Draco glared across the Great Hall at Hermione. Through the entire meal he had felt her staring at him, and then Blaise came in. Blaise, who came in talking about how he was rubbing off on Granger, going on about how she cares about him.

Best mate my arse, Draco thought. What kind of friend goes behind a blokes back and talks to the girl you like, especially about you liking her!

Of course, Draco had snapped at Blaise. It seemed he was to blame for the way Hermione had been acting in Snape's office, and that type of behavior was no longer acceptable. He could not afford to be her friend, or anything else for that matter.

Clearly, she knows the bracelet was from me, so why haven't I been hexed by Weasley or Potter yet? Unless that... dream... was really how she feels about me? Could she actually see me in a uhh.. romantic way? Draco pondered as their eyes met. Even now, she doesn't appear to be angry with me...

"Pssst..." Blaise nudged Draco. "Pssssst..." He elbowed him harder this time.

"Ow!" Blaise snickered.

"You're staring an awful lot for someone who 'couldn't care less about that know-it-all mudblood'." Blaise said, quoting the last part with a snotty aristocat accent.

Draco pushed his plate away from him and stood forcibly. "How's this for not caring?" He hissed, before walking over to where Pansy was sitting. He leaned down beside her, and whispered something into her ear. Blaise could only guess what Draco had said, but Pansy blushed deeply, and batted her eyes at Draco as she stood.

Draco caught Hermione's eye again from across the hall, smirking at her as she realized what Draco was doing. He whispered again in her ear, before leading her out of the Great Hall.

Hermione and Blaise stared after them in disgust. Hermione was hurt. She had let Draco know how she felt, and she had been so sure he had feelings for her too, but now he was purposefully goading her. And with Pansy of all people? She thought as she too pushed her plate away and stood to leave.

Blaise turned his gaze from the entryway to Hermione just in time to see her push her plate away and begin to leave. He shook his head and scooted the food on his plate around with his fork. Of all the things he thought Draco would be low enough to do, this wasn't one of them. Not even Pansy deserves to be used like that. He mused bitterly. As Hermione walked briskly from the the Gryffindor table, he seen the youngest Weasley bounce up from her seat and rush after her friend. He sighed and stood as well. It was his own fault Hermione had approached Draco, if nothing else he owes her an apology.

He walked out the giant oak doors, only to run directly into Hermione and Ginny, though he hardly registered what it was he had walked into.

Standing farther down the corridor was Pansy, pressed roughly against a pillar by Draco, who was trailing kisses down her neck, maintaining eye contact with Hermione the entire time. Ginny was whispering frantically to Hermione, her eyes darting between her friend and Draco. She was pulling her towards the stairway when Blaise caught sight of tears forming in the bushy-haired girls eyes.

Blaise exhaled roughly through his nose, then wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and guided her away from his vindictive friend. He walked the two Gryffindors into an empty classroom, whispering apologies and comforting words into Hermione's hair as he hugged her. Ginny wrapped her arms around Hermione from the other side, and tried to wipe her tears away.

"Here," Blaise muttered, offering Hermione one of his handkerchiefs.

Hermione smiled through her sniffles, and dried her eyes. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm being such a big baby about this..." She whispered.

Ginny grunted. "You are not a baby. He's just an insensitive git."

Blaise laughed. "She's right. And I can not help but to feel partially responsible. I encouraged you to express your feelings for him, and this is how he reacted. I would like to apologise on his behalf. Drake really isn't like that, or at least he usually isn't." He muttered the last part, but both girls heard him.

Hermione patted him on the arm. "Thank you, Blaise. I appreciate the sentiment, but it isn't your fault. I had plans to confront him regardless."

Blaise opened his mouth to argue, but then shut it and smiled at her. "If there's anything I can do, let me know. I'm more than happy to assist in his just desserts."

Ginny smirked. "Glad to hear it, Zabini. Hermione is too soft hearted to go after someone, but you just might be Slytherin enough to carry my plan out."

Hermione rolled her now dry eyes. "You've spent too much time with the twins."

Blaise smirked down at Ginny. "What exactly did you have in mind, Weasley?"

Hermione eyed the two in front of her as they stepped away from her and moved closer together to go over the details of her revenge. Wait, did she just say something about Ron? Hermione's eye brows furrowed as she picked up on more of the plan. I am definitely not going to like this.

Hermione pulled roughly at the hemline of her skirt. "It's too short!" She hissed to Ginny, who was lounging in a library chair next to her. "Boys are staring!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I know. That's the point. The more boys that notice you, the more its going to get to Draco."

Hermione groaned and forced her hands to stop their battle against the length of her skirt. "I still don't know what all this plan consists of." She whined.

"If I told you, you'd never agree to it." Ginny said simply, flipping to the next page in her issue of Witch Weekly.

Hermione scrunched her nose in distaste, but didn't say anything. Instead, she stood from her seat and walked over to retrieve a book from one of the nearby shelves. She was scanning the selections, when she spotted the book she was looking for a few shelves above her head.

She tried reaching for it, but only skimmed the spine with her finger tips. She could hear Ginny chuckling softly behind her.

She huffed in determination, and stretched onto her toes. There was a loud thump behind her, followed shortly by a crash of books, and Ginny's laughter.

Hermione dropped back onto her feet and turned to look at the source of the commotion. Lying on the ground behind her was Seamus Finnigan.

"Granger?!" He said from underneath a pile of books.

The other students in the library were gathering to find out what had caused the scottish boy to walk directly into a bookshelf, knocking some of the volumes off.

By now, Ginny was in hysterics at the table Hermione had previously vacated. A group of Slytherins that had been studying a few aisles over pushed their way to the front of the small group. "What's this, then?" Theo asked, looking down at a blushing Seamus.

"He-He was wa-walking and- and he walked st-straight into- to that shelf!" Ginny choked out between bouts of giggles. "He was ch-checking out Her-Hermione's arse!" She cackled.

Hermione blushed crimson as she reached down to help Seamus up. "Ginny!" She scolded.

Blaise sauntered forward and stepped between Hermione and Seamus. "Listen, Finnigan." He said, folding his arms across his chest. "When Hermione is involved, you keep your eyes to yourself." He drawled.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up as she looked to Ginny. The younger girl just winked, encouraging Hermione to play along.

All part of the plan then? Hermione thought, but when she looked back to Seamus she knew he wasn't in on it. The boy's face had lost all color, and he muttered apologies as he stumbled away.

Hermione smacked Blaise's arm playfully. "You didn't have to scare him like that." She said affectionately, stepping closer to him.

Blaise grinned when he realized Hermione was going along with the improvision. He tickled her sides lightly. "And you didn't have to make him fall like that either."

Hermione gasped indignantly. "I didn't make him do anything!"

Blaise just smirked and grabbed the book she had been reaching for. "C'mon. I'll walk you two lovely ladies back to your common room." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and waited for Ginny to collect their things before leading them away from the crowd.

The small group of students left dispersed back to their groups, giving up on a big scene.

Draco scowled as he dropped back into his seat. "What was that about?" He asked Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Theo shrugged, just as lost as his mate was.

"They're dating." Crabbe shrugged as he sucked on a sugar quill.

"WHAT?" Draco thundered.

"Well, we think they are." Goyle corrected.

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. "Explain." He hissed.

Theo eyed the two goons. Obviously they didn't know what they had just gotten themselves into.

"They talk all the time in our apparition lessons." Crabbe whispered, as if he had just revealed one of life's biggest secrets.

"And Weasley said they are." Goyle said nodding like he too had just imparted great wisdom onto his friends.

Theo snorted at their reasoning. "Right. Since when do we listen to anything Weasley has to say?"

Draco growled, and stood from his seat. "You two are morons," He hissed, his face a mirror image to that of his fathers before stomping out of the library to find out what Zabini is up to all on his own.

Draco walked around a corner on his way to the Gryffindor tower, only to walk into the middle of another confrontation. Ron Weasley was red in the face, and threatening Blaise at wand point.

Blaise, however, seemed entirely unaffected. "Mind your own, Weasley." He drawed in the same protective voice he had used with the Finnigan kid.

"She IS my own, Zabini! Now keep your filthy hands off her!" Ron yelled, poking Blaise with his wand.

"Ronald.." Hermione warned, her voice dangerously low.

Draco hung back slightly, half hoping to see Hermione hit Weasley again.

"Don't Hermione! Just don't! I asked if you were seeing Zabini, and you lied! And now I find you fooling around with him behind tapestry like some common whore!"

Hermione gasped, and Blaise stepped forward, his previous calm demeanor gone. "She's a lady, Weasley. And you do not talk to ladies that way."

Draco too stepped closer. "Weasley," He drawed coldly. "If you ever talk to Granger that way again," He was standing next to Blaise now.

"There won't be enough magic in the world to keep you safe from us."

Ron's eyes narrowed as he looked between the two Slytherins. "Whatever." He huffed and walked furiously away from them.

Hermione stepped to where Ron had stood previously, and placed her hands gently on each boys arm. "Thank you both for defending my honor." She said quietly.

She had known the plan had involved pushing a few of Ron's buttons, but she hadn't thought he would treat her so poorly.

Draco shook her hand off. "Fooling around behind the tapestry?" He questioned, eyeing his best mate and crush.

Hermione bit her lip and looked away. Actually, we were just standing there until Ginny whispered that Ron was coming. Oh, 'Where was Ginny', you ask? Hiding under an invisibility cloak, because this was all some sort of giant joke until the it got incredibly out of hand... No wonder Ginny said I wouldn't agree to this.. Hermione thought as she avoided Draco's gaze.

"Why do you care?" She asked, her voice just as cold as his had been with Ron.

Draco continued to stare at them, before abruptly turning around and walking away.

Blaise sighed and shook his head. "Don't let them get to you." He whispered as he pulled her into a hug.

Ginny whipped the cloak off as soon as Draco was out of sight. "When Mum hears about what he just said to you..." Ginny seethed as she walked towards them from where she had stood out of the way.

Hermione groaned. "The last thing I need is another reason for your mum to call me a harlott."

Ginny's lips twitched, fighting off a smile. "Well, on the bright side Draco was definitely jealous. Did you hear him as he walked away?" She asked excitedly.

When both Blaise and Hermione shook their heads, she slid between them and hooked their arms with hers. "'Stupid git' 'knows why I care' 'just trying to get back at me' 'worst mate ever' 'stupid Snape'" Ginny listed off, dragging her best friend and new partner in crime through the corridor. "It was brilliant how red in the face Ron was!" She said grinning.

Hermione and Blaise shared a look over the ginger's head, and smiled as they listened to her excited rambling.

So maybe things had gotten out of hand, but at least Hermione seemed to have gained a friend in Blaise, and a good story for her and Ginny to tell the twins.