Chapter 2: The Past is Revealed

"I think we get on rather well, considering our past history." - Hermione Granger
"Yeah, sure we do. Just peachy." - Draco Malfoy

I ducked, rolled, and sprung to my feet again. "Furnunculus!" I yelled, pointing my wand at Weaselbee. He erupted into boils the colour of his hair.

"Finite Incantatum," I heard Hermione call out, and suddenly she was right behind me. I ran away from her, but she was hot on my tail. Spells shot past me, missing me by inches. I ducked behind a haystack, catching my breath. I didn't dare shut my eyes. I saw Hermione run pass and I whispered a jinx.

Her legs froze together and she fell face forward onto the ground. She managed to turn around on the floor without her legs and was facing me. "Expulso!"

"Protego! Confundo!" I hid behind the haystack again for a second, then ran towards a tall pillar.

Weasley appeared behind me, boil free, and was shooting hexes at me. I reached the pillar and spun behind it. Reaching my wand out behind the pillar, I blindly shot hexes everywhere in the room.

A loud alarm told me that both Weaslebee and Hermione were down, and that the exercise was over. The lights came on and I admired the damage I'd caused in the last few moments. Poles, tables, blocks of wood, and parts of the roof had collapsed. There was rubble all over the floor. My eyes glided over the place where Hermione was lying, protecting her head with her arms. I made my way over to her.

"Finite Incantatum," I murmured. Her legs broke apart. I helped her sit up carefully, healing her quickly.

"Good job," she gasped out. I grinned.

"Not bad by myself, am I?" I asked. She shook her head and we stood up. Together we made our way over to Weasel.

"And making those boils match his hair was just sick," she said quietly. I rolled my eyes, feeling more elated than I had in weeks.

"I didn't do it on purpose," I said innocently. Hermione's expression clearly said, ah ha, sure.

"I saw you add the colour-change jinx. I'm not entirely stupid." I put my arm around her and squeezed.

"I reckon you're seeing things," I said loftily, then knelt down at Weasley's head. He moaned.

"Man up, Weaselbee. It was just impedimenta. Surely you've had stronger than that before?"

"I'm not an Auror like you, ferret," he groaned out. Hermione and I worked together to rid him of the boils' scars, hexes I hit him with, and general bruises that he somehow managed to get.

"Weakling," I coughed quietly. Hermione slapped my arm.

A minute or two later, Ron was finally able to stand without pain. "Thanks for standing in for Potter, Weasley."

"Would never pass up a chance to hex you, Malfoy," he grumbled. Hermione sighed and picked up her pace so she wouldn't have to listen to us.

I glared at Weasley. "Hermione, wait up!" I called, jogging up to her and leaving him behind.

Hermione paused and tied up her hair while she waited for me. A few stubborn, slightly sweaty curls fell free of her ponytail and framed her face.

"Do you have to be so rude to him?" she sighed. "He is my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend who doesn't have a clue," I muttered quietly. Hermione heard my voice, but not what I was saying. I wasn't sure if I should be happy about that.

"Has anyone ever told you that it's rude to mumble?"

"Yeah, they also told me that it was rude to exist," I snapped, suddenly very angry. It made me feel better when I saw her guilty face.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't mean to –"

"Forget about it," I interrupted, waving my hand. I then abruptly turned right and left her in the hall, Weasel walking up to her.

He had a goofy smile on his face, but he was too idiotic to see that Hermione wasn't in the mood for company.

I could, but hey. When did I matter?

As I walked to my office, I remembered the first day we got paired.

"Ferret," Granger snarled.

"Bookworm," I sneered.

"This will work out," Tonks ordered them as she strode past, her five month pregnant belly not slowing her down. "I will not have two perfectly good Aurors go to waste simply because they refused to work together. Now get to know each other!"
She stomped away, glaring at anyone she locked eyes with.

"That woman is hormones on steroids amplified," Granger muttered. I snorted.

"Granger, you just said exactly what I was thinking."

She gave me a cautious smile, one I returned.

"So tell me about you," she said quietly. I almost snorted.

"Shit home, shit family, shit life. You?"

"I know that already. Give me details," she demanded, ignoring my question.

I sighed. "My father's dead; he died of the Dementor's Kiss. My mother is happy for the first time in four decades. I'm singled out from everyone, isolated in most situations. People still associate me with Death Eaters. I have no wife or girlfriend. The only person I consider a friend is Blaise, which is quite sad really, but he actually cares about what I say and think unlike some people–"

"Draco, I care about what you think," she interrupted.

I nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm just waiting for my chance to change everyone's opinions of me. Alright, now that I've bared my soul, it's your turn."

"There isn't much to say, really," she said modestly.

"You're kidding?" I asked. "Golden Trio, Gryffindor Princess, Muggleborn Know-it-all. Do you need me to continue?"

"No, I think you covered it all," she said dryly. "Well, from my first day at Hogwarts I was looked at as a nerd. Harry and Ron only became my friends after Halloween, when they saved my life and stopped the troll. Since then we've been through hell for each other, more than any teenagers have. Ron and I helped Harry defeat Voldemort, and we set hundreds of people free. Now I've just been partnered with my school enemy, who I have to trust won't let anyone kill me, but I don't think my life could be better."

"That's cute."

"Shut it, Malfoy."

"Just saying."

"Well, just say nothing. Now can we get on to the good stuff?"

I blinked rapidly and came back to the present. Blaise was staring at me, amused. "Quit daydreaming. You blew me off."

"Huh?"

Blaise stood and shook his head. "Lunch, Malfoy, lunch! You forgot. Too busy daydreaming about a certain girl I am yet to meet!"

Right then, Hermione walked past my door. My eyes followed her every movement with a stalker's passion.

"Or maybe I already have," Blaise said slyly.