A/N Hey there again! Glad you've enjoyed so far, because I sure have. And now I'll shush up so you can get on with it. R&R!! Jacinta.

'Well,' I said as we walked together to the library, 'that went quite well, I'd say.'

Beside me, Draco nodded, and replied, 'Indeed.'

'Hello-o-o? Draco? What's the matter?' I stopped just shy of the doors, and pulled him against the wall.

'I was just thinking…' He shuffled and leaned against the cool stone. Looking out the window, he started again. 'I was just thinking… you and Weasley. You had something special in sixth year, didn't you? I mean, you two were always flirting, and always jealous of one another's significant others, weren't you?'

'Well, I suppose so. We were always… attracted to each other, I suppose. Why?'

He was silent for a moment. Before he spoke, he pulled me farther from the doors, and into a secret passage. 'You weren't… you weren't a virgin last night. I can only assume that you were with Weasley.'

I could feel myself blush to the roots of my hair. 'That was a long time ago, Draco. I hope you're not jealous, because we're not connected that way, we're just-'

'I know, I know.' He looked slightly ashamed at speaking of something so personal. 'Who broke it off?'

'What do you mean?'

'Did you break his heart, or did he break yours?'

'Neither. We just realized we were better friends than lovers.'

'Oh.'

'What?' I was starting to get mildly frustrated. 'I chastise Harry and Ron for not being able to get over the past with you, and now you tell me you're going to obsess over the fact me and Ron are still friends? Do you know what we – the three of us – have gone through together? We're not going to throw that away just because we aren't romantically compatible!

'It's not that, Granger, please! I've seen many of the Slytherin girls in compromised conditions, and I wouldn't expect you to forbid me seeing them! But what worries me is that you two were just like us, weren't you? All… passion, and arguments, and… now you're just friends. If we didn't have this –' he gestured between us, '– then we wouldn't even have friendship!'

'How would you figure that?' I asked. 'We're both in the Order – '

'– which is pretty much pointless since the war is over –'

'– we're both here at Hogwarts –'

'­– which we graduate from in mere months –'

'– and after the lecture I just gave Ron and Harry, do you really think I would let that happen? They'd throw it back so hard at me, you wouldn't believe it.' Silence. 'Did I just do the impossible?' I asked, leaning into his arms. 'Did I just render Draco Malfoy, millionaire pureblood, debonair, eloquent, stunning Draco Malfoy speechless?'

'You think I'm stunning, huh?'

'Something like that.'

'Hm. Maybe you are using me for my body –'

'Oh, shush, you.'

'Hermione…'

'Mhm?'

'Do they do that often?'

'What's that?'

'Do they jump down your throat every time you screw up, or make a mistake, or show anything other than perfection?'

I was stunned. No one had ever thought of me as a victim. I had never thought of me as a victim. And no one had ever thought of Harry or Ron of having any flaws.

Just goes to show it's good to have a biased opinion once in a while.

'Well, not… not all the time…' For some reason, I couldn't look him in the eye. 'They just do it so I chill out more often, you know? So I don't obsess so much with perfection… I mean, you saw how frightened I was of handing that paper in late, it was silly of me – '

'You're making excuses. And you're not looking me in the eye. Come on, Granger. Look me in the eye and tell me it doesn't bother you when they tease you.' I looked up, opened my mouth, but no words came out. 'I thought so.' Then, he said something even I never thought a Malfoy could comprehend. 'I suppose even today there's prejudice… there's Potter, Dumbledore's golden boy, who could do no wrong. Praised for rule breaking, always getting everything he ever wanted, just because his family was killed in the war… as if he's the only one… and then there's Weasley. Never the brightest candle in the sconce, not the best flyer, not the most handsome, but still held in awe… and he's pureblood. I heard he had an accountant for a cousin who they never speak of… and they say my family was biased. And he has the insolence to insult the one person who saved his sorry, freckled ass every time he had a late assignment for doing her work early – so that she could help him? I may be a scheming, underhanded, devious, conniving, manipulative, occasionally brutal, bastard, but I give credit and respect where credit and respect are due. And you – when I switched sides, I gave you the credit of being brilliant, talented, brave. Not to mention how kind you were. Those two were positively vile when they had to deal with me. You were civil. You actually noticed that I wasn't on Voldemort's side any more. I was on yours. Them, though – you know more than I do what they said about me those months. I'm surprised they didn't rebuke Lupin when he saved me last February. 'You should have just let the ferret die. Then we'd be rid of him.'' He suddenly stopped his tirade, and tilted his forehead to touch mine. 'I'm… sorry, I know they're you're friends, but – '

I shook my head. 'No. I tell them that all the time… I just never thought anyone would agree with me.' I was still moving my head back and forth as tears started rolling down my cheeks.

'Hermione, no, I didn't mean to – to make you cry…' He wiped a rampant tear of the tip of my nose, and reached into his robes. When he emerged, in his hand was a green silk handkerchief, the initials DM embroidered delicately in the corner. 'Here.' He dabbed at my eyes, and curled me in his arms. 'Look… we should get tidied up and head into the library… we still haven't started that project.'

A weak gurgle of laughter escaped me, and I muttered, 'Damn.'

'Now, now, Miss Granger, no swearing. This is school, after all. It isn't appropriate.'

'Says the boy who used bastard and ass in his last sentence. Not to mention all the times you called me – '

Cutting me off, he hissed at me, and chided, 'Yes, but I'm not a proper young Gryffindor lady. I'm a Slytherin boy. It doesn't matter what I say. You, on the other hand, are looked up to.'

'Now look what you've done, Draco,' I said, laughing.

'What's that?'

'I can't get the image of you in my uniform out of my head.'

'Oh, goodness, no – '

'Reading primly by the fire in Gryffindor common room –'

'Stop right there, Hermione –'

'Sucking up to Harry –'

'Now, really, this has gone far enough –'

'Like Romilda what's her name –'

'Really, stop.'

I smiled cheekily up at him, and he pinched my nose playfully.

'You're lucky I like you, Granger, because if I didn't, you would have been in pieces milliseconds after you mentioned Potter's name.'

'You like me?'

'Maybe. Or maybe I'm just using you for your amazing body.'

'Well, then, I'll just have to not spoil a good thing. Or, I could curse you from here to Alnwick.'

'Which reminds me. You owe me an apology.'

'Oh, not this again!'

A/N Me again. The more reviews I get, the faster I write. So, what are you waiting for? REVIEW!