Author's Note: To anyone who has so far read my fic: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU For the reviews, I didn't expect to get nearly so many, and am humbled by the response. The plan at the moment is that I will be updating once a week, Wednesday/Thursday Australian ES Time.

In other news:
*I'm looking for someone who would be willing to beta for me and possibly offer plot ideas? If you'd like to offer please email me. *I'm also setting up an update email-list to let you know about delays and when the next chapter is up, so if you'd like to go on it, email me or say so in your review.
This chapter is dedicated to Anna, for her suggestions and flattery.

Enjoy :) And Review. Heh.
Exeltica

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Hermione blinked in a mixture of astonishment and fear, shivering slightly at the aftershock of magic seeping slowly out of her and disappearing into the air.

'What the HELL?! Wasn't I just…library…sleaze…Malfoy.'

She sat down heavily on her bed in the empty dorm, feeling a little faint from her..trip. Taking a few deep, cleansing breaths, Hermione forced herself to consider what had happened in the previous hour. She was a pureblood. Malfoy - apparently - had a thing for her. Not that you could trust a Malfoy. Ever. Although, Hermione mused, she could almost set her watch by the Mudblood remarks, even if they were untrue. A slow smile spread over her face.

Untrue. False. Fallacy.

"Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it, Draco Malfoy." She whispered defiantly, a small smile curling her lips. With a happy smile, she sunk back onto her bed, the softness of her mattress yielding quietly. How long she lay like that, oblivious to everything a future head girl should be concerned about, she wasn't sure. It could have been seconds, it could have been hours.

'How did a piece of paper make my life more simple than it has been since I came to Hogwarts?' She wondered. 'A woman I never knew has made my life easier by dieing. How morbid.'

Hermione shook herself and sat up with a start. "My classes!" She murmured, shocked and dismayed that she had forgotten them. Crookshanks looked at her disdainfully from his mid-pillow sunning position before closing his eyes, and appearing to sleep. She sighed and shrugged, it was only Transfiguration and Charms, She'd already finished the coursework for the whole of this week and a bit of the next. But, she did have that essay for History of Mag....
Then Hermione saw it.

'Wow.'

Gracing the end of her bed, was the most exquisitely beautiful piece of furniture Hermione had ever imagined, let alone seen. 'It' was a highly polished Oak chest, just slightly longer than her single bed was across. The sides were carved with magnificently detailed dragons, hounds, unicorns and the occasional sea serpent, while the top of smoothly fitted different planks (what appeared to be Gorse, Hazel, Fir, Two planks of Rowan, Fir again, woven strands of Ivy, Hawthorn, Fir yet again and Ash) within the border of Smoothed and polished Heavy Oak. A manticore was carved across the entirety of the lid of the trunk, with a minute Sapphire inset for an eye and what looked like shards of Jasper for the stinger at the end of the tail. The lid, sides, handles and lock were of amazingly black wrought iron, fitted seamlessly into the glossy wood.

Hermione blinked in awe and trailed her hand slowly and gingerly over the heavy trunk, savouring the slip of the wood under her tentative strokes of her fingertips. Eyes drifting closed of their own accord, her palm continued to sweep across the sleek polish and suddenly, she felt the wood hum pleasantly under her gentle and awe-filled caress.

With a rough gasp and a staggered step backwards, Hermione's eyes flew open to look at the inanimate -- she hoped -- piece of furniture, set at the end of her bed, where her old steamer trunk had been when she left the dormitory this morning for breakfast. What was even stranger was that she had seen neither hide nor hair of the battered chest that had served her so faithfully since 3rd year.

Hermione considered the situation. 'My trunk has gone missing and has been replaced by the most beautiful, sentient trunk that looks like it's straight out of a fairy-tale. Great.' What was of greater concern, however, was that the trunk was locked stoutly, and if, by some odd happening, her things were in it - there was no way of getting them out. Hermione was just glad that she had laid out her books for the day on her desk.

There was a loud exclamation from the doorway just as Pavarti and Lavender came thundering up the stairs, Hermione quickly shoved the trunk under her thankfully high bed. Or tried to, at least. The beautiful thing wouldn't budge! And here came her dorm mates...

"...And so I said to him, 'Fine, if you like her that much, why don't you go and *sit* with her?!'" Oh good, Pavarti was ranting about her latest boyfriend shenanigan, they were unlikely to pay any attention to her.

"Oh!" Lavender ground out, suitably infuriated and empathetic to her best friend's plight. "What do her say to that, Pav?" Hermione surreptitiously picked up a book and sprawled over the immovable case, in an attempt to cover it.

"WELL..." Here Pavarti trailed into a long winded explanation of just WHAT that Hufflepuff said, (using far more expletives than Hermione privately thought any self-respecting Hufflepuff would utter in public) as she fixed her already-meticulous makeup charms. "...So eventually I told the arsehole just where he could shove his wand."

Lavender whooped at this. "Good on ya Pav!" the two made to leave to go to lunch, but suddenly noticed the other girl reading on her bed. "Hi Hermione!" They chorused, their voices setting Hermione's teeth on edge.

Suddenly Pavarti tilted her head in puzzlement. "Hermione...um...what are you doing?"

Hermione blinked at the girl. "I beg your pardon?" she replied, a frown barely creasing her brow.

Lavender too had noticed and gestured to the chest that Hermione was sitting on in puzzlement. Hermione felt her insides go cold with fear, for some unknown reason. "Well you're going to think I'm dense...but don't usually..balance like that do they??"

Hermione cottoned on quickly. "Oh. Just practising my levitation charms, that's all.."

The two girls nodded in understanding, although rolling their eyes good-naturedly. "Really. Hermione it's not as if you *need* the practise or anything.." They left the room without a backward glance, and Hermione flopped back onto her bed in relief and uttered a quick thank you to whichever gods happened to be listening that the girls she shared her dorm with were complete airheads.

Quickly, she gathered her books and the finished Arithmancy assignment and grabbed her book bag, making her way quickly towards the great hall, and lunch, before her friends came looking for her.

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Draco Malfoy was pissed off. He didn't know *what* had happened to Granger, but her was damn sure that she had done it just to make him look stupid. The worst part was...It had worked. He stabbed bitterly at the Roast beef and potatoes in front of him.

"Stupid bint..." He growled under his breath.

"What was that Drakie?"

Malfoy shuddered. That *thing* which some people decided to call a female, was the other part of the problem. She claimed that they were betrothed, but the truth was, Draco knew for a fact that his...he bit back bile...father had only implied that to the Parkinsons. He didn't even bother to contemplate his father's reasoning behind it. Lucius Malfoy was a twisted fuck, and nothing that anyone said could convince him otherwise. A final stab at the beef and Draco shoved his plate away and looked up in time to see Hermione look away.

He smirked sadistically. It was genetic, it seemed, to be twisted in the Malfoy clan. He stood and sauntered over to the Gryffindor table. He edged up behind Hermione who was currently eating her food with relish, as she hadn't had a chance to eat at breakfast.

"Hello, Granger..." He murmured softly, almost menacingly.

She froze mid bite, "What do you want *now* Malfoy?" the fork continued to her mouth and she ate, waiting for a response.

"To talk to you about..." He quirked an eyebrow. "the library." Harry and Ron were looking from Draco to Hermione in such a confused manner, it would almost have been endearing, if they didn't look so stupid.

Hermione finished her lunch in another bite. "Well done, Malfoy. You're officially the Drama Queen here. And I stress the word...'queen.'" She smirked as Draco hauled her up by the arm and dragged her out of the Hall.

Malfoy pinned her against the wall, quickly and easily. "What in the seven *HELLS* was that about?! AND what the bollocks did you do this morning in the library??"

She raised an eyebrow at him, unceremoniously. "This is seeming rather repetitive Malfoy. I do hope that Lavender wasn't wrong about you..." It was no secret to any of the Gryffindor girls that Lavender had shagged Malfoy. For one thing she wasn't quiet, but when she wrote 'Draco Malfoy is the best shag. EVER.' In her namesake shade of lipstick on the mirror in the showers, it was very difficult to try and ignore it.

His ears pricked up all but visibly. "Brown? What'd she say about me?!" He grinned egotistically, and Hermione had a feeling that is his head swelled any more she might have to pop it so he could fit through doorways.

"Just that you were….inventive." She snickered quietly, but quickly stifled it with a cough, clapping her hand to her sternum dramatically.

Draco eyed her, an almost lustful glint in his eye. "Want to find out first hand, Granger?"

Hermione shrugged, and before she could reconsider, wrapped an arm round his neck and pulled him down to her level, kissing him firmly. She pulled back and licked her lips, considering. "Maybe. If and when I decide to, believe me, you'll be the first to know. Until then," She leaned up and whispered softly in the shell of his ear. "Stay the fuck away from me." And bit harshly at his earlobe, causing Malfoy to wince. With a swirl of her standard-issue Hogwarts robes, she was gone.

Malfoy checked his ear for blood, and grinned like a maniac, despite being walked away from twice in one morning. "I'll have her yet…" He murmured to himself, and turned, making his way after her, to their next class.

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Now, it's Review time! :) Thank you to all the LOVELY people who have reviewed! I really appreciated it! Pendragon: Ooh Compliments! Thanks for the lovely (long) review, and see, I did get writing. *Grins* It was going to happen sooner or later! Aura The Rock Starr: Thanks for your support, even if you can't imagine them together :p Thanks also to: Marty, avri, fireguardian, nikki, AtanvarneK, ash, Li-chan, Mara-Potter, b0ing, my good friend Anna, `div and Dreaming One. YOU ALL ROCK, and made me write faster with your amazing..vote of confidence..and the fact that you read my fic at all! Heh.