a/n-sorry I'm so confusing. I'm like this in real life too.  The ball was a flashback, chapter 23 continues on chapter 25.  Chapter 24-the Ball-is around the time for the first flashback.

            "Hermione!  I'm so sorry."

            Hermione turned around from looking at the sunrise to the boy staring at her in Gryffindor robes.  "I know, Draco."

            He smiled and slipped and arm around her waist and she grinned back at him, as if they were dancing.  She let her arms slid around his neck to stroke the back of his head. Once again she felt the floating sensation in her stomach as he pressed his lips on hers.  Their kiss was light and playful in the beginning, with little teasing nips. As the heat built up in Hermione's chest it turned into a heavy, passionate stir.  She felt his arms pick her up, and her legs without her knowing tied around his waist.

            "Hermione?" someone called.  She couldn't hear them.  "Hermione?"  It was a girl.

            "Mmmmmmmmm," Hermione beamed in her sleep.

            "Hermione," Parvati called for the fourth time.  Hermione's eyes opened from her fantasy.  Hermione, looking quite puzzled, turned to glance at her.  Parvati suddenly blushed.  "Sorry to wake you.  Harry and Ron wanted to talk to you."

            Hermione glimpsed at the window. The sun was shining rather bright, meaning it must have been sometime in the noonish area.  After a second Hermione realized her snog with Draco was all a dream and her memories of revulsion came back to her. "Oh…thanks.  Tell them I'll be down in a minute."

            Parvati left, rather bothered by being a messenger.  Hermione waited to turn her back to the door until Parvati had actually shut it.  She lay on her side, thinking.  She didn't want to see Harry or Ron.  She felt like being alone.  She did that a lot lately.  She looked at her hands, worried that her friendship with the two was deteriorating.

            A memory of stern words, stern faces-it stirred inside of her.  She saw Ron reprimanding her, warning her that their friendship could not co-exist with any kind of relationship between her and Draco that was more than enemies.  Harry stood behind him, backing him up with a defiant stare…When did that happen?  There was a sunset behind them…

            "Oh," Hermione mouthed as she came upon the realization that her memory was just a dream she had forgotten in her sleep.  "Oh," she repeated, louder.  "Nonsense," she whispered.  But she knew she was right, and for some reason she kept lingering to Malfoy.  She tried to fill her mind with all the hateful things he'd done, his family had done.  His father was a Death Eater.  Luscious would kill her if he could, he'd think it was funny.  Maybe Draco wasn't that different…

            She felt hungry without wanting to be fed anything.

            As Hermione was leaving the Great Hall, alone, to head off and quickly retrieve her books, which she had left lazily in the common room, she heard someone scamper after her.  She turned, already seeing Draco standing there with an enchanting, apologetic smile.  It wasn't him.  It took Hermione a second to distinguish the fact that it was Pansy.  She looked around subconsciously, wondering where Draco went as if she was convinced he had come.

            "What do you want?" Hermione spat after a while at Pansy.

            "Hello."

            "Hello?  What do you want?  Bugger off."

            "Hermione," Pansy called in a sincere voice, jogging so that she was staring Hermione, eye-to-eye.

            Now Hermione had the disadvantage since she was too surprised to make a move.  "What?"  At least she didn't stutter anymore.

            "I just wanted to say," Pansy drawled out, playing her hands innocently.  "That you're a little fuck," she hissed swiftly, and in the same moment she pulled Hermione's hair again and, using the hand that was close to her, shoved her face away like a forceful slap.

            Pansy turned, walking quickly and proudly away.

            She heard a scream of anger and suddenly Pansy felt the floor come up and smack her face.  Hermione had tackled her.  "Here," Hermione barked, wrenching out an entire hunk of Pansy's hair.  Pansy screeched.  "How do you like that?"

            "You stupid-"

            The girls struggled for only a second later.  Out of all luck, Maude entered the abandoned hall.  "What on earth?" she started, but she froze when she saw Hermione was in the fray.  Hermione hastily escaped Pansy's clutches stood quickly, waiting for Maude to do something.  Pansy was on the floor, looking confused and to the say the least, frazzled.  Her hair was a complete mess, and one of her eyes was limping where Hermione had hit it.

            "I-I-" Maude began.  "I didn't see anything."  She turned and walked back into the hall.

            The two girls stayed for only a second, in case Maude was going to tell after all.  They both walked away, Pansy back into the hall and Hermione to hurry for her books, bewildered at Maude's sudden unlawful behavior and still recovering from their skirmish.

***new update*** jesus, I know I've been neglecting this. School is starting up again and it's hell, I can't believe summer is over ALREADY.  I've had plans for this fic for the longest time but I never get around to doing it, I'm trying to cram in my summer reading and summer papers and re-learn Spanish before the next year, which starts tomorrow so I doubt I will.  I have some free time coming up but I wouldn't expect to get much done, so please, send your e-mails of hate