Oh dear, I think there was a bit of OOCness in that last chapter. I'm afraid, I really am. It scared me, that chapter. I didn't really want to write it that way, but...oh dear...

Recap:

"Because nobody else will!! If you weren't so blinded by hate for Slytherins, you'd see that they're not all bad people!!"

"They??" Ginny blinked and inwardly cursed herself. "What the hell do you mean they??" She rolled her eyes.

"So I've talked to a few of them!! So what?!"

"So WHAT??! GINNY!! What the hell...what the hell is wrong with you girls?!" Ginny puffed up.

"Don't you talk to me like that, Harry Potter!!" she yelled at him. "And there is nothing wrong with me!! Just because I'm friendly with a couple Slytherins doesn't make it wrong!!"

"You've been friendly with them?" Ron gaped. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"Ron, just...ARGH!! You're so frustrating!! No wonder Hermoine stopped liking you!!! Draco's not the bastard, you are!!!"

Hermione was leaving the compartment for her trunk when she ran into Ron. They stood staring at each other and Hermione sighed.

"Can I get by, Ron?" she asked, glaring at everything else but him.

"Why? Don't you want to get back to your little sex toy over there?" Hermione's eyes widened.

"RONALD WEASLEY, YOU ASSHOLE!!" she screamed at him. "HOW DARE YOU-"

"What?!" he yelled at her. "What, it's not true what Malfoy's been spouting up during classes??"

"Why are you acting like this?" she demanded. "You're supposed to be my best friend and you're acting like an idiot!! Do you think I wanted this to happen to me??!! Do you think I went home that summer and said to myself, 'Hey, how about I marry Draco Malfoy? Wouldn't that make Ron and Harry so proud?' I'M NOT SEVEN RON, I'M SEVENTEEN!!"

"Well, you're acting like a five year old, Hermione!! How can you possibly like him!!"

"Because he doesn't act like an ASS around me, like you are! He's not a prat behind scenes!!"

"Oh, really? What is he then?"

"He's a NORMAL PERSON!!!"

"HE'S NOT NORMAL!!! HE'LL NEVER BE NORMAL!! HAVE YOU BEEN TOTALLY BRAINWASHED BY HIM?!!" She stomped her foot down, her patience with him gone completely.

"You want to know the truth, Ron?!? Well here it is! I LOVE HIM!!" He looked like he had been slapped. His mouth hung open as he just stared at her.

"Why?" he asked, his voice small. She instantly regretted saying it to him.

"Because...Because, for the first time in my life, I feel like someone understands me, Ron. He may act like a bastard with me, but at least he cares enough to stop for a moment and listen to me instead of blowing up on me."

"He hit you, Hermione! He hit you and you love him?!"

"YES!! Damn it Ron!! Why are you acting like this!!"

"Because I LOVE YOU HERMIONE!!!" he roared at her, face red with fury. "I love you and that bastard over there doesn't deserve you!!" She stared at him, her expression of anger completely taken over by shock. She could barely breathe as she stared at him. Some how, she had known he'd loved her, but to hear him say it outloud shocked her beyond belief.

And at that moment, she wished with all her heart that she had never gone home that summer. She could feel her heart aching for him and she bit her lip to keep back the tears. Why is this happening to me? she thought bitterly. Why does everything have to happen to me? She wanted to sink into the floor and never come up again. Everything in her mind told her to tell him what she was feeling. That she wanted to tell him that she loved him. That she felt the same way.

But you can't be in love with two people at the same time.

"Ron..." He shook his head.

"Just forget it, Hermione," he spat, turning around and heading down the hallway, leaving her alone, drained of energy and tears running down her face. She hated herself. On one hand, she had a burning passion for Draco Malfoy, her husband. On the other hand, she had her desire for Ron Weasley, her best friend. She had told Draco she loved him and she knew she hadn't lied to him about it. But then what was this she was feeling for Ron?

Pity...

She closed her eyes.

"Hermione?" She opened her eyes to see Ginny in front of her. "Hermione, are you alright?" Hermione shrugged, brushing away her tears.

"I just want to get to the Manor, Ginny. I need to get off this train."

Narcissa looked up from where she stood by the Manor gate, watching as the Knight Bus made a leap into view. It screeched to a halt and the door opened. Students, Slytherins all, flooded out and headed up to the gate. She smiled and motioned them forward.

"It's wonderful to have a full house again," she told them as they headed up the drive to the manor. Draco came into view and her smile faltered. Something wasn't right. She quickly sought out Hermione and found her trailing in the rear, a redheaded girl, obviously a Weasley, with her. She could easily see that Hermione looked upset about something. She fell into step with her son.

"Draco," she greeted. He glanced at her.

"Mother," he grunted, eyes on the white grounds. She frowned.

"Is there something wrong between you and Hermione?" she asked. He let out a self-suffering sigh.

"She told her freaking friends about us and now she's upset about it because they got into a fight. Serves her right, she shouldn't have opened her bloody mouth."

"They were bound to find out."

"Well, they know now. There's no avoiding that. Should have seen the way they parted. I would have laughed if it had happened to anyone else."

"I don't doubt it." They walked in silence and upon entering the house, she began passing out keys to the guest rooms where people would be sleeping. Draco and Hermione would share a room this time, instead of Hermione having her own room.

Entering his room, Draco glanced at Hermione, who sat down on the bed and sighed, looking around the room.

"Brings back memories," she whispered, looking at him. He came over and kissed her forehead.

"We can make new memories," he whispered into her ear. She sighed.

"Not now," she told him, pushing him away. "I'm really confused right now, Draco. It's not the best time for this."

"What the hell are you confused about now, Hermione?" he snapped. He was getting really angry at her pushing him away all the time. She glared at him.

"You're the problem," she snapped back. "I'm just... oh, forget it." He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.

"No, you tell me why I'm a problem so we can fix this," he snarled.

"I told you not to hurt me, Draco," she hissed and he squeezed harder.

"Well, that boat has sailed. Why the hell am I a problem?"

"Draco, let me go."

"Mudblood, you had better talk soon and fast!"

"You know what? You're a problem because, for the first time, I'm starting to see why I hated you the moment I met you."

"Likewise. Is that all?"

"You are such a bastard!! You're an egotistical, manipulative, prejudiced BASTARD!!" His rage spilt out like a dam that broke. Before she knew it, she was screaming and writhing on the ground, his wand trained on her and he hadn't spoken a word. He didn't have to. He was sick of her whining about him, herself and her friends. He was sick of being yelled at for something she did. He didn't tell her bloody crush she was in love with her enemy, she did and if she was going to take out Weasel's bad reaction on her, than he would take out his bad reaction on her too.

He lifted his wand and watched her as she panted on the ground, tears running down her face. He grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet.

"I tried to let it go, Hermione," he said softly. "But I'm not the one throwing my heart to everyone who asks for it. You married into this family and the only way you leave it is in a coffin, do you understand me? If you're in love with Weasley, then fine. But don't you DARE take your bloody anger out on me. I have no problem with you hating me, but if you even think that I'm going to listen to you WHINE about me and how much you HATE me, then I'll make you wish you hadn't come home that summer, do you understand me?" She bit her lip, nodding painfully. He released her and she sank to the ground, crying. "Welcome to hell, Hermione. You just lucked out and married the devil." With that, he spun around and stormed out, her sobs making his heart throb with pain.

They didn't speak to each other for four days and Hermione was sleeping in Ginny's room. Draco was getting tired of this. It irked him that he had acted the way he did. Yes, he had overreacted, but he needed to take it out on someone. With the torture from the Dark Lord and the whining from her, he snapped.

He found her in the family library, hiding behind a large book. He sat down across from her, watching her carefully. She looked over her book and, realizing who it was, reached for her wand. He waved his and hers zoomed into his hand. She glared daggers at him and stood to leave.

"Don't," he muttered. "We need to talk."

"No we don't."

"I hurt you-"

"I'm sure you think you did."

"Hermione-"

"Don't, Draco! Damn it, you think just because you can say my name, you can make me forgive you!!"

"What the hell do you want me to do?! Get on my hands and knees and beg your forgiveness like a slave?!"

"NO!!! I want you to beg my forgiveness like a husband!!! You ruined my life, Draco!! You married me, took my innocence and made me lie to my friends!!"

"I never made you lie to them!! You're the one that automatically asumed that I would kill you if you told them!! I never once stopped you from doing what you wanted!! I NEVER MANIPULATED YOU!! You're assumptions that I can seduce you whenever I want are pure assumptions! I never forced you onto that bed and you know that!! I will go to hell before you tell me that I ever touched you without reason!!"

"I HATE YOU!!! I HATE YOU AND I WANT YOU TO DIE SO I CAN GO BACK TO THE LIFE I HAD BEFORE YOU!!!!!!!" For the first time in his life, Draco never felt himself more hurt by someone's words as he did now. All he could do was stare at her. She wasn't capable of saying something like that. He knew she wasn't. Not even she would say something like that, even if she did hate him.

They're faces were so close, they could feel the others breath. Hermione was in tears while Draco just stared, too shocked for words. From somewhere within him, an impulse to suddenly make her stop crying emerged. All of a sudden, all that mattered was to make her stop crying. She was about to speak when he leaned in, kissing her tenderly, desperately. She tried to yank away but he grabbed her arms, holding her to him. She pushed her arms against his chest, trying to get away, but he wouldn't let her. Not until she stopped crying. His lips moved against her, begging them to kiss him back.

Finally, she stopped struggling and kissed him back. But the tears continued to fall. She hated him so much. She hated him for doing this to her. For hurting her and then making her feel like she was the only thing in the world that mattered. She hated him for it. She wasn't supposed to feel this way.

She was Hermione Jane Granger, bookworm and Top of her class!! She was the girl that was fiercely passionate about her work and would make sure that everything was done! She was the one that put her friends in front of herself, always thinking about her saftey afterwards. But this girl here, nay young woman...this girl was still a bookworm and still at the top of her class. But things were filling in the spaces. Her passions had changed from work and friends to Draco Malfoy. Her saftey suddenly mattered and it scared her. Was she the fiery girl she had been seven years ago, when she had entered through those Hogwarts gates for the first time?

He pulled away and they stared at each other. Chest heaving, she slapped him.

"I hate you," she murmured before turning on her heel and marching out of the door, leaving him alone once more.

He woke up the next morning and sighed. Christmas Day. Rolling out of bed, he pulled on drawstring pants and a shirt. He then headed out of his room and down to the living room, which was packed with frenzied Slytherins. The Christmas Tree, which was already touching the cieling, had an enormous pile of presents under it, which threatened to tip the tree over.

Ginny walked in, yawning and smiling. Hermione was with her. They sat down in a conjured couch, a ways away from where Draco was sitting. The room went silent as Lucius and Narcissa walked in. They sat down and motioned to the tree.

"First years, go ahead," Narcissa said and smiled at the groans from the others. While presents were being opened, Blaise came over and handed Draco a key card.

"That's for you," he said. "You know, for your present." Draco leaned back in his chair.

"I don't think I'll be using it, Blaise," he muttered. Blaise glanced over to where Hermione and Ginny were whispering to each other.

"You should probably start the whole thing out by saying you're sorry."

"Malfoy's don't say sorry."

"I wouldn't tell her that. Look Draco. You've got a lot of pride in that ass of yours, but you'll have a lot more than pride stuck up there if you don't do the right thing. Things are getting out of control for her and the best present you can give her is give her one less stressful thing to deal with. Don't look at me like that, you know I'm right. You'll never get anything out of her if you don't. Besides, she wants you more than she lets on. She's just got a lot on her mind, what with her two best mates hating her and you being an ass and not being able to know which of you two asses she loves more, the Ferret, no offense, or the Weasel? Better straighten it out before Weasley straightens it out." Draco sighed and looked over at Hermione. She glanced at him but quickly went back to Ginny.

Finally, it came time fore seventh years to open presents. Draco got mounds of them, seeing as all of the Slytherins got him something. Pansy got him an assortment of books about dark magic while Crabbe and Goyle jointly pitched in to get him a new broom. Blaise had already given his present.

Draco picked up a small box and unwrapped it. Opening it, he laughed silently to himself. It was a chain with a silver snake wrapping itself comfortably around a gold lion. On the note attatched, it said Ginny. He looked over at the redhead, who merely nodded at him and went back to opening her presents.

The day went on with a Quidditch game, a Dueling Competition and a huge feast. It was at twelve o'clock when people started heading upstairs. Hermoine was going leaving the room when someone grabbed her hand. She turned back and scowled.

"What do you want?" she snapped. Draco sighed.

"Look, I..." He took a deep breath and did something that he knew would make his ancestors turn in their graves (aside from marrying a muggle born). "Hermione, I'm sorry." She gaped at him.

"What?" He rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, ok. I had no right to use an Unforgivable on you and...I need you to forgive me." She continued to stare. "Damn it, Muggle, say something!!" She bit her lip.

"I don't know what to say," she whispered. He nodded and pulled out the key card.

"Let me show you my Christmas present to you."

"Draco-" She was cut off as her eyes widened. "Draco, where are we?" They were no longer standing in the living room but on a sand dune. Draco smirked.

"Welcome, Hermione, to the Great Pyrimids of Giza!"