Disclaimer: I am not J K Rowling! I have a Psychology exam tomoro YAY! (Not really good) and I just want some time off. So here it is.

Chapter 6; The Cleanup and Oh Dear.

If Hermione thought that things couldn't get any worse. She was wrong. Early the next day Ginny came into her room, telling her that Dumbledore was asking for her and Malfoy in his office (the password was acid pop) so there she was, again, in as little as a week.

"Right well, Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy. I have been informed of what took place yesterday."

He looked stern, no twinkle in the eyes. Dumbledore loved Hogwarts and they had just about destroyed a section of it. It was easily fixable but that wasn't where the problem lay.

"I really did expect better of you Miss Granger. I will not belittle you because neither of you are little children anymore. I know that both of you have this ongoing feud." Now he turned to look at Malfoy. "Mr Malfoy. Do not judge someone by the company they keep. Yes, Miss Granger is best friends with Mr Potter, but do not let that be the reason that you hate someone. How would you feel if people avoided and hated you because of what you have for a father?"

Malfoy looked down. Hermione guessed that he was thinking 'I don't hate her coz she's friends with scarhead, it's coz of her vile blood.' But that was just her guess.

Now he looked at Hermione. "Miss Granger, I thought you, at least, would remember the Feast at the end of your fourth year. Both of you are on the same side. I chose you two for the Heads because you are the best students academically. Adults do not behave this way. You will do your detention tonight. The entrance to that corridor has been sealed because it is hazardous at the moment. Your lessons have been pardoned which means that you can get to work as of this very moment.

Hermione flashed a glance at Malfoy, daring him to argue but he didn't. There was not point, Dumbledore was right.

* * * * *

Hermione stood outside the caution sign that stood before yesterday's wreckage. There was a spell protecting it. One that no one except Hermione and Malfoy could get through. They had refrained from talking to each other on their walk down here; they had too much to think about. One thought that kept popping into Hermione's head was 'how could I have been so stupid?'

Dumbledore hadn't told them how to get through the spell so she opted on just walking through the protection spell. She raised her foot to walk over it but was almost immediately stopped. Malfoy had a firm grip on her arm and said. "Are you mad Granger? That place is dangerous and you don't know what the spell will do to you."

Hermione removed her arm from his grip and turned to face him head on, which was quite difficult as her was at least 4 inches taller than her so she backed up a bit and tilted her head up. "This is our fault Malfoy. I already feel bad enough about it and if you think I care about a little spell or the fact that I could get killed falling from a hole in the floor and spearing myself on a broken torch bracket, you have another thing coming." And she proceeded to walk over the caution barrier and through the spell, surprisingly unscathed. Malfoy shrugged and followed.

They had been standing around for 5 minutes and Hermione was thinking 'they could at least have told us what to do' when Malfoy spoke "They could at least have told us what to do!"

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh, "Do you always complain? Can't you just accept it?"

She ignored the voice in her head that mocked 'but you were just thinking exactly the same thing!'

Malfoy glowered "I can accept the fact that this whole mess is you fault. You started it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Malfoy. I don't have time to nurture the boy in you. You keep blaming me and I'll clear this up ok? Seeing that it was you who tried to hit me with curses. It must have been me huh? I must have aimed them at myself"

Malfoy couldn't help the tiny bit of respect that grew for her just then but he could suppress it. He grabbed his wand and walked towards the damage.

Hermione started to heal the castle. It was tiring work. The spells needed were very powerful and she had to sit down quite a few times and rest. She wasn't as fit as Malfoy who didn't rest at all. He did remove his robe though. This was another reason that Hermione didn't want to look at him. All he had on was a t-shirt and trousers.

Hermione wiped the sweat off her forehead, panting. They had been at it for several hours now, sharing words every now and again but conversation was very strained and Hermione felt that she had run a marathon every time she tried, that's how much effort it took.

The castle was all but repaired at 8 o'clock that evening. Hermione was sure that she had never spent this much time with him. She used a quick spell to clean herself up. She didn't like it much because it always made her feel like she had stepped into an ice bath, even worse than walking into a ghost and living there. She had to warm herself up very quickly after that.

Draco stared at her, amused. "It would have been easier to just have a shower Granger. We are done here."

Hermione turned and scowled at him "You might enjoy being all sweaty and wet, but I do not."

Malfoy knew what she was implying and scowled in return. He advanced on her and hissed "Don't insinuate things which you clearly have no idea about?"

Hermione wasn't afraid of him. "If the shoe fits. I do not intend to have a repeat performance of yesterday Malfoy. So if you'll excuse me."

She made to walk past him but he stopped her. Her way was blocked and only Malfoy could let her pass, something she was sure, he didn't intend to do. "I won't excuse you Mudblood. Getting you to understand doesn't necessarily involve destroying a castle in the process. I am not a slut and I do not sleep with everybody."

Hermione bristled at him. "I don't care Malfoy. I never have. Sleep with whoever you like, I don't need to hear about it."

"Is that what everyone thinks? That I just sleep with every girl I can get my hands on?" he said quietly "There's nothing to hear about!" he didn't mean for that to come out, it just did.

Hermione smiled but it wasn't friendly. "Yes, that is what everyone thinks. Pansy has lots of stories about you two. You must be good Malfoy because she even wants us Gryffindor's to hear about it." Hermione hid the fact that this hurt. She didn't know why it did, but it did.

Malfoy took it as an insult, he rebounded and blinked repeatedly. He couldn't see the look Hermione was wearing because it was so dark. If he could see it, he would have seen the hurt because Hermione was losing that particular battle. He advanced on her again and growled "Pansy is an ugly git. She's skanky and throws herself at anybody. If you think that I'd lower myself to her, you're very mistaken. I don't fool around with people. I have more integrity than that."

Hermione felt one hot tear roll down her cheek. It wasn't because she was afraid or because she was hurt. She didn't know why it was but she knew that she had hurt his feeling, that much was clear.

* * * * *

Hermione entered the common room, having just visited the kitchens for food. Both she and Draco had missed it because of the huge repair work. She also didn't think that she could face him right now.

Only Julie was there, doing her homework. "Hey Julie, look, I just wanted to give you this ok? It's for Malfoy. He hasn't had anything to eat today." She handed Julie a food basket which she took and set beside her. Then Julie looked up questioningly but Hermione just added. "Don't tell him it's from me. He'll think I've poisoned it or something."

Julie nodded, feeling that this wasn't the right time to tease Hermione about Malfoy and her.

"I'm going to take a bath."

She spent a good half hour in the bath, thinking things over. Being head girl was supposed to be a good thing but it hadn't turned out that way so far. She had never had so many house points taken away from her and this didn't even have anything to do with Harry or Ron, well not physically anyway. She had also never felt this sore before in her life.

She stepped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around herself. Walking into her bedroom, she saw Julie. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Is my bedroom a free-for-all? Am I allowed no privacy?"

Julie smiled kindly. "You seemed troubled down there. I gave Draco the food, he didn't even ask who had given it. I just think he was so hungry. He also seemed troubled but I know better than to ask him what's up at times like that."

Hermione rummaged through her full length cupboard for some clothes. "Yeah, well. I guess it's because I subtly accused him of being a male slut."

"Male slut?" Julie wore an extremely puzzled look.

"Yeah, someone who goes around sleeping with everyone. It was very, very subtle. He just happened to pick up on it in a way only Malfoy can."

Julie groaned.

"What are you groaning for?" Hermione asked. She had chosen her outfit and walked behind her changing curtains to put them on.

"He doesn't take kindly to people accusing him of that. We Slytherin's try to play down the fact that everyone else thinks of him as a 'Playboy'. He isn't."

Hermione poked her head around the curtains "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Julie had gone red. It didn't look like an embarrassed red either. Or an angry red.

"Hold on, what are you getting at?" Hermione was finished changing and came out in her black strappy top and black three-quarter-length.

"He's a virgin." Julie whispered.

Hermione eye's widened "OOooo, gossip. Spill."

Julie rolled her eyes. "That's just it, if he was what you thought he was, then there would be something to 'spill' but he's not so there isn't. Simple."

Hermione pouted "I guess I was a bit cold, condescending and cruel huh?"

"That about sums it up. So do you have any gossip about Harry and Ginny?"

A voice spoke from the door. "We're still as innocent as new born babies."

They both swivelled around to see Ginny. Hermione muttered "I guess it is a damn free-for-all."

Julie looked distraught "So no gossip?!"

Ginny smiled and sat in Hermione's armchair. "Fraid not hun."

"You two haven't done anything? At all?"

Ginny shook her head. "Except kissed him. But that's to be expected. Why?"

Julie rolled her eyes. "Because you're 16, that's why. You're legal."

"DROP IT!!!" Hermione screamed. "This is all my fault, I should never have accused Malfoy and he was right. I had no proof."

Ginny's grin widened "OOOoooo gossip?"

Hermione threw her pillow at Ginny and buried herself under her covers "Leave while you still can, I'm sleeping. NOW!!!"

She heard Ginny whispering 'you can tell me downstairs'.

* * * * *

Hermione walked around the grounds with Harry, Ginny, Ron and Lavender. They were holding hands and standing very close. She had never felt more like a fifth wheel. They were in love, oblivious to the feeling of their best friends. They were once such good friends. The trio that knew everything about each other. They still cared for each other but she felt that she was missing out on something.

They seemed so happy and Hermione couldn't help thinking about the fact that she had never had a boyfriend before. They always thought that she first and only love was her books. She frowned and shrugged. That was the life of Hermione Granger.

"Harry? Ginny?" She called. They all turned to look at her. "I'm gonna take off ok? I have to get work done."

They fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Nodding, she left. She went straight back to her common room. Thinking about her social life, which was basically non-existent. She had a spur-of- the-moment thought. She wanted to fly and it couldn't be suppressed so she went upstairs and mounted her broom, flying out of the window and straight towards the sun. She made sure not to look directly at it.

Everyone looked so small, it seemed a lot more foreboding. She could judge the distance now that they were down there. When she was all alone, she couldn't really see the distance. Hermione tried to find two red-heads in the midst of the entire blonde and black. They were the most easiest to spot. She found them almost instantly. Trying to be as conspicuous as you can be when you are 100 feet above you friends, flying on a broomstick they do not have, she flew away, over the hill.

Hermione had never flown in daylight before and she felt self conscious. That was probably why she flew a little further than before. That was also probably why she didn't really pay attention to where she was going. She flew out of the schools bounds without knowing it. She didn't know that someone was behind her, not until it was too late. He was dressed completely in black with a mask over his face. She heard him yell 'stupefy' and then she knew no more.

Hermione fell off her broom which landed on the soft grass below, she didn't though. Where was she carried? She wasn't awake to find out.

* * * * *

And so endeth the chapter. Hope you liked it. Please review so that I will be spurred onto greater heights to write more. (