Harry and Ginny had already wolfed down their lunches and were out of the Great Hall in a flash when Hermione saved Ron from choking to death on his pumpkin juice over a muggle magazine.
"Just let it go Ron."
"Let it go! The man gets away with bloody murder and is now sexiest man of the year! Let it go? If the muggles only knew the true Lucius Malfoy!"
Hermione thought she saw steam coming out of Ron's ears.
"As difficult as it is for me to admit, he has done an excellent job with magic-muggle relations. Take Pink Buffalo for example. It's a magical drink, produced exclusively by wizards but yet available in the muggle world and that never would have happened if Lucius Malfoy did not renegotiate the embargo ..."
"I can't believe you're defending him"
"I'm not defending him! I'm just saying ..."
"You are too defending him."
"I'm just saying we need to give..."
"I'd bet anything that Lucius Fucking Malfoy is gaining something, somehow, from all this renegotiated embargo and Pink Buffalo shite."
"Ron. The embargo doesn't apply exclusively to Pink Buffalo. Besides, Pink Buffalo is owned by Emzee Industries, a publicly traded company with..."
"So What!?"
"Will you please let me finish a sentence?" Hermione was losing her temper.
"NO!!" Ron bellowed.
"Honestly Ron!" Hermione stood up from the Gryffindor table in a flurry "Sometimes I don't know what I see you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Hermione was picking her books up from the table in a hurry. "It means whatever you want Ron!" She turned and stormed towards the exit of the Great Hall.
Ron turned and yelled after her, but did not budge from him lunch. "You see! You see! This was all because of Lucius Malfoy. You see what he does!" Ron turned back to his plate, shoving a great forkful of food into his mouth. He now addressed two sniggering fifth year girls who were seated across the table from him. "Lucius Malfoy is evil." The two girls nodded emphatically and hung on Ron's every word. "He was part of Voldemort's inner circle you know and still managed to stay out of Azkaban."
Hermione was about to leave the Hall, but, turned to steal a look at Ron. The giggly twins were practically drooling and Ron was loving every moment of his celebrity. He was pounding on the table with his fist – no doubt trying to make some point – and speaking with his mouth full of food. Hermione groaned. He could be so uncouth sometimes. She muttered under her breath as she left "Oaf!"
"Well now, I know you cannot possibly be addressing me!"
Hermione's gaze had been fixed on Ron, and she had only just turned her head to look where she was going when she heard the familiar drawl. She looked up into the most magnificent pair of steel grey eyes. Merlin he was beautiful. The gods themselves must have pain-stakingly carved his face from the finest marble. They must have combed a silver-white lightning bolt into silver-blond hair. His lips must be made of the softest morning dew and coloured by a fresh strawberry, the first thing he bit into after the heavenly beings breathed life into their ethereal creation. And his eyes, those eyes....
Hermione sighed and bit her bottom lip. Get a grip on yourself. It's Draco Malfoy, sworn enemy. "What are you doing here?"
Draco smiled. "So, finally realized that Weaselbee is an oaf?"
Hermione sighed again. Yes, actually, he is quite the uncivilised oaf. Nothing like you. He doesn't hold a candle to you, hell, not even a match.
"Besides, I should be asking you what you're doing here. I thought you would have come to your senses by now and realized that no amount of magical education will be of any benefit to a mudblood like you."
"Don't call me that!"
"I'll fucking call you whatever I want, mudblood."
And after bestowing upon their creation every positive physical attribute that they could, they gave him the gift of a heart belonging to one muggle-born teenage witch, for him to torture as he saw fit.
Hermione looked around. The corridors were empty – everyone was still at lunch. "Leave me alone Malfoy".
"I didn't do you anything. 'Tis not a crime to call a piece of filth a piece of filth."
Hermione could feel the tears coming to her eyes. She tried to blink them back.
"Is poor little Granger going to cry? Is it because big, bad Draco Malfoy told her the truth?" Draco used a very mocking tone then threw his head back in laughter.
"You wouldn't know the truth if it kicked you in the balls!" Hermione tried to walk past him, but Malfoy grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. He stepped towards her and lowered his face towards hers – dangerously close. Hermione's arms clasped around her books now brushed against his robes. She stared into his eyes. She was mesmerised by his eyes; his beautiful steel grey eyes.
His voice was barely above a whisper and so deep it was almost a growl.
"Actually Granger I'm well versed in the truth. And if you must know, it is you that brought me here. I really need to talk to you". Draco's countenance changed. The playfulness left his eyes and he looked deadly serious. A look Hermione had not seen the Prince wear since the previous year at school when his parents' lives were in jeopardy. It frightened her slightly, but she fought to maintain her composure.
"I don't think you and I have anything to talk about Malfoy"
"Oh, but we do. Meet me tomorrow night in the Three Broomsticks, say around eight? And don't tell anyone – especially not Potter and Weasel"
"First you insult me and now you want me to meet you alone so we can talk! You must be insane. If there is something you desperately need to tell me just say it right now."
Draco shook his head and mumbled "walls have ears."
He's playing some prank. He has to be. Either that or the stress of the war has taken a heavy toll on him and he's lost his mind.
"I'm offering you a chance Granger; a chance to know the truth about how Dumbledore manipulated your precious Potter. I can tell you things you won't find in any of your books; things you should probably know before Dumbledore starts waging his war again."
Hermione stared into Draco's face. It was blank and unreadable.
"Malfoy, Dumbledore is dead. The war is over".
"No Granger! It's now beginning! Look, I shouldn't have even said anything – not in here. Just meet me, o.k.? I have to get to class."
"Class? I thought you graduated."
"Slughorn is out sick. I'm filling in as potions master for a while" Draco's light heartedness returned. "Is it true they've got Potty-head teaching?" Hermione nodded and stared after Draco as her sauntered down the empty corridor.
Poor Draco! He's gone mad.
Dumbledore waging a war? What war could Dumbledore possibly be instigating? The man is dead for crying out loud. Draco has obviously lost his mind. The war, being forced to become a death eater - he must have been under so much stress. But he seemed so serious. It couldn't hurt to just hear him out, could it? How much is known about Dumbledore anyway? Rita Skeeter isn't exactly a credible source. Then again, neither is Draco Malfoy.
Hermione got little sleep that night and looked tired at breakfast the next morning.
"What happened to you?" Ginny asked when she finally took a breathing break from snogging Harry.
"You could have said something you know Harry" Hermione quipped.
"Something about what?" Harry looked perplexed for a moment before resuming his pre-breathing-break activities.
"About our new potions master, maybe! You must have known".
"We have a new potions master?" Ron was talking with a mouth full of breakfast. Hermione was surprised that he'd even been paying attention to what she had been saying. He seemed lost in another world giggling with the giggly twins.
"Oh, yeah" Harry said nonchalantly during another break. "Slughorn drank some bad mead or something over Christmas and he'll be out for two weeks or so. With class hours already scaled back and everything, McGonagall and the Ministry thought it best to bring in a temp so we don't fall behind. Speaking of classes" Harry emptied his glass in one gulp and got up "I have to go set up my classroom. I'll be a bit late for potions"
"I'll come with you. Two can get the job done faster than one" Ginny was on her feet.
And like that, they were gone.
"So," Ron's attention was back on Hermione, just as Lavender Brown sat down next to her "Who is this temp?"
Lavender spoke before Hermione had a chance "Only the second sexiest man of the year!" Lavender was fanning herself as if in heat.
"Draco Malfoy is potions master!?" Ron and Giggles (#1) spoke in unison.
"Draco Malfoy is the second sexiest man of the year!?" Hermione screeched at the same time.
Giggles and Ron turned to stare at Hermione and she stared back.
"Honestly Mione," Ron began "Draco Malfoy is our potions master and you're flustered because he got voted second sexiest man of the year?"
Giggles, who was sitting next to Ron, raised an eyebrow cockily as she continued to stare at Hermione. It was a showdown. Hermione's face contorted into a scowl. Giggles placed a hand lightly on Ron's shoulder and brushed an invisible hair from his robes, the corners of her mouth upturned ever so slightly into a smile. Hermione's scowl deepened; Ron broke his stare at her to turn and smile at Giggles when she touched him. Showdown over Granger, you lost.
Lavender was completely oblivious that anything was occurring besides breakfast chit-chat. "Lucius Malfoy was declared the sexiest man of the year and his son Draco Malfoy came a close second. Don't you read People, Hermione? You're part of that world."
"What world? And since when do witches read People?"
Lavender scoffed. Ron returned his gaze to Hermione, a wicked gleam in his eye. "You know" his tone was mocking "there was this renegotiated embargo..."
Ron grinned. Giggles giggled. Hermione snorted indignantly, stood in a huff "I don't want to be late for potions" and left the Hall, a stunned Lavender, a grinning Ron and a pair of giggling girls.
Hermione was the first student in the dungeon.
"Miss Granger." Malfoy wore his trademark smirk "Ten points from Gryffindor."
"Ten points! For what? I'm early for class!"
Draco was sitting in the professor chair at the front of the classroom. He interlaced his fingers and put his hands behind his head, then plopped his feet onto the desk in front of him. He stretched out fully making the chair rock backwards. "I'm sure you're well aware Miss Granger that this room is out of bounds to students outside of class times. And as class doesn't start for another four minutes, you're currently out of bounds. Now, as I said, ten points from Gryffindor".
Hermione grabbed her things and stormed out of the room. She waited outside for exactly four minutes then went back into the potions room. She took a seat at the back of the class and scowled at Draco as other students began filtering in.
"Today we'll be making, well, I haven't actually named this potion yet, but it's a healing potion. Drink this and any internal injuries or infections you have will disappear." Draco flashed a huge smile to the bunch of Slytherin girls who were seated in the front of the class. His smile soon faded when he saw a hand raised in the air in the back of the class. "Yes Miss Granger"
"Making healing potion is not a part of our syllabus. We should be covering ..."
"I am well aware of what is on the NEWT potions exam Miss Granger"
"Well, we already have shortened classes and with Professor Slughorn out sick we really should..."
"Enough Miss Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor for your insolence. Now here is the list of ingredients" Draco waved his wand and a list of ingredients and instructions appeared on the board.
"Apples! Tree Bark! Beets! Garlic! What kind of healing potion is this?" Hermione could hardly contain herself.
"I said enough Miss Granger" Draco's face was serious. "Ten points from Gryffindor."
"But Malfoy ..."
"Fifteen points"
The Gryffindors were all shooting nasty looks at Hermione. "Whatever!" she cried out in exasperation.
"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor. You can all thank the muggle-born in the back with the temper as unruly as her hair. Now, everyone, cauldrons out."
"Just quit it" Ron hissed at Hermione under his breath, seeing that she was about to protest again.
The Slytherin girls were snickering and Hermione suddenly felt very self conscious. She sunk slightly in her seat, smoothed her hair (unsuccessfully) with her hands, took her cauldron out and began following the wacky directions on the board. The potion was surprisingly difficult. More difficult in fact than anything they had done so far. Damn, did Draco really make this up by himself? He was always good in potions, but this was unbelievable.
Draco was with the Slytherin students at the front of the class. He was talking easily with them, explaining, giving directions, practically making their potions for them. All of the Slytherins had cauldrons full of a light pink liquid and a pleasant aroma was beginning to waft towards the back of the room.
Eventually Draco began to walk around the classroom, peering into the Gryffindor cauldrons with an expression stolen directly from the countenance of the late Severus Snape. All of the Gryffindors' cauldrons were full of thick brown goo that smelled, not surprisingly, like a mixture of garlic and rotten apples. That is, all except Hermione's. Her potion was a deep pink, its colour was lightening and it was beginning to smell like sugar and flowers.
Draco stood behind Hermione and peered into her cauldron. He was close. Dangerously close. She could feel his hot breath on her neck. Suddenly he pinched her bum, hard. She was startled, upset her cauldron and its contents spilled all over the desk and floor.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for sheer clumsiness". Draco had widened the distance between them and now stood coolly propped against the dungeon wall with his arms folded, a smirk on his face.
"It's your fault it spilled" Hermione snapped.
"Ten more points from Gryffindor"
"That's not fair"
"And ten more points from Gryffindor" Draco's smirk was gone. "If you keep talking, I'll keep taking off points."
"But..."
"Ten more points"
The next person to speak was neither Draco nor Hermione. It was Harry Potter. Hermione had not even noticed when he and Ginny slipped into the room. "Merlin Hermione just shut up already or I'll take ten points from Gryffindor!" This outburst from Harry caused the Slytherins as well as Draco Malfoy to erupt into a fit of laughter. Hermione was stunned, and as furious as she was embarrassed. The Gryffindors were livid.
"Maybe you should listen to Mr. Potter" Draco chuckled.
"Maybe you should go fuck yourself"
The entire room went deathly quiet and Hermione had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Please, Merlin. Please tell me I did not just say that out loud. All eyes were on Hermione as she realized that she had in fact spoken her thought out loud. She could feel Draco closing the gap between them. She could feel his breath again. She squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation. Draco's voice was calm and steady "Detention Miss Granger; tonight, eight o' clock. See me after class. Everyone else, please leave a sample of your potion on my desk."
Everyone else scurried about finishing their potions and leaving a sample on Malfoy's desk. Hermione didn't move a muscle. The Slytherins laughed as they walked past her. The Gryffindors wouldn't look at her – not even Ron or Ginny. Soon it was just her and Malfoy in the room.
"What class do you have now"? Draco was standing by his desk; he seemed to be weighing out potion ingredients.
"Nothing. I'm free until lunch." Hermione's voice was timid.
"Good."
Draco walked to where Hermione stood stock still at her desk, and laid the ingredients before her. "I need a sample of the potion to grade. Leave a phial on my desk before you leave". Draco walked towards the dungeon door.
Hermione's mind was racing. What was Malfoy's deal? One minute he's calling you a filthy mudblood, the next he's letting you finish a potion when he could have given you a detention – or ten. Hell, he could have hexed the fuck out of you. Maybe he was just trying to keep up appearances in front of everyone else.
Draco paused shortly after opening the door, "Three broomsticks, eight o'clock. Now you won't need to think up an excuse since everyone will just assume you're in detention. You make my life so easy Granger. I'm sure you know how to sneak out of the school."
"What if I don't know?"
"There's a passage through the one-eyed statue on the third floor. Tap the statue with your wand and say 'Dissendium' to open the passage. It'll lead you into Honeydukes. They'll be closed by then, but you can just apparate from there."
How does Malfoy know about that passage?
"Why would you ...no...um...why are you ... um ... why do you want to talk to me so badly? Why do you care?"
"Simple Granger" Draco's trademark smirk. "I want something."
The heavy dungeon door closed behind him, leaving Hermione alone with a collection of strange potion ingredients and even stranger thoughts.