Harry POV

Fury. Detestation. Incredulity. More fury.

These were only some of the emotions Harry was experiencing as he flooed back to his home in Derbyshire. Sirius was quick to follow, still chuckling.

"I knew you'd find a bird you liked," he said through his laughter, "I just didn't think it'd be this fast! HA!"

Harry scowled. "I never said I liked her," he insisted. "I just said she was different from other girls. She was insulting, provocative, and disrespectful."

"I like her already," Sirius winked.

"And she dared to use my own words against me!"

Sirius laughed harder. "You have to admit, you were being a prat. Assuming that she was trying to flirt with you? You're my godson, Harry, and I love you, but the whole world does not revolve around you."

"I know that!" he snapped. "I don't expect or want it to!"

"Don't you?"

There were times when Harry really hated his godfather. "I'm going to bed," he said irritably. "Call me when you're finished shoving your morals down my throat."

Without waiting for a response, Harry apparated up to his bedroom. It wasn't really necessary, and normally, he would rather take the stairs, but at the moment, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

Thoughts of a pretty, brown-eyed girl with a smart mouth.

He'd never admit it to Sirius—or anyone, for that matter—but he was right. This girl intrigued him. He was angry, to be sure; no one had ever dared speak to him the way she had, let alone eavesdrop on a conversation, and make it known that she had done just that. But, despite his indignation, there was something about those eyes... those deep, dark eyes, so full of life, mirth, and a hint of mischief. From the moment he saw those eyes, he was entranced, enslaved, and enshrouded in an inescapable cloud of fascination and attraction.

With these thoughts, his anger mounted. Who was this girl, that she could tempt him so, and stir his mind to go against everything he'd ever believed? What spell had she put him under, and had she done so knowingly? He resolved to avoid parties such as these as much as he could. He'd promised the Minister to attend the next three balls of the year—Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's—against his will, by the way—but that didn't mean she would be at every single one. And if she was, he'd duck.

And the Malfoy boy would divert her attention.

An inexplicable rage surfaced and spread through Harry's entire being. He didn't even know him, but he wanted to hate him, simply because of the way she'd smiled at him. A secret little smirk, as if she had a juicy secret to tell him. And then she'd looked his way, and he was certain it was about him. She was laughing at him. With Malfoy. Somehow, that made him even more furious.

This girl would be the death of him.

"No," Harry said aloud, clenching his fists. "I won't let her. I won't."

With this resolve, he was finally able to sleep.

Hermione POV

"I can't believe he said that!" Ginny gasped, though she smiled. Hermione was relaying her experience with Harry Potter. They were sitting in the kitchen at her home, the Burrow. "What did you say?"

Hermione grinned. "I said, 'Yes, I really should be more careful. I should be careful where I walk and who I run into. Someone might blatantly insult me and accuse me of things he knows nothing about.'" Ginny laughed heartily, and she went on. "And he said, 'I beg your pardon?'" she imitated him, dropping her voice and adding an angry edge to it. "So I said, 'Oh, there's no need to beg, but I must beg your pardon for appearing like a silly, pathological flirt!'"

Ginny was in stitches, nearly falling off her chair. "Oh, Hermione!" she panted as she regained some control, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "This is why I love you!"

"Yes, well, I am quite lovable," Hermione quipped.

"Did he say anything else?"

She shook her head. "I walked away before he had the chance."

"Well, serves him right. The nerve of him!"

Hermione just chuckled. "Yes, well, that's the way of the rich. They think they can say or do anything, with little or no consequence, and without anyone telling them they're wrong. So far, I've only found one exception to that rule."

"Draco," Ginny nodded. "Yes, he's one of the few good ones. Although his parents are coming around, as well."

"Indeed," Hermione smiled. "I can now carry out a full conversation with both of them without being called a Mudblood once, and I even earned a smile from his mother. Lucius is a bit more obstinate, but I'll wear him down eventually."

Ginny eyed her friend suspiciously. "You talk about the Malfoys as if they're your in-laws. Something you need to tell me?"

She felt her face grow warm. "Good heavens, no! Draco's my best friend! I don't feel that way about him. Besides, I fear it would ruin our friendship."

"You never know," the redhead shrugged.

"Well, even so, I see him as my best friend, and nothing more."

Ginny nodded, suddenly very quiet. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, intent on asking her why she was being so uncharacteristically taciturn, but at that moment, Ron stepped into the room.

"Oh," he mumbled, his face turning slightly pink. "Hi."

Hermione smiled kindly. "Hello, Ron. How are you?"

"Fine," he replied, then turned to look at Ginny. "Where's Mum?"

"She and Dad went for a walk or something. They'll be back later this afternoon. Oh, and they want to have family dinner on Sunday."

"Okay," was all he said, before he disapparated.

Hermione sighed. "All these years, and he still barely says a word to me. Why?"

"He barely says a word to anyone outside the family," she said. "I swear, there are times you would need a thought bubble over his head just to be able to tell what he's thinking. So weird," she added, shaking her head.

"Yes, I know. But for heaven's sake, I'm over here several times a week! I always say hi, I'll chat with you and your parents for hours... you'd think he'd be used to me by now!"

Ginny patted her arm comfortingly. "He'll get there eventually. He's very stubborn, my brother. It's about the only thing we have in common, other than the hair."

Hermione smiled gratefully. She knew Ron had to warm up to her at some point. She just hated the awkward silences between them. Silence was not one of Hermione's favorite things. Even when she studied, she had to have some sort of noise in the background—music, a fan, raindrops on the window or roof—or she would go utterly insane. Draco often teased her for that. Ginny never studied, so she didn't exactly have any reason to make fun of her strange habit.

"So," Ginny's voice brought her back to the present, "let's talk Halloween."

She laughed. "Ginny, Halloween is still months away!"

"It's never too early to start planning ahead, Hermione," she smiled. "Now, I was thinking either Roman, or a modern-day Cinderella..."

Halloween

It was yet another ball at the Ministry. Hermione, Draco, and Ginny entered the room, each fully costumed. Ginny's teal, floor-length toga was elegant, and perfect for her. Draco and Hermione decided to match their costumes, mostly due to the fact that Draco had absolutely no idea what to be. Hermione, who had determined her costume early, along with Ginny, had the perfect idea. They were going as Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. That took some coercion, too, but as Hermione happened to have the costume handy...

They were instantly greeted by several Ministry officials and guests. The amount of people here was significantly lower than the previous ball, as the professors were now back at Hogwarts. Even so, these parties still drew quite a crow, and Hermione could see Draco's weariness increasing already.

"I'll see you later," Ginny whispered, her eyes excited.

Hermione frowned. "Where are you going?"

Ginny pointed toward a young man, who promptly waved. "See him? That's Cutler Reeves. He's the Assistant Head of the Auror Department."

"'Cutler'?" Hermione teased.

"He's handsome," Ginny ignored her. "And rich."

"Ginny, don't marry him for his money."

She gasped in mock offense. "Oh, come on, Hermione! You should know me better than that! I want to marry for love... but there's nothing wrong with making sure I fall for a man with cash in the bank." She winked, then disappeared.

"Oh, Draco, there you are!"

They both turned to see Narcissa gliding toward them. Hermione wasn't sure what she was supposed to be, but she looked an awful lot like Morticia Addams (not that Narcissa actually knew who that was, but that was who she looked like). Narcissa and Lucius had come earlier, for some sort of special dinner just for the higher Ministry officials and governors, so Draco had come with Hermione and Ginny.

"What is it, Mum?" he asked.

She gestured with her hand, starting to move backward. "Come," she said. "There's someone you need to meet!"

Draco glanced at Hermione, and she nodded. The first time she came with him to one of these balls, there was a mutual, unspoken agreement between them that, every time either of his parents said "there's someone you should meet," she would accompany him, giving him a sort of buffer, in case things got awkward. If needed, she'd give him an excuse to leave. It was a very effective system.

They followed Narcissa toward two gentlemen. Hermione thought the scruffy, curly mop of hair on one of them looked familiar...

As they turned around, Hermione had to stifle a snicker. Standing before her and Draco were none other than Harry Potter and Sirius Black. And as Harry recognized her, his eyes grew impossibly wide, and his mouth fell open.

This could only bring laughs.

A/N: I couldn't resist putting in the P&P costumes. ;) What do you think so far? I'm loving this! So fun to write! Next chappie coming soon!