My day had started badly enough without the Blue Box in the girls dormitory.
It all began at breakfast- Malfoy had started to strut towards the Gryffindor table alone (probably to tease Harry about something Harry hadn't done) and Harry had just opened his mouth when...
"Harry, be nice to Draco for once" it took me a moment to realise that I had said those words, not someone sitting next to me. But by then it was too late to redeem myself and laugh, or insult Draco. All I could do was wait for everyone else's reaction. Harry; stunned. Ron; confused (as usual). Draco; gone… No insult, no sneer, no nothing. He just stiffened and stalked back to his fellow Slytherins.
"Um… got to…. Bathroom" I mumbled before I ran out of the great hall. As I turned to close the doors as quietly as I could I saw Draco's face staring back at me from a sea of wizards.
I sat on the toilet, seat down as a torrent of thoughts drowned my subconscious.
Why had I said those things?
Why did I look for Draco's face when I left?
When did Malfoy become Draco?
The bell sounded loudly and I gathered up my books for Potions. Harry and Ron targeted me in the corridor but I ducked out of their way and sat next to Neville, who turned to me and sighed.
"Hermione! Thank goodness you're here! I thought I'd have to sit next to Seamus again; Gran had to send me a new cauldron!"
I could remember it well- it had been a normal potions lesson (Draco was still known as Malfoy) when Neville had screamed. Seamus next to him seemed fascinated by the turquoise and grey flames dancing in their shared cauldron. Neville sprang up, only to send the flames scattered everywhere where they incinerated anything they touched. Several people had been sent to the hospital wing with major burns- including Weasley.
Wait, Weasley? Ron. Weasley was Ron, not Weasley. However, for now I put this out of my mind "Yeah," I said quickly, "Seamus is such a pyromaniac."
"Umm…" Neville looked confused
"Someone with the uncontrollable desire to set fire to things" I said quickly, then turned away. That was the end of our conversation.
As Snape wrote down the instructions for polyjuice potion, my thoughts drifted. Slowly my head turned to look at the back of Draco's. He said something about Potter and everyone around him laughed so I let out a small giggle; if everyone was laughing then it must be funny. I pulled my gaze away from Draco to start to get out my ingredients when I saw Potter- Harry, his name was Harry- looking at me in horror.
"Oh, lighten up," I whispered to him as I carried on getting my ingredients out. Suddenly, the bell sounded throughout the dungeon. "Wait!.. No…" It couldn't be! The lesson had just started…
Draco turned around and I saw a look of pity flash across his handsome features. Did I just call Draco handsome? Ew. Before he turned to give his sample to Professor Snape…
That night, as I lay in bed, I heard a loud wheezing noise and regular flashes of light coming from the end of my bed. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. As I pulled on my dressing gown I saw the oddest thing…
A Police Box.
In Hogwarts?