Chapter Three: Hermione's Worst Potions Class
Hermione smiled to herself as she climbed the stairs to Gryffindor tower. She was happy that she actually had a proper conversation with Malfoy. It was a normal conversation. She found herself humming. She couldn't remember a time where she had been this happy after an encounter with Malfoy. Well there was that time in fourth year on the train going back home, she thought as she remembered how she, Harry, Ron, Fred and George had all cast different hexes at the same time. It was very satisfying.
But now was different. Malfoy had acted normal, not like his usual arrogant, obnoxious self.
Hermione, surprised at how quickly she had reached the portrait of the Pink Lady (she wasn't really thinking about where she was going), said, "Fuffle-Figg".
She climbed through the hole as the portrait swung open and walked into the common room. She had to find Harry and Ron and tell them about what happened at the lake.
She spotted them sitting beside the fireplace grumbling to each other. She hurried over to them, "You guys would never believe-" She stopped as she noticed the expression on their faces. "What's wrong?"
Harry glanced up at her. "Bad Quidditch practice," he said, sighing. She looked over at Ron who had his arms crossed over his chest, slouching in his seat and glaring into the fireplace.
"What happened?" She asked as she lowered herself into a comfy couch, glancing from Harry to Ron then back to Harry again.
"It started off badly. Malfoy was there and wouldn't leave until we threatened to bring Professor McGonagall." Hermione gazed down into her hands, deciding that she wouldn't tell them about what had happened at the lake after all. "Then when he finally left Angelina… she, er… she," Harry glanced over at Ron anxiously, "She kicked Ron off the team."
"What?!" Hermione exclaimed furiously, jumping out of her couch, knocking it backwards. "Why'd she do that? I thought Ron was getting much better at Keeping?"
At that remark Ron smiled a little, "You really think so Hermione?"
"Of course I do. So why did she do it?"
"Well even though Ron's arm, ankle and ribs have fully healed, she says she can't let another injury like that happen again so… she kicked him out."
Hermione picked her chair up and sat back down. "Well, that's a bit unfair! Maybe I could talk her into letting Ron back onto the team?"
"No use," Harry replied, hopelessly, "We've already tried. She said no and she already found a new Keeper so she wants to try him out first. It's only temporary until she can decide who is better at Keeping."
After a few long seconds of silence Hermione said, "Oh, bummer." And also stared into the fire with Ron and Harry. And for a moment she had forgotten the Malfoy incident.
~*~*~*~
A few weeks had gone by after the "Lake Incident" and things had gone back to normal between Hermione and Malfoy. He continued to taunt the trio and Hermione continued to get annoyed but ignore.
Draco headed toward Potions with Crabbe and Goyal on either side of him, arguing about whose hands were bigger.
"No! See my hands are bigger than your hands, duh!" Goyle waved his hands about in front of Crabbe's face, trying to prove his point.
"No way! Mine are bigger. See!"
Draco rolled his eyes as the pair continued to argue stupidly. The argument was really beginning to irritate him. He had had enough. Draco turned and faced them, stopping them in their tracks.
"Would you two bloody numskulls just shut up about your hands!" He snapped as he looked from one to the other, "No-one cares about how big they are!" He turned on his heel and stalked away from the pair before they could even process in their tiny brains what had just happened.
That was it. Draco had had enough of their stupidity. He was dropping his friends for good. What was the point if he couldn't even communicate properly with them?
He stalked into class and instead of taking his usual seat with Crabbe & Goyal he sat up the front by himself. Who cares? He thought. I don't need friends, especially when I have the respect of my fellow Slytherins.
Hermione walked in soon after, accompanied by Harry and Ron. They sat at the back and continued their conversation about the new wizard candy Fred and George had recently put on the market.
Fred and George's new joke shop was becoming more and more popular each day. Their products were very successful and sold quickly. Hermione, Harry and Ron loved to talk about the new and exciting things Fred and George had come up with.
They were so absorbed in their discussion that they did not notice Professor Snape enter the room. The rest of the class had already ceased talking and had turned around in their seats looking at the trio. It took them a few seconds before they noticed everyone staring.
As they shifted in their seats to turn back to the front they muttered their apologies. Snape glared at them with complete detest.
"Now that those rude few have decided to join in on our lesson we will be able to begin. Today I want you working in pairs."
Draco smacked himself in the face. He didn't have a partner! He raised his hand and when he was called upon he said, "Sir, I don't have a partner."
Snape glanced around the room and noticed Hermione, Ron and Harry were trying to hide behind their cauldrons so the three could work together.
Draco noticed him looking in their direction. He didn't want to work with any of those unbearable Gryffindors. "Sir, It's okay, I can work by myself," he called.
"Nonsense, you need to work with a partner. It's part of the curriculum. Granger!" He barked, "You'll be working with Mr. Malfoy today."
Hermione looked pleadingly at Snape, "Oh, please sir - !"
"NOW!" Snape snarled, his lip curling.
Hermione sighed helplessly as she packed her things into her cauldron and moved them next to Malfoy. Why me? She thought. She wouldn't be able to stand such an overbearing person.
Draco barely even acknowledged her presence as she sat down next to him. He merely glanced at her, his face expressionless, then gazed back at the blackboard at the front of the classroom.
Draco didn't want to work with Granger. He didn't want to work at all! But working with that know-it-all, Mud-blood made the situation worse. He didn't pay much attention to the instructions on the board as he cut up his spider's legs.
Hermione also noticed that Malfoy was acting a bit strange. Stranger than he normally would. She looked at him sideways as she shredded her Shrivelfig, contemplating what was going on in that blond head of his.
He could feel someone's eyes studying him. He looked up and saw Hermione watching him. "What?" He asked, feeling aggravated.
"Nothing," she muttered, quickly darting her eyes back to her Shrivelfig.
Malfoy sighed. He dropped the spider's legs into the cauldron, chopped his Boomslang Skin and placed that in too. He began stirring when Hermione shrieked at him. Draco jumped out of his skin.
"What are you doing?! You're supposed to wait for me to put in the Shrivelfig, then you put in the caterpillar and spider's legs. And you're meant to stir clock-wise, not anti-clockwise!" She huffed at him angrily, her face burning red. "Look what you've done!"
He now saw that the mixture in the cauldron turned a deep red colour and was bubbling wildly. The boiling liquid rose and began to spill over the edge, running down the side of the cauldron and over the table.
Hermione looked simply furious. Draco just stared at her. "What?"
Hermione looked ready to pounce. "What? You want to know what? I'll tell you what, you just ruined our potion, that's WHAT!"
Draco smirked. He could see he was really getting on Hermione's nervous, he loved to torment her.
"Oh no, our poor potions ruined. What will we ever do?" He called sarcastically, his smirk widening.
"Malfoy, do you realize we will get zero marks for this? You just lost us ten marks each you know!" Her face was growing hot with anger. Why did Malfoy always do this? Didn't he care that we would get no marks? Hermione could feel a prickling of tears fill her eyes. She tried to blink it away. She didn't want to cry in front of Malfoy.
Snape chose this moment to walk over to their table to see how they were doing. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the red potion, still rapidly bubbling and spilling over the table. He looked up and saw Hermione and Draco in a heated argument. Raging voices blaring at each other, their faces red.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" His voice boomed over their own. They stopped shouting at each other and looked up to see Professor Snape towering over them giving them a very cold and loathing glower.
"That's 50 points from both of you plus a months worth of detention!" He continued looking scornful, "Now clean this mess up, and not another word out of both of you." He gave them one last glare before turning on his heels and stalked away.
Hermione felt sick. 50 points? She thought as she waved her wand, (The red potion disappeared). This was bad. Her brow furrowed as she worried about the next month. A whole months worth of detention with that infuriating Malfoy! She didn't know how she would be able to stand having to work with him again. She hated him. More than hated him, she detested him. It was so unfair, it wasn't even her fault! If only Malfoy had been paying attention. She shot him a dirty look.
Draco was slouched in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest, scowling at his cauldron, which sat on his desk. He was thinking along the same lines as Hermione. 50 points! 50! That was a bit much, he thought. It was so unfair! This is all Granger's fault, he thought, If she wasn't so uptight about everything and relaxed, learn how to take jokes. Now he had to spend more time with that egotistical, show- off, know-it-all, Mud-blood!
Suddenly a thought struck him. A smile spread across his face. Hermione noticed this and asked, bitterly, "What are you smiling about, Malfoy?"
Draco straightened his back and sat up in his seat. He sneered at Hermione as he said, "While you do detention all next month I'll be relaxing back in the Slytherin common room knowing that my father's power can get me anything I want."
He smiled again smugly as he placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his seat feeling more confident. He was just imagining about what he would write in the letter this time when Hermione broke through his thoughts.
"I thought your father was in Azkaban?" She returned the smug smile as Draco's faded. He kept forgetting that his father wasn't around anymore. His face reddened and returned back to it's original scowling state and he continued glaring at the cauldron, upset that his idea had backfired.
The bell then rang, signaling the end of the period and the end of the day.