Chapter Eleven

Draco looked around the gym as soon as the pep rally was over for Hermione. He knew that there were rumors going around the school and wanted to let her know the truth. He did get drunk and he did make out with a lot of girls, but it was a tradition.

Before any school function involving the team, they would have an all-jock and cheerleader party and one teammate would be chosen by the captain to be the prince. Every cheerleader had to give him a good-luck kiss, while he was blindfolded, and he would have to pick one to be the princess. For the rest of the evening, they would be treated favorably and take part in all sorts of traditions. Every girl he kissed, though, he wished was Hermione.

The weekend was still fun, and, as the prince, he would choose who was throwing the next party; he just had to get through an evening with Hermione without her hating his guts.

Hermione looked up at the ceiling and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Tom asked from beside her on the couch.

"I have absolutely no idea," she said with a chuckle, which was joined by Tom.

"What are we doing?" he asked in a dazed voice. They had been slouching on the couch for over an hour without moving to do anything. John was now in the next room getting snacks.

"I have absolutely no idea."

Tom let out a deep breath. He liked Hermione; she was like one of the guys, but in a girl sort of way. Plus she was so smart. And innocent, but not. He looked around the room and tried to stand up.

"Why is the floor spinning?" he asked.

Hermione snorted and fell off the couch. They weren't high, but completely brain-dead. Or were they just drunk? Hermione had no idea what was going on, but she couldn't stop laughing and Tom knew that the floor wasn't staying still.

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing. When she was feeling normal again, she stood up and straightened out her clothes.

"Hermione, you need to go shopping for food," John said, walking in with a bag of chips. He flopped onto the armchair and stuffed a handful of potato chips into his mouth.

"She's probably out with those two-oh look, there she is."

Hermione, Tom and John looked up at the door. Draco had just walked in with Jordan, Coop, Curt and Jim.

Draco felt a blush come to his cheeks. He didn't want Hermione to know that he was wondering where she was, but she looked like she was hiding the red that was coming to her cheeks and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hello Hermione," he said, walking over to the friends.

"Hi Draco," she replied brightly. "How was the pep rally?"

Draco walked around the couch, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Distraction free, for once," Josh said, looking at Tom and John.

The two boys looked at each other. "Well what a coincidence. The first year we don't go to see it and those evil pranksters don't strike."

"They must have graduated."

Hermione giggled at the boys.

"What are you three up to?" Draco asked Hermione.

"Just hanging around," she said. "Watching the floor move. Care to join?"

Draco laughed and looked around at the junk food that had already been pulled out before the potato chips. "Thanks, but we have to study for some test tomorrow."

"You mean the physics test we had a week to study for?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, that's the one," Jordan said absentmindedly as me made his way into the kitchen. "What's this formula again?" he asked Coop.

"How am I supposed to know?"

Hermione walked over to the boys and looked over Coops' shoulder. "That's for rotational motion."

"Thanks."

Hermione walked back to the couch and put a potato chip in her mouth.

The boys walked into the kitchen, Draco in the back.

"Don't forget about tonight," he said, almost embarrassed.

Hermione smiled and nodded.

Four Hours Later

Hermione said "good-bye" to Tom and John after several hours of hanging around and one hour of the boys copying her homework. She turned around and leaned against the closed door with her eyes closed. As soon as the other boys left, she would be left alone with Draco. The problem, though, was that she didn't know what she was going to say after hearing everything she did from her friends.

"I'm done!" she heard Jim exacerbate from the next room. There was the sound of books slamming shut and papers fluttering around.

Hermione walked into the kitchen and looked over at the boys who were sitting around the table. "Do you guys need some help?"

"No thanks Hermione," Draco said. "If we don't have it now, we won't get it by tenth period."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "We do this sort of stuff on the academic team." Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could have sworn that she saw Coop roll his eyes.

"We're sure." This time it was Jim. There was a bit of an edge to his tone.

"Let's just leave," Curt said. "Draco's right about us not getting it. If we don't have it after four hours of studying, we won't have it in time for the test. Maybe the teacher will give us a break because of the pep rally."

The other boys nodded and packed up their stuff. Draco walked them to the door leaving Hermione to go back to her thoughts.

What was she going to do? What was she going to say? She wouldn't just be another notch on his belt!

"Hermione." She turned around and looked at Draco.

"Hi," she breathed.

He took a few steps towards her with his hands in his pockets. "So."

Hermione smiled nervously, but hid it and turned around, facing the kitchen. "Er, what are you in the mood for?"

Draco walked up beside her. She could feel his breath from inches away. "Why don't you go sit down. I'll make us something."

She nodded and walked over to the couch, where she sat down and waited for twenty minutes.

"Pizza bagels, pasta with sauce and two sodas," Draco announced as he put the tray down on the coffee table and sat beside Hermione on the couch.

She smiled at him and shoved a pizza bagel into her mouth. "HOT!" She chugged her soda and swallowed the pizza bagel. "Delicious."

Draco burst out into laughter as he handed her a napkin to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Hermione began to laugh too, forgetting her reservations about Draco and all the rumors.

The evening went great. They caught up on the past few weeks, school, learned a little more about each other.

"I still haven't heard about your weekend," Draco said with a grin.

Hermione told him about her time with Tom and John, which was met with a laugh.

"I still can't believe you hang out with them. After all that I've heard about them, they seem like such-"

"What?" Hermione snapped back. "From what I've heard, your friends aren't the best of blokes to spend your tine with. Waste is more like it."

"That is that supposed to mean?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. Joking led to actual feeling. Soon she let him know what she had heard about his weekend, his friends' attitudes towards her. Draco shot back the fact that her nose was always in a book or she had the "Blunder Twins," as everyone called them, at her side at all times.

After what felt like an eternity, Hermione was tired of everything and yelled, "I told everyone from the team that they were wrong about you, but apparently they knew you better than your own housemate! We're supposed to be friends, or at least not think this about one another! I can't believe I thought this was going to work out!"

She stormed up the stairs and into her room. The last thing she heard that night was, "At least I'm not some fucking pussy bookworm who sticks to the first two boys who offer a good time!"

A/N Sorry it took me so long to update and that I had to do this to the two teens. It was actually my plan all along for them to hate each other, try to get it to be like it was at Hogwarts. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed Deathly Hallows and please review! I hope to actually make the next chapter somewhat decent.