Dilemma

what happened in chapter 8:

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!?!?!?!" Hermione was heard shouting in Draco's face, at the same time as heyelled "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!?!"

Chapter 9:

"Granger? Whatare you doing here?" Draco remembered her brown bushy hair. Hermione hadn't changed since he last saw her on graduation just before summer.

"What am I doing here? This is my house. What are you doing here?" Hermione shut her eyes and took deep breaths. She opened them and stared right into the eyes of her worst enemy, daring him to speak.

"Your house?" Draco looked at her with disbelief. How could I have been so dumb? he kicked himself mentally. no wonder the name Hermione Granger sounded so familiar! "If I had known this was your house, I would never have ... "

"Cut the crap and tell me why you're here?" Hermione snapped. She had totally forgot about the toilet scene for now. "What, you want my money or something?" She looked around the hall for something to hit him with, nothing, the hallway was empty.

"No, I dont want your money! I have my own! Why would I want the money of a filthy little mudbl..." Draco mentally kicked himself again. If he was to stay here for atlest another couple days, he would have to watch his manners.

Hermione scowled. Of all people, it just had to be Malfoy that was renting the spare room. "What? Can't you finish your sentence anymore?" Hermione teased him. "You scared you'll get kicked outta this house as well?" she stuck her tongue out and stalked into her room, muttering "what an arsehole... stupid..." She shut the door with a loud bang.

Draco was about to walk off to his room when Hermione's door openedagian,butjust wide enough for her face to be visable. She had just remembered the incident in the toilet, "And next time ...knock before you ever open another door in this house."

"Don't lie Granger, I know you liked it." Draco smirked and walked away.

Hermione made a face to his retreatingback. "what ever".

When Hermione's parents, Aunt and Cam had packed away lunch, Hermione walked into the kitchen, pouting. Mrs Granger was still washing the dishes. She turned when she heard her daughter walk in. "Hello, Hermione dear. What's wrong?"

The young girl pouted some more and sat on the tall chairs behind the bench. "Who invited Malfoy to live in this house?"

"Malfoy? Oh you mean that blonde guy, Draco?"

"Yes, that blonde guy, Draco Malfoy."

"Oh, we didn't invite him." Hermione had just noticed that her mum spoke the same way she did, in italics.

"Well then why is he here? Why did you have to let him rent out the spare room?"

Mrs Granger frowned. "It just so happened that he was the first one to ask about the room." Mrs Granger had finished the dishes and wiped her wet hands on her apron. She put her hand on her daughter's face gently. "Honey, we need the money anyway. Get to know him and..."

It was Hermione's turn to frown. "Get to know him?Get to know him! I already know him! He's, like, my worst enemy. I've told you before. I hate him."

"Don't say that. He might hear you."

"Mother, he hates me just as much as well." Hermione stressed, did her mother ever listen to what she said those times she had been home for the holidays?

"So he's a wizard?"Mrs Granger smiled. "Well, just start a new beginning and become friends. It's the least you can do for us old people, you know."

"Well, if we needed the money why cant Aunt Mandy and Cam move out, then we wouldn't have to spend so much money on food."

Her mother's eyebrows furrowed. "Hermione. How could you say such things!" And she turned abruptly andwalked out to water the plants in the garden.

Hermione scowled and walked over to the fridge.

Draco heard a knock on his bedroom door. Ooh, my first visitor! he thought. He got up, put a smile on his face and opened the door. But as soon as he saw who it was, his smile turned into an annoyed looked. He just stood at the doorway, staring at her with one eyebrow raised, expecting Hermione to say something.

"Don't look at me like that or I'llclaw your eyes out." she threatened. Then with a forced smile she said, "I brought you fruit as a gesture of kindness." Draco looked at her hands. She had indeed brought fruit. Thank goodness for that, he was getting hungry.

He tried to take the tray from her and close the door but she wouldn't let him. "Um.. Thanks. Bye" He tugged on the tray once more.

"Invite me in." Hermione said trough a forced smile.

Draco continued staring at her for a few seconds before moving out of the way. Hermione set the tray down on the desk and sat down on the chair. "So..."

Draco had walked over to his suitcase and started searching for clothes. He looked up, "What?"

Hermione looked at the fruit and selected a grape before saying: "My mother thought that... that we should become..." Hermione swallowed, her throat was getting very dry, "... friends." She continued and popped the grape into her mouth, not looking up at him once.

Draco laughed. "Friends? Whoa ... and you agreed?" He stared at her with an amused smile playing on his lips.

Hermione looked up. "Um..." She looked unsure, "... yeah I did."

"Oh."

"So..."

"Um."

"Cool?"

"Yeah, I know I am." Draco smiled cheekily.

"No, you idiot, are you down with that?"

"Yeah, I guess." Draco went back to his suitcase, looking for his jeans. "Where are those jeans?"

Hermione looked at the blue jeans lying on Draco's bed. "Um... I dunno." Hermione took a strawberry and bit into it to stop her from laughing.

Draco stood up and looked towards Hermione. "Hey, Granger?" Hermione looked up at him to show that she was listening. "Hey, since you're a witch, and I suppose your parents know about it, may I use magic as well?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What none of those nasty come-backs of yours?" She looked him up and down, as if she was searching for one of his come-backs that could be hiding somewhere.

"Hey, if I wanted my 'cum' back, I'd wipe it off your mother's face." Draco joked.

Hermione opened her mouth in shock, I hadn't expected that she thought. So instead she shook her head and said... "Oooh." She looked back down at the fruit, it had become a habbit now in the past couple of minutes. "You know, I never knew you could be so funny." She grinned.

"Oh. You didn't think I could be funny?" Hermione shook her head. "Then what did you think I was like?" Draco asked her with a wide grin, moving towards her.

Hermione looked at him. She felt really short right about now. He was standing right in front of her while she was sitting down, with only, like, 10cm between them. "I always thought you were ... cold and heartless." both their smiles faded.

Draco crouched down so that his eyes were level with Hermione's, he moved in closer, and closer. five centimetres. two centimetres. Hermione's eyes widened in horror and she held her breath. He moved closer... but instead of what Hermione thought he was gonna do, he went straight past her face and whispered in her ear, "You're wrong. I do have a heart, and I do have feelings."

He moved away and smirked. He reached out and grabbed a piece of apple. "You shouldn't get your hopes up to high next time, Granger" He teased Hermione.

Hermione made a face at him and poked her tongue out. "Yeah, yeah" Damn! She cursed in her mind. Sure she had said she hated him, but he was right, he had gotten her hopes up, it would have been her first kiss. (A/N: I dont know if V.Krum ever kissed her, but lets just say he didn't)

Draco turned around, back to his suitcase, once again in search of the jeans that were still laying on his bed.

Hermione smiled, "Your jeans are on your bed" she admitted."...and yes you may use magic." Draco turned and looked at his bed, he silently mouthed 'oh', then he turned to Hermione and smiled. "Thanks. And could you please go out now, I gotta change."

"Where are you going?"

"Um... out... I dunno."

"Come with me to say good bye to Ron before he leaves to Romania." Hermione suggested hopefully.

"Say goodbye to that weasel? Are you kidding?" Draco laughed.

"No I'm not kidding." Hermione said seriously.

"Nah... I think I'll go shopping for some more paints."

"Paints? You paint?" Hermione looked up at him excitedly, forgetting all about Ron for the moment.

"Yeah, and Idraw and everything."

"Are you good?"

"I would hope so." both of them smiled. "now please go, I need to change." Hermione smiled and said ok.

As she was closing the door she peeked at him, he was side on to her and had taken his shirt off. Hermione grinned and thought she was gonna faint, she then closed the door and walked off to her own bedroom smiling.

Unknown to all, a woman in her late forties was standing at the doorway of the bathroom. She had seen her daughter walk happily out of Draco Malfoy's bedroom.

She smiled to herself and walked out.

A/N: Hey all! I never got to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I was so sleepy when I wrote chapter 8. So i totally forgot. And I went back to read it, I made so many spelling mistakes and missing words and spaces. Wow, I never knew I was that bad! hehez.

Oh and thanks alot to my reviewers.

Well anyway, I hope you all had a good Christmas! I didn't, I had a sore tummy all day! awww.

I hope you liked this chapter!

I'm going on holidays to Melbourne in on Wednesday night (29 Dec.) So the next chapter/s will be atleast after the 20th Jan (Thursday)

please review.

Have a Happy New Year!! Loving you all so much .... from Princess Sandy