Draco Malfoy

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Sometimes I feel the fear of uncertainty  stinging clear

And I can't help my ask myself

How much I let the fear take the wheel and steer

It's driven me before

And it seems to have a vague haunting mass appeal

But lately I'm  beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel

Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there

With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there

I'll be there

So if  decide to waver my chance  to be one of the high

Will I choose water of wine?

And hold my own and drive.

It's driven me before

And it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around

But lately I've beginning to find that when I drive  myself

My light is found"

'Drive' Incubus

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco took another large bite out of yet another freshly baked orange frosting ornamented cookie. Blaise, who was sitting next to him, laughed and gave him an odd look.

"That's the fourth package Castlerock woman has sent you." Blaise commented. Draco nodded, his mouth full of sugar cookies. The young man's attention returned to the parchment that had arrived with the small package of cookies. Draco's eyes scanned the letter quickly.

Happy Halloween!

Hello Draco!  How's things been going at Hogwarts? I am aware that you feel you are capable of living on your own and I've been using my connections at the Ministry to help ensure that you will not be placed with a Foster wizarding family after you have returned home from Hogwarts.

Remember Draco; you are not alone in this! If ever you feel the need, you can make your way to talk to Dumbledore anytime! Or, even better, you can owl me anytime!

Sincerely,

Belinda Castlerock

Head of the Department for the Welfare of Magical Children

Draco threw the letter down onto the tabletop and returned to his breakfast silently. It had been almost two months since the death of his parents. The first weeks were more than difficult for Draco. Every morning he woke up in the Hogwarts Infirmary wishing he hadn't.  His days were spent in the company of Madam Pomfrey, reading countless novels and textbooks from the library. Draco was desperate to do anything to keep his mind off his woes.

As the days became more bearable, Draco started going back to class. The first week was dreadful. Draco ignored most of his friends, because he knew they were uncomfortable in his presence and unsure of what to say to him. Draco still had not spoken of the night he had spent with Hermione. He liked to pretend that he had not broken his strong confident persona in front of her. He liked to pretend that he had not lost his composure. He also liked to pretend that he had not uttered his true feelings to her that night.

Draco did not know why but something about being open to anyone, even Hermione, terrified Draco. He always felt if he showed them his true self, they would think of him as a weak person. Even in death, his father's ways instilled fear in the young man. Draco rubbed his hand through his long blonde locks before grabbing his spoon and scooping it into his steaming porridge, realizing that his mind had broken off into an undesirable tangent, his parent's death.

"You ready for tonight Draco?" Sam suddenly asked. He was seated across the table from Draco beside Pansy, who was having a hushed conversation with Millicent Bullstroad.

"What?" Draco asked confused. He had not been listening to Blaise and Sam's animated conversation, which had been going on for several minutes.

"Quidditch!" Sam snapped excitedly. Draco returned to his porridge. He had forgotten the immense magnitude of the present day at Hogwarts. It just happened to be Halloween, and the date of the Slytherin-Gryffindor Quidditch match. Draco had not been serious about his training for the past five months, and he felt a sense of impending doom of playing Gryffindor tonight. The fact that Harry Potter was in the best shape of his life was not that encouraging either.

"I suppose I am." Draco said slowly. Sam and Blaise exchanged weary looks. They knew that Draco did not to desire to play in the match tonight, but the Slytherin team had struggled to stay afloat the first match of the school year, being down a seeker. They had managed to replace Draco with a wiry-haired third year that could not spot the Snitch from an inch away. They lost to Hufflepuff by 120 points.

"Well…" Blaise said suddenly, feeling Draco grow tense. "How's Eva?" Blaise laughed and hit Draco in the shoulder playfully. Draco scooped another spoonful of porridge into his mouth.

"What?" Draco asked again, Blaise's comment catching him off guard. Sam and Blaise erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Eva Harrison! That lassie is keen on you mate." Sam said swiftly. Draco laughed at the two's absurdity.

"Your in Britain in now Austin. Leave your 'Roo talk in Australia, eh?" Draco retorted. The pair, whom he had grown considerably closer to in the past two months, had constantly been nagging him about Eva; after Draco made the mistake of telling them, he had shagged her over the summer.

"What? There's nothing wrong with the way I talk." Sam replied. Blaise and Draco grinned, thinking otherwise.

"Seriously mate. If you got one hand down her skirt, why don't you just stick the other one down there too?" Blaise asked. Sam exploded in laugher; he put his head on the table, slamming his fists on the table. Blaise grinned as if smiling at the sheer idiocy of his own comment. Draco shook his head at Blaise's shameful comments.

"You lot are fucking bonkers." Draco replied, shaking his head before returning to his porridge. Despite all the fun and jokes about it, Draco felt his relationship with Eva fall into an odd state of limbo. Eva hinted with him all the time that she was interested in a relationship, but Draco was hesitant. He was terrified to venture into a new relationship after the failed one with Hermione. Draco felt something different Eva, different from all the other girls he dated, Hermione included. But he knew, by the end of the Summer Holiday, Eva would be back in Beauxbatons, leaving Draco miles and miles away from her. It was not the fact that he would miss her, even though he knew he would, it was the fact that Draco loved to protect her.  He liked to be the independent one in a relationship, instead of the dependent one. When Eva returned to Beauxbatons, Draco would be incapable of protecting her from her self-destructive ways.

Draco smiled at the thought of Eva.  Even though she tended to be overemotional and temperamental, she was fun. She was unpredictable, and kept Draco's mind off his sad life. Draco knew that Eva tended to be unpredictable to keep her mind off her own sad life too. Eva Harrison was the daughter of an egotistical and over compulsive wizard named Franklin Harrison. Franklin was a strange man who often denied his own magical upbringing. Eva's mother, Franka Harrison, was a Muggle from an impoverished home in France. Franklin had a strange restlessness about him and could never stay in the same place for too long. He used his family's immense fortune to travel all over the world, taking his Muggle-bride, and their small daughter, Eva, with them. 

Despite their happy exterior, the Harrisons were greatly disturbed. Eva's mother hated the fact that Franklin loved to relocate them on random whims, and would frequently drink to forget her family and marital woes. Meanwhile, Franklin was known to have several mistresses.  Eva's parents were not exactly the best parents to Eva. They often left Eva alone for weeks on end with countless nannies and au pairs, much as Draco's parents did him. Eva spent most of her time with Muggles, learning several languages such as English, French, German, and Spanish. However, she often told Draco of her wayward and out-of-control ways. She would leave home for days at a time, not bothering to tell her mother or father of her whereabouts. She experimented in a handful of Muggle drugs, including alcohol, and she openly admitted to Draco that she would frequently involve herself in promiscuous sex.  Draco could never tell by looking at her beautiful exterior, that inside she was struggling and fighting many ugly and horrific demons. Draco saw himself in Eva, and that is what made her different from anyone else he had ever met. Why won't I just go for it? Draco asked himself. Draco was jerked out of his deep thought by the end of breakfast. It was Saturday, and Draco was unsure of what he was going to do with the rest of the day, before he was to report to the Quidditch Pitch.

Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise happily made their way out of the Great Hall after Draco had declined their offer to return to the Common Room to discuss plans for the impending Quidditch match, leaving Draco alone. Draco's eyes shifted to the Gryffindor where Eva was gossiping with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.  Draco grabbed the tin of fresh Halloween sugar cookies and made his way to the Gryffindor table.

"Hello Eva."  Draco smiled; he suddenly felt a pair of warm brown eyes fall unto him, Hermione's. Draco had not spoken to Hermione since the day his parents died. He knew deep down that he may have been hurting her feelings, but Draco was unsure of what to say to her after she had seen how weak he was as a person. Hermione however, did not seem to make an extra effort to talk to him either.

"Oh… hello." Eva grinned, her emerald eyes shimmering when she laid eyes on the small tin his hands.  Draco slowly sat down beside Eva at the Gryffindor table. Although the Great Hall was mostly empty, Draco could feel the disapproving eyes of several Gryffindors, including Hermione's and Weasley's.

"What are these?" she asked curiously. Draco turned his body towards her.

"Cookies from Castlerock. You can have them." Draco handed the hand painted tin to Eva. Eva opened it, examined the contents, and then quickly shut it. She sat it up the table, and grinned at Draco.

"Your Quidditch match is tonight." She smirked. Draco shook his head. Eva hates Quidditch. Draco thought to himself. He scratched his head wearily.

"Look…" Draco paused, still feeling everyone staring at him. Draco lowered his voice. "Can we talk Eva? Alone?" Draco asked. Draco watched Eva look back at Lavender and Parvati. They nodded frantically at her, and Eva turned around and did the same. Draco smiled hesitantly, grabbing the tin of cookies sand putting them in the large pockets of his school robes. He felt Eva take his hand, as he guided her out of the Great Hall into the chilly late October air. He finally stopped a few feet from the school greenhouses. Draco suddenly felt a sense of panic, now that he had come down to it. I've been thinking about this for nearly a month now. Draco thought to himself. He sighed deeply before he spoke.

"Eva." He managed to sputter. Eva laughed, her nose red from the cold.

"Draco." She giggled, mocking his serious tone. Draco shook his head. I can't ask her when she thinks I'm joking. Draco panicked.  Draco slowly inhaled and exhaled. It was time for him to sink or swim. He closed his eyes and took a leap of faith.

"Eva. I think we should be more than just friends." Draco said quickly. Eva stared at him, a peculiar look in her eye. Draco stared back at her, waiting for her to respond.

"Eva?" he asked again. Eva stared up at him before she giggled. She grabbed his shoulders and brought him down to her level, placing her lips firmly over his. Draco could feel the sudden warmness of her mouth in the cold autumn air. He slowly wrapped his arms around her relaxing into the kiss. Eva pulled away and pushed him on the shoulder playfully.

"Let's go inside." Eva grinned. Draco laughed kissing her again, genuinely feeling happy for the first time in months.

Hermione Granger

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Where you are seems to be as far as an eternity

I've stretched arms

Opened hearts

If it never ends

Then when do we start?

I'll never leave you behind

Or treat you unkind

I know you understand

And with the tear in my eye

Can be the sweetest goodbye"

'The Sweetest Goodbye' Maroon 5

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione felt her eyes close sleepily, even though she happened to be in the middle of the Gryffindor-Slytherin match. Hermione had not been in the mood for a Quidditch match, but Ron, Harry, and Sam had begged and pleaded with her to attend. Hermione felt much more content with sneaking off to the library and getting a head start on her Potions homework.

Hermione sighed when her eyes rested on Draco, yet again, as he whizzed out from under the bleachers, even from a great distance, she could see the look of concentration upon his face. Hermione looked up at Dean Thomas, who was screaming loudly alongside Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom.  Ginny, a chaser had just scored. Hermione giggled when she say Sam, Slytherin's Keeper, face contort in anger. Hermione shivered, suddenly feeling chilly. It was a chilly Halloween night.

"I'm going back to the common room." Hermione announced to no one in particular. Hermione began to descend the stairs of the stands. She slowly made her way past Hagrid's small cabin to the castle. Hermione sighed when she thought of Draco again.  It had been two months since his parents had died, and he was avoiding any contact with her. It seemed that he even enjoyed hugging and kissing over Eva more when Hermione was around. Hermione had tried to ignore the fact that Draco all of a sudden felt the need to be nasty towards her, by spending extra time with Sam. However, it just frustrated her more, when she realized that Draco and Sam had grown into fast friends.

"Veela hair."  Hermione muttered when she reached the fat lady. Hermione climbed into the patriot hole and began to make her way to the girls' dormitories to drop off her things when she heard loud giggling from the couch facing the fireplace. Hermione ducked behind the table, which kept her accurately hidden, since the room was dark save for the orange glow being emitted from the fire.

"Eva, give me some." She heard Lavender Brown whisper. She heard a louder laugh come from Eva, and the sloshing of liquid in a bottle.

"You know what girls. Let's do a toast!" Hermione heard Eva say in a sing-songy voice. Hermione watched Eva rise, from the couch and stumbled towards Hermione's hiding spot. Hermione felt her body stiffen, but then relax when Eva turned around to face Parvati and Lavender. The girls looked disheveled, they were in their school skirts, their shirts half untucked. They all were holding what Hermione recognized as liquor bottles.

"Here's to Gryffindor!" Parvati raised her glass drunkenly.

"Here's to Eva for gracing us with her presence!"  Lavender giggled lethargically.

"And here's to Draco for finally asking me out!" Eva shouted loudly. Hermione snorted in jealousy. What does Draco see in her? Obviously, she is lacking in the brains department. Hermione thought to herself. She shook her head, laughing to herself before returning to her eavesdropping.

"That reminds me Eva!" Lavender squeaked, she giggled obnoxiously. Hermione watched the girls plop lazily unto the floor of the Gryffindor common room.

"What?" Eva asked indolently.  She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a long sip.

"I think Parvati and I know why it took Malfoy so long to ask you to be his girlfriend." Lavender announced, she too took a large swig from her glass. Hermione saw Eva's facial expression change; her face was dimly lit from the amber glow of the fire.

"He was shagging someone last year. It was a secret thing. Gryffindor." Parvati snickered.  Hermione gasped, but covered her mouth when she realized she could be heard.

"What?" Eva spat. Lavender and Parvati exploded into a fit of uncontrollable drunken giggles. Eva sat there at the floor, scowling at them.

"He was shagging a Gryffindor?" Eva asked perplexedly, the tone in her voice inciting fear in the two girls.

"Well who? Tell me who!" Eva growled. Oh no. Please oh no!  Hermione thought to herself, she could feel the sudden flow of blood rushing to her cheeks and forehead. Lavender and Parvati looked at each other hesitantly.

"Uh-She's in our year." Parvati announced. Hermione felt the pace of her heart quicken.

"Why don't you just fucking tell me Parvati!" Eva roared. She stood up and began to pace the floor. Hermione wished she could bolt out from underneath the table, but she was glued into her crouched position underneath the table. It felt like an eternity had gone by before Lavender finally spoke, her voice low.

"Hermione Granger." Lavender moaned, a hint of remorse in her voice. Hermione felt like screaming at the top of her lungs, but she was silent. Her eyes snapped to Eva.  The girl took a large sip from her glass before looking down at Lavender and Parvati sitting on the floor.

"Fucking Hermione Granger eh?" Eva groaned.  The glass in Eva's hand fell to the ground, shattering loudly on the cold stone floor.

"Hermione Granger!" Eva said again, this time her tone much louder. Lavender and Parvati remained silent.

"I can't believe this." Eva put her face in her hands in frustration. "I poured out my heart and soul to Draco Malfoy." Eva growled; she paused to sniffle before she spoke again.

"I told him everything. He can't even tell me about someone he bloody shagged last year." Eva mumbled; her voice strained.

"Well maybe he was afraid of what you would think Eva." Parvati said sympathetically. Hermione could feel her ears reddened.

"Yes, you know he loves you Eva." Lavender piped in. Hermione heard Eva start to cry. Lavender and Parvati were still seated on the floor, too drunk to look over and see Hermione staring at them intently. Hermione looked over to see Eva shake her head.

"Draco doesn't love me." Eva paused. Hermione felt a lump rise in her throat, remembering what Draco said to her that fateful night in the classroom. "He's never, ever, said he's loved me." Eva said sadly.

"But.." Lavender stammered. "Didn't you say he did when you two.."

"When we shagged that night over the summer?" Eva cut in. "I lied." Hermione's jaw dropped in mixed shock and anger.

"Eva. The Quidditch match should be over any second now. Maybe we should clean this up." Parvati announced, rising slowly from the ground. She brought the glass to her lips, and finished off its lethal contents. Eva silently retrieved her wand and muttered a spell to clean up the shards of glass off the floor. Hermione watched the trio slowly put on their robes and trek slowly up the stairs to the girl dormitories.

Hermione slowly climbed from under the table, still mildly in shock. She began to make her way to bed when the portrait hole swung open revealing the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and a victory on the part of Gryffindors.

"We won!" roared Ginny Weasley. Hermione stared at the joyful group of Gryffindors, her mind still reeling from what she had just overheard. Hermione, her mind already dwelling on what she had just overheard, silently made her way up to her bed. Hermione slowly prepared herself for bed, and then climbed in the cozy four-poster bed. Hermione could hear faint crying, from what she assumed was Eva's bed. Hermione sighed, before closing her weary eyes.

"Will you please shut it for two seconds so I can hear myself think Sam?" Hermione snapped temperamentally. She sat in the library during lunch the next day. Hermione's mind had returned several times to what she had overhead in the Gryffindor common room. She caught Eva flashing her icy stares several times earlier that morning and during breakfast. To top it off, Hermione had unusually put off an essay assigned by Snape to the last minute, so she was in the library, struggling to finish her essay, and ignore her own nagging thoughts. Hermione sighed when she felt Sam lovingly kiss her arm.

"You really need to learn how to calm down 'Mione." Sam whispered. Hermione frowned; she felt her grip tighten around her quill, as she lucidly wrote a few more sentences about the healing properties of unicorn's blood.

"That's easy for you to say Samuel. You finished your essay last week." Hermione snapped, her voice dripping in toxic sarcasam.

"Your right." Sam said jovially. He stood up and sat back down on the opposite of the table.

"Please Hermione. The essay is not due until Tuesday. Come on, let's go do something." Sam pleaded playfully. He laid his head on Hermione's parchment, his bottom lip stuck out in a boyish pout.

"No." Hermione said curtly. Her relationship with Sam had grown miraculously strong over the previous two months. She often found herself spending extra time with Sam. Hermione felt comfortable and at ease in his presence. Sam kept her mind off her problems with Draco, her now straining relationship with Harry, and the stress of all her N.E.W.T level classes. Whenever Hermione was with Sam, she always felt carefree and in an odd state of utopia.  However, the sexual tension in the friendship was very thick, and Hermione often found herself giving in to temptation and kissing Sam on a frequent basis. Hermione however, quickly shied away from Sam's suggestions of changing the status of their relationship.

"Hermione." Sam groveled; Hermione felt her heart melt when she saw his eyes melt in hers.

"Sam…" Hermione's voice trailed off. I am a sucker for this boy. Hermione thought to herself. Hermione paused before she spoke again.

"I have to finish this." Hermione finally concluded after a short silence. Sam sighed.

"Oh… well. All right then. I'll see you later Hermione." Sam said gently. He rose from the table and started to make his way towards the door. Hermione did not know why, but she scrambled to pick up her things, and followed Sam. She grabbed his hand playfully when she finally caught up with him outside the door of the school library.

"Works Everytime." Sam said, smiling from ear to ear. Hermione did not say a word as he led her down to the dungeons.  Hermione followed Sam as he made a series of complex turns before he stopped at a plain stonewall.

"Wait here." Sam commanded. Hermione nodded as she watched Sam mutter something indistinctly, and fall into the stone wall. He emerged smiling, with his guitar case and a plain tote bag. Hermione did not say anything as she followed Sam again. He led her out to the warm greenhouses and set his guitar case on the ground. He opened the tote bag and pulled out a fluffy yellow hand knit blanket, and a bag of contraband Muggle chips.

"Sam!" Hermione exclaimed, picking up the bag of chips, examining it. It had been months since she had last savored a greasy potato chip.

"Mum sent them to me." Sam smiled as he sat down. Hermione followed suit, greedily opening the bag and grabbing a handful.

"So." Sam said slowly. Hermione plopped a handful of chips in her mouth, unaware of the fact she was chewing quite loudly. Sam smiled at her.

"Your friends kicked our asses during the Quidditch match last night." Sam proclaimed sarcastically. Hermione grabbed another hand full of potato chips.

"You know I don't care about Quidditch Sammie." Hermione retorted. Hermione notice Sam scoot considerably closer to her. He reached his hand inside the bag and grabbed a handful.

"It was worth a try. I didn't actually expect to coax you out of that damned library." Sam said cynically. Hermione grinned at him.

"You brought your guitar. Play something." Hermione commanded. Sam stared at his black guitar case before slowly obliging to Hermione's command. He slowly opened the guitar case and pulled out his acoustic guitar. He stared at Hermione a split second before speaking.

"Requests?" he asked. Hermione shook her head.

"Surprise me." Hermione smiled. The thought of Sam's music made it much easier to forget her problems such as Draco, Eva, and Snape's paper. Sam started into a soft melodic opening chorus before opening his mouth.

"I bared my windowed self,

Untamed and untrained

Dreams that hardly touch our complexions truest faults

If room enough for both our drowsy spirits shall fall

Bold waves tumble

Off to the season of my heart

You have offended my faith and my trust

Until all is lost amidst the beauty of the day

Until all is lost"

Sam paused; Hermione could feel her world slowly come to a stop as she stared at Sam.

"And there's something in the way you laugh

It makes me feel like a child

Aspects of life they confuse me

You and your thesis me

Oh after an afternoon with you

Your rich brown eyes

Your lips and dark hair

Elbows and exposed knees tossing towards the ceiling

After an afternoon

After an afternoon with you

Face to palm

Tear to tear

Mouth to tongue

Heart to ground

Heart to ground

I am in love" Sam slowly played the ending chords of the song before smiling timidly. Hermione sat grinning at him foolishly. She was unsure of what to say to Sam.

"That was erm…." Hermione paused. Sam looked up at her expectantly.

"Dumb?" Sam asked.

"No!" Hermione said loudly, the pitch of her voice startling Sam. "It was great Sam. I didn't know you had been writing." Hermione finally said. Sam smiled before he spoke.

"Why wouldn't I be writing Hermione?" Sam asked, the tone of his voice suddenly becoming quite brisk.  Hermione bit her lip.

"No reason… you know.  You've been making a lot of new friends and all. I just didn't expect for you to be writing… that much." Hermione winced, not realizing she had sad something foolish until she saw the aggravated look on Sam's face.

"Is this about Draco and Blaise Hermione?" Sam snapped. He removed his guitar from his lap and returning it respectfully to his guitar case.

"No." Hermione managed to squeak. Hermione had often ridiculed Sam about his Slytherin friends, mostly out of jealousy and envy. At times, she felt that he spent most of his time with them, and not with her. Also the pure irony that her new love interest was become close, almost best, friends with her ex-flame, was also eating away at her. Hermione found herself agonizing over it Everytime she saw Sam and Draco together. How did she know that Draco had not told Sam about his relationship with her? Just the mere thought of Sam's reaction was terrifying enough for Hermione.

"Yes it is!" Sam snapped again, obviously this time more agitated.

"Why would I even care who your other friends are!" Hermione barked, finally losing her cool.

"You hate the fact that I'm in Slytherin, don't you?" Sam stood up. Hermione followed suit, accidentally stamping her foot on the bag of potato chips.

"Stop putting words in my mouth Sam." Hermione growled; she jabbed her index finger forcefully into Sam's chest.

"I'm not putting words in your grubby mouth! I'm saying the fucking truth. You hate the fact that I've managed to make other friends besides you! You hate the fact that I'm not clinging to you for dear life! You hate it because how you feel about me is the only thing that you cannot control!" Sam shouted. Hermione shook her head furiously. She was so angry; she failed to even come up with a decent comeback.

"You don't know me Sam Austin." Hermione spat.

"Right…" Sam replied sarcastically. Hermione growled in agitation as she turned towards the door. Hermione could hear Sam's familiar neutral-please-do-not-hate-me-laugh.

"Hermione." He called; the quality of his voice was laden with a small hint of remorse. Hermione continued to trample over strange potted plants to the greenhouse door. Sam ran to catch up with her, grabbing her arm. He spun her around to face her, and forcefully placed his lips upon hers. Hermione had already begun to kiss Sam back when she remembered why she was leaving in the first place. She pulled back and turned her head in defiance.

"Stop it Sam." Hermione said bitterly. Sam placed both his hands on each of Hermione's now flushed cheeks.

"What would you do if I said No?" Sam challenged her. Hermione tried to glare at him, but she could feel her frustration slowly leave her body.

"I have a proposition." Sam announced, his hands still on Hermione's face. Hermione did not speak.

"How about when you return back to that castle and someone asks you about me, how about you tell them I'm your boyfriend." Sam said slyly. Much to his surprise, Hermione snorted, then started to giggle.

"Sam, have you gone mad?" Hermione smiled, she brought her hands up to Sam's arms. Sam smiled at her and shook his head.

"Mad for you darling." Sam smirked. Hermione flushed a bright shade of red.

"Don't you think this is something you should be serious about?"  Hermione asked inquiringly.

"No. I'm just being frank about it. You fascinate me 'Mione."  Sam replied.  Hermione could not stop grinning.

"Weren't we just fighting two minutes ago?"  Hermione asked, trying to avoid answering Sam's indirect question. Saying yes will only complicate things more. Hermione thought shamefully to herself. But Draco obviously was not thinking the same asking Eva, my own housemate, to be his girlfriend.  Hermione's eyes suddenly widened at her own wickedness.

"Yet are you to answer my proposition," Sam scoffed. Hermione looked up in the eyes of her own close friend, who also happened to be close friends with Draco. Hermione was desperate to regain Draco's attention, and she was ready to do whatever thing it takes to make Draco regret casting her aside as if he never even knew her. Make Draco regret ever falling in love with her, make him regret ever meeting her. Hermione knew that once she put her mind to something, not much could make her stray.

"Well Sam, let's give it a go." Hermione smirked, a new mischievous grin in her eye.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yay! That took me slightly longer to write. I apologize for biting the whole singing thing from an earlier part of the story, I was just trying to incorporate Hermione's jealousy into the whole thing. I also would like to apologize for the whole two-month flash forward. I obviously did it for pacing reasons. I felt it was necessary, and I hope I filled in the void for you all as the readers.

Also I would like to thank all my reviewers! It's great to know that one of my OC's is now seen as a sex symbol in some of your eyes! (Well one of you guys, lol)

By the way, before I forget, the song Sam was singing in this chapter was "After An Afternoon" by Jason Mraz. I'm a big fan in case you all have not noticed.

And one last thing before I cut this short! I'd like to explain WHY I had Draco and Sam establish concrete relationships with Eva and Hermione. I did this because I was hit with sudden inspiration while watching a talk show. (One of those sleazy ones) And I thought to myself, "WOW! That would be powerful and intense if that happened in my story!) I felt I had built their relationships fairly strongly, so when I drop my bombshell storyline twist, it'll make for something INTENSE. Buckle you seatbelts you guys and prepare yourselves for the ride!

~Alisha~