A/N: Wow! It's been a long time since I updated! I just wrote this chapter today; I hope you like it. Please review and give me feedback! I'll try to update either tomorrow or the day after!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Duh.

Chapter 9: The Predicament(s)

With Pansy out of the way, Draco had a whole new outlook on life. He walked out of the common room that morning with a smile on his face, which actually frightened some people. He encountered some rather tiny first years on the way to the Great Hall who scurried out of the way as he beamed at them.

Laughing, Draco slid onto a bench at the Slytherin table in front of Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hey," he said. They, too, looked a bit frightened at the sight of his grin.

"Are you...okay?" Asked Crabbe, looking bewildered.

"I'm great! Anyway, I need your help," Draco replied, unable to stop smiling.

"Me?" Crabbe inquired.

"Both of you, you idiots!" Draco chuckled.

Crabbe and Goyle looked extremely concerned.

"Uh, are you sure you're okay, Malfoy?" Goyle asked.

"Yes! So, you guys will help me, right?" Draco said, a bit annoyed.

"Uh, what are we going to do?"

Draco was taken aback. Usually Crabbe and Goyle never questioned him. Maybe the smiling was affecting them...

"Look," Draco said, the smile slipping off his face. "It doesn't matter what you're doing as long as you do it."

Crabbe and Goyle looked extremely confused. Luckily, before they could figure out what Draco had said, Theo slid into the seat next to Draco.

"Congrats, mate," he said, pointing at Blaise and Pansy walking into the Great Hall together. "You must be happy."

"I am," Draco replied. In front of him, Crabbe and Goyle were muttering about their predicament.

"Should we help him?" Crabbe was saying.

"Do we have a choice?"

"You don't," Draco interjected.

An odd expression flickered across Crabbe's face as Goyle said, "Okay, we'll help you."

"Excellent," said Draco. He turned to Theo. "Are you done?"

'Yeah," said Theo, stuffing a piece of toast in his mouth. As they headed up the Hall, Theo shot Blaise, who was holding hands with Pansy, a look.

"What does he see in her?" Draco asked Theo as they headed to Transfiguration. "SHe's so annoying."

"Dunno," replied Theo. "Hey, did you finish the essay?"

"What essay?" Draco asked as they entered McGonagall's classroom.

"The Transfiguration essay," responded Theo.

"When's it due?"

"Today."

"Shoot!" Draco clapped a hand to his forehead. "I forgot!"

"McGonagall won't be happy..." Theo muttered as they sat down.

Indeed, she wasn't.

"Malfoy! This is the first time you've ever forgotten to complete your Transfiguration homework! What happened?"

Draco didn't know what to say. He couldn't exactly tell her that he'd been stealing from the Potions Master and using an Unforgivable Curse on Madame Rosmerta.

"I forgot," he managed to get out.

"Let this be a warning to you then," McGonagall replied sternly, grabbing Theo's essay. "Do it today then, and bring it to me tomorrow."

Theo snickered. Draco smacked him on the back of his head.

"Shut up," Draco said. "It's not like that hasn't ever happened to you."

"True," replied Theo. "But it's still funny."

"Ha, ha."

That evening, Draco headed to the library to finish his essay. He sat down at a table, pulled out parchment and a quill, then titled his essay, "The Purpose of Human Transfiguration". He was two-thirds of the way done when he sensed someone standing behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was Hermione Granger.

"What?" He snarled at her.

"You're doing your essay wrong," she said in that annoying voice of hers.

"Not, I'm not," Draco said, turning back to the desk.

"Yes, you are. People don't transfigure themselves because 'they bloody well feel like it'. They use transfiguration to imitate-"

"Yeah? Well I don't give a-"

"What were you so happy about this morning?" Hermione interrupted him.

"What?"

"I saw you this morning. Smiling." She replied, matter-of-factly.

"So?"

"You never smile."

"Look, Granger, why are you even talking to me? Go away. I don't need help from a Mudblood."

"I know," she answered. "But you should know that if you mess up this essay, you'll drop down to third in the class."

"Excuse me?"

"...and personally, I don't consider Ernie Macmillan a good intellectual competitor..."

Draco stared at her, bewildered and angry.

"Well, I keep up with my competition," Hermione said in response to his expression.

Draco was extremely surprised. "Wow, the insufferable know-it-all mudblood admitted that Draco Malfoy is as smart as she is."

Hermione's face reddened and Draco saw tears in the corners of her eyes. Snape's insults had always gotten to her.

"Well, I'm still first," she said angrily. Then, she knocked Draco's inkpot over his essay and stormed away.

Rolling his eyes, Draco easily got rid of the ink with his wand. After half an hour, he rolled up his essay and tucked it into his bag. As he left the library, he tossed the empty inkpot at Hermione, who was lingering behind a bookshelf near the exit. He heard her annoyed huff as he closed the door behind him.

The next day, Draco handed his essay in to McGonagall. However, much to his dismay, she looked even angrier.

"So, Malfoy, where is today's homework?" She asked stiffly.

"What?" He asked, utterly confused.

"Your homework, Mr. Malfoy!"

Draco groaned and covered his face in his hands.

"I forgot," he mumbled through his fingers.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy it seems that you are becoming quite forgetful these days. Might I suggest a Rememberall?"

"Yes, Professor, but the problem with Remembralls is that they don't tell you what you've forgotten," Draco replied, biting his tongue as soon as he had finished speaking. Cheek would not help him.

"Well then, Mr. Malfoy, might I suggest using the time you don't spend doing your homework fixing that?"

Theo snickered again.

"Shut up," Draco snarled.

The next Transfiguration lesson was no better. He had completed the homework, he assured McGonagall. It was just lying in his dormitory. Really.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, as you seem to be putting your spare time to no good use, you can stay here with me instead of going to Hogsmeade."

"What?!" Draco exclaimed. "But, professor..."

But Professor McGonagall glared at him so hard that he dared not contradict her.

He had to go to Hogsmeade. He had to. Otherwise his plan would not work. And if his plan did not work...well, at least he would never have to do any homework ever again.

That evening, Draco completed all his homework, then headed out of the common room. He didn't want to stay in there and have to watch Blaise and Pansy snogging-it was rather disgusting- and listen to Theo make fun of his inability to remember to finish his homework.

As he walked down to the Entrance Hall and headed out into the grounds, he caught sight of Granger standing huddled up against the stone wall next to the doors. Naturally, he ignored her. He strode across the lawns and toward the lake, but stopped suddenly. Someone was running behind him, trying to catch up.

Whipping around, he saw, to his dismay, that it was Granger. He scowled, then continued toward the lake. Why did she keep cropping up everywhere?

Finally, after five minutes, when the sound of her panting became unbearably irritating, he turned around.

"What do you want?"

She stood for a moment ten feet away from him, her hands on her knees, gasping for breath. Then, she straightened up, looked around to make sure no one was around, then asked, "Are you a Death Eater, Malfoy?"

Draco looked at her for a moment, then replied, "Weren't you the one who accused me, just the other day, of being one? And didn't I say then, that I wouldn't tell you?" He watched her expression turn into a scowl in the darkening light. "And stop following me," he added. "You know what I think of people like you."

"Glad to hear you consider me a person," Hermione yelled at him as he headed back up to the castle. So much for a nice walk away from annoying people.

Again, why was Granger following him? If that's what she was doing, anyway. It was odd. Usually, she always avoided him in the library. And everywhere else, for that matter. Or was it he who was avoiding her?

Grumbling to himself, Draco headed into the castle, walking without a destination, angry about his inability to go to Hogsmeade with the rest of the school, and about Granger.

He needed the rest of the Hogwarts students to be in Hogsmeade in order for him to carry out his plan. He needed them!

Eventually, Draco found himself standing in front of the stretch of wall across from the tapestry of dancing trolls.

Of course! Draco thought. The Polyjuice Potion!

Glad about having found a solution to his problem, Draco paced hurriedly in front of the wall, then clambered through the door. He hurried to the back of the room and pulled out the cauldron of Polyjuice Potion. Then, he rummaged around the room and procured a few flasks from an old box. He filled the flasks with potion, then hid them under his robes.

After hiding the potion again, Draco hurried down to the Slytherin common room.

Once he was inside the familiar greenish dungeon, Draco sought out Crabbe and Goyle. He found them in a corner stuffing their faces with a few tarts they had snuck up from dinner.

"So," Draco said, standing in front of them. They looked up, crumbs falling out of their mouths.

"What?" Asked Crabbe, swallowing his tart.

"Which one of you wants to be me for a day?"