A/N: I don't own anything Harry Potter related- just incase you thought maybe I did.
Chapter One: I Bloody Hate Everything About You
Draco Malfoy sat lazily with a bored expression on his face only partially listening to Dumbledore ramble on about the upcoming year and how new and exciting things were going to be. Draco silently scoffed at the old man and his perpetual ability to look on the bright side of life. Not everything is sunshine and roses, not even at Hogwarts you old coot. In fact, most things at Hogwarts were quite the opposite of sunshine and roses to Draco Malfoy. It seemed to be either raining or snowing constantly, and all the plants they played host to either had the ability to bite your face off or could poison you to death when your back was turned. How he loathed this place. Draco shifted his weight slightly in his seat and sighed heavily, causing Pansy next to him to stir out of her concentration and look over at him suddenly.
"Are you alright?" she leaned over and whispered in his ear. Draco scooted over slightly to avoid her being so close and gave her a look of annoyance and disgust.
Bloody women and their prying into things. Can't a man sigh without being bothered about it? Needless to say, Draco Malfoy was in a foul mood and Pansy was just the person who possessed the abilities to drive him deeper into his dark mood. Besides maybe Hero Boy Potter or that wretched Mudblood who always was with him. The damned Golden Trio or whatever they were calling themselves these days. Like a bloody cult or something ridiculous like that.
"Don't touch me," Draco drawled, turning his body to face another direction. Pansy feigned hurt and made a "humph!" type sound that Draco chose to ignore. He was very skilled with his selective listening. It was at that point where Draco received a painful jab to his left side from Blaise who was sitting on the other side of him.
"Do you want me to kick your arse?" Draco bellowed, clutching his sore ribs. Blaise glared at him.
"Go, you wanker!" Blaise whispered with venom, pointing at the front of the Great Hall where Dumbledore and all the other teachers stood with… Granger? She was giving him a fierce look and had her arms folded across her chest. He could almost feel the daggers she was shooting out of those eyes of hers at him. Draco stood up slowly and took his time to wander up to the front, his dark robes billowing behind him. No, the Malfoy's never passed up an opportunity to be dramatic.
"Thank you, Mister Malfoy," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at him and Draco had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "As I was saying, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy are our new Head Girl and Boy for this year, so treat them with respect and courtesy. You never know when you may find yourself in a bind and they may help you out…" Dumbledore's gaze traveled over to where Harry and Ron sat before changing topics quickly and commencing the start of term feast. Once everyone had begun talking loudly and filling their plates with all the delicious foods the house elves had prepared, Dumbledore turned to Draco and Hermione.
"Welcome back, my two top students…" a smile twitched on his lips. Draco and Hermione simply gave each other their best death looks. "I have complete confidence that you two will work together beautifully and break some age old tension and grudges in your last year here." Draco snorted at this statement, causing Hermione to narrow her eyes at him so much Draco wondered if she could even see out of them at all. Just as he was about to test her eye-hand coordination, Dumbledore ushered them back to their seats and encouraged them to try and reach a common ground. Hermione whipped her head around so fast her hair was mere inches from slapping Draco in the face, and power walked back to the Gryffindor table to reclaim her seat in between the Chosen One and the Weasel. Draco began walking slowly back to the Slytherin table, exhibiting how Malfoy's were never in a hurry to get anywhere. Because, the world revolved around them, right?
"Bloody Malfoy…" Ron murmured with a mouth full of food as Hermione plopped down next to him. A few specks of half-chewed food projectiled out of his mouth and landed in her hair, but she didn't seem to notice. "That git is always thinking he's better than everyone else. Just look at the way he walks- it's more like a bloody swagger. Stupid git…" Ron continued to mumble quietly until he shoveled another mouth load of potatoes into his mouth.
"Are you going to have to work closely with him this year, Hermione?" Harry asked her, his eyes full of concern. Hermione eyed her raven-haired friend fondly, taking notice of his worry. Harry was always one to look after her, much like a big brother. Sometimes she resented him for it, Ron as well, because they were overly protective at times. They did not approve of Hermione hanging around other boys too much, their reasoning always the same "I know how boys are, Hermione, and he's not wanting you to help him study…". Boys. Blech. Hermione certainly thought so.
"Yes, I'm sure Dumbledore will come up with something that involves us having to spend ridiculous amounts of time together. I should just murder him now so I can do it all myself…" Hermione grumbled, eyeing the steak knife close to her with a sudden interest. Harry, noticing her unusual homicidal tendency, edged the knife away from her slowly.
"Surely you can speak with Dumbledore, he'll understand that Malfoy is an insufferable prat and you- well- you just shouldn't have to be near him because you didn't ask to work with him. It makes logical sense." Ron commented, spraying more food around. Hermione furrowed her brow at him.
"Don't speak with food in your mouth, Ronald," she snapped. Ron stiffened at Hermione's comment.
"Don't bloody take it out on me that Malfoy's got you all frustrated. I'm offering you words of wisdom!" Ron scowled. Hermione sighed and rubbed her eyes with her hands.
"I'm tired." She stated. "I'm going to go to bed and read, I think." At this, she got up and started to make her way out of the Great Hall. There was a lot on her mind, and being around her friends was comforting at times, and stressful at others. Sometimes Hermione Granger needed to be by herself, sit in the library and read a nice book, or take a long, hot bath to ease the troubles out of her mind. And oh, were there troubles in her mind. One particular one kept throbbing in her brain like a headache, but she was trying with all her magnificent brainpower to make it go away. Somehow it kept creeping back up on her when she would least expect it. The way Draco's body looked when he strode over to the front of the Great Hall. The way his sharp features were cut at such angles it made him look like he was etched out of marble. Holy Cricket what was Hermione Granger thinking? Detestable, despicable, horrendous Draco Malfoy? It was right then Hermione decided she needed to go straight to bed and sleep off the temporary insanity that plagued her.
"I must be mental…" Hermione breathed quietly to herself. One more thought of Draco Malfoy and she would ship herself off to the loony bin- overnight packaging and all. By this point, Hermione had reached the portrait that allowed her to enter into the Heads Common Room. And suddenly, it dawned on her that she had absolutely no idea what the password was.
The woman in the portrait smiled at her with kind eyes- if there was such a thing.
"You must be Miss Granger?" the lady asked. Surprised, Hermione nodded her head. "Very well, enter for now, but whenever Mister Malfoy decides to retire you two must work together to find a password you both will remember. Call it your first assignment together." The lady seemed overly cheerful, and Hermione found herself deciding she did not like the portrait one bit. Overly cheerful people freaked her out, because honestly, didn't everyone have at least one bad day? Hermione faked a happy smile and thanked the portrait as it swung open to allow her to enter. She walked to the center of the room to observe it.
The common room was not quite as large as Hermione had pictured it in her mind. The first thing she noticed about the room was the high, vaulted ceiling that lay above the circular room. The walls were painted a deep crimson and Hermione smirked wondering how much Draco was going to like that. Directly across from her was a large fireplace that was roaring heartily and a couch parallel to it. There was a bookcase (Thank Merlin!) and a large desk against one of the walls made out of a dark mahogany looking wood. Hermione saw there were three doors branching out from the common room, one to her left, one to her right, and one behind her. The one to the left had a scarlet and gold banner draped across it while the one on the right had a silver and green banner. Hermione used her deductive reasoning to conclude the last door must be their bathroom.
Hermione was about to walk into her room for bed, (screw waiting up for that git) when she heard the portrait open up again, and Malfoy came striding in. He stopped when he realized she was standing in the middle of the room like an idiot.
"We'd best set out some rules. Number one- leave me the hell alone and don't speak to me unless I speak to you first." Draco spat. Hermione's mouth dropped open, and she set her hands on her hips.
"Where do you get off talking to me like that? I'm a human being, Malfoy!" Hermione burst. She was expecting this- she didn't know why she was acting so surprised.
"No, Granger you're a Mudblood. A nasty, dirty little mudblood. It's bad enough I have to live within a hundred feet of you." Anger flashed like lightening in Hermione's eyes.
"Don't call me that, Malfoy, I'm not going to warn you again." Hermione's voice had dropped low and dangerous. Draco smirked at her; amused she was actually attempting to threaten him. Him! Oh, what a mistake. He walked closer to her so that he was only inches from her face.
"What the hell are you going to do about it… mudblood?" Draco whispered, sneering. Hermione went to punch him square in the jaw, but he caught her arm instantly and snapped it back down to her side. When she went to hit him with her other one, he did the same thing. "That's just about what I thought. Absolutely nothing."
"Fucking let me go you bastard! I'm going to kill you!" Hermione shrieked, her face turning a brilliant shade of red. Really, she hadn't expected him to be so cat-like with his reflexes. Damn it, Hermione, damn it! "I hate you, Malfoy! I hate everything about you and your whole family! You're just like your sodding father- everything about you! Let me go this instant!" Her voice was reaching a decibel shrill enough to shatter glass. Draco's face had paled at the mention of his father. After a few more seconds, Draco released her with a slight push and stalked into his room, slamming the door shut. Hermione stood rooted to the ground, trembling with rage, and- could it be- fear? Taking deep breaths, Hermione turned around and walked into her own room, letting it slam as well. Take that, Draco Malfoy, take that! Her wrists were stinging from his grip, and they looked slightly red. She was going to kick his arse- he practically gave her two Indian sunburns! What the hell? Who does that? Nobody does that to Hermione Granger, that's for damn sure. And she was going to make it quite clear he was never to lay a finger on her again or some serious arse kicking would most certainly ensue.
After Draco had slammed his door, he directly went over to his dresser and looked in the mirror. All he saw was the same old face staring back at him, both hands resting on the top of the dresser and slightly hunched over. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Draco saw a flash of Lucius' face replacing his own. Just as quickly as it had happened, it was gone. Draco's face darkened and he punched the mirror as hard as he could, resulting in it shattering into millions of tiny shards all over his dresser and spilling onto the hardwood floor. His fist was now bleeding, little pieces of glass stuck in him, but he didn't care. At least he wouldn't have to look in the mirror anymore. At least he wouldn't have to see Lucius. Little did Hermione know, she had struck an incredibly sensitive nerve when she compared him to his father. It was one of the most severe things one could say to Draco, and he wasn't likely to forget it.
(…)
The next day Hermione awoke early to take a shower before breakfast. She was heading across the common room with her towel and basket of shower necessities, when Draco emerged from the bathroom. He was clad in dark denim jeans with a long sleeved black button down. And, much to Hermione's dismay, he smelled fabulous. Really, what kind of shampoo did he use? It probably cost about a million galleons.
Draco did not acknowledge her, and Hermione was perfectly fine with that. As Draco moved out of the way, Hermione reopened to bathroom door and locked it soundly behind her. Just in case he was a crazy pervert. You never could tell.
After a refreshing and rejuvenating shower, Hermione opened up the bathroom door quietly, and padded softly out. She was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight of Draco Malfoy and another girl sitting face to face on the couch- and Draco was stroking her cheek! Hermione would have been less surprised if she had witnessed him punch the girl in the face. Apparently, Hermione was unnoticed, because the girl began to slowly close the gap between the two of them until their lips met softly. Draco was kissing her softly! What the bloody hell! Draco knew what soft was? Hermione was utterly speechless and horrified, but she couldn't turn her head away. It was like a car crash- she wanted to look away but her head wouldn't turn. The two were kissing quite passionately now, the girl even bit down on Draco's lower lip and Hermione saw him smirk slightly. Turn away, Hermione! Turn away! His left hand cradled the girl's head and he gripped her hair so that she moaned softly. Okay, that was enough.
"Ahem." Hermione cleared her throat and watched the girl jump about three feet off the couch, her face blushing furiously. Draco, however, did not appear to be abashed at all. On the contrary, actually, he looked very disappointed his little rendezvous was interrupted so unpleasantly. "In the future, Malfoy," Hermione's voice was as cold as a Canadian winter, "keep you private life private. As in, your room. I don't want to watch you eat anyone's face off." Hermione huffed and stormed into her room.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, it won't happen again-" the girl cried out, terribly embarrassed, but Hermione slammed her bedroom door shut. The nerve of that egotistical bastard! Hermione seethed. She recognized the girl as a sixth year Ravenclaw, quite pretty actually. Her name was Natalie something or another. Bitch. Hermione gasped aloud. Bitch? Oh dear, this was going farther than originally anticipated. Stupid Malfoy and his stupid stunts. It must have been his shampoo that lured the girl in. She made a mental note to destroy that shampoo bottle the next time she saw it. Blast it into a bazillion little smithereens.
(…) After about half an hour, Hermione decided it was safe to reemerge from her bedroom. She had decided on wearing her trusty pair of denim jeans- they had been with her since her fifth year and she loved them dearly. They had acquired a few holes throughout the years, but none of them were in ridiculously revealing places, so Hermione wore them. She paired her jeans with a plain white t-shirt and let her hair fall in loose curls down her back. Hermione was never one to wear a lot of makeup, but something about today made her feel like she should freshen up a little more than usual. She convinced herself that it was because she was Head Girl now, and Head Girls don't go strutting around Hogwarts with frizzy hair and no mascara. No sirree. So, after applying a tiny bit of makeup, Hermione dashed through the common room, paying no attention to Draco who sat on the couch reading a book. She was inches from the portrait when he drawl sounded.
"Granger, I suggest we decide on a password before you go galloping around the castle like you own the place…" Draco spoke without even looking up from his book. He turned the page as if he didn't have a care in the world. And is if Hermione hadn't caught him snogging a girl mere minutes earlier. Hermione scowled and crossed her arms. Damn it. He was right.
"Fine. How about passage a l'enfer?" Hermione suggested. Draco looked up at her incredulously.
"What the bloody hell is that nonsense?"
"It's French you prat!" Hermione snapped. Draco glared at her as he set his book on the couch and stood up.
"I bloody know what it is, Granger. It's a stupid idea is what I was trying to get through your abnormally thick skull." Draco hissed.
"Well then you pick the sodding password!" Hermione roared.
"Fine!" Draco bellowed back at her. "How about I bloody hate everything about you?"
"Fine!" Hermione cried, her face flush in anger. Draco scowled at her.
"Are you leaving or what?" he asked, frustrated. Hermione whirled around.
"Yes! Because you're impossible and despicable and I loathe you!"
"Good!"
"Great!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!" Hermione screamed as she slammed the portrait shut. Oh, today was off to just a brilliant start. If only she'd know what was to come, she would have been whistling and skipping while she still could.
A/N: Yay! First chapter is up! Hope everyone likes it- by the way, this is set to happen as if HBP never happened. REVIEW!
-shesmyfavorite
