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AUTHORS NOTE: Once again I'd like to thank the people who have reviewed my last chapter ^_^

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Apples and Oranges

The sunlight shone through the gaps in the canopy of green leaves, giving the forest a bright and warm atmosphere. Looking up, Hermione could see that not a single cloud was in the clear blue sky. The heat was becoming unbearable for the students as they trekked through the forest in their robes, each one praying for a cool breeze to pass them by.

"If you asked us one more time "how much further?" I'm gonna punch you right at the side of your fat head!" Draco shouted at Neville. He'd been asking the same question for over half an hour now and it was really starting to annoy him. "How the hell are we supposed to know anyway? It's not as if we know where everything is you stupid prat!"

"I…I was just…" stuttered Neville, trying to take a few steps back away from him.

"Yeah, well don't alright?" Neville lowered his head and took his place behind Lavender.

"Why are you always picking on him?" demanded Hermione who was now standing behind Draco with her arms crossed.

"What?" He spun round to meet her gaze.

"Can't you just leave him alone for once in awhile?"

"Shut up Granger!"

"No I wont! Why are you so against him?" Her face was now only a few inches away from his. For a few seconds they stood there, glaring at each other until Draco shook his head and turned around to address the rest of the group.

"Let's just get going, I think the river might be near by."

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After a few minutes they finally came to a wide river.

"Oh no!"

"What?" the others asked in unison. Following Hermione's gaze they saw what she was looking at. On the other side of the river stood small trees bearing different types of fruit.

"We don't have to swim over there do we?" asked Pansy

"Looks like it." Draco replied as he began taking off his shoes.

"What are you doing?" questioned Hermione as he slid his robes over his head.

"Well we've got to get across the river haven't we?" Draco was now standing in front of her in just his trousers. Hermione was trying to stop her eyes from roaming over his muscular chest by diverting her gaze to Harry (who was now starting to strip down too.) "Don't worry Granger, we wont be stripping down any further than this."

"You two," Draco was now pointing at Lavender and Neville who were holding their water jugs.

"Start collecting some water whilst we collect some food from the other side."

"We?" asked Pansy but before she knew what was happening Draco had picked her up in his arms.

"Yes we. Pick her up too Potter and we'll carry them across with us." Draco said as he nodded towards Hermione. Once Harry had picked her up they stepped into the river.

The water was cool and refreshing and the current was, well lets just say they couldn't feel any current at all. As they reached the halfway point, Draco mouthed something to Harry and he replied with a nod.

"Ah something just hit my leg!" Draco faked a stumble.

"Don't drop me Draco!"

"Ah something just hit me too. I think there's something in this water!" The boys started stumbling around, causing the girls to panic.

Draco let go of Pansy then slid under the water. Hermione screamed and groped at Harry whilst Pansy felt under the water for Draco.

"Harry!" Harry had gone underneath too. Hermione joined in with pansy as tears filled her eyes.

Under the water, Harry and Draco gave each other the thumbs up and grabbed the girl's legs and pulled them under. After a few seconds they came back up.

"You stupid idiot!" Hermione shouted as she wiped the water from her eyes and gasped for air. "What did you do that for?"

"It was to get you to let your hair down!" Harry laughed as Hermione pushed him back into the river playfully.

Draco and Pansy had reached the other side. "Come on you two!"

"Dracy I'm cold." Pansy pouted.

"Oh yeah? I'll warm you up when we get back then." Draco winked at her then spun round to see the other two strolling up to them. Clapping his hand together he shouted, "Come on then, let's start pickin'!"

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The trees were rather small and made it easy for them to pick their fruits and store them in the baskets.

"You know Hermione, your never going to get much done when your staring over there at them all the time." Harry pointed out as he picked yet another apple from the tree. Hermione had spent most of her time watching Draco and Pansy with disgust as they groped each other whilst working on there tree. "If I didn't know any better I'd have thought you were jealous."

"Me, jealous? Are you kidding? What would I be jealous of?" Harry raised his eyebrow at her. "I…it's not as if I care that that git is throwing herself at him! What? Stop looking at me like that!"

"If you say so." Harry laughed and went back to picking apples. Hermione was trying to avert her gaze from Draco and her. She had never gotten along with Pansy but lately she seemed to be getting on her nerves even more than usual. "Look, I'm your best friend and I know what your like so don't think you can deceive me."

"I'm not…"

"Don't interrupt me either. I've been watching you two lately and I've notice that you've been sneaking quick glances at him whenever you have the chance. Even he's been doing it too!" Hermione was about to object but Harry silenced her with his hand. "Don't go getting yourself involved with that waste of space, you'll end up getting yourself hurt. I don't know if you remember but you two haven't exactly had a friendly past."

"I know that but I can't help but look at him. I don't know why though. I don't have a crush on him, at least I don't think I do."

The other two were making their way over to them, Draco carrying the basket of oranges. "Let's keep it that way."

"You two finished then?" Draco asked as he placed his basket down next to theirs.

"We can't just live of fruit and water you know?" said Hermione as she dropped the last green apple in the basket. "We're going to need some form of meet."

"We'll work on that tomorrow. Until then this will have to do." Harry picked up the heavy basket of apples and began walking back to the river. "You girls are going to have to swim across seeing as we've got to carry there."

The guys had already started to cross the river when Pansy and Hermione lifted up their robes and started after them. An orange had fallen out of the basket so Hermione picked it up and handed it back to Draco.

"Thanks Granger." Draco smiled at her and put it back with the others. Pansy glared at her.

Neville and Lavender greeted them on the other side with their jugs full of fresh water. Neville tried to pinch one of the apples but had it knocked out of his hands by Draco (who had just picked up his axe). "Don't even think about Longbottom. This food has gotta last us a few days so don't got stuffing your face with it!"

"Well let's get started then, unless you all want to freeze tonight." Harry and Draco headed off with their axes and left the others to lounge by the river.

After 20 minutes they returned with an armful of thick branches which they had chopped off the trees. "We thought it wouldn't be such a good idea if we tried to hack down the entire tree." Harry chuckled."

"Let's get back to the cottage."

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The small fireplace was lit by a small fire in the living room, which was being fed fuel by Neville. Above the fire hung a small cauldron which was filled with boiling water. Hermione and Lavender had begun peeling the apples with the small carving knives to place inside it.

"So tell me again why we're boiling these apples?" Draco asked.

"Apples taste better when their boiled Malfoy. Well, at least I think they are." replied Hermione as she slipped a skinless apple into the water.

"Can't I just have one that's not cooked?"

"If you want. Here you go." Hermione tossed an apple over to him and he caught.

"We really need to catch some food tomorrow." Harry sad as he peeked in the cauldron. "We can't eat stuff like this everyday."

"And how do you suppose we do that? Run around after rabbits, hoping to spring ourselves on one to eat?"

"No we make some spears." Hermione gave Draco a questioning glance. "We just need some long branches and use the knives to give them a sharp point."

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know all this stuff Malfoy?"

"That's for me to know." Draco replied as he tapped his nose with his finger.

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Once they'd had something to eat (and complained about hw horrible the apples tasted) they made their way up to bed.

Hermione had got changes into her nightdress and decided to go down and fetch a glass of water whilst Lavender got changed.

The stairs creaked as she tiptoed down them. I'm never going to be able to sneaked down if they keep making this amount of noise! Every now and then at Hogwarts, Hermione would sneak out of the girls dormitories to given herself some time to think in the common room.

As Hermione turned to enter the small room she bumped into something tall and hard. Draco Malfoy.

"Watch it Granger, you almost knocked my glass of water from my hands!" Draco spat as he shoved past her and made his way back up the stairs.

"I'm sorry, there's no need to bite my head off!" She picked up a glass from the side and poured some water into it. God, what's his problem! Maybe if he wasn't in such a rush to get back to that snob we wouldn't have knocked into each other.

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"Are you OK?" Lavender asked. "You look frustrated."

Hermione closed the bedroom door and slammed the glass of water on the side, half of it's contents spilling over it. "It's that stupid, stuck-up Malfoy!"

"What's he done know?" She patted the spot next to her and Hermione sat beside her.

"We accidentally bumped into each other downstairs and he acts like an ass! He gets on my nerves so badly that I just feel like putting my hands around his neck and strangling him!"

Lavender laughed as she plopped herself back on her own bed. "You two really should learn to get along."

"I'm trying but he makes it so hard."

"Try and ignore him then. Be the better person."

"Your right, he's not worth getting myself all worked up over. Goodnight"

They'd only just laid down for two minute when banging came from the room next to them, followed by moaning.

"Flippin' heck, do they have to start doing that? Don't they know we're all still awake?"

Lavender chortled as Hermione tried to muffle the sound by putting her pillow over her head.

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