So, I know it's almost mid-January now (Happy New Year!) and this story will obviously have something to do with Christmas and the Holidays, but I couldn't get this story out of my head and really didn't want to wait a whole year to post it! Anyway, I answer any questions you may have at the end of this chapter, so hope to see you there! I hope you enjoy it!

A Clueless Hermione

"Pass it here, Longbottom!"

"Crap! Johnson's taken the Quaffle! Good going, Longbottom!"

"I'm sorry, she sneaked up on me!"

"Go Angelina!"

"And 10 points to Johnson! Nice going, Babe!"

"Stop flirting with your girlfriend, Weasley! We're losing!"

"Sod off, Malfoy! I'll flirt with my girl whenever I want, just keep your eyes on the snit-" BAM "Merlin that hurt, Fred!"

"Yes! Direct hit!"

"Fred, you just hit your own twin with a bloody bludger!"

"Calm down baby sister, he had it coming! He should know better than to get distracted during quid-"

"Will you Weasleys just shut up and play the bloody game! Thomas has got the quaffle and you lot are just standing around and watching! And Malfoy, Potter's almost got the snitch, get a move on! So shut your traps and play the bloody game!"

"Sod off, Zabini!"

This, and the sound of broom whizzing over her head, was all Hermione had been hearing for the past hour on this beautiful Sunday afternoon in November. It was a rule to spend every Sunday brunch with the Weasley's at the Burrow where Molly would make a delicious meal for everyone, as always. On this particular day, seeing as winter was quickly approaching and the cold and snowy season would soon be upon them, everyone besides the older witches and wizards along with Hermione, Luna, and Fleur had decided to play a friendly game of Quidditch, although it sounded anything but friendly at the moment.

Today's brunch had consisted of a larger group than usual because of the quidditch game. Luckily it had not been raining this week as it had been for the past few months. On one team there was Harry, Ron, Fred, Seamus, Charlie, Angelina, and Dean. The other team compiled of Ginny, Neville, Katie Bell, Bill, George, Blaise Zabini, and Draco Malfoy. Yes, you read correctly, Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy. Now, you may be wondering when those two would ever be invited for a friendly game at the Weasleys.

Well, the Zabini family had played a neutral role during the War. While many would say that they had done it to preserve their own hides because the war could have gone either way, Harry Potter was a forgiving person to those who did him no harm. So, the Wizarding World had been accepting of the Zabini's, especially since Blaise, Ron, and Harry had become great friends as Blaise was also a member of the Chudley Cannons, as beater, along with Ron, who played keeper.

Malfoy was another story. At first, everyone including Harry, was a bit anxious about letting the Malfoys off the hook. Ultimately, Harry took a stand in front of the Wizengamot and told them how Narcissa and Draco Malfoy had saved his life on two different occasions. He did not extend this courtesy to Lucius, however, who played an active role in Voldemort's regime, regardless of his lower rank. Malfoy had gone on to become an Unspeakable, along with Hermione. Although, the work environment had initially been very tense with him still trying to recover from his ruined reputation and her waiting for him to send a curse her way, they eventually called a truce. Now, they were civil to each other and Hermione could even go far to say that he was pleasant to converse with when he wasn't being a prick.

Since he was close friends with Blaise and frequented many of his quidditch games, he often ran into Harry and Ginny, who came to support Ron during games and sometimes practice. At first, they barely talked, but with encouragement from Blaise, they became more comfortable around each other and now they were great chums together that it'd be hard to believe that Malfoy had once been their childhood bully.

At present, Hermione was sitting on a bench under one of the trees surrounding the Borrow and reading a book, occasionally looking up to see how the game was progressing. She wore a conservative mid-thigh royal blue sweater dress with a white belt around her waist, black leggings, and nude mid-calf boots. Her hair was in a half-up, half-down style with a few bangs framing her face. Her hair looked considerably tame compared to her childhood days with her bushy hair. She thanked Ginny for introducing her to Sleekeazy's Hair Potion for she could not go without that particular hair product. On her face, she wore light make-up consisting of thin layer of eye-liner, mascara, and lip gloss.

She looked up with her brown eyes to see Seamus flying over her with the quaffle under his arm with Ginny and Katie chasing after him. She quickly glanced at her blond co-worker in his Slytherin quidditch uniform before looking down at her book. Unless someone had been looking at her, no one would have seen her brief glimpse at the Malfoy heir. Unfortunately for her, someone had been looking at her at that moment and had a small knowing smile on her face before she made her way over to Hermione.

Luna Lovegood was a very insightful witch although many people thought she was a bit looney. She had a way of looking into a person's heart and bringing the best out of a person with her sincerity. She sat down next to her friend who looked up at her a bit startled. Hermione looked at her friend dressed in a long floor-length, full-sleeved maroon dress and white shawl around her shoulders with her hair in a low braid.

"How long have you liked him?" Luna asked Hermione.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, innocently.

Luna just looked at Hermione with a you-know-what-I'm-talking-about look. Hermione gave a small sigh, she knew that she would not be able to fool her blonde haired friend.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Not really. I just have a knack for noticing things that are not there," replied Luna. Hermione nodded and was relieve to know that not everyone knew of her crush on Malfoy. "So, how long?"

"I don't know. He's changed a lot since we were children. He's a lot more tolerable now," Hermione said with a chuckle. She recalled the day they had called the truce.

Hermione had arrived at her office on Morning to find Malfoy standing at her desk. He just looked at her as she cautiously approached her desk, her hand twitching to grab her wand that was tucked into the pants pocket of her grey pantsuit. His face gave away nothing, not even a hint of a sneer. When he noticed her hesitance and her stance, he slightly smirked at her, which made her even more uneasy.

After a few minutes of just looking at each other, Hermione grew more uncomfortable and she knew that Malfoy could tell as his smirk grew even wider. She had decided that she'd had enough and bitingly asked, "May I help you with something, Malfoy?"

He looked at her for a second longer and then tucked both of his hands into the pocket of his pants. "I've come to call a truce, Granger," he said.

Hermione just looked at him like he had grown a second head. "A truce?"

"Yes, a truce. While this little dance that you've been doing for the past few months has been entertaining, I think it'd make both our jobs easier if we called a truce," he said.

"How very convenient to fault me in this "little dance" as you say. You're the one who has been avoiding me, Malfoy," she spat out. She could not believe what she was hearing. He had the nerve to blame her for their work relationship, or lack of, like he was some saint.

Malfoy just stared at her for another minute or so, making her uncomfortable again, but this time there was no smirk that graced his face.

"Alright, Granger, it seems that we are both at fault for our current situation," he said, which made Hermione openly gawk at him. 'There's that blasted smirk again' she thought as she closed her open mouth. She couldn't believe the Draco Malfoy, her childhood tormentor and hater of muggleborns was willing to call a truce with her. This had to be some sort of trick.

"Okay Malfoy, what's the catch?" she asked, wearily. Her instinct was still telling her to grab her wand and hex the prat.

"No catch, Granger," he said, moving to stand in front of her, which caused her to back up more until she hit a wall, "just an understanding. I know that I haven't been the friendliest to you while we were growing up-" Hermione scoffed at that, "but I want to put the past behind us. I'm not the kid that I once was, Granger. The war has changed me, as I'm sure it's changed you. It does that to everyone, war. I know the beliefs that I grew up with are wrong and blood prejudice is false. I was a right prat to you as children, Granger, and I'm sorry," he said, ignoring Hermione's scoff. After his little speech, he stepped back from Hermione, giving her more room to breathe and evaluate everything she had just heard.

Hermione looked at the man in front of her with shock. Draco Malfoy had just apologized to her. Draco-bloody-Malfoy had just apologized to her, Hermione Granger. She took the time to really look him over, to see if she could find any sign of deception. He simply stood there, waiting for her. His hair was longer now and wasn't slicked back as it once had been when they were children. While he was still pale, he did not look as ashen as he had during the war. Being in Voldemort's constant presence had not been good for his health, it seems. He was still a full head taller than her, even in her 3-inch heels. He had filled out more over the years, no longer a lanky boy. She suspected it was due to quidditch. His face was expressionless but his eyes told another story. While she couldn't be completely sure, it seems he was…nervous? He was worried about her response.

Could she simply forget everything that had happened between during the last 11 years? He had been a pain in her arse since she had been 11 years old. But he was right, the war had changed things. She wasn't the girl she once was just as he wasn't the terrible boy he had once been. He had saved their lives in Malfoy Manor. She even remembered seeing his anguished face when she was being tortured by Bellatrix. He had not shown pleasure or glee from her pain but sympathy and sadness. Although she had not really cared or had the capacity to think about him while she was being tortured, she now looked back and saw that he had indeed changed. But still, she needed to know.

"Why did you save us? In the manor. Why didn't you tell Bellatrix who we were?" she asked, softly. She needed to know this if she were to ever trust him.

Malfoy flinched at Bellatrix's name. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Granger," he said, rather quickly but Hermione wasn't buying it.

"You don't fool me, Malfoy. You knew who we were, you knew it was Harry. You definitely knew when I was screaming my lungs out as your deranged aunt tortured the hell out of me!" she yelled out the end.

He remained silent, now looking everywhere but at her face like he was embarrassed. By now she had moved to her chair behind her desk and he was standing against the wall she had previous been plastered against, with his hands still in his pockets.

"I didn't want you to be killed, alright?" he said, finally.

"What, so all of a sudden you care about us, Malfoy?" she said, disbelievingly.

"Not quite. I haven't changed THAT much, Granger," he said with a smirk, "I was looking out for my family more than anything. I knew that we were at the bottom of the ladder and that if the Dark Lord won, we would eventually be killed. I'd rather have Potter kill that mental loon than continue living a life under the Dark Lord's thumb, forever in fear and uncertainty. I did it for the protection of my family. I know that may not be exactly what you wanted to hear but those were my reasons," he finished. His gaze had not wavered from her face during the time he talked, so she knew he was not lying.

While Hermione had indeed been hoping that he would say that he actually cared enough at their safety, she knew that it was more consistent with his character to be worried about the wellbeing of his family. Did that mean he was a bad person? Not necessarily. Did this mean she could forgive him completely? No, but could at least try to move forward. But was this about putting the past behind him or just making himself look better in society?

"So that is what it's about is it? You're looking out for your precious reputation?" she said.

"What reputation, Granger? If you haven't noticed, it isn't very honorable to be a Malfoy nowadays. But yes, in a way I am looking out for myself. I cannot continue working in an environment that is hostile. So, I'm doing the grown up thing and willing to work past our differences and at least be colleagues with you. I'm not going to stand here and beg, Granger. I thought you'd at least appreciate the effort so that you could stop skirting around me or wanting to grab your wand the minute I step into a room, yes, I've noticed," he said, seeing Hermione's eyes widen when he had addressed her usual reaction to his presence. And here she thought she was being discreet.

Hermione scowled at him for instigating that she had been behaving childishly around him during their work at the Ministry but she could see the wisdom in his words. They were adults now and their recent behavior was not conductive to a productive environment, which would affect their jobs, which she did not want to compromise.

"Alright, Malfoy. I agree to your truce, but this does not mean that I completely forgive you for your deplorable behavior in the past. As long as you are willing to be civil, I will behave accordingly. But the minute you revert back to being a prat, I'm going to hex you two ways until next Sunday, got it?" she said standing from her chair and walking around her desk to stand in front of him.

"Well, I can't guarantee that I won't ever be a prat, Granger, but I accept your terms," he said, holding out his hand. Hermione looked at his outstretch arm and looked back at his face, which was looking at her expectantly. She let out a sigh of defeat and shook his hand, which caused his face to break out into a genuine smile, or at least what she thought was genuine.

"Splendid. Now I shall be off, got a job to maintain and all. Have a good day, Granger. By the way, love the shoes, it makes your arse look good," he said before ducking out her office before she threw a spell at him.

Hermione looked at him shock before chuckling and shaking her head. It was weird for Malfoy to give her a compliment, so she guessed she could let it slide this once, but next time he would get it. With that, Hermione turned around and sat down at her desk to begin her day. She felt in a better mood already. Maybe a truce was what she had needed to set her mind more into work.

Hermione chuckled at the memory. Of course she had not hexed him the next time he had teased her, or the time after that, or the time after that. He was just too quick to get out of her sight after every comment. Damn seeker reflexes. Now it had become a daily thing between the two of them. It had been annoying at first but she eventually got over it and now she kind of looked forward to it.

"Does he know?" Luna asked, snapping Hermione out of her reverie. Hermione shook her head as she glanced back down at her book.

"No, he doesn't. He doesn't feel that way about me and making a spectacle of myself isn't really something I would like to experience," she said.

"How do you know he doesn't feel that way about you?"

Sigh. "Because, Luna, he's Draco Malfoy and I'm Hermione Granger. We've been enemies since we were 11 and he used to consider me as a mudblood".

"WERE enemies and he USED to call you that Hermione. Has he called you that since you started working at the Ministry?"

"Well, no, but that boy may still be inside him somewhere. Plus, he shamelessly flirts with almost all the young interns in the Department of Mysteries," scoffed Hermione at the memory of Malfoy chatting up her secretary, a recent graduate of Hogwarts. Merlin she had wanted to fire her on the spot but that would show that she had a weak spot for Malfoy, though she had received a larger than usual amount of work that day.

"From what I heard, he flirts with you too doesn't he?" Luna asked, suggestively.

"No, Luna, Malfoy just annoys me to get a rise out of me. I think he actually wants me to try and hex him," she said, "he's only into those blonde bimbos at the ministry. Ugh, why him? I'm an accomplished witch. Why did I fall for Malfoy when there are so better men out there who could appreciate a woman for more than her looks?" Hermione asked herself more than her wide-eyed friend next to her. She wore a scowl on her face as looked back down to the pages of her forgotten book, trying to put the handsome man out of her mind.

"The workings of the heart are not to be understood, Hermione. The heart has a will of its own, one we feel compelled to follow. I'm sure there's something about Draco that has likened your heart to him, more than just his good looks I am sure. You are not a vain woman, Hermione, for you would not fall for a man simply for his exterior. Draco Malfoy has changed much since our childhood. He has grown kinder and he is very intelligent. You two are very similar now that I think about it, actually. I can see why your heart would feel drawn to him," Luna said, all the while looking up to see the players on their brooms whizzing across the quidditch pitch.

Hermione had looked up from her book to stare at her companion. Although she did not understand everything Luna had said, which was rare for Hermione Granger, she could not ignore the wisdom in her words. While Hermione didn't want to agree that the heart could have a will that opposed the mind, she knew her own situation was a clear indication that what Luna had said was true. She followed her gaze up to the players above, lingering on the man who had stolen her thoughts only to see that he was looking in their general direction as well. He had a questionable look on his face. He then looked away and followed after the snitch.

Hermione gave a defeated sigh. Luna felt a small knowing smile slide across her face and turned to see her friend looking off into the distance. She may not have been as brilliant as Hermione, but she knew what she had just seen and she wanted Hermione to be happy. She knew that Hermione had felt lonely now that everyone had found a partner in life.

It would become ever more obvious now that Bill and Fleur's wedding date had been set for the 25th of December, only a few short weeks away. Both the twins were engaged: Fred to Katie Bell and George to the lovely Angelina Johnson. While both had been quidditch players in their Hogwarts years, Angelina chose to go professional, along with Ginny, while Katie decided to pursue a career as a healer. Ginny and Harry had been dating for almost three years now and Luna knew that Harry was close to proposing from what Ron had told her. She and Ron had been dating for a little over a year now and it was wonderful. Now that she knew Ron, she could understand why he and Hermione had not worked out as everyone thought they would have. While she loved her boyfriend to pieces, he was rather hot-headed. However, so was Hermione when she really got onto a topic that she was passionate about, which would lead to many fights between the two friends, so the idea of a relationship had simply been preposterous.

Hermione needed someone who was equally as brilliant and passionate as herself otherwise the poor sod would be drowned out by her conversations in a matter of minutes. While she didn't know Draco Malfoy to the same degree as her boyfriend, Luna had overheard a few of their conversations and could tell that he was far more intelligent than he would let on. And once the boys got talking about quidditch, dear Merlin, the man would discuss it so boisterously. Yes, he really would be a wonderful match for the brightest witch of the age.

"Why don't you pursue him then?"

Hermione glanced up at Luna with a shocked expression on her face. "What? Are you mad? Me pursue him? That's insane. I'd look like a right harlot, Luna!" Hermione closed her book and stood from her seat on the bench, whirling around to face the former Ravenclaw and placed her hands on her hips.

Luna rolled her eyes and smiled at Hermione's exasperated expression. "I really doubt anyone would believe you to be a harlot, Hermione. What's wrong with pursuing him? It's the 21st century, it's perfectly acceptable for a woman to pursue a man, now isn't it?" She also stood from her seat to stand before the fiery brunette.

"Yes, I suppose it is… but this is Draco Malfoy, Luna. I don't need to give him more ammunition for his arsenal of humiliating things to say about me. I'd be mortified if he told anyone, especially people at the ministry. I'd be the laughing stock of the wizarding world!" cried Hermione.

Luna wanted to giggle at the unchildish behavior her longtime friend was exhibiting. She did have a point though. Draco Malfoy still had his moments of immaturity and while she doubted he'd consciously hurt Hermione, he might be privy to announce to the world in case Luna was wrong about his affections. "I can see your point. Alright then, why don't you seduce him instead? This way he'll be the one to fall for you".

Hermione looked at Luna for a good minute. Seduce? What did she know about seducing? She was as seductive as Snape was fetching in Neville's grandmother's clothes. Hermione chuckled at the memory of Neville's boggart from 3rd year. She could see Luna looking at her weirdly.

"I don't know Luna, I'm not really the seductive type…" she said, looking down at her clothes and then to the ground.

"True," she said, giggling when Hermione snapped her head up to look at her disbelievingly, "well it's the truth! And neither am I, if that's any consolidation. But I'm sure Ginny and the girls would have great advice for you".

"What? NO! I don't want others to know! I can already see Ginny laughing her head off at this," Hermione said, placing her hands on Luna's shoulders, "no, no one else can know about my fleeting infatuation with Malfoy".

Luna shrugged off Hermione's hands and in turn placed her own hands on Hermione's shoulder. "I doubt your feelings for Draco are as fleeting as you say. And I truly think this is a good idea to tell the girls. And they know the art of seduction better than you and I. They might think it a bit crazy at first, but they'll come around and help when they see that you're just as sane as I am," she finished with a smile.

Hermione was not at all comforted by her words and looked at Luna with disbelieving expression. However, her feelings were not as fleeting as she had said them to be. She was wary about Angelina and Katie knowing about her feelings and heaven forbid if Fred and George were to ever find out. She would never hear the end of it. No, it'd be best to wait and tell them.

"Alright, but only Ginny for now," Hermione finally conceded.

Luna just smiled at her and nodded.

"Hermione and Luna, dears! Come in for some afternoon tea!"

The two ladies turned to see Mrs. Weasley waving them over to the Burrow with Fleur standing not too far behind her. Hermione looked at Luna, "Okay, until I tell Ginny, you cannot say a word. Alright?"

"Of course, it's your secret to tell," Luna said with a smile before skipping across the field toward the Weasley home with Hermione jogging after her. Hermione shook her head at Luna's childish antics but couldn't escape the grin that crept up onto her face.

After another hour or so, Malfoy finally caught the snitch just in time as the sun set into the far off mountains. Harry looked thoroughly put out as he and all the other players fumbled into the Burrow after what looked to be a tiring match.

Malfoy's team was rather satisfied with their win with Malfoy having the biggest grin of all after finally beating Harry to the snitch. Harry team, on the other hand, looked rather grim especially Ron knowing that he'd lost to not only Malfoy and Ginny, but to Blaise as well! Merlin, he'd never let it down in front of the team! Both George and Katie were rubbing it into the faces of their counterparts, but Angelina Johnson quickly shut her fiancé up by stomping on George's foot and marching off into the living room. Now that her sidekick was temporarily incapacitated, Katie could see the twinkle of mischief in Fred's eyes and quickly took off running up the stairs of the Burrow with her own fiancé following after with his arms and fingers outstretched and wiggling in a tickling-motion to foreshadow the events that would take place if he caught her. Both were laughing hysterically.

Bill, glowing from his win, went up behind his soon-to-be wife who was helping his mother prepare supper and gave her a quick kiss. Seamus, Dean, and Neville, seeing how late it had become, had all decided to return to their respective homes despite Mrs. Weasley's invitation to stay longer.

"I'd love to Mrs. Weasley, but I have to go back to Hogwarts tomorrow bright and early to teach classes. I'm sure Hannah is expecting me at home now," Neville had replied, apologetically. He and Hannah Abbot had gotten married soon after graduating from Hogwarts and the word on the grapevine was that they were trying for their first child now. Seamus and Dean though were meeting up with some of the guys from ministry for a night of gallivanting before work tomorrow morning, which Mrs. Weasley found a bit distasteful but the other boys only laughed. When she finally relented, Neville, Seamus, and Dean waved everyone goodbye before following each other to the fireplace to floo to their designated locations.

Malfoy and Blaise seemed a bit uncomfortable now that it was just the Weasleys and the normal gang. Molly seemed to notice their discomfort very quickly and practically forced the two to stay for supper. "Neville, Seamus, and Dean, I can let go but you two are joining us for dinner tonight, end of story!" she said, and with that she turned back to the kitchen to prepare the table for supper.

Both boys looked ashen at Mrs. Weasley's command. Everyone else merely chucked at the sight of the two men who had been raised to hate someone like Molly but here they were, in her home, shaking in their shoes. Both of the Slytherins recovered quickly and made their way to join everyone else in the living room. Seeing that two of the arm chairs were vacant, each of them occupied one and gracefully flopped onto them, like the true aristocrats that they were.

Hermione had been sitting on the middle of the sofa in the living room when her two best friends plopped down on either side of her wearing dejected faces. She chuckled at their looks and smiled when Ginny came over and sat on Harry's lap to cheer him up with a kiss.

"Ugh yuck, Ginny, could you don't do that when I around? It's bloody rude to do that in front of your brother," Ron said, contorting his face like he had eaten a lemon candy. Both Harry and Ginny threw an annoyed look at Ron and Ginny went a step further by sticking her tongue out.

"Don't be such a sore loser, Ron," said his sister. Then she turned her attention back to her boyfriend. Everyone in the room laughed at the display except Ron who just scowled until Luna came to sit in his own lap.

"Aww don't be like that, Ron. Ginny is just offering some comfort," she said, offering him a kiss.

Seeing that both her friends were rather busy with their significant others, Hermione scrunched up her nose in distaste at the public displays of affections and made to move from her seat to go and help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen.

"Missing the action, Granger? If you want, my lap is available," said a voice from across the coffee table. Hermione looked up to see Malfoy in his quidditch uniform, having a light sheen of sweat across his forehead. 'Damn those bloody uniforms,' Hermione thought. She could not deny that she was having naughty thoughts about the man in front of her and his apparel.

He smirking at her, as though he knew what she was thinking, with Blaise snickering next to him as they both saw Hermione blushing. She could see Luna turn to face her from the corner of her eye but didn't look back in order to avoid suspicion. She stiffly stood up and schooled her face when she said, "In your dreams, Malfoy," and with that she walked across the room and into the kitchen.

She could hear Ron and Harry laughing at Malfoy's expense in the background but all she could focus on were the butterflies in her stomach that had hatched as soon as she had heard his voice. From ahead, they all heard a scream and very loud laughter.

"Looks like your brother finally got Katie," Angelina said to George.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I think it's Katie who's getting anything" Fred said. Everyone groaned at Fred's implications and started shouting at him to get his mind out of the gutter. And with that, Mrs. Weasley ordered all the players to go freshen up and that dinner would be ready by the time they would be done. She told Draco and Blaise that they could borrow some of her sons' clothes since it would be most uncomfortable to eat with their quidditch gear. All the girls giggled to see the two Slytherin in Weasley clothes, especially their jumpers. The boys looked concerned but agreed so that they would not hurt the Weasley matriarch's feelings.

Hermione, Luna, and Fleur helped Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to elongate the table and started to put the food onto the table. Mrs. Weasley had made a roast of pork, some mashed potatoes, chicken casserole, and a few other dishes for her every hungry boys. Ginny, Angelina, and Katie came down first to help with the remainder of preparations such as setting the tables. The boys, as predicated, were the last to join them, after all the work had been done.

Blaise and Malfoy were each sporting one of Mrs. Weasley's famous winter jumpers, something Hermione was sure Ron and Harry were behind. But she had to say, even in normal clothing, both men still looked dashing. It just wasn't bloody fair sometimes. Hermione slipped away for a few moments to freshen up in the loo. When she returned, she saw that everyone had already been seated and there was only one spot left on the table. And of course, it was between Malfoy and Luna and across from Ginny. She slightly glared at Luna's face that looked a little too innocent for Hermione's taste. Sighing, she resigned to her fate and took the place next to Malfoy begrudgingly

"Don't look so crestfallen, Granger, I don't bite," he said to her once she had sat down, "very hard," he whispered out the last part closer to her ear. Hermione flushed and gave his foot a slight kick, which did pretty much nothing to him. He just chuckled, which caused Ginny to glance at the two from across the table, curiously, before she went back into conversation with Harry and Bill.

Other than some snippets between herself and the blond man next to her, dinner was surprisingly quiet for Hermione. It would seem that Luna had decided to keep Ron busy for the night by engaging him in conversation every time that he would try to talk to the brunette who was two seats down from him, which Hermione was thankful for. She did not know if she could have really made any kind of sense as she was hyper aware of the proximity between Malfoy and herself since Luna kept scooting closer to Hermione, forcing Hermione to wiggle closer to Malfoy. By now she could feel the heat that his body was giving off and that was pretty much all she could focus on. Fortunately, he did not seem to notice, and if he did then he did not comment on it. By the time everyone was finished, their thighs were touching and both Hermione and Malfoy were tense in their seats, neither one wanting to draw attention to themselves to save face.

Soon, Mrs. Weasley stood from her chair and announced that the boys were in charge of cleaning up since the ladies had helped prepare the meal and set up the table. The men groaned, hoping they had escaped the chores by their late arrival to the dinner table, but it ended up biting them in the behinds. Hermione quickly stood from her chair and made a quick rush to the kitchen to place her dishes into the sink. Luckily everyone had been bustling to get up from the table and no one had noticed the witch's flight except for a pair of grey eyes.

Hermione put her dishes into the sink and leaned in to turn on the faucet grab the soap in order to wash her hands. As she leaned back, her back collided with something solid and warm. She jumped and was about to move aside when two pale arms came around each side of her, reaching for the soap next to the faucet, effectively caging her into the warmth.

She recognized those hands and those long pale fingers. He would constantly drum them on her desk when he would pester her at work. Damn those long fingers. Confused as to what he was doing, she looked up at him to see that his face was very close to hers. A little too close. He was looking right at her as he washed his hands, which were right under her own. She could feel the muscles in his arms as he moved, as well as the plains of his chest. She honestly wanted to close her eyes and enjoy the heat he was giving off on this cold night and rest against the motions of his body, but the adrenaline pounding in her ears kept her wide awake. She realized she could feel his breath against her skin, making her very aware how close their lips were.

The whole time, he did nothing but stare at her. Waiting to see what she would do as he always did when he messed with her during work. But the witch never really caught onto his attempts to seduce her. 'Stubborn bint,' he sniggered to himself. He could clearly see the wisps of desire dance through her eyes but it was broken as soon as they heard someone about to enter the kitchen.

Hermione roughly pushed against him, throwing him off balance, and grabbed a towel to wipe her hands as she saw Ron come into the room with two plates in his hands. She quickly threw the towel over his shoulder as she hurried out of the kitchen into the dining room where she hurriedly thanks the Weasleys for having her over for brunch and supper. She hastily wished everyone a good night before practically running out the backdoor.

Once she was a safe distance away enough to apparate, she turned back to look at the Weasley home and could see Malfoy standing in the doorway she had just exited with his arms crossed over his torso while the other Weasleys played him no attention. She could see Luna standing a few meters behind him also looking out the door with a concerned look on her face.

Hermione couldn't meet his eyes and quickly grabbed her wand for her should bag that she had brought and apparated away from the Burrow and him. She appeared in the living of her flat in the heart of muggle London. She quickly took off her shoes and slumped against into her cream colored sofa and sat there for approximately 15 minutes, pondering about her conversation with Luna and what had occurred during and after dinner.

She didn't know what to make of the look he had given her while he was washing her hands. She was so confused about his behavior that her head actually started to hurt. After another ten minutes of pondering about Draco Malfoy, she heard a tapping against her window. She saw that it was Pig hooting merrily around her windowsill and quickly opened the window to relieve him of the letter he was carrying. She unraveled the letter and saw that it was written by Ginny.

Hermione,

Are you alright? You took off in a right hurry and I want to make sure that you are fine. Would you mind opening your floo? Luna and I will be dropping by in approximately 20 minutes, so please reply quickly as we would rather not be stuck in the floo network.

See you soon,

Ginny

Hermione groaned, not wanting to have to be confronted by the hard-headed, red-haired witch but she knew it was inevitable. There was only so much that she could hide from Ginny and she was sure that Ginny had been quite puzzled by her hasty retreat from the Burrow. She penned a reply to Ginny assenting to their request and gave Pig a treat before tying the letter to his leg and watching his fly off into the night.

Still barefoot, she walked over to her fireplace to mutter the incantations that would bring it to life. Normally, she kept the fireplace closed off from the network for a few reasons. One was that even though the war was over, one could never be too careful, especially a war heroine as herself. Another was that after reporters had somehow found out about her residence, she became too paranoid that one would floo right into her home. After one such an attempt, she closed off the floo from her home and requested that her friends give her advanced notice before flooing to her place. Being the powerful with that she was, Hermione's wards on her apartment were dangerous and no one wanted to risk being splinched in case the wards threw them out. Even though Hermione had given them her word that her wards wouldn't harm them, her friends still preferred to use the floo.

While waiting for her friends, she decided that this was a good moment to change out of her dress. In the process of changing into a pair of sweats and one of her old Gryffindor t-shirts, she heard her floo activate and a voice call out to her after a few seconds.

"Hermione?" said the voice, which she surmised to be Luna's.

Donning her white bunny slippers, she padded into her living room quickly, not wanting to keep her guests waiting. She saw that Luna was politely sitting on the arm chair while Ginny was laying down on the loveseat.

"Here I am. Sorry, just popped into my room for a quick change," she said casually, as if she hadn't high-tailed out of Weasley house like she was being chased by spiders. She sat on the other armchair as Ginny sat up from her horizontal position.

"Alright, Mione, spill," Ginny said with a serious face and tone of voice.

"What are you talking about, Ginny," Hermione feigned innocence.

"Oh, don't even think about playing coy with me, Mione. You know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Draco-Sexy-Malfoy," she said with a smug expression as she saw the way Hermione's eyes slightly widened at her description of Malfoy.

Hermione tried to keep a passive faced but was failing miserably. "I have no idea what you're talking about".

"Aha! So you think he is sexy! Gotcha, Hermione!" Ginny laughed and waved her fists around in victory while Hermione scowled and berated herself for not thinking though her responses. "Plus, Luna told me about your talk earlier," she added.

"Wha-! Luna! That was private!" Hermione exclaimed, looking furiously at the blonde who had been sitting quietly thus far.

"You said it was okay for Ginny to know, so I told her when she asked," replied Luna, quietly.

Ginny looked triumphantly at Hermione, who in turn just rolled her eyes at the ginger.

"When I said that, I meant that we could tell her together!" cried Hermione.

"It doesn't matter how I found out! All that matters is that I know now and the actual problem is, what are you going to do about your feelings for Draco Malfoy?" Ginny intercepted. She did not want to waste time going back and forth because she knew how stubborn Hermione could become.

Hermione sighed and thought back on the advice Luna had given her earlier that day. "I don't know. Luna said I should pursue him, but I don't know. You know me, I don't do the 'sexy'" she said. She placed her hands over her face and slumped back into her chair.

"Oh my arse you don't do the sexy," Ginny said, "you don't even see how gorgeous you are". Hermione opened her hands to reveal her disbelieving face. "I'm not kidding, Mione. The few times I've visited the ministry to see Harry and you join us, you don't see the wizards behind you. You definitely know how to work it, you just don't know it. Take it from me, sweetie, you know how to work your body, and everyone knows it but you".

Hermione shook her head frantically but stopped when she saw Luna silently nodding her head, still not muttering a word. "If that were true, why hasn't anyone said anything to me before? You'd think by the way you're describing me that I'd have a date every other night," Hermione questioned, still not buying into the things Ginny said.

"Because they're scared to ask you out. Gorgeous and sexy as you are, you're still Hermione Granger," Luna said from her corner. Both girls turned to look at the blonde with different facial expressions. Hermione's looked confused while Ginny only smiled in agreement. "You're a war heroine with an Order of Merlin: First Class and are known as the Brightest Witch of the Modern Age. While men are attracted to you physically and admire your intelligence, they are usually intimidated by you. You are a very smart and successful witch, Hermione, which can send men running for the hills" she concluded.

Hermione merely frowned at the thought that she intimidated other men around her. The idea made sense, now that she thought about. While in school, Harry and Ron had always expressed their surprise when she spouted out facts or told them that she'd finish an assignment weeks to months in advance. They eventually got used to her response, even asking to cheat off her work in advance. Looking back, what Luna said made a lot of sense. The boys would always fall for the idiotic girls who couldn't hold a conversation if their live depended on it. Lavender and Ron had spent the majority of their time sucking off their faces while Cho never really said anything of much importance to Harry, or at least nothing that he told her. She supposed she could count Viktor Krum as one of admirers, but he hadn't contributed much to their conversations, which eventually bored her. Why were the stupid girls the ones who always got the handsome and interesting men?

"So, should I not be so smart? You're saying I should act dumb?" Hermione wondered out loud.

"Merlin, no! That's not what we're saying at all," exclaimed Ginny, "we're just explaining that's why you haven't noticed the men who stare at you. But honestly, if a man can't ask a woman on a date just because he's scared that she'll beat him in a battle of wits, then he wasn't worth it in the first place in my opinion". Luna nodded her head quickly to support Ginny. "But they don't matter anyway. We're here to talk about Malfoy. What exactly do you feel about him?"

Hermione blushed. Suddenly all she could thing about was the close encounter she had had with the Malfoy heir in the Weasley's kitchen just an hour previously. Apparently her silence and reddening of face had given much away because Ginny squealed in her seat and said "Details, Hermione Granger, details! I want to know everything!"

For the next hour, Hermione retold Ginny what she had told Luna. While the women talked and listened, Hermione brewed them tea and they enjoyed a few of the scones that Molly had sent with the girls because Hermione had left too quickly for her to pack them for her.

"I don't know, Ginny. When I'm around him, I feel like a school girl again. My stomach turns to knots, my brain to mush, and my heart beats as though I'd just run away from snatchers! It's insane! This is Draco Malfoy! God, I'm mortified." Hermione now was laying on the loveseat while Luna and Ginny each occupied the armchairs with their feet propped up onto the coffee table, all stuffed from the scones and tea.

"Well, you shouldn't be. He is a very fine specimen of a male, oh don't look at me like that, and we all know you think it too. Alright, so you're physically attracted to him. How about mentally? How do your conversations go?" said Ginny.

"Oh don't even get me started. He can be so infuriating! He's always trying to get on my nerves with his stupid little comments about my apparel, my hair, make up, or shoes. And then he just laughs and runs away the stupid Slytherin!" she said with a huff, closing her eyes.

Both Luna and Ginny looked at their friend with both sympathy and pity. They both knew that Malfoy could be a tad mean to her but they knew he did it in good fun, and if what Hermione had told Luna earlier was anything to go by, then it sounded more like he was complimenting her than insulting. They pitied Hermione because she could not get past some blockade in her thick skull and see that Draco was just flirting with her and teasing her. While his efforts had gotten the attention of the pretty brunette, she still was not made aware of them. The poor girl honestly had no idea how to date and interpret the subtle art that was flirtation.

Ginny got up from her seat and walked over to the couch. She grabbed her best friend's arm and yanked her into a standing position and firmly gripped her shoulders. "Hermione Jean Granger, Brightest Witch of the Age you may be but when it comes you boys, you are a right numpty. Malfoy wasn't trying to upset you! He was trying to flirt with you for Merlin's sake!"

Hermione looked genuinely shocked. 'Flirting?' she thought. "Don't be absurd, Ginny. This is Draco Malfoy, he's been making fun of me for years! Flirting implies an attraction, and while I may be having a serious lapse in judgment, I don't think he would be one to fall for a muggleborn, especially me".

"He made fun of you when we were children, yes, but now we're adults. And you yourself said that he changed but you won't bring yourself to believe that his views have changed about you although he claims to not care for blood purity. Hermione, I love you, but you don't know much about love. Love cannot be learned from in a book, it has to be experienced to be understood, and even then only a little. You've only had experience with two crushes: Viktor Krum and Ron. Sorry Luna," said Ginny, turning towards Luna.

"No problem, I understand this is important for Hermione to hear," Luna said, waving off any discomfort Ginny thought she would feel.

"As I was saying, your only experience with men are those two and neither one was really love. Viktor Krum, as talented as he is on a broom, could barely talk to you. So that was nothing more than an attractions. And Ron, though you guys could actually talk, was only a crush. I love my brother but let's face it, he cannot hold a candle to you when it comes to having a decent, intellectual conversation. But Malfoy isn't like that. From what Harry and Ron tell me, and from my own experience, he actually is rather brilliant. Maybe not as brilliant as you but definitely could keep up better than Ron. He suits you, Hermione. Why can't you see that? Are you waiting for him to make a move on you or something?" finished Ginny.

Hermione looked away, her face, one again, warming up.

Luna picked up on it first. "Did something happen tonight at the Burrow? Is that why you left so quickly?" she asked in her soft voice.

Hermione shrugged off Ginny's hands and walked to the glass doors that led to her balcony to look out into the lights that lit London. Letting out a sigh she told them what had transpired between her and Malfoy including how she had felt.

For a few seconds after Hermione had finished her recap, no one said a word. Surprisingly, it was Luna who broke the silence. "Well, Hermione, I think by now it has become evident that there is a mutual attraction. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

Nice to see you again! Well, I really hope you liked the chapter and will leave me a review telling me what you liked about it! If you didn't like it, let me know how you think I could make it better! I always welcome constructive criticism! There are a few things I'd like to address, in case anyone had any questions about Hermione's character. Usually I don't like Hermione playing a naive character because she's a very strong female lead in literature. However, I wanted her to be a little clueless when it comes to love because I wanted Hermione to represent that typical smart girl who always gets overlooked because she has brains. Obviously, if she had no prior experience with love, how can we expect her to catch all the flirty symptoms? She is very much a reflection of who I was as a teenager/early adult. I always felt like I was overlooked because I didn't know how to wear makeup to look pretty and I was smart (not a genius but hey I took almost all honors/AP classes). While in college, I learned how to mess with makeup and met people who were more mature who actually appreciated my intelligence. And now I'm more confident in myself, I know I can be sexy (lol so awkward to write that), and I'm still smart (or that's what I tell myself! Goes and cries in a corner) Anyway, I hope that Hermione will go through a similar transformation! *Hint Hint* LOL anyway, til next time! Leave me a review, please! I read each and every one!