i have 39 reviews! and my goal for this fic is to reach about 100 reviews! just 61 more reviews to go! then ill beSOOO happy!; )

: ( im sorry if this chapter doesnt really make sense or it really stinks or its too much or its just bad... depending on my mood, ill rewrite it... but not now.. sorry if its not that good in advance : ) ((reason on the bottom))

i need to ask my cousin to beta-read my work from now on... so that i wont have to do it! LOL jk

i dedicate this chapter to the ever-so fabulous ((your name here)) and for strawberries ; )

The train came to a stop. Draco and Hermione helped the younger years out of the train, for it was their duty to do so. Hermione kindly escorted the shy first years out of the train, and reassured them that Hogwarts was the best place ever. Draco just scowled at the first years so that they would hurry up and leave. Draco didn't want to spend his first day at Hogwarts being nice to little firsties and escorting them outside as if he was a nanny. Draco smirked as he saw Hermione glare at him for treating the first years that way.

When the train was clear, Draco and Hermione got their knapsacks and left their Head compartment. Before they went outside, Hermione stopped in front of the door. Draco looked at her quizzically. Hermione bit on her bottom lip and looked nervously at her feet.

"So, Malfoy," Hermione started, "this is it, isn't it? I mean… we have to start… I mean… what I meant to say…" Hermione just kept on stuttering, not knowing what the appropriate thing to say was. Draco smirked at her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know." Draco rolled his eyes. Women… Hermione just glared at Draco, for he was extremely inconsiderate. Draco reached for the door handle, when Hermione put her hand on his to stop him. Draco felt his body stiffen.

"Malfoy, what is everyone going to think?" Hermione asked softly.

"Who cares what they think, Hermione? What matters is that we get to change the history of Hogwarts." Draco said, in a slightly rude manner, not looking into her eyes. Hermione couldn't think straight. Had he just called her "Hermione?" Since when has Draco Malfoy ever called her Hermione? She didn't know that they were on a first-name basis. Was there something he said, that she missed?

…

Nah; it must've been her imagination. Hermione shook her head of these ridiculous thoughts. Just remember Hermione, this is Malfoy, not your future husband. Draco said something that Hermione did not quite catch while she was going through her thoughts.

"Sorry, what did you say, Malfoy?" Hermione apologized. Hermione mentally smacked herself on the forehead; she actually apologized to Draco. Although their "relationship" hasn't started yet, she was already being nice to him. Draco acted like he didn't hear Hermione at all, but inside, he was questioning her words.

"Tell me, Granger. Are you ready to face the fact that you're risking everything that you have worked for? Grades, friends, your reputation?"

Hermione took in a deep breath.

"Yes, Malfoy. Are you?" Draco smirked.

"You bet."

Draco opened the door for Hermione; being a gentleman. Hermione gulped. This is it. I have to act as if I fancy Malfoy now. This is going to be bloody hard. But will it work? Have I made the right decision? Draco was thinking along the same lines, asking himself the same thing.

"Hermione! Hermione!" Harry, Ron, and Ginny called out. For the first time that day, Hermione smiled while running to her friends.

"Hermione! Where have you been? We didn't see you in the train! We thought that you must've missed the train or something… not that's not a bad thing, or anything." Ron said. Harry and Ginny laughed; Hermione chuckled and smacked Ron on the arm. Draco was laughing the loudest.

"Ha ha ha! Very funny, Weasley!" Draco laughed in a sarcastic way. Ron glared at Draco, who glared back. Hermione didn't know what to do, so she just remained quiet. Was she supposed to defend Draco? Or was she supposed to defend Ron?

"Malfoy, if we need a bouncing ferret to experiment on, we'll call you." Ron said angrily. Draco just glared at Ron, who smirked back. Everyone knew what Draco felt about ferrets, for he was turned into one during their fourth year. Ron will still never let go of that memory.

"Well, I'll see you inside." Draco turned around with no comeback, surprising Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Hermione was just confused. Was it her cue to say something? But she didn't have to do anything, for Draco just did it for her.

Draco turned around, grinned and winked at Hermione.

Hermione stiffened and blushed. Even though she and Draco were acting, the blush was definitely real. Hermione turned around next to Ginny; her back to Draco's as if nothing happened. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all confused.

"Who was he winking at?" Harry asked, looking around for any girl that looked attractive.

"Is it me, or was he winking at…" Ron's eyes widened in surprise and looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Ron questionably. Hermione has taken acting lessons that summer, and it wasn't that hard at all to lie---or practice acting as she would have preferred it---to her friends. But inside, she felt guilty.

"Ginny! Why did Malfoy wink at you?" Ron scolded at his sister. Hermione released a sigh of relief. Ginny just looked taken aback.

"Ron, he wasn't winking at me!" Ginny argued.

"Yeah, Ron. You should know your sister better! Besides, why would he be winking at her if A, she's a Weasley, and B, she's with me." Harry smiled and Ginny, who smiled back. Harry and Ginny brushed their lips together for a quick kiss. Hermione just smiled at her two best friends, while Ron just looked away in disgust.

Hermione thought that all was well… but was it? Ron thought that Draco was winking at Ginny, who was right next to her. But isn't it supposed to look like he was winking at her? The plan wasn't going like… well, as she had planned.

"Uhm… I have to go… now. I'll see you guys… later, okay?" Hermione stuttered, apparently blowing her cover. Harry and Ron did not notice, but Ginny thought that something was up. She was acting stranger than usual.

"Sure. Bye, Hermione. We'll see you in the Great Hall, okay?" Harry said.

"Okay, bye!" Hermione waved and tried to look for Draco, who just finished telling bad things about Hogwarts to the first years, scaring the crap out of them. Draco smirked as he saw Hermione's disapproving look.

"Welcome, welcome new first years!" Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall. Everyone clapped in applause.

"Yes, yes, another year has come and we're off to a new beginning." Dumbledore paused, laughing to himself when some of the older students turned towards the table looking for the food to appear. But unfortunately for them, he wasn't finished.

"But, we still have a few more students to be sorted into the Sorting Hat. They will all be sorted into seventh year, you mind." Dumbledore sat down, motioning for everyone to be quiet. Everyone's heads turned towards the doors to the Great Hall. When the doors opened, Professor McGonagall walked between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables and towards the Sorting Hat. Walking behind McGonagall, were two boys and two girls. Everyone looked at the unexpected newcomers with interest, especially Hermione; Hermione needed to know all the newcomers so that she could do her best to feel at home during Hogwarts. Draco looked at the new students; especially one of the girls with straight blonde hair and green eyes. Hermione closed her eyes, yet she instantly felt a great disliking to the girl… because she might be the perfect distraction for their plan… right?

…

Right?

"Nicholas Kingston," Professor McGonagall read from the scroll. A boy with black hair and grey eyes walked towards the stool confidently. When he sat down, his eyes flicked towards his new school. But when it landed on Hermione, he looked at her unmoving. Hermione just stared straight back. Probably he's just trying to look at his new classmates…

"Hmmm…" The Sorting Hat said thinking, "very smart for a boy your age… yes, yes… a great sense of adventure… yes…yes… Gryffindor!" The Sorting Hat's voice echoed throughout the room; cheers from the Gryffindor table erupted. Nicholas was still staring at Hermione, never breaking contact when he was going up to her. When Hermione saw him walking up towards her, to sit next to her, she looked down and blushed; no one saw her blush, but one person did.

Like Hermione, when he saw that he never took his gaze off of her, he felt a great disliking to the boy.

What is this? Jealousy? Nah… Malfoys never get jealous… it's just some sort of… distraction. He's a distraction… yeah, just let him be, because once the year's over, he can have her… Draco thought, sort of regretting that last thought, but pushed it into the back of his mind.

"Hi," Nicholas sat in between Hermione and Ron, and flashed a dazzling smile at Hermione. Hermione smiled back, uttered a small "hi" and turned towards the front of the Hall to learn about the other students.

"Chandler Harrison," McGonagall said.

Nicholas, or Nikko as what he would have preferred, asked Hermione a few questions during Chandler's sorting. Nikko probably asked Hermione from "what's your name" to "what's Hogwarts like." Hermione just answered Nikko back nicely, although she truly wanted to watch the Sorting, and kept on glancing behind his shoulder every once in a while. Meanwhile, Draco saw Hermione's urge to watch the ceremony. Typical Granger. Draco glared at Nikko's back the whole time, until Nikko finally shrugged and turned around to watch the rest of the Sorting.

"Hufflepuff!" The Sorting Hat screamed. Cheers from the Hufflepuff table made Chandler relax, and walked awkwardly towards the Hufflepuff table.

"Natalie Mellownia," McGonagall read. Draco's gaze went towards Natalie with interest. Hermione glared at the girl who Draco was staring at earlier. Hermione's gaze flickered towards Draco briefly and saw him looking at her with interest.

"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat said; cheers and whistles from the Slytherin table burst throughout the room. Draco even stood up and applauded. Hermione glared at Natalie.

Unfortunately, Natalie sat next to Draco. The next thing she knew, they were both talking like she and Nikko earlier. She dismissed her conscience saying that she was jealous, or something. She turned towards the Sorting Hat again.

"Margaret Evans," McGonagall said; she rolled up the scroll of parchment because she was the last to be sorted. Hermione looked at Margaret with some sort of suspicion. Margaret had red hair and bright hazel eyes. Absentmindedly, her gaze fell upon Harry. Harry's arm was hanging limply from Ginny's shoulders. Something was clearly bothering him. When Hermione looked at Dumbledore, there was a mad twinkle in his eyes.

The next thing she knew, her fellow house mates were applauding for Margaret as she sat in between Harry and Seamus, since it was the only available space left in the house table. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all smiled at Margaret. Margaret smiled back at all of them; her gaze stayed longer on Harry's.

This was going to be some year. Draco and Hermione both thought.

After dinner, Margaret, who preferred Maggie instead, and Nikko have become fast friends with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They talked and laughed as if they were friends all along. When Hermione's eyes went towards Draco, he was looking at her back with a slight smirk on his lips.

Hermione looked at him weirdly, until finally getting the hint.

The plates of chicken, salad, fruit, etc. were gone and were soon replaced by dessert. Hermione smiled at the dessert, thinking of the perfect plan in her head.

Hermione got a spoon and some strawberry yogurt, and put it in a cup. Hermione scooped up some of the yogurt, and started licking the spoon flirtatiously. Draco's eyebrows went up as he saw what she was doing. Draco gulped, that ought to be the sexiest thing he has ever seen. He smirked at her, getting the hint: she was flirting with him.

She's a damn good actress, and I thought that Gryffindorks were such bad liars.

Draco got a strawberry, since she was using strawberry yogurt, and started sucking and licking it; the sweet juice of the strawberry trickling down his chin. Hermione eyed the juice hungrily. Draco saw her eyes concentrated on the juice, put his fingers to the juice, wiped the juice with his fingers, put it into his mouth, started teasing his finger with his tongue, and winked at Hermione. This caused some of his house mates to look at Draco curiously. It was working.

It's was Hermione's turn to gulp. That ought to be the sexiest thing she has ever seen… but she will never look at strawberries the same way ever again. She saw some of Draco's house mates look at him curiously. He smirked at her. It wasn't fair! He was winning!

Harry and Ginny left to go snog somewhere (well, that's what Hermione thought) leaving her have a clear view of Draco.

Or more of a clear view of Hermione.

Hermione put her hand towards her legs and started scratching her legs as if they were itchy. Hermione scratched her thighs, making her skirt go higher, smirking at the corner of her eye seeing that Draco was watching with interest. Some of Hermione's house mates, more of the boys, looked at Hermione curiously and interestedly. But when they saw that Hermione was looking towards Draco, they shook their heads; some turned away while some didn't move and watched the Battle of the Flirts between the two enemies.

Damn it… She's winning! Draco fumed, yet really amazed that Hermione could actually flirt… like that. And if she had flirting moves like that, then he wondered how she is still single.

…

Not that's he's interested or anything.

Then when everyone was standing up to leave for bed, Hermione stood up. But before she left the Hall, she turned around, and smiled and winked at Draco. Draco felt smug towards Hermione as some of the Slytherins and Gryffindors looked at him suspiciously.

"I'm stuffed. I'm going to bed… alone," Draco said before Pansy got excited; Pansy's face fell.

What in the hell was that all about? Everyone, who witnessed the flirting between Draco and Hermione, all wondered.

Have things changed?

Things have certainly changed; but for the better. Dumbledore thought as he saw Draco leave right after Hermione.


Author's Notes : i just wanna thank all of my reviewers! you guys are the best! everytime i check my e mail for reviews, i always smile cuz i get such good reviews! thanks! i especially need those reviews right now cuz the teachers have being drowning me on homework, reports, and essays! uGHbut even though im supposed to be doing homework, i spend about five minutes on either The Girl and the Ferret or this one : )
-scolds- naughty naughty girl you are LOL

maggie, nikko, and natalie are all important people ((especially maggie)) in the story---chandler is not that important--- just wanted to let you know that ; )
--- my friend'sname is maggie and i just love her name; nikko is the name of my cousin; and natalie is my new fav singer who sang "goin' crazy"

in the upcoming chapter : what does draco/hermione tell hermione/draco about what happened in the great hall? whats up with this "nikko" guy? whats up with this "natalie" girl? are they jealous, even though they dont like each other?

P.S.
i LOVE strawberries... YUMMM

BTW if you want to suggest something for this fic, then dont hesitate to... suggest! LOLplease review for you like it, review if you dont like it, review if you love it, review if youre just bored, or just simply review because you're in the mood LOL