Alright here it is, sorry its not detailed but its a filler chapter until we get to the next one where it will be more in depth.

Sorry that it has taken so long for me to update but i am now back at work and so do not have alot of time to devote to my writing, i will endeavor to update quicker but i can't promise anything so please be patient with me.

thankyou

Angelrider93

Chapter Twenty Two: Return To Hogwarts.

Blaise sat in the compartment on the Hogwarts Express, rolling his eyes and scowling at the lovebirds sitting across from him.

"Would you two please tone down the affection! its getting too disturbing, we haven't even left the bloody station yet!" he finally burst out in exasperation. Draco and Hermione pulled apart and glared at him for interrupting them.

"Like you wouldn't be doing the same thing if you had a certain red head with you!" Draco smirked.

"Ooh low blow Malfoy!" Blaise hissed with a glare.

"It may well have been, but it was still a true statement" Draco retorted. Blaise growled at him before shaking his head in defeat.

"Yeah true" he finally sighed.

"You really like Ginny that much huh?" Hermione asked impishly.

"Shh! Jeez woman, don't advertise it to the rest of the train!" Blaise cried in panic.

"Would you relax Blaise! Nobody heard anything!" Hermione chided with humor.

"Nobody heard what?" a new voice asked. The three occupants glanced up at the door and froze at the sight of the three Gryffindors standing in the doorway.

"Harry! Ron! Ginny! Oh its so good to see the three of you! How was your Christmas?" Hermione exclaimed as she hopped off Draco's lap and hugged her three friends.

"It was great Mione, how about yours?" Harry replied as he returned her hug then sat down next to Blaise. "Blaise, Malfoy" he greeted the two Slytherins.

"Harry" Blaise greeted in return. Draco nodded with a small smile, though his eyes were on his girlfriend. Ron and Ginny also entered the compartment and sat on the seats.

"It was fantastic! I had so much fun!" Hermione replied as she promptly reseated herself comfortably in Draco's lap. Draco immediately slid his arms around his girlfriends waist and anchored her to his body so that any sudden movement from the train wouldn't unseat her and send her sprawling to the floor. The three Gryffindors noticed this immediately with knowing looks, though Ron did have a slight grimace, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"When did this happen?" Ginny asked indicating Hermione sitting in Draco's lap.

"Christmas day, and they have been horribly nauseatingly mushy ever since, its enough to make a single guy want to scratch his eyes out!" Blaise groaned.

"Oh hush up Blaise before I do or say something that you'll regret!" Hermione threatened with a meaningful tilt of her eyes in Ginny's direction. Draco burst out laughing as Blaise's face showed terrified horror.

"You wouldn't dare Granger!" he whispered harshly.

"Try me!" Hermione smirked smugly as she leaned back into Draco's arms. Blaise gulped then assumed a sickly smile.

"I'll be good" he promised hastily. Hermione grinned then turned back to her silent friends.

"What?" she asked when she saw the looks on their faces.

"Mione you have been hanging around Slytherins too long! You even smirk like them! Its revolting" Ron exclaimed in a disgusted tone.

"Hey!" both Slytherin's protested.

"Well Ronald I did spend the entire Christmas break with four Slytherins and a Ravenclaw!" Hermione stated, then she grinned triumphantly. "Though it was Cissa and I that whipped their Slytherin butts in the snowball fight!"

"That was because you and mum cheated!" Draco protested. Hermione glanced up at her boyfriend with an innocent look.

"How do you figure that?" she asked.

"You and mum were hiding and then you wailed Blaise with an invisible snowball that sent him sprawling on his back before nailing dad and I on our arses!" Draco retorted. Hermione burst into hysterical laughter.

"Oh the look on Lucius's face when Cissa got him on his rear end with that snowball was hilarious! Not to mention the looks on yours and Blaise's faces" she gasped between her laughter. Harry, Ron and Ginny shared un uncomfortable look, feeling somewhat left out of the conversation. Hermione recovered from her laughter and turned back to her three friends.

"So what did you three get up to?" she asked curiously. Harry answered first.

"Basically I spent the whole holidays getting to know my parents, though Sirius, Dad and I did pull a few pranks on mum and Remus" he grinned.

"Harry!" Hermione scolded.

"Hey you really expect me to spend a Christmas with the Marauders and not pull pranks?" Harry defended himself. Hermione sighed.

"I suppose not" she admitted, "What else did you do?" she added.

"I played Quidditch with dad, Sirius and Remus, that was fun. But mum also insisted on visiting Aunt Petunia as well. That sucked, but was funny in a way, I have never seen my aunt and uncle so scared as when they opened the door and saw mum and dad standing on their door step. And the look on Dudley's face was priceless! Oh and hearing mum and dad chew Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia out for the way they treated me was funny to, and just a bit satisfying" Harry concluded.

"Yes well I wouldn't have been adverse to seeing that particular scenario myself" Hermione huffed, having always wanted to give the Dursley's a piece of her mind for the way they had treated Harry. Then she turned to Ron and Ginny. "How was Romania?" she asked.

"It was great, the whole family was there and we just had our typical crazy Christmas, complete with Fred and George's antics" Ginny answered. Then she noticed the pendant that Hermione was wearing.

"Mione, that's gorgeous, where did you get it?" she asked indicating the necklace. Hermione smiled Ginny.

"Draco gave it to me for Christmas" she answered simply before turning to smile at her boyfriend. Draco returned her smile before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss on her lips. Harry and Ron grimaced but said nothing at the show of affection between their best friend and their former enemy. Ginny smiled slightly, happy for her friend but wishing she had someone. She chanced a glance at Blaise and noticed that he was watching her with a strange look. When he saw her glance he smiled slightly at her before turning back to Draco and Hermione.

"So when is the big meeting?" he asked cheekily, and grinned when he saw Draco pale.

"Tonight" Hermione answered excitedly.

"What meeting?" Ron asked curiously.

"My parents are coming to the party and they want to meet Draco, Lucius and Narcissa tonight" Hermione replied. Blaise laughed at the look on Draco's face.

"Yeah and Draco is terrified of meeting them" he added. Draco glared at his friend and spoke for the first time since the Gryffindors had entered the compartment.

"I'm not terrified! I'm just a tiny bit nervous!" he scowled.

"Man admit it, the thought of meeting your girlfriends parents has you quaking in those expensive dragonhide boots of yours" Blaise retorted. Draco grimaced.

"Yes well, we've already discussed this, and I have a damn good reason to be! So stop bringing it up or I'll follow through on Mia's threat!" he threatened. Blaise shut his mouth, knowing full well that Draco would indeed follow through.

"Mia?" the three Gryffindors asked together. Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, Draco calls me Mia like the elves do" she answered simply. Before anything else could be said the compartment door opened and Luna stepped in.

"Harry could I speak to you for a moment?" she asked dreamily. Harry blushed and nodded. Rising to his feet he followed Luna out of the compartment and closed the door behind him. Hermione turned a knowing glance to Draco.

"What did I tell you, googley eyes" Draco laughed and tightened his hold on her waist.

"Yeah you did, never thought I'd see it though" he replied. Ron excused himself from the compartment, citing some excuse about finding the rest of the Gryffindor guys, but really unable to handle seeing the girl he fancied being affectionate with her new boyfriend.

Ginny remained silent, realizing that for the first time since she had met her, that she would have to share Hermione's attention with someone else and not entirely sure how she felt about it. Ginny on one hand was happy that Hermione had finally found herself a boyfriend, one who was her equal and shared the same characteristics as her. But on the other hand she was jealous of the easy affection that Draco and Hermione shared. Before all of the changes that had happened, Ginny had had her friends undivided attention and she was resentful that now she would have to share with Draco and even Blaise to some extent. She knew that she was being selfish wanting to keep Hermione's attention, but she was just so used to only having to share it between Harry and Ron that she didn't know what to expect.

"It's a little strange to see them that way isn't it?" Blaise whispered in her ear, with a glance at the oblivious couple who were in their own little world at the moment. Ginny jumped, not having heard him sit next to her. Then she glanced at Hermione and Draco and nodded.

"Yes it is" she replied softly.

"It makes you feel a little left out when they do that" he stated knowingly. Ginny's eyes opened in surprise at hearing him say exactly what she was thinking.

"I'm happy for her, but still…" she trailed off embarrassed.

"Still you feel a little jealous that now you have to share her with more than just Harry and Ron" Blaise finished knowingly. Ginny blushed but nodded.

"Yeah I do, and I feel selfish for feeling that way, but I can't help it" she admitted.

"Believe it or not, I know how you feel. But in other respects I've never seen Draco so happy, and after the life he's lived he deserves to be" Blaise replied.

"Yes he does, and so does she, but I don't know what to do about my feelings" Ginny sighed dejectedly.

"Just be patient, they are a new couple and are going through that phase, when they have been together for a little longer they will sort themselves out and organize how to spend time with everyone" Blaise advised. Ginny sent him a look.

"You speak as if from experience" she commented. Blaise nodded.

"Yeah I am, I went through it last year with my ex, worst mistake I ever made getting with her, but at the time I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. I started to organize myself after a few weeks and prioritized my time between her and my friends. They will do the same thing, but don't pressure her or bug her about it or you'll find that she will begin to resent you" Blaise replied. Ginny nodded in understanding and then smiled tentatively at him.

"Thanks Blaise" she whispered.

"You're welcome Ginny" he answered with a small smile. Both Ginny and Blaise had no idea that Hermione and Draco had heard the end of their conversation and were smiling at the interaction between Blaise and Ginny.

The rest of the train ride passed relatively normally for the students and before they knew it they were on their way to the great hall for the welcome back feast. Draco and Hermione walked hand in hand with Blaise and Ginny. As they reached the doors Draco turned to Hermione and smiled.

"You ready for this?" he asked her. Hermione smiled up at him and reached up to place a quick kiss on his lips.

"I'm more than ready, lets go" she replied. Draco squeezed her hand before releasing it and wrapping it around her waist. Hermione followed suit and the two of them walked into the great hall arm in arm smiling at each other. The chatter fell silent as everyone turned to face them. Draco and Hermione ignored them as they approached the Gryffindor table. Draco helped her take a seat before leaning down and kissing her deeply.

"I'll meet you after dinner love" he whispered before he straightened and moved to take a seat at his own table next to Blaise who had already taken his seat opposite Theo. Theo grinned at him as he sat down.

"Finally got the balls to ask her out did you Draco?" he asked. Draco sent him a glare then grinned.

"Yeah I did"

"Good for you mate" Theo nodded then fell silent, having said everything that needed to be said. Draco and Blaise smirked then after Dumbledore finished his speech, they filled their plates and began to eat. Draco shooting looks across the room at his girlfriend occasionally. Down the end of the Slytherin table, Pansy sat next to Millicent Bulstrode, tears evident in her eyes as she witnessed the kiss between Hermione and Draco and the looks they kept sending each other during dinner.

Meanwhile over at the Gryffindor table, Hermione was receiving the third degree from Lavender and Pavarti.

"Hermione when did you and Draco Malfoy start dating?" Pavarti squealed as soon as the brunette took her seat.

"Over Christmas' Hermione answered simply.

"Oh come on Hermione you have to give us more information than that" Lavender protested.

"No I don't Lav, you should realize what its like to want to keep something to yourself" Hermione pointed out knowingly. Lavender blushed and shot a look across the room at her own boyfriend. They shared a secret smile before Lavender turned back to Hermione.

"You're right Hermione, I do know" she replied and returned to her meal. Pavarti stared at her best friend in shock before turning her shocked gaze to Hermione.

"Please give me some details" she begged.

"Nope" Hermione retorted before turning to speak to Ginny and Ron.

"Where's Harry?" she asked. Ron and Ginny both shrugged.

"Dunno, I haven't seen him since the train" Ron answered through a mouthful of food. Hermione grimaced.

"Ronald would you please swallow before answering next time" she scolded. Ron glared at her half heartedly before nodding in agreement and returning to his meal.

"There he is" Ginny indicated towards the doors of the great hall. Hermione and Ron looked up and stared in surprise at their best friend. Harry stood with Luna in the doorway holding hands, both looked slightly rumpled and sporting swollen lips.

"I wonder what he's been up to" Hermione smirked knowingly. Ginny giggled in agreement.

"Hey guys" Harry greeted as he took his seat next to Ron.

"Hello Harry, have a nice train ride?" Ginny inquired innocently. Harry blushed but grinned.

"Bloody fantastic" he replied before heaping his plate high with food.

"Well its about time you and Luna got your act together!" Hermione stated with a grin. Harry's blush deepened but he smiled.

"Thanks Hermione" he replied.

"I'll say" Ron agreed before stuffing mashed potato in his mouth. Harry, Ginny and Hermione all rolled their eyes at his antics before they continued with their own meals, enjoying the chatter around them as they caught up on everything from their Christmas holidays.

well there you have it, sorry its not a long chapter and that it kind of skates over all the issues but it was needed to set the stage for the future chapters and belive me there is alot more still to come, i only hope i get the time to update sooner.

please read and review, its the reviews i get that keep me sitting at my computer at 2am just to write a little bit more before i head to bed.

no flames please, and thankyou for your patience.