Chapter Seventeen

Double potions as Malfoy's partner was not as bad as she was imagining it would be. He kept his comments civil. His note taking was good and he willingly went into the supply closet to get all their brewing ingredients.

"I'm taller, Granger, It just makes sense." As she looked up at him, she acknowledged that he was right with a shrug of her shoulders. By the time the class session was over, a few things had occurred to Hermione. First of all, Draco Malfoy wasn't a terrible potions partner. He listened, he had excellent understanding of the material and he did more than his fair share of the work. Second of all he was witty, he made her chuckle more than once with his comments at their professor's expense. Finally, he had very very nice hands. She tried to ignore her brain when it imagined those long elegant fingers twisted in her hair or wrapped around her throat. She didn't even know where the latter thought had come from.

She was a little horrified at the direction her brain had attempted to travel. It wasn't that she had never read any smutty books because she had, but obviously her hormones were running haywire. Last night she had wanted Theo Nott to kiss her and how she was imagining what Draco Malfoy could do with those hands.

Hermione didn't want to eat, but she decided to make herself go to lunch and have something, because it was an exceptionally long day for her and the last thing that she needed was to faint on the stairs or something similarly foolish.

"Hey Neville," Hermione said, sitting down next to him and picking up a late summer apple to munch into. It's smell reminded her a little too much of Malfoy and her eyes flickered to the Slytherin table almost against her will. Nott and Malfoy were there, but they were arguing with Zabini and Pansy about something with the rest of the snakes listening rapt. She wondered what topic had gotten them all so passionate.

"Hey Hermione," Neville smiled. "You look like you are doing much better today."

"I am, but hey I have a question. It's about last year, do you think that you could help me out?"

"Sure?" Neville asked warily.

"So who that fought on our side here last year is already engaged? Just wizards." Hermione tried to feel comfortable with Neville pouring her juice, but it still felt awkward for him to do such a thing.

"Wizards…who are engaged…do you mean that they have already signed marriage contracts? Or those who have exchanged formal courtship gifts?"

"Formal courtship gifts?" Hermione asked, her nose wrinkling in distaste, it sounded absolutely archaic.

"Usually jewellery like a necklace, bracelet, earrings, that sort of thing, not a ring though, those are specifically for after engagements have been formalised. For example if I was interested in marrying you, which I am not - no offence Hermione, I just consider you more like a sister - I'd give you a piece of jewellery you could wear daily, and then if you accepted it and then actually wore it then, that meant that you accepted my overture and then we'd move to the next stage of contract negotiations to then establish a real engagement with a ring."

"So the jewellery is the witch's chance to say yes or no before actually being engaged?" Hermione asked, interested in spite of herself.

"Absolutely," Neville agreed. "In the more traditional Wizarding families the jewellery can be given by the father of the prospective groom to the father of the prospective bride, but the bride to be would still need to wear the jewellery in a public setting for the acceptance to count."

Hermione sighed, this was much more complicated than she had originally realised. "Okay fine, so tell me both. Who's signed contracts and who's given out jewellery?"

"Well Ernie gave Tracey Davis earrings and she's been wearing them everyday." Neville started ticking people off on his fingers.

"Tracey? Isn't she a Slytherin?" Hermione considered the possibility that Ernie could be the father of Pansy's baby, he obviously wasn't anti-snakes. Would he get one Slytherin pregnant, and then choose another for a prospective bride?

"She is, but her mum is a muggleborn, so she's a half-blood. Her kids will be considered Purebloods if she marries Pure though, but Ernie's family aren't sticklers like that."

Hermione made a noise of acknowledgement, not sure how she felt about what Neville was telling her, and sipped her pumpkin juice.

"Zacharias Smith signed a contract with a girl from Beauxbatons, supposedly, but Dean and Seamus don't think that she's real. Terry Boot gave Susan Bones jewellery and she accepted it, but she hasn't worn it yet and it's been a few weeks and he's sweating it a bit. I heard McLaggen gave Parvati jewellery and she turned him down flat, didn't even take the box, left him standing there like a fool."

"She's probably expecting Ron to give her something, Ron was shagging her at my parents' wake," Hermione said to Neville without emotion.

"Merlin's beard!" Neville exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise. "Is that why you two broke-up? I'm so sorry! Ron is such an idiot, he'll never get anyone even close to as good as you are." Neville frowned. "I don't understand why Ginny is being so awful to you when Ron did you wrong." Hermione didn't know how to respond so she just nodded.

"Thanks Neville, anyone else?" She pressed, she did not want to talk about Ron at the moment, or at all really.

"Not on our side, although most people are like me trying to figure something out before June. Goyle signed a contract with Bulstrode I heard and the rumour mill says that Zabini is about to give Luna a necklace any day. He asked Luna what her favourite stone was in front of Hannah apparently, and she needed to tell the whole free world. Still though, that's a big surprise. Zabini and Luna…He's friends with Malfoy and Luna was…you know." Hermione nodded she did know. She wondered if Zabini had visited the Manor while Luna had been a prisoner in the dungeon, wouldn't that be awkward? She shook her head, some things would never make sense if she lived to be five hundred.

"Are you currently looking for a witch though? I've noticed you've been hanging around with Hannah more, she's pretty nice," Hermione commented, she was no matchmaker but she could still help out her friend with what seemed like something very important to his culture.

"She is, but I just really don't think that she's the one for me. I know she's expecting me to give her jewellery and I'm pretty certain she's told people she expects contract negotiations to start soon, but I just…the more time I spend with her, the less I want to spend forever with her." Neville complained, in frustration.

"I'd tell you that there's no rush and there's plenty of fish in the sea," Hermione laughed, "But clearly I'm wrong about both of those things. I didn't realise there was this big Pureblood matrimonial race."

"Well normally we would not have been in school this year and it would have been a lot easier to find a wife. There would be galas, balls and celebrations and a lot of the courting would have happened in those settings and not here at Hogwarts. All this drama must be driving McGonagall spare."

Hermione frowned, realising it was just one more part of the Pureblood world that she was never going to be included in. She should be glad, she would be spared from having to marry young, before she had even figured out her life. But would there be anyone for her when she was ready to settle down? Did anyone even think of her at all when they thought of who'd they'd want to spend forever with?

Trying to keep herself from getting depressed again, Hermione checked off on her fingers: Ernie, Zacharias and Terry Boot. One of those three had to be Pansy's baby's father. She was still considering which hex to use on the person who had abandoned her new friend while she listened to Neville complain about Ginny's behaviour lately with half an ear.

Runes was relatively uneventful with the professor just lecturing about the different Runic families that they were going to be looking at during the year. The possibility of some field trips later in the year to look at runestones in the wild was discussed and Hermione got excited about that in spite of herself. She raised her hand to ask a question about the potential field trips and Nott's deep chuckle behind her had her turning in her seat to frown.

"Swot," he mouthed in her direction.

"Takes one to know one," she mouthed back. The smile that spread on his face caused his blue eyes to glow with mischief. He took her breath away. Her own answering smile was a surprise. She hadn't felt her face grin in a long time. Turning back in her seat, Hermione felt a little bubble of joy floating up inside of her. She didn't know what was more unnerving, how foreign the sensation felt in her chest or that it was caused by Nott.

She quickly escaped from the classroom when the class was over, barely shoving her things into her satchel before she did so.

She took the stairs as quickly as she could trying to get to the Astronomy classroom before the rest of the class. She just wanted to go back to her room, but she only had one last class to make it through first, she could do it.

"Hey Granger," a voice came from behind her, "You forgot this in Runes." Draco Malfoy stood there blushing awkwardly as he held out her eagle quill. Harry had gotten it for her for Christmas a couple of years before and she really did love it. How had she managed to lose it?

"Oh, thank you Malfoy." She reached for it and their fingertips touched for just a second, she felt a shock go through her and pulled her hand back.

She must be touch starved with the way she reacted first to Nott and now with Malfoy, what was wrong with her?

"Thank you," she repeated herself again and fled into the classroom.

Draco stood there with his hand still extended like a fool for a few breaths. Theo's voice behind him pulled him back to himself.

"Draco?" Theo called. "Are you alright?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Draco turned and smiled reassuringly at his mate, wishing that he would get a grip on himself, sooner rather than later. That witch was going to drive him mad with longing.

Astronomy's lecture was long and Hermione couldn't focus for the life of her. Malfoy's touch and Nott's infectious smile played through her senses on repeat. She wanted to obliviate herself of everything about both of them. She'd sworn off Pureblood wizards no matter how pretty they were and how their strange behaviour towards her could almost be mistaken for concern, like they wanted to take care of her.

That would just be madness. That couldn't be what was going on. It was impossible.

Thursday morning dawned obnoxious and bright and Hermione soon joined Luna who was waiting for her just outside the door to the eighth year dorm just as she had been the week before. They walked together in silence for most of the walk until Hermione couldn't take it anymore.

"So, Zabini?" Hermione asked Luna as they walked down to the outdoor classroom, she knew Luna would appreciate going directly to the point. "I mean Luna, what could you possibly have in common?"

"He loves his mother. I loved my mother." Luna offered, with a shrug. "He's very interested in everything I have to say and never accuses me of making things up. He complimented my radish earrings and my spectrespecs."

Hermione supposed that Luna would like someone who would be a good listener.

"But Luna, according to what Neville explained to me you're just a few steps away from being engaged, how do you know that he'll always stay a good listener?"

"Hermione, there are no guarantees when it comes to wizards," Luna sighed, giving Hermione a knowing look. Unfortunately Hermione knew perfectly well that there were indeed no guarantees when it came to men, or anything really. She tried to squash down the sadness about her parents. "And though he's asked me what my favourite stone was, he hasn't given me anything yet. So there's no guarantee that we will have any future at all until he does."

"Well he'd be foolish not to, Luna, you are a catch." Hermione encouraged her friend even though she wasn't at all sure about Slytherins, but Luna had a knack for seeing a person's true nature, both the good and the bad. So if she thought that Zabini was good enough for her then Hermione trusted her judgement.

Luna linked her arm with Hermione's and laughed brightly. "And so are you, darling friend. Has anyone caught your eye? I've noticed Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott both watching you. And Draco's marriage contract was dissolved."

"Luna, I have zero interest in Pureblood wizards." Hermione frowned.

"Well that doesn't mean that they have zero interest in you." Luna commented knowingly, looked up and her face brightened as the dark Slytherin who was slowly stealing her heart appeared.

"la mia bellezza," Zabini smiled back at the ethereal blonde witch with a small bow. "The morning is more beautiful now with you here."

"Blaise Zabini, you are a shameless flatterer." Luna blushed and looked even more pretty, a confidence appearing that Hermione hadn't seen before. Maybe Zabini was good for her.

"I was wondering if you would sit with me for class and if you would be willing to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday," the wizard asked her, his nervousness only visible in a slight tremble of her finger.

"Yes to both I believe." Luna abandoned Hermione and took up Zabini's arm, leaving her behind as they walked off together. "So what were you thinking about doing in Hogsmeade?"

Hermione sighed. Alone again.

It seemed like everyone was leaving her behind.