Hermione weaved her way through the crowd gathered in front of the notice board outside the Great Hall.

"Alright everybody off to class. You're all going to be late if you continue to loiter around." She said succinctly.

After a few grumbles and groans the majority of the crowd dispersed. With a quick chuckle Hermione moved up to take a gander at the notice board. There was the usual timetable of club meetings and quidditch games but in the centre of the board was a large notice heralding the date of the next Hogsmeade visit.

"The 28th of July.hmmm. That's this Saturday." Hermione pondered.

Distracted by her thoughts Hermione failed to notice the person approaching her from behind. All of the sudden, she felt an arm snake out and grasp her around the waist. Without any thought Hermione grabbed the offending arm, twisted it and hefted the culprit over her shoulder.

A surprised gasp rang through the air as the few students remaining in the vicinity, watched Draco Malfoy hurtle through the air like a ping pong ball, before landing with a thud on the hard stone floors.

"Merlin's beard! I'm so sorry, Draco. I didn't realise it was you. I just reacted. I'm so sorry. Um.My family vehemently believes that a women should be able to defend themselves."

Picking himself up from the floor with a flaming red face, Draco began to mumble. " Oh yeah I know.I was just testing your reflexes yeah to you know check if you could er defend yourself should there come a time when I'm not around to um do that because as your boyfriend that's my duty but of course I can't always be there so it's good to know you can defend yourself should anything ever happen not that it would or anything just that you never know and you don't."

"Um Draco." Hermione whispered tentatively.

"Yes?" He stopped to take in a breath and looked at her.

"You're ranting in embarrassment."

"Oh" Draco's pale skin suffused with colour.

An awkward silence hung over them, as the two stood silently and looked at their own feet. A crowd of noisy third years were bustling by, and when an overweight Slytherin boy with buck teeth spotted Draco and Hermione standing together, he chortled loudly and began to sing.

"Malfoy and the Mudblood sitting in a tree.
K.I.S.S.I.N.G.
First comes sex
Then comes."

The boy was gyrating his hips in explicit movements and didn't notice Draco storming towards him with malicious intent in his eyes. Clutching him by the throat , Draco lifted him off the ground.

"Draco stop it." Hermione pleaded.

"Her name is Hermione Granger. Apologize to her at once, you piece of scum." Draco snarled ferociously as the boy waved his arms wildly around his head gasping for air. "Apologize!" "Draco, let go of him now!" Hermione demanded.

After a long moment of hesitation, Draco finally released the gasping boy so that he fell roughly to the ground. Draco pulled his leg back as if to kick the boy, but Hermione gripped his arm tightly and dragged him away.

"You need to calm down."

"Yeah I'll calm down.I'll calm down after I stuff a blast-ended newt up that kids ass then pummel him into a paste. Uggh I'll fucking kill that little goober."

"Goober?... Just forget about it, Draco. I mean it wasn't so long ago that you were the one calling me a mudblood." She muttered.

Draco froze, making Hermione wish she hadn't said that. Draco turned his stony gaze on her before settling on his shoes once more. A lock of his pale blonde hair fell into his eyes, and in an unconscious movement Hermione swept it back off his face. She followed the gesture with a light kiss on his forehead.

"What was that for?" uttered Draco.

"Well, you hurt yourself. I just wanted to kiss it better." Hermione whispered.

"That's not where it hurts though. You'll find that the pain I'm experiencing is further down in my nether regions." He said slyly, gesturing to his backside. "If you really want to make me feel better, you're going to have to kiss my butt."

Hermione blushed vividly, before swatting Draco hard across the backside.

"Ow! That didn't help!" He growled as he grabbed Hermione and pushed her against the nearest wall. He then covered Hermione's laughing mouth with his own.

"So Hogsmeade on Saturday huh? What did you want to do there?" Draco mumbled, dragging himself away from Hermione.

"But Draco, if it's on Saturday we can't go."

"Huh? Why not?"

"What about our tutoring session? You do remember that don't you? I'm supposed to tutor you every Saturday and I'm not willing to stop now! We've made so much progress and if we skip a session you're going to be even further behind." She explained loudly.

"So what? It's just one session. And we can always just make up for it on Sunday." Draco smiled at the prospect of spending more time with Hermione.

"No we can't! You have quidditch practice and I've got a tonne of homework that needs doing."

Suddenly, It was as if a light bulb was clicked on just above Hermione's head, as an idea dawned on her.

"Of course! That way you won't have to miss out and we'll still be able to go, then you can do your quidditch and I'll still have time for my own studies." Hermione garbled.

"Huh?" Draco stared at Hermione in confusion. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"I've just thought of the perfect solution to our dilemma."

Draco opened his mouth as if to contradict her but was quickly halted by Hermione's heated glare.

"It's simple really. All you have to do is join the tutoring sessions, Professor McGonagall and I hold on Friday nights. That way we can spend Saturday at Hogsmeade and still have time to do our own things on Sunday."

Draco's expression hardened. "I can't be seen in those classes. Why the hell would I go to all the trouble of blackmailing you into tutoring me in secret if I was just going to waltz into one of those classes. I have a reputation to uphold." Draco snorted in disgust.

Hermione stared at him in stunned confusion before uttering, "So what? You've decided that it's okay to be seen around someone like me, but God forbid that you are seen actually studying. I tutor people to help them. You came to me for help and now you're saying that you're too good for it. I thought we'd overcome all this reputation crap. I'm so sick and tired of the way you switch that pureblood attitude on and off. Either I see you at the tutoring session on Friday or I don't see you at all."

"Don't fucking threaten me!" Draco screamed.

All of Hermione's composure fled and all she felt was despair. "Can't you see that all I'm trying to do is help you?"

Draco watched the glistening tears run down her face, then turned and stormed away.

~*~

"Um.Hermione. I'm sorry but could you please explain this to me again. I just don't understand it."

With a tired smile, Hermione sat next to Eloise Midgen and proceeded to explain the theories of human transfiguration.

They were seated in one of the Transfiguration rooms. The floating candles lit the room adequately, as Professor McGonagall paced the room, occasionally pausing to assist one of the four other students. Hermione was sad to say that only Eloise Midgen and four other students made the effort to attend her weekly tutorials.

Although Professor McGonagall had claimed numerous students enquired about tutoring sessions, it seemed (much as she hated to admit it) that Draco was right. It just wasn't cool to be seen at a tutoring session and the students of Hogwarts placed their reputation above their studies.

With a sigh Hermione forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand, but was distracted when the door opened. She looked up to see Draco and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle striding into the room.

"Sorry we're late, Professor. I didn't know which room it was being held in." Draco announced.

McGonagall pursed her lips in suspicion.

"I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy but are you sure you've found the right room?" she muttered with her eyebrow raised.

"This is the tutoring session, right?" Draco asked and without waiting for an answer moved towards the closest desk, sat down and opened his books.

McGonagall watched in shock as Crabbe and Goyle imitated Draco's actions and began to study. The professor soon overcame her shock and moved forward to assist Neville Longbottom with his work.

Meanwhile, Hermione snatched a piece of parchment from Eloise and began scribbling away, madly. She finished with a flourish and laid her quill down before standing up and pacing between the numerous desks, as McGonagall had done before her. As she passed the front row of desks, she silently dropped the note onto Draco's lap, then resumed her pacing.

Draco grasped the note and scanned it quickly,

"I'm sorry about what I said the other day. I'm really glad to see you here. It would be great if we could go to Hogsmeade together."

Turning around to Hermione's direction, Draco raised a haughty eyebrow. Then upon seeing her nervous grin, he let out a quiet chuckle and gave a slight nod.

After receiving a stern glare from McGonagall, Draco cast his attention back onto his studies. " Doxies require forceful handling because."

~*~

It was a bright and sunny day as the older student's of Hogwarts made their way into Hogsmeade. Draco's arm was slung around Hermione's waist, as they headed down the path. Hermione smiled as she watched Harry and Ginny, ahead of them, walking hand in hand. Hermione leaned her head onto Draco's shoulder, then paused as she realised that she hadn't seen much of Grace, over the past few days.

"I wonder where Grace is?" she speculated

"Hmmm?"

"Oh nothing. Just talking to myself. So where did you want to go first?"

"How about we go to Madame Rosmerta's and get a drink.?"

Hermione nodded in agreement and they headed off in that direction. They were just about to enter the pub, when Hermione was rudely jostled by a passer-by.

"Oh. I'm sorry!" she exclaimed and turned to check for injuries. When Hermione saw whom she bumped into, she froze.

"You should watch where you're going, you filth." Lucius Malfoy spat. He raised his hand and came forward as if to slap her. In a quick movement Draco shoved Hermione behind him and confronted his father. Surprise flickered across Lucius Malfoy's face as he watched his son defend the mudblood. His upper lip curled in disdain and he forced himself to lower his hand.

"What are you doing here, son?" Lucius growled. "Hogsmeade visit. Uh.Dad, this is Hermione Granger." Draco said quietly.

"I know who she is, you imbecile. Take your hands off that filth." Lucius struggled to contain his fury.

"Don't talk about her like that. She's my girlfriend." Draco bellowed in Hermione's defence.

"How dare you raise your voice at me, you insolent fool." Lucius cuffed Draco across the face roughly, sending him sprawling across the street.

Hermione shrieked as Draco flew through the air and tried to run towards him, but was thwarted as Lucius Malfoy grabbed hold of her by the neck. His fingers dug deep and hard into the delicate skin of her throat and Hermione struggled furiously to escape his grasp, but to no avail.

"You stupid girl. Don't think that just because you've spread your legs for him and distracted him with the pleasures of the flesh, that you will ever mean anything to him! He is a Malfoy and a Malfoy would never disgrace themselves with a filthy mudblood such as yourself."

Then, looking around as if he just realised he was in a public place, Lucius swiftly released Hermione and straightened his cloak. Hermione collapsed to the ground gasping for breath and watched as all the other people on the street steadily avoided her gaze. They were all too terrified of Malfoy to interfere.

Feeling calm and composed, the haughty expression returned to Lucius Malfoy's features. He gave a thoroughly evil smile as he glanced down at the bushy haired girl, desperately gasping for breath. Lucius reached down and gasped her roughly by the hair.

"Stay away from my son!"

~*~

* Yeah Okay guys. I'm really sorry it's taken me so ruddy long to write this ruddy chapter. And I apologize because it's not really that great. I despair. Two words people. WRITERS BLOCK. And if you've just read this chapter and gone 'O.M.G what a load of F&*%k S&(%$T" I'd just like to say that I haven't fully recovered from it yet. And my story just ain't coming out of my head and onto the computer right. But any way I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed it and for not flaming me.I'll work really really hard on the next chappie and make it good (hopefully)* Plz don't stop reading..*