A/N: Since this chapter is mostly about reactions, all thoughts are in italics.

The Slytherin table was dead silent. Which is the most accurate description I can give, as half of them had fainted dead away. A portion of the half that hadn't was glaring at Hermione in disgust, rage, and jealousy, in the case of most of the girls. Malfoy was smirking despite the slap she'd given him, and thinking. Or pondering, depending on how you'd like to think of it.

Well, I've proved that I'm straight, at the very least. And gotten Granger substantially riled up. Though I'm going to get hell for this one, just like kissing Potter... Bad Draco! Purge that memory from your mind! He groaned out loud. Why can't I ever do things the easy way...?

Though she is an awfully good kisser.

Hermione was sitting beside him, managing to keep her cool, and eating her eggs. Malfoys...Slytherins...Damn them all! I can't believe he would do that, even to prove a point and get himself out of a mess...That I got him into. All right, perhaps it wasn't entirely uncalled for.

And it wasn't that bad of a kiss either.

Across the Great Hall, Hannah was enveloped in the Hufflepuff discussion over the kiss.

"I can't believe he did that!"

"In front of everyone!"

"-didn't see that one coming!"

Hannah snorted into her milk. Didn't see that one coming? She had, from a mile away. First, Malfoys did what they could to get what they wanted, or get themselves out of sticky situations. And clearly Malfoys were not meant to be labeled as gay either, so he'd found a way to get himself out. And it wasn't like Hermione had hated it that much either. It didn't take Luna Lovegood to figure that out...

Which brings us, of course, to Luna, who was looking down at her parchment with a silly grin on her face. The relationships and sexuality (in Harry's case) of her classmates was still crystal clear and as easy to read as her neat handwriting. But she was laughing internally at the stunned looks on the Slytherins' faces- And the Gryffindors' faces. Honestly, if Hermione hadn't slapped him, they probably would have keeled over…Just like the Slytherins.

Luna grinned and looked lazily around the Hall, eyes resting on Harry Potter.

Malfoy. Has. Gone. Utterly. And. Completely. Mad. He thought to himself over and over again, trying to concentrate on the food on his plate rather than the churning food in his stomach.

Ron, beside him, looked absolutely dumbfounded. A little angry, but even a little amused. Which was a good sign, Harry thought. Because if Ron had been angry he might have actually had to do something to stop him.

Hannah's boy, William, was staring at Hannah and flirting with the girl to his right at the same time, and therefore had little to say on the subject of Hermione's and Malfoy's kiss.

The Ravenclaw boy who Hermione had planned on bidding on, Tory, was looking rather shocked at the thought of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor kissing and thinking that Hermione Granger had always seemed like a nice witch…He'd have to try talking to her some time.

At the teacher's table, Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, Professor Trelawney was saying that she'd known it was going to happen, McGonagall seemed to be at a standstill between looking amused and terrified, and Snape was having a fit. Literally. Or a heart attack…

When Hermione had finished eating, she got up and left the Great Hall, all eyes on her. Malfoy grudgingly followed.

Once they were out in the hallway, Malfoy braced himself for an explosion. He wasn't disappointed.

"When I told you to prove it to them, I most certainly did not mean to kiss me, as I told you very specifically at the beginning of the week that you were a prat and I wanted you to stop acting like one!" She took a breath and began to continue, but he cut her off.

"Me kissing you has nothing to do with being a prat. Besides, I think you rather liked it."

"That's beside the point!" Hermione huffed, earning her a other smirk from the taller boy.

"So you did like that kiss?"

"Maybe. And you?"

"To respond to that question would mean admitting you kissed back."

"And?"

"You know, for somebody so smart you can be rather daft sometimes. It means that you enjoyed the kiss."

"Just because I kissed back doesn't mean I enjoyed it."

"Well-"

"Well nothing. You get to stop talking now, mostly because I don't want to listen to you," and with that, Hermione stormed off. Though the effect was substantially ruined due to the fact that he was forced to follow her.

A little later on, Hermione found Hannah and pulled her into a classroom, performing a quick silencing charm.

"Hermione?"

"Hannah," Hermione replied, taking a deep breath. "I'm madly in like with Draco Malfoy!"

"Well you certainly didn't show it," Hannah replied with an exaggerated eye roll. "And wait- Madly in like?"

"Well I don't love him," Hermione said, taking her turn and rolling her own eyes.

"Of course not. So, why are you telling me?"

"Best friends are supposed to give advice."

"Sorry," Hannah replied with a tired shrug of her shoulders, "I'm fresh out."

"I just realized something," Hermione said after a pause.

"Yes?"

"Whenever William is making out in closets with other girls, what are you doing?"

"Standing outside waiting. I am attached to him."

"What an asshole."

"Yes," Hannah replied. "But he's my asshole."

Outside, an entirely different conversation was going on between William and Malfoy.

"So, do you like her or her best friend?" William asked Malfoy, with a cocky smirk that didn't even come close to matching Malfoy's. (Or, for that matter, come close to matching the smirk Hermione was quickly developing.)

"Neither," Malfoy sneered.

"Well, between us, I'd go for the girl. Just a thought." Another bad smirk.

"Thanks for the advice," Malfoy growled. "And what about you?"

His smirk changed to a grin. "I've got a few girls…I rotate."

Malfoy snorted. "That's pretty low." He paused. "So, do you actually like any of them?" He tried not to gag at his own words- Trying to help Granger's friend was proving to be more sickening than he'd thought.

"Well, Hannah's….I like Hannah, I guess. But, you know, can't get committed."

"Heaven forbid," Malfoy responded sarcastically. Just then Hermione and Hannah returned.

"Come on Malfoy. I have to talk to you," Hermione said, dragging Malfoy with her. He quickened his pace and caught up with her, looking back for only a second to see Hannah and William kissing.

"What is it Granger?"

"Did you have to kiss me?"

"Did you have to get me addicted to your muggle candy?"

"Different!"

"I suppose…" He looked thoughtful, then smirked. Hermione looked at him warily. "Unless, of course, you're addicted to my kisses."

"Now why would I be-" Hermione began, but he cut her off with a short kiss, then strode off. "Oh," Hermione said, shaking her head and walking towards the Gryffindor common room. She pulled a PEZ out of her pocket and sucked on it thoughtfully.

A/N: There's only one day left in their binding! BTW, because I know you'll ask, the binding disappears at a certain time during the night, and then they can go their separate ways. And then it starts…When they enter the Great Hall in the morning. Yeah, I think that makes relative sense.