Chapter 8
"Whoa!" Said Ron, stepping into the prefects' common room. "This is bloody brilliant!"
Hermione smiled at the obvious envy on his face.
"How many prefects share this room, Hermione?" Asked Harry, as he and Hermione watched Ron test out all the couches in the common room.
"There's about an average of 5 prefects from each house, plus the head boy and girl, so that's about twenty people or so," answered Hermione. "Want to see my room?"
"Your room?" said Ron, leaning back into a couch and staring at Hermione. "Your very own room?"
Hermione laughed. "Yeah."
"Whatever were they thinking?" Said Ron, much to Harry and Hermione's surprise.
"What do you mean, Ron?" Harry asked, settling himself in the couch opposite Ron's. He put his books on the wooden coffee table in between their couches.
"Well, it'll be... Private, and..." Ron went red and was unable to continue.
Hermione, however, understood what he was trying to say. "That we can spend the night at each other's rooms? As in, girls with the boys and vice versa?" She sat down next to Harry. "Ron, don't be so thick!" She said, a smile crinkling her eyes. "Of course we can't! McGonagall gave us rules on our first night!"
"Good," mumbled Ron.
"Take us to your room, Hermione," said Harry standing up.
Just as they were about to ascend the staircase, the portrait swung open and Draco Malfoy swaggered in. "Entertaining Potty and Weasel already, Gra- Hermione?"
"Ignore him," whispered Hermione, as Ron opened his mouth to insult Draco.
"Oh, well," continued Draco, "I won't be disturbing you then... Have fun!"
Ron had had enough. He turned and began to stride over to where Draco was standing with a smirk all over his pale face. Hermione and Harry reached out and took a firm hold of Ron's robe.
"Ron!" Hissed Hermione. "No!"
"Yeah, weasel. Listen to your girlfriend," drawled Draco; clearly enjoying how angry he was making Ron.
"I am NOT his girlfriend, Draco Malfoy! Shut up!" Snapped Hermione.
Ron struggled against his friends.
"Come and get me, Weasel. I'm scared!"
Ron wriggled out of his robes and made a dash for Draco.
Hermione had to act fast, or risk Ron getting a detention. "Petrificus totalus!" Cried Hermione, pointing her wand at Ron.
"Hermione!" Said Harry, running to Ron's stiff form on the floor.
"What?" Snapped Hermione. "Can't you see you're getting me into trouble? Never mind Draco!"
Harry freed Ron from the full-body bind and helped him to his feet.
"Hermione!" Yelled Ron angrily. "What's the matter with you?!"
Then he turned, pushed past Draco, and let himself out of the common room.
"I'll go after him," said Harry to Hermione. "You grab our books. See you in potions in five minutes!" Then, he turned and ran after Ron.
Hermione, confused and hurt, sank down to the floor. Why did she bother to protect Draco? Did he deserve it? He was a Malfoy, so why was she trying to help him?
"Hermione?" Said Draco, bending down and resting a hand on her shoulders. "Are you -?"
"What do you think, Draco Malfoy?" She snarled, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. "And what do you care, anyway?"
Draco winced at her cold and harsh tone. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I... I thought I was just having fun..."
"Fun?" Repeated Hermione. "FUN?! At the expense of my friends and me? My BEST friends for that matter, Draco!"
"Really, I-..."
"I don't want to hear it, Draco. Sorry is just a word. So save it! Besides, I highly doubt you mean it, Malfoy!"
Draco grimaced when Hermione called him Malfoy. What had he done?
As he could do nothing, he watched helplessly as Hermione ran up to her room, came down a while later with her potions textbook and ingredients, grab Harry and Ron's things and run out of the common room.
Draco shook his head sadly as he made his way up to his room slowly. Snape favoured him, and would not give him a detention even if he skipped class.
"I shouldn't have insulted them," said Draco ruefully to himself. "Me and my big mouth."
Before he could go on, he caught himself. "Wait... Why am I being nice to Herm- Granger and her friends? I'm a Malfoy..." Draco stopped. Then he resumed ascending the steps. "Oh, Malfoy schmalfoy... It's just a name... A name to 'uphold'..."
Draco was still pondering over this when he reached potions. Why was he being civil- if not nice- to Hermione?
"Whoa!" Said Ron, stepping into the prefects' common room. "This is bloody brilliant!"
Hermione smiled at the obvious envy on his face.
"How many prefects share this room, Hermione?" Asked Harry, as he and Hermione watched Ron test out all the couches in the common room.
"There's about an average of 5 prefects from each house, plus the head boy and girl, so that's about twenty people or so," answered Hermione. "Want to see my room?"
"Your room?" said Ron, leaning back into a couch and staring at Hermione. "Your very own room?"
Hermione laughed. "Yeah."
"Whatever were they thinking?" Said Ron, much to Harry and Hermione's surprise.
"What do you mean, Ron?" Harry asked, settling himself in the couch opposite Ron's. He put his books on the wooden coffee table in between their couches.
"Well, it'll be... Private, and..." Ron went red and was unable to continue.
Hermione, however, understood what he was trying to say. "That we can spend the night at each other's rooms? As in, girls with the boys and vice versa?" She sat down next to Harry. "Ron, don't be so thick!" She said, a smile crinkling her eyes. "Of course we can't! McGonagall gave us rules on our first night!"
"Good," mumbled Ron.
"Take us to your room, Hermione," said Harry standing up.
Just as they were about to ascend the staircase, the portrait swung open and Draco Malfoy swaggered in. "Entertaining Potty and Weasel already, Gra- Hermione?"
"Ignore him," whispered Hermione, as Ron opened his mouth to insult Draco.
"Oh, well," continued Draco, "I won't be disturbing you then... Have fun!"
Ron had had enough. He turned and began to stride over to where Draco was standing with a smirk all over his pale face. Hermione and Harry reached out and took a firm hold of Ron's robe.
"Ron!" Hissed Hermione. "No!"
"Yeah, weasel. Listen to your girlfriend," drawled Draco; clearly enjoying how angry he was making Ron.
"I am NOT his girlfriend, Draco Malfoy! Shut up!" Snapped Hermione.
Ron struggled against his friends.
"Come and get me, Weasel. I'm scared!"
Ron wriggled out of his robes and made a dash for Draco.
Hermione had to act fast, or risk Ron getting a detention. "Petrificus totalus!" Cried Hermione, pointing her wand at Ron.
"Hermione!" Said Harry, running to Ron's stiff form on the floor.
"What?" Snapped Hermione. "Can't you see you're getting me into trouble? Never mind Draco!"
Harry freed Ron from the full-body bind and helped him to his feet.
"Hermione!" Yelled Ron angrily. "What's the matter with you?!"
Then he turned, pushed past Draco, and let himself out of the common room.
"I'll go after him," said Harry to Hermione. "You grab our books. See you in potions in five minutes!" Then, he turned and ran after Ron.
Hermione, confused and hurt, sank down to the floor. Why did she bother to protect Draco? Did he deserve it? He was a Malfoy, so why was she trying to help him?
"Hermione?" Said Draco, bending down and resting a hand on her shoulders. "Are you -?"
"What do you think, Draco Malfoy?" She snarled, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. "And what do you care, anyway?"
Draco winced at her cold and harsh tone. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I... I thought I was just having fun..."
"Fun?" Repeated Hermione. "FUN?! At the expense of my friends and me? My BEST friends for that matter, Draco!"
"Really, I-..."
"I don't want to hear it, Draco. Sorry is just a word. So save it! Besides, I highly doubt you mean it, Malfoy!"
Draco grimaced when Hermione called him Malfoy. What had he done?
As he could do nothing, he watched helplessly as Hermione ran up to her room, came down a while later with her potions textbook and ingredients, grab Harry and Ron's things and run out of the common room.
Draco shook his head sadly as he made his way up to his room slowly. Snape favoured him, and would not give him a detention even if he skipped class.
"I shouldn't have insulted them," said Draco ruefully to himself. "Me and my big mouth."
Before he could go on, he caught himself. "Wait... Why am I being nice to Herm- Granger and her friends? I'm a Malfoy..." Draco stopped. Then he resumed ascending the steps. "Oh, Malfoy schmalfoy... It's just a name... A name to 'uphold'..."
Draco was still pondering over this when he reached potions. Why was he being civil- if not nice- to Hermione?