On Annoying Hermione

What you'll need: a blizzard, an imminent History of Magic exam and about 82 crumpled paper balls.

AU set during 7th Year at Hogwarts

Draco Malfoy was bored. Endlessly bored. He didn't know if he had ever been this bored before. Well, it had been awhile, anyway. He looked despondently out of the library window to a optically white landscape. If it wasn't for the stupid weather, he could have gone out flying, or at least been able to go outside, but no— it just had to blizzard.

You knew the weather was bad when Quidditch got canceled.

He heaved a huge sigh and looked around for a potential source of amusement, but alas there was nothing there apart from towering bookshelves and copious amounts of dust.

He sat in the very back of the library with his best friend, Blaise Zabini. It was Blaise's favorite spot. Of course Blaise had a favorite spot, the prat.

Draco observed his best friend, who was absorbed in a large tomb titled Gory Goblin Battles of the Fourteenth Century. Blaise had his forefinger scrunched at his temple as he scowled down at the ancient text.

Without thinking, Draco balled up a blank sheet of parchment and chucked it squarely at the back of his best friend's head. Draco saw Blaise flinch as the ball hit him, and his nostrils flare in irritation but he didn't turn around. It seemed as though he didn't want to give Draco the satisfaction of reacting.

Draco smirked and reached for another sheet.

Across the library, Hermione Granger sat tapping her pencil repetitively and with increasing agitation on the smooth mahogany table.

"Will you two settle down?" She hissed at Ron and Harry for the third time that evening.

They both looked up guiltily. Ron had constructed a complex array of quidditch hoops made from pencils and cut out pieces of paper, held together with spello-tape and, of course, magic. In Harry's hand was a miniature paper quaffle. He had even charmed it red.

"Sorry Hermione" muttered Harry.

"You two have been like this all morning."

"It's not our fault!" Ron said, pointing at the window. "We haven't been outside in four days."

"Well you have to stop distracting me. I would like to study for History of Magic, even if you two don't."

Ron snorted.

"Well go run around, or something." Hermione said irritated. "Just go away."

Ron and Harry tried to get up from the table as quietly as possible. They made their way through the shelves, not paying much attention to where they were going.

"I just can't concentrate today." Ron said, trying to make a case for his inattentiveness. "Not that I ever can pay attention to Binns when he's monotoning about some Goblin group in 1329 that beat up another Goblin group, like the way Hermione can…"

Harry nodded absently as Ron rambled on.

Ron only stopped when a white blur sailed through the air and nearly hit him. It rolled towards Harry, who picked it up. It was an ordinary crumpled paper ball, not unlike the one that he himself had just made. They looked curiously at each other, then around the shelf. About thirty balled up pieces of parchment lay scattered over the floor, and another ten or fifteen on the large wooden study tables. There were even a couple of balls wedged in between books on the surrounding shelves.

They had made it to the back of the library, next to the invisibility section where there were two study tables. Only one was occupied, however.

There in front of the two Gryffindors was Blaise Zabini. It looked as if Blaise had made a fortress of library books, undoubtedly for his protection. He had stacked them eight or nine high and right across the table, so he couldn't see to the other side. It looked as if Blaise was attempting to study. It didn't look as if he was making much headway however, as he kept warily looking around.

Ron tugged on Harry's sleeve and motioned the way they had came. Harry nodded, but just as they turned to go, a furious slurry of paper balls came from a singular point on the opposite side of where Ron and Harry were standing.

Blaise counteracted so fast that Harry barely saw him draw his wand.

"Protego!" Blaise shouted springing to his feet.

The balls cascaded off the invisible shield that Blaise cast, and rioted through the air. Harry ducted out of the way, but Ron got another right in the eye.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed, rubbing his eye vigorously.

Malfoy whipped around and spotted the two Gryffindors. A smirk piqued on his lips as he and Blaise both stopped flinging balls at each other.

"Potty." He said slowly. "And Weaselbee."

His pale eyes narrowed, as if he was considering them. Then he smiled.

"Perfect."

Harry and Ron just looked at each other. Ron looked mildly concerned.

A half an hour later Ron and Harry were positioned behind the wall-of-books. They had made some key additions of the wall, for starters the wall now stood twice as tall. Ron also had the idea to add vantage points within the wall so they could better see the enemy.

They both had hefty stacks of parchment balls. Harry had made his into a pyramid shape where as Ron just had his in a pile. Harry looked over at Ron who was nervously shifting from side to side, awaiting the imminent attack. It was quiet in the library— too quiet.

"Where are they?" He muttered, his eyes narrowing as he tried to see any movement between the bookshelves.

"Dunno." Ron said, "Maybe—"

"Harry! Ron! I've been looking all over for you! The library is closing and —"

She stopped and looked around.

"What the hell is going on?" She said, taking in all of the thrown balls and the wall-of-books.

"Well—" Ron began, but before he finished the Slytherins attacked.

"Incoming!"

Ron grabbed Hermione by the hand and dragged her under the table. Harry began whipping balls over the top.

"What?!"

"Stay down!" Ron shouted, "I'll come back for you!"

But the minute he had gotten back up, the deluge had ceased.

"What happened? Why have they stopped?" Harry said, spinning around on the spot.

"I don't like this" Ron said, holding three crumpled balls in his hand. "I feel too exposed."

"ARGHHHH!"

Draco and Blaise had made a sneak attack from behind. The next moment the air was full of crumpled pieces of parchment. The four seventh year boys wands' lay forgotten as they let out all their pent up energy from the last week and just chucked paper balls at each other and went hell for leather.

Hermione thought that they were making a remarkable amount of noise. She was still sitting on the floor, having "taken shelter". She heaved a huge annoyed sigh and observed the paper ball fight before her. Neither party seemed to be slowing down— if anything they seemed to be getting more into it.

Hermione checked her watch— the library was closing in ten minutes. So she crawled out from underneath the table and set off back to the tower. On her way out of the library, she passed Madame Pince the librarian, who looked incensed, like she had just witnessed a student misusing library property. Hermione helpfully told her that she had seen a couple of students still working in the back. Madame Pince set off with a hawkish expression and Hermione left with a smug, satisfied smile.

As always, thank you for reading and please review!

xoxo Annabelle