A/N: Not sure about the chapter title. I'll probably change it. But until then, enjoy!
Last Chapter:
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.
"Draco, this is Harry Potter, and his godfather Sirius Black," she smiled, gesturing to the two men respectively, then she looked at them, while putting a hand on Draco's shoulder. "This is my son, Draco Malfoy, and his friend, Hermione Granger."
"A pleasure," Sirius stepped forward, smiling that twinkly-eyed smile of his, and shaking Draco's and Hermione's hands vigorously. He stopped at Hermione. "You're a reporter, aren't you?"
She blushed a bit. "Aspiring reporter, actually. How did you know?"
"You've got the handshake. Firm." He grinned. "I like it. Very pleased to meet you, Miss Granger."
"You as well, Mr. Black," she said politely. She felt Draco subtly nudge her in the ribs with his elbow, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He was smiling, specifically his "I'm so proud to have you as a friend" smile. She grinned back, and then they both looked back at their newly formed acquaintances.
It was then that Hermione noted Harry's costume. It was nearly identical to Draco's, the only major difference being the color of his coat. And with his dark hair and tall stature and Frankenstein scowl, she knew he must be impersonating Mr. Darcy. She very nearly laughed aloud at this; in accordance with their costumes, they should be a couple. HA! As if she would even consider it!
"How do you like London?" Draco asked them.
"Wonderful," Sirius replied. "It's like taking a walk down Memory Lane. I grew up in London, actually, on Grimmauld Place."
Hermione smiled. "You must feel right at home, then," she said.
He chuckled. "Well, in some ways, yes. I did enjoy some aspects of my childhood, but most of those were spent out in the city, or in Godric's Hollow with Harry's dad, James. My family life was... interesting."
"Well, I must say, I'm impressed you manage such a cheery disposition," Hermione commented. "I doubt I would be so temperate in your shoes." Especially having done time in Azkaban, she finished mentally, though she would never say it aloud.
Sirius shrugged. "It wasn't wholly bad. Life is what you make it, and I determined early on that I wanted my life to be good."
"I admire your approach, sir," Draco said. "I feel much the same, though admittedly, I wasn't always so easy-going. Hermione here can attest to that," he added.
"You were a right prat up till seventh year," she smirked.
He bowed his head, but still smiled. "Guilty as charged. I dedicated much of my time to making my fellow students' lives a living hell, especially Hermione's."
"And you almost succeeded—"
"Until a would-be duel," he cut in, "where, instead of unleashing a firebird on you, as I had intended, a stream of chubby little sparrows came bursting from my wand—"
"And they promptly fell to the ground with plaintive little cheeps, before disappearing in a puff of feathers," she finished, giggling.
"We laughed until we cried, and a friendship was born."
"I was just laughing at your truly pathetic spellwork," she teased him. "I mean, really? Chubby sparrows? Pitiful."
Sirius was laughing at our exchange. "You two certainly make a great couple."
The two friends turned to him in surprise. "Oh, we're not a couple," Hermione said insistently. "Just very good friends."
Draco gave an unattractive snort. "Merlin, could you imagine? We'd spend more time trying to outdo one another than feeding the actual relationship!"
"A battle of wits every day," she agreed.
"A joke-joust, if you will," he added.
Hermione shook her head with a light laugh, then turned to Sirius. "In other words, we're not a couple."
Did she imagine it, or was there a slight smile on Harry's face? He was probably just inwardly mocking their exchange. He wouldn't be the first, but he might be the first to do so with contempt. Hermione highly doubted he found genuine humor in... well, anything. Harry Potter? Laugh? The indignity!
"I apologize for the misunderstanding," Sirius said. "You just seem so comfortable with one another, I just assumed."
"You're not the first," Draco shrugged. "And I'm sure you won't be the last."
Hermione spotted someone coming over. "Speaking of which, Draco, it's time for some evasive maneuver. Two o'clock, Madame Geraldine from the French Ministry, coming this way."
He grimaced briefly, but then put on a charming smile. "Why, Miss Granger," he said in a honey-like drawl, "would you care to join me for a dance?"
With a curtsy, she took his hand. "I'd be delighted, Mr. Malfoy!" she replied, and they walked onto the dance floor.
Harry POV
"Charming pair," Sirius commented, as they watched the two friends depart from their company. "Pity they don't see that. They'd make a handsome couple."
Harry scowled at his godfather. "Handsome? Compared to what? Between his pointy nose and chin and her wild hair... under whose definition would they be deemed 'a handsome couple'?"
Sirius watched him for a moment, then he gave a laugh. "By Merlin! It's her!"
"What's her?"
"That's the girl you were talking about! The one who put you in your place!"
"She did not—"
"She made a proper idiot of you, and you know it," Sirius chuckled. "Ah, that makes sense now. No wonder you're so against them being a couple."
Harry bristled. "They're free to do as they wish! Why should I care?"
"I'd like to know that myself."
Growling in his throat, Harry distanced himself from his odious godfather. The nerve of him sometimes! The nerve of her! What was she doing here? Why did she insist on coming to these parties? Now he'd learned she was a reporter—and therefore not part of the elite—he had to wonder if she was crashing. Then again, perhaps she was invited by the Malfoys. Could they do that? Of course they could! They were one of the oldest and most powerful families in the wizarding world! They could invite whomever they wanted, no matter how simple or common she may be.
Or was she?
As if they'd heard his question, a pair of young women started chatting about her.
"Who's that girl dancing with young Malfoy?"
"Hermione Granger, his closest friend. She's a reporter—and a Muggle-born."
"My, my, my. Those Malfoys keep getting more and more lenient. Next thing you know, they'll be married!"
"What is the world coming to?"
He'd heard enough. Harry stepped out of the main ballroom, taking deep breaths to digest this new information. He'd suspected that she was, at least, a half-blood. But Muggle-born? His parents had never practiced nor encouraged blood supremacy, but it was kind of assumed that people of his status and means were not to associate with... certain people. And certain people included Muggle-borns.
Then it was settled. He would leave her alone.
So why was he still finding it difficult to take his eyes off her?
As the song drew to a close, Hermione and Malfoy bowed to one another, both with a smirk on their faces. Harry was having a hard time convincing himself that there was nothing more than friendship between them. Not that he thought they had a secret relationship or anything, but he couldn't help but wonder if their feelings weren't as platonic as they tried to make everyone believe.
He was driving himself insane.
Someone went up to Draco then, and Hermione gave him a sympathetic smile before turning and walking. Harry followed her with his eyes, watching as she exited the room, going out onto the terrace. Against his will, his legs began to move, and he soon found himself following her outside, always watching her.
Hermione POV
The crisp, cool autumn air bit at Hermione's nose and ears, but she didn't care. She loved this time of year, when things started getting colder. She loved winter most, but autumn was a close second.
She leaned against a nearby wall, glancing up at the half-moon, surrounded by a halo of stars and light. Smiling, Hermione ran her hands up and down her upper arms, rubbing away the cold. She couldn't stay out here too long; people would miss her (meaning Draco would miss her), and it would soon be much too cold.
"You enjoy standing in the freezing cold?" a voice asked, and she turned to look in the direction it had come from. Harry Potter stood a few feet away, just outside the door, watching her with curiosity.
Or contempt. Or a combination of both. Anything was possible.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Hermione smiled.
His eyes narrowed for a split second. "May one be so bold as to inquire why?"
"You may inquire, I may choose not to reply," she retorted with a smirk. "But in this case, I think I will favor you with a response. I like the cold," she said quietly. "It's... somehow soothing to me."
"It's cold," he frowned. "How is that soothing?"
Hermione felt several brick walls come up over her heart, walls she pulled up any time a conversation took a turn toward... certain subjects. She kept her expression composed, and simply said, "What's so soothing about warmth? You stand in the hot sun too long, you get sunburn, heat stroke, and you sweat like a pig. If you ask me, that's about as un-soothing as it gets."
"Cold leads to frostbite and hypothermia," he pointed out.
"I like the cold," she heard herself snap. "Deal with it."
He stared at her for a moment, before saying, "You're hiding something."
"I don't see how that's any of your business," she said. "We barely know each other, and my opinion of you is quite low, as I'm sure yours for me is. Why on earth would I tell you my personal business?"
Harry stiffened instantly, and gave a tense bow, for a moment looking for all the world like Mr. Darcy. "Forgive me," he muttered, then stalked off.
Hermione rolled her eyes. He was probably off sulking now because the "little bush-haired wench" didn't want to talk to him. Served him right. Rolling her eyes again, she went inside to find Draco.
A/N: Okay, I know it's tacky to compliment your own work... but I love Draco and Hermione in this story! Seriously, I have so much fun writing their little banters! It's like the conversations I have with some of my friends! :D I hope you like reading it as much as I like writing it. Review, please!