The bus's hydraulic brakes woke up Hermione as it pulled up to H. Worts district high school. Rain slicked the windows and she ruefully remembered straightening her hair the night before. She made a dash through the rain, but she was still soaked by the time she made it through the entrance. Checking her watch she made a face, she would have to hurry to change into a dry shirt and make homeroom. If only I could time travel she thought in a sudden flight of fancy which departed from her usual no nonsense approach to life.
She grabbed a volleyball t-shirt out of her locker and scooted into the bathroom. As fast as she had been, the halls were still deserted when she came back out. She swore under her breath, this morning had started off on entirely the wrong foot. A low laugh surprised her and she whirled around to face her mocker. The narrow frame of Draco Malfoy slouched against a locker, his eyelids heavy as he surveyed her. She flushed, suddenly over-aware of her current state.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" She asked, drawing herself up to her full height to counteract her current feeling of insignificance. Draco did that to people, though she always wondered if he meant to. A crooked smile tugged at his lips as he pushed himself away from the lockers and started towards her.
"Nope. I'm an office assistant first period and Mrs. Randall is sick." He gestured around the empty halls, "I'm master of all I survey." The seemingly innocuous words sent a shiver down Hermione's spine and she prayed he didn't notice. "O-oh, well good for you." She said lamely, hating herself the moment she finished speaking. He was very close to her now, leaning over her and she was suddenly aware of how much taller he was than her. She wanted to move backwards, out of this strangely personal bubble he had seemed to create around the two of them. And yet, something rooted her to the spot, leaning towards him, staring back into the pale grey eyes that watched her, fixed, something almost hungry swimming just beneath the surface.
"What are you doing out of class?" He asked finally, breaking the electrified silence. She stared dumbly for a moment, the longer she stood there the less sense her thoughts seemed to make. "I-I went to change because of the rain, and I guess it took longer than I thought." Her words seemed foreign and she finally managed to take a step away from him, breaking the spell. "I need to go, I'm already late, you know how Flitwick is." He laughed, a short harsh sound. "Trust me, Flitwick hasn't noticed you're gone. I didn't go to a single class of his last year when I had him and he never noticed." Hermione stared at him indignantly, "Well what was he going to do? Fail the captain of the lacrosse team? Everyone is scared of Mr. Snape, even Flitwick." Draco ignored this. "Coach isn't so bad, he's just-" he stopped to consider the right word, "intense". Then his gaze shifted back to her, his eyes something near hopeful now. "Whatdya say we skip?" Hermione stared at him, taken aback. "I-I can't." "Why not? They're not going to revoke your Harvard scholarship just because you skipped half a day." Hermione started, "How did you know I got into Harvard?" Draco flashed her a million dollar smile, "fifteenth generation legacy." She rolled her eyes, feeling her resolve stiffen. "I'm sorry. Not all of us can get by on our familial reputation." With that she turned, ready to march away, her self-righteous air hopefully masking her total lack of real anger.
She felt his long, slim fingers graze her wrist and she melted, allowing herself to be turned back around to face him once more. She sighed, her resolve gone. "One period." He smiled again, but this time it was genuine, uncharacteristically lighting up his serious face. "Half day." She shook her head, "Two periods." She bartered. "Three." He tried. She thought about it for a second in mock seriousness, then held out her hand. "Agreed." He shook her hand with mock solemnity, then laced his fingers through hers and half pulled her down the hallway towards the parking lot. "Draco! Where are we going?" She asked, her expression only half serious. "Detention if you don't move any faster" he teased, throwing open the exit door. They stood under the overhang for a half second, glancing at each other with the kind of conspiratory glances that only lovers and hardened criminals can give one another, as if operating on their own synced frequency. "Which car is yours?" Hermione asked a little breathlessly, staring across the sea of cars. "Black BMW." He said pointing at a glossy sports car parked haphazardly near the edge of the parking lot. Hermione just shook her head as she eyed the car. "C'mon, judge the car for yourself." He said and pulled her out into the rain.
They ran, slamming into the car with a breathless laugh, Draco pushing past her, his hand skimming her waist as he opened the car door for her. Her mind felt wild, barely keeping up with the current moment. She sat in the dead quiet of the car, watching him walk around to his side of the car, his black shirt turning polka dot with rain drops. He dropped into the car, his blond hair dripping onto his face, his eyes dancing with unusual merriment. "What's gotten into you?" Hermione asked as he turned onto the street, her mind flashing back thinking of the seemingly ill-humored character he seemed to have possessed ever since he had transferred from the private high school across town last year "You're always seem to be in a bad mood". He accelerated as they turned through an intersection, his eyes suddenly growing stormy, "mysteries of life." Hermione watched him nervously for a second, but when he saw her expression, his eyes softened. "Don't worry about me" he said, his strange light manner returning. "You ready for the best half day ever?"