Hermione Granger ran down the stairs from her dormitory and into the Gryffindor common room. Tears were streaming down her face, and she held in her hand what looked suspiciously like a bottle of blood. She scanned the room, looking for her friends Harry and Ron, but they were not to be found. She ran at top speed out of the portrait hole, down the stairs and across the grounds of Hogwarts, waiting to get far enough away so she could apparate out.
She appeared outside a stadium in Bulgaria, and found Viktor Krum waiting for her by a tree.
"How did you know to be here?" She sobbed.
"How do I know to be anyvhere for you, Herm-own-ninny?" He opened his arms, inviting her to lean on him and cry her eyes out. "Zhere zhere, tell me vhat has happened," he comforted her.
She wrapped her arms round his neck, having dropped the bottle of blood somewhere along the way, and told him her story.
"This morning, I had just come back from the bathroom, when I found a package on my bed. I opened it, and found a bottle of blood inside!" at this, her sobbing became stronger, "At first I thought it was just a joke. You know – one of the other girls playing a prank. But nobody was around, not even sniggering quietly. And that Malfoy's been so mean to me lately, this was just the last straw." Her tears overcame her, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her, just like he had at the Yule Ball almost a year ago. That triggered a memory in Hermione, a memory of why she had gone to the ball with Viktor in the first place.
---- Flashback-----
It was a cold, blustery day in December, and Hermione was in the library reading one of her favourite books "Hogwarts: A History". She was sitting at one of the big oak tables, and was quite comfortable there, until a pale, blond haired figure slid himself into the seat opposite.
"How about it, mudblood, wanna go to the ball with me?" He sneered, and she looked up from her book. His words didn't surprise her; she had heard things like this from him. Cruel jokes that only he found funny, and were usually at the expense of the dignity of someone else.
"Your jokes just get better and better, don't they Malfoy?" She hissed. She did not have time for his childish games now.
"Well, it's not like anyone would actually want to go with a goody two-shoes mudblood like you, Granger, and you're not exactly a sight for sore eyes either. So I decided to be the gentleman that I am, and offer you the chance to save yourself from ridicule by coming with me." For a brief moment, she actually got the feeling that he wanted to go to the ball with her. But that was stupid, and his words spoke louder than the look in his cold grey eyes. She hit back, angry at him for wasting her time and for making her heart jump, if only for a second.
"How much of a gentleman you are really ceases to amaze me Malfoy." She said with a cold stare, "But it just so happens that I'd never be seen dead even touching you, let alone dancing with you. And, I'm already going with someone." She wanted to hurt him, and hurt him bad, but her words seemed to have no effect on him, and he said nothing as she ran out of the library.
By the time she got to the portrait hole, tears were streaming down her face. Her bag, which she had carelessly slung over her shoulder, decided that it gave up, and split, spilling her books all over the stone floor. She bent down to pick them up, angry at her bag and angry at Malfoy.
"It's all HIS fault! Why did I have to get so upset? Now look what's happened!" She thought to herself.
"Why did I have to go and say that? I'm not already going with someone, and now I'm just in one great big mess. All because of HIM and that stupid joke he decided to play at my expense!"
At that moment, someone came up behind her, and she turned to look into the face of Viktor Krum.
"I saw you run out of zhe libray-ry and vanted to know if you vere ok." He looked at her, and he understood what she was feeling. After all, they had talked for many hours every day, and they were as close as brother and sister.
"Hermy-own, vill you go to zhe ball with me?" He asked tentatively.
"Of course I will," she breathed a sigh of relief – that was sorted, "But only as friends, remember."
"Of course." He knew that they could be nothing more than that, she had clearly spelt that out to him more than once.
------End flashback--------
Potions first thing on a Monday morning was never good, and this Monday looked to be worse than most. Snape had just assigned partners for their truth potions unit, and Hermione had been paired with Malfoy.
They sat together in front of a cauldron, but that was practically the only thing they were together on. Hermione made an effort to get lost in her work, like she usually did, but it was rather hard with Malfoy staring at her like she was from another planet the whole time. She measured the ingredients, and set about making the potion, all the while feeling his eyes on her. She wanted to say something, but didn't dare to, for fear that he would just tease her or come back with some 'witty' remark. She had been burnt one too many times by Malfoy, and was not about to let that happen again. Class ended, and she felt relieved to get out of the clammy dungeon, away from Malfoy and his piercing gaze.
In potions about a month later, they were working on a very complicated truth potion, which would make the drinker answer truthfully to two out of three questions. In Hermione's opinion, it was a useless potion, but nobody ever questioned Snape.
"By the end of this term, I am hoping that one of you will be able to produce the very complicated and strong veritaserum. Hopefully, at least one of you has the skill to concoct such a delicate and subtle potion such as this." Snape looked straight at Malfoy as he said this, scarcely aware that Hermione, probably the smartest witch at Hogwarts, was in the same room as him.
She turned back to her beetle eyes, of which she had to count out three hundred and twenty-seven exactly, and noticed Snape walking down the room to Harry. He stopped in front of him, and Hermione strained to hear what the menacing potions master was saying.
"It's a funny thing, isn't it Potter. Some supplies have gone missing from my private stores. Powdered Bicorn horn and shredded Boomslang skin, in fact. I seem to remember these exact same things going missing a few years ago, and did I not say that the person who stole them had to be very careful? You'd better watch it Potter, or your little secret might be found out."
With that, Snape stalked back to the front of the room, with both Harry and Hermione stunned at what he had just said. They hadn't stolen anything this time, so who had? Hermione sighed, and looked at Malfoy.
"Maybe you shouldn't have gotten your little boyfriend to steal those things for you Granger. Looks like he's on the way to being expelled." He sneered at her. Obviously he had been listening too.
"Shut up Malfoy, this doesn't concern you. In fact, why were you listening in the first place? Why am I talking to you at all?" He always seemed to have this effect on her, making her all worked up. She looked into his eyes, and saw pain. She had hurt him, and he turned away from her as he struggled to blink back tears. Malfoy was crying? Well, not like he had never made her cry.
She appeared outside a stadium in Bulgaria, and found Viktor Krum waiting for her by a tree.
"How did you know to be here?" She sobbed.
"How do I know to be anyvhere for you, Herm-own-ninny?" He opened his arms, inviting her to lean on him and cry her eyes out. "Zhere zhere, tell me vhat has happened," he comforted her.
She wrapped her arms round his neck, having dropped the bottle of blood somewhere along the way, and told him her story.
"This morning, I had just come back from the bathroom, when I found a package on my bed. I opened it, and found a bottle of blood inside!" at this, her sobbing became stronger, "At first I thought it was just a joke. You know – one of the other girls playing a prank. But nobody was around, not even sniggering quietly. And that Malfoy's been so mean to me lately, this was just the last straw." Her tears overcame her, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her, just like he had at the Yule Ball almost a year ago. That triggered a memory in Hermione, a memory of why she had gone to the ball with Viktor in the first place.
---- Flashback-----
It was a cold, blustery day in December, and Hermione was in the library reading one of her favourite books "Hogwarts: A History". She was sitting at one of the big oak tables, and was quite comfortable there, until a pale, blond haired figure slid himself into the seat opposite.
"How about it, mudblood, wanna go to the ball with me?" He sneered, and she looked up from her book. His words didn't surprise her; she had heard things like this from him. Cruel jokes that only he found funny, and were usually at the expense of the dignity of someone else.
"Your jokes just get better and better, don't they Malfoy?" She hissed. She did not have time for his childish games now.
"Well, it's not like anyone would actually want to go with a goody two-shoes mudblood like you, Granger, and you're not exactly a sight for sore eyes either. So I decided to be the gentleman that I am, and offer you the chance to save yourself from ridicule by coming with me." For a brief moment, she actually got the feeling that he wanted to go to the ball with her. But that was stupid, and his words spoke louder than the look in his cold grey eyes. She hit back, angry at him for wasting her time and for making her heart jump, if only for a second.
"How much of a gentleman you are really ceases to amaze me Malfoy." She said with a cold stare, "But it just so happens that I'd never be seen dead even touching you, let alone dancing with you. And, I'm already going with someone." She wanted to hurt him, and hurt him bad, but her words seemed to have no effect on him, and he said nothing as she ran out of the library.
By the time she got to the portrait hole, tears were streaming down her face. Her bag, which she had carelessly slung over her shoulder, decided that it gave up, and split, spilling her books all over the stone floor. She bent down to pick them up, angry at her bag and angry at Malfoy.
"It's all HIS fault! Why did I have to get so upset? Now look what's happened!" She thought to herself.
"Why did I have to go and say that? I'm not already going with someone, and now I'm just in one great big mess. All because of HIM and that stupid joke he decided to play at my expense!"
At that moment, someone came up behind her, and she turned to look into the face of Viktor Krum.
"I saw you run out of zhe libray-ry and vanted to know if you vere ok." He looked at her, and he understood what she was feeling. After all, they had talked for many hours every day, and they were as close as brother and sister.
"Hermy-own, vill you go to zhe ball with me?" He asked tentatively.
"Of course I will," she breathed a sigh of relief – that was sorted, "But only as friends, remember."
"Of course." He knew that they could be nothing more than that, she had clearly spelt that out to him more than once.
------End flashback--------
Potions first thing on a Monday morning was never good, and this Monday looked to be worse than most. Snape had just assigned partners for their truth potions unit, and Hermione had been paired with Malfoy.
They sat together in front of a cauldron, but that was practically the only thing they were together on. Hermione made an effort to get lost in her work, like she usually did, but it was rather hard with Malfoy staring at her like she was from another planet the whole time. She measured the ingredients, and set about making the potion, all the while feeling his eyes on her. She wanted to say something, but didn't dare to, for fear that he would just tease her or come back with some 'witty' remark. She had been burnt one too many times by Malfoy, and was not about to let that happen again. Class ended, and she felt relieved to get out of the clammy dungeon, away from Malfoy and his piercing gaze.
In potions about a month later, they were working on a very complicated truth potion, which would make the drinker answer truthfully to two out of three questions. In Hermione's opinion, it was a useless potion, but nobody ever questioned Snape.
"By the end of this term, I am hoping that one of you will be able to produce the very complicated and strong veritaserum. Hopefully, at least one of you has the skill to concoct such a delicate and subtle potion such as this." Snape looked straight at Malfoy as he said this, scarcely aware that Hermione, probably the smartest witch at Hogwarts, was in the same room as him.
She turned back to her beetle eyes, of which she had to count out three hundred and twenty-seven exactly, and noticed Snape walking down the room to Harry. He stopped in front of him, and Hermione strained to hear what the menacing potions master was saying.
"It's a funny thing, isn't it Potter. Some supplies have gone missing from my private stores. Powdered Bicorn horn and shredded Boomslang skin, in fact. I seem to remember these exact same things going missing a few years ago, and did I not say that the person who stole them had to be very careful? You'd better watch it Potter, or your little secret might be found out."
With that, Snape stalked back to the front of the room, with both Harry and Hermione stunned at what he had just said. They hadn't stolen anything this time, so who had? Hermione sighed, and looked at Malfoy.
"Maybe you shouldn't have gotten your little boyfriend to steal those things for you Granger. Looks like he's on the way to being expelled." He sneered at her. Obviously he had been listening too.
"Shut up Malfoy, this doesn't concern you. In fact, why were you listening in the first place? Why am I talking to you at all?" He always seemed to have this effect on her, making her all worked up. She looked into his eyes, and saw pain. She had hurt him, and he turned away from her as he struggled to blink back tears. Malfoy was crying? Well, not like he had never made her cry.