A/N: Ok I have a new way for beta's or people wanting to be beta's or just for the people company about the spelling. Just go to the first chapter spell check and grammars check it. Then e-mail it to me and I'll read over it making sure you didn't change the meaning of what I wrote. So no one has to ask to do it. Just do it and send it to me. My e-mail address is Dracolov at sigh yahoo then a dot com. Or just go to my page on here its there too.

Chapter 12

Draco followed Granger down the steps and out the front door. The others were in the back yard playing. To join them they should have went out the back door, but it appeared Granger didn't want them to know she was being nice to him. Once outside she looked to make sure no one could see them together. Draco felt like he was walking into a trap.

"What would you like to do?" She asked him fidgeting a little with her jacket. He looked around wondering if she was leading him into some cruel joke. Trying to think of something safe, Draco came up with an idea. The driveway was really long and he could see everything around him for at least 200 yards.

"Let's go for a walk up the driveway." He said pulling his hood up as he started to walk up the dirt road. Granger followed right along behind him for a minuet before asking him to slow down so they could walk together. He wasn't sure why she was being nice to him all of the sudden, but he was glad she was. He had felt lonely all day every thing made him sad and on more then one occasion he had wished he was being beaten up by Sue.

He looked over at Granger feeling like something was about to happen. He looked behind them to see her two friends running after them. "We're about to have company Granger." She looked behind them and made a groaning noise. As if she didn't want to see them or something. "Something wrong?"

"I just don't want to spend this whole week fighting with you. I thought if we had a nice time, you'd maybe be open to being friends." As they got closer they both heard Ron yelling 'You git' at Draco. "But now that's going down the drain with a bang." Draco stopped he didn't want to fight at the moment either. He didn't see friendship happening, but being able to sit in a car and not be glared at would be nice.

"Well screw them they want to fight that's there problem. You and I are walking nothing more. We're not fighting now and we're not going to fight. So let's just keep walking they can come if they want or whatever." He said as the two stopped behind them giving Draco a dirty look.

"Sounds good to me Malfoy" She smiled at him before turning to Harry and Ron "You guys can join us if you want, but no fighting!" She then took hold of Draco's hand pulling him up the road. At first he was a bit taken back by her action after a moment he realized she just wasn't thinking about anything, but walking because once he was moving she let go.

The other two boy's didn't say anything as the followed along behind them. Draco noted his Owl flying towered him like it was scared. As the larger bird got closer Draco realized Sekken was going to crash right into him and Hermione. "DUCK!" He yelled as he pulled Granger to the ground just missing getting owl claws in the faces. The boy's behind them had gotten out of the way in time as well.

Draco got up and Ran to Sekken who had crashed just behind Harry. "What's wrong mate?" He asked taking hold of his pet while trying to see if he was hurt. The large bird was hooting and moving wildly around making it hard. Granger sat down next to him.

"What's wrong is he hurt?" She asked petting the back of Sekken head.

"I don't think so, nothing feels wrong. He is shacking like he's scared however." Draco looked around, but could see nothing that would have scared his pet. Standing up he looked harder into the tree line to see if there was something out there, but still nothing.

"Does he always dive attack people you're walking with?" Ron asked in a snooty tone. Draco saw Hermione glare at Ron for his comment.

"No he's never done that before" He said watching Granger stand up next to him before reaching out a hand to pet Sekken's back. "I don't think there's any cause for worry. It could have been another owl or a fox looking for a snack that just caught Sekken off guard and scared him."

"Poor guy did somebody scare you?" Granger cooed at Sekken making the large black owl nuzzle her. She laughed softly when his feathers tickled her neck. Sekken moved up to perch on Draco's shoulder. "What to keep walking?" She asked him with a smile

"I have no objections to that" He said moving back down the path. Granger seemed infatuated with Sekken as they walked. Her two friends on the other hand kept glaring at him and Sekken. Sekken was hooting up a storm each time Granger one stop petting him. "You've done it now Granger." She gave him an odd look "Sekken's never going to leave you alone if you don't stop giving into him every time he cries."

She smiled at his little joke as she petted the bird's large back. "Is that so? Well maybe I don't want him to leave me be, after all he's a pretty birdie." Sekken flew off Draco shoulder landing on Granger's with a load hoot. "He's mine now" She laughed

"Its getting cold lets go back" Ron whined at them Granger who rolled her eyes.

"You and Harry go back I'm going to the end of this drive way and back." Hermione said in annoyance while Draco nodded his head in agreement. The red heads ear got pink as his face twisted up.

"FINE!" He yelled before storming off. Harry looked from one friend to the other before running after the red head calling out his name. Granger just smiled at there retreating backs.

"Good now it's just the three of us." Draco felt a tingle run throw his body at her words. They didn't walk far when Sekken took off into the sky hunting a mouse that had ran across the road. Alone again the two walked quietly up the road together. Making Draco feel a little nervous.

Once at the end of the drive way Draco felt a tingle on his cheek. 'The spell shouldn't be wearing off yet' He was about to pull his hood tighter when Granger took his hand. "You know Malfoy I am kind of proud of you today." She said softly, Draco turned pulling her a little closer.

"Why? Granger I haven't done anything today." He asked with confusion in his voice. She moved up closer to him raising her other hand to running acoss his cheek. Draco's heart beat picked up at her touch. He hadn't been touched like that by anyone, not even Sue for a very long time.

"That is why Malfoy, you could have argued with Ron when he tried to pick a fight, but you didn't. You could have called me names and told me to leave you alone, but you didn't. You could have been an all around git, but you didn't and it makes me kind of happy; therefore making me proud." She said in a gentle way as she stroked his cheek. Draco felt his cheeks heat up with a blush.

She wasn't hitting on him or acting like she felt anything for him, but what she was doing was making him feel things he hadn't felt in a long time. They were in close contact; she was touching his cheek softly and talking to him in a calm and friendly voice. His body had been in close contact with Sue's body, but pain always came with that contact. So each little touch Granger gave him sent waves of pleasure through his body. It was making him want very badly to kiss her.

But as soon as the thought ran throw his head he pulled away form Granger taking hold of her hands. He remembered her thoughts on there last kiss and her comments about 'Why would anyone want such an ugly sad doll like him?' He couldn't let his loneliness and his desire to be loved make him foolish enough to think anyone would care about him. "We should go back now."

She nodded letting go of his left hand, but keeping hold of his right. He didn't want the feeling to go away even though he knew it wasn't real. She just wanted to keep the peace in Christmas and that was all. Draco had forgotten the feeling of tingling on his cheek almost completely. They where more then half way back still holding hands when he remembered it. He used his left hand to feel the area and to his annoyance it was bleeding again. He tried to pull his hood tie with one hand which wasn't easy to do.

Granger had given him a funny look as they walked. She didn't stop smiling at him, but something told him she was trying not to laugh. He felt the blush return to his cheeks as she shyly looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. She stopped all of the sudden reaching out her free hand to help pull on the strings. As she did she stood on her tip toes getting eye level with him. She gave him a goofy smile and a little kiss on the lips. It was more of a peck then a kiss, but it sent fireworks off inside him.

"We're almost there." She said in that soft friendly tone of hers. Draco nodded his head feeling his body heat up with that familar want. When she stepped back form him to continue walking he almost pulled her back to him to give her a wild snogging she never forget. The only thing that stopped him was the car horn call from behind them.

"Would you two like a ride?" It was the oldest Weasley boy, Charlie coming home for the holiday. Granger opened the door to the car.

"Yeah it's getting cold out here." She pulled Draco in to the back seat, so they could sit together. The car door shut itself and off they went up the road. She was still holding his hand as she talked to the older man in the driver set. Draco felt happy to be in the warm car and sitting close to Granger, but he wished they where still alone so he could make her feel what he was feeling.

It wasn't until they got out of the car that she let go of his hand. Which he was reluctant to do, but did so they could help Charlie's with his things. It wasn't long before Ron and his brothers showed up to help bring in his stuff. With the Weasley family all there except Bill who couldn't make it they began to talk and laugh forgetting there three guests for a little while.

Draco watched as Granger ran over to Potter once they where inside. He didn't know what they where talking about, but it looked like she was trying to make up with him or something. Feeling like the odd man out Draco snuck up the steps to his room, he didn't want to feel that way again today. He had gone form feeling all alone in the world to being filled with passion to feeling like the odd man out all in one day. Trying to forget everything he felt Draco attempted to clean up his face.

Sekken tapped on his window asking to be let in. Draco opened it for his pet, who swoop in the room and into its cage. Re-shutting the window he sat down on the floor. 'What is wrong with me? I want to be hit; I don't want to be hit it; doesn't make sense.' Sekken started to make such a commotion in his cage he knocked it over. At the same time the hiding spell wore off and Draco found himself bleeding all over the floor while he tried to calm his pet who was acting rather strangely.

"What all that noise?" Miss. Wesley asked from the door way. Draco had his back to her.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley I don't know what's wrong with him. He's never done this before." Draco said as he soothed out Sekken fathers.

"Maybe he would like to go outside." She said coming into the room picking up Sekken's cage.

"No I just let him in and he had food and water, So I really don't know what's wrong." Draco said turning around to face the women. When he did she let out a scream that not only re-upset Sekken, but scared the hell out of Draco too.

"What on earth happened to your face!"