A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! They really made my week: I move in about two weeks so the next chapter will be a slow process because I'll be busy packing and looking for a job and such :

Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger but a heart as soft as tofu.

-Chinese Proverb

Draco's body was slumped into comfortable sleeping position when a loud BANG of the door woke him up. Draco opened one eye and groaned. His mother was pacing back and forth in hallway, briskly and clicking her tongue. Draco rolled over on his bed and buried his face in his pillow. His mother had the habit of pacing back and forth when she was upset or nervous. Grudgingly, Draco dragged himself out of bed and padded across the room to the hallway.

Draco ran a hand through his bed hair and let out a sigh of frustration

"Okay Mum, tell me what's wrong." He asked in annoyed tone. Narcissa Malfoy looked at her only soon with a bewildered expression. "Why do you thinks something is wrong? Nothing is wrong dear, now hurry along and go eat your breakfast before it gets cold" she responded shushed Draco down stairs.

Draco poked at his porridge. He would usually wolf down his breakfast in a matter of seconds, but for some reason he really didn't have much of an appetite. He pushed the bowl to the side and sat there, staring into space.

His eyes were fixated on the ivory wallpaper, but his mind was wandering in his own thoughts. He racked his brain for several reasons wondering why his mother had been so nervous in front of him. The only thought that entered his mind…chilled him to the bone. The thought of his father escaping Azkaban made his whole body shiver.

Draco shook his head and nibbled on a piece of bread. He didn't want to think of such things. He wanted to take in what little time he had to himself before it was whirled away in September. He quickly jogged upstairs and took a quick shower and dressed. He had someone to go see.

Hermione rested her face in her hands and stared at the rickety door in front of her. She had been at work for over two hours gone by and not one customer had gone it. Her manager had some business to attend to in London, and left Hermione in charge of the store for the rest of the day. Hermione already wanted to go home. The store had never been so slow, and the ticking of the clock made her more irritated by the minute. Hermione twirled a long curl around her finger and hummed a song off key.

Her eyelids were starting to droop when the ringing the bell, signaling a customer had walked in alarmed her. Hermione quickly jolted into her professional mode and plastered a smile on her face. Her smile turned into a scowl when Draco stood in front of her. Draco walked around the store for a few minutes, oblivious to Hermione's presence.

"Are you going to buy anything?" she asked in a irked voice.

Draco sauntered back to the check stand and smirked at her.

"No, I was just really bored and wanted to see my favourite Mudblood at work" he replied with a his trademark smirk. Hermione let out a exasperated groan and placed her hands on her hips

" I don't have time for your cockiness, I'm at work." Draco just stood there grinning like a fool.

"You didn't seem to mind when you feel asleep beside me yesterday at the park." He remarked with another grin. Hermione felt her face blush .

Draco walked closer to her. "I wonder what Weasel and Scarface would think if they knew I was here, alone with you, wanting nothing but to—"

He stopped and mid sentence and smiled. It was a genuine smile. Draco leaned closer and blew in her ear, making her whole body shiver.

Suddenly, the door opening jerked them apart. Draco stuffed his hands in his pockets and narrowed his eyes at the old lady who was shuffling around the store. Hermione quickly went back to her professional stance and threw a quick glare at him.

She took the lady's order, and quickly bagged her groceries and bidded her a good day. She glanced to see Draco munching on apple

. His slim figure against the wall, and his shaggy hair covering his face. He bit into the apple nosily, and it echoed in the empty store. Hermione just gaped at him.

"What are you staring at Granger?"

Hermione scrunched her face into glare

"Nothing."

she replied in a firm voice, and grabbed a washcloth and a began to scrub at a invisible stain on the counter

Draco stared at her, scrubbing vigorously on the counter. It riled him up to see Granger in a haughty mood. He absolutely loved to get a rise out of her. It thrilled him to the up most satisfaction. It was his way of relieving all the tension and stress.

He knew that the petite girl wasn't like most girls in his year. She didn't fawn over him or bat her eyelashes. She didn't dress in revealing outfits or giggle at the newest wizadring sensation. And standing there in front of him, was the Granger he always knew. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but plain.

Her long curly hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and she wore jeans and a simple cardigan over a plain white shirt. Her head was bent down, and he could make out her long brown eyelashes, and her faint freckles splayed across her nose. And Draco had been they type of guy that had a thing for freckles.

It was just to cute. Draco then wanted to mentally slap himself. Had he just called the mudblood..cute. Blimey, the atmosphere in the small town was making him go crazy.