"Good morning," Draco said cheerfully, looking at the witch who looked like she'd just rolled out of bed. "How are you doing this fine morning?"

Granger just stared at him. Her eyes looked slightly unfocused, like she couldn't believe Draco Malfoy was sitting at the Cat's Paw's front desk with a cup of hot chocolate in front of him, acting like the old lady had just taken two weeks vacation in sunny, romantic, beautiful Mexico and named him proprietor in her absence.

And Draco couldn't really blame her. He placed the pen in its stand and polished his nails on his robe. "Cat got your tongue?" He snickered at his own joke. "Pun viciously intended," he added, breathing on his nails and going back to work.

"What are you doing here?" she finally sputtered, slamming her fist on the desk. The desk quivered with the impact of her fist, and Draco marveled at the strength in the average-sized girl.

"Your dear Mrs. Whitmore—or, should I say, Auntie Flora, as she asked me to call her, asked me to watch over the desk while she went out to get some groceries. She said she'd be back in about fifteen minutes if you needed anything."

"What I need is for you to stop stalking me," Granger snapped, crossing her arms over her blue terrycloth robe.

"You promised to help me work on that potions essay today," Draco reminded her while using his wand to float a pillow across the room about three feet in the air.

"I most certainly did not!" Granger looked scandalized. "We never came to any sort of conclusion when it came to that topic!"

"You owe me," he shrugged.

"I owe you? For what?"

Draco considered naming the little surprise he had left for her on her bedside table, but instead said, "your hair?"

That shut her up quite well.

"So, the way I see it," Draco drawled, leaning in ever so slightly, "you go get changed, we go eat some breakfast, and then work on that potions essay. Once it's done, we go and get something else to eat. Then we could come back here and—"

"Harry and Ron will arriving here in the afternoon," Granger said, and Draco thought she almost looked… well, disappointed. But why would she be disappointed to see her two minions? Could it be… was it possible… she was slowly coming around to him?

"So you better not be around unless you really want to be beaten to a bloody pulp," she said with a snicker.

Or not.

"Oh, that's not a problem," he said, moving in one or two more centimeters, "there are ways to avoid being discovered."

Hermione looked quite revolted, "Malfoy, please tell me you did not just mean that to sound like a horribly revolting paperback romance."

"Why, do you read them?"

"Wha- I can't- you- just go away!" she roared. Slamming her fist again and rattling the small porcelain figurines waltzing around the top of the desk.

"I told you," Draco said somewhat plaintively, "I just want to work on the Potions essay with you. Why is that so difficult?" he asked the china couple, almost pouting.

Had he not been so busy making small talk with the china version of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, he wouldn't have missed Hermione's smile.

"Well," she said, sounding just as disgruntled as before, "Harry and Ron are meeting me here sometime in the afternoon. That means…" she looked at the clock. Draco figured she was calculating what time the afternoon began and allotting him only enough time so he wouldn't interfere with the Golden Trio time. "I suppose we could do some work on it, but I'd want to be done around two-thirty. Can you do that?" she asked, sounding like she was talking to a three year old.

"Yes, Mommy," he rolled his eyes at her, "wizard's honor."

"Fine," she grumbled, tightening her bathrobe sash. "I'm going to go change and get my books and then we can get this over with." She thumped up the stairs, annoyance radiating off of her terrycloth-robed back.

"Don't feel like you need to worry about hurting my feelings or anything!" he called up after her, standing up and giving the china figurines a wink before going to grab his books.

sheepish grin hello? Anyone remember me? Yeah… I… haven't been here in a while, have I? If anyone still reads this, thank you. I'm so sorry for my… oh, seven month break? But I assure you, though it might take me another seven months, I will finish this fic. No time for reviewer thank you's, but rest assured I'm thanking you for reviewing. I apologize that this chapter is short, but it's mostly setting up the next chapter, which should be a) juice and b) long, so I don't feel too bad. Course, who knows if I'll ever get the next chapter out… coughs just kidding.

KATE: waves frantically remember me? Hi!

Till next time,

Trin