Disclaimer: I own nothing except unknown characters (i.e. Zavier).

Ma Cherie

Chapter Three

Let's see how far you can stretch…

Gladly, thought Hermione. She dipped her delicate sugar spun quill into a pot of ink and found her hand shaking with anticipation. She wrote out in her elegant script:

Stretch me for I'll do your bidding

But heed this warning for if I snap

You will feel the sting.

Ma Cherie

Hermione grinned inwardly knowing this would confuse whoever it was that was immature enough to send her pepper cookies. She had a sudden thought. What if the person she was writing to wasn't her age? What if he was a first year? God that would be awful. Little did Hermione know that her recipient was frowning over the same question.

"What if she's a first year? That'd be like cradle-robbing," said Draco to Zavier. Zavier was Draco's partner in crime, photo-negatives of one another. Where Draco had fine white blonde hair and blue eyes, Zavier dark counterparts. Both were long and lanky and in demand.

"Cradle-robbing?" he said, eyebrows raised. "I'd call it bagging a virgin." Draco turned to give him a dirty look.

"You sick bastard," he said and punched Zavier who only grinned in return.

"You really wanna know her age?" he drawled. Draco shrugged. "Then just ask dumbass." That earned him another punch from Draco.

"Ginny," whined Hermione. "God I can't believe I've never considered this." She moaned softly and buried her face into her bed.

"Hermione," she scolded softly. "Calm down. Either you'll have to ask or he will. Don't worry if he is a first year then just stop writing back. It's not that complicated." Hermione lifted her face, already brightening up.

"You think so?"

"God, of course Hermione."

"I think you just got a reply," said Zavier. Draco had been so deep in thought that he hadn't realized the owl that came swooping in. The letter dropped in his palm and he opened it. He skimmed it feeling a smile grow on his face.

"God it's like you're in love the way you look right now Draco," said Zavier, laughing.

"No, this isn't like any other girl I've ever met. She's…god I don't know." Draco ran a hand through his hair. He was confused for the first time in his life. Self confident, cocky Draco was finally victim to another.

"She's probably a professor you know, getting bored…" Draco didn't even bother answer and threw himself at his friend who was glad for something to do. People in the Slytherin common room gathered to watch a fight.

"Win for me Draco and I'll give you a kiss!"

"Go Zavier!"

"Seven sickles that Draco wins."

Draco caught snippets of conversation around him as he and Zavier horsed around but he couldn't get his mind off of the seductive Ma Cherie. How was she putting him under her spell? Letting his concentration slip, he was thrown to the ground by Zavier. He quickly jumped to his feet to be pulled back by a hand on his shoulder.

"This childish behavior has to stop," said Snape coldly. "Already I have gotten a terrible lecture from McGonagall about my leniency towards the students of my house."

"Aw Snape they were just messin," said some Slytherin.

"I don't care what they 'just' were doing, I want all of you to go to your classes now," he snapped.

"God who died and made him Stalin," Zavier muttered to Draco as the students filed out. Draco smirked but when Snape caught his eye, he flashed his best do-gooder I'm-your-golden-student smile and left the room. He wasn't going to class yet. He was going somewhere where he could get some peace and quiet. Like the library.

Ma Cherie must be rubbing off on him and he's never even met her yet…

"Hey Hermione!" Hermione spun around to run smack into Harry. She fell to the ground and glared up at him. His grinning face peered down at her.

"God Harry, you could have tapped my shoulder of something," she grumbled as she picked herself up.

"You're okay right?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah. What do you want?" she snapped. Harry let her irritability slide right over her.

"Just wanted to talk to a good friend." He let his arm drape over her shoulders and Hermione was obvious that although the show of affection was completely platonic, it was still making Ginny miserable. She wriggled out of his hold and walked a little faster.

"Where's Ron anyway?" she asked. Harry shrugged.

"He's been busy lately with you know…well Padma had forgiven him for that incident at the Ball, god that was three years ago anyway, and he's fallen into her favor."

"So Harry Potter's left friendless and he comes looking for comfort from Ms. Granger," Hermione teased.

"Come on, compassion for a friend is a virtue you know." Hermione fell back to give him a one armed hug and he returned a quick kiss on the cheek. Except for that little exchange, Hermione was glad to see that Harry kept an arm around Ginny for the rest of the walk.

Hermione finally got a response from her demanding correspondent in privacy in her room. She eagerly opened it.

I need to know:

Your age

And Who you are

I'm a seventh year. Don't even bother writing back if your anything below a fifth year.

Completely Interested

Hermoine grinned. She had him hooked.