Hello again! Thanks so much for the positive feedback for chapter one! We all know who was at the door, time for him to be formally introduced. Enjoy!
Hermione's cheeks turned crimson as Draco Malfoy sauntered into her new bedroom, giving the place a once over.
"Malfoy, this happens to be my room and you have no business in it." Hermione said firmly, getting up from the bed.
"Nice place we've got, eh Granger? I like your room, perhaps we should spend some quality time in here… get to know each other better? Of course my room works just as well." Draco smirked, his eyes falling on Hermione. Ron jumped up from the bed and flew at the blond boy, fists clenched so tightly they were white. Hermione quickly stepped between them, holding her hands out towards Ron to calm him down.
"You won't be doing anything of the sort, Malfoy. Back off, of else." Ron seethed, his eyes narrowed to slits. Draco laughed.
"Oh I'd forgotten! You two got together this past summer, hadn't you? Well that would explain all of the snogging. Though I can't say you were very good at it, Weasel. It did look more like you were licking her face." Draco leered, a devilish smile tugging at the sides of his mouth. Ron growled from deep in his chest and this time pushed Hermione aside, grabbing the front of Draco's robes in his fist.
"Ronald, stop it! He's not worth the trouble, just calm down!" Hermione said urgently, recovering from the shove he had given her to get to Malfoy. Ron didn't move an inch.
"You heard the woman, Weasel. Better learn to control that hot temper of yours, or you'll never even get to second base." Draco chided Ron in a singsong voice. Hermione could see a vein in Ron's forehead pulsing with anger, his face growing nearly as red as his hair. There was a few second pause, then Ron let go, pushing Draco back from him. Hermione went to rub Ron's shoulder but he shrugged it off.
"Next time you won't be so lucky, Malfoy. You had better watch yourself." Ron warned, venom in his voice. Draco did not react to this statement except to straighten his tie and brush some lint off of his robes.
"Please leave, Malfoy. Don't you have to be getting back to the dungeons anyway?" Hermione asked, exasperated and longing for the fluff of her bed.
"No such luck, Granger. As disgusted as I am with the head boy and girl arrangement, I'm stuck living here with you this year." Draco sneered back, walking casually towards the door. Hermione and Ron's mouths nearly dropped open.
"You're head boy?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Yes, unfortunately. I wasn't sure I wanted the position, what with all of the responsibility that came with it… but the allure of having a private room to myself was just too tempting to refuse. Although now that I know I have to share my bathroom with you, I'm not so sure I want the job anymore." Draco responded now leaning against the doorframe.
"No, Hermione, you have to talk to McGonagall and get yourself demoted, because there is no way I'm letting you share a room with this foul git." Ron stated firmly, expecting Hermione to nod her agreement. She took a deep breath. Yes, Draco Malfoy was the last person on earth she would want to share a dormitory with, but she had waited to become head girl for so long, she wasn't about to give it all up for an undesirable housing situation. Surely they could coexist in the same quarters and just keep out of each other's way. Hermione took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for all possible reactions.
"Well, Ma- I mean Draco, if we're going to live together, I should like to do it peacefully. Can we agree to stay out of each other's way?" Hermione asked, walking over to the blond and offering her hand to him. Draco looked down at it, then back up at Hermione's face.
"Hermione, what in bloody HELL are you doing? This is Malfoy we're talking about. You can't live with him! I forbid you to live with him!" Ron shouted from behind her. Even Draco could tell that what Ron just said was not okay just by the way Hermione's expression changed. There was a glint of anger in her eye and her face had hardened, lips pursed. She slowly wheeled around to see Ron standing tall behind her, breathing heavily.
"What did you just say to me Ronald?" Hermione asked in a soft but deadly voice. There was a grunt from behind her.
"Uh-oh, the full name is coming out, you're in the dog house now, Weasel." Draco jeered. Hermione snapped around.
"You stay out of this, you loathsome little cockroach! And get the fuck out of my room!" she roared in his direction. Draco gave one last snide smile and exited the room casually, heading to his room via the bathroom. Hermione then turned to Ron, prepared for an all out row. Ron did not look as confident as he had been before.
"Now, as for you. You will never tell me what I can and cannot do, Ronald Weasley. If I choose to keep this room, that's my business, not yours. You do not forbid me to do anything." Hermione told him, face and voice hard with anger.
"Fine. But I don't like it, Hermione," Ron said, giving up and walking to the door, "And don't complain to me when you can't stand the bloody git."
"Well I won't because I happen to know how to be civil with people!" Hermione called after him. The last thing she heard was the portrait door slamming and then she was alone. Hermione sighed and looked around, trying to decide what to unpack first. She got out her ipod and alarm clock and plugged it in, playing her favorite playlist of songs. And then she got to work.
An hour later, boxes were flying above Hermione's head, unpacking themselves as she directed each item to their correct place. She couldn't seem to get the argument she had with Malfoy and Ron out of her head. Malfoy's behavior was expected, of course. He was always a vile git. But Ron had never said something like that to her before. It was awfully possessive, and she did not like being ordered around. But that wasn't even the strange part. The strange part was that Ron's demands made her want to live with Malfoy all the more.