A/N: Sorry that it took me sooo long, but I had a lot to do and was away over the weekend. But here it is, and I hope you like (or love, the choice is yours) it! Have fun. Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys rock. Did I ever mention that I love long reviews? No? I do!! (thanks Cotton Candy, I loved it!)

"It´s so nice that you could come. Oh my, where did you get that dress? Feeling a bit lonley, maybe?" Ron hugged Hermione in a rather suffocating way. She pried herself away carefully and answered a bit indignatly. "Glad that you like it, but I truly do hope it doesn´t look that desperate. Yes, I´m single but it´s my own choice! Besides, Ginny talked me into it over an hour." Hermione answered, feeling hotness creeping into her face. So what, if she looked nice once in a while?!

"Hey little sister. Glad that you could come and survived the festivities after the Newts. So how do you like it? " he gestured at the room.

Hermione surveyed it carfully, it´s glass roof showed a beautifull clear sky full of stars reminding her strongly of the astronomy tower. Combined with the most beautiful view over London possible, the light decoration fit in in a very sophisticated and elegant way.

"What on earth posessed you to make the tables invisible?" Ginny interrupted her thoughts. "Are you mad or something? How are we supposed to eat?"

Ron´s ears turned slightly pink and he answered her remark with something that sounded very close to "Ithought itwaswella rathernice idea. "

Hermione felt obliged to interfere, she wanted a nice evening and Ron and Ginny fighting was not her idea of said. "I think the idea is brilliant. Some very rich and stuck up people will be entertaining us tonight because of them, what more can you ask for? Did you use the inviseus charm? I love the book by Roberta Neelkins about it, you know it?" Her effort of distracting them was successful as both Ron´s and Ginny´s face went blank. At least they considered her to be the good old know it all. She would have never thought that she would miss that label one day.

"I don´t know, you have to ask my assistent about it. Guess who´s here tonight? Draco Malfoy." He exclaimed in a feeble attempt of sounding cheerful, but the look on his face indicated he thought it better to suffer from a very serious and painful malady.

His facial expression mirrored Hermione´s feelings, who didn´t want to become the victim of his cutting remarks in this dress. She had put it on in the knowledge that she wouldn´t meet anyone espescially hostile against her, so that the mean comments about her supposedly desperate state were kept at a minimum.

"Why on earth did you invite ferret boy? Couldn´t you get your hands on any real ones, if you needed them that urgently ? I mean you got your own assistant and all, so I don´t think it would have been a real problem now, wouldn´t it?" she said, voicing her dissappointment.

"Hell, there was no way not to invite him. We are negotiating, you know. Very important business, very much at stake. But I´d rather see his rotting corpse in Nockturn Ally than here, truth to be told."

"Glad that your opinions are still healthy, even if your actions seem a bit mental, brother. "

Ron glared at his quarrelsome little sister and seemed to exclude her mentally from his vip list, but Hermione reacted immediatly.

"Ah, hey Gin I have to go to the loo. See you later Ron, bye," with that she dragged the younger Weasley away. Carefully the two made their way through the crowds, and Hermione was glad that Ron had had the sense to rope the dining area off. She regretted that she wouldn´t be able to eat tonight, but it seemed to risky to sit at one of those tables.

Ron´s bathrooms were as impressive as his fridge, they gleamed and shined and some were charmed quite charmingly. As soon as she had finnished her witty and eloquent thoughts they reached the bathroom doors.

She looked critically into the mirror and observed her look. Her hair fell in soft waves down her back, thanks to Parvati it seemed very shiny and healthy. She felt once again a rush of joy when she realized that no ugly golden/yellow highlights interrupted the beautiful unity of dark brown colour and prided herself once more of resisting the horrible muggle influenced hair dresser in Diagon Ally. The dress was as revealing as yesterday, but at least it fit the shoes niceley.

Ginny looked good as usual, wearing a short green dress with her fiery hair cut to shoulder length, with light green pearls woven into it. The dress seemed to emphasize her legs, although it was nowhere as daring as Hermione´s.

She and Ginny vanished simultaneously into the cabins and Hermione began to tell her about yesterday´s most unusual visit.

"Guess who was here yesterday? ... "

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Why had he been so dumb to come here? This was a Weasley party, Merlin´s beard what had he been thinking? Sure, some women did look hot, but this was no reason for any Malfoy, least of all Draco to visit a Weasley. Some family traditions did make sense after all. Draco´s already foul and stinking mood worsened with every minute. The negotiations did not go as easy as he had expected, and that he did not find the loo did not help him.

He had already opened too much doors, gaining an insight in Ron´s living arrangements he did not appreciate, and he swore that this was his last try. He breathed in heavily and then opened the door.

He saw the sinks cleary identifying a loo, when he heard familiar voices. Was it Hermione Granger speaking while she was "doing business"? As quiet as possible he shut the door and listened to the conversation.

"Allright, so I have Pansy Parkinson in my kitchen and I find myself listening about her break-up with Draco Malfoy. So she wants revenge I think, that´s very understandable, contemplating his vile behavement. And now listen to her plan: She wanted me to seduce Draco Malfoy!!!"

"No, she didn´t. You´re kidding me, don´t you?" squealed a second voice, also vaguely familiar.

"Oh my, you have no idea. She offered me very good payment, rambling about how pretty I am and my brains and Os and stuff. Ruining him emotionally and financially or some ..."

They spoke about seducing him. HIM??!!

"Sir? Sorry, but why are you on the ladie´s toilette?" the voices died down immediatly and Draco was stared at by an elderly witch, who looked rather embarrassed and on the verge of anger.

Without another word he pushed past her out into the crowds, not knowing what to think. Hermione Granger seducing him? Draco Malfoy? To what had the world come to? The end had to be nigh, if that happened . He turned round carefully to observe the bathroom´s door. Had that been really her?

No, he thought on first impulse as he watched the attractive women coming out of the door, looking around anxiously. That dress was way beyond Grangers capability, it showed the whole length of a leg ( a nice leg, to be exact) and it had a rather low cut neck line. After all he had seen the mudblood a few times at Spellcraft and she hadn´t looked anything like this. Like stunning or beautiful. Or pretty even. But she definitly seemed familiar and his doubts did vanish when he saw the girl following her. Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger had discussed seducing him on the loo. Trying to deal with the shock (and shocked he was, when had the hunter become the prey?) he grabbed a glass of a strange substance and gulped it down, breaking his oath of not drinking unknown substances.

Had she dressed up like that for him? Looking closer at the dress` cut it seemed to scream Pansy´s handwriting at him. So the little mudblood was trying to mess with him, was she? Ruin him, would she? Now, he wanted to see who would get more fun out of it.

Draco strolled over to where Granger was standing with the younges Weasley brat and some business bloke, looking sexy and sophisticated. Yes, he was not ashamed of his admiring, he had made a strict rule of being honest at least to himself. You could not deceive everyone, now could you?

"Hey Granger, long time no see, eh?" he drawled in his best sexy and dangerous voice. She turned around sharply and to his surprise she eyed him suspisciously.

"What do you want ferret boy? Not enough mudbloods around to bully or what? Did you have to come back to good old me?"

Her eyes held a dangerous light he had learned to recognize over the years. Leaning a little closer he started a new attempt. Since when was a Malfoy intimidated by a mudblood?

"Hey, calm down. You know what they say ´bout love ´n hate? Both make for good sex, you know. I thought you´d fancy a ´talk´ with me?" he smirked, stressing the word talk in suggestive way. Yes, women were definitly his department, he thought in the typically modest Malfoy way.

"Malfoy, are you hitting on me? At Ronald Weasley´s party?" she asked incredolously.

"'What if I was?" he said, while inching a bit closer to her. She glared up to him, sparks of fury in her eyes. He ignored them and tried to grab her hand draggging her over to the spacious dancefloor.

"You think you are irrestistable, don´t you? You think you can make fun of me and get away with it, you little slimy ferret. You think you truly are the crown of creation, don´t you?" she hissed furiously, trying to wrench her hand free.

Ferret? How dare her to call him ferret twice! There he was, making it as easy for her to fullfill Pansy´s request and she insulted him. HIM!

"Now, you listen, mudblood." he sneered, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He squeezed her hand painfully. "Calling me once ferret is stupid, but I overlooked it in memorial of Hogwarts, the good old times, yadda yadda. Twice requires a level of foolishness, I didn´t think you of all women would be capable of. But then everyone at Spellcraft knows about your failure without Potty or Weasel. They know how got your good grades in Hogwarts."

Hermione jerked her hand away angrily, her expression full of rage. She did not look in the least cute or beautiful, more threatening than ever Draco noticed through his angered red vision.

"Now you listen. Don´t call me mudblood. Ever. Again. I thought you learned it in Hogwarts the hard way, but you are so thick that probably another lesson is needed. You are not the crown of creation, but the crown of thousands of years of inbreeding. You are speaking about me not earning my stipendium, whereas you bribed your way into every bloody institution available! You and your inbred family."

"Watch your mouth you little mudblood, don´t insult family honour." "Honour?" Hermione laughed bitterly. "Honour? You dare speak about the honour of your family? You that are the shame of the Malfoy family? Do you have any idea how frightened and shocked Narcissa must have been when she realized she had given birth to a ferret? They should have been a bit more carefull with their dark magic around your mom, shouldn´t they? At least you have an excuse whenever you behave like a spoiled asshole, sorry but me mum and her lil´circle of death EATERS OVERDID IT SOMETIMES TAKE A LITTLE MONEY AND FORGET ABOUT IT!!!!!!! "

"YOU DARE SPEAKING THIS WAY ABOUT MY MOTHER? YOU, WHO IS NOT ABLE TO MANAGE EVEN A SINGLE SEMESTER IN YOUR STUDIES? YOU ARE SUCH A LOSER WITHOUT YOUR FRIENDS, YOU ARE NOT EVEN ABLE TO GET A DATE WITHOUT DRESSING UP AS A WHORE!"

"ALLRIGHT MALFOY THAT`S IT. I cannot stand by and listen to you insulting my guests. Leave the house immediatly or I´ll have to call the security."

Draco saw Weasley´s lips moving, but he wasn´t able to grasp the sense of his words immediatly. He stared at his hands unbelievingly, looking at his wand that was raised in a dueling manner. When had he lost controll over himself? How come the mudblood was getting so much under his skin?

He raised his head and realized all conversation had come to a halt, every single person was staring at him and the mudblood. She had disgraced him in front of his business partners and had shattered the deal with the Weasleys by talking to him once. Parvati´s plan seemed to work, but Hermione Granger had just acquired a new old enemy. A dangerous one, he would make sure of that.

The witch in front of him stared at him defiantly, also clutching a wand in her fist. "You´ll regret that Draco Malfoy, I swear." she whispered, her eyes throwing daggers.

She dared to threaten him? After all that had just happened she threatened him?

"I wouldn´t be too sure about who regrets something in the end. I´d rather leave this country, because when I´m finnished with you, you won´t be able to do that anymore. "

He pushed past her, knocking her to the floor. At least he was stronger than her and he trusted the Gryffindor codex to keep her from hexing him in the back.

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"Stupe--" she felt how her wand was wrenched out of her hand. Still furious she sat up, looking at a very dishleveled and red Ron.

"Don´t you hex him in the back, it´s already bad enough. You have just managed to blow our deal, make a fool out of yourself once more, again at my party. Tell me one reason I don´t throw you out this instant!"

"Pansy Parkinson." Ron looked truly surprised and Hermione hurriedly stood up while glaring at the people around her, willing them to carry on with their own lifes.

"I can´t tell you here, could we talk in private? It´s not meant to be heard by everyone."

Ron turned at his heel without another look and she followed him up into his study.

"You have thirty seconds, and if I don´t like your idea you have to work for me for free all your holidays and you´ll be forever banned from any social events I´ll host!"

Damn, she was in deep shit this time. Oh good old Hogwarts days when all Malfoys were evil and everything one did against them worshippable.

"Ok, Pansy and Malfoy have split up, as you may have noticed. He really landed her in trouble with Parkinvest, as you may have heard. So, she wanted me to take revenge on him, with a stupid plan I´ll not explain to you in detail. Anyway I advized her to try to restore Parkinvest, but she had no investors or money left. I promised to help, to be exact I promised her one meeting with you."

"And in what way is this helping me? Malfoy´s lost to me, maybe forever and I have no one to turn to concerning a very special matter,"

"Yes, that special matter. I know from my vast and knowledgeable sources that you and your brothers plan to get into the asian market with Malfoy´s help."

"Fred and his big mouth, why can´t he just for once keep quiet?"

"Never said that, ok? I strongly believe that Parkinvest has the things you seek, so Pansy would help you out if you´d help her. I just want you to meet once, listen to her and then decide.Ok?"

"I don´t have much of a choice now, have I? One meeting on my terms, and to hell with you both if she gives me her usual shit. Understood?"

"Am I somewhat vindicated? Enough to stay and get properly drunk?" No hurt in trying, she thought while looking hopefully at Ron. Who grinned at her and gave her a hug.

"I know you have a really hard time at university and Malfoy always has had a talent to find your weak spot, but please don´t kill my guests next time, yes? In a few years you´ll look back and laugh at this, ok?"

"Thanks Ron, I appreciate that very much. By the way where is Harry?" Coming to think of it, she hadn´t seen him the whole evening, but then the whole evening had not been very long.

"He´s just arrived in the middle of your little fight. I suppose he is now downstairs and trying to get drunk properly."

"Ok, I´ll go and see him in a minute, but could I borrow Pig for a little while?"

"Of course, but I have to go and attend my guests. Somebody dropped the soup at Gretta Smith´s dress during the fight I think..."

"Go ahead, I´ll find him."

She scribbled a note at a piece of parchment:

Pansy,

Ron has agreed to a meeting, check your asian connections. Does your offer concerning Malfoy still stand? I´ll make his life a living hell, provided you help me.

Hermione

She enjoyed the look of Pig vanishing into the cool night, then turned round and joined the party again.

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A/N: So, my ( if only, if only!) protagonists have finally met each other. And again have found their carefully kept hate. What will happen? I know, you don´t! What does this tell us? The more you review the sooner you´ll know. Common!! DO IT! YES, there you go.