Author'sNote: Hey guys! Yayyy, an update! I actually felt bad about how short the chapter was, so I decided to squeeze three chapters into one! Hope you guys like it! There'll be another update tomorrow :D

Malfoy was still glaring at her. And she would never show it, of course, but it was becoming uncomfortable. She tried again.

"Malfoy! How did you find my apartment?"

He finally stopped glaring, and deigned to answer her.

"The Ministry's Employee Registration Records."

"Those are confidential! How did you get my file?!"

He smirked. Ah. It was a relief to have things go back to normal.

"Well, Granger, I did what I always do. I flirted."

"That is declining my faith in my gender."

He chuckled. "Granger, Granger, Granger. So moral, so upstanding, so... Gryffindor."

Hermione sighed. She seemed to sigh an awful lot around Malfoy. She was also learning that it took him a very, very long time to get to the point.

"Malfoy! Stop insulting me and tell me why you're here."

"Oh. Yes." He brandished a newspaper in her face – The Daily Prophet.

"Granger, what the bollocks is this article?!"

Hermione stared at him in disbelief.

"You came here to ask me about the article? Why would you think I knew anything about it? I'm as upset as you are!"

Now Malfoy looked upset again. "You're upset? Why are you upset?!"

And Hermione looked confused. "Well, yes, I'm upset! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, because, Granger! Who wouldn't want to be seen with me? Your reputation is only getting boosted. Mine, on the other hand..."

"Oh shut up, Malfoy," Hermione groaned as she shoved him out the door. Or tried, really. Apparently Malfoy had muscles. Jerk.

"Relax, Granger," he chuckled. "I'm only messing with you. But, really. We need to do something about this. I can't be seen as taken. It's bad for my image."

He winked. The bloody wanker winked at her. And what's worse? She liked it.

On the next Daily Prophet, there was a tiny retraction on the 4th page, saying the writer had 'misunderstood', that Hermione and Draco still very much hated each other, and were very much single.

For some reason, Hermione felt a teeny twinge in her chest as she read this. Not because she wanted to be with Malfoy, of course, but... because she didn't want to be single. Harry had Ginny, Luna had Neville, and Ron was with the colour whore. She didn't resent Lavender anymore of course, because let's face it – Hermione and Ron just weren't good together. She still disliked her, though. And maybe she was a little jealous. And a little lonely.

And because of this, at she sat down for dinner that evening, she found herself owling Ginny. Ginny had been after her for months to go out with one of her friends. Hermione had always said no, but now... she figured she would give it a chance.

© 2014

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Till tomorrow,

~ The Always Emotional Teenager