Ok, I don't know about you but I am impatient for a little Draco/Hermione action already! So sorry if this chapter is a little brief. Its like a paraphrasing of their relationship development. Mostly because I want to get to the good stuff. Hope you don't mind! Maybe I'll make some outtakes later…

For the next few weeks, Hermione avoided time in her dormitory, especially the common area, and made sure that she and Draco were not together on the Hall Monitoring schedule to try to keep herself from spending time alone with him. When they were together, in class or during their other public duties, Hermione directed their conversation to safe appropriate topics. She questioned him about his childhood, his favorite movies and music, the ways he spent his free time. Hermione ignored his innuendoes and would give her own perspective instead of flirting back. She attempted to keep a strict one-foot space of buffer between them, intent on getting to know him before she let things progress any more between them.

Draco, for his part, had been surprised when she didn't make a move on him after the way things had ended in the library. He had been sure he would return to the common room to find Hermione naked, legs spread, offering herself to him. Instead he found himself frustrated with their platonic interactions. He was confused and annoyed by her actions, what was she playing at, they had never had real conversations before! And now that he was sure she wanted him as much as he desired her, she decides to cool things off by just talking? Draco was used to girls melting under his gaze, let alone his clear interest. He was unsure how to react.

At first, he tried his hardest to get a rise out of her, using cruder and more blatant sexual suggestions in their conversation. However, he soon tired of her lack of response, and after receiving a detention when McGonagall overheard him offering to "alo-her-mora" decided that he needed a new tactic.

'Hermione must be playing at something; she couldn't have all of a sudden decided that she didn't want me. It's not like she's ignoring me and regretting what happened either, if anything she's talking to me more! Maybe that's it, I should just give her what she wants and talk to her. Couldn't hurt anyway. Might even be fun. Gods listen to me, I've gone mad with want of that woman."

So Draco started to respond sincerely to Hermione's questions. He was thoughtful when considering his answers, even asked her opinions, and conversation flowed smoothly between them. They talked about everything from their first impressions of Hogwarts, the differences in their childhoods, plans for after graduation. Draco discovered that they had more than just sexual chemistry; he and Hermione were compatible in many ways.

But neither of them could deny the sexual undercurrent of their relationship. Their friendly conversations often took a more intimate turn over time, often leaving them both flushed and bothered by the time they left each other.

Hermione was happy with the progress she was making, and Ron was praising her patience and supporting her as a friend should, but the developments with Malfoy seemed to have put a damper on her and Ron's friends-with-benefits relationship and they hadn't shagged since their conversation about how she should handle the "Malfoy situation".

This left Hermione very frustrated. As much as she was proud of her self control, she kicked herself every night for not having jumped Malfoy in the hallway and finally given in to what her body so desperately wanted.

Draco was equally frustrated. He had hoped that giving Hermione what she apparently wanted would make her see that he was safe, that she could let herself be with him. But he was getting nowhere. Action needed to be taken. And for weeks he had been fantasizing about just how he would finally get Granger to give in.