." He replied smoothly. Silently, Hermione agreed and she stretched and let out a deep sigh.

"Can't we just knock him out or something?" she complained. Draco laughed and leaned over to kiss her. As much as she would have liked to stay in bed forever, this was a chance for Hermione to get out of the blasted castle...and be alone with Draco. Not that she wasn't usually alone with him, but this was different; their first date. The kiss had given her new energy, as well as a will to do whatever Draco asked of her.

She broke away from him slowly, savoring the feeling of his lips on hers.

"Well, if that's how it is, then it might do well for me to get ready, I dare say?" she said, smiling. Draco only lay still, watching Hermione. She sat up and looked at her Slytherin counterpart. "I suggest you do the same," she said, leaning closer. Their lips touched briefly and Hermione pulled away again unexpectedly. "...but I get the bathroom," she whispered before leaping out of bed and scurrying across the room.

Unfortunately for Hermione, Draco had become accustomed to sleeping on the bedside nearest to the door, causing her to run around the entire bed before reaching the exit in an attempt to beat him to the bathroom. As Draco was closer and quicker, he beat Hermione, wrapping a strong arm around her small waist. She screamed in delight, laughing as he twirled her around and threw her gently back onto the bed.

"Oh no you don't, Miss 'don't-ever-do-that-again-or-you'll-regret-it'. Aren't we being just a little hypocritical?" he asked as he climbed on top of her, smiling widely. Hermione giggled and placed her hands on his shoulders in a mock attempt at pushing him away.

"Alright, alright! You win, I give up. Come here," she purred and Draco obeyed, leaning closer to her. She kissed him hard and deep, letting her bottled passion flow through her lips. Draco kissed back, matching her emotion. Hermione moaned in pleasure at the wonderful sensation and Draco backed off a little, thinking she was trying to tell him to stop; that it was too much. Hermione was a bit disappointed at this and kissed him deeper, scooping him back into it.

Draco realized his mistake immediately and was more than willing to match Hermione's kiss. It was as if a battle had ensured; heads moved back and forth as they each tried to win over the other. When the end finally came, both the pale blonde boy and the wavy haired girl looked at each other, breathing hard and smiling.

"I think I have more than finished what I started; can I go now?" she asked, smiling widely. Draco looked reluctant, but nodded. There would be time for this later. He kissed her again, short and sweet, not much more than a peck. Then he climbed off of her and Hermione smiled before sliding out form under him and off the bed. She walked to the door as if he weren't even there and Draco felt a little hurt. His uncertainty disappeared, though, when she turned to face him once more, with a smirk, before she slipped through the door.

Draco sighed when she disappeared; he loved that girl way too much. He knew she loved him, but he couldn't believe that her love for him matched his for her, or even came close. Draco shook the thought away; **How dare I question her?** He gathered his clothes and other things he would need and proceeded to get ready. He knew Hermione well enough to know she would want the bathroom right away and had showered before waking her.

Draco dressed and prepped himself before going out into the common room to wait for Hermione. he had never actually seen her get ready for anything big and important and didn't know how long it would take her. If she was anything like Pansy, it could be months.

Draco shuttered at the comparison of Pansy and Hermione. That self- centered, obsessive, annoyingly unintelligent, airhead compared to his smart, sweet, and considerate love? Hermione beat her with no contest; she was absolutely perfect. Draco hoped she'd come out soon, not only because he wanted to get going, but because he wanted to prove to himself that she and Pansy were nothing alike.

He got his wish. Hermione exited the bathroom fully clothed and ready within a half an hour. He couldn't help but be surprised and Hermione laughed when she saw this evident on his face.

"What?" she asked, smiling. Draco snapped out of whatever time frame he was in and smiled too.

"I didn't expect you ready that quickly," he said, almost shyly. Hermione smiled.

"Oh? And why is that?" she asked, coming to sit next to him on the small common room sofa. Draco put an arm around her and shrugged.

"Bad experiences," he said quietly. Hermione looked skeptical, so he finished with one word that would explain everything. "Pansy."

"Ah," she said in understanding. "Well, you'll soon find that Miss Parkinson and I have very little in common," she said in defense.

"I knew that already, Hermione," he told her. There was a brief silence, then Draco jumped as if he had been startled. "Are we ready then?" he asked. Hermione smiled and nodded, briefly wondering why it was more awkward to talk about Pansy than it was about Ron. She pushed the thought away quickly, not wanting Pansy and Ron in the same sentence.

Draco stood, wearing casual muggle clothes and keeping his hair un-gelled, letting it fall over his face. He held out a hand to Hermione, who took it and stood beside him, eyes locked on his. She was clad in muggle clothes as well; a fitted black shirt and denim skirt, her hair smooth down her back, slightly waved. She smiled at him in his baggy jeans and dark green sweater; they looked good together.

"I like your hair like that," she said, somewhat absent-mindedly, raising a hand to lightly run her fingers over Draco's fair locks.

"I know," he said, smiling. Hermione smiled back as he leaned in to kiss her once more. It was brief and gentle, but still enjoyable.

"I'll be right back, then we can go." She informed him while she turned away to head back to her room. Draco nodded once, watching her back recede into her room, not bothering to close the door behind her. She came out not a minute later, holding a pair of black gloves and her Gryffindor scarf, a black overcoat over her arm. Draco smiled; Hermione had been wearing a lot of black recently and he knew why. It was the same reason he always seemed to leave his hair un-gelled.

He picked up his own coat and scarf from the sofa where he had placed them when he had entered, and met Hermione halfway to the portrait. He snaked an arm around her waist and she smiled up at him as they made their way to the door. The couple walked slowly out of the room and down the halls and many flights of stairs to the main hall. They stopped briefly before the main doors to don their extra layers, not caring if a teacher saw them; they could claim they were going for a walk on the grounds.

Both Draco and Hermione had suspected that most of the teachers knew about their relationship. They were sure Dumbledore knew; he seemed to know everything, and chances are he had told most of the faculty. Frankly, they didn't care. Now that Harry and Ron knew and were okay with it, it didn't matter who else was informed. There would probably be some strange looks from not only members of Gryffindor and Slytherin, but all the students when they came back; a relationship like that was unheard of at Hogwarts. Draco and Hermione couldn't care less. Nothing seemed to matter to either of them except each other.

The walk to Hogsmeade was a long one and the frigid morning breeze served as a good, but unneeded, excuse to walk closely, arms and waists entwined. The couple walked slowly, knowing they could stay away for days and only the house elves would notice. Hermione's head was on Draco's shoulder and she had closed her eyes, still tired from lack of sleep, as well as the current situation; the overpowering feeling of content left her exhausted. Suddenly, she stopped and her head perked up, eyes open again. Draco turned to her, seemly more startled than she was.

"Hermione?" he asked, concerned. The girl blinked and shook her head, knocking away the trance. Hermione started walking again, almost as if nothing had happened. A slight bit of deep thought could be implied from her expression, but that was all. Draco wasn't going to let her off that easily. He started at her expectantly, waiting for her to speak. Hermione felt his eyes and looked up at him, expecting to see Draco looking straight ahead, but instead saw him looking at her. She made a small double take and shared his gaze.

"What?" she asked, almost defensively. Draco looked embarrassed for a moment, then shook his head slightly and looked straight ahead. Hermione paid no attention to this and just continued walking hand in hand with her Malfoy. She smiled evilly; liking the sound of that sentence. "Hey Draco," she said after a moment, as if nothing had happened except their walking. He looked at her and smiled, deciding to just forget about the strange occurrence. "Do you think we should have left a note or something? Dumbledore has a habit of showing up when you least expect him to. Not that I want to go back; just an afterthought." Draco shrugged his shoulders and smiled, looking at the ground in front of him.

"You worry too much," he stated and Hermione smiled.

"Yeah, you're probably right; but if we get back and they threaten to expel us, you kidnapped me." She said cheerfully. Draco smirked, an idea brewing in his head.

"Maybe I should just actually kidnap you, then we won't have to lie," he said and picked her up by the waist. Hermione giggled with delight and called to him.

"Ah! Put me down, Draco!" Draco almost did as she asked, but something changed his mind. He slung the small girl over his shoulder and started walking toward the gates to Hogsmeade. "Malfoy, put me down, now!" she yelled, kicking her legs a little and pounding lightly on his back, laughing uncontrollably the entire time.

Once at the gates, Draco finally set her down. Her face was blushed and her hair ruffled, but he found her very attractive. Hermione straightened herself as best she could and looked up at Draco, who was smiling evilly.

"So I'm back to Malfoy now?" he asked, replacing his grin with a fake pout. Hermione had to smile at the adorable look on his face.

"Yes! I can't believe you did that!" she said, furious but happy. Draco leaned closer to her with a smirk on his face.

"Well, would Malfoy do this?" he asked, kissing her firmly. Hermione kissed back and they broke away only to come back again with barely enough time for Hermione to answer between.

"No, but..." she cut herself off with his lips. This kiss didn't last long before Hermione cut it off. She looked at Draco's shocked and hurt face with satisfaction. "Granger would have done that... and this," she said and slapped him. Hermione Granger took off her glove and actually slapped her boyfriend. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but enough to make a sound. Draco looked at her, stunned, and she smiled innocently. He gave her the 'why you little...' look and Hermione shrieked. She tried to run away, but Draco had anticipated this and was ready. He caught her around the waist, but instead of hoisting her up on his shoulder, he smoothly spun her into his arms.

"What was that for?" he asked, faking hurt. Hermione smile-smirked and contemplated a creative response.

"Don't ask me, ask Granger," she answered. Draco smiled and kissed her again. Hermione didn't break away this time. "Hey, do you want me to slap you again?" she said when it was over; faking warning. Draco smiled and answered honestly.

"If you want to, Hermione," he told her. She kissed him, subconsciously wondering how many people in the town were staring. Draco smiled when it was over. "Hey, I thought you were going to slap me," he said as they made their way into the small wizard town of Hogsmeade.

"It's no fun if you're expecting it," she said smiling. Draco smirked and stopped walking. Hermione turned to him.

"Okay then," he said, "Let's test the theory. Kiss me." Hermione saw no reason to object and did as he asked. Draco pretended to think for a moment then shook his head and started walking again.

"Well?" Hermione asked, wondering what he was getting at.

"I disagree; I knew you were going to do that, yet it was still fun." Hermione smiled and slid her hand back into his. Draco smiled back and they continued into the town.

* * * * * * * * * *

The golden couple entered the small town of Hogsmeade and walked down a secluded path.

"Draco, where are we going?" Hermione asked, realizing she had no idea. Draco stopped walking and she turned to him.

"It's a surprise," he said smiling. "Nervous?" the pale boy asked, thinking it must be her first apparation. Hermione looked as if she were contemplating the question and weighing her emotions, then shook her head. She stepped closer to Draco and embraced him, placing her arms under his and her hands on his shoulders.

"I trust you," she whispered. Draco smiled widely; that was the second best thing he'd ever heard her say. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close.

"Thank you," he said and there was a pregnant pause. "Ready?" he asked and Hermione nodded, eyes still closed. "That's good," he continued, "because we're here."

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at Draco in surprise. He was smirking and she smiled. Hermione had no choice but to look around, needing to see if they were still on the path. She was surprised to see very unfamiliar scenery surrounding her.

It was a forest, but not like the forbidden forest. Here, there were tall redwood trees spaced rather far apart. Much unlike the forest she had visited only a few days ago, light shown through the trees; it was beautiful. Much to both their enjoyment; it was raining. Not hard, but a pleasant drizzle. Hermione looked at Draco with a wide smile. She didn't really care where they were, but she was curious. Hermione opened her mouth to ask, but Draco interrupted her.

"Nope, not telling. Come on, I want to have as much time as possible before we have to leave," he said, sounding excited. Hermione was very curious now, but she thought better to wait; she would find out eventually. Draco had taken her hand and led her, what seemed to be deeper, into the forest. It wasn't long before they came to what looked like a deserted highway. "It's not much farther, I promise."

Hermione smiled; she couldn't think of a time when she had seen him this happy. She followed Draco for maybe five more minutes before he stopped. He turned to her with a huge grin and spoke.

"Close your eyes," the Slytherin commanded. Hermione thought about protesting, but shrugged her shoulders and did as he asked. Draco smiled and kissed her, then slid an arm around her waist and walked through a very large gate, which had seemed to be his reason for stopping. The couple stepped out into a crowded city street and Draco turned back to his companion.

"Okay, you can open them now," he whispered to her and she obeyed. Hermione's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. She looked at Draco, who was grinning.

"A-are we.... is that-?" Hermione started, still in a shocked state of some sorts.

"Seattle," Draco finished for her. Unexpectedly, Hermione shrieked and jumped at Draco; wrapping her legs around his waist and trapping his lips with hers. The force of her caused Draco to take a step back, but he was into the kiss as fast as she was. He smirked when they broke apart.

"How did you know?" Hermione asked in a whisper, very excited, legs till wrapped around him. Draco's hands were on her back, supporting her and protecting her from falling.

"How did I know what?" he asked, smiling. Draco really had no idea what she was talking about.

"Call it serendipity, but I've always wanted to come here," she said, letting her fingers fiddle with a lock of golden hair behind his head. He smiled even more, overcome with irony.

"Call it coincidental, but so have I," he said, then paused for effect. "Actually, that's why I brought you here; rather selfish really. I've always wanted to come for some reason, but never found anyone worth going with. Now I've go you," he explained with a semi-smirk. Hermione kissed him gently and smirked herself.

"Well, if this is you selfish, I can't wait to see you generous, Malfoy." Hermione was smiling, but Draco wasn't. Her grin dropped too and her eyes filled with a bit of concern and confusion when she noticed his expression.

"Please don't call me that, Hermione," he pleaded, sounding hurt.

"What? I didn't mean it, Draco...I'm sorry," she said, still looking confused.

"I know, it's just..." he paused and his hands pressed her closer to him. "...bad memories." Hermione didn't know what to say to this and left a heavy silence before reality clicked in. She realized their current position and blushed a little.

"Oh! Sorry..." she said and hastily un-gripped her leg-lock from his waist. Draco smirked as she slid down to the ground.

"Now THAT I didn't mind," he said and she blushed again. "I'm glad you're happy, love. Come on, we don't have much time before twilight." She looked confused for a moment, then realization struck her.

"Oh! There's a time change, I didn't even think..." Hermione said and made as if to adjust her watch.

"No, don't." Draco said, stopping her. "That's the time we have to go by; I'm thinking we should be back to the school by curfew if possible, so to save converting every five seconds, let's just leave your watch in England time," he suggested. Hermione nodded and looked blankly at her watch.

"Wait, my watch is wrong. It says 830...there is no way it took us two and a half hours to get ready and walk to Hogsmeade." Draco shrugged.

"No, it only took about an hour or so, but it took us an hour to apparate here. We're half a world away from home, love; that takes more than a split second, despite how it feels," he said smugly. Hermione nodded in understanding.

"I guess that makes sense," she said, still looking a bit confused. Draco took her hand and they started walking. The rain had gotten a little harder, but neither were complaining.

They walked a little deeper into the city and passed more and more buildings. Unexpectedly, Draco stopped and hailed a taxi. He whispered something to the driver as they got in and Hermione couldn't help but be surprised. Draco settled back next to her as the cab began to move.

"Draco, how do you even know what a taxi is?" she asked, shocking even herself. "Sorry; I didn't mean that how it sounded." Draco laughed at her embarrassment.

"No, it's okay. I'm not as ignorant to the muggle world as one may think; better to know your enemy before you can confront them, or something like that, so said my father." Hermione smiled weak and crookedly. Draco planted a kiss on her crooked lips and Hermione kissed him back. It was quick and when it ended, Hermione let Draco's arm slide around her and laid her head on his shoulder. She felt him kiss her head softly and didn't bother to ask where they were going; she knew he wouldn't tell her, and as long as he was with her, Hermione didn't particularly care.

* * * * * * * * * *

The taxi stopped in front of what looked like an abandoned shop of some sort. Hermione was more surprised that Draco knew to pay the driver with muggle money however, and American muggle money at that. They exited the yellow cab and Draco pulled Hermione toward the empty building. **I'm not even going to attempt to ask** she thought and just followed him.

Draco turned to her with a smile as they made it to the door. Hermione looked back at him with a look that was a somewhat suspicious. He opened the door and Hermione was surprised to see it full of people. Well, not full; but there was a good number of men and women who were obviously witches and wizards inside. It was a large room and very clean; everything looking shiny and new. The bartender looked up from his hands, which were currently shining the counter in front of him. Hermione looked behind him to the wooden signs scribed with intricate calligraphy. Her eyes breezed through the lists and she smiled as realization hit her. **A coffee shop; how adorable...** Draco stepped up to the counter and Hermione followed.

He proceeded to order a seemly complicated drink, then turned to Hermione.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have asked what kind of coffee you like before..." Draco began but Hermione cut him off.

"Oh, no! That would have given it away," she said and turned to the man behind the counter. The bartender smiled as he realized that they were a couple. "I'll have the same, please," Hermione said with a smile. The man looked quizzically at Draco, who looked surprised but just shrugged.

"Right then, your order will be up momentarily. Please have a seat and I shall alert you when your drinks are ready." Draco smiled and they walked to an empty table and sat, speaking very little as they waited. Hermione could hardly contain herself and thanked him repeatedly.

"This is so great, Draco. You're amazing," she said, eying him affectionately. He smirked at her lovingly.

"I'm glad you're having fun, but beware as this is going to get even better." Hermione smiled at him and Draco laughed. "Don't even think about it, love; I'm not telling."

"Order up!" the bartender called, looking at them. Draco smiled at her and proceeded to go back up to the counter. Hermione watched him, and noticed that he paid for the coffee with wizard money and not muggle. He returned with their drinks in no time and smirked evilly as he handed one to Hermione. Draco sat back down and watched her; Hermione felt a little self conscious, but didn't say so.

"Thanks," she said, taking the cup. Draco laughed a little, his loving smile returning to his face.

"Thank me after you taste it. Go on," he said, taking a sip of his own coffee. Now Hermione was uneasy, but decided to just drink it; she had to try it sometime. Cautiously, she lifted the cup to her mouth and let the warm, dark, fluid pass through her lips. Uncontrollably, she made a face of utter disgust and raised a hand to her mouth as her eyes began to water. Draco laughed, "I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't like it, but when you ordered it I couldn't resist. I'm horrible, here... let me get you something else."

"No, it's alright," she interrupted, "I just wasn't expecting that." Hermione took another sip of the unbearably strong and bitter drink, asking herself why. She didn't like it, but Draco did.

"Whatever you want, Hermione," he said, smiling. After about half a cup, Hermione got used to the foreign taste and almost began to like the new sensation. It gave her an incredibly warm feeling inside. "Okay, I have to talk to you about some stuff. I have the day planned for keeps until about one-thirty our time. The rest of the itinerary is planned, but I need your opinion before we go for sure." She nodded and he continued. "Well, I'm thinking we leave the city between one-thirty and two, then it's back to the forest, then back to England." He paused and took a deep breath. "How would you feel about visiting Ron and Harry?"

Hermione, who had just taken a sip of her coffee, was nearly forced to spit it out. She was shocked at his question, but it didn't sound that bad. She was speechless, however, and just gaped at him. Draco looked nervous and tried to explain.

"I wrote Mrs. Weasley to ask if that would be alright and if so, not to tell them so it would be a surprise. I told her you didn't know, so we may have a change of plans if you didn't want to. Everything is set, but the decision is ultimately yours."

"Draco," she said after a moment, "...how do you always know exactly how to impress me?" Hermione asked and Draco smiled, looking relieved.

"Is that a yes? You don't feel obligated, do you? I was afraid of that," he asked, serious.

"No, I want to go. I'm just a little shocked; you never seize to amaze me," she told him and he smiled.

"I try." There was a pause for effect before he continued. "Okay, so we stay with the Weasleys for a few hours, then I was hoping we would make one more stop before going home." Draco said and Hermione looked suspicious. He looked incredibly nervous to be asking her something; it wasn't normal. "Hermione, would you like to accompany me to my manor? I would love for you to meet my mother."

Now Hermione was shocked. She had unofficially met Mrs. Malfoy in forth year and she didn't seem like a pleasant person. She looked at Draco, who was watching her with pleading and expectant eyes. Hermione couldn't say no to him.

"Draco, I would love to," she said, smiling. Draco looked ecstatic; and Hermione almost regretted what she was about to ask. "Are you sure she'll want to meet me?" she asked timidly. Hermione didn't want to upset him when he was so happy, but she had to know. To her surprise and relief, Draco's expression did not change. He nodded, still smiling.

"Don't worry; she's nothing like my father. She knows about your ancestry and isn't bothered by it; in fact, Mum asked me to bring you home. It was her idea. So you'll come?" he asked, hoping. Hermione smiled.

"Of course I will; anything for you, Draco." Both teens smiled. If the table between them had not been so awkwardly shaped, Draco would have kissed her.

A strange beeping was heard and Draco dropped his gaze from Hermione to his watch. Then, he looked back to her, still smiling. He stood from his chair and took Hermione's hand in his own.

"We have to go now, or we'll be late!" he exclaimed, attempting to pull her from her chair. Hermione stood and followed him as he rushed to the door.

"Late for what?" she asked, not expecting him to tell her. He didn't say anything, but pulled Hermione back out to the street. Draco once again hailed a taxi and whispered something to the driver. When they had settled down again and the cab was on it's way, Hermione spoke. "You know, this whole 'I'm not telling, you'll find out soon enough' thing is getting frustrating," she said with a smile so Draco would know she wasn't upset. He smirked.

"Would you rather I tell you and ruin the surprise?" he asked, sarcastic.

"No," Hermione said and laid her head on his shoulder.

"That's what I thought," he said smirking. Draco kissed her head softly and placed an arm around her shoulders. The cab ride to wherever they were going was longer than the ride to the coffee shop. Hermione noticed that Draco looked repeatedly at his watch, but didn't comment. It was cute how he was so worried that they would be late to the undisclosed event.

When the cab stopped, Hermione was not surprised to see a deserted street. All this time with Draco Malfoy had taught her, if anything, that things are never what they seem. Draco paid the cabby and they exited the taxi. He led Hermione down the street and turned into an alleyway. If this were anyone other than Draco, Hermione would have been terrified. She wasn't, but Draco understood that she might be and turned to her as they hurried across the damp, dark, cobblestones.

"Don't worry; this isn't what it looks like," he said smiling. Hermione smiled too; she felt safe with him.

"I certainly hope not!" she exclaimed and laughed. "I knew it wasn't, Draco. I know you well enough to be sure of that," she said as if it were obvious. Suddenly, Draco stopped. He looked at Hermione and smiled.

"You think you know me pretty well, don't you?" he asked and she blushed a little **What am I supposed to say to that?** she wondered, but didn't have time to ask. Draco started walking again, not so quickly, and was dragging her behind him. He made a sharp right turn and the Hogwarts golden couple found themselves face to face with a very big and very tall man in a dark suit. The man said nothing for a moment, but Hermione felt relived when he spoke. She had been afraid upon meeting him and didn't notice how calm Draco was.

"Do you have a reservation?" the man asked in a deep and unenthusiastic voice. Hermione looked from the man to Draco and was relieved to see that her cohort was smirking.

"Yes; for two. Under Malfoy," he said simply. The man looked from the blonde boy to the timid girl and back to the boy. He didn't seem to believe them. The gorilla-like man snapped his fingers and a clipboard materialized in front of him. He sneered as he came across a name on the list. The man placed his hand on the wall behind him and it melted away.

"Table three," he said, sounding disgusted. Draco turned to Hermione and smiled. He gave her hand a squeeze and led her into the darkness behind the now nonexistent wall. They walked through what seemed like a long corridor, and at the end found an inconspicuous door.

"Shall we?" Draco asked as they came upon the door. Hermione looked at it, noticing the words 'The Silver Cloak' written on it in big gold letters. She turned back to him, smiling.

"Don't ask me, I have no idea where we are," she said. Draco shrugged a little with a smirk.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said and opened the door. Hermione gasped in awe at the room that lay before her.

It was a large dinner theater, complete with talkative customers. Oddly, neither Draco nor Hermione could hear them, but they both knew why; silencing charm. Rows and rows of small tables formed arches around a very large stage area. Hermione tore her eyes away from the beautifully vast room and landed them on Draco (A/N: not a bad transition, really); he was smiling.

"Don't jump on me, Hermione; that might not look so good," he said smirking. Hermione hit Draco playfully and he returned by sweeping her into a kiss. Hermione kissed back with full force, but impelled herself to cut it off prematurely.

"Draco, people are staring," she said, breathless in his arms.

"Since when do we care what other people think?" he asked, almost in an equal state to her.

"Good point," she said and kissed him again. Draco was the one to end it this time.

"Come on, the show's going to start soon," he said, sounding disappointed and happy at the same time. Hermione nodded and he took her hand. Together they stepped through the door and together they noticed the difference. The second the couple crossed the threshold, the chatter and laughter of over a hundred witches and wizards graced their ears.

Draco led Hermione down a few flights of stairs to a table level with the stage. A card inscribed with the number three stood at the center and Hermione's eyes grew wide. Their table was right in front of the stage.

Draco pulled out her chair and Hermione sat, keeping her eyes glued on her blonde date. He smiled and sat in the chair next to hers. Laughing, he noticed her stare.

"See something you like, Granger?" he asked, breaking her trance. Hermione blinked, then smirked.

"Yes, but if I can't call you Malfoy, you can't call me Granger," she said, scooting her chair closer to the table.

"Deal," he said just as the lights began to blink. "Oh! Show starts in five minutes; better order our dinner while we can still read the menus," Draco suggested, picking up the leather bound parchment that lie in front of him. Hermione followed suit and all was silent as they read through the choices.

"Hey Draco, what's Belle-" Hermione started but Draco cut her off.

"No, don't say it unless you're sure you want it; I learned that the hard way." Hermione laughed a little and he smirked at her.

"Right, thanks for reminding me," she said and turned back to the menu. Both she and her date had decided on and ordered their meals just as the lights began to blink again. This time, however, they ended up off. Ultimately, the couple need not have ordered so quickly; a selection of candles materialized in the center of their table, shedding enough light for them to be able to read the menus perfectly well.

Obviously, this was a wizard dinner theater, and a wizard theater differs in many ways from a muggle one. For instance; there are no waiters or waitresses walking around interrupting the show. When a person is ready to order a meal, they must simply hold the menu and state the name of the item. Instantly, the food will silently appear in front of them. Also, there is much less noise in a wizard theater, as everyone and everything is subjected to a silencing charm prior to the show, letting guests only converse with those in their party.

No sooner had the lights been offed and the candles appeared did the curtain open to reveal a beautiful scenery and a costumed cast. Then, music started and a title sign was floated across the stage. It bore four words; 'Beauty and the Beast'. Hermione gasped and turned to look at Draco, who was smirking.

"I thought you'd like that," he said and smiled. Hermione smiled back and turned to watch the show.

* * * * * * * * * *

The cast was talented, the music beautiful, and the scenery literally magical. Hermione enjoyed everything about the show and was glad to discover that Draco laughed and cried in all the right places. Literally, he didn't cry, but Hermione knew he felt the proper emotion toward each scene. To her, he had always seemed unpredictable, but she was glad it was in an appropriate way. The silencing charm was taken off of the crowd in just enough time for the applause to be heard.



A/N see? This chapter is about four pages longer than usual, making up for the shortness of 17. There you go, I'm fair. Let me know if you like this, I wanted to make them have some sort of date....I love Seattle, hehe.

PRF

dEsTiNy- I agree. Here you go, and don't worry....there's more fun date- like stuff coming up!

*Karly* - Thanx! I don't know if mine is BETTER per-say....but I defiantly have a better Draco. Hehe. And I'm glad you think so, you are too!

Carla- The BEST? Are you sure? Exactly how MANY d/hr stories have you read? Lol...thanx 4 reading, I appreciate it....and I've put you on the mailing list, obviously!

Gwyn- The chapters are a coming, and don't worry... I have totally ditched the idea of having a BETA reader. Hasapi (if you're reading this) can still send me beta reports if she wants to, but I'm posting chapters with or without them. I'm just not a very patient person. So, as soon as I get the time to edit and correct them myself, expect at least the next seven or eight chapters in pretty close succession.

Heather - Not to spoil anybody's time, but they will; don't worry....but not until after the trip, and after some pretty close calls and flirting with the idea. Just be patient. It won't be for like 20chapters, lol, but it's written, and I did NOT go into detail. I'm way to....inexperienced to be any good at that.