DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This fiction is purely for my own enjoyment and yours. No money is being made by me or anyone else from this fiction.

Author Note: Wow! I've already got some great response for Chapter One of "Charmed." I'm so glad everyone's enjoying it. Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites!

(2) Thank you to Moonlight Calls, who pointed out some errors in this chapter. Hopefully I have fixed them!

Chapter 2

"Mummy! Mummy!" shrieked Naomi as she ran down the long hallway to her bedroom. Evanna followed close behind, laughing and screaming along with her sister.

"I'm going to get you!" growled Draco in a mock-scary voice. He ran behind them, his arms and hands outstretched. "I'm getting closer..."

Hermione turned around in the doorway of Naomi's room just in time to see a head of brown curls fly past her and hide behind her legs. Evanna, blonde curls flying, followed suit, squealing at the top of her lungs. "Woah," she laughed, grabbing the door frame with one hand and sliding the other over her slightly bulging stomach. "Easy there, girls. Who's coming to get you?"

Naomi looked up at her mother with wide, laughing eyes. "Daddy is," she said as gravely as she could manage in her breathless voice. Evanna just scrunched up her nose, smiled and buried her head in the back of Hermione's knees.

Suddenly, from the end of the hall, Hermione and the girls heard a slow, thumping sound. It was the sound of slow, heavy footsteps. From behind her legs, the girls giggled. "I'm coming...to get...you!" said Draco in a low voice. Again the girls giggled. Hermione smiled.

"You can't catch us Daddy!" shouted Naomi, poking her head out from behind her mother's legs and sticking her chin defiantly in the air.

Draco ran heavily up the hallway. "I'm not...your daddy...ANYMORE!" he roared and ran straight at Hermione and the little girls hiding behind her. Naomi and Evanna shrieked with laughter and grabbed at Hermione's nightgown.

Hermione laughed. "Run girls!" she cried. They fled from their spot behind Hermione and ran to the bed laughing. Draco paused at the door to give Hermione a quick peck on the cheek before entering the room, letting out another roar as he did so.

"I've got you now!" he roared and finally caught the girls, tickling them as they lay laughing and kicking on the bed. Finally Draco gave way to laughter too and he fell back onto the bed, hugging both girls close to him. "Okay, okay, Daddy can't take any more," he wheezed. Naomi and Evanna giggled and burrowed into either side of him. Draco stuck his head up from the bed. "Oi! Mummy! Get over here and join us, and bring Junior with you."

"Alright," Hermione said with a laugh. "But if anyone tickles me, they'll be sorry."

Draco gave her an innocent smile. "I wouldn't dream of it, dear."

Hermione woke with a gasp and her head fell to the desk in front of her. For all her determination not to fall asleep, Hermione had drifted off, head in her hands at her desk, with last week's Transfiguration essay half finished before her. She squinted against the pale morning light. What time is it? she wondered.

The common room around her was deserted; the fire was just a few dull orange coals in the fireplace and the light streaming in through the windows was pale and cold. Looks like it's still early yet, Hermione thought. With a yawn, she stood up and stretched. How could I have fallen asleep? I knew I would dream about him again…

Try as she might, Hermione could not muster up any regret for having dreamed about Draco again. He was so sweet, playing with our girls like that. If only it were real… Hermione shook herself. "Enough of that," she told herself sternly. I'm only fifteen for goodness sake! The War has barely even started. I haven't even taken my O.W.L.s yet! This is not a time to be thinking about marriage. Especially not with Draco Malfoy.

Hermione looked down at her rumpled robes from yesterday. "I'd best shower and change before breakfast, or they'll be all kinds of questions for me," she reasoned quietly to herself. Then, realizing she was talking aloud to herself, shook her head again and hurried up to her dormitory to get fresh clothes.

After managing to snag her clothes and other necessities from her dormitory without waking the nosey duo of Lavender and Parvati, Hermione made her way to the girls' bathroom to take a nice hot shower. Thank goodness for Saturdays, she thought to herself. I can have the bathroom to myself while everyone else has a lie-in.

The hot water felt good against her skin and worked wonders for waking her up. She hopped out of the shower, dressed for the day, and expertly pulled her still damp hair back into a French braid. No bushiness today. She smiled at herself in the mirror as she checked over her appearance. Wait, why am I taking so long to get ready? All I'm doing today is catching up on schoolwork with—

Hermione froze. All she was doing today was catching up on schoolwork. With Draco. Immediately her cheeks heated up as she recalled the flirtatious conversation between herself and Draco the day before. "I'll ask McGonagall to give both of us the afternoon off. Since you're so keen to spend time with me, you can work on your missed work with me. We'll help each other. I believe you've already made me that offer anyway, isn't that right?" Hermione groaned and put her head in her hands. What had she been thinking? And that hadn't even been the worst of it. They had been blatantly flirting in front of Professor Dumbledore, Snape, and Madam Pomfrey. Merlin.

Her cheeks still flaming and her thoughts buzzing around in her head like a swarm of angry bees, Hermione scurried back to the common room, gathered up her books and fled towards the Great Hall. By this time there were a few students beginning to trickle down out of their dormitories and into the common room, but none of them paid Hermione any mind, to her relief.

She hurried to the Great Hall, barely pausing even to say good morning to Nearly Headless Nick on her way down. When she arrived in the Hall, she let out a grateful sigh when she saw only a handful of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students scattered about at their tables. Briskly she set herself up at her usual spot at Gryffindor table, using a tea mug to prop up her Ancient Runes book, grabbed a piece of toast and jam, and settled into looking as absorbed as possible in her book. At least I don't have to worry about Harry and Ron this morning, she thought to herself. The boys never woke up early on Saturdays.

After fearfully glancing up at the door every few minutes, Hermione started to relax. Maybe Draco will sleep in too. Or maybe he doesn't eat breakfast on weekends. Slowly she allowed herself to sink deeper into her Ancient Runes book. Minutes passed and Hermione gradually forgot about her surroundings. She was perfectly content, munching on her toast and deciphering runes until, as she looked up to grab another piece of toast, she caught sight of a familiar blond figure watching her. Bloody hell.

Draco swaggered into the Great Hall as usual, nicking a blueberry muffin from a Hufflepuff third year as he did so. As he walked, his eyes involuntarily sought out the resident know-it-all, who was sitting alone at the Gryffindor table, nose buried deep in a large book. Draco rolled his eyes. Does she ever stop? He watched her for another minute or so, wondering how she could appear so calm. Surely she hasn't forgotten about what happened yesterday, right?

As he watched her, Draco felt his hands start to feel clammy and he rubbed them on his robes. This should not be happening. I will not fall for the bushy-haired know-it-all! Never mind that her hair was not the least bit bushy today, pulled back in a neat braid. Draco, of course, hadn't noticed. He felt furious with himself. That's not what you were saying last night, his mind whispered traitorously. But that was different. I was still delirious from the potion, he argued with himself. If that's what you want to believe, his mind hissed back.

Great, now I'm arguing with myself. Now I'm really losing it. Draco frowned and focused back on Hermione. He nearly jumped when he realized she was staring back. Sweet Merlin! Draco looked away, making sure to smirk as he did so. He couldn't have her thinking he was staring at her because he wanted to. Certainly not.

Draco strode quickly over to the Slytherin table and sat down. After grabbing an apple, he covertly glanced over at Hermione, who was still staring at him. She started a bit when she saw him looking back, and Draco smirked. Maybe she's not as calm as she appears after all. He took a bit of his apple and chewed it slowly, sneaking glances at Hermione every few seconds. It seemed the longer he was there, the more agitated Hemrione became. She shuffled her papers and flipped through the pages of her large book restlessly. What is she doing?

He was interrupted in his study of Hermione's agitation by Pansy, who leaned over the table in front of him in what he was sure she thought was a sexy manner. "Theo said he would take me to Hogsmeade," she announced, as if he had no idea this could happen. "So I won't need you today, Draco."

Draco looked up at her, supremely annoyed. He was on the brink of telling her he couldn't care less and why she thought he wouldn't know this already when it was his idea for her to go with Nott in the first place was beyond him, when he realized something. Good gods, is Pansy trying to me jealous? She looked very pleased with herself as she saw Draco's annoyed and surprised face. Sweet Merlin, she is, Draco thought.

Immediately he wiped his face of all emotion. "Well I don't see why that should matter to me," he said haughtily. "After all, I told you I wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade today; I have work to do." Draco smirked as Pansy's face fell a bit. You didn't expect me to be upset, did you?

Pansy huffed and her face soured, making her look even more like the pug everyone always said she was. "Oh that's right," Pansy spat. "You have to stay here and do homework with the bushy-haired mudblood freak!"

Draco's eyes darkened. "Watch your tongue, Parkinson!" he snapped. Pansy looked shocked. Draco also looked shocked for a fraction of a second, then slipped back into his mask of anger. What on earth am I thinking? I can't slip up like that! He sneered. "As if Professor Snape would make me work with that know-it-all! I can do my own homework, thanks. I'm not like Potty and Weasel needing her to do my work for me." Pansy smirked, and out of habit, Draco felt himself going on. "Besides, it's not like her help would gain her anything, like it does with Potty and Weasel." He mimicked her high-pitched voice. "Oh yes, of course, Harry, I'll write your potions essay. Would you like me to lick your shoes too? And oh Ronald, I'll do your transfiguration essay if you'll just look at me once today!"

Pansy shrieked with laughter, but Draco didn't join in. For some reason, the words had left a bitter taste in his mouth and Pansy's laughter jarred his ears. He glanced around Pansy to look for Hermione, but she was gone. He looked up just in time to see her disappear through the Great Hall doors. Why do I feel so guilty? It's not like she heard any of it. But still Draco felt a strange uneasiness for this afternoon. He tried to tell himself he was just tired. After all, he hadn't slept a wink last night; too worried about what he might see when he closed his eyes. And he was just going to the library to catch up on homework. It's only studying, right?