A/N: Hey I'm back! And I only updated yesterday You have the fact that I'm on holiday to thank for these frequent updates :D Anyway so I hope you like this chapter it's a build up for the next chapter, chapter 8 which is my favourite chapter. But enjoy chapter 7 now! Hehe please review, cheers :D

THANK YOU: HeapsofHorses for putting me on story alert :) AND for putting me on favourite story :) AND for putting me on favourite author :) AND for reviewing :D
THANK YOU: iohito for reviewing :D
THANK YOU: omega alpha gamma for putting me on favourite story :) AND for reviewing :D
THANK YOU: wintersong1954 for putting me on story alert :) AND for putting me on favourite story :)
THANK YOU: alltimelowfreak for reviewing :D
THANK YOU: terraXbbXFAN2 for putting me on story alert :)
THANK YOU: tigermonkey62442 for putting me on story alert :)
THANK YOU: SeverusBarnabas3102 for reviewing :D

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, the only thing I own of this story is the plot and the title!

One Unforgettable Year

Chapter 7: Plan Into Action.

Info you need to know: "Talking". Flashback.

~ 1 month later. October 1st 2012~

A month had passed since Ron became detached from the Golden Trio (it was pretty much the Golden pair now) and Hermione and Harry befriended Draco and Blaise. They had made progress. Hermione considered Blaise and Draco her best friends (along with Harry and Ginny) and Draco and Blaise considered Hermione their best friends. Harry, Ginny, Lavender, the Patil twins and Neville all now considered Draco and Blaise a friend. Not a best friend but a friend. Like they were to each other. Draco and Blaise fitted in well with Harry, Hermione and Ginny and the others.

Draco and Hermione though had become the closest. Now Draco was one of the few people Hermione turned to when she was upset. It used to be Ron or Harry but now it was Draco or Harry. She was mainly upset about Ron though and Harry was a good comforter with that but it just made Hermione feel even more guilty because she knew she was the reason Harry was going through this too. Draco on the other hand hated Ron and vice versa on their own accords so it was nicer to go to Draco. He made her laugh a lot. Blaise was usually the other person she went too. He was kind to Hermione and a very good comforter. Even though most of the time he was perverted and was always joking about girls wanting him and him not minding if Hermione wanted to give him a shot. She didn't and she told him too but he never got offended.

No-one else wanted to befriend the Slytherin's of Gryffindor's even though they could see it was going well. Hermione was happy enough with what they had. Though she did sort of wish there were more Slytherin's which were like Draco and Blaise. Pansy still called her filth all though not when Draco was around. She learnt that lesson the hard way.

Flashback ~

2 weeks ago.

Hermione was downstairs in the common room sitting on the sofa, Draco sat next to her and Harry opposite him with Ginny on his lap. They were discussing about earlier in Potion class when Neville once again blew up his potion. Ginny, Hermione and Harry felt bad for Neville while Draco just found it hilarious. Hermione was scolding Draco, he was just smiling at her. He thought she was adorable when she scolded him. She looked mad at him but he could always see the softness in her eyes. Even though she tried to hide it.

Pansy came down from the girls' room and saw that Draco was smiling at Hermione and she was telling him off! This angered Pansy, how dare Hermione tell off her innocent Draco! Pansy stormed down the steps and stopped right next to Hermione. Hermione looked up surprised to see Pansy standing so close to her, Pansy usually tried to stay as far away as possible from her. Pansy glared down at Hermione.

"What do you think you're doing, filth? Why are you telling off my poor Drakie?" she had said her nickname for Hermione (filth) bitterly. By now Draco and Hermione were best friends and too say Draco was a little bit protective of his best friends would be lying. In fact it would be the understatement of the year. Draco frowned at Pansy and looked… well, pissed off.

"Why'd you call her filth?" Draco demanded, standing up. Pansy was about to yell some more at Hermione but was shocked when Draco stood up for her.

"Well Drakie she is filth. She's a filthy mudblo-" Draco interrupted her before she could finish the horrid word.

"Don't you dare call her that!" he hissed, his nostrils flaring angrily. Pansy stood there frozen, not quite sure whether to believe her eyes and ears. Never did she think that Draco – her Draco – would stand up for Hermione. Would not be agreeing with her about Hermione being a mudblood. Would be friends with Hermione. She knew of their plan of unity but thought it would never truly work. Evidently she was wrong.

"But Drakie-" Pansy started in a hurt voice but Draco ignored it and once again interrupted her.

"But nothing. Don't call me Drakie and don't call Hermione a mudblood. Get out of my sight before I do something I regret. Or that I don't." Draco threatened harshly. Hermione may not like Pansy but that didn't mean she didn't like Draco's tone with her.

"Draco." Hermione scolded. It was just his name but it was enough to look at her apoplectically then turn to face Pansy again.

"Sorry." he muttered not to Pansy. He didn't mean it but he knew it's what Hermione wanted. He then ignored Pansy and sat back down at Hermione who smiled at him. He smiled back and Pansy saw then that she had been wrong. Really wrong. Draco and Hermione's uniting was going to work really well. Maybe more than Pansy wanted.

~ End of Flashback ~

After that little scene Pansy glared at Hermione and hated her more than ever. But when Draco was around she put on a friendly façade and didn't use her nickname for Hermione. When they were alone however Pansy let out all her anger on Hermione using all the nasty words she could think of. Hermione usually ignored it. She didn't care what Pansy thought of her. Though deep down Hermione did wish that Pansy would try and befriend them like Draco and Blaise had. In fact she hoped for it. Though only time would tell if Pansy wanted the same thing.

~ Prefect Common Room, After School ~

Hermione plonked herself down on the sofa Draco was sitting on. She bounced slightly and her feet landed in Draco's lap. Hermione was too tired to really care about that and seeing as Draco wasn't protesting she left her feet on his lap. Harry came in after her, Ginny in tow of him and Blaise in tow of her. Harry sat on one of the armchairs and Ginny sat on Harry. Blaise occupied the other armchair.

Harry and Hermione looked beat and Draco wondered why. Blaise and Ginny looked their normal sort of energetic self and Draco looked the same as ever. So it was weird to find that Harry and Hermione weren't in at their usual level of energy.

"What's up with you too?" Draco asked, nudging Hermione to indicate her and then nodding at Harry to indicate him.

"Quidditch practice." They said simultaneously. Draco frowned at that, he understood Harry's exhaustion but not Hermione's. He knew for a fact that Quidditch was one of the rare things Hermione knew nothing about. So Draco looked at Hermione questionably. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Ron was there." She stated calmly. Waiting for Draco to erupt. Ron was a touchy subject for all of them, especially Hermione and oddly enough Draco too. But there was never an eruption, Draco merely put on an emotionless mask and sat there quietly. Blaise and Hermione knew that it meant that Draco had loads of raging emotions inside him that he didn't want shown.

"What happened?" Ginny asked seeing as Draco wasn't going to. Hermione sighed and looked at Harry and nodded. He took that as permission for him to tell the story.

"Nothing much. Ron was there seeing as he's keeper but nothing too bad happened. He just was in a foul mood to everyone and wasn't very nice when he spoke. He didn't miss any balls though just hit them back hard, even hurt one of the guys. Hermione was waiting for me because I had asked her too, I needed help with Charms homework afterwards – though we can do that tomorrow 'Mione – Ron glared at her. Made a few comments and then after practice just stormed off straight away." Harry explained. Draco had tensed during that, mainly at the 'few comments' bit to do with Hermione.

She could tell he was about to get up and pound Ron so she pushed down on his lap with her feet. His eyes flew to hers and she could see he was upset. Her eyes softened but she still pointedly narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. Telling him he wasn't worth it. Draco stared into her eyes for a few minutes before sighing and giving up. He nodded reluctantly and Hermione smiled her thanks. Seeing her smile Draco couldn't help but smile back. Her smile always made him smile, even when he was in the foulest of moods.

Blaise saw the whole silent conversation between Hermione and Draco and smirked knowingly. He had a feeling there was something going on between his best friends. Even if they didn't know it themselves. But the fact that Hermione had managed to calm Draco down and stop him from doing anything just with the look of her eyes told Blaise what he thought was going on. Draco liked her. Really liked her. Blaise smiled at that. He loved Draco and Hermione; they were his best friends after all. Plus if Draco and Hermione ever got together it would really unite the houses.

"What you smiling about, Blaise?" Draco asked his friend curiously, noticing he had been smirking and smiling to himself.

"Nothing. Besides can't a guy smile without being questioned?" Blaise replied cheerfully. Draco frowned at him, he could tell that his friend was up to something.

"No, not when the guy is you. What are you planning, Zabini?" Draco demanded. Blaise just grinned and shook his head and tapped his nose.

"My thoughts are exactly that. Mine. Stop being nosy, dear Malfoy." Draco narrowed his eyes at Blaise, not liking him being told off. Though truthfully Blaise and Hermione were the only ones who could do that without actually making him angry. He just pretended to be angry with Blaise when he told him off, and when Hermione told him off all he would do was grin. Finding an angry Hermione a sexy one. Not that she knew that was the reason for his smiles.

"Whatever, but if I find out later that you've done something I don't like you'll get hexed a lot." Draco threatened, he didn't really expect Blaise to look scared but neither did he expect him to just chuckle at him.

"Sure, sure, Draco. I'll keep that in mind." Blaise replied, waving his hand as if waving the whole thing away. Blaise then got up and bid his goodnight. Draco stared after him suspiciously but Blaise took no notice.

Blaise was in fact up to something but he wasn't going to admit anything. Besides it wasn't anything bad. In fact Blaise was sure that Draco would be thanking him for it later. Blaise left the prefects' common room but didn't head down to the Slytherin dungeons. Instead he headed towards Dumbledore's office said the password and went to talk to Dumbledore. Blaise smiled on his way up to Dumbledore. He was about to put his plan into action.

~ The next morning, 2nd October 2012. In The Great Hall ~

Hermione just sat down on the Gryffindor table. She sat in her usual seat opposite Ginny and Harry. Usually Ron would be sitting next to her but that wasn't the case anymore. Instead she sat in between Lavender (next to her were the Patil twins) and Neville. Hermione had overslept slightly so her friends didn't wait for her and she didn't blame them. She apologized to Harry for it and he told her not to. It was a normal day.

The student's chatter suddenly faded though as Dumbledore arose from his seat in the middle of the staff table and went to stand behind his owl podium. He smiled down at his students, a twinkle in his eye. Hermione frowned slightly wondering what Dumbledore had to say. He usually didn't make that many speeches during the school year.

"My dear Hogwarts students, I've had a request by one of your fellow colleagues. They've asked for a Halloween Ball. This is one of the few request I can give you. So my students on the 21st of October there will be a ball in this hall. This weekend – on Saturday the 7th of October - you may go to Hogsmeade to get your costumes but you those of you third year and under must have permission slips from your parents. I would like to inform the prefects' and Head Boy and Head Girl that they are the ones organising everything. I put my trust in you and hope that it will be a wonderful celebration. Now carry on with your meal, excel through your classes and those of you that have to owl your parents with the permission slips that your Heads of Houses will give you if you ask for. That is all." When Dumbledore sat back down the hall buzzed with conversation and excitement now. Of course all the conversations were now focused on the sudden Halloween Ball.

Hermione was surprised by that sudden request and wondered whom it was who asked for it. She looked around the hall barely registering what the others were saying. She was trying to see if she could tell just by looking who it was who had asked for the Ball. She couldn't so far. But then her eyes fell on the Slytherin table. Everyone was chatting to each other except one person. Blaise was smiling proudly; he caught her eye and winked at her. She rolled her eyes and smiled back. But she knew Blaise well now, so she could tell. It was him who had requested the Ball. Hermione couldn't wait to find out why. It seemed like it would be a very interesting reason.

"Hermione?" Ginny called her name. Hermione turned back round to face her best girlfriend.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Hermione apologised. Ginny just smiled at her friend and shook her head.

"I was asking if you wanted to join Lav, Padma, Parvati and I in Hogsmeade to find some costumes." Hermione smiled and nodded.

"Sure I would love to." Ginny beamed and she, Lavender and the Patils' broke into talk about what costumes to by. Hermione let her mind wander and realised that she had to find a date. For a little while she sat there thinking about dates. Then two questions came into her mind. The obvious one was: Who was she going to go with to the Halloween Ball? And why did she look over to the Slytherin table and look at Draco hopefully?

A/N: So that's chapter 7! Chapter 8 is already written and I'll probably post it tomorrow Please leave a review telling me what you thought of this chapter, hoped you like it. Thanks

Until next time - Tilda