Author’s Note: Thank you so much for all the interest in my fic! I cannot thank you enough- I think that reviews are the single most important factor in motivating a writer and well it’s true for me at least.

Dedicated to all of my readers and reviewers.


Disclaimer: Ehhh. My disclaimer still applies.

This chapter will be extra long as a way of saying thanks for everyone for waiting so patiently. Hermione/?? (extremely obvious of course) overtures and a begging Ron


* * * * * *

On Monday, two days after her latest encounter with Malfoy, Ginny was walking with Colin. All of a sudden a cold feeling washed over her. Looking up, she saw Malfoy approaching, his eyes glittering with…menace? Ginny couldn’t say, but whatever he was feeling, he was staring straight at her. Ginny ducked her head and sped up, passing Malfoy without incident. Once he had passed, she let out the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Colin looked at her, about to speak, but Ginny shot him a pleading look. She knew he’d noticed how she’d just acted, and the thought of Colin asking, asking what? Ginny didn’t know exactly, but if Colin asked her about Malfoy right now she’d scream.

* * * * * *

‘Walking with her Mudblood boyfriend,’ Malfoy thought when he saw her. She was munching on a piece of toast and listening to Colin who was telling her a story, his face animated. ‘Probably telling her what she missed at the last Potter Fan Club Meeting’ Malfoy thought with a sneer. It was common knowledge that both Ginny and Colin had tagged along after Harry in their first year. Malfoy hadn’t been paying particular attention but it seemed that Colin had taken to tagging after Ginny, ‘Like a fucking love-sick puppy’ he thought with disgust.

Suddenly Ginny turned to stare straight at him. Then she bent her head, and, walking so quickly that Colin practically had to jog to keep up, passed him without a second glance.
This angered Malfoy, girls always responded to his stares, but never like this. Some blushed, but watched him from the corner of their eye, others would act demure, many lowered their gaze, feigning modesty. They never straight out ignored him. He brooded during Charms, and walking to History of Magic felt fit to burst.

Scowling, he fixed his intense gaze on the next girl who walked by. It was Pansy Parkinson. Feeling his eyes on her, Pansy turned around and sashayed toward him, in a way she no doubt deemed sexy. She trailed her finger down his chest, and looked up at him coyly, and said in a husky, lust-filled voice, “We have ten minutes before History of Magic, I know of a nearby broom closet, it’s roomy enough for two.”

Draco was about to shake her off when he spotted Ginny rounding the corner. He thought of the slight he had endured from her that morning, and his anger mounted. ‘Perfect,’ he thought smiling maliciously. Ginny had seen him- he knew she had. He snaked an arm around Pansy’s waist. It was not as slim as Ginny’s he thought for a second. Pansy pushed up against him eagerly. He claimed her lips with the ease of years of practice. Pansy’s lips parted, he slipped his tongue through, Pansy never put up a fight, maybe that was why kissing her was so bland. Or maybe, he thought as she pressed her breasts to his chest, it was because he’d dipped one too many times from this well. From the corner of his eye he watched Ginny. Weasley that she was, Draco was confident he’d be able to gauge her emotions from her reaction. Though the unanswered question was why he cared.

When she saw him and Pansy making out in the hallway, Ginny’s eyes widened in surprise. A look of something resembling a mix of sorrow and pain seemed to flicker across her face. However, it was gone just as quickly, leaving Draco wondering whether he’d imagined it. Her expression became stony; she pushed past them, her eyes straight ahead. Then Malfoy was jostled by Golden Trio- Harry, Hermione and Ron. For some reason, Ron looked happy and Hermione was smiling smugly as well. Harry on the other hand looked significantly frustrated. With a curse, Draco broke off the kiss. Pansy sighed dreamily and stared up at him misty-eyed. He took off for History of Magic - if he didn’t hurry he’d be late.

* * * * * *

Ginny was walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts, she had come this way because Harry had slipped her a note earlier saying he had to talk. She knew that he Ron and Hermione had Herbology, and they would come this way. She had told Colin she’d meet up with him later, not mentioning her planned rendezvous with Harry. Colin’s eyes had narrowed slightly, and she feared that he was not one to be easily duped. However, the thought of talking to Harry drove any problems with Colin out of her mind. She rounded the corner, knowing she had probably arrived earlier then them- they were notoriously slow walkers. She was planning to wait here for Harry. Just as she settled down to wait; she caught sight of a familiar blond boy. Malfoy. It only took her a second to discern that he and what looked like Pansy Parkinson were having a make out session in the middle of the hallway. For a moment, her expression betrayed the sick twisted feeling in her stomach. With effort, she made her face stony. The chat with Harry forgotten, Ginny stormed off, never hearing Harry call out her name.

* * * * * *


Hermione Harry and Ron were off to Herbology, they were discussing the load of homework that McGonagall had assigned. Ron sighed in frustration, “We’ll never get it finished you know, not with Quidditch practice and all.”

Hermione had sighed at this and opened her mouth, no doubt to say that Quidditch was merely a game and shouldn’t interfere with the likes of homework. It was a tired rhetoric, and Harry knew it would continue all the way down to the greenhouses, and then throughout Herbology, Hermione and Ron hissing back and forth like so many snakes.

Instead, Ron interrupted with a look of horror. “Look!” He pointed at Malfoy and Pansy. Then he did something unexpected, he grinned.

“Why so happy?” Harry asked, confused.

“Don’t you see? If Malfoy is over there snogging Pansy then it means nothing is going on between him and Ginny, and I won’t have to see Malfoy at Christmas and Easter…although a picture of him wearing a Weasley sweater would be the most amazing black mailing material,” Ron looked almost wistful. Then another thought occurred to him, “This means…this means I’m right and Hermione’s wrong!” He said, “Looks like there’s hope that she’s human after all…so much for my alien theory.” He turned to Hermione and said, “So how does it feel to be wrong?” He was shocked to see her smiling. “What? Why are you grinning? I thought you’d be all in a huff.”

“Ron just because Malfoy’s making out with Pansy Parkinson doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to get Ginny, look,” she said pointing, “There’s Ginny. I think he’s just trying to get Ginny jealous or see her reaction.”

“But that’s downright heartless!” Ron said, enraged.

“No, it’s not, it’s normal teen behavior.” Hermione said, her eyes shining, “Although I never dreamt Malfoy would be one to do that.”

“But I don’t get it, why would he kiss Pansy if he likes Ginny?” was Ron’s puzzled reply.

“Well Ron, he’s just trying to gauge how she feels toward him. He can’t very well go up and ask her how she feels, so he’s trying to elicit those emotions from her. I did it once, with Viktor.”

“What?” Ron yelled, “You were snogging another boy to get Viktor jealous?”

“No,” Hermione said calmly, “I was using Viktor to get another boy to realize he liked me.” Then Hermione added, thoughtfully, “Course it backfired, Viktor ended up actually liking me, and the other boy never admitted it.”

“WHAT?” Ron cried, “Who is it? Harry didja hear this? Hermione’s saying she liked another boy, not Viktor! Wait do you still like this kid?” He asked her.

“I do,” she said firmly.

“Hey, where did Harry go, oh there he is, why the heck is her running towards Malfoy? Hey!” Ron said, as an awful thought occurred to him, “It’s not Malfoy is it?”

“I’m not telling.”

“What? What does that mean?”

“It means,” Hermione said, rolling her eyes, “That I’m not telling you.”

“Does it mean yes?”

“I’m not saying.”

“Does it?”

“I’m not-”

“Oh my God! How can you like Malfoy?” He said, looking at her reproachfully.

“For heaven’s sake Ron,” Hermione snapped, “it’s not Malfoy.”

“Oh,” Ron replied, “Hey, is it Harry?”

“Ron I absolutely refuse to play guessing games with you.”

“What? Where’s the fun in that?”

“It’s no fun, I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“Oh come on, you don’t even have to say anything, you can just nod when I say his name.”

“Ron, I said no.”

“Come on ‘Mione,” Ron wheedled.

“No.”

“Please?” He said.

“Ron!”

“Hey Harry,” Ron said, when they finally caught up with him, “Hermione was just saying that she likes a boy and he’s not Viktor…or Malfoy.”

“Is it me, Hermione?” Harry asked, eagerly.

“No Harry.”

Harry looked slightly put out.

They were walking across the lawn to the greenhouses. Ron repeated the names of the boys who passed them, hoping Hermione would reply with more than a cryptic maybe. “Seamus? Dean? Ernie? Not that anyone can stand that arrogant git.”

“I believe Hannah Abbott is dating him,” Hermione said lightly.

“Well she never was one to be sensible was she?” Ron muttered grimly, as said girl called out for Ernie to wait. “Neville?”

“I’m not telling you Ron.”

During Herbology, whenever Ron had a chance, he’d lean over towards Hermione saying, “Is he in our school?” “Is he in our year?” “What color is his hair?” “Do I know him?” “Do we have classes with him?” “Is he dating anyone?” “Would I approve?” “It’s not Davies is it?” “What house did you say he was in?” “Older or younger?” “Is he in Gryffindor?”

Hermione ignored all of Ron’s questions, leaving him fuming.

At dinner, Ron didn’t even notice that both Ginny and Harry looked glum, he was too busy hissing names at Hermione.

Finally, he said, “Hermione, I’m your best friend, why won’t you tell me who you like?”

For the rest of the table, dinner could not end soon enough.

* * * * * *
Next chapter = lots of fun! The next few chapters will be really exciting…hopefully.
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