Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
A/N: Thanks to those who favorited and followed. Big thanks to my reviewers: ShaleeDeaver, Samatha-Chelsea, Pwrmom2, CassieRenee333, SereniteRose, Guest, OnceUponASlytherinPrincess, trinka belle, The Butterfly Dreamer, HarryPGinnyW4eva, Sapphire water goddess, everlastingtrueromance, and Guest! Y'all are so sweet!
Please let me know what you thought of chapter five and be on the lookout for chapter six next week!
Hermione was waiting at her usual table in the library when Daphne finally flounced in, bright eyed and rosy cheeked. Hermione was a little annoyed at having to help yet another friend out with their homework, but Daphne had already done so much for her, Hermione wouldn't complain about it too much. But, by the look on her face, studying was the last thing she had on her mind.
"So, have you made up with Weasley yet?" Daphne asked, a smirk on her face. Just as she'd predicted, the whole school had heard about what Ron had accused her of, but to her pleasant surprise, most people were annoyed with him. And, she'd noticed, now that word had gotten around that she'd kissed Seamus, more of the boys were staring at her.
Hermione scoffed. "No. He has a lot of groveling that he hasn't even gotten started on. Harry's been rather nice about it too." She told Daphne.
"Now, tell me again about what happened with Draco? I didn't want to get into it in front of Weaselette." Daphne was curious.
"I don't know really. Sometimes it seems like a dream, like that couldn't possibly have happened. He was just being really nice."
"How so?" Daphne asked, genuinely curious. Nice was not a word that anyone in Slytherin house would use to describe Draco Malfoy.
"Well, he just asked if my…metamorphosis was for Ron's benefit. And he told me that I deserved more than Ronald, which I found rather odd, seeing as I thought he found muggle-borns to be beneath purebloods, even the blood traitor type." Hermione said, a little bitterly.
"And then what happened?" Daphne had a hint of a smile on her face, which made Hermione a little nervous.
Hermione bit her lip, thinking of how Malfoy had told her his secret, too. Although she couldn't pin point why, she felt awful at the prospect of betraying his confidence. "I don't know, he just got all snippy all of a sudden. As if he remembered who we were. Just the usual insults."
Daphne's smile had turned into a full blown smirk, her pale blonde eyebrow even arching. It left Hermione exasperated. "Alright! What is it that has you looking like the cat that got the canary?" Hermione finally demanded.
"Oh, nothing, I'm just thinking of something that Theo told me the other day. That does seem a little unusual for Malfoy." Daphne finally conceded.
Hermione let her eyes study her new friends face. At the mention of Theo Nott, her eyes got a little sad. "So, what's the deal with you and Nott?" She asked.
"What makes you think there is a deal?" Daphne countered, a mask of indifference in place on her face.
"Well, the way that you two flirt all through potions class gave me something of a hint." Hermione responded with her own smirk. Slytherins weren't the only ones with intelligence on others.
"Oh. Well, we dated for a while." Daphne settled on, her voice firm. "And it was quite serious, you could say. He asked his father about entering a proper courtship and everything, but Mr. Nott is quite traditional. He is one of the old guard of the Dark Lord's men, you know?"
Hermione nodded, although she was quite certain she didn't know. She felt bad for her friend. It was obviously still a bit of a fresh wound. "And then what happened?"
"Well, he brought up that the Greengrasses didn't quite have the purest of lineages, and told Theo that if he decided to follow through things with me, he'd be disowned and…well, we'd be destitute, so. That put an end to that." Daphne said with finality.
"But if you love each other…couldn't you…I can just tell that he is still quite smitten with you." Hermione trailed off. She didn't know a lot about Theo Nott. He was tall and rather lanky, with brown hair and brilliant green eyes. He'd worn glasses his first year, but had come back without them after Christmas break. And he was very smart, giving her scores a run for their money in some classes.
"It's not…that's not how it works in my world, Hermione." Daphne told her with a finality, that left no room for further discussion.
Hermione nodded. "Well, what is it that you wanted to study?"
"Actually, I wanted help with another potion of my own creation. I am working on a hair removal potion, but I haven't gotten it quite the way I want it yet. I want it to leave your skin feeling silky smooth. Like cashmere. But my current formula is too harsh still." Daphne told her eagerly. She handed Hermione a bit of parchment that had her notes on it.
Hermione was pleasantly surprised and read over Daphne's looping handwriting. She was impressed with the level of work, but she definitely saw some areas where they could add some soothing agents. Maybe they would ask Neville.
The girls sat there for about an hour, discussing avenues of further testing, until a male voice broke their conversation. "Granger, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Hermione looked up and was surprised to see Graham Montague. She'd never spoken to him before. She resisted the urge to snark back at him that he already was speaking with her. "Yes, Montague, what can I help you with?"
He seemed nervous. "Granger-er-Hermione, can I call you Hermione?" She nodded. "Hermione. I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"
Hermione was in shock. She thought her jaw might have actually dropped.
"Of course, she'd be delighted to go, Graham." Daphne practically purred beside her.
"Great!" He said, a smile on his face, showing off his perfect teeth. "I'll pick you up in the Great Hall at noon." Then he walked away to wherever he came from.
"Daphne! I can't believe you just agreed for me!" Hermione whined, incredulously.
"Of course you are going with him. I won't hear any complaints." Daphne told her, haughtily. "He's Slytherin's Quidditch captain, and is practically guaranteed a professional spot after graduation. Oh, how I'd love to see you tarted up like a WAG at a game." Daphne told her with a smirk.
"Daphne!" Sometimes Hermione didn't know why she spent so much time with the girl. She pushed her out of her comfort zone.
"Plus, he is rather handsome in that kind of rugged way isn't he?" Daphne asked her.
Hermione supposed she couldn't argue with that. He played chaser for Slytherin, but was tall and broad and muscular. He had very dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. His face was all strong jaw and angular cheek bones, but he carried it well. Viktor had been a little bit brutish, but Graham still looked aristocratic, with a straight nose. No, he wasn't bad to look at all. "You'll help me get ready on Saturday morning? I don't know what to wear."
Daphne squealed beside her. "Of course! I will just have Muffet pop me into your room after breakfast."
The girls returned to the work on Daphne's hair removal potion, but Daphne's head was in the clouds, thinking of the best outfit for Hermione to wear.
It had taken three more days and a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay due the next day for Ron to come begging Hermione for forgiveness. Harry apologized as well, though, Hermione didn't really know why.
Ron had told her that he wasn't thinking when he asked her those things and he had just been so surprised that Seamus had kissed her because they didn't really have a lot in common. He told her that of course he found her interesting to be around her and that boys would have an interest in her, that she had very nice skin…
Hermione still didn't know where that one came from, but it was a compliment none the less.
In the end, Hermione had accepted their apologies, as it was a little bit lonely without her two best friends' companionship. And sure, they were idiots sometimes, but they were her loveable idiots.
The peace had lasted all but one day, before their friendship was on the rocks again. And Harry really had been trying to make an effort. "Hermione, do you have plans for Hogsmeade this weekend? Are you going with Daphne again? Maybe we could all meet up for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks."
Hermione smiled. "I do have plans, but not with Daphne. I am going on a date." She told them, looking up from her mashed potatoes.
Ron looked surprised and Lavender looked disappointed beside him. Harry, the sweetheart, was trying to keep things positive. "Oh, someone we know?"
Hermione grimaced. "Uh, yes. Graham Montague." She told them, tentatively, waiting for the blow up.
"WHAT?" Ron bellowed. "Hermione, Montague? As in Slytherin Quidditch Captain Montague? He's awful, he doesn't play fair, he's the enemy and he's…he's a Slytherin!"
Harry looked dismayed as well. "I don't know if that's such a good idea Hermione."
"I recently have found out that people's perceptions of others are often times incorrect, and not all Slytherins are evil. I really like Daphne, after all, and so I am giving Montague a chance." Hermione told them primly, hoping their earlier fight would be remembered.
"Well what about how he was on the Inquisitorial Squad last year?" Ron asked her.
It was a fair point, Hermione supposed, but nearly everyone in Slytherin was on Umbridge's little group. Besides, it wasn't like he had actually participated. "Yes, well your brothers shoved him into an unknown magical artifact before he could show us how he'd have behaved with that authority." Hermione told him. "And you only just reminded me of that! Now I feel even more inclined to go out with Graham."
"Oh it's Graham now?" Ron asked snidely.
"Hermione, I think…it's true that you can't always judge a book by its cover, but I've faced Montague on the pitch. He grabbed Angelina by the head once in a game! And, you'll be alone with him." Harry was trying to be reasonable, but Hermione had already made up her mind. She was going.
"That's it Hermione, I forbid you from going with him!" Ron said, slapping his hands against the table.
"Well, it's not up to you, Ronald. You aren't my father or my brother, so just butt out." Hermione couldn't be around the pair any longer, so just left the Great Hall, leaving her friends gaping at her retreating form.
"Why would she want to go with Montague?" Ron asked incredulously.
Surprisingly, it was Lavender who responded to him. "I don't know, Ron, maybe she has a type. Montague and Krum are quite similar build aren't they?"
Ron looked crestfallen. "But he's so burly…and…I bet he's stupid."
Harry just shrugged his shoulders. "Opposites attract?" He offered.
When Daphne appeared in Hermione's room Saturday morning, she looked utterly frazzled. Her hair was up in big pink muggle Velcro hair rollers held in with little silver clips and in between her lips was a lit cigarette, her pink lipstick smudging the white paper.
"Ugh, Daphne, you smoke?" Hermione asked, her nose wrinkled in distaste.
"Yes, I am very stressed right now." Daphne responded, unconcerned.
"Well, they are horrible for your skin. You can get all kind of wrinkles." Hermione told her somewhat shallow friend. "And they turn your teeth yellow. I would know after all, my parents are dentists."
Daphne shrugged and put out the cigarette. "If you say so. What's a dentist?"
"Oh, it's like a muggle healer, for teeth." Hermione told her absentmindedly. "Now, what do you think I should wear?" Hermione was still standing in her flannel pajama set. "I was thinking maybe the blue blouse and some jeans?"
"No, no, no." Daphne told her, before rifling through her wardrobe. "You will wear this." Daphne handed her an emerald green sweater dress with a cowl neck to her. "With the brown boots."
Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know Daphne…isn't this a little bit sexy? And won't it be cold?"
Daphne shook her head. "Well, yeah, it's a little bit sexy. You are going on a date after all."
After Hermione had told her about her interaction with Draco, Daphne had immediately gone to Theo. She'd flopped down on his bed and conceded. "You are right."
Theo had looked rather pleased and seemed to think she was ready to give it another go. "About what?" He asked, excitement in his green eyes.
"About Draco and Hermione. He's smitten and he doesn't even realize it." Daphne told him, propping herself up against his headboard, and described the interaction that Hermione had relayed to him
Theo had looked slightly disappointed, and then nodded. "Well, what do you want to do about it?"
Daphne had bit her lip. "I could be wrong, but I think that they would be well suited, if they could both just come to an understanding that there is more to the other than what they were as children. Hermione is intrigued at the least."
"Well, how can we get them to see it then?" Theo had questioned, wholly intrigued by the situation.
"You'll help me?" Daphne asked, her green eyes lighting up. "Oh Theo, you are such a love. Well, the most fortuitous thing happened in the library today. Graham asked Hermione to Hogsmeade and she accepted."
"Montague?" Theo had asked, truly surprised. "That is most fortuitous. Should Draco happen to see them together…" The two had spent nearly an hour plotting.
And it was Daphne's job to make sure that Hermione's outfit would catch people's eyes. Erase the bucktoothed bookworm from first year from everyone's mind. The green cashmere dress was just that.
Once Hermione had put on the dress, Daphne sat down and helped Hermione with her make up. "Since it's for a date, I suggest a little more makeup than day to day." She applied some cat eye eyeliner and a dark red lipstick. "It will draw attention to your lips." Daphne told her with a smirk.
That had Hermione frowning though. "Daphne, you don't think that going out with Montague will make me seem like a tart do you? I mean, Seamus just kissed me last week. Aren't things a little fast?"
Daphne had looked at her with an exasperated face. "There is nothing wrong with a witch going on dates with multiple wizards. If you were sleeping with both of them, yes, that would be a bit much, but please don't think too much on it."
"Oh, I suppose you are right." Hermione finally conceded, looking at herself in the mirror. Her dress was rather clingy, but it did flatter her figure. Her hair was curlier than usual, giving it a kind of bedroom hair look. She was sure that Harry and Ron's eyes would pop out of their heads to see her like this.
"Where are you going for your date? Madame Puddifoots'?" Daphne inquired slyly.
"No, I loathe that place. Graham suggested the Hogshead and I agreed. I don't know if I want all the attention that going to the Three Broomsticks would cause."
"Alright, well have a great time. I can't wait to hear all of the details." Daphne told her with a smirk before calling Muffet to take her back to her dorm.
"Oh, and Daphne?" Hermione called after her friend. "Try a statis charm before you take the rollers out. It should make the curls last longer."
Daphne just grinned. "Now why didn't I think of that?"
Hermione was actually pleasantly surprised by how good Montague looked when she met him in the Great Hall, right at noon. He cut a dashing figure in navy blue. He looked unsure of how to greet her, but settled for a kiss on the cheek, before placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding her out to the carriages.
They shared a carriage with a pair of third year Hufflepuffs, who stared at them in a mixture of awe and confusion. Hermione decided to stick to a safe conversation topic of Quidditch, even though she didn't really care for the sport. Graham was fun to watch though, talking about a sport that he clearly loved, and he had been contacted by scouts from Ballycastle Bats, Wigtown Wanderers, Appleby Arrows, and even an international squad.
Hermione in turn tried to describe football to Graham, who seemed intrigued despite it being a muggle sport.
But, by the time they got to the Hogshead, Graham and steered them to other topics of conversation. "I am so glad that you didn't want to go to Madame Puddifoot's, I hate that place."
Hermione laughed in agreement. "I know. I don't want to be kissing with fifty of my peers kissing all in front of me." She said with a blush, realizing that she'd hinted at the promise of kissing. Quickly trying to brush past it, she continued. "I've never been to the Hogshead before."
"A lot of the Slytherins come here. It's a little bit more low key, although, it's a bit dingy." He admitted with a grimace.
"Nothing a little cleansing spell can't fix." Hermione told him with a smile, after they found an open booth to sit in. A wizard came by and they placed an order for two butterbeers.
"So, Hermione, is your name Shakespearian?" Graham asked her.
"Yes it is." Hermione said with a surprised smile. "Wow, I'm impressed that you knew that. Not a lot of wizards read Shakespeare."
"Actually, my family has its own Shakespearian connections. We are descendents from the Montague family in Romeo and Juliet." Graham told her a bit shyly.
"Really?" Hermione asked after a sip of her butterbeer. "I had no idea that Romeo and Juliet were real people. But wasn't it awful then, that they really couldn't be together?"
"Not really." Graham told her. "The Montagues were wizards, obviously, and Romeo fell in love with a muggle girl called Juliet. We aren't even sure that it was real love and not amortentia. Real people don't fall that hard that fast."
Hermione pursed her lips together. "Hmm, I suppose that's true. What was wrong with him marrying a muggle though?"
Graham looked aghast at the suggestion, before realizing who he was talking to, this muggleborn witch. "Oh, well, at the time, wizards and witches were very secretive. It just wasn't done. Besides, she was only thirteen…not exactly prime marrying years, now, eh?"
Hermione smiled. "I suppose, though it probably wasn't so unusual for the time."
"Anyway, then that Shakespeare bloke started poking arou-"
Graham was cut off by a loud Draco Malfoy stomping over to their table. "Oi! What's all this then?" He looked confused and upset.
"We are trying to enjoy a date…obviously." Graham said, rolling his eyes at his blond teammate. Sure, he wouldn't have been caught dead with Granger at the beginning of the school year, she'd been polished up quite nicely and he found that she was a pretty good conversationalist, actually. She was the swotty know it all her reputation would say she was.
Hermione watched as Malfoy's eyes trailed over her body, and suddenly felt guilty, but she couldn't tell why. She hadn't even felt an ounce of guilt when she'd told Harry and Ron that she'd be going. "But, it's Granger." Draco said, as if that was any explanation.
"Yes, now, Hermione and I were having a lovely time here, before you barged in. Now shove off, or I'll have you running laps at practice tomorrow." Graham said before standing. "Well, Hermione, I think we are done here. Should we stop into Tomes and Scrolls before we return to the castle?"
Draco was annoyed by the shy smile Granger had given his teammate before walking away with him. He could hear her melodic voice trailing away. "Are you sure you don't mind going? Usually I have to fight Harry and Ron tooth and nail to visit."
Hermione had a great rest of her date with Montague. He hadn't hurried her at the bookstore and she figured they'd spent nearly an hour browsing the aisles. It seemed that Graham even had his own interest in the bookstore, although the books that they looked at were radically different.
After they left the bookshop, they were able to procure an empty carriage back up to the school. Graham had been staring at her lips basically the whole time they'd waited for a carriage and once they were alone, he wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers.
He was a much better kisser than Seamus, his lips applying just the right amount of pressure before coaxing his tongue between her lips. He was dominate and passionate and she'd even allowed one of his hands to caress her breast on the outside of her dress. His groan at feeling her nipple tighten in desire had Hermione pressing her thighs together.
They'd arrived at the castle all too soon, but he'd dutifully walked her up to Gryffindor tower, telling her that he'd had a great time with her. She'd assured him it was mutual, before pulling him in for one last kiss.
She'd slipped in the portrait lips puffy, lipstick smudged, legs like jelly and with a huge smile on her face. When she laid back on her bed she couldn't help but giggle, thinking of all the things she was going to have to tell Daphne.