Name: The girl next door

Whom I happen to hate…

Rating: M

Summary: Draco Malfoy and his family have to be part of the Death Eater rehabilitation program. To do that, they must give up all their money; give up magic for a year, and move into a muggle neighborhood, guess who his next-door neighbor is? A funny story!

Author: Chaos

Warning: Does not follow all of the books plot.

A/N: "Which is worse- the sleep which never ends or that which never comes?"

DMGH

Chapter 17: Together

When December came around, the seventh years were busy worrying about their banquet, while the other students longed for their holidays to start. The Heads had rushed to get the decorations set, and on the day of the banquet everyone was required to eat in their house common rooms so they could rush to finish things.

Down in Transfiguration the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs sat quietly working on an assignment Professor McGonnagal had assigned them. Professor McGonnagal was currently sitting as a cat on her desk watching each of them work.

Ron grunted as he whispered something to Harry who smiled slightly. Hermione listened to their conversation carefully, still working on properties of transfiguring inanimate things into human-like creatures and its consequences.

"Still got no date then, mate?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"I'm going with Ginny, remember?" Harry said. Ron sighed.

"Better you than some other git," Ron mumbled. "Hey 'Mione do you think you might want to-"

"No," Hermione interrupted. Professor McGonnagal shushed them, she was now back in human form sitting at her desk. She glared. Sorry they mouthed.

"Why not?" Ron grumbled. "I mean its alright for a guy to show up without a date. But it's a bit sad when a girl does it," Ron responded.

"Here we go again," Harry muttered bracing himself for the argument.

"Once again you proved yourself completely dim-witted Ronald. Believe it or not, once more may I add, I'm not going alone, because someone has already asked me, and I said yes," she scolded and then disappeared behind A Guide to Transfiguration Volume VII. Her bushy hair the only thing visible.

Harry slapped Ron on the back of the head.

"Don't you ever learn?" he grunted, going back to his work, leaving Ron dumbfounded.

DMGH

Now four months pregnant Hermione was basically forbidden by Draco to climb ladders, carry anything heavy, or do just about anything.

"It might harm the baby," he whispered to her. Hermione glowered.

"I told you Nikki said clearly that the baby was perfect. Now leave me alone," she said and proceeded to continue helping the others decorate. Draco grunted and joined Anthony Goldstein in charming, red, white, and green lights to glitter around the Great Hall.

"What were you and the ferret talking about?" Ron asked, helping Hermione put up a banner with Christmas in the Castle spelled up glittering from red to green. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"None of you business Ronald," she said. Ron looked dumbly at her.

"Are you still mad at me about what I said in Transfiguration?" he asked. Hermione glared at him, how she wished she could just slam his head into a wall, in fact she could just imagine it happening.

"Well that's a stupid question," she answered and went off to help Padma Patil set up the round tables with maroon table cloths. Ron grunted, he'd obviously gotten his answer.

By eight o'clock most of the seventh years were dressed up and in front of the Great Hall waiting for the banquet to start. Suddenly everyone began to turn towards the stairs off to the side. Dumbledore smiled and waved his wand. The tune of Best Day of my Life began to play.

"Wow," Draco heard someone say. He was dressed in black dress robes. He slowly turned an his breath was caught. Hermione stood at the top of the stairs. Her hair hung loosely in curls down past her shoulders. She wore a beautiful white dress. It had thin straps over her shoulders and hung tightly hugging to her curves beautifully until it reached her waist then it flowed nicely to the ground.

Dumbledore had permitted Hermione to wear a concealment charm on her slightly grown stomach to hide off her pregnancy. Hermione began to walk down the stairs as the refrain began to be sung.

Everyone stared at her as she smiled slightly and walked towards Draco, who smiled and took her hand in his. Half a dozen girls almost fainted at the moment. Harry, Ron, and Pansy looked dead in shock. Ginny and Blaise, who happened to next to each other at the moment, high fived each other.

Draco took her hand and led her towards the Great Hall where the doors opened for them. Everyone sighed as they saw the gleaming decorations that spelled Christmas in every way. Draco led Hermione to the dance floor and they finished dancing to the tune. Everyone around stared.

"Is that Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy?" said a tardy student as she stared wide eyes.

"How does that girl always get the best guys for these things?" another one asked.

"No, that can't be Hermione. She wouldn't do that to us again," Ron pronounced. "Just can't be her," he repeated.

"Sorry mate, looks like you're out of luck," Harry said smiling. "It is her," he said. Ron glared at him.

"You knew about this?" Ron asked outraged. Harry sighed.

"Not from Hermione, no," he said. "She told Ginny, who told me, but asked for me to keep a secret." he said. "So I did,"

"And you agree to this?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged.

"I have my reasons. Soon you might hear about them too," he said before taking Ginny's hand to dance, leaving a glum Ron sitting at a table.

"You look beautiful," Draco said looking down at Hermione who blushed.

"Thank you," she said. Draco smiled slowly. Hermione leaned her head against his chest as they continued to dance. She could remember just a month ago them talking about dancing together in front of everyone. Draco had even boasted about what a great dancer he was.

"Hermione?" Draco whispered. Hermione looked up at him. "Look," he said as she heard everyone gasp once more. Hermione looked down and gasped. She found herself above everyone's heads floating and yet still dancing with Draco, who was smiling at her. She hugged herself tighter to him.

"I told you I was a good dancer," he said. Hermione wondered how anything like this was possible but then noticed Professor Dumbledore smiling happily at her and began to understand. Draco pulled her closer to him, leaving no room in between their bodies.

"Can I keep you?" he whispered in her ear. Hermione sighed deeply. Draco then tilted her head back slightly and kissed her, once again everyone around them gasped. Hermione looked up at him. They continued dancing as Draco grabbed her tight once more.

"Marry me?" he whispered in her ear once more. Hermione looked at him surprised. Her breath was caught. As she looked in Draco's eyes she felt her world melt away and smiled. She nodded and kissed him slightly. Draco had all the answer he could have wanted. He smiled and slowly they began to drift back down to earth.

Hermione sighed, so far this had been the best night of her life. She wished it would never end. Well she did until Great Hall began to clear and she saw Ron walking towards her. Draco must have seen him too because he turned to her and said:

"Do you want me to be here with you?" Hermione smiled at his worry for her but shook her head.

"No, I think I'll face this one alone," she said. Draco nodded and walked over to Blaise. They both stood pretending to talk yet keeping a close eye on Hermione.

"HERMIONE GRANGER!" Ron screamed as he neared her. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yes, that's me. Pleasure," she teased putting her hand out for him to shake. Ron glared at her.

"How could you?" he asked.

"How could I what?"

"How could you go and kiss a Slytherin? And be all mushy with him?" Ron said. Hermione rolled her eyes. Ron's choice of words were a bit pathetic if you thought about it.

"Well I'm sure you've already seen how I could." she argued. "Besides I have my reasons to be with him." she said. Draco looked carefully straining to hear everything.

"Like what? Give me one good reason." he demanded. Hermione sighed.

"I love him and he loves me," she stated simply. Ron stared outrageously.

"If he loves you so much then how come he's not here defending you from me?" he asked. Hermione glared at him. A small crowd had gathered around them by now.

"Because that is exactly what love is. Letting someone fight their own battles sometimes. I asked him not to interfere and said that I had to do this on my own and he respected me enough to let me. That is what love is Ronald, it is doing things you don't want to just because the person who you love asked you to," she explained. A few people smiled. Draco grinned from ear to ear at Hermione's speech.

"Oh wake up Hermione. He's using you," he contradicted, which earned him a few growls from the new fans.

"Oh right Ron, because according to you every guy who might actually be attracted to me is only using me to get closer to you or Harry," Hermione said, tears forming in her eyes. How could Ron hurt her so much. He was supposed to be her best friend.

"Hey don't bring me into this, I didn't say anything. In fact I'm alright with it," Harry put in.

"I'm going to tell you something Ronald, something I've been meaning to tell you every single time you pull your stupid jealousy fits," Hermione breathed hard. "Piss off," she yelled making the rest of the hall go quiet.

"And as far as anyone else is interested, I'm going to have his child," she said and slowly the concealment charm began to wear off, to show a small bump growing in her belly. People around the Great Hall gasped. Draco smiled and walked over to Hermione.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, slowly caressing it with a kiss. Hermione blushed as she smiled. Then they walked out of the Great Hall together.

The truth was out, the gossip would start.

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy...together.