A/N: I'M REALLY SORRY- but it wasn't my fault. Not really. I tried updating yesterday (Saturday) But there was a problem with my internet. I keep getting disconnected.
It wasn't until today that I was able to update :( Sorry. I really did try.
--
On another note: YAY over 100 reviews!
Thanks so much!
Chapter seven: Pride
Hermione woke up with a chill down her spine.
Someone, or rather, something, was on her face. Something...wet, and so bloody COLD.
She opened her eyes warily, and she saw three distinct figures standing around her come slowly into focus. They seemed to be holding something over her face.
That same cold and wet substance dripped down from their fingers again. Cursing, Hermione sat up suddenly and whacked at whoever was surrounding her.
"Ow Hermione!" Ginny muttered, rubbing her arm.
"Is that how you say, 'good morning'?" Hermione snapped.
"Someone's up nice and bright," Lavender said, smirking. "Look what we found!"
Parviti then dumped the entire contents of the jug right over Hermione, causing her to splutter and shiver in horror.
It took her a minute to realise it wasn't water the jug was holding. It was something white, wet and melting...
"IT'S SNOWING?" Hermione shrieked, getting up and grabbing her wand. Quickly she cast a drying-charm and vanishing spell to get rid of the snow from her bed and her clothes. She pulled the curtains wide open and gaped in amazement as she saw the snowflakes gently floating down.
Hermione had seen snow before, of course, but it never ceased to amaze her at their beauty. The snow was so white and beautiful, until somebody decided to gather some into a jug and tip it over her sleeping face, that is.
Her friends came beside her and Ginny threw open the window, causing some of the snowflakes to come drifting in, where one landed squarely on Hermione's pink nose.
The three girls struggled to keep their laughter in as Hermione looked at the blurry thing on her nose-cross eyed.
"Hmph," Hermione grumbled, wiping it off.
"Aren't you happy," Parviti said sarcastically, "Normally you'd be squealing 'Snow! Snow!' Like that idiot down there."
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I didn't sleep that well last night. And-" She glanced down, squinting to see who was dancing wildly in the snow like that.
"Isn't that-" Lavender breathed, following Hermione's gaze and Parviti's pointing finger.
Ginny leaned forward out the window. "Seems like it," She sighed. "That was a scene I wished I'd never live to see, but here I am."
Pansy was whirling around in the snow. Ugh. Her pug face was lit up and her robes were whirling behind her. Double ugh.
Lavender gagged, "What does she think she is, the angel from hell? Close the curtains, Hermione."
Hermione was about to yank the curtains shut, but then saw a second figure striding towards Pansy, their wand out and shouting furiously.
"Oooh," Parviti prised Hermione's fingers away from the curtains and the four of them craned their necks to get a better look.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" The second figure roared, pushing Pansy away from the pile of snow she was, er, 'dancing' on.
Pansy shot the person a look that made the hairs on Hermione's neck stand up. "Aw, Drakey-"
"Don't call me that!" The person, who was Draco, snapped. "Look what you did!"
It was then Hermione noticed that Pansy wasn't just standing on a random pile of snow, but snow that had been magically arranged into a shape.
"I saw the note," Pansy beamed, "I was up early and saw this out the window. That was so sweet-"
"-It wasn't for you!" Draco said sharply. "You totally ruined it!"
Ginny dashed to Lavender's bed suddenly and grabbed her friend's binoculars which was on the bedside table. She adjusted the lens and thrust it at Hermione, who was still trying to decipher what the shape was.
"Take a look at it," Ginny grinned, "I think that note was meant for you."
Hermione gave her a Look. "Yeah, right," She sniggered, "Draco Malfoy hates me, remember?"
"We all know about the plan, and the reason why you guys came up with the plan," Lavender said mysteriously.
"Harry and Ron told Ginny, who told us," Parviti added. "We know that Malfoy likes you. That's why you guys were planning to use this against them."
"Not anymore," Hermione murmured. "My conscience tells me that doing that would be wrong."
"And..." Lavender said in a sing-song voice. "We saw Malfoy talking to you outside the Great Hall, plus you stuffing a present into your trunk. Just spill it, Hermione, what did he give you?"
Hermione shrugged, her cheeks pink. "I don't know, I haven't opened it yet."
Parviti immediately flipped opened Hermione's trunk and started rummaging through it, searching for that gift.
Hermione peered through the binoculars, wishing that Draco would just move two steps to the left and Pansy out of her sight. "It looks... like a written note- not a picture."
Lavender snatched the binoculars away from Hermione. "It says... OHMYGOD!"
"What?" Hermione said urgently, "what does it say?"
"It says... well, I can only read the first world because stupid Pansy and Malfoy is blocking the view. But...I can't believe it."
"Just get on with it," Ginny said impatiently, while Parviti was still throwing things out from Hermione's trunk.
"The first word is, 'I'." Lavender breathed.
Hermione raised her eyebrows, " I? That's it?"
"Don't you understand?" She breathed. "I is the start of many... interesting sentences."
Parviti was grinning as she triumphantly unearthed the small package. "Yeah. 'I love you', is one sentence that starts with 'I'."
Hermione gaped. "Malfoy's not that, er, straightforward is he?"
" 'I love you!'" Ginny sniggered, "Who knew Malfoy was such a romantic freak?"
Hermione frowned. "I seriously doubt that's what's written there. Pass me the binoculars please, I think he's clearing the mess Pansy made."
Sure enough, Pansy was stomping back to the castle, a sour expression on her face. She looked up and caught sight of Hermione, Lavender and Ginny and shook her fist at them. "What Potion did you use?" Pansy shrieked, "You filthy mudblood, you know-it-all, you nerd, geek-"
"It's called me being educated, you idiot!" Hermione yelled. "I'm not a nerd. I'm educated! Unlike you!"
"Whoa, Hermione," Ginny patted Hermione's back, "Calm down. It's not like you to get all fired up at that Pug."
Hermione sighed. "Looking at her just makes me angry."
"Join the club," Parviti muttered, tugging at the wrapping. "I think only Hermione can open this-it's spelled."
Hermione waited until Draco stored his wand away, smile up at her, before peering through the binoculars again.
"Look at his expression," Lavender sighed, "If only he wasn't mean and a Slytherin, I'd totally date him-he's so cute!"
"Hey, hands off, he's Hermione's." Ginny warned, but she was smirking. "What potion did you use, Hermione? He's like a puppy, eager to please his owner or something. What happened to the twitchy, cowardly, mudblood-hating ferret?"
"I think something is up," Hermione muttered. "He's got a plan cooking. It's got something to do with the dare. I just know it. But I'm going to let him think it's working."
"Or maybe," Lavender whispered in her ear, "He just fancies you."
Hermione ignored her. "I got it!" She said.
Parviti slid off Hermione's bed. "What does it say?"
Hermione frowned. "It's kind of blurry through the snow... The first word is... 'I'... 'must'...'be'...a... 'snow'...'ball'? No. It says 'Flake'...'before'... no, I mean.... 'because'... 'I've'....'Fallen'...."
"FOR YOU!" Lavender shrieked. "Did you get that, Ginny?"
Ginny was scribbling down what Hermione's was saying and squinted at her writing. "I must be a snowflake because I've fallen for you." She said triumphantly.
There was a silence.
"What is he, the Mr. Pick-up lines?" Snorted Hermione.
"That's so...cheesy, sweet, but cheesy," Lavender sighed. "I thought he was like, Mr. Bad Boy or something and would just go straight out and say, 'I love you, now get down here so I can bully you again'."
"Like I said," Hermione said, "He's up to something. I have to find out what."
Hermione wasn't surprised when a tawny owl dropped a parcel and a letter in front of her during breakfast.
"Oh my!" Fred exclaimed, clapping a hand to his mouth, "Hermione has a secret admirer!"
"Not so secret," Hermione muttered under her breath. She saw Draco looking at her from the Slytherin table. There was a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
George stole a piece of toast from her plate, munching on it. "Open it up!"
Harry and Ron looked at each other, shrugged, and grabbed the envelope and parcel. Hermione didn't seem to care one bit that her friends were opening HER present, but she was a little curious as to what was inside.
"Open the present first!" Hermione said, leaning over with Fred and George hovering by like a pair of annoying flies.
Ron tugged at the wrappings, his face red from the exertion. "Can't-must have a spell on it or something."
Harry was likewise furiously stabbing the envelope with his butter knife. "This envelope is spelled too-can't crack the seal."
Hermione sighed, "Pass them over, I'll open it."
As soon as the present touched her hands, the ribbon started unravelling and the wrappings fell away, like a rose blooming as the layers of the wrapping paper peeled itself off the box inside.
Frowning, Hermione picked up the box and gave it a gentle shake. There was something heavy inside, something that felt expensive. Fred grabbed it from her and prised the box open.
"Wow," Fred said in mock-amazement. "This is, like, the best present ever!"
George frowned as he peered inside. "Was darkness sellable?" He asked.
Hermione snatched the box from Fred, and looked inside. Inside there was....nothing. Hermione opened the box from the other side, and looked in it, she could only see Fred's grinning face.
"But it seems so heavy..." Hermione murmured. She closed the box. "Must be a hoax."
"But," Harry glanced over at Draco, who was pretending to be absorbed chewing over a grape over and over again, "It must mean something. Read the letter."
Hermione cracked the seal effortlessly (Harry harrumphed; "She's so not stronger than me," He told Fred and George, who were snickering.) and unfolded the letter.
"Dear Hermione
Have a Happy Day and I hope you like this present. I hope it's what you wished for.
From
Your secret admirer."
Ron tilted his head to one side, staring at the innocent-looking, empty box. "Come to think of it," he said slowly, "I've seen one of those boxes before. That pattern on the box seems like a series of runes, doesn't it?"
Hermione looked at the exterior of the box carefully, "you're right, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, "It's some runes to make sure the magic of the box wears off after a set amount of time! Give me a second."
She read the Runes, turning the box the right way up and muttered feverishly under her breath as she translated the Runes. "The magic lasts for twelve hours," she told them, "It starts from when the box was opened."
"So?" Harry asked, "What's the magic? What the heck is this empty box for?"
Hermione grinned, "the answer's in the letter, Harry. 'I hope it's what you WISHED for'. Figure it out,"
Harry grumbled under his breath, Hermione made him feel like a primary kid. Beside him, Ron was gaping and his mouth was opening and closing as he tried to make words out of it.
"But it's so bloody expensive!" Ron breathed, "I saw it being advertised in the Daily Prophet recently, just getting the simplest one costs a thousand galleons! And this one-judging from its size-is definitely NOT the simplest one."
"It's the middle one," Hermione said, smiling widely. Harry was still looking from Hermione to Ron, confused. "Can someone explain to me what the hell that box is?" He said impatiently.
Fred dumped today's issue of the Daily Prophet in front of him. "Be a good boy and read," he said sweetly, "while George and I finish your bacon."
Harry passed them his plate and flipped to the advertisements page. His eyes fell on the biggest column. "Oh, my... He gave you THIS?"
NEW IN STOCK!
Just invented in Africa, and almost immediatlely imported to Britain, the WISH BOX comes in three types: simple, middle, and deluxe. Its name speaks all, yup, this box is a box that grants wishes!
The simple box can grant small things, including limited money (up to a nine hundred galleons), limited merchandise that is currently on shelves, and limited food (only food that can be found locally).
The middle box can grant more: money (limited to two thousand galleons), merchandise that is no longer on shelves, food (from all around the world), plus you can wish for somebody to appear (has to be living) beside you-with the exception of people in Azkaban, of course.
The Deluxe edition can grand even more wishes! We will not disclose any information about this edition because it is still working on the glitches (we're working so it's still legal for some wishes)
WANT THAT SPECIAL PRESENT TO GIVE TO THAT SPECIAL PERSON?
ORDER NOW!
Note: Box can only grant two wishes.
"What are you going to wish for?" Ron's eyes gleamed at the choices. "Money? Food? Cool items?"
"Nothing." Hermione answered simply. "There'd be a time that I'll want to use it for emergencies and I don't want to end up regretting using them both up."
Ron groaned. "Man, Hermione!"
Hermione glanced at the Slytherin table, where Draco finally stopped pretending to eat his grape. Their eyes met and she smiled. "Thanks," she mouthed.
Draco shrugged, giving a look that said, 'that was nothing if it was for you'.
George and Fred gagged at his look.
Draco hummed happily to himself, with Goyle and Crabbe staring at him as they made their way to the library. First class was self study class, and Draco wanted to do more research on potions and spells that would make Ron look U.G.L.Y.
Hermione totally bought the whole 'I fancy you' thing. He knew it was a good idea to order that box. She was starting to warm up against him. Turns out Pothead and Weasel had a sneaky plan themselves, Blaise told him all about it afterwards. They actually thought he fancied Hermione!
How-
-True.
Ugh.
He shook his head. Yes, he liked Hermione, but the plan was more important. Get Hermione to fall for him (which included eliminating possible rivals: Ronald Weasley)-pretend (or not) to like her back-go out on the day Lust was to be committed-break up with her-she'll be so sad that she'll not commit it-Galleons and pride won.
Brilliant plan.
He strode into the library and went to his usual secluded spot in the library-between the shelves 'Spells for Makeovers' and 'Fun pranks'. He had not realised somebody was already sitting there.
Yep, Hermione Granger had self-study class too.
"Researching something?" She asked coolly.
"No," Draco said shortly. Silently he was yelling at her to go away so he could research-but he was smiling innocently at her on the outside.
"I'll cut the chase," Hermione said. She sighed and placed her book down. "What are you up to?"
Draco blinked. Was the plan too obvious? He thought worriedly, or did he accidentally let slip something?
"Er-no, of course not."
"The presents? The corny pick up lines-" Draco winced, "-the looks you're giving me? I know that something's going on, Malfoy. Ron says you fancy me, I thought so too, until this morning." She looked up and stared into his eyes. "Spill."
Draco stared right back, if this was a battle between who was backing down first, he'd win it for sure. "What makes you think that I have a plan?" He asked, sitting down beside her, still maintaining eye contact.
"I thought there was no plan until this morning. I thought the pick-up lines and the present yesterday was genuine, but the message made of snow? I don't think it's something you'd do to somebody you fancy. It might be something Blaise does, but not you."
Draco narrowed his eyes. "People surprise others sometimes," he said slowly, "apart from my name and some obvious details, you don't know me at all. Why can't somebody like me send a message via snow?"
"Because," Hermione said, "Such a sweet little thing isn't like you."
"Are you saying I'm not sweet? Incapable of being a romantic?" Draco accused.
Hermione smiled. "That's it."
Draco huffed. "Well then, get to know me better."
"Wh-what?"
"It's obvious you don't know me at all. So why don't we take the time-now- to get to know each other better?" Draco silently patted himself on the back. It was an excellent idea.
Hermione eyed him warily. "Before that, prove that you fancy me then. If this is just part of your stupid plan-then forget it."
Draco started sweating. How can ANYBODY prove that they fancied somebody? It was absurd. "How?"
"Take this simple quiz." Hermione managed to make a magazine appear and slid it across to him.
Draco looked at the cover. "What kind of magazine is this?"
"A muggle one-see? The pictures don't move."
"Oh yeah."
"Write your answers on the parchment and then I'll match it up to the results," Hermione ordered.
Draco got out his quill and started the quiz, he felt like he was doing an exam, with Hermione looking at him amusingly.
QUESTION ONE:
What is your current relationship with him/her?
-Strangers
-Friends
-Acquaintances
Draco wrote down 'Acquaintances'.
QUESTION TWO:
Where do you usually look when talking to her?
-Her Chest
-Her eyes/Face
-Wait/below
He looked up at her. 'Face' he wrote down. This quiz was easy-you could tell which answers to write down and what not to. It was easy to fluke.
The questions were similar to the ones before, where it was obvious which answers corresponded to what type of results. Draco didn't even think when he wrote down the answers.
In just under thirty seconds, he passed both the magazine and the parchment back to her. "Match 'em up."
Hermione smiled at him. It was a knowing smile. Draco shuddered.
"The results say you one hundred percent like me." Hermione concluded, tearing up the parchment.
She saw Draco smirk at that. "So," he started, "how about that 'getting to know each other better' thingy, eh?"
Hermione flashed him a smile, "Tomorrow, then. Meet me after dinner outside the Hall."
Draco nodded. "Fine. That was exactly what I was thinking of."
Hermione walked out the library, that knowing smile still plastered on her face.
Draco did not fancy her.
What Hermione was looking for was not matching up the results, but how Draco completed the quiz. He was whizzing through them, not thinking about the answers, not recalling anything. He was trying to make sure he got 100% on the quiz.
Well, he failed.
She'd let him carry on with his plan. No doubt he had something to do with Lust. He'd think he won, but at the last minute she'll retaliate and pretend that she lusted after him. Fred and George's potion was seated snugly in her pocket right now. She was dreading tomorrow, but then it'd finally be over.
Hermione had noted where he normally sat when Draco was in the library. She noticed that he went more and more often, not realising she was sitting in plain view all this time. She noticed that he sat in the same spot each time, and pulled out books from the same shelves. Hermione could put two and two together.
"Lavender!" Hermione hissed, seeing her walking towards the library. "I need help for tomorrow."
"Why?" She asked suspiciously. "You going on a date or something?"
Hermione nodded and Lavender gave a shriek.
"With Draco Malfoy?"
Another nod.
"OH MY...MERLIN'S SAGGY Y-FRONTS!" Lavender squealed. "He asked you out?"
Nod.
"In a way," Hermione answered. Lavender was jumping up and down. "I never knew you fancied him back!"
Hermione grimaced. She didn't want to tell her the plan, and that minor detail that she didn't really like Draco.
"Actually," Lavender said thoughtfully. "It's kinda obvious now. You always stare at him during Potions, even before the whole dare thing started."
"I did not!" Hermione retorted angrily.
"Don't lie," she said in a sing-song voice. "Even Harry said you were looking at him-that was the reason he persuaded Ron to stop the whole plan thing. He said that he disliked Malfoy, but if you liked him, there was nothing he could do. He didn't want Malfoy to hate you!"
Hermione gaped. "Harry... thought he knew?"
"Of course! And what do you mean 'thought'?" Lavender asked.
"I don't really like him," Hermione whispered, glancing back at the library. "He's a ferret-"
"Your face goes red around him." Lavender said flatly, obviously losing patience. "Your face is flushed right now, I'd give anything to bet that you just talked to him and he's still in that library."
Hermione placed a hand on her face. "I'm... red?"
"My god, yes!" Lavender sighed. "You like him, he likes you. You're going on a date? Hello?"
Hermione walked away, her head buzzing. She needed time to process this information.
It couldn't be... could it?
Lavender watched her go with a smirk on her face. She shook her head, Hermione was smart-book wise. In the relationship department, Hermione was just an amateur.
Professor McGonagall suddenly flung open her door to her classroom and pulled Hermione in.
"You've got Pride to commit," She whispered to Hermione, who was still red in the face. "This one is easy, I'll help you, Granger. Albus just said that he'll add in a special treat for everyone if he wins the bet."
"Er-"
McGonagall slammed the door shut and half dragged Hermione towards the front of the class. It was a class full of first years.
"Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, Hermione Granger here is going to help you tie up your shoes."
Hermione stared at McGonagall as if she was off her rocker.
"I-What?" She spluttered. "Why?"
"Because," McGonagall said, winking, "I said so."
Hermione snapped out of her confused daze and caught on. "Oh. Really? You want me to kneel down and tie up their shoes?"
"Yes, that's right."
"No."
The whole class drew in their breath. First years tend to be scared of McGonagall. Disobeying the stern teacher mean certain punishments, that they knew.
"Excuse me?"
"I said no," Hermione repeated. "No means no. I shan't do this-despicable job."
"Is this pride?" McGonagall bent down, her whisper carrying to the other side of the classroom. "Is your pride not allowing you to do this?"
Hermione caught sight of Harry and Ron's feet poking out from under the Invisibility Cloak. They were standing beside McGonagall, with their backs pressed against the blackboard.
"Yes." Hermione said clearly. "I won't do it. Call me proud or anything you like, professor. But I'm a person with dignity."
"Did you hear that?" Barked McGonagall at her class. They coiled up, Hermione swore that she saw one close to tears.
"Yes Professor," they chorused.
"Good. Mark that off, Potter." Harry and Ron stepped out from under their cloak. "Sure thing, Professor," Harry grinned, crossing pride off.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. That was another sin committed. Thank God. She had enough things on her plate right now. The dare had been forgotten.
"Thank you," Hermione nodded to McGonagall, who gave a curt nod back. "Let's go."
Harry and Ron trailed out after her, both grinning madly.
Hermione wondered whether it was her pride that stopped her from embracing the fact that she liked Draco?
Puzzles. She loved and hated them at the same time.
Leaving Harry and Ron behind in the common room, Hermione unlocked her trunk and got out the Wish Box.
She opened it up and whispered, "I wish to know whether I like Malfoy and whether he likes me."
It was stupid wish, Ron would say. But Hermione was desperate. She needed guidance. One moment she thinks she MIGHT fancy him, the next she wasn't so sure.
The box gave a shiver and Hermione distinctively heard a thunk sound coming from it. She peered in and noticed a small handheld mirror along with an instruction manual. Gingerly, she lifted the mirror out and unfolded the instruction sheet.
"Look into the mirror and you shall see the person who your heart desires. How corny," Hermione muttered.
But she lifted the mirror up and gazed into it. At first all she saw was her own reflection, but then it swirled out of focus.
Hermione waited.
At last she saw the mirror's image come slowly into view. She eagerly looked at, hungry for information.
The first thing she saw was the blonde hair. She put it down, chewing on her lip.
Well, that simplified things a bit, she thought. So, she liked him apparently.
The question was, did he like her back?
Hermione waited until after dinner before walking up to him. "Hi Malfoy," she said brightly.
Immediately Draco narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "Er-hi?"
"You have, er, a chunk of hair stuck on your forehead." Hermione lied. She got out the mirror and waved it in front of him. "You might want to get rid of it."
Draco looked into the mirror. "There's nothing on my forehead," he asked, looking at her weirdly. "What are you playing at, Granger?"
Then he realised he was supposed to 'like' her. "I mean, are you feeling okay?" He corrected himself.
Hermione cleared her throat. "I'm fine. I think. Just...look into the mirror and tell me what you see."
Draco wondered whether the mirror would suck him in or something. He stepped back.
"Please." Hermione looked at him pleadingly.
Draco sighed. He took the mirror and looked into it again. To his surprise, his reflection went out of focus. "What's happening?" He asked her, "What does this mirror show?"
She just looked at him and the mirror, obviously looking for something to happen.
The image cleared.
"Well?" Hermione asked. "What do you see?"
Draco swallowed. "Tell me what this mirror shows," he asked urgently.
Hermione looked at him and passed him the manual without a word.
Draco inhaled sharply. It couldn't be...
"What do you see?" Hermione repeated. "Tell me, please."
He looked up at her, a blush forming on his pale cheeks.
"I see...you?"
