I am so sorry! I have no excuse, but I am so sorry this is so short after such a long wait! I hope you will still read it even if it is utter crap...the next chapter should be better.

"Ginny, what am I supposed to do?" I asked. There was so much happening and I honestly could not find a way to cope with it. I was almost killed, twice. Ron decided to pull a major prat move, a madman is murdering women in my name, and to top it all off Draco was never far from my thoughts. He would pop up when I least expected it, whether it was just a flash of his smile or the mischievous glint in his eyes that I admired. He was there.

"Hermione, I don't know what to tell you. We just have to wait for Kingsley to decide what Aurors to appoint to the case so that it can go somewhere. I know that it is driving Harry crazy as well, if that is any consolation. Luna and him were here yesterday for brunch and he looked ragged. As for the whole Malfoy thing, I may have a way to help you with that," Ginny answered while refilling their tea. I looked up at her and she gave a small smile. "You know when you pull that face I can't resist."

"I know, it's why I do it. How can you help me get rid of the small crush I seem to have developed on Malfoy?" Ginny looked at me with utter confusion on her face.

"Get rid of it? No, I want to help it grow. I think you should give him a chance if he feels the same way about you," she responded sincerely. She must be mental.

"That's why I need to squash it now. He will never feel the same way. I mean, I don't even know what I am feeling!" I started to wave my hands frantically trying to gesticulate my point, but probably failing.

"Oh sweetie, I wouldn't be so sure. Well, nevermind about your feelings for a second. What is going through your mind when he comes up in your thoughts?" Ginny asked curiously. I had to think for a moment so that I could properly articulate my answer.

"I think about the mysterious grey color of his eyes, in some lights they look silver. I think about his smile and how it is crooked. It's a little lopsided and when he smiles at me my stomach goes a little lopsided, too. I think about his unusually tender mannerisms. The way he treats his mother and Lyra is so sweet that I imagine him treating me with such affection. Of course, I immediately scold myself for such thoughts. But I don't understand what this has to do with helping me?" Ginny just smiled. It was a soft amused smile and it scared me.

"What is it?" I asked nervously after a few moments and she still hadn't answered me.

"Oh Hermione, this is way more than just a crush. You genuinely like him. Have you had any dirty thoughts?" Ginny asked leeringly.

"Ginny!"

"Sorry, sorry I just had to ask. I love my Blaise, but Malfoy is a nice fit piece of man."

"Then why didn't you marry him, Little Red?" An amused voice asked from the doorway into the cozy den. What is it with Slytherins and leaning against doorways? Does it add sex appeal? Okay, maybe.

"Ah, because my dear, I am not in love with him. I'm in love with you," Ginny answered as she rose to meet him. She gave him a teasingly chaste kiss that held promise for more. He grinned down at her and tenderly brushed some of her red hair out of her face. It all made me smile, but I felt jabs of jealousy. Ron had never looked at me the way Blaise was looking at Ginny and I don't think I ever looked at him the same way either. I leaned to grasp my tea cup so I wouldn't look at the happy couple. I almost felt like I was spying on something I shouldn't.

"So how did my best friend come up in conversation?" Blaise wondered while looking between the two witches. I could feel my face flush red and Ginny smirked.

"I am not saying!" I exclaimed just as Ginny said, "Hermione likes Draco!"

"Ginny!" I yelled for the second time in a matter of minutes as Blaise's eyebrows rose quite high on his head. I covered my now completely red face with my hands while Blaise laughed uproariously. I threw one of the couch pillows at his head and he looked stunned as it made impact. This made me giggle and Ginny laugh pretty hard. Blaise stalked his way to me as I tried to contain my laughter and press myself further into the couch, it wasn't easy nor accomplished particularly well. Blaise jumped on me and proceeded to unleash his tickling fingers upon my sides which only made me laugh more.

"No, Blaise stop! Please!" I pleaded and he still didn't stop as Ginny was now a heap of tears on the floor from all of her laughing.

"Ginny! Get your husband off me!" I tried to plead with my best friend while gasping for breath while Blaise kept up his attack relentlessly.

"Going to throw my own pillows at me and laugh! We'll see who gets the last laugh, irksome witch!" I kept trying to get away from him, but he had me pinned pretty well. Ginny finally managed to get up and try and help me. She tackled Blaise from behind and launched her own attack on her husband and I immediately joined in. We soon had him pinned on the floor as we tickled him without mercy. He had tears at the corner of his eyes

"You win! You win!" He finally relented as we all lay on the floor trying to catch our breath. That had to have been the most fun I've had in a while and it was just what I needed to get my mind off a few things.

"Well, what is this? I come to invite my friend and his wife for dinner and I get met with what looks like the end of a war. What happened?" A familiar drawl spoke from somewhere above us. I look up and see Draco Malfoy leaning against another doorway. Seriously, he needs to stop leaning and looking sexy. Was it a class in Hogwarts exclusively for Slytherin boys?

"They ganged up on me, mate. I was defenseless!" Ginny rolled her eyes at her husband's dramatics and I let out a giggle at his butchering of events.

"Actually, he decided to laugh at me, I threw a pillow at his head, and he decided to tickle me in retaliation. Ginny decided to help me and he lost what he started," I explained as I stuck my tongue out at the Italian still on the floor. Draco helped him up and patted him on the head," Good try, mate. But you were simply out of your league." It only made Blaise start to sob outrageously.

"Maybe, you will think twice before you pick a fight again, honey."

"Yes, dear."

Ginny wrapped her arms around him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Draco looked back at me and I could feel my face get hot as he smiled amusedly at me. He was smiling that smile and I could feel my insides melting. I smiled back at him and hoped it didn't give anything away. We turned back to the sappy couple and they were looking at us strangely. Ginny had a knowing smile on her face and Blaise had one of disbelief. Puzzling.

"Drake, you were talking about dinner?" Blaise asked him after everything had calmed down.

"Well, there is a quidditch match between Puddlemere United and the Bulgarian National Quidditch team. I wanted to get some dinner before I kidnap you both and make you go with me," he said with a grin.

"Oh! There is no need to kidnap us, we'll go willingly! No wait, we're going to kidnap Hermione. She needs to get out more anyway." Ginny answered him excitedly. My eyes went wide with surprise. I'm being kidnapped, again?

"Wait, no I am fine. Really, I mean I wasn't even invited, Ginny." I tried to save myself from spending time with him at all. The fact that we wouldn't really be alone was of no consequence. He was going to be too distracting.

"You have no say. I'm sure it will be fine, right Malfoy?" Ginny asked with an edge that suggested he really had no other answer, but to agree with her.

"Er-right."

"Good," she smiled up at him.

Dinner went spectacularly well and conversation between the four flowed pretty easily. Hermione wasn't too sure when Ginny had become such good friends with Draco, but after watching them she was thinking that it has been a while and she was only now catching on. Of course, she married his best friend, why wouldn't she be his friend? They joked around and she watched Draco. Hermione tried to contribute to the easy talk, but found it increasingly difficult because Draco's laugh was beautiful and distracting. She kept sneaking glances to watch his handsome face light up with every genuine smile. She was behaving like some blushing schoolgirl and was becoming increasingly frustrated with herself.

"I need to use the loo, Hermione come with me please?" Ginny announced as she stood up and gave a look to Hermione.

"Sure," She answered her friend while standing up. With that they left and the two men watched them go.

"I still don't understand why girls go together to the restroom? Do they actually go?" Blaise asked Draco with a look of amused bewilderment.

"Well, Hermione went to the bathroom alone and got attacked by a troll," Draco responded before taking a drink of his water. Blaise just looked at him.

"That was absolutely terrible, Drake." Draco just shrugged because he knew it probably was.

"Speaking of my favorite bookworm, when are you going to tell her that you like her?" Blaise asked so nonchalantly. Draco however almost choked on his water.

"Where did you get that idea?" Draco asked while keeping a straight face, not that it would do him much good. Blaise had already caught him unawares and he had no room to play it down now.

"I saw you looking at her," Blaise replied like that explained everything, but Draco was going to need a bit more details.

"So? Don't you usually look at someone when you are talking to them?" Him looking at her meant nothing. You hear me heart? Nothing, so there is no reason to start beating fast when she looks at me with those large beautiful brown eyes.

"I meant when you think she isn't looking, but what you don't notice is that she is always looking," The cryptic Italian said and before Malfoy could respond the two women came back and sat down to finish their cake before they all left for the match.

"Everyone excited for the game?" Ginny brought up after she washed down the last of her dessert.

"You know it. Puddlemere United is going to win!" Blaise exclaimed excitedly. Draco rolled his eyes and Ginny giggled.

"Doubtful, I'm pretty sure it'll be Bulgaria." Draco threw in his two cents and Blaise's red face of anger was rather amusing.

"I don't care who wins as long as I get a good show of a game out of it," Ginny said with a smile and tried to stifle her laughter as her husband threw her wide eyes of betrayal.

"You're at least with me, right Hermione?" Blaise gave her some serious puppy eyes and Hermione caved even though she really didn't care about the sport anyway.

"Go Puddlemere! Should be a fun game, let's hope nothing happens." Hermione said and was rewarded with Draco's face of disgust at her cheer and Blaise's face of a cat who got the canary. As much as this was fun, there was a foreboding about this game. She just hoped she was wrong and that this would be a fun outing with friends.

Sorry, you are all too right, dear Mudblood.