Hermione was stumped

Hermione was stumped. She had searched the entire school, high and low, looking for Draco, yet she couldn't find him. His usual hideouts, the Quidditch pitch, the common room, the clock tower and the courtyards, were all free of any trace of Draco or his cronies.

So, tired of looking for him, she returned to the library to work on her project. After grabbing her favourite table and finding the books she needed, she began work on her DADA project. A few minutes passed before she was interrupted.

"Excuse me miss, can I share this book with you?"

That voice…she recognised it though the tone had changed. She looked up to be confronted with a sight she never thought she would see. Sleeves that were normally rolled up were now full length and his frayed vest had been replaced with a new clean one. His shoes were no longer caked in dirt and mud but were gleaming. This glimmer was reflected in bright new thick rimmed glasses placed sophisticatedly on his head. This, plus his slicked back hair, gave him a look of ultimate superiority and intelligence, a look not often seen on the face of a Slytherin.

"Draco…?" Hermione whispered shocked and flabbergasted at who stood before her.

Draco smiled and chuckled.

"Hi!"

"Hi…what are you wearing Draco??" she sighed, looking him up and down.

"Oh this? It's all new! Do you like it?" he asked.

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. His voice…he'd changed it. She'd read about something like this before. There was a spell that could change someone's voice to whatever they wanted. Clearly, Malfoy had cast this to make his sound more posh, more intelligent.

"I…" Hermione hesitated.

"Yer I thought you would. I thought of you as I got them. Knew you'd be pleased!"

"Yer you look um…you look great…but…why?"

"What do you mean why? Isn't it obvious? You want me to be like this. I mean lets face it sweetie, you hate the way I used to be so I thought what the hell, what have I got to loose? My friends? They're not worth it, not compared to you! I don't care if I loose them. You know I would much rather have you! And this is what you want Hermione. This is what you want from me I know it is!"

"No, no you don't. I never said I wanted this Malfoy." Hermione said, shaking her head slowly.

"Well you didn't need to say it. I've told you Hermione, I know what you are thinking!!"

Hermione said nothing.

"Well, you'll come around to the idea of a new me darling." Draco whispered.

"Don't call me darling or sweetie ok? Please Draco!"

"Ok, I won't," he said, "…yet!"

Hermione, wanting to move on, decided to ignore this comment and carried on with her work. Draco stood over her, watching her intently, scrutinising everything she did. She felt awkward.

"So…you, um, wanted to borrow this book then?" she inquired, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Yes please. You see it is essential that I have that book as I need to complete my Defence Against the Dark Arts project. Rudimentary as it is, I feel that it is possible I may find it exceedingly complex to complete as I…"

Draco continued to drone on in his super intelligent slur. It appeared to Hermione that he had not only cast a Voice Alteration spell but had also brewed and, indeed, drank the Knowledge and Intuition potion that they had to research last month.

"Well, that would explain it…" she thought. Malfoy has been rather intuitive lately, considering he always 'knows' how she feels. Well, that potion would explain it!

"Argh! That boy'll stop at nothing!" she thought angrily.

And that's when she realised, he hadn't stopped. He was still ranting away in his posh voice, saying words to her she very much doubted he even knew the meaning of.

"Draco…" she said quietly. He carried on.

"Draco……" she said again, this time a little louder. Still, he did nothing. Her patience began to dwindle, severely.

"DRACO!" she yelled. This time he shut up, as did the entire library. Madame Pince shot a warning glance at her. After an uncomfortable eternity of people staring at them and whispering to each other, her fellow students gradually began to turn around and get on with whatever had previously occupied them.

During this time, Malfoy decided it was a good idea to shut up and sit down in order to maintain a low profile. Coyly, he placed himself next to Hermione and looked at the books before him, until he felt it was safe to raise his head. When he eventually did, he addressed Hermione in the same annoying formal fashion, though without most of the infuriating 'clever' vocabulary.

"Hermione, I don't quite understand --"

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled, in a stage whisper of course!

"Stop what?"

"Stop that annoying voice! Yes ok, yes I would probably like you a little more, as a FRIEND, if you were a little more aware and compassionate and pensive. But for goodness sake Draco, I didn't need you to do this! Frankly, the voice irritates me and I know that most of the time you're talking a load of waffle that not only do you not understand but I barely understand myself!"

Draco looked upset.

"Damn!" she thought, "I've hurt him again!"

"No Hermione, you haven't hurt me I just…I was only trying to make an effort!"

"Ok…I didn't say that I'd hurt you, I thought it. For the duration of this conversation could you not use your 'intuition' please!?"

"Ok, sorry…"

"Anyway, as I was saying, I'm flattered that you did this for me Draco, really I am. But it's not necessary! So please, if you can, reverse that damn spell and potion before I find some other, more unfriendly way, of shutting you up!"

Draco sighed.

"I'm sorry Hermione, for upsetting you, really I am and I'm glad you said you're flattered but I think you're a little more than flattered. I mean let's be honest!"

"Draco! Stay the HELL out of MY MIND!!" The second Hermione's shriek escaped from her delicate lips she regretted saying them. Once again the entire library was staring at her. She decided however not to acknowledge their eyes on her. Though she was ignoring them, she still lowered her voice.

"Draco, please. Just do what you can!"

Despite the sincerity of her voice he still didn't sound convinced that he should undo it.

"Ok, Draco, I'll make you a little deal. If you reverse that spell and potion and stop trying to impress/humiliate me, then I'll help you with your DADA project. Do we have an accord?"

"Well, you see the problem with that is that, if I don't do as you ask and I keep the Knowledge and Intuition I've gained, then I'll be able to complete it anyway. So really, you have nothing to offer me in this deal! Up the ante and maybe I'll agree!"

"Ok, how about this…" Hermione shivered. She couldn't believe what she was about to say. But if it made him leave her be, it was worth it, "if you reverse the spell and potion and leave me alone etc. then I will help you with your DADA project, and…"

"Yes…" Draco said, with his powers of intuition he knew what she was going to say.

"Still," he thought to himself, "there will be nothing sweeter than hearing her say it herself!"

"…and, when we've finished the project, you can kiss me…"

He smiled, a smile of utter delight and enthralment. He resembled a small child at Christmas, ecstatic as they unwrapped a present, one they had been working on for a while, to find inside exactly what they wanted. Though Draco wanted more…

"A kiss…is that all?"

He said nothing more for a moment, but left her to stew in silence.

"Well what more do you want from me Malfoy?"

He thought for a while, thinking of the best way to say what he wanted. Yet he also pondered as to why she had suddenly switched back to 'Malfoy'…

"You know what I want from you Hermione…" he said, in a purely tasteful way. Though this implied more, Draco didn't just want this side of Hermione, he simply wanted her company and companionship. He wanted to be with her mentally as well as physically. A kiss simply wouldn't cut it unless there was feeling behind it.

"Right now Malfoy, you're lucky that you're still alive! So if I were you I wouldn't get cocky and I would accept my offer or its nothing at all!"

"Well that's fine by me as I know I will get you soon enough anyway. What I'm worried about is how long you can continue to function and think with me breathing down your neck in this annoying fashion all day, every day…"

After a while of rolling this thought around in her mind, she said, with much regret, "Fine, a kiss, and then we'll see what happens."

By this point, Hermione looked close to tears. Draco was infuriated with himself for upsetting her but she had to see. She had to learn, one way or another, that very soon, she would be his.

"Tomorrow, meet me by the statue that leads to Honeydukes at midnight. Don't be late!"

"Wait, midnight! You must be mad! We're not allowed out of bed and if we get caught…!"

"So…bring Harry's invisibility cloak and the Marauders Map! You'll be fine, see you there." He stood up to leave, then hesitated for a second. He slowly bent down, pressed his lips softly on her ear and whispered, in a rather enticing manner, "I can't wait darling!"

He gently nibbled her ear as he rose, flashed her a playful smile and wondered nonchalantly out of the library.

Hermione looked around quickly, trying to see if anyone had observed what Draco had just done. Luckily though, no-one had seen a thing.

Thank goodness for thick hair!