Draco was lying awake on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his four-poster bed, feeling gut wrenchingly sad. He thought back on the day, trying to think of a single thing that could have happened and made him feel this way. Nothing. He looked at is clock. Midnight. He had felt like this for hours, all he had had done all day is sit around and feel like his heart was breaking. This is ridiculous. Malfoys do sit around and feel sorry for themselves for know reason! He swung his feet over the side of his bed, threw on his dressing gown, and exited his dormitory.
His feet seemed to be moving of there own accord, leading his onward toward something. Soon ha reached his destination. He looked into the almost deserted library and saw her.
Hermione, her head resting on a huge volume. Her beautiful face tear stained but oh so perfect. Wait! Snap out of it! This is Granger! Filthy know-it-all mudblood Granger. How can someone so perfect, so beautiful. No! Filthy know-it-all!
He walked slowly toward her. Face looked so peaceful and calm. Her tear-stained cheeks rested on the book, the ink smeared with her cries. He looked at her. She looked so beautiful.
Without thinking her placed his arms under her knees and scooped her, bridal style into his arms. He walked back to the dormitory, feeling more calm and at rest than he had all day. Placing her delicately on the couch and covered her snugly in a blanket. She looked like an angel. Walking back to his room, he finally got some sleep.
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Hermione woke the next morning with a start. She sat bolt upright looking around wildly as she did so. She was in her common room. She stood up and rushed to the library. Gathering her books form last night in her arms, her rushed to show Draco.
When she got back she saw him pacing the room, looking panicked. "Where were you!" he said, rushing to her.
"I found some information." She said, startled, "about half-veelas."
" Oh!" he said, calming down. "Great!" he pulled her the recently vacated couch. "Show me."
"Okay…" she replied, "Here's what I found." She placed the heavy book in his lap and rose to get a cup of tea. After a few minutes she walked back over to him. "So, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know?" He said looking up at her. " I can't think of any one I really have a 'strong emphatic link with' I mean, maybe its someone from Beauxbatons, or Durmstrang."
"Oh my God! I completely forgot!" Hermione yelled, leaping to her feet, "We've got a prefect meeting in five minutes to discuss the visiting schools." She sprinted to her room, threw on a fresh uniform and bolted out of the door.
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Standing in front of the room full of prefect she started to explain the situation. "Well, as Professor McGonagall explained at the start of term feast, we will be playing host to two other schools this year. They will be living in the spare dormitories in the south wing. They will attend classes with us. Two more tables will be added to the great hall and they will be treated as if there were two new houses at Hogwarts, with quidditch teams and House points. Examinations will take place as usual and things will go an as they normally do. Any questions?" She asked to the room at large.
Several hands when up. "Yes, Machester." Said Draco to a small reedy sixth year.
" How will the quidditch cup take place with all the extra students?" ha asked in a thick Scottish accent.
"The details have not been finalized yet, but we believe that we will have invitational with all six teams competing against one another then the winners will go on the compete for the cup. Yes Anthony."
"Will we still have Hogsmeade visits?"
The questions went on in this thread for about half an hour until both the prefects and the heads had run out of inquiries. Hogsmeade dates were finalized, along with patrolling times and partners and they all left for lunch in the Great Hall.
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Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table half an hour later, after she finished giving Professor McGonagall the new schedules. "So, are you exited about the Hogsmeade weekend?" asked Ginny in an attempt to break the awkward silence creeping in on out little group.
"Yeah I guess." She responded, jumping on the chance at a conversation. "I don't have any idea what I'll wear to the ball though."
"That's what I'm here for, to make you look more like a girl." She replied with a laugh, "and to make you feel uncomfortable when Harry and I sneak into your common room to make out."
"What!" Ron yelled, lurching out of his stupor.
"Ha!" Ginny laughed, "I told you he'd fall for it Harry, you owe me a galleon!" she said as they all (except Ron who was still fuming) laughed into there food. Lunch passed uneventfully, soon followed by the rest of the day.
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When Hermione finally returned to the common room that night the sun had already set and the room was bathed in the warm glow of the fire. She looked up, surprised to see Draco longing on the couch in front of the fire as her usually spent his evenings in the slytherin common room. The fire's light cast a shadow across his face, softening the usually sharp features. As she walked in he looked up at her. "Evening, Granger." He said closing the book. "I've been trying to find some more information about veelas, as far as I can tell, that book you found pretty much summed it up." He looked at her, her shoulders sunk under the load of her heavy books; she looked tired, almost beaten down. He rose without thinking and walked to her lifting the bag from her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" she asked backing away frightened.
He snapped out of it, looking back at her he smirked, "Just wanted to protect those poor books from being near you any longer." He replied rudely.
"You're insufferable Malfoy!" she said ripping her books out of his hands and walking up the stairs.
Hey, Sorry for the wait, and that this chapters pretty much crap, I was doing P4A all weekend and I'm exhausted. Well, Enjoy. And please review.