Chapter Fifteen: Oops

"Here we go," Hermione said putting the ingredients down carefully on the table. This is weird.

"Thanks," Draco said. Correction: this is REALLY weird.

"Oh, no problem," She said smiling. Then her smile faded as silence over came the conversation, we need to get some thing done...uh, "would you like to just...divide the ingredients?"

"Yea, that sounds like a good idea,"

Hermione nodded and separated the ingredients the best way she saw fit for them and began to measure, cut and peal her share. She began to swing her feet slowly above the ground as she cut some cherry tree vines and was lost in thought. I wonder how much of the project he's got done. I wonder if he's done any thing. It's Malfoy, would he? Well he did save my life now I believe any thing is possible. Then again it's not like he did it intentionally. This is probably the first day he's thought about the project with the excuse that he couldn't do any thing without his partner. That's what they all say, and when it comes to being a degenerate why should Malfoy be separated from any one else. Hermione began to wonder how any one in her classes got work done when she wasn't their partner.

As Hermione almost cut off her finger with the dull blade used to cut the vines, she wondered why she was so lost in thought. She put in the cherry tree vines and began to carefully separate the legs from the newts. She was normally always so concentrated as if nothing else was good enough to be thinking about in class, which nothing was except the class it's self…but then why am I so side-tracked? This isn't a big deal or any thing. It's just a simple, normal procedure of making a potion that I've been doing every week for 6 years now. I've had to work with horrible people like Malfoy before, this shouldn't matter. But for some reason it did. Hermione's deep thoughts were interrupted when her foot hit some thing under the table.

She looked up at Malfoy and he was looking under the table, "sorry," she said, shaking her head and stopped swinging her feet. She went to throw Legs of Newt in the cauldron but she felt a hand come upon hers, not letting it open. She looked up at the culprit with the big hands, "what?" she directed to Draco.

"My spiders are supposed to go in before those," Draco said pointing down to the book. The ingredients were listed: 6 cheery tree vines (no blossomed buds), 3 spiders, 10 legs of newt, 2 drops of dragon's blood and it went on but there was a warning between the second and third ingredients. The warning was that if the spiders were not completely stirred in before newt's legs were deposited the sleeping potion would only last an hour then cause insomnia for a week. How did I miss that? Hermione took back her hand cautiously breathing hard as Draco put in 3 live spiders and stirred them in, "Now you can put them in," Hermione put in the Legs of Newt and exhaled slowly.

"Oh my goodness, I'm sorry! I almost ruined the entire project!" Hermione said, this was one of the first times she had ever come close to screwing up a project.

"It's alright, I can understand why you would have trouble concentrating," Draco said, because he was also completely side-tracked. The only thing on his mind was exhibit A: the damsel in distress, sitting right in front of him. But Hermione didn't realize that and almost took as another one of his old insults, saying she couldn't handle class. But Hermione was thankful he didn't go all-the-way Malfoy and tell Snape, so she hastily hurried back to her task and for the rest of class did it above excellence, just to prove she could. Once they were done Draco put the fire out and stirred the Potion, "Now we cover it and leave it over night,"

"Okay," Hermione said covering it as he took out the silver stir stick, "when do you want to finish the projects write-up, seeing as class is almost over,"

Draco thought about this for a moment, "could you meet tomorrow night in the library?"

Tomorrow Ginny and Harry were hanging out together and Ron and Hannah were hanging out together. Both of her friends were on dates and as always she wouldn't be… "Yes," she said simply.

"Hermione, would you hurry up in there!" Ginny complained later that night, "I'll be late for Harry!"

"Harry can wait," Hermione called from inside the bathroom.

"You're only going to study, why are you even 'getting ready'?"

I don't know...Hermione was staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, "sorry. I'll be right out," Her hair was loosely curled and down just like normal and she even put some make-up on that she got from her 16th birthday. She still had a towel wrapped around her body; she didn't know what to wear. Why does it matter what I wear? We're just studying...at night. And it's Malfoy. Hermione sprayed some Vanilla body spray and exited the bathroom with a sigh, "there you are,"

"Is that a new trend?" Ginny laughed.

"I don't know what to wear," Hermione sighed.

"You're not just going to throw on your uniform?" Ginny asked narrowing her eyes "are you studying with a hot guy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about,"

"Alright," Ginny said, "but if some thing is happening, these ears will hear it soon enough, so save me the trouble of digging for it alright?"

"Whatever," Hermione said not having the slightest idea what she was talking about as she picked up her bag and made sure every thing she needed was in it.

"Oh come on Mione!" Ginny said not giving up so easily, "at least put some thing on before you leave me wondering like this," Hermione glared at her hopelessly as she laughed. "So who are you studying with?" Ginny asked as Hermione began to look through clothes in her closet.

"Malfoy," Hermione said.

Ginny grinned madly and Hermione glared at her. "I see," Ginny said very surprised, but still grinning.

"What are you on about? We're just finishing the project for Potions. It's not like Malfoy is my friend, let a lone what you refer to as a 'hot guy'. I was forced into this and you know I would rather be doing some thing else tonight," Actually I wouldn't, all I want to do is figure this out and get thinking back to normal.

"Do you always wear those tiny, pink v-necks while you're just finishing a project?" Ginny smirked as Hermione pulled the shirt over her head. Hermione shook her head as she found a nice pair of cream colored corduroy's. "And is that the delightful Vanilla body spray Viktor bought you in Belgian I smell?"

"Ginny I have no idea what you're talking about in fact every thing you have been talking about for the past five minutes makes absolutely no sense so in tribute to my project and nothing else I will be leaving now," Hermione said finally dressed and ready to go.

"So one of the hottest guys in school that you've always been enemies with is studying with you on Friday night and even though he saved your life, and even though you aren't kicking and screaming not to go...nothing has changed?"

"Right," Hermione said as a matter-of-factly, picking up her bag and exiting the room. At least she hoped nothing had changed. Ginny was right to think some thing was up; Hermione never did dress up like that at all. Hermione had a hunch in the back of her mind: she was wearing muggle clothes and if Draco still hated her he would stop at nothing to point it out and how much it demeans her witch craft. That's the only reason I'm dressing in these clothes…I hope.

The walk down to the library was incredibly strange. Every body knew about what happened and eager students kept running up to her and asked her if she was okay now. Colin Creevy in fact wanted to know the details of my recovery and if this has changed the hate-hate relationship I hold with Malfoy.

Hermione thought for a minute as Colin stood with a quill and parchment in hand, awaiting her answer, "Of course not, I'm thankful he was there to save my life, but nothing can change the past," she said this clearly, then walked away. But as the words repeated her mind she thought about being so distracted in class around him and wondered if most of those words lacked all veracity.