Hermione did not have to wait long for Malfoy's visit to her bookstore. After the eternal radio silence, he rushed into the shop like a storm just as there was a lull and dragged her by the elbow into the backroom. Once inside, the door banged shut behind her with a swish of his wand. Eyes like storm clouds met her as he whirled around to face her, anger written all over his face. His hands banged flat against the wall left and right next to Hermione's head. He cornered her, pressing into her personal space.

"That wasn't funny, Granger." His breath blew the hair on her forehead and a shiver ran through her. Hermione had to suppress a gasp and forced herself to look him in the eye. That Malfoy would be livid with her after fuelling the rumour mill, Hermione had seen coming, but that he would invade her personal space like that came as a surprise. Still, Malfoy was all bark and no bite. He could put on a great show of aggression, but she knew he would never hurt her.

"Oh, really? Like the little stunt you pulled helped to improve our situation?!" Since putting Ginny's advice into action, Hermione had been playing out all the possible courses of this conversation in her head, and so had a good counter at the ready.

"Anything I did, did not get my mother to believe it." Hermione scoffed in disbelief, Malfoy had to be joking. She could not believe that Narcissa Malfoy believed even one word of Witch Weekly to be true.

"Oh, so when it's inconvenient for you it's no longer funny? She can't possibly believe that, Malfoy. Your mother will see it as the nonsense it is. It will blow over. Also, one word from me and it will be revealed as one big misunderstanding." Hermione was sure to make it as taunting as possible. And if one word from her was not enough to convince the blasted magazine the absence of a baby a couple months later would have to do.

She herself had pulled out all the stops to clear up the rumours, but without much success. Now it was up to Malfoy to do what he could. If she was lucky, he would finally get serious about the problem. If not, Hermione would make sure he realised very quickly that the disadvantages of the rumours outweighed the advantages for his business.

"Careful, Granger. Two can play this game." Hermione had already considered the possibility that he might choose the path of most resistance. She had come to the conclusion that Ginny was right and that the consequences of a failure of their relationship were far worse for him than for her. He would not last long under any circumstances.

"You should up your game then, Malfoy." Hermione pushed up on her tiptoes, their noses almost touching. Recklessness coursed through her veins. All the annoyances she had had to endure were letting her forget for one moment that this was not what she wanted. Godric, she wanted to push Malfoy's buttons, all of them, to see him squirm for once.

If Malfoy was as smart as she thought him to be, he would come to the same conclusion as her. Deciding to continue this petty war would be his downfall sooner or later and the longer it went on, the worse it would make him look in the end. Thus, the smart move would be to end the rumours right away.

Even if Malfoy was driven by emotions about this, and his flaring nostrils made her realize that he actually might be, he would seek to land a blow on her while keeping it beneficial for himself. He might be able to land some blows, but Hermione could wait it out.

No matter the scenario she could take it and in the end, it would come to the same result: Malfoy would have to put the rumours to rest once and for all.

She dealt her killing blow in a low whisper. "You realize all the reporters know you've pulled me into the backroom to snog me senseless." She felt his exhale puff against her lips - his eyes widened at her bold statement.

Just as stormily as he arrived, he also left and Hermione could not help giggling. She had out-Slytherined the Slytherin. Never had doing something so impulsive felt so good.

Whatever his next move, Hermione vowed to keep a clear head and not overreact. She would be calm.

All the scenarios she imagined, however, paled in comparison to what Malfoy did.

~ Witch Weekly Issue 29/2005 ~

Proposal Incoming

Draco Malfoy has had a very busy week and all signs are pointing to a marriage proposal. We hope he didn't plan to surprise his beloved, because the preparations before an engagement in pure-blood circles are just too hard to overlook for this Author not to report on it.

Not only has Mr Malfoy had an extensive appointment at Gringotts Bank and consulted his family lawyer, but he also had a private appointment at the jeweller who made the ring for his mother and grandmother.

Since not all readers are as well versed in the traditions of pure-blood wizards, we will explain the significance of these events.

Before a possible union, it has long been customary to provide financial security for financially dependent family members. This became the standard after wives tried to incapacitate their in-laws to gain access to their Gringotts vaults. In Mr Malfoy's case, this would be his mother, Narcissa. Now, no one here wants to accuse Ms Granger of only being after the Malfoy gold. Nevertheless, many prefer to rather be safe than sorry. Of course, this could have happened to guarantee his mother's approval.

Even though the formalities of marriage are relatively simple nowadays, pure-bloods still prefer a marriage contract to regulate various aspects of married life and also to specify a course of action in the very unlikely event of divorce. Not many present-day lawyers are familiar with the intricacies and pitfalls of such highly complex contracts. A visit to the family lawyer will have been the right choice for Mr Malfoy.

Visiting the jeweller is a Malfoy tradition. Unlike in other pure-blood families, a family heirloom is not used as an engagement ring. A unique piece is made especially for the bride-to-be. It is said that the Malfoy men adore their wives so much that each of them deserves a ring made especially for them by goblins. Each ring is worth a small fortune.

So you see, Dear Readers, things are getting serious.

One! Hermione had done merely one thing. Just the tiniest hint of a pregnancy. And here Malfoy went and dealt her a triple blow. Just when Hermione thought that she was prepared for anything, Malfoy proved her wrong.

For a long time, Hermione sat at her kitchen table, resting her head in her hands, regretting ever having challenged Malfoy. Her coffee was getting cold and her cereal soggy. A light tapping on her kitchen window startled her out of her despair: an eagle owl was asking for entrance.

The message the owl delivered was short and to the point.

Granger,

Malfoy Manor, today 12 p.m.

We need to talk.

DM

Indeed they did. Hermione did not even know where to begin. Maybe, like in third year, a slap to the face would serve as a great conversation starter.