Story: New Events
Author: LadyLissaLight
Summary: "The Tri-wizard Tournament is to be held again" - "I could get any girl." "Even Granger?" "Yep." "I dare you to seduce her." "Done." - "Hermione, who are you going to the ball with?" "... Draco Malfoy." "WHAT?" Please read!
A/N – to Rei Sakura no, Draco does not hate Hermione, as I have stated from the beginning. I am very sorry that you feel they are going too fast.
He kicked his bed, hard, and promptly swore loudly as his toe started throbbing.
Stupid Granger. She'd made him so angry, insulting him like that. And now, he had absolutely no chance of winning the bet. None.
If only he hadn't gone and become friends with her. Because that was exactly what he'd done, really. He'd actually started to like her as a friend, he really had. And now she was gone, and so were his chances of winning the bet.
"Drakey?" Pansy stuck her head around the door. "What's wrong?" she crawled onto his bed, and pulled him down next to her. "I'm sure I can make it better," she said seductively.
He stared at her. Man slut, was he? Well then he may as well...
He kissed Pansy, and she responded enthusiastically.
XXXXXX
Hermione woke to a pillow stained with tears, for the third morning in a row. That's how long it had been, three days. She wasn't talking to Ron, and she doubted Malfoy – for that's what she had to call him again – would ever say a word to her that wasn't an insult again.
And what was worse was that she was more upset about Malfoy, than she was about Ron.
Her eyes red, she brushed her hair and teeth, put on her uniform, and walked down to breakfast.
She sat down next to Harry, and pulled her omelette towards her without speaking. Harry, who knew not to ask, put his arm around her, and she leaned into his shoulder, taking comfort in his warmth and familiarity.
"Mione..." he began, and she shook her head.
"I'm fine, Harry."
He sighed, and her heart went out to him. She knew that he was melancholy about Ginny, and yet he still wanted to comfort her. Harry, she thought, would have been a much better person to fall in love with than Ron. Not that she was in love with Ron. She'd realised that by now. She had been, once, but t\now they were actually together, she realised it wasn't anything like what she wanted, or needed. But she wasn't going to end it with Ron. She'd also decided that. No, she couldn't do that to her best friend, and it wasn't like she was in love with anyone else, so it didn't really matter.
Ron himself sat down at the table, and she felt his eyes on her. She didn't want to meet them, so she glanced around at nothing in particular, and felt a stab of something, she didn't know what, when she saw Malfoy and Pansy glued together at the lips over at the Slytherin table.
As she watched, they broke apart, and Malfoy's gaze wandered around the room, before meeting hers. His expression was unsettled, and his eyes weren't cold, and she thought she saw a flash of concern go through them. But then he slung his arm around Pansy's shoulders. She knew what he was saying, 'look, I'm a man-slut'. She scowled.
His expression was self satisfied. "Ronald," she said, breaking gaze with Malfoy, "I'm really sick of fighting. Will you meet me after breakfast, by the lake?"
Ron looked surprised, but he nodded, and she got up, leaving the great hall.
The spot under the huge tree by the lake was hotly contested, and Hermione had picked it, because she knew from previous experience that Draco and Pansy usually sat there after breakfast. If Malfoy was going to make her angry, she was going to make him angry. And stealing his favourite make out spot would be a good way to do it.
When Ron came out and sat with her, she linked her hands with his, and kissed him. He kissed her back immediately, his hands going down her sides, and pulling her closer.
Then – "excuse me?"
They broke apart to see Malfoy standing there with pansy, who looked disgusted. Malfoy, on the other hand, looked angry. And he wasn't looking at Ron for once; he was looking at her, eyes barrowed.
She shot him the same look he'd shot her earlier, and was rewarded by his lip curling. "Go away, Malfoy." She shot at him.
"I'm defending the public from having to look at this revolting sight," he replied.
"You and Parkinson snog here all the time," she snapped.
"Yes, but," he said smarmily, "we're not ugly mudbloods."
His words felt like a complete slap in the face. Her eyes filled with tears. "I hate you, Draco Malfoy," se choked out, and rushed back to the castle.
XXXXXX
He stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He couldn't' get the expression on her face when he'd said that out of his head.
And the way she'd said 'I hate you Draco Malfoy', as if he'd totally killed her.
He was feeling extremely guilty now, and he wasn't even bothering to care that he was feeling an emotion he shouldn't be.
He'd gone too far and he knew it. He'd made her cry. That morning at breakfast, her eyes had been red, like they had been for the past few days since they'd declared they weren't friends, but he'd told himself it was because of Weasel. Anyone could see they weren't speaking. But these tears, he couldn't blame on anyone but himself. He sighed.
Yes, he'd gone way too far. But he'd been filled with such unmistakeable anger when he'd seen them kissing, and just like in Hogsmeade, he'd wanted to hurt her.
And he'd said that he wanted to be a better person this year. All he'd achieved was feeling disgusted with himself.
And she wasn't ugly. Not at all. But mostly, he shouldn't have used that word, that horrible word which he knew destroyed her.
He rolled over in bed, hitting his head on the pillow. Maybe... he could make it up to her?
No.
He'd have to break the Malfoy rules, because, this time, she deserved it.
He pulled out some parchment from his trunk, and found a spare quill, quickly scribbling down the message.
She was reading Hogwarts a History, nothing else comforted her when she was upset. Suddenly, there came a tap on her window. She looked up to see an owl. Malfoy's owl.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of Malfoy, and she contemplated ignoring the owl. But eventually she got out of bed and opened the window. It flew into the room and deposited a note, before flying out again.
She climbed back into bed, and slowly opened the note.
I'm so sorry was all it said. She stared at it. Malfoy didn't do apologies, she knew that, and she supposed he'd broken one of his rules to tell her that.
She tore the not in half. It wasn't enough.
The next morning, after another night of crying, she went down to breakfast. At least things were better with Ron, she thought, as he stood up to meet her, and enveloped her in a hug. She could feel that, for once, he was being emotionally sensitive, and was being careful around her.
She hugged him back, smiling ruefully at his 'I'm here for you' look, and tucked into her waffles.
Halfway through the meal, she did what she'd been dreading. She looked up at the Slytherin table, and sure enough, his eyes were on her. He was looking slightly hopeful, she saw, but she returned his look with one of no emotion, before looking back at her food.
She was lucky that the day after tomorrow, they left for Beauxbatons. She would get time to work on her relationship with Ron, and she wouldn't have to see Malfoy.
She and Anthony were getting excellently, and she was glad that she'd made a friend outside of Harry, Ron and the Weasley's. It gave her someone to talk to when Harry, Ron or the Weasley's were the problem.
So when she left the table, it was Anthony she went and found, sitting in the Head's common room, reading a book on dragons. She stifled a smile as he looked up. "Hey, Hermione," he closed the book and stood up.
"Hi," she replied. "So I wanted to know if you would quiz me on my antidotes for Potions. Plus I have extra books on what we'd be doing if we weren't going to Beauxbatons."
Anthony frowned. "Hermione," he said gently, "I'm happy to study with you, but you can't try and make me your new Draco Malfoy."
He'd noticed. Damn. She sighed, "I'm sorry."
"That's ok," he put an arm around her shoulders. "Maybe you should forgive him, then you'll have your study partner back?"
"No," she said firmly. "It's just Malfoy. I've lived with him being nasty for 6 years of my life. Just because we were friends for a few weeks, doesn't mean I can't get over it. I will get over it." She set her mind; she would completely stop caring at all about anything Draco Malfoy related.
Anthony nodded. "Well, if that's what you want. Now, shall we study?"
"Yes," she smiled her heart and mind lighter already. "Lets."
XXXXXX
"Hermione," Ginny snapped. "This is not an acceptably packed trunk. You realise your leaving for Beauxbatons tomorrow morning, and you have a meeting in an hour, so you won't have any more time to pack!"
"Ginny, my trunk is fine!" Hermione replied, exasperated.
Ginny's mouth narrowed into a thin line, and she looked like a redheaded Professor McGonagall. "OK, I'll pack your trunk, or rather RE-pack it, while you're at your meeting."
She began pulling items out of Hermione's trunk, and exclaiming in disgust. "Hermione, you are going to 'ze land of looove!'" she sang in a French accent."Pack prettier clothes! I understand you like to dress like a man, but I'm going to put in some dresses for you!"
"Ginny," Hermione said softly, "I'm going to miss you."
Ginny dropped the jeans she was holding and hugged Hermione. "Oh, I'm going to be so alone!" she practically sobbed. "I don't want you to go!"
Hermione patted her back. "I don't want to go either, Ginny. I think it's ridiculous. I'm not needed, and Anthony could have done this job himself."
Ginny sniffled. Then she walked over to the trunk and threw the jeans onto the bed, along with the rest of Hermione's 'man' clothes. "Go on, you have to meet Anthony now," she gave Hermione a little shove towards the door.
"Okay, I'll see you soon, Ginny." She left the Gryffindor dormitory, and met up with Anthony at the portrait of Gregory the Smarmy, as had been planned.
"This is so exciting," Anthony said to her as they made their way towards the classroom that the meeting was going to be held in.
"You're just excited for the dragon," Hermione laughed.
"True," he admitted. "But still, going to Beauxbatons... It's supposed to be beautiful. And have beautiful girls of course."
She rolled her eyes and pushed open the door.
"Good evening, Mr Goldstein, Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall as they entered.
They appeared to be the first ones there, which Hermione had planned. "Good evening Professor," she returned.
"I hope you are all packed?" she asked them. Anthony nodded and after a second thinking of Ginny, Hermione nodded too.
Students who wanted to enter the tournament began to trickle in. Ron, Seamus, Dean, to Hermione's surprise, Pavarti, Terry Boot, Hannah Abbott, Terence Higgs, Millicent Bulstrode, Justin Finch Fletchley, Colin Creevey, 3 seventh years who would have formerly been in the year below Hermione as was Ginny's case, and then finally, Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy.
She felt her stomach drop as he walked in. How was she supposed to avoid him if he wanted to enter the tournament?
"Well, I think this is everyone," Professor McGonagall headed to the front of the room. "This meeting is to discuss the rules and behaviour at Beauxbatons."
Various people rolled their eyes.
"Now," the professor continued. "While at Beauxbatons, you will show the utmost respect to the castle, the students in it, and the teachers. If I hear of any Hogwarts student shaming this school by acting out of order, they shall be severely punished and sent straight back here. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good. On other matters, the French can either be very nasty, or very kind. If a student is nasty to you, do not take it to heart, for the French rarely mean things personally. And certainly do not return then insult. The food you may find at Beauxbatons will be different, but I once again urge you to make no comment on this, while around the students or teachers from Beauxbatons. There will be more common food available to you, as French food was to them when they were guests in this castle."
Several people gave relieved sighs.
Professor McGonagall talked for around an hour, before she sent the students back to their houses.
She passed Blaise and Malfoy as she made her way back to the Gryffindor common room, and Blaise called out, "Hey Granger, Drakey misses you!"
She didn't turn around, just kept walking until she turned a corner and was away from them.
When she arrived, her trunk was packed and locked, and Ginny was asleep on the floor with her head resting on it.
Hermione half woke her, helped her into bed, then fell asleep herself. Her dreams were full of 'hey Granger, Drakey misses you!"
A/N Special thanks to Hesaluti, because their story inspired me to write this one, although they didn't know it. Review.