A/N:

Hello there, thank you for checking out this new -and a little longer- chapter. As promised I've made a list over users who have either reviewed/favourite or put the story on alert:

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Thank you all so much!

Enjoy the new chapter, R&R.

X

Chapter thirteen.

Draco helped Hermione out of the carriage. It was so dark, so none of them could see anything, but they could sense each other.

Their fingers still intertwined they walked into the castle. Filch had left the main-door open for them.

The Great Hall was only lit up by a chandelier from the ceiling.

"So I suppose this is where we are going separated ways," said Draco, and broke the long-lasting silence.

"Yes it is." Hermione could tell that she was all red in the face. She probably had been ever since the kiss, but it was not before now that Draco could see it.

Draco leaned in to kiss her, but Hermione avoided it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Not here. Suppose anyone sees us."

They both took a glare around the empty hall.

"Nobody's up, 'Mione," said Draco, and did once again attempt to kiss her.

This time Hermione gave in but only for very few seconds. Their lips had barely brushed each other before she took a step back.

"Goodnight, Draco," she said.

"'Night, 'Mione."

They walked separate ways -he towards the Dungeons, she the Gryffindor common-room where she found Harry and Ron waiting for her.

"Well, look who we have here," grunted Ron at the sight of Hermione.

Hermione was surprised to see him without Lavender around. She wondered if they already had broken up. After all, Ron had considered it.

"Nice to see you too, Ron," said Hermione in sarcasm. She was so tired of Ron and his never ending tone of surprise. And it surprised her that they were still friends. She thought that she by now would've gone insane.

"So how was dinner date with Malfoy?" asked Harry.

"Date? Who said anything about a date?" Hermione was shaking. She feared they knew about the kiss.

"Calm down, 'Mione, it was just a joke."

"'Mione? You've never called me that before!" she yelled. "What do you know?"

Harry and Ron looked both surprised and confused about Hermione's behaviour. None of them said a word. They did not dare.

Hermione took a deep breath, and calmed down.

"Sorry. Er, dinner was fine. It was with Malfoy you know, so I needed to yell a bit. Wasn't meant to hurt you. Goodnight!"

Hermione left to her dormitory without looking back.

She lay awake for a long time, just thinking that days events through.

Had Draco really meant to kiss her? Or had he been under control of the fire-whiskey?

Then it hit her; he had!

He had been so drunk that he had not been able to control his own actions or words. The kiss was just an impulse thing that meant absolutely nothing, and the words about Dumbledore were obviously lies. He had just tried to impress her.

Hermione felt stupid for ever believing that he was speaking the truth.

Hermione closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

"I'm not sure I can take it any more, Harry! She is driving me nuts!" Ron complained to his best friend about his girlfriend Lavender.

"Why don't you just break up with her then?" suggested Harry.

Ron shook his head quietly.

"I can't. What should I tell her -I can't go out with you any more, you're annoying?"

Harry started laughing, but when he saw Ron's face expression it told him that now was not the time.

"Just say you've met someone new."

"Can't. She'll ask me who, and you know how bad I am at lying about that."

"I'm sure Hermione would do you the favour of pretending to be your girlfriend," said Harry.

This time Ron burst into a nervous laughter.

"You're kidding me, right? Hermione wouldn't do such thing!"

"I wouldn't do what?" asked Hermione who had just joined them. They were walking towards Potions Monday afternoon.

"Nothi-" Ron said, but Harry cut him off, decided to tell the truth.

"Pretend to be Ron's girlfriend so that he can break up with Lavender."

"Ron's right -I would never do that," she said with a chuckle, and entered class.

Professor Slughorn made them sit in the same groups as last time, and repeat the same Potion because they "had all failed at it -except of course Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger."

"Hi, Granger," said Draco with a voice that made Hermione doubt if Draco even remembered any thing from Friday night. Apparently not, because she was the only one who felt the awkward tension between them.

"Malfoy," replied Hermione, and tried to sound cold. It was challenging, though. She had just gotten used to being nice to him.

They did not work as hard as last time on the Potion because they had already completed it then.

Draco cut the porks this time.

At the end of class Professor Slughorn once again took a glare at each of the cauldrons.

"Nicely done, Longbottom.. You need to work on that, Zabini, Potter.. Great job, Parkinson and Rupert! You are growing on each other, eh?"

Hermione turned her head to look at Pansy and Ron. And just as Slughorn had said the bad tension between them seemed to have gone lost. They were even smiling at each other.

Hermione wrinkled her nose.

"Oh, you've done it again. I might need to challenge you a bit more. A step ahead, eh? Have you used my gift card yet?" Slughorn asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Yes, Friday night to be more exact," she told.

"Oh, I see. Did you enjoy it?"

even though it was a conversation between Slughorn, Draco and Hermione, the entire class were listening along. They all found it insanely exciting that Draco and Hermione had been out together.

"Yes, the food was very delicious," answered Hermione, curtain she would not satisfy her fellow classmates with any so called gossip.

Professor Slughorn called the class to an end, and left the Dungeons himself.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?" said Draco.

All the students who had been hurrying to get out all of a sudden froze so that they could follow the conversation.

"Sure, Draco. What do you have in mind?"

"I was just thinking -er- what happened last night? I mean, the last thing I remember is ordering dinner with you. Every thing after that is a blur."

Hermione giggled low.

"You were pretty drunk too, I must say. It was quite entertaining," she told. "Well, you had dinner with me, and afterwards we walked through Hogsmeade. We talked about school and so. Nothing interesting," Hermione lied.

"Oh, okay." Draco looked rather disappointed -as had he expected something more.

Hermione looked as someone who was about to leave, so the rest of the class hurried out in a huge crowd.

"Oh, one more thing. It's actually quite funny," said Hermione, giggling, when the classroom was empty.

"Yeah?" Draco looked as if he knew what she was about to say, and was excited to her the words escape her beautiful lips.

"You said you had to kill Professor Dumbledore. Such rubbish."

Hermione began to laugh, and then left Draco behind in the class-room. He looked more doubtful than ever.

As February approached Quidditch practice filled more and more in the trio's lives.

Harry demanded the entire team on the field every second day to go through strategies, and try out new things. None of them ever succeed, though. They were best in their usual ways.

"Harry, now is the perfect time!"

"She has a boyfriend, Hermione. I can't just ask her out!" said Harry. Hermione knew that he was only using it as an excuse for not taking out Ginny Weasly for Valentine's Day.

She indeed had a boyfriend, but a terrible one. They were always fighting, but still Ginny could not make herself break up with him.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ron, and joined Hermione and Harry on their way back to the castle after a late night practise.

"Nothing," Harry quickly responded. He would not let Ron know that he fancied his sister.

"What's up with you, sulkie?" asked Hermione at the sight of Ron's wondering face expression. He seemed to be thinking which did not happen often.

"Hm?" he asked, clearly deep into his thoughts. "Oh, nothing. Just wondering about Lavender. With Valentine's Day coming up and all, you know," he eplained.

Hermione nodded.

"Oh yes, indeed I know," she spoke in sarcasm.

"It is about time you get yourself over Krum and find a new playmate," said Ron.

"Playmate? Please, Ronald. Only you would call it a playmate. That is certainly not what I am looking for."

"Then what are you looking for?"

Hermione felt that the conversation had taken an unexpected turn. She had only rarely discussed her love-life with the boys. It was only at the time of Viktor Krum that they had been very curious.

How was she going to explain who her type was when she did not even know herself?

"Well, someone with class. Someone who is not afraid to show his emotions and let me know what I mean to him," she said after a long time considering her words carefully.

"Oh, well that only exclude, hm, the entire school," grinned Harry. He was right. Not many boys at the school had what Hermione was looking for.

"Boys now at days," sighed Hermione.

"You'll find someone, I'm sure," said Harry, trying to cheer up Hermione.

She smiled at him, and then they reached the castle.

The rest of February drowned in rain which made Quidditch practise a whole lot tougher. Many players preferred spending Saturdays inside with a cup of hot chocolate, but Harry nearly forced them outside.

When Hermione, among many other Gryffindor Quidditch players, got hit by a cold, she had a talk with Harry, and made him change practise times to only twice a week instead of every day.

The 1st March Hermione woke up early only to find out that the trip to Hogsmeade has been cancelled. She therefore spend some hours at the library, doing homework.

She did not see the sight of any other student before Neville Longbottom rushed up to her a bit after morning.

"I thought I'd find you here!" he said with a bit of pride in his exhausted voice. His breathing was heavy and uneven from running.

"What's up, Neville?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"It's-" Neville took a deep breath and tries to calm down. "It's- It's Ron. Ron- he's in the- the Hospital Wing," Neville finally spoke.

Hermione jumped out of the chair she was seated in, and dropped her books to the floor.

"Ron's in the Hospital Wing? Why?"

"I'm not sure. His family and 'Arry's with him now."

Hermione left the library with fast footsteps.

"Thanks Neville!" she managed to yell, which made the librarian Madame Pince send her a hateful look.