Hermione layed in her bed, feeling quite proud. The look on Draco's face was pricless when she left the room. Sure, she had spoken the truth, she had no disire for any man (or dog for that matter) to be in her bed, simply because that would make it very difficult for her to sleep, now wouldn't it? She didn't have any man in mind that she would be willing to sleep next to, since so far no boy around here had made a good enough impression on her to even think about that... right? Something in dark of Hermione's dreams suddenly didn't seem to agree. She fell asleep with images of a certain blond who slept like an angel.

"Merlin I hate this class." Harry grumbled, dragging his feet toward the potion's classroom.

"Don't we all?" Neville agreed. "We may as well take points away from ourselves to save him the trouble." In their sixth year Neville came back from the summer with two new things - a girlfriend, and a whole new confidence. Yet he could never truly forget all the horror Snape had put him through.

Hermione suddenly remembered something. "Bloddy hell, did you do your essay Neville?" Confidence didn't make you able to remember things, and true to his nature, Neville had the worst memory of any of the Gryffindors. When his face paled, Hermione scrambled to apoligize. "Oh Neville, I'm so sorry! I ment to remind you, I really did, but Snape gave me another detention and Draco kept me there all night and I am so so sorry..."

They followed a large group of Slytherin's into the classroom, Hermione still trying to beg for forgivness.

"Your late! Ten points from Gryffindor!" Snape bellowed. Ron opened his mouth to argue but Harry pushed him to the closest empty seats before he could get them into any more trouble.

Once they were seated, Snape pranced to the front of the room and glared at everyone in it. Well, all the Gryffindors anyway. "Essays to the front." All the students gathered their essays and began to pass them forward. "Anyone without their essay can simply turn it in tomorow. Neville sighed with relife. "Of course, it will be three pages instead of one." Hermione leaned over to Neville, who looked helpless.

"I'll help you." She whispered.

"No you certainly will not, Ms. Granger." The professor snapped. She didn't realize that he could hear her. He walked up to the desk and stared down at them. "And because of your generous offer, his essay will now be five pages. You-" Snape pointed a bony finger at Hermione, "will spend your afternoon in detention so I can be sure that you won't assit him.

Hermione was outraged. She had never deserved to get a detention in the first place, and now she had just gotten her third, and Neville was being punished as well! What was Snape's problem? Usually if he was really upset he would just pick on Harry. Why was she suddenly the center of attention? She could feel Draco looking at her from the back of the room, but refused to turn around and let him see that she was upset. From now on, she was going to tread very carefully.

When Hermione opened the door to the potions classroom her stomach gave out a loud protest. She had skipped both lunch and dinner to help Neville with his potions essay and she was starving. Hopefully Malfoy would arrive soon so she could finish quickly. Possibly she could beg some of her friends for any snacks they might have. She busyed herself with her Herbology homework while she waited.

Thirty minetes later Draco struted into the classroom, tossing a bag on Snape's desk and planting his pround little arse in the large chair.

"What the hell took you so long?" Hermione pointed at the magical hourglass on the desk. "I don't want to stay here any longer then I have to."

"Understood, sorry. Here, you know the drill." Draco handed a peice of parchment to a suprised Hermione. She certainly hadn't expected that kind of calm, civil reaction out of him. Breaking her eyes away, she looked at the now familiar potion list. Once again it had a few slight adjustments, but it was mostly the same. She sighed and got to work.

Draco watched her as she worked, thoughtfull. On the first day Draco had simply loved to torcher her, but as time went on her began to he mesmerized by how she worked. Every movement she made was graceful, and her concentration never wavered. It almost seemed like the world directly around her froze ad she poured herself into her project. Now he understood why Snape had chosen her. She would get this potion exact.

FLASHBACK

"Why can't you just brew it yourself? You're the potion's master." Draco whined. "What if they get it wrong?" Snape continued pacing around his classroom, preparing for the next day.

"Because," Snape answered, "it would be far too obvious. There are people even here that place their loyalty with the Dark Lord's followers. They will be watching me as well as you. If you are simply overseeing detentions for me, its not as apparent that you are getting the Detraference Potion." Snape gathered his things and walked into his office, Draco trailing behind. He pointed his wand at the fireplace and flames erupted from it. Draco blinked quickly from the heat before seating himself next to the Professor in front to the fire.

"But wouldn't it seem weird that you chose me out of everyone else to oversee a detention?" He asked hesitantly.

At this Snape smirked, which is a close as Draco assumed he could get to a smile. "Not at all. You are my favorite, and it would seem normal for me to assign you to this preticular student. You see, I chose a student who I am positive will get your potion correct. She always has to get everything prefect, that Hermione Granger."

Suddenly Draco was greatly looking forward to the nightly detentions.

Draco was indeed enjoying these detentions, but for a far different reason then he had expected. He thought tormenting Potter's girlfriend would be the most grand of entertainments, but finally seeing her outside the shadow of the Golden Trio put her into a new, interesting light. Also, since the discovery that she might not actually be sleeping with Scarface or his sidekick, he didn't know exactly what to think of her.

A small sound broke Draco away from his thoughts. He looked up at Hermione, who looked distracted but trying to hide it. The sound came again.

"What is that?" Draco watched Hermione turn red. Absent mindedly she put her hand over her stomach.

"I didn't get to eat, alright?" Hermione grumbled.

"Well damn, you should have said something." Draco reached into his bag and began to pull out its contents, placing them in front of him. Soon they were both looking at a feast, complete with chicken, bread, sandwiches, fruit, and a few bottles of butterbeer.

Hermione's mouth watered. "How did you get all this food?"

Draco ginned at her wide eyes. "I had a house elf once that I got along with fairly well. He works in the Hogwart's kitchens now. He gives me leftover food that they have around."

'By the looks of it,' Hermione thought, 'Dobby gave him all the leftovers.'

"Go ahead, eat." Draco invited, kicking out a chair from the other side of the desk, "You must be starving."

She looked at the couldron in front of her, wondering if she could neglect it at all. The potion had to boil for a while, and as long as she remembered to add in the roots every five minetes, she would be fine, Gladly she sat down to eat.

After some light conversation and alot of food, Hermione began to wonder why Draco was being so nice to her. He usually was such an ass that this new side of him was almost... frightening. When he was being a jerk she knew what to expect. Now she had no idea what might be coming. She looked up at him and smiled. "Hey um.. thanks. This is really nice of you."

Draco faultered. Why is she looking at me like that? She has never looked at me like that. "Well, I um... its nothing really. I get food all the time, like every night, so yeah, no problem..." The truth was, and Draco knew it, that he had atually paid a special trip to the kitchens and got all the food he thought she would like. He hadn't seen her at lunch or dinner and knew she would be starving. But her had forgotten all about the food while he watched her work. But now... her eyes were so warm, so kind...

They finished eating in silence, then Hermione went back to her potion. When she finished, she bottled it and set it in front of Draco. She was still looking at him like.. like.. 'Like she doesn't hate me' Draco thought. 'Why is this affecting me so much?'

"Hey, what is this potion for, anyway? Its really complicated."

Draco saw his chance. If he could get her to hate him again, to be compleatly discusted with him, his insides would stop flipping over every time she looked at him. He thought fast.

"Its so I don't spill myself every time I fuck a mudblood. The Malfoy seed is sacred, you know, and shouldn't be wasted on trash. Plus, I don't want some crazy girl to try and get pregnent so she can try to marry into the family. Can't have that happen, now can we?" Draco smirked.

"You asshole! You made me sit here and brew this fucking potion for you? Go to hell." She took his half full bottle of butterbeer and dumped it on his head, then stormed out of the room.

Covered in butterbeer, Draco watched her go. A part of him felt bad about what he had said, but at least she was mad at him again. Thats what he wanted, wasn't it?

Suddenly Draco wasn't so sure.

Reveiw! :)

I am SO SORRY this chapter took so long for me to put up. My family and I took a trip to russia for two weeks and they don't have any cheap internet there! So I had to just write all this down on the airplane in a notebook. I PROMISE the next chapter will come out sooner. And the bigger plot will pick up soon. Very soon.

Doesn't matter whether you liked it or not, just reveiw and tell me what you think!

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