Bushy hair flying behind her, Hermione ran down the corridor, away from the two men for whom she had fallen hopelessly in love. Or lust.
Do they know? If not, why were they standing there together, wands ready for duel? They can't possibly know. I've been so careful!
These thoughts raced through her head as she ran through the Gryffindor common room, to the sanctuary of her dormitory. Here, no male could physically reach her, even though they both plagued her thoughts and heart.
The boy with the white-blond hair and the boy with the scar, wands aloft, stayed in her head all that night as she tried desperately to sleep.
Sixth year had started out so normally for Hermione. She found out over the summer that she had earned ten OWLs, nine of which were "Outstanding" marks (it would have been all ten, but damn that boggart in Defense Against the Dark Arts). Ron had made fun of her for being upset, but she hadn't really minded. Her feelings for Ronald had come to the surface more, especially since the fiasco at the Ministry of Magic. When she had awoken from Dolohov's curse, all she could wonder was where Ron was, and if he was okay. The brain that attacked him in the Department of Mysteries hadn't done lasting damage, thank Merlin.
She was hoping that since feelings for Ron were making themselves known, she would let go of those that she had developed for her other best friend, the boy who was like a brother to her. She wasn't sure why she had such strong feelings for Harry now, but they were there and they weren't about to leave her anytime soon, much to her chagrin.
But really, who wouldn't like Harry if they knew him as well as Hermione did? He was loyal, caring, and not to mention exceptionally handsome since he had gotten so tall. And he had been through so much…her heart broke every time she thought about the look on his face when Sirius, his godfather, was mentioned. They all missed him, but Sirius had been like a father to Harry the past couple of years. It didn't seem fair that Bellatrix had taken Sirius from him, but he was still determined to defeat the Dark wizards, and Hermione just wanted to hold him and make him forget about everything that had happened.
However, he seemed to be distracting himself well with wondering what Draco Malfoy was up to. Hermione knew that some of Malfoy's actions were suspicious, but she felt that all Slytherins were slimy and Harry just held a grudge against Draco, especially since seeing him in Diagon Alley over the summer.
Hermione had also noticed Harry's recent affinity for the youngest Weasley, Ginny on the Hogwarts Express. While she felt a pang of jealousy, she knew that Ginny had been in love with Harry since the day she met him on the platform, and being one of Ginny's best friends Hermione respected it. All the same though…she would rather not face Harry's looks at Ginny when she herself still felt so strongly for him.
As she and Ron walked into the castle after exiting the carriages (Ron walking more closely than he used to, she noted), she fretted about where Harry could be.
"What if he's hurt? What if Malfoy hexed him and left him on the train and nobody has any idea? He was wearing the Invisibility Cloak! For heaven's sake, he's reckless sometimes.."
Ron looked pained. "Hermione, I'm sure he's fine! He's Harry bloody Potter, and if You-Know-Who can't kill him, do you really think Malfoy can do much harm?"
At this, Hermione relaxed slightly. She did notice that Ginny had been listening in on their conversation, and was also perturbed at Harry's absence. "But what would we do if something had happened?" Ginny asked quietly, more to herself than anyone else. Ron had not heard her, and Hermione chose not to answer so that she did not have to think about it.
Finally, Harry appeared in the Great Hall, his nose looking slightly different, and a bit of dried blood on his face. Both Hermione and Ginny looked at him with concern, but Ron just kept on eating (as per usual). As Harry tells his friends the events that transpired on the train, Hermione looked at him in horror. Malfoy did this? So cruelly, without a thought?
"Well, it could have been worse," Hermione said lightly as they discussed the events later that evening in the common room.
"I suppose." Harry had been eerily quiet after telling them what had happened. Hermione wondered what else was going through his head when he gave her a small smile. "Lucky Tonks was there to find me, else I'd be hijacking a flying car again to get to school."
Hermione laughed and nudged him jokingly. How was he able to stay so strong? Everything that happened to him would have done her in by now, and he just kept going, kept pushing towards the future. Oh, how she admired that quality.
"Well, I'd best be getting to bed. Full schedule tomorrow, you know," she said as she stood and stretched.
"Hermione, you've never had anything but a full schedule. Have you ever thought of how relaxing a free period might be? Ron and I have one instead of Potions, and I couldn't be more thrilled."
She contemplated it, but shook her head. "I'm anxious to have a class with Slughorn, to be honest! It's exciting, having a professor for Potions that doesn't loathe Gryffindors."
Harry and Ron laughed, but were still enjoying the thought of a free period. None of the trio, however, were looking forward to Defense of the Dark Arts with Snape. They all bid each other good night and separated into the girls' and boys' dormitories.
The next day, Hermione awoke a few hours before breakfast was to be served. She had always loved and excelled in classes, so she quickly got ready, gathered her books, and exited the dorm for a morning walk around the castle. There were so very few times that the corridors were empty, and she relished having the hallways to herself.
That is, until she ran into the blond that had smashed her best friend's nose the previous night.
"Fancy meeting you so early, Granger." Malfoy smirked as she nearly collided into the broad-shouldered Slytherin. Flustered, she tried to make her way around the tall boy, but was unsuccessful. He continually moved to block her path.
"If you will excuse me, Malfoy. I'd like to get to breakfast," she spat indignantly. Normally she was much more tolerant of him, especially more so than her best friends, but considering that Malfoy had broken Harry's nose yesterday, she was not in an accommodating mood. Malfoy noticed this, much to her frustration, but did not seem bothered.
"If you're upset about me breaking Potter's nose and leaving him yesterday, I believe that you should remember that I owed one of you…would you rather it be you?" he smirked. Hermione remembered back to her third year, when he had punched Malfoy straight in the nose after he had essentially caused the assassination of a hippogriff, Buckbeak.
"You deserved it. That was foul, to laugh about the execution of an innocent animal. And if you don't move, I may be forced to cause another broken bone."
Malfoy sneered. "Doubtful, Little-Miss-Prefect. Not until I push you to the edge again." He came closer to her face, leaning in almost until their noses were touching. "And I look forward to that day…" he whispered, giving her chills. Her spine stiffened as he straightened up and smirked at her, finally letting her pass.
Hermione didn't know what to do with herself. She was flustered that he had been so close to her and that he was taunting her but she also had a different feeling. Were those butterflies?
No. This was Malfoy. There was no way. He had tormented her and her best friends for five years, even causing the capture of their group, Dumbledore's Army. He was just trying to get to her, in a new way this time.
But she couldn't ignore those butterflies.
