---
Did she hear him correctly? Did Draco Malfoy just say he wanted her? Her? “I’m sorry, what?” She asked as she stared at him with wide eyes.
Draco flashed her a smirk and shook his head. “I don’t repeat things twice.” He told her and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not sure I heard correctly.” She told him, looking dazed.
“No, you did.”
“Draco, are you just joking?”
“I don’t know, am I?” He teased her.
Hermione pressed her lips into a thin line and smacked him in the arm. “Don’t joke around.”
“Why? Did it make your heart flutter? Did it make you realize you love me?”
“Don’t push it.” She snarled and gripped onto his wand as she pushed him down on the couch. “Just shut up while I heal your wounds.” She ordered sternly and sighed deeply as she started to cast non-verbal spells. Soon, all the cuts and bruises disappeared from his face. He looked good as new. “That’s it.”
“Wow, you know, you should become a healer. You’ll make a pretty damn good one.” He praised her as he touched his face. “I feel good as new.”
“I know.” She said pompously with a smug grin. “Goodnight.” She told him and got up from the couch.
“Whoa, wait. My wand.” He said as he stood up, looking down at her.
“No, it’s mine.” She said and slipped the wand into her back pocket.
“What?”
“As long as my wand is in your possession, your wand is in mine.” She told him with a smirk and laughed. “Goodnight, Draco.” She said sweetly and walked off with a hum.
“GRANGER!” He yelled angrily as he looked at her.
“Malfoy!” She mocked him with a giggle and shook her head. “I’ll give it back when you decide to give me back my wand.” She told him and disappeared into her bedroom.
“Damn woman.” He groaned and sighed as he walked over to his bedroom.
---
The next morning, Draco decided to sit with Hermione for breakfast. Blaise quickly ate and left because he had something ‘important’ to do. The couple was happily in the Great Hall finishing up breakfast and bickering about whose grades was better while Harry and Ginny sat a few seats away from them.
“What happened to my darling’s face!?” The familiar shriek echoed throughout the almost empty Great Hall. Hermione and Draco stared at each other and sighed almost immediately. The curly, blonde haired girl stood behind them, making the couple turn around in their seats. She stared at the couple with wide eyes, her arms crossed across her chest. “Well!?”
“Gee, I’m sorry I damaged your precious darling’s face.” Draco stated with sarcasm dripping from his voice as he rolled his eyes with annoyance. “But I must say he’s never looked better.” He said with his infamous smirk.
“How dare you lay your filthy hand on his precious face!?” Lavender shouted angrily.
“Do you really want the truth?” Draco asked as he stood up from his seat. “Do you really want to know why I punched Weasley?”
“Draco, stop . . .” Hermione said softly as she pulled on the end of his shirt, warning him. She looked over at Ginny with wide eyes that read, ‘This is bad.’
“No, I think she deserves an explanation.” Draco said with a smirk as he stared back at Lavender. “Your precious boyfriend walked in on us almost kissing and apparently got jealous. I guess seeing Hermione kissing someone else was just too much for him to handle. He threw the first twenty punches at me and I threw some back.” He said and leaned in closer to her. “I guess he likes Hermione more than he likes you.” He whispered into her ear and slightly pulled away. “I don’t blame him.” He whispered at her and leaned back with a devious smile.
“Ugh, you jerk!” Lavender shouted angrily as she slapped Draco hard on the cheek, leaving a red hand print of his pale cheek. She glared at him and then looked at Hermione who looked shocked. “And you! Stay away from Ron!”
“Oh, I was planning on it. Don’t worry.” Hermione said as she stood up slowly, it was her time to glare. “How dare you lay your filthy hand on his precious face?” She mocked Lavender and smirked. “Look, stop being such a brat and leave. Go help your little darling out because you’re all he has left now.”
Lavender’s chest rose up and down rapidly. “Ugh!” She shoved Hermione roughly and stomped off angrily out the Great Hall.
“Whoa!” Hermione yelled as she lost balance but fortunately, Draco was there to save the day. He quickly snaked his arms around her small waist and pulled her back up.
“You should really be careful.” He said with a small smirk as he stared at her.
“Thanks.” She said with a small blush as she stood in his arms awkwardly.
“Awh, I didn’t know I made you blush so much.” Draco teased with a smirk as he let her go.
“Shut up.” Hermione said with a small grin and shook her head as she stared at him. She couldn’t help but laugh as she saw the red hand print on his cheek. “You seem to be getting hurt a lot lately. Last night with Ron and right now . . .” She said apologetically and placed her hand over his cheek. “Ouch, it seems like it hurts.” She said and chuckled. “I’m afraid there are no spells for a slap on the cheek.”
“You do you realize I’m getting hurt because of you, right?” Draco asked as he raised an eyebrow.
“Ah, well that’s what friends are for.” She exclaimed as she dropped her hand to her side. She attempted to put her arm around his shoulder but found herself struggling to do it comfortably, even though she was on her tippy toes. “Could you shrink a bit? You’re too tall.” She said with a frown.
Draco smirked and shook his head. “I didn’t know you wanted to touch me so much.”
She glared at him and slapped him upside the head; she was relieved that she could still reach his head. “Get off your damn high horse!” She yelled.
“That’s another hit.” He mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.
“You deserved that one. Let’s just go to the library.” She suggested as she headed out the door.
“Again? That’s our five hundredth time there this week.” He complained but he still followed her.
“You don’t have to come.”
“But I have nothing better to do and I can’t let a great opportunity to tease you pass by!”
“Then quit complaining.” She said and walked into the library with Draco who reluctantly followed behind. They quickly took their normal seat all the way in the back corner that no one hardly knew about. It became “their spot” ever since winter break started since they practically lived there half the time.
“So what are you planning on studying this fine morning?” He asked as he stared at Hermione digging through her book bag for something.
“Not studying, writing.” She corrected him as she placed a quill and parchment in front of her.
“Writing what exactly?” He asked curiously, leaning towards her.
“I’m writing a letter to my old friends back home. Christmas is coming up so I have to write them and inform them about . . . current events and I have to send them their presents.” She stated as she immediately started writing on the parchment.
“Oh.” He said and nodded as he leaned back in his chair, simply just staring.
“Are you going to just sit there and watch?” She asked as she glared at him.
“I have no one to write to.” He replied with a shrug and furrowed his eyebrows. “Why aren’t you writing to your parents?”
“My parents?” She asked and felt her body freeze. Her face instantly grew pale and her lips dried up at the thought of her parents. “I … I already sent them their letter and present a while back. I got my parents tickets to their favorite author and the event was early.” She explained.
“Oh, I bet they liked that.” He said with as his grey eyes filled up with sorrow.
“Of course they did. I’m sure your parents—“ She immediately stopped as she realized her mistakes.
“No need to stop yourself. It’s okay, you can say it.” He said with a fake, sad smirk.
“No, Draco, I’m sorry. That was my fault. I was careless.” She apologized quickly.
“You can just say it. My parents are dead.” He said uncomfortably and cleared his throat as he shifted awkwardly in his seat. “They’re dead anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore.” He said quietly and slightly frowned. “What do you want for Christmas?” He asked her, quickly changing the subject.
Hermione decided to change the subject and cracked a grin. She couldn’t help but notice the sadness in his eyes, it was broken. He was broken. “I don’t really want anything.” She said after she cleared her throat.
“Oh, come on. There’s got to be something you want for Christmas.”
“You’re right. I’ll tell you my Christmas list this year. I want a breakfast in bed, watch the stars and constellations up at the Astronomy tower at midnight with a friend all night long, have a heated snow ball fight, set up the Christmas tree, and just talk all night until we fall asleep.” She said with a fake-cheery voice and clapped her hands together with a phony grin. She rolled her eyes and sighed. “No, I don’t need any of those things. I’ve got everything I need already. I have Ginny, Harry, and now I have a new great friend like you.” She said as she flashed him a warm smile that melted Draco’s heart instantly.
“Well, I want something for Christmas.” Draco said with a smug grin.
She chuckled and stared at him. “I should’ve known.” She said and smiled. “What do you want?”
Draco smirked and stared at her intently. “You.”
“That joke is getting old.” She replied after a while. Although it was her second time hearing such nonsense, Draco still managed to melt her heart with that one word. That was all she needed to hear from someone to make her heart jump and melt.
“You caught me.” He said as he raised his hands up in the air in surrender. “I just thought if I said it one more time . . . you’d be all over me.”
“Nope, sorry.”
“Damn, I shouldn’t say that to the smartest witch of our generation. Only the stupid, naive girls would believe that.” He mumbled under his breath.
Hermione laughed and shook her head. “Try it on some other girl.” She told him and sighed. “But seriously, do you want something for Christmas?”
“No . . . not that I know of. I’ll tell you if I think of something.” He told her with a smirk.
“Sounds like a plan.” She told him. “You know what, I want something for Christmas.”
“What else do you want?’
“I want a smile from you.” She said with a hopeful grin.
“No.” He immediately shot it down before it was even fully up in the air. Hermione felt as if someone had deliberately knocked off the ice cream off her ice cream cone.
“A small smile.” She pleaded but got ignored. “That’d be the best Christmas present ever!”
“Maybe.” He replied back.
“Maybe?”
“Maybe.” He repeated and smirked. “But, for now, I have something else in mind.”
“What is that?”
“Well, for starters, your Christmas present will begin tomorrow.”
“What do you mean?” She asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.
“You’ll see.” He said and got up, stretching. “Are you done writing? I’m bloody bored.”
“I’m almost done.” She told him as she rolled her eyes.
“Good.”
---
“I don’t know what to do anymore! Last night, Draco tried to kiss me and then Ron came in, then they fought and that’s why you saw Lavender being a drama queen this morning. But, he said something last night that . . . got my attention.” She told her friend.
“What did he say?” Ginny asked with a small grin.
“He really wants to kiss me but I’m guessing it’s because he’s just teasing me. But, he said he wanted me. He said it last night and said it this morning.”
“He said what!?” Ginny shouted with wide eyes.
Hermione shut her mouth and sighed. “He said he wanted me for Christmas and then he said he was just teasing me—“
“You are so clueless. He probably said he was only teasing you because you didn’t react to it the way he wanted you to.”
“What do you mean?”
“He probably did mean it when he said he wanted you but you didn’t react the way he wanted you to.” She said and sighed. “You may be book smart but you have no common sense in the relationship department.”
“Touché.” Hermione said and furrowed her eyebrows. “But . . . why would he say it two times to me?”
“I’m not a mind reader!” Ginny said, shaking her head with a smile plastered on her face. “Did he say anything to you after that?”
“No, we just mostly talked and walked around the school and just now, we came back.” Hermione said and sighed with bent eyebrows. “He’s just so mysterious and . . . surprising.”
“You seemed to be frazzled. You like him, don’t you?”
“What!?” Hermione shouted, completely caught off guard. “N-no.”
“You like him! If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be so worked up about this and you wouldn’t react like that!” Ginny shouted with a smug grin as she laughed. “You two are so annoying. Just go out with each other already! You two obviously feel attracted to each other!”
“That’s not part of the plan—“
“There is no plan, ‘Mione. That plan of yours went out the window the minute you talked to him for the first time.”
“Did not.”
“I am not playing that game with you.” She said and smiled. “Admit it.”
“I . . .” Hermione sighed and plopped down on her bed with another sigh. “I really don’t know.” She said and covered her face with her hands. “Everything going on with Ron recently and then there’s Lavender and . . . I just don’t know anymore. I feel like I like him but then other times, there’s a part of me that tells me it’s wrong and that I shouldn’t like him.”
“You can’t control your feelings.” Ginny said softly and reassuringly. “Malfoy is head over heels for you. People look at you two and they automatically think you two are together. There’s a certain look his eyes and yours, too, that just screams, ‘I’M ATTRACTED TO YOU’.”
“Yeah, but what will he do when he finds out the only reason I started talking to him was because I wanted to make Ron jealous?” She asked and scoffed. “Oh, yeah, he’d definitely still like me.” She said and sighed as she stood up slowly. “I’m going to read a book or something . . . and just think this through. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Ginny sighed and got up with a frown. She pressed her lips into a thin line and walked out of the door.
---
“You want to do what?!” Blaise asked as he choked on his water.
“I’m going to give Hermione the best Christmas present she’s ever received.” He said nonchalantly.
“What are you planning to do?” He asked with a grin.
“Mini-events.” Draco replied with a grin.
“Draco, you totally sound like a love sick puppy.” He said with a laugh.
“Shut up.”
“I’m sorry but you do.” Blaise said with another laugh.
“Ha-ha, laugh all you want.” Draco responded and rolled his eyes.
“I’m sure she’ll fall in love you when you do that for her.”
“Sure.”
“I don’t think you know this but everyone knows you two like each other except you two. You two are completely oblivious!”
“Impossible.” Draco said with a scoff. “I don’t like her.” He stated confidently but a frown fell upon his face along with a dark cloud hanging over his eyes. “Everyone knows?” He asked with hopeful grin but immediately threw it off his lips. “Don’t raise my hopes up.” He muttered with a snicker and shook his head. “I need everything to be absolutely perfect so I can’t have you messing it up, mate. I’m going to take nap so I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got you.” He said as he stood up. “I’ll see you at dinner, love bird.” He teased and winked at his friend as he walked out booming with laughter.
Draco sighed as he got up from the bed. What would Hermione think once she finds out about his secret? He sighed once more before disappearing through the bathroom door.
---
Blaise and Ginny sat down on the couch both with serious faces. “It’s been a week and a half and they’re slowly starting to like each other.” Ginny stated with a sigh.
“That’s a start. I guess they’re taking things slowly.” Blaise commented with a frown.
“Well, I mean, they’re going to kiss tomorrow and maybe that’ll spark something.”
“Maybe.” Blaise repeated.
“Maybe.” Ginny sighed and pressed her lips into a thin line. “What do we do?”
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to sit back and enjoy the show.” He said with a small smirk. “They’re doing whatever they’re doing perfectly fine. We might ruin it if we bump in.” He reasoned.
“But, you do realize that when they’re in love with each other, we’ll have to break it to them gently that they have to think of the plan, right? I mean, that’s what a good friend would do. We need to do that.”
“I guess you’re right. If we keep encouraging them, we’ll be a bit suspicious. I mean, if we’re their best friend, we need to be protective of them.”
“Right.”
“Right.” Blaise said and sighed. “Well, if you’ll excuse me. I have to go . . . meet someone.”
“Your girlfriend?” Ginny asked as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“No.” Blaise snapped quickly as he got up.
“Sure, lover boy.” Ginny said with a smirk, laughing.
“You don’t understand.” Blaise muttered under his breath as he walked away.
---
Hermione and Draco walked into the Great Hall and felt glares coming from a particular couple. They both exchanged glances with each other and sighed. “Why don’t we sit with each other again?” Hermione asked with a small grin. “We did it this morning and people don’t really seem to care.”
“I knew you’ve been dying to ask me that.” Draco responded with a smirk and received a slap on the arm from a laughing Hermione.
“You’re so funny.” She told him and shook her head. “And completely hopeless.” She ended and walked over to the Gryffindor table when she suddenly felt a tug on the arm.
“Who said I was going to sit with you Gryffindors?” He asked, staring at her quizzically.
“You sat here two times, what’s the problem?” She asked with a frown.
“Why can’t you sit over there?” He asked, pointing to the Slytherin table.
“I’m not sitting over there.” She immediately said as she shook her head.
“Really?” He asked as he crossed his arms across his chest.
“Really.” She told him as she stared him down.
“Ah, just shut up both of you and sit your arses down.” Ginny walked past them with a yawn. She took a seat at the edge of the table, immediately piling her plate with food. Soon, Blaise walked by the arguing couple and sat down in front of Ginny, making small talk and eating.
Hermione smirked as she stared at Draco. “You don’t have to sit here.” She told him and walked over, sitting next to Ginny.
Draco made a face and groaned as she took a seat next to Blaise. “Really? You don’t have any house pride.” He told Blaise.
“I’m hungry.” Blaise defended himself as he took a bite out of his warm bread. “Besides, there’s no one over there except a few of Pansy’s followers and they aren’t quite friendly.” He added and nodded in content. “And I feel like the food over here is much better.”
“It is.” Ginny told him with a duh-what-else look. “Obviously, Gryffindor people are just really nice and warm.”
The boys scoffed and rolled their eyes simultaneously as if they were programmed to. “Right . . .” They said in unison.
The four of them bickered and laughed as if they were best friends catching up on things. By the time, dessert came out; most of the students stopped eating and watched the four friends as if they were an interesting art exhibit.
Hermione shook her head and grabbed a strawberry. “Hmm, I don’t really like strawberries.”
“Really? I don’t really like jell-o.” Ginny responded as she crinkled her nose.
“How could you hate strawberries?” Draco asked, completely shocked.
“How could you hate jell-o?!” Blaise yelled with bewilderment.
“I don’t like it.” Hermione replied back as she shrugged her shoulders.
“I choked on it once so I don’t like it.” Ginny told Blaise and brushed it off.
“You should eat lots and lots of fruits. Hermione, you need it.” Draco commented with a smirk. “Last time when I saw you shirtless, you did need some work.” He teased her.
Hermione glared at him and shoved the strawberry into his mouth. “Oh really? Last time I remember, you were checking me out.” She snarled and stuck her tongue at him. “You like strawberries, don’t you?”
Draco chewed slowly as he stared at her intently. “I don’t remember such a thing.”
“You don’t remember it?” She asked with a scoff.
“I do not remember, but maybe I’ll remember if you took off your shirt right now as a little refresher.” He said sarcastically as he shoved a spoonful of pudding into her mouth. “Well, if you don’t like strawberries, you must like pudding.”
Hermione glared at him and grabbed a handful of strawberries, shoving it all into his mouth. She flashed him a toothless grin as she swallowed her pudding slowly.
Draco smiled back at her with a glare and fed her pudding non-stop. Blaise and Ginny stared at their friends and laughed. They both looked like little chipmunks, their cheeks huge full of food.
Hermione and Draco glared at their friends and then glared back at each other. They took in everything and soon enough, small chunks of strawberries flew out of Draco’s mouth while Hermione spit out some pudding. They all started cracking up at their big mess.
Ron and Lavender both glared at Hermione and Draco. Harry simply stifled a laugh and immediately replaced it with a cough once he received glares from the crazy girlfriend and his friend. “Not funny at all. They’re so loud, ugh, so rude.” He immediately said as he shook his head in disapproval, looking down and eating silently.
Lots of the students watching shook their heads and went back to eating. The professors all stifled a laugh and quietly talked amongst themselves—especially about ‘beautiful house unity’.
Hermione licked her lips and wrinkled her nose. “We’re making such a mess here.” She commented with a small grin as she wiped her mouth carelessly with the napkin.
Ginny and Blaise stared at each other with eyes that read they-should-date-already-because-it’ll-make-our-lives-so-much-easier.
Draco slightly smirked and wiped his own mouth with the napkin. “You’re eighteen and you still don’t know how to wipe your mouth properly.” He said as he stared at Hermione.
“What are you talking about?” She asked as she reached over to wipe her mouth when Draco suddenly stopped her hand with his. He flashed her a small grin and reached over, wiping the small smudge of pudding off her mouth.
Hermione’s eyes widened as she felt his hand on her lips. She blinked as she stared at him. “You just smiled.”
“What?” Draco asked as he wiped his thumb with the napkin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You smiled at me.” She said with a wide grin. “You actually smiled at me!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Granger.” He said as he rolled his eyes. “She thinks I smiled.” He told Ginny and Blaise with a scoff.
“He smiled! Didn’t you two see it?!” She asked Ginny and Blaise excitedly.
“No idea.” They said in unison as they hid a smirk.
“You definitely smiled at me.” She said as she stared at Draco.
“Impossible.”
“You smiled like this!” She said and leaned over, taking both her index finger and placing them on the corner of his lips, tugging them upwards. “You smiled at me like this, I’m serious!”
Draco stared at her, blinking several times before he reached up, grabbing her wrists. “No.” He continued to deny as he pushed her hands back.
Hermione glared at him and frowned. “Why is it so hard for you to accept the fact that you smiled at me?” She asked with a pout now, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Why do you want a smile from me so badly?” He asked, copying her exact moves in mockery.
She glared at him and groaned. “Fine, you don’t have to give me a small, genuine smile.” She gave up with a sigh. “How’s your part of the bet going?” She asked after a while.
“Oh, well, considering the fact that I’m glued right next to you, it’s going bad. I haven’t talked to a single girl other than you or Weaslette.”
“That’s right . . .” Hermione said and slightly grinned. “Here, I’ll give you some free time. I have a lot to do anyways so let’s see . . . that girl over there seems nice and she’s probably interested in you.”
“Are you sure you aren’t going to get jealous?”
“Jealous?” She asked, completely caught off guard. “Me? Jealous? No.” She said as she let out a laugh. “That’s ridiculous.” She said and slightly cleared her throat. She never really thought about it but now that Draco mentioned it . . . she was feeling just a wee bit jealous. “I don’t care if you go and shag a girl.” She told him as she waved him off casually.
“Really?”
“Really.” She told him and got up. “Here, start getting your Malfoy charm ready for her.” She said and waved at the girl, gesturing the only girl from the Ravenclaw table. “Hey, you! Yeah, you. Draco Malfoy wants to talk to you.” She told the girl with a wide grin.
“What?” Draco asked as he stared at Hermione.
Ginny and Blaise pretended to make small talk as they ate silently. “Yeah, the Quidditch game was nice . . . real nice.”
“She’s coming over here. Great, try to charm her. But, remember, don’t use that joke on her like you did to me, Ravenclaws are smart.” She told him with a smirk and grabbed her book bag, walking out of the Great Hall.
Ginny and Blaise both laughed once Hermione left a very mad Malfoy. They both felt a glare coming their way and faced Malfoy. “It was something I said.” Ginny said as she went back into the conversation with Blaise casually.
Draco groaned and shook his head. He put on a smirk as he saw the shy girl. “Hello.” He greeted her.
“Are you and Hermione Granger dating?” The girl with the bright green eyes asked with a grin.
“Uh, not yet.” He answered as he nodded his head.
“Oh, well that’s a shame. I was hoping I could have a chance with you.” The girl said shyly as she looked down at her feet.
“Ravenclaws are not smart.” He muttered under his breath and immediately smirked. “Maybe you do.” And so, he started to flirt.
Ginny and Blaise both stared and shook their heads. “Wow, he’s quite the charmer.” Ginny commented and sighed. “I wonder what Hermione’s doing.”
“Probably studying.” Blaise said and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, look, I’m heading back to the dorm.” He said as he got up. “And I think we should all have a nice meeting tomorrow in the living room. We need to discuss some things about the house rules and all the good stuff.”
“I’ll tell Hermione about it.”
“Great.” He said and winked playfully at Ginny before he left.
Ginny slightly laughed and sighed as she got up. She stared at Draco who looked at her for help. “You’re doing great.” She whispered at him and walked over to Harry. “Hey, let’s get out of here.” She whispered into his ear with a playful smirk stitched on her lips.
“Let’s do it then.” Harry replied back with a goofy grin as he interlaced their fingers together, walking out.
---
This was a pretty boring chapter. I apologize. -_- I really appreciate all the wonderful votes I’m getting from you all. Thank you so much for everything so far! Please leave a review and vote :)
-Annie