If you couldn't tell, I'm trying out this 3rd person omniscient POV a little. Not sure how I feel about it yet.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing

"Dentists? What does a dentist do?"

Hermione flushed, suddenly bashful about her parents' profession. It's not that she was ashamed, not by a longshot, for there was nothing to be ashamed of. Dentistry was a very respectable profession in the muggle world. Harry knew it and Ron understood and respected it. Mr. Weasley was, after all, very fascinated by the muggle world.

Blaise, on the other hand, was from pureblood society. She wasn't worried about him laughing in her face, but more so that he wouldn't understand it. She didn't know why she was so worried about his opinion of her parents and her life. These…meetings, or whatever they could be classified as, hadn't been going on for very long. Well…daily, but that was beside the point. Hermione cleared her throat, extremely nervous under his watchful gaze.

"They…tend to people's teeth. It's a medical practice, one that requires years of schooling as well as exceptional marks."

She tried her best to not be obvious about it, but she couldn't help but to watch his reaction.

Blaise raised his eyebrow. Huh. He thought it a peculiar practice, but seeing as it was related to medicine, he imagined that it provided quite the income. He also deduced that her parents were no doubt highly respected and that was what he told her.

"I mean, it's nothing like being a lawyer or surgeon in the muggle world, but yes, it's still considered impressive. My childhood was filled with many teeth cleanings and the like," Hermione said with a shudder.

Blaise stared at her with an unusual expression and she noticed.

"What," she quietly asked.

Did she have something on her face?

"Are all muggle families like that?"

Hermione blinked, thrown by the unexpected question.

"What do you mean?"

Blaise was suddenly the unsure one. He was sure that any pureblood family, minus the Weasleys, would immediately understand as to what he was hinting at. The fact that Hermione had no clue led him to believe that the mannerisms of the average pureblood family were unheard of to her. He looked over the railing, out onto the school grounds.

"This isn't the first time that you've mentioned your childhood. From what I can tell, you and your family are quite…close. I was just curious if all muggle families were that way," he elaborated.

Hermione's mouth parted in understanding as she whispered a quiet 'oh'.

"Not all are like mine. We're all different. However, I don't think that I'd be wrong to assume that a good majority do have some sort of positive relationship," Hermione said.

Blaise nodded, leaning his arms on the railing.

"What is that like," Hermione suddenly asked.

Unlike him, she didn't need to elaborate. They both knew what she was talking about and Blaise slowly exhaled.

"It's…normal. My relationship with my mum isn't very close, not by a longshot. We live separate lives. I'm free to do as I wish as long as it doesn't tarnish the Zabini name…at least not too much, anyway. My mum is a bit more relaxed than other purebloods, like…say the Malfoys. We live our lives and we all know what will eventually be expected of us. People like Draco and I…it's all we know…"

Hermione thought that was quite sad, but she didn't say this. Instead she took a deep breath and smiled.

"Well…maybe you can be different. Maybe you can have a wonderful relationship with your children and wife that isn't so cold and…shallow. Maybe you and your family can genuinely enjoy your home life," Hermione said.

Blaise allowed a bitter smile to take over his lips. It was nice to imagine, but he didn't have the heart to tell her that the chances of that happening were slim to none. A life like that just wasn't possible for people like him. It was cruel to imagine such a thing. He said none of this though. Instead, Blaise simply looked at her and smirked before saying:

"Maybe I can."

"…he can be such an ass sometimes, Hermione!"

Malfoy was an ass. Not just sometimes, but all the time, Hermione deduced. She had thought about it for weeks and could not accurately pinpoint just what his problem was. She had originally thought that her parentage and lack of 'pure' blood was the problem. However, she decided that his prejudice couldn't possibly run that deep. That would be preposterous. She then decided to think back to what she had told him about insecurities.

Maybe his relationship with Blaise wasn't that steady. Maybe he was worried that Hermione was going to steal Blaise away. Of course, this was Malfoy that she was talking about here and last she checked, he wasn't insecure about anything. If anything, he was probably a little too sure of the fact that Blaise was loyal to him.

This brought her back to her original assumption. Maybe…maybe his prejudice really did run that deep. It was possible that Malfoy really hated her that much and did not think her good enough for his best friend, despite the fact that she and Blaise were not a couple. Of course, that fact only made it so much worse. Malfoy didn't even view her as good enough for a decent bedfellow.

Not that she wanted to be only viewed as such. Besides, Malfoy's hatred of her was nothing new and after years of dealing with it, she was used to it. At least, that was what she thought. For some reason, it cut a bit to know that Malfoy really thought that low of her and for no reason at all. She suppressed a sigh, forcing the slight pain down.

"Hermione! Are you even listening to me?"

Hermione lifted her head, eyes wide and blinking. Ginny had cut her story short and was staring straight at her. Right, Ginny was talking to her. She had been talking about Dean, not Malfoy.

"Sorry," Hermione apologized, sheepish.

"You're a million miles away… I'm trying to tell you how much of a tosser Dean is being," Ginny ranted.

Ginny could tell that something was clearly on Hermione's mind. She wanted to press for information, but thought better of it. She would tell her when she was ready.

Hermione chuckled.

"Well…you aren't exactly a sweetheart yourself," Hermione joked.

Ginny gasped, placing her hand on her chest in mock outrage. Hermione may have been joking, but Ginny knew that there was some truth to the statement.

"And just what is that supposed to mean? That's no excuse. I've just about had it up to here…," Ginny held her hand up, flat, "…with him. His jealousy is getting out of control."

Hermione smirked, looking at her friend.

"I thought you liked the jealousy… As a matter of fact, I thought that you thoroughly enjoyed the arguments. What was it that you said? Made the sex great and all that jazz?"

Ginny bit her cheek, turning her head away, but it was too late. Hermione had already seen the smile and they both laughed.

"That's true. I can't help it. There's just something about when it gets a little rough," Ginny said with a chuckle.

Hermione smiled, eyes faraway.

"You don't have to tell me…"

The words had already escaped Hermione's lips before she could even process them. Ginny's head whipped around and she stared at Hermione in shock, blinking with furrowed eyebrows.

Ginny blinked in shock as she finally understood the implications behind that sentence.

"What? Hermione, have you been holding out on me?"

Hermione made a face that conveyed just how much she was regretting her slip of the tongue. Ginny grabbed her arm, turning her around to look at her.

"I don't believe it. Not only have you joined the rest of us poor souls and gotten yourself a sex life, but you didn't even tell me…," Ginny hissed.

Ginny was beyond surprised and, dare she say it, a little hurt.

"Ginny…," Hermione warned.

"…and apparently he likes to get rough in between the sheets. So I take it you're not going to reveal his identity?"

"Nope," Hermione replied with a shake of her head.

Ginny faced forward again, face thoughtful.

"Hmm, a mystery. He must be good in bed. Is that why you won't tell me who? Afraid I'll steal him away?"

Hermione laughed at Ginny's joke. She knew that Ginny was just being funny, but the thought of Blaise and Ginny did make her feel some kind of way. For some reason, she couldn't help it.

"I'd love to see you try," she chuckled.

"Ooh. She's possessive. Yes, yes, he must be very talented then," Ginny deduced, rubbing her chin.

Hermione laughed again at Ginny's antics.

"Who are you talking to?"

"The people, Hermione! The people want to know- no. The people need to know," Ginny exaggerated.

Hermione shook her head, chuckling. Ginny's laughter soon died down.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ginny was playful about it, but Hermione winced at the slight hurt she heard in Ginny's voice and she sighed.

"It's…complicated," was her answer.

Complicated didn't even begin to describe it.

Ginny expected an answer along those lines. She knew that if it were otherwise, she would have been the first to know about it.

"What, he has a girlfriend?"

"Ew, no! Merlin, no. You know that…that's not me," Hermione protested.

"Is he younger? Is it Ravenclaw complicated or something?"

Hermione blinked at the mention of houses.

"No," she said uneasily, swallowing.

Hermione's sudden change in tone of voice must have caught Ginny's attention. She glanced away as she felt Ginny's eyes on her face for a lengthy period of time.

"Is…is it Slytherin complicated…?"

Hermione opened her mouth to protest before snapping it shut. She clenched her fingers around the bench before dropping her head.

Ginny's heart sank. When she guessed that he was from Slytherin, she didn't imagine that it would actually be true.

"Oh, Hermione-."

"Don't, okay? You don't need to say anything. Believe me, I know…"

She lifted her head, eyes troubled as she stared ahead. Hermione knew exactly what Ginny was thinking because she had thought about it herself plenty of times.

"It's not serious or anything, right?"

"No, of course not. It's…just all in good fun," Hermione said, trying to nonchalantly play it off with a shrug.

Ginny snorted and Hermione turned to look at her.

"Yeah, that's what they all say. I like that you're finally coming out of your shell and trying something new, but we both know that you're not the 'casual' kind of girl, Hermione. What are you thinking? This can only end in one of two ways and neither way is smooth sailing from where I'm standing," Ginny replied.

Of course, Hermione knew this. She was no fool. She knew exactly what she was potentially walking into. However, she liked to think that Blaise wasn't like that, but then again…his best friend was a Malfoy. Was she only kidding herself?

"Not all of them are…you know, Ginny. Have you been hanging out with Harry lately?"

"No, I haven't, but it's not exactly a stretch, Hermione. I just hope that you know what you're doing because this could easily turn into a very dangerous situation," Ginny warned.

Hermione sighed again, knowing that Ginny was right. She suspected that if Ginny knew who it was and who he flocked with, her reaction would be entirely different. Little did Ginny know, Hermione was already in a very dangerous situation. Malfoy was out to ruin her and she didn't even know where to begin to fight him on this.

"…I'm telling you, he looks a bit pale to me."

"It's Malfoy, Harry. He's always pale," Ron snorted as they made their way away from the Great Hall.

Hermione chuckled, in complete agreement with Ron. Harry was visibly frustrated with their lack of worry and he sighed. They both knew how seriously he took this, and they respected it, but they also didn't want him to get too worked up over a theory.

Harry on the other hand couldn't fathom how they couldn't see what he was seeing. He was determined to prove to them that Malfoy was one of them now before it was too late.

"Yes, but he looks a bit more sickly, don't ya think?"

Hermione shook her head, looking at Harry.

"Honestly, no. Then again, who can even tell if he's more pale than normal? Like Ron said, he's practically translucent on a daily basis," Hermione said.

Harry shook his head, opting to drop the topic for now. He was getting nowhere…

"You've been steering clear of him right?"

Hermione faltered, biting her lip as she recalled her previous run-ins with him. Hermione imagined that if she simply stopped sneaking around with Blaise, then Malfoy very well would leave her alone. However, she couldn't bring herself to do that. She kept telling herself that it was because she didn't want to let Malfoy win. That was what she kept telling herself.

"Aside from us being paired in DADA together? Yes," she lied.

Harry rolled his eyes, anger written all over his face.

"I swear Snape did that on purpose. What could he possibly expect aside from disaster," Harry ranted.

Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit offended.

"Give me some credit here, Harry. Besides, it's class. You think he's going to murder me in front of everyone?"

Hermione joked, but in all honesty, she was a little serious. Harry didn't seem to find her attempt at humor…humorous.

"Are we forgetting the last incident so quickly?"

Ron chuckled at the reminder and she threw him a glare.

"So he tripped me. It was classic Malfoy and I fell for it. He was simply baiting me for a reaction and I fed right into it," Hermione heatedly replied.

She was still upset with herself for that one. To top it off, she had extra detention for leaving the last detention before it was time. Snape had managed to completely shatter her so badly with just one look that she didn't even listen to his lecture about 'responsibilities' and 'bad decisions'.

"Can't keep my name out of your mouth, Granger? Maybe you should be doing other things with those disgusting lips of yours. I'm sure that would fix your little dilemma," a familiar voice sneered.

She turned around, prepared to scold him for his crude insinuation, when she was beaten to it.

"As if Hermione would even put her lips within an inch of you. You're scum, Malfoy," Ron spat.

Malfoy smirked and Hermione glared at him. She wasn't sure what Harry was on about because he looked as put together as ever. Merlin, she couldn't stand him.

"Who said anything about me? From what I hear, I'm not the type of Slytherin Granger likes to skulk around with," he mocked, eyes resting on her.

Draco enjoyed watching her squirm.

Hermione fumed and her heart skipped a beat. Just what was he playing at?

"Didn't your daddy teach you not to tell lies, Malfoy? Or was he too busy kneeling before a half-blooded snake?"

Harry's retort came out incredibly clipped and scathing and she could see that Malfoy was more affected by it than he let on. Malfoy took a step forward, lips twisted into a sneer.

Who did Potter think he was? If only he knew what his Gryffindor princess was really up to.

"Who says they're lies? You don't know what she's up to when she's not with you. She could be opening her legs for anyone-."

He cut himself off with a chuckle, pearly whites on display and backing up as Weasley flew at him.

Harry grabbed his friend in time, throwing a venomous look in Malfoy's direction. Malfoy was clearly very proud of himself…

"Guys, let's just go. He isn't worth it," she tried to reason.

"Don't ever talk about her like that. Hermione is worth a million times more than the slags of your dirty house," Ron hissed.

Hermione clenched her jaw, avoiding Malfoy's cruel gaze as her friends did exactly what he said they would.

"Nothing would give me more pleasure, than to know that while your friends are insulting us, defending your honor half the time, you're boning the enemy every other night," he whispered.

"Let's go! Don't give him the satisfaction…"

She turned to look Malfoy directly in his eyes.

"Insecure boys like Malfoy only want attention to feed into their overcompensating egos," she finished.

She took great pride in the way his jaw clenched, eyes hard as he stared her down. She heard Ron chuckle as the two of them eventually backed off, walking towards the stairs. They obviously assumed that she was right behind them as they began to talk very loudly about Malfoy and just what he could be overcompensating for.

Hermione glared at him, raking her eyes over him in disgust before turning around and following.

Her eyes widened and she let out a surprise filled gasp as one strong arm snaked around her waist, tightly pulling her against a hard chest. Her heart sped up as she felt his fingers brush her hair away from her ear, the feel of the tresses being replaced by the feel of his lips as they brushed against her skin. What was he doing?

Malfoy noted that she smelled of honey. What a stupid fucking scent.

"Overcompensating? Just what could I possibly be overcompensating for?"

Hermione shuddered as he hissed into her ear, his warm breath fanning over her skin.

"Gee, I don't know Malfoy. Why don't you tell me? My comment seems to have hit a nerve, so you're clearly lacking…somewhere," she mocked.

Malfoy bristled.

"Would you rather I show you? Believe me, there's nothing lacking about me," he snarled into her ear.

He pressed himself more firmly against her and Hermione flung herself away from him, spinning around to face him with a disbelieving chuckle.

"As if I would touch you! I wouldn't go near you with a ten foot pole, Malfoy," she slowly said.

She smiled as his eyes flashed, fists clenched at his side.

"What? Are you actually upset that there's a girl in this school who has no interest in you whatsoever?"

She took a step towards him.

"Are you that conceited, that you thought that on some subconscious level, I actually wanted you?"

Another step.

"Or are you annoyed that your best friend actually bested you in this department for once? Are you annoyed that I, the mudblood, would choose him over you any day? Does your vanity know no bounds?"

Malfoy's eyes were blazing, jaw ticking as he glared down at her as she threw insult after insult.

"I guess the two of you really are opposites in every single way because…Blaise has everything that I want. You, Malfoy, you have nothing that I want," she hissed.

She backed up with a crooked smile of her own before climbing the stairs.

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