Chapter 25

Tea for Two

I'm such a fool.

Hermione bowed her head in shame.

I hate him. He always does this to me.

She sniffed, "Malfoy, you are-"

She paused, searching for a word to express her deepest loathing.

Draco smirked, "what? A pig? A toad? A creep? What am I this time Granger?"

Hermione begrudgingly looked up.

If I didn't know any better…I'd swear Malfoy was trying to cheer me up.

Draco continued, "Why can't I ever just be…a wizard? A wizard who can sing, dance and dress immaculately. A wizard who happens to be the second best student in the grade, and hey, why not, has a wicked smile?"

Draco flashed a rare pearly smile at Hermione. She gave a hiccup of laughter.

"So Granger, you were crying. I guess that means I was right and you, you miss Mudblood, were wrong."

Hermione frowned.

"Why do you do that? Sometimes you can be tolerable Malfoy, but most of the time you're pure evil. Stop calling me a mudblood. Okay? It- hurts," Hermione faltered.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Then what exactly am I supposed to call you?" He asked sarcastically, "lady of the impure wizarding heritage?"

Hermione growled, "how about you just don't talk about my wizarding background at all? Here's an idea, why don't you just call me by my actual name? Hermione!"

Draco cackled, "we've had this conversation before, Granger, when you start calling me by my first name, then I'll call you whatever you like."

Hermione seethed. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh come now, you're not going to go all moody again, are you? Fine then, be that way. I can do moody."

Draco mimicked her, folding his own arms across his chest. He pulled his lips down at the corners in an imitation pout. Hermione twisted her mouth at the side in a grimace.

"Oh ha-ha, very funny. I do not look like that Malfoy."

Draco shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever you say, ugly."

Hermione felt her eye twitch. She ground her teeth whilst she attempted control her sudden burst of rage.

"What?!" She asked through a gritted jaw.

"Relax, Granger! You're so uptight."

Hermione shook her head.

"And you wonder why I don't treat you like a wizard! Like I said Malfoy, you're pure evil."

Draco retorted, in mock horror, "oh dear! Pure evil! Whatever shall I do?"

Hermione attempted to get up. Draco reached out and leant his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from standing. He was surprisingly strong.

"Malfoy, take you're hand off me."

Draco stared down at his arm, seemingly only just becoming aware of its position. "Where are you going?" He asked, letting his hand slide off her shoulder.

"To bed. I'm sick of your garbage," Hermione spat.

Draco furrowed his brows. Hermione jumped up, and stalked to her bed. She climbed up and over the covers, nestling herself in amongst the pillows resting against the headboard. It wasn't long before Draco followed suit. He padded across the cobbled floor, and slung himself gracefully across the end of Hermione's bed.

"Um, Malfoy, what do you think you're doing?" Hermione asked.

Draco propped his head on his hand.

"You said you wanted to go to bed. I'm happy to finish off our conversation here. It's far more comfortable than the floor."

Hermione growled, "I am going to bed Malfoy, meaning, 'I'm going to sleep.' It's kind of hinting that you should leave. Now."

Draco inspected his nails.

"Not until you tell me why you were crying."

Blood rushed to Hermione's head, she felt herself go dizzy with embarrassment and anger.

"Is this why you're acting so- so- just get out!"

"No."

"YES!"

"Granger, you're upset. I'm trying to do the 'right thing' here. Obviously, something's upsetting you. And when you're upset, father's upset, because things aren't running to schedule. You slow us down with this emotional girly nonsense. Now, hurry up and tell me what's wrong so I can fix it and make you all happy and useful."

Hermione crossed her arms.

"YOU ARE AN EMOTIONLESS GIT!"

"On the contrary, I actually feel quite a lot. A lot of frustration. Hurry up Granger. I have no desire whatsoever to reside in your quarters all evening. I have no doubt a good lot of boys would feel the same way."

A thick, red blush coloured Hermione's normally pale complexion. Draco flashed his strangely fang like, but perfect, teeth and her heart skipped a beat. She attempted to retort his insult, but she found her mouth unable to form coherent words. The shock of his words caused her to open and close her mouth like an air gasping goldfish.

"What's the matter Granger? You've gone all tongue-tied."

I hate him! HATE HIM AND HIS STUPID WHITE SMILE AND HIS STUPID SICKENING SUGGESTIONS! As if I'd ever want to...I mean maybe someday, with someone special, but... urgh, Malfoy and his stupid inuendo's. As if anyone would ever...with Malfoy!

Hermione felt herself dry wretch.

"Malfoy, please. Don't."

Draco cackled.

"Are my words scaring you Granger?"

"No, they're actually making me sick," Hermione croaked.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Rest assured, mudblood, the feeling is mutual."

Hermione scowled. "Oh yes, I certainly shall rest assured. Right now in fact. I'm going to sleep Malfoy. Leave."

Draco waggled his finger.

"Uh uh uh, why were you crying?"

"For the last time, I wasn't crying!" Hermione thundered.

"You're making it very difficult to be fake concerned about your welfare right now Granger."

"You're making it very hard to go to sleep right now Malfoy."

"Fine. I'll drop the subject."

Hermione sighed, "thank Godric."

"If…" Draco began.

"If?" Hermione asked.

"If you tell me why you have a tea set sitting on the floor at the end of this bed."

Hermione cocked her head to the side.

"What?"

Draco rolled on his other side, and dangled his arm over the edge of the bed. When he pulled his arm back up, it was laden with the tea tray.

"What indeed!" He giggled girlishly.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Draco added a high falsetto to his usually deep voice.

"Oh Miss, why do we tea today? I do love my tea! It's simply smashing! You know what else is simply smashing? Those boys from down the road! Aren't they simply too too divine?"

Hermione snorted.

Draco smirked, "But seriously, this is here because?"

"Because Button forgot to take the tea set when she and Mrs. Potts left this afternoon. Er, this evening. I think. You, know, it's strange, but I have absolutely no sense of time at all. You'd think someone had boarded up all my windows, so I couldn't tell whether it was day or night."

Draco sneered, "how odd indeed."

A sudden thought struck Hermione.

"Malfoy?"

Draco rested the tea set gently upon the bed.

"Mudblood?" he replied innocently.

Hermione resisted the urge to grind her teeth. Such a feat would destroy all of her parents hard dentistry. Grim memories of the days when she had been tramping about with braces on her teeth, flitted through her mind.

"I was wondering…you know Button, the house elf? She was talking about something this afternoon. You wouldn't know anything about a 'Merry' would you?"

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Merry? Why would Button be talking about-"

Hermione gasped, "so you know what it is then?"

Draco sighed, "Not what it is, but who it is, Granger. Merry is a house elf. He works in the kitchens downstairs."

A bubble of happiness welled up inside Hermione.

Button is in love! She has to be! "Mistress, there is one thing I do care about, other than Masters and Mistress Malfoy...Merry." I've cracked it!

"Why did you desire to know about that house elf?" Draco asked coolly.

In her happy delirium, Hermione temporarily forgot whom she was sitting with. Button's secret tumbled off her lips as if it were a falling acrobat.

"Oh, well, I think Button's in love with him."

A look of distress, mingled with amusement, passed over Draco's features. Realisation washed over Hermione, bursting her golden bubble. She bit her tongue.

Oops.