Count Your Blessings

Hogsmeade was filled with students as the sun was out bright and early. Everyone wanted a piece of the nice day and that included Hermione. She rose early, earlier than normal, and dressed fit to venture into the world outside of the library and those perverted thoughts she experienced on a daily basis for the past few months. It had been a glorious evening, filled with sweet dreams of nothingness and the occasional owl from a certain Slytherin who had the tendency to make brash comments about the way she moaned at night, or how he needed better excuses to give Madam Pomfrey for the nail marks down his back.

Yes, it was an odd relationship at best. A relationship that neither Hermione, nor Draco, expected to accumulate. Of course, all inter-house flirting was kept at a minimum, if at all. Draco still mocked and teased her, yet his tone was always filled with jest and Hermione found that she could tell the difference between his words and words he was forced to say because of his position. It wasn't long before they began owling each other. At first it was in order for her to figure out when she had to see him, and then it became small little notes of endearing rude comments and outfaced slaps to one another's egos. She never did really find out why Draco wanted to help her so much, she had asked but he never did give her a straight answer. Hermione didn't pry either. She understood his need for secrets, as she had plenty of her own, and respected him in that way.

Arriving at the Great Hall in the middle of crowded territory was different. She searched the sea of heads, trying to find Ron and Harry. Ron's fiery red hair stuck out like a sore thumb, enabling her to squeeze past people in order to get to them. One her way there, she bumped into some one. Muttering an apology, Hermione turned around and noticed that it wasn't just anyone. It was Draco Malfoy.

He swirled around and glared at her, only at first and to which she suspected that he thought it was some one else. His gaze softened for a split second before snapping venomously, "Watch where you're going, Granger. What too stupid to walk straight now?"

Pansy's laugh filled her ears and she finally noticed the young witch clinging to Draco with her hand on his chest. Draco had one lazy arm around her shoulder and was standing in front of Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise and Theodore. Parting her lips to say something, Hermione felt the familiar grasp of Ron's large hand on her shoulder.

"Sod off Malfoy," Ron said proudly, pulling Hermione to him.

Draco raised his eyebrow and laughed, "Do I have to break your nose again, Weasley? Granger bumped into me, not the other way around."

"You should watch your bitch more carefully," Pansy piped in but was silenced when Draco placed a firm hand on her mouth and shoved her back.

He glared at her as if to warn her not to take his 'spotlight.' Draco twisted his head to the side and looked at Ron, both of their chests puffing out like penguins. Hermione looked to Ginny, who held tightly onto Harry's arm with all her might. Harry was twitching so bad that it looked as if he were going through a seizure.

"What is that I smell," Draco broke the silence, sniffing the air, "Oh right. Poverty. Let's get out of here Pans before his stench rubs off on us."

Ron lunged toward Draco but was restrained by Hermione, who had gotten in between them. "Drop it, Ronald." She warned him, hold him back by placing her hands firmly on his chest, "He's not worth it."

"You're right, 'Mione." Ron growled between his teeth, "He's not worth dragon dung."

"At least it'd be worth more than you," Draco called over his shoulder, laughing as the group disappeared into the crowd.

Ron grumbled insults under his breath. He was never one to think quick on his feet when it came to throwing insults at people. Draco, on the other hand, was quite quick witted and at the drop of a hat could make some one feel worthless even if they had everything. Hermione rubbed Ron's shoulder and looked to Ginny and Harry.

"Malfoy is a git. Forget about him," Ginny said passively, waving her hand around, "I don't understand why you two honestly get your knickers in a bunch whenever something stupid dribbles from his mouth."

She and Hermione managed to pull both Harry and Ron from their position and towards the exit.

"Everything that comes out of Draco's mouth is dribble," Hermione added, coming to a jerking halt when Ron stopped. "What?"

Ron's face flushed an angry red and his eyes bore down on her, "You called him by....You called him his first name."

Hermione raised her eyebrow, "So what?"

He was silent but his face was just as red as his hair. Ginny managed to roll her eyes and hug Harry to her. He was, still, twitching apparently itching to have a confrontation with Malfoy.

Hermione sighed, "Don't be ridiculous, Ronald. Remember what I said about a fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. Malfoy is some one we should hardly fear."

Ginny nodded twice and pulled Harry with her, mentioning something about wanting fudge. His mind of Malfoy was instantly erased and he eased into the comfort of Ginny's embrace. It was odd how the two of them knew exactly what to do or say, mostly Ginny of course, that would soothe out any bad situation. Hermione, unfortunately, had always used logic to calm a situation down and look where it got here. Standing awkwardly in front of Ron Weasley, her best friend and the man she knew she was supposed to end up with. Yet, she couldn't stop thinking about a certain forbidden object, Malfoy.

What was worse, it wasn't the potion's doing either. She thought of him frequently, laughed at his brash comments, inhaled his beautiful scent, and, dare she say, watched him while he slept. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Draco Malfoy was hardly a good candidate for anything other than fixing her problem. She wouldn't admit it, not at all. She wasn't falling for Draco Malfoy, and she'd prove it.

Ron brought his hand to the back of his neck and scratched it, mulling over her words.

"You're right. Stupid git." He tugged at his tight brown shirt, trying to make it look more dashing but it didn't.

Hermione noticed that Ron's eyes flickered to other students and their wardrobe. He was always and has always been so self conscious. It was endearing. Hermione stepped closer to him, her hand tracing over his muscular forearm. She hadn't noticed before but Ron had grown up as well. He nearly towered Malfoy, and was nearly twice the blond Slytherin's size. Yet his face remained baby soft and his eyes were kind. He lost a lot of baby fat over the summer and toned up well thanks to Quidditch practice. His square jaw emphasized his lips, which were just a little too big for his face but that didn't matter.

Ron looked down at her with wide eyes and smiled, wrapping his hand in hers. With their fingers entwined together, Ron forgot all about Malfoy and his insults.

"Hogsmeade, yeah?" He said suddenly, with a little puff of his chest.

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes, he was staking his claim. Very Animal Kingdom esque, but she didn't mind. Especially when they passed Malfoy. Hermione could feel the tickle of his gaze into her eyes, which were followed downward toward her and Ron's hand and shot straight back up. He looked...upset? No, not at all because almost at once Draco's face changed to one of indifference. Pansy noticed as well and parted her lips to say something rude but Draco changed the subject to what they were going to do in Hogsmeade.

-----

The trip was uneventful. She, Ron, Harry and Ginny wound up cramped in the last table at the Three Broomsticks drinking bottle after bottle of butter beer. Ron's face had gone a little red when he wrapped an arm safely around Hermione and, to his surprise, merely leaned into him. Seeing Ron in the reflection of Harry's glasses, Hermione could tell that this was a proud, shining moment for him. Ginny just gave a small curt nod, indicating that she was fine with Ron and Hermione together. She was later distracted when Harry produced a box of fudge from Honeydukes and spent the rest of her time pawing him.

Ron's face went beet red over his sister and Harry's actions, which didn't stop even after he cleared his throat...twice. Then he tried to do the same with Hermione. She knew he was very inexperienced and had only had one girlfriend over the past year. Some how he always tried to model himself over Harry, who he loved both as a brother and as some one to look up to. It didn't matter how many times she told him that he was his own person and he was wonderful, the conversation always landed on Harry.

She could feel his breath against her head as he kissed her. She felt an odd tingle climb up her spine, and interpreted as she saw fit. See, she was not falling for Draco Malfoy and his perfect smile. That's when she realized it wasn't Ron's kiss that made her tingle. It was the pair of cobalt blue eyes boring straight into her.

Sitting across from them at another table was Draco, Pansy, Blaise and some unnamed Slytherin girl she thought was named Daphne. Pansy was pawing at Draco, of course, her hand tracing over his brilliantly tailored robes; black with silver trimming and very silky. He sneered at them and Hermione jerked away from Ron the instant she felt his lips against her neck. Looking up, Ron let out a groan of disgust.

"Thought you said not to care about Malfoy, 'Mione." Ron mumbled under his breath, playing with a strand of her hair.

Hermione stared at Draco, who wrapped his arm around Pansy and leaned down. She watched, in pure utter horror, as Draco's lips...the very lips that touched her the night before, wrapped around a part of Pansy's neck. She grinned and giggled with glee as Draco sucked and with a definite pop, had given her a hickie. His eyes returned to Hermione, who glanced at the corner of her eye and noticed Ron fiddling with a napkin looking upset. Bringing her eyes back to Draco, he raised his eyebrows and grinned.

He was trying to make her jealous! Why would she be jealous? Why should she be? He didn't belong to her, and she him. They were enemies who just romped around the bed because of her problem. Yes, her problem. That damn potion was ruining her life! She frowned and turned to Ron, grabbing his forcefully by the neck and pulling him to her.

Ron's head snapped around in confusion but his face soon relaxed when she pressed her lips against his. His hand moved slowly to her waist and held her to him, ther lips intertwined. It didn't feel right. Hermione felt some sort of...repulsion...when she kissed Ron. It wasn't a sickly kind, although the taste of butter beer in his mouth was making her a little sick, not to mention how he seemed to stick his whole tongue into her mouth. It was indescribable, something wasn't right and her body was telling her that. Why hadn't she felt like she used to, whenever some other boy touched her?

Ron managed to pull away from with with a red, accomplished face, and pulled her to him. Harry had cleared his throat and Ron merely looked at him as if to say that he won. Hermione could feel daggers being thrown at her and she could hardly bring her eyes to look. Draco sat with a clenched jaw, his hand balled up into a fist and one arm lazily around Pansy; who didn't look like she minded at all. His eyes were narrowed slits and for the first time, Hermione felt afraid. She sank further into Ron's massive hold and tore her eyes away from him when Ginny asked about going to Zonkos.

-----

The corridors were deserted and fairly boring. Ron and Hermione made their rounds, their fingers interlinked the entire way. He seemed much more at ease now and it made her happy to know that he was happy. Hermione leaned her head against his arm, not being tall enough to reach his shoulder, and she felt his fingers slip from her grasp and his arm wrap around her shoulder. He was warm and she felt safe. Her mind was just a little cloudy but she fought it off because, well she couldn't go crawling back to Malfoy after how he looked at her. Could she? No. No. Not a good idea.

They reached the Room of Requirement and Hermione paused. The door wasn't hidden like it normally was. Ron stopped a few steps in front of her and turned around.

"'Mione?" He asked, holding his hand out to her but she remain frozen.

"Just a second, Ron. I have to um..." She looked around, "Use the loo. Go ahead ok?"

Ron shrugged, mumbled something about how girls have to use the bathroom so often that it annoyed him. He'd get over it sooner or later. Hermione pulled her wand out and stared at the door. Ron's short attention span must have glossed over it but she sure noticed it. It was the same beautiful door she'd come to whenever she had to meet with Draco. Maybe he was in there now? Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Hermione pushed the door open and nearly froze in her place. A mop of black hair hung over the side of the large beg, pale white skin met pale white skin. Her eyes widened just as the sound of desperate moans filled her ears. Pansy Parkinson was on her back, her head dangling over the edge of the bed, with not just any student...with Draco Malfoy. His perfectly toned body was rutted between Pansy's long, albeit extremely thin, legs. She could see his chest moving heavily as he thrust deep inside her.

Pansy's moans were indescribable. They were down right annoying. Sounding like a box of kittens being squashed by a troll. A small draft blew in before Hermione could make her exit. Draco looked up and stopped everything, his eyes were wide and he looked...embarrassed? Pansy looked at him and brought a hand to his chest.

"What's wrong Draco?" She purred, noticing his gaze and turning to look. Her face was livid, but with excitement. "Oh. You. Take a picture, Granger. It'll last longer."

Hermione gripped her wand and turned, leaving. She heard Draco in the room.

"Shit. Shit. Shit."

Followed by Pansy, "Draco! Where are you going? She's not going to take points off. She can't you're a prefect."

"Shut up Pansy. Give me my pants."

"Draco!"

"What part of give me my pants don't you fucking understand?"

Hermione made it halfway down the hall when Draco darted after her, "Hermione."

It was the first time he ever used her name and she'd make sure it was the last time. She swung around and looked at him. His hair was mussed up, face held just a hint of pink, and his was shirtless. He held onto his shirt with one hand and his trousers with another. Hermione could see the definite trail of hair that lead straight into his silky boxers. Her face turned red and she could feel tears forming in her eyes.

"Let me explain," He whispered, grabbing her arm but she twisted it away.

"Explain what, Malfoy?" Hermione seethed, "You can shag any one you blood like. It's not like we're..."

She looked up at him with a frown and raised her hand, slapping him across the face. Draco turned and looked down at her, his face red from where her hand had hit him.

"You're jealous," he said with half of a laugh.

"What! Why would I be jealous of you and that..that.."

"Slag. I know." Draco finished her sentence but was grinning, "You think I'm a tease but you're wrong. You're the one who's getting too cozy with Weasel. Who's the cocktease now?"

Another thundering slap echoed across the corridor. Draco looked down at Hermione with daggers as she stood there with her hand out ready to slap him again. He brought his hand up and wrapped his fingers around her wrist before she could.

"Getting physical isn't going to solve your problems, Granger." He growled, "You have to understand one thing, and one thing only. I'm not an arrogant prat. You're going to put both of you in a world of hurt if you don't grow up. Act like a fucking adult for once."

Hermione stared at him with her jaw dropped. For the first time, she felt guilt. He was right. She was putting both her and Ron through the ringer, especially since she knew she didn't have those feelings for him. Why had Draco's words hit her like a ton of bricks? He was different. He was an adult and she...she was still a teenager. Strange how the war changed people.

"Let go of me," Hermione snapped, feeling herself enter reality once more. Draco released her and both glared at one another.

They were silent and only the sounds of their heaving chested could be heard. Draco brought his hand to his hair and slicked it back.

"I guess...this..." Hermione began in a small voice, looking away. "This is..."

"Over?" Draco finished, again, looking down at her as Hermione nodded, "Only if you want it to be."

Her eyes darted up to him and she noticed that he looked more indifferent than ever, yet his eyes sparkled. "It's over." Hermione finally breathed, watching the sparkle disappear.

Draco shrugged, "Whatever. Not like I had fun with you anyhow."

He turned and stalked out of the corridor, going back into the Room of Requirement. He paused and looked back at Hermione, his fingers tapping on the door before he opened it. Pansy began shouting at him but her voice was muffled by the door. Hermione took a breath and leaned back against the wall. She wouldn't let tears come, she wouldn't show weakness. She slid down just as she let out a sob and covered her face, drawing her legs to her. She was irrevocably in love..with Draco Malfoy.