Disclaimer: I still don't own anything…
This chapter is dedicated to nOx-slythrnbabe, my only reviewer so far. I heart you:D
Hermione shoved Malfoy into the cramped dressing room and followed him in, slamming the door behind her. Malfoy looked amused, but when Hermione drew out her wand to perform a silencing spell, his face took on a worried look. He grabbed the wand from her and dangled it just out of her reach.
"Are you insane, Granger, or just stupid?" he hissed at her. "We're in a," he paused and cast furtive looks around before lowering his voice and continuing, "We're in a muggle mall. Casting a spell now would be like a beacon to them."
Hermione looked at Malfoy suspiciously. "How do I know that you're even telling the truth?" she queried. "How am I to know that this isn't some trick to capture me or something? And why," Hermione paused and eyes narrowed, "did you help me back there?"
Malfoy smirked and handed her wand back to her. "Is that a good start?" he asked.
Hermione snatched it from him, resisting the urge to jab him in the ribs with it. Scowling, she added to her tirade of questions. "Whatever happened to me being 'Mudblood Granger,' huh? And you haven't answered all of my other questions yet." As an afterthought, she raised her wand and slapped Malfoy's arm with it.
Choosing to ignore the attack, Malfoy loomed over her. "Well," he said, feigning thoughtfulness, "I could keep calling you Mudblood." He paused, observing Hermione's shiver with apparent interest. "However," he continued, appearing bored, "I've outgrown my childish prejudices." He eyed Hermione, who had snorted rather loudly.
"Why is it that I don't really believe you?" Hermione asked sarcastically.
Malfoy looked irritated. "Look," he said through clenched teeth, grabbing Hermione's shoulders, "the past couple of years have changed me. Is that so hard to believe? I may not particularly like you, but it no longer has anything to do with blood." Malfoy's face softened and a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "Muggles aren't so bad, really. I've discovered TV, internet," he smirked and added, "and Hooters."
Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled away from his grasp. "Okay, okay," she said, nodding. "That still doesn't explain why you helped me get rid of that creepy grease-ball of a kid."
Malfoy looked amused. "You're awfully fixacted on that, aren't you? You haven't thanked me yet, you know." Hermione glared at him in response. Malfoy shrugged. "It's what Dray Folcoam would do," he explained.
For a moment, Hermione simply stared at him dully. She then raised an eyebrow. "You have a whole character/alias thing going on?" she asked, eyeing him incredulously. "And all you did was scramble up the letters in your name? You're a bloody genius, Dray," Hermione quipped sarcastically.
Malfoy's reaction surprised both of them. Instead of snapping at her angrily, he stuck his tongue out at her. "Shut up," he fake-whined. "It was one of those think-fast situations." Hermione tried to keep a straight face.
They were distracted from their conversation by a sudden crash and shouts coming from the store. "Blasted muggles!" they heard someone roar.
Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "You'd think the oafs could be a bit more discreet," he said. "I think we should stay in here for a little while longer." Hermione nodded in agreement. They both crossed their arms and stood in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Hermione turned to Malfoy.
"You know, Dray," she said, "I think you ought to know that you completely ruined my relaxing shopping experience."
Malfoy looked at her quizzically. "How's that? You didn't look all that relaxed to me."
Hermione huffed. "It's just that," she started. Wait, she thought. There is no way in hell that I'm going to tell Malfoy about my date with Tom. She waved the forgotten dress in his face. "I was really looking forward to actually trying this on."
Malfoy eyed the skimpy dress, and then he eyed Hermione. He sat down, smirking. "By all means, Granger – nobody's stopping you."
A/N: Hey guys! What do you think? Review, comment, leave your thoughts/criticism! I can only improve at this point. I would love you forever, you know – if you left a review, that is. Amy