The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

AN: Thank you for all your reviews, comments, and for reading this story.

Sorry for the delay in updating…I've had a bit of a rush at work so I could get everything done before my mini-break. This weekend is my 'Celebration of Encroaching Decrepitude'..a.k.a my birthday…so this and my other stories may be delayed a bit.

I don't have a Beta, so any mistakes or inconsistencies are mine alone. Hopefully I'm catching them better as I go along.

Chapter Nine:

The party continued, with Draco, Harry, and Ron each claiming a dance with Hermione. She also danced with Kingsley, Elias Strafe, and surprising enough, Duncan Blishwick, who was far more tolerable when he had sobered up, and he remembered that Hermione was once connected to Viktor Krum.

"So, have you seen the greatest seeker lately? I heard that several home teams have been attempting to lure him."

"Honestly, Mr. Blishwick, I have only spoken with Viktor once in the past few years, and that was at the wedding of William and Fleur Weasley. I am sorry that I have nothing to report on the matter."

"Ah, too bad, although we have our own great players. I have heard that young Mr. Potter is not only the Chosen One, but a good player himself."

"He is, but I believe he will go into the Aurory after Hogwarts," Hermione said with a small smile. "I have heard that both Ginny and Ron Weasley would like to play professionally, though."

"Really?" Blishwick said, brightening. "That would be smashing for the British leagues...smashing, indeed. And they are the two gingers in the far corner? Splendid...I shall have to ask for an introduction. Well, Miss Granger, as you are going to be doing me a fair turn, perhaps I shall return the favor," he said, his grin turning wicked. "It just so happens that my favorite uncle is on the Wizengamot...you drop a word in the ear of a war hero and I shall drop a word for you."

Hermione quelled the massive urge she had to grin, and schooled her features into nonchalance. "I think that could be arranged, Mr. Blishwick," she said calmly; knowing that she wouldn't have to even utter a syllable to have Ron running off to try out for the Chudley Cannons. It was all he had been talking about since the summer. Initially he was going to help George run the store, but since he had to return to school, Percy joined Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes as the business manager. Lee Jordan also signed on to help George with new products. As his brother's business was taken care of and thriving once more, Ron set his sights on his dream of playing for his favorite team.

When the song ended, Blishwick offered his arm and escorted Hermione over to her red-haired friends. After she introduced everyone, she was guided away by Professor Slughorn.

"My dear Miss Granger, I must say that you and young Malfoy are making quite the stir at my little get-together. Tongues are wagging, and I am hearing mostly good things, although certain guests are apparently ill-pleased," he said, glancing at Clarice Umbridge and Quintin Mulciber who were standing by themselves and glaring darkly at nearly everyone in the room. "I apologize for that, my dear. I certainly did not invite Miss Umbridge, and Mr. Mulciber came under the recommendation of an old friend."

"Who would that be, if you do not mind me asking?" Hermione questioned as innocently as she could.

"Mafalda Hopkirk...which I do not understand. I would not think that she would be aligned with such characters," Slughorn said, shaking his head. "Oh well, she probably knows him through the Ministry. I shall be off, I am the host, after all," he said with a smile as he tottered off to another group of wizards.

Hermione stood there biting her lip for a moment, and jumped slightly as she felt someone stand close to her back. "There is a buffet table if you are hungry, Hermione...I do not believe your bottom lip would suffice."

Hermione looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at the tall blond standing behind her. "I thought you a gentlewizard. Isn't it your job to bring me food and drinks?"

Draco held out his arm with a huff, then chuckled when Hermione wound her hand around his forearm. As he escorted her to the table, she leaned in and whispered, "I heard something rather interesting."

"Do tell."

"I will, after we find Harry. He should hear it too." Nodding, he waited for her to place a few items on a plate, then picked up a goblet of pumpkin juice for her. They slowly made their way over to Harry, who was talking to Kingsley.

"Hello again, you two. Enjoying yourselves?" the Minister asked in his deep voice.

"It has certainly proved an interesting night, Kings," Hermione said, glancing around to see who else was nearby. "Interesting company, as well. It appears that you may not be able to trust the recommendations of a 'friend of a friend' any longer. What a pity."

"A pity, indeed," Kingsley said, looking intently at the witch.

"Improper Use…of an invitation, that is. One should be careful to whom they are handed out. You never know if there are imposters."

Harry furrowed his brow and looked at Hermione curiously. After a moment, his brow cleared and he said, "A person would certainly receive a notice over something like that."

"Indeed," Hermione said, smiling.

Draco looked between Harry and Hermione in confusion. She mouthed the word 'later' at him, and he nodded.

The evening grew late, so Hermione invited her friends back to her rooms as they left the party. Once inside, she kicked off her heels and plopped on the couch. "Merlin, I am surprised my feet are still attached! How do some women wear those every day?"

Ginny laughed and picked the shoes up. "I guess you get used to them. These are gorgeous, though."

"I know, this entire outfit was. I do have to say that your mother has exquisite taste, Draco."

"Where do you think I inherited it from?" he asked with a smirk. As he found a chair, he unclipped his cufflinks and removed his cravat. He settled back in his seat and closed his eyes for a moment, relishing in the quiet and the scent of Hermione pervading the room.

The young witch had bent over slightly to massage her feet. She lifted her head to ask Draco something, and froze momentarily when she noticed the lines of his throat and the peaceful look on his face. Hermione furrowed her brow when she realized that she had never seen the Slytherin that relaxed before. She shook herself slightly and said, "Did you find out anything, Draco? Or make any contacts?"

He sat up slightly and blinked. "I met a few other prominent wizards. Luckily, they knew and respected my grandfather, so they were quite amiable, and I believe I secured their support. I also learned that Cornelius Vane might be selling company information, so I will have to speak to father about that. Were you successful in your endeavors? I saw you dancing with Blishwick, of all people, and what were you saying about 'friends of friends'?"

"Blishwick wasn't so bad after he stopped drinking," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "and he agreed to help me as long as I helped him."

"Helped him with what, exactly?" Draco said, sitting upright and narrowing his eyes.

"Only this…Ron? Chudley Cannons," she whispered. Her friend immediately brightened.

"They're only the best team ever! What about them? Did I tell you that I'm going to try for them after Hogwarts?" Ron began rambling.

"Mission accomplished," Hermione said with a laugh.

Draco settled and shook his head. "He wants a 'war hero', I take it."

Hermione nodded. "The one thing I did get from Slughorn was about Mulciber. He was invited because he was recommended by Malfalda Hopkirk. She works in the Improper Use offices at the Ministry. She sent Harry a notice right before fifth year for when he cast a Patronus to protect his cousin and himself against Dementors in a Muggle neighborhood. They scheduled a hearing that was bumped up with the intention that Harry would miss it and be expelled. She was also the person that I Polyjuiced myself as when we snuck into the Ministry to find one of the horcruxes."

"Why would she recommend Mulciber, though? They are in two different departments."

"And why would he bring an Umbridge? I didn't even know she had a sister…Merlin," Harry exclaimed, shuddering, "there's two of them. That violates some natural law, doesn't it?"

"Do you think Umbridge is a connection? When I was Polyjuiced as Hopkirk, Dolores called me 'Malfalda' and acted like she knew her well enough…"

"It is quite possible," Draco said, stroking his chin with a finger. "Was not the senior Umbridge on the Wizengamot at one time? "

"Yeah, she was," Harry said, getting up to pace. "Is there something going on here? I mean, is there more to this law getting passed?"

"Maybe…" Hermione said, biting her lip. "Umbridge junior did mention that she thought the Muggleborn Registration Commission should still be around. Do you think that there are those at the Ministry that are still trying something like that, and they're using this law to do it?"

The other Gryffindors pondered this, whilst a certain Slytherin paled and wiped his now-clammy hands on the arms of the chair. "Well, I believe that I shall be off. Thank you for the wonderful evening," Draco said, taking Hermione's hand and bowing over it. His heart skipped a beat as she smiled brightly up at him.

"Thanks for everything tonight, Draco."

"It was my pleasure. Good night," he said softly. He made sure the portrait was closed firmly behind him before he allowed the panic and anger to show on his face. Draco walked briskly to the dungeons and slammed his door behind him when he reached his room. He immediately took out a sheet of parchment and quill and began to write.

Father,

I have just come from Slughorn's party, and some interesting and disturbing information came to light. It appears that there may be a conspiracy, of sorts, surrounding the marriage law, especially concerning anti-Muggleborn sentiment and the Muggleborn Registration Commission. I do not mean to question you, Sir, but if there is any truth to this matter, please tell me that you had nothing to do with it.

Your son and servant,

Draco

He called for his owl, Cedwin, who hooted irritably for being dragged away from his nightly hunt, and sent the message off.

Heaving a sigh, he prepared for bed and lay gazing at the ceiling for long hours before finally falling asleep.

The next morning the Gryffindors were all at breakfast chatting when Hermione looked up to scan the Slytherin table. When she didn't see Draco, she chewed her lip and poked at her plate distractedly.

"What's up, 'Mione?" Harry asked, noticing the concern on her face.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing really…Draco's not at breakfast. I wonder if something is wrong…he never misses breakfast."

"And why are you aware of something like that?" Ginny questioned her friend with a smirk on her lips.

Hermione fought to keep the blush from her cheeks. "I am observant," she said defensively.

Ginny rolled her eyes and Harry shook his head. "I'm sure Malfoy is fine. No need to worry about him."

Hermione shrugged and kept glancing over at the other table. Near the end of the meal, Draco finally came through the hall doors and sat down. He looked like he barely got any sleep. Ron noticed Hermione's frown, so he looked over his shoulder.

"See, he's here. Was probably up late with some girl," he muttered, returning to his second plate of eggs and bacon.

Hermione's expression dropped and she fidgeted with the napkin in her lap. When she looked up, she saw Harry and Ginny looking at her curiously. She pasted a grin on her face and forced a chuckle. "Oh, yes, that's probably what it was. I think I'll go to the library; I still have that essay to do for Ancient Runes. See you at lunch."

Ginny frowned as she watched the Head Girl practically bolt from the hall. "I think I'll go to the library too. I have an essay in Potions that's due tomorrow. See you later," she said, dropping a kiss on Harry's cheek.

The Gryffindor girl walked to the library and searched through the aisles before finding Hermione in a far corner, surrounded by books.

"Hey, 'Mione. aRe you alright?"

Hermione jolted and looked up in surprise. She had been so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice anyone approaching her. "Fine, Gin…nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?"

"Because you don't look like someone set fire to your favorite book and run out of the room over 'nothing', Hermione. Now, tell me what's going on with you."

Hermione threw her quill down on the table and ran a hand over her eyes. "I don't know, Gin. It's just…last night Draco was being so nice…so gentlemanly…and it almost felt like a date…but, I'm not sure about that. When was the last time I went on a date?" she asked with a rueful chuckle. "He's been so different this whole time. I think I'm starting to like him, Gin…and if he was with someone last night, it's obvious he doesn't feel the same way. Story of my life…"

"You can't hold my brother's cluelessness against him…well, maybe you can, but still…even if Ron realized how you felt about him in sixth year, I don't think it would have gone very far. You two have been friends for so long…what if you did hook up and it ruined that? Besides, you and Ron are just too different. You need someone a lot smarter than my brother could ever hope to be to make you happy, and he needs someone who would dote on him and smother him with attention, which you could never do without getting irritated."

"I know…but what if that keeps happening? I like some guy and they just never notice…"

"Be a bit more aggressive with your interest. Show them that you like them; don't just sit around and hope they pick up on it. Boys are clueless, if you haven't noticed. They won't understand something unless it hits them in the face."

"But what if he really was with someone last night? I know we're just starting to be friends and I have no claim on him whatsoever, but I don't think I should maintain an interest in anything more if he's messing around indiscriminately…"

"I don't think you have anything to worry about on that end. You didn't notice how he was looking at you all night…thank Merlin that the boys didn't either," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "You have to love them, but they're both rather over-protective of you."

"He was looking at me? How?" Hermione asked shyly.

Ginny laughed and slung her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Like Harry looks at me sometimes. I think Draco likes you…a lot, and if this was even a couple of months ago, I'd say to slap him in the face and run away, but the Malfoy I saw last night is different from how he used to be. He even tried to hang out with the boys, for Merlin's sake! Just be careful, though…"

Hermione nodded her head. "I have been. It took a while, but I've finally started to trust him a little. It's been difficult to forgive everything he's done, but if he really had no choice for most of it, then I can't really hold it against him. It wouldn't be right or fair."

"Take your time. If he does like you and something comes of it, don't rush it or force it. Get to know him and make sure its something that you want."

Hermione laughed. "How long did it take you to figure things out about Harry?"

"Five seconds," Ginny said with a smile, "but we're not talking about me, we're talking about you and Malfoy. And his parents…Merlin, what would they say about it?"

"His parents!" Hermione gasped, taking out a sheet of parchment. "I forgot to write to Mrs. Malfoy to thank her!"

Ginny shook her head as she watched the Head Girl scribble out a thank-you note and place it back into her bag.

"I'll have to head off to the owlery in a while."

"You said that Mrs. Malfoy made that dress for you?"

"Draco asked her to find one for me because I didn't have the time to get one. She said that she couldn't find anything suitable, so she made one instead. I guess she might be starting up her own clothing design company. She certainly has the talent for it, I think."

"Yes, it was beautiful, and I think the answer to our questions about how his family might take the possibility of you dating him. Sounds like Mrs. Malfoy wouldn't fuss too much about it, if she's doing things like that for you….Lucius might be another story," Ginny said, shivering.

Hermione grimaced. "Well, I really do have to get to my essay…"

"I have one too, actually. Mind if I join you?"

Hermione shook her head and tried to focus on her assignment. They stayed in the library until nearly lunch, then Hermione ran to the owlery to send off her note. With a detour to her rooms so she could drop off her bag, she made her way to the Great Hall and nearly ran into Draco.

"Oh! Hi, Draco…are you feeling alright? I didn't see you at breakfast…"

Draco was taken aback by the concern in her eyes and a bright grin spread across his features. Unfortunately, it only highlighted the circles on his eyes. "Are you ill? Did you see Madame Pomfrey?"

"Calm down, I am fine…just did not get much sleep last night."

"Oh? Any reason why?" she asked hesitantly.

"Had a lot on my mind. Going over what we overheard at the party and things like that," he said, tilting his head when he noticed the relief on her face.

"Oh, that's good…um, not good that you weren't sleeping, but good that… um, you're not sick," she said, stumbling over her words and rambling.

Draco's smile widened as the blush spread over her cheeks. Hermione finally lifted her gaze from her shoes and saw him smiling at her. She immediately frowned. "What?" she asked, defensively.

"You are rather cute when you are flustered," he chuckled, seeing his statement caused even more of the reaction he remarked upon.

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I am not cute…nor am I flustered…"

"And you are cute when you are angry." When she flashed him a glare, Draco shook his head, "You are proving my point. Now, head into lunch and I shall talk with you afterward."

Hermione flounced away. Draco stood there with a smirk on his face that fell as he walked over to the Slytherin table. He had not heard back from his father yet, and he was growing worried. 'What if there is something nefarious going on and he was a part of it? What if word gets out about his involvement? Would Hermione believe that I did not know of it? Would I lose her entirely?'

He could not taste the food that he was mechanically putting in his mouth. Finally, he heard the screech of Cedwin. As soon as the owl delivered the envelope with his father's handwriting, he stowed the letter in his pocket and went back to his rooms.