What I\'ve Always Known

Disclaimer: I don\'t own anything but the plot.

Quick Judgment

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews I continue to recieve!Oh and to answer Pixi\'s question, they will take turns. The shifts all rotate between the prefects and heads. Yes, they will every now and again have to function on three hours of sleep, but welcome to the prefects life:). Hope that answers your question!

Dinner that night was a subdued event for Hermione. She kept catching herself staring at her fork, smiling slightly. Her thoughts were seven floors above her in the owlery, half an hour in the past. Hermione tried hard not to grin to herself as she thought of Draco wrapping her up warmly in his arms.

“Dear god girl, do you ever listen?” Harry finally asked exasperatedly, after trying to get Hermione’s attention several times.

“What?” Asked Hermione jerkily. Harry sighed and shook his head, resigned to go back to his shepherd’s pie.

Hermione glanced up and caught Ron’s eye briefly. They both looked back at their plates, blushing furiously. However, Ron had a smile on his face. Hermione’s smile had vanished and her stomach twisted painfully. Ron was clearly taking their little incident at the Quidditch match seriously, but for Hermione, it seemed like it had happened years ago. Harry obviously didn’t know as he seemed perplexed by Ron’s triumphant grin.

As he interrogated Ron about why he was ‘looking so jolly’, Hermione was trying to plan the quickest escape route.

“Harry mate, there’s something Hermione and I need to tell you” Hermione felt her head almost leave her shoulders as Ron
reached across the table for her hand. Afraid to open her mouth in case she got sick, Hermione simply dropped her hands into her lap and pretended not to hear them.

Ron groped about on the table for a few seconds before he finally realized Hermione’s hands were no longer there. Shrugging, he turned back to Harry and cleared his throat loudly, effectively attracting the attention of all the students in a twenty-foot radius. Hermione shook her head violently at him, but he was still gazing at Harry, smirking a little.

“Hermione and I are a coup-“was all Ron managed to get out before Hermione landed him a swift kick in the shins under the table. Sadly, most everybody got the gist of what Ron meant. Several girls gasped and giggled, while most of the boys offered up Ron congratulatory whoops and slaps on the back.

Hot, bubbling anger boiled in Hermione’s stomach. So, one involuntary kiss made them a couple, with or without her consent apparently. Hermione had never wanted to throttle anyone so dearly in all her years of living. Suddenly Hermione couldn’t stand being around Ron for one more moment.

Trembling with barely suppressed rage, she rose from the table and seized her bag, throwing it over her shoulder and walked briskly from the hall. Her abrupt departure caused several of the onlooker’s grins to slide off their faces, Hermione noted with grim satisfaction.

As soon as she reached the marble staircase, she heard running footsteps, and knew it was probably Ron, wanting to know what was going on.

“Sod off Ron” Hermione snapped, without even bothering to turn around.

“Well that’s hardly polite” Draco said, taking two long strides to stand in front of Hermione. She stopped and looked up into his calm face.

“What’s wrong?” Draco asked, frowning “You look angry.”

Hermione shook her head.

“Angry? No I’m not angry. I’m livid” Hermione’s voice shook with emotion as she thought about what the repercussions of Ron’s
announcement would be.

“Well, you best come be livid out here so no one will hear” Draco said, taking her hand and leading her quickly past the Great
Hall to the moon light grounds.

The grass was stained a deep blue in the moonlight as Draco lead her towards the lake.

“So” Draco prompted “What exactly has your knickers in such a lovely little twist?” Hermione frowned, wondering where to start. Draco allowed her time to think as he settled himself under a tree, hidden from anyone coming out of the castle by a clump of bushes surrounding the tree’s base.

Hermione absent-mindedly picked up a stone and threw it into the centre of the lake. As she watched the ripples slowly fade into nothingness, she explained to Draco what had happened. She couldn’t bring herself to turn around as she relived what Ron had said to everyone.

“…. And then I just left; I couldn’t be around him for much longer without getting violent.” Hermione finished, still starting into the depthless lake.

Hermione jumped as Draco wrapped his arms around her from behind. She hadn’t even heard him get up. Draco felt her jump and smiled.

“I guess I do move like a-er-‘bloody’ cat at that.” He chuckled into her ear, making Hermione suck in her breath. “So I guess Weasley-don’t look at me like that, I’m not calling him by name-just made a quick judgment.”

Hermione nodded and turned her head, tucking her head under his chin.

“Weasley is our king, Weasley is our king….” Hermione and Draco glanced at each other, then behind them. Luna Lovegood was wandering aimlessly towards them, looking as though she had been dropped onto this planet by mistake. Draco looked around wildly and dove behind a nearby bush.

“Hello Luna” Hermione called, smiling at her. Luna smiled and drifted over, the full moon reflected twice in her bulging, glassy eyes.

“So how are you toNIGHT?!” the tail of Hermione’s question came out as a high pitched squeal. Draco had reached out from the bush and pinched Hermione’s butt.

“Oh, I’m fine thank you” Luna replied, seemingly not noticing Hermione’s strange behavior. “Actually, I came out here to see if you were alright. I heard what Ronald said, and witnessed your rather speedy departure.” She leaned in closer to Hermione, who leaned back slightly out of reaction.

“Well, um, it’s not true. I guess Ron just…er…perceived our situation incorrectly.” Hermione said, trying without much success to ignore Draco’s hand now wandering all over her bottom.

“Oh, well that happens sometimes…Hermione, you’re very flushed. Are you alright?”

“Quite.” was all Hermione could manage as Draco squeezed again.

“Oh good. Well if I didn’t know better, I would say you were possibly aroused.” Luna observed completely seriously. And with that, she turned to leave. Draco’s hand had gone still, and Hermione could feel him shaking with silent laughter. Hermione forced her own laughter down long enough to choke out “Goodnight Luna!”

As Luna stepped back into the Entrance Hall, Hermione turned to see Draco standing up, a grin playing on his face.

“You know,” He said, brushing himself off “She seems to keep popping up every time we’re together.” Hermione heard a quiver in his voice and squinted up into his face curiously. It was then she realized what was going on; Draco Malfoy, stuck-up Slytherin pureblood, had a case of the giggles.

Hermione stood quite still, pleasurable shock running through her veins. Draco had now pressed a knuckle against his curved lips, refusing to laugh out loud in front of Hermione. He had just managed to get his face straight; when he turned to face Hermione, and she pulled a ridiculous face she had learned from Fred and George.

Draco’s self control crumbled and he burst out into deep, sidesplitting laughter. Hermione soon found herself laughing along with him, but she had calmed down long before he did. Indeed, it was several minutes before Draco had calmed down enough to become coherent again. Hermione gazed up at him, enchanted by the deep, rich tones of his laughter.

“What?” Draco asked, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

“Nothing” Hermione smiled “I’ve just never heard you laugh before.”

“Sorry” Draco said, looking adorably bashful.

“Don’t be, I like it.” Hermione smiled and took his hand, deciding the night was far too nice to spend just standing around.

Draco squeezed her hand as they walked at a relaxed pace. They had almost completed an entire lap of the lake in a companionable silence, when Draco spoke up.

“Hermione?”

“Mm?”

“You know the next Hogsmeade weekend?” Draco asked, his voice laced with nervousness. Hermione nodded and let him
continue.

“Well, what would you think about going with me?” he asked, looking at her, Hermione stopped to think, frowning slightly. She
didn’t see how they could possibly pull something like that off, when they were still known as enemies to the rest of the school.
Hermione voiced this to Draco, and to her surprise, he smiled.

“Well, we won’t be around the rest of the school.” He said composedly.

“But I don’t see how-“

“Hike through the mountains.” He interrupted, and Hermione couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows.

“YOU hiking? Surely you wouldn’t ruin your manicure?” She asked with mock-concern.

“No, manicures were never really my thing,” said Draco plainly. “Interested?”

Hermione thought it over a minute more, and then she smiled and reached up on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips. She made to pull away, but Draco lifted a hand and held her head there. Hermione couldn’t help but giggle as Draco’s other hand moved playfully over her backside.