Chapter 4
Hermione sighed deeply and sank into a couch in the Prefects' common room. The other prefects were nowhere in sight, and Hermione suspected they had gone to bid their houses goodbye too. Undoing the clasps of her school robe, and hanging it on the back of a chair, Hermione took out her Potions textbook and did some revision, though she knew exactly what was inside the book. 10 minutes into her revision, the other prefects came into the common room.
"Hermione!" Cried Lavender, in disbelief. "Where were you?"
"Me? I was saying bye to the Gryffindors, Lavender. What's wrong?" Hermione asked as some of the prefects excused them selves.
"What's wrong?" Gasped Justin, turning back to face her. "You weren't at the Prefect meeting, that's what's wrong!"
"Prefect meeting?" Repeated Hermione, stunned. "No one told me anything about a meeting!"
"No one?" Said Cho Chang, the Head girl. "I personally sent Malf- Draco, to tell you, Hermione."
Hermione turned to Draco, shock in her wide eyes, and caught the smug look on his face fading away when Cho mentioned his name.
"I, am very sure that Malfoy," said Hermione, spitting out his name like it was a deadly venom, "did not inform me of this meeting."
"Draco!" Cried Cho, frowning at the pale boy. "If you didn't tell Hermione, why were you gone so long?"
Draco's smug look returned, as he answered Cho coolly. "Slipped my mind I daresay."
Cho sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind, Hermione, but I've got the change of duties for you. And I'll owl Professor McGonagall, so you don't worry." With that, she turned and headed up to her room.
"Don't worry?" Echoed Hermione, turning upon her heel to face Draco who was still smirking at her. "Damn right, she is- DON'T WORRY!"
Justin, Hannah and the others immediately excused them, sensing something bad coming up.
"DRACO MALFOY! You got me into trouble!" Screeched Hermione, the Potions textbook lay forgotten at her feet.
"Almost, Granger. Thank your lucky stars." Draco strode past her, making his way to his room.
"Just WHERE are you going?" Said Hermione, feeling very angry.
"Bed," said Draco shortly.
Hermione pulled her wand from her belt. "Petrificus totalus!"
Draco fell back, stiff as a board.
Hermione bent over him, smirking. "How does it feel to be at the mercy of others, Malfoy?"
Then she turned and walked up to her room. Halfway up the stairs, she pointed her wand over her shoulders and said the counter curse. Suddenly afraid that Draco would curse her, she ran up to her room, threw open the door and sealed it shut behind her.
Back in the common room, Draco felt like kicking something. He looked angrily around at the common room for something he could blow up, when his cold gray eyes landed on Hermione's robe and Potions textbook. Then, for no apparent reason, he felt his anger begin to ebb away, despite himself. He took long strides to the chair, and pulled Hermione's robe off the chair. Not knowing why, he lifted her robe to his face and inhaled the faint scent off Hermione's robe. It was a scent he liked, and found familiar, but couldn't place his finger on.
He was too engrossed in trying to figure out what the smell was, that he did not hear footsteps coming down the girls' staircase.
"Malfoy!"
Draco gave a start and turned around. When he saw Hermione, he immediately dropped her robe as if it had suddenly turned to hot coals.
"What are you doing?" Said Hermione, rushing forward to retrieve her robe from his feet.
"N-nothing," stammered Draco, not sounding like himself at all.
"Nothing?" Repeated Hermione, looking at her robe to see if Draco had done any damage to it. "You were sniffing at my robe like a dog!"
Draco knew he had to come out with the truth. "Well, I just thought that they smelt like something familiar, but I can't remember what," he answered, looking Hermione in the eye as though daring her to laugh.
Hermione broke eye contact when she went to pick up her Potions textbook, and laughed softly. "I don't think a mudblood would smell familiar, Malfoy," said Hermione.
Draco could hear the hurt in her voice. He didn't know what to say, so all he told her was "Just call me Draco, all right. So I won't feel too bad about calling you mudblood." Draco felt like kicking himself. That was just about the nicest (and dumbest) thing he'd said to Hermione, but the hurt on her face had somehow affected him, and he felt that he had to take it upon himself to make her feel better.
Hermione shrugged. "I never said you couldn't call me Hermione." Then, she turned and headed to the staircase. "Night, Malf- Draco."
"Night, Gr- Hermione," Draco answered, then looked down at the carpeted floor, wondering why he wished he could make her smile, instead of letting her walk away with such pain on her face.
Hermione sighed deeply and sank into a couch in the Prefects' common room. The other prefects were nowhere in sight, and Hermione suspected they had gone to bid their houses goodbye too. Undoing the clasps of her school robe, and hanging it on the back of a chair, Hermione took out her Potions textbook and did some revision, though she knew exactly what was inside the book. 10 minutes into her revision, the other prefects came into the common room.
"Hermione!" Cried Lavender, in disbelief. "Where were you?"
"Me? I was saying bye to the Gryffindors, Lavender. What's wrong?" Hermione asked as some of the prefects excused them selves.
"What's wrong?" Gasped Justin, turning back to face her. "You weren't at the Prefect meeting, that's what's wrong!"
"Prefect meeting?" Repeated Hermione, stunned. "No one told me anything about a meeting!"
"No one?" Said Cho Chang, the Head girl. "I personally sent Malf- Draco, to tell you, Hermione."
Hermione turned to Draco, shock in her wide eyes, and caught the smug look on his face fading away when Cho mentioned his name.
"I, am very sure that Malfoy," said Hermione, spitting out his name like it was a deadly venom, "did not inform me of this meeting."
"Draco!" Cried Cho, frowning at the pale boy. "If you didn't tell Hermione, why were you gone so long?"
Draco's smug look returned, as he answered Cho coolly. "Slipped my mind I daresay."
Cho sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind, Hermione, but I've got the change of duties for you. And I'll owl Professor McGonagall, so you don't worry." With that, she turned and headed up to her room.
"Don't worry?" Echoed Hermione, turning upon her heel to face Draco who was still smirking at her. "Damn right, she is- DON'T WORRY!"
Justin, Hannah and the others immediately excused them, sensing something bad coming up.
"DRACO MALFOY! You got me into trouble!" Screeched Hermione, the Potions textbook lay forgotten at her feet.
"Almost, Granger. Thank your lucky stars." Draco strode past her, making his way to his room.
"Just WHERE are you going?" Said Hermione, feeling very angry.
"Bed," said Draco shortly.
Hermione pulled her wand from her belt. "Petrificus totalus!"
Draco fell back, stiff as a board.
Hermione bent over him, smirking. "How does it feel to be at the mercy of others, Malfoy?"
Then she turned and walked up to her room. Halfway up the stairs, she pointed her wand over her shoulders and said the counter curse. Suddenly afraid that Draco would curse her, she ran up to her room, threw open the door and sealed it shut behind her.
Back in the common room, Draco felt like kicking something. He looked angrily around at the common room for something he could blow up, when his cold gray eyes landed on Hermione's robe and Potions textbook. Then, for no apparent reason, he felt his anger begin to ebb away, despite himself. He took long strides to the chair, and pulled Hermione's robe off the chair. Not knowing why, he lifted her robe to his face and inhaled the faint scent off Hermione's robe. It was a scent he liked, and found familiar, but couldn't place his finger on.
He was too engrossed in trying to figure out what the smell was, that he did not hear footsteps coming down the girls' staircase.
"Malfoy!"
Draco gave a start and turned around. When he saw Hermione, he immediately dropped her robe as if it had suddenly turned to hot coals.
"What are you doing?" Said Hermione, rushing forward to retrieve her robe from his feet.
"N-nothing," stammered Draco, not sounding like himself at all.
"Nothing?" Repeated Hermione, looking at her robe to see if Draco had done any damage to it. "You were sniffing at my robe like a dog!"
Draco knew he had to come out with the truth. "Well, I just thought that they smelt like something familiar, but I can't remember what," he answered, looking Hermione in the eye as though daring her to laugh.
Hermione broke eye contact when she went to pick up her Potions textbook, and laughed softly. "I don't think a mudblood would smell familiar, Malfoy," said Hermione.
Draco could hear the hurt in her voice. He didn't know what to say, so all he told her was "Just call me Draco, all right. So I won't feel too bad about calling you mudblood." Draco felt like kicking himself. That was just about the nicest (and dumbest) thing he'd said to Hermione, but the hurt on her face had somehow affected him, and he felt that he had to take it upon himself to make her feel better.
Hermione shrugged. "I never said you couldn't call me Hermione." Then, she turned and headed to the staircase. "Night, Malf- Draco."
"Night, Gr- Hermione," Draco answered, then looked down at the carpeted floor, wondering why he wished he could make her smile, instead of letting her walk away with such pain on her face.