A/N: Only excuse I have for being this out of sync is classes, trying to get into college, and two jobs. Sorry everyone. Enjoy!

)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(

Hermione brushed the feather of her quill against her lips, thinking of the details she wanted for her idea of having a ball before she presented it to McGonagall.

It'd been too weird how easily Zabini agreed to her idea. She had expected some kind of resistance. She had, at the very least, expected him to say it was dumb. But he hadn't even said it once.

It was odd though, for a split second, she thought he'd seemed . . . lost? Which in her experience was an extremely unlikely emotion for him being such a cold and calculating person.

And then it was gone, and she'd been left to ponder whether or not she'd imagined it.

Hermione looked across the classroom at Zabini, trying to see what she'd seen before, but as a girl lifted her hand to answer a question the professor posed, there was nothing but a smirk as she got it wrong. He lifted his own hand and answered the question correctly, making the girl flush with embarrassment.

She probably did imagine it. She doubted the snake could feel anything other than an overrated, arrogant, confidence in himself.

Hermione turned back to her notes.

"Wait, move. I can't see." Ron whispered to her.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Maybe you should make your own notes, Ron, instead of chatting with Harry."

Ron smirked at her. "But then I couldn't admire your cute handwriting." Hermione rolled her eyes but smirked as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"You'd think he'd have something better to do than stare at us." Harry muttered to the both of them.

Hermione and Ron glanced in the direction Harry was talking about to see Blaise looking at them.

Or rather, Hermione thought, looking at me.

Zabini smirked and turned back to the lesson, the edge of the smile they could see, never leaving his lips.

Ron scowled at him. "Slimy git."

"How can the teachers not see what a scum bag he is?" Harry questioned. "There's got to be reports about him from the students he harasses."

Hermione shook her head. "Probably, but some of the students are more afraid of what he'll do if they say anything. And he plays the teachers really well." She looked over at him with a smile. "Careful though, Harry, you sound like you hate Zabini more than Malfoy."

Harry snorted. "At least Malfoy has gotten better since last year. He's less of a prat now."

"Yeah, Zabini just hides behind his lies like a snake." Ron agreed.

"You two don't have to work with him." Hermione said darkly.

Harry looked over at her. "That's right, McGonagall wanted to talk to you two. You never told us what about."

She sighed. "She wants us to come up with something to boost the school's moral from the war."

Ron and Harry shared a smirk. "And she's making Zabini help you with that? We're doomed." Ron snickered.

Hermione smiled and turned back to the lesson, although her mind wandered.

She looked over at Zabini and curiosity took her at the frown on his face.

It looked an awful lot like that expression she thought she'd seen before.

What was he thinking about?

)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(