There was a buzz in the air as Hermione walked through the castle the next day. The news about her and Draco had done its full circuit of the school. She had also noticed that she was being scowled at by nearly every female student as she passed by. Draco must have been as popular with "the ladies" as rumours had led her to believe.

"Hermione."

She turned to find Draco and Blaise carving a path through the morning traffic in the hallways. Girls were starring at them from every angle, and the boys to the most part were jumping out of the way. Draco grabbed her hand while turning her back towards the direction she was heading, threw his arm over her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. A fresh wave of fowl looks had made their way to her after this.

"Ginny" he said, giving a polite nod which she returned.

"Good morning Blaise."

"Hello. Isn't this just a happy little family," Blaise retorted sarcastically.

Hermione ignored this. "So I hear that you gave Pansy Parkinson a rather harsh talking too yesterday." They had arrived outside of the charms classroom.

"She needed to be put in her place. Besides, she called you a mudblood."

Hermione and Ginny fanned shock. "How dare she. Like she hasn't called me that before."

"She was out of order about a few things actually," Blaise added, leaning against the wall and looking slightly bored.

"Like?" Ginny questioned as they filed into the classroom, finding four connecting seats.

"She thinks she knows what it takes to be a Malfoy, and that I am going against everything they stand for" Draco said coldly.

"Pipe down now class" came Professor Flitwick's voice.

Hermione could see the four of them becoming a very strong team. They were the only four people out of the whole class to perform all three new spells correctly by the end of class. She had felt horrible but had thought how easy school was this year without being pestered to help with homework. She had so much free time.

She found herself the following Tuesday afternoon laying casually in the sun on her stomach with Ginny, beside the lake studying her Ancient Runes notes; when a shadow had fallen over her parchment. She looked up to find Pansy Parkinson standing over her, scowling.

"Can I help you?" Hermione said coldly after a short silence between them.

"Yeah you can. Break up with Draco." Ginny had pushed herself high up onto her elbows.

"Why would I do that?"

"He deserves better than filth like you."

"And by that I take it you mean yourself."

"Naturally. I am superior to you in every way."

"Except intelligence, magical strength, personality and looks" Ginny said, sitting up now. Hermione laughed.

"Break up with him mudblood. Or there will be hell to pay."

"Pansy I have some bad news for you. What Draco does is none of your concern. He is a big boy who can make his own decisions. If he wanted you he would be with you. Do you understand?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child." Her voice was quickly becoming more hoarse. A small crowd of students were starting to drift towards them. Eager for some entertainment.

"Then stop acting like one."

Pansy stood perfectly still, not daring to move or turn around. She pursed her lips. The voice that had spoken was Draco's.

"Go away. You are embarrassing yourself," he said coldly.

She kept her head down and followed his order without hesitation, not looking at him or either of the girls. Hermione couldn't help to notice the commanding note he had in his voice when he gave an order. He dropped down beside her.

"I think you ruined their fun," Hermione said pointing her thumb to the crowd of people going back to their books and decks of cards.

"So? I don't care." Draco rolled effortlessly onto his back and looked up at the sky, his arms folded behind his head for pillows. "I am really surprised that it took Pansy this long to say something."

"Me too. Hannah Abbott told me that she overheard her trying to find a curse to use on both of us. I don't know why she wants to curse me, I am not the one dating her dream boy," Ginny said, opening her eyes wide and looking over at Draco with fake adoration.

"She wouldn't dare. As I think I just proved; I have her in her place."

"The Prince strikes again," Hermione mocked.

"You don't even know the half of it." He rolled onto his side and pulled Hermione sideways toward him, kissing her deeply.

"If this is how it is going to be I am going to go." Ginny was pretending to be sick. Draco waved at her around Hermione's back.

"Ginny stay, we are supposed to be studying."

"Oh no, it's fine, don't let me intrude."

"Ginny sit back down."

"Yes Ma'am." Ginny saluted quickly before laying back down on the ground.

The students were, to Hermione's delight, getting used to the idea of her being with Draco. She still received filthy looks from Slytherin girls but everyone else had seemed to go back to normal. Hermione had assumed this was because of Pansy. Or maybe it was just because Draco had seemed to be such a hot commodity within their house. She had been sitting in the Library after dinner, writing her potions essay when someone walked up behind her.

"Hey mudblood." It was Pansy again.

"Just so you know Pansy, that word doesn't affect me anymore. You use it so often that it has lost its shock factor."

She hadn't stopped writing or looked away from her parchment. Pansy remained silent.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked, irritated.

"The same thing as normal. You to be back in your proper place and away from Draco. I don't know what you have done to him but he isn't himself."

"Actually no he is being himself. He isn't worrying about that stupid cold facade that he had to put on all these years." She had stopped writing now and had turned sideways in her chair so she could see Pansy's face.

"That is ridiculous. What did you do to him?"

Hermione got to her feet. "I didn't do a thing to him."

"I don't believe you. What spell did you put him under or what love potion did you use to make him want you, filth?"

"I haven't done anything to Draco that he hasn't wanted me to." Hermione smirked at the horrified look on Pansy's face.

"You are going to pay for this. He is a Slytherin. A Malfoy. And you are buck toothed piece of mudblood filth."

Before Hermione knew it she had punched Pansy in the face and was now standing over the top of her shouting.

"Pansy, if you opened your eyes for two seconds you would see that Draco is not this ice cold person who is destined to end up with you out of "Slytherin obligation". He actually has a personality and heart of his own. He is not his father."

Someone had grabbed her from behind and was dragging her out of the Library.

"Well, I should say that I didn't see that coming but, I have been on the receiving end of that right hook." It was Draco. "What am I going to do with you?" he said gently pulling her into a hug.

They were standing together in a deserted corridor. He pulled away from her and examined her hand.

"How is your hand?" Hermione stood in silence, not looking at him. "What's wrong?"

"I shouldn't have done that. I can't believe that I lost control that badly. Your dad is going to know for sure now." She rested her head on his chest, arms hanging limply at her side.

"We will deal with that when it happens," he said gently, stroking her hair. Draco started to laugh. "Pansy's face when you punched her was hilarious. You went full muggle on her. In saying that you know she is going to tell everyone right?"

"I know. What is it about you Slytherin's that make me lose my temper?"

Weeks had passed and to Hermione's surprise nothing had been mentioned about her altercation with Pansy in the Library. In fact, she had completely kept her distance. Of course, it was too good to last.

Draco was leaning against a tree in the grounds; Hermione's head was resting in his lap as she read. He was twirling her hair between his fingers. She sat up suddenly and turned to face him.

"Come to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"

"Um, yeah, okay. I wasn't going to go but any excuse to spend time with you."

"Aw, shucks." She kissed his cheek.

"Hey, hey, hey. What is this cheek business?"

He kissed her, pulling her onto his lap. Her arms were around his neck, fingers running into his hair. Kissing each other more desperately Draco was lowering her onto grass, laying on top of her. There was a screech from an owl overhead as a letter was dropped onto his back.

"Every single time. Something interrupts" Draco said irritated but didn't move. The letter on his back started to shudder. "Well that's not good," he said sitting up and picking the letter up from the ground.

'I knew it' he thought to himself. 'Howler.' He opened the wax seal and the envelope sprang out of his hands. The booming voice of his father started to speak.

"DRACO, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM PANSY PARKINSON TODAY TELLING ME THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DATING THE MUDBLOOD GRANGER FOR MONTHS. IN FULL VIEW OF THE PUBLIC NO LESS. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO YOU ARE? YOU DO REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A PUREBLOOD DON'T YOU? I HAVE NOT SPENT ALL THESE YEARS TRAINING YOU AND GROOMING YOU AS HEIR OF THE MALFOY FORTUNE TO THROW IT AWAY FOR SOME CRUSH ON A MUGGLE BORN. YOU HAVE THE FAMILY HONOUR TO UPHOLD. I EXPECT AN EXPLANATION STRAIGHT AWAY AND IT HAD BETTER BE THE LAST I HEAR OF YOU AND HER. YOUR MOTHER AND I ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED. WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS."

The envelope fell limp to the grass.

"Well that was pleasant."

"I knew I shouldn't have hit her. I'm so sorry."

"Forget it. I can handle my parents."

Hermione was not convinced, she could see the worry in his eyes. "Draco, we need to figure out what we are going to do."

"I knew Pansy had been too quiet."