A/N: thanks for putting my story in your favourites and on alert! it truly made my day! here's the next chappy! things are "ugly" at first, but that's just the Pureblood attitude for you!
sorry, for not mentioning it before, but the setting is Hogwarts for their "final year", main reason I felt more comfortable with this setting than 'after life of Hogwarts' for my first story. I tried the latter, but for some reason it just wasn't flowing as easily as I thought it would. Also, Ginny never broke up with Dean (cause I do not like her with Harry) and I made Lavender alive. Yay... drama
Chapter 1
Hermione was sitting in the library, flipping through the pages of her A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration. She needed to clear her head, to focus on her studies, to get back into a routine. Then she heard a person take the seat in front of her.
"Hermione...?" the soft voice said.
Hermione took a deep breath and looked up to a pair of hazel eyes through a curtain of darkened red hair.
"Listen Ginny, if you're here, about Ron-"
"What my brother did, was a total bastardly thing to do! If anything, I say you're better off!" she hissed, looking over her shoulder and then scooted herself closer. "I'm here cause you're my friend and I need to make sure you're okay,"
Hermione scoffed, "I'm just...peachy" she tore through her textbook and landed on a complicated Human Transfiguration Spell.
Ginny looked down at the book and then back to Hermione. Tears were swimming in her eyes.
"He said he was going to wait for me, you know?" Hermione mumbled softly before pushing her book to the side. "That sex wasn't...well...important to him!"
Ginny shifted awkwardly and sighed, reaching her hand over to take Hermione's hand. She hated how her brother discarded Hermione and just shaked-up with his ex, Lavender Brown. "Well at least you know now than later...I mean..." she trailed off.
Hermione looked up at Ginny and sighed. She knew what Ginny meant. After many months of nerves, Ginny finally gave herself to the man she loved; Dean Thomas, who just ended up cheating on her weeks after.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ginny...I mean it's stupid of me to be like this!"
Ginny shook her head, "No! Don't you ever think you have no right! Ron and you...you guys were together for a long while, for you not to feel anything wouldn't be right!"
Hermione felt a sharp pain in her heart, "Ya you know, I really wanted my first..." she trailed off as more tears trailed down her cheeks, "I wanted it to be him,"
Ginny nodded, patting Hermione's hand "And I wanted mine to be Harry, but alas, Harry only sees me as a sister!"
"Really?"
"I overheard him talking to Ron about it some summer ago..."
Hermione shifted in her seat, "Well, that was then, maybe it's changed-"
"Look, I appreciate it, Hermione, really. But-"
"Just because you have been with another guy, doesn't mean Harry would like you any less!"
"I've waited for him long enough, Hermione! It's time to just...move on"
'Move on...' Hermione thought with a frown. For a long time, Hermione never imagined a life without Ron. It was like what Ginny said, they have been through so much together to suddenly have that out of her life is just...heartbreaking. Quickly pushing those thoughts out of her head, she checked her watch. She had Potions in ten minutes.
"Ah, sorry, Ginny, but I've got to get to class. I'll um, see you back in the common room later? Maybe go to break with me?"
Ginny nodded, "I would like that, thanks."
Draco paced around his Prefect room. Pacing and muttering. He hadn't slept at all last night. His mind kept working nonstop of the situation at hand and how getting the Mudblood on her own was nearly impossible. She was always flanked with Potter and the Weasel wherever she was! So if he wanted the one hundred thousand Galleons, he would need to be clever about it.
"Yo Draco, you ready for Potions or what?" bellowed Blaise through his closed room door.
Draco ran his hands over his face and groaned. All this thinking was giving him both a headache and making him sick. Never in his life did he spent so much time, thinking about the Mudblood.
He yanked open his door, where he was greeted by a beaming Blaise.
"What the hell are you so happy about?" Draco sneered.
"Potions! What else?"
Draco scowled and slammed the door behind him.
Blaise rolled his eyes, "Geez, cranky much? What, spent the entire night thinking about your new conquest?"
"Mind your tongue" Draco groaned through gritted teeth.
Blaise just shrugged, "You know, she's not all that bad to look at come to think of it. Her hair isn't as beastly, and her teeth are actually aligned properly...you know, you might just have a chance to get your house back after all..."
"Zip it, Zabini!" snarled Draco as he knocked Blaise in the shoulder and down through the dark atmosphere that was the Slytherin Common Room. Blaise smirked as he trailed along behind him.
Just as they were about to reach the door, a familiar seventh-year girl approached them, Pansy Parkinson.
"There you are! I missed you at breakfast! Is everything okay, Draco?"
Blaise raised an eyebrow, as he saw her approach the two of them. Draco, decided for some payback; he knew his friend had some feelings for his ex, feelings that he had yet to admit of course, so he immediately embraced the slender girl in a tight hug.
"Sorry, I slept in," he gave her a light kiss on the cheek, but then was quickly pulled back.
"What are you doing?" he said, sneering at Blaise.
Pansy, who looked rather put off that she was denied the contact, glared right over to Blaise.
"What the hell are you looking at me like that for?" Blaise motioned at Draco, "We need to get to class, you know!"
Draco shrugged his arm from Blaise and then stalked off out of the room. Pansy narrowed her eyes at Blaise, "What the hell are you acting all jealous for?"
Blaise raised his eyebrows, "Sorry, what?"
"Well why else would you pry Draco off me? You just want me all to yourself!"
Blaise barked a harsh laugh, "Keep dreamin' Parkinson!"
Pansy narrowed her eyes at him, "You really expect me to think you both have class right now?"
"We do. Potions. You would've been in the class too if you spent more time tending to your potion than Draco!"
Pansy shrieked a laugh, "Not jealous you say? Well I-"
"Oh shut up!" Blaise groaned as he knocked her into the shoulder and left the room to catch Draco.
Draco, was actually standing in the corridor with his arms folded, "Took you long enough!"
Blaise raised an eyebrow at him, "Still a little edgy are we?"
"Same would be asked about you." Draco folded his arms, "Fancy Parkinson do you?"
Blaise rolled his eyes, "Come on, we're running late!"
Blaise pushed the door open to allow himself and Draco in and then closed it. Draco glanced about the room and noticed Ron and Harry were without a certain Mudblood. Upon this realization, Blaise knocked him in arm.
"What the-" Draco began but quickly silenced himself when he saw Blaise motioned off to the side.
Draco shifted his eyes without moving his head and lo and behold; the Mudblood, off in her own little world, sorting her ingredients.
Blaise smirked, and then found himself next to Ernie MacMillan from Hufflepuff. Draco huffed a breath as he stood at the door and considered his options. Ignore her and find a table to himself, or get this show on the road.
"Come now, Mister Malfoy," harped Slughorn as he entered the room, "We don't want to hold up the class now do we? Please, take a seat" he waved his hand around before he turned his back to face the black board.
Draco glared at the Professor. He glanced over to her again just as she glanced over at him. 'Just do it. You've got one hundred thousand Galleons riding on this!' he thought and then adjusted the bag on his shoulder and reluctantly, shuffled his way over to the bane of his existence.
E/N: fear not readers, you will get your interaction next chapter :) ! I will say, it is rough for me to have him be so hateful, but he is a proud Pureblood after all! (as I said above) Also, he does NOT like Pansy.. he just toys with her to annoy Blaise, who does like her.