A/N: I'm back! With another chapter! Amazing! Aren't you happy? I am! Ahem….yes…well…anyway…

A huge "THANK YOU!!!!" a million times over goes out to each and every one of my reviewers, and to those of you who are reading this but are too lazy to write either just even "good" or "bad" in a review…shame on you!!!

Disclaimer: I sincerely wish I owned the Harry Potter books, or even the movies, but those honours, unfortunately for me, go to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I only take Rowling's characters and send them tumbling into insane stories that would never normally occur at the fictional place of Hogwarts.

And now….I present to you….

Hogwarts At The Zoo

Chapter Six:

Hermione leapt down the stairs two at a time, reached the bottom and swerved alarmingly round the next corner. Panting, she sprinted down the last corridor and skidded to a halt in front of the lion and snake statue.

"Tao yen zhí ai." She managed to gasp out, and the huge statue moved aside. "Oh, Malfoy is going to be so angry." She muttered to herself as she wrenched the heavy wooden door open and slipped into the common room. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that there was no furious Malfoy lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on her. She hurriedly made her way past the couch towards her room, intent on dumping her books and heading out after Malfoy for a very late patrol round.

"I don't suppose you'd care to tell me why you're an hour late for patrol?" A voice drawled behind her.

Hermione's eyes widened as she turned to face the blonde Slytherin, who was nonchalantly studying his nails. "Umm…well – er – you see, I had to…to…" She trailed off, staring guiltily at him.

He raised an elegant eyebrow at her as her stuttering ground to a halt. Hermione anxiously chewed her lip and cringed at the thought of Malfoy going to Dumbledore about her failing to attend patrol on time.

Malfoy's mouth twitched slightly at the corners as he caught her guilty look and that absolutely adorable habit she had of biting her lip. He decided to take pity on her. "Don't worry, I've already done half of the patrol, we'll do the rest in a minute. I won't report you to Dumbledore – at least not this time – because I happen to know you were busy all afternoon and evening doing a makeshift patrol of your own. As to why you'd stop your precious Gryffindors taunting us 'terrible, slimy, evil' Slytherins is beyond me, though."

"You're not – not…oh, not all of you Slytherins are horrible!" Hermione burst out suddenly, her eyes blazing. "You sound like you're reciting something Ron would say He won't give any of you a chance, but I think some of you do deserve a chance! Not many, but still…" Hermione noticed his silver eyes boring into her face, a frown slightly marring his face, and she stopped slowly, backing away slightly. Perhaps it was an insult to a Slytherin to say they weren't evil?

Malfoy jerked forwards and grabbed her arms, pulling her towards him. "What did you say, Granger?"

Hermione gazed up at him, frightened, and struggled desperately in his iron grip. He tightened his hold on her, and she winced in pain. He glanced at her, startled, and loosened his grip, instead gently pushing her down onto the green leather couch. Hermione stared up at him, her eyes wide.

"Answer me." Malfoy demanded softly.

Hermione gulped. "I said…that – that…you're not…that you Slytherins aren't – well, as bad as everyone else thinks you are. And I'm really, really, sorry if I've offended you by – by…well, calling you nice or whatever – " She broke off abruptly as he sank down beside her and laughed. Disturbed at seeing Malfoy actually laugh, she edged slowly away from him. It was almost as alarming as seeing Snape actually smile earlier in potions.

He stopped laughing and turned to face her, his eyes gleaming blue in the light. "Well, well…" he mused quietly, looking intently at her face. "I never would've guessed the Gryffindor Princess herself would've been one of the first people to look past names and faces. I really must introduce you to Blaise – he's already quite fond of you, thinks you're quite funny, actually, after the plate war at lunch today…wait till he finds out that you're intelligent enough to dig deeper than first impressions."

"You're not – not – mad, then, are you? At me suggesting that some of you are probably nicer than you seem?" Hermione asked tentatively, sliding back down the couch to face him.

"Mad? God, no, I'm pleased, Hermione, pleased indeed. It's comforting to know that at least one student out there isn't completely biased against us." He glanced sharply at her. "Who did you have in mind, though, when you said that not all of us Slytherins are horrible?"

"Well…" Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Er…"

"So…you were lying, then? If you can't actually think of anyone in particular who spurred that comment…" He smirked inwardly, waiting for the inevitable answer to slip accidentally from her mouth.

"What? No!" Hermione exclaimed, aghast at being considered a liar. "I was actually thinking about you! And that Blaise Zabini person, the quiet one in my Arithmacy class, he never causes any serious trouble except for those sarcastic remarks that are more witty than nasty." She suddenly realised what she had blurted out, and clapped a hand to her mouth, mortified.

He smirked. "So…you think I'm not just a bad-ass Slytherin?"

Hermione sighed. "In all honesty? No." She looked at him and smiled slightly. "You're arrogant, cocky, and incredibly annoying most of the time, but you have a certain charm, I must admit."

His smirk grew. "A charm, Hermione?"

She looked slightly uncomfortable. "Well, yes. There's really no other way to put it."

"Try 'damn sexy'."

She laughed. "You're incorrigible, Malfoy."

…o.::.O.::.o…

Hermione yawned as she followed Malfoy through the shadows in the corridor. Over the past half an hour of their patrol, she had learnt that he immensely enjoyed prowling silently through the corridors and leaping out at unsuspecting students to gleefully announce "Detention!".

"Ooommph!" she voiced loudly as she stumbled into his back as he stopped suddenly.

He turned to glare at her. "Quiet, there's someone up in the Astronomy Tower – probably pathetic lover birds who don't know how to stay quiet. Let's go spring them and give them, oh, say, a week's worth of detentions."

"You're evil, you know that?"

"Why, thank you, Hermione."

"Do we really want to see two people making out, Malfoy? Can't we just holler up there for them to come down? What else can they do, jump out the window to escape? There's only one exit, the stairs."

"Nah…what's the fun in that?"

"You just want to see the action and then ruin it for them!" Hermione whispered furiously.

"Naturally."

She rolled her eyes.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" It was dark, how could he possibly have seen her eyes moving?

"Roll your eyes at me."

"How do you do that? I mean, know what I'm doing?"

"Skill, Granger, skill. Come on."

She groaned as she watched him move up the stairs, and firmly decided to stay put. Malfoy turned around, rolled his eyes, then reached out and dragged her upwards with him. Hermione glared at his back resentfully as they climbed up the two hundred odd steps.

As they reached the top, Hermione heard voices and muffled sounds. She jerked and glanced sharply up ahead, towards the sounds. It must have just been her imagination, because for a moment there it had sounded as though there were two male voices coming from above. She shook her head and trudged upwards in Malfoy's wake.

She stopped suddenly as they approached the doorway at the top of the staircase, her eyes widening – those were definitely male voices coming from ahead of them.

"Malfoy!" she whispered urgently, waving him over, "I'm almost positive there are two guys up ahead – I don't think we should interrupt – "

"Nonsense." Malfoy snapped back quietly, though he did look quite disturbed and glanced worriedly at the opening in front of them.

They crept through the doorway and looked towards the only source of light: a wand, discarded on the floor, glowing faintly at the tip.

Malfoy's face blanched as he looked upon a sight that he had wished to never, ever, witness again. Hermione's mouth opened in shock, and she suddenly looked slightly sick. They watched, horrified, as Goyle and Crabbe, clearly enjoying themselves, finished off their distinctly third base antics with disgustingly pleased grunting sounds.

"My poor, innocent, virgin eyes." Hermione moaned quietly, burying her face in Malfoy's back. "That is so wrong."

Malfoy shuddered at the sight before him. There were simply no words to describe how truly horrifyingthe sight of the two ugly, large boys having…fun… together was.

He snaked one arm behind him, and pressed Hermione closer against his back – she really did not need to see this.

Malfoy straightened slightly. "Crabbe, Goyle…find a less public room for your despicable activities…needless to say, the Head Girl and I are appalled at your behaviour, and I must say I'm quite glad to land both of you with a month's worth of detention with Snape…or even Filch." he hissed angrily to his former body guards.

His lip curled as he watched them scramble upwards, grunting in surprise and stumbling around as they fixed their clothing…problem. Hermione buried her face deeper into the back of his robes and clenched her hands around clumps of his robe, muttering sounds of horror under her breath.

Crabbe and Goyle, stood, blinking dumbly at Malfoy, dim-witted expressions plastered on their ugly faces.

"Well?" Malfoy hissed. "Get lost, you lumbering fools!" They ran, tripping over their shoelaces as they scrambled down the stairs.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Idiots." He muttered sourly.

He felt Hermione let go of his robes, and turned to face her. "You all right?" he asked her gently. "That's a sight that makes even me want to vomit and promptly commit suicide."

She laughed. "I never, ever, want to see something like ever again." She shuddered and looked slightly sick again for a moment. "That's – that's – just…eeeww…and…really, really…gross."

"I couldn't agree more. Let's go, shall we?"

"Definitely." Hermione said fervently, glancing around the room with a shudder.

…o.::.O.::.o…

Hermione leaned back on the green couch in the Head Dorm with a contented sigh. She opened one eye lazily as Malfoy sat down on the edge of the couch.

"You know," she murmured, "I do distinctly remember you saying that catching stupid 'lover birds' up at the Astronomy Tower was 'fun'." She opened her other eye and grinned cheekily at him. "I wouldn't say the sight we saw was…'fun'…but it was certainly…interesting…"

Malfoy snorted. "Only interesting if you're a fan of gay men, and I can assure you, I'm not. That's the second time I've seen those two together, and I think I wouldn't live through a third time. Damn, but that was seriously unpleasant to see."

She closed her eyes again and snuggled deeper into the couch. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who insisted on going up there."

"We are not barging up there on patrol ever again."

"Oh, come on, Malfoy, why won't you admit that it was your fault we went up there?"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

He cocked an eyebrow and slid his gaze towards her lips. "Sure about that, Hermione?"

"On second thoughts, I think silence suits me."

"Damn."

"Boys…" Hermione grumbled good-naturedly.

"You know…I'm tempted to send the Weasel and the Hufflepuff prefect, Ernie Macmillan, up to the Astronomy Tower…you never know, it could be their dream come true…"

"That's not even remotely funny, Malfoy. Imagine if someone did that to you."

"Now that isn't funny." Malfoy muttered darkly.

"No. Well, not as long as I'm being dragged up there with you."

"So you'd leave me to suffer the horrors of that by myself, if you could?"

"Of course."

"Saving your own skin first is a very Slytherin-like trait, Granger."

"You're a bad influence, it seems."

He glared at her, and then smirked. "I but live to convert others to my evil ways."

"I think I knew that from day one at Hogwarts." Hermione replied dryly.

She shifted around on the couch, and then reached out to push him off the couch. "Get up, Malfoy." She said firmly as he groaned and attempted to sink deeper into the couch.

"No."

"Malfoy!"

He responded by lying down across her. Hermione glared at him and punched his shoulder. "Get up, you great big oaf. I don't want to go from bookworm Granger to squished Granger."

"Did you just punch me?"

"Yes, I did. And I'll do it again if you don't get up right now."

"I don't think so."

"Hah! Like you can stop me."

"Watch me." He suddenly sat up, then pounced on her once more and began to tickle her.

"Hey! That's unfair! Malfoy – stop – it – I can't – laughing – stop – Mal-foy!"

He stopped tickling her, his face now inches from her own. "Fine. I've stopped. Happy?"

"Very. Now get off, please." She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as he moved slightly and she realized that he was on top of her. Her breathing quickened slightly and she tried once more to shove him away, disturbed at the sensations he was evoking in her.

His eyes darkened as he heard her fast, irregular breathing and vaguely noticed her red-tinged cheeks. Coming to a sudden decision, he bent his head down and nipped at her neck. He smirked as he felt her gasp, and continued nipping and biting her neck, pausing occasionally to soothe it with his tongue and mouth. His smirk grew as he felt her arch her back ever so slightly and he moved to savagely claim her lips.

Hermione froze as she felt his warm lips devouring hers, then relaxed slightly. He dragged his teeth along her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth as his tongue followed his teeth. One of his hands slid behind her hand and tangled itself into her hair as his tongue swirled around hers. He retreated slightly, and smirked against her lips once more as he felt her tongue gently follow his.

Becoming impatient, he dragged his head up for a ragged breath of air before plunging his tongue once more into her mouth, more passionately this time. His other hand trailed downwards, across her chest and down to rest on her stomach, slipping inside her shirt. His eyes flamed suddenly as he felt her moan softly and unconsciously arch into his body. He felt a familiar heat surge through him, and pulled back, staring down at her. Her face flushed, she panted slightly as she stared up at him.

"Go." He whispered hoarsely, sitting upright once more. "Before I do something both of us will regret later."

She looked slightly hurt and confused as she slid off the couch. She made to disappear up the stairs leading to her room, but on the second last step, she paused and turned around to face him. "What did you mean, when you said we would regret it later?" she asked quietly.

He sighed and ran a hand though his hair. "I don't want to rush you, and have you filled with doubts the next day."

She studied him intently for a moment, and then nodded. As she slipped into her bedroom, her voice floated down the stairs. "You shouldn't hide underneath that bad-boy mask so often, Malfoy."

He glared half-heartedly up the stairs. How the hell did she always manage to pick through his outward masks?