Disclaimer: Ok maybe I should like STEAL Draco…..is  that possible? Can someone find out for me? J.K.R. owns it all…..for now LoL

Author's Note:

As predicted this is another chapter of stuff other than the ball cuz like it's a big part of the story so I'm stalling LoL but don't worry this chapter has lotsa crazy stuff too kk enjoy!!

                                                                                    Slythindor                                                                           

                                                           Ch.10:  A Rolex, A Net, Forgive and Forget                                                           

It was Sunday, the second day of the Hogsmeade trip for the people who needed muggle dress clothes, which meant for practically the whole school. Hermione already had some though so, needing to catch up with her Potions (as in reading 5 chapters ahead), she stayed at the school. Harry went though just to have fun with everyone else and they tried to persuade her to come. She however resisted, making all sorts of excuses about the school being empty and finally having some quiet study time and other typical Hermione-like explanations. She tried her best to convince herself that those were the only reasons she stayed behind, since deep down she felt the real reason. She had figured that Malfoy was sure to go to Hogsmeade, because he was the last person on the planet to have any sort of muggle clothes. She was still fuming from the stunt he pulled on her yesterday so she had resolved to stay as far away from him as possible. She was also cross with herself for letting her hormones get the best of her. She couldn't understand what attracted her so much to him and she was hoping that she'd forget. So, burying herself in her book, and sipping her hot chocolate, she tried to keep her mind off it.

"Hey uh…..book girl," she heard someone say from beyond the book she was holding. She put it down and looked up to see an oddly familiar older Gryffindor boy. She gave him a questioning look and he continued, "Have you seen my Rolex?"

Hermione stiffened remembering immediately that he was the guy Draco took the watch from, but then found that she had no idea where the Rolex went. She remembered unfastening it from his hand then…..did she take it off? She couldn't for the life of her remember, but she certainly wasn't going to ask Draco about it.

"Oh you're Rolex…..I have no idea where I put it," she said and as he responded with raised eyebrows she realized her slip, "Oh I mean I haven't seen it sorry," she said abruptly and covered her face with her book again.

"Say, don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked trying to peer past the book. She put it down again and looked at him. He did seem familiar. He was a tall brown haired boy with cute dimples and deep blue eyes. His straight hair was eye length and it parted in the middle and he was rather handsome.

"You do look familiar…..but I can't quite place you."

"Wait, you're name's Hermione right? You live around the block from me in the house with that tooth mailbox."

She cringed at the mention of the horrid mailbox her parents had insisted on using, "Yah that would be me, I think I'm starting to remember you now."

"My name's Hayden Murray. You're parents invited my family over for dinner a couple of years ago when we moved in."

"Oh yah, I remember now you're the kid with the terrible twin siblings," she said then bit her lip at yet another slip, "Sorry," she said flushed from embarrassment. His younger brother and sister were twins and they were more destructive than Seamus in Charms class. And that's saying something. As soon as they got in the house they ran to the TV, started fighting over the remote and it got flung into the fish tank. Hermione put on a movie for them, but 5 minutes into it they started having a fit over when dinner was going to start. Then at dinner all they did was throw the food at each other, and that included the soup and mashed potatoes. After dinner Hermione was stuck cleaning everything up so she didn't notice them in her room ripping pages out of Hogwarts: A History.

"No problem, trust me we get that a lot, those guys sure can be a handful," he said sitting down on the chair next to her.

She smiled in agreement, even though she though that was the understatement of the century, "I kind of didn't notice you there though, I was pretty busy with them."

"Yah, I tried to talk to you too, since we go to the same school and all, but you were in a bit of a frenzy."

She grinned at him and realized that he was rather pleasant to talk to. They talked for quite a while but she soon realized that he wasn't exactly her type…

"I HATE reading, if there was one thing I would never want to do again it would be READING. It's so boring and annoying I can't stand it," he said looking disgusted while he was even talking about it.

"Oh…I don't mind it so much," Hermione herself greatly understating. She talked to him a little longer and she found that he was more of Lavender or Parvati's type. He was nice looks-wise but definitely not brain-wise and also very over excitable about things. Like just now she realized her hot chocolate had turned to cold chocolate as she was talking to him, so she used a very simple heating spell.

"Thermosis!" she said waving her wand over the cup and watching it steam over.

"Wow! That's a great spell! No wonder you're at the head of your class! Whoa!"

"Umm…thanks, it's pretty simple really," she said giving him a weird look as he looked absolutely awestruck at her cup.

He was a friendly guy though unlike SOME people she knew, and she could always use another friend. However, he didn't seem to take it in that direction.

"Hey, what are you wearing to the first night of the ball? I think I owe you a dance after what happened at your house," he said grinning. Hermione was a bit surprised at this but at the same time flattered. 'Why not after all?' she thought, 'It's just one dance. NO it could be every dance for all I care, what's tying me down? But I don't want him to think I'm interested in being more than friends or anything…oh well it couldn't hurt.

"I'm wearing a velvet maroon dress and a matching feathered mask."

"I'll wait for you next to the door then ok?"

"Alright," she answered grinning slightly. They started talking again for a little while, but then out of the corner of her eye Hermione noticed a very disdainful figure emerge from the boy's dormitories. She recognized Draco as he lounged on one of the huge colorful couches on the opposite side of the room with a book in his hands. His hair was slicked back today and she was surprised at her disappointment. She was stunned at herself for caring at all after what he did to her so she turned back to her conversation with Hayden.

Draco had woken up late that morning after not being able to sleep half the night before. Partly because of the several violations done upon him the day before and partly, to his annoyance, because of Hermione. He kept envisioning her warm, comforting brown eyes, and the fire inside of her that he couldn't help being drawn to. She dominated his thoughts in a way no girl had ever done before and he couldn't stand it anymore. He had slicked his hair back that morning, trying his best to convince himself that he wanted nothing more than having things go back to the way they were. And that included keeping Pansy from groping him all day. He grabbed a book and nonchalantly walked down to the common room.  He pretended not to notice Hermione talking with an older preppy-looking Gryffindor- interestingly the one that had the Rolex. He did notice them though and it bothered him to a point where he just wanted to get up and leave while the impulse came for a source unknown to him. It bothered him even more that he even cared at all who she talked to. She was just a stupid mudblood and he wasn't concerned with her at all. That's what he kept telling himself anyway.

'What is he doing here?' she thought to herself, 'Wait why do I care? That evil jerk thinks he can play games with me.' His words had echoed in her brain all night, 'What? Did you think I was going to kiss you Granger?' Fury boiled inside of her and she grew angry at herself again for falling for his wicked stunt and realized that she was now glaring at him and scowling.

"Uh Hermione?"

Hermione snapped back out of space. She hadn't realized that she had gone into a daze and hadn't heard a word Hayden said for the past 5 minutes. He followed her angry stare and his eyes rested on Malfoy.

"That's Lucius' son isn't it? I heard he was rather unpleasant…caused you a bit of trouble did he?"

She was about to ask him how he knew, but realized that she was glowering at Malfoy again. He looked rather uncomfortable as he kept changing his sitting position every 5 seconds. He didn't seem to be concentrating on the book well either as his brow was furrowed and he looked as if he were distracted over something.

"He causes everyone trouble," she returned. They kept talking about him and more animatedly too with Hermione enjoying it immensely. Draco noticed of course, 'That's it, if I see one more ferret impression I'll go Cruciatus crazy on those bloody…mudbloods!' he thought, but with another laugh from their direction he got up and decided to console himself with his drop dead gorgeous reflection. They watched him get up in a huff while still laughing and Hermione knew it was because of them. He had given her a withering glance as he stormed back into his dormitories aggravated. She didn't care; he got what was coming to him, though she knew it wouldn't affect him much what she said anyway.

"Half the bloody girls in the school are absolutely swooning over him. I don't see what's so great about him do you?" Hayden started up again as he caught her gaze.

"NO, why would I? That's preposterous, it's completely absurd, I'm not interested in him at all," she said more defensively than she had intended. 

"Ok…..well I have to go, but I'll talk to you later. Oh and be sure to tell me I you see my watch around," Hayden said as he got up and she could have sworn that he winked at her before he left.

"Alright, bye!," she said a little irritated at herself for being so dramatic. She didn't care though so she continued her reading for a little while longer, not being able to concentrate too well on the uses of Mundrake leaves and Wolfsbane.

"Hermione is that you?" asked an annoyingly familiar female voice.

"Of course it's her do you not SEE how heavy that book is?" asked another. Hermione looked up to see Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, the gossip queens of Hogwarts. Hermione often wondered if Parvati's twin Padma had traded brains with Lavendar as her and Parvati seemed to have an odd sisterly bond. They were both like the same person as they never disagreed on anything or left each other's side. Their expression was one of excitement and anticipation as Hermione was knowingly looking back at them, clearly aware of what they were going to ask her about.    

"Hi, did you guys want something?" she asked a little annoyed at their comment about the book since it was THEIR potions book too.

"We wanted to know what your dress looks like for the muggle themed night," Parvati inquired expectantly. They had found out what everyone was wearing to the Victorian one yesterday and today they were making their rounds asking about the next one.

Hermione grinned, "Oh it's a long blue glittery halter top and it has this short train at the end of it. It's a darker shade of blue at the top and it's tight there then it sort of widens as you get to the bottom. It's really pretty my aunt bought it for me last Christmas. I think I'm going to charm my eyes to match too."

"Wow that sounds really nice! Who do you think you'll end up dancing with?" Lavendar asked as her eyes gleamed excitedly.

She shrugged, "I don't know, hopefully someone nice, and sweet and…"

"What?! Come on 'Mione your surrounded with nice and sweet guys, don't you want a bad boy for once?" Parvarti asked with Lavendar nodding in agreement.

"Yah, bad boys are so…" Lavendar started.

"Revolting? Nauseating? Disgusting, evil, malicious jerks?!" Hermione burst out, again being melodramatic.

"No…come on, deep down every girl wants the bad boy, they're so dangerous and exciting and when you're with them you can't help but to be a little 'bad' yourself. Tell me you don't feel any tension when you're near say…Draco Malfoy."

Hermione felt herself jump 10 feet in the air at that, "NO! I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about," she said in a huff while crossing her arms.

"Ok…," Parvati said giving Lavendar a she's-got-some-serious-issues look, "Well we'll see you later then," she said getting up and walking out of the common room, probably to go find more people to pester.

Again Hermione tried her best to keep reading, praying to God that no more annoying people will disturb her. Up in the boy's dormitories Draco was staring into the mirror, 'Still strikingly gorgeous, but damn it I'm feeling less conceited today.' He dropped onto his bed and sighed, 'This is hopeless, I have to talk to her. NO! I hate her, where has my Malfoy pride gone? I can't believe I almost kissed a mudblood,' he thought and shook his head and buried his face in his hands from frustration. Just then he noticed the Rolex on his wrist. He grinned as he remembered doing a little snatching maneuver of his yesterday at the pub. Suddenly he had an idea. He took off down the stairs and into the common room again. 'Is it just me, or did that book get even bigger? Whatever.' He sat down on a chair directly opposite her on the other side of the room and started shining it, 'Goddamn it, she hasn't moved a muscle…..I'll have to resort to more rash methods…' He did what no Malfoy had done before; he started whistling. Ok so it was the tune to 'Hail the Dark Lord' but whatever. She looked up, 'What in the name of…aha! There's that Rolex, but how on earth did he…now where's he going?' she couldn't even put a complete thought together while she watched him curiously as he had abruptly got up and left the common room. 'Should I go after him? Who knows what he'll do to it. NO he probably wants you to go after him. Wait, why would he want that? Don't flatter yourself, and besides you gave Hayden your word.' She got up and walked out of the common room after him. She saw no trace of him beyond the door though, but after she turned around to go back he startled her as he was standing right next to the picture.

"Oh God Malfoy are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Well, I have been known to be quite a heart stopper," he said smirking.

She rolled her eyes, "Hand over the watch Malfoy, it doesn't belong to you."

"This watch?" he asked as he walked toward the center of the tower. The ceiling was high there and the floor was low as the staircases rimmed the sides of it. Malfoy held the watch over the edge ominously and Hermione became livid.

"You stop that NOW Malfoy, this isn't one of your stupid games. Why can't you get it through your thick, conceited skull that I'm not your toy to play with?"

He ignored her, "What's this watch to you anyway? Your new dense boyfriend wants it back?"

"He's not my boyfriend! And he's not den…," her pause submitted to the fact that he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, and it caused Malfoy to smirk again, "Augh! Just shut up and give it to me!"

She tried to snatch it out of his hand but he was too quick for her. He backed up and he didn't notice the web of rope he was slowly backing up into. Hermione tried to grab the Rolex again and she got hold of it. He moved back again though then before they knew it they were swallowed up by a large net and were lifted right off the ground all the way up to the top of the tower.

Hermione screamed, "What just happened?! Why am I in a net with YOU?! Why am I in a net PERIOD?! And about 100 ft from the ground?!" she screamed again. It was a rather large net probably meant to catch something of substantial size and weight, but not as much as two people so they had hardly any room to move. They were clinging onto opposite sides of it trying to maintain space between them but it was hopeless. "This is all your fault!"

"Me?! How is it my bloody fault?"

"If you hadn't started playing your idiotic games in the first place this would have never happened! And who on earth would place a hunting net in the middle of a bloody school?!"

"I don't know and don't think I'm enjoying this any more that you are!"

"SHUT UP! Don't talk to me! I've had enough of you already, what are you even DOING here today?"

 He sat silently and smirked. She glared at him, "WELL?!"

"You said not to talk to you!"

Hermione tried to choke him.

 "You bloody, disgusting, VILE…"

He struggled to hold her still, "Would you stop it already you're not making this any better!"

She took a deep breath, "You know what? Now that I think about it this is my fault…..after all I did save your life. Augh! Of all the stupid things, I should have left you for dead! You filthy, evil….."

She lunged at him even though he was two inches away from her, and started strangling him yet again.

"Cut it out!" he shouted as he strained to keep her still, "We'll fall!"

She stopped in a huff and leaned back onto the rope. She settled him with a fierce stare.

"Now if I give you permission, will you tell me why on my cursed, cursed luck you're here today?"

He was going to answer back with 'yes teacher' but thought better of it. He nodded.

"Okay then Mr. I-beat-muggles-with-a-stick, spit it out!"

"Because it's Sunday," he stated plainly, then seeing that he was in very direct danger from her stare, he continued, "My father goes to Hogsmeade on Sundays, he and the others go and have drinks at the pub down there."

She softened a little, "Oh…but where are you going to get your clothes for the ball then?"

"I gave Crabbe and Goyle a couple hundred galleons to buy me a decent suit, hopefully they won't blow them on a shopping spree at the candy store. Or eating out the All-you-can-eat-buffet. Or paying someone to be their dates…."

"OR buying themselves some new brains," Hermione continued, chuckling faintly.

"More like buying brains period," Draco said changing his smirk to a grin.

Hermione looked away from him and her face turned serious again, "How are we going to get down from here? And who could have done this?" They sat thinking about it for a while and after a few minutes; they seemed to have thought of the culprit at the same time.

"Peeves!" they both shouted aloud in unison.

"Him and his stupid pranks, we're going to be stuck here all DAY," Hermione sighed exasperatedly.

"Well I'm sure we can find something to do," he said slyly winking at her.

She glowered at him, "What happened to the not talking to me?  And what is with you? Why ARE you talking to me in the first place? Oddly enough, I haven't heard the word 'mudblood' all day."

He stared back smirking again, but as she gave him a talk-or-die look he shrugged, "Something happened."

"And what's that? You're being possessed?" Suddenly she looked like she actually believed that concept and she raised her eyebrows at him.

"NO I just don't see the point anymore."

"The point of what?"

"THE POINT OF HATING YOU!" Draco shouted to both their shock and he looked away from her frustrated. He had felt something snap inside his head when he had said that but he didn't know what it was.

"Oh…," she was speechless from her confusion. She couldn't stand it so she changed the subject, "Malfoy, I've been meaning to ask you…what are you going to do about your father now?

He paused, "I haven't really thought about it," he said gravely, looking away. Then suddenly something inside him felt the need to tell her what he was really thinking, and before he could stop himself, he dismally continued, "Most of my life I had idolized my father, but lately I've started to feel differently towards all his extreme beliefs. Now, I've been trying to avoid him rather than accept that my future has already been set out for me. For the most part I had accepted it, but now more than ever, I realize that I have to face the one fact I had always known deep down about my father."

She looked into his soft, somber eyes and saw a deep sincerity that she could have never imagined he possessed, "And what's that?"

He sighed and told her plainly, "He has to be stopped."

He noticed her glancing at him with a reverent yet surprised look and returned it with one of slight appreciation. It was like he felt that she was the only person that gave a damn about him, someone who he could say all this to and won't hold it against him. He was surprised that it was her of all people and as hard as he tried now to stop it, his pent up feelings and emotions had finally found someone to confess to and spill out all that's been troubling him. All the things that have been plaguing his mind from the beginning were swallowing up his pride unknowingly, and forcing him to ease the burdens he was carrying for so long.

"Well, if anyone can stop Lucius…it's you," she said almost believingly.

He scoffed, "Me? The last time I was with him I had to be saved by a mudblood," he said then realized his slip. But was it a slip?

She narrowed her eyes at him and there was a long pause. With venom in her voice she retorted, "Yes I suppose that's true isn't it? Evil can't conquer evil, someone good will have to take care of him, someone like Harry for instance," she said with pride in her friend but as he scoffed again she continued in a more firm voice, "And you don't see the point in hating me? I couldn't believe that of course. You may not see the point in hating me Malfoy," she paused to look him directly in the eye, "But I see the point in hating you."

The look she gave him was piercing and the words pierced even more. He couldn't handle the conflict inside of him but all he could do was look away. 

Now if she were any position to move at all she would have walked away but as she was barely half a foot away from him she just fidgeted uncomfortably. His face was expressionless and it irritated her, so deciding to do something constructive about their situation, she looked around at how exactly the net was held up. She saw a pulley above them to the right and if she observed that if she could just get to the rope she could probably be able to lower them. As Draco looked on with a puzzled expression, she reached her hand out to try to grab the rope but only managed to cause a part of the rope to come undone on top of the hole her hand was through. She got most of her arm out but it tightened hard on her wrist and the more she tugged the tighter it became. Soon it was starting to hurt severely and it cut off her circulation.

"My wrist, ow, oh my god my WRIST …" she said as her voice escalated with the pain. Draco held her still.

"Shh, stop moving," he whispered softly and he took either side of the hole with his hands and pulled hard. It didn't work though and Hermione gave him a helpless look that made him want to do nothing else than to make her feel better. She looked like she was going to cry at any second now and suddenly Draco remembered that he had something that would do the trick. He reached down into his left sock and pulled out a snap-up knife. He started to cut the part of the rope that Hermione was caught in. Hermione however, being the intelligent person that she is, knew that a net is basically just sections of intertwined rope so if you cut one part….

"Wait Malfoy this entire section is going to…." 

Too late.

"Why do you always end up on top of me?" she asked as he had cut the rope and the portion that she was leaning on had snapped back and he had fallen on top of her while still holding her hand that he freed. 

"Why? Enjoying it?"

"NO!" she said as she struggled to get from under him.

"Well SORRYY," he said sarcastically.

She stopped struggling and looked him in the eye, "Are you sorry?" she asked him directly remembering all that he'd done to her, and finally catching him saying the one word she'd always wanted to hear. He looked at her bewildered, but her eyes sought something that he couldn't give her.

"Malfoy's don't apologize Granger…they compensate."

She saw his silvery eyes grow warm from a source she couldn't imagine was inside of him.

"Compensate? How…" she began breathlessly even though she knew the answer. She tried to prevent herself from allowing it but as he gently touched his lips to hers she forgot that he was a Slytherin and she a Gryffindor, she forgot where they were, and come to think of it she forgot that her name was Hermione. His soft, searching lips caressed hers and her hand was intertwined with his.  He placed his other hand on the side of her face and deepened the kiss as he stroked her cheek. All the things he'd wanted to say, all the thank you's, all the apologies, everything his pride would allow poured out as he kissed her. The overflow of emotion in the kiss completely overwhelmed her as she ran her fingers through his slicked hair and tousled it down. Then she moved her hand from his hair to the side of the net and held the rope. But as she did she felt the deep realization of where she was and what she was doing and pulled away. They were both breathing heavily now and while Draco was trying to catch Hermione's eyes she looked away.

Suddenly they heard a singsong voice, "Oooh! Two little Slythindors sitting in a net! Are they snogging? Oh you bet!" They looked over and saw Peeves bouncing off the walls, grinning mischievously at them. The scrambled to get off of each other but it didn't do much since they were a little tangled in the net so it kind of made them look like they were doing something they really weren't supposed to be…

"Oh you naughty, naughty students! Looks like I'll need to teach you a lesson! Hee hee!" he said mockingly condemning them. With alarm they saw him take a butcher knife out of…somewhere and waved it around, then he started singing again, "I never thought I would catch someone, but I got two! And now I'm going to have to drop both of you!"

"WHAT?!!," they both shouted in unison. They shouted fretful protests as he floated above them and did what they couldn't have dreaded more.

"Toodeloo!" he said with a wild giggle as he chopped the rope that was holding them and watched them plummet toward the ground screaming.

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Ahhhh ohh noooo what'll happen to them?? Haha I like had to add fluff to this chapter cuz I mean it's chapter 10 already LoL ok well you know what to do!! What--you don't?!!

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*****ATTENTION ALL D/Hr FANS -Go read The Mistake they Can't Deny and I'm With You they're both by SweetWater and they're reeeeallyyy good and also Harry Potter and the Forbidden Love by Shadow Slytherin which is also GREAT ok?? GO READ THEM!!!!! Ok I think I need to add 'how to stop bossing people around 101' to my class list next semester LoL cya!!

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