A/N: Thank you to those that have shown an interest in this story! I hope that you continue to enjoy it :-)

Also, please note that xxxxx will denote mature content in the following scene.

First Days

Draco's first class of the new term was Ancient Runes, he and Granger were the only ones from their respective houses to take the class and were rather unfortunately paired together. He felt somewhat odd around her, happy in a way that was almost unsettling. He stayed as far away as the space would allow, attempting to clear his muddled head. Next was Defense Against the Dark Arts and he was pleased to have Professor Snape for the subject. The only downside was sharing the class with Gryffindors. His next class was Arithmancy, where he was fortunately one of two Slytherins and so not forced to sit with her again. He was disappointed but not at all surprised to discover that they would also be taking potions together.

He was relieved to walk into his final course of the day. He was tired already and knew that he would still have to devote time to his "task", not to mention all of the homework he would need to work on as well. Fortunately there were only twelve students in the class, four Slytherins, four Ravenclaws, three ridiculous Gryffindors, and one lone Hufflepuff. So naturally they all sat with their housemates, the Gryffindors taking in the puff.

Professor Slughorn proved to be an altogether different brand of Professor than Snape had been. For starters, there were several potions brewing when they entered the room. Then, there was the fact that he was impressed with Granger, something Professor Snape had adamantly refused. Finally, there was the little bottle of Felix Felicis which had been offered as a reward for the days lesson, again something Professor Snape never would have offered. Most surprising, however, was the Amortentia. He was surprised at his response to the potion- he could smell parchment, old books, and a hint of vanilla. He couldn't place the smell, or rather he didn't know to whom the smell belonged, but he knew that he was both intrigued and enticed. He was even more surprised to hear Granger's description of the potion.

"…and it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us. For instance, I can smell the woody smell of a broomstick, parchment, mint, and…" here her enthusiasm trailed off, blushing as she flashed him a glance and looked away. Her response made him grit his teeth. He should be disgusted. He was almost certain she was talking about him. It should have made him feel nauseous, should have irked him, and while he wanted to be all of those things, he found that he was only curious. She was supposed to hate him just as much as he despised her. And yet, it would seem, that she did not. In fact, it seemed to him, if her response was any evidence, that she was actually attracted to him. Try as he might he just could not muster the proper reaction to this bit of information. He found himself wondering at her attraction. How long had she been attracted to him? What was she attracted to? How could she be attracted to him? Why was she attracted? What had changed? Why did he even care?

"What do you smell Draco?" Pansy whispered, smiling flirtatiously, interrupting his thoughts. He did his best not to grimace. He knew she was expecting to hear that he smelled lavender, earl grey tea, and silk; that he smelled her. Part of him wanted to tell her the truth, tell her that he smelled someone else altogether, smelled someone who instantly made him feel at home in a way he had not ever felt at home before. He chose instead to lie, to continue the comfortable facade which he had so carefully crafted.

"I smell you, of course." He responded with a wink. Across from him, Theodore Nott made a whipping noise and sniggered to Blaise.

Pansy turned to the boys across from her sneering as she whispered, "You're just jealous."

This in turn caused Theo and Blaise to laugh harder and Blaise to mutter, "Not bloody likely."

"And now it is time for us to start our work." Professor Slughorn said releasing his students to begin brewing Draught of Living Death. Draco was determined to brew it perfectly. He desperately needed to win the Felix Felicis. He knew that having Felix on his side would help him to be successful in his task. He just had to concentrate, a task which proved to be more difficult than it should. Every time he tried to focus on the task at hand he found himself distracted once more by the smell of parchment, old books, and vanilla, which was odd because Professor Slughorn had vanished the other potions that were brewing when they arrived. It was near the end of class, his potion a marginally passable attempt at best, when he put two and two together. It was her.

Granger brushed past him, head down, eyes peeking up at him through a curtain of soft curls, with a muttered "sorry" as she cleaned up her ingredients and that was when he realized. His eyes bugged as the implications of this realization hit him. His first thought was that she was rather beautiful, peering up at him. He shuddered at that. He should not be thinking about her that way.

"Ugh, watch it filthy mudblood." Pansy hissed, mistaking Draco's look for disgust. Granger turned her head and pursed her lips but otherwise gave no indication that she was affected by or in fact, had even heard Pansy's cutting remark. He wasn't sure how he felt about Pansy's comment. It was hard for him to see Granger that way. It had been for some time now, though he would never admit to feeling that way, certainly not with him back, spies everywhere. His eyes connected with Granger's and he automatically sneered. His face reacted without a thought, the sneer ready before he decided that it should be his response. Her lips quirked into a frown at his reaction and he quickly turned his attention back to tidying his ingredients before his mind could begin to wonder why she was frowning at him. Before he could begin to analyze the past day to discover the precise moment that the dynamic between them had begun to change.

Hermione smiled as she sat down for breakfast. She was back in her element, excited as always to begin her courses, to acquire more knowledge to assimilate into her already robust arsenal. As she poured herself a cup of tea and began eating her oatmeal she found her eyes wandering to the Slytherin table in search of that all too familiar shock of platinum hair. It didn't take long to find him, sitting closely with Pansy, Crabbe to his right, Zabini and Goyle across from him. She couldn't explain why but she felt herself inexplicably drawn to him. There was just something different about him this year, something which intrigued her. She studied him through veiled eyes, her hair providing the perfect cover. She watched as Pansy pawed at him, watched him laugh at something Zabini said, though she noted it seemed almost forced and most certainly didn't reach his eyes.

"…see how he flinched?" She heard, Harry's voice breaking through her Malloy laced thoughts.

"Maybe he just doesn't like Parkinson touching him. I know I wouldn't." Ron said with a grimace.

"You didn't hear him yesterday. He was-" but what he was they did not discover for at that moment they saw Professor McGonagall approaching, ready to distribute schedules.

"Ms. Granger, excellent work on your OWLs, " Professor McGonagall complimented her, " you are cleared for all of the subjects for which you applied." She said tapping a blank schedule with her wand. She handed the schedule to Hermione, who grabbed her things and darted off to her first class.

In Ancient Runes she was the only Gryffindor and so she was partnered with Malfoy as he was the only Slytherin in class. She tried not to take it personally that he sat about as far away from her as their table would allow, reminding herself that she likely would have done the same until just yesterday. Even now it was only her thirst for knowledge, her insatiable need to understand which caused her interest. She used this opportunity to take a closer look at him. She noticed that his typically sleek and styled hair was longer than it had been and not as slick as it had once been causing it to fall into his eyes as he worked on the translations they had been given, She also noted that he seemed, if possible, paler than normal and frowned at this realization. She wasn't sure why it bothered her, perhaps it was simply not knowing, but it bothered her to see him in this less than perfect state. It simply didn't fit with her version of him, the version who had taunted and bullied her for the first five and a half years of school.

She continued to puzzle over him as she completed her translations and was surprised when Professor Babbling announced that time was up and began assigning homework. Once they were dismissed she quickly gathered her things and started walking towards Defense Against the Dark Arts. She was not looking forward to Professor Snape teaching the course but was happy that he kept his abuse to a minimum. After DADA she had Arithmancy, yet another course she shared with Malfoy, but fortunately she was paired with a Ravenclaw. They were assigned a 15 inch essay and six equations for homework, so it was with a relieved sigh that she shouldered her bag and began walking towards the dungeon for her final course of the day, potions. She greeted Harry and Ron with a smile and followed them into the dungeon classroom.

Hermione was surprised to smell several potions brewing as they entered the room. Almost immediately one potion stood out to her. She saw the characteristic spirals of steam and mother-of-pearl like sheen of Amortentia brewing in one of the cauldrons, but it was what she smelled which truly caught her off guard. She was certain that if she had smelled the Amortentia over the summer she would have smelled freshly mown grass, new parchment, and spearmint. She would have smelled Ron, whom she only recently, just this past summer, realized she had feelings for. So she was rather discomfited to discover that she smelled something else and it wasn't until she was describing what she smelled to Professor Slughorn that she realized what, or rather who she was smelling. That smell had been with her since Ancient Runes. It was him emitting the most enticing scent. Parchment, wood, mint, and leather. And for the briefest of moments their eyes connected before she looked away, heat brushing her cheeks with a blush.

Hermione felt herself reeling from the realization. Whatever this attraction was she hadn't been prepared for it. She puzzled at her attraction for him not able to fully concentrate on brewing Draught of Living Death with him sitting at the table just behind her. It was therefore not a surprise when her Draught came out less than perfect. She was, however, surprised when Harry did produce a near perfect Draught.

As she was clearing her supplies and tidying up she brushed past Malfoy, connecting with him for the briefest of moments. A moment which was utterly ruined by Pansy calling her a mudblood. She pursed her lips, studying Malfoy's reaction. His brows briefly knit together, as though he wasn't sure what to think, before his features finally settled on a sneer. She chose to ignore both of them and carried on with putting away her supplies, still puzzling over her apparent attraction to the blonde menace.

The three Gryffindors gathered their things after being dismissed and headed for the corridor, Hermione's thoughts now straying to Harry and the little bottle of liquid luck.

"How did you do that?" She asked with a puzzled frown, her eyebrows knit together, as they walked back to Gryffindor tower.

"I told you, someone scribbled all over the book Professor Slughorn lent to me. Turns out, they know a thing or two." Hermione pursed her lips, trying to recall when he made any mention of notes in a book, but was only able to recall Malfoy and his all too enticing scent.

"Right." She replied, still frowning in puzzlement over the direction of her thoughts.

"So have you practiced the spell?" Ron asked, changing the topic.

"I've been in class all day, I'm practicing this evening." Which reminded her that she would need to practice the spell for sharing her magic with Harry and Ron. If she performed the spell correctly then they would share her abilities for about a day, with the protections slowly decreasing across the day. If she made an error, even a small one, she could cause serious bodily injury to her friends.

"Veritas" Harry said to the Fat Lady, gaining entrance to their common room. Here they parted ways, Hermione headed towards the sanctuary of her bed, promising to meet them in an hour for dinner. She intended to draw her curtains, cast a silencing charm and practice until it was perfect.

xxxxx

Pansy moaned as he thrust into her once more. Thank Merlin for silencing charms. Pansy had pounced almost as soon as they left potions, taking his hand and leading him back to their common room and then onto his dorm. The moment the door had closed her lips were on his, taking what they wanted without question, without bothering to ask if he wanted her. He, of course, acquiesced to her demands, as he always did, taking advantage of the opportunity for release. He pounded into her, taking little care with her, trying not to think of Granger. Yet every time his eyes shut, there she was, soft curls framing her face as she bit her luscious lip.

He tried to shake her off to focus on Pansy as he thrust his way towards release, but all he could see was her. He found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her, to have his hands on her. And then he was picturing her on top of him, riding him for her pleasure. He moved even faster as he imagined wrapping her legs around his waist, her back against the wall, moaning his name over and over. He came hard, driving himself into Pansy with a final deep thrust, panting in satisfied exhaustion. He laid down next to her, working to catch his breath

"Draco, that was…" Pansy said trailing off as she leaned down to kiss him. "I think that's the best it's ever been." She cuddled into him wrapping her arm across his middle. He tried not to pull a face as she pressed herself into him. He knew that she had feelings for him, knew that she expected them to be married someday, but he just couldn't see it. He knew that he had a role to play and had always dutifully some so, but if he was honest, he had never truly wanted the witch next to him. He had always imagined that he would leave Hogwarts and then meet someone whom he would want to marry. He supposed that wasn't really a possibility with him back, and for the first time he found himself seriously rooting for Potter.

Draco pulled himself away from Pansy and stood to get dressed. She frowned at his absence but didn't comment, just started pulling on her discarded clothes.

"Walk me down to dinner?" She questioned, offering her hand. He took it in his, holding it loosely as they walked down to the Great Hall.

"Malum Praesidium" Hermione said clearly, her wand in her right hand. She smiled then as her left hand began to glow. She had finally gotten the incantation and wand movement just right. She knew she would want to practice more before attempting it with her friends but at least she had a good start. She joined her hands allowing her magic to flow back into herself, then hopped off her bed and walked towards the common room. She knew Harry and Ron would be waiting, she was running late, but she had felt certain that she almost had it and wanted to try one more time. Fortunately her persistence had paid off.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Ron exclaimed as she came down the stairs. "I'm starving!"

Hermione laughed as she approached.

"When aren't you starving?" Harry asked as the three of them walked out of the portrait hole.

"Fair point." Ron replied with a laugh.

"Did you figure it out?" Harry asked her as they rounded the corner, taking the stairs down to the Great Hall. She smiled and nodded, excited to share her success.

"Yes, that's why I was late. I got it on the last try. I still want to practice though before I try with you and Ron."

"Of course you do." Harry responded with a smile. "I was thinking we could use the room of requirement for the transfer when you're ready."

"That could work." Ron said, chiming in. Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, I was thinking that that might work well for us. I should be ready by Saturday."

"Excellent." Ron said with a grin.

They continued on towards the Great Hall, discussing their classes and plans for the first Hogsmeade trip in a moth, arriving at the Great Hall a few minutes later and taking their regular seats. Not long after her eyes wandered toward the entrance. What she saw made her feel an emotion she wasn't sure she wanted to identify. Hermione saw Pansy clinging to Malfoy's arm and it made her feel…envious. Her eyes traveled up, seeking his face, and she was pleased to see that he seemed uncomfortable with Pansy's grip. And then she frowned, because why should she care at all about the relationship between Malfoy and Pansy? She didn't like feeling this way, having this attraction to him.

She couldn't figure out what it was that was drawing her to him, but there was something there. She continued to watch him as she had all day. Absorbing every new detail about him and finding herself impossibly, inexplicably, wanting him. She wanted to walk into the Great Hall on his arm, wanted to have his attention on her, wanted to have his hands on her, have his lips kissing hers.

"Oi! Earth to Hermione." Ron said breaking into her Malfoy induced haze.

"Sorry," she apologized with a blush, "I was just thinking about the transfer." She lied. Merlin only knows how angry Harry and Ron would be if they knew the direction her thoughts had really gone. She glanced Malfoy's way once more and felt pleased to see him looking at her. She smiled to herself beforehand forcing herself to return her attention to Harry and Ron. There would be plenty of time to analyze her attraction to Malfoy's later.