LOVE SPELL
By: angelheatherfin
Chapter 2: the smiling, strutting Draco
"Ma-Malfoy!" Hermione cried out loud. 'No! This is not happening! The red spark was just a figment of my imagination! This is not happening! MALFOY IS NOT FALLING IN LOVE WITH ME!'
"Yes, I'm Malfoy. Well spotted, Granger." The blond disrupted her thoughts, then giving her thumbs up and a wink.
"Hermione!" The Italian standing next to the blond greeted her.
"B-Blaise! May I talk to you for awhile?" Hermione asked the only Slytherin she has for a friend.
Blaise nodded and followed the brunette. "Well?" he asked with a smile.
Hermione huddled with Blaise. "What happened to your best friend?"
"What?"
"Why is he acting weird? Why is he all 'Hey there, Granger' and 'well-spotted Granger'!?" Hermione mocked Malfoy's thumbs up.
"He told me that during the Christmas brea-"
"No!" Hermione interrupted, "Just this time! Like when you were walking? Did something happen? Something peculiar? Like a red spark hitting him...?"
"Well..." Blaise looked at her like if she was crazy, but then he tried to think of an answer, he felt like he shouldn't leave her hanging. "When we were walking, he suddenly stopped walking."
There was quick exchange of silence between the two of them, "well, that's all I know…" Blaise broke the quietness. He watched the brunette frown.
"Thanks Blaise." She faked a smile and walked away.
"Oh Merlin..." Hermione sighed as she sat next to her best friends, making the boys look at her.
"Anything wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked, while Ron went nearer to listen.
Hermione nodded no and smiled to assure them.
"Seriously Hermione, something's clearly wrong! You've been acting strange since you borrowed my cloak!" Harry was somehow more worried and angry with his best friend's secretive side.
"Yeah Hermione! We're your best friends! You can trust us!" Ron smiled at her.
Hermione smiled again, "I promise you, nothing's wrong, okay?" she lied, then started her reading, planning that it'll take her focus off at what just happened.
"Yeah, okay...I believe you" Ron bought it after a moment of silence, "And if someone's been acting strange it would be Malfoy, not you..."
"What?" Hermione chirped as quickly as she heard the name Malfoy.
"Malfoy, look at him, all smiley and cheery. Parading around the great hall, like some innocent chap who never became a death eater." Ron took a pause to drink his pumpkin juice. "Awhile ago I saw him talking to Hufflepuffs, always heard he calls them scum." Ron whispered at them. "Wait, don't look at him, he'll know that we're acknowledging his existence!" making Harry stop midway.
"Yeah, he's been acting strange lately." Harry huddled closer to them. "Don't you think the death eaters are planning on some revenge? Acting all unsuspicious? Then do an ambush?"
"Bloody hell, Harry! Maybe you're right! What if-" Ron and Harry started their theories.
But Hermione didn't listen. Instead, she lifted her head to take a little peek at the strutting Draco. She noticed he wore a nice smile, in exchange of his usual smirk. 'The smile suits him better than the usual smirk.' She absentmindedly remarked.
'He really seems happy today...' Hermione noted. She really hopes this has nothing to do with the spell… 'No! Of course not! This has nothing to do with the spell! Aphroditos doesn't exist! The whole bloody thing doesn't exist! Malfoy's just a natural creeper, he just is!' It drove her to hysterics.
But after a time, she finally felt that someone was watching her from the opposite table, the Slytherin table. Hermione lifted her face again. She met the blond's gaze. He shot her a smirk. Hermione blushed and quickly looked down, 'Merlin…' she pleaded for help.
Hermione leaned the girls' dormitory door close and gave a deep sigh. She just came from her rounds around Hogwarts. The day was hard for her, Head girl duties, the new scheduling of classes and Draco, The, now all nice and smiling, bloody Draco Malfoy. The whole Aphroditos thing had definitely crazed her up, the smirks, the smiles and the note passing. She gave another sigh. 'Just why?'
"A-hem" The brunette raised her head. She saw Ginny and her roommates staring down at her, arms crossed and with frowns in their faces.
"Yes…?" She asked with worry, 'Please don't let them know! Please don't let them know!?' She gulped as she wished.
Lavender took a step nearer, "So…" She started, "What are you hiding from us?"
'They know!' Hermione chirped up, "Please, No it's not-, I-I can-"
"Yeah, Hermione. I thought we're all sisters here!" Parvati frowned.
"Ummm… I- I, n-no-"
"I thought we all agreed that we're going to share our secrets with each other!" Lavender frowned as well.
Hermione frowned in defeat "I'm really sorry, okay…I didn't mean about hiding it, I just tried this spell, Aphrodi-"
"What are you talking about?" Ginny narrowed her eyes in confusion.
"What?" Hermione was confused as well, "I'm explaining how it happened…"
"Wait, what? Later, that. Why didn't you tell us you have a secret admirer!?" Lavender squeaked with enthusiasm.
"What?!"
"Ohh Hermione! Who is it? Who is it?" Parvati and Lavender tugged on her arms with excitement.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Hermione shouted with confusion, making the two go aback.
"Oh, Hermione, we know that you have a secret admirer..." Ginny dreamily said, "How did we know that? He sent you a gift. It's on top of your bed!" The red-head excitedly added.
"Open it!" The rest of the Gryffindor girls exclaimed with enthusiasm.
As Ginny talked and discussed with the other girls how sweet that gesture was and who it might be, Hermione went to her bed in a rush. She quickly grabbed the red box with a silver ribbon, her eyes widened with shock, 'was this what he meant?!'
***FLASHBACK***
Hermione was trying to concentrate over her reading in the library, but concentration was really hard for her. Especially with the Draco and the curse in her mind, 'No, this is not happening! That curse is a fraud! It's not real!' She convinced herself with a thought, but then gave out an 'Ughh' after; she caught herself thinking about it again, concentration in a situation like this is really hard.
"Is that seat taken?" A sing-song voice came from behind, it was Luna, thankfully. And she was pointing at the chair beside Hermione's
"Ohh, no! Go take it!" Hermione smiled, but secretly she wanted to be alone for today.
Hermione and Luna were both quiet as they read in a quiet library, even a needle falling down the floor can be audible, she admitted that it felt awkward. But once she had adjusted with the awkward disposition and able to forget what happened awhile ago, she was able to gain her concentration.
But it wasn't for long. A sound of a chair being pulled sounded in the brunette's ears. She looked up from her book, something silvery-blond was what she saw. She didn't mind it, maybe it was just Luna.
She narrowed her eyes, Luna already left awhile ago…'wait? Silvery-blond?' She looked up, a smirk. Hermione gasped, 'Malfoy!'
'Okay, don't mind him, don't mind him! Return your concentration to your reading!' This was her battle plan. She tried her best to do it.
'Okay, Wolfsbane is-Don't look at him! - A really needed ingredient –stop it! - For the potion- 'A paper aeroplane suddenly landed on her lap.
'You always seemed surprised every time you see me, I assume you like surprises, don't you Granger?'
The note said. She crumpled it, and returned to her reading.
'It is also esse- Grrr, stop staring Malfoy!- ntial for- Merlin, this is getting anno-' Another one landed on her book.
'Admit it Granger, you do like surprises don't you?'It said, but Hermione did what she did again. And again same thing happened.
'Admit it!' It said,and so did the other few more.
'That's it!' Hermione quickly got all the crumpled papers and marched unto the opposite table. "I DO NOT LIKE SURPRISES!" She shouted and dumped every single piece unto him, and stomped angrily away.
But before she left, Draco grabbed her wrist. "I know you do, maybe next time I'll give you a really nice one." He said with a wink.
*** END OF FLASHBACK ***
Hermione woke up with just a blink of sleep. It was a night of confusions and headaches. She admitted that she's sounding like broken tape recorder for repeating 'Malfoy will not fall in love with me!' over and over again. And the girls, Ohh the girls, they didn't let her get her sleep unless she tells them who it was. She had to lie that it was all Viktor Krum. But it wasn't all lie; Viktor told her that she is still important to him and he still writes to her, but that's off the topic.
She caressed the Ruby bracelet she got from… Malfoy, she thought as she sighed. She would have thrown this the moment she got it, but it was beautiful. But definitely, she wouldn't wear this in public! For crying out loud! It was from Malfoy!
Hermione got off her bed and prepared for her first subject, it was Advance potions and since no one's taking it in her house, she's the only one awake. She grabbed her bag; she gave a sigh of worry, annoyance and disappointment. She just remembered that she still had to deal with the now more annoying Draco Bloody Malfoy. She flung open the portrait door, she sighed again.
'Wow, such a great day starter.'