A/N: Hello all! Sorry for the absense... I hope you like my story :) Thanks to lostandalone12 for a great challenge!

Enjoy

Draco Malfoy was undoubtedly the most attractive boy in the school, and he knew it. Striding down the hall, his robes flapping behind them, he sneered in some way at everyone he passed. His friends got a slightly conspiratorial version. The others, derision. Potter and his friends? Sheer hatred. Speaking of which….

"Granger!" Draco called, swaggering up to the bushy haired girl. She was leaning against a wall, book in hand. At the sight of his face, she rolled her eyes.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked, bending over to pick up her book bag.

"I- " Draco stopped, his mouth falling open slightly. When she bent over, Hermione's skirt had ridden up. The thought that Granger actually had legs under that God- awful piece of clothing gave Draco considerable pause.

"What, Malfoy? Crookshanks got your tongue?" Hermione said sarcastically. The Slytherin straightened his back, and smirked.

"Granger, we all know that you wish you had my tongue," he drawled. Hermione flushed hotly.

"You little git! I bet you think that the whole world is falling at your feet, just dying to get your attention," she spat. Shouldering her bag more securely, she stalked off, to the library, no doubt. Draco used the opportunity to objectively- objectively, mind you- observe the legs that he had just discovered.

Hermione set her bag down in the library, and put her face in her hands. The Malfoy idiot had wound her up today, more than usual. And why on Earth did she get the feeling that he had been watching her walk away? She didn't care either way, but it was odd. Pulling out a book, Hermione studied it blearily. The long, complex sentences that she usually loved were confusing at best, utter garble at worst. Hearing a noise, she looked up. A small shock went through her as she witnessed what was going on.

That Slytherin- Blaise?- was pulling Ginny Weasley onto his armchair, kissing her all the while.

Hermione had known that Ginny kept to herself sometimes, but this was entirely unexpected. Heaving herself out of her chair, she discreetly slipped along a shelf, looking to return her book to its place. Finding the spot, she held the books on either side apart with her fingers. Standing on tiptoe, she attempted to maneuver the heavy tome onto the shelf.

"Need help with that?"

Hermione screamed. If Malfoy hadn't been holding up the book, it would have gone crashing to the ground.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" she hissed after regaining her composure.

"Assisting you, obviously. It's no wonder the Sorting Hat didn't put you in Ravenclaw, if you weren't able to see that for yourself," he said smoothly, sliding the book back into its proper place.

"Oh, go… Be a Slytherin elsewhere," said Hermione lamely. The blond boy leaned against the bookshelf, scrutinizing Hermione's face. She flushed slightly under his stare.

"Is it just me, Granger, or are your comebacks affected because you're flustered?" he asked cheekily.

"I- I just don't often find myself in, er, these situations with attractive gits very often." In her embarrassment, Hermione let slip exactly what was going on inside her head.

"You think I'm attractive?" asked Draco, genuinely curious. Whatever he had been expecting in response, it definitely wasn't that.

"…. No." Hermione blushed. The pair stared at each other, for the first time realizing exactly how close they were.

Suddenly, Hermione closed the distance between them, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him full on the lips. She stayed there for quite some time (or, none at all, Draco couldn't tell) before letting go quickly.

"Hormones took over," invented Hermione desperately.

"Er…" was all that Draco could manage.

"Right," Hermione whispered. They stared at each other for a moment before spinning abruptly and going their separate ways.

"Ms. Granger! Your noise level!" The scandalized tone of Madam Pince rang out.

"Sorry, sorry…" Hermione scurried out of the library after hastily retrieving her bag. Wandering in the corridors, she decided to pop outside for a while. She stepped out into the grounds, a soft smile making its way to her face at the feel of sunlight on her skin. Hermione saw Harry, Ron, and a few fellow Griffindors messing about on the lawn. Even as she directed her feet in their direction, she hesitated. Stopping in place, she instead wound her way around the greenhouses, to the secluded weeping willow by the lake.

The willow was her place, the one spot where all the noise of student life seemed to fade away. As she reached the spot, she brushed gently through the hanging leaves, to the trunk. Settling against it, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Breathing in the fresh smells of the lake and the forest on the opposite bank, she sighed with contentment.

"It's a Flaming Indebilly! Ruuuuuuuun…." The distinctive voice of Luna Lovegood echoed across the grounds. Hermione cracked open one eye to see this 'Flaming Indebilly' for herself. She was instead met with the sight of Luna charging across the lawn and jumping into the lake.

"That'll teach you!" Luna's voice became distant, and Hermione saw her splashing in some strange stroke to another part of the bank. Gaping, Hermione wondered if she had actually seen the spectacle. She rubbed her eyes. When she opened them, Luna was gone.

"You're not going mad, Granger," Draco said from behind her.

Hermione shrieked. "What is wrong with you, Malfoy?" she asked, frustrated.

"I don't know… What's wrong with you?" Draco shot back.

"Well that's- that's completely juvenile- and, er, uncreative," stammered Hermione.

"No, honestly. You're stuttering. It's very annoying. Tell me what it is so I can fix it and make you stop!" Draco talked slowly, as if he was speaking to a child.

"Don't talk to me like that, Malfoy. And it's because I don't usually get stalked by Slytherins!" Hermione hissed.

"Well, maybe you're just too intelligent to resist," Draco drawled, moving closer. On the inside, he was frozen at his bold words.

"Was that a compliment, Malfoy?" asked Hermione.

Their noses were touching, their mouths barely brushing.

"Absolutely not," Draco breathed, leaning in.

The moment was shattered by a series of giggles and some more manly chuckles. Breaking apart, both Hermione and Draco glared at the couple that had interrupted them.

"Well, Blaise darling, we'd better leave them be," chortled Ginny. Blaise wound his arm around her waist.

"As if! This is the reddest he's been in years." Blaise gestured at Draco's flaming face. Ginny tugged on his arm.
"Come on Blaise." Ginny's tone went from joking to firm. She pulled at Blaise's arm until he had to follow her.

Hermione was glad that Ginny's 'best friend' side had made its way to the surface. She looked at Draco awkwardly out of the corner of her eye. "So…" she trailed off, leaving the response to him.

"Where were we, Granger?" asked Draco, sliding closer to her.

"Uh-uh, Malfoy. I have to study," said Hermione, scrambling to her feet.

"Now? You're an insufferable know-it-all already and you want to study?" Draco protested. Hermione just waved and turned around.

When she heard him mutter, "Spoilsport," she had to hold in a smile.

"Hermione, run! The Flaming Indebilly is back!"

This is the part where I shamelessly beg for reviews :)