For the second time that week, Hermione could not fall asleep. The first time had proved nearly disastrous - nearly being caught by Filch, getting lost in the dungeons, meeting Malfoy... And it was because of him that she was awake, sitting down in the Gryffindor common room. The first time that she had been up it was because she genuinely couldn't sleep. She supposed that after years of pulling all nighters studying, she had developed insomnia of some sort. But this was not insomnia.
No, this could not possibly be a sleeping problem. Curling up on the couch, she could feel her heart racing out of control, her mind filled with the images of the night before.
"Hmmm? So do we have a deal?" Draco's voice dropped to a deep purr near her left ear, and she shivered.
Oh yes... The feel of his hands was still upon her, and unconsciously she raised a hand and dragged it lightly along her collar bone, mimicking the movements of the night before. Drifting in elysium, Hermione remembered the deep purr of his voice, his spicy, intoxicating scent...
Snap out of it girl! She thought rather angrily to herself, pulling her hand down to her lap, and glaring at it. She couldn't be fawning over a boy. Why, she should be studying for her NEWTS, not dreaming like a lovesick girl! And over Draco Malfoy at that!
Getting up, she tried to shake off the memory of his hands. But nothing she did could keep her mind from it. In class it had been easy, she had worked as diligently and carefully as always, her mind totally focused and busy. In Potions it had been a little harder, and she had been careful throughout class not to meet his eyes. Snape, as usual, had not helped, placing her and her partner, right beside Malfoy and his. Not about to pass up an opportunity to tease her partner, Ron, Malfoy had goaded the red head all class.
"So I hear that your father is in trouble with the Ministry again Weasley. Still obsessed with muggles eh? Sure you're mother isn't one? She's ugly enough to be." At his sarcastic biting comment, Rom looked up murderously from where he was slicing his boomslang skin.
"Ron, just ignore him." Hermione said in a low voice, keeping her eyes to her cauldron. She could see from the corner of her eyes Ron's ears getting red, and his face flushing in anger. He cast a rather sulky look at her, and made a rude gesture at Malfoy, turning back to the skins, his tall, lanky form bending over the table once more. From her left, she heard Malfoy's partner, Pansy, giggle, and Malfoy say something to her. Rather annoyed with Malfoy herself, Hermione kept to her work, knowing if she did not stay focused, she could ruin the potion. Getting wrapped up in her work soon enough, she was about to ask Ron for the boomslang skins when...
Malfoy flicked one at Ron, and it hit him in the nose, bouncing off, and into the potion, where it hissed and bubbled, splashing out onto the table. His face flushing quickly, Ron took up the challenge and picked up one of their skins and lobbed it at Malfoy before she could tell him not to. The skin went flying though the air quickly, and smacked Malfoy square in the forehead. Hermione looked on in growing terror, as the skin stuck for a few seconds on his forehead, then lazily fell off. It landed on the desk with an ominous THUNK. The whole class had now caught wind of the two boys facing each other off, Hermione in the middle. In her peripheral vision, she could see Harry about to jump in and stop the fight... But before anything else could happen Professor Snape jumped in.
"What is the meaning of this! Ten points off you Mr.Weasley, for starting a fight, and another five off for wasting your ingredients!" The greasy man had glared down at him. Poor Ron cowered under Snape as usual, and sat down, having learned last class not to provoke Snape. That had cost Gryffindor fifty points. "And for you Miss Granger, five points for not preventing the fight!" Anything to make it a full twenty points from Gryffindor, Hermione thought, her old burning anger for Snape igniting. When Snape had billowed away to his next victim (Hermione felt worse for poor Neville), she looked to Malfoy for the first time that class, angry as usual, for he has escaped blame once again. But all she got was that patented smirk, and as she turned away, a wink. Surprised, she turned back, but he was already looking down to his caldron.
Oh, what was she thinking, she hated the slimy git! She hated how he always escaped the blame, always was so cool and calm, so dashingly handsome even in the mornings, when the rest of the school was rumpled and bleary eyed, how... No! She mustn't think these thoughts! Moving from where she had been standing and day dreaming, she purposely went over to where her books were by the fire. Snape had called her and Ron up to the front of the class afterwards, and had given them both essays to do, ridiculously hard ones, on a rare potion ingredient. The only books in the whole school on the topic were in the restricted section.
Hermione returned to her desk after class, her face flushed slightly in anger at Snape. When she had protested the difficulty of their punishment, he had only given them a condescending smirk and threatened to take more points off. The injustice of his behavior still stung after all these years.
"'Scuse me." She moved past to let Ron rush by her to the desk, where he grabbed his books. "Sorry. Gotta run up to the tower for Divination." He gave one of his sweet smiles, and she smiled back before he ran off. Hermione knew Ron fancied her a bit, but he was too much of a gentleman to do anything, and she preferred to leave it at that. He has certainly grown up nice, she mused to herself as she packed her books, a small smile on his lips. From the rather plain little kid that had come to Hogwarts, Ron had matured into a striking young man, lanky and athletic. He had plenty of girls all over him too, and Harry was more than glad to share the limelight.
Vowing to do something nice for her two best friends that night, Hermione left the potions classroom, her head down, books clutched to her chest. Typical Hermione stance. Hurrying through the dungeons, her mind wandered a bit to the night before, but she pushed it away, preoccupying herself with thoughts of her essay.
Coming to a junction of corridors, she slowed down automatically, to turn and head up the stairs. Behind her there was a chattering group of students, and she idly listened for a moment, though their talk was nonsensical. Turning to go up the stairs, she heard the smallest of whispers,
"I still haven't been caught." For a moment she was too surprised to do anything, but when she turned around to see who is was, there was only the swirl of a black cape. She thought briefly of seeing who is was, but is she did, she was going to be late for class.
There was only one person who would worry about being caught though, she thought, the secret speakers breath still warm on her ears...
Of course it was Malfoy that had whispered that in her ear earlier. Who else could it be?
Hermione caught herself day dreaming again, and looked sternly down at her note book. She had this stupid essay to write! She needed to start work now, or it would never get done.
She briefly considered borrowing Harry's invisibility cloak and taking the book she needed from the library... But then she'd be no better than Malfoy, and besides, they would be watching the library tonight, to see if the thief would come back. Bending over her book, she started to read, but now her mind just could not focus.
Hermione tried everything in the few hours that followed - she did homework, studied for her NEWTS, read Hogwarts; A History. She paced around the Gryffindor common room, and prodded at the dying fire. She did everything she could until she felt like exploding. Finally deciding to go to bed, even though she knew she's just sit there and lie awake, Hermione poked Ron awake, and told him she was going up to bed. He nodded sleepily at her and sat up, mumbling a good night. Heading to the girl's staircase, she looked back at Ron when she was at the base, as smiled - he had already collapsed back onto the couch as she knew he would. Her heart warmed a little at his so very Ron action.
Beginning the climb to her dorm, clutching her books to her chest, she realized that her world was changing. First Drac- Malfoy, and now Ron. I really CANNOT be getting a crush again, can I? The thought rather disturbed her, but she couldn't ignore the smouldering flames that had ignited in her chest at the thought of the blond and the red headed boys...