Hey, look! *points* It's an update!

Sorry for the delay, again. Updates are getting harder to write regularly. College is tiring, and I'm having a hard time adjusting to the length of the days and the length of the lectures. And I had Writer's Block. I seem to be getting this curse regularly.

Is this excuse working?

Thought not. Just don't kill me, or you'll never find out what happens. As it is, I've done a JK and written the last ever chapter of this fic :P

I own nothing except the plot and the idea of Elementals. I wish I owned That Bloody Malfoy. ".." = speech, italics = thought/dream/singing/song

~ * ~

The sweet song of a crowd of blackbirds filtered through the heavy red curtains and into Hermione's room. An elegant hand rose from the bed, and a burst of flames erupted outside, followed by the indignant shrieks of birds on fire.

Hermione moved her hand to rub her eyes and stretch out. Slowly she managed to persuade her eyes to open, and stared at the cracks on the ceiling.

'I think a couple of gnomes got into my head and are having fun with their little hob-nailed boots,' she thought tiredly. 'Either that, or there's a curse on me.'

A small laugh came from the doorway. She was too tired to tell who it was, and in too much pain to sit up just yet. A small chink came, the sound of a glass being set down, and the footsteps worked their way out of her room.

'I should get up and see what that was. I should go kill for intruding. I should maim for making me think.

I should find a headache cure.'

With an effort, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The pounding in her head increased, and she steadied herself, reaching for her bedside table. Her searching fingers found a glass.

"What's this?" she asked aloud, reaching for her wand under her pillow. A quick lumos revealed the glass to be just that; filled with water. A small vial stood next to it, labelled 'Hangover Remedy – Works In Ten Minutes To Give You A Hangover Free Day!'

'Hangover? I did not drink last night! I went out with Lee, and then, um, what happened? Okay, maybe I should drink it.'

Drinking the remedy in one go, she managed to look at the clock without wincing. The hands were pointing to the six.

"It's half past six! Lessons aren't for another three hours!" she shrieked, and then fell to the floor as she lost her balance in her attempt to cover her ears.

'Note to self: don't shriek. Don't speak. Don't think. Just walk'

She stood and, draping a robe over her pyjamas, headed for the common room in the hopes that someone could tell her what had happened. Unfortunately, as she felt her way to the bathroom, a snide laugh told her that Draco was the only one present.

"Malfoy, you talk, you die," she warned quietly, opening the door and entering the bathroom as another laugh reached her ears. The Hangover Remedy was starting to work, and she could open her eyes without screaming now. After a quick shower, she felt even better.

'Now to find out what I did last night. Where will Lee be?'

"Granger, are you going to get out of the bathroom, or do I have to broadcast your 'date' last night to the entire school?"

Hermione stared at the foggy mirror in disbelief.

'How on earth does he know?'

~ * ~

Draco leaned back against the chair with a smirk on his face. The door opposite him opened mere seconds after he had shouted in, and Hermione ran out.

"Malfoy, what in Merlin's name did you mean?"

"I meant, Granger, that your brief attempt at romancing someone didn't end up so great."

"And now tell me what you mean by that." Hermione folded her arms and leaned back against the wall, unconsciously mimicking Draco's stance.

"I meant that you went to Hogsmeade with Lee Jordan and came back to Hogwarts with someone else."

Hermione stared, confused. "How do you know?"

"I happened to be out, enhancing certain skills." Draco let his eyes drift away, acting nonchalant. By the end of this conversation, Hermione would be calling him by his name. He had it for a reason, after all.

"Skills? You mean you went out on the pull," snorted Hermione.

"However you want to word it. I saw some very interesting things, too." He straightened up and put his hands calmly into his pockets.

"Dumbledore says we can't miss lessons today. Snape says we're dead if we miss just one Potions lesson this year. McGonagall says you can afford to miss Transfiguration, but I can't." He pushed past Hermione into the bathroom.

"Wait, hold on," said Hermione, annoyed. "Don't just change the subject like that." She stretched her arm across in front of him, blocking his entrance to the bathroom, and caused a gust of wind to gently push him back.

"Why?" asked Draco innocently, an angelic look on his face.

"Don't mess me around, Malfoy. What happened last night? Apparently I had a hangover, but I don't drink. Apparently I came back to Hogwarts with someone else, but can't remember. You do. You know. So spill."

Draco tutted. "Granger, what makes you think I'll say? Especially if you can't even be polite to me."

Hermione sighed. "Very well then, have it your way. Draco, what happened last night?"

"Well, you got drunk, and messed up your date," he said simply with a smug smile.

"That wasn't very helpful, Draco," said Hermione through gritted teeth, clenching her fists. "Who did I end up with?"

Draco paused before answering. 'Shall I do it? Shall I tell her? She'll hate me for it. She won't believe me.'

Hermione watched suspiciously. "Malfoy, get a move on. Tell me. Now. And none of your little lies twisting it."

Draco glared at her. 'Lies?'

"Hermione, you really want to know?"

"Yes, Draco."

"Fine." Draco stepped forward angrily. Hermione took a step back, startled by the sudden flames that appeared in his eyes. "Lee Jordan went off with someone. You started to drink because you were upset. Then you came over to me, pushed the girl I was dancing away with away from me, and ordered her away from your fiancé."

"I did what?" Hermione looked shocked, and took another step back as Draco stepped closer again, his fury growing.

"And then you begged me not to bring you back here, and you begged me to stay with you. You were happy to be with me!"

"I did no such thing!" Hermione was startled into a response, and was now pressed up against the wall. Draco came as close as he dared.

"Yes, you did! You were asking me to stay with you!"

"I would never do that!"

"Yes, you would and you did! You said –"

"Malfoy, enough lies!"

"You said you loved me!"

Hermione's eyes were as large as they could possibly get.

'He's lying, again. I can't believe him. How does he expect us to fall in love when he can't tell me the truth?'

"I said no more lies!" she shrieked. Draco was inches away from her. If he moved any closer she'd lose control.

"I'm not lying to you!" Draco exploded, his hands shooting out and pinning her to the wall. "Hermione, I'm not lying! You said those things, you did those things! You can't deny it much longer!"

"Yes, I can!" Hermione's arms came up to cover her face defensively. "I'm not in love with you, I'm not in love with anyone! Just leave me alone!" She tried to get away, but Draco held her firmly in front of him, and started to shake her.

"Hermione, your stubbornness could cost us victory over Voldemort! How can we fight him when you refuse to love me?!"

"I can't just make myself love someone who I've hated for over five years!" Hermione focused her power on Draco, and the resulting blast blew him across the common room, ripping the doors off their hinges and overturning the furniture.

"When I'm ready to, when I'm able to, that's when I'll love you! Not before, not because you want to make me! I'll love when I'm ready!" Hermione calmed the strong winds down and ran past Draco, out into the corridor, and leaned against the wall, tears streaming down her face.

'Why is everyone making me love him? I can't make myself do that! I can't ask Voldemort to postpone his attack because I'm not ready to love, but I can't cope with everyone trying to set us up all the time!'

~ * ~

The early morning meeting with Dumbledore had finished, and the other prefects were making their way to the common room, yawning.

"Curse Dumbledore's eccentricity," grumbled Terry, rubbing his eyes. His Ravenclaw tie was loose around his neck, and several suits of armour kept reaching out and snatching it off.

"Curse you for allowing him to get away with it." Roger ran a hand through his messy hair. "Was it not you, who pointed out that any time was a good time for a meeting?"

"Alright, alright, blame me why don't you." Terry slapped a hand that had tried to take his tie again. "I didn't ask to be called by the house elves at half past five in the morning."

Hannah slapped his arm in mock anger. "Neither did the rest of us, yet we were called!"

"Except Hermione and Draco. Honestly, Dumbledore can't try any harder to get them to like each other." Roger folded his arms grumpily.

"But he's not doing what we're doing. Ginny's setting the spell up today, and we can put it into action tomorrow." Katie gave a smug grin at this. "I'm so proud of my little Gryffindors."

"Be as proud of them as you like, Katie. It won't do any good when Ravenclaw beat Gryffindor in the Quidditch."

"Hah! As if you stand a chance!" snorted Katie, hearing a similar laugh from Hannah. "Angelina's been working like crazy with the training. Our team is unstoppable." They rounded the corner to the common room.

"Hufflepuff stand a better chance than Ravenclaw anyway, and – Oh Merlin, Hermione!" Hannah's sentence was interrupted, and they sprinted forward. Hermione, wrapped in a robe, was huddled opposite the open portrait. Debris was scattered across the corridor, and inside the common room, Draco was leaning against the wall, his face tear-stained, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"What in the name of all that is Muggle happened here?" asked Roger blankly. Three shrugs answered him as Hannah comforted Hermione, Terry tried to get a sentence or two out of Draco, and Katie ran for Harry and Ron. With a sigh, he started to clear up the mess.

~ * ~

Hermione fiddled with her quill. Professor Binns' droning was irritating even her, especially since he was only covering material that she already knew.

"Hermione!" Harry chose a moment when Professor Binns started naming all 7603 goblins involved in the eighth Goblin Rebellion.

"Hmm?" She tilted her head to stare at Harry's concerned face. Ron leaned over her to see what Harry wanted too.

"Are you honestly okay?"

Hermione smiled. This was the seventeenth time he'd asked her since breakfast.

"Yes, I'm fine," she lied. "Nothing happened, there was an accident. I'm fine, we're all fine."

"Good."

"Miss Granger." Professor Binns was staring over his ghostly glasses at her. "Please choose a time outside of my classes to hold court."

Hermione nodded briefly, with a muted, "Yes sir." Harry and Ron sat back, and she started to braid her hair, marvelling at the many shades of blue that appeared in the light.

'I am okay. I could recite these names along with Professor Binns. I can blow up something four hundred miles away with my fire element. I have blue hair and funky eyes. I'm just peachy. I'm also the world's greatest liar, second only to that bloody Malfoy.'

As the class started restlessly fidgeting when the end of the lesson drew near, Hermione had almost convinced herself that she was okay. All the concerned looks from Harry and Ron were disturbing her. It was like they didn't believe her.

'And why not? I happen to be telling the truth! I'm not lying, I'm not in trouble, I'm not going to give in and I'm not in love. Simple, true. Right, 'Mione. Keep telling yourself that. Maybe you won't go insane in Care of Magical Creatures when you see that bloody Malfoy again.'

~ * ~

Unfortunately for Hermione, Care of Magical Creatures came all too soon, and she was lazily making her way down to Hagrid's hut with Harry and Ron.

"Righ', gather 'round!" called Hagrid enthusiastically. "Got a real treat for yeh!" He disappeared, obviously to fetch their 'real treat'.

"Famous last words," muttered Draco. "Remember the last time he said that? That bloody hippogriff attacked me!"

The Slytherins nodded as the memory was revived, and as one backed away when Hagrid reappeared.

"If he ruins this lesson for Hagrid, he'll get more than a slap this time," hissed Hermione. Hagrid smiled broadly at them and folded his arms.

"Well? Where are they?" asked Pansy staring. There were no animals as yet, and Hagrid wasn't carrying anything that seemed to resemble a leash.

"They're comin'."

That was all Hagrid would say, and even Harry was getting bored, when a small noise came from the forest. The class backed away even further, nervously waiting to see what Magical Monster Hagrid would have to show them.

"These," Hagrid said quietly as two winged unicorns emerged from the forest, "are Pegasi." The white creatures flexed their elegant wings nervously, and stared at the assembled classes. A collective sigh rose.

"Those are so beautiful," whispered Lavender to Parvati, who nodded emphatically.

"Now we're jus' gonna watch them for a while. Pegasi are very nervous. It's bes' if they get use' to yeh firs'." Hagrid hadn't moved, and the Gryffindors took their cue from him, settling down on the grass. The Slytherins were glared into submission.

The first Pegasus stepped forward, followed by the other, and they slowly wandered closer to the class, jumping back hesitantly when someone fidgeted.

Eventually, though, they stepped delicately through the class, occasionally reaching down to touch their horn lightly against someone's face. Hagrid's face lit up when this happened, and he watched expectantly.

The first Pegasus reached Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ron beamed when the horn touched his forehead and glowed, and when the Pegasus' face brushed Ron's cheek. Harry was even more pleased when the Pegasus allowed him to reach up and stroke the luxurious fur.

The second Pegasus had worked its way through the Slytherin's, and was now sniffing cautiously at Pansy and Blaise. As it reached Draco, and the first one reached Hermione, they let out simultaneous shouts.

'Princess!'

'Prince!'

"What now?" muttered Hermione. Draco stood, and she jumped to her feet, determined not to be outdone by him.

'It is you! The age of peace is upon us!' The voices of the Pegasi echoed around the grounds, and the two animals took off in a magnificent display of flight, almost like a giant cheer. Despite herself, Hermione smiled. Nobody could feel angry or annoyed when watching the Pegasi.

They landed in the centre of the class, and Hermione and Draco eagerly made their way over. This was an opportunity not to be passed up, no matter how awful you felt.

The Pegasi let themselves be petted by Hermione and Draco. The look of immense pride on Hagrid's face was causing grins and laughter amongst the Gryffindors.

"You're so beautiful!" whispered Hermione in awe as she stared at the Pegasus nearest her. It bowed, to her shock.

'None can compare to the beauty of the Elementals, Princess. We must leave, now. We have overspent our time here. Our Sage knew that it was of utmost importance that we be here, but unfortunately we cannot stray from our herd for too long. But we do have some words of advice for you. Trust your heart, Princess, and do not give up hope.'

'Indeed, Princess. Our kind are your allies, our home is yours. We must bid you farewell, Princess, Prince, but we are sure we will see you again. May your souls be forever as one.'

With these words, the Pegasi left, and Hermione and Draco were left staring at each other.

'Souls forever as one? What did they mean by that?'

~ * ~

Just a short little chappie ^_^ Again, don't kill me. :P I know last time it was unicorns, but I think a Pegasus is much cooler.

islandgirl4 – Hey ^_^ You ship the same things as me! lol. It may not ever be canon, but we have our dreams and our fanfics ^_^

Morgana Wenlock – Not too sure about good, but popular, yes. I realise that Draco wasn't very IC last chapter, and hasn't been described very well in this chapter. It bugs me how JK seems to show him as being constantly spiteful and vicious. Nobody is like that all the time. Draco has layers, and I'm trying to show them and make them seem realistic. Not sure how good a job I'm doing though. I had fun on me holiday ^_^ (And lol, Draco will always, always be a sex god, grumpy or no)

Cleopatra Lunare - :( I hope school goes well for you. I hope you can still have fun. ^_^

hermione31 – Thanks! Updates…. *is avoiding all conversations about it* …. will be varied, shall we say.

willowfairy – You have mail! lol. And Maths is for not paying attention in, lol. Nobody ever pays attention in maths.

Eliza Evenstar – Aww, thanks ^_^ Hermione shall be forced to overcome her fear soon, I promise. And 'droolicious'? New word, totally fitting, is being added to my dictionary lol :P

piece of paper – Formulas suck ass. I fluked my Chem paper *starts flaunting results*  Good luck, and I hope this provided a welcome distraction ^_^

Emma Ackroyd – Here it is! lol Sorry about the delay. *hides* Don't die on me. Live, I command you to live! lol

Blonde-gym-chick – Yes, be nice to Draco…. *looks around innocently* …… I'll be nice to him soon! lol I have to make it realistic. And she found out anyway. Does that make it good?

ShibbySpunkyChick – Of course I remember your review. All my reviewers are important and are like my best friends when I'm writing ^_^

Melanie Sydney and Summer Sue – It's amazing how many people feel sorry for Draco, one of the lesser villains in canon, by the time I'm through with putting his life through the wrangler :P lol Just commenting. It amazed me when lots of people kept feeling sorry for Draco.

KawaiiChibiSyaoran – Yup, poor Draco *cackles* I'll be nice to him soon, and show his happy side. Soon. Uh. Well, that's all I'll say. Thanks for reviewing lol ^_^

willowwiccantara – Am going to start a poll somewhere, very soon. 'Do you feel sorry for Draco?' lol Well, Hermione didn't remember. She can't handle her drink very well.

kura52 – Aw, thankies ^_^ I'm so glad you like it that much ^_^

princessangel14 – Not soon, but an update ^_^; 'Soon' is going to be erased from my dictionary unless I can start writing faster.

firequeen414 – Eh *ducks in case of weapons* I will soon! *remembers the last time she said soon* Don't worry, things work out. Am trying to make it realistic. Hermione hated Draco, she found out all of a sudden that she's GOT to marry him. Is a shock to her system.

ShortStuff10 – My week was up…. uh…. a week ago. lol and Hermione was drunk, hence her niceness. She's in Sirius (A phrase meaning 'in denial)

poetbrit – I did take a peek at your fic ^_^ Am not much into Marauders fics, though. Sorry ^_^ Am glad you like this ickle ficlet ^_^

Taintless – I started writing when I got back. Is that the same? *hears sound of weaponry in distance from angry readers* Thought not :P Draco kinda is jealous, very jealous. He has had a huge HUGE crush on 'Mione. Now she knows, and is trying to date someone else. Jealousy is rife ^_^

Faith Maguire – Don't cry! Don't cry! It'll get tear-worthy later on (I hope) but not just yet. Don't let your tears blur the writing :P

kagie-chan – Poor Draco, yes. Poor 'Mione? No. After all, she could have a date with Draco, but she's turning down her sex god of a fiancé. Psycho girl. I'm making 'Mione insane, lol.

Personne Aline Folle – Crazy & insane is good, always good :P Your name actually sounds very impressive. I have never changed my ff.net name, or my fp.com. Does that make me boring? lol

Blue-Dreamz – She didn't remember, but that doesn't stop her finding out. *laughs wickedly* I have to stop being so cruel to these two. Their love is more tortured than that of Romeo and Juliet. Only I intend a happy ending.

SylviaCater – Yup! I make the impossible happen lol. Hermione was depressed, and she can't handle anything stronger than a mild form of Butterbeer. She's funny when she's drunk. May make her drunk again in later chapters.

OK Well bye bye then! Am off to try and write some more! (Note for anyone who read 'Are You Happy Now' – First chappie of sequel 'Finding My Way Back', again inspired by Michelle Branch, will be finished and up soon. Hopefully.)