Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, and therefore everything in this fanfiction that you recognize.
CHAPTER TWO: First Year, Part II
She was horrible.
Maybe it was the muggle-born in her, maybe it was just how she was, but Hermione Granger was a know-it-all who always had to be right.
It showed in every class he had with her, with the hand quivering in the air. Draco was surprised she wasn't squealing, "Ooh, pick me, pick me!"
He didn't know why he was watching her. He tried not to. But still, she hadn't disappeared yet. If anything, it had become even harder to ignore her.
He wished she had been a pureblood, or at least a half-blood. Someone who could be in Slytherin. Instead she was in Gryffindor, and she was following Harry Potter around everywhere. Harry Potter! Draco hated that boy even more than he hated the muggle-born. And that was saying something.
He threw himself headlong into battle with the Boy Who Lived. He laughed and talked with his Slytherin friends in the Great Hall. He concentrated on his work in classes. And he managed to push his awareness of her to the back of his mind.
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Hermione was late. She had meant to leave the library much, much earlier…as it was, she was too close to missing curfew for comfort. Juggling her books and scrolls, she hurried down the corridors and up staircases, making her way toward Gryffindor Tower.
She was just turning a corner when someone going the opposite way knocked her over, books and scrolls and pens spilling all over the hall.
"Merlin, Granger," a horribly familiar voice said. "What on earth are you carrying all this stuff for?"
"I was at the library," she answered, pulling herself to her knees and starting to pick up her things. To her surprise, the person who had knocked her down joined her.
She looked up and caught Draco Malfoy's eyes by accident, losing her train of thought.
"And you thought you'd just bring the whole library back to Gryffindor Tower?" he smirked. "The idiocy of that idea just bowls me over. I don't think any of those brave and gallant warriors can read."
"Speaking of idiocy," she huffed, narrowing her eyes. "A duel? Really?"
He spread out his arms. "No, not really. As you know, I didn't show up. That was a while ago, Granger…although I have to admit, I'm still quite disappointed that your little boyfriends didn't get caught. Speaking of getting caught…did you know Potter has a broom?"
Hermione shrugged. "It's supposed to help us win the Quidditch Cup, which I'm supposed to care about. So I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that."
He snorted. "Sure. Go ahead and pretend, but you don't fool me. You're dying to go and tell a teacher, aren't you?"
Hermione blushed in anger. "I don't know why I'm talking to you. You're a bit of a prat, Malfoy."
"I'm also your first friend here," he replied.
She stepped closer to him, pointing at his chest. "Pureblood," she said. She pointed at herself. "Muggle-born. That 'friendship' didn't last beyond you finding out my last name."
Draco wiped all emotion from his face. "Whatever you believe," he said. "Good day, Miss…Granger." He bowed mockingly, then pushed past her ungraciously to continue down the corridor.
She snorted, and continued walking in the opposite direction.
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Draco was heading toward the library when he ran into Neville Longbottom, walking out alone.
The boy irritated him. Neville was a right dunce, never able to get anything right, and in the library? Draco was surprised Longbottom hadn't set half the shelves on fire.
"Lost something, Longbottom?" he drawled. He could hear Crabbe and Goyle cracking their knuckles behind him. "Your memory, perhaps?"
"Bugger off, Malfoy," Longbottom said shakily.
"Maybe he's looking for his toad again," Draco said to Crabbe, and he and Goyle chuckled.
"N…no…" Neville stuttered. He began to back away.
"Wait!" Draco said sharply as the boy turned to go. He drew his wand. "Hang on a second." He pointed his wand at Longbottom. "Locomotor Mortis!" Neville's legs locked together, and he stumbled up so he was leaning against a wall.
Crabbe and Goyle snickered loudly behind him. "I was looking for someone to practice on," he sneered.
Longbottom trembled, not even reaching for his wand, which was visible in his back pocket. "You're not even going to try to fight me?" Draco asked, although he wasn't surprised. "How on earth did you get in Gryffindor?" Neville didn't answer, just stood there, staring at Malfoy. "Thanks for helping, Longbottom." Draco laughed. "It's too bad I don't know the counter-curse."
He began walking back toward the dungeons, Crabbe and Goyle following. The library could wait.
As they walked, he could hear thumping in the corridor behind them. He snickered as he imagined Neville trying to hop back to Gryffindor Tower.
It was irrational, and untrue. No basis in fact at all. But that didn't change that he blamed Longbottom for losing Hermione. Even if she would have been lost to him anyway.
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He hated that Weasley had made fun of her for getting the spell right. He hated that he noticed she was upset about it. He hated that he couldn't go after her.
Muggle-born, Draco reminded himself. Mudblood.
He hated that out of the blue, Hermione was best friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley after Halloween. He hated that he hadn't been the one to save her from the troll. He hated that he hadn't sent a Christmas present. He hated that he hadn't talked to her since October. He hated that it had been three months, and he hated that he was counting.
He hated that she was so good at ignoring him. Her eyes glided over him in the Great Hall, and he was as good as invisible during Potions and the other classes they had together.
He hated that she was doing it now.
She doesn't even like flying, Draco thought bitterly as he stalked up the stands, looking for Hermione out of the corner of his eye. That much he knew, from the disastrous flying lesson that had gotten Potter on his House's Quidditch team. Potter. He was the only reason she was there.
He took a seat behind Weasley, knocking into the boy as much as possible.
"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there."
He grinned at the two boys who followed him around everywhere. With them backing him up, he began talking. Talking and talking and talking, trying and trying to get her to turn around, to say something, even if it was to yell at him.
But she was doing what she was good at, she was pretending he wasn't there.
And she still ignored him, even when Longbottom talked back to him.
"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy."
No, he wasn't. Neville couldn't do the simplest spells, the simplest potions. He tripped over his feet every single time he tried to walk up a staircase.
Draco knew Longbottom wasn't worth one of a Malfoy.
"If brains were gold, you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."
"Ron- Harry!"
Hermione interrupted Ron's clumsy threat, and they both watched as the Boy Who Lived dove toward the ground.
Draco felt something inside him twinge as he found himself looking at the back of their heads as they willed their friend to win.
"You're in luck, Weasley. Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" he snapped, and Ron tackled him.
If this doesn't get her attention, he thought, what will?
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Hermione hadn't noticed Malfoy until Harry had hushed them, pointing the Slytherin out. Then she back tracked, as she was apt to do when she noticed the blond boy staring at her.
What had she been saying?
What had she been doing?
More importantly, had she been staring at him, too?
No to the last one, this time, at least. She had been talking to Ron and Harry…about Hagrid's dragon. And if he had heard that…Malfoy had it out for Harry, Ron, herself, and Hagrid. This could be very bad indeed.
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A dragon.
They had a dragon.
He had followed them, just far away enough that they wouldn't have been able to see him if they turned around.
Draco had stared as the dragon had hatched. He had never seen one before. He might have liked to watch longer, but the oaf who owned the reptile had caught sight of him.
He ran as fast as he could back to the castle, his heart filled with malicious pleasure. A dragon. Potter would be expelled for sure if they found out he was helping to hide it.
This was going to be good.
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When Ron was bitten, Malfoy almost couldn't believe it. He had known that Weasleys were stupid, but stupid enough to get close enough to a dragon for it to bite you? Weasley was reaching new heights of ignorance every day.
It was too good an opportunity to pass up, especially given that he knew exactly what had bitten the Weasley.
"Hello, Ron," he said politely as he entered the hospital wing. "Madam Pomfrey, I need to borrow a book from my …friend… Ron, here. Is it okay if I talk to him for a few minutes?"
Madam Pomfrey nodded, and headed toward her office, muttering under her breath about the different herbs and potions she would need.
"Dog bite, my foot." Draco smirked as he caught that part of her monologue.
He sauntered up to Ron's bed, acting as if he hadn't a care in the world. "Dog bite, eh?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Sod off, Malfoy," Ron said defensively.
"Are we sure it's a dog bite?" Malfoy sat on the chair next to Ron. "I mean, considering what Hagrid's got cooking up in that wooden hut of his."
"Quite sure, thank you," Ron said sullenly. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
"I was in need of a good laugh," Draco replied. "Thank you for providing it for me."
"Yes, very funny," Ron muttered darkly. "Whenever I want a laugh, I visit someone who's in pain."
Draco's eyes narrowed. "I'd be very careful, Weasley," he said quietly. "Wouldn't want Pomfrey to find out what actually bit you, now, would we?"
Ron froze. Draco stood, clapping his hands together. "Well," he said. "I find I tire of this place very easily. I'll just take my book now, and be off."
He grabbed a textbook off the top of the pile Ron had stacked by his bed. Probably brought to him by Hermione, Draco thought. Ron didn't seem like someone to try to keep up with school work while in the hospital wing.
Saluting the ginger boy sarcastically, Draco strolled out of the hospital wing to join Greg and Vincent outside. As they walked down the corridor, something fell out of Weasley's textbook.
"Malfoy," Goyle grunted, picking up the piece of paper. Draco turned, annoyed.
"What, Goyle," he snapped.
"This fell out of the book," Greg mumbled.
Draco snatched it from him, and began to scan the letter.
At first, it didn't interest him, just another letter from one of the innumerable Weasley brothers. Suddenly, his eyes snagged on a phrase.
Norwegian Ridgeback…illegal dragon…midnight on Saturday…
Malfoy whooped.
"Malfoy?" Crabbe said hesitantly.
"Gentlemen," Draco said, smiling widely, "Our day just got so much better."
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Saturday at midnight.
Draco smirked as he crept down the halls and up the staircases, keeping an eye out for Filch, his cat, or Peeves. He would get them. He would find them, wherever they were, and expose them. Then Harry Potter would finally be gone, out of his hair and Hermione…
He hoped Hermione wasn't with him.
He was close. His breathing sped up as he got closer to the Astronomy Tower. He was so close…
And then, quite suddenly, he wasn't.
"Mr. Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall screeched, and he panicked briefly before she latched onto him and began to drag him down the hall.
"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you – "
Draco spluttered and huffed as he was pulled down the hall. "You don't understand, Professor, Harry Potter's coming – he's got a dragon!" He threw his trump card at her, figuratively speaking, of course. He was sure this would make her stop for a moment at least, spur her to conduct some sort of investigation, but she didn't even pause.
"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies!"
Draco tuned her out and slumped, resigning himself to his fate. 'How dare you' seemed to be the theme of the night.
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"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"
Hermione was bursting with happiness as they pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and stood in the cool air up on the Astronomy Tower. She had been so scared, they all had, of Malfoy telling. The consequences for that would have been horrible.
Now, he was the one who lost in the game they had been playing. He had gotten the information, sure, but fat lot of good it did him!
She thought she would sing if it weren't midnight on a Saturday when they were supposed to be in bed in Gryffindor Tower.
"Don't," Harry said, out of breath, bringing her back to the present. She sobered, and they quickly got the dragon off their hands.
Such a relief, she thought as she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. They watched the dragon keepers carry Norbert off into the night.
Hermione was abruptly knocked off her high when they came to the bottom of the Astronomy Tower stairs.
"Well, well, well," Argus Filch hissed. "We are in trouble."
Hermione inwardly groaned. This was what came of counting chickens before they were hatched. Now, they'd be seeing Malfoy in detention.
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Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the Entrance Hall.
Professor M. McGonagall.
Malfoy crumpled the note in his fist, shoving it into the bottom of his pocket. He looked around. The Entrance Hall was empty as far as he could see, but it was only ten forty-five. He was surprised Granger hadn't forced Potter down here sooner.
Filch appeared at ten minutes to eleven, and they had to wait another seven minutes for Potter and Granger. He mustered up a smirk for them, but really, he felt sick to his stomach.
They had been miserable all week. He, for one, was grateful to them for distracting the school from the twenty points he had lost that same night.
But he was not grateful for the detention they had lured him into. The Forbidden Forest! Before he could stop himself, he was spitting out words.
He was only unsettled, he told himself. Not really scared, like Longbottom obviously was.
But fear…sometimes, it sneaks up on you, and when Draco learned they'd be tracking something that had been mauled, he was significantly more unsettled.
Of course he was paired up with Longbottom.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, Draco became more and more sure of himself, while Neville seemed to lose confidence every step he took. Suddenly, an idea came to him.
Draco picked up his pace, walking faster as Neville stumbled along behind. A few yards later, he heard the clumsy boy fall down onto the ground. He grinned wickedly as he snuck around the back, and came up behind Longbottom.
"Boo!" he shouted. Longbottom squealed, an undignified sound that had Malfoy convulsing in laughter. Unfortunately, the prank was short lived. Along with screeching, Longbottom sent up sparks that had Hagrid thundering toward them.
Draco groaned as Hagrid, using bad pronunciation and bad grammar, attempted to tell a Malfoy off.
Too bad he couldn't use, 'My father will be hearing about this!' in this situation, Draco thought. In this situation, Hagrid could probably use that phrase on him. He did not want his father to find out he had been caught, and given detention. In the Forbidden Forest, of all places. Endangering himself was one thing the sole heir of a prestigious family should never do. Draco had had this drilled into his head his whole life. He wasn't about to spurn that rule now.
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If there was one thing Draco hated, it was not knowing something that was going on in the castle. He pouted more than half the day the day after Harry Potter was taken to the hospital wing, because no one had thought to inform him until hours later.
He was a tad melodramatic, and he knew it. Sometimes he did it on purpose, just to see how far he could push sycophantic idiots like Pansy and Greg and Vincent before they cracked.
Blaise Zabini was impossible. He just watched Draco push them around with a knowing smirk on his face.
The whole story leaked over to the first year Slytherins eventually. Professor Quirrell, the stutterer who couldn't say boo to a mouse, had had the Dark Lord attached to the back of his head.
"That explains the smell," Zabini snorted when they heard that.
"Dark Lords aren't big on personal hygiene?" Draco had asked in a faux innocent manner.
"Apparently not, no," Zabini had replied.
And it had been a good story, until he learned Hermione had been involved.
Then, he had tried to pry more and more information from Zabini, seeing what she had done, until the Italian boy had finally shouted, "Enough already! I'm going to start thinking you like the stupid girl if you keep asking questions."
That had quite effectively shut Draco up, because he didn't like Granger, not at all. And it simply wouldn't do to have people thinking that he did.
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The end of the year was perfect, Hermione thought as she and her best friends, Harry and Ron, entered the Great Hall. Even though Slytherin had won the House Cup, and she had gotten detention, and her first attempt to make friends didn't go over well, she was ending the year perfectly.
She sat down at the Gryffindor table, which was slightly subdued as Professor Dumbledore began awarding the House Cup.
Slytherin cheered and banged on the table and stamped. She saw Draco Malfoy looking simply gleeful. As she watched, he turned his head and met her gaze, his smile fading for a moment. She quickly looked back to the front, to Dumbledore.
That was when the Headmaster began awarding some 'last-minute-points'.
To Ron, fifty points.
To her, fifty points.
To Harry, sixty points.
One hundred and sixty plus three hundred and twelve made four hundred and seventy two.
Draco Malfoy and the Slytherins looked significantly less pleased with themselves.
To Neville Longbottom, ten points.
And so the decorations were changed, and Neville was lauded as a true hero. Gryffindor, for the first time in seven years, had won the House Cup.
Still, amid all the excitement, she permitted herself one more glance at Draco.
He was looking down, muttering to the olive-skinned boy sitting next to him. Although she was simply overjoyed that Gryffindor won…she couldn't help but feel sorry for the Slytherins, all sitting so pale and quiet, their victory stolen from him,
The pale blond head began to turn towards her, and she quickly looked away before she could be caught staring.
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Hermione stepped out of the compartment briefly on their way home. Ron had thought they were supposed to wear their school robes home, and now he had to change on the train. Of course, since she was a girl, she left to give him some privacy.
Outside the compartment, she stopped, leaning on the wall. She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, took it out of its envelope.
At the beginning of the year, she had been so scared. She had known next to nothing about the world she was entering into; Hermione hadn't known how muggle grades translated into the wizarding world, and she was scared that her marks would drop.
Now, she unfolded the parchment to look at her exam results, not for the first time. She was proud of herself for Es and Os she had gotten. She, Hermione Granger, had entered into a new world and prevailed.
Hermione smiled to herself as she looked at the paper. Suddenly, it was tweaked out of her hands.
"Hey!" she yelped. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy, alone for once, looking over her exam results.
He raised his eyebrows and whistled. "Well, well, well, Granger," he said. "You did make a good showing on exam week."
"Surprised?" she asked flippantly. "That a muggle-born got grades that are probably better than yours?"
Hurt, and a bit of apprehension, flashed over his face.
"No," he replied. "You've always had to be the smartest of us all."
Grimacing, he threw the paper back at her and continued down the corridor. His father had access to all the student grades at Hogwarts. He was not looking forward to the conversation, fast approaching, about his grades compared to others.
He looked behind him and saw her picking up her paper, smiling at it. Despite himself, he grinned. She had a good first year, he thought to himself. And despite the slight annoyance that was Harry Potter, so had he.
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A/N: Second chapter. In answer to Suddencharm's question, this story will follow Draco and Hermione through all seven years of Harry Potter. It will probably be two to three chapters per year. Updates will be every two to three days, and will speed up considerably once A Happy Ending for a Death Eater is finished. Read and review:)