By: GaiNax
Ron nodded and stormed out of the Head Master's room without even waiting for Harry. 'What's wrong with you Hermione? You made us wait for you for 3 hours and you didn't show up. I thought you were more responsible than that.'
The first subject they had today was Potions. Hermione walked in the dungeon expecting Ron to scream at her but she was wrong. She was very wrong indeed. Ron was there, sitting with a group of Gryffindors and Slytherins, looking normal. Except normally, Ron wouldn't speak to Slytherins. Hermione, being curious, she walked up to the group to see what was going on.
Ron was holding a picture of Hermione as a cat. He remembered that he took a picture of Hermione in their second year without her knowing. It was during the time they wanted to spy on Malfoy so they decided to use the Poly Juice potion to trick Malfoy into telling his secrets to them. Of course they needed something from the person they were going to impersonate. Unfortunately for Hermione, she had picked off cat hair from that girl instead of actually hair. 'Serves her right!' thought Ron.
"Where'd you get that?"
"I took a picture of you with a spy cam I got from Fred and George. Never thought the wizarding community had technology like this?"
"What are you doing, flaunting it around like that! I could get into trouble! Imagine what professor Snape would say!"
"Indeed." Hermione turned around to see a very angry looking Snape. "So it has been you who stole my potion ingredients back in your 2nd year."
Hermione nodded.
"Well this is really out of character for me but I'll let you go this time. I'm not feeling well today! NOW GO BACK TO YOUR SEATS." Snape walked to the front of the class and started writing the potion ingredients on the board.
"You're lucky he's feeling sick today." Ron sneered. "What happened to you last night? You were supposed to meet us at Dumbledore's office." He looked at her in anticipation. 'What kind of pathetic excuse is she going to make up?' he thought. "Well?"
"I was with Draco."
Ron winced upon hearing his name. "Very well. I guess he's more important than defeating you-know-who."
"Voldemort? Of course nothing is more important defeating Voldemort, it's just that I … forgot."
"You certainly didn't forget 3 hours later when you owled me that you weren't coming." He scoffed and returned to his potion. He started slicing everything in front of him. He even sliced the newt's eyeball, which he wasn't supposed to do.
"What are you doing Ron! You sliced the eyeball. How stupid are you?" Hermione didn't realize she screamed the last part a bit too loud until she noticed the whole class looking at her.
"I'm stupid eh? Probably not even smart enough for the likes of you mudbloods?" The whole class stared at Ron in shock when he said the last word. Even the Slytherins had their mouths wide open. Hermione looked at Ron in disgust and shook her head. "How could you?" She stood up and left the dungeon as fast as she could. Even Snape didn't intervene.
However, a Slytherin student followed her.
"What's wrong with you Hermione? I told you not to talk to any bloody Gryffindors and what do you do? You started a fight with that weasel. He's not worth your time, damn it!" Draco grabbed her arm tightly. "I will not tolerate any Gryffindor lovers."
"You're such a hypocrite! What am I then, if not a Gryffindor? Either that or you probably don't even love me."
"Of course I don't love you!"
Those words stung. "If you don't love me then why are you wasting your time and mine?"
Draco realized that his answer would be a crucial part of his plan. "I never said I loved you, but I like you. I like you enough to leave Snape's potion class to see what was going on. You promised me that you wouldn't talk to any of the Gryffindors and you did. How am I supposed to trust you now?"
"This is not about trust! It's about you telling me what to do … plus you don't even love me."
"So what if I don't love you? It's not like you do! You know at first I thought I was the one using you but you're the one using me!"
"How?"
"I know you like Ron and he feels the same way about you. Of course I, the annoying prat that I am, came and started pretending to like you. But now that I realize it, you're the one using me for your own gains. You're allowing me to use you to get Ron jealous. Face it, we're both using each other and you know it." 'Wow, that was quite a mouthful.' Draco thought. He was quite shocked at himself for actually telling the truth. Now that was a first. He looked back at Hermione who was now looking at the floor in shame. "So what do you have to say for yourself, Miss Perfect … or so everyone thought."
Hermione hugged herself, like a lost little girl, not knowing what to do. 'He's right. I didn't realize it too. I never did have feelings for him. I just wanted Ron to get jealous so he'd pay more attention to me.' This was also the first time she freely admitted to herself that Draco was right. "Dr – Malfoy … I'm sorry for using you. I just want Ron so badly."
"You know this would've turned out funny except the joke was on me the whole time eh? We we're both using each other. I never thought it'd hurt this much. You know I actually thought you cared for me. Ha! Who was I fooling? Anyways, next time you want to make your precious weasel jealous, ask for permission."
"I won't do it again. Besides, I guess it's back to being the lone genius that I am. Ron and Harry probably wouldn't talk to me after last night. Just forget any of this happened."
"No actually I can't and neither will you, if you know what's good for you."
'What the hell is that supposed to mean?' Hermione looked into his eyes but she couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment. He seems so blank. "What?"
"Just pretend we're going out or something. I seriously do not want that pug face Pansy girl following me around school again."
"Why should I help you?"
"This way we both get what we want. You can make the weasel jealous and I get peace."
"Really? You'd do this for me?"
Draco scoffed. "No I'm doing this for me. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to class before Snape gets mad."
"Snape will never get mad at you. He's so biased." She looked into his eyes waiting for a reaction.
"You're right… let's hang around the halls and let someone catch us out of class. What a great idea, Granger!"
"No need to be sarcastic." She walked towards the dungeon and then the bell rang. "Great … just great. I walked back for no apparent reason!"
Draco held Hermione by the waist and whispered in her ear. "We'll find out if people will believe that we're going out." They waited outside for people to come out of the classroom. One by one people looked at the so-called couple in confusion. Draco smiled. "It seems my plan err… our plan is working perfectly fine." They both waited in front of the room until Ron came out. He looked rather tense. Ron was clutching his hand-me-down cauldron rather tightly.
Snape noticed Ron's facial expression change from happy (for being dismissed from class) to surprise then dread. He was curious about it. Snape peered through his door, far enough to see Hermione in Draco's arms. He leaned on his desk for balance.
He finally got over the initial shock and was furious. "Get to your classes! And as for you Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger, 5 points off from each house for showing affection in the hall ways."
Ron smiled.
"But sir…" Draco stuttered. "I'm sure you could overlook this one time…"
"I don't think so. Now if you don't leave, you two will get detention."
Draco was shocked. 'That is definitely out of character for him even if he did feel sick.' This is the first time he felt like punching his favorite teacher… make that ex-favorite teacher. Draco glared at Ron who was looking smug. 'Stupid weasel.'
"C'mon Draco, let's go." Hermione took Draco's hand and pulled him up the stairs. She turned back and saw how hurt Ron looked. 'Well he deserved it for calling me a mudblood. Him, of all people.' She tried to fight the tears forming in her eyes but it was too late. She started crying. "I hate Ron."
"… Is this part of the plan?" Draco whispered in her ear.
"I don't know. I seriously don't know."
"Wow, you … Hermione Granger … not know something… this is a first."
Hermione rolled her eyes at his comment. "I mean I don't know how I feel. I lov- err… well I want Ron but he's being really rude and he called me a –" It pained her to say it … but she did. "- mudblood."
Draco cringed at the word. He was used to saying it over and over again but hearing a muggle born witch say it was kind of weird. "Hermione…" He thought of what he was going to say to her. "He doesn't deserve you…" He cleared his throat. It was hard for him to find the right words to comfort her. "I don't like you or anything but I don't think that he should've called you that. I mean, it's perfectly OK for me to call you that-"
Hermione raised her eyebrow and gave him a questioning look. "Perfectly OK?"
"No, it's not OK for me to call you that but it's more understandable if it came out of my mouth instead of the weasel. Don't you agree? I haven't 'hung' out with your little clique but he's part of it. He should learn not to say things like that if he still wants you to keep going his homework."
She smiled. "Right." She still wasn't sure of her feelings but she did agree with him. 'Ron shouldn't have said that.'
Hermione said goodbye to Draco and headed for Arithmancy with the Ravenclaws. One thing she can count on is Ron's stupidity and laziness. There's one subject that she always count on to not have a lot of 'annoying' people, arithmancy. Ron wouldn't dare step in that class for he has no interest in numbers also he didn't want to bother with subjects that Aurors didn't need. "If only he knew how interesting this class is…" she mused as she entered the classroom. 'Pity only a few realize it.' She was the only Gryffindor who took this class and there were only 6 Ravenclaws. There were only 7 people in her class, she included.
She was seated in the front row of the class but she seems to have a hard time concentrating. Since the arithmancy classroom is located on the second floor, the room had windows. She was distracted by the sun shining on her face. Her concentration was more focused on what happened earlier. Her plan. 'I hope Ron realizes that he loves me and tells me soon because I don't want to be with Malfoy anymore than I have to.' She rested her chin on her hands and looked out the window. '…But then again, hanging out with the most desirable guy would do my rep some good.' She smiled and continued to think about what people would say if they found out she was going out with Draco. She already knew the reaction of the student body and professor Snape 'but what about the other teachers and … Lucius Malfoy.' She laughed out loud when she imagined Draco getting a howler from his father.
"Miss Granger? Are you OK?" Professor Vector looked at Hermione with a worried expression. "You haven't raised your hand today, is everything alright?"
Hermione nodded meekly and stood up as soon as she heard the bell rang. "I can't believe it was 40 minutes already…"
"Head for the Great Hall!" someone screamed.
Hermione realized that it wasn't the dismissal bell. It was a bell that was rung when they needed an urgent meeting in the Great Hall. 'What's happening?' She quickly ran to the Great Hall. It was quite difficult since everyone else was doing the same thing. There was a lot of pushing and shoving. Hermione lost her balance when she was going down the stairs (more like pushed around) and fell. No one noticed due to panic.
She was lying on the ground floor with her head bleeding. She has lost conscious since a bunch of people's feet stepped on her. You could even see the footprints on her French cut blouse. No one noticed her.
A/N: Why did I put the cat picture scene? Why, indeed. Well I put that scene is because I had nothing to write and I wanted to show that Snape was OOC. It was the first time he ever let a Gryffindor go without punishing them. Notice the word first time. This chapter's title is First Time For Everything therefore lots of first time, a bit OOC things happening. Also, what was the point of this chapter? Well I wanted to let all the readers know that this isn't only a Draco/Hermione fic that has things going all normal and everything. I mean Voldemort isn't defeated yet so I wanted to cause a bit of panic in Hogwarts with the emergency meeting in the Great Hall. You could easily guess that it has something to do with you-know-who. Anyways I just want to recommend this fanfic called Slytherin Rising. Search for it. It's an awesome fanfic.
THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!