Disclaimer: Everything except the plot belongs to J.K. Rowling, and not to
me.
Draco Malfoy stood in the library, searching for books for a Potions essay, and watching Hermione out of the corner of his eye.
It was mid-November, and Hermione's study-sessions with the younger students had become a regular fixture. It had become known amongst the first and second years that, if you had problems with your homework, and you didn't want to ask a teacher, Hermione Granger was in the library between two and five on a Friday afternoon and she was always happy to explain things. Today there were six Gryffindors, four first and two second years, three first year Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw sitting around one of the big tables. Malfoy grinned when he noticed two first year Slytherin girls sitting near Hermione, apparently working alone. He could see that they were actually listening to her, hoping to get help without being seen to ask for it. Malfoy left his search and wandered over to them.
"What's the subject?" they jumped when they realised that one of their own sixth-years was standing over them.
"Charms." One of them showed him the book they were looking at. Malfoy recognised this particular charm from his first year. He'd had trouble getting it right, it had taken him ages to crack.
"Having trouble?" They both nodded. "Are you here to ask Hermione for help?" He frowned suddenly, wondering why he'd referred to her by her first name.
"No… She's a Gryffindor. And a…" The little girl lowered her voice "a Mudblood." Malfoy glanced up at Hermione. She hadn't reacted, but he suspected she'd heard.
"Yes, but she'll help."
"But she's a Gryffindor!" The other girl stressed the last word, obviously convinced by common room gossip that nobody from that house would help her. Malfoy pulled out a chair and sat down.
"What are the qualities of a Slytherin?" Both girls looked puzzled at this change of direction.
"We're purebloods." The dark-haired one whispered after a moment. He could tell that they were both thinking about other, less pleasant things, like the fact that many of them had dark wizards in the family, and that they didn't want to say these things outside the Slytherin common room. Malfoy wondered what their names were. He didn't normally pay much attention to first years.
"We are, but that's not what I meant. What did the Sorting Hat say about us?"
They both thought for a moment.
"We're cunning."
"We're ambitious."
"Exactly. We want to get to the top, and we want to get there any way we can. So if asking a Gryffindor from a Muggle family for help is the best way to learn, then that's okay. Even if you are a Slytherin." He sat back, quite pleased with this logic, and glanced at Hermione again. She still wasn't looking at them, but she was smiling, and several of the other students were staring at the three Slytherins.
"But Gryffindors hate Slytherins." The blonder girl still wasn't convinced. "Why would she help us?"
"What does the Sorting Hat say about Gryffindors?"
They had to think harder about this one.
"They're brave?" In the past two and a half months they'd been well trained as Slytherins - they hated complimenting Gryffindors.
"They're fair?"
"That's right, apparently." Malfoy didn't really like saying nice things about Gryffindors either.
"So if I'm helping students from the other three houses, I'll help Slytherins as well."
So she was listening.
"And as Slytherin pride wouldn't like to have a Gryffindor looking good, I'm sure Malfoy will help as well."
Just because she wasn't a Slytherin, didn't mean she couldn't be cunning, apparently. Malfoy had to smile at her, and help the second years with their Potions homework.
*****
"Nice logic, Malfoy." The younger students had gone to put their books away before dinner, leaving Hermione and Malfoy to leave the library together. "Have you been practising?"
"No, it's natural genius." Hermione snorted in a very unladylike fashion.
"It was useful to have you around this afternoon. More students turn up every week." Malfoy shrugged.
"I was planning to do some research for Potions. I noticed those girls were listening in and just thought I'd encourage them to do their best."
"Very noble of you." she said dryly. "Fancy helping out again next week?"
"Okay" he said before he had a chance to think about it and refuse.
"Madam Pince is getting fed up with people talking in the library, she's only putting up with it because I'm helping them. I'm going to ask Professor McGonagall if there are any empty classrooms available."
"Okay." He said again. "Let me know."
"I will do." She turned down a corridor which led to Gryffindor Tower.
"Hermione?" He'd called her by her first name again, but she didn't seem to mind.
"Yes?"
"It's Hogsmeade again tomorrow. Will you walk down with me?" Hermione grinned.
"I didn't think it worked like that. I thought you had to beat Ron at chess first." She laughed, and hurried away towards her common room.
*****
After dinner, Malfoy found himself walking over to where the Gryffindors were sitting. Dumbledore's scheme of getting everybody to socialise in the Great Hall wasn't so bad, he realised. Everyone except the Slytherins mixed quite happily.
"Weasley?"
"Malfoy."
"Game of chess?"
Hermione must have spoken to Weasley during dinner, because he didn't look surprised.
"What's the bet this time?"
"Same money as before, but I get Granger's company tomorrow without you and Potter hanging around."
Ron pretended to think about it.
"Okay, but I've been thinking that we're not valuing Hermione enough. She's worth more than seventy-five Galleons."
"How about a hundred?" Malfoy smirked as Weasel's eyes widened. It was a lot of money, especially for someone who'd family were so poor. Malfoy could afford it easily, his parents gave him quite a lot of money and then bought him most things he wanted, so he had a considerable amount in his Gringotts vault.
"You're on."
*****
"I don't understand why Ron keeps losing. I don't believe that Malfoy's better at chess." Ginny dropped into one of the chairs by the common room fire. Hermione caught Ron's eye and they shared a smile.
"Maybe Malfoy's just lucky." Hermione suggested lightly. "Anyway, I have to spend all day with him tomorrow. I'm going to bed."
Ron waited until she was out of both sight and earshot, then leant on the back of his sister's chair.
"Or maybe we're just getting him to raise the stakes a bit more…"
"Ron!" Ginny twisted in the seat and stared up at him.
"Hermione says that she doesn't mind talking to him any more, and he seems prepared to risk a lot of money to spend time with her. And he can't win forever…"
Draco Malfoy stood in the library, searching for books for a Potions essay, and watching Hermione out of the corner of his eye.
It was mid-November, and Hermione's study-sessions with the younger students had become a regular fixture. It had become known amongst the first and second years that, if you had problems with your homework, and you didn't want to ask a teacher, Hermione Granger was in the library between two and five on a Friday afternoon and she was always happy to explain things. Today there were six Gryffindors, four first and two second years, three first year Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw sitting around one of the big tables. Malfoy grinned when he noticed two first year Slytherin girls sitting near Hermione, apparently working alone. He could see that they were actually listening to her, hoping to get help without being seen to ask for it. Malfoy left his search and wandered over to them.
"What's the subject?" they jumped when they realised that one of their own sixth-years was standing over them.
"Charms." One of them showed him the book they were looking at. Malfoy recognised this particular charm from his first year. He'd had trouble getting it right, it had taken him ages to crack.
"Having trouble?" They both nodded. "Are you here to ask Hermione for help?" He frowned suddenly, wondering why he'd referred to her by her first name.
"No… She's a Gryffindor. And a…" The little girl lowered her voice "a Mudblood." Malfoy glanced up at Hermione. She hadn't reacted, but he suspected she'd heard.
"Yes, but she'll help."
"But she's a Gryffindor!" The other girl stressed the last word, obviously convinced by common room gossip that nobody from that house would help her. Malfoy pulled out a chair and sat down.
"What are the qualities of a Slytherin?" Both girls looked puzzled at this change of direction.
"We're purebloods." The dark-haired one whispered after a moment. He could tell that they were both thinking about other, less pleasant things, like the fact that many of them had dark wizards in the family, and that they didn't want to say these things outside the Slytherin common room. Malfoy wondered what their names were. He didn't normally pay much attention to first years.
"We are, but that's not what I meant. What did the Sorting Hat say about us?"
They both thought for a moment.
"We're cunning."
"We're ambitious."
"Exactly. We want to get to the top, and we want to get there any way we can. So if asking a Gryffindor from a Muggle family for help is the best way to learn, then that's okay. Even if you are a Slytherin." He sat back, quite pleased with this logic, and glanced at Hermione again. She still wasn't looking at them, but she was smiling, and several of the other students were staring at the three Slytherins.
"But Gryffindors hate Slytherins." The blonder girl still wasn't convinced. "Why would she help us?"
"What does the Sorting Hat say about Gryffindors?"
They had to think harder about this one.
"They're brave?" In the past two and a half months they'd been well trained as Slytherins - they hated complimenting Gryffindors.
"They're fair?"
"That's right, apparently." Malfoy didn't really like saying nice things about Gryffindors either.
"So if I'm helping students from the other three houses, I'll help Slytherins as well."
So she was listening.
"And as Slytherin pride wouldn't like to have a Gryffindor looking good, I'm sure Malfoy will help as well."
Just because she wasn't a Slytherin, didn't mean she couldn't be cunning, apparently. Malfoy had to smile at her, and help the second years with their Potions homework.
*****
"Nice logic, Malfoy." The younger students had gone to put their books away before dinner, leaving Hermione and Malfoy to leave the library together. "Have you been practising?"
"No, it's natural genius." Hermione snorted in a very unladylike fashion.
"It was useful to have you around this afternoon. More students turn up every week." Malfoy shrugged.
"I was planning to do some research for Potions. I noticed those girls were listening in and just thought I'd encourage them to do their best."
"Very noble of you." she said dryly. "Fancy helping out again next week?"
"Okay" he said before he had a chance to think about it and refuse.
"Madam Pince is getting fed up with people talking in the library, she's only putting up with it because I'm helping them. I'm going to ask Professor McGonagall if there are any empty classrooms available."
"Okay." He said again. "Let me know."
"I will do." She turned down a corridor which led to Gryffindor Tower.
"Hermione?" He'd called her by her first name again, but she didn't seem to mind.
"Yes?"
"It's Hogsmeade again tomorrow. Will you walk down with me?" Hermione grinned.
"I didn't think it worked like that. I thought you had to beat Ron at chess first." She laughed, and hurried away towards her common room.
*****
After dinner, Malfoy found himself walking over to where the Gryffindors were sitting. Dumbledore's scheme of getting everybody to socialise in the Great Hall wasn't so bad, he realised. Everyone except the Slytherins mixed quite happily.
"Weasley?"
"Malfoy."
"Game of chess?"
Hermione must have spoken to Weasley during dinner, because he didn't look surprised.
"What's the bet this time?"
"Same money as before, but I get Granger's company tomorrow without you and Potter hanging around."
Ron pretended to think about it.
"Okay, but I've been thinking that we're not valuing Hermione enough. She's worth more than seventy-five Galleons."
"How about a hundred?" Malfoy smirked as Weasel's eyes widened. It was a lot of money, especially for someone who'd family were so poor. Malfoy could afford it easily, his parents gave him quite a lot of money and then bought him most things he wanted, so he had a considerable amount in his Gringotts vault.
"You're on."
*****
"I don't understand why Ron keeps losing. I don't believe that Malfoy's better at chess." Ginny dropped into one of the chairs by the common room fire. Hermione caught Ron's eye and they shared a smile.
"Maybe Malfoy's just lucky." Hermione suggested lightly. "Anyway, I have to spend all day with him tomorrow. I'm going to bed."
Ron waited until she was out of both sight and earshot, then leant on the back of his sister's chair.
"Or maybe we're just getting him to raise the stakes a bit more…"
"Ron!" Ginny twisted in the seat and stared up at him.
"Hermione says that she doesn't mind talking to him any more, and he seems prepared to risk a lot of money to spend time with her. And he can't win forever…"