A/N: do I really have to state this every time? I do not own Harry Potter or anything to do with the Harry Potter world. However it would be nice…
Christmas was fast approaching and Draco was feeling nervous. He had sent off for owl delivery of a pendant for Pansy's Christmas gift. He had to admit, he wanted to show her how much he cared for her friendship and he knew how much she cared for him. Ever since the day he had spent with her running around the halls of Hogwarts pranking anyone they could he had started to feel differently about his best friend. He wasn't quite sure what to think as he was still madly infatuated with Hermione. Pansy may not be Hermione, but at least she likes me he often found himself thinking in regard to the raven haired Slytherin. He knew that it wouldn't be fair on her if he tried to substitute her for the girl of his dreams. Draco sighed rather audibly, enough for the small boy residing in the bed next to his in the small dorm. Just as Draco thought the boy was about to say something Draco got up and headed for the bathroom, he had no desire on sharing his feelings or thoughts with someone whose name he didn't even care for. Walking down to the common room he looked around, Pansy was in fact waiting for him to head to the great hall for breakfast.
Taking Pansy's hand he took off for the Great Hall. He was eager to get there in time for the post delivery, trekking up to the owlery wasn't his idea of fun and he would have to if he missed it.
"Thought of what you're going to do to get her attention yet?" Pansy asked him no point beating around the bush making small talk she thought.
"I don't know, maybe go to the library more? I mean she's always in there so it would be hard not to see her right?"
"I suppose Draco, what will you do once your there?"
"I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Being in the same room as her makes me sweaty, I don't know if I could handle actually striking up conversation."
"Are you still worried that your parents will somehow find out?"
"Yeah, I mean if they did they would surely disown me and then where would I go? Your parents are just as bad as mine so I doubt that you would even be allowed to talk to me. I couldn't lose you Pans"
Pansy blushed, she knew he didn't mean it that way but she still wished he would. "Aww Draco, I love you too" she teased if only he knew how much
"Shut it Parkinson, if people hear you talking like that they'll have us married before we're of age" he teased back "love you though" he added in quietly.
AHH he said it back! Ok, calm down Pansy it's not as if he is actually in love with you "I know you big doofus" there, no damage done. Draco playfully nudged her with his shoulder almost knocking her over. "HEY! Watch it, I might just push you back one of these days"
The two had made their way to the Hall and sat down for breakfast, facing away from the Gryffindor table as he usually did to avoid looking at Hermione. Halfway through their bacon and eggs the post arrived. Two parcels landed in front of Draco and he quickly scooped them up and put them in his book bag. "Not going to open them?" Pansy asked him.
"No, I'll open them later it's nothing important" he said off-handedly , he couldn't open them in front of her or the surprise would be ruined. He couldn't wait for Christmas to watch her open it. He planned on asking his parents a while ago if Pansy could come over one of the Christmas holidays, maybe Boxing Day. He would be able to spend more time with her and maybe let his parents think they were an item, after all his parents would approve as she came from a respectable pure-blood family plus she was a Slytherin.
Draco headed to the library after dinner, he hoped a certain someone would be there so he could do, well, something. He got to the doors and paused. This was it, his chance at impressing her. The library was empty, all for a certain bushy haired Gryffindor that was. He walked around the bookshelves looking for the books he would need, after all he could at least get some homework done in the process. After getting what he needed he headed over to the table Hermione sat at and stopped. What am I doing? Just sit down and stop being such a wuss! She is going to think you're deranged if you stand here like this for much longer. Draco hesitantly sat down and muttered a quick hi at the girl now staring at him.
"What are you doing Draco?" Hermione whispered
"Studying, what does it look like Granger" he whispered back.
"I mean, Malfoy, why are you sitting next to me? You hate me, or have you suddenly got amnesia?"
"mmm no, I just thought I would sit with the smartest girl in the school and study. Have you got a problem with that?"
"I suppose I couldn't stand in the way of someone studying. Wait, did you just call me the smartest girl in the whole school?" Hermione asked the Slytherin, not sure if he was being sarcastic or not.
"Yup" Draco said lightly, he looked up at her for the first time since sitting down and offered her a brief smile this is going particularly well.
"Aren't you worried about being seen with me?"
"Why would I be worried about people seeing me getting you to do my homework?" Draco questioned her with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Listen here Malfoy, if you think-"
"You really think I would let you do my homework? You know none of the Professors would believe I did it right?" Draco cut her off, "I just want to sit here and study with you Hermione" he mumbled.
Hermione couldn't believe her ears, was Draco Malfoy really sitting across from her being nice?
God what am I doing? This was supposed to be a quiet study session not a full blown conversation Draco thought to himself. He wasn't sweating buckets as he thought he would have been either and realised that the smart girl had been surprisingly easy to talk to.
"um, alright then. If you need any help I'll be happy to give it" Hermione said
"Right, thanks." Draco said suddenly feeling awkward he copied the Gryffindor's actions and buried his head in his books and started making notes for the assignments he had to hand in the next week.
Draco got back to the common room just before curfew his brain feeling like he had hit his head continuously with a hammer and found pansy sitting by the fire waiting on him reading a book. Draco looked at her and couldn't help to notice how pretty she looked sitting there, the flames adding a soft glow to her face. He shook himself from his thoughts and went to sit next to her. "hey Pans, what are you still doing up?
"Oh, just reading and waiting on you. I wanted to know how your date went?" she questioned.
"It wasn't a date Pans, you know that. I just went to study."
"Yeah with the girl of your dreams!" Pansy laughed, "so I'll ask you again, how did it go?"
"Yeah was alright" Draco said trying to brush off the question. Suddenly he didn't really feel like talking about the Gryffindor. "Nothing special really, I got most of my homework done for the week and Hermione is really great to study with but wasn't much fun without my best friend there."
"Stop trying to butter me up Draco, if you would rather not talk about it that's fine but don't try to brush me off" what's his game? Why doesn't he want to talk to me? Pansy wondered.
Damn Draco thought, how did she get to know me so well? "It was nothing special Pans, I promise. I just don't feel like talking much tonight. Come on, it's time for bed and I need to sleep after all the work I've just put my brain though" Draco laughed.
"Yeah ok ya big flapper. If you ever don't feel like talking you just have to say Dray, I won't be angry with you or anything" like I ever could anyway Pansy thought.
Draco lay in bed staring through the window at the night sky, the stars twinkling and the sound of crickets chirping soothing his mind. He was thinking about HHHH HHHermione and Pansy, he didn't know what to think about the situation at hand. He liked Pansy a lot, he just didn't feel the way he felt about Hermione. He didn't know if it was the air of mysteriousness around her, the way she seemed so proper or if it was simply because she was beautiful. Even though he felt like this about the bushy haired Gryffindor he knew that it was very unlikely that she would ever like him back. He sighed and looked out across the Black Lake, what was he going to do? He had a perfectly nice girl right here that liked him and happened to be his best friend but all he wanted was the pretty muggle born Gryffindor who would never like him anyway even if he did somehow become her friend.