A/N: Hey guys! I have no excuse for not writing except I just didn't feel like it *sheepish grin* Everyone seen the new Potter movie? I saw it at midnight woohoo! So anyway, here it is hope ya'll enjoy!

********************

Draco and Hermione managed to make it to their AP Euro class without doing anymore damage. However, neither one had had a chance to eat lunch, which was making them both even more temper-mental than usual. They entered the classroom, and Hermione heard Jenna call her name. She waved back, then looked at Draco. She was well aware that it was his turn to pick their seat, but at the same time she was dying to talk to Jenna. And by the way Jenna was bouncing in her seat, she new Jenna was anxious to talk to her as well.

Draco was well aware of what the look meant, however, considering his lunch experience, nice was the very last thing on his to-do list. He simply scowled at her, then walked over to sit next to his friend Keith. Keith was a very odd character, but as far as Draco's evil cronies go, Keith wasn't too bad.

Draco immediately started up a conversation with him, and Hermione looked over at Jenna, who was looking completely confused. Hermione looked around to find Mr. Burke, who was sitting at his desk finishing off his lunch, and then pulled out her phone. "Hey sorry! Malfoy's an ass and wants everything his way =(" She looked over and mouthed phone. Jenna pulled hers out, then looked up and scowled. Hermione looked down at her phone again.

"Ugh, sorry chica. Look at the brightside, you can bug the crap outa him way easier now =P" Hermione snorted at that, causing Draco to look at her weird, before going back to talking about the next soccer game. Then the bell rang, and Mr. Burke got up to the front of the room and began talking about the Renaissance Era.

"Any suggestions oh wise one?" There was a few minutes before she got a reply.

"Nope, but I'm sure you'll think of something =P."

"Gee Jenna, not helpful." Hermione sighed and started trying to think of something.

"Maybe you could try messing with his head…like, make him think he's losing it. Hide his stuff, maybe put some loopy pills in his drink…."

"Haha, maybe, thanks for trying =)"

"Well, someone's gotta put that stuck up jack ass in his place, might as well be you. Uh oh, I think Burke is glaring at you, ttyl" Hermione stuffed her phone in her pocket, and began to pay attention.

The rest of class went by rather quickly, and when the bell rang Hermione nearly jumped out of her chair, anxious to get through her last class of the day. If only it wasn't English with Heckman. She had to be the worst, most incompetent teacher at the entire school, maybe entire world. Jenna had the class next door so she walked with them.

********************

Draco and Hermione walked out of the classroom, and headed to Miss DeBoard's office to be set free. Draco spent the walk in awe of Miss Goody Two Shoes walking next to him. He had never seen her so horrible to someone other than him. It was kind of interesting. About ten minutes into the class, Hermione was sitting in her chair with her fists clenched, and her mouth squeezed shut tight. It looked like she desperately wanted to punch someone.

They knocked on the office door and walked inside. Miss DeBoard was sitting behind her desk, like always, and stood up when they entered. "I'm impressed, you guys managed to make it two classes without doing anything." She walked over with a key and unlocked the handcuffs.

"Oh thank god! I'm free!" Hermione shouted the second the handcuff was off her wrist. She saw Annie looking at her funny. "Did I say that out loud?" Annie nodded, and Hermione blushed a bright red.

"Wow Granger, it's nice to know how much you love being around me." She looked at him as if he were stupid, which he was, she thought to herself.

"Well no duh Malfoy, you're an annoying, good for nothing, rich boy without a care for anyone but yourself, and if I have to go another minute in your presence I think I might kill myself."

"Well I'm sorry I'm not a prissy know it all bitch like you. Didn't your parents teach you any manners? Wait, I forgot, they died before they could didn't they?"

"Mr. Malfoy! Watch your tongue!" But the principle's words weren't heard by either of the students. Hermione had suddenly become very quiet, and for a moment all she could do was stare at him in shock.

"You're right Malfoy, my parents are dead. But I'm going to go home to a nice home cooked meal with a family who cares about me. What are you going home to? An empty house with money on the table and a note that says don't wait up? At least my parents loved me for the little while I had them, unlike those people you live with who couldn't care less about you. So why don't you do them and me a huge favor and just disappear." She looked over at the principal. "I don't care if you expel me, I will never, let you handcuff me to him again."

And with that she walked out of the office, and down to the buses. She grabbed a seat in the middle, and when it got to her stop she calmly walked off and inside her house. Marie called out to her, "Hey Hermione, what do you want for dinner tonight?"

Hermione told her she didn't care, then went up to her room and fell onto her bed.

She stared at the ceiling for a while, then opened one of her drawers and pulled out a picture of her, her mom and her dad, sitting on a park bench eating ice cream. She had been four when they died. A drunk driver had slammed into them on their way home from seeing a movie. It wasn't an extremely serious crash, and they would have been just fine, but when the car hit them, it damaged the fuel tank, and a few seconds later the car exploded.

She used to cry when she thought about them. But now she had become numb to the pain. She continued to lie on her bed until she heard Marie call her down for dinner. She put her picture away, put a smile on her face, then walked down to the kitchen for some beef stroganoff.

********************

Draco watched Hermione leave the room, speechless and unable to move his feet. How did she know so much about him? He turned around and saw Miss DeBoard looking at him. He scowled at her, then stormed out of her office. He didn't really know where he was going, but his feet didn't care. Eventually he found himself near the school basement. He started to turn around and head back up to the buses, but was stopped by a man in a jumpsuit standing right in front of him. "Hello there, you're Draco Malfoy right?" Draco had no idea who this man was, and he was no mood to talk to anybody at the moment, so he answered him with a short nod. "Well it's nice to meet you. My name is Severus Snape, I'm a janitor here." Draco continued to stare blankly at him, though inside he was beginning to get annoyed with this Snape fellow.

"Anyway, saw you and that Granger girl today, and I was just curious what was up with the handcuffs? I don't mean to be nosy, just always been a curious guy."

Draco scowled at him, the last thing he wanted to do was talk about Granger. "It was one of Miss DeBoard's more idiotic ideas on how to get us to stop fighting. Obviously it didn't work. Big surprise there." He was a little shocked to see the guy scowling at him as well.

"Hmmm, that's too bad. You two fighting I mean. From what I've seen you guys would make quite a match. She seems to like looking at you." He smirked at that. "Well, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. I've got some work to get done. Thanks for indulging my curiosity."

Draco walked quickly up the stairs and outside to get onto the bus. He spent the ride home thinking about that odd man. He must be deranged, he thought to himself. As if him and Granger could possibly be an OK match, let alone a good one. And the only way she ever looked at him was with disgust, and that's how he liked it.

He walked into his house, and it was no surprise that there was a note taped to the fridge. Apparently they had been invited to dine with the mayor at a big fancy charity ball. As much as he had been expecting it, he couldn't help the empty feeling in his stomach. He attributed it to being annoyed that Granger was right again. But deep down he knew that was just a lame excuse. He had hoped that for once they might be waiting for him when he got home. He went up to his room and laid down on his bed.

He began to fantasize about the way he had always pictured a family should be. He'd walk through the door after school, and find it smelling like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. He'd hear his mother in the kitchen humming a little tune to herself. He'd walk in, and she would walk over and give him a big hug, and he'd go "mom!" in that whiney voice of his, but he would hug her back and try to steal one of the cookies. Of course she would slap his hand away and say, "those are for after dinner Draco." Then he'd go upstairs and work on his homework. Then he'd hear the front door open and he'd go down to see his father taking off his coat. He'd say "Draco, how was school today?" and Draco would reply, "It was alright. How was work?" And they would continue making small talk as they headed into the kitchen. Then his mom would say, "Hey honey." And walk over to give his dad a peck on the cheek, and then they'd sit down to dinner.

But Draco knew that would never happen. His parents were "far too important" for such displays of affection, and "far too busy" to sit down together, or talk about anything besides his future. But there was nothing he could do about things. So he stood up and went downstairs to order some pizza, and pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind.

********************

Annie watched the scene with dismay. She wasn't sure she'd be able to fix this problem. Before their fights had simply been little pranks, and the occasional slap of two. But this was different. What they had said had been harsh, and words are so much worse than simple fights. They go down deeper than any punch can reach. And they last much longer than any bruise.

She walked over to her chair and sat down. She put her head in her hands and sighed. She was out of ideas, which was not acceptable. There were too many things at stake for her to give up, especially after how long she had waited to find them. There was only one person she could think of to turn to. Only one person smart and devious enough to help her. She walked over to her door and locked it, and then over to her fireplace. She threw in some powder and called out, "Hogwarts," and disappeared in a flash of green light.

********************

Severus Snape walked back to his office. His plan was to start planting seeds into their minds that, just maybe, they weren't really as bad as they seem. Of course, they were filthy muggles, and worse than they seemed, but one's got to do what one's got to do. When he reached his office, he sat down and began to think about the principal.

"What is she up to? What could she possibly gain from solving their issues, and why was she going to such lengths to achieve it? He pulled out her file, and began flipping through it. She had shown up at the school ten years previously, the same day as he did funny enough. She had no known family, and as far as any of her coworkers knew, she lived and breathed her job, leaving only to eat and sleep.

"Maybe she's trying out matchmaker to fill the hole in her chest." He laughed at his little joke, then put away her file, and left to go home. Hopefully not alone wink wink.

A/N: So what do ya'll think? Let me know by pushing that little review button. It'll sure guilt me into getting the next chapter done and up quicker =)