Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to J. K. Rowling. I only own the plot!
A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews (45 of them). I'm glad to say that chapter 10 is finally ready, so please R/R! And because of the big delay, I've decided to answer every review I got from chapter 9.
Chaos Girly: Hi Sav, glad you decided to review my story. Yeah, Lavender does seems a bit suspicious, but you'll just have to continue reading to found out, eh?
Chloe: Thanks. I've added you in my address book.
FlameEyes7: Thanks, glad you like my work :D
Jessie302: Thanks, glad you think my story is awesome. I assume that since you've written your email address you want to get the update notes, right?
ExpectoPatronumGirl: Hej Julie, opdatering kommer nu. Håber du kan lide kapitel 10!
Frenchgirl: Thanks, glad to see that people also reads the French translation.
Laura: You love my story? Wow, thanks. Glad to hear that smiles.
LittleBunny92: Thanks, I hope you'll enjoy chapter 10
Briseis: Lol, thanks. Enjoy!
Ambz: Yeah, I love the D/Hr couple too. Actually, that's one of my favorite HP couples.
Nfertari: Always glad to hear that my plot is great, but hey... If you want to tell me again, don't hesitate to do so smiles.
Young poet15: Thanks. Here is your update.
Silver Eyed Goddess08: Hi Arwen. You think Lavender is using Hermione, eh? And I've decided to make more chapters than just two :)
Maggie: Hi Maggie, you been reading it from the beginning? Wow! Of course, I've added you in my address book.
Edel: Haha, you think that there is a weird tension between Malfoy and Mione too? Glad I'm not the only one.
DMHG4ever: Thanks blushes. Enjoy!
Kelli Granger: Thanks, glad you liked chapter 9.
WickedforDraco: Yeah, I know you guys have been waited a long time. Sorry about that. Hope you'll enjoy chapter 10.
Malfoy-Girl: Thanks, glad you liked them. Yeah, I'm from Denmark.
Aurora Rose: Well, here you are. Chapter 10 is ready.
Ashley: Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out what the deal is with Draco.
Isis: Interesting? Is that good or bad?
: You think Draco is mean?
DracoLegolasLvr87: Wow, you love the chapter? Yay! Thanks Lizzy. I loved to read your review, about the whole 'hyper-thingy'.
Mandy: Thanks.
Riley26: You don't think they are truly friends? Well, read to find out :D
Syaoronsangel: Sorry about the waiting time. So, too lazy to sign in, huh? Enjoy!
Oreo69not96: Thanks!
Dilli: Thanks! A lot of people actually thinks chapter 9 was the best (so far), mostly because I gave Hermione a friend. Lol, glad that your perspective about Lavender has changed. Haha, der var ikke Karamel kastning på på skole, jeg går I gymnasium.
Amanda S: Oh my god, just reread your review. You wanted a fast update, and this one has taken me months to write... Sorry!
Ihateprepsandthe7: Don't worry, I've decided to continue with this story, not that I gave it up at some point. I just thought about ending it sooner, but I've changed my mind and decided to make the story a lot longer (I think).
CiaHottie: Here is your update.
Silent-Piru: Thanks, here's the update.
The elven princess: Thanks!
Katkit: Hm, sorry about the delay. Enjoy!
Lena: Lol, you want to create a similar story? Please don't smiles, then people wouldn't read mine.
Thebluemarshmallow: Yeah, hooray for Lavender :D
DuffyThePanther: Yeah, I probably wouldn't trust Lavender either. Glad you like the way I keep you wondering.
K: Glad you liked the bullying part. You really think it feels so true to life? That was actually the hardest thing to write, since I've never been a victim or such myself. I know the romance part isn't that great, but I promise I'll work on it. Thanks, I'm gonna need your 'Good Luck'.
Mara: Thanks Mara!
Keddababy: Thanks, glad you liked the chapter!
Hotrau420. Another yay is coming, I updated again. Thanks, glad you love my story!
Crazedgurl1291: Yeah, I know the beginning was a bit :cough: bad :chough, and I'm glad too that you continued on the reading.
Eve Granger: Hmm, They will get together, soon :D
Savage-Lilly: Hi girl! Thanks for your review! So glad year one of school is finished. About the date, that won't come before chapter 11, sorry. I just came up with another great idea that would only fit in before the date.
Chapter 10 – What to wear?
"How about this dress?" asked Lavender, for the tenth time that day. Hermione looked at the black dress Lavender was showing her, and frowned.
"Lavender... two things! First, the so-called date isn't until four days from now, why bother to find a dress so quickly? And second, I would never wear something that slutty like that dress you are holding up!" yelled Hermione, tired of looking at dresses. She rubbed her temples, a headache was starting to come, and she wanted to avoid that.
"Don't you want to look good?" asked Lavender, with big scared eyes. "And about this 'slutty' dress as you called it... I found it in your closet, meaning it's yours and not mine, although I wouldn't mind if it was mine," added Lavender.
Hermione nodded, and mumbled, "Keep it."
Lavender squealed, and hugged Hermione.
'Why?' thought Hermione and looked up at the ceiling above her bed. 'Why did I say she could help me finding a dress? I should have known she would make a big deal out of it. Dear God, help me!'
The door opened and both girls looked at it, seeing Parvati walking in. She just scowled at them, and turned around, walking out of the door once again.
Hermione was about to ask why Parvati acted like that, when Lavender interrupted, "Don't worry about her, I think she is jealous because we are friends now..."
Friends, friends... The word kept repeating itself, until she finally shrugged it off. She had never had a real friend before, and now she had one. Well, could you even call Lavender a friend? She actually doubted that. Lavender seemed like she only wanted someone to dress up, someone she could give a makeover.
Sadly, Hermione was grateful for this attention, even though it wasn't for real. She had a strong feeling that Lavender got something else than their new friendship out of this.
Yesterday Lavender had come back with a new necklace, which was apparently a present from Potter. But why would he give her such an expensive present, when he had never given her or any of his previous girls jewellery before?
Something was just wrong with this picture, and she wanted to find out what. Or maybe she had got it totally wrong... Maybe Lavender was the girl for Potter, the girl of his dreams, and he would settle down with her? Yeah, it must be that. It had to be that!
"Lavender, I'm tired. Could we please stop now? I mean, we have tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after again... We have four days to find a dress, and I'm not even sure if I'll go," said Hermione, waiting for the outburst she knew would follow. But it never came...
"Hermione... 'Mione, you don't have to meet him if you don't want to. I just think it would be wise to meet him, to find out why he wants to meet you. Don't tell me you aren't excited, because I know you are," replied Lavender, looking very sinister.
And that was the end of the discussion. Hermione tried to explain to Lavender that she didn't want the extra attention from Malfoy, or any other Slytherin, but Lavender just waved it off.
She sighed.
Maybe having friends wasn't as easy as it looked. Or maybe Lavender was just extraordinarily hard to figure out.
"Lavender, I'm so tired. I think I'll go to bed now," said Hermione, and faked a yawn. Lavender looked a bit sad, but nodded and smiled anyway.
She walked to the bathroom, and brushed her teeth. While doing that she looked at the mirror, and groaned. She looked so ugly, her hair was still not cooperating, and she decided she would ask Lavender if she could fix it, to do something to it, tomorrow.
She was about to turn and leave the bathroom, when she noticed it again. Yes, if you looked closely, you could still see Malfoy's teeth marks on her lip. Flashbacks from the day he had kissed her came floating, and she gasped when she remembered that tiny little sparkle she had felt.
She touched her lip, and almost wished that he would kiss her again, just like he had done in Hogsmeade. Almost being the keyword. She was still terrified of him, scared of what his next move would be.
She walked out of the bathroom, walking towards her bed when she noticed Lavender was about to put on her cloak.
"Going somewhere?" asked Hermione, and crooked an eyebrow.
"Yeah," said Lavender in a faraway voice. "Harry wants to meet me," she added and giggled.
"Oh," was all she could think of saying.
"Don't wait up, sweetie, because I don't know when I'll be back."
Hermione nodded, and looked at the other girl, watching her disappear out of their room, hearing her walk rather loudly down the stairs.
She walked to her bed, crawling under the blanket. This bed was so comfy, and she liked lying here, listening to voices or sounds.
She didn't know how long she had been staring at the ceiling, when Parvati suddenly came back. Her hair looked a bit messed up, and so did her robe. She had probably been with Weasley until now.
Parvati didn't say anything, nor did she once look at Hermione who was following the girl's movements around the room.
"Could you please stop staring at me!" hissed Parvati, suddenly. Hermione looked away, listening to the movements. She could hear Parvati mumble something, but it was too quiet that she couldn't make out what had been said.
Hermione turned over on her side, and slowly drifted to sleep, never hearing Lavender sneak inside the room.
Hermione woke the next morning feeling relaxed. She looked over at Lavender's bed and found the girl lying with her back towards her. She frowned, pretty sure that she hadn't heard Lavender come back, but shrugged it off. She had been tired, and that was probably why she hadn't heard the other girl come back from her date with Potter.
She moved her gaze to the window and smiled when she saw the sun. This was going to be a good day; she could practically feel it in her bones. She sat up, and came to the conclusion that it couldn't be more than around five in the morning since the sun was only just started to make an appearance.
She stifled a yawned, and decided that since she was already awake she could take a longer shower than normal. And by the time she would be finished, Lavender would start to wake up, and then they could try to fix her hair together. Yeah, that sounded like a pretty good plan.
She walked on toes to the bathroom, trying not to make too much noise. The last thing she needed now was to wake up Parvati. The mere thought of the grumpy girl was horrifying, so she would do everything she could to be silent.
Not that she was scared of Parvati. There was just something about the girl; she was just always grumpy, always sending her hateful looks, always sneering.
She turned on the knobs and sighed when the hot water hit her body, slowly massaging it, removing all the tension she didn't knew had been there.
"Mm," moaned Hermione, helping the water to ease all the hidden tension away. Her hands followed her curves, working their way from her legs and upwards. She gently washed her body, trying to clear her head while doing so.
'I wonder why he picked me... I need to know!' she thought and turned off the water. She walked out of the stand and found her towel. She quickly dried herself with the blue towel she had once gotten on her tenth birthday. It was her favorite.
She stepped out of the bathroom and walked again on toes towards her drawer.
"Morning 'Mione," said a voice, startling Hermione completely.
"Lavender... You're awake?" asked Hermione, although she new the other girl had to be awake to actually talk to her. It was just a stupid reaction when somebody scared you.
"Yeah, although I could use some more sleep. Too bad Potions are the first class, eh?" smiled Lavender, and got out of bed. Hermione followed her with her eyes, all the way to the bathroom where the door locked.
"So, friends with Lavender now, huh?" asked Parvati, looking hatefully at Hermione.
Hermione, not sure if she should answer the other girl back, just nodded.
"You do know that she had to be bribed to even consider being your friend, right?" hissed Parvati, standing surprisingly close, too close if you asked Hermione.
"Don't know what you're talking about," said Hermione, looking at the other girl with cold eyes. Ha! Lavender had to be bribed to be her friend. As if! Lavender hadn't gotten anything from... The necklace! Of course, it had to be why she had gotten that necklace from Potter.
Parvati nodded, as if she had read her mind or something like that.
"Be careful with who you trust," whispered Parvati, looking smug.
"So, what are you two whispering about?" asked Lavender, cheerfully. Parvati just looked at Lavender, then at Hermione before she walked to the bathroom and closed the door after her.
"What did she say?" asked Lavender, sounding a bit anxious.
"Oh, nothing really... just wanted to tell me how much she still loathes me," she answered, giving the dark-haired girl a shrug, as if she didn't cared what had been said.
She noticed that Lavender looked a bit relieved, maybe too relieved? She wasn't sure if Parvati was telling the truth, or if she had lied to create a fight between them, but one thing was for sure – she would find out, someway.
"Could you help me with my hair?" asked Hermione, changing the subject.
"Sure," squeaked Lavender, a noise that hurt Hermione's ears.
She was about to tell Lavender how she wanted her hair to look like, when Parvati came out again, fully dressed in her school clothes. Neither of the girls in the room said anything to each other. Silence, utter and complete silence.
As Lavender worked on Hermione's hair, Parvati was looking at them, and Hermione was trying to look happy – although she couldn't help wondering what had happened between Lavender and Parvati. One day they were best friends, and the next day Hermione was Lavender's best friend. That was at least what Lavender had told her she was.
"And... finished!" exclaimed Lavender, dragging Hermione to the bathroom. Hermione followed – she had no choice anyway – and looked at the mirror. Her hair was... straight! How had Lavender managed to do that? Wasn't she, Hermione, the greatest witch ever in this school? She had tried all kind of ways to make her hair straight, but never succeeded. And now some girl with a lower intelligence than her had done what she had tried to do all those years.
"Like it?" whispered Lavender, while petting the hair slowly.
"Yes," whispered Hermione back, looking in the mirror. It was perfect. And then she came eye to eye with Parvati, who was standing in the doorway. She could see the girl looked impressed, and truth be told, she was impressed herself.
"Nice," said Parvati with a drawling voice, sounding oddly familiar to the drawls Malfoy always made.
"Look at the time," said the dark-haired witch, causing Hermione to break the eye contact with Parvati. "We're late for breakfast!"
The three girls ran out of their room, all of their 'disagreements' forgotten right now.
They reached the great hall, panting very hard, trying to get their breath back before they would enter the hall.
"Show time," said Lavender, and before Hermione had time to ask what she meant by that, the door was pushed open and all three of them entered.
The hall went silent a few seconds, before whispers where heard all over.
"Look... Mudblood... New hairstyle... Who does she think she is...? Bitch..." the last one came from the Slytherin table, and Hermione wasn't surprised to see that it had been Pansy who had said it.
Unfortunately for Pansy, Malfoy was sitting right beside her. Although Hermione couldn't hear what he whispered to her, she could see that Pansy turned whiter and whiter, and by the time Malfoy had stopped speaking Pansy was on the verge of tears.
Hermione, who was now sitting between Lavender and Parvati, blushed. He had defended her, right? Wait, she was sitting between Lavender and Parvati? She looked at the last girl, trying to figure out why Parvati had changed her mind about sitting with her and Lavender.
'Should I ask her?'
Murmurs were heard all over the hall through out the whole breakfast, and it didn't stop until everybody started to realize that classes would start soon, meaning that all the gossip would have to wait until lunch.
Hermione started walking as well, but soon realized that both Lavender and Parvati weren't following her. She stopped in her tracks, deciding to wait for them, but soon regretted it.
"Well, well, what have we here," said the so familiar drawling voice. Hermione closed her eyes, hoping that he would go away, but memories of what happened last time she had closed her eyes made her open them again, looking straight in the eye of the enemy.
"Good to see you've changed your hairstyle. I assume it is your work, huh?" he said, looking at Lavender, who merely nodded her response.
"Harry, why don't you and Ron go and tell Professor Snape that I'll be a little late for class today," he said, but it didn't sound like a real suggestion, more like a demand.
"Of course, Draco... And if he asks about her?"
"Well, tell him that she will be late as well. We have some unfinished business to attend."
Hermione swallowed. What unfinished business could they possible have? She had no clue of what he meant. She hadn't said or done anything; she had been quite good these past days. She couldn't possible have done anything that would offend him. Had she?
Potter and Weasley dragged both Parvati and Lavender with them down the stairs, heading towards the dungeons where the Potion classroom was.
Hermione looked at the retreating backs, wishing that Snape would come looking for her, although that didn't seem that realistic. If she hadn't been frightened for what Malfoy had in store for her, she would have laughed at the mere thought of Snape caring for a student.
"Now," hissed Malfoy, smirking while walking closer. Hermione hit the wall with her back when she tried to back away from him. Why did he have to be so damn tall?
"What?" asked Hermione in a whisper, unsure if it was wise to even breathe right now, thinking of how evil he looked when smirked.
"What? Not even a hello kiss?" he asked, looking arrogant.
'You evil little conceited bastard,' she thought, wishing she had the guts to say the same as her thoughts.
"What about just a hello?" she asked, hoping that he would agree on that.
"Hmm... NO!" he hissed, walking even close than before.
She sighed. She had to do it, she had to kiss him. She leaned forward, her lips slightly touched his, and she felt a sudden bliss. He moved closer to her, putting his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer to him, now in full body contact. She felt the heat from his body and couldn't help but moan.
But lack of experience cause her to run out of air pretty quickly, so she had to push him away to get some air. She blushed of her inexperience, and looked down on her hands.
"Didn't know you had it in you, Mudblood!" he said, giving her a devilish smirk.
A/N: So, did you like it? Hate it? Review and let me know! I know that the chapter was not that long, but I promise that the next one(s) will. Oh yeah... Only leave your email address (if you don't have a profile on ) if you want to receive an update-mail, every time I update. I think that is all. Review!
And thanks to Lady Coia (Megan) for helping me with my grammar and spelling!