Disclaimer: Not mine. At all. And the script I use is Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" script. Amazing what you can find on the net….

Hermione ran through the halls. Partly because she was late, partly because she was excited. The auditions were finally being held, and she felt she was ready. The were holding the auditions on a mock stage in the Great Hall, and only the eight asked to come by their Head of House would be there.

She burst through the doors, thankful that she was only a few minutes late.

"Ah, Ms. Granger. So good of you to join us," Dumbledore's tone was blank, but she could tell he meant it lightly. "I hope you have all prepared. We thought that we could narrow it down a bit this way, and it was most certainly not mean to be a popularity contest. So, let us begin. We'll have each pair from each house work together on the scene you were supposed to have worked on, and then we'll mix you up a bit. All right?"

Everyone nodded. Hermione smiled at Harry. "Thanks for coming."

"Did I have a choice?" He replied.

"You'll have fun."

Hermione and Harry watched Hannah and Will, and both looked skeptic. They shared a glance; the pair was OK, but probably not good enough for the leads.

The Ravenclaws were better, but only by a little. Hermione didn't really think the girl suited the part look-wise either, with her jet black hair, so curly it had to be a perm.

Hermione was surprised to see Malfoy alone up on stage. Snape was visibly frowning. "Where's Ms. Parkinson?" He asked sharply.

Malfoy smirked. "She was…..Held up," the smirk wavered slightly.

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well. Ms. Granger, please play opposite Mr. Malfoy, and then you can audition with Mr. Potter." Hermione only looked slightly surprised. There were only three girls, and she was the only one who hadn't gone.

She stepped up onto the stage, surprised that she didn't feel nervous at all. She quickly began her lines, trying not to grin at finally getting a chance to act.

"Oh?" She said, feigning an innocent look. She spun around to see Malfoy, ahem, Phillip, and said again "Oh!"

She started to run away, but Malfoy caught her arm. "I'm awfully sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." He looked like he was trying very hard to not smirk or say something else. The words seemed too kind for him, and she couldn't pretend he was anyone other than Malfoy. This was going to be very hard.

"Oh, it wasn't that. It's just that you're a, a…

"A stranger?" He replied softly, and Hermione was surprised by his tone. You're acting, she reminded herself, trying to keep pretending to be Aurora, a beautiful girl meeting her true love….

Hermione made a soft noise of agreement, remembering her part and trying not to laugh at the 'true love' part of her game of pretend.

"But we have met!" Malfoy came in, almost bursting with excitement. "Don't you remember?"

"We, we have?" she stuttered.

"Of course. You said so yourself. Once upon a dream…." The music started, and Hermione nearly stood in shock at Malfoy's singing voice.

"I know you
I walked with you
Once upon a dream
I know you
The gleam in your eyes
Is so familiar a gleam"

Hermione came in, adding her voice to the soft melody.

"And I know it's true
That visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you
I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once
The way you did
Once upon a dream"

They stopped singing, and Malfoy lay his arm over her shoulder. It was such an odd feeling, and she couldn't help remembering back to the other night. Quickly, though, the moment was over, and they hated each other again.

There was applause from the staff table, and many mutters. Hermione sat back down.

"You were wonderful, Mione. Really wonderful. You two worked really well together….Is there something I don't know about?" Hermione looked up in shock, but Harry was grinning. "Chill out."

Dumbledore stood up. "The official list will be posted tomorrow in the Great Hall. Check before breakfast!"

Harry shook his head, smiling. "They don't even need me to audition."

"It's a good thing, too," Hermione replied, as Harry looked at her questioningly. "You really would have made a horrible Prince Phillip. And it would have been weird to kiss my best friend."

"But kissing Malfoy is OK?"

"I'm trying not to think about that part."

Hermione knew she shouldn't have been worried. After all, she'd done well. She knew it. And she knew she had great chemistry with Malfoy…..ON STAGE! Just on stage.

She rushed anyways, and checked the list after wading through a sea of people.

CAST LIST FOR "SLEEPING BEAUTY"

Aurora/Briar Rose: Hermione Granger

Prince Phillip: Draco Malfoy

Flora: Parvati Patil

Fauna: Padma Patil

Merryweather: Lavender Brown

Malificent: Hannah Abbot

The list continued, but Hermione was too excited to care. The only problem was Malfoy, but she was willing to do practically anything to be onstage. She tried to find Malfoy, to congratulate him. She hated him, but she was going to have to put up with him. And then she heard a voice through all the people.

"She's only there to make me look good." Malfoy, no doubt about it.

Hermione burst through the crowd. "Are you sure of that?"

He smirked down at her. "Positive. Honestly Granger, as if you can really act."

"As if you could act without me beside you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you wouldn't be anything if I wasn't there guiding you along. Heaven, Malfoy, you can't even dance!" He was seething, and she was enjoying it.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, defiantly.

"Yeah.," she replied, sticking her chin out at him.

"Fine. Prove that I can't dance."

"No," he looked victorious for a second, but then Hermione continued. "You don't need me to prove that." She walked away, smiling to herself as the jeers directed at Malfoy faded away behind her.

It had been a long day for Hermione, and she was reading over her script. Again. But Hermione was surprised to have Parvati and Lavender burst into her room.

"It was Malfoy, wasn't it?" Lavender started.

"I mean, he's good looking, but a Slytherin?" Parvati added, sitting down on the end of Hermione's bed. Hermione reached for the glass of water on her bedside table. Her mouth had gone dry.

"Anyways," Lavender continued, shooting Parvati a pointed look. "He was the boy you were with outside in the snow, wasn't he?"

"That's why you two have such good chemistry."

'ON STAGE!' Hermione added to herself, grinning. She turned to face the girls, who were lying on her bed, ready for gossip.

"Yes," she said, with as straight a face as she could manage. "We've been sneaking around for ages now. I'm almost glad you found out." Lavender and Parvati grinned, and squealed some more.

"We'll be back for the details later!"

Hermione smiled. First, she was a pretty good actress. And second, Malfoy was going to be in for a very interesting surprise.

A/N: WOO-HOO! Third chapter. Please review, and the can be somewhat mean, and they can be long. Advice, ideas, anything. I could use it.