Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the plot.
A/N: Thanx to all who reviewed. Now on with the story!
Chapter 2: The Day Our Charade Began
September 29, 2001
That was the day fate was twisted and the tables turned. I remember it as if it were yesterday, no better yet, as if it were right now. We were in sixth year and I was sitting at the Slytherin table next to Blaise Zabini. Crabbe and Goyle were out of the picture years ago. I couldn't stand their stupidity and neither could Blaise, so we ditched them and became close, but never too close. He was strange in some ways, a little more secretive than necessary. He was hiding something, but if it didn't concern me, I didn't care. We had an understanding of each other's status and that's all that mattered. So there we were, eating in quiet pleasure, when suddenly the Great Hall doors burst open to reveal none other then the "golden trio". My eyes glared in disgust as I watched Potter and Weasley sit down at the Gryffindor table; they quickly softened when a bushy-haired girl appeared, smiling in her sweet splendor. Today was the day, the day that would change everything.
I continued to eat my breakfast, seemingly unfazed by their entrance, but desperately wanting the mail to arrive. In an instant, owls flooded the Great Hall, sprinkling presents and letters onto the anticipating students. I didn't even notice two letters fall onto my empty plate; my gray eyes searched through the mass of birds for a certain package, one with green wrapping and a silver ribbon. Typical, yes, but it suited the present inside. When the awaited gift came into view, my gaze followed its path until it came to the bushy-haired girl. I watched as her brows furrowed in confusion towards the Slytherin-colored package and how she slowly pulled the silver ribbon with caution, just in case something would pop out. I also noticed how tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum (Potter and Weasley) gave her looks of concern mixed with astonishment. But their expressions were meaningless to me, only hers mattered.
"Why is she taking so long?" I muttered impatiently.
"Pardon?" Blaise stared at me blankly; his hazel eyes soon followed my gray ones toward the other end of the room where Hermione Granger sat at the Gryffindor table opening an unexpected gift. "Don't tell me you sent that to her."
Blaise's voice broke through my concentrated gaze and brought me back to reality, "What? To that mudblood! Spare me."
Blaise just looked at me hard, like he could see right through me. I hated it when he did that. He was probably the one person that could read my emotions, no matter how impassive my face was, and that's why I kept him so close. Couldn't afford to have an enemy with such a gift. My own father couldn't even decipher my emotions, but Blaise was a master at it.
"So you did send the little mudblood a present," a devilish grin spread across his face, "I do hope it's something disastrous."
"Don't call her a mudblood, Zabini," I bit out angrily.
"Why not?" he retorted in disbelief, "you did."
"Habit," I said simply not wanting to discuss the matter further, especially in front of my nosy housemates. My eyes turned back to watch Hermione and her progress with the package. She was almost there, pulling green tissue paper out of the way in disgust. "She'll learn to love that color, like her father does," I mutter under my breath.
"I see," Blaise said in uncertainty and gave me a look that simply stated 'we're going to talk later'. I groan inside; this is just great. No one's supposed to know, not yet anyway. Oh well, I mean it's just Zabini.
Hermione pulled out a small yet long silver box and opened it carefully, gasping at the sight before her: a brilliant emerald amulet hung around a delicate silver chain.
"I think she likes it," Blaise nudged me while smirking, but I wasn't paying attention. The only thing I wanted to see was how Hermione's face lit up when she smiled, how her dark eyes expressed so much emotion in one moment, and how gingerly she touched the necklace, treating it as though it were an illusion that would soon fade away. All too soon, that look of awe was washed from her face; Potter and Weasley grabbed her and took her out of the Great Hall, probably to warn her about some evil danger or stalker of some sort, but I wasn't mad. Oh no, I was fine, because I noticed how quickly she snatched the necklace and placed it in the pocket of her robe before one of her friends could dispose of it, and how her eyes raged with determination of keeping her prize. I was just fine. It would all work out in time. Or so I thought.
*************************************
I left the Great Hall shortly after the golden trio left, grabbing my two letters and heading straight for the dungeons for Double Potions. As I turned the last corner, I stumbled upon a girl with bushy hair whom was none other than Hermione "know-it-all" Granger.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she replied frantically as she fell to the ground to pick up her countless books and papers.
I debated whether I should help her or act like I normally do; I went with the latter. "Watch where you're going, Granger!"
"Oh, it's you," she scowled.
"Now is that any way to treat your Headboy?"
"Must you always rub it in my face?"
"You mean you don't like working with me?"
"As much as you enjoy working with me."
"Oh, but I enjoy it very much," I was just inches from her face now; I felt her soft, ragged breaths and I chuckled inside. This was too easy. Once again, so I thought.
"Oh shut up already you slimy git!" she replied annoyed while kneeing me in a not-so-pleasant place. I fell to the ground in pain as she fled for the classroom. "Luckily no one saw that," I muttered harshly as I tried desperately to regain my composure. I heard a snickering off in the distance. "Zabini, get out here. Now!"
Blaise retrieved himself from the shadows; his cheeks flushed from containing his laughter for so long. "So the gift didn't work as planned, I guess?"
"Obviously not," I eyed him coldly.
"Oh come on, Draco. You really thought a beautiful necklace from an unknown giver would soften that woman's heart. Try again."
"I didn't expect it to soften her heart . . ." my voice trailed off.
"Sure you didn't."
"Oh shut up already. We need to get to class. Don't wan to be late," I began to walk towards the Potions classroom.
"But you're never on time. Especially not for Potions!" Blaise laughed knowingly as he followed the blond Slytherin into the classroom.
"Is there something wrong with changing a little?" I walked faster and grabbed the doorknob of the Potion's classroom door.
"No, not necessarily. But you have to admit, Draco, that falling for a mudblood is far from a little change," Blaise stopped talking when he heard the gasps and whisperings of sixth-year Gryffindor/Slytherin students; the whole potions class, including Snape, seemed to have overheard Blaise's comment.
A/N: Thanx to all who reviewed. Now on with the story!
Chapter 2: The Day Our Charade Began
September 29, 2001
That was the day fate was twisted and the tables turned. I remember it as if it were yesterday, no better yet, as if it were right now. We were in sixth year and I was sitting at the Slytherin table next to Blaise Zabini. Crabbe and Goyle were out of the picture years ago. I couldn't stand their stupidity and neither could Blaise, so we ditched them and became close, but never too close. He was strange in some ways, a little more secretive than necessary. He was hiding something, but if it didn't concern me, I didn't care. We had an understanding of each other's status and that's all that mattered. So there we were, eating in quiet pleasure, when suddenly the Great Hall doors burst open to reveal none other then the "golden trio". My eyes glared in disgust as I watched Potter and Weasley sit down at the Gryffindor table; they quickly softened when a bushy-haired girl appeared, smiling in her sweet splendor. Today was the day, the day that would change everything.
I continued to eat my breakfast, seemingly unfazed by their entrance, but desperately wanting the mail to arrive. In an instant, owls flooded the Great Hall, sprinkling presents and letters onto the anticipating students. I didn't even notice two letters fall onto my empty plate; my gray eyes searched through the mass of birds for a certain package, one with green wrapping and a silver ribbon. Typical, yes, but it suited the present inside. When the awaited gift came into view, my gaze followed its path until it came to the bushy-haired girl. I watched as her brows furrowed in confusion towards the Slytherin-colored package and how she slowly pulled the silver ribbon with caution, just in case something would pop out. I also noticed how tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum (Potter and Weasley) gave her looks of concern mixed with astonishment. But their expressions were meaningless to me, only hers mattered.
"Why is she taking so long?" I muttered impatiently.
"Pardon?" Blaise stared at me blankly; his hazel eyes soon followed my gray ones toward the other end of the room where Hermione Granger sat at the Gryffindor table opening an unexpected gift. "Don't tell me you sent that to her."
Blaise's voice broke through my concentrated gaze and brought me back to reality, "What? To that mudblood! Spare me."
Blaise just looked at me hard, like he could see right through me. I hated it when he did that. He was probably the one person that could read my emotions, no matter how impassive my face was, and that's why I kept him so close. Couldn't afford to have an enemy with such a gift. My own father couldn't even decipher my emotions, but Blaise was a master at it.
"So you did send the little mudblood a present," a devilish grin spread across his face, "I do hope it's something disastrous."
"Don't call her a mudblood, Zabini," I bit out angrily.
"Why not?" he retorted in disbelief, "you did."
"Habit," I said simply not wanting to discuss the matter further, especially in front of my nosy housemates. My eyes turned back to watch Hermione and her progress with the package. She was almost there, pulling green tissue paper out of the way in disgust. "She'll learn to love that color, like her father does," I mutter under my breath.
"I see," Blaise said in uncertainty and gave me a look that simply stated 'we're going to talk later'. I groan inside; this is just great. No one's supposed to know, not yet anyway. Oh well, I mean it's just Zabini.
Hermione pulled out a small yet long silver box and opened it carefully, gasping at the sight before her: a brilliant emerald amulet hung around a delicate silver chain.
"I think she likes it," Blaise nudged me while smirking, but I wasn't paying attention. The only thing I wanted to see was how Hermione's face lit up when she smiled, how her dark eyes expressed so much emotion in one moment, and how gingerly she touched the necklace, treating it as though it were an illusion that would soon fade away. All too soon, that look of awe was washed from her face; Potter and Weasley grabbed her and took her out of the Great Hall, probably to warn her about some evil danger or stalker of some sort, but I wasn't mad. Oh no, I was fine, because I noticed how quickly she snatched the necklace and placed it in the pocket of her robe before one of her friends could dispose of it, and how her eyes raged with determination of keeping her prize. I was just fine. It would all work out in time. Or so I thought.
*************************************
I left the Great Hall shortly after the golden trio left, grabbing my two letters and heading straight for the dungeons for Double Potions. As I turned the last corner, I stumbled upon a girl with bushy hair whom was none other than Hermione "know-it-all" Granger.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she replied frantically as she fell to the ground to pick up her countless books and papers.
I debated whether I should help her or act like I normally do; I went with the latter. "Watch where you're going, Granger!"
"Oh, it's you," she scowled.
"Now is that any way to treat your Headboy?"
"Must you always rub it in my face?"
"You mean you don't like working with me?"
"As much as you enjoy working with me."
"Oh, but I enjoy it very much," I was just inches from her face now; I felt her soft, ragged breaths and I chuckled inside. This was too easy. Once again, so I thought.
"Oh shut up already you slimy git!" she replied annoyed while kneeing me in a not-so-pleasant place. I fell to the ground in pain as she fled for the classroom. "Luckily no one saw that," I muttered harshly as I tried desperately to regain my composure. I heard a snickering off in the distance. "Zabini, get out here. Now!"
Blaise retrieved himself from the shadows; his cheeks flushed from containing his laughter for so long. "So the gift didn't work as planned, I guess?"
"Obviously not," I eyed him coldly.
"Oh come on, Draco. You really thought a beautiful necklace from an unknown giver would soften that woman's heart. Try again."
"I didn't expect it to soften her heart . . ." my voice trailed off.
"Sure you didn't."
"Oh shut up already. We need to get to class. Don't wan to be late," I began to walk towards the Potions classroom.
"But you're never on time. Especially not for Potions!" Blaise laughed knowingly as he followed the blond Slytherin into the classroom.
"Is there something wrong with changing a little?" I walked faster and grabbed the doorknob of the Potion's classroom door.
"No, not necessarily. But you have to admit, Draco, that falling for a mudblood is far from a little change," Blaise stopped talking when he heard the gasps and whisperings of sixth-year Gryffindor/Slytherin students; the whole potions class, including Snape, seemed to have overheard Blaise's comment.