"Potter."
"Malfoy."
"Harry!"
"Hermione…"
Hermione had spun around to face Harry, but ended up tripping on Draco's legs, causing her to stumble forwards. Draco, in response, tightened his hold on Hermione's waist and pulled her upright into him. She blushed profusely, and was unable to find her tongue.
"W-wha-wha-what-" she stuttered blankly.
Harry stared at the pair with a mixture of hatred and hurt.
"So this is what you've been hiding from me?"
"What?" Hermione breathed exasperatedly.
Draco's upper lip twitched due to a combination of disgust and effort required not to laugh.
"Harry, there's nothing going on- this isn't what it looks like-" Hermione tried to explain as she wrestled free of Draco's grasp, though she didn't leave his side. She clung to the sleeve of his robe unconsciously. "We were just talking-"
"She was yelling, actually." Draco added.
"-and you walked in! Nothing was going on!"
"Me thinks she doth protest too much, Potter." Draco said airily.
"You're not helping." She whispered venomously.
Draco smirked at her. "Since when would I ever try and help you?"
Hermione let go of Draco's sleeve and whipped out her wand furiously. "You insufferable git! I've been trying to be civil, but you won't leave me alone! What do you want from me?"
Draco smirked haughtily, but before he could answer her question, an indignant look of repulsion crossed his face. "What's so funny, Potter?"
Harry, who was still standing by the door, was smiling and laughing to himself. "It's nothing I just- I just realized how stupid it was of me to think that you two were together. I mean it was ridiculous of me, you two loathe each other with a passion only rivaled in strength by Hermione's love of books. I don't know what came over me." Harry turned to leave. "Don't let me interrupt your bickering."
Draco glared at Harry's back. "Don't say bickering- it makes us sound like an old married couple."
Harry snorted with laugher as he shut the door behind himself.
Silence filled the room once again. Hermione glanced at Draco, awkwardly. He seemed to be smirking, as usual.
"Nice one."
"What do you mean?" Draco said innocently.
"You know what I'm talking about."
"You're insane, Granger. I didn't do anything."
"Come on. You're telling me you honestly didn't do that on purpose? I –however much I regret it- know you better than that."
"I still don't know what you're talking about."
"You started a fight so Harry would assume everything is the same as usual."
Draco's smirk widened noticeably. "Oh, dear. Once again Granger's oversized brain has comprehended by devious tactics. What ever shall I do?" He said with a sarcastic flair.
"You're insane."
Draco's eyebrow jumped mischievously and he grinned at Hermione poisonously. "You think so?"
Hermione grit her teeth and stared into Draco's eyes. "Why? I haven't seen anything to prove the contrary."
Draco grinned. "You are smart, Granger."
Hermione raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What's your game?"
"What?" Draco moaned. "Not this again Granger."
"Yes, this. What are you doing? Why did you drag me in here?"
"I had something…important…to tell you." He said quietly as he gently reached out and pulled Hermione closer to him, his hand pressed against her back.
"Yes?"
Draco inhaled deeply and looked down at Hermione with his cold, grey eyes clouded. Hermione couldn't read what was going on in his mind as he pulled her in closer. She was nervous, frightened, and more than anything- she was anxious. Their faces were only inches apart. Hermione closed her eyes and-
BANG.
Hermione and Draco both jumped apart at the sound of the classroom door being slammed open.
"Harry-" Hermione started, until she turned around and noticed that it was not Harry, but Professors McGonagall and Snape, the latter having his arm wrapped around the former.
Hermione heard Draco gag audibly from behind her.
"Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy." Snape said curtly, dropping his arm to his side. "What, may I ask, are you doing together in an unused classroom?"
"What are you two doing?" Draco replied in horror, though swiftly regretted it.
"We are teachers. It is part of our job to… err… use classrooms." McGonagall said, though she was still incredibly pink. Hermione raised an eyebrow.
Snape cleared his throat and addressed Draco quietly. "We won't tell if you don't."
"Perfect. This never happened." Draco said quickly as he pulled Hermione quickly out of the room, slamming the door behind them.
"Are they…?"
Draco gave Hermione a disgusted look. "I honestly, really, don't want to know."
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Lets never speak of this again."
"Shit." Draco muttered.
"What?"
"I just remembered- we have transfiguration next."
"That's going to be awkward." Hermione groaned.
Draco nodded and they both headed to lunch, though they had both lost their appetite.
…
"Are they… I never would have thought that…"
"Merlin, I just don't want to know these kinds of things about my students."
"Oh dear."
"What?"
"I have the them in my next transfiguration class."
…
Hermione was running breathlessly down a corridor lined with torches, each emitting an emerald flame that dimly lit the never-ending passage. She looked over her shoulder, vainly attempting to catch a glimpse of what was chasing her, but the darkness swallowed up everything behind her and clouded everything in front of her.
With a gasp she was frozen in her tracks. In front of her stood a boy of about seventeen, his silky blonde hair glowing in the semi-darkness, his silvery eyes reflecting the unnatural green of the enchanted flames.
"I have something…important…to tell you." He whispered, his eyes fixed on hers. He reached out and lifted her chin up, her face emerging from shadows into the verdant light. He moved closer to her, his lips only inches away from hers.
She was unable to run away, unable to move closer. She heard a voice behind her whisper, "Ridiculous. It could never happen."
"But it could." She whispered back.
"He's just playing with you. It's just a game."
"What if I play along?" She replied.
"He's using you to get to Harry."
"Maybe he isn't." She whispered into the darkness.
"You're smarter than this, Hermione."
"What if I'm not?"
"He's going to hurt you Hermione."
"I know."
"He's going to hurt you friends."
"I KNOW!" Hermione shouted angrily into the darkness.
Light flooded her eyes as the transfiguration classroom replaced the darkness of the endless corridor. She sat up straight as she realized she had been asleep.
But more importantly, she had just shouted that last part to the entire class.
Professor McGonagall turned pink and cleared her throat. "As- as I was saying Professor Snape…" She cleared her throat again at Draco's horrible attempt to cover his laughter as violent cough, "Professor Snape will be here in a few minutes to provide all of you with a simple potion which you will attempt to transfigure into a different potion. This type of transfiguration is especially difficult due to the complexity of potions and the many ingredients, as well as the inherent magical quality. You will be graded on how affective your transfigured potion is, and will be docked points if it has any qualities of the original potion. Furthermore…"
Hermione had stopped listening. Her eyes strayed to where Draco was sitting. He was still shaking with silent laughter. He caught her gaze and gave her a wink. She smiled faintly without meaning to.
"He's going to hurt your friends."
Hermione sighed as the words floated though her mind.
No, she thought sadly, if I keep this up, I'm going to hurt them.
"Malfoy and Granger."
Hermione looked up in shock at the sound of Snape's sadistic voice.
"W-what?" She stuttered.
"You two will be working together. Come get your potion." Snape's turned into a cold, malignant, smile.
Hermione shuddered- first because their was nothing more horrifying than to see Snape smile, but secondly, and more importantly- she knew he was up to something.