This chapter was the absolutely most fun to write!

***

Chapter 10

On the one hand, Hermione Granger was anxious to get to the cabin, the only place left where the horcrux could be. Except, of course, if she had missed something in the house. Nothing looked like Hufflepuff's cup, but it's not like she had dug through every cupboard, every drawer, and every bottle of wine. Just the one bottle. And that was the other hand.

Hermione Granger was actually quite happy to spend the wee hours of the night with Draco in the small library. It wasn't like she could have talked him into the cabin with night coming up, anyways. She'd ask to go in the morning. See? Still thinking about work work work.

Ok, so maybe Hermione didn't drink often. Maybe it was in very poor taste to drink what she was sure was a grotesquely priced bottle of wine in large quantities. She was a lightweight, though, and after about three glasses of wine she was feeling pretty good about the evening as a whole.

Hermione sat on the burgundy couch, Draco in a blue chair turned towards her. They sat in front of the fire, exchanging stories that neither of them would have found very funny before they had decided they didn't despise each other. Or before they finished the bottle of Mouton, at least.

"Oh, yeah, you weren't there? Yule Ball? Snape and Mcgonagall had a fit, whipping students out of their carriages. The windows all fogged up! It was hilarious. 'Fifty point from Hufflepuff, fifty points from Ravenclaw…' Fan-frickin-tastic."

Hermione giggled. "No Slytherins?"

Draco winked. "Slytherins know how to not get caught!"

Hermione laughed loudly, sipping from her glass. "I wasn't there, at the end, that is."

Draco glanced at her "Oh, yeah? Sneak off early with Krumb?"

Hermione snorted in a rather unattractive way, sloshing some of her drink on her pant leg.

"Hardly!"

"Oh, come on. Everyone and their mom knew you went with Krumb."

Hermione gaped at him. "Even in Slytherin house?"

"Good God, if I had to listen to one more giggly Slytherin girl going on about him I was going to puke. Yes. Even in Slytherin house. All the girls were jealous of you for shagging...er, I mean snagging, the great Quidditch player. Some of the guys, too." Draco said, with a raise of his eyebrows.

What came next out of Hermione's mouth would not have come out sober.

"I didn't shag him. I didn't shag anyone. He was just my first kiss, then bye bye, back off to Durmstrang." She said, looking at the fire and taking a large gulp of wine.

Draco just looked at her. "First kiss? Really? Fourth year? Just the fact that you remember it as your first kiss must mean it's something special…do you still talk to him?" Draco asked, trying to sound casual and not meeting her eyes.

Jealous? No way. Of what?

In her tipsy state she thought she was being real clever and convincing about her lack of a relationship with Krumb when she said "No! I just remember it because until today it was my only real kiss, that's all."

This, of course, gave Draco a whole new book-load of information she would rather not have had him know about.

"Your…only kiss before me? What about Potter and Weasley?"

"What about them?" She asked, not understanding at all.

"You're telling me you're around these guys for seven years and you've never screwed around with either of them?"

Hermione slammed her glass down (as delicately as possible, since it was a wine glass, of course) at this. "Your telling me you're around your two henchmen for two years and…"

"OK, ok!" Draco said, cutting her off. "Touché! Didn't mean to offend you, I just figured…"

"Why would you think that!?"

"Who doesn't?"

"What!?"

"Well, the Rita Skitter articles…not that I read them, I didn't care much about the everyday going on's of the "Boy who lived," but I heard about them." Draco sneered at his Harry comment, and looked expectantly at Hermione.

"Wha...no, you know what, I'm not going to dignify that with a response." And, whenever someone says that phrase, they have to of course do just that. She continued, "No! Harry is like my brother! Which, by the way, means I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't insult him so much around me…"

"No can do…"

"…and Ron. Well, I left the Yule Ball early because he pissed me off. Only a few weeks ago, he-" She caught herself in time. Her fuzzy mind remembered that she couldn't explain that Ron had left. She couldn't give Draco too much delicate information about their past few months. "…Well, he hurt me."

At a look from Draco she added "Oh, not really! And not on purpose! He hurt my feelings, that's all." That's all. Like it wasn't a big deal. Riiight.

"Anyways…No, I haven't even kissed either of them. Except for maybe a peck on the cheek, when the occasion prompted. That's all."

Draco furrowed his brow, thinking against the alcohol. "Wait, then. You said Krumb was your only kiss, but that that's all you did with Krumb…" He looked up at her, surprise on his face.

"Look, when it comes to solving mysteries and helping to stop evil, I've had more than my fair share. When it comes to romance, I'm not really as lucky. And I wouldn't want to put on an awful display at school like Ron and that horrible girl, Lavender, anyways."

"Oh, well, that's why you take that kind of thing to the dorm rooms." Draco said casually.

Hermione turned her head slowly to look at him, an amused look on her face. "Wh-at? Just what kind of ship are they running in Slytherin house?"

"Like I said, Slytherins know how to not get caught. Stop changing the subject, anyways. Are you saying you've never…"

"Changing the subject; why do I have to be the subject? What dirty things have you been doing in the hallowed halls of our great scholarly institution?" Hermione asked, halfway amused, halfway disgusted. To the best of her knowledge, those closest to her didn't go around the school doing the nasty. That kind of crazy teen behavior was reserved for the relative freedom of break, right? Or was she really the odd one out?

Draco shook his head. "I have not had nearly enough to drink to discuss my love life- well, past love life- with you."

Hermione blushed scarlet. That's exactly what she had been doing! Discussing her (lack of a) love life. Well, he had been prying, but still…she really was a lightweight.

***

Draco yawned, stretching his arms up over his head. Hermione found herself catching his yawn, and shook her head as her body shook with it.

"What time is it? I'm completely beat."

"Yeah, almost dying- again-takes a lot out of you, huh?"

"Your just not going to let that go, are you?"

"Of course not. If I keep reminding you that I saved you- twice- then you have to be nice to me."

A laugh escaped her. "Me, be nice to you? I never thought that would be an issue you would have worried about."

Draco shook his head, his grin fading. He looked up, staring at Hermione.

"What?" She asked.

He stood up, reaching his hand out to her. Without thinking she grabbed it. He pulled her to her feet, and she promptly tipped to the side.

Stopping her fall with an arm around her waist, Draco chuckled. "Pathetic."

"Yeah, I know." She agreed. She felt tired and warm. She leaned heavily on Draco, her eyes shut.

He pulled on her, moving her out of the room.

She barely registered where they were going. She felt safe with Draco, which was positively baffling.

Before she knew it she was snuggling under a thick warm comforter, a warm body snoring at her back.

***

Hello everyone! EvilWarlordGu is here to express her apologies for how long the next update will take. I'm actually going to Croatia for three weeks, and I don't know what my internet situation will be (Probably just an internet café here and there).

I plan on writing a crap ton while there, so expect a BIG update around June 20th. If I can finish one more chapter before I leave, I'll post it. Otherwise, if you like the fic, mark your calendars for June 20th! (*Note: If you don't like the fic, you don't have to mark jack shit.)

If you like the story, please review! This is my first fic, so the reviews I get will heavily influence how much writing I do in the future. . Let me know what you like, and what you don't like, so I can improve!

Thanks for those who have reviewed! :heart: