AUTHOR'S NOTE: Omg you guys are great. Can't tell if you're hating on Malfoy or on me, ahaha. At least my writing is bringing upon so much emotion :') None of you guys have picked up on the reasoning behind Blaise's past behaviour with the love potion yet though! Or perhaps you didn't want to offend me? Haha, well a couple of more things unravel in this chapter. Also, I've started calling Blaise Zabini by his first name because, well whatever. Let me know what you think! ^_^

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE ASTRONOMY TOWER

Malfoy brooded on the third floor. Hermione was late for patrolling, which was unlike her. Malfoy did not very much like patrolling at all (especially when there were no first years to bully), and specifically without any company. He took his hands out of his pockets when he heard someone sniffing noisily.

"You there!" Malfoy cried dramatically, seeing the noise was coming from a tiny first year boy, cowering in a corner. He looked up at Malfoy and whimpered.

"What are you doing out of bed, boy?" Malfoy said, crossing his arms.

"I was-it's six o'clock-"

"That's enough. What House are you in? Hufflepuff, I suppose," Malfoy smirked, "And perhaps a detention will do some goo-"

"Gryff-please don't-Mr. Draco-I-my books-" the poor boy mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Longbottom."

"Malfoy!" Hermione came rushing from a corner, spotting Malfoy and the first-year, tears silently streaming down his face.

"Now, now, everything's alright," Hermione said kindly, patting the small boy on the back gently. He gulped and ran away with his books, choking on his tears.

Malfoy snorted. "Excuse me, I was reprimanding that child."

"You were tormenting him, more like!" Hermione said.

Malfoy rolled his eyes and leaned into her, "This is boring, and I'm tired. Can't we just go back to our common room, and relax a little bit," he finished quietly in her ear. A whisper of temptation ran through her, and her pulse quickened.

"You're very moody," Hermione answered. "I'm assuming you got over your little tantrum about Weas-er-Ron," she corrected herself embarrassedly. Malfoy grinned.

"It's impossible to be mad at you," he said.

Hermione opened her mouth to retort when a whistle came from across the corridor. Hermione and Draco turned around to see Blaise crossing the hall loftily.

"Ay mami," he said at Hermione, grinning and popping his collar. Hermione's jaw dropped and she began to laugh hysterically.

Malfoy looked at him questioningly, "Blaise, what're you-"

"It's a common saying, Draco, the Muggle girls love it. Don'tcha Granger," Blaise replied, and shone his very white teeth at Hermione. She stopped laughing and blushed. Furious, Malfoy dragged Zabini away, saying, "See you in the common room, Granger."

IIIII

"What the hell are you doing, exactly, Zabini?" Malfoy said, a gleam in his eyes.

"Zabini? Whoa, whoa, whoa, Draco, let's calm down," Blaise said silkily, "What's the problem?"

"The problem," Draco said, "Is that it's over."

Blaise laughed, "Draco, I was just flirting-"

"Well, don't," Malfoy said shortly. "I have enough on my plate, as you know, Zabini. The Unbreakable Vow? Really?"

"Hey now, you brought that on yourself. No one stuck a wand to your head-"

"If I'm correct," Malfoy interrupted, "After the Unbreakable Vow, you wanted in on a bet yourself. A hundred galleons for Granger's love, if I'm not mistaken?"

Blaise said nothing.

"And I believe," Malfoy continued, "We agreed that any use of force of love –including love potions- automatically ends the bet."

"Yes, that's true…"

"Funny how Granger seemed to know there was a bet though," Malfoy said.

Blaise rounded on him. "Oh, I suppose you think I told her? How would that help me exactly?" Blaise rubbed his left eyebrow. "You just worry about your little task. I'll quit flirting with the girl if it bothers you so much," he finished with a smirk.

"Glad we understand each other," Malfoy slapped Blaise's back good-naturedly and made his way to his common room. Blaise swore under his breath.

IIIII

Malfoy reached the portrait hole and smirked to himself that Hermione had yet to change the password from "Hermione Malfoy." He opened the portrait to see her at the table, doodling dreamily.

"What are you constantly doodling?"

Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "Hermione Malfoy," she said with heavy sarcasm. Malfoy raised an eyebrow. Hermione brushed away some hair, with satisfaction. Malfoy watched her.

"You know, you're quite good looking," he said, as if mildly discussing the perks of owning Mandragora. Hermione moved her hand from her hair to her collarbone and walked up to Malfoy, swaying her hips gently.

"You're better than just good looking," she said softly, putting her arms around his neck. He was surprised, but not shocked, and put his own hands around her waist.

"Is that so?" he asked quietly.

Hermione nodded and raised her head, and he had a glimpse of her honey brown eyes before she pressed her lips onto his. He kissed her back, and felt her tongue on his lower lip. She plucked it with both of hers and then pulled away from the kiss, moving a hand down his chest.

"My Slytherin Prince," she whispered, before retreating to her dormitory. Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, wondering if he was supposed to feel a warmth growing in his insides.

IIIII

Hermione fell on her bed and touched her lips. Shaking her head out of any romantic thoughts, she began to rummage through her trunk. Near the bottom she found the two way mirror Harry had given her, the matching half in the boys' dormitory in the North tower. Hermione picked it up in both hands and looked at it directly.

"Harry Potter." She said clearly. At first the mirror continued showing her reflection, but soon the surface began to blur and the face of her friend took its place.

"How'd it go?" he asked quietly. Hermione saw Ron try to fit in the mirror as well, but she could only see profile, his eye staring at her beadily.

"Perfectly," she said.

"Alright, meet us at the Astronomy tower in ten minutes."

IIIII

Hermione walked around the top of the Astronomy tower, admiring the gleaming line of golden telescopes projected at the starry sky. She heard a shuffle and turned around cautiously.

"It's us," Ron said, and took off the invisibility cloak that had been concealing him as well as Harry.

Hermione nodded.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, fixing his glasses slightly.

"Yes, are you?" Ron replied seriously. Harry and Hermione gaped at him before laughing.

"And you, Hermione?" Harry continued, to which Hermione shrugged and smiled.

"Well?" Ron said impatiently. "Did you find anything out?"

Hermione made a squeaky sound at the back of her throat. "Ron, it'll take more than a night to figure out if Malfoy is up to something," she snapped exasperatedly.

"We know he had to kill Dumbledore last year, and that Snape was supposed to help him if he couldn't do it. We know that the plan failed. Obviously. We just have to make sure he isn't doing anyth-"

"Harry, don't you think you're getting a little obsessed-"

"He tried to kill Dumbledore," Harry said through a clenched jaw. Hermione did not look convinced.

"Alright, alright," she said moodily.

"Hermione, why do you even care?" Ron asked with a suggestive tone, "All you're doing is trying to get a bit close to him to find something out-you share a common room for Merlin's sake- it's not like you have to snog him."

Hermione said nothing. Ron began to turn red.

"And anyway," Harry said hurriedly, "he deserves it with that stupid bet."

"Yes, I was thinking about that," Hermione said slowly, "Do you think there might be something more to it? Malfoy couldn't be that conceited-"

"Yes, he could," Harry and Ron said shortly.

Hermione fell silent, though she felt a twinge in her chest.

"Just get him to open up to you a bit," Harry said finally, throwing the cloak on all three of them, "We still have the Maurader's map, we'll do the rest."

Hermione sighed. "Why couldn't we have just talked through the two way mirror?"

Harry grinned, "Ron wanted to see you."