CHAPTER ONE
It was an overcast night. Hermione was making her way down to the great hall for dinner after a long day of studying. The dreary weather had made her tired, and Ron and Harry had ran ahead, leaving her to walk alone in their dust. Down the hall, she could see the back of Draco's head as he walked along, his luscious blond locks gleaming in the light thrown off from candles illuminating the corridor. Suddenly, he turned around and stared at her before whipping his head back around and hurrying away. Did he catch her looking at him? Hermione blushed.
As she strolled through the Great Hall to where Ron and Harry sat, she could feel Draco's burning stare on her. What was he up to? She wondered. She finally found her friends and sat down.
"Hermione, why are you so red?" Harry inquired. Ron glanced up at her, momentarily stopping the transportation of food from plate to mouth. Hermione cast her eyes downward and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
"I'm not red. It's just the lighting!"
"No, you're blushing. What happened? It can't possibly be boy related." Ron snorted. Hermione leapt up indignantly from the table.
"It could be! Besides, I'm not blushing! You're all so stupid!" She stormed off. Ron shrugged and continued eating.
CHAPTER TWO
"Snap out of it, Draco!"
He blinked, forced out of his Hermione trance, and turned to glare at his two henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle, whose pug-like faces registered confusion, and, as always, stupidity.
"How dare you tell me to snap out of it!" Draco spat, "You have no right! I'll tell my father about this! And don't call me Draco! It's boss to you!"
The two overweight teens shrank into themselves in fear, terrified by the mighty power of Lucius Malfoy and his close ties to the DARK LORD. They were sure the DARK LORD would drop everything he was doing and concern himself with Draco's problems.
But they couldn't help being worried. They'd caught Draco staring at the large-toothed mudblood chick a few times now, and in an intense way that was very disconcerting. Neither of them could see the attraction, and as they were both vying for Draco's attention to belong to them one day they were also extremely jealous.
Draco became silent, and began to dig into his potatoes with a fervor that was very unlike him. Watching Granger always made his appetite flare up, and this time was no exception. He hated her for making him think traitorous thoughts, for making him want to leave behind his birthright as a future Death Eater and make her his own for the rest of eternity. How could he let anyone else hear that melodious laugh, stroke a hand down that riotous mane of hair, or stare into those fathomless brown eyes? How?
She was constantly flanked by that wannabe Harry Potter and his obese Weasel sidekick. He couldn't stand it if either one of them decided to up and ask her out, because then he would have to murder them.