A/N: Remember me? I wouldn't be all that surprised if you didn't. I actually wrote this chapter up a while ago but never got around to uploading it. Hope you enjoy it!

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softballtitan009: Thank you! Seriously, I appreciate your maturity. Keep reviewing!

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Disclaimer: Nope, not me.

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Inside Out

Chapter Four: Hogsmeade

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To Hermione's surprise— and everyone else's for that matter— Draco greeted her in the Great Hall at breakfast the next morning.

"Hermione." He had said from behind her, startling her enough to make her drop her spoon. Nearly the entire Gryffindor table spun around with her to gape at the Slytherin.

Somehow, Draco was smiling warmly, seemingly undaunted by the stares he was getting. "Good morning," he said and handed her a rectangular box he had been holding under his arm.

Hermione stared at him for a moment before she recovered; she took the silver box from him, smiling back. "Oh... Draco, I wasn't expecting..."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind that, it's for you." With that he turned on his heel and strode back to the Slytherin table, looking as if nothing odd had occurred.

The entire Gryffindor table watched him go. Hermione, astonished herself, turned back to her breakfast and began inspecting the box. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see that everyone was staring at her— especially Harry and Ron.

She looked up suddenly, glaring around at everyone. "Well? What are you all looking at? Have I grown a tail or something?" Thankfully, everyone averted their eyes; but the murmuring began.

Ron leaned in close so he could whisper in her ear. "What did you do to him? Put a love spell on him?"

Hermione blushed. "Um... not exactly." She looked at the box again, wondering if there was some sort of curse on it that would explode in her face when she opened it.

She swallowed and pulled the green ribbon off, knowing the rest of the Gryffindors were probably watching her out of the corner of their eyes. When she carefully lifted the lid, she was half-surprised to find she was holding a box of chocolate truffles.

"Do you think they're poisoned?" Harry asked, peering over her shoulder.

Hermione shrugged and closed the box, putting it aside.

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Such occurrences with Draco as that of the chocolate truffles became common over the next week. The next day he gave her a rose, enchanted so it would never wilt; the day after that he took Hermione on a walk through the grounds, his arm draped casually across her shoulders. Thankfully, he didn't try for much conversation— she didn't know how well she could hold up the act if she had to talk too much.

The entire school was talking about it— even the teachers seemed interested. Professor Malfoy even seemed pleased with Draco's strange change in character.

As for Harry and Ron... well, they were Harry and Ron. She had had to break up more than one heated 'conversation' between Draco and the two.

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On Saturday, Hermione woke up with a very anxious feeling churning her stomach. Today was the day she was to go to Hogsmeade— with Draco. There were no classes today, so she was in no rush. She chose her outfit carefully— ignoring the voice nagging her from the back of her mind that she was wasting her time on purpose.

Remembering how much Draco had liked it, she wore the tight blue sweater she had been wearing in Diagon Alley that first day. Then, after nearly an hour of debating with herself, she chose a pair of black pants to go with it.

As she was spelling her hair into an acceptable condition, a knock sounded on her door. "Hermione?"

It was Ginny.

"Yes?"

"Harry and Ron are getting really antsy down in the common room. I suggest you hurry up and get down there before they motivate a lynching for Malfoy— he's waiting for you down the hall outside the portrait."

Hermione's heart sank. A part of her had been hoping he would forget about Hogsmeade— after all, he had been half-conscious with a concussion when she had asked him. "I'll be right there!" She called.

Ron and Harry were pacing before the fireplace when she arrived downstairs a couple minutes later.

Harry looked up as she came down the steps. "Malfoy's waiting." He said bitterly.

Ron was scowling. "You know, I don't think you should—"

Hermione held up a hand, aware of the other Gryffindors in the room. "What I should or should not do is none of your business, Ron." She said, giving him a warning look and a meaningful glance at the other people in the room.

Harry and Ron got the picture, though they took to it grudgingly. They stepped aside to let her pass.

Draco was indeed waiting for her at the end of the corridor, as Ginny had said. He turned when he heard the portrait snap shut and strolled over, that weirdly warm smile on his face.

"So, that's where the entrance to Gryffindor Tower is," he said, "I thought it was somewhere in this corridor."

Hermione forced herself to meet his eyes. Despite the convincing smile, his eyes seemed oddly guarded. "Hello, Draco," she said, marveling at how easily the pleasant tone came off her tongue now. A week ago she had been struggling.

Draco stopped in front of her, eyeing her outfit. He remembered the shirt. He made himself look up at her face, reminding himself he was supposed to be polite. He discovered she was blushing.

"I trust you have had your breakfast, Hermione?" He heard himself say; he wanted to hurry up and get to Hogsmeade where there would be plenty of people to see them together. He wondered in the back of his mind if she noticed that aboutninety percentof the time he spent with her he spent in the sight of others. Perhaps she did, but she'd have to be very paranoid to pick up on the clues.

She nodded in answer and Draco started to lead her down the hall. He casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders, feeling how tense she was. He knew very well how good an actor he was— acting was an un-acclaimed art among the aristocrats he had grown up with— but he still wondered whether Granger picked up on it. But then again, he doubted it mattered. Unless he was incredibly overestimating her, then she wasn't going out with him because she liked him.

Draco was soon leading Hermione out of the castle and up to the seemingly horse-less carriage that awaited them. Also awaiting them was Professor Snape. He felt Hermione go tenser still beneath his arm.

"Hello, Professor," he said as they approached.

Snape nodded in greeting, eyeing Hermione suspiciously. "Good morning, Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger," he said, "I've been assigned as your chaperone for your visit to Hogsmeade today." In his usual way, Professor Snape turned on his heel and mounted the carriage.

Draco led Hermione the rest of the way to the carriage but stopped her from following Snape. In her puzzled gaze, he hopped up on the carriage step, reached inside, and hopped down again with a box in his arms.

Smiling at her, he held out the box and opened the lid. The paranoid little voice in the back of his mind was telling him that he was going to scare away the most essential component of his plans— Hermione— by overwhelming her with gifts. But had he ever me a girl that didn't like being spoiled?

Draco watched as Hermione's eyes widened as she lifted out the lush, velvet cloak. It was snow white, lined and embroidered with a deep evergreen that complemented her doe brown eyes. He had debated over the colors for a long time but was sure he had made the right choice as he saw her eyes dance.

"Draco," she said, almost breathless, "This is too much..."

"Nonsense," He answered, closing the box, "It's already getting cold and that cloak is just what you need." He took the soft cloth from her hands and swung it around behind her. She stiffened at his touch as he knotted it around her neck.

She smiled slightly as she arranged it around her shoulders. "Thank you," she said, nothing but politeness in her tone now.

Draco shrugged and helped her into the carriage.

Hogsmeade was a quiet town but Draco knew enough of his father's spies were around to ensure he heard— if he hadn't already— of his son's outing with a mudblood.

Draco led Hermione to a little restaurant/inn in the middle of town and showed her to a reserved table; the man who ran the place— a Mr. Rothschild— was in fact on of his father's top information-getters.

Snape soon excused himself, saying he had an errand to run. That left the two of them alone, and with a very uncomfortable silence.

Draco looked across the table at Hermione, who was sitting uneasily, staring at her hands. He racked his brain for something to talk about— you couldn't just kiss a girl right off, girls didn't tend to like that as much as being sort of 'tricked' into it.

But Hermione saved him the trouble and spoke first. "So... It must be weird having an Uncle as a Professor..." She said, looking up to meet his eyes.

He shrugged. "He's really a pretty okay guy— it's kind of hard to be awkward around him, anyways, at least for me."

She looked at him curiously for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"

Draco shrugged again. "Well, I guess he just doesn't leave much room for awkwardness..." He paused, wondering where he was going with this. "Granted, you have to be careful around him with certain subjects..." He trailed off.

"Well, what 'certain subjects' do you mean?" Hermione persisted, playing the curious one.

Draco shook his head, dampening a girl's spirits with morbid stories was not the way to do it when you wanted to kiss them. "Anyways," he said, making sure he made eye contact, "Tell me something, Hermione. Do you like to fly?"

Hermione blinked at him. "Well, I don't do it that often, really... You see, I'm not very good at it." She shrugged.

Draco nodded, leaning just a little closer across the table. "Well, I was just wondering if perhaps you'd like to come flying with me tomorrow."

She looked down— possibly to hide a blush, or dismay. "Well, of course, I'd love to, Draco." When she looked up again, Draco was much closer than she remembered.

He reached out and Hermione willed herself not to flinch. She felt his fingers tenderly brush her cheek.

Draco leaned in closer still; he could see Mr. Rothschild approaching out of the corner of his eye. "Are you afraid of me, Hermione?" he whispered to her.

She glanced downwards. "No, Draco, of course not..."

But she was holding her breath. Draco gave her the most convincing smile he could. "Hermione," he stroked her cheek with his thumb, "I don't want you to be afraid of me." He then leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her gently. He smiled inwardly as he felt her give in under his lips. And they were directly in the sight of Mr. Rothschild. Luscius Malfoy would know every detail by evening.

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A/N: Well? Who liked it? Review!