A/N: Crimson Regret 177, Saia May Dursley, Dark Angels, Mynuet, JoJo, Mizuhi Sakura, Rismon, Panda-monium, Bunny / Sailor Moon, and Yasper25. ThankYOU sooooo much for reviewing Familiar Things, I was a little worried that it would be awkward, that I'd tried to do too much in such a short piece. But when I got the first review for it I relaxed, and every review after that was some really good icing on the cake. Strawberry flavored icing, cause that's my favourite.

Nerwen Faelvirin, nutsaboutremus, Veriarwen-Edhel, Mynuet, Bunny / Sailor Moon, Anonymous (who thinks this story is 'sheer brilliance' and that I should 'get the shit on' hehehe), Ehlonna, Iced Faerie, cool!, karen1, Hplova4eva, Organic Grape, the beloved long lived stranger who commands and protects from the elements…Aimee (I had to put the full thing in, absolutely classic. Salutations from the land of the Long White Cloud!), Rismon, Gnomish Librarian (awww, you think I'm perverted, I'm honored , hehehe), calie, Crimson Regret 177, MoonlightPrincess, Yasper25, Femme Draconis (thank you so much, really), and deathbypassion.

A few of you have said that you either don't normally read this ship or you don't usually read stories of this style but that you liked this and that is one of the best compliments a writer can get. I remember saying the same thing to a author once and now I actually appreciate what she meant when she said to me that it was one of the best things you can say to an author. You have no idea how many times I've read each review. You could give me a screen name and I could tell you what that person said. It sounds really corny, but it is true that ever single one matters. The next chapter won't be anywhere near as long coming as this one was.

And thanks to Adrial for pointing out a mistake I made! I'm trying hard to not do exactly what you pointed out. I didn't get my beta to check the second half of the chapter, I just wanted to hurry up and post it. Thanks again!

Well, I hope that this lives up to expectations…cause that would suck pretty badly if it didn't…No pressure, Saint, just breath, in and out, in and out… ; )

5.

Undercover
by Joey DeLuxe

You take two steps forward, smile and turn on the lights
Just like a scene from a movie that you feel that you own the rights
A bit of sweet talk and magic, a laugh and a little affection
Some alcoholic persuasion, then you groovin' in the proper direction

A secret agent man is always a mystery lover
One smooth operator, working undercover
Undercover

"So, what did you do then?"

"What do you think I did?" The young man exclaimed incredulously, "I told her to bugger off, 'a course; no self-respecting Irishman would have accepted such a proposal."

"Accepted what sort of proposal exactly?" Ginny asked as she sat down for brunch next to Harry in the Great Hall. Hermione took the seat opposite, between Ron and Seamus.

"Oh, let me tell!" Harry cleared his throat and then smirked uncharacteristically, ruining the weighty air he had assumed. "Seamus Finnigan, the victim, has recently informed us that he was the recipient of an indecent proposal made by one Mrs. Goyle, the accused."

Ron rolled his eyes. "What he means to say is that Seamus here reckons that Goyle's mum cornered him in Florish and Blotts while he was doing his school shopping and demanded he screw her."

"She did! I swear it on my sister's life!"

"You don't have a sister," Hermione pointed out.

Seamus frowned, looking affronted. "Are you saying that my sworn oath means less simply because I don't have a sister? And while we're on the subject; how dare you hold the fact that I don't have a sister against me!"

Silence engulfed the table for several long moments. Ron finished what he was eating and spoke, "You want me to kick his arse for you?"

Hermione pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at Seamus, who still held his chin firmly in the air. "No, no, I'm quite fine thank you." Ron shrugged his shoulders and got back to eating.

Seamus grinned, "You're a gem, love, honest."

"Yes, well," Hermione began, one side of her mouth curling up slightly as she began to place chunks of pineapple on the plate in front of her, "you owe me one."

Seamus crossed his arms and leaned towards Hermione, a slight smirk playing across his lips. "Herm-"

"Wait!" Ginny interrupted around a mouthful of orange juice. She swallowed quickly, "Let me say it!" She cleared her throat, glanced at Seamus and then promptly folded her arms in the same fashion and quirked her lips into her best imitation of a flirty smirk. She then leaned across the table towards Hermione and said in her best Irish accent, "Hermione, after I'm done, you'll owe me one, lass."

"I do not sound like that!" Hollered Seamus, "And I certainly don't say 'lass'!"

"Yeah, you do," Harry said around laughs, "on both accounts."

"She got you good, mate," Ron added, a grin still firmly on his face as he saluted his sister, who was happily bowing to her adoring audience.

"He's not the only one you 'got good'," Hermione mumbled as she smiled innocently. Ginny shot her friend a warning glance before sedately taking her seat.

"You'll all regret this," the sandy-haired Irishman threatened, doing his best to hide his chagrin at being the butt of the joke.

"They're all mean bastards, aren't they, Seamus," Ron said as he reached around Hermione to slap the other seventh year sympathetically on the back.

"Yeah, always after your lucky charms," Harry added as he shook his head with affected heartbreak. Snickers broke out along the table and Seamus jumped up from the table and looked furtively over his shoulder for teachers before climbing frantically over the table towards Harry. Harry's eyes went wide as he fell back off of the bench and scrambled to his feet and began running.

Ron leapt to his feet and shouted across the hall at Seamus, "Don't you hurt him!"

"Thanks a lot for the help, you WANKER!" Harry retorted breathlessly, barely maintaining a two metre gap between himself and Seamus as he led them through an obstacle course.

"No problem," Ron shouted back, grinning, "can't have our star seeker out with an injury!"

The chase was led outside and Ron grabbed a slice of bread and followed the stream of students. "I'll see you after practice, 'Mione!" His girlfriend gave a wave of acknowledgement before turning back to her meal.

"I'm going to see Neville, do you wish to join me?" Hermione asked of the girl across from her. When Ginny didn't make eye contact after a few moments Hermione followed the red-head's line of sight and saw her staring at a sneering Draco Malfoy as he made his way between the tables and towards the exit doors of the Great Hall.

"Yeah, I'll go with you," Ginny began, still sharing eye contact with Malfoy. As she continued to talk her voice got louder. "I just have to return something that I borrowed off of some ponce." The blonde's eyes narrowed as he received the message. Ginny smiled at him with saccharine sweetness as she pushed her tray towards the centre of the table and stood.

Hermione glanced between Malfoy and Ginny. "You know, you wouldn't guess that you were involved from the way you two just interacted."

"Yeah," the other girl smiled whimsically, "isn't it grand?"

The two girls ambled slowly down the hall, much to the vexation of the slytherin that followed them. An occasional, very pointed, clearing of a throat behind the girls served only to interest them in stopping to admire the various paintings on the walls of the halls they casually journeyed down. They talked of mundane things, like the latest Weird Sisters song, the general hottness of Maximus Brankovitch III in the latest Teen Witch magazine (there was a conspicuous snort from behind them at this comment), and Lavender's latest conquest; it seemed her latest penchant was for younger men, for Colin Creevy had been seen tip-toeing "sneakily" from a broom closet shortly after Miss Brown had exited said broom closet. It wasn't that Lavender was a whore per se, she was just quite free in bestowing her charms.

The rest of the trip was just as mundane as the conversation and the borrowed broom was retrieved and left deliberately outside the door. When the girls left the Gryffindor dorms a few minutes later (Ginny with an inconspicuous, brown back pack slung over one shoulder) they noted that the broom was gone.

"Ya know, Hermione," Ginny began as they were walking back down the corridor, "I've really noticed a positive change in you since you started all this." Ginny jiggled her back pack slightly in reference.

Hermione nodded, and walked a little taller at the compliment. "Thank you. I'm rather glad that you've decided to join me again."

"Me too, I really missed that incredibly mellow feeling I get when I'm done. We still meet in the same place?"

"Yes. Neville talked with Professor McGonagall and permanently booked the room for an hour every weekday after school and for an hour every Saturday morning. It's just an old divination room, so its not as if its needed, but Neville and I talked it over and we decided that it was best to make sure that there was somewhere permanently available and that the location was secure from prying eyes. And the only way to do the latter was with the former."

Ginny halted in the hall and frowned at Hermione. "Wait, you're telling me that Neville just told them what we were-"

"No," the other girl interrupted, "he told McGonagall that he and I had established a study group and that our undisputed privacy was absolutely imperative to our concentration and that we would most certainly not approve of any interruptions. He even received her permission to cast a privacy ward around the room."

"And she just…believed him?" The redhead asked skeptically.

"Have you seen Neville lately?" Hermione asked rhetorically, as she began walking again, her friend following. Ginny nodded thoughtfully. "Ever since he started doing this stuff he's been rather-"

"Creepy?"

"-yet somewhat overwhelming in an almost…spiritual sort of way. He actually reminds me of this man who sells kites from a kiosk in muggle London on Lincolnshire Street, across from a library. I never actually saw him sell a kite, but he had this look about him that told me I was missing the point."

"What point?"

Silence reigned for several long moments as Hermione came to a conclusion. "I don't know; I suppose that's the point."

Ginny nodded sagely and then frowned. "Can't make much money doing that, I mean, what on earth would a muggle do with a kite anyway?"

"Fly it, of course."

"Hermione, kites fly themselves," Ginny explained mockingly, "they use these things called 'wings'."

Hermione clenched her jaw. "I wasn't talking about kites as in birds, I was talking about kites as in the children's toy."

"Oh. Well, then." Ginny paused. "They fly themselves, too. 'Least here they do. We, Ron and me, used to make them when we were little and mum would charm them to fly."

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose? I mean, isn't one supposed to derive pleasure from flying the kite?"

Ginny sighed deeply, a small smile tugging at her lips as she glanced at her ever-logical friend. "Have you never just watched a kite fly?"

"No, what could possibly be the purpose of that?" The bushy haired girl grimaced. "I'm missing the point again, aren't I?"

"Quite spectacularly."

The conversation ended there, as the girls entered the classroom to begin their 'study group' session. And it wasn't long after the door shut behind them that small wisps of strangely scented smoke could be seen curling out from under the door…

Meanwhile, the sexy, the suave, the incredible Draco Malfoy had finished quidditch practice, had showered and dressed his sexy self in charcoal slacks and a black turtleneck, and was currently slouched in a green velvet, high-backed chair as he looked pensively into the Slytherin common room fire. All in all he was looking very Byronic. And very sexy.

"How do you do that?" An honestly baffled voice questioned. Malfoy glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Blaise take the seat next to his.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Blaise raised one eyebrow and looked passively at the blond. Malfoy's eyes darted over again to his classmate and then darted back to the fire. "Oh, alright," he muttered, "practice. Lots and lots of practice. With mirrors."

Blaised smirked, "I always knew you were a kinky one, Malfoy."

The blond abandoned his pose and turned fully to glare at the other seventh year. "Do you have something to say?" he asked with feigned politeness.

"Yes, I rather fancy that I do have something to say." A long silence followed that statement as the two looked at each other. The fire light flickered over Blaise, throwing shadows over the dark haired students expressionless face, resulting in an almost sinister look.

"Well?" Malfoy finally demanded. Blaise looked at Malfoy through slightly narrowed eyes. Malfoy mirrored the actions and narrowed his own eyes. And just when you think one of them is about to say 'This town here ain't big enough for tha both of us', the blonds eye's widen comically, he shoots to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at the now smirking Blaise Zabini. "You know!" He whispers intensely, his jaw clenched and his eyes now back to glaring heatedly at his friend.

"Of course I know, your surprise insults my intelligence," Blaise sniffs dismissively. "Now, sit down, you look positively ridiculous." Draco lowered his arm and sat back down with jerky, aggravated movements.

"You really piss me off sometimes."

"I'll consider that a compliment."

"Yeah, you would."

"Are you quite done behaving like a six year old?"

"Shut your pretentious mouth up before I shut it for you. There, now I'm quite done."

Blaise gave a resigned sigh at the blond's antics. "Your current situation results in you finding yourself inextricably trapped between a rock and a hard place. An unenviable position." Blaise stared at Malfoy intensely. "Though I'm beginning to believe that you don't see it as so."

"Well, she's a good lay. It's just a royal pain in the arse that she's a gryffindor, and a bloody Weasley to boot," he sneered in response, though it was a very sexy sneer. "It never even occurred to her that if I did decide to brag that no one would believe me anyway. She thinks that I won't say anything because I don't want her brother to kick my arse to kingdom come. And that I won't want the world to know I shagged a Weasley."

"Both of which are very logical assumptions on her part. Though you would find it in you to suffer the minor humiliation of admitting you fornicated with a Weasley in favour of causing them considerably more humiliation."

"Precisely. But like I said, she didn't count on the fact that no one would believe me anyway, my word against hers would mean nothing." Malfoy glared at the fire and sighed at his predicament.

"You also have to consider that should you expose your…relationship, the likeliness of her continuing to meet with you would be essentially negligible." Blaise watched Malfoy closely. "So the youngest Weasley was randomly feeling like a bit of bed-sport which is why she approached you?"

"I knew you didn't know everything!" Malfoy boasted gleefully.

Blaise remained impassive. "I hardly need concern myself with the mental state of a Weasley, which is currently far more than you can lay claim to."

Malfoy smirked. "She rambled on and on about how it was important to her health that she sleep with me. She wanted me badly." The explanation was made very matter-of-factly.

"You really can be overbearingly pompous." Blaise frowned slightly. "You were probably convenient."

"Convenient?" Malfoy spat, affronted. "I am Draco Malfoy and I am no mere convenience! If anyone was convenient it was her!" But the seeds of doubt had already taken root. The concept that she had slept with him because he was 'convenient' (he even mentally scorned the word) had never occurred to him, never would have occurred to him. People didn't question him, it just wasn't done. Who the hell was Blaise Zabini to say this?! "Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

Blaise barely resisted the urge to goad Malfoy further, knowing that would mean having to deal with weeks of the male equivalent of 'does my arse look fat in these robes?' And besides, goading was uncouth. "Malfoy, I can assure you that you are anything but convenient. In fact, you're usually damned inconvenient." Malfoy's glare intensified at the backward compliment. "I'd fuck you if I swung that way."

Draco looked at the fire, the anger slowly leaving his face. After a few moments he looked back at Blaise. "Really?" He asked as casually as he could.

"Definitely," Blaise responded without hesitation. "May I make a suggestion?" Malfoy's hand tightened on the arm rest.

"By all means, do."

Blaise leaned forward, gesturing Malfoy to do the same. "Polyjuice potion. I collected all the ingredients over the summer and began brewing it the night we arrived off of the train. I'd thought to use it for my own purposes, but I can see the potential in you using it. However, it won't be ready for another two weeks, which brings me to my suggestion; have your fun with the Weasley girl for two more weeks, use the polyjuice potion to be Granger and then find a way to convince Weasley to admit to sleeping with you." Blaise leant back into the chair and adjusted an already perfect lapel before looking up at Malfoy. "I would think that guilt would have insurmountable potential with a gryffindor."

"Blaise?"

"Hmm?"

"Sometimes your brilliance scares me. But in a good way." Malfoy leaned back in his chair, then leaned forward and looked around the room, making sure it was empty. Once he was sure they were the only two he leaned back in his chair again, placed his arms on the arm rests and then closed his eyes. "Do it again," he ordered.

Blaise smirked, and then began. "The key ingredient is polyjuice potion…"