A/N: Wow, long time no update. Sorry about that everyone!
jesska-14: Thanks! And I do hope to be making more chapters soon! :)

Silent-Serpent: Wow, thanks for all the ideas since I haven't actually decided about that yet! :) I never thought about Dobby... or Snape, thanks!

chemi: You don't like Evanescence?? Well, that's okay, 'cause everyone has their own tastes but I just cannot see that! lol (see, they're my favorite band :) )

nikki: Thanks! I will remember it's called a seatbelt buckle! ;) You can drive already? sighs lucky... :)

ButterflysFyre: Don't worry, I don't think there will be much more slaughtering.

goddess-of-purity: I'm so happy you put me on all your lists! :) Thank-you! Yes, I'm sorry about that, I don't update all that often and I totally like the Draco/Hermione relationship as well, it's the best! :)

lizbethr: Glad the death has gotten you intrigued! ;) You'll find out soon (most likely in the next chapter which I plan to make a lot longer).

Dershana: He was really angry! Luckily he didn't though, I figured he wasn't the type of person to hit girls and all. :)

Also, many thanks to; J.N Cahill, Wytil, Tara-Yo, valentines-hater, charmed piper, lightprincess, honeymango, simply-brit, potterluvva, BIGHARRYFAN, Saiyachick, Trena, RnB Diva Gurl, piepiekoh, lylangelgurl, DarkPixie, dracosgurl527, MysticalWillow, Ashley Nikole Malfoy, luv-bug21, daydreama13, WriterGrl03, iLUVphelps, Mrs. Phelps and lazy.

Draco himself didn't think all that much that she killed Salmond. She had, after all, petitioned for those pathetic excuses for creatures, a.k.a house-elves. She was the type of person that wouldn't hurt a fly.

Then again, he could be wrong. All that was only rumors (it probably wasn't. He'd seen how she'd thrown a vase at him when he refused to give their house-elves wages). He didn't know her that well – next to nothing almost. Maybe she wasn't the person she made out to be. Maybe she had a dark side.

But Salmond's death was growing on him and he had no one else to take it out on or blame. So he had jumped to conclusions. And he knew automatically that he couldn't cry – oh no, he couldn't express his emotions in any way. As a male he knew it would make other people think he was weak and as a Malfoy he just couldn't. Under no circumstances was he allowed to show weakness. Even if his own friggon mother died, he wouldn't be able to shed a tear. So the pain was slowly eating him away inside.

And after his anger had burned down a bit, he began to miss Hermione. Though he disagreed with her with many things, he was already yearning to kiss her and hear her laugh. And he hated seeing the fear and hurt in those beautiful eyes. It was killing him.

He chuckled softly to himself, almost back to normal. He had heard what she had called out to him – it was still playing through in his mind – and he was very, very pleased. So his charms had worked on her after all.

Of course they had. They worked on everyone. He was, after all, a Malfoy. No woman was able to resist him.

He and Blaise strode down the hall to their first class, Potions, which was, unfortunately, with the Gryffindors.

'Well, it's not that bad,' Blaise said when Draco mentioned this. 'I mean, its hilarious watching Snape dock the points off them.'

'True.' They high-fived each other.

'Anyway, what's with you and your wife?' asked Blaise, snorting. Draco stiffened.

'Nothing,' he said automatically, sending Blaise an irritated look.

'Really? It's just that she was positively trembling when she spoke to you and you sounded kind of... well, angry.'

'Well, I think she killed Salmond,' he sighed.

Blaise gasped. 'Salmond, as in, that magical owl that you've had from birth basically?'

'No, Salmond my grandmother,' Draco snapped sarcastically. 'Yes, of course Salmond my owl. And she wasn't magical. She just had her life prolonged so that she could be my owl until I die.'

'I never thought Granger was that type of person.' Blaise mused.

'Sorry, who?' said Draco in a delicate way.

Blaise coughed. 'Erm, right, not Granger, I suppose. Hermione?'

'Better. And I never thought she was either. She told me over and over again that she didn't. Not sure I believe her. We're at a truce now.'

By that time they had reached the dungeons and were late. The whole class was already in their seats and the lesson had started.

But Snape, being the biased bastard he was, didn't give them a detention or even scold them. 'Quickly, in your seats boys.'

The Gryffindors snarled.

Smirking, they sat down and Snape continued.

'As I was saying, this potion is an extremely difficult one, such that it is only offered to seventh years. It can go disastrically wrong if any of the ingredients are forgotten to be added. It will be done in pairs,' a smirk came upon his face, and many students looked curiously from one to another. Snape had yet to tell them what the outcome of the potion would be.

'Ten seconds to get into pairs,' he shouted, clapping his hands. Starting at the Gryffindor end of the room, he came round checking pairs, before most of the students had opened their mouths.

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin end of the room, students chattered and dawdled, knowing Snape would give them extra time. Seeing Hermione start towards him, Draco panicked and dove towards Blaise, planning to ask him to be his partner, but Hermione got to him first. Coincidently, the same time Snape did.

She latched firmly onto Draco's arm and beamed up at Snape. 'Draco and I are partners. Aren't we, honey?' she kissed his nose.

Snape nodded and moved away twice as fast, a sickened expression upon his already disfigured face, just as Draco opened his mouth in protest.

'You don't mind being partners with me, do you?' Hermione purred into his ear, his arm still in her grasp.

Furious, because Hermione was the very last person he wanted to be partners with, he yanked his arm out of her grip.

'Granger!' he hissed, then, noticing a few raised eyebrows, forced his voice to soften. 'I mean, Hermione. I was going to pair up with Blaise.'

'Oh, don't worry, he looks fine,' Hermione uncharacteristically gave a girlish giggle, something which astounded Draco to no end. She stepped closer to him. Normally, she said; 'Dray, we have to talk.'

'No, we don't – ' he stopped mid-sentence. 'Wait, what did you call me?'

Another one of those annoying giggles. She was starting to sound like Pansy. 'Dray. Dray, short for Draco. Don't you just love it?' she latched onto his arm again.

'Oh fucking lord,' Draco, a.k.a Dray, breathed, trying to steady himself. Luckily, Snape announced it was time to start the potion. Choosing a cauldron in the outskirts of the room, Hermione slowly measured and added the ingredients, her face a mask of concentration.

'Care to let me add something?' he snapped. 'Or afraid I might accidentally screw up this potion? In case you'd forgotten, wife, my mark in potions was much higher than yours was.'

He'd hit a nerve. All signs of concentration vanished from her face and her cold gaze met his.

'Draco,' she said softly. 'Though your mark was higher than mine was, it was only because Snape favors the Slytherins.'

'Whether that is true or not, the fact remains my mark is better than yours. Probably higher than you'll ever receive in Potions in your life.' Smirking at her dumbstruck expression, he took the flask of unicorn hoof oil from her limp fingers and tipped it into the cauldron.

Hermione sat there, twiddling her thumbs, watching him. Finally, she spoke.

'Draco. Lets talk about, uh, what happened last – '

'Pass the hairs please,' he interrupted loudly. Annoyed, Hermione handed over the two long strands of silvery hair.

'Okay then. Let's not. Have any idea of what this potion is?'

Draco shrugged. 'Your guess is as good as mine.'

'I hope its nothing... permanent.' She shivered.

'It'll be your fault if it is, sweetheart. If I recall correctly, it was you who was so anxious to be my partner. And you'd better hope it's nothing permanent, otherwise I'll be very pissed.' He slowly dipped the hairs into the potion.

Snarling, Hermione snatched the list of directions from him (instead of it being on the board, each group of students had their own directions) and read up to where they were.

Snape came over to them. 'How are the little lovebirds going?'

Hermione choked on her own spit. Did Snape just call them little lovebirds or was it just the fumes of the potion affecting her brain?

She hoped it was the latter.

'Fine,' she managed to croak out. 'But could you at least give us a hint to what potion we're making? After all, we're going to be drinking it.'

'You're not,' Snape replied calmly. 'I'm assigning new pairs – from different houses – and they will be drinking the potion. Those two people will be magnetized together for a week and every time they insult each other, they get pulled an inch together more. Until they learn to respect each other, the potion stays.'

While Draco and Hermione (each with equally horrified expressions adorning their faces) drunk this in, Snape added something. 'I'm pairing your dear friend Harry Potter with Pansy Parkinson. And Ronald Weasley will be paired with Milicent Bulstrode.'

Hermione gasped. 'What? Harry and Pansy – ' she got a few unwanted, sickening images of Harry and Pansy together. There was Harry and Pansy together at the Great Hall. Harry and Pansy together feeding ducks little bits of bread. Harry and Pansy making wild love together in bed –

She hastily cut these thoughts off, horrified at her own imagination, thankful that she and Draco wouldn't be drinking this potion. She insulted him at least twice a day – in a week, they'd be so close together there'd be no space between them.

That wouldn't be so bad, she thought to herself, a small smile upon her face. He doesn't look that bad.

That was a downright lie. Draco looked damn hot. She'd just never admit it. It was too bad his head was chock full of pureblood bullshit. And mean, unnecessary insults.

'So, what potion are we drinking?' Draco asked.

Snape gave an evil smile. 'That remains to be seen. I assure you that it will be worse than the one they get.'

'But – Professor – why? We haven't done wrong!' Hermione was quick to protest.

Snape cocked his head. 'I know. But when Dumbledore forces me to get students to make potions to encourage inter-house unity, I like to be mean and take it out on certain people. And Ms Gran – Malfoy, you have a detention with me this evening.'

This was the last straw.

'And why is that?' she said stiffly.

'Narcissa owled me. I must give you a punishment.' Snape said idly. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have other students to attend to.'

And with that he swept away.

Hermione gritted her teeth, ignoring the smirk Draco was giving her. She could ignore a punishment from Narcissa, but she couldn't ignore a downright order from a teacher.

'Sweetheart, have fun tonight,' Draco said, still smirking.

'Shut your fucked up face, you stupid son of a bitch,' Hermione growled.

A/N: Well, I hope everyone understands what is happening. Any ideas for the potion Draco and Hermione will be drinking? I'm a bit blank at the moment...