Author's Note: Well, turns out I was in a posting mood after all, so here is the next chapter!

Chapter 17

I turn to lie on my other side and heave a sigh, staring into the dark.

I can't stop thinking about it. I shouldn't have kissed Blaise yesterday. I was just so angry with Ron, and I couldn't help it! He may have been about to kiss me before Ron interrupted us, but I… I was going to push him away, wasn't I? I don't want to get involved with someone like him. He may have changed for the better as far as good and evil goes, but I know that he's not the committing kind.

No, no. I don't want a relationship with him.

I don't want a relationship with him.

Then I sit upright, jolted into motion by a sudden burning on my chest. The charm, damn it. I pull it out from beneath my nightgown and hold it up, using my wand to light it up just enough for me to read it. One side still reads "HG", so I turn it around and see the word, "now".

Frowning, I get out of bed and get dressed quickly. Then I move over to Ginny's bed and shake her gently by the shoulder.

"Ginny, wake up."

She yawns and looks at me. "Oh it's you, Hermione."

"I have to go. Can you open the door for me later?" I ask.

She heaves a sigh. "All right, I'll get the door for you," she replies.

"Thanks, Ginny."

A moment later, I'm walking down the steps and exiting Number 12 through the front door.

Then I appear in the small living room that Malfoy and I agreed on. I'm standing behind the couch, and I see the back of his head. His platinum-blonde hair is always so perfect, isn't it?

I prepare myself. I won't be caught off-guard by him.

"Malfoy," I say.

"You came more quickly than I expected," he says without turning to face me.

I walk around his couch and stand in front of the table. "The charm said 'now'. I sort of had the feeling that this might be urgent," I reply.

He looks me in the eye, and I look back steadily, refusing to lose myself in his gaze. I glance down at the table and see a piece of parchment with elaborate lines and small, scribbled notes. So he has a map for me.

"What is this?" I ask him.

"It's a map," he says, holding it up to me.

I take it from him. "Yes, I can see that. What's it for?"

"Impatient, are we?" he says with a smirk. "Desperate to return to your dear Ronald? My, my, at this time of night, I wonder what the two of you would be up to."

I glare at him, some of the fury from yesterday rising to the surface. I don't even want to be associated with that freckle-faced, overly jealous redhead.

"He is not my 'dear Ronald'," I say angrily.

"Trouble in paradise, Granger?" he taunts me.

I don't answer him.

"Not so friendly. To business it is, then," he says, looking at the parchment in my hands. "This map marks the path that a large group of Death Eaters will take tomorrow evening, against a Muggle city called Nottingham. It will be led by my aunt, Bellatrix, and they will be at least twenty strong."

"At least?" I ask. Can't he be more specific?

"I don't have the precise numbers of my aunt's forces," he replies. "You're lucky I got the map at all."

I study the map carefully, memorizing the paths that have been marked. Twenty Death Eaters… I'll have to get this map to Lupin as soon as possible so that he can round up some members of the Order who are closer to Nottingham.

"You don't have to memorize it, keep it," he says.

"I will. I'm memorizing it in case it gets lost. Is there anything else?" I ask, glancing at him.

"Yes, there is just one more thing," he says, getting to his feet.

He'd better not try anything with me. I'm already on a short fuse, thanks to his comment about Ron. He puts his wand down on the table and lifts up his hands as if in surrender.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Granger. You don't have to be so scared."

What the hell? "I'm not scared," I say.

"Really?"

He walks around the coffee table and stops right in front of me. I get the feeling that he expected me to back away, but I won't let him scare me.

"I'd like to bet that you are," he says.

"And if I'm not?"

"I'll allow you to make one request of me, and I will carry it out without protesting or resisting, as long as it doesn't expose my new relationship to the Order."

I can tell that surprise is showing on my face. There is something wrong with Malfoy. Why would he be making a stupid bet like this? Either he doesn't mind giving me some power over him, or he's so arrogant that he's positive he can scare me. Since there's absolutely no way that he'd be all right with letting me, a Muggle-born, boss him around, then it must be the second reason.

Well, I'll show him. I'll prove him wrong.

"And I suppose that you'll expect the same from me if I am scared?" I say.

"Precisely," he says with a grin.

I shouldn't take this bet. It's not prudent at all. But it's so tempting, the possibility of having the ability to order Malfoy around, even if it's only once.

"Done. Now, how are you going to decide whether or not I'm scared of you?"

"Well, I could always take the easy way and use Legilimency on you," he says, smirking. "But that's no fun, is it? You want to have some fun, don't you?"

When he steps forward again, I instinctively back away from him and curse myself for not thinking first.

"And you say you're not scared," he says.

"Not scared, cautious," I counter.

He chuckles. "All right, then. You define what you'll consider as scared, and I'll test whether or not you're scared of me."

I sigh. "I really should be getting back."

It's late, and I want to get to sleep.

"Now that sounds like you're scared," he says.

Ugh! I can't stand it when he does that!

I shoot him a glare. "I am not! Fine. If you can make me scream, or yelp, or… I don't know, quiver with fear, then you win."

"Sounds fair to me."

I don't like the smug expression on his face one bit. He takes the map out of my left hand and drops it on the table behind him. He holds his hand out toward me.

"Wand, please. You won't be needing it," he says.

I frown, remembering Blaise's words. I'm not going to let him touch my wand. I step around him and place my wand on the table beside his. I turn around and wait for him. He turns to face me, and I can't tell what his expression means.

"Well, get started," I say. "I don't have all night."

"Close your eyes," he says.

Why? I'm going to laugh if he tries to scare my simply by yelling "boo" while my eyes are closed. But that'd be too undignified for a snobby prick like him. I close my eyes and wait.

And wait.

What the hell is he waiting for?

I open my mouth to voice my question, but suddenly his lips are covering mine, and his tongue invades my mouth. Startled, my eyes pop open, and I get a very, very close look at his closed eyes. His eyelashes are unexpectedly long for a man.

No, what am I thinking?

I start to lift my arms to shove him away from me, afraid of the sensations that are stirring low in my belly, but his hands clamp down around my wrists. I struggle against his grip, but for some reason, I can't move my head away from his, and his tongue continues to stroke and explore my mouth.

Before I know it, I've stopped fighting to free my hands, and his hands are tangled up in my hair.

Stop, Hermione! This is insanity!

But why can't I be insane sometimes? I'm sick and tired of being calm, collected, bookworm Granger! I remember the way Malfoy mentioned Ron, as though we belong together.

So what if this is insane?

I stop fighting for control and allow my instincts to take over. My tongue twists in a slow dance with his, and I reach up to put my arms around his neck. I take a tiny step forward and pull with my arms, pressing myself into him. It feels so perfect, as though our bodies were made to fit together like this.

He walks forward, and I step back with him until my back hits the wall. His body presses against mine, and I can feel his erection against my belly. Liquid heat pulses at my core as I realize that I am the reason why he's so aroused.

Too soon, he starts to pull away.

Oh god Malfoy, not now… I haven't had enough yet.

When he breaks the kiss, both of us are breathing heavily, and I hear him say one word under his breath.

"Fuck."

I haven't even opened my eyes to look at him. Looking at him will end the moment. And I don't want to admit to myself that I was just snogging Draco Malfoy like my life depended on it.

"You got that right," I manage to whisper as I try to catch my breath.

Then he tugs at my hair, and I cry out to get him to stop. He stops moving his hands—they're tangled in my hair. I open my eyes, and the first thing I see is that pair of quicksilver eyes. I immediately drop my gaze away from them, but the next thing my eyes rest on are his lips, slightly swollen from our kissing.

Feeling my cheeks beginning to burn, I reach behind my head to try to untangle his fingers from my hair. I'm thankful for the distraction—my mind is still reeling from that kiss. I have no idea why it happened, why he did it. If he asked me why I responded the way I did, I wouldn't know what to say. I just know that we seem to have crossed a line.

"Maybe you should do something about that ridiculous hair of yours," he says.

I glare at him for a moment before looking back down at his neck. "I like your mouth better when it's not making any noise," I retort.

"Likewise," he says.

Maybe we haven't crossed a line. He's reacting completely normally. How can he pretend that that didn't just happen?

Author's Note: I'm curious to hear what you guys think about the different perspectives of the kiss. Which did you like better?

Also, I wanted to include the entire scene in one chapter, but I decided to regroup scenes so that this and the next chapter will be closer to each other in length. So you'll have the rest of Hermione's reaction in the next chapter! I promise I won't keep you waiting long.