The morning hallwa was bustling with students. The crowds were hard to squeeze through, but Hermione managed as she got to her first class. She would have to attend this one before she used the Time Turner to get to Care of Magical Creatures. She took her seat and opened up her book to the correct chapter they were studying. She was anticipating the teacher to come in so she could answer some questions.
There was giggling to her right and she glanced over to see Pansy Parkinson and a friend messing with a unique figurine for Wizard's Chess. A tiny green dragon was in her hand, turning over and over, obviously agitated.
"But, where did you get it?" Asked the friend, watching in awe.
"My boyfriend gave it to me to borrow." Pansy said proudly, poking her finger out to pet it, but having to jerk back when it tried to bite her.
Hermione turned back to her book, no interest of Pansy's situation. Thankfully, the teacher came in and announced everyone store their belongings and pay attention. She saw Pansy stuff the little dragon into her bag and smiled to herself. The teacher asked the first question and Hermione's hand shot into the air...
Hermione lie on her bed, reading her book when suddely she heard a slight hum. She knew the sound, she had heard it many times before. She slipped off her bed and went to her trunk, opening it and moving the things that had hidden what was making noise.
It was a long feather, picked up off the grounds of Hagrid's. It must have been Buckbeak's, but it was bewitched to turn green when the person who had a maching feather meant to call you. And now, it was certainly green. She smiled, twirling the feather in her fingers, then got up to slip her jumper on and quietly slip out of the common room. She had no fear to roam the halls late at night. Any teacher knew who she was and she always claimed she was trying to visit the library after hours.
She rode a stairway as it made it's way around the other staircases. Eventually she was let off where she needed to be. She knew where she was going.
Slipping through the square as quick as she could, she turned left and found a small orner that was covered by a lion statue. Behind it, Draco Malfoy resided on the ground with a Wizard's Chess setup. As she approached, he looked up and scowled.
"Took you long enough." He sneered, looking down at the chess setup, then tentatively glancing back up to her. Hermione blushed and took her seat opposite of him. They had been doing this for a few weeks. Just playing Wiard's Chess becuase he was the only worthy match for her. And, apparently, he couldn't be seen with her in public.
Hermione twisted her mouth sourly but started the match anyway, glancing up at him as he stared at the pieces. His concentrating face was something she could describe as cute. He really furrowed his brow and bit his lip. She watched in amusement until he made his move. Her pawn was destroyed and the competitive side of her was immediately upset.
Like many of their random meetings, they tried to outdo each other in chess. Hermione had quite a track record of never being beat. She felt like that was the reason Malfoy kept inviting her to play. He just needed to win once and it would all be over. Yet, he never won.
"Don't get too confident, Granger." He proclaimed, fishing into his pocket. His hand emerged with a tiny green dragon that he placed in the knight's spot. Hermione froze, staring at the dragon.
Malfoy chuckled and moved the dragon to a decent spot. Hermione could think of a thousand ways to continue her winning streak, but she moved her Queen straight to the dragon. Malfoy furrowed his brows as he directed the dragon to take her queen out. As her queen crumbled, Hermione stood up.
"Good game." She mutered, turning to leave.
"Granger." Malfoy spoke up. She turned towards him and saw he was half off the ground, ready to go after her. He halted in his position, staring at her with a confused look on his face. She stared back for awhile them simply left. She thought he was different. She didn't think he was the person to claim to be Pansy's boyfriend yet play chess with her every night.
The next day, at Care of Magical Creatures, he did an incredibly stupid thing and blamed it on Buckbeak. He wouldn't look at her no matter what. Even when she passed him in the hall, away from everyone else, he still ignored her. He apparently was really burnt by what she did.
Then suddenly Ron came to tell her Buckbeak was being executed. Her heart was squeezed and sank. She followed him and Harry outside, then saw him. Malfoy with his friends. Every feeling that had been simmering before came up and boiled.
"You foul loathsome evil little cockroach!" Hermione exclaimed, instinctively pulling out her wand and sticking it right beneah his jaw. There was a brief moment where he looked at her and stuck a look that said 'really?', but it quickly turned into a very scared Malfoy. He pressed his back against the stone and his friends fawned over him as if he'd already been hurt.
"Hermione no! He's not worth it!" Ron proclaimed, reaching for her. Malfoy relaxed and commetned something ot his friends. She couldn't top the influx of hatred she was feeling for him now. She thought of all of the things he had told her, all the times they had a match of Wizard's Chess. He wasn't the person she though he was.
In her anger, she turned and her fist lead the way. She really didn't mean it. But suddenly her knuckles were meeting his jaw. The face he made at her was something that hurt her. He looked the same way she felt, no longer trusting. As he fled with his friends, she said it felt good. And it had, but it didn't. She had ruined a friendhip here.
She waited for the feather to turn green. It never did. Hermione cried into her pillow.