Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or supporting characters. Rayne is my own creation however.

Blaise awoke to an interesting sight directly in front of his face, he couldn't believe his eyes. Hermione was sleeping next to the couch, her face next to his and her hand cradled in his. He smiled down at Hermione and quietly got up from the couch. He carefully picked up the sleeping Gryffindor and placed her gently on the couch that he had been occupying and was about to head to his room when the fireplace roared to life and a tired and disheveled Harry appeared from the fire. Blaise quickly motioned him to stay quiet and pointed to Hermione who was still sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Harry nodded and ushered Blaise to the kitchen and began to pace in a very agitated manner. He quickly turned to speak to Blaise as he entered the kitchen but was interrupted by Blaise yawning loudly and scratching his head.

"So Potter what are you doing here at this god awful hour?" Blaise moved to the fridge without waiting for an answer and proceeded to pour himself a cup of juice. He noticed that Harry looked to the couch to see if Hermione was still sleeping and began to speak cautiously.

"I've just come from the burrow and Ron is planning on going to Rita Skeeter and tell her that the brains of the 'Golden Trio' isn't so golden after all. Now normally would bat an eyelash at this because Hermione never appears to be anything but perfect but coming from Skeeter, who by the way despises Hermione like Snape does me, it's not good at all. She is going to drag Hermione's name through the mud. Now I may have some pull with the media but with Ron backing the story, who is also a member of the 'Golden Trio', I don't know if it will be enough to stop Skeeter. Hermione might have to make statements to the press and she hates that almost as much as I do. Now I am asking you to help keep her head together, I can't ask Ginny because this involves her brother and I won't put her in the middle but Hermione is going to need a lot of help to deal with this, can I trust you to help her Zambini?" Harry managed to blurt out in one breath as Blaise stared at him in growing anger.

"What the bloody hell? I though you guys were supposed to be best friends? Why is Weasely doing this to Hermione for? What did she do to him that was so bad? I thought she could do no wrong." Blaise grumbled as he picked up his forgotten juice.

"Oh I can do wrong Blaise," both guys spun around to see Hermione sitting up on the couch staring sadly at them. "But that doesn't mean that I did anything to Ron except for trying to be a good friend. I guess he saw that as something more." Hermione sighed and ran her hand through her sleep tousled curls. She moved into the kitchen and leaned her head on Harry's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Mione it's not your fault that Ron is obsessing over you. You know how he can be." Harry held Hermione close for a moment before releasing his hold on her and heading back to the fireplace. "I have to go and prepare a statement for the press; I suggest that you do the same. I'll send you a letter later, okay Mione?"

Hermione nodded and watched him disappear into the fireplace. She sighed and turned to Blaise who was staring quizzically at her. She watched him for a moment before silently making her way to the stairs leading to her room.

"Wait! Granger, do you want my help preparing for the press?" Blaise asked before she could make her escape.

She smile softly and shook her head. "That's all right, I'll be fine. Besides I have to go meet Rayne and Draco by the lake. You could come with me if you wanted to." Hermione blushed slightly and looked down at her hands which she was wringing nervously.

"Well I suppose I could use the company considering Dray decided to ditch me and spend time with that Rayne chick." Blaise stated off-handedly, not really looking at Hermione as he fought to keep his face from flushing.

"Umm…Blaise? I just said that we were going to see Draco and Rayne. I promised that I would get Draco to give Rayne an exclusive interview for her fan club. I personally think she just wants a reason for him to talk to her, which is so sweet. They would make a very cute couple." Hermione sighed dreamily and giggled at the horrified look on Blaise's face. She quickly turned and jogged up the stairs to change.

It didn't take long for Hermione to change her clothes and head to the lake, but it did take 20 minutes of coaxing, dragging and pleading to get Blaise to accompany her. She waved ecstatically when she saw Rayne and Draco and ran to meet Rayne who hugged her tightly.

"Mione I don't know how to thank, Draco and I have been talking nonstop since yesterday. He is so funny and not as snarky as I thought he would be." Rayne smiled sweetly at the blonde boy who was watching them suspiciously.

"All 'bad boys' are like that, they try so hard to appear tough and unyielding but really they are just big teddy bears." Hermione smirked when Rayne giggled and Draco and Blaise looked affronted.

"That's not true!" Both Slytherin's shouted together which caused the girls to breaking into renewed giggles.

"If it's not true then why are you guys being so defensive?" Hermione grinned as the guys glared at her. She sat down on the grass and pulled Rayne down next to her. "So where do we begin?"

The next morning Hermione was making her way to the Great Hall when she was stopped by George. "Oh hello George-I mean Professor Weasely, was there something you needed?" Hermione smiled at her favorite of the Weasely boys who was looking very nervous and upset.

"Hermione I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for what my delusional brother did. It's inexcusable." George stated apologetically.

"It wasn't that bad, I mean I'm sorry that I gave Ron the impression that I fancied him and he shouldn't have sent that letter to Blaise. It was uncalled for but I think we will be okay." Hermione gave him a quick hug before continuing on her way leaving a somewhat confused charms professor staring after her with rising dread.

"This isn't going to be pretty." George groaned and followed after the petite brunette.

Hermione walking into the Great Hall and froze when all conversation stopped and everyone turned to stare at her. "Wow now I know how Harry feels." Hermione walked over to the Gryffindor table ignoring the stares and whispers that erupted behind her. She sat down next to Ginny and Rayne who were sitting together hunched over an object that Hermione couldn't see. "Hey guys whatcha looking at?" She reached for the object but Ginny quickly hid it behind her back.

"Hey Mione how'd you sleep? Okay? Well I have to head to Transfiguration. C'mon Rayne!" Ginny jumped to her feet and dragged a surprised Rayne out of the Great Hall.

Hermione stared perplexed at the retreating figures, "okay then…somehow I feel it is better that I don't ask." She shrugged and turned back to the table to get some breakfast. She was about to fill her plate when an owl landed on it and dropped a letter in front of her. Hermione frowned when she saw the red envelope and hesitated to pick it up. The envelope started to smoke slightly around the corners, Hermione cringed and picked up the envelope only to drop it again when it burst into flames and a shrill voice began screeching at her, startling everyone in the Great Hall.

HOW DARE YOU LEAD MY SON ON YOU DISGUSTING LITTLE HUSSY! AFTER ALL HE HAS DONE FOR YOU, THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT HIM?! HE HAS DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU AND ALWAYS BEEN BY YOUR SIDE! AND YOU REPAY HIM BY JUMPING INTO EVERY AVAILABLE MAN'S BED?! HOW COULD YOU?! WE HAVE TREATED YOU LIKE FAMILY EVER SINCE RONALD FIRST BROUGHT YOU TO OUR HOUSE! YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME TO THE BURROW AND YOU ARE NOT NOR WILL YOU EVER BE A MEMBER OF THIS FAMILY! I HOPE YOU GET WHAT YOU RIGHTLY DESERVE YOU FILTHY LITTLE SLAG!

Hermione sat there dumbstruck as the voice faded and everyone in the Great Hall began to whisper and point fingers at her. She tried to regulate her breathing as her mind continued to repeat Mrs. Weasely's words. She barely noticed more owls landing in front of her or the two bodies on either side of her. Hermione closed her eyes but they were quickly forced open again when more shrill screeching began magnified 100 times. She looked at the table and noticed about 10 more Howlers that were beginning to smoke, not including the one that was currently screaming about how a mudblood like her didn't deserve the famous Ronald Weasely. Hermione glared at the letter and quickly vanished the rest before they could start screaming as well.

"Well that escalated quickly." Hermione sighed and hit her head on the table, dragging her hands through her hair and tugging hard on the curls. "This is complete and utter bullshit. What the bloody hell is going on?" She groaned and hit her head on the table a few more times before two pairs of hands grabbed her shoulders, stopping her self-inflicted pain.

"Well it's like Potter told you yesterday, Weasely went to Skeeter with a fake story on how you are a… adventurous woman." Blaise finished lamely as Draco looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Listen Granger, anyone who actually knows you won't believe anything that Skeeter has written." Draco added as he kept a restraining hand on Hermione's shoulder. He watched her carefully as she clenched her jaw and looked around her. "What are you looking for?"

She ignored him and continued her search and nearly cried in triumph as she spotted a Daily Prophet a few feet away from her. She was about to read it when Neville Longbottom walked up to her.

"Hey Mione."

"Hello Neville." She smiled hesitantly at him.

"I just wanted to tell you that Ron is a certifiable idiot for going to Skeeter with this bogus interview. We all know that none of what she wrote was true and I am personally behind you all the way." Neville gently patted her shoulder before walking away, not giving Hermione a chance to respond.

"Bollocks! How could I be so stupid and forget about the interview?!" Hermione tried to bang her head on the table again but was stopped by the two Slytherins who still had a firm grip on her shoulders. She was about to berate them when the headline on the front page of the paper caught her eye.

Hermione Granger: Golden Girl or Scarlet Lady?

Exclusive interview with one third of the Golden Trio, Ronald Weasley, who tells all about the alleged Gryffindor Princess who has managed to capture the Wizarding world's heart but is she really what she seems? The sweet, innocent looking young woman who was thought to be the sweetheart of Ronald Weasley, has lately been seen in the company of two resident bad boys, Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zambini, as well as the Boy who Lived, Harry Potter. Hermione Granger appears to be working her way through the young gentlemen of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, without remorse or care for the crushed hearts she leaves behind. Is any man safe from this young man-eater? Article cont. pg. 4

Hermione looked below at the pictures of her and Ron. Ron was glaring at her from the corner of his photo while her photo self was winking flirtatiously and blowing kisses at anyone passing by. Hermione angrily crumpled the newspaper as she tried to stop herself from apparating straight to the Burrow to hex Ron into oblivion, she didn't even seem to notice that blue sparks were flaring from her hair, which was steadily getting bushier. The two Slytherin's beside her were watching her apprehensively as she got up from the table, ignoring everyone in the Great Hall that was staring at her, and made her way to the Staff table. She stopped in front of Professor McGonagall who had been watching her approach, and took a deep breath.

"Headmistress I would like to ask for your permission to leave the grounds for a few hours."

"May I ask why you need to leave Miss Granger?" The Headmistress looked down at her favorite student, whose hair was still emitting sparks, as she clenched her jaw in frustration.

"Well first I need to curse a certain red headed idiot and then to need to stop by the Daily Prophet, and if things go wrong I need to go see the Minister of Magic." Hermione ground out as she tried to rein in her anger.

The Headmistress raised her eyebrows and nodded in assent, and continued to watch the young woman turn on her heel and exit the Great Hall with Blaise and Draco on her tail.

"Granger? Where are you going?" Draco asked somewhat apprehensively as he watched the Gryffindor witch mutter darkly under her breath, he followed her closely with Blaise but carefully avoided the sparks that were flying off of her hair. He looked over at Blaise who was looking at Hermione with concern as she stormed out of the castle and onto the grounds.

Hermione stopped abruptly causing Blaise to crash into her, and they both ended up on the ground, with Blaise on the bottom as he had quickly wrapped his arms around her and turned their bodies so she didn't get hurt.

"Ow..."

Blaise winced as he kept his arms securely around Hermione who had her eyes closed and was clinging to Blaise for dear life.

"Oi! Are you two alright?" Draco stood over them, watching as the both untangled themselves and carefully stood up.

"Yeah, I think so. Sorry about that Blaise, I didn't mean to make us fall." Hermione whispered, with her hands on Blaise's chest as she looked up at him.

Blaise smiled slightly a brushed an errant curl off of her forehead. "It's alright; I know all of this stuff with Weasley is infuriating."

Draco watched this small interaction with a smirk before clearing his throat loudly causing the two to jump apart and blush furiously. "So Granger, where are we heading?"

"Oh that's right, first we need to go and visit Harry. He is probably at the Ministry right now; he and I will have to face the press together I think we will make a better impact that way. Then I need to go to the Daily Prophet office and threaten to sue them for slander. I can guarantee that this will be the last time that Rita Skeeter writes a bogus story about me." Hermione stated with an evil smirk as she turned her attention to the Hogwarts gate. "Are you guys coming with me? Or do I need to do all of this alone?"

Both boys looked at her like she was stupid and they steered her through the gate and apparated away to the Ministry of Magic.

They had arrived at the Ministry and were making their way to the Auror training center when they ran into Arthur Weasley inside a lift. Hermione grabbed Blaise's arm tightly when she saw him.

"Hello Mr. Weasley." Hermione smiled nervously at him, she wasn't sure if he shared his wife's sentiments about her.

"Oh hello Hermione, here to see Harry, are you?" Mr. Weasley smiled warmly at her and gave her a brief hug. He had received a letter from Ginny about the article in the Daily Prophet and was disgusted with his youngest son and couldn't believe that he would drag Hermione's name through the mud like that.

Hermione's smile warmed and she released her death grip on Blaise's arm and returned Mr. Weasley's hug. "Yes, I need him to deliver a statement to the press with me, since Rita decided to bring his name into this as well. By the way I don't believe you've met Blaise Zambini. He is Head boy with me and of course you know Draco." She pulled both Slytherins forward to meet Arthur and fought a laugh at the looks of astonishment on all three faces.

Draco was the first to recover, and held his hand out to the stunned redhead. "Hello Mr. Weasley, it's lovely to see you again on better terms I might add." He elbowed Blaise who was looking at Arthur with a mixture of fear and surprise.

Arthur looked at the hand that was extended to him and looked over the young Malfoy appraisingly before shaking the proffered hand. "So you're friends with Hermione now? How did that happen?" He watched as the young man smiled indulgently at Hermione who was trying to break Blaise out of his stupor.

"Well she saved me from Pansy Parkinson who insists that we are getting married but frankly I think that is just in her mind, and in doing so introduced me to Rayne Stonewell-"

"Oh so you've met Rayne? Has she mentioned her fan club yet?" Arthur asked with hidden amusement as the young Malfoy flushed slightly in indignation.

"It's not a fan club. It's a social group that just discusses one thing…me." Draco flushed furiously when Arthur laughed warmly and clapped him on the shoulder.

"That is exactly how Rayne described it to me when I asked her about it. Am I right in suspecting there might be a budding friendship there? Or is there more?" Arthur teased. Hermione saw Draco starting to look angry and quickly jumped into the conversation.

"Oh sorry Mr. Weasley this is our stop. It was nice to see you!" Hermione grabbed Blaise and Draco, forcibly dragging them out of the lift leaving an immensely amused Arthur behind.

Blaise and Draco waited in the hall outside the conference room where Harry and Hermione were planning their response to the Prophet article. They could hear the voices gradually getting louder as time went on. Blaise turned to Draco who was glaring at the wall in front of him.

"Dray?"

"Hm?"

"So how long have you liked that Rayne girl?" Blaise nearly laughed at the expression on Draco's face.

"I don't!"

"Yea sure mate."

"You're one to talk."

"What do you mean Dray?"

Draco smirked. "You and Granger?"

Blaise flushed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Draco's smirked widened and pulled out two photographs from his pocket and handed them to Blaise who took them, confused.

"Dray what's thi-?" Blaise trailed off as he looked at the two pictures in his hand. One was of him and Granger sleeping, Hermione was asleep on top of him; straddling his hips. His picture form had his hands running over Hermione's back and grasped her buttocks. The second picture was of him and Hermione on the ground by her bed, he was on top of her in between her legs; their picture selves looked very surprised but not upset by their positions. Blaise flushed scarlet and was so focused on the photos that he didn't notice Hermione enter the hall and was standing in front of him until Draco's voice finally broke through his stupor.

"So Granger how did it go?"

"It went alright I suppose. Harry and I couldn't really agree on a statement so we just decided to make two separate statements but together. If that actually makes any sense." She took a deep breath and looked at Blaise who was still looking at something. "What's Blaise?" She reached for it but Blaise quickly shoved the papers into his pocket.

"It's nothing, so what's next?"

So that's it for this chapter, hopefully you guys will clicky on that button on the bottom of the page and review. it would make me so happy!