Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

I felt the wine bottles slip from my grasp but still jumped when the resounding crash reached my ears. Reflex, it seems, had an effect on everyone. I watched as Malfoy placed Adrian behind his body, an action that I'm sure was done unconsciously.

The scream that I felt deep within my throat was lodged, and didn't reach the surface at the surprise at seeing the pair. It reminded me of the numerous times Ron and Harry had tried to scare me by jumping out of random places: a sofa, the dinner table, behind a closet. They had succeeded many times, resulting in me screaming and throwing punches. I felt the same way, the same feeling of being caught unaware and vulnerable.

I realized by their look of surprise that, of course, they had not meant to frighten me. I cleared my throat, coloring a bit. "Sorry about that, you guys scared me."

Adrian stepped from behind Malfoy, and I looked down at the mess that I had caused. The two wine bottles were shattered, the shards scattered all around us, the liquid resting by my feet. I groaned at the stain that ran down my shirt, the red contrasting against the white of the blouse.

I was about to drop on my knees and pick up the mess when suddenly it was cleared up. "You are a witch, aren't you Granger?"

I blushed again, forgetting that I did have the ability to use my wand to rely on. I quickly got rid of the stain, feeling slightly better. "Here, I'll take these to the table to ensure that no more accidents happen."

There definitely was smugness hidden behind his tone, and I almost choked on my own saliva when he winked at me. I quickly turned away, but still noticed that he was smiling. "I don't think Ginny or Harry would appreciate drinking from something that has been on the floor, Malfoy."

"What they don't know won't hurt them, right?"

I hid the urge to grin, and opted instead for a slight frown. "And are you going to drink this dirty wine? I doubt it."

"Of course I won't. In any case, I brought my own wine. Wouldn't want the lovely couple to think that I came empty handed," he said, all while smirking. "That is not what a Malfoy would do."

I ignored his last comment, focusing on the child that was still next to his father. "And how are you today, Adrian?"

"I'm good," he said, smiling.

"Come on; do want to help Ginny and me set the table?" He nodded his head, and I grabbed his hand, gently pulling him next to me. I felt Malfoy stare at us before he turned and walked down the hallway to the dining room, wine bottles in hand, his shoes signaling the fast pace in which he was walking.

We entered the kitchen, the smell of beef making my mouth water for a second time. Ginny was still hovering over the pan, one hand rubbing her stomach while the other picked away at the food. She straightened when she saw us and placed a sheepish smile on her face. "What was that crash that I heard?"

My mind fought between telling her the truth and going through with what Malfoy had planned. I was not that great at lying, but didn't want for Malfoy to be made a fool of if the truth came out. "Oh, I accidentally bumped into the table in the hall, and made the lamp fall. Sorry," I said, my mouth opening and closing on its own accord.

Ginny continued eating, her apparent appetite much more important than her broken lamp. I sighed; glad she was paying more attention to the pan than to me. She could see right through my lies, and always battered me until I told her the truth.

"Oh, okay then. But you fixed it right?"

"Yes, I did." She smiled, clearly eating up my fake story.

"Good. And who do we have here?" she said, bending down to give Adrian a kiss on the cheek. "You get cuter every time I see you."

"I brought Adrian so he could help us set up the table," I said, glad for the change of topic.

"Well then, better not keep the boys waiting any longer. Here, Adrian, why don't you take the napkins?"

I made sure he was out of earshot before turning on Ginny. "Why didn't you tell me that you had invited Malfoy over?"

Her face remained calm, something that was almost rare for Ginny. "I thought I had told you. And at any rate, there shouldn't be a problem if I invite people over."

I huffed silently, not sure why I was feeling slightly angry. She was right; I shouldn't have a problem if Malfoy was present. She didn't know about my attraction towards him, no one did. I was going out with Blaise.

Blaise…

"You're right. Sorry."

"Let's go to the dining room then, I'm starving." She said this, having put the beef in a platter.

I sucked in a breath, making my steps as small as possible, not wanting to reach the dining area. It was going to be awkward with Malfoy there. I knew that recently, Blaise hadn't been on the best of terms with the blond man. I didn't know the details, only that Malfoy had somehow gotten on Blaise's bad side. Which had puzzled me, considering Blaise was hard to get a rise out of.

I immediately noticed the tension upon entering the dining room. Harry was seated to the left of Blaise, their chatter somewhat low; while across from Harry was Draco, little Adrian across from Blaise. To the right of Harry was Ginny, her mouth already full. This meant that the only seat left was next to Malfoy.

However, before I could get there, I was intercepted with Blaise standing from his chair and planting a solid kiss on my lips. I was too surprised to respond, he never showed any public display of affection. The kiss lasted at the most five seconds, but to me, it lasted forever. There was an urgency behind it, as if he was afraid this was the last time he would get to be close to me. His hands were curled around my hair, his fingers moving to caress my neck.

I finally came to my senses and broke the kiss, my arms coming to rest on his chest. I gave him a questioning look, disentangling from his almost possessive embrace. He slid back my chair, motioning for me to sit. I followed his lead, noticing how quiet the room had gotten. I blushed, putting a napkin in my lap.

Ginny broke the awkward silence, her cheery voice cutting the air like a knife. "So, Malfoy, I was wondering if you wanted to attend Ron's birthday party. It's not for a couple weeks, but it's going to be a surprise."

I could sense Malfoy tense slightly, and true to form, I saw his hands clench in his lap. The napkin that Adrian had carried was being destroyed by the amount of force that was being exerted by his fingers. He must really feel uncomfortable at the prospect of being among so many Weasleys. Without thinking, I placed one of my hands on top of both of his. He immediately stopped wrestling with the white cloth, his hands ceasing his actions. "I'd be glad to go, Ginerva. Thank you."

When Ginny started to place the entrees on each plate, I discreetly removed my hand, not believing what I had just done. His hands had felt smooth, something I was not expecting. They were also warm, warm enough to contrast against my cold ones. I couldn't deny the small jolt that had run through my body upon the contact and hoped that my face hadn't betrayed any emotions.

"And how about you, Adrian. Would you like to go?" Ginny's voice cut through my thoughts, making me blink repeatedly.

"Is Hermione going to be there?"He turned to look straight at me, his little eyes pleading.

Ginny laughed, her eyes crinkling at the ends. "Yes, dear. I would imagine she is."

"Okay, I'll go too." I almost laughed at the determination in his face.

The room seemed to settle in a comfortable silence, the only sound derived from the clinking of the forks against the plates and someone's throat clearing, repeatedly. After ignoring the noise for a couple minutes, I looked up to find it was Blaise, his eyes fixed on me. I raised my eyebrows, questioning his wary look. He only smiled, as if to put me at ease.

Halfway through dinner, the silence was replaced by conversation. It seemed that even if Draco appeared quiet, he still could carry a conversation that was not only interesting, but funny too. I could see Harry trying not to laugh too loud, his face a weird shade of red. The only person who was not enjoying the evening appeared to be Blaise. He had on a slight smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Had something happened at work?

"Who wants dessert?" I said, remembering that there still was a course left. Ginny had made my favorite: cheesecake covered with strawberries and the occasional raspberry.

"I'll help you, Hermione," came the reply from Blaise. I nodded my head, hoping this would serve for us to talk.

I walked briskly to the kitchen, my heels clicking away at the tile floor. I leaned against the island, fixing my posture to appear nonchalant, at ease. Blaise entered, looking downcast.

"What's wrong Blaise?" I couldn't hide the worry in my tone.

He looked up, placing the same fake smile. "Nothing is wrong. Why would you say that?"

"Well, all through dinner, you have been extremely quiet and giving me weird looks." He turned his head, running a hand through his hair. "And, you kissed me."

"You didn't want to be kissed?" he grimaced as he said this.

"No, it's not that. It's just that you caught me off guard, that's all." I walked up to where I was in front of him, my hands running back and forth against his chest. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

I was entranced looking into his chocolate eyes, his eyelashes long and thick. I felt the pull and kissed him, my mouth moving against his softly, gently. It was so sweet, the way he held me, as if I was going to break. I ran my hands through his hair, feeling the softness of it. I couldn't help the tears that sprung from my eyes, my breath hitching in my throat.

He was saying goodbye…but why? Was I such a horrible girlfriend that I couldn't keep him happy? I felt him pulling away and I deepened the kiss, wanting to get a last precious moment with him.

He finally put space between us, his forehead resting against mine. His fingers rubbed against my cheeks, trying to get the tears that were still running. "It's fine, Hermione, I understand."

I scrunched up my eyebrows. What was he talking about? I shook my head, trying to convey my confusion and hurt with my eyes. "What are you talking about?"

He only hugged me, his embrace strong and gentle at the same time. I inhaled his woody scent, trying to get as much as I could. "You don't have to explain anything, okay?" he whispered.

I didn't understand what he was talking about. What had I done? Did someone tell him something about me? "No, I don't know what you're talking about."

I felt dizzy; my breath was coming in ragged. My head was pounding, like a hammer hitting against the back of it. I couldn't feel my hands; numbness had taken over them. On its own accord, my body moved away from his.

"Are you okay, Hermione?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I said, after a few moments, feeling slightly better. "Would you excuse for a minute?"

I walked in a hurry down the hall to the restroom, locking the door behind me. My insides felt as if they were about to burst. I made it in time to throw the contents of my stomach in the toilet.

A/N: Thank you for reading. I would really like to hear your thoughts on this chapter.

Also, I wanted to go ahead and leave you guys with something before Sunday. I got into the Urban Journalism program that will have me on lockdown for two weeks. So, that means no writing on my part for at least three weeks.

Thank you Hilary (Blueskyshymoon08) and Amy (LydiaLovegood) for beta-ing this chapter. You guys are amazing.

Thanks!