Chapter 3- Slip ups.

The next four days passed mostly the same. Ron and I still weren't on speaking terms and Harry was avoiding me after the conversation I had with him last night. I headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts, alone, waiting for the day to be over. Fridays were my least favorite day, because everyone had something exciting to do, except me of course.

I shook my head; I didn't need the self pitying thought right now. I needed to focus and make good grades. I thought instead over the conversation I had with Ginny yesterday. She was completely convinced that she was in love with Harry. To her he was the most beautiful, kind, and understanding guy in school. I agreed with the last too. Harry really was a great guy but Ginny was tired of waiting. She wanted to know if he would ever feel the same, so she asked me to find out. I was happy to help, though I think I embarrassed Harry a lot.

"Harry, can I ask you a personal question?" I asked tentatively. He looked up from staring into the fire place. His glasses were crooked and his eyes had dark purple bruises under them. He hasn't be sleeping!

"Harry, you need to eat and sleep. I know you try but you need to force yourself." I said momentarily forgetting that I was here for Ginny.

"This is a personal question?" he retorted. I sighed and looked into the fire where Harry had been looking.

"No, I just, I wanted to know if you were dating anyone right now." I said and his eyes widened a little.

"No, I'm not." He said firmly.

"Is there anyone you want to be dating?" I asked, and he hesitated.

"Harry, I'm not Ron, I want make fun of you or be upset about who it is." I said trying to reassure him. He nodded.

"Ginny and I know that's ridiculous. She is Ron's sister." Harry said in awe.

"You deserve to be happy and I think she can make you happy, if you let her." Harry smiled, but blushed and I realized that my words were perverted out of context.

"Merlin, is that all you guys think about?" I demanded teasingly. Harry just blushed further before hiding in his room.

I forgot about my thoughts when I came to my next class.

I pushed open the door to Professor Snape's class room. It was completely empty. I must be early.

"Draco, you need to be careful with her. I have t report to your father everyday on your progress and I think you are hiding something. Miss Granger is too bright to be-"

"I know, Severus. I know what I'm doing. I just want her trust." My eyes widened impossibly wide. What the hell were they talking about? My trust? Why would he want it?

"You love her." I had to cover my mouth to stop from gasping in outrage. Malfoy did not love me! He didn't love anyone!

"Déjà vu right?" Malfoy said, sadly.

"Excuse me?" Professor Snape said seriously.

"Potter's mother, it wasn't hard for me to put together. Why else would you be on the Orders side? He killed her, and now…. I'm in the same situation. The dark lord wants her dead because of how much Potter relies on her."

I couldn't listen to them any more I ran out of the class room and into the girl lavatory, where I threw up what I had ate for breakfast.

I held my head in my hands and begged the images and voices to go away. Draco Malfoy didn't love, and the dark lord didn't want me dead. Those were to impossible things to understand. Well maybe not the second one, I am muggle- born after all, but Malfoy couldn't …care about me.

Ginny found me like that, though I don't know how long I was in there.

"Good God there you are. You missed dinner and Harry and Ron were worried so I went to check all the bathrooms. Why are you in here?"

I looked up and saw Ginny standing there looking concerned but relieved. I smiled.

"What?" she asked turning around to see what I was smiling at.

"I talked to Harry last night." I said trying to distract her from asking why I was hiding in the bathroom stall.

"You did!" she asked happily, reacting the way I had expected.

"Yes, and he likes you, but after his god father's death he hasn't really tried anything. And your Ron's sister. You should have seen him blushing. I think at first he thought I was asking if he liked me."

Ginny smiled and blushed herself.

"Well, come on we need to go gossip and I will meet you back at the dorms. I guess you will want to go get you work." Ginny said and I nodded. She skipped out of the room, while I head dejectedly back to Snape's classroom. I could do this. I walked in silently and saw he was at his desk.

"Professor?" I asked hesitantly, waiting for him to lecture me about missing his class.

"Ahh Miss Granger, you finally show. Pray tell, what made you unable to attend my class?" he asked.

"I was sick. I just woke up in the bathroom. I would have come to inform you, but I-"

"Please spare me the details. You left Mr. Malfoy without a partner today. He was rather upset." I laughed aloud.

"Sure he was. I would like to know if all we did was partner work." I said and Snape looked up in irritation.

"Are you saying you do not care that you left him alone in class today?" he asked with a sneer worse than Malfoy's.

"Yes. I think I will leave now." I said, tired of his attitude.

"Detention, Miss Granger!" he called after me. "Be in this class room, tomorrow morning at 7 a.m."

I kept walking, expecting as much. I had, after all, dismissed myself from his divine presence.

Sleep didn't come easily to me; first I had to ditch Ginny and Harry, though Ron wasn't around for once. Still, even after I was alone in my bed, I couldn't forget what had happened. It was late when I finally fell asleep, without nightmares.


My mouth was fuzzy when I woke, meaning I hadn't brushed my teeth. My mother would ground me if she knew. I hurriedly got dress in my muggle attire, relishing in the comforting clothes. It had been strange having to wear robes again after a summer of muggle clothes. 6:50 a.m., I groaned and ran out the door. I made it down the stair, almost tripping on the way. I was running down the hall when I collided with something warm, tall, and hard.

"What the hell!" I gasped and I rebounded and fell on my ass. I looked up and saw Malfoy lying on his ass too.

"Might want to watch where you're going. Come on we're late for detention." He said and I frowned in confusion. We?

"You have detention?" I asked. He nodded and grabbed my arm, then let go as soon as I was on my feet. My bare arm tingled from where he touched me.

"He didn't like my attitude yesterday. Not that I give a shit, but let's go." He snapped and we walked into the classroom together.

Snape sneered at us, though when he looked at Malfoy it was less pronounced.

"Finally. I thought I said, 7 a.m."

It was 7:05 and he was being a smart ass. Malfoy shrugged and we sat down at our desk.

"I want you both you redo yesterdays lesson. With patronous's, I know you are both able but Mr. Malfoy refused and you were not here Miss Granger. Have fun and do not leave until I return." With that he swept out of the room, is black cloak billowing behind him dramatically. It made me want to rip it to pieces.

"Why didn't you show up yesterday?" I turned to see Malfoy leaning towards me with an expression of curiosity.

"I was sick. I spent the afternoon vomiting. Any other questions?" I asked pleasantly.

"No, well you should get started." He said, causally waving his pale hand to the space in front of our desk.

"What about you?" I demanded, flinging my hair out of my face. He paused for second and then shook his head, causing his blond lock to fall into his eyes. Ron's hair did that all the time, but I always found it annoying. It was confusing how I kept comparing them, though in any contest aside of kindness, Malfoy would win.

"I can already make a corporal patronous." He said simply. Then why was he refusing the chance to boast about it?

"Well, show me." I said. He shook his head firmly.

"What form does your take." I couldn't contain my curiosity. His face flinched, but he waiting a few moment before answering.

"It took the form of a dragon." He whispered, but I didn't miss the past tense.

"What form does it take now?" I asked in his same whisper. He stiffened, but looked away and remained silent.

"Okay, fine, don't tell me." I pouted. He smirked and nodded in my direction.

I point my wand and said, "Expecto Patronum." Nothing happened. Not even a silver wisp erupted from my wand.

"What the hell?" I muttered and tried to find my happiest memory to try another time. My parents face when I received my Hogwarts letter, my first kiss with Vicktor Krum, making friends with Harry and Ron. Then suddenly, Malfoy's face came up. He was laughing, but not at me. Going out on a limp I cast the spell and was shocked when my silver otter took form and ran around me in circles. Tear come to my eyes, because what I overheard that day had made its way deep into my head. I couldn't let it go either. I sat down, feeling a little numb. How could a memory of Malfoy bring my patronous?

I felt pressure on my shoulder and I looked up to see him glancing at me worriedly.

"Granger? What happened?" he asked sitting down next to me. I shook my head.

"Make you patronous, moron." I said firmly. He shook his head defiantly.

"Make it!" I said slightly louder. He still refused.

"I said make your FUCKING PATRONOUS!" My voice was a scream but the end of the sentence and he complied.

"Expecto Patronum!" he called and from his wand burst an otter identical to mine. I burst into tears, and he remained silent.

"Why wouldn't you just listen, Hermione?" he asked, but I fell silent. He said my name. My real name.

"What did you say?" I said and pulled myself to my feet. He looked angry with me.

"Why couldn't you just listen to me! I refused for a reason." He said, his face flushing in anger.

"What reason was that, Draco?" he flinched and I saw his whole body shiver.

"Do not call me that, Granger." He said, darkly, his eyes holding something I didn't understand.

"Why not, Draco." I said and he gripped my upper arms and pulled my body flush against his.

"Because then I would do something you would rather I not do." He whispered, his breath fanning down my neck.

"Very well Draco." I said, angrily. This man was talking in riddles! He growled angrily before shoving me away.

"Well, now that I've seen it anyway, you might as well keep practicing." I said seriously. He paid me no mind and we stood in a stony silence.

"If I have bruises, can I hex you?" I asked, because for some reason I didn't want him to be upset with me. That got his attention.

"Bruises?" he repeated coldly.

"Yes, you grabbed my arms, remember." He glared at me.

"I didn't hurt you. Grow up, Granger." He said and turned away from me, like a little boy.

"How old are you? Five?" I asked and crossed my arms over my chest, noting that his eyes followed.

"No, I'm sixteen, same as you." He muttered, and then he took a deep breath before turning back to me.

"I'm leaving. You should stay and practice." He ran out the door, and I mean and actually ran before I could protest or convince him to stay. Wait, why did I even want him to stay! He was Draco Malfoy, son of a notorious death eater. Yes, I had to remember that. He would become a death eater just as his father. Nothing he thought about me could ever change that. But hadn't Draco said Snape was on our side? If Draco knew that why wouldn't he turn Snape over to Voldemort? What had he meant about Harry's mother anyway? Snape couldn't have loved her. She was muggle- born; could Draco be on our side too, or was that hoping too much? Maybe he just cared for Snape, as his godfather. The door opened and Snape stepped into his classroom.

"Where is Draco?" he demanded.

"I made him show me his patronous and then he took off." I whispered and rubbed my eyes.

"And why would that make him take off?"He persisted.

"His patronous was the same as mine." I said softly. "May I leave?" He nodded stiffly.

I ran out of his classroom, hoping that I wouldn't have to repeat another detention like that.


A/N: Chapter four should come tomorrow! The more reviews I get the faster I update. I would like to know if you liked the detention with Draco and Hermione too!