A/N well here's chapter three! I'm sorry to say, but I won't be updating for about a month or so. I seemed to have forgotten that I was going on vacation, lol. Well, I didn't really forget, I just lost track of time... I thought I was leaving a week from Tuesday, but it seems I'm leaving this Tuesday. oops. Anyways, there's a bit of good news, as a result...I will have a few chapters to upload after I come back, so you won't have to wait long for me to update :).

Again, thanks everyone for reviewing! I'm glad a lot of you liked the little Pansy thing that I wrote! I thought it was fairly humerous...it's one of my favourite scenes (lol, not that I have many).

RonniekinzLuvr -- it is just Draco...hehehe a bit of foreshadowing (I tend to do that a lot, so everyone should keep an eye out for that ;))

herovillain-- I don't think that Hermione will actually befriend any Slytherins (well, besides the obvious)... maybe more of a civility or acquaintance with them.

ocardevoli-- lol, I don't mind Pansy (well, in my story, anyways). Oh, there will be pleanty of conversation between Draco and Hermione to come. Also, I think I made this chapter a bit longer, or it could just be all the writing I'm doing now (sorry!). I try to make them longer, but I am busy, so I write and post what I can, when I can.

Hermione awoke early the next morning with a mass of ginger fluff purring contently next to her. "Hey, Crookshanks," she said sleepily, petting the cat. The Gryffindor checked the alarm clock on the bed table; it was 6:45. Deciding she could sleep no longer, Hermione slowly rolled out of bed and made her way into the bathroom, across the hall from her bedroom.

"Learn to knock, Granger," a familiar voice drawled as Hermione walked into the lavatory.

"Learn to lock the door, Malfoy," she retorted. She was a bit surprised to find him here; she didn't figure him an early riser. Hermione made a mental note to get up earlier.

"That didn't seem to stop you last night," he replied, smirking as he turned around to face Hermione. "Did you like the show?"

Hermione went crimson. "Get over yourself!" was all she managed to say.

"Right. Now be a good little Mudblood and get out. Unless you want a second show?" Malfoy began to strip off his shirt. Hermione never moved so quickly in her life.

OoooooO

Thanks to Malfoy, Hermione didn't have time for breakfast and was nearly late for Transfiguration (well, late for Hermione). With only a few minutes to spare before class started, Hermione slid into one of the front desks beside Ron. "Where were you at breakfast?" he asked, worriedly.

"Malfoy was being a git, as usual," she explained. "He took forever getting ready, probably just to annoy me."

"Wanker," Ron muttered as Professor McGonagall began to speak.

"Welcome to seventh year Transfiguration," the professor started. "There is no doubt that this year will be your most difficult yet, but with hard work, determination, and a bit of diplomacy, it will also be your most rewarding year. As you all most likely know, you will be working in pairs for most of your assignments this year. I shall inform you that these partnerships will contain one Gryffindor and one Slytherin; you will not be able to change your partner." McGonagall strolled over to her desk to retrieve a long bit of parchment. "I ask you to settle in your group after I've finished reading the list. Your partners are as follows; Zabini and Brown, Crabbe and Potter, Weasley and Bulstrode, Goyle and Finnigan, Granger and Malfoy, Patil and Parkinson …" she continued down the list. When the last pair was announced, the class rearranged themselves around the room.

"So we meet again," Malfoy spoke.

"Apparently so," said Hermione indifferently. "By the way, thanks for making me late," she said sarcastically.

"You deserved it."

"What! How on earth was it my fault?"

"Because you are a nosy little Mudblood who spies on me."

Hermione reddened. "I didn't--" she started, but she was interrupted by McGonagall.

"Today, we attempt dis-Transfiguration (see A/N below). Dis-Transfiguration is a complex procedure; it involves looking at an object that has been Transfigured and determining the spell that will transform it back to its original state. Remember the clues you have learned to identify a Transfigured item. Dis-Transfiguration is very hard as it requires the witch or wizard to pay close attention to small details. It is also especially hard due to the fact that objects can be Transfigured several times over. Today, you and your partner will be given an object each to Transfigure. Do not tell your partner what the object is, or show it to them. You will then pass over the Transfigured object to your partner, who will determine the counter-spell to return the article to its original state. You may begin." McGonagall began handing each student a small object.

Hermione was given a white and grey striped kitten to Transfigure. While she was deciding, she heard Malfoy ask, "Aren't you finished yet?"

"You're already done?" she asked, amazed. They had just started!

"Obviously. Here." He pushed a bell jar in front of her. "It appears that I've just beaten the best student to attend Hogwarts," he said smugly.

"Only because you keep on bothering me," she snapped. "So shut up so I can concentrate." Surprisingly, Malfoy obliged. A few moments later, Hermione had Transfigured her kitten into a water glass; she handed the glass to Malfoy, who nearly dropped it as he was trying not to physically touch her. Hermione noticed, "I'm not going to taint you, you know."

"I'd rather not take my chances," he quipped. He carefully turned the glass around in his hands, looking at every detail. Not a moment later, he muttered the counter-spell, smugly setting the purring kitten on the desk they were sitting at. "Granger, I thought you'd at least give me a challenge; that was too easy. There were whisker marks underneath," Malfoy explained.

Hermione sighed and got to work on Malfoy's bell jar. She looked over every element of the jar, finally spotting a tiny number "9" on the inside lid and a pinprick of a clock-hand on the side of the jar. She decided it was a pocket-watch and spoke the counter-spell; Malfoy's bell jar returned to a gold pocket-watch.

"That was easy," she lied, setting the pocket-watch on the desk. In reality, Malfoy did an extremely good job; the tiny marks would have gone unnoticed by most wizards.

"Sure it was, Granger," he seemed to know she was lying. Hermione noticed Malfoy gently petting the small kitten she had Transfigured. He saw her staring, "What the hell are you staring at?" he asked, a familiar sneer spreading across his face.

"Nothing," she replied, looking away. Truth be told, she was a bit shocked by the softness he was displaying.

A/N I don't remember if "Dis-Transfiguration" is actually in the books; it seems oddly familiar…I do apologize if it is, or if it's someone else's idea (I really don't know!). It seems awfully impressive of me to come up with this all by myself; I'm not generally that creative, lol. Oh and I'm sorry for putting an A/N in the middle of a story, I hate it when people do that, lol, and I'm sure there's a lot of you put there who feel the same way. I'll shut up... for now :)