Lavender is staying for a week at The Burrow, which reminds me, please try not to mention our kiss during the battle around her, I know we both agreed that it meant nothing but she s the jealous type
Hermione was stunned when she first read his words, it was true that their small romance hadn t quite kick-started the way she would have hoped, but she did not expect to feel like she was being replaced with another girl. She told herself that the fizzled romance was a good thing, the lack of distraction would be beneficial when it came N.E.W.T s time, thinking this way was the only thing keeping her from saying something that she might regret. Ron was one of the only boys she had felt a connection to so far, and she wondered for a moment how she nearly made it to eighteen with only a handful of romantic encounters. School isn t the place for silly things such as romance anyway Hermione thought, as she straightened her back and threw the letter in the trash, deciding that avoiding any relationships other than friendships would be the best course of action this year.
Hermione arrived early at platform nine and three quarters, she had been appointed head girl this year and felt eager to get everything under control. She straightened her tie and shrugged her Gryffindor robe over her shoulders, the crisp black material contrasted with the shiny silver of her head girl pin. Students were beginning to arrive through the brick wall; most of them were nervous first years being jostled around by their worrisome parents.
All first years, please follow me , Hermione called out, holding her hand up to signal where to go.
Once she had organized the first years into the correct carriages with the help of some prefects, she was free to find her friends. Ginny was sitting in the prefect carriage, and Hermione broke into a run as soon as she saw her.
Ginny! , Hermione smiled, You made prefect this year!
Ginny brought Hermione into a tight hug, I did, sorry I didn t let you know earlier, things were quite hectic back home
Hermione looked down at her feet at the mention of the Burrow, reminders of Ron s letter flooding back. Her friend noticed instantly, and offered a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Oh! I m an idiot, I m sorry. I assume you heard about Ron and Lavender, how are you feeling?
I m a bit upset, It was my own fault that he moved on, I should have done something when I had the chance, but I was just so nervous! , It felt good to admit her true feelings to a friend who understood their relationship.
Ginny shook her head, It s not your fault at all, Ron is a tosser, he knew you liked him but he wouldn t take a risk and say something to you .
Well I guess we were as bad as each other but it s too late to do anything about it now isn t it? Hermione shared a knowing look with Ginny, and the two girls watched as the train pulled out of the station and began its journey to Hogwarts.
Less than 15 minutes into the journey, Hermione decided to do a quick patrol of the carriages, to check everyone was settling in well. She had only just exited the prefect carriage when she walked straight into a tall, hard object. Her head began to spin as she looked up to see Draco Malfoy s grey eyes bearing down on her.
Oof! Watch it, you git! She snapped, staring daggers at him.
That is no way to talk to your head boy, Granger , his voice was dripping with arrogance.
She gaped; her mind simply could not process the information she had just heard.
Close your mouth, I suppose you don t believe me? Take a look at the badge. He gestured to a shiny shield that matched hers; she recoiled as she read the words Head Boy .
How?... Hermione trailed off, the magnitude of her situation beginning to take weigh down on her.
Draco smirked, Unless you haven t noticed, you aren t the only successful student at this school. I assumed a know-it-all like you would have been aware of that.
Hermione scoffed and rolled her eyes, You mean to say that you got this position based on your academic ability? I would be more inclined to believe that the rather large sum of money your family donated to the school might have helped .
Draco s eyes darkened and he stepped forward, I would watch what your saying if I was you.
Hermione straightened up, in order to match his challenge, You don t intimidate me Malfoy, now back off and let me carry out my duties. Considering you weren t around to help me this morning, you better start doing something useful now. She pushed on the center of his chest with her hand, but he did not move away, in fact he moved even closer towards Hermione, his breath tickling her nose.
Let me get this straight Granger, keep in mind that we share our own common room this year, we will be all alone, with nobody to hear you scream, He growled, so I suggest you refrain from ordering me around.
Like I said, Malfoy , she inched forward, her eyes staring straight into his, You don t intimidate me.
Before he could say anything, she whipped around and continued down the hallway, towards the next carriage.
Draco watched Hermione walk away, her unruly locks bouncing against her small frame. He smirked, as his eyes strayed over her body, was Granger always that sexy when she was mad? He guessed that he would have many more chances to find out, considering she was bossy, prudish and completely contrary. Strangely, there was something about Hermione Granger that stopped him from controlling his emotions, and those emotions usually steered straight towards anger. He wasn t sure exactly what it was that made her rile him up so easily, it was probably a combination of her ridiculous intelligence and righteous, condescending behavior. At least her newfound looks might distract him while she barked orders, he was a red-blooded male after all, so he certainly hadn t missed the sultry curves she now possessed. He had even heard appreciative remarks about her in the Slytherin boys dormitories, although jibes directed at her bookish nature usually followed. He hadn t thought much about the new Head Girl all summer, but their first encounter gave him the inkling that she was going to become a very annoying, very distracting part of his life.
Hermione couldn t help but feel scrambled. After she had turned the corner, she took a moment to get her head around what had just occurred. How could they appoint Malfoy Head Boy? Her school year was going to be much more stressful now that she had to work with such an arrogant git. It would be best if they could be civil towards one another, but there was absolutely no way that Malfoy would ever act civil towards her. Possible plans of action ran through her head, and she decided that she needed to speak to Professor McGonagall as soon as possible. She wasn t going to suggest they remove Malfoy from the position (even though she was bursting at the seams to know why he was appointed in the first place), but her head of house might be able to provide advice on how to successfully fulfill her duties while working with a wretched Head Boy.
Hermione was seated at the head of the Gryffindor table, listening to the headmaster s speech. It was expected of the head students to deliver a speech before the first meal, and she twiddled her thumbs while running over what she would say in her head.
And now, our Head Students will address you, please welcome Hermione Granger of Gryffindor and Draco Malfoy of Slytherin , Hermione couldn t help but notice the round of applause that accompanied Draco as they both walked to the podium.
I ll go first, I ve got a few things I have to mention to the students , Hermione whispered as they reached the podium. Draco snickered and as she was about to step up, he used his tall frame to block her from the audience and take her place.
Firstly, I would like to say, welcome to another year of Hogwarts! Malfoy held his head high, and whoops of appreciation echoed throughout the great hall. He smiled and held his palm up in order to shush them, I m sure Granger will go over all the boring bits, He shot a glance at Hermione, and was returned with a cold stare, So I am here to let you know about the events that are planned for this year, we will be having another ball, more Hogsmeade weekends, and I would like to DOUBLE the amount of Quidditch games we host! . The hall erupted into applause, students jumped to their feet, girls discussed their possible ball outfits, and the first years were beaming with excitement. Hermione sighed and dropped her head, they hadn t discussed any of that, they hadn t discussed anything at all! Yet here he was, announcing it to the entire school.
What are you saying Malfoy? We can t do all that! We haven t even spoken to the staff yet!
Malfoy smirked, Look at them Granger, are you going to tell them no? Besides, I have a reputation to uphold. I don t care about your reputation! She hissed under her breath, now move, I need to continue the speech! He allowed Hermione to step up and quiet the students down, she was left to speak about curfews and rules.
Once Hermione had said fulfilled her duty, she sat back down at the table in a huff. Ginny looked at her with a worried expression, You don t approve of what he said do you?
Hermione shook her head, and furrowed her brow, I didn t even think he would say anything at all! He is completely out of my control, this is going to be tough.
Ginny cleared her throat quietly, Well you must admit Hermione. After the war, Hogwarts really needs some good cheer.
Yes, it does. The problem is, he didn t consult me at all, that is what worries me the most. I want to do everyone proud this year, and that might be a challenge when I m supposed to rely on Draco Malfoy to help with my duties. He would rather speak to a dead toad, than me.
Ginny laughed, You are going to have to figure something out, because I can tell you one thing, The students love him. All the guys admire his Quidditch skills, he s the Slytherin captain remember? Ginny then gestured towards a group of girls gazing towards Malfoy, and the girls? Well you only need to look at him to figure out why they stare like that.
Hermione gasped, Ginny! Whose side are you on? Don t go telling me you are now apart of the Draco Malfoy fan club?
Ginny shook her head, I m not but if I was, it would be along with nearly every other girl at school. That is my point! He s popular here, he has influence, and that can be really useful when you are the Head students.
Hermione nodded her head and became lost in thought, she couldn t deny that Ginny was right. He was one of the most popular people in school, and if they needed help doing the rounds or enforcing a new rule, his influence would be useful. She was in desperate need for some words of wisdom from someone she trusted, it was best to see Professor McGonagall as soon as she could.
The halls of the school were still incredibly cold, even as winter began to ease away. Hermione was pacing towards the Gryffindor Tower, dinner had just ended and now that she had completed all her duties she was heading straight to see Professor McGonagall. She had become more anxious steadily throughout the day, and now that Harry was done with school and Ron was off with Lavender, she was having trouble grounding herself. How could she possibly get through a whole year with Malfoy without her best friends?
McGonagall opened her office door almost as soon as Hermione knocked, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the warmth of the room began to settle her jittery body.
I knew I would see you soon enough, Miss Granger. Have a seat, I can guess why you have come here. The professor gestured towards a soft leather chair facing her, Hermione sat down and held her hands on her lap. Professor McGonagall presented a steaming tea pot, and suddenly two small teacups were sitting on the table in front of them. Now, have some tea and tell me why you look so worried.
You see, Professor, I have the upmost respect for the staff s decisions and I trust your judgment, but I just can t quite understand why the headmaster has chosen Malfoy to be Head Boy. In fact, I am completely puzzled as to why the Head Boy isn t someone else, anyone else! Hermione cast her eyes down, feeling embarrassed for her outburst.
Draco Malfoy may appear to be a strange choice, but keep in mind that the Head Boy was chosen after a long selection process, and we all have full confidence in your partnership. Seeing a witch and wizard from your respective backgrounds working together will set a great example for the school. The war has severely effected the morale of the students, a muggleborn and pureblood being successful leaders of the school will raise hope for the future. Most of all, my dear girl, I believe that you will figure out a way to work out your differences, because you are an exceptional Gryffindor
Hearing such encouraging words from someone she admired instantly soothed Hermione s racing thoughts. She understood it all perfectly now, and Hermione knew how important Hogwarts recovery was. Now that she could see the logic behind the choice, she felt foolish for reacting in the way that she did. If the Head of Gryffindor believed she could work with Malfoy, then she would make sure she would, to the best of her ability. She would be as polite as she possibly could, although she would never call herself friends with Draco Malfoy.
Thank you, Professor. I can t speak for Malfoy, but I will try my best to be civil towards him.
Professor McGonagall smiled and took a sip of her tea, That is quite alright, now you should be off to bed! Class starts first thing tomorrow morning.
Hermione lay in the bath on her first night back at Hogwarts, after touring the head s dormitory she was happy to find a large bath in the bathroom that she could easily stretch out in. Seeing that she hadn t seen Malfoy at all since the end of dinner, she had decided he must be out somewhere and she should take the opportunity to have a long bath. It appeared that they both shared a bathroom through their bedrooms, so she made sure to perform a locking charm on the door leading to his bedroom, just in case he arrived back.
Just as Hermione was beginning to feel herself relax, there was a loud bang on the wall, and then high pitched giggling followed.
Oh Draco! You re so bad! a girls voices squealed. Hermione rolled her eyes and sank deeper into the water, hoping whatever they were doing in there would end soon. She would have to mention the importance of silencing charms to him in the future.