Chapter 2:

Hermione

Hermione tumbled into the coldness of her hotel room. It was quite a temperature drop from the muggy bath room. She stopped and gripped her towel the was wrapped around her in pure fear and embarrassment. Draco was sitting on her bed looking quite pleased with himself. If he had saw anything or did anything she vowed to break that handsome little nose of his in to three places.

"What the hell are you doing here Malfoy?" She spat out, each word dripping with pure hatred.

He pointed to the clock by her bed. It read three forty-five. "I came to get you. The head girl who seems to have missed half of the dinner with her teachers."

She watched as he smiled and stood looking her up and down. All at once, emotions of sickness, nervousness and worriment washed over her. Before she could get a grip or herself or realized what she was doing her hand was flying at Draco's face. She immediately felt sorry but satisfied to know it whipped the smile off his face.

He went into a rage grabbing her fist and then twisting her arm slightly just so she felt her muscles being strained inside of her arm. She released a loud yelp of pain as Draco dropped her arm. His eyes seemed to widen with fear when he looked at her cradling her arm.

"I'm sorry." He said in what sounded like sincerity to Hermione. "I really am, Hermione."

He quickly turned and left the room, leaving Hermione in utter confusion.

Draco

What had he done? Draco cursed himself all the way down the Goldwater's hallway and into the dinning room where McGonagall sat impatiently with Snape by her side. Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at Draco as he entered the room and made his way over to them.

"Sorry it took so long." Draco apologized as he took his seat next to Snape, head of the Slytherin house and probably his favorite teacher.

He shook his head and sat in silence thinking about what had happened with Hermione. The only other time he had ever seen any one act out physically that way towards a woman had been his father. He had promised himself everyday that he would never become like that treacherous man and in this quick moment he realized his was a perfect image of him. To put it plainly a royal ass.

"And Hermione?" McGonagall questioned Draco's silence.

"I uh... She isn't feeling well and I was supposed to tell you before dinner but it had slipped my mind." He wasn't that great at making fake excuses for anyone, but himself, on his toes.

He watched as one of Dumbledore's eyebrows lifted in more questioning.

"That's a very irresponsible thing for our headboy to be doing. You must set and example, Mr. Malfoy, if you wish to keep this title." She warned.

"Yes ma'am." He stood. "If you'll excuse me I have to go make sure she's ok..."

The truth was he just wanted to get away from everyone for a few minutes of self time to think.

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore's voice rose from no where quite unexpectedly. "If you'll be so kind as to tell Ms. Granger we can reschedule this meeting for tomorrow at three and that she should probably go see the hotel nurse at once."

Draco nodded and made a quick escape form the room. He fled down the hall to the hotel garden. It was the quietest place in the hotel besides his room. The garden was made especially for mud bloods that had come to the hotel. How he hated those defiant little humans who pretended to be great wizards and witches.

If he could have, Draco would have knocked himself out. He was think like his father once more. Being the same insensitive jerk once more. Why couldn't he just grow up and out of this faze.

Hermione

"Hey!" A cheerful high voice turned Hermione around.

She had spent practically the rest of the evening in her room. She always had been bitchy around Draco and he always had been the same but they had never used physical force to fight. It frightened Hermione the way his face seemed to swell up with rage when she had slapped him. She couldn't find the courage to go to the dinner hall and face Draco and the other teachers so she hung out in her room. Now she wished she had because all she had done was show her weakness.

Her eyes focused on an older teenaged girl with freckles blotted all over her face and brown hair that framed her face, with a really bad blond dye job. The girls face seemed pinched back by her pony tail. As she walked towards Hermione she swayed her hips beneath the mini skirt she wore.

"Hi! I'm Greeley, Stacey Greeley!" She extended a hand towards Hermione which she took and shook briefly. "I recognize you from Hogwarts I believe. You hang out with Ron and Harry, right?"

Hermione felt her face flush with anger. Why did people always seem to remember her because of Harry or Ron? It probably had something to do with the fact that Harry was the boy who lived and Ron the defender of kids being made fun of and newest captain of the quidditch team. She smile at herself when she thought of her friends and how glad she was to have them... even if they did seem to block out her presence every, leading people to call her "Ron's girl" (where would people get the idea that they were going out?) or Harry's friend.

"Yes, I'm Hermione." She scowled. "Ron and Harry's friend..."

Her face seemed to beam with a weird sort of radiance that only made her freckles more pronounced "That's right!" She paused and shifted her eyes to the ground as if a sudden case of shyness had washed over her. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come dancing tonight. Goldwaters it celebrating one hundred years since it's opening tonight."

For a moment Hermione stood there shocked. Flattered, but shocked. Some one besides Harry, Ron and Ginny actually wanted to hang out with her?

"That sounds wonderful!" She gave Stacey a smile and nodded. What could a little fun hurt?

"Great. Can you bring Harry or Ron with?" She looked up, her smile widened as she talked.

"Gods..." No one wanted to hang out with her. Even when they weren't around, Harry and Ron still managed to block out her presence to anyone. Staring coldly at the girl she walked past her. Hermione did not need this now.

"Hermanony." The girl's cold had fell upon Hermione's bare shoulder.

"Hermione..." She stressed not even bothering to turn.

"Sorry. What I meant was bring them as a date for you!"

Harry a date? Harry was just a friend. She could never even pretend to have a date with him. Ron was just a friend to but, he was more Hermione's type then Harry.

"They aren't here," She turned around now to face the girl. Her pale skin almost glowed from beneath her black robes.

"Oh, well, I can get you the perfect date!" The girl said in a near scream. "Meet me by the entrance to the recreation hall at seven. I have a perfect guy for you. He's dreamy!"

"Joy!" Hermione drawled out sarcastically.

It wasn't right to be so mean to this girl who was only trying to be nice and help Hermione out but Stacey didn't even seem to notice the rudeness dripping from every word.

"I'll see you at seven, Harmony. I'm in room Moon six if you need anything."

"Her-mi-one!"

"That's what I said!" The girl gave a quick wink and walked off behind Hermione.

She couldn't complain. She had said she wanted to use the facilities and now she was. Rolling her eyes, Hermione made her way back to her room to get ready.

A few Hours later...

With her hair piled on top of her head and a hint of brown eye shadow, Hermione made her way to the recreation hall. She wore one of her old blue sundresses with her Gryffindor robe over top. She wasn't sure exactly what to were to one of these so she was prepared either way.

Stacey stood tall in platforms and a short black dress with a gold robe over. Her hair was down flowing past her shoulders, nearly to her thighs. Heck, her hair was longer than her dress. She stood with two other girls. One with a Purple dress and robes and one with silver. They looked amazing. In that instant Hermione felt underdressed and inferior.

Draco

Standing by his table Draco listened to the soft music playing behind him while he waited for Stacey to bring his date. She and her friends walked in the door with a newcomer. That must be his date. She was tall, slender and beautiful. The way her body curved beneath her blue dress sent him crazy. Her hair was piled wildly on the top of her head with a few curving strands cascading in front of her face.

She was most definitely a sigh for sore eyes. That was when he noticed she wore a Gryffindor robe and as the four walked closer he began to recognize her.

Hermione Granger... Was this his date?

Hermione

Hermione smiled to herself as the three girls led her across the room. Her eyes met Draco's for a quick second. He wore baggy khaki colored pants and a white shirt with a black robe slung neatly over his shoulders. At first he looked at her in a dazed way they seemed to change his gaze into a confused one.

"He's from our school and a total babe." Stacey remarked.

"Where is he?" Hermione asked uncomfortably.

The girl in silver pointed straight ahead. "Right there. In the Khaki's... Draco Malfoy!"

By this time they were standing in front of him. Standing there, for once, speechless, Hermione felt her stomach turn and collapse to the floor.

"Him?"-"Her?" They asked simultaneously.

Stacey nodded and smiled wildly. "Told you he was a major babe!"

"Funny... I don't see it," Hermione said, still looking at the boy she'd been loathing all day.

Stacey didn't seen to notice, instead she looked past Hermione and when her eye caught something she and the other two girls left Hermione and Draco alone.

"Well well." Draco smiled. "Doesn't Granger look almost pretty."

"How flattering." She batted her eye lashes smartly and then rolled her eyes. "Did you plan this?"

"Me? Why would I risk my reputation for the sake of inviting an ass like yourself to a dance?"

"I'm not the ass, Draco Malfoy! You are!" She held out her black and blue wrist to Malfoy. "God I hate you!"

Surprising Hermione, Malfoy took her hand and gently twisted her arm around to examine it. He put his free hand on top of the bruise and rubbed it gently. For a second Hermione thought the world had ended. She yanked her arm back, nervously.

"I am really sorry. I know I'm not perfect and I can be a jerk but I never meant to hurt you like this." He said sincerely. For a moment their eyes connected and Hermione actually didn't feel like knocking his lights out.

She smiled a little. "It's ok. I guess I shouldn't have slapped you anyway." Draco sat down and Hermione sat across from him. "You didn't see anything did you?"

Draco grinned from ear to ear. "Well, wouldn't you like to know?"

"Did you?" She asked in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.

"Gods no. Granger, I said I was a jerk not a pervert!" He turned to look away from Hermione towards the door she had come in. "For a moment there when you walked in the door I hadn't recognized you. You look so different."

His eyes turned back to her. She could almost read an unspoken truce between the two of them for that night in them.