Chapter 3
"What did that git want?" Ron asked, spraying breadcrumbs everywhere as he questioned Hermione's late arrival to lunch with a mouthful of food.
"For merlin's sake, Ron, say it don't spray it!" Ginny called from the opposite side of the table, dusting crumbs away with a disgusted turn of her nose. "Where've you been Hermione?"
"That git Malfoy shouted for you didn't he 'Mione?" Ron interjected before Hermione could answer for herself. Giving Ron an exasperated look, Hermione sat next to Ginny and filled her in on why she was late, trying hard to act as 'matter of factly' as possible, despite the fact that every mention of Malfoy had her heart pounding like a bombarda maxima.
"I don't know how you put up with him, Hermione." Harry said. "I mean, I think I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than spend one minute alone with him, nevermind have to spend an entire evening looking at his smug face every week of the school year."
Ron snorted in agreement. "Yeah. What do you two even find to talk about?" Ron asked. "I bet he just spends the night being smug and bragging about how much money he's got, and .."
"For goodness sake you two!" Hermione cried earning a startled look from her friends nearby. "Can't you just grow up and give it a rest? He's nothing like he used to be when we were younger is he? Just think about it! When was the last time you had a proper run in with him? Hmm?"
"Well…. er…" Harry trailed off with a puzzled expression, clearly trying to wrack his brains for an example. There was a few moments of awkward silence. "Exactly." Hermione stated quietly before reaching for a cheese and pickle sandwich in quiet triumph.
Hermione sat and tried to think for herself when the last time was that any of them had had a falling out with the Slytherin. She remembered her own last altercation with him only too well. It was one of their first times patrolling together and until that evening they had just about managed to keep their conversation civil although it was very awkward and strained.
On this particular evening however, the Slytherin team had recently been stung by the Gryffindors in a very tight run Quidditch match which had obviously left Malfoy's ego feeling sore. As a result he had spent the evening continually making jibes about Scarhead and Weaselby and Gryffindor house in general. By the end of patrol duty Hermione had just about had her fill. Their duty ended with her practically screaming at Malfoy at the foot of the moving staircases about what an immature prat he was. Malfoy had stated that he would rather eat flobberworms than have to spend another prefect duty with her before strutting off arrogantly towards the doorway leading down to the dungeons.
In her haste and state of anger Hermione hadn't noticed the sudden jerk of the staircase and had stumbled very awkwardly off the stair, twisting her ankle very badly and crying out in pain in a heap on the hard stone floor. She had clutched at her ankle which was already swollen and bruised, with tears in her eyes from the searing pain.
Before she knew what was happening, Malfoy was back and crouching down by her side. "Merlin, Granger are you ok?" he had asked with a look of genuine concern. He scooped her up and helped her to stand. "Can you walk?"
Hermione sniffed, clutching on to his shoulders. "I…. I don't think so." She tried to put her weight down on her injured foot but hissed in pain moaning "Owwww! No! Definitely not!"
"Those staircases are a damned menace. You need to see Madame Pomfrey, to get some pain relief and to check it over. I could…. levitate you?" he had ventured carefully.
"Absolutely not!" Hermione chided. "Could you… could you just help me up the stairs?" she asked.
She remembered clearly how he had looked into her eyes at that moment. He really looked concerned, mixed with something else she thought might have been regret perhaps for their argument not two minutes earlier.
He had sighed and looked up at the towering moving staircases above them and she had followed his gaze. The incredulous look he gave her afterwards instantly brought a smile of amusement to her face that was quickly replaced by a wince of pain as her ankle throbbed and reminded her of the need to get some treatment quickly.
"Brightest witch eh?" he had quirked with a smirk. "Well I don't think so Granger." With a sigh he helped her to rest against a stone moulding on the corridor wall. "Wait here." he instructed her before disappearing.
Hermione noticed he had headed off down towards the dungeons. It slowly dawned on her with a sense of dread and mortification that he was going to come back with some of his Slytherin cronies to help get her up the stairs. When he actually came back, she realised that what he had actually brought back with him was far worse.
"You can NOT be serious, Malfoy!" she had whispered as she eyed the heavily polished handle of Malfoy's firebolt.
In her reverie, Hermione recalled how Malfoy had gently reassured her and guaranteed that he would safely get her up to the medical wing, and that given his spectacular prowess for flying that she really hadn't anything to be worried about. His voice had been so soft and comforting that for a moment she had forgotten all about her ankle. He had sensitively helped her to sit on the broom in a side saddle position with his strong arms either side of her, holding onto the handle and his firm chest leaning into her.
"You'd better hold on tight" he had said so gently in her ear and, taking a deep breath she had wrapped her arms around him as he slowly took flight, gently steering around the staircase. As one started to move towards them he suddenly had to take an evasive action which had made Hermione's stomach lurch and without thinking she had buried her face into the hollow of his neck with a frightened squeak.
Hermione sighed subconsciously as she remembered the feeling of being pressed up against him so closely as he had chuckled at her, and the soft scent of his cologne enveloping her as they slowly climbed towards the landing outside the medical wing. She knew that this was the precise moment that her infatuation for the blond Slytherin had begun, as he had so gentlemanly helped her off the broom and to a bed and had apologised so sincerely for acting like such an idiot earlier.
Unaware of the blush, the sigh and the wistful smile that had slowly come over her during her daydream, Hermione was swiftly brought back to the great hall with a bump when Ginny suddenly started clinking her fingers in front of her face.
"Earth to Hermione! Come in!" the redhead had quipped with a bemused expression on her face. "Merlin Hermione, you were miles away there! Somewhere nice were we?"
"Oh err… sorry Gin. Just… thinking about exams and things." she mumbled, feeling embarrassed.
At that moment a certain Draco Malfoy entered the Great Hall and sauntered over to his friends at the far end of the Slytherin table. Hermione's brown eyes followed him carefully, the blush steadily returning to her cheeks as she admired him, nibbling her bottom lip.
Ginny followed her gaze covertly. "Hmm. 'Course you were Hermione. What else would it be?" she muttered to herself with a knowing grin creeping across her freckled face.
