Softly. "...how did you get so nice?"

"Practice."

"...Practice?"

"Practice."

Laughing. "Oh, come on, Malfoy. Practice?"

"Is there an echo in here?, awfully small place to have an echo, yes, thank you very much, practice!"

Amused. "And who, may I ask, did you do your practicing on?"

"Well, I--"

Smiling. "Because I certainly didn't catch any of this practice, mind you, and I've known you for five and a half years--"

"Look, just because I haven't been, all right, yes, Hermione, I haven't been very nice to you, but I can--I can assure you that I have had practice at being nice to someone!"

"Yes?"

"Yes! Like--um..."

Grin. "You can't think of anyone, can you?"

"--My bloody owl, that's who!"

"Really?"

"...no, I tend to curse him if I'm pissed off."

"Okay, who, then?"

"Er...my hand! I practiced on my hand!"

Snort. "Really? Like how people will practice kissing on their hands and things?"

"...Okay, I haven't."

"...Did you ever practice kissing on your hand?"

"..."

"Draco?"

"...oh, sod off."

Smirk. "You have, haven't you?"

"Sod off, Granger."

"Well, there's no need to take that tone with me, I promise I won't tell anyone if you have."

"I haven't. Not that it's any damn business of yours."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's bloody wrong with me, so just--just shut your stupid mouth already!"

"My mouth is not stupid! Stop being so childish!"

"I'll tell you who's being childish! You want childish?! Look in a sodding mirror!"

Angry. "What is your problem, Malfoy?!"

"You're my problem! If you hadn't bloody made me fall in here, I wouldn't be stuck in this stupid bloody--" Thud. "OW!"

Ringing silence. "You tried to gesture, didn't you."

"Oh, shut up."

"..."

"..."

"Draco."

"Mm."

"When did we stop joking?"

"Sod off, Granger."

"...Ohhh..."

"..."

"...You have been nice to me, you know. That's one person, at least."

"..."

"...And you haven't called me a--a, you know, for ages, now, Draco, if that's any consolation."

"...Are you thinking about when we get out of here?"

"...Yes."

"...I am, too...'M sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, really, it's not. Civil conversation, remember?"

"What?--oh. Oh, that seemed like ages ago."

"It was probably only an hour ago."

"Or more. Or less."

"What? What do you mean, 'less'?"

"Well--think about it, Draco. Nearly everything in this castle is magical. What if we were in some sort of--I don't know--"

Rrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnggggggg!!!

"--oh. Never mind."

"No, what?"

"Nothing. It was stupid."

"No, tell me, will you?"

"No, never mind, there was nothing to it, really, just a foolish idea."

"...I really am sorry, you know. You can still trust me. And all."

"Oh, don't be silly, of course I forgive you, we're both just aggravated at being trapped here so long, that's all."

"Yeah. Heh. Guess we are."

...patter, patter, patter, patter, patter, thud, thud, thud, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, thud, thud, thud, patter, patter, patter, thud, thud, WHOOMPH, WHOOMPH, thud, thud, patter, patter, patter, skitter...

"...That'll be Neville, he's always running late for Care of Magical Creatures."

"...You gonna tell me what your idea was?"

"What idea?"

Grin. "Don't play ignorant with me, I know you know what I'm talking about."

"Must you press on with this?--I told you, it was just silly."

"Oh, I must, I must."

Sigh. "All right, it was...well, in some Muggle films--"

"Hey, I remember those!"

"--yes, well, in some Muggle science fiction films--"

"What's 'science fiction'?"

"Oh, no, you don't know what--?" Sigh. "Do you at least know what science is?"

"Erm...would 'no' be a bad answer to this?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Too bad, it's the only one I have."

"Hmm, well, science is sort of--figuring stuff out, but the Muggle way. Like, mechanically, and things. Like how to build a car."

"Car?"

"Automobile."

"Ohhhh...So it's like Arithmancy, like how we build a spell?"

"More physical than that, though, in most cases."

"Oh, so more like Potions? Assembling something, like?"

"That's part of it, yes."

"Right. So what's 'science fiction'? Wait, no--is it, like, made-up science?"

"Right."

"Oh, all right. Like--how to build an imaginary automobile?"

"Could be. But most of it's based on more abstract theories than that."

"Oh. So how's this idea of yours figure in?"

"Curses. I thought I'd distracted you from that."

Chipper. "Nope, sorry, I still want to hear your stupid idea."

"'Stupid,' thank you."

"You were the one who described it as stupid, remember."

"Hmmph, well, in some science fiction movies they do time-travel."

"Like with a Time-Turner?"

"Ahem. Yes, like that. And what I was thinking was that we were stuck in some sort of time vortex, where it would stay now until we got out of here--and that would be at the same time that we fell in, do you see?"

"So how was that stupid?"

"I said it just as the bell rang."

"Hah!"

"Right, exactly."

"Neat idea, though. Pity it could never happen. Time's a fluid."

"I'm well aware of that, Draco."

"Therefore, time could never stand still. At least not for just two people."

"No."

"It would have to stand still for the whole world. That's why your little theory is implausible."

"Yes."

"Because, you see, if time were to stay in one place--"

"Okay, Draco. You can stop gloating now."

"Heh."

"And I mean that."

"Once more: Heh."

"..." Sigh. "I wonder when someone will get us out of here."

"Why, Hermione, don't you like spending time with me?"

A/N: Ahhh. I love cliffhangers.

So, how's that? Another chapter. Now that's summer's officially here, for seniors. But then, hah, lookit the time, isn't it funny how I have to be up and about for work tomorrow morning? But look, here I am, writing more of Trick Stair. ::smacks self upside of head::

Told you that Draco would get cranky this chapter. :D

Okay, before I go, I would like to:

1) Thank everyone who reviewed, once again, since you're all such lovely people to read my ficcie, and

2) Reiterate a point that I've made several times, now. Here goes: THE ROMANCE IS ALREADY THERE. There will be no snogging in this fic, as it is physically IMPOSSIBLE for snogging to occur in the positions in which the two characters are. Also, there will be no brazen declarations of love, here, since I'm trying to make the characters as real as possible. And how many real people do you know that would simply declare their love for one another after hating each other for years on end and spending a few short hours getting to know once another? Right! None! Or maybe one or two, depending on who you are. The POINT is, if you're searching for the romance, READ BETWEEN THE LINES. It's EVERYWHERE.

:D

Now that I'm done with my rambling monologue, thank you once again to anyone who reviewed, I apologize for the formatting of this chapter, and I hope to be writing again soon!

Thank you and goodnight! Be sure to tip the waitress on your way out.