Chapter 2: Getting Her Attention
"Enough Ron!" Hermione spat so loudly and angrily that the entire Great Hall had noticed. She huffed slightly and glanced over to her side at Harry, who was drinking his morning pumpkin juice without saying a word about her outburst. She turned her head back over to Ron, who sat beside her as well, looking at her, appearing quite insulted. She set her issue of the Daily Prophet down on the table as lightly as she could and situated her body towards Ron. Unfortunately, he was now ignoring her.
"I'm sorry, it's just that it is starting to tweak me a bit." She said, trying to get his attention on her. His face was blank as her dipped his fork into the eggs in front of him. She tried again.
"Can we just forget about it?" He looked up at her from his plate, and dropped his fork suddenly.
"Well I'm sorry, it's just that I thought it was so brilliant. Sending Malfoy running off with his tail between his legs." He said with sort of a forlorn look.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it but it is over." She said. Ron turned his head back to his eggs and once again pushed his fork into them. Hermione switched back to her former position, picked up the paper, and opened its pages wide. She began to read the article on House Elf Imprisonment again when she turned quickly to Ron.
"I mean it wasn't that big of a deal." You could hear Harry let out a sigh. Clearly he didn't want to hear about it anymore.
"But I bet our Mr. Malfoy won't ever give me a word again." She set down the paper a second time and without warning looked straight up into Draco Malfoy's sneering face.
"Ahhhhh!" She shrieked while falling backwards off her seat.
"What's up mama?" He said coyly, just sitting on the table top. She stood up roughly and dusted herself off.
"What the hell!" She snapped while picking up the Daily Prophet from the floor, which she tried to grab for balance, sort of forgetting it was a paper.
"The Daily Prophet can barely break a story, let alone breaking a fall." He kidded. Hermione was not laughing.
"What do you want?" She asked him in an annoyed voice. He scooted off the top of the table and stood directly in front of her.
"I came to apologize for my behavior yesterday." You could hear very distinctively the dropping of silverware. Slytherin gasps came from across the room, then whispering came after them. Harry and Ron sat confused. Hermione however, saw right through his transparent exterior.
"Who dared you to come over here?" She asked, so sure that it was all a joke.
"No one." He spoke truthfully. Hermione scoffed at his answer.
"Yeah right. You would not have come over here on your free will " She said. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"Or would I" He stared at her with intensity. She crossed her arms.
"What do you want Malfoy?" She asked once again. He strolled up closer to her.
"I told you." He said lightly. Hermione laughed.
"You did not get up and walk ten feet to tell me you're sorry." She said while still chuckling. He once again raised an eyebrow.
"What gives you the impression that I am lying?" He asked. Hermione stopped giggling. Her face went completely straight and she said dryly;
"Because you are Draco Malfoy, you are the epitome of lies." She said. His face turned into a large grin.
"Why you've got me all wrong." He innocently said. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Your funny Malfoy, but I am done playing your little game." She bluntly stated. She whirled around to where Harry and Ron sat and began to walk away when;
"Hermione." She froze and turned slowly around. She let out a gaspy breath.
"What?" She stuttered. Draco smirked with satisfaction. Hermione shook her head a couple of times, as to bring herself back down to earth. She walked back over to Draco and stood still, gawking at him.
"What did you call me?" She asked in an almost hopeful nature.
"Hermione. That is your name isn't it? The Know-It-All. Miss Gryffindor Princess?" He spoke sarcastically. Hermione's face faded from somewhat happy to furious in a matter of two seconds. Her fists began to turn white as she clenched them tightly. She took in a hard, loud breath. Ron grabbed her arm softly, trying to coax her to come towards him. Without glancing down at him, she wrenched it out of his grip. She stomped back up to Draco, pulling the collar of his shirt down roughly.
"Don't you ever call me that again!" She snipped assertively.
"Feisty aren't we?" He cackled while putting his hand on his collar where her's was. She snapped her head down to look at his hand over her's. Once realizing that he was actually touching her, she quickly removed her hand from his shirt.
"If I knew calling you that would get you that riled up, I would have done it a long time ago." Draco spoke slyly. Her face turned a shade redder.
"Will you just shut it!" Hermione spat again, this time more uptight. Draco opened his mouth to speak again when he paused to glance around the Great Hall. Hermione took his queue, and looked as well. They gazed all around them to see every soul, even those who were no longer alive, staring at them in bewilderment and even suspense. Harry and Ron had the same dumb expression on their faces. The Slytherins were all still whispering amongst themselves, but it seems that their voices became more heavy and faster.
"We really draw a crowd don't we?" Draco said, still tracing his eyes around the hall. Hermione grabbed the collar of his shirt once again and dragged him out of the sight of the others. She closed the large doors behind them and then pushed Draco forcibly up against the wall with her mere fist. Her eyes were still crude, but were lighter and less timid now that they were alone.
"What is it that you really want?" She exhaustingly asked. He took her hand, which was still resting against his throat, and pulled her up so she was placed against him. He softly wrapped his arms around her waist. Sending an enormous shockwave down her body.
"Is it that hard to believe that I could actually be sorry?" Draco asked her while compressing his hands a bit harder around her waist.
"Well..yeah." Hermione staggered. Without a doubt, she was fluttered with the situation that was wrapped around her. Draco lowered his lips toward her ear. Her heart was pounding as his breath hit her neck.
"Start believing in the unbelievable." He whispered to her delicately. With that said, he broke his grip on her waist and passed her to walk away in the opposite direction. Leaving her there, baffled out of her mind, but somehow intrigued.
Draco halted at the corner of the hallway and turned back to look at her. To his expectations, she was still placed in the same spot he left her in. He satisfyingly smiled at her, then weaved down the corner and left her sight. He knew it would only be seconds now before Blaise joined him in his stroll. Just as the thought left his mind, Blaise appeared before him, walking toward him from the other side of the hall.
"How did it go?" Blaise asked as he approached him. Draco stopped mid step and fed him a disappointed look, then began to walk again.
"You weren't there?" Draco asked him surprised.
"Couldn't be, I had lunch detention with Snape." He stated while starting to walk with him. Draco rolled his eyes. He was clearly not surprised anymore. It wasn't a new thing for Blaise to be in detention or in some kind of trouble.
"Let's just say that the plan is in motion." Draco wickedly spoke. "The Gryffindor won't even know what hit her once I'm through." Blaise raised an eyebrow at his words.
"I hope you're as cunning as you think you are Draco." Blaise said as they approached the door to the Transfiguration room. Draco didn't reply to him.
He was silent. His head was down. Standing outside the room. Thinking about his next step. What should he do now? Hermione was looser now, but he knew she wasn't nearly loose enough. It would take a lot more to crack her down. Blaise was waving his hand in front of his face. Obviously trying to get his attention. He tipped his head back up, not because of Blaise, but at hearing the sounds of footsteps coming toward them. The rest of the class was coming, including Hermione Granger. At seeing her, he regained his voice.
"I am, don't worry." Draco spoke while passing Blaise to enter the room.