Chapter One
Tell Tale Signs
'I can't stop thinking about you I can't stop thinking about you I can't stop thinking about you I can't stop thinking about you I can't stop thinking about you I can't stop thinking about you I can't stop thinking about you I can't stop thinking about you I . Can't . Stop.'
The words effortlessly scribbled themselves along the parchment as she sat in Potions class staring into the deep nothingness. Ron saw her from the corner of his eye and realized that if Hermione was not taking notes, they were in big trouble. He glimpsed at the scratching quill and then elbowed her in the side causing her head to snap forward. Not noticing that he had stolen a peek of the scribbling, she haphazardly thrust her arm over the parchment, and felt the warmness redden her cheeks. What she was thinking wasn't supposed to have shown up on her parchment, it just had, and she didn't want anyone seeing those words.
"What was that for?" Hermione hissed tucking the ruined paper in the middle of her stack
"Just didn't want you to get in trouble," he lied. Mainly, he just didn't want to get zero marks for the day's lesson, and he was bound to if she kept this up. How was he supposed to copy her if she didn't take the notes? "What's the matter with you anyway?"
"Don't worry about me Ronald. I would be more concerned with the searing cauldron in front of your face, if I were you." She thrust her hand out in front of him, emphasizing that particular cauldron.
"Oh, bugger!" Ron choked, while flailing his arms around trying to disperse the smoke.
On queue, Snape hulked over, his cape billowing behind him. With a flick of his wrist, the burnt potion vanished from the cauldron but left the ghastly smell behind. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for careless lack of safety measures, and zero marks for your indolent attempt." Ron groaned at his Potions Master.
Snape tsked. "I assure you Mr. Weasley, had I not rid that horrid specimen, you would have had much larger problems than missing points. A mind freeing potion is not something you would ever want to witness when gone awry." Not waiting on any protest from the three Gryffindor's at that particular table, he simply spun himself around on his heel and headed in the opposite direction. He'd never been one to tolerate any of Ron or Harry's comments.
"Good job, mate." Harry whispered. "At least you didn't get detention this time." Ron nodded in agreement; it was rare that they ever got away with anything, especially with Snape.
"And I will see you in detention at 7:00 Friday night, Mr. Weasley." Snape smirked.
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Hermione left the Gryffindor common room at eight o'clock and headed back to the Head's dorm so she could drop off her books, before her rounds with Draco were to start. She had quickly finished her homework, and then left Harry and Ron with their mouths dropped and quills at the ready.
"What has gotten into her? She's really not going to help us, is she?" Ron whined throwing his quill back into the ink well, which caused some of the ink to splatter his yellowing parchment.
"Is she still mad at you from earlier in Potions? She seemed pretty annoyed when you elbowed her," Harry mused. He loved them both, but they made him so exhausted sometimes. They were always fighting over something trivial, and more often put him in the middle of it all. Some times he wished they would just get in a good snogging session and leave it be.
"I think she's mad because I caught her being a ponce in class." Ron's frown turned to a smirk. Never had he dreamed of the day he would witness Hermione not paying attention in one of their classes.
Harry looked shocked. "Really? What do you mean? Hermione's not a ponce, especially not in Potions."
Ron nodded and his smile grew wider. "Seriously, mate. She was scribbling all over her notes and then got all shirty when I saw."
"What was she writing?" Harry asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"All I saw was 'I can't stop thinking about you' doodled about. I couldn't see my na- , a name on there anywhere." Ron quickly stopped himself.
Harry chuckled at the slip. He had caught it, and wasn't sure if he had the heart to point it out. He knew Ron was crazy about his best girl friend; he just didn't have the balls, or the confidence to do anything about it. Harry decided to push his luck. "Maybe it was about me…" He grinned, feigning staring off into space.
"Huh? Whoa – what?! If you think for one minute she would like a bloody git like you, you are seriously mist-wait! What about Ginny?" Ron fumed, his ears burning red.
"Ron! That's a right foul thing to say to your best mate. What makes you so sure she couldn't fancy me?" He was pushing the limits, he could feel it. But he rather liked getting a rise out of Ron, especially over Hermione; that was just classic.
"You know exactly what I mean, Harry!" Ron spat. "If you even think about her in that way, so help me I will beat you to a bloody pulp! You know how I feel about her, and to think I called you my best-"
"Don't finish that last sentence." Harry threw his hands up in the air. "I was jerking you, Ron. You know I don't look at her like that…"
Ron turned a deeper red. He had always been the quick tempered one and often times, he was wrong about whatever it was that caused his temper to flair.
"And besides, you're right. I am with Gin, and believe me, you're threats are nothing compared to what she would do to me if she even thought I was looking at another girl…" Harry shuddered at the thought of Ginny hexing him.
Blushing harder, Ron looked at his feet and forced a grin. "Sorry, mate, I didn't mean it. Just don't do that to me again… you know how I can be a prat when it comes to her."
"You? A prat?" Harry looked appalled. "I would never!" He dodged the book flying at his head, laughing.
Ron smiled at his self-amused best friend. I guess she really does like me…
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Hermione sighed as she stepped into the vast main room of her dorm, the one she had to share with Head boy. As she turned to close the portrait behind her, her books slipped from her hand and landed on the ground at her feet. Groaning, she bent down to pick them up, and finish closing the door, someone yelled at her.
"Bloody hell, Granger, can't you see?"
Hermione shot to a standing position and dropped her arms to her sides. "Sorry."
A tall white blond haired boy stepped in, almost tripping over her fallen books but recovered rather smoothly. "Pick those damn books of yours up before you cause me to break my bloody neck!" He ran his right hand through his shimmering hair and smirked at her as she bent down to gather her things. Oh, the things that ran through his head every time a female took that position in front of him. Things he would never even consider doing with someone like her.
"That's what I was trying to do…" She muttered under her breath.
He stepped back from her and examined her small body with a look of disgust etched on his sharp features. "What was that, mud blood?"
She stood to her feet and sent him a glare. "Nothing."
Before he had the chance to think of a suitable remark, she was already halfway across the room. Finally, a little too late, he called, "Do try and hurry, we've got to begin rounds some time before midnight."
Hermione groaned, "Don't you see me going to put my things away?"
He gave a sort of snort and leaned back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. "How do I know that's what you were doing?"
She decided not to answer, seeing as how she was opening the door to her bedroom and really didn't want to get into it with him this early in the evening. She hurried through her room dropping her books on her bed, and rushed into her bathroom. Quickly she rummaged through the top drawer of her vanity and pulled out a small glass bottle. Spraying herself with the jasmine and vanilla scented perfume she threw the bottle carelessly back into the drawer and took out a black tube instead. Quickly she leaned her face closer to the mirror and opened the tube. With a few swishes of her hand she applied the black mascara to her eyelashes and looked herself over in the mirror before leaving the room all together.
She swept down the steps as fast as she could and met the great prat at the portrait. "Quick enough for you, Malfoy?"
He laughed lightly as she straightened her robes and combed her hair with her fingers. It did amuse him to watch her discomfort when he was present. He wasn't sure why he affected her so; then again, it could have been his dashing good looks, or his money. When he thought about it, he affected many girls in the same manner, and that was something he prided himself on. "Are you quite done now?"
She sighed, holding back the impulse to sock him right in the face, and pushed him out of her way. Opening the portrait, she stepped out into the hall, followed by a very huffy Draco, and turned to face him. "Where are we to begin tonight?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Why do I care?"
She threw her arms up in frustration, "You're absolutely impossible!"
Apparently her sudden movement caused her sweet scent to lift off her body and into the air. Draco's lungs filled with the smell of vanilla and what was that… jasmine? If there was one smell on earth that did him in, it was jasmine. He drew in a deep breath then slowly exhaled. "Who are you trying to impress, Granger?" He jerked his eyebrows as he spoke and let his lips take shape of that infamous smirk.
Hermione placed her hands firmly on her hips. Wordlessly, she turned her back to him as she swished her hips from side to side and began walking away. "No one."
Draco couldn't force himself to not watch her as she walked away. He'd never noticed the way her hips swayed, only slightly, as she walked, or how perfect her stature was. Shaking his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts, he jogged to catch up to her. There was no way he was going to ever let anyone know about the things he'd just noticed. He wasn't sure why it was that he'd noticed them but wished he hadn't.
'Oh bollocks, now I'm going to be staring at her arse all night. That's disgusting.
Breathlessly he asked, "Where was it you wanted to begin?"
Hermione rounded on him, "How about the dungeons? You know how those Slytherin students like to cause trouble at night when they think no one's watching."
He clicked his tongue against his teeth as he stared into her dark brown eyes. He was fully aware that she had it out for him, and if it wasn't him getting into trouble, it would be someone from his House. "Fine, then maybe we can go catch the beloved Gryffindor's out trying to save the ruddy world." Sure, he was willing to go along with her games, but on his own terms.
Hermione nodded and gave him the sweetest smile she could muster. "Sure, Draco. Sounds like a plan to me."
