A/N: Howdy all! Yeah, it's been a while, but I've been busy. With stuff. Really I have. This is NOT a pathetic excuse for being lazy, I assure you. Heh.
Thank you to my reviewers:
Omnifarious- You know, Omni was a lot easier to type. I've been trying to make them hint at doom for a while, but they just don't seem to want to co-operate. Their part always seems to come out differently from what I planned…Wish you could have shared the cake! It looked really good.
Andaisha- You bet I've read it more! Most people don't read it unless they have to, but I've read it three times already, and I bought it a couple weeks ago!
Trillium- Good for you. It is our sworn duty to threaten those who insult our dear Orlando, like Daisha here. I love Fred and George too. That's why they're here. Plus it was either that or create my own character, which I prefer not to do, lest I should fall into the doom that is Mary-Sue-ism.
Yippee for you three! You have searched yourselves for the knowledge and wisdom to find the review button. You have succeeded where so many have failed.
A warning to you all: This is being written with my light on. That is not a good thing. I can't turn my light off because I don't have my glasses, and it will ruin my eyes even more. I normally write in the dark. This chapter will probably suck.
DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it from somewhere else, it probably isn't mine. If it is mine, I didn't copy it, I swear!
Chapter 8
Hermione sat in front of her mirror, yanking her comb furiously through her bushy hair. She jumped slightly when Draco Malfoy barged into her room without knocking, looking more than slightly peeved.
"Where's my soap?" he demanded.
Hermione lifted her eyebrows in response. "Your soap? Why would I have your soap? For that matter, why do you even need soap? There are bubble taps on the bath."
"I know perfectly well what the taps on the bath do, Mudblood. It just so happens that I come prepared in case they are malfunctioning, which they seem to be doing at the moment. Once again, where is my soap?"
"Once again," she retorted, "Why. Would. I. Have. Your. Soap?"
"Probably an attempt to rid yourself of your filth, which hasn't worked by the way."
"For your information, I bring my own soap. Soap that I make myself, I might add." Hermione moved to the bottom drawer of the dresser and pulled out a blue bar of soap. "Here, use this one. I haven't used it, so you don't have to worry about being contaminated."
"I'm not going to use a bar of soap that you made. It'll probably give me boils or something."
"Suit yourself. Go dirty then. It makes no difference to me."
Growling and muttering under his breath, Draco snatched the bar of soap from Hermione's hand, and headed back toward his bathroom. She waited until he had closed the bathroom door before sitting back down at the mirror and pulling open the top drawer. Hermione smiled mischeviously at the bar of "Mervin's Magical Soap" lying half-hidden by hair ties on the bottom.
*****
The class burst into fits of laughter as Draco walked into Potions that morning. He glared at them all before taking his seat and staring miserably at the table. Hermione smiled at him. "Poor Draco! Are you depressed today? A bit blue perhaps?"
"Stow it, Mudblood. This is all your fault. You and your homemade soaps!"
"You're right, it is. But they don't all do that. Just that one. I made it especially for you. Here's your soap, if you want it. But don't bother trying to scrub the dye off; it won't work." Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out Draco's soap. She tossed it to him just as Snape walked in.
"Detention, Miss Granger! Throwing things in classrooms is not permitted."
Hermione sighed. She had detention with Snape now, but it was worth it. Seeing Draco Malfoy with bright blue skin could make anyone's day better, except maybe his.
*****
Hermione returned from her detention just after ten o'clock that evening. Draco was seated in front of the fire, reading a book. The glow of the flame flickered oddly against his blue skin. He glared daggers at her when she walked in.
"I hope Snape made you do something horrible, Mudblood."
"No, not really. Scrubbing cauldrons isn't all that bad. And the store cupboard wasn't that messy."
This only worsened Draco's mood. "I can't believe you dared to do this to me! I'm a Malfoy. You should be groveling at my feet, begging for me not to kill you for this!"
"Hm," answered Hermione. "Quite obviously I'm not, and I don't plan to at all. If you planned on killing me, you would have done so already. But of course, even you're not stupid enough to kill me here. Besides, I'm sure your family's killed for less. Or nothing at all," she added scathingly.
Draco threw the book down and stood up. "Those who die don't deserve to live. They're useless, worthless beings! Just like you, Mudblood."
Hermione snarled back. "You don't get it, do you? Blood means nothing! I'm ahead of you in every subject. In no way am I mutilated or malformed, not that that means anything at all. There is nothing that makes a Pureblood better than a Muggle-born! Nothing! What am I going to have to do to make you see that?"
Draco had no answer. He simply glared at her as she let out one last frustrated scream and headed up to her room to take a bath.
*****
I hate him, I hate him, I hate him! Hermione thought as she soaked in the hot water and bubbles that filled her bathtub. Though seeing him completely blue was worth it. I love being able to make my own soap.
It was indeed true that Hermione made her own soap. She had stumbled across a recipe one day while surfing the Internet at home. She'd decided to try it out, and found it to be a lot of fun. Since then, Hermione had begun to experiment with different scents, textures, and colours. Normally, she would use a natural dye that wouldn't soak into your skin, but being around the Weasleys so much had inspired her to make a few bars of the muggle "prank soap". Clearly, it worked well enough. She made a mental note to thank Malfoy later for so kindly being a test subject for her product.
Hermione stepped out of the bath and wrapped herself in her fluffy beige towel. She wrung out her hair and stepped into her room. She put on her pyjamas, which consisted of an old t-shirt and flannel pants, grabbed a book from her bookshelf, and headed downstairs to the common room. Draco was still down there, immersed in him book. Both students ignored the presence of the other for a while. Suddenly, Draco spoke up. "Purebloods are better because they have more money."
Hermione responded without looking up. "From what I know, the Creeveys are quite well off." Draco was once again without a response, so they lapsed into silence once more.
When the large clock in the room struck eleven, Hermione shut her book. "I'm heading to bed. Goodnight, Malfoy." He only grunted in response. "Don't stay up too late."
"Why do you care how late I stay up?"
"I don't, really. But I'm sure you want to get up early enough to take a nice, long bath." She stepped quickly to the stairs before turning around. "And remember: If you lose your soap again, you can always ask to use one of mine." Hermione ran up the stairs before Draco could do anything nasty to her. Smiling, she flopped onto her bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
A/N: That's all for now, folks. Yes, I know this is horribly slow moving, but I promise you it will get fluffier later. For now, just enjoy images of a blue Draco. Literally. I'm not sure where that came from, but I like it, so it stays.
Suggestions are appreciated! I'm not quite sure where this is going, so I'm always thankful for directions.
Until next chapter,
Aindel S. Druida