It was now mid November and as such, it fell upon Hermione and the other sixth year prefects to plan the upcoming festivities that took place during the holidays. Feeling quite pressured by the lack of time to prepare, Hermione called an emergency meeting with the other prefects in the Room of Requirement.
"Let's see." Hermione said tapping her forefinger against her chin thoughtfully, "The Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors are all here..." Noticing a slight problem she surveyed the room again.
Frowning she turned to Zacharias Smith, "There's a Slytherin missing."
Nodding seriously, Smith replied, "Pucey. He had some sort of mental breakdown and had to be taken to St. Mungo's. He always did seem half crazed…"
She shot him a disapproving look, before asking, "Who's replacing him?"
"I don't know yet."
"I do!" a cheerful voice came from the doorway.
Spinning around, Hermione saw Professor Sprout enter the room, followed by the last person Hermione wanted to see at the moment, Draco Malfoy.
"Oh, you are kidding me." She groaned quietly. His presence brought a tension into the room that everyone but the ever oblivious Professor Sprout could feel.
"I was just instructed by Professor Dumbledore, to inform you of our new prefect." Sprout was saying, "And to tell you about a new idea for our celebrations this year!"
"What did you have in mind?" Hermione asked stiffly, eyes locked with Malfoy. The students in the room watched them intently, well aware of the many rumours that flew around concerning them.
"Well-" Sprout began eagerly. She was stopped short by Malfoy.
"What the Professor had in mind," he began smoothly, with no hint of strain in his voice, "Is that a certain type of mistletoe that has been growing in the Greenhouses, be used as an ornament throughout the school."
This idea earned several oohs and ahhs from the girls, and great deal of grumblings from the boys.
Holding up one hand silence them, Malfoy continued, "I've also had several other ideas myself, would you like to hear them?" He flashed a smirk in Hermione's direction.
The rest of the group consented and proceeded to gather around him, excited at what ideas the renowned party boy could come up with, while Hermione stood by the side and trembled with rage. She watched him as he flirted heavily with the girls and joked around with the males in the group. Malfoy was deliberately usurping her control over the group, by using his damned charisma. Half the group never even bloody like the Slytherin prince! But, it was hard to deny that Malfoy had an air about him that affected everyone, Hermione included.
Finally, after the meeting was finished (not that much was accomplished), and fairly certain that she would explode if she stayed a moment longer, Hermione stormed out of the room, brushing by a surprised Professor Sprout.
Right then she decided she could put up with this no longer, avoiding him hadn't worked, and his mood swings were angering her more than ever. She still couldn't understand his murder attempt, and as far as she could see, she was never going to. Now she had no other alternative, not after he invaded her territory.
It was war.