Author's Note: Hello, out there! So, I recently started obsessing over the shipping of Draco and Hermione, something that I had loved but never really considered as fanfiction material until being reading through some of the user Team Damon's fanfiction on the subject. That got me to looking around this website for some more of the same opinion, and when I realized I wasn't crazy for loving it, I decided to get down to writing business. So, thanks to all Dramione shippers and writers on and off fanfiction. You guys rock!
When Hermione Granger walked into potions with her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, she was already in a sour mood. Her Arithmancy exam hadn't gone as planned; she hadn't been able to concentrate, she had a major essay on the theory of the Patronus Charm due the next day, and she had a headache the size of all of the British Isles combined. Take into account the fact that Ron had been blabbering all day about his most recent Keeper exploits on the Quidditch pitch, using terms that she neither understood nor cared about, and she was a ticking time bomb on her final moments before explosion. She had tried so hard to keep her temper under wraps, but she didn't think that she would be able to handle it for much longer. Harry, at least, seemed to understand, and he had shifted Ron's focus of conversation to one with him, and for that she was grateful. She was just angry about going into her least favorite class of the day already in a foul mood.
Professor Slughorn was a nice enough man, but his demeanor sometimes got on Hermione's nerves, especially after a long day, as did his seeming inability to gage the mood of his class. Snape, at least, would pair Slytherins with Slytherins and Gryffindors likewise, but Slughorn seemed to be more interested in complete classroom unity on certain projects. Which, normally Hermione herself vouched for that cause, but when her Potions prospects were as undesirable as being gored by a unicorn, she tended not to support it in the class. So, knowing how her day had gone, it was with foreboding that she listened as Slughorn announced that their class would be starting a major Potions project, one that involved actually brewing a complex potion of their choice. Hermione was initially elated by the idea of choosing her own assignment, even more so when he announced that he would be giving away another bottle of Felix Felicis to whoever's potion was the most impressive, but she knew that there had to be a catch. And knowing how her day had gone, it would no doubt have something to do with the group of sniggering Slytherins seated across the room.
"Alright, class, the fun part about this is that I will allow you to pair up for this project. Or rather," Slughorn smiled broadly, as though offering the class a bottle of Butterbeer, "I will pair you up." The entire class groaned in exasperation, the Slytherins looking sneeringly down their noses at the Gryffindors. Hermione felt a surge of dislike as she saw Malfoy's pointed, pale face twist into a leer at Harry, who was seated beside her.
And so, Slughorn proceeded to place the class together. Harry and Ron were paired together, no doubt due to Slughorn's favoritism of the first. Hermione thought this savagely before chastising herself. It wasn't Harry's fault that he had picked a book with proper instructions from the book cabinet. She didn't condone his use of it, but to be honest, she almost envied his luck; he really didn't need the Felix Felicis he had won from Slughorn that first day of class. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as Slughorn maneuvered his sizeable belly through the room, watching as he strayed from his habits and, with the exception of a few, paired each member of a house with another of the same. She zoned out as he moved to the Slytherin side, not really paying attention. Beside her, Harry and Ron were debating which potion to brew, and although Ron hinted at her giving them suggestions, she pretended to be oblivious. After all, they had the best potions resource in the whole school, apparently, at their fingertips. She wasn't going to give them an advantage over her now, even though they were her friends. The way her week was going, she seriously needed some liquid luck. She noticed suddenly that the room had gone silent, and she glanced around, wondering why everyone was suddenly staring at her.
"I'm sorry, sir. What was that?" She asked as respectfully as she could manage to Slughorn. He simply looked cheerful as he responded.
"I said, Miss Granger, that you and Mr. Malfoy will have to pair up, since we have an odd number of Slytherins and Gryffindors." The urge to protest, to scream and throw a fit, was overwhelming. Why the heck did she have to be with Malfoy of all people? Even Pansy Parkinson would have been preferable. But no, it had to be Malfoy. The strength of her own dislike of him shocked her, but she forced herself to plaster on a smile.
"Yes sir." She said in a sugary voice. Malfoy's smug look soured at her lack of visible reaction, and she chose to ignore the mutterings of her classmates as she stood, grabbed her books and cauldron, and sauntered over to where Malfoy was sitting. She didn't like moving over to the Slytherin side, and she felt like something of a traitor, but she felt that it was better for her to keep him away from Harry and Ron at all costs.
"Typical of him to pair me with a filthy little Mudblood." Malfoy muttered under his breath, obviously not caring whether or not she heard. Hermione clenched her jaw and stiffened at the titters of the students around her, but she didn't respond. And when the scraping of chairs began, when the other students began to set themselves up, she turned on him fiercely.
"Look, Malfoy, I don't like this any more than you do, but we're just going to have to deal with it. One thing I won't tolerate, though, is slurs on my lineage. It's not what defines me, despite what you seem to think." She spat at him hotly. Malfoy looked surprised by the vicious tone of her voice, but the expression was replaced by a familiar sneer within moments.
"Whatever. What potion will we be making?" His traditional arrogance colored his tone, and Hermione had to resist the urge to smack him across the face.
"Do you honestly expect me to do all the work? That's really very typical of you." Hermione snarled back.
"Well, you are the little bookworm aren't you, Granger? Always a responsible know-it-all…" He trailed off, smirking, and Hermione clenched her fist around her wand, knowing that her face was flushing with agitation now.
"Look, you little ferret. Unless you want me to hex you into oblivion or break your nose again, I suggest that you sit up and start helping me." Her voice was low, but it was harsh, even to her own ears. His silvery eyes widened at her ferocity, but the smirk disappeared and he sat forward. With a prickle of satisfaction, she whipped out her Potions book and flipped it open, trying not to acknowledge the almost appraising look that Malfoy's eyes contained now.
"Alright. Where do you want to start?" The lack of sarcasm in his voice had Hermione looking up in surprise, feeling slightly guilty as she noticed the bags under his eyes for the first time. He obviously hadn't been sleeping very well lately. She felt the sudden urge to apologize, but she ignored it. After all, this was Malfoy. He had bullied she and her friends all through school, and Harry even thought that he had been inducted into Voldemort's service as a Death Eater. He did not deserve her remorse.
"I was thinking that we could experiment with the Draught of Living Death. We could even attempt Amortentia or Polyjuice Potion if we were feeling bold." Hermione volunteered cautiously, not quite meeting his eyes. For some reason, the mention of the love potion made her feel uncomfortable and self-conscious, and she remembered the scents that it had caused her to smell: freshly mown grass, new parchment, and something else. It was something that she hadn't quite been able to place. She shook her curls to clear the memory and turned to face Malfoy. There was no use dwelling on it now. Malfoy ceased his examination of her and shrugged quietly.
"I really haven't got a preference." He said, not sounding as apathetic as Hermione would have expected. She glanced around and noticed that the end of the period had just been signaled. She stood and gathered her belongings.
"Alright. Think about it, then, and we can both try to research some other options. If you find anything that you need to share before our next Potions lesson, you know how to find me." And as quickly as possible, she swept away to where Harry and Ron were waiting for you with a mixture of pity and surprise on their features. She waved off their questions, forcing herself not to turn and face the vibrant silver eyes she somehow knew followed her back until it was out of sight.