Hello! Chapter three, and look how fast it was! In fact, I'm only posting this now because I'm in the middle of a hellweek at school and to be honest, don't know the next time I'll be able to find five minutes to power up my computer and update. (I recently reside in the library.) After the past few days, it's a wonder I'm even still awake at 1 am.
Regardless, I love you all so much I just had to get the next installment out. I hope you'll review, it'll give me some reason to survive the next week and a half. And to be honest, it's all I ask. Just a few words of encouragement/response to this little brainchild of mine. It really does mean so much to open my inbox and see some reviews :) They keep me sane... mildly.
Please enjoy! (and review of course.)
I guess I should have known better than to trust you alone with him, Granger.
Hermione jumped as the letter crashed into the back of her head. Carefully unfolding it, she looked around the classroom to see Malfoy watching her intently. Noticing Harry and Ron frantically attempting to finish their essays due the next class, Hermione lifted her quill and scribbled a response.
I've no idea what you're talking about, Malfoy.
He shot her a smirk as he read her note, shaking his head. Hermione risked a glance at Blaise next to him, fast asleep, his head collapsed on crossed arms.
I'm talking about you blew it, Granger. I don't know what you said or did to screw it up, but you lost any chance you may have had. You've lost his trust.
Hermione paled this time, remembering Blaise's reaction to her joke about his house the previous night. She'd had no idea he would take it so seriously. It did seem like quite an over-reaction to her, but maybe she'd touched a nerve.
Malfoy I never intended to say that to him or offend him in any way. Tell me what he said about it.
When Draco received the worn parchment for the last time, he read it, eyebrows raised. Then his eyes narrowed and he stared at her coolly. Lighting the sheet on fire with his wand, he pretended to pay attention to Binns, taking notes, knowing it would drive Hermione insane.
By the end of class Hermione was infuriated and sent Harry and Ron to finish their essays before their next class so she could track down the blond Slytherin. She caught up to him outside of the Great Hall, where he and Blaise were talking quietly.
"Malfoy," she shouted, keeping her focus away from Blaise for the time being. Draco turned to see her, looking shocked she was speaking to him.
"I'll catch up," Draco murmured to his companion, who nodded, gave Hermione a quick glance and continued on alone.
"Please, tell me what he said to you." Her eyebrows furrowed as he just smirked, intending to keep walking. "Trust me, I don't want to be seen with you right now any more than you want to be seen with me, so let's make this quick, which entails you telling me what Blaise said."
"I swear Granger, are you ever amusing." His cold eyes danced with mirth. "Blaise said nothing, I just wanted to freak you out. Now, however, I am quite curious to hear what you did do."
She stopped, mouth hanging open.
"This was all an act?" She asked in disbelief.
"Correct," he replied, "and I have to say, you fell for it magnificently."
"Pure evil, Malfoy," she hissed, glaring at him before she started walking off.
"You actually have no idea how much that means to me Granger, thank you," he embellished seriously and those around him turned to stare. Noticing a group of third years watching the exchange, he sneered at them. "What the bloody hell are you looking at?" The third years immediately scattered and Draco shrugged, leaving to make it to his lesson in time.
-
It was a Hogsmeade weekend, one Hermione was quite thankful for. Every single one of their professors was piling homework over their heads and it was becoming difficult to find a spare minute. To have an entire day to get away for themselves was very relaxing.
Hermione and a large group of Gryffindors were in the Three Broomsticks, enjoying warm glasses of Butterbeer. She was happily watching out the window, seeing the excited younger students running about.
"Hermione," Harry's voice interrupted her musing. "We noticed you were away again this Thursday evening. It's becoming a bit of a habit for you, is something wrong?"
She met his eyes, swallowing nervously.
"Thursdays? I never realized, it must be just a coincidence," she replied, laughing loudly through her nerves. Ron shot her a glance. "You know how much time I spend in the library."
"You know you could tell us if something important was happening, right Hermione?" Ron told her, concern evident in his eyes.
"Of course, Ron," she said, smiling. Not likely they would accept her tutoring two Slytherins under any circumstances.
"I think she's got a boyfriend," Ginny said loudly, causing several others to look up from their conversations and fix Hermione with curious glances.
"You understand you would all be the first to know if that was the case," Hermione said, shrugging it off as if the idea was preposterous. "Not that I'd even have time for a boyfriend right now." The rest of the seventh years laughed appreciatively.
Finishing off her drink, Hermione glanced over at Harry and Ron, who were both finished as well.
"Let's go shopping," she suggested and the three said goodbye to the rest of the group, walking into the warm weather of Hogsmeade.
As they were browsing the aisles of a particular store Hermione heard the voice of the one person she hadn't wanted to see in Hogsmeade.
"You can just put it on my store credit, under 'Malfoy'," he was saying, and Hermione snickered to herself.
"I'm sorry sir, I can't do that," she lifted her head at the voice of the cashier, looking over to locate the Slytherin. He had started to confront the lady who looked rather unaffected.
"Oh, you know what?" Hermione asked, taking a deep breath. "I forgot I wanted to browse the charms section. I hear they have a lovely new display on advanced around-the-home charms."
Seeing the nervous exchange between the two boys, Hermione smiled to herself.
"You two can go along without me, I'll find you later back at school." They both smiled gratefully before taking off quickly out of the store. Steeling herself for what she was about to do, Hermione slowly walked towards the front counter where a line was starting to grow.
"Sir, I do realize you have been a customer of this store for years, but I am under strict orders not to allow you any purchases on your credit," the lady was saying to an astonished Malfoy.
"Orders from who?" he demanded and the lady scrolled through a magical database.
"A Mr. Lucius Malfoy," she replied. "It says here you've been cut off indefinitely from spending money in all of Hogsmeade."
Draco looked completely enraged and the customers behind him were starting to complain. With one furious glare the other patrons settled quickly.
"Draco!" Hermione said, walking right up to the blond. "There you are, I've been looking for you."
"I've been here," he replied unsurely, thrown entirely off guard.
"You're so forgetful, you silly old thing," she continued, grinning madly. "You left your money with me when you departed from school earlier." She reached into her bag and drew out a small sack of money.
"Did I really?" he asked, staring directly into her eyes, trying to understand what she was doing.
"Yes, you did," she said forcefully, shoving the bag of coins onto the counter at the cashier. Looking confused, the lady counted out the money she was owed and thanked him for his business, hurrying to move on to the next customer.
Still stunned, Draco picked up the bag of money and handed it back to Hermione as soon as they left the shop.
"Why the hell would you do that?" he hissed.
"I would've done it for any of my friends," she replied, shrugging.
"Granger, we aren't friends." His grey eyes penetrated her own once more.
"Obviously," she shook it off. "But it looked as if you needed someone."
"I would have handled myself just fine," he persisted, frowning.
"Oh yes, I saw," she laughed. "You were embarrassing yourself in front of a crowd. Not to mention that young cashier."
He opened his mouth to say something back, but changed his mind and went silent again.
"So why has dear Lucius cut you off from spending?" she asked, realizing it wasn't her business and not entirely caring. He shook his head.
"No clue, it's news to me, in case you hadn't guessed. He's paranoid I'll bankrupt him I suppose." Hermione snorted.
"You spend that much, do you?" She laughed at the idea of Draco Malfoy spending millions of his father's galleons.
"Of course not," he scoffed. "But uh, I'll pay you back when we get to school. I hadn't brought money because I wasn't expecting this."
"I had hoped so," she said thoughtfully. "I'm not too sure who spends ten galleons on a new quill."
"I'll have you know it's of the highest quality," he defended, missing the glint of humour in Hermione's eyes.
"What is?" came another voice and Hermione looked over to see Blaise join them. "Not too often you see Malfoy and Granger standing in the middle of a street having a conversation."
As if suddenly aware of their situation, both glanced nervously around, relieved that no one was paying attention to them.
"How was the shopping, Blaise?" Draco asked, smirking about something.
"Shopping was just fine," Blaise replied breezily, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Anyone thirsty?"
"I had a Butterbeer already, thanks," Hermione replied timidly, unsure if she should still be a part of their company.
"A Butterbeer," Malfoy repeated, laughing.
"Come on Granger, join us for a drink," the dark-haired Slytherin continued. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about anyway."
"I suppose it couldn't hurt," she agreed, smiling. She started walking towards the Three Broomsticks but Blaise grabbed her arm, turning her in the opposite direction.
"This way," he murmured. Hermione's insides felt warm at the unexpected contact and she peacefully trailed after the taller men. They walked into a building Hermione had never seen before, and she recognized no one inside. It seemed to be a bar but not a grungy one like she might have expected. In fact, it was quite nice. There was a dance floor, but being the middle of the afternoon, it was empty.
Hermione sat down at a table with Malfoy while Blaise walked over to the bar, returning shortly with three glasses of something which he set down on the table, taking a seat next to Hermione.
The two Slytherins started drinking from their glasses but Hermione stared at hers uneasily. She saw Malfoy watching her closely from across the table.
"Try it," he said softly, taking another sip of his own dark liquid. Not wanting to appear rude since Blaise had bought it for her, Hermione lifted the glass and took a small sip.
She instantly regretted it. It felt as if someone had wound up and punched her directly in the face. She set the drink down, blinking wildly. Holding her face, Hermione turned to see the amused expression of Blaise.
"What the hell is in that?" she asked, ignoring Malfoy's laughter.
"You don't want to know, trust me," the Italian replied, grinning. "If you don't want it I won't be insulted, but it does get better after the first taste."
Gathering all of her Gryffindor bravery, Hermione stared at the drink. She exhaled deeply before picking it up and taking a bigger sip this time. Blaise had been right; it tasted enjoyable after the initial shock. And suddenly she felt a very strong urge to drink more of it. Midway through a deep gulp, Blaise carefully took the glass out of her hand and set it down away from her, leaning in close enough for her to feel his breath in her ear, hot and tempting.
"Be careful, one glass of this stuff will waste you if you let it," he warned and Hermione left the drink alone for the next while. She noticed Draco and Blaise were already on their second and third drinks respectively and she watched them warily, assuming they were just used to it.
"So," Blaise began, looking between the other two. "Why exactly were you two having a chat in the street?"
"I saved his arse in the bookstore," Hermione replied before she could stop herself, smiling lightly.
"You did not," the blond denied, polishing off his second glass.
"Seriously?" the Italian asked, grinning. "How?"
"Lucius cut him off," she informed Blaise, not feeling intimidated by the fact that Malfoy was fuming at her. Blaise stared at her for a moment, shocked, before breaking into loud, obnoxious laughter. The couple at the next table shot them dirty looks, but the Slytherins ignored them completely.
"That is golden," he said emphatically after he'd caught his breath. Readjusting himself in his seat, Blaise didn't seem to notice as he tossed his arm across the back of the bench, resting it dangerously close to Hermione's shoulders. Draco noticed however, lifting his eyes to see Hermione's reaction, though his expression remained neutral.
"What did you say you wanted to talk about before we came here?" Hermione asked suddenly, remembering what he'd said before.
"I wanted to talk?" he asked, confused. "I'm gonna need another one of these." Draco rolled his eyes, grabbed Blaise's empty glass and walked it over to the bar for a third refill. "I can't remember," Blaise admitted, rubbing his forehead as if to stimulate his memory.
Feeling she was pacing herself decently enough, Hermione drank some more of her own concoction, nearly choking on the liquid as she felt Blaise's arm slide further down the bench onto her shoulders. He stared at his hand on her far side as if he'd never seen such a thing. Then, apparently losing interest, he curved his long fingers in, gripping her arm, and looked around the bar. Hermione forced herself to continue breathing.
When Draco returned, Blaise picked up the full glass and downed half of it in a single gulp.
"God Blaise, you're such an embarrassing drunk," Draco commented, drinking his own third glass, though it seemed to have no effect on the blond.
"Hey, it is not my fault you turn into a complete downer when you're drinking," Blaise replied matter-of-factly, offended. Hermione, feeling the intoxication of her own drink already, nearly gone, laughed out loud at his comment.
"I mean, look at him," Blaise continued. "He's just sitting there, am I right?"
"Seriously Malfoy, get some life in you," Hermione said, grinning wildly. She swirled the last of her drink in the glass, before finishing it quickly.
"Get the lady another drink," Blaise requested loudly and Draco shot him a glare.
"Pull yourself together," Draco stated, meeting Blaise's eyes levelly. "If she has another drink she'll be gone."
"I will not," she replied, frowning.
"Granger I know the shit better than you do, alright?" Malfoy said, turning to meet her gaze. "Look at Blaise, he's already losing it. Frankly Zabini, I'm ashamed of you. You're lacking focus and allowing the drink to get to you."
Blaise observed his friend through unimpressed eyes.
"You, Malfoy, are an arse." He quickly scanned the rest of the room again, as if looking for something. Hemione was shocked more at the fact that Draco looked taken aback than the fact that Blaise had said it. "Honestly, it's a Saturday and I haven't had a good time in a while. And if you want to be miserable and see how many you can drink before you get smashed, then go ahead."
"Blaise, I–" Draco tried to say something but Blaise cut him off.
"In case you haven't noticed, we have company, Malfoy," he gestured wildly at Hermione, who felt nothing short of petrified at being involved in their argument. "If Granger wants another drink, I'll damn well buy her another drink." Draco sighed, pushing his drink away from him.
"Granger, do you want another drink?" he asked her honestly, leaning forward. She was feeling much clearer than she had before.
"It isn't that I don't want another drink," she began, glancing at Blaise next to her, who gave a noncommittal shrug. "It's just probably not the best idea. Seriously, the three of us should not be associated in any way, let alone drinking together. Face it, I've got friends who are probably already wondering where I am, and neither them nor your Slytherin friends would understand this."
"She's right," Blaise admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Damnit Granger, why must you always be right." He gave her a wry smile, removing his arm from her shoulders. Hermione shuddered at the loss of heat.
"We should take her back," Draco said, looking at his watch.
"I'll be fine," Hermione protested, feeling almost eager to leave the two heated Slytherins.
"Nonsense," Blaise replied, standing up. "Hogsmeade is full of creeps at night and it's getting late." It made her feel oddly safe.
It seemed the fresh air did Blaise a lot of good, and he was acting quite like his usual, sober self as he walked next to Hermione, Draco trailing slightly behind.
"Oh, I remembered what I meant to ask you," he suddenly said and Hermione looked up. "Since NEWTs are approaching at a mad pace, I was wondering if you had an extra hour or two a week. I understand you're very busy." He looked over at her.
"I think I could do that," Hermione replied, smiling lightly. She thought for a moment. "Do Sundays work for you?"
The Italian nodded after a short pause.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," he said shortly and Hermione looked up, surprised to see Hogwarts looming over her already. She said goodbye to her strange company and nearly floated to Gryffindor Tower.
"Hermione!" Ron called as she entered the common room, and she walked over somewhat uncomfortably. "We looked for you when we were ready to go back but no one had seen you."
"I got carried away with the books as usual guys, sorry," Hermione lied. Harry chuckled.
"Herms, it is quite late. You can't get so carried away as to put yourself in danger," he reminded her and she just shook her head, flushing pink.
"I know, I'm sorry. I'll be back though," she continued through the common room to the girl's staircase to drop off her bag. The room was empty except for Lavender, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed. The other girl watched Hermione very closely as she put away her things.
"So," Lavender began, a dark smile upon her features. "Want to explain to me what that was about?" Hermione froze, looking at her friend.
"What do you mean, Lavender?" she asked, confused. Lavender jumped off her bed, running over to sit on Hermione's.
"You and Blaise!" Her eyes were aglow with excitement.
"I still don't know what you're talking about," Hermione replied uneasily. Lavender sighed with frustration, her face betraying her true emotions.
"Hermione, I saw him take your hand and then whisper something into your ear," she squealed. Hermione paled considerably. "Are you two an item?"
"We're just friends, I suppose," Hermione denied. "Lavender, I know how much you love to spread gossip. Please don't tell anyone, especially Harry and Ron."
"I tell Parvati everything," the other girl said quickly, biting her lip.
"Yes, and then Parvati tells the rest of the school! Lav, you can't," Hermione pleaded. Her mind was working furiously. The majority of Gryffindor had strong convictions that several Slytherins were already Death Eaters, and that group included Malfoy and Zabini. Lavender was pouting and Hermione knew she couldn't trust the other girl to keep quiet.
"If you promise me you won't tell anyone, I'll do my best to get you a date with Draco Malfoy," Hermione said after a thought, keeping her voice to a whisper. She knew that, Death Eater or no, Malfoy was high on Lavender's list of priority males in Hogwarts.
"You could do that?" she asked, trying to keep back a smile.
"I spend two hours patrolling with him every night, I could give it a shot," Hermione said, hoping Lavender took the bait. Getting Malfoy to agree would be easy compared to keeping Lavender silent.
"Okay, let me know," she whispered, nearly bursting with excitement. "And Hermione?"
Hermione looked back up.
"Talk to me if anything ever does happen between you and Blaise, will you? The two of you would make such a fantastic couple." Despite herself, Hermione couldn't help but smile.
"You think?" she asked, feeling nervous. Lavender nodded anxiously. "Well, thanks. I'll see you later, Lav." And she left the room, leaving the other girl torn between spreading the news and waiting to hear Malfoy's answer.
