A/N: Someone actually reviewed this fic asking if I thought that Blaise was a girl. Well did I say that Blaise was a girl in this fic? Would Hermione have reacted so badly if it was a girl? Sorry sorry. I'm just kidding. I always imagined Blaise to be a girl. It could be because the only time I have ever read a book with that name in it, the person was female.

Chapter 15; Revenge Is Sweet

Ginny had every intention of marching up to Malfoy and tearing him a new one. A new what, she didn't know but she would make sure that she tore it slowly and very painfully. She walked with purpose only to be bought up short by Julie clutching onto the back of her clothes. "Julie!" She hissed. "Let go of me. I need to knick his pale ass for here to history!"

Julie shook her head vehemently - all the while keeping a firm grip on the back of the angry red-head's clothes. "Ginny. I understand what you're angry about and I'd kick him in the nuts if I could too." Draco didn't see this exchange at all as he was now back to Blaise. "It's just that you can not hurt the Head Boy in front of all these witnesses."

Ginny stopped struggling and turned to her friend disappointedly. "Since when do you think rationally? I though it was always act-first-think-later with you."

Julie chuckled. "I like to save it for when it counts. He also hasn't done anything wrong. Ethically it is but rationally, he's just being a boy."

Ginny grimaced at the pair then turned back to Julie. "Stop it, you're scaring me." She turned to the exit of the Three Broomsticks. "Come on, we're leaving. I will not sit here and watch two jerks eating each other."

The two prefects headed back for Hogwarts in search of the Head Girl. "But I really wanted a butterbeer." Julie whined.

Ginny huffed and increased her pace. "Get one from the kitchens when we get back to the castle. I'm guessing she won't be in the common room"


They were wrong. Hermione sat in the middle of the rug, in front of the fire, in the common room. She was lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows and doing her homework. It was such a good way to get away from all the troubles in her life and she may as well do it.

Hermione loved magic. It wasn't because she was school crazy. She did her homework and knew all the answers because she was sincerely interested. She hadn't been this conscientious at her old muggle school because even from a young age, she knew that there were better things out there for her. Who ever know that she would end up here.

Right now, Hermione wanted to get away from the feeling of sadness and disappointment. Why did she have to act so stupidly, couldn't she have just stayed put and acted like what he was doing didn't matter to her at all? She stared back at the paragraph and closed her eyes in defeat. She wasn't going to get anything done now.

She slammed her book shut. They would all return soon and she couldn't concentrate. She picked the book, parchment and quill up and headed for the portrait hole. It swung in and a green clad Slytherin that didn't go by the name of Julie Baddock walked in.

Hermione stared at him torn between what to do and where to look. She backed up and bit to give him space to enter and then walked out of the common room without so much as a response to his "Hi Hermione."

Ginny and Julie caught up with her a short while later. They were both panting hard as if they had just run a marathon. Twice.

"We've been looking all over for you!" Ginny wheezed.

Hermione frowned at them and continued walking leaving them to follow in her wake. "What for? I was working in the common room. Couldn't you have just come to find me there?"

"I knew it!" Julie hissed. "Didn't I know it Ginny?"

"If you say so." Ginny relented. "We didn't think you'd want to see Malfoy."

"So you thought that I wouldn't go into my own common room? Guy's I've played that part and I am not going to allow him to chase me out of there again. I have just as much right to be there."

"So why aren't you there now?" Ginny enquired. "Did he come?"

"Yes he did come." Off their looks. "He is not the reason that I left! I couldn't concentrate. I was leaving as he came in."

Julie gasped. "And there were no fireworks? Now that is different."

"Do you want a lot of chocolate?" Ginny asked consolingly.

"I want to finish my work."

"Oh what tosh." Julie dismissed. She pointed her wand at Hermione school things. "Evanesco." They vanished before Hermione could say two words about it.

"Julie!!!" Hermione cried. "Where did you put them?"

"Relax." She soothed while Ginny laughed quietly. "They're back in your room, on your bed. Perfectly straight. You can go and check if you don't believe me."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the Slytherin but relented. "Fine! Chocolate it is then."

Ginny and Julie grinned triumphantly. "Hermione?" Ginny said offhandedly.

"Hmm?" Hermione looked at the prefect. "I know a good way of getting him back."

Hermione snorted. "What makes you think that I want to get him back?"

"Because you're a Gryffindor!" Ginny stated obviously.

Hermione shook her head. "I think you're getting Gryffindor's and Slytherin's mixed up you know."

"Hey!" Julie cried.

Ginny – ignoring Julie - shrugged. "It's an easy mistake to make. The line gets obscured sometimes but he deserves it and I know they perfect way to do it."

"Enlighten me." Hermione answered. If this was the only way to get them to shut up, she may as well listen and then refuse.

"Kiss Jason in front of him." Ginny said happily.

"What?!" Hermione asked stupidly.

The other two just rolled their eyes.

"I can't do that to Jason. It's not fair." Hermione shook her head at their idiocy.

"No," Ginny insisted. "Tell him. Jason won't mind doing it."

Hermione looked at them, lost. "But he's younger than me."

"He's taller than you." Julie said simply. "What else matters? He's a year younger and he doesn't even look that."

Hermione couldn't even believe that she was considering it. Draco did deserve to be jealous but she didn't even know if he liked her that way. This was all getting to be a really confusing game of cat and mouse. "Oh for pete's sake guys!" Hermione shook her head – more to shake the thoughts away than to refuse - and continued on her way to the kitchens.

Ginny ran in front of her and blocked any further trek Hermione was planning to do down the corridor. "You say that you don't like him yet it's obvious that you do. Stop denying it to yourself and get some payback!"

Hermione adamantly shook her head this time. "I am not going to use anybody like that."

"Draco does it all the time." Julie supplied unhelpfully.

"Do I have to keep reminding you that I am not a Slytherin?" Hermione pushed past Ginny and continued down the corridor with them following.

"When will you stop living by the rules of the houses and do what you want to do for once?" Ginny asked. "Just do us one favour then."

Hermione spun around. "What!?" She breathed exasperatedly.

"Ask him." Julie stood next to Ginny and levelled her own eyes at the Head Girl. "Ask Jason if he'll do it for you and if he feels comfortable doing so."

"And if he says that he will." Ginny continued. "And there are no other obstacles in the way."

"Will you do it?" Julie finished.

Hermione opened he mouth, every intention of refusing point blank but before she could do it her mind rushed in to join the fray. He had hurt her, there was do doubt about that. She had never felt that empty in her entire life and if there was any way that he felt the same for her, she was going to make him feel just a rotten.

Ginny was right. It was time to stop listening to the house rules and start listening to herself a bit more. She closed her mouth and a smirk akin to that of the Slytherin prince graced her features. It was with this look that Ginny and Julie knew that they had one their argument.

"Fine." Hermione smiled. "I agree."

Ginny and Julie grinned at each other triumphantly.

"But(!)" Hermione continued. "Only if he is 100% ok with it."

"Can't ask for more than that" Ginny conceded.

They entered the kitchens to find sugar.


Jason sat in the common room practising his spells and charms for Defence Against the Darn Arts. Hermione was thankful that he was alone. The rest of the prefects and Head Boy were out doing rounds or homework in various parts of the castle. Ginny and Julie had purposefully left the room so that she could ask him her favour.

"Jason?" He asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" He replied distractedly.

"I have a favour to ask you." She lowered herself next to him on the couch. "You might want to put your wand down for this, lest you case an accident."

Jason closed her Defence book and pocketed his wand. He looked at her curiously. "What is it?"

Hermione fiddled with her robe but looked him in the eyes resolutely. "You have ever right to refuse if you want to." Hermione paused. How did she ask someone if they would mind kissing her so that she could get back at another guy.

"I'm listening Hermione." He urged.

"I was wondering if you would mind kissing me." She said in a hastily. Well that wasn't so hard.

"You what?!" He asked dazed.

"Sorry. That came out wrong." She bit her bottom lip. "You're right, we don't know each other very well and I don't mean for this to be a way for us to get to know each other. I don't treat all my friends like this believe me."

"Hermione you're babbling." He stated, ceasing her endless flow of words.

"Sorry…again." Hermione blushed to the roots.

"Will he murder me if I do do this for you?" He said with a shrug.

"Who?" Hermione asked, her mind a bit of a muddle.

"Draco Malfoy. I assume that is the reason you asked me to kiss you."

Hermione gazed at him, still a little confounded. She snapped out of it quick enough. "How did you know? I was just getting to that."

"I saw him in the Three Broomsticks, I saw you walk in. I figured it out for myself."

"There's no pressure! You can say no if you want to and I will drop down a hole and promise never to come back out - due to all me embarrassment and all." She was babbling again.

"I'll do it." He cut in

Hermione droned on for a while before his words sunk in. "What?" She gasped.

"I said I'll do it." He smiled kindly.

"Really? But why?"

"Call it a favour to a friend. I'll also make it look convincing so it won't look like you were just retaliating to an unseen, unvoiced challenge."

"Oh thank you!" Hermione gushed.

"If he kills me, I'm coming back as a ghost and I will haunt you to the end of your days." He said in mock seriousness.

"Agreed."

"Only can we not do it in this common room? It feels too much like a trap to be enclosed in these four walls with the only escape route - a hole."

Hermione affirmed. "Meet me on the third floor corridor at 8pm. We're both supposed to be there at that time, patrolling." She left the room.


Ginny and Julie rushed to meet her at the next given opportunity. They were running so fast that they would have bowled her over had they not had the mind to stop. They came to a skidding halt, Ginny shrieked. "Well?!"

Hermione nodded in assent.

"YES!!" Julie yelled. "We should probably go so that you can set the revenge in order."

Ginny nodded solemnly. "Have fun."

Hermione toured the many corridors for a while before she headed for the third floor corridor. The very same one that had housed Fluffy the three headed dog in their first year. It was now open to students and some classes were held there.

Hermione walked up to the corridor and saw Draco patrolling. It was particularly easy to spot him as there were no hideouts in this particular one. She was just about to leave, not wanting to talk to him, when someone tapped her on the back. She turned to face Jason.

"Hermione." He began. "There's something I need to tell you."

Hermione slipped into acting mode. She was actually very good at it. "Um…can it wait? I really have to patrol right now. Why don't you tell me in the common room."

Justin shifted slightly. Hermione thought he was doing brilliantly. Either that or he really was afraid of Draco. She had her back to him so she didn't know if he was actually watching them or not.

"Well the thing is, it's really important and if I don't tell you now, I'm afraid that I'll never work up the courage to."

Well now that definitely should have caught his attention.

"Tell me what?" Hermione asked, perplexed.

"That I really really like you." He said softly.

Hermione had a moment to wonder if she had told him not to use tongues, she didn't think she had, before he had swooped down and claimed her lips. Hermione kissed him back. It was what they had agreed to. When it actually happened, she felt nothing. No fireworks or heart stopping sensations. That was how she preferred it.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and deepened the kiss. She did not open her mouth to him though. Eventually they broke apart. He stepped back a bit, slightly red. "I just needed to tell you." He looked over her shoulder and Paled considerably.


Well if I've left a cliff-hanger in my other two fics, I may as well do it with this one too. It gives me incentive to continue quicker because I am as eager to write it as my reviewers are to read it.

Thank you to all the review this fic.

Dina

P.S. Please review and please don't flame. Thanx.