Experience

TITLE: Experience 10

RATING: R

PAIRING: DM/HG, HP/HG

SUMMARY: Love triangle between Harry/Draco/ Hermione. Virginal Hermione decides to let Malfoy seduce her and
enlists Harry\'s help!

DISCLAIMER: Only the plot is mine. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco and the rest all belong to JKR. *sniffle*

*******************************************************************

Draco Malfoy was inordinately pleased with himself. He\'d royally mucked things up between Potter and She Weasel and,
with any bloody luck, it would take them a month to patch things up. Of course, this would leave poor Hermione all alone
and Draco would be only too happy to occupy her time. Not that he hadn\'t been making, er, headway with her. His practiced
tongue had worked wonders on one Miss Hermione Granger. Draco could barely keep himself from smiling as he strutted
down the hall to breakfast.

Lately, he always seemed to be in high spirits. Hermione was not what he expected at all. He had no idea she would be quit
so entertaining -- or passionate. She made him laugh, smile, and, well, think about someone else besides himself. Every
time he thought about her, he smiled. Despite himself, he was beginning to care about her. Draco loved arguing with her
and hearing her opinions on things. He hadn\'t found anything she hadn\'t had a ready opinion on - everything for house-elves
to the Minister of Magic. It would all end as soon as he shagged her, of course. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts - and
enjoying is what he planned to do. Draco wanted everything to befectfect. She had to fall for him completely. Draco wanted
Hermione to choose him over her friends. Especially Potter.

Draco swaggered into the dining hall and squeezed in between the imposing girth of both Crabbe and Goyle. He made a
mental note to look up a dietary curse. Draco was all set to have some blueberry pancakes when he noticed a commotion
coming from the Gryffindor table. All of the girls were gathered around Ginny Weasley who was sobbing noisily into her
red dinner napkin. They all patted her back and murmured sympathetically.

Draco grinned. Ah, trouble in paradise, eh Potter? It couldn\'t happen to a more deserving fellow. He shot a look at Weasel
himself who was seated across from his sister. His face was almost as red as his hair and he was angrily clenching his fists.
Draco sighedtenttentedly as he sat back in his chair. It was almost too easy. All he needed to complete the picture was to
see Potter\'s face. He glanced at the large double doors but there was no sign of him. A smile tugged at Draco\'s lips as he
lifted a forkful of pancake to his mouth. Maybe poor Scarhead was too upset to eat. The thought made him warm inside.

That\'s when he noticed a slight chill in the air and it was emanating from the Gryffindor table. They all seem to be focused
on the doors as well. Draco caught his breath at what he saw. Hermione and Potter were walking together to the table.
Hermione was turning red as she faced her peers. Potter\'s face was devoid of any emotion whatsoever as he regarded his
Housemates. They sat down on the end of the table, far away from Ginny and Ron Weasley. The two students who had
been seated at the end of the table promptly got up and left. In fact, the whole table shifted away, leaving Potter and
Granger completely alone at the very end.

Then, a low humming noise was heard, quite like a hive of bees. The Gryffindor students began to gossip among
themselves. Every so often one of them would nod in the direction of Harry and Hermione. The bolder ones would point at
them. Evidently, everyone knew that Harry had been hitting on Hermione. As a House, they seemed to have gathered
around the Weasleys. The rest of the hall turned their attention to Gryffindor table as the drama unfolded.

Ginny Weasley bolted out of her chair and glared at both Harry and Hermione. \"I see you didn\'t waste any time, Harry,\" she
said stiffly before she marched away from the table with wounded dignity. A trail of sixth year girls followed her out, all of
them making inarticulate sounds of comfort. However, they all paused to stare disdainfully at Potter and Hermione before
following Ginny. Ron and his little girlfriend got out of their seats. The redhead stared at Potter as if he were something
Ron had scraped off the bottom of his shoe before he followed after his sister, dragging Parvati with him.

Dracarlyarly choked on his pancakes. Bloody hell. Scarhead and She Weasel broke up. \"What a world class cock up,\"
Draco muttered as he shoved a hand through his hair. He meant to shake them up -- not *break* them up! With a scowl,
Draco observed Hermione reach over and surreptitiously take Potter\'s hand. He threw down his fork. Perfect. He\'d not only
managed to separate Scarhead from his girlfriend, he\'d practically thrown him into Hermione\'s arms. This was rapidly
becoming a mistake of monumental proportions.

Across the room, Hermione squeezed Harry\'s hand. \"Are you all right?\"

\"Fabulous,\" Harry said dryly. \"Ginny and Ron hate me, our Housemates think you and I are shacking up, and I think I\'ve
been kicked out of my room. Throw in a visit from Voldemort and this is my best day ever.\"

\"Don\'t be silly, Harry, he won\'t visit the school until the end of the year,\" Hermione put in, earning a small smile from
Harry. She glanced at the hostile faces of her former friend. \"Honestly, I had no idea that it would get this bad!\" she
confided. \"They\'re about ready to sew some scarlet letters on our robes.\"

\"What?\" Harry asked.

\"Oh, it\'s from a Muggle book about this woman who was unfaithful and she. . .well, never mind,\" Hermione said
impatiently. \"Trust me, it applies to the situation.\"

\"Do you think it will blow over?\" Harry asked forlornly.

Hermione sighed. Harry wasn\'t used to this much negative attention. From the moment he came here, he\'d been everyone\'s
favorite with the exception of the Slytherins. His prowess on the Quidditch field and his knack for saving the school had
earned him the admiration of many. Apparently, now that the student body had a chance to kick him off his pedestal, they
planned to pay him back for his popularity.

Although, Hermione knew that what she and Harry had done was wrong but she didn\'t think anyone else had the right to
judge them for it. As far as she was concerned, this matter was between herself, Harry, Ginny, and Ron. She\'d hoped to sit
down with the siblings and have a long talk about what happened. She wanted to clear the air and go on with her life but
Ginny had involved most of their House now. The Weasley family had been in Gryffindor for ages and they were
well-respected. Hermione had no idea that they could command such loyalty. She had an awful feeling that it would get
much worse before it got better.

\"Hermione?\" Harry prompted.

\"Sure, we\'ll just give it a couple of days,\" Hermione said hastily. Now, if she could just beliet.
t.

*******

Draco slowly ambled down the hallway to his first class. He payed little attention to the avid interest of the students he
passed. Gryffindor\'s pesky penchant for loyalty evidently didn\'t cover spreading gossip. They cheerfully told the whole
school what had happened that morning. Everyone was speculating about the Weasley-Potter-Granger-Malfoy love quartet.
It was almost like having a real life soap opera and everyone was eager to find out what would happen next.

Draco was annoyed with the whole situation. He could do without She Weasel\'s propensity to blab about her personal life.
He preferred to keep his affairs low-profile whilst he was engaging in one. The bragging always came afterwards. For one
thing, it would make meeting in secret with Granger a bit more difficult. But, he had less pleasurable worries right now.

As much as it galled him, he needed to find a way to bring Potter and She Weasel back together. The current situation was
intolerable and would end up obliterating his chances with Hermione. If it was Scarhead and Granger against Gryffindor
House, he bet she\'d probably end up in Potter\'s bed by the end of the week. Nothing breeds romantic attachment quite like
adversity. Maybe he\'d lock Potter and his mealy-mouthed redhead in one of those infamous broom closets. Leave it to a
Gryffindor to pick such an uncomfortable place to shag.

\"Hi, Draco,\" a breathless voice said.

Draco turned to see Ginny Weasley watching him nervously. \"Go awa. . .I mean, hello.\"

Ginny blinked and then she smiled tremulously when he didn\'t immediately tell her to get lost. Maybe this would be easier
than she\'d anticipated. \"What are you doing?\"

\"Going to class,\" Draco drawled, watching her with devious blue eyes.

\"Oh. Right. Well.\" She Weasel bit her lower lip and stared at her shoe.

\"Did you want something?\" Draco asked, baffled by her behavior.

She took a deep breath. \"I. . .I. . .I was wondering. Can I sit with you? At dinner tonight, I mean.\"

\"You *want* to sit with the Slytherins?\" Draco asked incredulously. They\'d eat her alive.

\"Yes!\" Ginny said defiantly. \"I do.\"

Draco\'s eyebrows rose. \"Why?\"

\"Because. . .*because*!\" Ginny blurted out, as if that explained everything.

The blond rolled his eyes. Well, at least she was playing into his hands. Maybe he\'d be able to convince her to go after
Potter again. \"Fine, it\'s your funeral.\"

\"Oh, okay! See you tonight!\" She smiled at him briefly before she scampered away.

Draco shrugged as he took off in the opposite direction. No wonder Potter wasn\'t interested. She Weasel was obviously a
basket case.

*******

Harry and Hermione resolutely entered the Potions classroom. Professor Snape was no where to be seen, which probably
meant that he was lurking in the lower hallway, looking for hapless first years who\'d gotten lost. It was as dark and dank as
it usually was but today it seemed more so. There was an aura of gloom that hung thickly in the air. Hermione had often
wondered if it came from the presence of Severus Snape alone or if it came from the centuries of dangerous potions brewed
in the room. Despite the bubbling of several cauldrons, the classroom was also perpetually cold and Hermione suppressed a
shudder and wrapped her robes about herself.

She reluctantly released Harry\'s hand and took her seat beside Neville Longbottom. Harry sat down beside Ron who
scooted his chair away as if Harry were somehow contaminated. Meanwhile, under the fierce glares of their Housemates,
Neville quaked and quivered. It was clear that they were pressuring him to shun Hermione as well. However, he was having
difficulty being rude to the young woman who had carried him through Potions since their first year. Neville settled on
nodding briefly to her and regarding the board as if it held the secrets of life itself. Hermione smiled sadly at him,
understanding his position. At least, he hadn\'t said something awful to her as so many of the girls had done while she
walked down the hall. There were murmured slurs about her sexual promiscuity, her looks, and her parentage. She had tried
to pay them no mind. For once, Hermione wished she\'d been Sorted into Slytherin. They not only seemed to condone some
of the things she was being accused of, they venerated those who did engage in those activities.

Speaking of. . .Hermione shot a look at Malfoy who was holding court across the room. The Slytherins seemed to be
amused with his involvement in this sordid business and had spent most of the day congratulating him. Draco sat next to
Crabbe who was grinning stupidly at something Draco had said. As if he could sense her gaze, he turned to her. Hermione
was astounded to see compassion in his eyes. Of course, it was carefully concealed by a mask of mockery but she knew him
well enough now to see the kindness there.To her horror, Hermione felt her eyes begin to well up and her lower lip tremble
- all because of a sympathetic face. She had the nearly ungovernable urge to run over and fling herself in his arms. Instead,
Hermione furiously blinked away the tears and took a deep breath.

Draco\'s brow knitted and she saw his fists clench on the table as he glared at the Gryffindors before settling on her once
more. \"Hypocrites,\"he mouthed to her.

Hermione could only nod because it was an apt description.

Draco mouthed something else that she couldn\'t quite understand.

\"What?\" she said silently.

Draco patiently murmured the message once more. She shook her head in confusion.

Draco held up both of his hands. He curled back three fingers and his thumb on each hand, leaving his index fingers. He
brought the two fingers together and made them kiss chastely. \"Tonight?\" he mouthed.

Hermione suppressed the urge to laugh and nodded happily. For the first time today, she didn\'t notice the censuring looks or
the nasty comments. For a moment, she and Draco were alone in the world.

With a wicked glint in his eyes, Draco brought the two fingers together once more and made them kiss in a less chaste way.
He raised an eyebrow at her.

Hermione mouthed her assent.

Then, he allowed one digit to kiss the other in slightly more \"friendly\" places. Draco looked at her in askance.

Hermione\'s cheeks flared with color but she inclined her head.

Draco grinned back at her and made the other finger reciprocate. He waggled his eyebrows in a mock leer.

She giggled helplessly.

Draco beamed at her reaction. Unable to stop himself, Draco laid one finger down on the scarred wood of his potion\'s desk
and then placed the other finger on top of it, making the two fingers undulate against one another in a lewd manner.

At this, Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

\"Mr. Malfoy, if you\'ve finished with your pornographic finger theater, I believe we should start class,\" Professor Snape
intoned. His tone was only mildly annoyed because it was a Slytherin who\'d dared to disrupt his class. If it had been a
Gryffindor, they\'d have been marched straight up to Dumbledore\'s office for an expulsion hearing.

Hermione gasped as she noticed that she and Draco were the sole focus of the entire classroom. Ron\'s lip was curled in
something resembling disgust. Harry was angrily scratching down their assignment on his piece of parchment. The
Gryffindors as a whole stared at her as if she were the Whore of Babylon and Lady Godiva wrapped up in one neat
package. The Slytherins seemed to be amused by Draco\'s pantomime.

\"And now that we know Mr. Malfoy\'s and Miss Granger\'s evening plans, I believe you all have a potion to brew. Copy
down the ingredients and begin your assignment,\" he demanded, returning to his desk.

On the blackboard, in Snape\'s serial killer scrawl, were the ingredients for a protection potion.

Hermione glumly began copying it down. She wished it would protect the drinker from embarrassment.

**********

After classes, Harry went to his dorm room. He was hoping that Ron would be off with his girlfriend or talking to their
House mates. Unfortunately, he found Ron seated at the desk doing homework. Since when did Ron ever do his homework
right after school?

Harry stood awkwardly in the door way. \"I just came to get some of my stuff. \"

Ron scribbled away on the parchment, his quill scratching furiously as he ignored Harry.

\"Ron, I know you can hear me,\" Harry said, exasperated. \"It\'s only going to get worse if we don\'t talk about it.\"

The redhead determinately kept his eyes on the paper before him.

This was worse than their fight over the Tri-Wizard Tournament. \"Ron, please let me fix this-\" Harry began.

\"Get. Your. Stuff. And. Get. Out,\" Ron snapped, turning around to pin Harry with cold eyes.

Harry took a step back, stunned at the anger in his friend\'s expression. \"I\'m sor-\"

\"Don\'t you dare apologize!\" Ron spat. \"Do you know what you did to her? Do you even care?!\"

\"Of course I care about her, Ron. Ginny\'s a wonderful-\"

\"Shut up! You broke up with her this morning and the next time she sees you, you\'re practically attached to Hermione. If
you really cared about her, you wouldn\'t have hurt her this badly. You don\'t deserve her. And she\'s certainly done nothing to
deserve you,\" Ron said scathingly. \"So, why don\'t you take your stuff and get out of here?\" Ron turned away from him, his
body rigid. \"And I\'d look for another dorm room if I were you, *mate*. You\'re not welcome in this one anymore.\"

With shaking hands, Harry loaded up his belongings. He paused by the door, trying to think of something - hell, *anything*
, he could say. Unfortunately, nothing he thought of would possibly suffice. Instead, he managed, \"I\'ll miss you, Ron,\"
before he ducked out of the room, blinking back a tear.

He didn\'t see Ron look up sadly and mumble, \"I\'ll miss you, too.\" Sometimes the cost of family loyalty was almost too
much to bear.

********

The whole of Slytherin stared at the splotch of red in the center of their table. Somehow, this love quartet just got more
bizarre. Ginny Weasley was seated next to Draco Malfoy and was babbling away while he was trying to get through his
meal. Draco had no idea that she could be so bloody long-winded. He almost pitied Potter.

To make matters worse, Hermione and Scarhead were no where to be seen. As he scanned Gryffindor\'s table, he noted
Weasel himself was in attendance and glaring at him mightily. Draco was too preoccupied to care. He was busy spinning
images in his head of what they might be doing. The most disturbing involved her \"comforting\" Harry. So help him, if he
touched one curl on her head, he\'d use an Unforgivable curse - one Potter couldn\'t throw off. And to make matters worse,
he was forced to babysit Scarhead\'s cast-off.

Apparently, She Weasel thought that her daily life as a poor person was fascinating. Her parents grew their own food and
she actually admitted to it. They actually dug around in the dirt, like animals. Revolting. Although, he supposed it was
better than foraging in trash dumpsters for their meals - but not much. The next topic she came up with was the Chamber of
Secrets. Amazing. A blow-by-blow account of Harry Potter\'s bravery and ultimate triumph over his father\'s boss. While
talking about the infamous chamber, she started to blubber when she mentioned the Boy Who Lived. No wonder Potter cut
her loose.

\"You know, maybe you should give him another chance,\" Draco said slyly, putting

a bite of roast beef in his mouth.

Ginny looked up sharply from her plate of deflated mashed potatoes. She\'d been pushing them around her plate for most of
the meal. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her nose was running.

Great. She\'s leaking, he though uncharitably. Draco heaved a disgusted sigh as he shoved a dinner napkin at heris bis being
nice business was really quite a chore.

\"I don\'t need him,\" Ginny said defiantly, dabbing at her eyes. \"I don\'t even like him anymore.\"

\"Riiiiigggght. That\'s why you\'re seated with the Slytherins whining about your life,\" Draco said sarcastically. What was it
about Gryffindors and their self-delusions? \"You\'re obviously upset about losing him,\" Draco said, trying very hard to
actually look concerned. \"Why not patch things up and give it another go?\" he said hopefully.

\"He won\'t take me back!\" Ginny wailed, her eyes tearing up. \"He likes *her* now.\"

Draco knew exactly who Ginny was referring to. \"Well, she\'s not available.\"

\"So, he should just *settle* for me?!\" Ginny cried, heat seeping into her wan face.

\"Yes, well, beggars can\'t be. . .\" he began before censoring himself. \"Er, yes.\"

She Weasel glared at him before her expression became sharper, speculative even. \"You\'re Hermione\'s boyfriend now,
aren\'t you?\" Ginny asked carefully.

\"For lack of a better term, yes,\" Draco said warily.

She smiled at him then, fluttering her lashes slightly. \"I see.\"

Draco shifted his chair away from her. He had a bad feeling where this was headed.

\"You know, Draco, you\'re very handsome.\"

\"I know,\" he replied insolently.

Ginny leaned forward and traced the House crest on his robe. \"I never noticed before.\"

Draco grabbed her hand and put it away from him. \"I never said you could touch me She Weasel.\"

\"My name\'s Ginny!\" she retorted, her temper flaring.

\"And I care because. . .?\"

\"But you were being nice to me. You let me sit with you!\" she said crossly. \"I thought you wanted to. . .\" she made a vague
hand gesture, \"with me.\"

Draco laughed outright. \"That never crossed my mind,\" he said disgustedly. \"I was trying to get you to go back out with
Potter.\"

Ginny narrowed her eyes. \"Don\'t you want to get back at them? Because, Harry and Hermione-\"

Draco didn\'t want to hear it. \"That isn\'t going to happen. Why don\'t you leave the sneaky, underhanded plotting to a real
Slytherin? Go back to Potter and do whatever it is you two do with each other,\" Draco said with a roll of his eyes. \"Saving
puppies, walking grandmothers across the street, etc.\"

Ginny scowled. \"I wouldn\'t take him back if he begged me.\"

Draco didn\'t believe that for a second. \"Who are you kidding? If he showed the slightest interest in you again, you\'d be
begging *him*.\"

Ginny\'s face was now flaming with anger. \"Oh really? Well, while we\'re being honest here, let\'s face facts. Now that
Harry\'s free, you don\'t have a prayer with Hermione.\"

Draco had the very same fears but he\'d be damned if he\'d discuss them with She Weasel. \"Maybe I didn\'t make myself
clear. I don\'t care about you or your opinions.\" Draco stood up from the table. \"I\'m going now.\" He pointed to her chair.
\"You stay here.\"

\"Truth hurts, doesn\'t it, Malfoy?\" Ginny said with quiet intensity. \"You\'ll find out soon enough. I did.\"

Draco once again scanned the table, looking for Hermione or Scarhead but there was no sign of them .

\"I bet she\'s comforting him right now,\" Ginny said bitterly.

With a muttered curse, Draco strode away from her.

\"Owl me when you get the urge for some payback,\" Ginny called.

**********

Ginny was right about the comfort but wrong about the method. \"Hermione, I don\'t think this is going to help,\" Harry said
doubtfully.

The table in Hermione\'s room was loaded with Muggle ice cream containers that her parents\' had owled her that afternoon.
She\'d kept them cold with a freezing charm until she was ready for them. There was every flavor imaginable - vanilla,
mocha, fudge ripple, and chocolate chip cookie dough to name a few.

\"Don\'t be silly, Harry. This is the best way to handle a break-up. We\'ll eat enough ice cream to make ourselves sick while
we talk about your ex-girlfriend. First comes commiserating, then we\'ll say all sorts of uncharitable things about her, and
we\'ll follow-up by remembering the good times you had with Ginny.\" They\'d decided to skip dinner so they could eat
dessert instead.

\"And this works?\" Harry asked. Whenever he\'d ever broken up with a girl before, he and Ron had talked about it briefly,
played a game of Quidditch, and he\'d simply forget about her after a few weeks. Frankly, the guy way of dealing involved
infinitely less work - and calories.

\"Absolutely,\" Hermione assured him as she handed him a spoon. \"Eat up, then.\" She took a bite of the cookie dough ice
cream. \"I\'ve done this dozens of times with girls that came to me for help,\" she explained. \"Being a prefect, isn\'t just about
enforcing the rules, you know.\"

Harry took a bite of the fudge ripple, smiling at her bemusedly. He was honestly touched, even if her concern was
unwarranted. \"If you say so.\"

\"I\'ll start,\" Hermione said, clearing her throat. \"I\'m sorry you two didn\'t work out, Harry. I know you were pretty serious
about her.\"

\"I was,\" Harry admitted. \"But I feel. . .well, relieved. Isn\'t that a bad sign?\"

Hermione frowned.

\"Well, it\'s good now because I\'m not with her. And it\'s bad, too. Maybe we shouldn\'t have gotten together in the first place.\"

Hermione leaned forward and said conspiratorially. \"To be honest, I never could understand why you two were together.
She isn\'t the kind of girl I\'d picture you with.\"

\"And what kind of girl is that?\"

She took another bite of ice cream and sat back in her seat uncomfortably. \"Let\'s not talk about that now.\"

But Harry desperately wanted to talk about that and other things, too. He wanted to know if he had any chance with
Hermione. And exactly how serious she was about Malfoy - naughty finger puppets aside. But instead of pushing, Harry
smiled at his best friend and played it safe. \"Thank you for letting me staying here, Hermione.\"

\"You\'re welcome,\" Hermione said with a dismissive wave of her hand. \" I couldn\'t very well let you sleep with Fluffy,
could I?\"

\"I mean it,\" Harry said very seriously. \"You could get in trouble for this. And if our Housemates weren\'t being prats, I
could\'ve roomed with one of the guys,\" Harry said with a scowl.

\"Well, at least one Gryffindor is on your side.\"

Harry looked at her sadly. \"I\'m so sorry. This isn\'t your fault but they\'re punishing you, too.\"

\"I\'ve had worse punishment than being \'forced\' to hang out with one of my best friends.\" Hermione reached over and
squeezed his hand comfortingly. But what had been consolation earlier in the day when they were faced with an angry table
full of Gryffindors, took a decidedly sexual turn when the two of them were left alone together.

Harry turned her hand over in his; it was easily swallowed up by his own. He rubbed his thumb over the pads of her fingers.
\"It\'s kind of funny when you think about it. We\'re being punished for something we didn\'t even do.\"

Hermione cleared her throat. \"We *did* kiss.\"

\"Just kissed,\" Harry said, rimming his lips with his tongue as though he were imagining one of scorching kisses. His
green-eyed gaze was intent. \"Don\'t you think the crime should fit the punishment?\"

Hermione was about to protest when Harry brought her hand to his face and kissed her palm, his tongue teasing the soft
skin. All the while, he watched her with a carnal smile on his face. \"Harry, we shouldn\'t.\"

\"Why not? I\'m not seeing anyone. You and Malfoy,\" Harry gritted out the hated name, \"aren\'t exclusive, are you?\"

\"We never said that we were, but-\"

\"Good,\" Harry said firmly. \"Then, you\'re free as well.\"

\"But Draco and I-\"

\"Hermione, you\'ve heard the rumors about how many girls he\'s been with. Do you think he saw them all one at a time? The
truth is, you have no idea if he\'s seeing someone else.\"

She opened her mouth to deny his claim when she realized that what Harry said was possible.

\"And even if you asked him about it, I doubt he\'d tell you. Malfoy isn\'t the most honest person.\"

Hermione couldn\'t argue with that either. Sometimes, all the plotting he did was rather. . .well, endearing. He was so
unpredictable.

\"Then, you and I are both entitled to a little bit of fun, aren\'t we? Come on, Hermione, don\'t you want to see what a
guilt-free kiss is like with me?\"

Hermione shut her eyes as she tried to summon up a defense against Harry\'s logic. It was proving very difficult. She
couldn\'t deny the attraction between them but she wasn\'t sure it was wise to act on it.

\"Aren\'t you rebounding?\" she managed. \"I would be taking advantage of you.\"

\"You can take advantage of me any time you want,\" Harry murmured. His voice had darkened with passion. He prowled
around the edge of the table and seized her up in his arms.

Hermione went willingly. His body felt so good against her own. She wrapped her arms around him, her hands seeking the
sleek lines of his back. Her hands tightened on his shoulder as he kissed a path from her neck to her jaw line before his
mouth came down on hers. As always, he very literally took her breath away. Hermione felt as is his mouth were
consuming her, committing every nuance of her response to memory.

Harry was lost. She was everything he wanted and more. Harry reluctantly released her mouth. \"Hermione?\" he said
hoarsely as he brought his hands the buttons of her shirt. \"Can I. . .?\"

Harry\'s hands trembled as he brought them to the cool cotton of her blouse. The buttons resisted his numb fingers but he
managed to undo them. All the while she stood sweetly in his embrace, a bit dazed by his attentions. Harry\'s eyes became a
little unfocused as he bared the perfection that was Hermione to his ravenous gaze. Harry dropped to his knees before her,
bringing his face flush with her chest. Her skin was pale and unblemished and Harry longed to taste it with his mouth. But
he needed to do this right. Harry licked the smooth circle of her navel, letting his tongue slide inside. Hermione gasped at
that and he chuckled against her skin. Then, he kissed his way up her abdomen, leaving no inch of flesh untouched. Harry
finally reached the lacy green scrap of her bra. He struggled with the clasp but managed to get it open.

Hermione gasped as he brushed the back of his knuckles across the sensitive skin. \"Oh. . .Harry. . .\"

\"You\'re so beautiful,\" he whispered before he suckled her as though his life depended on it. Harry\'s voracious mouth sent
shockwaves through Hermione. He was far from gentle but not painful by any means. Harry was intense lover- completely
consumed by his passion, insensate to anything else. And Hermione was more than willing to be consumed.

Panting, Harry released her nipple with a gasp. The harsh puffs of humid air reeked havoc on her exposed skin but she
managed to keep her knees from buckling. Harry stood to his feet, fitting himself against her and letting her feel the heated
manifestation of his hunger against her thigh.

\"I want you, Hermione,\" he said hoarsely.

She knew what he was asking her permission to do. Hermione quivered, seized by both anticipation and indecision. She
wanted to see where this path led. Yet part of her wanted to push him away and re-establish her position as a friend so that
she could pursue Malfoy. Unfortunately, both of these voices were insistent and equally attractive.

\"Harry, I can\'t,\" she whispered. \"I want you and I want him. I don\'t know what I--\"

\"I know,\" Harry rasped. He stood for a movement as he sought to control himself. Finally, he was able to back away from
her but his hands were shaking. \"Why don\'t you cover up?\" he suggested, turning his face away.

With a flaming face, Hermione hastily re-fastened her clothing.

\"I think,\" he paused to clear his throat, \"I should take a shower.\"

\"Oh?\" Hermione said, her brow furrowing. Then her eyes dropped to the tented fabric. \"Oh!\"

Harry laughed. For some reason, he loved drawing her attention to the fact that he was male.

\"I\'m sorry, Harry,\" Hermione murmured.

\"It\'s fine, Hermione. I\'m not the first sexually frustrated guy to take a cold shower.\"

\"All right. Well, then, I should probably go do a sweep,\" Hermione said awkwardly, backing towards the door. \"I need to
look for students who are out of bounds or out past curfew.\"

\"Do you want me to wait up for you?\" Harry said, a gleam in his eyes.

Dear Merlin, she\'d be sleeping beside him tonight. Only this time they wouldn\'t be exhausted. Maybe offering Harry the use
of her bedroom was a bad idea. . .or a very good one.

\"Er, no. That\'s okay. We have Divination early tomorrow,\" Hermione babbled, still backing towards the door. \"In fact, I
have a dream bead in my catcher for you,\" she reminded. If it was possible, Hermione colored further. \" I apologize in
advance,\" she said hastily.

Harry could hardly wait to see what it was about. \"What for?\"

\"You\'ll see. Just remember that I\'ve been thinking about both of you. It\'s only natural that I dreamt it.\"

Harry couldn\'t wait to fall asleep, except for that pesky Malfoy part. With a predatory stride, he shadowed her movements.

\"I\'ll, um, see you later.\" Hermione threw open the door and prepared to make her escape when Harry seized her arm.

He pulled her closer, his mouth captured hers in a brief but branding kiss. \"I just want you to remember one thing,
Hermione, *I* have experience , too.\"

The next thing she knew, Hermione was out in the hallway. \"Merlin help me,\" she muttered as she went off to patrol the
halls.

**********

\"Lumos!\" Hermione shouted and her wand blazed to life, casting a warm glow in the dreary darkness of the hallway. She
was patrolling outside of the Potions classroom once more. She made a mental note to give the other prefects a piece of her
mind about always making her monitor this particular area.

She couldn\'t fathom anyone braving Professor Snape\'s wrath to come here after hours or during the day, for that matter. The
torches were sputtering and sparking in her wake as she peered into the bleak blackness. There were random remnants of
chains on several closed doors. She\'d often speculated that some of them were fully-equipped medieval torture chambers
she\'d seen in books. Hadn\'t Filch alluded to that on several occasions? Hermione shuddered and quickly made her way
down the hall. The sooner she got out of here, the better.

At least being here in the dark gave Hermione some time to think about her rather muddled feelings. Not that she\'d had any
epiphanies, of course. If anything, she was more bewildered than ever. Draco and Harry on their own were more than one
girl could handle. Together, they were tour de force. Her dream last night had proved that. She put that from her mind and
fervently hoped that Harry would still be speaking to her tomorrow.

Hermione extinguished her wand light. She turned the corner and was about to sprint to the staircase when an arm reached
out from the shadows that clung to the edges of the hallway and pulled her into the gloom. A large shadow settled over the
face of her captor, hiding his identity. She was pressed against the cool stone wall and a warm body held her in place.

\"Let me go!\" Hermione shouted, struggling to bring her wand arm up when her wrist was encircled and pinned against the
wall.

A low chuckle issued in her ear. \"You should curb those violent impulses, Granger.\"

\"Malfoy!\" Hermione hissed. \"And you shouldn\'t be sneaking around after dark abducting prefects.\"

\"You weren\'t at dinner tonight,\" Malfoy said.

It was disconcerting to speak with him but not see his face. \"No, I wasn\'t. Harry was upset so I tried to cheer him up with
some ice cream,\" Hermione explained.

\"Is that all you tried to cheer him up with?\" Draco demanded.

Hermione gritted her teeth. \"That\'s none of your business, is it? We\'re not a couple.\"

\"Maybe not in the conventional sense but we are involved, Hermione,\" Draco said tightly as he invaded her space, pressing
close to her body. \"And I don\'t share.\"

\"You don\'t share but I have to. Is that it?\" she questioned.

\"Are you jealous, Granger?\" he asked mockingly.

\"Are you seeing someone else?\" Hermione snapped.

He said nothing.

\"It\'s a fairly simple question, Malfoy. Answer it.\"

\"At the moment? No. Although, I had the most. . .unusual offer today,\" Draco said coyly, bending down to nip Hermione\'s
ear.

She pushed at his chest but she couldn\'t move him without aid of magic and he still held her wand arm. \"Who?\"

\"She Weasel herself.\"

\"Why, that. . that. . .\" Hermione broke off with an inarticulate sound of rage.

\"Yes, apparently she had some quaint notion of paying you back for supposedly stealing Potter by sleeping with me.\"

\"And you said. . .?\" Hermione asked quietly.

Draco gloried the jealous spark in her big brown eyes and the slight quiver of her lower lip. He kept her waiting for a
delicious moment before he shook his head slightly. \"No. I\'m not interested in Scarhead\'s cast-offs.\"

There was a dual meaning in that sentence. \"You\'ve got some nerve!\" Hermione lit into him. \"I haven\'t been with anyone
yet and you\'ve been with just about everyone above the fourth level. I\'m not even sure the ghosts are safe. And yet here you
are trying to make me feel bad about a few kisses with Harry. I should-\" She abruptly stopped speaking to when his mouth
silenced hers.

\"You talk too much, Granger,\" he managed between kisses.

He released her arms and she wrapped them around his neck. A nagging little voice in her mind tried to make Hermione
feel guilty for kissing two boys in as many hours but she it was impossible to dwell on it when Draco clouded her mind.

\"Now, where else did we agree to kiss each other?\" Draco teased as he pulled back.

\"I think I remember,\" Hermione replied, a bit breathless from her exertions. Why did he have this effect on her? Draco had
made her want to do something impulsive - like engaging in heavy petting in a school hallway.

She smiled as she brought her hands to the buttons on his shirt. His robe had been donned hastily and hung open to his
waist. She quickly undid them, eager to touch sculpted smooth skin of chest. She slid her hands into his shirt, resting them
against his sides and bent her mouth to his chest. Draco\'s head fell back and she lavished attention on his pale throat as well
as the rigid lines of corded muscle upon his chest.

Emboldened by his reaction, Hermione pushed him back against the opposing wall and knelt at his feet. Draco\'s eyes held
hers as she reached for the buckle on his belt. She calmly undid and it and then brought her fingers to the button at his
waist. She undid it and slowly slid the zipper down. Draco groaned as she slowly traced his trapped erection.

\"Did you want me to kiss you here?\" Hermione murmured.

\"While I have no doubt that he does, I don\'t think the hallway is the appropriate venue.\"

Hermione gasped in horror at the unmistakably silky voice coming directly behind her. She struggled to her feet and turned
to see the maliciously amused face of Professor Snape.

Draco suddenly noticed that he\'d lost the delicious sensation of her hands on him and blearily looked over to find Snape
standing there. \" Oh, bloody hell.\"

Instead of reprimanding Draco for his language, Snape raised a brow. \"Indeed. Kindly put your clothing to rights, Mr.
Malfoy.\"

With a sigh, Draco obliged him.

Hermione\'s eyes beseeched Snape. \"Professor, we were just, er-\"

\"If you\'re about to tell me that you were looking for your quill or some other equally asinine excuse, save your breath. I\'ve
heard them all and I know very well what you were doing. Mr. Malfoy was even kind enough to give the entire class a
pantomime of tonight\'s proceedings. The only question is, how should I deal with this situation?\"

Hermione\'s life flashed before her eyes. She saw herself being asked to turn in her prefect\'s badge. She saw Dumbledore
sending a graphic letter home to her parent\'s. She saw herself being escorted out of Hogwarts due to some archaic
anti-strumpet rule on the books.

\"Don\'t forget to breathe, Miss Granger,\" Professor Snape said with wicked amusement as he regarded her panic-stricken
face. \"Mr. Malfoy?\"

\"Yes, sir?\" Draco asked, still watching Hermione carefully.

\"Go back to your room. I shall deal with your punishment tomorrow morning.\"

\"Detention,\" Draco said with sorrowful certainty.

\"I\'m afraid so,\" Snape said with mock concern.

\"And Hermione?\" Draco pushed.

Meanwhile, Hermione was breathing, albeit raggedly. Her eyes were fixed straight forward.

\"*Hermione*, is it?\" Professor Snape drawled. \"I need to speak with Miss Granger. After all, she is a prefect and is
supposed to uphold the school rules. Therefore, her infraction is much more severe.\"

\"Professor,\" Draco began, about to protest when Snape waved him away.

\"Go to your room, Malfoy, or I\'ll have to send an owl home.\"

\"Yes, sir,\" Draco said reluctantly before he turned to leave. \"I\'ll see you tomorrow, Her. . .Granger.\"

\"Goodnight,\" Hermione managed, still staring at Snape with wide eyes.

\"Come with me,\" Snape ordered, leading the way to his private office. Hermione had been in there on several occasions
since she\'d started her research project. However, this was the first time she\'d been in there for punishment. She almost
pitied the Slytherins. It was a singularly unattractive place with its many jars of preserved oddities and its stiff,
gnarled-looking chairs. Snape also had a rather large collection of ugly black magic items that were kept under lock and key
in a curio cabinet. Hermione idly wondered if he used any of them on unruly students. Surely, that would be better than
what he was about to do to her. His robes billowed around him as Snape sat at his desk.

\"I\'ve heard the most interesting rumors today, Miss Granger,\" Professor Snape began.

\"Really?\" she said dumbly.

\"Yes, really,\" Snape replied snidely. \"About Weasley, Potter, Malfoy, and you. Would you happen to know the nature of
those rumors?\"

\"I can guess,\" Hermione admitted.

\"So, Hogwart\'s little celebrity broke up with his girlfriend and took up with you.\"

\"No, sir!\" Hermione denied. \"Harry and I are just friends at the moment.\"

\"Well, you\'re obviously seeing Malfoy,\" Snape pointed out gleefully.

She squirmed in her seat. \"Yes, sir, but I really don\'t think that my personal life is any of your affair.\"

Professor Snape cocked an eyebrow at that. Something quite like respect flitted over his face before it settled into its
familiar harsh expression. \"I shall decide what is and is not my business. And since you are trying to obtain Potions
Mistress status, you are very much my concern. I\'ll have you know that I can only recommend a handful of people in my
lifetime.\"

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. \"And you don\'t think I\'m worthy now?\" she said hesitantly.

\"Your work has always been. . .acceptable,\" he admitted. It was high praise from Snape. \"Until now, I\'d always considered
you a sensible if misguided young woman.\"

Hermione frowned \"Sir?\"

\"While pursuing matters of the heart, or whatever you were searching for in Mr. Malfoy\'s trousers,\" he said with sadistic
glee, \"is a distraction from your goals. See that you don\'t lose sight of what you want.\"

\"I promise,\" Hermione vowed. And she wouldn\'t. Her future was very important to her.

\"That\'s settled then,\" Professor Snape said, standing to his feet. \"Off with you.\"

\"What about my punishment?\" Hermione sile cur cursed herself as soon as the words left her mouth.

\"I think being friends with Potter is punishment enough, don\'t you?\" he returned. \"Although, if I catch the two of you in
another compromising position, the penalty would be severe.\"

Hermione stifled the need to defend Harry and nodded.

\"Finish the potion you\'ve been working on and we\'ll call it even, all right?\"

Hermione had gotten the impression that Snape was secretly pleased with her desire to obtain a Potions licensure. His
obvious concern merely confirmed her suspicions.

\"Thank you, Professor,\" Hermione said, beaming at him.

\"Don\'t look at me like that, girl, \" Snape said irritably. \"I merely want the potion you\'ve been working on.\"

Hermione continued to smile at him.

\"Get out of here before I change my mind.\"

Hermione grinned as she walked to the door.

\"And Miss Granger?\"

Hermione turned to look at him.

\"Try to find a less conspicuous place for your romantic liaisons. \"

Red-faced, Hermione left the room. The sound of Snape\'s devilish laughter followed her down the hall.

A/N1: Hello all! I didn\'t desert you. I\'ve had a wicked case of writer\'s block and a run of really bad luck. My engine
exploded in my car, my grandfather died, and my kitty, Wiley, also died. *Sniff* I promise to post more often.

A/N2: I have a live journal now! A big thanks to schuyler for helping me create it! It is located at:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/angeldevotee/

I also have a yahoo group that will tell you when I update. You can find it here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/angeldevoteefanfiction/ To subscribe send an email here:
angeldevoteefanfiction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com



THANKS:


My thanks to Contra Veritas, the best DM/HG site on the net as far as I\'m concerned. I love the song that was selected for
my story. Garbage is a great band. I found another one that also fits. . . \"You\'re The One\" by Tracy Chapman. It includes the
lyrics: \"Some say you\'re crazy, say that you\'re no good. Say that you\'re family is cursed with bad blood. I think you\'re cute
and misunderstood. I wouldn\'t change you if I could. Let them talk you down, call you names. My mind is made up. It ain\'t
gonna change. Sure in my heart. Happy and free. You\'re the one. . .you\'re the one. . .you\'re the one for me.\"

Schuyler - My editor and general muse. She has been behind me all the way on this fic and has offered idea, suggestions,
and comments. You\'re the best! She has a wonderful, dark, angsty DM/HG fic called \"Fragments of a Malfoy\" that I\'m
hopelessly addicted to. Another part soon, right? Also, she has a RPG game that I am honored to be taking part in. I will be
playing Harry Potter. Want to join or see what happens? Email her at: sky@pensieve.org

Julia Malfoy - Thank you for reviewing. So, you like D/HG do you? I do too. Draco is a doll. I promise that everyone will
be happy by story\'s end.

Iasair- Yes, Ginny is kind of bitca. . .but anyone would be under the circumstances. Thanks for reviewing!

SolidFire- Well, I did update regularly. Sorry! It shall be more regular from here on out. Thanks for reviewing! And yes,
Ginny is a bitch but not a pushover. I hate girls who are like that.

shadow- Hermione\'s dream will be in the next one. There just wasn\'t time this time. And don\'t be worried about the reading
of the smut.. .I do it too! Hey. . .I write it too. Hmmmm

SnapeLover- Sorry for the typos. . .hopefully this one was better. And how do you like my Snape? Did I make him wicked
enough? And yes I do make my Harry a bit more naughty. I can\'t stand it when Harry is the boy next door. I like my bad
boy Harry better. Hermione is a lucky, lucky girl.

Chieri- Thank you for reviewing.

deedee- isn\'t Harry tricky? :) He\'s got himself in a sweet position now. Thanks for reading and reviewing! And, yes my
Ginny is a bit bitchy.

Sojoca- Now, you\'re talking! Both! Whoohoo! I would want both. LOL Thanks for reading and reviewing!

HPFreak18- Sorry so long between updates! Please forgive me.

wickedwitch- Hello there! Thanks for dropping by and giving me the lovely song. I love your site.

jamie - Thank you for reviewing.

Sunnyday -Is she close enough to Harry now? It didn\'t work out quite the way I thought. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Jules- Harry\'s in for more crap. He\'s being blackballed. :) Yes, I did want Ginny to get more angry with Hermione,t hough.
Isn\'t that what girls always do in these situations? Beat up on the \"other woman\". Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Morgana- Is this harsh enough punishment? Hermione was wrong but not THAT wrong, right? Wait, now I\'m confused.
Thank you for reviewing!

Steph- Calm down! LOL

stellaire- Thank you for reviewing.

V-girl - Thank you for reviewing.

Indir- William Faulkner.. .*shudders* Don\'t remind me of that wretched man. LOL. How did it go by the way? Pass with
flying colors? Yes, Harry and Hermione are in for it. They\'re going to have to pay for what they did. And I\'m glad that you
are emotionally involved because I\'m evil that way. LOL

Steph- Well, I hope you liked the Harry/Hermione parts! :)

BlueEmerald- Come on now, Hermione isn\'t *that* bad, right?

JoshSMB- This is the best compliment I have ever received about my writing. Thank you so very much! I\'m almost
speechless. Thanks for taking the time to email me!

Heather- Thank you so much! I\'m glad you are enjoying it.

Crystalline-- The shagging shall begin soon! LOL. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

NotSoBlondie- Sorry for the cliffhanger and thanks for reading!

Me!-- Soon enough? LOL

oscar- Sorry it has been a while. Thanks!

Jamie- Thank you for reading!

Goddess- Sorry it has been so long. LOL.

Jjpdg- I\'m sorry it took me so long and yes I fully intend to finish it. LOL. I\'m not going to leave Draco without some
Hermione. I\'ve decided to do two endings to give everyone a happy ending. :) Your predictions are...interesting. We\'ll see
what happens. LOL

Kiwi- Thank you kindly and I\'m glad you think they are in character. I hate when Harry becomes suddenly evil or Draco
becomes a nice guy. :)

Grace- AbFab...lol. I\'m glad you like it and I didn\'t abandon it. . .:)

Dena- Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Devil&co - I most certainly did. :) Sorry it has been so long.

Earanila- Thank! I\'m glad you like it.

Becky - Igladglad you like the story and thanks for your input!

Moonprincess- Thank you for all the reviews! I really appreciate it. Glad you like the story!

Petra- I updated. Do you hate me for taking so long. I thought you all were going to send a firing squad after me. LOL

Holly - Thanks for your ideas and your input. You\'re a doll! :) I\'m glad you like the story.

Monet- I\"m not really a Ginny fan myself. She can be a bit irritating. Is it just me or are there very few H/HG fanfics out
there? Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I\'m glad you like the teasing and innuendos. I love writing them!

True- Thanks!

Codie- Aw, but Ginny\'s been hurt. She should go a little postal for a while. Heh...menage a trois. . .you might not be far
from the truth.

Flexi Lexi. I have a live journal under my email address angeldevotee. You can check there for updates. It is nearly July
4th. I haven\'t updated inlonglong. Bad author!

Cami- I think I may just make two endings. I\'m glad you enjoy it and that you like my writing style. I\'m a romantic
comedy kinda girl and I love seeing the couple end up happy together.

MioneAngel- Thank you so much! I like fluff and substance. I try to do some of both but this is on the fluffy side of fic.
Thanks for reading and reviewing!

DarkAngel- Thanks for putting me on your list! Thanks for reading.

Maggie- lol. They just might hurt me. I\'m going to do two endings because I can\'t bear seeing Draco or Harry unhappy. I
love them both! :)

UniversalMoon- Thanks for reading and reviewing. It is hard to choose, huh? I like both too.

Vega- Thanks! I love Ron and I hate when he mysteriously disappears! :) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.
Was Draco mean enough this time? :) I\'m wavering on how to represent him.

Hulaberrie- LOL. So, another vote for Harry. :)

VivianPotter- Thanks for reading and everyone has to have a villain, right? Ginny is a convenient one. LOL. Boy, she is
bitchy all right.

mystic- There\'s something to be said for both of them, isn\'t there? I don\'t envy Hermione. Both of them are attractive.

obiwankatie- Oh, thank you so much! And ha ha! I converted another H/Hr shipper. I get a toaster now. LOL. A really,
really excellent D/H fic is We\'ll Always Have Paris by Melissa. You can find it on fiction alley. It has a H/D/Hr theme to
it too. Thanks for reading!

QuiddyCat- I know. *sniff* Buffy is gone. Spike will be on Angel next year and I\'m excited. Yes, you noticed some
Buffyisms. You know, I think they just creep into my consciousness. :) I used to write Buffy fanfic but found myself more
intrigued by Harry Potter lately. Thanks!

Brittney- Harry AND Draco? The mind boggles but what a nice image. *drools a bit*. Ahem. Yes, Ginny is a bit of a
bitch but I think she\'s justified. And she\'s only just begun!

Sak- I\'m glad you like the kick. That is something a female best friend would do. :)

waterdemon- Thanks! I was trying to portray Ginny\'s struggle. She\'s angry, she\'s sad, etc. Too many emotions. :) Thanks
for reading.

DeathChick- There will be two endings so don\'t worry!

Poison- Well, I\'m a bit slow! Thanks for reading!

Apollonia- Thank you so much! I\'m glad you liked it. I love Draco too and I\'ve decided to do two endings. Everyone will
be happy at story\'s end. :)

gryffindorgirl--Sorry it took so long! Thanks for reading.

becca-No one is going to die. LOL

person- Thanks!

Ning Ning- Well, I\'ll throw in as much naughtiness as fanfic allows. But I\'m also on aff so look for the really naughty
stuff there.

Meemo- I think I was. Nemo...ooops. Captain Nemo...hmm. Thanks for reading! And I\'ve decided to do two endings.
No worries.

Aisaki- Thanks for reading!

Sweetthang- Thanks feadieading! Yes, Draco feels more for her than he ever thought. I think the poor boy is in for his a
wild ride. :)

Sakura-Thanks

Musiklover- It has been a while. The bead is just pearly, no hidden meaning. LOL. And you will know Herm\'s dream
next time. :) It\'ll be a doozy. I made them all uncomfortably close. Let the fireworks begin!

Luthien- Bitch slap. Snicker. Thanks!

SecretKeeper-Thanks for reading! I hope I didn\'t cause you to flunk. LOL

Yemily- Do die die! LOL. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I love love triangles because it just drives you crazy. Will
they or won\'t they? LOL

IceAmethyst- It is a hard decision. I don\'t envy Hermione for making a choice. I couldn\'t\' decide. Thanks for reading and
reviewing.

PsychoJo- LOL. Draco could make anyone promiscuous. :)

Shannon- Sorry about the heartbreak. Love\'s a bitch sometimes. :)

Sailor Moon Rose- Beware the ex-girlfriend! LOL. Absolutely. Ginny is in wrecking mode. Look out Hogwarts.

CrystallineLily- Yes, part of me prefers Draco too. There is something to be said for bad boys, isn\'t there? Makes you
want to reform them, you know. Decisions. Decisions.

Stellar- Thank you so much for the thoughtful review. When I saw it was from you I let out a little \"whoop!\". So, you
*are* English. I\'ve always wanted to go there. Mostly, London. Breaking up Harry and Ginny was always part of the
master plan and I wanted to make it as difficult as possible. It will effect the rest of the fic, too. I love the teenage angst it
involved and the reactions of all the characters. Lines are being drawn. I\'m glad you think Draco is himself. He is so
difficult to write because Hermione would certainly not want to get involved with him. I\'m glad he appears to be in
character. I think he\'s so appealing because of the bad boyish quality he gives off. Who wouldn\'t want to reform him? I
wish JKR would use him more. And, yes, I hate it when he suddenly become Harry-like and starts being kind to puppies
and such. I like my Malfoy mean. :) Anyway, I really appreciate the time and effort this took for you. And I\'m sorry it has
been soooo long.

Foxychic- Everyone is on the hate Ginny bandwagon. LOL

MsSaigon- I loved that play. I balled my eyes out. I\'m glad you like both Harry and Draco. They are both different but
intriguing partners. I\'m not sure I could choose between them. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

Demoness- Hope it wasn\'t too scary. LOL

Serpent de Feu- There\'s only so much you do on here. LOL.

Laylana- And how! LOL. Women unite.

elemmire- Yes.

Kasumi- Thank you so much! And, yes, she is. :)