Author's Notes: I'm terribly sorry about how short this chapter is, but you all wanted quick updates. Don't worry the next updates should be much longer. Please review and tell me what you did and did not like. I'm very eager to please. Also, if you are famaliar with the tale of Romeo and Juliet and you have ideas to who the other characters should be, Tybalt, Mercutio etc. please leave your suggetions in your review.
I also have a forum set up for this story at entitled What Would Hermione and Draco do....? In the section Waiting for the Knightbus if any of you are users there.
Hermione set up piles of parchment and pulled out fresh quills and inkwells like a good little secretary. Draco smirked observing her. Just how much of a perfectionist was this strange girl?
In neat letters she wrote IHC. across the top of the first piece of parchment.
"IHC?" Draco asked, rolling his eyes.
"Inter-House Cooperation." Hermione said smartly, smacking her lips together.
Draco help up a hand, "Don't keep on at me." He said good naturedly, "So we'll call this little project IHC. Now what in Merlin's name are you doing?" He eyed the parchment skeptically.
"Organizing." She said with a sigh. "You see, here's the title of the project, and here's a little sketch of the Hogwarts crest." She picked up a new piece of parchment. "Now, what do you think are some things we could do to improve the house relations?"
Draco thought for a moment before saying, "Study groups."
Hermione grinned, "Especially for seventh and fifth years with the Newts and Owls and all."
"You have anything Mu---?" He cut himself short, knowing that if he and Hermione were to work together he might as well try to be civil.
"I was thinking, do you remember Professor Grubbly-Plank talking about group projects? Well maybe we could convince her to put people of opposite houses in groups."
"I suppose so..." Draco muttered darkly. It was taking most of his energy to not say something sarcastic and saunter off somewhere to be away from her filth.
"Or," Hermione said with sudden inspiration, "We could throw a masquerade ball!"
He rolled his eyes, "Of all the childish, idiotic ideas..."
"It's perfect, don't you see?" Hermione insisted, "People could get to know people from other houses without the former prejudices because they won't realize who they're talking to!"
"I guess it is possible for that to work but it's been done many times before and seems rather pointless in my opinion." Draco said.
Hermione was frantically writing each suggestion down on a parchment she had labeled ideas. Draco snorted and tucked a piece of white-blond hair behind his ear. "Granger, surely you realize we are doomed to fail."
She glared at him dangerously, "We are not!" she said.
"Let's face it, the Gryffindors and Slytherins are just as bad as the Montagues and Capulets." He said kicking off his dragon-hide boots.
She opened her mouth to protest with him on the subject, but suddenly observed his face in a new light. He was rather handsome, she mused, her eyes scanning up and down his body. And she knew that he was intelligent, he was Head Boy and third in their year wasn't he? She paused for a second...he could even be funny when he was being pleasant. He had a type of humor she enjoyed.
Draco was actually beginning to become frightened by the glint in Granger's eye. What exactly was going on in that busy head of hers?
"You're right you know.' She said to him, "They are just as bad as Montagues and Capulets."
"Glad you see my point Mudblood." He said shaking off the chills her looks were giving him.
"You'd make a bloody good Romeo. Or better yet, Juliet." She said leaning towards him.
He backed up into the couch, "W-what are you proposing Granger?"
"How would you like to pull off the greatest scheme ever to grace the halls of Hogwarts?" she asked in a low whisper.
Draco's interest couldn't help but be peaked. "I'm listening." He said.
Hermione grinned somewhat, "You and I are going to convince the rest of Hogwarts we are madly in love with one another!"
He blanched, "That's totally inconceivable Granger! No one will ever believe that I could fall in love with a disgusting mud-blood like you!"
"Just like no one could believe Juliet could fall in love with a Montague." Hermione grinned.
"Why do I have to be the girl?" he asked haughtily, casting her one of his trademark glares.
Hermione paused for a moment contemplating her response, "Romeo's much more impulsive and reckless than Juliet, and I know that you and the rest of your house view Gryffindor's as such. It would be much more out of character for you to be flamboyant and reckless and daring when it comes to our relationship then it would for me a Gryffindor. Another thing, Romeo interacts alot more with friends who he sees more or less as equals; and I hate to break it to you, but I know that there is no way you view Crabbe and Goyle as your equals."
"Well," Draco said pouting unsused to not getting his own way, "You can't actually see Potty and Weasel as your equals!"
Hermione glared, "It might actually surprise you to know that Harry is fourth in our year. And if Professor Snape actually gave both of you the marks you actually deserved then he would probaly have your place!"
"How dare you even imply such a thing!" Draco cried, outraged, "I can't help it if Scarhead's abysmal at Potions!
"Oh get over yourself." Hermione said with resolve, "You know the only reason that Professor Snape hasn't unfairly failed Harry is because Dumbledore has intervened multiple times."
"The Prince Escalus of the whole thing." Draco muttered.
"So you'll do it then?" Hermione asked eargerly.
"I don't see how this will help the IHC." Draco said looking thoroughly disgusted.
"Perhaps you never actually read Romeo and Juliet Malfoy, but after the two lovers kill themselves, the Montagues and the Capulets realize what idiots they were being and stopped their feud and joined in the mutual grief of two of their most loved family members." Hermione said, eyes twinkling devilishly.
"So you think Granger." Draco said after swallowing a lump in his throat, "That if we pretend to be madly in love with each other we can make our respective houses realize what idiots they are?"
"I get to massacre Weasley while earning my house a thousand points? Well, does it have to fit exactly to the tale?" he asked arching a brow.
She shook her head, "It just has to imply the story."
"Well in that case...what's your favorite kind of rose my sweet Juliet?"
Author's Notes: Please Review!