"She's getting a bit into it, don't you think?" Harry ripped his gaze from Hermione and stared at the boy who had questioned him. Ron was watching Harry with a very contemplative expression.

"What the hell do you think, doofus! Look at her!" He spat with frustration. Hermione had, in a spur of the moment action, stopped her lunch and walked over to the Slytherin table. She was, of course, considered likeable because of her heritage, but she was still a public Light Fighter. She had slipped into a seat beside Draco and had begun chatting to him amiably, sporadically taking a bit of food from his plate.

Ron frowned in a very pensieve manner. "She's an awfully good actress though." He commented, remembering the small skit she had put on with a few Gryffindors early in their sixth year. "But you're right, she seems like she's actually enjoying it."

Seamus Finnigan leaned over, having become a member of the Order a few weeks after Hermione and Ginny had been assigned their task. "If you ask me, so is Ginny." Ron and Harry diverted their gaze a few seats down to where Ginny was seated beside Blaise, sharing a meal with him. The Slytherins acceptance of her had been a downright shock to them, but it had been concluded that the two Slytherin Princes had threatened their 'subjects'.

"What is she doing!" Harry's yell brought their attention back at Hermione who had pulled Draco into a short embrace and was currently pecking him lightly on the cheek. With a bright naïve smile, she left her spot at their table, collected Ginny and together, they resumed their seats with the Gryffindors.

With feigned innocence, they picked up their forks and began chatting happily.

Draco smiled as he sneaked a glance at Potter and Weasley. They were both staring, along with Finnigan, at Ginny. "Give me a hug, a kiss on the cheek and leave. Potter's been staring at you. He'll see it." He whispered softly.

Hermione nodded and flashed him a devious smile. "Thanks Draco!" She exclaimed, excitedly causing Harry's attention to snap towards her. She threw her arms around him and heard him exclaim in horror. She pecked Draco on his cheek; her lips lingering a bit longer than it should have and jumped from her seat. Summoning Ginny, she slide happily beside a shell-shocked Lavender and resumed eating, chatting happily with Ginny.

Draco leaned over, glanced down the table sending Blaise a cheeky smirk. Blaise winked back and quickly returned his attention to a very talkative Millicent Bulstrode. "Draco, you're so pathetic." A voice said, snapping his attention back to the present.

Pansy was staring at him with an exasperated air. "If you're going to try and get Hermione, you should do it in a more…romantic way. She'd appreciate it more than thinking you're only doing it to spite Potter. I mean really, asking her to kiss you on the cheek."

Pansy had really changed from the obsessive naïve girl she had once been. She had become a very independent woman who barely spared a glance at most men, including Draco. Her defiance and lack of interest had driven many to pine after her. Draco frowned at the girl. "Firstly, I do not like her Pansy. Don't be daft. And secondly, even if I did like her, she wouldn't like me."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "They say the first step of love is denial and don't be so modest. If you haven't noticed, almost all of the female population are in love with you. Anyway, I've got to finish my Divination essay." With that she left the Great Hall, leaving Draco behind in his thoughts.

Hermione sighed as she lay on her bed. Ginny sat beside her with a grin on her face. "What now, Gin? And you'd better tell me this time. I'm over the guessing games." She pushed herself up and went to her mirror.

"You like him." Ginny said simply, watching Hermione's reflection carefully. Her eyes grew, her throat gulping noticeably. Hermione's eyes darted around nervously, staring at the reflection of Ginny, grinning widely and observing her closely.

"W-What do you mean? Who do I like?" She asked nervously.

Ginny grinned. "Oh forget it, Mya. You're a pathetic liar."

Voldemort sneered maliciously. Even if anyone else didn't realise, he really knew what was going in Potter's head. His need for attention and the love of all girls was driving him mad when combined with Hermione's flirting with Draco and not him. It was making him crave her attention. Potter was used to having girls at his beck and call but they seemed to have forgotten about his last victory with the news of Hermione and Ginny's close relationship with Draco and Blaise.

This had happened to Potter before, of course, but in the past, he had had Hermione and Ginny to nurse his pride and help him back on his feet. Voldemort sighed with contentment. With his command, Hermione and Ginny had been 'too caught up with their task' to realise that Potter's ego was suffering from constant bruising. Potter's thoughts were filled with Hermione and Ginny as were his nightmares, with a small amount of help from himself.

Slowly they were breaking down the boy-who-lived-to-die and eventually he would be nothing. His ego was slowly being shredded away by the Dark Lord himself. It was time to summon another meeting.

Hermione and Ginny were comfortably seated in the Gryffindor common room, 'absorbed' in a conversation with Lavender about dresses for the graduation celebration when a sharp stinging shot through their bodies.

Hermione looked at Ginny, a meaningful look in her eyes. The Dark Lord was calling. "Erm, so sorry Lavender but we've got to go. Bye!" Racing out of the room, they had barely made it into their rooms when they felt their bodies being whisked away.

Voldemort nodded as his four young appeared in front of him. "I am very pleased with you all, my children. You have proven to be of great use. The lack of attention directed at Potter is slowly bringing him from his power. But the charm of your friendship is slowly wearing off. As I observed you these past weeks, I have noticed a certain attraction in between a few of you. You now understand what I mean. You must…find a way to make Potter even more deprived of interest. You may leave."

Hermione was smiling at Draco in an almost sultry manner. It really did make him sick. Hermione, the girl of his thoughts and past, was smiling, in a very appealing manner, at Draco, the boy of his nightmares who had taunted him since their acquaintance. It really didn't make sense to him. He supposed that it was all a part of her plan to 'convert' Draco but if he thought about it deeply, something he didn't do very often, he realised that there was hardly a chance of it working.

Malfoy, as he preferred to call the boy, was as stubborn and cold-hearted as a large boulder. He would never 'fall' for Hermione, it was an incomprehensible thought and yet his every look seemed to long after her terribly. His stubbornness accounted for the fact that even if he did fall for Hermione, it was not enough to make him change his loyalties. He had been born and brought up as a Dark child and would remain to be Dark for the rest of his miserable life.

Ron was watching Harry in a very interested manner. Harry was, he noticed, very deep in thought staring hard at Hermione who was flirting openly with Draco. He had also noticed that Harry had spent his days gazing after Hermione and Ginny as well as muttering their names in his sleep in a desperate, pleading manner calling them to stay by his side.

It was a rare occurrence, Ron had to admit. It was not often that the Harry Potter pined after two, near ordinary girls, when he had hordes of just as good, if not better, women and girls yearning after him. Why was it that Harry was in desperate need of the two Gryffindors? He hadn't been like this at the Burrow. Perhaps, Ron supposed, it was a result of their utter devotion to the task at hand.

Seamus was watching Ron observing Harry. He had to admit that Harry was acting all strange as of late. His appetite had died down tremendously as well as his academic and sporting grades. He had been lacking greatly in his position as Quidditch Captain, their training usually spent by Ron taking charge. Harry merely floating on his broom until he had either hit the goalposts or the stands.

He had hardly concentrated on his studies either. It had surprised Seamus when Snape had failed to punish Harry for it. Harry had been daydreaming in Potions and when Snape had asked him a question, he had failed to answer. Snape had merely smiled a strange smile and asked Ginny for the answer. Needless to say, it had shocked the Gryffindors greatly, the Slytherins seeming to understand their Head.

Ron winced as Harry suffered another low blow. Draco smiled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind Hermione's ear before leaning over and kissing her gently. Seamus snuck a glance at the scar-headed boy who had drained of all colour. Whispers of excitements and 'I told you it would happen' filled the hall.

Ginny squealed with excitement in her seat beside the occupied couple while her 'companion' Blaise winced at the sight of his sister involved with none other that his very own best friend.

Hermione smiled, drawing in a long breath, once Draco had pulled back slowly. Draco smiled lightly, running a hand through her long hair. "You're beautiful." He whispered, a blush creeping into her pale cheeks. Ginny tackled the raven-haired girl in a hug from behind, wanting to know 'all the details'. Hermione just smiled and said 'it was wonderful,' much to Draco's delight.

Hermione spun to face the Gryffindor table when a small bench had fallen from the force of which Harry had stood up in, poor Neville toppling to the floor. Harry spared the couple a hasty glance before rushing out of the hall. Ron jumped up, concern written on his face, before following his friend from a hall of gossip.

Draco smiled as Hermione babbled on about something or rather to him. In all honesty, he hadn't the slightest idea what she was going on about, it all seeming to fly over his head. He nodded the occasional nod, deep in thought.

The weeks had passed, their public friendship developing quickly but the fact that it was public bothered him. The publicity of it would always remind him that their relationship was for the wills of the Dark Lord and of Dumbledore. He had no idea if Hermione really liked him at all. Ginny and Blaise had commented numerously that she did but how sure were they really. They had never been told by her, they admitted, but apparently 'they could see it in her every move' though he couldn't. "And then the orange elephant with purple wings jumped off the balcony, which was made out of roses and ate me."

Draco's head shot up as he finally tuned into her ramble. "What the hell?" Hermione smiled softly at his reaction.

"Sorry Draco but you sort of tuned off there. I was seeing how long I could've gone without you noticing and it was quite a while." She said, a soft yet slightly insulted smile on her face. Draco sighed. "Want to share with the class what'd gotten your attention over my discussion of Quidditch nonetheless."

Draco looked at her with an amused expression. "You were talking about Quidditch? You the infamous Quidditch hater!" Hermione smiled before once again urging him to tell her what was on his mind.

Draco glanced around the room quickly before an embarrassed smile flitted on his face. "Well erm… it wasn't something I was thinking about as much as something I was thinking of doing." Hermione urged him to go on. "I don't really know how to say it."

Hermione looked at him with an odd expression. "It's as easy as 'I was thinking of going shopping' or whatever. But if it'll make it easier for you, I'll give you advice straight off. Seeing as it is preoccupying you, do it before it takes over your life."

Her eyebrows knitted together as he seemed to stare at her blankly. She grinned mockingly staring back at him. His throat shifted as he gulped before he reached up, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. In a flash, he had placed his lips on hers lightly. He felt her tense up, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. It worked like a charm, her muscles letting go slowly.

A hint of a smile played on her lips as he pulled away slowly, running a hand through her hair. The wind was knocked out of her as the Weasley girl beside her grabbed her in a fiercely excited hug. "OH MYA!" She exclaimed before dropping her voice to a whisper. "Give me all the details."

Hermione simply smiled and shrugged muttering that it had been wonderful, Draco's face breaking out into a proud smirk. The hall's occupants spun as a bench fell to the ground.

Harry stormed furiously down the hallways, randomly stopping to kick the wall or shout at a portrait who offered their psychological assistance. "SHUT THE HELL UP YOU IMBECILE!" he screeched at the portrait of a now insulted Merlin before tearing through the corridors.

He wasn't so sure why he was still yearning after her. They had dated for a month before he had tired of her prudish ways and wanted more from a woman. He had become frustrated. So he had taken it out on her and continued to have his way with other women.

He closed his eyes with guilt. An image flashed before his face. His hand was flying forward before it contacted with her cheek ferociously. She stumbled back and fell to the floor, tears silently pouring down her cheeks. Ron was turning away, holding back Ginny who was red with anger. He opened his eyes quickly. Maybe he deserved this.

Hermione sighed as she flopped onto her bed. "Okay now you can give me the details without being influenced by his presence." Ginny's voice came as she rushed into the room, slamming the door behind her. "There is no chance you can avoid this."

Hermione sat up glaring at her friend. "I wasn't lying before. I mean it was wonderful and completely unexpected. He was looking all worried and wasn't listening to me so I gave him some advice. I was like 'if its worrying you so much, then just do it or you'll never stop thinking of it'. And he just sat there staring at me and then kissed me!"

Ginny giggled. "Oh that is so romantic! You know…your brother is pretty good-looking, and he's really smart. Do you think…that perhaps…it'd be okay if by chance he liked me and we went out?" Hermione merely grinned widely before hugging her friend tightly.

"I wouldn't dream of it being anyone else."

"Woah okay dude. Since when do you go around randomly kissing your best friends sister!" Blaise exclaimed the moment they had entered their room. Draco smiled softly before lying down on his bed, a happy expression playing on his face. "Since they were devilishly gorgeous." He said grinning widely.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Ah damn it! My arms killing me! Pull yourself together you pansy. The Dark Lord is calling."