Disclaimer: Here's a hint…my name isn't JK Rowling.

Hermione stayed in her room for a while, thinking and staring off into space. A knock on the door startled her out of her reverie.

"Come in," she called out. The door opened, and Ernie MacMillan stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him.

"Erm, Hermione?" He stood awkwardly, fiddling with his hand. "Can you-er, I mean-will you-no, um, would you-um, never mind." He turned to go.

"Ernie, what is it?" Hermione asked gently, quite confused.

"Well, um, wouyogoutwime?" His eyes shone hopefully.

"Excuse me, what?"

" Would you go out with me?" Hermione was startled. Well, this is unexpected

"Sure, I guess. When?" Ernie looked like a little kid at Christmas.

"Um, how about Tuesday night? Meet you at six in the common room?"

"Sure." Ernie left, and Malfoy entered the room.

"My, my, the little mudblood is finally going on a date. It's about time too. You realize that most people have gone out hundreds of times by the age of seventeen?"

"Ah, but I'm not most people, are I?" Hermione left before Malfoy could get another word in.

o.O.o

After classes on Tuesday, Hermione wandered back to the dorm, and headed towards the bathroom, only to find the door locked and the shower starting. Only one person would be evil enough to shower at this exact time.

"Malfoy, get out of the shower before I hex you into oblivion!" No response.

"Argh, the stupid BASTARD!!" She toyed with the idea of simply unlocking the door and kicking him out, but she really didn't want to see Malfoy's naked body. So she waited.

Finally, Malfoy emerged from the bathroom and 5:40, smirking evilly. "Time to get ready for your date, Granger."

Enraged, Hermione pushed past him and hopped into the shower. Luckily, she could look perfectly normal in ten minutes flat. Another good thing: Malfoy had actually left her some hot water to use.

After her quick shower, Hermione dried her hair with a quick spell, and threw on a snug pair of jeans and a white sweater. She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail, brushed on some makeup. Then she rushed towards the common room. It was 6:03.

However, the only person in the room was Malfoy.

"Where's Ernie?" Hermione demanded.

He shrugged. "Not here, I guess."

"What did you do?"
"What, me? Why me?"

"Because you're Malfoy. Now what did you do?"

"You got me there. I told him you'd cancelled, and that you only agreed out of sympathy. He's in his room crying his eyes out right now."

"Malfoy, you conceited GIT!" Hermione rushed to Ernie's room, but the door was locked, and wouldn't budge even after alohamora.

"Go. Away." Ernie sobbed brokenly.

"But, Ernie-"

"I said, go away!"

Resigned, Hermione walked back to her room, and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Malfoy walked in. "You realize the whole world is trying to get us together, especially the Dark Lord, right?"

Hermione didn't answer.

"And you realize putting us in a room together was McGonagall's way of trying to get us together? And-"

"SHUT UP! I don't need your stupid remarks right now. I have enough on my mind as it is. So just go away, will you?"

Surprisingly, Malfoy left her in peace. Hermione lay miserably on her bed, lamenting over the unfairness of life.

A loud POPinterrupted her thoughts. She looked up, and saw a nervous Dobby wringing his hands worriedly.

"'Scuze me, miss. Mistress McGonagall wants to see miss, please. Mistress is in her office, miss." He disappeared hurriedly.

Slowly, Hermione stood up, and apparated to the door of the Headmistress's office. She said the password, Unum, and stepped onto the spiral staircase. Outside the study, she could hear low voices conversing urgently.

"She has to know! It's her heritage, her blood. We cannot let He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named get to her first. He already has the boy under his control. He mustn't get the girl too. It would-"

At this point, Hermione decided to go in. When the door opened, the voices stopped abruptly. Looking around, Hermione saw no one except the portraits, who were all currently 'sleeping'. She walked over to the nearest, a portrait of a large, fat woman seated on a red and gold couch.

"Excuse me, were you talking about the prophecy? Because I want-I need- to know anything you can tell me."

The woman sighed. "Alright, you caught us. And we were talking about that prophecy of yours. You see, apparently your uncle has expired recently, and-"

"That's enough, Clara," McGonagall strode into the office. "It's for me to tell Miss Granger, not you."

She sat down behind the big desk. "Please, Miss Granger, have a seat." A hard, straight-backed wooden shair appeared, and Hermione sat down gingerly. "Now, what Clara told you is true. Your uncle has passed on, and so now your parents are the rulers of Great Britain. Which means you're a princess."

Okay, call me evil for ending here, but I just wanted to get this chapter out.

Oh, and thanks to Abi for telling me that there is no King of Britain. I don't live in England, so I don't know… For the sake of the story, let's pretend there is, shall we?

Soo, REVIEW!!