The great hall buzzed with talk as the end of term feast got underway. Hermione couldn't help having fun, not only with the countless stories and jokes that flew around her ears from the merry sixth formers. Being in the sixth year they were allowed butterbeer on occasions like this, which only helped to make the atmosphere jolly. She was also enjoying the faces Draco was making at her from the Slytherin table while no one else was looking.
One thing was troubling her though and she couldn't think what it was. Draco noticed her expression and, having known her so long, knew what was troubling her. Smiling at her he pointed towards the enchanted ceiling. Her eyes caught sight of the banners and she understood. Usually the house that won the house cup would have their colours displayed, but not this time. The school banners were flying, emblazoned with the school crest.
She pointed out this fact to her classmates who then spent the next ten minutes speculating the reasons for this. Even Hermione didn't know.
An explanation was offered before pudding appeared. Dumbledore had stood up and was moving round the table to the golden lectern and was obviously about to speak to the students. "Good evening, students. Might I crave your attention before we progress with pudding? As you may have noticed the winning house colours are not hanging tonight. The reason is simple. We have a tie. The points stand thus; in last place with six hundred and twenty points Hufflepuff, with six hundred and fifty five points Ravenclaw in third place, but Gryffindor and Slytherin are both tied for the lead with seven hundred and thirty seven points apiece. This has not happened since 1892. Now that I think of it, that instance was also between Gryffindor and Slytherin." A smattering of sniggers from the students. "There is an ancient school rule to declare the winner of the cup when there is a tie. A champion is chosen from each of the tied houses and they duel for the cup. Since next years Head Boy and Girl come from these houses they will duel. Would Mr Draco Malfoy and Miss Hermione Granger kindly make their way up to the front, please?"
Hermione's eyes sought Draco's and the shock was readable on both their faces. Draco grinned at her and she smiled back as they rose together and slowly made their way through the cheering hall to where Dumbledore stood.
Draco and Hermione took their wands from their pockets. Maintaining eye contact they took up the duelling salute.
"I may have to call you mudblood. Sorry." Draco muttered. She smirked threateningly back. They turned around and paced five paces each and slowly turned around.
Draco, like a true Slytherin, turned around before she did and hexed her before she faced him. Her uniform and robes tore revealing a tattoo of a tiger on her shoulder.
"Dirty pool old boy." She said coolly finishing her turn. She stayed very still and then suddenly threw a spell at him. His hair was suddenly long and coloured red and gold. He let out a high pitched squeak of indignation as he held out a lock and examined it. Hermione smirked again. "That colour suits you Draco. You should make it permanent." The Gryffindors laughed spitefully.
Draco almost growled at her. "You'll pay for that, mudblood. This is for the slap." His spell hit her a second later and her hair was now silver and green. Her hands flew to her hair. He smirked the Malfoy smirk and her eyes narrowed. The Slytherins cheered and Draco bowed to them like an actor taking his curtain calls, milking it for all it was worth.
Hermione watched him, her rage growing. Draco continued to bow until he turned into a white ferret with a pop. Hermione stood behind him with his wand in her hand and the Malfoy smirk on her face. Behind them Professor McGonagall turned to Professor Snape, who sat beside her, and gave a resounding and triumphant "Ha!"
Hermione grabbed the ferret as it tried to run up her leg and held him at eye height. Draco struggled and she gave him a little shake. "Stop that. Admit defeat?" the ferret shook his head. "Very well." Hermione said. "You asked for it. I think magic is done for now." She dropped him and turned him back into a human in time for him to hit the floor heavily. "Oops." She said innocently.
Draco scooped up his fallen wand and they stood there for a moment and then cast the disarming spell at exactly the same moment. Both wands flew off out of sight.
"Now what?" Draco asked.
"Wrestling match?"
"I can't fight you, you're a girl. Only just, but I still can't hit a girl." Draco said gallantly.
"You've done it before. We wrestle at least once every summer." Vaguely Hermione heard the hall give a collective gasp. "Come on," she whispered. "Do this, I'll do that thing you've been trying to make me do for years."
She didn't know why she was so desperate to beat him, but she supposed that it was all acting and he did deserve some of it for all the times he had pranked her over the summers.
"Alright then." Draco launched himself at her and after a complicated moment he lay on the floor face down with her knee resting on the small of his back and one of his arms twisted around.
"Now do you admit defeat?" she asked him.
"Never!" he shouted defiantly and tried to get up. Her knee forced him down again.
"Give it a rest. I've won."
Draco craned his neck around and glared at her. "Slytherins don't back down."
"Until Gryffindors force them to." Hermione pressed down more heavily making him cry out in pain, before she took herself off him and smirked the Malfoy smirk perfectly. "Say it." she demanded clearly.
"No!" Draco moved so fast that she had no time to defend herself. Before she knew what was happening he was pinning her down on her back. "Surrender?"
"Gryffindor's don't surrender."
"You leave me with no choice." He smirked and then kissed her forcefully. Once again the gasp ran a lap around the hall. Hermione could almost hear the rage building up from her house mates.
Somehow Hermione managed to roll them over so she was on top and she pulled out of the kiss. "You haven't dared do that since we were fourteen." She said getting up. "Get up." she ordered him. He did so.
"I'm sorry, Tiger. I just knew that was the way to make you surrender."
Her eyes widened dangerously. Slowly she drew her arm back and he flinched, knowing that she was about to hit him. Then her shaking hand relaxed and she lowered it closing her eyes. Slowly she turned and got down off the platform. Draco stared at her in shock.
"Wait." He called making her stop and turn. "What just happened? I don't know why you showed me mercy. I know how hard you can punch, and when you're that angry you could have probably sent me through the wall with a single punch. And I know I probably deserved it, but why didn't you?"
"Because it wouldn't help matters. It wouldn't change anything. And I can't hurt you."
"Think we should tell everyone why?"
"No, not yet." She turned and started walking to her seat.
But she hadn't gone five paces before Draco shouted "Stop. You win. You're a much better person than I am. Gryffindor wins the cup."
She turned and smiled as Dumbledore changed the school banners to Gryffindors. He then returned their wands to them and smiled. Hermione came back to the platform.
"Game, set and match. Gryffindor's point." Hermione twirled her wand around her fingers before she stuck it behind her ear and dusted off her hands. She looked at Draco and smirked that trademark Malfoy smirk.
"You tricked me." Draco realised. The rest of the hall looked stunned but then the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws started to applaud.
"And you're surprised?" Hermione started laughing.
"How could you do that to me?" he got down off the platform.
"Draco, honey, I'm a girl. It's what we do best. Look, I've said it once and I'll say it again, don't mess with me." She said with almost a note of pity in her voice.
"You'd think I'd learn by now, wouldn't you?"
She chuckled a little. "Not you. You have a very stubborn streak of…well, stubbornness."
"I can't believe you'd be so devious."
"The Malfoy smirk isn't the only think I've picked up from you."
"So," Dumbledore said from behind them. "I think now would be the ideal time to tell the truth about your friendship, wouldn't you agree?" he asked Hermione and Draco as they turned slowly and stared at him. "Come back up here and we will tell them the truth."
"No sir, I don't think now's the right time." Hermione said exchanging glances with Draco.
"Come now. You've as good as told everyone already."
"No sir." Hermione said firmly. "The revelation can wait until after the summer." Her tone meant that the topic was closed.
"That was close." Draco muttered to her as they turned back to go to their seats.
"Too close."