Chapter 6: Life Goes On.
Over the next few days, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Alex got to know each other. They found out that Alex had no siblings, "Well, that I know of any-way," she said thoughtfully, as they walked through the entrance hall to their Charms lesson.
"What…" Harry began to ask, but a cold voice behind them made him stop.
"Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, Mr Potter, Miss Evans, the bell rang five minutes ago."
They all whirled round, standing there, was Harry's least favourite teacher, Professor Snape, or Greasy Git as he was more commonly called in the Gryffindor common room.
"I am deducting 5 house points from each of you, and do not let me catch you loitering again."
He gave Harry the look of hatred that he always reserved for him, and made to walk off. But Harry wasn't going to let him get off that easily, Snape had been treating them unfairly since he had first arrived at Hogwarts. Though it was common knowledge that he favoured Slytherin, his own house, above anyone else, Harry had finally decided that he'd had enough.
" Greasy Git." He muttered to Ron, who nodded in agreement, while Alex stifled a laugh.
"What was that Mr Potter?" Snape said dangerously.
"I was just wondering," said Harry, defiantly, "Why you aren't in your own class, if we are as late as you say we are. I mean, you must have a class of your own to teach?"
"HOW DARE…" began Snape, but was cut off by a small cough from behind Harry.
"Ahem." They all whirled round to see Professor Dumbledore standing behind them.
"Professor Dumbledore!" said Harry, a little embarrassed.
"Harry," he acknowledged. "I was just coming to see how Miss Evans was doing, when I heard your, umm, conversation, with Professor Snape. And while I do not approve of you being rude to one of your teachers, I must point out to you, Severus, that the bell, in fact, has not yet rung."
Dumbledore broke off at that point, to look amusedly at Alex, who had burst out in a spasm of laughter. She hastily turned it into a hacking cough.
"Can I offer you a cough drop Miss Evans?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling over his half moon spectacles.
"Oh, n-no sir." She said, her cheeks going flaming red, as she tried to stifle her laughter.
"Alright, as I was saying, I must insist that you give back the points you took from Gryffindor, as these four did nothing wrong."
"Fine," said Snape sulkily. Harry instinctively turned towards the four great hourglasses on the wall, representing the points of each house. As he watched, a few crystals flew from the bottom of the Gryffindor hourglass, upwards.
Harry turned back to Snape, with a look of triumph on his face. But he did think it best not to say anything seeing as how Snape looked like he was about to strangle him. Thankfully the bell rang, and Snape stalked off.
"Off you go," Dumbledore said to them. "Hurry to your next lesson, and if you are late, tell Professor Flitwick that I delayed you by talking to Miss Evans."
"Thank you Professor Dumbledore," they chorused. They began to run up the stairs, and only stopped when they were on the second floor, where they burst into laughter.
"Did you see his face?" Ron howled, "when Dumbledore made him give back the points."
"Funniest thing I've ever seen!" said Alex through her laughter.
"We really should be getting to Charms though," said Hermione. They began to walk down the hall towards Flitwick's classroom.
"He really is a greasy git though." Alex shook her head. "I don't like him at all."
"Alex my friend," Ron exclaimed throwing an arm around her shoulders dramatically, "you have excellent taste."
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It had been nearly a week since Malfoy's last encounter with Hermione, and he had managed to avoid her since then.
'How could I?' He thought angrily to himself. 'How could I have let myself do that? What if she tells everyone? I'll be the laughing stock of the entire school. I must do something. But what?'
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"Where are you going?" asked Alex. Hermione stopped and turned around.
"I have to go and meet Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore," she said, "I have been assigned a new prefect duty, and they need to explain it to me."
"Ok. I'll see you later then," said Alex as Hermione climbed out of the portrait hole.
Hermione made her way towards the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office. As she waited outside, she suddenly realised that she was not alone. She whirled around, and there, standing behind her, was Draco Malfoy.
"What are…" Hermione began, but she was interrupted by the Gargoyle coming to life, and Professor McGonagall saying to them, "Come up, the headmaster will see you now."
"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, I have called you both here tonight to talk about your prefect duties. Owing to special circumstances this year, that have not occurred any other year, I have decided that this year, to make sure that the school is safe, the prefects will be patrolling the school in pairs. You will not always be called, and there will be a Rota of who you patrol with. The two of you are the first pair. And tonight you will be expected to patrol until sunrise, then you will be excused from your first lesson, and in-depth notes provided so that you don't miss anything. Do you have any questions?"
Hermione and Malfoy shook their heads, and walked back down to the corridor, and the passage close behind them.
'Great,' thought Hermione, 'Like I haven't got enough to deal with.'
"Let's start by doing the North Tower and the Astronomy Tower," said Malfoy, it wasn't a suggestion.
"Whatever," sighed Hermione, "the sooner we go everywhere, the sooner this is over with, and the sooner I can go."
"I don't think so," said Malfoy silkily, "we have to patrol until sunrise, which is about 4 'o' clock at this time of year, it doesn't matter how much you get done in that time. Come on, let's go to the North Tower. Get a move on, you filthy little mudblood."
Hermione used all of her energy to restrain herself from hitting Malfoy at that particular moment, and it was lucky she did, because at that moment, the gargoyle sprang to life once more, as Professor McGonagall came down the stairs.
"Is everything ok?" she asked.
"Yes Professor." Malfoy and Hermione chorused, and began to walk in the direction of the North Tower.
After they had checked the North Tower, they went to the Astronomy Tower. Hermione stood at the top, and looked at all the stars.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "they are so pretty!"
Malfoy looked at her, 'she's so pretty, and I love her so much,' he thought, 'But every time I talk to her, I insult her.'
"What are you looking at?" Hermione asked him.
"I was just thinking how unlucky I am to be partnered with a disgusting mudblood like you," he retorted.
'Way to get her to like you.' Malfoy thought, as Hermione rounded on him.
"HOW DARE YOU!" she shouted. "All this time, you've given me nothing but non-stop abuse, and what did I ever do to you? Nothing! I'm fed up with you treating me like an inferior, just because my parents are muggles!"
Hermione went to hit Malfoy, but he caught her hand before it got to his face, and held it there while she struggled to pull out of his grip, but he was strong, and Malfoy knew that he could hold her as long as he wanted.
"Nothing to me?" he said to her, "You've tortured me since the day that we met, you are so clever, and beautiful, I finally tell you how I feel, and you pretend that nothing happened, don't you get it Hermione? I love you. How do you think I feel, knowing that we can never be together? My father would have me killed for even thinking it, but I always have and always will love you. "
Hermione stopped, not because of what he had said, but because he had finally used her name. She looked at him, the moonlight was catching his face and golden hair; he looked so handsome in this light.
'No! Stop it now!' Hermione thought to herself. 'He's a Slytherin, you're a Gryffindor, it would never work out.'
He was leaning closer to her, and she couldn't move away, because he still had hold of her hand.
Closer and closer until they…kissed.
"What!" Hermione broke away, taking Malfoy by surprise, so that he accidentally let go.
"No." She said, "we can't, I'm Gryffindor, you're Slytherin, we can't, Harry and Ron, and – and…"
Malfoy bent down, and silenced her with another kiss.
"No Malfoy, I can't, I don't love you." Hermione said.
Malfoy got an odd expression on his face. It was somewhere between hurt and determination.
"Then I will make you love me," he said quietly.
Hermione, not knowing what would happen next, began to run, but before she even got to the staircase, Malfoy had caught up with her. He caught her by the arm and stopped her.
"No Hermione, I love you too much to let you go."
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A.N
Thanx to all my reviewers! I love you guys!!!!!!!