Author's Note: Ok, I put the third and the fourth chapter together and made one loooong chapter. Here it is, same as before, but longer, hope you like!

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing! ;P It's all Jo's, except the plot line.

The Magic of Hate, Lust and Love

Chapter 3: Not the Usual Transport

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"Have a wonderful year, Hermione! I promise I'll send you a lot of letters!" Mr Granger said to his daughter once they had pulled in, in front of King's Cross station. The back door of the blue car opened and Hermione scrambled out of the back seat dragging her trunk after her and holding Crookshanks securely under her arm. She muttered something he couldn't hear, before she was entirely out of the car.

Have a wonderful year? Wonderful year? Yeah, alright… Just wondering how I'm able to have a wonderful year when nothing is the same again? Nothing will ever be the same again since – since – stop thinking about it, Hermione… It's not going to help anything. Besides, I don't have time to think about it. There're the NEWTs and my Head Girl duties to think about. I will be too busy to think about it. Yes, and I'm going to have that wonderful year Dad wished me… at least I'm going to try and have it…

"Thanks Dad! Goodbye!" Hermione answered hoarsely before banging the car door shut. Her voice was sleepy like she had awoken a few minutes ago, which was the truth in fact. She had fallen asleep once again after waking up early that morning. And now she was late and in a big hurry. The time was ticking by too fast for her liking and it raced towards eleven o'clock. Mr Granger's blue car drove away and Hermione gave him one last wave before disappearing into the train station where the bright sunlight was shining through the thick windows. Hermione was running as fast as her legs could carry her. Would she make it in two minutes into platform nine and three-quarters?

Hermione was hungry and tired and probably looked like shit in her opinion. Her curly brown hair was somehow tamed into two braids which she had made in the car on her way to the train station. She wore no make-up because she didn't own any and wouldn't have had time to put on some for the matter. She was wearing a pair of light blue jeans and a tight hooded sweat shirt in dark blue, the zip was opened and it revealed a turquoise top with a low neckline underneath. Her Head Girl badge was pinned onto her top. A yellow bag which contained her most personal things was wound around her neck and it hung down to her hip.

She yelled her apologies to the people she managed to push or knock down in mistake. The barrier between platforms nine and ten was in sight but the clock above the entrance to the magical platform, showed that she had thirty seconds to get inside the platform and aboard the train. Hermione did not waste another second before running straight through the magical barrier and platform nine and three-quarters materialised in front of her with a scarlet train already in move.

"Oh no! Wait!" Hermione yelled to the train as she continued to run. "No! Don't leave without me, I'm Head Girl for Merlin's sake!" but the train did not slow down or stop. The speed increased and Hermione ran behind it, trying to catch it.

As she obviously wasn't watching at anything else than the train as she ran, she was suddenly knocked backwards when she ran face first into something solid yet quite soft. "Oh!" she gasped as she started falling to the hard floor but then a pair of strong muscular arms wrapped around her petite waist as Hermione closed her eyes and waited for the hit. But it didn't come. Two trunks fell to the floor with loud thuds and Crookshanks leaped out of her grasp and hissed at her.

When her eyes snapped open when she noticed that she had never hit the floor, the sight of the person who had caught her made her think that she was hugged by an angel. The blonde hair gleamed in the sun that shone inside and the silver blue eyes glazed over her face and figure. Was she dead? Neither of them noticed when the scarlet Hogwarts Express turned around the curve and out of sight. Hermione was so captured by this mystery man and he seemed to be by her. Her mind was racing but not of the thought that she had just missed the train…

Oh my! What's happening? She thought stunned.

But then something else popped into her mind and her eyes widened. Who was the only wizard she knew had blonde hair and blue eyes of the sort?

Realisation spread across his face and it turned into a grimace of disgust as both he and Hermione shoved each other away with their hands in haste.

"What the hell is this, Granger?!" he asked fiercely as both of them jumped huge steps backwards.

"That was exactly what I was going to ask you, Malfoy!" Hermione shot back as she brushed the dust of her clothes.

"You were the one who bumped into me!" he said quickly and she brought her gaze up to him once more in a glare and noticed his eyes travelling up and down her figure openly. "Well, well. The little Gryffindor princess has grown quite a bit, eh?" he said crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk which made Hermione frown.

"I haven't! And if I were you, I would be watching what comes out of that horrible mouth of yours." she hissed.

Draco rolled his eyes and muttered; "Whatever…"

A silence filled the platform suddenly. "Oh no!" she shrieked when she remembered their situation.

"What?" Draco asked with raised eyebrows, wondering about her sudden outburst. She looked around her to the direction to where the Hogwarts Express had disappeared. Most of the parents and the siblings of the students had left already and only Draco and Hermione remained by the empty platform with few others.

"We – we missed the train! Oh my God! I can't believe we missed the only transport to Hogwarts!" Hermione said panicked, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Oh God… This is not happening…" she groaned and slammed her palm onto her forehead.

"See this is what you do. Cause other people to miss trains and such. Mudbloods are good for absolutely nothing…" Draco said loudly and earned Hermione's whole attention as she whipped her head up in his direction and fixed her coldest and angriest glare on him.

"Are you saying it's my fault? When I was doing a completely good job running after it and pop! You appear out of nowhere and make me bump into you! As far as I can see, it wasn't the tiniest bit my fault! It was entirely your fault!" she retorted angrily, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed. She was not in a mood to see him right now.

Draco snorted. "My fault? No, no, no. I think you're losing it, Granger. It can never be a Malfoy's fault if filthy Mudbloods bump into them!" Draco told her menacingly. In a second he was staring at the tip of Hermione's wand which now pointed straight at his face.

"Shut up or I swear I'll curse you into oblivion!"

"That's fine by me. Then at least I wouldn't have to spend my time with worthless worms like you… If you don't have the guts to do it, then take that fucking wand away from my face, Granger." Draco said smirking. Hermione glared at him but lowered her wand and pocketed it in frustration. Crookshanks was sitting on her fallen trunk when she came and picked it up.

"We better start to come up with a way to get back to school. And stop being such a brat, Malfoy." Hermione said casting him a glare as she lifted Crookshanks into her arms. "Any ideas?"

"About what?" Draco asked annoyed as he decided to ignore her earlier comment about him being a brat.

"About how are we going to get to school since we missed the Hogwarts Express, have you any ideas about that, hmm?" Hermione asked with raised eyebrows like it would be most obvious question in the world.

"First of all, we need to get out of this platform, Granger. Then you can do your brilliant little magic and fix us to Hogwarts since you're s'posed to be the smartest witch – sorry, I meant Mudblood, not witch – in school." he stated.

Hermione dropped the trunk and Crookshanks who hissed at her again, onto the platform floor with a thud before she took her wand out and pointed it at him. "The first thing you said was bearable, but if you continue to insult me again, Malfoy, I swear I'll give you detention for the rest of your school year." she hissed angrily.

He snorted. "Detention?" he sneered disbelieved with an amused tone in his voice.

"Exactly. I'm Head Girl so watch how you speak to me." Hermione told him with her hand pointing at her shining Head badge. A small smirk formed upon her lips as she saw him getting frustrated.

"I knew it… Dumbledore is insane…" Draco muttered but she heard what he said as she lowered her wand in victory.

"Well, I can't see you brag about being Head Boy, so I can say with full confidence that professor Dumbledore is completely sane." Hermione said with a smirk that resembled very much Draco's. "If you don't want detention, then I suggest you watch your mouth and never call me a Mudblood again." Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm scared now, Granger. Why don't you go tell your mother that big bad Draco is calling you a Mudblood?" he sneered as she was about to pick her trunk from the floor again but stopped suddenly.

A flash of painful memories shot through her brain as he said these words. The car drove down the street as she watched. Blue sparks were shot towards it… The bus was crossing the road in front of the grey car. A sudden crash she could only hear filled her ears as she stared unblinkingly at her trunk. Blue sparks were shot towards the grey car from somewhere…

"No!" she whispered and sunk down onto her knees over her trunk and buried her head in her hands. Draco watched the girl in confusion and horror. What had he done now? He saw her petite body tremble slightly before a sob escaped her lips.

"Hey Granger, what's – err – wrong?" Draco asked but didn't sound a least bit of guilty or concerned that he had made her cry. He was just interested in why she was crying. That's all! He walked a bit closer to her and was about to place a hand on her shoulder before he thought better of it and did not. Mudblood germs… He thought with disgust and put his hands in the pockets of his dark robes.

Hermione didn't answer him when further memories flashed before her closed eyes and she had to open them from preventing such things from happening. Her breath was increasing slightly. Then she seemed to remember where she was and that it had only been a memory. Draco was still watching her in silence, not knowing what to do or say. A few platform workers glanced at them but said nothing (besides, they were mostly wondering what two students were doing there when the Express had already left). Hermione gave a cough before she stood up and straightened herself, wiping her eyes so that Draco did not see her tears.

"I know how we're going to get to Hogwarts, Malfoy." Hermione said and turned to look at his curious face.

"What happened, Granger? Did you have some kind of disease fit?" he asked with raised eyebrows. Hermione frowned.

"I said that I know who we're going to get to school, Malfoy." she said, ignoring his questions. I can do this… she reminded herself constantly. Draco wanted an answer though, he was a Malfoy and Malfoys always get what they want and this time he wanted an answer out of her.

"Just answer my question, Granger. What happened?" he asked again as Hermione's face reddened slightly from anger.

"I don't have to answer to you." she stated clearly and then picked up her trunk and Crookshanks once again, glaring at him coldly. "So do you want to get to Hogwarts or not? Do you want me to share my plan with you, or shall I go back alone?" she asked him. Draco was frustrated. Why couldn't she just answer him? It was simple as that but Granger was stubborn, he knew that and had to give credit for it too.

"Alright." he said and added; "But I'll get know what the fuck is wrong with you someday." Hermione glanced at him firmly.

"You don't have to swear, Malfoy." Hermione said calmly.

"You're such a prude... Well, are you going to tell me today or shall we go shopping to London?" he asked sarcastically and rolled his eyes. Hermione snorted and shook her head.

"I think I have to give you detention in any case…" she muttered before locking glares with him. "Well, we could Apparate to Hogsmeade and walk to Hogwarts from there, idiot. It's so simple that I wonder how we didn't come up with it earlier!?" she explained clearly with a smile.

"Because you were crying and lying on the floor, Granger, that's why."

"Oh, keep it shut." she told him sternly. "So what do you think? Are you ready?" she asked him, taking out her wand and shrinking her trunk into pocket-size before putting it into her yellow bag which was still hanging around her neck to her hip.

Draco seemed to be thinking about something for a while before his eyes glazed with something – was it excitement? – and he coughed slightly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Err… the thing with Apparition is that – err – I didn't pass the test, Granger (I'll kill you if you laugh)." he said quietly, not looking into her eyes. Hermione stared at him with her mouth slightly agape. She shook her head and cleared her throat.

"That's ok. I think we can think of something else how we're getting to school." Hermione assured him with a smile. Draco scowled.

"We? Are you saying that you won't Apparate back alone?"

"You honestly think I'll leave you here all alone, Malfoy? I'm Head Girl, it's my duty to see that you get to Hogwarts safely." she explained with a short nod and fiddled with her badge. Draco snorted and shot her a death glare.

"I don't need your help to get back to Hogwarts, Mudblood." he spat angrily and whipped his wand out from his pocket and shrunk his trunk before pocketing it with his wand. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much." he drawled and headed towards the magical exit of the platform.

Hermione grinned and shook her head slightly. "Can you imagine what professor Dumbledore would say if I left you alone in the middle of Muggle London without any clue of how to get back? You got another thing coming if you expect me to leave you here alone. I'm coming with you, Ferret!" she yelled and scooped Crookshanks into her arms and ran after him.

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Draco walked through the barrier and emerged to the other side seeing Muggles walk past him, not glancing more than twice in his direction. Where should he go now?

Suddenly another figure came through the magical entrance and bumped into his back, on top of that, he heard an angry hiss from behind him, which sounded very much like a cat. When he whipped around, he saw Hermione looking up at him apologetically with Crookshanks the ginger cat in her arms, hissing at him. He shook his head, turning around he continued to walk out of the train station.

"Are you following me, Granger?" Draco drawled when he felt Hermione's presence near him.

"What if I am? London is a dangerous place to be wandering alone in, who knows what might happen to you." Hermione's soft voice answered right behind him. Draco had the urge to kick something. Why did she have to be so stubborn?!? He thought angrily. Crookshanks meowed in her arms and a few Muggles glanced at the strange looking cat in wonder (why did it have such a flat face? they wondered).

"I already said that I don't need your fucking help, Mudblood." Draco growled as they walked out to the sunny street. Hermione snorted uncharacteristically.

"Well, that's a slight problem since I'm going to help you whether you like it not." Hermione replied stubbornly. Draco groaned in annoyance. How the hell does Potter and Weasley put up with her?!?! "Besides, I know a way already." she said after a while. He frowned as they continued to walk down the sunny street with many little shops along it. "We need to get somewhere private." he heard her mutter mainly to herself.

"Oh, so you want me that badly, huh?" He asked seductively as a few Muggle girls giggled and pointed at him as they sat on a bench in front of an ice-cream parlour. He gave them a smirk and a wink which made Hermione roll her eyes.

"Ew, no, sorry to disappoint you, Ferret boy, but that was not what I meant and you know it, you fool." Hermione said coolly and stuck her tongue out to the girls just to tease. Their expressions turned sour as she had the chance to walk close to such a good looking boy as Draco Malfoy.

"Now who's being a fool…" he muttered once he saw what she did and slowed down slightly.

Hermione ignored him completely. "Alright, since we can't – I mean you can't – err – Apparate to Hogwarts, we can take the Knight Bus and for that we need to get into a private alley so these Muggles won't see." Hermione explained and poked his arm to get him moving again. He raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"The Knight Bus?" Draco questioned.

"Yes. The Knight Bus, Malfoy." Hermione said clearly as she cast him a sideway glance and saw his confused expression. "Oh please don't tell me that you don't know what a Knight Bus is?" she frowned. "I mean, you've lived your whole life in the Magical World and you don't know –"

"Shut the fuck up, Granger." Draco growled and pushed her into a dark alley. At first they didn't notice a few boys in their age standing by the corner, smoking cigarettes. They however looked up to see when the two teenagers emerged out from nowhere.

"Don't you tell me to shut up, I just asked you, y'know!" She said hotly, glaring at him as Crookshanks gave a hiss towards the unknown boys.

"Alright, alright! Then what are we waiting for, Granger? Do your little magic so we can get the fuck out of here." Draco said firmly, glaring straight at her face. Hermione shook her head in frustration.

"Why do you have to swear and be such an arrogant brat?" she whined and looked up, seeing three or four boys staring at them with wide eyes in interest. Draco lifted his gaze to them as well. Some of them glanced quickly at Draco who stood a little behind Hermione and some of them looked at her up and down hungrily. What did they think when he said 'magic'? Uh ooh…

"Hey there, gorgeous." one of them said with a strange glint in his eyes as he stared at Hermione. He licked his lips sensually and let his eyes take in her figure.

"Did he mean you, Malfoy?" Hermione asked Draco in a whisper. He gave her a smirk. So, Granger thinks I'm gorgeous? he thought smirking.

"Of course, I'm the gorgeous one aren't I?" he said proudly with a smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes but sighed in relief at the same time, but then she noticed their gazes were upon her.

"Err –" she was about to ask Draco was he absolutely sure about his answer, but then he didn't think she was gorgeous, right, so he'd give the same answer anyway.

Hermione gulped, thinking that this wasn't such a good idea when they came to that alley, and backed towards Draco who hadn't moved an inch. "Don't be scared, girl. What's your name?" another asked seductively. She didn't answer however. Would Draco jump away in fear like a little bouncing ferret? Had he jumped away already?

He had not. He stood behind her and gazed at the scene in interest. This is great! Granger is going to piss on herself soon, haha! Oh man, I enjoy seeing her scared… Draco thought with a smirk. The boys laughed at her fearful expression and her wide cinnamon eyes. Hermione was clutching Crookshanks so tightly to her chest that she feared that the cat would soon choke to death.

"Would ya like to give us some of that 'magic' as well?" a third questioned with a laugh. That really got Hermione pissed off. She fought the urge to take out her wand and hex them right away.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but it doesn't sound too nice so I suggest you watch your mouth." Hermione said with her eyebrows lowered. They all laughed, including Draco who stood behind her with a broad grin on his face.

He chuckled and whispered to her, his breath tickling her ear; "Why don't you give them detention, Head Girl?" he asked sarcastically in a low voice and laughed some more. Hermione flushed and tramped on his foot with hers. He groaned slightly in pain and she smirked in satisfaction.

"Come on, girl, we want to see some magic as well." the first one of them said and threw his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, then taking a step towards Hermione. She grimaced and hugged Crookshanks to her chest once more. "Your boyfriend wants some too!" he added and Hermione snorted.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She snapped in fury.

"Damn right I'm not!" Draco added crossing his arms over his chest. The boys laughed and Hermione realised that it was precisely the answer they wanted.

"Good, you can just watch when we have a bit fun with her!" they said and Draco smirked at the idea.

"Hey! No one talks about me like that, you hear?!" Hermione yelled angrily, quickly moving her wand from her pocket to her sleeve so they couldn't see it.

"Well, watcha gonna do about that, girlie?" one asked taking a step closer. Hermione backed again, clutching her wand and Crookshanks tightly.

Suddenly a loud pang was heard from behind the boys and all of them whipped around, staring wildly into the darkness of the alley. Even if it was daytime and the sun shone most brightly, the alley, in which opening they all stood by, was dark and shadowed by the tall houses on each side. A pair of dustbins, with two hairy legs sticking out of either side of them, came running towards the boys, making loud scary noises and throwing their contents upon the three boys who all screamed like little helpless girls in fear and scrambled out of the way, past a laughing Hermione and a wide-eyed Draco, out into the street and off sight.

The dustbins calmed down in a swish of Hermione's wand and settled themselves against the wall unmoving, the legs gone. A horrible stench filled the air and Hermione lifted her hand to her nose.

"Ew, Malfoy. Hold your farts." she commented and walked further into the alley, the darkness swallowing her. Draco stood gawking after her but snapped out of it with a shake of his head and he hurried after her.

"That was illegal." he said harshly with lowered eyebrows as he fell into a step beside her. Hermione had stopped and looked around her.

"What? I hear this coming from a Malfoy!" she told him mockingly. "Illegal, give me a break!" she muttered quietly so he didn't hear.

"The Ministry could snap your wand in two because of that." Draco said with an excited tone in his voice. If that really happened, he would be rid of her forever!

Hermione frowned. "Oh get over it! They won't snap my wand in two because it was pure self-defence, idiot! You seriously thought I was going to let those brats do whatever they pleased with me?" she asked disbelieved. "I had to stop them from doing anything – perverse." she added with a nod and leaned against the brick wall, holding onto Crookshanks and twirling her wand between her fingers.

"You know they were just messing around, Granger, or did you really think they were going to do something perverse to a filthy Mudblood like you?" he asked with a laugh. Hermione glared at him.

"Oh please! They don't care if you're a Pure-blood or not. And I told you not to call me that." she commented. "Anyway, remember that we still have to get back to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said swiftly. "Then where's this Knight Bus, Granger? Conjure it up will you?" Draco drawled in his usual tone.

"Of course, master." she muttered sarcastically.

Hermione gripped her wand and swished her wrist a bit. Nothing. Draco raised his eyebrows, standing in the middle of the alley, a mean smirk curving his lips.

"Well?" he said impatiently. Hermione swished her wrist again, this time a bit more forcefully.

PANG!

"Watch out!"

A bright purple triple-decker bus drove down the alley and came into a fierce halt in front of them, in the exact place where Draco had been standing in a few second ago. The lights illuminated the whole alley, including a pair of teenagers, one having the other pressed against the wall.

After Draco had yelled his 'watch out', he had jumped into Hermione, pinning her against the wall. The pang had scared the hell out of him and he had no idea what it was. A light shone upon them and Draco heard a voice talk muffled against his chest. Delicate hands were pushing him strongly.

"Get – off – Malfoy!" the words came muffled and Draco's eyes widened in disgust as he looked down, seeing Hermione's face muffled into his chest. Hmm, poor Crookshanks…

Draco pushed himself off of her in a quick move and grimaced.

"That was a bit too much, Granger. I do know that I'm charming and handsome, but you seriously don't have to try and hug me!" Draco exclaimed at her. Hermione glared at him, brushing her clothes off. Crookshanks was not over that incident yet. He was hissing and spitting at Draco, his face flatter than before.

"I know he's an arrogant bastard, Crookshanks." Hermione said to her cat and pet his head.

"Like Oh My God, Granger! You said bastard!" Draco mocked, bringing his hands to his mouth in a fake gasp. "And I didn't know you can understand cats? But you never know about Mudbloods anyway…" he trailed off.

"Oh go to hell!" Hermione yelled fuming, pocketing her wand.

A sudden cough startled them both and they turned to look at Stan Shunpike, the purple clad conductor of the Knight Bus, leaning against the doorframe of the purple bus.

"Finished bickering, are ye?" he asked in a thick accent, his eyebrows raised high at them. "Alrighty then! Welcome to the Knight Bus – The fastest emergency transport for a stranded wizard or –" he was cut off by Hermione storming inside the bus, pushing past Stan in an angry manner. Stan gave Draco a questioning look and turned his head to watch Hermione's butt as she walked to the very end of the bus and finally sitting down on a bed with a frown. She placed Crookshanks onto the bed beside her and crossed her legs and arms, still muttering insults to Draco even if he could not hear her. Stan turned back to Draco with a curious expression planted on to his pimply face.

"So, where're ye goin' then?" Stan asked Draco as he too boarded.

"Hogwarts school." he told the conductor. Stan's eyes lit up as he seemed to understand their situation.

"'Ogwarts, eh?" Stan asked excited. "You two missed the Express didn't ya? Well, this is the first! Is she yer girlfriend?" he called to Draco as he closed the door of the bus and Pang! they were on their way towards Wales, where the Knight Bus had to drop a passenger off. The bus ride was not a gentle one. It jumped from one side of the road to the other, making buildings jump out of the way and the beds inside the bus slide along the corridor. Draco did not like it very much.

"No!" Draco and Hermione yelled at the same time.

"Denial!" both Stan and the driver said to each other. The teenagers ignored this yet they had heard it.

Stan walked over to Draco who sat on a bed far away from Hermione. "The driver goes by the name of Ernie Prang. So! What'll it be, Mister? You want hot chocolate or our newest product; the chocolate-Shunpike cookies? I've made 'em meself! It's only two Sickles and ten Knuts!" Stan exclaimed to Draco, taking a squashed chocolate cookie out of his pocket and showing it to him. Mmm, delicious... "What's your name by the way?"

"Draco Malfoy." he answered, looking out of the window, after casting Hermione a quick glance of loathing. When he didn't hear Stan talking, he turned his head to look at his pale face which stared at him in fear. "Are you ill or something?" Draco asked seeing his fearsome expression.

"Me? Err – n-no Mr Malfoy." Stan said, taking a step backwards. He glanced at the driver and then gulped. "Alrighty, t-tell me i-if you need s-something!" Stan said swiftly before running to Ernie whispering "'Ey, Ern! Guess who we 'ave aboard! It's Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's son!" he told the driver and when he turned around in his seat to stare at Draco, the bus drove in a gutter and made Draco and the rest of the passengers fall of their beds.

What do they know? Draco thought worrying, clutching his left forearm. It couldn't be out in the papers that he was a Death Eater, could it? No, otherwise he'd heard it straight from Hermione when they met. Maybe they were scared because Lucius was a Death Eater and Draco one's son? Yes, that had to be it. He glanced at Hermione's direction once more and found her glaring at him with an angry fire in her eyes. He smirked and stood up while the bus drove back on the road. Pang! They were out of London and driving towards Wales. Draco could not take the curious and angry stares which were sent to him by the pimply conductor and the crazy driver. It made him feel like Harry Potter so he walked over to Hermione, wanting to mess with her head.

"Go away." was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"No." Draco answered taking a seat on the bed in front of her. Crookshanks hissed at him and he had the urge to kick him.

"Go away, Malfoy. You're not welcome here." Hermione said stubbornly.

"I'm hurt Granger." Draco drawled mockingly and placed a hand on his heart. "Please heal me." he added with a smirk.

"No. Now go away." she snapped, petting her cat. Suddenly the bus was leaning furiously to the right and the beds went sliding along the corridor. Draco toppled off his bed onto Hermione's and he landed on top of her. Was he doing this on purpose all the time?

"Eek! You're – strangling me, Ferret!" Hermione's voice came from under him and he smirked down at her. "This isn't funny so wipe that smirk off your ugly face!" she added and Draco's smirk faded.

"You don't think I'm ugly, Granger, you think I'm gooooooorgeous!" he purred. She blushed slightly but didn't let her mask down, she gave his chest a mighty push with her hands and Draco climbed off of her.

"Phiuuuuuuh!" came a whistle from the other end of the bus where Stan has seen the whole scene. Hermione stuck her middle finger out to him and then glared at Draco. Boys…

"Now that was quite –" Draco begun.

"Keep it shut!" Hermione told him sternly and ignored them all the rest of the ride.

The bus-ride went without further misfortunes and Hermione, to her relief, got to be alone with her thoughts and Crookshanks, who seemed very angry with Draco, just like Hermione. Although the ride was very bumpy, it continued quite smoothly between Draco and Hermione mainly because no words were uttered.

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To Be Continued…

Author's Note: End of the Chapter. I decided to make up for this little 'putting-together-of-two-chapters' by adding a new chapter. Ok, to my reviewers, Thank you's and Firebolts goes to; lil-blonde-pirate, LynneG, Alexis, elvenrarehunter, s0mething wicked, Maggi25, Lexi, RavenclawRegina (Nope, I don't study Latin, if you're wondering about my pen name, it's because I love snakesssss!), inquisitive kitty and SomeRockerGirl! Thank you so much! 3

Please leave a review and tell what you liked about this chapter?! Did I forget about something with the Knight Bus perhaps? Or was Hermione too – uptight? Tell me in a review, please! :D Spank you!

PS: Since Draco is not Head Boy, do you want to guess who is and get a special prize since I'm feeling super generous?! ;)

Hugs! 3