Font:  VerdanaTimes New RomanCourier NewGeorgia10pt12pt14pt

A/N: Alright, as usual, I don't own anything recognizable no matter how much I wish I did!!! I won't waste anymore of your time, so here is the new chapter!
_____________________________________________________________________




      The next morning, not a sound could be heard in the castle.  The students had so much fun the night before that they were choosing to sleep in for once.  It did help that Christmas vacation started today as well.  It was around 9 in the morning and Hermione could not sleep.  She was still in bed tightly wrapped around Draco but she couldn’t sleep.  In a couple of days the students going home for the holidays would be leaving.  It was 5 days before Christmas and she still didn't know what she was going to do.

      Hermione knew she should go home and spend the holiday with her dad.  She missed him terribly but she didn’t think she could deal with her dad on her own.  She tried writing him every week or every other week but she barely got replies back.  The replies she usually got from him were short and he never really inquired about her.  I will write him today and let him know I’ll be there for Christmas.

      She looked up at Draco as he started to stir.  She couldn’t help but wish that she was his.  He opened his eyes and looked down at her.  He smiled as he squeezed her closer.  I could definitely get used to waking up with her in my arms, he thought.  Hermione snuggled closer and he couldn’t help but smile.

“So,” he said with his gravelly morning voice, “What would you like to do today?”

“I don’t know.  I’m kind of content just laying here.”

He chuckled, “Why, Miss Granger, are you suggesting we stay in bed all day?”  He was joking on the outside but hoping it was true on the inside.

Hermione blushed at realizing what she said and how he took it.  She stuttered, “Well, I-I…”

“Cause if you are, I wouldn’t object,” he whispered in her ear.  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing!  Is he being serious or is he joking?  What should I say?  Yes I would love to stay in bed with you all day?  No, absolutely not! Oh my goodness, is he serious?  He laughed out loud at the incredulous look on her face.  “Mi, I was only joking, don’t get upset.”

Trying to recover, but not being very successful, Hermione started to get up but was pulled back onto the bed.  “Mi, it was just a joke, relax.  What would you like to do today?”

She thought about it as she moved back next to him.  “I know that I want to write a letter to my dad and send it off.  I’m not quite sure about where I’m going for the holidays just yet.  Other than that…” he interrupted her.

“Wait, hold on a second.  What do you mean you don’t know where you’re going for the holidays?  Aren’t you going to go to your dad’s?”

“Well I usually spend the holidays with Harry and the Weasleys.  For obvious reasons I won’t be staying with them.  I did think for a moment that I would stay here.”  She noticed Draco’s look of…what was that?  Disappoinment?  Curiosity?  “Anyway,” she continued, “I have reached the decision that I can’t leave him alone all holiday.  So I will at least start off there.”

“Well, if you need anything you can owl me and I will be there for you.”  She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity.

“Thank you.  What will you be doing for the holidays?”

He noticed the quick change of topic but he let it pass.  “Well I’m going to go home and probably have to endure one of mother’s bloody dinner parties…”

Hermione gasped, “Draco!”

“Well it’s true,” he chuckled.  “After having to go to them my whole life, it gets a little old after awhile.”  He paused in thought for a moment.  “You know, this party probably wouldn’t be so bad if I had a good date to go with.”  He looked over at her but she just nodded, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.  He tried again, “She would have to be smart enough to be able to carry conversation,” he heard her mumble something about Pansy being out of the running then and he laughed but agreed.  “She would have to be strong to be able to deal with all of the snobs that of course will attend,” she nodded.  “And it really wouldn’t hurt if she was pretty.  In fact, she would have to be beautiful since she would be my date.  I won’t go with just anybody.”  He glanced at her and she seemed to be a little sad.  “Mione what’s wrong?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing.  I was just trying to figure out who would fit all of your high standards,” she said a little half-heartedly.  I wish I could be the one to go but there’s no way that would happen.  I’m not pureblood enough for his parents.  Ugh!  When will they ever grow up!  This sucks too!  Having to sit here and listen to Draco’s perfect girl.  If only.  She was now biting her lower lip. 

      Draco loved it when she did this because he knew she was in deep thought, yet he hated it too because he wanted to know what her thoughts were.  Haha, he laughed, she doesn’t even realize I’m describing her.  I wonder what she will think when I ask her.  Would she go?  Would she even want to be at the Manor?  What memories will that bring back?  Ok I just need to suck it up and ask.  Here goes nothing.  “Mione?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you think of no one for me?”

Well sure I can think of someone…ME!  “Sorry, I’m still trying to think.”

He laughed out loud now, “Mi, I was thinking that maybe you could go with me?”

She looked up at him with surprise written all over her face.  “Wh-what??”

“Let’s see if I can put this any clearer.  Hermione Granger I would love it if you joined me, as my date, to whatever party my mum has got planned for the holidays.”  Oh shite!  What if she says no?

Well Hermione you got your wish!  Now why haven’t you said anything?  Do I really want this?  I mean yes I want this but to go to the Malfoy Manor?  No one would accept me.  I would probably be criticized the whole time I was there. Ugh!  Then she thought of what Lucius’ face would look like when he realized who Draco would be bringing as a date.  She laughed, “Oh yes Draco, I can see it now.  The Draco Malfoy bringing a mudblood to a Malfoy gathering as a date.  You’re father would freak!”

      She felt him tense up and stopped laughing, she knew she had upset him.  When he spoke, his voice was a little strained with trying not to lose it with Hermione.  “Well excuse me, but I thought that we may have formed something more than just a, as you so eloquently put it, ‘mudblood’-‘pureblood’  relationship.  And as I have not called you, nor wish to ever again call you a mudblood, I would prefer it if you didn’t use that term either.”  It was his turn to get up.  I really made him mad, she thought.

      She reached for him and said, “Draco.”  He pulled out of her grasp and continued out of his room.  This shocked her into place because she realized that she had just ruined a seemingly perfect morning.  She had to think of a way to make it up but nothing was coming to mind. 

      While Hermione was trying to come up with an apology, Draco was having a mental battle with himself. I can’t believe the nerve of her!  How dare she!  After everything we have been through!  The strides that it took to get where we are!  Does she even know how hard it was for me to ask her that?  UGH!!

      Once she had gathered herself, she ran into the common room where she saw Draco pacing back and forth.  The amount of guilt that washed over her was almost suffocating.  She tried getting him to calm down but her pleas fell on deaf ears.  It must have taken him a lot to ask me that and I ruined it by laughing.  Gods I can be such an idiot sometimes!  Well, if he can do it I can do it too.  What can I do though?

      The solution came to her so fast that she was surprised that she hadn’t thought of it before.  She just hoped that he wouldn’t hate her more for it.  As he was pacing back towards her, she marched right up to him.  He stopped and as he was about to yell at her, she reached up to grab the back of his neck and pulled him down to where their lips were just centimeters apart.  She paused noticing that Draco had gone as still as stone.  She gave him a smirk worthy of his own and then closed the gap between them.  He was still tense at first but almost immediately he relaxed.  Once he relaxed, he placed his hands on her hips.  With all the resolve she could muster, Hermione slowly pulled away and took a tentative look at him.

      It was a brief kiss because Hermione wasn’t sure of the reaction she would get, even though it took all her strength to stop it instead of let it go on.  Damn, he’s a good kisser!  In that one brief instant she felt herself become more alive than she had felt all school year.  When she broke the kiss, she still felt the tingling sensation from when their lips first touched.  His lips are so soft!  She looked up at Draco with eyes filled with shock.  “Draco?” she managed to whisper.  No response.  He just sat there looking at her with a dazed expression.  Her last thought before she ran up to her room and locked her door with the strongest charm she could think of was oh bugger what have I done!

      Draco, on the other hand, had yet to move.  He couldn’t believe that she had kissed him!  It’s not like he hadn’t kissed girls before, no, what stunned him was that Hermione Granger had kissed him!  He couldn’t really place his feelings.  He slowly sank to the couch as he thought about how he felt.  I definitely felt something with that kiss.  I guess I have been slowly falling for her but that one short kiss had felt so intense!  Obviously she feels something for me but could she possibly like me as much as I like her?  Probably not.  This upset him as he slumped further into the couch.  Maybe, just maybe, she will though!

      Suddenly as if a light went on, he realized that she wasn’t in the room anymore.  Bugger!  I’m such a prat!  After I didn’t react she probably thought I didn’t want to kiss her!  How can I let her know that I wanted it to?  And just like the idea had struck Hermione, it hit Draco in an instant.  He went to her room and tried opening it but had no luck.  Damn braniac!  She probably put up her strongest charms, but I’m not Head Boy and a Slytherin for nothing!  With that, he proceeded to take down her charms for the next ten minutes.

      After Hermione had sealed her door she didn’t want to think about the kiss so she started to write her letter to her father.  That posed another problem when she realized she didn’t know what she was going to write. Umm, hi dad, just incase you were wondering, I am going to be home for the holidays?  Yeah right.  With a heavy sigh, she set to work on her new task, while also keeping her tears at bay.  She couldn't lie to herself, rejection hurt and that's what she felt after Draco hadn't said anything.

      By the time Draco had gotten through her charms, he quietly opened her door.  He looked around and found her lying on her stomach facing away from him, on her bed.  She had about a dozen or so pieces of parchment littered all around her.  He cleared his throat to make himself known but she was so immersed in her writing that she didn’t even hear him.  He cleared his throat again and since she didn’t move he called her name, “Hermione.”

      Hermione snapped too immediately.  She twisted around so fast that she had to focus on Draco to see straight.  After a moment, she realized who she was staring at and gasped, “What?  H-how did you get in here?”

Draco smirked, “I’m Head Boy and your intellectual equal, you doubt me?”

Composing herself she stuttered, “W-well n-no, but I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“Yeah I guess you were really into your writing.  How’s the letter coming?”

“It’s ok.  I just don’t know what to say is all.”

“Would you like me to read what you have so far?”

“Ok.”  She patted the spot next to her, so he walked over and sat down.  If he wants to pretend like nothing happened then I will too.  He picked up the letter and started reading it.  Hermione was fidgeting with her hands because she wasn’t sure if she should say anything about what happened.  Oh screw it!  I can't let this go.  Using her famous Gryffindor courage, she decided to say something, “Draco, I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

He looked up from the letter and asked, “For what?”

A slight blush tinted her cheeks as she said, “For earlier.”

      Suddenly the reason for coming into the room came back to him.  “Oh,”  was all managed to say because he, for some reason, instantly became aware of how close they were, thus causing him to become nervous.  Me?  Nervous?  Draco Malfoy does NOT get nervous! Especially around girls!  Unless…unless I like her more than I thought?  Well I guess there is only one way to find out, right?  He then realized that Hermione had been nervously rambling on about something.  Well let us see if she shuts up with this.  And with that he leaned over and gently kissed her.

      Like Draco did earlier, Hermione froze on the spot.  Neither moved a muscle until they were certain they could.  As soon as Hermione relaxed, Draco pulled her in closer.  With one hand cupping her soft brown curls, he let his other arm circle around her waist holding her to him.  She ran one hand up to caress his face and the other stayed on his chest.  Draco went to deepen the kiss and she gladly let him.  What started out as a gentle kiss quickly turned urgent and rough as both didn’t want to let go, yet they were both in need of oxygen.  Hermione was the first to break the kiss as she turned her head to the side gasping for air.  When she looked back, Draco brought his forehead down to touch hers. 

      As they started to catch their breaths, they both looked away and around the room until they caught each other’s eye again.  Hermione bashfully looked away, but Draco cupped his hand under her chin to make her look at him.  “Mione, don’t be shy, and don’t act like you didn’t want it because you started it.” He let out a slight laugh, hoping it would lighten up the mood a bit.

      She looked at him and smiled, “Well I won’t say I didn’t want it.  I’ve actually been waiting for you to kiss me but when I kissed you out there you didn’t react and I thought I messed things up between us.”  Her smile fell a little at remembering how she felt earlier.

“Haha Mi, you didn’t mess anything up.  It was just a shock that’s all.  You don’t know how happy you have just made me.  You don’t know how happy I am that I can finally do this,” he gave her a lingering kiss and he could feel her smile against his lips.  “That is…knowing I won’t be cursed into oblivion for it,” he said pulling away.

“Well you definitely won’t get cursed for it,” she said smiling.  Her face scrunched up as if she were pondering something and Draco asked her what was on her mind.  “Well, I was just thinking…” she paused and he waited for her.  “Well, what are we then?  I mean, I know we have become friends over the months, but what does this make us now?”

“Well,” he seemed to ponder on this.  “If, and only if you want, you could be my girlfriend.”  He smirked and she cocked her head.  “We would be the most hated students in Hogwarts.”

“Why!?”  She looked frightened by this prospect.

“Because I would have the most intelligent, beautiful, caring witch in the entire school, and you would have the most intelligent, sexy, feared wizard in the entire school.  They would envy us beyond reason.”

She laughed, “You mean the wizard with the biggest ego!”  She laughed at the mock hurt look he gave her.  “Besides Draco, I don’t know if you could handle this.” They both laughed and then Draco began tickling her, making her laugh harder.

“I think I can handle you,” he said with a genuine smile plastered on his face.  “Now come on I believe you have a letter to send home.  It’s perfect as it is, and besides, I’m starving!”

She grabbed her letter in one hand and his hand in the other.  Together they walked out the portrait hole, both beaming with happiness.  She looked up at him as they walked to the owl tower and said, “Oh and Draco?”  He looked down at her.  “I would love to go to your mother’s party, if you’ll still have me.”  He just smiled and playfully said, “We’ll see.”
___________________________________________________________________

A/N: Well there you have it...another chapter!  Did you like it?  How about the interactions and 'awkwardness' between Draco and Hermione? Was it somewhat believeable? I would love to know what you thought! Thank you for reading!!!