Author's Note: I own nothing. Not even my life! Joking about that, of course, but seriously the characters aren't of my creation and the story is all from my imagination.

Draco

Draco thoroughly enjoyed all the time he had been spending with Hermione as of late. Beyond the fact that she was quite interesting, she was easy and appealing to his eyes. Though he rarely got bored with their studies and their project work, when he actually found his attention wandering, it always wandered to her body. He swore he was going a tad insane from his idiotic lust for the Muggleborn, but somehow he didn't mind. Not to even mention how annoyed Potter was looking lately, Draco's days were filled with his two favorite things: a hot view of a curly-haired brunette and the satisfaction that Harry Potter was miserable. Often he considered himself the luckiest man alive, because so much was practically falling into his lap, and he hardly had to do a thing.

After last week's display in the library, Draco found that all he had to do was look at Hermione a certain way and if Potter was anywhere near them, he would turn into a basket case. It was almost always worth a professor's scolding if he managed it in class, because the look on Scarhead's face was usually priceless. But soon just looks weren't enough for Draco, even when he was completely alone with Hermione. He kept having a most irritating urge to touch her, but simply hanging his arm around her shoulders as they sat next to each other, reading through large tomes was no longer good enough. He needed to feel more of her, so when they met again that Thursday after class, he resolved to at least get his arm around her waist, or their fingers to touch. In truth, he felt like a little boy again, trying to get his first crush to pay attention to him. Then he reminded himself that he'd never had a crush, every woman he'd ever been with had been simply his for the taking, and he'd happily taken every single woman at his will.

But there was something different about Hermione. He couldn't put his finger on why, but he enjoyed her company a little more than he supposed he should. Stubbornly, he shook his head at himself in the mirror, trying to shake any mushy thoughts from his head. "Bugger," he whispered with annoyance, crinkling up his forehead as he thought. He had forgotten what he was going to wear, then realized how moronic he was acting. "She doesn't bloody care what I wear," he scowled, and immediately frowned. After staring into the mirror for a few more moments, he shook his head again and reached for his favorite black sweater. He didn't need to even say what he thought of himself in the sweater, he already knew he looked his best. Many times Pansy had crooned about his sexiness as she'd stroked his broad shoulders through the soft wool. He smirked at the memories, and ended up grinning even more when he imagined Hermione taking Pansy's place. That was something to think about.

With a chuckle, he grabbed his bag, took one last glance in the mirror, and headed off to the library. As he reached the doors, he was surprised to be called away by the sound of familiar footfalls heading toward him. He turned around just as Pansy practically launched herself at him, and set his jaw into a half-friendly smile.

"Draco! You look exquisite today!"

"Not the word I would use," he snorted, "but thanks Pansy." Oh Merlin, please don't hug me, he thought just as she slid her arm around his waist in an attempted embrace that he quickly broke away from. Pansy giggled and glanced at his book bag. You should know better, you twit, he scowled, but said nothing.

"Off to the library for some studying with the Mudblood, I see," she spat, clearly annoyed. Her voice was just dripping with distaste and he smirked at the way she was pursing her lips at him. He chose to amuse himself.

"Hermione, you mean? Oh...yes well, well-spotted there Pans. I was just heading in," he sighed, allowing himself to sound bored with the conversation. In truth, the way she was starting to tap her foot with irritation was keeping him quite entertained.

Pansy scowled and looked around them. "Getting awfully cozy with the bint, then?"

"I suppose you wouldn't like to join us," Draco replied, ignoring her first question. Wouldn't that be funny, Hermione would drive her up a wall and around a corner!

"No," she spat acidly, "good day, Draco," she said as Hermione rounded the corner, and turned on her heels. She glared at Hermione as she passed her, while Hermione simply gave her a curt little nod. There was nothing Pansy could say without earning a punishment, and Draco knew for a fact that the prospect of losing points was the only thing keeping her quiet. Hermione seemed to know this too, and once she was right in front of Draco, she greeted him with a cheeky grin.

"Hermione," he said, not bothering with a hello and gestured her inside the library.

"Hello, Draco," she replied, nodding and leading the way inside. "Now today I suggest we start compiling our notes into the procedure write-up that's due next week. I've brought everything I've written out, so I hope you've brought your own notes. Of course, if you haven't, we can just work around that."

"I've got them," he stated more out of annoyance than for her information. As if I would forget anything, he thought with a scowl as she continued to prattle on about their work. "Yeah, yeah I know, let's just get to work, okay?"

"Someone's in a bad mood today," she chuckled, as she set out her books on the table and set her notes in order. Draco ignored her and sat down across from her, not meeting her eyes. She raised her eyebrow's a little, but chose not to comment further.

They worked in silence for awhile, until Draco decided to play footsie. He gently kicked her foot under the table, and at first, she did nothing but look up from the parchment sh had been hurriedly scribbling on. She cocked an eyebrow at him, then looked back down. Two minutes later, and her foot tapped his. Before long, they had a full-fledged war going on under the table, and it was clear by her random giggles, that she was enjoying herself. Because Draco was too proper to laugh aloud in moments like this, he tried to wipe the smirk that was ever-growing on his face.

All too soon, it was time to part ways. She handed him a long stretch of parchment and sighed. "So I wrote out what I have. I enchanted it so you can add your own thoughts wherever you like, and add more to the bottom with your notes. When you're done, just give it back to me and I'll make sure it gets handed in."

"Sounds simple enough," he replied, taking it from her and glancing at it quickly. "I'll give it to you at breakfast tomorrow." She glanced at him very quickly, then smiled appreciatively. Pretty smile, he thought, then immediately squashed the thought as he felt his face turning dopey. He refused to look like an idiot directly in front of her. "Um...I'll walk you with you to dinner now, then?"

"Oh. Well yes, good idea," she said, biting her lip, and Draco had to look away before his thoughts traveled anywhere they shouldn't go. She led the way down the corridor, and they made no hurry as they walked. They didn't talk much, and she spent a lot of the time looking out the windows to the grounds. He had to admit it was quite beautiful out, but he couldn't think of a way to comment on the weather without sounding like a sissy or without looking like a fool. He knew he wasn't good at small talk, so he made no effort to make any.

As they were nearing the Great Hall, Draco was suddenly struck with the urge to do something, anything to stall their time together. They were walking close enough together that he could easily take her hand with hardly anyone noticing, but he couldn't tell if she would mind. Earlier, she had said they were friends, though, so he thought he'd at least bring it up as innocently as possible. "Hermione," he started as he stopped walking, and she turned to give him her full attention. But suddenly he was sheepish, so he looked at his feet as he continued. "We're friends, right?"

"Yes, I would say I'm your friend."

He nodded as she peered at him, the gears in her mind clearly turning over as she waited for him to continue. "Then I was wondering, and hear me out on this, but would you mind..." He couldn't make himself finish the words, so he grabbed her hand in the hopes that it would make sense to her. She gasped a little, then laughed. She grasped his hand back more firmly in response, and pulled him forward with her.

They walked along for a bit, both of them smiling, until they came upon Potter and his friends. Draco steered them through a group of people, trying to avoid them, but to no avail.

"Hey, Hermione," called Potter, but Hermione only half-heartedly sighed and looked over at him. Draco yanked her hand forward, and tried to discourage her from calling them over.

Out of nowhere, he heard books falling to the floor and turned towards the commotion as loud thudding footsteps approached them. Just as he flung his hand free from Hermione's, Potter's fist collided with his face."You bastard," he heard Potter say, and he shook his head. "Get your hands off her!"

Draco backed up in pain and anger, and just as he started to stagger to the ground from Potter's attack, he pulled himself forward and promptly threw him to the floor."You're going to regret that Potter," he spat through gritted teeth. He forgot all about school rules and his place in his year, and focused himself solely on punching Potter's face into the ground. He sustained and ignored Potter's scratching, pummeling fists as they fought on the floor, and paid no attention to the other students yelling around him. With a sickening crunch and a spurt of blood, he broke the boy's nose, and felt himself being dragged off the floor.

Potter was scowling, cradling his broken nose as the She-Weasel fawned over his injuries. "Stay away from Hermione, Malfoy, or you'll pay. She's not yours to touch," he said.

Draco looked at Hermione for the first time, and felt ashamed for her horrified expression. He could tell she was torn between him and Potter, and he couldn't watch when she bit her lip and went to Harry's aide. It took all of his self control not to complain about it, and as he ignored her walking away, he instead met Blaise Zabini's eyes and tried to smirk. He was sure the effect was loss on him, but Blaise seemed to understand and he made it obvious he would follow Draco when he left. So he turned back to Potter and decided to leave with the best comment he could come up with while his head was pounding. "Neither is she yours," he drawled. "I'll see you around, Hermione," he said, not meeting her eyes but looking directly at her. She merely stood stalk-still, her honey eyes piercing their way through him, and said nothing.

With that, he shook himself free of the hands that held him, brushed off his clothes, and set his expression to that of indifference. He glanced back at Hermione with what he thought was an apologetic expression, gathered his books, and walked away with the full intention of putting Potter in his place the next time he had the chance.

A/N: How's that for an update? The plot thickens...