J.K. Rowling's, except the plot. I doubt this one's in the books...

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think Draco actually reached out to me last night. Sure, I believe that he wanted to just get away from the people who won't shut up about the issues with Pansy, but I could've sworn there was something more there. It was almost as if, somehow, in the midst of all of it, he wanted comfort. From me. And I don't know, it was nice just sitting there without all the tension we usually have."

Shaking her head and slamming the journal shut, Hermione muttered the password. She chastized herself for even considering that anything with Draco had been, well, nice.

"Hermione."

Hermione felt her lips pull into a small smile at the familiar call, but she quickly straightened herself up and willed her face to look serious.

"Yes, Draco?" she responded politely.

"Can you come here for a minute?" he asked.

Hermione blinked in disbelief. "Huh?" she muttered in response.

Sighing, Draco approached her. "I asked if you could come over there," he said as he came up behind her.

"That's what I thought," she responded, looking at him strangely.

"And your problem with that is...?" Draco narrowed his eyes and cocked his head in confusion.

Hermione allowed a small smile before straightening again. "Oh, nothing," she responded.

Silence again passed between them.

"So," she finally said, "what did you need?"

"Oh, right," he responded. "How are we coming along on the project?"

Hermione laughed. "Well, you were there yesterday," she replied. "As far as I know, neither of us has done much on it since then."

Draco shrugged. "True," he responded. He shuffled his feet a moment, preparing to say something.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to read his expression.

"When should we make the potion?" he asked.

"You mean the initial attempt, right?" Hermione already knew the answer to that. She wasn't quite sure why she'd even asked.

"Of course," he responded.

Silence.

Each appeared lost in thought for a moment.

"Well," Hermione said, straightening her posture again and clearing her throat, "we both know at some point we'll need to make it."

"Right," he agreed.

"And there's really no way out."

"Exactly."

"Snape assigned us to make the... potion... and we'll just have to do it." Hermione gave a short nod. "And that's that."

"Right again," Draco said. "But when?"

Hermione sighed. "Do we want to just get on with it?" she asked finally.

"I suppose that would be best," he responded.

"Tomorrow, then?" she asked, not exactly wanting to hear the response.

"Tomorrow," he confirmed, noticing that her shoulders sagged just a bit at his words.

Another moment of silence passed.

"So," she said.

"So," he said.

"Is there anything else for today, then?" she asked.

"Well," he responded, thinking, "we might want to get the ingredients together today."

"Good idea," she said.

"How about we meet right after dinner tonight?" he asked.

"That works," she responded. "By the doors to the Great Hall?"

"Sure," he said.

Neither really seemed to know what else to say, so they said nothing.

"Well," he finally said. "I should be off, then."

"Right," Hermione agreed. "And me as well."

"Later, Hermione," he said.

"Later, Draco."

And with that, they separated.

Hermione went out to her tree immediately after their meeting. She had already finished all of her homework, but she just needed to think. As she gazed out on the water, she saw the male and female geese from before swimming peacefully together. She sighed as she looked at them, then noticed what she was doing.

She was thinking about Draco. Shaking her head, she decided to write. She took out her journal, muttered the password, and began.

"Moments with us are so awkward sometimes. It's like all we know how to do is talk about the project, but there are other things we want to discuss. It doesn't even make sense to me. It's almost like we honestly do want to get to know one another, but that can't be right. He still thinks of me as less than him. I know he does. I don't want to ask him anything about his personal life or anything besides just the project, because what if he just shuts it down? I don't want to hear one more comment about my bloodline, and I'm afraid asking too much will just push it over the edge. It's working fine right now. We get along and everything. In all honesty, I don't even know why I'm thinking about him anyway. He's Draco Malfoy, Pureblood extraordinaire, or so he thinks anyway. And I'm Hermione Granger, the brainy muggleborn. That friendship is just never meant to be."

Sighing again, Hermione shut the book and stated the password.

She stared out at the water for a long time. She wasn't sure how long, even. She thought about a number of things that day, from Draco to exams to her family... everything she had wanted to think about for a while. It felt good. At one point, she noticed the sun had shifted its position, so she decided to go inside. Gathering her books and feeling a bit more peaceful, she made her way to the Great Hall.

"So you mean you're actually meeting the Ferret... alone?" Ron's nose wrinkled in disgust.

Hermione laughed. "Yes, Ronald," she responded. "For the project."

"Do you want me to hex him?" Harry asked helpfully.

She smiled and shook her head. "If you remember," she said, "I can hex just as well as the rest of you, should I need it."

The boys shrugged. "True enough," Ron responded, stuffing food into his mouth.

"So, 'Mione," Ginny said. "This project is actually going okay now?"

"Well enough," Hermione responded. "If nothing else, I don't think I'll need to hex him tonight."

"Hermione," Ron said suddenly, "I don't know if it's a good idea for you to go with Malfoy tonight."

Hermione gave him her best that's nonsense look.

"Seriously, Hermione," he said, his forehead wrinkling with worry. "What if he tries something?"

"Ron, he won't try anything like that, if that's what you're thinking."

Ron and Harry both did their best not to lose their dinner, as Ginny laughed at both of them.

"Seriously, Ron," Hermione said, "I can handle myself."

"Right then," the redheaded boy grumbled.

"None of Fred and George's tracking spells, all right?" Hermione eyed both boys suspiciously.

"Fine, fine," Ron muttered. "Just do your stupid project."

"Speaking of which," Hermione said, as both boys grumbled in response to her tone, "how is yours coming along?"

Suddenly both of them were extremely preoccupied with their food.

"Well I suggest you begin immediately," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "After all, Snape means business."

Both boys offered noncommittal responses to her words.

"So what potion are you making, anyhow?" she asked.

"Something to do with bravery," Harry replied.

"I see," she said. Then, noticing the time, she said, "Well, I'd better be off. I'd rather not be late."

"Later, Hermione," the boys called.

"Good luck," Ginny said.

And she was off to meet Draco.

Neither Hermione nor Draco said much until they were in the dungeon. Working on a project together was one thing, but speaking in public? That was another entirely.

"So how was dinner?" Hermione asked as they began preparing supplies.

"Well enough, I suppose," Draco responded. "And yours?"

"Well enough."

The only sound in the room for a moment was the two of them moving various objects and arranging their ingredients.

"So how are Potty and the Weasel?" Draco asked, smirking a bit.

At Hermione's glare, his smirk faded.

"They're just fine, thanks,"she responded. "And your goons?"

He returned her glare, saying, "Fine as well."

"Good," she said.

"Good."

An awkward moment of silence passed, at the end of which Hermione sighed.

"What is it?" Draco asked, almost sincerely.

"What?" Hermione asked distractedly.

"What's making you do the depressed sigh?"

Though he only seemed to half care, Hermione figured she might as well talk anyhow.

"I don't know," she responded at first. Draco seemed prepared to leave it at that, but she continued nonetheless. "It's just Harry and Ron. They have been my best friends for years now, but there's just something... off...with it."

"They're gits?" Draco tried helpfully.

Hermione's glare shut him up. "It's not that," she responded. "We're just... I suppose we're just interested in different things now."

Draco nodded. "It's a bit that way with me and Crabbe and Goyle now," he said.

"I mean, Ginny and I still get along great," Hermione said. "It's just the boys..."

Draco nodded again. "Well, maybe you're just starting to figure out you have a female side, after all those years of repression."

The smirk on his face showed his teasing nature, but the glow in his eyes showed a touch of sincerity.

Hermione couldn't help but smile a little. Rolling her eyes as she placed another ingredient on the table, she replied, "Maybe."

No one spoke for a moment, but the moment wasn't overly awkward.

"So how are things with the Blaise and Pansy situation?" she asked.

Draco cringed at her words. "Well enough, I suppose," he grumbled.

"Everyone still giving you a hard time about that?" she asked, her brown eyes filled with concern.

"A bit," he responded. His tone told her to leave it at that.

A few moments later, he turned to her. "Hermione," he said, turning and looking directly at her.

She faultered for just a moment, before asking what he needed.

Their eyes locked for a split second before they both looked away. "Where's the hogroot?" he asked.

Barely containing her smile at the irony, Hermione responded, "In the back room, second shelf on the left."

"Right," he said. Then, "How did you know that?"

"Saw it while I was in there a moment ago," she replied simply.

"Right," he said, walking out of the room to get the ingredient.

"Right," she repeated softly, looking after him with a vague smile.

Potions class had certainly gotten a lot more interesting.

A/N: Hey all, let me know what you think. Thanks!