The next morning hadn't gone too well for either of them. Draco had woken up first and accidentally had woken up hermione when he tried to get his arm out from under her. A few minutes of staring followed. Once they had gotten over the awkward phase, draco started with his jests.

"Sleep good?" he said with an airy tone. "What am I saying, of course you did; you slept with me."

She gave a half hearted chuckle and replied. "Actually I did sleep very good." she yawned and stretched. "And now I'm gonna take a shower."

Just as Draco had said, the next day he had gone to visit Blaise about Kara. When confronted with the issue blaise simply told him that he didn't know what he was talking about.

"Blaise I heard you talking to her!"

"That's ridiculous, she's a portrait." he replied hotly.

"You...I...uh...arrrgh! Blaise stop lying, you're not very good at it." shouted Draco. A few people in the common turned to look at them. One look from Draco and they went back to what they were doing.

When he turned back to Blaise he was smirking. "What?"

"So how's Granger?"

He left without another word.

Now, one week before Halloween, Hermione sat reading in the common room. Just then, Draco walked in. He noticed Hermione immediately.

"Hey, are you going to hogsmeade tomorrow?" he asked sitting down opposite her. She gave him no reply, nor did she even look up from her book.

"Are you going to answer me?" No reply.

"Are you still mad at me?" She scoffed.

"Oh come on granger, I said I was sorry." She didn't look up. "It's not like she hurt you or anything."

She looked up at him, angrily shutting the book, and glared.

"I didn't see...much." he said with a smirk.

"Ugh!" she stood up and stormed to her room, leaving Draco laughing on the couch.

"So where do you want to go first?" asked Ron the next day as they walked through hogsmeade.

"Honeydukes?" suggested Harry.

"Is candy all you boys think about?" asked Ginny.

"That and Quiditch" said Hermione. Ginny giggled.

Once they entered the little candy shop, Ron and Harry immediately disappeared from their sights.

Ginny pulled Hermione over to some Sugarquills.

After about a half hour in the candy shop, the group finally left.

"Hey, you guys wanna go to the Quiditch shop?" asked Harry as they neared said shop.

"Yeah!" said Ron. Hermione groaned. "Quidditch isn't all bad Hermione." whispered Ginny. "Yeah, that's because you like it." she whispered back. Ginny sighed and latched onto Hermione's arm.

Ginny pulled her over to a shelf which contained many Quiditch magazines. She picked up one and began to flip through it.

"Oooooooh," she said after a minute. "Isn't he cute?" hermione glanced at the magazine and rolled her eyes.

She picked up a magazine and turned to a page. 'Better abs in ten days.' Was looking back up at her. She rolled her eyes again, and set the magazine down.

"Hey hermione look its Krum!" said Ginny showing Hermione the article.

Sure enough there was an article all about Viktor Krum. She took the magazine from Ginny and skimmed the article. Oh my god!

"Oh my god!" she said.

"What?" asked Ginny.

"He's getting married." she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. To a Laura Landers." she said reading the page. "Good for him."

"Oooooh, I wonder if he'll invite you to the wedding." suggested Ginny. Hermione shrugged. and put the magazine down.

She looked at Ginny and noticed her eyes were no longer on the magazine but focused on a part of the store. She followed her eyes to Harry.

"Ginny?"

"Hmm?" she turned to look at Hermione.

"Do you still like Harry?"

"What! Are you crazy! I gave up on him in third year." she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Honestly Ginny it's obvious." Ginny gave her a guilty look.

"Is it really?" Hermione nodded. Ginny sighed.

"Do you think he likes me?" Hermione chuckled. Ginny took this as a bad sign and glared at her.

"No, no, no, no, no, that's not what I mean. Yes, I do think he likes you." Ginny have her a cautious look but then nodded.

"Speaking of Harry, where did he and Ron go?" Ginny shrugged and turned to look around the store.

As she turned around she saw Draco walk into the store along with Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle. She narrowed her eyes as he looked in her direction. He just smirked and shook his head.

"Hey Ginny, will you go to Flourish and Blotts with me?" Hermione asked Ginny after she tore her eyes off of Draco.

"Sure."

"Hey Granger." Ginny turned her head toward Draco, but Hermione continued to walk. What the-? Thought Ginny as she hurried to catch up with Hermione. Ginny heard Draco chuckle as they walked away.

Once they were in Flourish and Blotts, Ginny asked Hermione what had happened between her and Draco.

"Nothing." was her response.

"What did he do?" asked Ginny.

"He's just a stupid git!" Ginny obviously didn't buy it.

"Hermione." she said in a warning tone.

"I don't want to tell you because you'll tell Lavender and Parvati and I'll never live it down." she said defiantly.

"Oh now I have to know! Please Hermione I won't tell them, I promise!" she begged. Hermione sighed.

"You know how I told you about that snake that Draco has?" Ginny nodded.

"That god awful bloody snake." Hermione mumbled. She sighed and continued.

"Well, the other day, Draco well...he slipped that bloody snake in the shower with me." Ginny gasped, then giggled.

"It's not funny Ginny!" she moaned.

"You're absolutely right, I'm so sorry." she cleared her throat and gestured for her to continue.

"Well, I-I got scared. I mean not scared, but it well, startled me. So I, um, got out of the shower." she said. Ginny looked at her confused.

"You're mad at Draco because he put a snake in the shower with you?"

"That's not the whole reason." she said slowly.

"Then what is?"

"Well, when I got out of the shower-ahem-dracowasstandingthere." she hid her face in a book so Ginny couldn't see her face turn red.

"Oh my god! Are you serious? What did he do?" Asked Ginny as she pulled the book away from her face.

"The git just stood there." she huffed. "I mean when I walked in on him I didn't gawk! I apologized and closed the door." Ginny stood there with her mouth open.

"He was even standing in front of the towels so I had to go around him to get one!" she hit her head against the bookshelf.

"Wow." said Ginny.

"Now you had better not tell them." Said Hermione referring to Lavender and Parvati.

"I won't." she said crossing her heart.

Hermione sighed.

"You wanna go to lunch?" she asked Ginny.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Hermione, I promised Lavender and Parvati I would go with them. You can come if you want."

"No." said Hermione quickly. "I'll just go alone. It's fine." Ginny nodded before walking to the exit.

"Don't tell them anything!" Hermione yelled as Ginny walked out of the store. She say ginny nod as she turned the corner.

Hermione put down the book she had been using to hide her face and walked out of the store.

After about an hour of trying, Draco had finally ditched Pansy. Now he was going to head to a secluded little restaurant on the outskirts of hogsmeade. There were never any students from Hogwarts there so he didn't have to worry about running into anyone.

As soon as he rounded a corner he bumped into someone. He stumbled back a little and looked down to see who he had bumped into. Hermione was sprawled out on the ground in front of him.

He extended his hand to her like the gentleman he was, but she just huffed and turned her head.

"Oh come on Granger, you can't still be mad at me." She got up and pulled her cloak around her.

"Alright, how about I make it up to you?" she raised her eyebrow. "I'll buy you lunch." he saw the small smiled form on her lips only to quickly disappear.

"Oh okay." she sighed.

When Hermione entered the small restaurant she couldn't suppress a gasp. It was small, but cozy. The walls were a creamy color with dark brown wood trimmings. There were a few round tables scattered around the room, along with a booth nestled into corners of the room. A woman came up to them immediately to seat them at a booth.

After they ordered and began to eat is when Hermione decided to speak.

"Draco this place is amazing." she said.

"Isn't it? I always eat here when I'm in Hogsmeade."

"Oh?"

They continued their small talk until they had finished their meal. After, Draco had suggested that they go for a walk. Hermione reluctantly agreed.

They talked about anything, and everything.

"Hey, I was wondering: where's Blaise? I didn't see him with you in the Quiditch store." asked Hermione.

"I don't know actually." he said. "He said he wasn't coming to Hogsmeade. Something about finishing up homework. He's probably off with Kara somewhere." Hermione laughed.

"I can't believe he likes a portrait."

"I know." chuckled Draco.

They walked silently for awhile. Hermione glanced to her side to look at Draco. His eyes were focused on his feet, and his hands buried in his pockets.

She didn't know what was happening between them. Would he ask her out? What would happen if they were together. What would her friends say? Well she knew what Ginny would say. But what about Harry and Ron? Would they hate her? No, they'd understand. But what about everyone else? Slytherins and Gryffindors weren't exactly known for their friendliness toward each other. Would they even have a future together? Hermione always pictured herself with a charming, handsome husband. So far he qualifies. She always imagined having kids, and working a spectacular job. Would she even need to work if she married Draco? Wouldn't matter, I'd work anyway.

She glanced at Draco again. He seemed deep in thought also. She shook her head. Marriage? Why was she thinking about marriage? All she did was kiss him! Then a thought came to her mind. Would she lose her virginity to him? She bit her lip as she thought about that. Once again she shook her head. No! Why am I thinking about this? If she did lose it to him, she knew it would be good. Just looking at him sent a shiver down her spine. She smiled mischievously at the thought of his hands all over her body. Bad thoughts Hermione! Bad thoughts.

Just as confused as Hermione, Draco also didn't know what was happening between them. He had finally come to terms with the fact that she was changing him. A bad taste came to his mouth as he thought of that. She had better be worth changing for. He thought bitterly. But when he looked sideways at her he knew that she was. And that's what scared him the most. Should he ask her out? What if she said no? Draco suppressed a chuckle. Nobody could say no to him. But what would other people say? Who cares. He thought. He was Draco Malfoy. If he told them not to care, they wouldn't care. That was that. He wondered if she trusted him enough to be with him. After all, he did set a snake on her in the shower. He smiled at that thought. He might have told her he hadn't seen much, but that was the lie of the century. She was beautiful. Her body was perfect. She wasn't like the other girls he had been with. The ones with the perfect fake bodies. Hers was just plain perfect. She was small, but curvy. He marveled at the way her skin seemed flawless, or the way her hair tumbled down her back. She was different. And he liked it.

"Hey Draco?"

"Hmmm?" he stopped walking and turned his attention to her. Not that it already wasn't on her though.

"It's getting late and I'm getting kind of cold, do you think we could head back now?" he saw her wrap her arms around herself.

"Yeah." She smiled and let her hands hang at her sides.

He didn't know what compelled him to do it. It had to have been the stupidest thing he had ever done. But for some strange reason he had reached out and laced his fingers with hers.

Hermione froze. He was holding her hand. Why? She looked to her side and saw that he was looking anywhere but her. Was this really Draco Malfoy? She was tempted to say the famous line: 'Who are you and what have you done with Draco?', but she didn't. She just let him hold her hand all the way back to the carriages.

"Hermione!" she heard someone yell just as she was about to enter a carriage. She turned and saw Harry and Ron waving at her. She felt Draco immediately drop her hand and frowned slightly. Then Ginny came out of the carriage that Harry and Ron were standing next to. She looked in her direction and her eyes went wide. Hermione and Draco watched as she hopped out of the carriage and grabbed both Harry and Ron by the arms.

"What in the world is wrong with the both of you! Do you not see she is busy! God, you boys are so clueless." she continued to tug them into the carriage. Then she shouted towards Hermione.

"Sorry about that. Continue with what you were doing!" She shouted, then she started reprimanding Harry and Ron again.

Hermione blushed furiously as she climbed into the carriage. They sat silently the whole ride up.

Not even a word was spoken as they walked back to their dorm.

But once they arrived at the portrait he heard Hermione laugh under her breath.

"What ar-" she pointed at the portrait. Kara was sitting in a chair, her snake in the portrait across the hall, she had a dreamy vacant expression on her face and was twirling a strand of hair around her finger. There was a small smile on her lips and every once in a while she would sigh.

"Ahem."

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I was just theenking." Kara said.

Draco told her the new password (Star Gazer) and they entered the common room.

Draco sighed and sat down on the couch. Now things were going to be weird between them. He wished they could just go back to the taunting and the joking. And of course the occasional kiss. He smiled. But no, now things were ruined. Totally and completely ruined.

He felt the couch dip beside him and he turned to see a smiling Hermione. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked almost angrily. What was to smile about? Everything was ruined!

But then she did something very unexpected, she leaned over and kissed him. Just a quick brush against his lips, but a kiss all the same.

Once she pulled away her smile seemed to grow even more.

"What in Merlin's name are you smiling about Granger!"

She laughed slightly before she said, "You like me."

He frowned.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"NO!"

"You can deny it all you want, but I have all the facts, Draco Malfoy, you like me!" Then she giggled a most un-hermione giggle and jumped up from the couch.

"Draco Malfoy has a crush on Hermione Granger. Never thought I would see the day."

"Oh shut it Granger!" he stood up and walked to his room ignoring Hermione's laughs and taunts behind his back.

Once the door was shut, he smiled. So maybe everything wasn't ruined after all.

Hey! I did it I got the chapter up in less than two weeks. Go me! I think I capitalized almost all of the names. Sorry about that.

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I feel kinda bad, because everyone said I kept Draco in character and here in this chapter he's all mushy and stuff. But I still like this chapter.

Review!

!You don't have to read this part if you don't want to!

Ok now if you're reading this, here's what I want you to do. I want you to go to my profile. In my profile there's a link to a website I made. (The website has nothing to do with Harry Potter. Sorry.) I want to know what you think of him. (you'll see what I mean when by 'him' when you go to the site.) E-mail me (my address is in the site) or leave me a review of what you think. The reason I want you to do this is because I think this guy is gorgeous and he is overriding my crush on Tom Felton. Which is saying something. I just wanna know what you think! I need to tell everyone about him. Ok, now I'm off to write the next chapter!

Review! I like them a lot.