Harry Potter 1. Hopeless Owls and Letters

Hi everyone! My real name's Kate, and I'm new to FanFiction – this is the first story I wrote for FanFiction, but the second one I've actually posted so far, so be easy on me! This is another Draco-Hermione romance fic (Aaaww, aren't those two just so cute together?) and the rating at the moment is PG-13. This may change, but it's looking unlikely at the moment. Reviews would be great, people! I don't mind constructive criticism, that helps authors to improve their work, but flames from angry people are not really appreciated =P. My view is that if you want to express your opinion about my story, do it in a sensible fashion, rather than making a big fuss about it and not calmly pointing any reasonable faults you may see. Lol but I would really love to see some encouraging reviews hint hint!! Oh, and by the way, I'm an absolute spelling freak, so if anyone spots any spelling or grammar mistakes, please tell me so I can fix them! Thanks!

Disclaimer: Lol, if I owned J.K. Rowling's series of Harry Potter, I'd be cruising around the world right now, spending my millions of dollars, not sitting at home writing fan fiction and being totally broke!! So, by the way, don't sue me, because like I said before, I've got no money! None of the following characters belong to me, nor the setting either. However, I do happen to own the plot, because it came from my own wacky, creative (or I hope creative!) mind! I might add a character of my own, but at this stage, I think I'll stick with the normal characters.

Sooo…now, finally…on with the story!!!

**Who Wants To Play Spin-The-Bottle?**

Chapter One: Hopeless owls and letters 

Hermione sighed as she stared out her bedroom window, her liquid brown eyes deep in thought. She smiled at the thought of seeing her two best friends again in one week. She desperately missed Ron and Harry – even her annoying fights with the tall, stubborn redhead. They always knew how to cheer her up and persuade her to quit studying and "do something fun for once!". Apparently it was unhealthy to have a life full of schoolwork and no fun. Hermione shook her head, laughing softly as she pictured Ron and Harry's earnest faces as they attempted to drag her onto Harry's Firebolt. A venomous glare from Hermione accompanied by her hand pretending to dive into her pockets for her wand had caused the boys to suddenly change their minds and realise they had other things to do.

Something large and furry crashed against the window facing Hermione, breaking her out of her reverie. She yelped and jerked upright, causing her chair to flip over. Unfortunately, Hermione went with it and landed ungraciously with a thump on the floor. She stared at her legs, which now seemed to be planted on the ceiling, for around 30 seconds, before rolling to her feet with a groan.

"Why me?!" Looking disgruntled, she made her way over to the window and flung it open. Staring downwards, she grinned wryly as she saw Errol floundering in the bushes below. "Honestly, that owl is hopeless…can't see a house from even ten metres away!" Remembering that Errol belonged to the Weasleys and that this must be a letter from Ron and Harry, her face broke into a smile as she flounced downstairs and outside. Seizing the hedge clippers, she promptly cut Errol loose and carried him inside.

After settling Errol on the back of her chair, she untied the message from the owl's leg and opened it.

_Dear Hermione,_

_How are you? Harry and I miss you tons…and all the help you give us on our homework, of course! _Hermione laughed, then read on. _We are having a great time at the Burrow; it's a pity you couldn't come because your parents wanted you to go on that trip with them to Australia for most of the holidays. When we get back to school you'll have to tell us all about Australia, though. I mean do they really have kangaroos and koalas in their backyards? Because that's just plain weird. _

_ Fred and George have decided to leave their joke shop long enough to give the rest of the family a visit, so Harry and I got tons of free stuff. We'll have to test some of it out on Neville at school…don't worry, I'm sure he won't mind. After all, he did laugh when Fred and George's Canary Cream gave him feathers! I must say, Neville looked better with the feathers attached…_

_ Look, do you want to meet at Diagon Alley the day before we catch the train back to Hogwarts? We can get our school stuff then, all together and have some time to catch up. By the way, you know that Charms assignment Flitwick set us? I don't suppose you would give me just a little bit of help…it's just that I can't seem to find that old codger Wizbang who invented the Accio Charm in any of Dad's books. You don't mind do you, Hermione? _Hermione rolled her eyes, snorting in exasperation. "Honestly, Ron…" She sighed, and then skimmed through the rest of the letter. _Anyway, Harry and I will meet you outside Gringrott's at around 2pm on Thursday. Well, that's if you can come._

_Hope to see you there, Maya._

_Ron and Harry. _

_PS: Mum finally got around to buying the family another owl to help Errol out. The stupid ball of feathers just can't carry anything anymore that's heavier than a sheet of parchment, and he loses his way if the place is more than ten miles away. Hopeless, really. _Hermione picked up a picture inside the envelope, showing Ron with a black, elegant looking owl sitting on his shoulder. The owl in the picture kept pecking Ron's ear when he moved, causing Ron to give it a dirty look. At the bottom Ron had scrawled, "_Me and the new owl, Swift. He's a better messenger, but he's got the worst temper ever." _Hermione grinned sympathetically.

Hermione rummaged through her desks for a minute, looking for her quill and some spare parchment, accidentally knocking over her inkbottle in the process. Hermione swore loudly, rubbed her sore arm and danced away from the puddle of spilt ink. 'Oh well, I'll just have to use Muggle paper and pen…hopefully Harry will explain what it is to Ron, otherwise he'll think the parchment has been mutilated or something." Grabbing a spare bit of paper, she hastily wrote a reply.

_Dear Ron and Harry,_

_I've missed you two heaps! And don't worry, I'll meet you at Diagon Alley, I need to get all my school stuff too. Oh, and by the way, Ron, Australians don't have kangaroos and koalas in their backyards! Anyway, I'll see you guys on Thursday!_

Love, Hermione. Hermione hurriedly sealed the note, gave it to Errol and practically shoved the bird out her window, before turning to the mess of ink and paper on her desk and the floor. With a loud groan, she bent over and began to clean up the disaster. 

__


	2. Possessive Slytherins

**A/N: **A huge hello to all of my readers and reviewers!!! THANK YOU for your wonderful reviews!!! I'm terribly sorry for the shockingly late update – the last few months have been hectic, and when the holidays for Christmas finally came, I spent my time updating my other story, _Hogwarts At The Zoo_. This story, _Who Wants To Play Spin-The-Bottle?_ was, if I remember correctly, the story that I first started working on, and then I got sidetracked by _Hogwarts At The Zoo_ and my quick one-shot _Even In My Dreams You Haunt Me_. However, with seven chapters posted successfully in _Hogwarts At The Zoo_, my inspiration has decided to leave that story alone for now, and I am suddenly brimming full of ideas for this story once more. So, I have once more taken up writing this story, and my evil mind has conjured a new twist to make this much, _much, _more interesting even after the Spin-The-Bottle sections!

Once more, I just want to say that I'm sincerely sorry for the appallingly late update. Please forgive me!

By the way, I can't help but send out a teensy little bit of advertisement:

**1:** Anyone who is reading this and/or reviewing this, please read my other stories, two of which are mentioned above – I have yet to encounter a single negative review for any of them, which in itself speaks well of them. If you enjoy my style of writing, I can guarantee that you will enjoy my other stories, particularly _Hogwarts At The Zoo_, if you enjoy a dash of humour with the lovely, sizzling hot Malfoy-Hermione romance! ;-)

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Padfoot The Marauder

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These are just a few of the many excellent stories I have read, and just a couple of names of the many talented authors on this website.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing! ...Except for Draco Malfoy! :::Insert evil cackling here as author drags a kicking, screaming Malfoy from the pages of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books and whisks him away into the night.:::

…Well…ahem…considering it's impossible to steal a non-existent character from the pages of a book, I would say I still own nothing…Pity, really…I'll have to settle for snatching up Tom Felton. ;-)

Just to clear the air: I'm probably insane and I own nothing, I tell you! J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, my brother thinks I'm insane, too…oh, and did I mention I don't own anything? Except the plot, naturally. :)

On with the story!!! (Finally!) ;-)

**Who Wants To Play Spin-The-Bottle?**

_Chapter Two: Possessive Slytherins_

Hermione sighed happily as she leant back in her chair, gazing at her friends sitting around her in Florean Fortescue's Ice-cream Parlour. Ginny grinned at her as she ladled more Choc-Mint Burst ice cream onto her spoon, flinging her long red hair back. Harry, too, was slouched in his seat, lazily licking a Raspberry 'n' Nut Swirl ice cream cone, while Ron was busy devouring a huge banana sundae. Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron accidentally flicked ice cream onto the table and Ginny exchanged a look with her, silently agreeing.

Harry sighed. "You've got no idea how happy I am to be back in the Wizarding world."

"I take it the Dursleys were horrible, then?" Hermione asked him.

He frowned slightly. "Well, not _horrible_, exactly – not after Lupin, Tonks and Moody had threatened them. But it gets annoying after a while when people treat you like you're a bomb that's about to go off."

"Better than being bullied, though."

"Yeah." Harry grinned. "Dudley spent most of the holidays shuffling sideways through the house and covering his bottom. He's not even brave around me even when he's got his gang with him, 'cause he knows I'm of age now and can happily hex him without getting into trouble."

The four friends laughed.

After a moment, though, Ginny looked disgruntled. "I can't believe I've still got to wait another whole _year_ till I'm of age." She groaned. "It's so unfair. I'm going to be the only one in the family not able to do magic at home."

Ron suddenly snorted. "Speaking of your coming of age…" he began, grinning at his younger sister.

Ginny suddenly frowned. "Shut up, Ron."

Harry and Hermione traded confused looks.

"Er – what's the matter?" Harry ventured curiously, looking between the two red-headed siblings.

Ron sniggered. "Mum got a owl from the Zabini family a few weeks ago."

Harry looked baffled. "Zabini?" he repeated faintly.

"Pureblooded family." Ginny supplied.

"Were they – "

"Voldemort supporters? No," Hermione answered for him. "I've heard that they were fairly neutral about the whole war during sixth year, and that they just stayed out of the way."

Ginny nodded. "Pretty much, yeah. There have been rumours that they helped Dumbledore during the war, but if they did, it was kept secret. Probably for their safety from Voldemort."

Hermione looked at Harry. "Blaise Zabini is in our year level, in Slytherin. He's best friends with Malfoy."

Ron glowered at the table. "Even more reason not to trust him."

Ginny sighed. "Ron, grow up or shut up."

Ron glared at her, outraged.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and then quickly cut in before a fight was started. "So, Ron, what did the Zabinis want to say to your parents?"

Ron looked up at them. "You'll never believe it." He said with a grin, his eyes dancing. "They wanted to propose a match between Ginny and that Slytherin git."

"I'm presuming you meant Blaise, by that." Harry said dryly.

Ron's eyes darkened. "Yeah." He turned to ruffle Ginny's hair. "Dunno why they wanted to pair him up with Ginny, though. They won't get her anyway. Mum kept raging on and on for ages. She demanded to know if Ginny was dating the git, then was even more furious when she realized they'd made the offer without even saying a reason."

Hermione frowned. "Isn't that a bit strange? To not have a reason?"

Ron looked at her, his brows furrowed. "Yeah – yeah, it is. They didn't even say anything about why they thought it'd be a good match for each family or anything like that."

Ginny buried her head in her arms with a groan. "Why me?"

"What's the matter, Kitten? Not happy about my parent's offer? I must say, I rather thought it was an excellent idea." An amused voice sounded out to their left, marred by a slight drawl.

Ginny jerked upright with a gasp, and all of them swung round. Blaise Zabini winked roguishly at Ginny, his black hair falling into deep blue eyes. Draco Malfoy stood beside his best friend, surveying the group of Gryffindors with his trademark smirk.

Ginny glared at the dark-skinned Italian boy. "Why the hell would you want me?"

"Temper, temper, Kitten." Blaise scolded, visibly amused. His eyes swept over her form almost casually, and darkened considerably. "Why would I want you? Why, merely because I have my sights set on you, and Zabinis are well-known for being highly possessive, and have a passion for always getting what they want."

Hermione glared at the two boys. "Leave her alone, Zabini. Since when have you enjoyed tormenting any of us?"

Harry's eyes were narrowed as he looked from the Slytherin students to Ginny, his hand sliding down to grasp his wand.

Blaise looked at Hermione after warily glancing at Harry. "Tormenting? No, Granger, I'm not tormenting her, merely reassuring her that I will claim what's mine."

"What's _yours_?" Ginny exclaimed incredulously. "I'm a person. You don't _own_ me!"

"Besides," Ron added defiantly, his ears glowing a bright red, "Mum hasn't signed those stupid papers you sent us, so nothing's official and nothing ever will be!"

Blaise studied his nails nonchalantly. "Actually, Kitten," he drawled lazily, glancing at Ginny and pointedly ignoring Ron, "You technically _are_ mine. Not as a possession, exactly, but nevertheless, you belong to _me_." His eyes darkened as he pinned her with a strong, determined gaze.

Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "Zabini, that's ridiculous. If they haven't signed any papers, Ginny doesn't belong to you in any way, shape or form."

Malfoy's eyes glittered. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Granger." His eyes slid over her, darkening to molten silver. "Ginny Weasley isn't the only girl about to be claimed."

Harry's eyes blazed even as Ron leapt from his seat.

"Are you threatening Hermione, too?" Harry asked quietly, wand gripped tightly in his hand. Ron snarled at Malfoy, his face twisted into a nasty glare.

Malfoy looked genuinely surprised for a moment. "Threatening her?" He scowled. "No, of course not." He hesitated slightly, glancing at Hermione's confused face. "I'm just warning her about what's to come."

"Malfoy," Hermione said dryly, "Since when have you ever _not _threatened me or harmed me in some way?"

He glanced at her. "You don't believe me when I say I've got no bad intentions?"

"No." Hermione said bluntly.

His eyes narrowed. "Ever heard of giving someone a second chance?"

"After all the times you've hurt me, called me horrible names like 'Mudblood' and just been an all around git? I have no more chances to give to you, Malfoy." She crossed her arms, staring at him defiantly.

"We'll just have to see, then." He smirked at Harry and Ron, then he and Blaise turned to leave. Before the Slytherins left, they cast lingering glances at the two girls, their eyes seeming to devour the girls they had taken an interest in.

Hermione glared, highly affronted, as she felt Malfoy's eyes sweep once more over her figure. She shivered, feeling as though Malfoy's eyes were blazing through the thin material of her top. Beside her, Ginny was having similar problems with Blaise.

Hermione bit her lip, and gazed at her spoon, a long-forgotten scoop of cookies 'n' cream ice cream upon it. Her hand lifted up the spoon and took careful aim at the blonde head in front of her.

Malfoy swore loudly when he felt something icy and wet strike the back of his head. Lifting a hand to his hair, it came away sticky with creamy cookie ice cream. Noting Hermione's devious smirk, he glared at her, outraged.

"So _terribly_ sorry, Malfoy." Hermione said sweetly, eyes sparkling with mischief. "My hand just – slipped. An accident, I assure you."

"Of course," he responded wryly.

Blaise was grinning and busy thanking Merlin that Ginny didn't seem to be as violent and creative with food as Hermione as.

Malfoy glanced at his now laughing friend, and swung his eyes back to a slightly guilty looking Hermione who was still, nevertheless, smiling. His lips twitched into a crooked smile.

"I may have deserved that." Malfoy admitted ruefully. "Besides," his grin grew wider, "It's a hot day, and I needed to cool down."

Ginny smothered a laugh behind her hand, whilst Harry and Ron were gaping at Hermione.

Malfoy drew out his wand and muttered a cleaning spell. He bowed mockingly to Hermione. "A point to you, Granger." He turned and disappeared into the crowd, shaking his head.

Blaise lingered behind to smile at Ginny before turning to Hermione and grinning impishly. "I must say, Granger, well done. The look on his face was priceless." With a laugh, he strolled after his best friend.

……o.::.O.::.o……

Blaise's eyes narrowed as he searched the crowd in Diagon Alley for his blonde best friend. Swearing softly, he cast one last glance around before striding off down the street, scowling darkly. _'Trust Malfoy to disappear and just expect me to follow him like a good little puppy.' _The thought made his frown deepen.

His eyes spotted a flash of brilliant blonde hair in the Quidditch shop. Rolling his eyes, Blaise entered the store and slid up silently behind his friend, vaguely observing the Firebolt on display.

"Well?" Blaise murmured quietly, his dark blue eyes flicking upwards to face stormy grey eyes.

Malfoy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, flipping it away from his eyes. "Did you see the way they looked at us? We've got no chance with them." His eyes turned back to face the Firebolt, anguish hidden well within the grey depths.

Blaise frowned slightly. "Perhaps." He cast a glance at his friend. "Don't give up. If neither of them will accept the truth, we'll go to Dumbledore."

Malfoy snorted. "Ask that Muggle-loving fool for help? I doubt he'd even lift a finger to point us in the right direction, let alone actively help us."

"You seem to be forgetting that yours is Muggleborn. I'd suggest not scorning Dumbledore's love of her parents' type." Blaise said dryly.

Malfoy groaned. "Blaise, you know as well as I do that I don't believe any of that 'purebloods are better' crap that Lucius spouted off. It's just that Dumbledore won't help us to 'ruin' the lives of two of his favourite students."

Blaise laughed softly. "I suppose you're right in saying that the girls will think their whole lives and futures have been ruined. Still, Dumbledore just might understand our problem."

"The key word there is 'might', Zabini." Malfoy said dryly.

The two Slytherins turned to look outside the shop, casually studying the four Gryffindors walking past, their laughter tinkling over the noises of the crowd.

Malfoy's eyes followed the brunette witch as she linked arms with Ginny Weasley, smiling happily.

"We've got no hope." Malfoy muttered glumly.

"Shut up, Draco. Sulking doesn't suit you."

"Thanks."

"Anytime, my friend."

……o.::.O.::.o……


	3. ‘Hogwart’s Hottest And Most Shaggable Gu...

**A/N: **Firstly, I'd just like to say a huge THANK YOU!!! to each and every one of my reviewers!!! I'm amazed and very pleased to find that _"Who Wants To Play Spin-The-Bottle?"_ has achieved almost 30 reviews for two chapters!!! Your reviews encourage me to keep writing, and I'm glad to see that so many of you enjoy reading my fanfics.

I sincerely hope that this chapter is just as entertaining and good to read as the previous two.

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, and everything that relates to it. Last time I checked, I wasn't calling myself J.K. Rowling and pretending that I own the books, so don't sue me, please! The only thing here that I own is the plot – although I think there was at least one other author on this site who stole my Spin-The-Bottle idea with DM-HG romance.. --

Anyway…

Aaaand now, I present to you….

**Who Wants To Play Spin-The-Bottle?**

_Chapter Three: 'Hogwart's Hottest And Most Shaggable Guys' List_.

Dumbledore's voice rose above the murmuring in the Great Hall. "I am pleased to announce that this year's Head Boy is Draco Malfoy, from Slytherin, and the Head Girl is Hermione Granger, from Gryffindor. Well done, Hermione, Draco."

A resounding roar went up from the Gryffindors. Hermione, looking surprised and immensely pleased, was enveloped in a huge group hug by the Gryffindor students closest to her, the others cheering and jumping up and down with glee.

The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were clapping enthusiastically and cheering, the braver ones coming over to leap into the gigantic group hug. Professor McGonagall and Snape cast nasty glares at each other from across the teacher's table, even as the Slytherins hissed and loudly booed the rest of the school in general.

The only Slytherin students who weren't alternating between smug smiles and deadly glares at the Gryffindors were Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy himself. Malfoy grinned as Blaise thumped him on the back cheerfully, before leaning over to whisper in his ear. Blaise looked irritated when Pansy pushed him aside and vainly attempted to give Malfoy an enthusiastic congratulations kiss.

Looking distinctly horrified, Malfoy shoved the pug-faced girl aside, shuddering slightly. Blaise clutched his side as he bent over, laughing loudly. Malfoy sent a glare at his best friend, before turning to his fellow Slytherin seventh years and listening half-heartedly as they congratulated him.

Dumbledore, blue eyes twinkling brightly, rose and clapped his hands. "I think that's enough celebration for now, students. When you get back to your Common Rooms, I'm sure there will be plenty of time to praise your new Head Students. Now," he beamed round at them, "Tuck in!"

Food of all kinds appeared on the golden platters lining the long tables. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes when Ron, Harry, Dean and Seamus leapt upon the platters of food and dug in immediately, munching away happily.

Ginny sniffed daintily as she carefully spooned a small amount of chicken soup into a bowl. "You guys are so gross."

Hermione laughed at the boys' affronted looks. "Ever heard of eating slowly?"

Ron looked at her as though she had suddenly developed a contagious disease. "Eat slowly?" he demanded incredulously. "What poor, demented bloke would do _that_ to himself?" he added, looking faintly horrified at the thought.

Ginny smothered a laugh behind her hand, exchanging an amused look with Hermione as she snorted to cover her own laughter. Hermione stopped laughing suddenly and groaned as she spotted Lavender and Parvati heading towards them.

Ginny grinned at her friend. "They're not that bad, Hermione."

The brunette witch groaned. "Oh, yes, they are, Ginny." She paused, a shudder running across her as she turned panicked eyes towards the red-headed girl, "They're going to make me talk about girly stuff!" She wailed in despair.

Ginny didn't even bother to hide her laughter. "Oh, Hermione," she managed to gasp, "You really need to get out a bit more. Girly talk isn't horrible, you know."

"It is!" Hermione said firmly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hermione."

"I'm not! Girly talk is…is…we-ell – "

"Scary?" Ginny supplied, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed fervently, casting a furtive glance over her shoulder as the other two girls approached.

"Save me!" she moaned piteously to Ginny just before Lavender and Parvati sat down on either side of her.

"Hermione, you're in Gryffindor. Bravery is our number one quality. Now shut up and be nice." Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend, and then turned to flash the other two witches a bright smile.

Lavender and Parvati looked curiously at Hermione.

"What's the matter with her?" Lavender said curiously.

"Oh, Hermione?" Ginny waved the comment away airily. "Don't worry, she's just having a minor problem with nerves about the thought of girly talk." Her grin grew wider. "We'll just have to help her out, right, girls?"

Lavender and Parvati caught Ginny's sly wink and grinned widely.

"Naturally." Parvati said smoothly, casting a wicked grin at her best friend, Lavender.

Lavender flashed a wicked smirk in Hermione's direction. "So, Hermione," she began, her eyes dancing gleefully, "Which boy do you think tops the list of 'Hogwart's Hottest And Most Shaggable Guys'?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You actually have a list named that?"

"Of course. What else would we call it? 'Hogwart's Most Handsome And Cute Boys'? No way – that's too tacky."

"It's a lot less blunt."

"So? Blunt is good – then they always know exactly what you want." Parvati winked at her.

Hermione blanched. "Are you implying what I think you are?"

"If you're a normal teenage girl and inappropriate images have just come to mind, then yes."

"I really didn't need to hear that."

"Sure?"

"_Extremely _sure."

Parvati sighed. "Goodness, but she's going to be our hardest case yet."

Ginny looked slightly worried. "You'll help me set her right, though, won't you?"

Lavender laughed. "Of course we will, darling. Unless," she exchanged a sly wink with Parvati, "A boy beats us to it."

Hermione snorted, and Pansy, who was strolling past, glared at her and sniffed daintily. "Disgusting," They vaguely heard the Slytherin girl mutter to herself.

"A boy? With _me_? Are you nuts?" Hermione looked incredulous. "I think I can safely assure you that no boy here will ever like me in that way."

Cruel laughter was poorly concealed by a cough from behind them. Pansy smirked at them. "Well, the Mudblood was actually right. As if any one would desire something _that_ ugly and with such a filthy heritage." Looking smug, the pug-faced girl sauntered back to her table.

"What a bit– " Ginny began, glaring at the Slytherin girl, but was cut off rather rudely by Hermione.

"_Ginny_!" Hermione snapped, "Don't swear!" She pointed at the interested first year Gryffindors. "There are little kids here!"

Hermione's poor selection in words earned her a few nasty glares from the first years, and one particularly angry look from Ginny.

"Who cares? They have to learn to someday. Besides, I'm pretty sure they'd be familiar with swear words by now."

"You're a Prefect, Ginny. Prefects don't teach students swear words, they give examples of good behaviour and encourage respect amongst students."

Ginny sighed. "Hermione, you sound like you're quoting something from that awful 'Duties Of A Hogwart's Prefect' book that you found in the library."

"I am."

The other three girls groaned.

"Hopeless." Ginny muttered.

Lavender took it upon herself to change the subject before Hermione got a chance to recite more quotes. "So, Hermy, who do you actually think tops the 'Hogwart's Hottest And Most Shaggable Guys' list?"

Hermione sent her fellow Gryffindor a nasty look. "_Hermy_?" she said, venom dripping from her disparaging tone.

Lavender smiled innocently at her. "You know, _Hermy_," she began, her eyes amused, "I think I'm _really_ going to become attached to that simply _lovely_ nickname."

Hermione's glare deepened.

"Of course," Lavender continued, examining her dark pink nail polish, "If you would be so kind as to actually answer my simple question, the whole allure of the nickname might miraculouslyfade." She elegantly flipped her straight, dark brown tresses over her shoulder as she shared a smug smile with Parvati.

Hermione bristled. She positively loathed the very idea of giving in to what the gossiping girls wanted, but did she really want such a stupid nickname to mar her perfect, responsible appearance towards the other students?

With a growl and a distinctly murderous look at the three smiling girls, Hermione gave in.

"Fine!" Hermione snapped resentfully. "And if I ever hear that horrible, _horrible_, nickname _ever _again, I will personally steal McGonagall's walking stick and wallop you over the head with it."

Lavender smiled sweetly. "Agreed. So," the girl's mouth turned up into a wicked, knowing smile, "Who, in your esteemed personal opinion, is at the top of the list that I mentioned earlier?"

The curly, brunette haired witch puffed up slightly upon hearing the word 'esteemed', looking deeply gratified, and Lavender and Parvati exchanged knowing looks with one another.

Appeased slightly, Hermione leant back in her seat and casually scanned the Great Hall, deep in thought as she bit her lip. '_Who on earth would even be _on _such a ridiculous list?' _She wondered to herself, her eyes narrowing slightly in confusion and annoyance. '_Seamus, perhaps?' _Hermione glanced at the boy in question, who was currently helping himself to a sixth serving of the beef casserole, accidentally spilling some in the process. _'Or not…honestly, how much does that boy eat?' _

Hermione resumed her perusal of the Hogwart's boys in the hall. _'Dean? No…Hmm…What about him…or…or…yes, maybe…oh – er – damnit, what's his name again? Jon? Josh? Jake? Oh, stuff it! What's-his-name might be it, wait, he's standing up…oh…_ohh_ – _Oo-_kay, definitely not him then.' _

Hermione stifled a groan. It was much harder than she had first thought it would be. Damnit, how was she supposed to know the answer? This wasn't something found in books – it was an utterly useless, futile exercise that wasn't even important enough to be recorded on parchment! Hermione briefly entertained the thought of slapping herself – she had been reduced to pathetic rambling!

She heaved a sigh, mentally resigning herself to conceding defeat. Her bright eyes caught sight of quite a few girls staring dreamily in Harry's direction, including, to her immense surprise, Pansy Parkinson. Realisation dawned upon her. Was _Harry_ one of Hogwart's most desired boys? It certainly seemed so; why else would a hefty portion of the girls be staring avidly at him? Pansy, naturally, was the exception; she was obviously plotting something nasty against Harry. It was simply laughable to even imagine Pansy harbouring any romantic thoughts about the Boy-Who-Lived.

Hermione swivelled around in her chair to face the three girls waiting expectantly for her answer.

"It wouldn't be Harry, by any chance, would it?" Hermione asked them, rather suspiciously.

They looked obscenely delighted.

Parvati positively beamed at her. "Well, now! Perhaps you're not such a hopeless case after all."

Hermione cast her a slightly resentful look.

Parvati ignored her. "You were quite close, actually," she informed the brunette witch. "Harry's up towards the top of the list, but he's certainly not the number one. Or the number two," She added, smiling.

"Then who is?" Hermione asked, faintly curious, as she took a sip from her goblet of pumpkin juice.

Ginny grinned at her. "Who else? Draco Malfoy, naturally, with Blaise Zabini coming in at a close second."

Hermione promptly choked, and Ginny cheerfully proceeded to thump her on the back.

"_Malfoy_?" Hermione spluttered out after a minute. "No way!"

"Are you sure about that, Mya?" Ginny asked softly, motioning her head towards the Slytherin table.

Hermione looked up, her eyes skimming along the Slytherin House table before coming to rest upon blonde hair that was now a darker shade. She reluctantly admitted to herself that Malfoy, with his mature features and blonde hair carelessly falling into his eyes, was no longer the snobby, petulant boy with slicked back platinum blonde hair and no taller than herself.

Hermione shifted slightly in her seat, uncomfortable; to be perfectly honest, the view of the young blonde man was quite the opposite of ugly. Not that she'd ever _admit_ that, of course. Never. Certainly not. Not a single chance. Not even if Hagrid's half-brother was after her would she ever admit that Malfoy was a perfectly delectable piece of eye-candy and that she'd like to corner him after dinner up against a wall and – Oh, _Merlin_, what was the matter with her? Lavender and Parvati had transferred their girly-girl hormones onto her and she was going all gooey-eyed over a boy!

Malfoy seemed to sense her eyes on him, for he turned his head, slate grey eyes meeting her brown ones. She flushed; embarrassed at being caught staring, and feeling even worse for knowing that she hadn't disliked the view. Not at all.

A knowing smile slid effortlessly onto his face, his eyes relentlessly boring into hers. She couldn't bring herself to tear her gaze away, mesmerized by eyes that were slowly swirling with hot, molten silver. His gaze darkened, and his eyes moved to sweep over her form possessively. Hermione's breathing grew erratic, and she suddenly felt warm, far too warm, as a tingling sensation shot down her spine.

Malfoy's eyes moved back up to hers, and he took in her flushed appearance. His smile returned, slightly crooked this time, his eyes dancing with amusement and with something else that Hermione was too confused to recognize. He mouthed something to her, his eyes suddenly blazing molten silver as he smiled smugly, but Hermione was too dazed and disturbed to realise exactly what he had said to her. Jerking slightly, she turned away from him, breathing heavily.

Her three female friends were staring at her, both shocked and excited.

"Wow," Ginny breathed. "You've got it bad, Mya."

"Got what bad?" Hermione snapped, still slightly shaken and uncomfortably warm in her robe.

The red headed girl sighed. "Never mind."

Lavender grinned at Hermione. "So, now do you see why he's the number one?"

"No, I don't." Hermione lied blatantly. She'd rather be beaten to death by a pillow or face one of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts than admit her real thoughts. "He's nothing special." She continued, firmly, almost succeeding in convincing herself as well. Almost. Until the image of Malfoy in the shower rose up in her mind as he was stepping out and – Hermione promptly experienced yet another urge to slap herself silly, barely suppressing a groan.

"Really?" Parvati arched an eyebrow delicately. "If he's 'nothing special', then you'd better stop staring at him in public, or Parkinson will have your head. She _has_ been known to be rather possessive of him."

"_I wasn't staring at him_!" Hermione insisted, looking distinctly rattled.

"If you insist." Lavender murmured.

"I most certainly do!" Came Hermione's determined reply.

"You know," Ginny said thoughtfully, pausing to watch Hermione and gauge her reaction, "He's been staring at you the whole night."

Hermione promptly had to firmly squash the absurdly pleased and slightly proud feeling that rose up in her mind.

And it wasn't until she rose up and hurried out of the Great Hall, away from the gossiping girls, that Hermione realised exactly what Malfoy had mouthed to her. 'You're _mine_, Hermione,' he had said, with a smug look.

The students watching the Head Girl beat a hasty retreat from the Great Hall were suddenly treated to the rare sight of Hermione Granger beating herself over the head with a book and muttering to herself.

……o.::.O.::.o……

Hermione leaned back on the couch in the Head Students' Common Room with a contented sigh. Her smile grew when she saw Malfoy come out of his Head Boy room and stalk outside to do his patrol rounds. Hermione didn't even bother to feel guilty about gloating about the fact that she didn't have patrol duties until later in the week, meaning that she could relax on her first night at Hogwarts.

She rolled off the couch and stood up, stretching slightly. Beaming, she strode briskly over to the huge bookcase adorning one side of the room. She carefully surveyed the rows of books, before seizing a particularly heavy novel and practically bouncing up the stairs to her room, brown hair flying out behind her. A nice, long, hot bath, like Malfoy had suggested in an uncommon act of politeness, seemed like the perfect idea, and now she had an excellent book to read, too.

……o.::.O.::.o……

Malfoy sighed, absently running a hand through his hair as he stalked down the corridor. He was irked at the fact that he was being forced into the first patrol rounds of the week, while the Head Girl got to relax on her first night back in a nice, warm bath with candles floating overhead. He stopped, his breathing quickening as he pictured Hermione enveloped in the water, eyes closed, lashes gently resting against a pretty face, her silky brown curls floating around her shoulders, the lovely way her chest rose and fell with her breathing – Malfoy shook his head, panting heavily. Any further with that daydream and he'd be in no state to continue patrol duties, he realized.

Malfoy was unnerved at how quickly the dreams were coming to him, and at just how vivid they already were. Not that he was complaining about the view – it just seemed slightly unusual. He really needed to have a chat with Blaise tomorrow. His friend had told him the effects would take a while to kick in after the first sign. If it kept getting worse this quickly, he'd be in no position to wait for her to accept her fate – damn the consequences and her stupidly heroic best friends, he'd risk it all and carry her off to his room and keep her there and do all the things he'd been desperate to do to her for over three months. His eyes darkened to molten silver, his mouth curving up into a wicked, smug smile. By the time he was finished with his little lioness, she'd never want to leave his side – or his bed.

He was thoroughly put out when he turned the corner and walked face first into something hard, his thoughts rather rudely interrupted by the incident.

A muffled "_Ow_!" came from the apparently invisible thing that had managed to knock him over.

With a scowl, Malfoy got to his feet. "_Lumos_," He muttered, moving his wand.

Turning slightly, he pointed his wand towards the source of the noise. Seeing nothing, his face darkened in irritation and he flicked his wand, sending the person's invisibility cloak soaring upwards.

Harry Potter stood in front of him, looking partly annoyed and extremely embarrassed at being caught by his nemesis well after curfew. With a nasty look at Malfoy, he deftly leapt up and caught his cloak.

Malfoy's glare darkened upon seeing one of the two people who were protecting someone that he desperately wanted. Damnit, but he hated it when Potter had something he didn't. It irked him to no end, and made him wish, not for the first time, that money could buy everything.

"Potter!" he spat. "What are you pottering around for?"

There was a rather lengthy pause.

"…_Pottering_?" Cue the raised eyebrow above startling green eyes.

Malfoy was struck with the sudden urge to tear his perfect blonde hair out and groan loudly.

"Shut up." Malfoy muttered resentfully.

Harry struggled not to laugh, and then he suddenly didn't have to try anymore as he saw Malfoy smirk at him. The mocking laughter welling up in his throat died with an undignified croak.

"Sneaking around after curfew, Potter?" Malfoy said softly, his eyes gleaming. Finally, a chance to pay him back for his irksome protective stance over Hermione. "Perhaps, fifty points from…" he trailed off, another idea occurring. His smirk widened. "No…detention. A month's worth." Seeing Harry wince, he continued gleefully, dropping the last bombshell. "With Snape."

The black-haired boy cursed softly, green eyes glaring balefully at Malfoy.

As he cheerfully strolled off down the corridor, Malfoy silently admitted to himself that he was enjoying this far too much – giving detentions to Potter was much more fun than taking away Gryffindor House points. Besides, Hermione would never forgive him if he took even just a mere hundred points from her House. Yes, Malfoy concluded silently, detentions were much more suitable.

When Malfoy finally turned up the corridor and headed back to his Head Dorm, he was forced to severely squash the urge to whistle happily.

……o.::.O.::.o……


	4. Do You Dare?

**A/N: **I'm so, so, sooo sorry about the terribly long wait for this next instalment of _Who Wants To Play Spin-The-Bottle? _but I hope that all of you, my faithful readers/reviewers, will enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, or the setting – J.K. Rowling does, the lucky, lucky woman! The only thing I own is the plot!

And now, without any further preamble, I present to you…

**Who Wants To Play Spin-The-Bottle?**

_Chapter Four: Do You Dare?_

Malfoy sighed as he slammed the portrait door shut, entering the Head Students' Common Room. Running a hand trough his messy blonde hair, he trudged up the stairs to his room. Pulling a black shirt on after discarding his school shirt and robes, Malfoy turned to thoughtfully survey the door leading into the joint bathroom. He knew very well that Hermione was still in there, having a lovely bath, and he was sorely tempted to "accidentally" open the door and look down to see Hermione floating in the bath, her hair forming a silky brown halo around her head, rose petals drifting across her shoulders in the warm water – Malfoy shook his head, breathing heavily as he stared at the door.

He really, _really_, needed to speak to Blaise – not that he was complaining, but he knew very well that the dreams weren't supposed to be coming to him this frequently and so vividly during the first stage. Something wasn't right – it was all happening far too quickly, and if this continued, he wouldn't have enough time to convince her before the ancient blood running in his veins grew tired of lying dormant and his other half took over. Malfoy sucked in his breath, closing his eyes in an attempt to calm down. He _would_ be able to seduce her in time, he promised himself firmly.

As he quietly exited the common room and strode briskly towards the Slytherin dungeons, he came to a conclusion. No one, and nothing, would get in the way to _his_ Hermione.

……o.:.O.:.o……

Blaise glanced sharply at his friend. "You said the dreams have been occurring already?"

Malfoy sighed, absently trailing his hand through his hair as he leant back on the couch in the Head Common Room. "Yes," he replied quietly.

His friend looked worried, yet hid it well. He, like Malfoy, had been trained well. "How often so far?"

"Twice this evening."

Blaise cursed softly in Italian.

"Well, this is encouraging me to look on the bright side, Zabini."

Blaise cast his friend a slight glare. "We have a problem, then."

"Gee, do you think?"

"Shut up, Malfoy. This is serious. As far as I know, the dreams shouldn't start coming that quickly until much later into the second stage."

"I realised that. So what does this mean?"

"It means that you're going to have to work quickly, and tie her down before your other half kicks in and sends you over the edge."

"Great. You know as well as I do that she's never going to agree."

Blaise sighed. "True." His eyes swept casually around the room as the Italian boy thought. A smug smile displayed his even, white teeth as he turned back to survey his friend. "The traditional Spin-The-Bottle evenings for all seventh years are starting on Friday night."

"How will that help me? You know very well that Hermione won't go – she'd much prefer to spend her time studying. Besides, I can't do much convincing there. I'm not about to make my…predicament…public."

Blaise grinned. "Getting her there will be easy. I'll have a word with Miss Brown, one of the organisers for this year. She'll be desperate to get Hermione there."

"And?" A delicately arched eyebrow.

Blaise's grin grew positively cat-like. "Lavender will be only too pleased to dare Ginny Weasley to convince Hermione to go."

Malfoy whistled. "Hard to trace back to us, too – no one else but that Flinch-Fletchley guy knows that the Browns are old friends with the Zabinis, and he can be easily silenced." His eyes narrowed. "But I still don't understand how you think any of this will help."

Blaise winked at his friend. "A simple dare, Malfoy, and she'll be in the palm of your hand in no time at all."

Grey eyes narrowed still further. "What sort of dare, Zabini?"

Blaise smirked. "You never read those books I gave you, did you?"

"I flipped through them. Most of the information I already knew."

Blaise's smirk grew wider. "Well, seeing as you missed an important section of the book, let's just say that physical contact of any kind will leave our respective girls completely deprived of their wits. Mates are susceptible to touch of any kind, and if you so much as brush against her hand, you'll have her wrapped around your finger. They can't resist, not once they've experienced it, and the more often it happens until the marking, the more control you have."

Malfoy leant forwards, his eyes widening a fraction. "So I can tempt her and seduce her just by even touching her hand?"

Blaise smiled slowly, his eyes glittering. "Yes. And being in close proximity to her will have similar results, though not as strong. Being the dominants of the pairing and the ones with the blood running through us, we get a certain level of power over our respective mates. It was, I suppose, to make sure that the mates would be willing, if not begging, by the end, to be claimed. Or marked, if you prefer that term."

Malfoy laughed softly. "Excellent," He breathed quietly, his eyes stormy.

Blaise flicked his eyes towards the bathroom door. "We can discuss the rest of our advantages due to our…problem…later. I don't want Granger to suspect anything yet, nor do I want Ginny to know what's coming." He smirked at his friend. "It makes the hunt so much more fun when your prey has no idea why you're after them."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "You make them sound like our next meals, Zabini."

Blaise's eyes gleamed. "In a sense, they are, my friend."

Malfoy snorted. "Somehow, I don't think they'd really appreciate that view. Being someone's mate is probably bad enough news as it is."

"Perhaps."

The boys quieted as they heard the soft sound of the bathroom door opening.

"Malfoy, have you hidden my favourite tee-shirt again? I swear, if I find out that you've stolen it again, you nasty little thief, I'll – " Hermione broke off suddenly as she appeared in the doorway, blushing a deep shade of red when she realised that Blaise was there. And that both boys were currently staring at her towel-clad form. A very, _very_, short towel, might she add.

Malfoy jerked slightly, his eyes darkening rapidly as his gaze swept over her form. Suppressing the urge to groan when he realised that the towel covered all the necessary parts – though only barely – he smirked slowly as his eyes came to rest upon her face. She was nervously biting her lip, a trait that he adored, as she looked between the two Slytherins.

Hermione coughed lightly. "Well, um – " She took one look at the predatory gleam in Malfoy's eyes and promptly fled from the room, her heart beating madly even as she felt her cheeks burning hotly. What was it about Malfoy that sent those tingles up her spine? And _why _was he looking at her like that? Damnit, but he was supposed to hate her, not stare at her like she was his dessert!

Blaise turned to survey his friend once more. "Damn, but you are one lucky guy."

Malfoy grinned. "Oh, believe me, I know." His smile grew wider as he pulled a girl's red top out from underneath the couch pillow. "The fun to be had never ends around here, my friend."

Blaise threw his head back, his rich laughter reverberating throughout the common room.

……o.:.O.:.o……

Dumbledore gazed at the two young men sitting before him, his blue eyes grave as he clasped his fingers together lightly. He sighed quietly as he met the belligerent stares of the Slytherin students.

"Is there anything, Mister Malfoy, Mister Zabini, that you may wish to tell me?" The Headmaster said softly, gazing thoughtfully at them.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed marginally as he turned to stare directly at Dumbledore, his eyes unreadable. "No, sir."

Dumbledore's sharp eyes didn't miss the slight tightening around the eyes of the two boys, nor the tension that seemed to be mounting in the room. "Are you quite sure, Mister Malfoy?" He prodded gently.

"Extremely sure, headmaster."

Dumbledore sighed once more as he carefully surveyed them from behind his half-moon glasses. "Perhaps I should inform you that I am, indeed, aware of your current situations…or would you prefer the term 'predicament'?"

Blaise's hands clenched slightly even as Malfoy's eyes simmered angrily.

"Spying, then, Dumbledore?" Malfoy asked quietly, feeling hot fire licking at his insides.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, my boy, I have no need to spy. I have been aware of the state of both of your families' bloodlines for quite some time, and it is not hard for a sufficient Legilimens such as myself to see the changes in both you because of it."

Blaise sighed, casting a glance at his friend. "Can you help us? Or better yet, will you?"

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Of course, Mister Zabini."

Malfoy stood up, looking only slightly more relaxed. "Thank you, Headmaster, but for now, we don't need any help." His gaze landed on his best friend, and he tilted his head towards the door. Blaise glared as he stood up and made to follow his friend out of the office, after inclining his head respectfully towards Dumbledore.

"Boys," Dumbledore called out, looking slightly amused, "When the time comes to inform the girls of the truth, I'm quite sure they will not be so quick to believe you. I'm willing to vouch for both of you, if you think it may help you to convince them."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed a bright, sparkling blue, as he saw both boys' mouths tilt upwards slightly before they left silently.

……o.:.O.:.o……

Ginny sighed softly, absently running a hand through her silky auburn curls. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes, suddenly tired. Her eyes flew open almost instantly when she felt someone's hand gently run through her hair. Gasping, she turned and came to face to face with a smug-looking Blaise Zabini. She glared at him and tried to slide past him, but he casually leant against the wall, his arms on either side of her.

Panting heavily, her eyes wide with fear, she vainly attempted to shove his arm aside.

His eyes glittered. "Uh, uh, Kitten. You're not getting away from me so easily this time."

"Let me go, Zabini." She hissed angrily, her eyes spitting fire.

"How does 'no' sound, Kitten?"

"_Don't_ call me that."

"You're not in a position to be telling me what to do, Kitten." He nudged his leg in between hers, his eyes darkening. "I'm the one in control here."

He watched, a smug smile curving his lips upwards, as she gasped and unconsciously moved against him.

Ginny felt her vision spinning around her as she felt him nudge her legs apart, gasping as she felt electricity jolt up her spine. She leaned her head back, feeling his lips descend upon her exposed neck. She closed her eyes in bliss, her mind hazy with pleasure.

Ginny failed to stifle her groan as he pulled away suddenly and let her go. Shaking, she felt her knees buckle, but he deftly caught her.

Blaise kissed her lips gently, then let her go once more as he heard footsteps approaching. His eyes darkened as he saw Ginny's dishevelled and panting form, feeling a surge of raw possessiveness and desire flow through him. It pleased him to no end to see her like this, knowing that _he_ was the cause.

He slipped a hand underneath her chin, lifting her eyes up to his. "You're mine now, Ginny Weasley." With a last smug smile at her, he left, black school robes swirling around his lithe form.

Ginny cursed softly. What on _earth_ was that all about? And better yet, why had she liked it so much?

Ginny's head jerked upright as her ears finally registered the loud, echoing footsteps coming down the hallway. Muttering obscenities underneath her breath, the red-headed witch was presented with the sight of Lavender Brown, who was currently sporting a wicked smirk.

"Ginny, _dah_-ling, _there_ you are," Lavender gushed prettily, her eyelashes fluttering.

Ginny was struck with the sudden urge to scream and tear her hair out in massive clumps. With some difficulty, she shook off the insane urges rising up within her, and inwardly suppressed a loud groan. "Not now, Lavender. I'm really not in the mood to deal with any more psychotic people with insane offers."

Lavender's smirk widened. "Surely you have time for me, and my little proposition."

Ginny glared. "Go. Away."

Lavender tactfully ignored Ginny's low growl. "Ginny, dear, I'm simply _horrified_ at the very thought of our own Head Girl not attending the Spin-The-Bottle nights, and I'm getting rather desperate. I've asked Hermione, bribed her, pleaded with her, dabbled unsuccessfully in blackmailing methods…and she _still_ refuses to participate."

"I fail to see how this is my problem."

Lavender smiled, flashing her pearly whites at the younger girl. "I know you won't do anything purely out of the goodness of your heart for me – "

Ginny snorted. "Whatever."

Lavender shot her an irritated look. "_So_," she continued, sending the shorter girl a slight glare, "I've decided to propose a bet to you. I want you to convince Hermione to join the Spin-The-Bottle game nights."

"And if I don't succeed? Or if I refuse the bet?"

"Darling, you simply must understand that I absolutely abhor doing these things to people, but I'm really desperate, you see. If I don't see Hermione there, I might _accidentally_ let Gryffindor House know about that precious little moment you had with that delicious Slytherin just before."

Ginny paled. "Lavender! Don't – you wouldn't _dare_ – " she sputtered, her eyes wide. "You – you traitor!"

"I'm not the one passionately kissing Slytherin seventh years." Lavender pointed out calmly.

Ginny glared deeply at her fellow Gryffindor. "You evil, evil girl." She muttered. "Alright. I'll do the stupid bet." She cast the other girl another spiteful look. "Do I even get anything good if I complete the bet and get Hermione there?"

"The joy of knowing that your secret is safe with me?"

"Apart from that oh-so-wonderful joy."

"You can have my old Dragon's Fire nail polish."

"That burnt Parvati's fingernails off!"

"Exactly why I'm prepared to give it you. No great loss, you see."

Ginny stared for a minute, then swore loudly and stomped off, swinging her schoolbag up onto her shoulder once more, knocking a terrified Hufflepuff first year with it into the stone wall.

Lavender looked mildly surprised. "Was it something I said?" She vaguely questioned the first year cowering by the wall. She looked even more startled when the boy bolted for the nearest door, slamming it loudly behind him.

……o.:.O.:.o……

Hermione smiled absently as she saw her friend, Ginny Weasley, enter the Great Hall for lunch. The smile turned into a frown, however, when she noticed that her friend was looking a tad bit frazzled.

"Something wrong, Ginny?" She asked casually, handing the girl a bowl of chicken salad.

Ginny turned to her, breathing hard. "No, no, everything's _fine_, Hermione, just _fine_. I mean, it's not like I don't get publicly molested then blackmailed every single damn day of my life at this _crazy_, delusional school full of _insane_, demonic students."

"Molested? By who?"

"Blaise Zabini. And it was more like he cornered me and snogged the living daylights out of me."

"Zabini?" Hermione hissed. "That's it! Those two…they act like they own us!" She stood up, clenching her fists and sending death glares towards two very smug-looking Slytherins, but was abruptly jerked back down again by Ginny.

"Hermione, no!"

"Why not? Someone has to tell them that this has got to stop!"

"Hermione…" Ginny sighed heavily, dropping her head into her hands. "You can't kill him, because it wasn't like I put up much of a fight. If anything," Here she gave Hermione a desperately confused look, "I actually enjoyed it." She buried her head in her arms. "What's _wrong_ with me, Hermione?"

"You enjoyed it?"

"_Yes_, damnit!"

Rich, smug laughter came from behind the two girls. "Glad to see my little Kitten enjoyed herself thoroughly." Blaise murmured, his eyes amused. Malfoy, standing beside him, ventured a slight smile, obviously humoured by the situation.

"You," Hermione snapped, pointing a finger at the Italian boy, "Shut up or piss off. I'm _not_ in the mood to deal with you two conniving, insufferable prats and thieves of my favourite clothes."

Ginny looked startled. "They steal your clothes?"

"Malfoy does."

"And you haven't even maimed him yet?"

"I'm working on it." Hermione said grimly, casting her fellow Head student a particularly nasty look. She turned back to Ginny. "Okay, I understand the whole molesting thing now, but what was that other thing you were ranting and raving about?"

Ginny looked at Hermione. "Lavender was blackmailing me…wait, Hermione, I've decided, you're coming to the Spin-The-Bottle game night on Friday."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed, even as Blaise exchanged a wink with Malfoy after hearing about Lavender's blackmailing. "I most certainly am not! And what on earth is this about Lavender blackmailing you? I can smother her with my pillow tonight, if you like, Ginny. It's a suitable revenge."

"Feisty," Malfoy muttered, smirking at Hermione.

"Shut _up_, Malfoy."

"Blackmailing…" Ginny murmured vaguely. Her eyes brightened, and she turned to survey Hermione feverishly. "That's it!" She gave Hermione a slightly apologetic look. "I'm sorry to do this, Hermione, but I can't let Lavender tell anyone! Blackmail is my only option."

"Ginny," Hermione said, frowning slightly, "Have you been experimenting with Muggle powders?" she asked suspiciously.

Ginny sent her friend a savage glare. "I'm not sorry about blackmailing you anymore, Hermione."

"Blackmailing? Me? _What_?"

"Hermione," Ginny said firmly, "if you don't come with me to that game night on Friday, I'll tell everyone in Gryffindor House that you've been staring at Draco Malfoy and enjoying the view."

"That's not true!"

"Oh, yes it is, and you know it! I saw you staring at him like he was dessert last night, and how you kept muttering his name in your sleep when you took that nap on the couch!"

"Damn you, Ginny Weasley!"

Malfoy and Blaise exchanged amused smiles.

"Dreaming about me, Hermione?" Malfoy drawled, his eyes darkening as he looked at her.

"No!" Hermione blushed hotly, and Malfoy smirked as his gaze easily detected her red cheeks.

He sauntered forwards, resting a hand on the table as he leaned forwards to breathe into her ear. "Perhaps this will prompt more dreams of me, tonight, then, Hermione." He swept his lips over hers, pausing briefly to nip at her bottom lip before sliding his tongue inside her mouth, devouring her.

Hermione's sense reeled, and she felt warm tingles shoot along her spine as he kissed her. Unable to form any coherent thoughts, she slid her hands up to rest against his chest, lost in the blissfulness his kiss gave her. He was, she noted vaguely, an _extremely_ good kisser. And when he finally let her go and left the hall with Blaise in tow, she was hard-pressed to force down the disappointed groan she felt at the loss of his warm presence.

Ginny was staring at her. Hermione shakily raised a hand to her lips, for once thankful that Harry and Ron had missed lunch and hadn't witnessed the scene Malfoy and Blaise had created.

"I think I understand exactly what you meant before about Blaise kissing you, Ginny," Hermione said quietly.

"Uh huh." Ginny suddenly grinned mischievously at her friend. "Was it good?"

"Not good…absolutely _perfect_. Damn the evil man, but he's a talented kisser."

Ginny laughed. "Good to know I'm not the only one with that problem."

……o.:.O.:.o……


	5. Testing The Limits

**A/N: **Well, I'm back:Ducks as readers chuck vegetable peelings at her: I know it's been a terribly long time since I updated any of my stories, especially this one, but please forgive me! It might appease you to see that this chapter is rather long – I wrote most of it in one day, too, now that's a real record! – and I hope it's to your liking! I did say that updates would not be happening for another two weeks, but I was bored, trying to avoid doing my chemistry homework, and feeling decidedly guilty for leaving you guys hanging for so long. This chapter is more like a really drawn-out scene, and forgive me for any typing mistakes or ridiculously short parts, as I was pressed for time because I wanted to get this out by tonight. This chapter is a bit of a filler, so to speak, as I didn't want to start the actual spin-the-bottle section until the holidays. Otherwise, I wouldn't do the scene(s) justice, and I really hate rushing things even slightly, especially important parts.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

**Who Wants To Play Spin-The-Bottle?**

_Chapter Five: Testing The Limits_

Hermione and Ginny settled into place at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Wrinkling her nose as Ron chewed with his mouth open, Ginny reached over and deftly seized the platter of eggs and bacon. The two girls served themselves and dug in, sharing a meaningful look, before staring at their plates, studiously ignoring the Slytherin section of the hall.

…o.:.O.:.o…

"My, my, Blaise, but I do believe we're being avoided." Draco drawled out, flicking an amused look at his best friend.

Blaise leaned back in his chair, his eyes sliding over the pair of girls. His grin widened when Ginny glanced up and blushed furiously at his look, ducking her head down again immediately.

Draco raised an eyebrow at Blaise. "I thought you only kissed her. Surely she's not that shy."

"Have you forgotten already, Draco, that we play havoc on their emotions whenever we touch them?"

"I still say yours is far too timid. It'll take you forever to get her to let you kiss her again."

Blaise shot Malfoy an annoyed look. "At least I didn't kiss mine in public. You know very well that Granger will never forgive you for that little stunt."

Draco grinned wolfishly, surveying Hermione carefully over the rim of his glass. "Forgiveness comes easily when the art of seduction is brought into the playing field, my friend."

Blaise's curious look turned into a knowing grin as Draco reached for the chocolate croissants.

…o.:.O.:.o…

Ginny felt eyes burning into her, and promptly regretted her decision to look up when her eyes met deep azure ones across the hall. Feeling the blood flood her cheeks as a recent incident in the corridors arose in her mind, she looked back down.

"Ginny?" Hermione was looking at her now, concern moulding her features.

"What? Oh," Ginny raised her head an inch, giving Hermione a slightly bewildered smile. "I'm fine. It's just – " She broke off distractedly, tilting her head in the direction of the Slytherin table.

Hermione flicked her eyes towards Malfoy and Zabini, prepared to send them a deadly glare. Hermione jerked when silver eyes caught her own, holding her immobile. Malfoy leisurely raised a chocolate croissant to his lips, white teeth flashing as he tore some off. A wide smile curled his lips when Hermione's eyes involuntarily followed the path his tongue made across his lips.

Giving her another lazy, indulgent smile, the blonde Slytherin slowly raised his hand, chocolate liquid dripping from his fingers. His eyes, now deep pits of silver-grey lava, focused unerringly on her as he gradually lifted his fingers to his lips. Hermione's jaw dropped when he curled his tongue around a finger, licking off the chocolate.

Feeling warmth coil deep in her stomach, Hermione squirmed uncomfortably on her chair, feeling her cheeks heat when he gave her a knowing smirk. The second finger slid into his mouth, and Malfoy took his time as he sucked it clean, his eyes never wavering from her face. By the time he finished, Hermione had lost all coherent thought, her wide eyes devouring the sight of the handsome blonde. A full-blown smirk spread across his face, and he blew her a flirty kiss, looking supremely satisfied with himself. With a furious gasp, Hermione tore her gaze from his.

Hermione narrowed her eyesat his rather smug look at her flustered appearance, and made as if to stomp towards the Slytherins and give them a piece of her mind when she saw Blaise smirk at Ginny, his eyes roving blatantly over the girl's form. Ginny's hand on her arm stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't, Hermione."

"Why the _bloody_ hell not? I need to give Malfoy a good belting, too, for his audacity yesterday. _And_ for the little stunt he just pulled."

"Since when do you swear?"

"Since I realized those utter prats are up to no good." Hermione snapped irritably. "Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't march over there and slap them both silly."

"Blaise didn't do anything else to me after that one kiss, Hermione. And, yes, I saw the way he was looking at me then. And I need to talk to you about that kiss yesterday. About all of this funny business, actually."

"Go on, then. I'll try to curb my bloodlust for the moment."

"That's not even funny, Hermione."

Hermione glared. "I'm starting to rethink my decision to stay here."

"Sorry." Ginny's tone morphed into something more serious. "Yesterday was…strange. Blaise was so possessive. And as soon as he touched my hand, everything went hazy, almost dream-like. I couldn't seem to keep a clear mind around him."

Hermione's eyes swung to face Ginny, and the bulk of Hermione's formidable attention was now on the redheaded witch. "I got the same experience when Malfoy kissed me." Her eyes narrowed. "Have you ever had that happen with any other boy, or had them treat you like treasure that they irrevocably owned?"

"No. Never." Ginny looked thoughtful. "Is it just me, or does this seem strange?"

"Very strange. It positively reeks of Slytherin underhandedness. There's no way the top two Slytherins would suddenly turn around and decide they want two previous enemies from Gryffindor. Things don't work like that normally."

"Do you think someone might've cursed them, then?"

Hermione snorted. "I doubt it. A love potion, though…"

The two girls shared a look, and then broke off into laughter. "Could you imagine," Ginny managed to get out, tears of laughter streaming down her face, "Ferret-boy's reaction if he knew someone had dosed him with a love potion?"

"I think we're going to have to rule out those options. Both are competent duellers; no one who would want to do that to them would be able to curse them. And I can't see any of the normal side effects of a love potion, and besides, I don't think those two are foolish enough to drink anything that could be poisoned. Slytherins, remember?"

"True. Then how do you explain their sudden changes?"

"I've never read about anything like it before."

"Ask them."

Hermione sent Ginny a hard look. "Like that would work."

Ginny grinned. "I suppose thinking like Slytherins would help us."

The girls shared a moment of contemplative silence.

"We have to be subtle."

"Cunning."

"Confident."

"Alert."

"We really need a plan, you know. The finer details come later." Hermione said dryly.

"And have you got one? No."

Hermione gave Ginny a nasty look. "Do you?"

"You have a point."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "You've seen firsthand how…possessive…they appear to be of us, respectably."

"And?"

"If we were to test their patience, by, say, paying attention to other boys…they might be so frustrated at our refusal to notice them that they might agree to give us a good reason as to why we should be with them. We can ignore their attempts to seduce us until they admit the reason behind their sudden changes of heart."

Ginny grinned. "The powers of a girl who has a guy after her."

"Exactly. Refuse to give to give them what they want till we get some answers."

"Michael Corner will be willing to play along." Ginny said.

Hermione carefully searched amongst the male seventh years. "Seamus will be only too happy to help, too. He'll jump at the opportunity to piss Ferret-boy off."

"Right," Ginny grinned mischievously. "Let me go get Michael, while you explain the plan to Seamus."

"We're doing it _now_?"

"Of course, Hermione." Ginny made to saunter off, but paused to glance back at her friend. "Oh, and Hermione? Kiss him, or Malfoy won't get jealous."

Hermione sputtered indignantly. "You're not_ serious_!"

Ginny ignored her friend's protest, flouncing off in the direction of the Ravenclaw table.

Hermione sighed, and turned towards Seamus.

…o.:.O.:.o…

A few minutes later, after a hurried explanation to Seamus, Ginny came waltzing back to the table, sending Hermione a wink.

"Hurry up and do something," Ginny muttered to Seamus and Hermione. "Michael will be here in a minute."

Seamus mock-saluted Ginny. "Yes, ma'am." He cocked an eyebrow at Hermione. "Ready to send Malfoy nutty?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Hermione sighed.

Seamus reached out and gently pulled Hermione over. "Don't worry, I won't suddenly fall in love with you."

"Oh? And why is that?"

Ginny smacked Hermione on the head, groaning at her lack of tact. "_Hermione_!"

"What?"

Seamus grinned easily at the two witches. "It's alright, Ginny." He gave Hermione a sheepish smile. "I won't take advantage of you, or anything. I like Justin too much to do that to him."

"Like Justin…?" Hermione asked faintly.

Seamus grinned at Hermione's naïvety. "I don't go for girls, Hermione. Justin is my boyfriend," he added, watching understanding dawn in her eyes.

"Won't he be angry, then?"

"I'll explain it to him later."

"Oh," Hermione muttered, feeling embarrassed. Her blush deepened when Seamus pulled her forwards and kissed her firmly, one hand in her hair.

Ginny grinned at them, and then was promptly distracted when Michael Corner took a seat beside her.

Michael grinned at the sixth year witch. "I hear that you've been having trouble with a guy friend, Ginny. About time you called me in to help you out. Nothing like a nice show to piss off a clingy guy."

Ginny laughed, letting her ex-boyfriend pull her closer for a gentle kiss.

…o.:.O.:.o…

Blaise stiffened beside his best friend, his eyes trained on something across the hall. Malfoy gave him a strange look, and then followed his gaze, all the way to the Gryffindor table. Malfoy, mouth agape, promptly dropped his fork with a loud clatter.

"_Fuck_!" Both boys swore, their disbelieving eyes taking in the sight of their respective girls being thoroughly kissed by two boys.

Draco narrowed his eyes, unconsciously clenching his jaw. "What the _fuck_ do they think they're doing, kissing those filthy plebeians?"

Blaise's lip curled as he surveyed Michael Corner. "Yes," He muttered softly. "Something tells me it was the girls who started this, not those two." He arched an eyebrow at Draco. "And doesn't Finnegan bat for the other team?"

"Gay my arse!" Draco hissed venomously. "Wait till I get my hands on the arse. _No one _touches _my _girl!"

Blaise turned, blue eyes darkening at the sight of Corner's hand at Ginny's waist. "I believe this is one of the rare times I actually agree with you, Draco," Blaise said, eyes hardening slightly. "No one is allowed to go near _my_ girl, either."

"Shall we teach them a lesson, then, my friend?" Draco drawled.

Blaise smirked. "After you, Draco."

As one, the two rose fluidly from their seats, striding towards the Gryffindor table.

Draco groaned. "Potter and Weasley are going to be a problem, you realize."

"We'll work that out later. For now, I really need to get Ginny away from Corner before I rip his throat out."

"Think Dumbledore would forgive us if we 'accidentally' let slip on our hormones and something happened to the arses?"

Blaise shot Malfoy a warning look. "Keep a tight hold on your instincts. Dumbledore might forgive you for a momentary lapse in concentration, but you'll scare Hermione badly." A cloud passed over his eyes. "Once, someone lost control of their instincts in front of their mate. The results were…not pretty. He died, pining away for her, because she was so terrified of what he'd done to her boyfriend that she wouldn't go near him."

Draco shuddered, casting an agonised look at his best friend. "I _can't_ lose her, Blaise."

"I know." Blaise gripped his shoulder briefly, and then lowered his hand. "Come on, before those two decide kissing our girls isn't enough for them."

…o.:.O.:.o…

Ginny was startled when Michael was roughly jerked away from her. Confused, thinking that Ron had gone against his promise not to interfere, she looked up, ready to spit fire at her sibling. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of a furious Blaise Zabini, blue eyes crackling in their intensity, glaring as he shoved Michael away.

Ginny gasped, feeling fear course through her at the look in his eyes. When he turned to her, she shrank back slightly, eyes widening. Blaise reached out to her, and then heard her small noise of fear. Guilt washed over him, and he breathed deeply, reaching with his magic to subdue his instincts, letting the calm force of his magic infuse him, before he reached out a soothing hand to Ginny.

Beside them, a livid Draco Malfoy bodily lifted Seamus Finnegan from his seat. With a growl of rage, Malfoy sent Seamus to the floor. Hermione reared back, panting in fear, as Malfoy turned grey eyes, still burning with a terrible rage, towards her. In her struggle to get away from him, she nearly fell off the seat. But Malfoy was at her side, supporting her trembling frame as she sought for balance. Gently, tenderly, almost, he set her back on the seat, pausing briefly to run a loving finger down her cheek, and across her lips. His eyes had lost their fierce intensity, now, as he looked her over carefully, checking for injuries.

Twin shouts of anger drew his attention away from her, and he stood to his full height, keeping a hand on Hermione's shoulder. His other hand dove into his pockets, and by the time Harry and Ron had drawn their wands, Malfoy's was already levelled at them.

"Zabini, Malfoy, get your filthy hands off them!" Ron commanded angrily, his face contorting into an expression of utmost fury when Blaise slowly, casually, imitated Draco, laying a possessive hand on Ginny's shoulder.

Harry was silent, green eyes watching the scene unfold with an eerily cool gaze. Anger simmered in the depths of his eyes, but Harry reined it in.

"Blaise," Malfoy said quietly. "Take them and go."

Blaise sent him a hard look. "Draco – "

"Go!" Malfoy thundered. "I'll take care of this."

Without another word, Blaise rose to his feet grimly, gently urging the two girls to their feet and firmly pulling them away.

Malfoy turned back to face a bunch of furious Gryffindors. Seeing Dumbledore approaching swiftly, he decided to make the best of it. "So, Potter, your boyfriend wants to join you in detention for the month? Insulting the Head Boy…I'm quite sure that merits detention." Malfoy drawled, an arrogant smirk curving his lips.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Dumbledore's voice rumbled over the sound of angry muttering, even as Harry and Ron raised their wands, words forming on their lips.

Draco cursed softly as he felt his wand being ripped from his grasp. Distracted, he was only just quick enough to block himself from Ron Weasley's attack. Feeling a sense of anger and helpless urgency overcome him, Draco easily flipped Ron onto his back, sneering down at the other boy.

Draco glanced up at Dumbledore, fighting the urge to break off and head towards where he knew Blaise would have taken the girls. "Headmaster, may I…?"

Dumbledore gave him a measuring look, then nodded once, handing Draco his wand back. "Go, Mr. Malfoy. But I want to see you and Mr. Zabini in my office tonight, though I will refrain from punishing you this time." He looked amused. "I doubt very much that this incident was your fault."

Draco muttered a quick thanks, then sped off, suppressing a snort of derisive laughter when he heard the complaints begin behind him.

…o.:.O.:.o…

Blaise firmly pulled the two girls along with them, and propelled them out through the Great Hall's doorway. Suppressing a sigh as he heard the two girls tugging on his arms and yelling at him vainly, he doggedly continued on down the hall. Passing through the dungeons, Slytherin territory, he stopped in front of a wall, murmured a password, and pulled the girls in after him.

As soon as Hermione felt Blaise let go of her, she leapt towards the spot where they'd just gone through the wall, only to find it solid once more. Sharing a frightened look with Ginny – _this wasn't meant to happen!_ – she turned to face Blaise.

"Why are we here?" Hermione asked him, silently congratulating herself when her voice didn't waver.

"It occurred to Draco and I that we needed to teach you two a lesson." He gave the two girls a firm look. "You need to understand that when a Slytherin publicly declares a girl his, you don't go off with any other hot-blooded young male you can find."

"You don't _own_ us." Hermione hissed.

Blaise looked amused. "Actually, and quite legally, we do."

"Mum never signed those stupid forms, you git," Ginny retorted suddenly, then cringed after she insulted him, remembering all too vividly his prior anger.

"She didn't need to," Blaise said calmly. "We just thought it would be better for you if it appeared as though you had a choice in the decision." His eyes took in her wary stance, softening considerably. "I won't hurt you, Ginny. Nor you, Hermione," he added.

Both girls relaxed slightly. Blaise groaned, lowering himself onto a couch, and waved his hand at another couch. Both girls chose to remain standing. Blaise shrugged, folding his arms behind his head, watching Ginny closely.

Ginny fidgeted, then glared at him. "Why are you staring at me?"

"I'm trying to decide on an appropriate punishment for you," he sounded out lazily. "I really can't have my girl running around kissing ex-boyfriends."

"And I can't really have _my_ girl trying to convert gay males," A wry voice came from behind them. Draco strode forwards, sending Ginny stumbling over to Blaise with a gentle push, and firmly wrapping an arm around Hermione, drawing her over to the other couch. Blaise sat up, deftly drawing Ginny into his arms.

Malfoy suddenly shifted, pushing Hermione to lie underneath him on the couch. "Never," He growled in her ear, "_Ever_, do that again, my little witch." Ignoring the others in the room, his lips crashed down upon hers. He drew back, eyes rock hard. "You're _mine_, and don't you forget it."

One of his hands held Hermione's wrists above her head, and the other was buried in her cascade of brown curls. With another growl, he seized her mouth with his, sliding his tongue in when she gasped. Letting his hand trail down her throat and across her chest, his licked and suck his way down the smooth column of her neck, feeling her arch against him with a moan. A lazy smirk crossed his lips as he raised his head.

Hermione felt her senses leave her when Malfoy's lips crashed down upon hers. Arching under his touch, helpless to do more than feel the intense pleasure, she saw him stop and raise his head. The smirk that spread across his face only made her attraction increase, and soon she was pleading for more, unable to resist having him so close, his scent intoxicating her. An indulgent smile curved his lips upwards as she begged him for more, and he granted her wish.

Blaise saw Malfoy roll suddenly on the couch, bringing Hermione underneath him, and grinned. Turning to Ginny, he suddenly had her leaning back against the arm of the couch. Ginny gasped, struggling to push him away, when he grinned cheekily at her, tipping her head up for a searing kiss. Ginny melted next to him, her mind reeling when he released her lips, only to trail open-mouthed kisses down her neck and across her shoulder. Blaise's hand rubbed soothing circles across her stomach, his lips silencing her when she cried out for more.

Eventually, Draco and Blaise reluctantly tore themselves away from the girls, sharing identically smug looks as the two girls lay, both breathing heavily and staring at their respective kissers.

"Come on," Blaise held out a hand, helping to pull a shaky Ginny to her feet. "You can't stay here, classes start soon, and you're not ready for anything else yet."

Draco, in turn, slid his arms around Hermione, lifting her up and setting her feet on the floor. Pointing his wand at the entrance and muttering a charm, the wall shimmered and disappeared.

"Go, both of you," Malfoy said, running a hand distractedly through his hair. "You'll be late to class otherwise."

Both girls shot the boys confused looks, looking overwhelmed at the whole situation. Starting towards the door, they stopped when Blaise's voice sounded out behind them.

"Just remember: you belong to us."

Hermione and Ginny glanced once at Malfoy and Blaise, and then promptly bolted. Draco and Blaise shared an amused look.

"I'm starting to regret my decision to let her leave," Draco remarked ruefully. "I want her by my side, always."

Blaise sighed. "Tell me about it." He gave his best friend a wicked grin. "Can't be too long, now."

"Dumbledore's actually on our side, too. He let me go, after the fight was stopped. Said he wouldn't punish us." Draco laughed. "He knew it wasn't our fault, and that those two silly girls tried to test our limits." His laughter faded, a more serious tone invading his voice. "He wants to see us in his office tonight, though."

"Probably thinks it's time to tell the girls the truth." Blaise remarked nonchalantly.

"The old coot's probably right, too." Draco grumbled.

The two Slytherins rolled their eyes simultaneously, strolling casually out the room and towards their next class.

* * *


End file.

Harry Potter, Humor, Romance