Chapter Two
"You can't apparate!" Hermione exclaimed instinctively.Not only could DRACO not apparate, but wasn't that supposed to be impossible for anyone in Hogwarts? Or was that just apparateing into or out of the school? Suddenly Hermiones normally level head was as warped as a board left out in the rain. She staggered backwards in a mixture of shock and bewilderment.
Draco smirked."I didn't." He stood before her passively. He could tell she was thinking furiously, trying to puzzle out his abrupt apearence. He could see it her stance-guarded but preocupied- and her eyes, which gleamed hard but still seamed distant. He felt suddenly exasperated with Hermione. She was bright to the point of being dull. Like how it is possible to walk across a sheet of solid pins because together they are flat instead of pointy. Magicly, Draco knew she was equal. Acedemicly, she lapped him. But there was an underlying cleverness to Draco, a keen, cool, illusive alertness and defteness that at times seamed to have skipped Hermione. Draco shifted. He could tell he was making her uneasy.
Good.
He considered not telling her what he'd done. It would be worth it. But he knew she'd find out in the end. She'd go to the library and look up spells. She'd ask Hagrid if he knew anything like that, any glitches or exceptions, any Malfoy gossip. Still....if she thought he could apparate.
Draco couldn't help a wintry smile. "you'd better get to class." Draco looked amused."so had you." He reguarded her for a moment, head cocked slightly to one side."shall we walk together?" "I shall walk to potions. You shall walk to potions. But we will NEVER be walking to potions together." Hermione spat venomously and, setting her jaw in a firm line, started on her way.
Draco matched her pace."so we shall not." he said icenly.
"You couldn't have apparated." Draco stopped, making sure he was a pace ahead so Hermione would brought up short as well. He turned towards her, and made his smile apear almost warm, shaking his head ever so slightly. "But I didn't!" he told her innocently.
"I know. You can't have." "Hermione..." "We're late for class."Hermione shouldered past Draco and into the potions class. As she headed for her seat at the back of the room, where Ron was motioning enthusiasticly, Draco tried again.
"I saw you coming and I cast a chameleon illusen. The wind and the mist...that was all theatrics. But you're too bloody close minded to think of anything but what the books tell you."Draco smiled his satisfaction.
Hermione looked crumpled. He could tell it had clicked in her head. She struggled to stay on top of her own self disapointment and anger. But her retort caught Draco off guard. "why would you go to all that trouble for me?" Draco's pupils dilated in surprise. Before he could answer, Hermione spun on her heals and stalked to the seat awaiting her arival. Ron on one side, Harry on the other.
Rats, thought Draco. He'd been having fun.
With a sigh, Draco trudged over to where crab and goyle where situated. The two bored him. They irritated him. They were mindless oafs, blind followers. If he wanted, he could make them lemmings off a cliff. They liked being told it was O.K to resort to violence;they didn't care why, or if they had any grudge against the object of their attack. Draco didn't want attack dogs. He wanted allies with wolf packs. But Draco was a Malfoy, and those two were the best he could get.
He settled into a seat beside them as Snape begane the lesson.
Draco didn't listen. Snape reveered the Malfoy name, so Draco didn't have to.
Instead, Draco let his mind and eyes wander. They both seamed to settle on the far, dusty corner of the room-on a gingerhaired girl furiously scribbling out notes. Draco's guard was down. He found himself wishing he could know her, talk to her without pretense and hidden intentions. She was so smart...so....so.
NO! Draco sat bolt upright, as though snapped back to reality. What was he thinking??? He was a Malfoy! She was a MUDBLOOD! He was in slytherin! she was In GRYFFENDOR! The idea of ever, ever, trying to befreind her let alone.
Was out of the question.
Draco smirked."I didn't." He stood before her passively. He could tell she was thinking furiously, trying to puzzle out his abrupt apearence. He could see it her stance-guarded but preocupied- and her eyes, which gleamed hard but still seamed distant. He felt suddenly exasperated with Hermione. She was bright to the point of being dull. Like how it is possible to walk across a sheet of solid pins because together they are flat instead of pointy. Magicly, Draco knew she was equal. Acedemicly, she lapped him. But there was an underlying cleverness to Draco, a keen, cool, illusive alertness and defteness that at times seamed to have skipped Hermione. Draco shifted. He could tell he was making her uneasy.
Good.
He considered not telling her what he'd done. It would be worth it. But he knew she'd find out in the end. She'd go to the library and look up spells. She'd ask Hagrid if he knew anything like that, any glitches or exceptions, any Malfoy gossip. Still....if she thought he could apparate.
Draco couldn't help a wintry smile. "you'd better get to class." Draco looked amused."so had you." He reguarded her for a moment, head cocked slightly to one side."shall we walk together?" "I shall walk to potions. You shall walk to potions. But we will NEVER be walking to potions together." Hermione spat venomously and, setting her jaw in a firm line, started on her way.
Draco matched her pace."so we shall not." he said icenly.
"You couldn't have apparated." Draco stopped, making sure he was a pace ahead so Hermione would brought up short as well. He turned towards her, and made his smile apear almost warm, shaking his head ever so slightly. "But I didn't!" he told her innocently.
"I know. You can't have." "Hermione..." "We're late for class."Hermione shouldered past Draco and into the potions class. As she headed for her seat at the back of the room, where Ron was motioning enthusiasticly, Draco tried again.
"I saw you coming and I cast a chameleon illusen. The wind and the mist...that was all theatrics. But you're too bloody close minded to think of anything but what the books tell you."Draco smiled his satisfaction.
Hermione looked crumpled. He could tell it had clicked in her head. She struggled to stay on top of her own self disapointment and anger. But her retort caught Draco off guard. "why would you go to all that trouble for me?" Draco's pupils dilated in surprise. Before he could answer, Hermione spun on her heals and stalked to the seat awaiting her arival. Ron on one side, Harry on the other.
Rats, thought Draco. He'd been having fun.
With a sigh, Draco trudged over to where crab and goyle where situated. The two bored him. They irritated him. They were mindless oafs, blind followers. If he wanted, he could make them lemmings off a cliff. They liked being told it was O.K to resort to violence;they didn't care why, or if they had any grudge against the object of their attack. Draco didn't want attack dogs. He wanted allies with wolf packs. But Draco was a Malfoy, and those two were the best he could get.
He settled into a seat beside them as Snape begane the lesson.
Draco didn't listen. Snape reveered the Malfoy name, so Draco didn't have to.
Instead, Draco let his mind and eyes wander. They both seamed to settle on the far, dusty corner of the room-on a gingerhaired girl furiously scribbling out notes. Draco's guard was down. He found himself wishing he could know her, talk to her without pretense and hidden intentions. She was so smart...so....so.
NO! Draco sat bolt upright, as though snapped back to reality. What was he thinking??? He was a Malfoy! She was a MUDBLOOD! He was in slytherin! she was In GRYFFENDOR! The idea of ever, ever, trying to befreind her let alone.
Was out of the question.