The next couple of weeks were pretty quiet within the small group. Hermione and Draco didn't speak to one another unless it was related to Head duties and avoided each other as much as possible. If the other six noticed, they didn't say a word. They were just happy for the peace and quiet.

Draco sat in Potions one Thursday afternoon bored out of his mind. They weren't doing making a potion that class and he already knew all there was to know about the lecture Snape was going on and on about. Deciding that he needed something to distract him from the dull lecture, he allowed his eyes to wander around the class. After a few minutes he allowed his eyes to rest on Hermione. He had been doing that a lot lately, ever since the last Hogsmeade trip, glancing at her when she wasn't looking. Its not like he liked her or anything, but after what happened he felt this need to protect her. Ron and Harry were busy with their girlfriends (Ron admitted his feelings to Millicent the week before) and he would never really think of Blaise as the overly protective friend. So that left him with the unwanted job.

Its not that there were many dangers inside the walls of Hogwarts, but there were still students that were disgruntled with the defeat of Voldemort, students that had fought on the dark side. It was unknown who these few students were, but it was very likely that they would still want to hurt members of the light side. They wouldn't be very picky with who they chose, not in the least. And with the young men of the school showing much more interest in Hermione, Draco had more reason to be protective.

Draco continued to watch her while deep in thought, not noticing that his neighbor beside him saw what he was doing. Not until he felt the firm nudge in his side. Sighing, he turned to Blaise. "What?"

"When are you going to stop pretending?" Blaise said in a low voice.

"Stop pretending what?" Draco hissed. He hated when Blaise didn't get to the point right away.

"Pretending that you hate her"

"I never hated her…"

"…"

Draco sighed; there was no way he could get out of this. "You know how I am… Look, we can talk about this after class."

A few minutes later Snape finished his lecture about Merlin knows what and they were dismissed. Blaise practically dragged Draco out of the room, eager to know what was going on in his friend's blond head. Harry and Ron walked out of the classroom a few minutes behind them.

"You heard that?" Ron asked Harry.

"Of course I heard them, I'm not bloody deaf you know"

"That means our plan is working"

"What plan?"

"What plan?" Ron mimicked. "Merlin, Harry, does anything go through your head these days besides shagging Pansy?" Harry had become a bit absent minded after the war. He no longer had a huge weight on his shoulders so he was pretty much care free. "You do remember how we keep making sure that they are alone together besides when they are in their common room? Like the Hogsmeade trip?"

"Oh that plan? Do you think they like each other?"

"I don't know, but Draco has been looking at her an awful lot lately."

"That probably because she looks all hot again. Good job in getting her to do that. Draco has absolutely no reason to say anything negative about her appearance now. Are we still gonna tell them we are spending the weekend with our girls to keep them alone?"

"Yeah, we need them to get along soon, at most by Christmas holidays; I want to be able to hang out with everyone without all of the bickering."

"Ok, we'll tell them later."

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Draco threw himself onto his bed, he had a feeling he would not be enjoying his conversation with Blaise. He probably should have tried to ignore him while they were in class, but that would have only delayed the conversation. Might as well get it over with.

"So?" asked Blaise as he got comfortable in Draco's desk chair.

"So what?" replied Draco annoyed. 'Why the hell does he never just say what he wants to say' he thought irritably.

"You fancy Granger don't you?"

Draco was shocked. This certainly wasn't what he had expected to come from his best friend's mouth. "Merlin, no. Where in the world would you get that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know. The constant staring was a clue."

"Oh, that… See I'm not really staring at her, just kind of making sure she doesn't get herself into trouble."

"And when did you become Mya's protector?"

"When I had to save her from a Death Eater in Hogsmeade." Draco quickly told him the story of what happened.

Blaise laughed. "He actually ran out the store? Only you could cause such terror in a highly feared Death Eater."

Draco smirked. "You're just about as feared as I am. But anyways, that answers your question. If a Death Eater like him would go after her, what's to say that one that we don't know about in the school won't do it too? I mean it could be an accident that he found her, she looks totally different from how she looked during the war obviously, but you can never be too cautious."

Blaise was quiet for a moment. "You sure you don't fancy her? You never get angry like that usually. I was beginning to think that you don't experience that emotion anymore. Sounds like you might like her a little?"

"Look, no man should ever force himself onto a woman. It's one of the few noble things my father taught me before he died. I would've done it for anyone. As for the stuff in school, I'm just bored, Blaise. Not much to do now that the war is over with"

Blaise stood up from the chair and stretched. "I guess I'll accept that answer until I can get more proof. That and I think I hear Ginny in the common room getting all excited over something. So I better go and see what is going on." He walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hey Blaise" called Draco.

"What?"

"Sometimes I stare at her because I think she's pretty cute, even before she changed her style. Don't tell anyone though; people might think I am actually beginning to like her."

Blaise just chuckled and went down the stairs.

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Draco walked down the stairs to hear the girls chatting happily. He hadn't heard them this happy for a long time, so of course he was curious to what was going on. He walked over to Ginny who had just finished saying goodbye to Blaise. "Hey munchkin, what are you girls so happy about?"

"Oh, Hermione just got a date for tomorrow night."

"Granger got a date? Well, well, well, there is hope for everyone. Hey, Granger! Who's the date with?"

Hermione turned around to face him while the other girls became quiet. "Draco, please don't start an argument with her now." Ginny pleaded.

"I'm not starting anything, I am just curious. So Granger, who's it with?"

"Why do you care, Malfoy?"

"I don't really, I just want to know what guy was pathetic enough to ask you out."

Hermione tried to stay calm; she was not going to get angry. That was what he wanted. "His name is Jay and he is a Slytherin." She said simply.

"I don't know any Jay in Slytherin. What's his last name?"

"I don't know his last name. He is one of the seventh-year transfer students."

Draco didn't say anything for a moment. The girls thought that maybe they had been lucky to avoid yet another argument between the two. Just when they were about to give a sigh of relief, Draco exploded. "ARE YOU SO DESPERATE THAT YOU WOULD GO ON A DATE WITH SOME GUY THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!"

Pansy, Ginny, and Millicent just looked at each other. "Oh shit, it's going to start again. Let's let them work it out." Pansy mumbled while pulling them out of the Head's dorm.

"Who cares how well I know him? The point of a date is to get to know someone better!"

"Are you stupid? This guy is a transfer and he's a Slytherin. Do you even know where he came from? How do you know he didn't just ask you out to hurt you? Not all Slytherins are on the good side! I've never even heard of this guy!"

"You think everyone is a bloody Death Eater! Is it so hard to believe that this guy asked me out because he wants to get to know me better and not to finish Voldemorts work?"

Draco smirked. "Yeah actually it is. After all, the only guy that has ever shown you any interest was a buffoon that you aren't even together with any more."

Hermione's eyes began to water. "You know nothing about what went on with me and Victor." She hissed. At this point she was trying hard not to burst into tears from his comment.

"Oh did I hit a nerve. Did the big oaf kick you to the curb after he realized what a bore you were?"

Hermione couldn't hold back the tears anymore, but she had to say something, anything, to not let him have the last word. She said the first thing in her head. "You know what? If it makes you feel better you're right." Draco's eyes widened. " I broke up with him because I caught him having sex with another girl while I was staying at his house." Hermione laughed harshly. "He told me that he loved me, but since I wasn't available at the time, and she was, he thought I'd understand. I hope it makes you feel better about yourself knowing that you were right about me for once." And with that she ran to her bedroom and slammed the door.

Draco stared at her door wishing he could have taken back what he had just said. He never thought that he would make her cry. As much as he didn't like her, he never argued with her in order to hurt her, only to make her obscenely angry. Draco sighed. He had been planning on going to dinner but he no longer had an appetite. He would just go upstairs and make it a really, really early night.

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Draco felt like hell as he walked to the Great Hall the next afternoon. He hadn't slept at all the night before, he kept replaying the argument from the day before and he felt bad. Draco wasn't used to feeling regret, he never regret anything a day in his life. It was taking over his thoughts, and combined with the fact that he was dead tired, he couldn't pay attention in his classes. He was lucky that he didn't have any exams, or else he would've been in big trouble.

Draco walked into the hall and a sat at the emptiest end of the Slytherin table; he was in no mood to interact with anyone. He distractedly scooped various foods onto his plate and let his mind wander again, he needed to figure out a way to stop feeling so bad. Draco was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when someone sat down next to him.

"Not hungry?" came the voice beside him.

"Huh?" Draco said looking at Blaise with a confused expression on his face.

"I noticed that you weren't at dinner last night or breakfast this morning, so I'm wondering how come you're not hungry now."

"Oh." Draco looked down at plate like he had never seen it before. "Guess I was distracted." He began to slowly eat his food.

"So what did you do?"

"What?"

"Well both you and Mya weren't at dinner last night, and Ginny told me that you had started another argument with her before she left. And judging by how Mya looked when she came to breakfast and how you're acting now I know something happened. So I ask again. What did you do?"

Draco sighed for the millionth time that day. He decided to be totally honest. "Blaise, I messed up. I think I finally went too far with her." He pushed his plate away and rested his cheek on his arms. "I never meant to make her cry. I just wanted her to get angry… I didn't know."

"Go on," Blaise said patiently.

"I was just annoyed that she accepted this date with some guy that no one knows, I mean I thought it was a stupid thing to do. And then it escalated to me bringing up Krum and.."

"Ok stop don't want to hear anymore. Victor Krum is a subject that is off limits with her and if she wanted me to know something about it she would tell me. As for the date thing, she'll be alright, it's not like they can leave the grounds. And as for what you should do, you should apologize."

"I don't think she would accept an apology from me. If she didn't hate me before she hates me now."

"She doesn't hate you…Mya is a very rational girl. If she sees that you are sincere in your apology, she will accept it. And I know you would be sincere, I know you would never intentionally make her cry."

Draco smiled for the first time of the day. "Glad for the vote of confidence. I just hope you're right."