Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the writing of this story. All characters and places belong to J.K. Rowling.
Draco Malfoy is late again.
He had accidentally fallen asleep in the library while trying to find a book for his Transfiguration essay. It was not his fault, he had stayed up all night yesterday to finish his Potions essay on the uses of Moonstone.
His Potions essay that was due today, and the class which he is currently rushing to now.
"Snape is going to kill me. He would probably just blast me up and use me as one of the ingredients for another of his bizarre potions," he thought ruefully, quickening his pace. He was already in Snape's bad books after blowing up his entire classroom the other time they were brewing the Draught of Living Death. (Honestly, it wasn't his fault he stirred it clockwise accidentally instead of counter-clockwise. The words on that god-damned text book were too small anyway.)
"Oi, Malfoy!"
Draco turned around, irritated at the anonymous culprit. Here he is, rushing for Potions before he met his impending doom, and then some git thinks it's funny to call him now.
Some invisible git at that, he scowled in annoyance as he was greeted with an empty hallway.
"Stupefy!"
Draco gasped as a beam of red light from an invisible wand hurtled towards him and hit him square in the chest, sending him flying straight to the wall at the other end of the corridor. He yelled in agony as his spine hit the wall and threatened to break into two. Cursing under his breath, he whipped out his wand and pointed it at the empty hallway in defense, preparing to cast a spell in case someone attacked him again.
But no one did. He waited for a full five minutes... Nothing happened.
Growling under his breath, he stalked off cursing the git who had made him even later for Potions. Snape was going to have his head. The stunning spell just now must have most definitely been from someone trying to sabotage his Quidditch game later with the Hufflepuffs.
"Trying to sabotage the game by injuring the Slytherin captain? You would have to try harder than that."
Sure enough, Snape was already in a bad mood when Draco walked stealthily in to the classroom five minutes later. Seamus Finnigan had blew up another cauldron, again.
"Ahh, Mister Malfoy. Finally willing to grace our class with your presence?"
"Sorry, professor. Minor accident along the way."
"Yes yes. Excuses, as always. Let's see, ten points from Slytherin and detention with me this Saturday."
"Yes, professor."
Draco smirked, seeing the looks of annoyance on the Gryffindors' faces, especially Potter and the Weasel. Snape had not scheduled the detention today because he knew that the Quidditch match was right after his class. As the head of Slytherin, there was no way he would give detention to his house's Quidditch captain on the day of the big Quidditch match that will decide their placing for the Quidditch Cup. Draco was certain that if it had been Potter or Weasley, they would be banned from the match and at least fifty points would have been deducted from Gryffindor. Smiling, he started cutting up his Valerian sprigs.
The noise was almost deafening as swarms of students ran out to the Quidditch pitch and went to their respective house stands. Hermione Granger, together with her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, made their way up to the Gryffindor stands and immediately found three good seats just beside the commentator, Dean Thomas, another fellow Gryffindor in their year. Hermione sighed and whipped out the latest book that she had borrowed from the library. Quidditch matches never really interested her (other than those that involves Gryffindor, of course), due to her fear of flying. She could never understand her two best friends' obsession over Quidditch. Hell, she couldn't even understand Ginny's mild obsession over Quidditch, and she thought it was only a "boy problem".
But this time, something was very different. She smiled and closed her book as she heard the familiar whizzing sound of flying broomsticks above, as interested as if this was a Gryffindor match.
"Let us welcome the Slytherins!" Dean Thomas' voice boomed throughout the entire pitch, and the Slytherin stands erupted into cheers and applauses. Hermione smiled, her eyes fixed only upon a certain figure in green Quidditch robes with a "Captain" badge pinned to his chest, who was in the center surrounded by the other players giving them instructions.
Yes, she was looking at Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Quidditch captain.
Her Draco Malfoy.
"And let us welcome the Hufflepuffs!"
Cheers and applauses erupted from the Hufflepuff stands as well as their own Quidditch team flew into the pitch on their broomsticks. There were distant boos from the Slytherins.
"Sore losers," Ron muttered. It was common knowledge that the Hufflepuffs had narrowly defeated the Slytherins in last year's Quidditch Cup.
"Captains, shake hands."
Draco Malfoy gripped Zacharias Smith's hand tightly and gave him a smirk, before walking back to his own team and mounting his own broomstick. A shrill whistle was heard and the game was off.
"Smith has got the Quaffle! … Alas, he has lost it due to the bludger sent his way by Crabbe! Now, Adrian Pucey has the Quaffle! And he sends it hurtling towards the Slytherin goalposts... SCORE! The Hufflepuff Keeper has missed the Quaffle! That's 10 - 0 to Slytherin!"
"Cadwallader now takes possession of Quaffle! LOOK OUT! There's a bludger! THAT WAS A FOUL MADE BY THE SLYTHERIN BEATER! Oh you nasty little chea-"
"Dean Thomas!" Professor McGonagall hollered.
"Sorry, Professor. Just to add excitement to the game! Cadwallader has regained possession of the Quaffle! Oops, narrow miss of that bludger there! He throws... and SCORES! That's 10 points to both Hufflepuff and Slytherin!"
Hermione chuckled. Dean was just like the previous commentator, Lee Jordan. She continued looking at the Slytherin captain. He was flying high above the rest of game, trying his best to look for the tiny golden snitch. She smiled at the look of pure concentration on his face. She had always thought he looked so adorable when he was concentrating very hard on something; his eyebrows were always furrowed and he would always bite his bottom lip in that way she had grown to love.
Draco seemed to have seen the snitch, because all of a sudden, he started to surge forward towards the Hufflepuff goalposts. The Hufflepuff seeker still hasn't realized that Malfoy had found the snitch. It took him nearly five whole seconds before he realized that and went to chase after Malfoy. Hermione gripped her book; anxious and hoping that Draco would get the snitch.
But something was wrong. Draco's broom started twitching violently. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. What was Draco doing? Apparently, he had no idea as well judging by the shocked look on his face. His broom was now bouncing of its own accord, adamant to throw Draco to the ground. The entire audience and the Hufflepuff seeker seemed to finally take notice of what was happening, and were all staring at him in shock. He was gripping with all his might to prevent himself from slipping off the broom, yet the broom continued to twitch. The entire audience gasped as a particularly violent jerk unseated Malfoy and caused him to dangle precariously in the sky as he held onto his Nimbus 2001 for dear life.
Someone must be jinxing his broom, Hermione thought in frustration, looking around frantically for the culprit. That was when she laid eyes on her two best friends sitting beside her. They had been unusually quiet today... too quiet.
"RONALD WEASLEY!"
Ron jumped in his seat, and lost all his concentration on the tiny dot that was Malfoy in the sky. The broom gave a violent jerk and threw Malfoy off its handle.
"What were you doing?"
There were horrified gasps as Malfoy sailed through the air, and landed face-first with a thump on the grassy Quidditch pitch, knocked unconscious. A shrill whistle was heard, and all the other players stopped whatever they were doing and finally noticed what had happened. The Slytherin players immediately flew down and dismounted their brooms to help their unconscious captain. Madam Pomfrey magicked a stretcher and brought Malfoy to the hospital wing, with his team mates following close behind. Everyone was starting to whisper amongst themselves, discussing what had actually happened to Malfoy. Harry stared at all of this in shock; looked at a guilty Ron, before looking at a fuming and disgusted Hermione.
"I... I... N-nothing!"
"Nothing?" Hermione screeched, and Harry and Ron winced.
"Did you see what happened just now? You were jinxing his broom, Ronald Bilius Weasley!"
Ron gave a helpless look to Harry, indicating for him to help him. Harry just shrugged and gave him a You-Deserved-This look.
"You... you are impossible! What did you do that for? He could have been seriously injured!"
"I... I was trying to help you! I thought you were under his love potion or a spell, so I wanted to get back at him for doing this to y-you!"
"YOU GIT! How many times have I told you that I am NOT under a love potion or any crazy spell? This is real!"
"Honestly, Hermione. If you were under a love potion or spell, you would never say it righ-"
"You lot are crazy!"
Before Ron even had time to finish his sentence, Hermione had given both of them a deathly stare and stormed off.
"You deserved it, Ron. You knew how much Hermione loved that ferret," Harry said matter-of-factly. "And now she's blaming me too!"
"I'm telling you, mate. Hermione is really under a love potion! There is no other explanation as to why she is dating that ferret!"
"Even if you believe so, what you have done is really wrong. Be prepared to have Hermione not speak to you for weeks."
"What a nuisance. Malfoy is really making our lives hell."
Hermione ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the hospital wing, angry tears forming at the corner of her eyes. How could Ron do that to Draco? She understood his concern for her, and truthfully speaking, she could not believe she would end up dating Draco Malfoy either, but that was taking it too far! She rushed down the stairs, finally reaching the hospital wing. She had been here many times before; Harry, Ron and her had a tendency to end up in the hospital wing every time after one of their adventures or illegal activities (like brewing the Polyjuice Potion in her second year). Thinking about Ron, she started fuming again.
I can't believe he actually did that. I am not going to speak to him for months!
She spotted Draco and his striking blonde hair within seconds, lying on a bed at the far corner of the hospital wing with his eyes closed. He had a broken nose, his left arm and right leg were in a sling and his head was bandaged. Hermione's heart ached at the sight of the love of her life, lying on the bed looking so broken. Angry sobs started coming out from her mouth.
"Er-my-nee?"
Hermione wiped away her tears and looked at Draco in surprise. He had woken up.
"Yes, Draco? How are you feeling?"
"Naht too gootd," he said truthfully, his uninjured arm reaching up to touch his bandaged head and groaned.
"Don't touch your wounds, you silly. Oh, Draco. I'm so sorry! Ron did this to you. It's my fault. I'm so sorry!" Hermione said in anguish, tears rolling down her cheeks again.
"Eez awwryte. Er-my-nee, dunt krah. Am fahyn," Draco tried to say as he reached out his uninjured hand to wipe away the gushing tears on his girlfriend's face.
Hermione chuckled, tears still running down her cheeks.
"Oh, Draco! Poor you, your handsome face is now hidden beneath these bandages..." Hermione smiled adoringly at him through her tears. She wanted to hug the blonde so much, seeing how injured he was.
"Ah noh am hansuhm," he grinned. Sweet Merlin, he looked so adorable.
"Trust you to grin at a time like this. What is Madam Pomfrey going to do to you?"
"Iz going tuh gehv meh eh-pis-kee suh ah kahn speek pwopahlee laturh. Thuh weezuhl iz imposuhbuh."
"Oh god, Draco. I'm sorry. I have no idea what you are saying," Hermione laughed in exasperation, realizing how adorable he is trying to get her to understand him.
Sighing, Draco took out his wand and conjured the words in the air. "She is going to give me episkey so that I can speak properly later. The weasel is impossible."
"I hate him for doing this to you. How could he?"
"Eez awwryte Er-my-nee. Am ohkeh. Hauw iz thuh kweedijch mehtch?"
Seeing the confused look on Hermione's face, Draco used his wand again to conjure the words in the air. "It's alright, Hermione. I'm okay. How is the Qudditch match?"
"I have no idea, honestly Draco. I ran here immediately after seeing you injured."
Draco smiled. It was easy to tell that he was very happy.
"Where are your team mates?"
"Thehy-" He stopped halfway, thought better of it and instead just conjured the words in the air. "They are in the changing rooms. I told them to wash up and that I would be fine here alone. But you came."
And Draco smiled again.
"Ah well, I have to go soon, Draco, I'm sorry. Madam Pomfrey is going to have my head when she seems me here. Plus, I have my Transfiguration essay to do." Seeing Draco's eyes widen in alarm, she chuckled.
"Don't worry. I will tell Professor McGonagall to give you extra time."
He smiled in relief and plonked back down on the pillow.
"See you later, Draco. I will visit you again tonight, I promise. I would even use Harry's invisibility cloak if I have to. Ron is going to endure hell from me."
Draco smiled and whispered a soft "Ohkeh." before closing his eyes again. Smiling and relieved, Hermione picked up her book, planted a kiss on the uninjured part of Draco's forehead and started to walk out of the hospital wing.
"My-nee, wayt!"
Hermione spun around in surprise, wondering if she had left anything behind as she hastily checked her pockets. Seeing Hermione's questioning look, Draco continued.
"Ah wurv eyo."
"What? What did you say, Draco? Since when did you learn a new language?" she chuckled.
He sighed again. "Ah," he said as he pointed to himself. "Wurv." The second word was accompanied with him placing his uninjured hand at his chest. "Eyo," he said finally, pointing at Hermione.
Hermione laughed again, tears leaking out of her eyes at the adorable sight of her boyfriend.
"Ah wurv eyo too, Draco."
End.