A/N: Hello, hello! Well, here is the FULL first chapter of Plan D Is For Draco. What you have read before (if you have, indeed, read this before) was a preview. Here is the real thing, chapter 2 is finished and is going to be uploaded as soon as this one is up.

And for those who are patiently waiting for my other stories to be updated, please be patient. I am still in the process of trying to figure out where I want those both to go. But I thank you for continuing to be patient and I hope that you will continue to do so while I continue the rewriting process.

Anyway, enough idle chit-chat. Here's the story!

Plan D is for Draco

Part One

"All my carefully laid out plans have gone to shite."

A deep voice chuckled somewhere above Hermione's head, which was currently buried under two silk throw pillows.

Silk.

She inwardly scoffed at her friend's vanity and materialistic nature. Of course she was now gleefully ruining them with her angry tears, which seemed to make her feel marginally better.

"I keep telling you, Weasley is a ponce. But of course, you never listen to me." And of course, leave it to him to remind her why she felt like shit.

She and Ronald Weasley had broken up…again.

"So what is this now, Granger? The sixth time?"

"Seventh," she mumbled. The seventh time…this year. "And hopefully for good."

"That's what you said last time."

Hermione sighed. Yes, she had said that before. But she couldn't help it! Ron was part of her ultimate life plan!

She had begun formulating The Plan (as she mentally called it) way back in her fourth year of Hogwarts. It was that year that she had finally started to see what Lavender and Parvati were always tittering about. She had, at first, started to notice little things about all the boys at school. Harry did have rather stunning eyes and Dean Thomas looked so strong and tall. Even Malfoy had his moments when he wasn't being such a prick to everyone. But the one who had really caught her eye was Ron.

Ron could be so funny and he was fiercely loyal. He also had this cute dimple in his right cheek when he smiled. Sure, he could be a right git at times and, yes, his table manners were atrocious. But to Hermione, it was all part of his charm.

At the first mention of the Yule ball, Hermione's brain started working. She, of course, wanted to go with Ron, but didn't want to seem to eager by asking him. She had assumed Ron would finally buck up the courage and ask. They would have an absolutely wonderful time and share their first kiss to a slow song on the dance floor. Then they would begin seriously dating, they would graduate from Hogwarts, and then she would go to University while Ron worked to save up for an engagement ring. He would propose the day she graduated top of her class, they would have a year-long engagement while she worked an entry-level job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement within the Ministry of Magic, and after a year, they would get married. Then Ron would get a serious job and Hermione would work to the bone rising up through the ranks and, by age 25, she would obtain a high-ranking position before even thinking about kids. They would have two children, a girl and a boy, named Rose and Hugo respectively and they would grow old together, raise their children alongside Harry and Ginny (who had been her only confidante at the time and prime co-executor of The Plan) and see the kids off to Hogwarts together, then see them get married, see their grandchildren, then die at a ripe, old age, completely content.

The Plan was flawless! She couldn't see any reason it couldn't work. So she had waited patiently, acting as if she expected nothing. But she might as well have because Ron never asked her to the Yule Ball. The date of the event neared and never once in his and Harry's frantic scramble had either one of them considered her for a date. She had finally accepted the fact and simply took the first offer that had come. To her utmost surprise, it had been Viktor Krum and she had a wonderful time. And, to be honest, she had secretly enjoyed making Ron jealous. But then, of course, he had ruined the evening by saying such nasty and hateful things.

After that, Hermione had amended The Plan to exclude Ron. At that point, her future husband was faceless. She had briefly entertained the idea of Krum, but found that he fawned entirely too much. It became cloying and she decided that they were better off as long-distance friends.

Then Sixth Year came and Ron had been poisoned. Harry, Ginny, Lavender and Hermione had all visited him in the Hospital Wing. Imagine her surprise when it was Hermione's name he called out instead of his girlfriend's! Hermione! Hope had been restored and she began amending her plan to once again include Ron. Of course, considering that they were in the beginning stages of a war, the plan had to include Voldemort as well…unfortunately.

The Plan then proceeded without a hitch. Ron and Hermione helped Harry find and destroy all the Horcruxes (ignoring the fact that Ron abandoned them for a while), Voldemort was gone, all former Death Eaters got what they deserved, and Hermione was able to return to Hogwarts and complete her schooling. She had accomplished everything she wanted except for one thing: She had Ron still weren't married. Hell, he hadn't even begun to hint at proposing!

Here she was, at twenty-three, in the absolute best shape she's ever been, moving quickly through the ranks in the MLE, well-connected, well-established financially, incredibly intelligent, yet she was laying face down on a silk throw pillow in her best friend's living room, crying anguished tears over the stupid man who was supposed to be the love of her life.

"I'm going to be an old maid!" she screamed into the pillow. That same infuriating chuckle came form the man standing above her.

"Hermione, stop being so melodramatic. You know that's not true." She finally looked up into the face of the man she had least expected would become one of her best friends.

"Draco, you live for melodramatics, so allow me this one concession for today."

Ah, yes. Draco Malfoy was one of Hermione Granger's best friends.

Ron and Hermione disagreed on many things. The treatment of house elves, his table manners, her unhealthy obsession with reading among a slew of other things were all sources of contention. But the main thing that they had constantly argued about was Malfoy.

The Malfoy family, in the eyes of the Ministry, defected from Voldemort's side during The Final Battle by choosing not to fight. Instead, they had run around the castle and grounds of Hogwarts trying to find each other. Both Harry and Hermione gave their testimonies at their trials, allowing their sentences to be reduced considerably. Harry had said that neither of the Malfoy men had identified the Trio to the Snatchers nor Bellatrix despite the several exchanges Lucius had had with all three of them and the fact that Draco had gone to school with them. He also testified that Narcissa had saved his life by lying straight to Voldemort's face and declared Harry dead, allowing for Harry to take Voldemort by surprise and ultimately kill him. When faced with the question of Draco's involvement in Dumbledore's murder, Harry revealed all that he had seen in Snape's memories and he even indulged to the Wizengamort the time he had found Draco crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Draco had scowled at that and had later said that he had preferred that the recounting of that incident hadn't been repeated. Ever.

Hermione had given the same story about being in the Malfoy's house, but added that Draco had refused to participate in torturing her despite his aunt's commands, something Harry did not know and felt even more solid in his resolve to help the Malfoys. She also included the story of how she, Harry and Ron had saved Draco and Goyle from the Fiendfyre in the Room of Hidden Things. She also made sure to mention that Draco had prevented Crabbe from killing Harry, though kept the part about reminding Crabbe that the Dark Lord wanted him alive, only so that he could be the one to eventually do the deed. Both this testimony and Harry's allowed Draco and Narcissa to be acquitted of all charges and were counted as Prisoners of War. Lucius was put on house arrest for one year with no magic and after that, only limited magic for another five years. After the trials, the Malfoys had approached Harry and Hermione and thanked them for testifying on their behalf despite the rocky history they shared. Draco, in particular, gave a very lengthy apology for the way he had treated them, all of them, including Ron, and offered up a fresh start. Harry and Hermione accepted and an awkward friendship formed.

Ron had not been happy about it. He could not understand why Harry and Hermione felt the need to help people who were never nice to them, especially Draco. Harry tried to calmly explain that everyone deserved a second chance, but Ron would not hear any of it. It just became worse when Hermione decided to go back to Hogwarts and found out that Draco was going as well. He had even threatened to end things if she went through with her plans to return to Hogwarts.

"I don't want you going back, Hermione!" Ron had screamed.

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are, telling me where I can and cannot go, Ronald Weasley?" she yelled back, fire in her eyes.

"I'm your boyfriend! And while I was reluctant before, I sure don't want you to go now that the ferret is going!" His face had turned purple by this point.

"Yes, Ron, you're my boyfriend, not my father! Draco or not, I'm going back."

"Of course I'm not your father. He's not here, is he? Gee, I wonder why that is, Hermione?"

SMACK!

As if it had been an automatic response, her hand had come up and slapped him smartly across the face. She felt no remorse because, even for Ron, that was completely uncalled for. He should have known that that was a sore subject. Her parents had yet to be located and Hermione grew more and more worried with each passing day. So, without missing a beat, she turned on her heel and left the Burrow and stayed with Harry at Grimmauld Place for the rest of the summer. Ron had tried to talk to her, but she would lock herself in her room and put up a silencing charm so not to hear his whining.

"He is sorry, you know," Harry commented quietly on her last night before leaving for Hogwarts. He came into her room as she was checking her trunk one last time.

"I know," she said on a sigh. "But that still doesn't make it any better. 'Sorry' doesn't always fix everything, Harry." Harry sighed and lay back on Hermione's bed.

"True, but all Draco gave us was a handshake and an apology and we accepted it. Don't you think it's kind of hypocritical to accept Malfoy's apology at face value and then continue to be angry with Ron even though he's tried to apologize?" Hermione blushed at Harry's reasoning, realizing that he was right. She reached over and pinched his arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"For not telling me this sooner." Then she gave him a small peck on the forehead.

"And that was for being so smart."

Ron and Hermione had made up the next day when he showed up to see her to the train station. He had told her that he hadn't really meant what he had said and that even though he wasn't comfortable with the idea, he would continue to support her. She had thanked him and gave both Ron and Harry hugs and kisses goodbye and disappeared onto the train with Ginny. In normal circumstances, that would have been Hermione's seventh year and she would have been making her way to the Heads' compartment. But since the circumstance were anything but normal, it was Ginny who had made her way up, since she had been named Head Girl, and Hermione was left alone. After a short time, she heard a knock on the compartment door and was surprised to see Malfoy there. He had asked if he could sit with her as all the other compartments were either at capacity or filled with people who held the same opinion of the Malfoys as Ron. She had invited him in, burying her pity for the blond boy, as she somehow knew he would not have appreciated it.

They had talked, which started awkwardly at first, but as time passed, it became increasingly easy. She found Draco to be an excellent conversationalist and incredibly intelligent, though his past decisions had contradicted such a fact. They had debated, at times heatedly, only for him to crack a sarcastic joke and ease the tension. She found his dry humor enjoyable and by the end of the train ride, she even thought them to be actual friends. She shared her news with Ginny while watching the shortest sorting ever – three Gryffindors, four Hufflepuffs, two Ravenclaws and one Slytherin – and she had been glad for it, to Hermione's relief.

That night, Professor McGonagall had escorted the students who had returned for their "Eighth Year" to their new dormitories. They had no houses and no real class schedules. She had given them all Master Schedules of all Seventh Year classes and told them that they were allowed to sit in on any classes they wanted. Hermione imagined that it would be equivalent to auditing classes at the University level. The last instructions McGonagall had given them were to choose their suite partners. Instead of all the boys in one dorm and all the girls in another, the living quarters were separated into suites – two rooms connected to one bathroom – and then joined by a common living area. Once partners were chosen, that was who you were stuck with for the rest of the year. No trades. There were eight Eighth Years total. Beside Malfoy and Hermione, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnegan, Terry Boot, Padma Patil, Anthony Goldstein, and Hannah Abbott had all returned to Hogwarts. Since the numbers were odd, they all drew straws to see which boy and girl would have to share a suite. As luck would have it, Draco and Hermione drew short.

After McGonagall gave them an awkward speech about how she trusted them to not take advantage of the situation and to keep things appropriate, she bade them all goodnight and left them to their own devices. Hermione had begun her nightly ritual by first laying out everything she would need for the next day. Next, she stripped off clothing, donned her robe, grabbed her toiletries and without thinking, entered the bathroom. The shower was already running and a fully naked Draco Malfoy was just stepping in. At the sound of the bathroom door closing, he looked up and froze mid-step as she, too, froze, probably looking like a fool with her eyes wide open in shock. Her traitorous eyes took a moment to peruse Draco's form and – By Merlin! – he had an amazing body. As soon as her gaze landed on his – er – well… "the good part," she clapped her hands over her eyes and sputtered out clumsy apologies before zipping out of the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, Malfoy had knocked at her door and found her face down on her bed, still in her robe, cheeks beet read with mortification, but unable to stop thinking about Malfoy's sexy body. She sat up and managed to make a bathroom schedule that worked for both of them, all while never making eye contact. As he stood up to leave, she had believed herself to be in the clear until he turned back suddenly.

"Oh, and Granger?" he had said.

"What?" She grumbled back tiredly.

"Nice rack."

With that, he had quickly exited through the bathroom. It was then she realized that her robe had loosened and her breasts were very nearly about to pop out. But instead of being embarrassed, she had laughed it off and counted them almost even. It was at that moment, she had told him much later, that they had begun to be best friends.

"Okay, Hermione," Draco started, bringing Hermione out of her self-defeating musings. "You need to stop this. I've been telling you for years that you needed to ditch the Weasel. He doesn't deserve you." Hermione finally pulled her head from the pillows, her face blotchy and eyes bloodshot.

"He's been telling me to do the same to you for years," she stated calmly. "Am I to assume that you don't deserve me either?" She really meant it as a joke, so she was surprised with Draco's expression suddenly turned serious.

"Of course I don't deserve you, Hermione," he said quietly. "Least of all me, in fact." His words saddened her more than her break up, surprisingly, and she turned away from him.

"Maybe I'm the one who is not deserving of anyone."

"Please, Hermione, spare me the pity party." Hermione glared at him for his insensitivity, but he continued without pause. "Any bloke who comes near you is immediately intimidated by your strength and your pure character." Hermione was rendered speechless by his compliment. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was in front of her, gently taking her face in his hands to look her in the eyes.

"You're beautiful, Hermione," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "You just need to find someone equally as wonderful as you." Hermione tried to keep her breathing under control as he stared at her so intensely. It was in these moments that Hermione would suddenly be reminded of that first night back at Hogwarts. Images of his naked form flashed through her mind. For one fleeting moment, she wished that he thought himself to be deserving of her. She closed her eyes and cleared her throat, attempting to rid herself of the sudden dryness she felt there.

"So what do I do?" she practically whispered, not wanting to risk him hearing the huskiness of her voice. "How am I supposed to find someone like that?" Draco blinked and seemed to notice the position they found themselves in. He backed away and released her face, instead opting to sit beside her and swing a decidedly more platonic arm around her shoulders. Hermione briefly missed the intimacy before remembering that Draco was her friend, and nothing more.

"Well, Hermione, how do you expect to catch a fish if you don't cast your line?" Draco quipped, returning to his sarcastic, friendly, self, although she couldn't help but notice a bit of an edge to his tone.

"What are you on about, Malfoy?" Hermione asked back, rolling her eyes.

"I mean, Granger, that you need to put yourself out there. Mr. Right isn't going to just show up on your doorstep. You need to test the waters, go out with a male companion who isn't me, Harry or a weasel." Of course he was right. But she hadn't been on a date in an awfully long time. She couldn't even remember the last time Ron had taken her somewhere other than the Leaky Cauldron or a Cannons game. Wow, their relationship really was shite, wasn't it?

"But where will I find him? All the men I work with are either old enough to be my father or married. And, no offense, I'm not willing to do what you do and just pick up a random stranger from the pub. Judging by your stellar record, I don't believe I will find my soul mate that way." Draco's lip turned up at one corner in an amused smirk.

"You mean Candi didn't seem like the next Mrs. Malfoy to you?" Candi – "with an I" – was Draco's last arm accessory…er…girlfriend. She was as dull as dirt and dumber than a rock, but with those annoyingly perky breasts, legs a mile long and a face that made Hermione wish to go home and pull a paper bag over her head, it was obvious why Draco liked her. Or rather, why Draco didn't immediately kick her out of bed. And since they graduated from Hogwarts, every girl Draco dated seemed to look and act the same. Hermione joked that he bought them out of a factory.

"You seem to like that sort of girl, Draco. I don't see why she couldn't be," Hermione joked back with no malice at all. She believed her statement to be completely true, and while she wished better for her friend, the heart wants what it wants.

"Of course that kind of girl is good for shagging, Hermione," he said back. "But, believe it or not, when I'm finally ready to settle down, I actually want a woman of more substance. Someone who is beautiful inside and out." Hermione smiled.

"Good, Draco. Because, I swear, if you marry and procreate with Candi, I refuse to be godmother to your intellectually stunted children, no matter how beautiful they are." Draco rolled his eyes.

"I promise, Hermione, that when the time comes for me to feel the desire to settle down, I will require that all candidates first pass your approval, deal?"

"Deal," she replied back, laughing.

"Now that that's settled, let's get back to your problem."

"I hardly think that me being single is a problem."

"Well, no, it's not. But you've always wanted to be married and thinking about kids by the time you were 25. You're turning 24 this year, Hermione, and if you want your year-long engagement, you need to find the perfect man, fall in love, and get engaged within the next five months." Hermione looked at Draco strangely. Almost verbatim, that was what The Plan entailed. And she hadn't talked about that with him since…Hogwarts.

"How did you remember all that?"

"Remember what? Your Plan?" Hermione nodded. "Well, you told it to me in excruciating detail. And, well, when you were telling me about it…in those circumstances, I mean…" Draco trailed off. Hermione knew exactly the moment she told him about The Plan and immediately pushed the memory away. They promised they wouldn't talk about that moment ever again and for good reason. Hermione suddenly started to feel overheated, being pressed up against his side in such a way and scooted away to the other side of the sofa. Draco allowed his arm to fall to his side and they both said nothing for a while, avoiding eye contact.

"Well," Hermione said, finally breaking the awkward silence. "What do you suggest I do?" Draco blinked at her, seeming to have forgotten their topic of discussion.

"Do about what?" he asked dumbly. Hermione rolled her eyes, just for show, because she certainly understood his sudden absentmindedness. She was having a bit of trouble focusing herself.

"What do you suggest I do about finding my Mr. Right, Malfoy? Pay attention." Draco finally shook himself out of his daze and smirked.

"You mean you need a Plan B?" Hermione groaned.

"Yes, while incredibly cheesy and I can't believe you actually went for it, I need a Plan B." Draco's smirk grew, which disconcerted Hermione a bit.

"So, Hermione. How do you feel about blind dates?"

DHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDH

Twelve hours later, Hermione was already regretting having gone to Draco with her problems.

Draco Malfoy, for all of his class and proper Pureblood upbringing, was a horrible gossip.

Not a full day after she had left his flat after having unloaded her woes onto her best friend, Ginny came barreling through the floo.

"My brother is a prat, Hermione," Ginny said upon landing.

"Well, hello to you, too, Mrs. Potter," Hermione greeted back, amused.

"Yeah, hi," Ginny replied, off-handedly. She moved quickly about the flat, preparing breakfast and coffee with the distracted preciseness that only a mother and a Weasley woman could possibly possess. "What are you still doing in your pajamas, Hermione? It's nearly ten!" Hermione looked down at her old, ratty, flannel pajamas then looked back at Ginny bemusedly.

"Well, it's Sunday, Gin. I was having a bit of a lie in, I suppose, like most other people on Sunday morning." Ginny shook her head violently, thrust a hot mug of black coffee into Hermione's hand, and pushed her down the hallway and into her bedroom.

"Not today you aren't. Malfoy told me all about your plan and I think it's brilliant. But we need to go shopping so scoot your bum back into that room and dress into something decent."

"What are you talking about? What plan?" Hermione took a sip of her coffee in the hopes that the caffeine would allow for Ginny to start making sense.

"Why, your plan to start dating again, of course! I already know of someone who'd be perfect for you!" Ginny spoke rapidly as she leafed through Hermione's closest. "You remember Seamus Finnegan, yes? After the war he sort of disappeared into the Muggle world, opting to stay with his Dad for a bit. Well, now he's back and I ran into him at the Prophet."

Ginny Potter, nee Weasley, after a successful career as a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, was a reporter for the Daily Prophet. She had started out as a junior staff writer, reporting on the occasional Quidditch game in her retirement. But it seemed that the general public loved her work, often writing to the editor about how they enjoyed her colorful commentary. She had eventually worked her way up and was now the Senior Editor for the Games and Sports section of Wizarding England's most read publication.

"What was Seamus doing at the Daily Prophet headquarters?" Hermione asked, returning back to their conversation, albeit reluctantly.

"He was actually looking for a job. He said he had always wanted to go into journalism and the samples he showed me were quite good. He has a no-nonsense way of reporting that states facts without showing any bias at all, which is something the paper needs after finally having rid itself of that parasite, Rita. Anyway, so we were talking and he was asking about everyone and I told him how they were all doing. And then…" Ginny trailed off with that smug smile on her face. Hermione knew she was doing it to pique interest, but to be honest, all Hermione wanted was for Ginny to leave so she could curl back up into her bed.

"Then, what, Gin?" Hermione sighed. She might as well play along. Maybe that way she'd disappear faster.

"Then he asked about you. Seemed sort of nervous about it, actually. So I told him that you were well, a big shot in the MLE and all that."

"Gin…you did not…I'm hardly…"

"And then," Ginny continued, talking over Hermione's modest protests. "He asked if you were still with Ron and I told him that you were very single and gave him your mobile number. So he should be calling very soon, which is why we need to go shopping!"

"Ginny," Hermione groaned. "Isn't the whole point of blind dating not knowing who you're going with? Now I'll feel even more self-conscious."

"So what? Who said that all your dates had to be anonymous? Besides, wouldn't this be more comfortable for you? I mean, you've been with my idiot brother for so long and I figure that if you're going to put yourself back out there, you might as well start off slow. Going on a blind date after having been a relationship so long would be quite like jumping head first into ice cold water and then realizing you've forgotten how to swim, wouldn't it?"

Hermione grew dizzy with Ginny's fast talk, but realized that she was right. Sighing heavily, she resigned herself to this new Plan. "Plan B," she recalled with a smirk, reminding herself to pinch Draco for being such a horrible gossip queen.

DHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDH

Two weeks had passed and she still hadn't been on a single date, blind or otherwise. She had received calls from Seamus, who had seemed quite eager to meet with her, but for some unfathomable reason, she couldn't bring herself to make herself available. She knew that she was running out of time and that she couldn't put him off forever. Ginny was starting to get really annoyed and although Hermione understood her irritation, she also felt that it really wasn't Ginny's business.

"Why does everyone feel that I need to be with someone?" she mused aloud, a scowl on her face, as she angrily signed her name on yet another boring report on yet another boring case. Since the fall of Voldemort and the capture of the last remaining Death Eaters, things have been quite slow around the MLE. The crime rate was at an all time low and the most exciting case she had received within the last year had been some crazy old warlock who decided to fly his broom around a Muggle neighborhood completely starkers.

"Well, the fact that you are currently having a conversation with yourself might be one clue." Hermione looked up from her desk, startled by the sudden interruption of her solitude.

Draco stood, leaning against the doorframe, looking every bit the confident, self-aware, aristocrat that he was. She also couldn't help the wayward thought that he also looked incredibly sexy standing there with that damn smirk on his face. She sighed and hoped that it sounded exasperated and not wistful.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy. How may I help you?" she asked dryly.

"Why, Ms. Granger. Can't I simply visit an old friend? I was in the neighborhood." Hermione rolled her eyes and motioned for him to come in. Draco's smirk softened into a boyish smile as he closed the door behind him and Hermione couldn't help but smile back. She loathed admitting it, but that boyish smile was completely disarming.

"So, how's old Finnegan doing? Shag him rotten yet?" Draco asked without any preamble.

"Draco!" Hermione could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. She wasn't exactly a prude, but talking about any sort of sexual activity always made her uncomfortable. Draco knew this, which was perhaps the whole reason he constantly brought it up. The devilish smirk that was currently spread across his impossibly attractive face was evidence of this fact. Hermione's fingers itched to slap that look off her face.

"For your information," she huffed, "I haven't even gone out with him, yet." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Well, what are you waiting for Granger? What if Finnegan's your Plan B? You can make cute little bushy-haired, eyebrow-less babies with a high tolerance for whiskey and a low tolerance for gin." Hermione's face burned as she thought of that one night.

"First of all, I thought we agreed that we were NEVER going to talk about that again. And, excuse me, Malfoy, if I don't just jump into bed with any bloke I see. I'm not like you, you know." Draco actually looked affronted at her statement.

"Excuse me, Granger, but I do not just jump into bed with any girl I see. I do have standards, you know."

"Yes, yes, you're right. You do have standards. They're set quite low, in my opinion, but you do have them."

"To right," he huffed back petulantly. Hermione shook her head at his childish antics. While his inability to act like a mature adult vexed her at times, it was quite welcome today as it lightened her mood.

"So did you have any real reason for coming to see me or did you just want to annoy me today?" she asked distractedly as she signed her name at the bottom of another report.

"Well, actually, I wanted to know if you had eaten yet. I was thinking we could grab lunch. I took a half day today."

"Considering you don't really work, Draco, I don't see how it's possible for you to take a half day. That aside, yes, lunch sounds good."

"Great. Let's go." Hermione put down her boring reports and grabbed her purse. Draco stood by the door, waiting expectantly with her coat. Hermione gave him a small smile. Underneath all his depravity, rudeness and arrogance, he was still a gentleman. She allowed him to help her with her coat and was surprised when he gently pulled her hair out from under the collar. She wasn't sure why, but she felt a blush begin to creep up her cheeks, which only grew brighter as they walked out of her office, his hand at the small of her back. His behavior wasn't any different from how he normally was, but somehow, it seemed more…intimate seemed so wrong to say, but she couldn't think of a more appropriate word.

They walked to the lifts in companionable silence. They greeted co-workers and acquaintances as they passed, but other than that, said nothing else. They boarded the lift that would take them to the Atrium and as soon as the doors closed, Hermione felt that the temperature had risen about ten degrees.

"Wow, is it just me or did it suddenly become warmer in here?" she asked. Draco turned to her with a lascivious grin.

"It's not you, it's me." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at Hermione, at which she immediately rolled her eyes.

"Prat." Draco snickered at her comment. "But seriously, it's very warm." She removed her coat, and when that wasn't enough, she unbuttoned the first two buttons of her blouse and pulled it away from her chest.

"No, I agree, it is quite warm," Draco croaked out. Hermione gave him a strange look.

"Are you all right? You sound funny." Draco was looking straight ahead and had a strange look on his face. Perspiration was beginning to bead at his temples and Hermione reached up to wipe it away with her fingers. Draco flinched as her fingers neared his skin.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Hermione frowned at his reaction.

"Nothing. I just noticed you've begun to sweat and I was going to wipe it away."

"No, that's not necessary." Draco pulled out a monogrammed handkerchief (probably silk, Hermione thought with a mental roll of her eyes) and dabbed at his face. "Besides, Malfoys don't sweat." This time, Hermione rolled her eyes for real.

"Oh, is that so? What do you call this then?" And before he could shirk away from her touch again, she caught a bead of sweat on the tips of her fingers. But with his quick, Seeker reflexes, Draco caught her hand and pulled her so close, they were almost nose-to-nose. Hermione's breath caught in her chest and she looked straight into his grey eyes. As she stared, his eyes grew darker, like storm clouds rolling in before the downpour. It seemed like an eternity they stood like that, stormy grey meeting golden-brown. Draco began to lean forward and Hermione's eyes automatically began to flutter closed. She felt just a whisper of his lips against hers when suddenly, the lift jerked to a stop.

"The Atrium," the disembodied voice chirped as the doors slid open with a happy ding! Hermione and Draco pulled apart so quickly; it was as if they had been hit with lightening. What was that? Hermione thought to herself. She cleared her suddenly dry throat and turned back to Draco, who had reverted back to his arrogant self.

"After you, Granger," he said quietly, motioning towards the door with a graceful sweep of his hand. Hermione nodded, unable to say anything and led the way out.

"So," Draco said, breaking the awkward silence, hands in his pockets, jingling his change around. Hermione gave him a puzzled look. She knew that it was one of his tells for when he was nervous or anxious. What did he have to be nervous about? So they almost kissed in the elevator…so what? It wasn't as if they hadn't…

Hermione blushed and shook her head, dislodging that errant memory. No. She wasn't going to think about that.

"Granger!" Draco's shout interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?" Draco rolled his eyes.

"I was trying to ask you what you felt like eating." Hermione shrugged nonchalantly, even though inside, she was a confused mess. But despite her puzzlement over what just happened, or almost happened in the elevator, she needed to act normal. If he was going to pretend like it didn't happen, so was she. It was what they did, after all.

"The Leaky is fine," she answered breezily. "I've been meaning to say hello to Hannah, anyway." Tom, the former manager and landlord of The Leaky Cauldron, never recovered from injuries sustained during the War and had put the pub up for sale. Hannah, having come into a sizeable inheritance around the same time, bought the place and was now running the pub quite successfully. It was a popular spot for the Aurors, especially. Neville Longbottom was seen there quite frequently, attempting to flirt with the Leaky's landlady, who seemed oblivious to his attempts. Hermione and Draco often lunched there, chatting amiably with Hannah, who had become a dear friend to Hermione in the past few years, lending a sympathetic ear all the times Hermione came in crying about Ron when Draco wasn't available.

"Hermione! Malfoy!" Hermione smiled at her friend, who waved them over to their usual table.

"You're just in luck," Hannah said with a smile. "I was just finished cleaning your table up."

"Thanks, Hannah!" Hannah rushed off to get their usual drinks as they sat down. Hermione blushed as Draco pulled her chair out and gently pushed her chair in as she lowered herself onto it. Again, he wasn't acting any differently than usual, but after their interlude in the elevator, all his actions seemed more…just more. But refusing to overanalyze it, she settled into her seat and smiled at him, as if it was just another day with her best friend.

"So, what have you been up to today?" And it seemed that with that simple question, everything was back to normal. Draco went into a humorous account of his day, which included a few embellishments here and there, Hermione was sure, but he wouldn't be Draco Malfoy if he didn't go a little over the top. Hermione laughed in all the right places and kept up with his witty repartee as they ate; Hermione a simple chicken salad and the soup du jour, Draco a roast beef sandwich and chips. After a bit, Draco excused himself to go to the men's room and Hannah took that opportunity to have a break.

"So, Hermione, how's the single life?" Hermione groaned.

"Have you been talking to Ginny?" Hannah laughed.

"Yes, she was just in here the other day, going on and on about how you should really find a man who will just 'do you right'." By the telling wag of Hannah's eyebrows, Hermione rolled her eyes at the double entendre.

"First of all, I get by just fine. Secondly, why does everyone feel that they need to give their input about my love life?" Hannah's eyes softened.

"We just care, Hermione. We all just want to see you happy. You do so much for everyone else. It's about time you do something for you." Hermione looked down at the table and absently traced the wood-grain on the table, trying not to cry.

"Hannah, I'm touched, but it really isn't anyone's business but my own."

"Of course, Hermione. But hey, if you're interested, I have a cousin that you might want to meet. He's a few years older than us, but I think you'll get along fine."

"Oh?" Hermione wasn't really interested, but Hannah was right. Maybe it was high time that Hermione did something for herself. She'll give blind dating a shot. "What's is name?" Hannah's eyes brightened, obviously please that Hermione seemed even a little interested.

"His name is Michael. He takes care of some of the publicity for the Irish National Quidditch Team." Hermione was a little skeptical at the mention of Quidditch. What could they possibly have in common? Hannah seemed to read her look because she chuckled and continued to explain.

"He's very smart, however. He loves to read, just like you. And despite the fact that he works in the industry, he doesn't actually play Quidditch. Scared of heights, actually. But he loves watching it, as any bloke does, and this seemed the best way to be close to the game." Hermione nodded, taking it all in.

"I guess I could give it a try, the whole blind date thing. Your cousin sounds nice enough." Hannah nodded.

"I've already told him I'd talk to him about you and he seems interested. I suppose it's really only a blind date on your side since anyone who hasn't been living under a rock knows Hermione Granger." Hermione blushed. Like Harry, she wasn't very comfortable with her sudden fame. Ron, however, loved it. She supposed it was because he was often overlooked as the youngest boy out of seven children. Often, though, he let it get to his head, which irritated Hermione to no end.

"Yes, please, Hannah. Let him know that I would be interested in an outing or dinner or…whatever. I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to call it."

"Two potential dates, Granger? I'm impressed." Hermione spun around to face Draco, feeling a bit like she had been caught doing something she oughtn't. Which was ridiculous, of course. She was single and they had already discussed that she should test the waters, go on a few dates, find her Mr. Right.

Draco pulled up an extra chair next to Hermione's, as Hannah was currently occupying his, and casually draped his arms around her shoulders, across the back of her own chair. Hermione blatantly ignored the goose bumps that rose where Draco's arm touched her.

"So, who is lucky contestant number two?" Draco said with a sardonic smirk.

"My cousin, Michael," Hannah answered, and went into the entire spiel again about how he does publicity for the Irish Quidditch team and his love for books.

"Sounds perfect for Hermione. In fact, he sounds almost like a male version of you, Granger." Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.

"Behave, Malfoy. This is your plan, remember?" Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, Plan B. I remember. So when are you going to see this bloke?"

DHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDH

One week later, Hermione found herself fidgeting nervously at a table at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, pulling down on the hem of her impossibly short skirt without much success. Damn Ginny for forcing this outfit on her! Not only did Hermione feel like a tart in this too-tight skirt and top, but also it was abnormally chilly for May and she hadn't brought a coat. Hermione sighed as she failed, again, to force the skirt to cover more of her exposed skin. She supposed she couldn't really blame Ginny; it was Hermione's fault for telling Ginny about the blind date in the first place. Ginny had squealed like a giddy schoolgirl and pulled Hermione out the door without warning, side-Apparating her to a random alley before dragging her into some fancy boutique. She had piled Hermione's arms with clothes that Hermione never would have chosen for herself, but at the time, was feeling brave enough to try them on.

Now, though, Hermione felt completely overexposed and out of her element. On top of that, Michael was late. They had arranged to meet at seven at The Three Broomsticks, yet it was now 7:15 and he had yet to show. Part of Hermione was hoping that he would flake so she wouldn't have to go through with what was sure to be a disastrous date. Hermione had no idea how to date. She and Ron had known each other since they had been eleven years old. Being with Ron had taken all the guesswork out of dating. She already knew what Ron liked and disliked, had met the family and was welcomed with open arms. Being with Ron was easy.

So this was entirely new. In fact, it was downright terrifying. What if they didn't have anything in common? What would they talk about? What if he had bad breath? What if she had bad breath? She checked to make sure and was satisfied that it did not smell.

She took a sip of her water and checked her watch again. 7:25. He wasn't coming. Without any remorse or regret, she gathered up her things, bid goodbye to Madam Rosmerta, who simply waved back with a pitied look on her face, and Apparated to the first place she could think of.

"You're lucky I wasn't entertaining, Granger." Hermione rolled her eyes and continued on to Draco's kitchen.

"Please. When was the last time you brought a woman here?" Draco raised an eyebrow at her as she went straight to his liquor cabinet and poured herself two fingers of firewhiskey.

"I take it the date didn't go well?" Hermione took a large sip of her drink before sitting heavily onto a barstool.

"He stood me up," she stated dryly. Draco's eyes shot up.

"What a prick!" The vehemence with which Draco made his statement surprised Hermione. However, she simply shrugged.

"Oh well. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe I'm not meant to be with anyone." Draco rolled his eyes and refilled Hermione's glass.

"Please, Hermione. You've too much intelligence not to procreate and share your vast knowledge. As it is, it's already taking up entirely too much space in your brain." Hermione gave him an amused grin.

"Oh really? How do you figure?"

"Well, you've obviously stored up so much useless information that you fail to see how brilliant you are." Hermione fought her urge to blush and raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Whereas you have that part of your brain completely in tact." Draco gave her a smirk.

"But of course." Hermione rolled her eyes again.

"Careful, Granger," Draco warned, "Your eyes could get stuck like that."

"Well, then if you're so worried about it, stop making me have to." Draco motioned towards the sofa and they both moved to sit.

Hermione gave a slight smile before settling down, once again, against his silk throw pillows on his impossibly soft sofa. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, smiling contentedly.

"I could easily fall asleep here, Malfoy."

"Of course. And you have." Hermione opened her eyes and sat up before taking her drink back from Draco and taking another large sip.

"So, Granger, tell me what happened." Hermione sighed and rested her feet in his lap before beginning.

"We had arranged to meet at The Three Broomsticks—"

"Awful place for a first date," Draco cut in. Hermione rolled her eyes, again.

"We had arranged to meet at seven. I had come straight home from work and rushed to get ready, even allowed Ginny to put me in this ridiculous outfit and do my hair and make-up." Hermione motioned to herself and Draco looked her over. And even as she knew that she had inadvertently invited the perusal and he only gave a cursory glance, she still felt odd as his eyes quickly traveled up and down her over-exposed form; she wasn't exactly sure if it was a good odd or bad.

"You look nice," he said softly. She couldn't help but blush.

"Er…thank you, Draco." He gave a small nod, motioning for her to continue.

"Anyway, so I get to the place and even arrived a whole two minutes late, like Ginny suggested, so as not to seem to eager." Draco made a sound that was suspiciously close to a snort, if she didn't think that he was too refined for such a noise.

"Wow, Granger, a whole two minutes? That must have killed you." Hermione threw a pillow at his perfectly coiffed hair, which elicited an indignant protest from her friend.

"Anyway…So I sat down and told Rosmerta that I was waiting for someone. I was sitting there for about twenty minutes before I decided that he wasn't coming. So then I gathered my things and came here."

"Riveting, Granger," Draco said with an over-exaggerated yawn.

"Well, you asked, Malfoy. Anyway, I don't think I was ready to go on a blind date, anyway."

"Granger, that's what you said about Finnegan. And you know him." Hermione knew how ridiculous she was being, but was it such a crime to want to feel ready to date again? She just dumped Ron, the supposed love of her life. Was it so bad that she wanted to just take some time to be single for a while?

"Well, maybe that's the problem," Hermione finally answered with a shrug. "Maybe I know him too well. He was a Gryffindor, too. Too close to Ron, maybe." Draco sat up abruptly and snapped his fingers.

"That's it!"

"What's it?" Hermione asked dumbly, having sunk back into the comfort of the sofa.

"You don't need a blind date, you need to go out with someone you know. But not someone you know well. Maybe more of an acquaintance. Someone you know well enough to feel comfortable with, but not with someone that will remind you of Weasel." Draco had begun pacing around the living room, his forehead creased as he began to brainstorm.

"Have someone in mind, Draco?" Hermione asked, chuckling. Draco stopped, still in deep thought.

"Maybe," he answered back distractedly. Hermione groaned.

DHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDH

Four nights later, Hermione was storming back up to Draco's door.

"Malfoy! Open this damn door!" She lifted her fist to pound on the door of his flat. Upon the third knock, a disgruntled Draco swung open the door.

"What's up your bum, Granger?" He gave her a cursory look as she impatiently tapped her foot waiting for him to invite her in.

She knew that she must look a sight. Ginny dressed her again, this time in a form-fitting black dress that Hermione swore made her look fat. The dress also had no back and did not allow for a bra, and made Hermione feel like a tart. And judging by the way her date couldn't keep himself from pawing at her, the clothes had done their job. But it was said date that had her fuming now. So here she was, her hair a frizzy mess due to the angry static running through it, her heels in her had as she had walked all the way to Draco's flat, having forgotten her wand at home.

"Well, are you just going to stand there ogling me all night or are you going to let me in?" Draco wordlessly stood aside and ushered her inside with a mocking bow and a sweep of his hand. Hermione scowled at him and threw herself onto the sofa, not caring that her dress had ridden dangerously high up her legs. Draco had seen her in worse, she was sure.

"I can't believe you set me up with that…that…" She growled in frustration, unable to form words to describe her date with Blaise Zabini.

Draco had set the date up following the brush-off by Michael the Flake. He had been thoroughly convinced that Hermione would feel much better if she went on a date with someone she knew, but not with someone who was so close to Ron.

"Trust me," he had said. She had been skeptical, but agreed to see Blaise. She didn't expect that he would be Mr. Right, anyway, and it wouldn't hurt to have dinner and a drink with an old acquaintance, right?

They had agreed that Blaise would pick Hermione up at her flat and then he would side-Apparate her to the restaurant. Hermione felt a little more relaxed, thinking that Blaise was a gentleman for wanting to pick her up instead of asking her to meet him at the restaurant. Oh, that pureblood upbringing was good for some things, she supposed.

He had arrived promptly at 7:30, which Hermione appreciated and he complimented her on her outfit, which made her blush, even though the lusty look in his eyes made her a bit uneasy. He held her close when side-Apparating, which Hermione didn't think too odd, but gave a protesting squeak when his hands ventured a little too low on her back.

She managed to untangle herself from his grasp as soon as their feet touched solid ground and pretended that she was straightening out her dress and hair. They sat down and Blaise had immediately pulled his chair around so that they were sitting side-by-side instead of across from each other. There was no way he could have known that Hermione absolutely hated sitting in such a way because she preferred being able to see her partner eye-to-eye when speaking to him, so she brushed aside his mistake. He ordered for her, which irked her, but again, he didn't know her well, so she let this slide also. As they ate, he barely let her get a word in edgewise, constantly talking about himself and his accomplishments and trying to turn everything into a double innuendo. It was halfway through the main course, however, that Hermione could take no more. He began to trail his fingers up her exposed leg and did not desist even as Hermione politely asked for him to stop. He leaned in for an unwanted kiss and that was when Hermione stood abruptly and left.

"He kissed you?" Draco asked, surprised, as Hermione finished her account of the evening.

"He attempted to, but did not succeed." Was it just her, or did Draco looked relieved at that bit of news? Hermione shrugged it off and then remembered that this was all Draco's fault. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What in Merlin's name were you thinking setting me up with him, Draco?" Draco shrugged and had the decency to look a little abashed.

"I honestly didn't think that he would act that way. He's usually so reserved. I've never been on a date with him, Hermione. I had no idea. Although it's now starting to make sense why he's never able to keep a girl." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I give up," she sighed.

"Oh, come on, Granger, you can't give up," Draco said, plopping down next to her.

"And why not? I've attempted to go on two dates and both have turned out badly. Stood up, manhandled…I can't even begin to think what would happen if I actually agreed to go out with Seamus."

"Well, you'll never know unless you try, Granger. Anyway, why don't we go out? It's still early yet and you're already dressed." Hermione grumbled and sat up, attempting to tame her wild hair.

"I don't really feel up to it, Draco. I feel like shite."

"Well, you may feel like shite, but you look wonderful. So let's go out. Live a little Granger." Hermione blushed deeply. She never got used to taking compliments from Draco, as they were so rare. Although lately, he seemed to be more generous giving them. She couldn't help the warm feeling that radiated through her body at his words and vehemently reminded herself that Draco was her strictly platonic friend. Nothing more could ever happen between them.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling vulnerable. She was so confused. Everything was going so wrong. First her plans went to muck because she had foolishly placed her heart in Ronald Weasley's hands. And then he had crushed it. He had been part of every dream she had and with every choice she had made, she had kept him and his interests in mind. Even in a very brief, dark time when she had begun to doubt her choice, she fought to suppress her attraction to Draco because she never believed that he would ever feel the same way. Ron was safe, Ron loved her in his own, stubborn way, Ron has been there for her longer than Draco had. So she stuck with him, trying to convince herself that she had made the right decision. To find that she suddenly had to build new dreams and suffer the ramifications of making choices for someone else, she now felt lost. As if her life had suddenly lost purpose and she was floundering, trying to form new paths in life. To make things worse, she had invested herself whole-heartedly into a relationship that was apparently one-sided.

"Ron cheated on me," she blurted out. She hadn't told Draco, until now, why she had finally broken things off with Ron and he had been gracious enough to refrain from asking. Draco cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable with her outburst.

"With whom?" Draco asked, his voice soft. Hermione let out a derisive and humorless laugh.

"Which time?" Draco's eyebrows shot up at that statement.

"All those time I broke up with him…he was cheating on me. With everyone. Lavender Brown quite a few times, some barmaid that had been working at the Leaky Cauldron, a few random girls he had met in pubs and such, once I had even found him with Cho Chang." She risked a glance at Draco's face and was met with a stony look. He looked both livid and disgusted. She knew it wasn't, but she felt that the disgust was for her. How could Hermione Granger, the Heroine of the Second Voldemort War, have let that go on for so long? It was the same question she asked herself day after day. But the truth was very simple. She had loved Ron.

And finding out that Ron had been less than faithful almost the entire time they had been together made Hermione feel as if the last five years had been a complete and total waste. It also made her feel like less than a woman. And just when she felt that she was finally ready to pick up the pieces of her heart and move on, it seemed the world was working against her. Wasn't that just icing on top of a shit cake? That thought seemed to be her breaking point and she finally began to cry.

In an instant, Draco had pulled her to his chest and let her tears soak his silk shirt.

Silk again.

And, like before, knowing that she was now ruining it made her feel marginally better.

DHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDH

She woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and her mouth feeling like cotton. She tried opening her eyes and immediately regretted it as she was instantly blinded by the little bit of sunlight that somehow snuck through the blackout blinds Draco had placed over the windows in his bedroom. She quickly sobered at that realization and sat straight up in bed. Although her head was pounding and she felt as if she would vomit, she took careful stock of her appearance and surroundings. Her clothes were still on, stain and vomit free, although her hair was a mess. She put her hands over her eyes trying to piece together the night before.

Blaise…

The horrible date…

Coming to Draco's…

Being angry with Draco…

Crying…

Firewhiskey…

More firewhiskey…

MUCH more firewhiskey…

Muggle karaoke?

After having revealed the reason for her and Ron's break-up, and her subsequent crying fit, Draco had brought out a bottle of Ogden's Finest and distracted her with alcohol and hilarious anecdotes about the crazy things women did to get a rich man's – i.e. Draco's – attention. He was in the middle of telling her about how he and his latest distraction – er – girlfriend – had ended when she suddenly had the crazy idea to go to a Muggle karaoke bar.

At that point in time, they were both on a pretty good buzz having worked through almost the entirety of Draco's bottle and anything seemed like a good idea. Hermione navigated through Muggle London, dragging an unusually complacent Draco by the hand and they finally made it to a slightly dingy looking establishment with the word "KARAOKE" blazing bright in its window in pink neon. Draco bought more drinks, Hermione sang a couple of drunken renditions of Queen's greatest hits, Draco laughed at her antics and they finally left after closing.

It was there that Hermione began to grow hazy, but she assumed it wasn't important since she had ended up alone, in bed, fully dressed, in a house that she could probably consider her second home. And although the night had started out terribly, she figured that it hadn't turned out so bad, all things considered. Satisfied with her conclusions, she gingerly moved out of bed and padded over to the adjoined master bathroom. She nearly screamed at the state of her make-up and hair and her dress that had somehow twisted backwards in her sleep. Scowling, she peeled off the offending garment, washed her face, attempted to manage her hair, and exited the bathroom in just her knickers, fully intending on stealing some of Draco's clothes to wear.

She rummaged through his bureau, searching for a plain, inexpensive, completely replaceable, cotton t-shirt; in the case that she did, in fact, vomit this morning, she wanted to be sure that she wouldn't ruin something she couldn't afford to replace.

She had just located a shirt that looked as if it had seen better days when the creak of the door made her suddenly look up, clothing still hanging loosely in her hand. Draco walked in, carrying a tray of what seemed to be a delicious smelling breakfast and stopped dead, nearly dropping the tray, at the sight of Hermione in such a state of undress.

Hermione froze and they both stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Hermione knew that she should really try for some modesty and cover up with the now forgotten shirt. But Draco was now scanning her body, just she had done to him all those years ago, and dark look came over his usually expressionless face. Far from making her uncomfortable, she felt herself tightening in places she hadn't felt tighten in a very long time. Her skin began to grow warm and tingly, her breath coming out in small pants. His eyes finally met hers again. She gasped at the intensity she found there and she just knew that hers reflected the same. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly set the tray down on the bed and began taking small steps towards her. In some part of her brain, she registered that he was currently approaching her as one would a scared animal, but at the moment, she couldn't really give a rat's arse. She was feeling things. Things she hadn't felt in a very long time and it was overwhelming. She stood still, allowing him to come just within arms reach and she really did feel an urge to reach him.

It seemed that he had been reading her mind because at that instant, he suddenly grabbed her, crushing her body against his, but meeting her lips with a gentleness that was so at odds with the rest of his body language. Her eyes immediately fluttered closed and her body relaxed at the sensation of his soft lips working over her own. She didn't know why this was happening, knew on some level that this couldn't end well, but she couldn't bring herself to pull away. He felt so good, so right. But this is Draco, her rational side began to berate her. He's your best friend! Unfortunately, she was right. Draco was her best friend. Ron had been her best friend and look how terribly that turned out. Reluctantly, she pulled away and gently pushed her hands against his chest, creating a bit more distance. She watched as the lust in Draco's eyes slowly dissipated. He closed them briefly and when he opened them again, she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She surprised herself with how much that fact bothered her. He took a few more steps away from her before turning his back to her and stooping down to pick up the forgotten breakfast tray. She took the opportunity to hurriedly don the t-shirt that had fallen to the floor during their brief interlude.

"I made you breakfast," he said gently as he turned around, looking anywhere but at her.

"Thank you," she said, equally as quiet. Wow…awkward…

"I meant to wake you up with it…you know, breakfast in bed," he said, with a bit more humor in his voice. Hermione smiled goofily, recalling a past conversation where they had discussed romantic gestures and which ones were the most ridiculous.

"Breakfast in bed," she had stated with a roll of her eyes. Draco had let out a loud bark of laughter at that, which had surprised Hermione at the time. It had been the first time she had ever heard him really laugh.

"Hermione Granger, you have got to be the strangest woman I know! How could you not like breakfast in bed? Even I like having breakfast served to me in bed!" Hermione had winced.

"Just imagining all those crumbs getting into the place where you sleep at night. You never know where that food will end up or what will crawl in with you as a result." Draco had rolled his eyes.

"I stand corrected, Granger. You and Weasley are perfect for each other; between the two of you, there isn't a single notion of romanticism." Hermione had then laughed at his misuse of the word and went on to explain the true meaning, which had literally bored Draco to sleep.

And upon waking, he found a breakfast tray next to his bed under a stasis charm with a note that simply said, "Have fun with the ants you'll soon be sharing your bed with. –H"

Thinking back, she recalled the brief feeling of hurt when Draco had said that she wasn't romantic. But she brushed the memory aside, especially after…well, whatever that was, and she was getting very tired of all these unidentifiable exchanges she was having with her best friend.

Instead of dwelling on the unknown, though, she simply turned down the covers and climbed back into bed. Draco paused, looking contemplative, before lowering himself onto the bed, on top on the covers. Hermione smiled at the propriety he was exhibiting, even as she thought it strange after the explosive kiss they had just shared.

Oh no, Hermione. Don't think about that right now.

Conversation started awkwardly, but they managed to get past it and return back to their familiar banter, reverting back to their self-preservation mechanism of sweeping everything under the rug. Hermione knew it wasn't healthy, but she valued their friendship more than she ever thought she would. She was beginning to think that his friendship meant more to her than Ron's had.

Quickly trying to divert her dangerous thoughts, she grabbed the television remote and flicked it on, surfing through the channels. It still amused her that Draco had given in and bought himself a very Muggle television set. They watched some telly, not really paying attention to what was on, and continuing their breakfast as if their kiss had never happened.

DHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDH

Later than afternoon, Hermione was just finished showering, donning the t-shirt she had filched from Draco and a pair of terry cloth shorts, when Ginny came barreling through the Floo without any warning. Hermione's combat training kicked in and she dropped to a crouch.

"Hermione Granger!" Ginny hollered. Hermione sighed and straightened up.

"Ginny, a little warning would be nice. What if I had thought you to be an intruder?" Ginny waved her hand around as if brushing her words aside.

"Well I wasn't and I'm still in one piece. But what I want to know is why you still haven't called Seamus!" Hermione sighed again as dropped herself onto her sofa.

"I don't know, Gin. It just doesn't seem…right."

It wasn't that Seamus was a bad bloke. In all honesty, she had found him sort of endearing back in their Hogwarts days. He was brash, sure, but he also had a wicked sense of humor. And she was sure that his eyebrows had finally grown back by now.

Surely.

But maybe Draco was right. Perhaps it was because Seamus was too close to Ron. They were all in Gryffindor together, he had a pretty short-temper like Ron, and their hair color was close in hue.

Ugh.

On top of all that, there was the niggling feeling that she was committing some sort of betrayal by even considering Seamus. In fact, she had felt that way on all her dates. But betrayal to whom? Surely not to Ron, who had made it very clear that she was not the only witch who was receiving private rides on his broomstick.

Wow, she really needed to stop hanging around Draco so much; that was just crude.

And on that thought, she stopped to consider…was it because she felt she would be betraying Draco? He was her friend! And sure, they had…something…but sex would only complicate things. She could be honest and say that at this point in her life, she needed Draco. But to think that by dating someone else, she would be betraying him…it just didn't make sense.

"What do you mean it doesn't seem right, Hermione?" Ginny asked, interrupting her thoughts. Hermione looked up. Judging by her impatient tone and the irritated look on her face, Hermione guessed that Ginny had had to repeat her question because she hadn't been paying attention.

"I just doesn't," Hermione replied back weakly. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"How could it not be more right? You're single, he's single, he's interested, you need to get laid…I'm not telling you to marry the man, Hermione. Just shag him and tell me all about it in the morning."

"I don't know, Gin. It just wouldn't seem right."

"Hermione!" Ginny whined. "You can't let my brother keep you from pursuing happiness. I know you had your plan and all, but you need to let him go." Hermione shook her head.

"It's not about Ron. I'm over all that and I'm definitely over him," she stated resolutely.

"Then what's the problem?" Ginny exasperated, slumping ungracefully onto the sofa next to her.

"I just…I guess I just want to feel something. I want to feel excited whenever we touch, even if it's just a simple grazing of hands. I want to be able to imagine myself waking up to his face. I want to be able to imagine growing old with him and imagine what our children will look like, everything, Gin. I want the whole make-you-want-to-puke-it's-so-sweet package."

"That does sound really nauseating, actually," Ginny piped in. Hermione smirked and threw a cushion at Ginny's head.

"I'm serious, Ginny!" Hermione whined, but with a smirk on her face.

"Well, I'm serious, too. It's sweet, I suppose. And it's what you want. At least you know what you want. Is that why you stayed with Ron so long, despite him being a total ass? Because you saw that in him?"

Hermione was quiet as she thought about it. As she was telling Ginny all of that, she never once thought of Ron. Even after having planned an entire lifetime around Ronald Billius Weasley, now, eight agonizing years later, she realized that it hadn't been Ron for a long while, now. Actually, she had been picturing…

"I kissed Draco," she suddenly blurted out. Ginny sat up again.

"Finally!"

"What do you mean, 'finally'? You thought this would happen?"

"Well, yeah, Hermione. You could cut the sexual tension between the two of you with a knife." Hermione said nothing to this and slumped down next to Ginny, staring at her hands. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Hermione, sometimes for the smartest witch of your generation, you sure can be obtuse. How was the kiss?" Hermione sighed heavily.

"Amazing." Ginny sat up even straighter and gave Hermione a 'do tell!' look. Hermione shook her head. "It was amazing, yet it felt weird at the same time." Ginny cocked her head to the side with a bemused look on her face.

"How could kissing Draco Malfoy be weird? He's bloody gorgeous! And with his reputation, he couldn't possibly be bad!" Hermione winced as she was hit with a surprising twinge of jealousy as Ginny mentioned his past.

"No, he's amazing. But…I don't know. I'm attracted to him the way I would imagine being attracted to a stepbrother. I feel as if I'm not supposed to be attracted to him even while technically, it should be totally acceptable." Ginny nodded sagely, showing her understanding.

"Plus, there is your friendship to consider. Wouldn't want to muck that up."

"Exactly! I couldn't do that. I…I need him, Gin. And I'm afraid that if we try to pursue this, one or both of us will muck it up and we'll end up the way Ron and I are now." Ginny sat and pondered on everything Hermione said for a moment before suddenly standing up with a resolute look upon her face.

"Well, that settles it. There's only one thing to do now."

"What's that?"

"You're definitely going to call Seamus."

A/N Update [2/11/13]: Did a little bit of editing on this chapter. Nothing too big. Just made some adjustments to the timeline. I was attempting to make it a Valentine's Day story, but it wasn't coming together in a way that I liked. Maybe if I finish this one in time, I'll try and make a short one-shot for the holiday. We shall see. ;]