A/N: thanks for favouriting and following and reviewing :) The next chappy is finally here and after weeks of tweaking, I finally got it to my liking, although this is shorter than the others...sorry!
Chapter 13
"Nervous?" said Ginny as she nudged Hermione's arm, as they arrived into the Great Hall for breakfast.
Hermione groaned. She had hoped to make it into the Great Hall alone, to have a nice relaxing breakfast without the pestering questions of her best friend.
"Didn't you hound me enough yesterday? Besides, there's absolutely no reason for me to be nervous! It's just breakfast!"
Ginny gave her a knowing look, "Perhaps, but...you're forgetting one important part. Malfoy!"
Hermione shook her head, "For heaven's sake, Ginny; give it a rest."
"What? I was just commenting. He's going to be there, and-"
"And nothing. I am going to go inside and have breakfast as per my original plan!"
"So what you're not going to give him a morning greeting or anything?"
Hermione whirled to face her friend, stopping just short of the Great Hall. Ginny shrugged her shoulders innocently, "Just was wondering..."
With a small 'harrumph' Hermione strolled onward and sat herself at the table. Ginny grinned in response as she hurried on after her friend. She watched as Hermione kept her back facing the Slytherin table as she sat down. Ginny however, took the spot opposite of Hermione so she could keep her eyes on Malfoy for her.
"Ginny," Hermione began with a warning look, "Don't."
Ginny who had successfully managed to locate the white-blond haired wizard conversing with a fellow Slytherin, tore her gaze away to face a not-so-impressed looking, Hermione. She giggled and then helped herself to some crumpets.
"Oh Hermione do lighten up! I am not going to do anything, you don't want to happen..."
"HA!" Hermione retorted as per helping herself to some pumpkin juice.
"Although I do wonder what's next for you two?" Ginny helped herself to some bacon and eggs, "You kissed, yes...but now what? The weekend is over..."
Hermione took a sharp breath as she too, helped herself to some breakfast, "Not sure, you see, Malfoy and I don't really discuss what goes on..." she pushed her hair behind her ears, "He just shows up and...well..." she trailed off, not exactly sure of how to put it to words as the reality of what Ginny said, sets in. 'She's right, where do we go from here?' she noticed that neither Ron, Harry or Lavender were present at the table.
Ginny's lips twitched into a broad grin, at spotting her friend's dazed look, "Right, of course, but I just mean are you going to act like a couple? You know, hang out in between classes...walk to classes...you two have all the same classes don't you?"
Hermione looked at Ginny as though she were crazy, 'Us walk to classes together? HA, fat chance that ever happening!' She sighed dramatically, "He has everything but Ancient Runes, but not that it matters because me and Malfoy-"
"Oh for heaven's sake, girl, call him by his given name!" Ginny snapped, pointing a finger at Hermione's face. "You are technically together, so you might as well..."
Hermione clamped her mouth shut with a loud smack. "Fine, Draco, wouldn't submit himself to walking to a class with me, because that is just-"
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Just what? You walked with Harry and Ron wherever you went! So stop over-reacting and over-analyzing and just...invite him to go with you! If you don't, then I know you are just too chicken to face him, cause you two kissed!"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ginny, "I am not a chicken!"
"Prove it." Ginny propped an elbow on the table, then curled her hand under her chin, her eyes flashing with glee. "March over there and ask him to walk with you to class. You have Potions class with him today don't you?"
Hermione rolled her shoulders, "Breakfast is still on for another half hour! I'll only look silly"
Ginny tsk'd, "Excuses, excuses" she rolled her shoulders, and then began to play with her food by swirling her fork around her plate. "I knew you didn't have the guts..."
Hermione scoffed, 'Oh no she didn't...' as she watched Ginny as she shrugged her shoulders innocently, while taking the forkful of food into her mouth. Her chin jutting out to the direction of the Slytherin table. If there was one thing Hermione found more annoying when people talk with their mouths full of food, it was when she was just dared to the unexpected!
For a moment the two best friends just stared at each other, daring the other to make a comment.
'Go on Hermione, you can do it' thought Ginny as she took a long sip of her juice.
It was the look in Ginny's face that made Hermione break down. 'I'll so get her back for this!' She placed down her utensils by smacking her hands down onto the table.
"Fine. Fine. If it'll shut you up!"
"Brilliant!" Ginny wiggled with glee while she watched her friend stroll off toward the Slytherin table. 'AHA! This is gonna be good!'
"You're in over your head, Nott," Blaise said, shaking his head, "There's no way, you'll get that one to sleep with you!" his eyes caught sight to the object of his house-mate's affection. Some sixth year from Ravenclaw.
Theo brushed his knuckles across his chest, grinning "How much you want to bet?"
"UGH!" groaned Pansy, who was sitting just across from the two boys, "Can you boys not discuss your past-times at the table? I'm trying to eat here!"
Blaise rolled his eyes, "Here's a thought, why don't you go and sit with your friends for a change?"
Pansy stuck her tongue out at Blaise and then turned back to her meal, she glanced over to her side to look at Draco, who seemed to be off in his own world.
"Everything alright Drake? You seem awfully quiet this morning," she placed her hand upon his arm, giving it a gentle shake.
"Don't." he said, shrugging her arm off of him. Pansy ignored his request and placed her hand over Draco's shoulder, and used her fingers to stroke his hair.
"What's wrong? Something happened on your patrol yesterday?"
"I said, don't touch me" he squirmed out of her grasp. Pansy was ready to respond to his actions, but the sight of the Gryffindor bookworm walking along their table had distracted her completely.
"What are you doing here, Mudblood?" Pansy sneered as she boldly curled her arm around Draco's.
Immediately Draco snapped his head to the direction Pansy was looking at, and much like everyone else in the Great Hall, he was completely shocked of the sight before him.
'Hmm, well isn't this interesting?'
Hermione shook slightly as she gazed at the four pairs of eyes before her. She felt the heat rush to her face once she caught the unique silver ones, but quickly pushed it in the back of her head and proceeded with her task.
"Pardon the interruption, gentlemen," Hermione said in a relatively calm voice. She glanced over back to the Gryffindor table, meeting for a fraction of a second Ginny's wicked grin before she turned away.
'Who am I kidding? I can't ask him to walk me to class!' Hermione took a deep breath, 'She did, however, bring up a good point.' she swallowed tightly and then reached out to take a hold of Draco's arm. "But I need to borrow this one..."
Draco stared at her with a brow raised, wondering just what she would that entail. His eyes dropped down to her hand clutching his arm and grinned. 'Whatever it is...it's gonna be good,'
Pansy snorted, "Please, just because you spent the day with Draco doesn't mean-"
"Oi Pansy, do us a favour and shut UP" snapped Theo before he faced Hermione with a wicked grin, "Of course you can have him, Granger, just remember...he has Potions in ten minutes" he gave her a wink.
Blaise smacked Theo in the back of the head, "Prat, she has the class too"
"Oh?" he said, genuinely surprised, "Well then, have fun!"
Hermione stiffened, but not because of the his comment, but the fact that Malfoy was standing rather close to her. Putting on a bored face, Hermione turned and strolled off, dragging Draco along behind her.
"Well, well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. Who knew you were so-" he trailed off when Hermione dropped his arm to face him.
"Oh get over yourself! This isn't what it looks like!"
"No?" he tilted his head to the side, and waved around the empty corridor "You literally dragged me out of the hall, which, thankfully I was already finished breakfast, and for what?" he eyed her up and down, and curled his free arm around her middle.
"Can't get me out of your head? Think that doing something about it will make it go away?" he smirked. Yes things were definitely progressing quite nicely.
"I-" she began but was silenced as Draco put his finger to her lips.
"I must say Granger, interesting rationale; a shame it's not going to work, but you're welcome to try anyway..." he dropped his hand downward, placing it upon her shoulder.
Hermione had the urge to shrug him off, "No, I-" she felt his hand inch up her back before she was pressed up against him. Instantly, Hermione turned her head away, out of fear that he would try to kiss her.
"That's not what...I mean to say...oh let me go!" she cursed at herself for how much her voice quivered from the thought. It would be just the thing Draco would try to do. 'Not good...' Her squirming became more frantic.
Draco reveled in the fact of the female body moving against his. 'Damn she feels good,'
"We need to talk, seriously!" she hissed, trying to escape his grasp, but failing miserably. She could feel the heat upon her stomach as it remained in contact with his. This was definitely not working into her favour!
"How boring Granger," he said, breathing in the familiar melon scent of her hair. He bent his head, ghosting his lips over her neck.
"I-" she breathed, fisting her hand upon his shoulder so she could push him back. She would be damned if she was going to let him do this to her again!
"No!" she sneered with more force, trying not to focus how close his lips were to being in contact with her skin. "Draco, I mean it, I will hex-" her words were drowned once he captured her lips in a chaste kiss, which ended just as quickly as it began.
"You really need to learn to relax, Granger" he said in a bored tone, grazing the knuckle of his finger over the side of her cheek. "You're always so tense; it doesn't do much for your appearance,"
Hermione scoffed, as she stepped back from him.
"Speaking of appearances, where is the Weasel? No wait, I think I know. You had a little run in with him and...whatever her name was, so you're out for a little...fun." Draco smirked with amusement at the confused expression inching its way across her face.
"You witches are all the same," he drawled on, "Always fretting about the most useless things, and I thought you're supposed to be the brightest witch of our age?" he brushed the side of her face again. Hermione flinched from the sensation and smacked his hand away.
"Don't-"
"Don't what?" came his reply as he took a hold of the hand that was held out to him. "Touch you?"
Hermione stilled as she watched him entwine their fingers together. Her eyes fixated on the similarity of their skin complexion; he was just a few shades lighter. 'Fascinating...'
"You should've thought about that before you decided to roll with this arrangement, Hermione," he squeezed her hand.
The sound of the bell made her jump. She tried to pull her hand away, but Draco just held on.
"Oh no you don't" he said in a tone as though he were scolding a child "We're going to class together," he emphasized the word by raising their clasped hands, "Hand and hand,"
Hermione pulled again, but that just seemed to make Draco laugh, "Keep this nonsense up and you'll just tire yourself out"
"Why can't you be serious for just one moment?! Why must you always turn everything around?"
"Well for one, you want to talk, and well, I have far better things to do with my time than to listen to you jabber on and on about some mundane ideas of what's the next plan." she went to protest, but Draco just silenced her with a press of his finger to his lips.
"I am in control here, remember? You don't get to call the shots! So whatever you think we need to talk about, don't bother. Things will all work out in the end, you'll see. You just need to work on your patience, not that I mind when you come to me...I just...well, if it were different circumstances then..."
Hermione scoffed at his words. 'Ugh disgusting!'
Draco smirked at the scowl upon her face, using his finger to once again, tickle her cheek, "Yes, now isn't that a thought? You and me..."
Hermione smacked his hand away from her face, "Stop it, Malfoy! I mean it!"
"Or what? What's the little kitten gonna do to me?"
But Hermione had nothing to say to him. No, she knew he was only baiting her; it was after all what he did all day on their Hogsmeade date.
"You're..." she began, hoping that the small distraction would be enough for him to release his hold on her wrist. No such luck. Malfoy saw what she was doing and just pulled back. "So annoying!"
"You think I'm annoying? Me?" he replied, his eyes widening, "I'm not the one with the high-pitched squeaky voice,"
'High-pitched squeaky voice?!' Hermione dropped her mouth open, and instantly stopped walking; the action which nearly knocked Draco over.
"What now?" he said impatiently, trying to get her to walk again.
Hermione clamped her mouth shut and pointed her finger at his face, throwing all resilience to not play his game, out the window, "I'm warning you, Draco, you do not want to mess with me!"
Draco just stared at her, "On the contrary Hermione, I think I will. After all, the end result could be very satisfying" he took in great delight of the sheer look of horror upon her face, before he dragged her along the corridor.
Potions couldn't end fast enough as far as Hermione was concerned. The class was spent making a proper antidote to the Kutless Poison, which Hermione would have succeeded if it weren't for the fact Malfoy kept vanishing her potion whenever she was almost done.
"Now class, what you're looking for is a nice peach colour; that will tell you that the poison from the claws as been nullified."
Yet for Hermione, there was no potion for her to test.
"Malfoy!" she hissed, fisting her hands as she stared at her once again empty cauldron. She snapped her head, shooting daggers at her table companion, "I swear I-"
"Never failed a class in your life?" he smirked, without bothering to look in her direction, "Consider this payback for the zero you got me last week"
Hermione gasped, 'He's still sour about that?' "That was your fault! You...you-"
No, she couldn't get a zero! It was bad enough she had to endure being second best back in sixth year! But she would be damned if she was second to Draco Malfoy!
'So...he wants to play it like that huh?'
"Eyes on your own work, Miss Granger," called Slughorn as he waved his wand in her direction.
Hermione snapped her head forward, not bothering to react to the snickering going on beside her. Her eyes caught sight of Ron timidly looking over his own shoulder, before Harry prodded him to look away, and then she spotted Blaise.
'No, I will not be intimidated!' she said to herself as she discretely took her flask and wand into her palm. Again, she spied on Malfoy who was at the final stage of the testing. He poured the light blue liquid into the vial of dark purple poison, where it instantly transformed into a bright peach colour.
'Perfect!' she hummed, and with a newfound confidence, Hermione slinked herself off her stool. She caught Blaise raising an eyebrow at her, as she inched her way to Malfoy.
Upon his pouring, Draco saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He slowly lowered his hand down and went to reach for his wand, but was stopped as though he hit an invisible wall, 'What the-?'
Hermione grinned mischievously as she waved her wand like a metronome. She brushed his immobile arm that was upon the desk out of the way, approached his cauldron and dipped her flask in. After obtaining the required amount, she boldly sat herself sideways upon his lap, and finally met his gaze.
"Word to the wise, Draco," Hermione said in her best honey-sweet tone, as she waved the vial of bright peach potion in his face. Taking in great delight of that he couldn't touch or speak to her thanks to her spell; and not paying much attention to the dangerous look in his eyes.
Pushing the idea that he could be very well plotting her death, Hermione went on with her game, "Never underestimate a Gryffindor!"
She took this time to mimic his actions from earlier, and stroked the side of his face, then turned around to magic his potion away. For good measure, she leant in and kissed him hard on the lips, before she hopped off his lap and skipped her way to Slughorn's desk to hand in her 'potion'.
She sauntered past her desk, Accioed her things to her person as she waved her fingers at the two Slytherins, "Tah!" was all she said before she swiftly exited the dungeons, muttering a small "Finite Incantartem" before the door slammed closed.
Draco felt the weight lift off his shoulders as the spell diminished; his eyes burrowing into his empty cauldron. 'Oh she's gonna get it!'
Blaise barked a laugh as he clapped a hand upon Draco's back, "Holy shite! Was that ever interesting to watch!"
Draco instantly shrugged Blaise's hand off him, "Bring my stuff back to the Common Room," was all he said before he bolted out of the classroom.
E/N: Ooh the things Hermione would do to prevent herself from failing a class! Besides, who said she would let Draco do all the manipulating? And before anyone asks... yes... everyone was still in class, (Harry, Ron, Ernie, Terry and Michael for those who don't know) Hermione was the first one to leave.