.x. Still haven't figured out how this will all end.. we only have three days of the week left after all! Please review and leave me a bit of love! .x.

Thursday

The Day passed without seeing Malfoy at all. He wasn't there when she reached the Manor that morning or when she made excuses to visit the bathroom when she didn't really need it. She walked the entire grounds watching her team remove the shrivelled pieces of Horklump and there was still no sign of him. At lunch she sat on the grass outside enjoying the late August sun, just to see if he would walk out of the doors of the Manor. She even stayed late again in the tent telling herself she was finishing off work. It was past 6pm now and the team had left over an hour ago. There was no reason for her to be here and she was starting to get hungry so made the decision to head home. Maybe he would be here tomorrow. She just missed the conversation she told herself.

She reached for her bag on the chair behind her. When she turned back around there he was just coming through the entrance.

"Hi." He said. Her stomach flipped. Oh dear... she thought.

"Hi." She replied in awe of him. He was in a suit. A muggle suit. Dark royal blue, white shirt, navy tie with thin white stripes. That was it... she fancied him. Shit.

"I would ask what you're still doing here, but I assume your answer would be preparing for tomorrow or catching up on work." He said with a smirk as he moved closer to her.

"Hmm," she managed with a small nod of her head. "I was just about to leave actually."

"I'm glad I caught you then. I've been away on business today, I should have told you before I'm sorry." He was standing on the other side of the table, his large palms now flat against the surface.

"Don't worry about it. You don't need to tell me where you are." She turned to find her jumper behind her if only to try to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. She couldn't believe she was this giddy. He was only in a suit. She had to pull herself together.

"What does the evening hold for you tonight?" He asked and she turned around to answer.

"Not much… you?" she responded. Pushing her hair behind her ear.

"Well, I didn't have an awful lot planned... probably will make a start on the research to replenish the grounds."

"That's a good idea. It could take some time."

"Well you see... I know how much you love to read so I thought you might like to join me? Of course if I'm not keeping you from anything in particular, I would really appreciate some help."

She was stunned for a moment but then realised he was not in fact asking her on a date but was asking her to help with his homework. She shrugged her shoulders, "If you call reading alone and cooking for one exciting…"

"Is that a yes then?" He asked looking at her hopefully.

She should say no. Leave now just in case she made a fool of herself. But then he was looking at her, smiling and it made her stomach flip again. "Yes." She said before her brain had time to catch up with her mouth. Then her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten since lunch time. "I need to go home to get some food first."

"You can eat here with me." He said quickly.

She didnt know what to say. "I don't want to be in the way..." She really didn't. She didn't want to give him cause to think she was annoying.

"You wont be. It's the least I can do. You can close up here and I'll meet you at the doors when you're finished." He gave a small smile then turned and headed for the exit.

As soon as her left the tent she rushed over to the mirror to do something with her hair. When it was released from the band holding it back it fell in large curls around her face. Not wanting to seem like she had made too much of an effort she performed a quick smoothing charm to iron out the kinks and pulled it into long smooth curls rather than the messy ones she had woken up with this morning.

She cursed herself for not bringing any makeup so pinched her cheeks to bring some colour to her face although as she seemed to blush around him like a madwoman she didn't really need it. She pulled out her lip balm from her bag and smoothed it over her lips. She then stood looking at herself and gave a sigh.

Was she hoping that he may find her attractive in some way? After everything they had been through did she want some form of approval from him? No it wasnt that. She found him attractive too. She wanted him to find her attractive because she found him attractive. Merlin, even she was confused by what was going on in her own mind. She should have said no.

She was his polar opposite. Not a pure blood not rich, not beautiful. It didn't matter how she looked, it wouldn't change his opinion of her so why bother.

At that she grabbed her bag and walked towards the exit, turning the lamp off with a flick of her wand and sealing the entrance to the tent.

He was waiting for her as she stepped through the entrance doors to the Manor and he beckoned for her to follow him through a large door to the left. He placed his hand on the door and whispered an incantation before turning the handle and ushering her through the open door. She stepped in before him and found herself in marble lined corridor with large windows overlooking the grounds of the Manor to the left and doors to the right. He pulled the door behind him and they walked side by side to the end of the corridor before it turned right. They continued for a few more paces before he stopped and opened a door to his left.

She walked inside and immediately her mouth fell open. She was in a large rectangle room with floor to ceiling windows at the opposite end with a view of a lake and rolling fields. The ceiling was very high and books lined the walls at least three quarters of the way up, with ladders attached to eaeach section so the top ones could be reached. The highest quarter of the wall was full to the ceiling with a mural of what looked to be a great magical fight. Wizards with bright blonde hair were fighting wizards with dark hair with fire in their eyes and large black animals like huge dogs were fighting with bright silver unicorns. She tore her eyes away to the centre of the room where she found a large fireplace with a red sofa and a few armchairs surrounding it. A short table was set in the middle with parchment rolled up and an assortment of quills laid on its surface.

She stepped in a few paces more on the hardwood flooring and turned round to see Malfoy watching her.

"Wow." Was all she could manage as she stared at him is disbelief.

He shrugged and walked past her. "This is amazing. How are you not more amazed by this?" She followed him further into the room.

"You're seeing this with fresh eyes. Although it is a great room." He said as he took of his suit jacket and hung it on the back of the red sofa.

"Merlin, I wish we were friends at Hogwarts. I'd have invited myself over all the time if I knew this was here." He spun round to look at her.

"Oh so nothing to do with my charming character or dashing good looks?" He smirked.

"Gosh no. Definitely not. Just for the books." She smirked back at him and walked over to the wall to her left. She suddenly felt at ease with him despite her earlier worries.

"Ha-ha Granger. Would you like a drink?"

"Oh a tea would be great please." She skimmed her fingers over some of the books on the wall checking out the covers.

"Tea? Granger, you're off duty and you're doing me a favour. Come on."

"Butterbeer?" she asked and he rolled his eyes at her.

"Wine it is." He decided. "What's your fancy?"

"What do you have?" she queried. He looked at her like she was joking.

"We have everything." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Then you pick." She pulled a book off the shelf she thought might be helpful.

"Do you prefer red or white?"

"White please."

"I'll be right back." He said as he left the room and the door closed with a click.

She didn't take her eyes of the books as she moved further round the room admiring the age of some of them and finding ones that might be useful. She was lost in thought and by the time Malfoy had reappeared she had already placed six on the table in front of the chairs and had three more in her arms. His presence made her jump and he sauntered back into the room with two bottles of wine and two wine glasses in his hands.

"Two?" She said as she looked at him exasperated as she followed him back towards the chairs.

"Just in case." Was all he said as he sat the glasses down on the table in front of the sofa. She sat down on the sofa with the books by her side and he sat next to her at the other end, bringing a piece of parchment each and a quill. She took them from him and handed him a book or two in return. He pulled off his tie and he undid the top two buttons of his shirt. There he was. The relaxed Draco she had come to know these past few days.

"I thought we could get started with these." She said as his rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, she caught a glimpse of the black smudged snake. "They're on Herbology. I thought it would be best to start there." She dragged her eyes away from his forearm and up to his face.

"You're the boss." He said as he opened the bottle of wine and poured them each a glass, handing her one as she opened the first book. He held up his glass for them to cheers. She moved hers towards his and they met with a chink. She watched as he took a sip of his wine and placed it back on the table in front of them before copying him and settling into her first book.