Suddenly realising his mouth had dropped open and he was gasping for words
in a manner likened to a dying fish, Draco quickly recovered from his
initial shock.
"You!" Forgetting his vulnerable position for a moment, Draco narrowed his eyes, and spat the word out, as if it was bitter to taste.
"I'm so glad you're as pleased to see me as I am to see you!" The reply way dripping with sarcasm, "I mean, I'm just verging on ecstasy here!"
Draco's silver-blue eyes were locked on the chocolate-brown ones in front of him, and the fire reflected between them could be described as anything but warm and welcoming.
"Lost?" The sarcasm didn't entirely subside. "Surely Daddy wouldn't let you out alone in public..." there was a pause for effect, and the voice dropped to a stage whisper "...surely he can't know that you're fraternising with muggles!"
"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer GRANGER!" Draco hissed, staring cold-heartedly at Hermione, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "However, I am going to say, that your mud-blooded self must feel quite at home here...amongst your own kind - second-rate SCUM!"
Hermione felt her cheeks start to heat up, but she swallowed down her temper; this was something she had become quite good at, having dealt with Malfoy's prejudice and rude comments for the last seven years. But in her mind, there was one thing still confusing her: what in the blue blazes was he doing in the most muggle-congested area in the country? And wearing muggle clothes?
Hermione's calculating mind came to a quick conclusion. She grinned to herself.
"You know something Malfoy, I'm just going to go now. I've got friends meeting me in about five minutes. It was SO nice to see you." She nodded politely. "Maybe I'll see you at school after Christmas." She turned on her heel, and...
"Wait." Draco winced at the sound of his own voice, hoping it didn't sound too pleading.
Hermione turned back.
"Y-you mean you're not going to think of something to say back at me?" Draco could have kicked himself for that ridiculous question. "What I mean is," he quickly tried to correct himself, "you're not going to stand up for yourself?"
Hermione shook her head, her face expressionless. "I can't be wasting my time on you Malfoy; places to go, people to see." She went to turn away again.
"What you mean to say Granger," he smirked, "is that I've won."
Hermione stopped mid-turn and laughed aloud. "Won?" She shook her head, laughing immoderately.
"What?" Draco felt a stab of annoyance.
"Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy," Hermione scoffed, "you have most definitely lost. Speaking of which, I'm glad you brought that up, it saves me wasting an extra words on you. You ARE lost, aren't you!"
That shut him up, she thought triumphantly.
After a moment's silence, Draco took a deep breath. It was no use denying it. "Try mis-apparated."
Silently praying that she wouldn't laugh, he proceeded to tell her the whole story, making sure he emphasised that it really was an easy mistake to have made, and that in no way was it his fault.
"You left out one vital point, Malfoy," a tiny smile played around Hermione's lips, whilst Draco gave her a questioning look.
Hermione sighed. "You left out the part where you tell me that you need my help." Draco started to make a very disdainful comment, but he was stopped mid-sentence. "The way I see it Malfoy, you're pretty much screwed without my help, so you may as well get over yourself and ask nicely."
"Listen Granger..." Draco scowled, "I don't need any help if you're going to be all high-and-mighty about it!"
Hermione took a deep breath. "Fine then, have it your way. Good luck getting home!" She brushed past his shoulder.
He grabbed her wrist. "Ok! I'm... No. Ok, look, I need your help." If Draco wasn't actually in pain, he certainly did a very good impression of it. He took a deep breath. "Please?" The word came out of his mouth as if it was burning his tongue. "You must be loving this." He muttered.
Hermione laughed bitterly. "If you say so Malfoy."
"HERMIONE!" A voice shrieked from behind Draco. They both spun around to see a girl racing through the crowds of people towards them
"What the -" Draco started.
Hermione spoke quickly. "I told you I was meeting people. Only two though." She apologetically grinned. "Umm... Could you, please, be...umm... Now how can I put this?"
"Spit it out, Granger"
"They're muggles. They live down my road, we've been friends for ages."
"And your point is...?" Hermione sighed; he just was not getting it.
"They think I go to boarding school up north."
"You do." Draco glanced over at the girl, who was getting nearer.
"LISTEN to me Malfoy. They DO NOT KNOW I am a witch! Understood? No funny business!" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "No magic, no talk of it - act inconspicuous... And don't call me 'Granger'."
"Bloody hell you're bossy Gra- Hermione," Draco muttered. 'Hermione' sounded strange coming out of his mouth, he'd never used her name before. And after this encounter he would probably never use it again. The thought amused him.
"You are on thin ice, boy! I am doing you a huge favour here, and you know it. If it comes up," Hermione threw a quick sideways glance at the girl whose distance on them was closing, "you go to school with me, and there is NOTHING out of the ORDINARY about ANYTHING that happens today, ok?!"
"HERMIIIIIIONE!" The girl leapt at Hermione, pulling her into a huge hug.
"LISA!" Hermione shrieked. The two girls jumped around hugging for a moment.
Draco grimaced at the noise, and cringed slightly at the attention it was drawing. He smirked to himself... And she didn't think HE knew how to act inconspicuously?!
"You!" Forgetting his vulnerable position for a moment, Draco narrowed his eyes, and spat the word out, as if it was bitter to taste.
"I'm so glad you're as pleased to see me as I am to see you!" The reply way dripping with sarcasm, "I mean, I'm just verging on ecstasy here!"
Draco's silver-blue eyes were locked on the chocolate-brown ones in front of him, and the fire reflected between them could be described as anything but warm and welcoming.
"Lost?" The sarcasm didn't entirely subside. "Surely Daddy wouldn't let you out alone in public..." there was a pause for effect, and the voice dropped to a stage whisper "...surely he can't know that you're fraternising with muggles!"
"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer GRANGER!" Draco hissed, staring cold-heartedly at Hermione, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "However, I am going to say, that your mud-blooded self must feel quite at home here...amongst your own kind - second-rate SCUM!"
Hermione felt her cheeks start to heat up, but she swallowed down her temper; this was something she had become quite good at, having dealt with Malfoy's prejudice and rude comments for the last seven years. But in her mind, there was one thing still confusing her: what in the blue blazes was he doing in the most muggle-congested area in the country? And wearing muggle clothes?
Hermione's calculating mind came to a quick conclusion. She grinned to herself.
"You know something Malfoy, I'm just going to go now. I've got friends meeting me in about five minutes. It was SO nice to see you." She nodded politely. "Maybe I'll see you at school after Christmas." She turned on her heel, and...
"Wait." Draco winced at the sound of his own voice, hoping it didn't sound too pleading.
Hermione turned back.
"Y-you mean you're not going to think of something to say back at me?" Draco could have kicked himself for that ridiculous question. "What I mean is," he quickly tried to correct himself, "you're not going to stand up for yourself?"
Hermione shook her head, her face expressionless. "I can't be wasting my time on you Malfoy; places to go, people to see." She went to turn away again.
"What you mean to say Granger," he smirked, "is that I've won."
Hermione stopped mid-turn and laughed aloud. "Won?" She shook her head, laughing immoderately.
"What?" Draco felt a stab of annoyance.
"Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy," Hermione scoffed, "you have most definitely lost. Speaking of which, I'm glad you brought that up, it saves me wasting an extra words on you. You ARE lost, aren't you!"
That shut him up, she thought triumphantly.
After a moment's silence, Draco took a deep breath. It was no use denying it. "Try mis-apparated."
Silently praying that she wouldn't laugh, he proceeded to tell her the whole story, making sure he emphasised that it really was an easy mistake to have made, and that in no way was it his fault.
"You left out one vital point, Malfoy," a tiny smile played around Hermione's lips, whilst Draco gave her a questioning look.
Hermione sighed. "You left out the part where you tell me that you need my help." Draco started to make a very disdainful comment, but he was stopped mid-sentence. "The way I see it Malfoy, you're pretty much screwed without my help, so you may as well get over yourself and ask nicely."
"Listen Granger..." Draco scowled, "I don't need any help if you're going to be all high-and-mighty about it!"
Hermione took a deep breath. "Fine then, have it your way. Good luck getting home!" She brushed past his shoulder.
He grabbed her wrist. "Ok! I'm... No. Ok, look, I need your help." If Draco wasn't actually in pain, he certainly did a very good impression of it. He took a deep breath. "Please?" The word came out of his mouth as if it was burning his tongue. "You must be loving this." He muttered.
Hermione laughed bitterly. "If you say so Malfoy."
"HERMIONE!" A voice shrieked from behind Draco. They both spun around to see a girl racing through the crowds of people towards them
"What the -" Draco started.
Hermione spoke quickly. "I told you I was meeting people. Only two though." She apologetically grinned. "Umm... Could you, please, be...umm... Now how can I put this?"
"Spit it out, Granger"
"They're muggles. They live down my road, we've been friends for ages."
"And your point is...?" Hermione sighed; he just was not getting it.
"They think I go to boarding school up north."
"You do." Draco glanced over at the girl, who was getting nearer.
"LISTEN to me Malfoy. They DO NOT KNOW I am a witch! Understood? No funny business!" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "No magic, no talk of it - act inconspicuous... And don't call me 'Granger'."
"Bloody hell you're bossy Gra- Hermione," Draco muttered. 'Hermione' sounded strange coming out of his mouth, he'd never used her name before. And after this encounter he would probably never use it again. The thought amused him.
"You are on thin ice, boy! I am doing you a huge favour here, and you know it. If it comes up," Hermione threw a quick sideways glance at the girl whose distance on them was closing, "you go to school with me, and there is NOTHING out of the ORDINARY about ANYTHING that happens today, ok?!"
"HERMIIIIIIONE!" The girl leapt at Hermione, pulling her into a huge hug.
"LISA!" Hermione shrieked. The two girls jumped around hugging for a moment.
Draco grimaced at the noise, and cringed slightly at the attention it was drawing. He smirked to himself... And she didn't think HE knew how to act inconspicuously?!