A/N: kricket- no! I don't think you were criticizing! Maybe I was taking my anger out on the lack of reviews from other people…I was in a bit of a cynical mood…I don't know, but I wasn't thinking that! You give good reviews! To me anyway…! o)

A/N 2: if you have not seen the movie Paperclips please do! It's a little cheesy, but believe me I saw guys crying at the theater! and it hits close to home!

Disclaimer: this gets old…. I don't own it!

Last Chapter: oh forget it, just read the thing!

Draco heard footsteps coming his way and tried to become the wall. He hid beneath the shadows and hoped that he wouldn't be seen. If they had done that to a girl, and their friend at that, he couldn't fathom what they might do to him. He was usually the one to stand up and fight, but he wasn't in the mood to take on two boys without Crabbe, Goyle, and his wand. Luckily the two boys walked right past him without a glance in his direction. Once they left he let out a sigh of relief, and then shuddered. Ugh, he said to himself, how revolting, untrustworthy scumbags, so perverted…how Slytherin like of them. But I wouldn't do that, would I? Would I?

He questioned himself endlessly while he found his wand and walked back to the Slytherin common room. He argued with himself using the same points over and over again. Yes, she was a muggle born. Yes, she was his rival and enemy's best friend, and a rival herself. Yes, he was cruel, mean, and cold, a Slytherin through and through. No, he wouldn't beat and rape a woman. No, he wouldn't put some one in a coma on purpose. No, he wouldn't leave some one to die. No, he wouldn't betray a friend like that. Wait, a friend? Hermione Granger, a friend? He must be speaking hypothetically…

WhAM!

"Well, well, well…Draco Malfoy finally makes his appearance."

"What?" Draco muttered rubbing his head and trying to clear his eyes and think about the person in front of him.

"And so early in the morning with barely a thing on, and wandering the halls, too?"

Draco finally recognized who it was. For the second time this (what was it now, morning?) -morning- he cursed himself. He had lost the bet and stood Pansy up. This…morning, right? Anyways, it wasn't going very well.

"Oh, Pansy…"

"Don't Pansy me! Draco, tsh! You were the one who asked me out. I could have said no. I said yes, only to get myself stood up!"

She leaned closer to him,

"And I had so many fun things to do with the Slytherin Sex God"

Draco was turned on and confused. Why did everyone call him that? To be completely honest, he was still a virgin! On the other hand, he didn't mind it so much if all the ladies wanted him…

"Uh, yea, well, sorry about that."

He concluded lamely.

She gave him a look of loathing and walked away.

"Hey!" He called after her.

"What're you doing up….so…" he decided on early, "early?"

She turned back around and looked at him with eyes of knives and said,

"I have a job to do Draco, and it happens to include 'sleeping' and 'another person' if you catch my drift."

Draco inwardly curled at the disgusting thought that he might've gone out with that whore of a girl.

Fortunately, no one had heard of the crime committed in the school, or that Draco had rescued the victim of it. Nor had they heard that it was Hermione who was the victim.

He let out a sigh of soft relief. That would be the last thing he needed, to have everyone know that he had 'saved' Granger instead of going out with Pansy.