"Is there a reason why your shirt is off again?" Hermione asked groggily, sitting up and turning to the figure beside her.

"I wasn't going to sleep fully clothed Granger," he said, giving her an appraising look. He then raised one eyebrow and added "You don't, that's for sure."

Hermione frowned at him and pulled the sleeve of her rather skimpy nightgown up once again. "Cheap shot."

"Well, you like using them, so why shouldn't I?" Hermione frowned once more, glared, and began to slide off the bed. He grabbed her waist and pulled her back. "What? No comeback?"

"I'm not a morning person."

"I know."

Hermione glared, and then looked as if she was thinking hard. "Witty banter,' she replied quickly, and slid out of his arms.

He stared at her blankly. "What?"

She smirked down at him at his spot lying on the bed. "Simply using the phrase witty banter seems witty, doesn't it? And besides, you have no comeback."

"Not fair. Really not fair."

"Life isn't."

"Yes….But why can't it ever be unfair in my favour?"

"Stop whining."

"Stop looking so damn sexy." There was a slight pause as Hermione turned to smirk at him and he cringed. "Did I say that out loud?"

"You better believe it Lover Boy," Hermione replied before slipping into her bathroom. Malfoy sighed and dropped his head back on the pillow. All he could think of was that smirk, and her nightgown strap slipping off her shoulder.

"Blaise, dahling!" Hermione exclaimed as she plopped into the seat beside the boy.

"Granger," he acknowledged, barely giving her a nod.

"That's all I get?"

"Wouldn't want your boyfriend to get jealous," he replied sharply, still not looking up.

"How about you? You seem awfully jealous."

"My reputation is shot, Granger, because of that little stunt you pulled."

"You were the one kissing me in abandoned classroom Zabini."

"Granted, Granger. But that was just messing with your mind."

"Then how come you liked it so much?"

"Shut up Granger, or I'll be forced to taste that lip gloss again."

"Be my guest. I'm not attached to anyone."

"Of course you're not."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"How so?"

Blaise smirked, and Hermione rolled her eyes. What was it with Slytherins…? "You're sleeping in the same bed as him."

Hermione reeled back. "How did you-?"

"I have my sources."

"Don't be all cool as a cucumber to me Blaise Zabini!"

"Fine. I won't be. Should I be cool as a cat? Cool as a cup of iced tea?"

"I hate all Slytherins," Hermione repeated under her breath in complete exasperation. "So. Are you going to blackmail me?"

"You read my mind," he replied, grinning. Hermione sighed.

"Conditions?"

Hermione reflected. She sat on her bed, tried not to think that a very shirtless boy had been there a few hours ago, and reflected. Blaise was blackmailing her. It wasn't surprising, really. But she couldn't for the life of her imagine how he knew. Maybe he'd just deduced it; Malfoy hadn't been in his dorm for days, and they were spending an awful lot of time together…For play purposes, of course.

Slytherins were expected to be evil, but he'd gone into an entirely new range. Blackmailing, yes. Messing with her mind, yes. Taking the upper hand when she thought she had it, yes. Coming between her and I guy she was pretty sure she liked as more than an enemy, maybe. But all of them mixed together? He was evil. Pure evil.

She had accepted his terms on the grounds that she was protecting Malfoy. She hadn't told Zabini that, of course, but it was what she would tell Malfoy. If she told him at all. Which she wouldn't. She had agreed to his conditions less than readily, and was terrified of what she was doing: Playing with fire. And not just any fire. Blue fire (Malfoy) and red fire (Zabini,) two fires which, when mixed, could have disastrous proportions.

Hermione blinked. She was doomed. She was doomed because she and Malfoy had something, though Merlin knew what it was, and she was going out to the upcoming ball with Blaise.

She reflected on her doomed-ness until Malfoy walked in, gave her a cocky grin and peeled off his shirt.

"Argh! What makes you think I want to see that?" She cried, shielding her eyes with a pillow.

He sat down beside her and replied "A lot of things Granger, a lot of things."

"Someone's in a deep, profound mood today."

"Shut up Granger."

"Fine. Did you have any more deep, profound things to share with me?"

"No. How'd everything go with Zabini?"

"Oh, the usual," replied Hermione, after a pause. He gave her a curious look. "What?"

"You're hiding something," he replied, sitting up and giving her a suspicious look.

"No."

"Yes, you are. Really Granger, I thought we were beyond this."

"Beyond what?"

"The honesty game part of our relationship."

"What relationship?"

"Whatever it is that we have."

"We have nothing."

"Stop kidding yourself."

"You're infuriating."

He paused, staring into the eyes of a girl he was pretty sure he liked as more than an enemy. She glared at him, smirking when it appeared he couldn't come up with anything as a clever reply. "Witty banter."

"Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed before they both dissolved into fits of laughter. Blaise was forgotten by both in favour of, erm, Satsuma lip gloss.

Opening night was that night. Hermione had nearly forgotten, but she quickly remembered when Hannah rushed into her room. "I have to get you ready!" The girl exclaimed, dragging Hermione with her down into a large room that led off from the Great Hall. Hermione looked at it all in avid interest; it was exactly like backstage at a regular theatre.

The ceiling was ornate and cream coloured, with pillars every so often. Along the walls of the rectangular room there were movie-star style mirrors and tables filled with various beauty products. In the center of the room, tall racks of coustumes reached to the ceiling, separating one half from the other.

"Wow," Hermione breathed as Hannah led hr to her own personal stall.

The taller girl grinned. "I know. Now, sit. You're set to go on in an hour and a bit, and I need you to get changed and I need to do makeup and hair." She paused, giving Hermione and appraising look. Then she waved with her hands. "Shoo! Get that dress on!"

Hermione scampered off. Meanwhile, on the other side of the large room, Malfoy was being primped. "I need no makeup!" He yelled at the girl and boy hurrying around him.

Then he heard a soft laugh behind him. He turned to face Hermione, who was looking beyond amused.

"Malfoy," she greeted, trying to keep up whatever part of their façade they were in now.

"Granger," he replied, eyes scrolling over her body. "Shouldn't you be getting made up?"

"I'm not good enough as is?" She replied teasingly. "Actually, I escaped for a few moments. We heard tortured screams. I recognized them." The makeup boy and girl exchanged mischievous glances and scampered away to speak to the rest of the crew.

"You've done it again," he said, hanging his head in his hands.

"Done what?" Hermione asked exasperatedly, hands on hips, as she watched the two scamper away.

"Think Granger. What do young, perverted minds generally associate with tortured screams?"

Hermione reflected for a moment. "I've done it again," she said finally, looking thoughtful and remorseful all at once. He grinned, and she grinned back.

"HERMIONE!" Hannah cried from the other side of the racks. Hermione looked fearful.

"I'm coming!" she cried, before leaning over and giving Malfoy a quick kiss on the cheek. "Break a leg Stud Muffin," she whispered in his ear.

"Same to you Peaches," he replied, grin still plastered on his face.

Hermione glanced nervously out at the crowd entering the Great Hall. She was surprised at her anxiousness, as she had always been incredibly comfortable on the stage. Suddenly two arms slipped around her waist.

"Hey," he breathed into her ear.

"Hey," she whispered back, eyes sticking to the space beyond the stage.

"You'll do fine."

"I'm not nervous."

"Sure you're not."

"OK, maybe just a little."

"Don't be."

"We haven't actually kissed on stage yet."

"I know."

"Just a peck, right? Don't embarrass me."

"So now I'm an embarrassment?" he replied teasingly, and Hermione was grateful he didn't take her seriously. "Am I allowed to sing my wonderful rendition?"

"You're wonderful rendition of a muggle song?"

"I must have heard it from you," he replied defensively.

"Uh-huh."

"Places!" McGonagall said from somewhere behind them.

"Off we go then," said Hermione shakily.

"You'll do fine."

And she did. The entire time, however, her eyes continued to stray to where Blaise was sitting. He was distracting in every way, shape, and form and she could not get him out of her mind. Even when Malfoy kissed her and she awoke, filled with love as a princess coming out of a deep sleep, she was thinking about Blaise pushing her up against walls in vacant classrooms.

They finished without any mistakes, and most of the Great Hall sat laughing long after the cast and taken their bows. They didn't mind though; making people laugh and enjoying themselves was all they had set out to do. OK, not really, but it was a success, at the very least.

Malfoy and Hermione met up in her room, both still wearing their coustumes. "Granger," he said, looking her over.

"Malfoy," she said, smiling at his obvious love of her outfit.

"I don't suppose you need any help getting that off?" He asked, giving her a hopeful yet somehow still seductive look.

She gave a small laugh. "No, Malfoy, I think I can manage. Nice try though." And she slipped into the bathroom to get changed and take her makeup off. A few minutes later, she called out to him. "Malfoy, I need your help to unlace this corset. And don't get any ideas; I just can't reach it."

He smirked and entered the bathroom. Her makeup was halfway there to being completely washed off, and her hair was falling over her shoulders in tangles. "Gladly," he said as he stood behind her.

"No ideas," she warned, pulling her hair away from the knots at the back of her dress.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied as he began to unlace the ribbons. Slowly the dress began to slip off her shoulders, and he stood looking at her pale skin. She turned around, still smiling slightly, and kissed him.

"Sometimes," she said, and gave him another kiss, "Dreams do come true."

"You know it's unnerving when you're all seductive, right?"

"Only because I'm the only girl who's made you as nervous as you make her," she replied, before pulling him with her back into the bedroom. Needless to say, they didn't emerge to have the party with the rest of the cast that night.

A/N: I know this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but this isn't the end of the story like I said. So I lied. Please forgive me. And Blaise didn't walk out of her life forever. Whoops.

As for Malfoy and Hermione, make of this what you will. (Hint: I'm no good at writing sex scenes, so I'd generally leave it with an air of mystery.) You're bright people. You'll read the signs.

Yet another tribute to my friends. The 'witty banter' thing is a concept my best friend and I came up with one day when we were bored. (Did I mention this to you, MG?) Anyways, please review guys! And give long reviews!