Hermione shut her laptop with a bang. She smiled to herself. It had been a big fight with the faculty of Hogwarts but they had been getting looser on the magic around the castle and allowed her to bring in her laptop to take notes with. They had to make sure though, that the laptop was protected because the enchantments around the school would have made it go beserk without it. Hermione stood up and picked up the papers, still warm from the printer. She slammed them down on the desk at the front of the classroom and was about to leave when she heard her name being called.
"Hermione?" asked Raya. Raya was the editor of the Hogwarts newspaper, a much coveted position that Hermione herself found longing for.
"Yeah?" Hermione turned around and walked to where Raya was sitting.
"Well, I've been thinking and thinking and I've decided you are the perfect one for the job," said Raya. She flipped her thick, glossy hair behind a shoulder.
"For...?"
"It's like an undercover report," said the older Ravenclaw. "The point of it is to see social interaction between the opposite genders." Hermione's expression stayed perplexed. She hated it when Raya got all confusing on her.
"You're going to have to find a guy and make him love you then lose him in two weeks," said Raya.
"What?" Raya rolled her eyes.
"Come on Hermione, you'll have the easiest time getting a guy you know. I put a lot of thought about this and this will make cover story so considered yourself honored." Hermione felt a tickling of pleasure when it suddenly became squashed again.
"How am I going to do this?" asked Hermione. "I really don't think I can be able to do this. And who am I supposed to use as the guy?" Raya grinned.
"Simple," she said. "It would make things much more interesting if you used a guy in the school with a lot of influence and power and had many followers." Hermione nodded.
"But Harry knows me too well," she said. Raya groaned.
"Wake up Hermione," said Raya, leaning close. "I wasn't talking about Harry." Her voice started to lower and Hermione leaned in close too. It took a lot to make Raya go all mission impossible.
"Then who?" Hermione was surprised to find herself whispering too, getting all preteen over a simple report that involved a boy.
"Draco Malfoy of course."
STEP ONE:Get him to notice you
Hermione walked down the hallway, feeling awfully nervous. She pulled at her skirt which Raya had specifically asked her to shorten for this project. She also had on high heeled black boots that made her ankles wobble ever so slightly but just enough to make her feel especially nervous. Her blouse was tight and she had on her tie around her waist rather than her neck. Hermione took out a mirror and inspected herself.
"Not as bad as I would have thought," she murmured to herself. Before she had left, Raya had attacked her with make-up, instructing Hermione to do exactly what she had done in the following days of the project. Hermione now had thickened, lengthened lashes, high cheekbones, and lips that demanded attention like never before. She took a big breath and opened the door to her next class, Potions...the first one where she would see Draco.
"'Mione! Over here!" called Ron. Harry was waving furiously and motioning for her to join them in the back of the classroom. Hermione found her feet starting to walk towards them without her consent.
"No," she muttered to herself. Raya had specifically told her to look free and independent, never tied down with other people. Instead, she slid into an empty seat and waited for the Slytherins, who were usually (in their opinion) fashionably late.
"Look boys," said an obnoxious voice. "It looks like we have a new student in our class." It was Draco, he had walked in through the door, hair blowing in the wind, hands casually in his pocket, looking a bit like a god. But it was still Draco. The same Draco that had called her a Mudblood all the way back in second year.
"Grow up Draco," said Hermione, casually flipping her hair. She uncrossed her legs and sat up a little straighter, skirt hiking up. Was it her imagination or did Draco's ever pale face turn slightly pink? And was he biting his lower lip? No, it couldn't be. Too cool Draco, nothing could shake him. Or did she just find out that perhaps she was the only thing that could...?
"So there is a face behind that mat of hair," said Draco loudly.
"There's one question answered then," said Hermione, trying to sound as equally bored but self-assured as Draco had sounded. "But that raises another question. Is there a brain behind that mat of hair?" Hermione was suprised to see that Draco hadn't scowled and stalked off, rather, he looked back at her with a little more interest.
"That's interesting, Granger," said Draco. "That you may feel that way about me."
"I do," said Hermione, moistening her lips.
"Then let me prove you wrong." Draco sat in the seat next to her.
"How the hell are you going to do that?" scoffed Hermione.
"Say hello, Granger," said Draco. "To your new Potions partner."
Hermione sat feeling strangely exhilarated. Step one was officially accomplished.
