Drexelina Malfoy was sitting in Ravenclaw's common, pouring over one of the
book on Dark Magic she had rented from the Library.
"Drexelina," said an oily voice from nearby.
Drexelina didn't look up.
"Drexelina!" the voice exclaimed louder.
Drexelina still didn't look up.
Footsteps came over and Drexelina felt her chin being pushed up so that she was looking into the angry eyes of a seventh year girl.
"Hello," Drexelina said coldly.
"Hello," the girl said. "Why didn't you respond?"
"I saw no need to."
Drexelina's chin was jerked upward harder; she felt the need to cringe but resisted the urge.
"YOU.NEED.TO.RESPOND.WHEN.A..SEVENTH.YEAR.SPEAKS.TO..YOU." the girl said, punctuating each word.
"I didn't know you were a seventh year, your voice is so similar to everybody else's."
Drexelina felt a palm across her face. Drexelina didn't react.
In the background she could hear singing.
"Drexelina is so perfect.Drexelina is so kind..she'll punch and kick..scream and shout.but we don't care..because she doesn't hurt us with those measly arms."
It was such a horrid song, Drexelina realized, but it still boiled inside of her. She screamed and flung the seventh-year away from her; the seventh- year flew across the room and landed on the opposite wall, unconscious.
The room was quiet; Drexelina didn't look at anyone and quickly stormed out of the common room.
"Boy is she a stick in the mud!" the seventh-year roared in the background, and the common room erupted into laughter.
***
"Sorry," Gregory mumbled, rubbing his head with the heel of his hand. He groggily sat up, holding himself up with the hand that wasn't rubbing his forehead.
"Oh dear," he grumbled as he saw the unconscious figure before him.
Draco (Gregory) bent over the figure and start slapping her face in the hopes of jolting her awake. No such luck. Grudgingly he lifted her into his arms and set off towards the makeshift first-aid center located on that floor.
As Draco was walking along he looked the unconscious girl's face for the first time.
He sighed, it was Hermione Granger.
Draco refused to look down at her face until they were almost to the first- aid place and curiosity finally overcame him. He wanted to see how she had turned out, beauty-wise.
*Well, she's not bad,* Draco confessed to himself. *Her hair isn't quite so bushy, it's actually and surprisingly quite soft.* Draco was about to touch the hair when he remembered that he was holding her and quickly regained his grip around her body. *Her face was hidden behind that bushy hair; now that it's unhidden it's quite nice. Her cheekbones are quite pronounced and there's a softness about her face.*
Draco looked up again, rather furious at his observation of the gorgeous Hermione, and continued on to the First Aid room.
***
The first thing Hermione felt when she woke up was a since of warmth and safety, safety beyond which she had ever felt before. She was unwilling to open her eyes, she didn't want to lose that warmth and safety because she was jolted into the real world.
*What on earth* she thought as she realized that she was being lightly jostled back and forth. *Am I being carried?*
The warmth left her as she opened her eyes, only to be replaced by the view of a man's chin.
"Let go of me!" she cried on impulse and began flailing. There was no resistance from the man, and she fell to the ground with a plop.
"Ow!" Hermione exclaimed, standing up and rubbing her backside. "What did you do that for?"
"You told me to let go off you," the man said.
That voice, Hermione recognized it, but from where. Hermione finally looked up at the man.
"Aren't.aren't you Gregory Wollock?" Hermione asked. His eyes were so familiar too, where had she seen them before?
"Gregory Wallace," Draco (Gregory) corrected.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's alright, just don't get it wrong next time."
"I'll try not to," Hermione said with a sarcastic tone to her voice.
There was an awkward silence, which was only broken by the distant hooting of a bird.
"So, um," Hermione said quietly, looking down at her feet. "What happened?"
"Pardon?"
Hermione coughed and her cheeks showed the faintest bit of pink on them. "Why were you carrying me?"
"Oh, well, I guess we collided and you went unconscious."
"Oh."
"Yeah, that's the way it was."
"I see."
There was another awkward silence. Hermione started fiddling with her hair, and didn't seem to notice Draco's intense stare.
"Are you feeling fine?" he asked.
Hermione looked up, rather surprised at the unexpected interruption of her hair-fiddling.
"Oh.yeah, I guess so."
"You guess so?"
Hermione smiled, Gregory had just said what her Mom always used to say, 'You guess so?'
"I know so," she said, still smiling.
Draco (Gregory) was rather perplexed by her bright smile, and at the same time he was enchanted. Her smile was just so..charming (for lack of a better word).
"Well, I better get going," he finally coughed and quickly walked away.
*Odd fellow,* Hermione that as he walked away.
***
Draco looked back over his shoulder and saw that Hermione was still standing there, looking confused. Without thinking he decided to do something that his father and Voldemort would have been most proud of- lie.
He turned around and hurried back to Hermione, which made her even more confused.
"Aren't you going?" she asked with a slight smile.
Draco smiled.
"Did you go to Hogwarts?"
"Yes."
"I think I was in the class above you."
"Oh, what house?"
Draco almost said Slytherin before he changed his mind.
"Ravenclaw." Gryffindor was not a choice, and Hufflepuff had always reminded him of marshmallows, so Ravenclaw it was.
"Oh, with Cho Chang?"
Draco coughed, he had almost forgotten that girl. He had knocked her off her broom in many Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw games.
"Yes."
Hermione's face suddenly changed, and Draco watched it transform with a sense of awe. Her eyes suddenly gleamed angrily and she was no longer confused.
"Ar-are you anger about something?" Draco asked.
Hermione looked up at him in a sudden, jerky movement having completely forgotten that he was standing over her.
"No, not really anyways. Was there something you wanted to say to me?"
"Well, other than me having recognized you since you were rather famous within the school, I wanted to know if I could see you sometime."
"Sure, I'll figure out a way, but I have a deadline, so I really must be going. Goodbye."
Draco watched Hermione walk away and was wondering whether or not his endeavor had been successful.
***
Hermione was almost out of the Ministry when she was knocked over for the second time that evening. This time she didn't lose conciousness.
"Sorry about that," the person who had knocked her over muttered as he gathered up her parchments that had scattered all over the floor.
That voice was all too recognizable..
"Harry?" she asked before she was able to stop herself.
He turned around with a flash, remembering his childhood friend's voice. "Hermione?" His voice had so many emotions within it that Hermione was unable to even decipher one.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Testing out some spells in the Sp-"
"Spell Creation Committee?"
"How did you know?" Harry's voice suddenly became stiff and informal.
*No, don't go back to that,* Hermione pleaded with him in her mind. *I so want to say sorry, but I know how much our pride forbids. Oh, Harry, please don't be noble for this one time in your life.*
"I interviewed the Minister this morning," Hermione replied, refusing to let Harry get away so soon. "What do you do in it?"
"Test spells." Hermione gazed up into his eyes and searched for something that would tell her he wanted to go back to what they had. There was nothing there.
Searching for a top, Gregory Wallace suddenly popped back into her mind. "Do you know a Gregory Wallace?"
"Yes," Harry's eyes flashed with anger.
"You don't like him?" Hermione recognized that flash, he had always looked that way when he spoke of Draco back at Hogwarts.
"There's nothing to like."
"Is there something to dislike?"
*Hermione, why do you have to do this?* Harry thought. *You always pry into my brain when I have no right to those thoughts. Please, don't do that.*
Harry chose not to answer the question.
"Harry." Hermione began, but she was unsure how to finish.
"Please, Hermione, don't apologize, because then I'll have to feel sorry myself and that's the last thing I want to top off tonight."
Hermione looked up into his eyes and felt tears beginning to form.
"Don't cry over me," he replied before putting her parchments down besides her and striding out.
"Oh, don't worry, Harry, I'll try not to," she whispered after him, wiping away tears that were beginning to spill, and stood up.
***
Drexelina Malfoy was the only one in the common room, everyone else had cone off to watch the Quidditch Match.
She was sitting cross-legged before the fire, staring at it intently as if expecting something to appear at any moment.
The flames suddenly turned into an odd shade of green before a bodyless head appeared in the midst of it.
"Hello Sirius," she said.
The head in the fire was owned by Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather and the only man alive who ever had succeeded in escaping from Azkaban, the dreadful wizarding prison.
"Hey Drexelina, how's everything?"
"Well, if you say that people proclaiming their hate for you in front of the whole school is okay, then I'm fantastic."
"You'll be out of this place in a couple years, and then you'll leave them all behind you, don't worry about it."
"I'm not; I'm just telling you how I stand with the student body."
"Well, anyways, have you been able to find anything else out on becoming an Animagi? There's only so much I can remember and can help you with in the process of you becoming one."
"I found out that to become one you have to first know which animal you'll be turning into."
"And that is not at all up to you," Sirius cut in, his voice sounded tired and Drexelina realized how many more gray hairs he had sprouted since his last talk with her through the fireplace.
"Do you know how to find out what animal you'll turn into?"
"Well, for me it was in the form of my favorite pet as a child, but it's different for every body. James."
"James Potter?"
"Yes, you know very well that he was my best friend before, well, yeah."
"I know, just making sure."
"Well, anyways, James became a stag because his personality was so similar to one."
"I've done some researching, and I've decided that I'd probably become a leopard or some animal similar to that."
"How'd you find a leopard to be similar to you?"
"Lonely, fast."
Sirius nodded as if this was a completely acceptable answer.
"I'll probably be able to attempt and transform by next month, do you have any suggestions?" Drexelina continued.
"None at all, and I really hate to be cutting this short, but I must be going. I'm afraid that if I stay too much longer I'll get in trouble."
"Bye."
"Bye."
The flames returned to orange, and there was no head lingering in the fire anymore.
"Drexelina," said an oily voice from nearby.
Drexelina didn't look up.
"Drexelina!" the voice exclaimed louder.
Drexelina still didn't look up.
Footsteps came over and Drexelina felt her chin being pushed up so that she was looking into the angry eyes of a seventh year girl.
"Hello," Drexelina said coldly.
"Hello," the girl said. "Why didn't you respond?"
"I saw no need to."
Drexelina's chin was jerked upward harder; she felt the need to cringe but resisted the urge.
"YOU.NEED.TO.RESPOND.WHEN.A..SEVENTH.YEAR.SPEAKS.TO..YOU." the girl said, punctuating each word.
"I didn't know you were a seventh year, your voice is so similar to everybody else's."
Drexelina felt a palm across her face. Drexelina didn't react.
In the background she could hear singing.
"Drexelina is so perfect.Drexelina is so kind..she'll punch and kick..scream and shout.but we don't care..because she doesn't hurt us with those measly arms."
It was such a horrid song, Drexelina realized, but it still boiled inside of her. She screamed and flung the seventh-year away from her; the seventh- year flew across the room and landed on the opposite wall, unconscious.
The room was quiet; Drexelina didn't look at anyone and quickly stormed out of the common room.
"Boy is she a stick in the mud!" the seventh-year roared in the background, and the common room erupted into laughter.
***
"Sorry," Gregory mumbled, rubbing his head with the heel of his hand. He groggily sat up, holding himself up with the hand that wasn't rubbing his forehead.
"Oh dear," he grumbled as he saw the unconscious figure before him.
Draco (Gregory) bent over the figure and start slapping her face in the hopes of jolting her awake. No such luck. Grudgingly he lifted her into his arms and set off towards the makeshift first-aid center located on that floor.
As Draco was walking along he looked the unconscious girl's face for the first time.
He sighed, it was Hermione Granger.
Draco refused to look down at her face until they were almost to the first- aid place and curiosity finally overcame him. He wanted to see how she had turned out, beauty-wise.
*Well, she's not bad,* Draco confessed to himself. *Her hair isn't quite so bushy, it's actually and surprisingly quite soft.* Draco was about to touch the hair when he remembered that he was holding her and quickly regained his grip around her body. *Her face was hidden behind that bushy hair; now that it's unhidden it's quite nice. Her cheekbones are quite pronounced and there's a softness about her face.*
Draco looked up again, rather furious at his observation of the gorgeous Hermione, and continued on to the First Aid room.
***
The first thing Hermione felt when she woke up was a since of warmth and safety, safety beyond which she had ever felt before. She was unwilling to open her eyes, she didn't want to lose that warmth and safety because she was jolted into the real world.
*What on earth* she thought as she realized that she was being lightly jostled back and forth. *Am I being carried?*
The warmth left her as she opened her eyes, only to be replaced by the view of a man's chin.
"Let go of me!" she cried on impulse and began flailing. There was no resistance from the man, and she fell to the ground with a plop.
"Ow!" Hermione exclaimed, standing up and rubbing her backside. "What did you do that for?"
"You told me to let go off you," the man said.
That voice, Hermione recognized it, but from where. Hermione finally looked up at the man.
"Aren't.aren't you Gregory Wollock?" Hermione asked. His eyes were so familiar too, where had she seen them before?
"Gregory Wallace," Draco (Gregory) corrected.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's alright, just don't get it wrong next time."
"I'll try not to," Hermione said with a sarcastic tone to her voice.
There was an awkward silence, which was only broken by the distant hooting of a bird.
"So, um," Hermione said quietly, looking down at her feet. "What happened?"
"Pardon?"
Hermione coughed and her cheeks showed the faintest bit of pink on them. "Why were you carrying me?"
"Oh, well, I guess we collided and you went unconscious."
"Oh."
"Yeah, that's the way it was."
"I see."
There was another awkward silence. Hermione started fiddling with her hair, and didn't seem to notice Draco's intense stare.
"Are you feeling fine?" he asked.
Hermione looked up, rather surprised at the unexpected interruption of her hair-fiddling.
"Oh.yeah, I guess so."
"You guess so?"
Hermione smiled, Gregory had just said what her Mom always used to say, 'You guess so?'
"I know so," she said, still smiling.
Draco (Gregory) was rather perplexed by her bright smile, and at the same time he was enchanted. Her smile was just so..charming (for lack of a better word).
"Well, I better get going," he finally coughed and quickly walked away.
*Odd fellow,* Hermione that as he walked away.
***
Draco looked back over his shoulder and saw that Hermione was still standing there, looking confused. Without thinking he decided to do something that his father and Voldemort would have been most proud of- lie.
He turned around and hurried back to Hermione, which made her even more confused.
"Aren't you going?" she asked with a slight smile.
Draco smiled.
"Did you go to Hogwarts?"
"Yes."
"I think I was in the class above you."
"Oh, what house?"
Draco almost said Slytherin before he changed his mind.
"Ravenclaw." Gryffindor was not a choice, and Hufflepuff had always reminded him of marshmallows, so Ravenclaw it was.
"Oh, with Cho Chang?"
Draco coughed, he had almost forgotten that girl. He had knocked her off her broom in many Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw games.
"Yes."
Hermione's face suddenly changed, and Draco watched it transform with a sense of awe. Her eyes suddenly gleamed angrily and she was no longer confused.
"Ar-are you anger about something?" Draco asked.
Hermione looked up at him in a sudden, jerky movement having completely forgotten that he was standing over her.
"No, not really anyways. Was there something you wanted to say to me?"
"Well, other than me having recognized you since you were rather famous within the school, I wanted to know if I could see you sometime."
"Sure, I'll figure out a way, but I have a deadline, so I really must be going. Goodbye."
Draco watched Hermione walk away and was wondering whether or not his endeavor had been successful.
***
Hermione was almost out of the Ministry when she was knocked over for the second time that evening. This time she didn't lose conciousness.
"Sorry about that," the person who had knocked her over muttered as he gathered up her parchments that had scattered all over the floor.
That voice was all too recognizable..
"Harry?" she asked before she was able to stop herself.
He turned around with a flash, remembering his childhood friend's voice. "Hermione?" His voice had so many emotions within it that Hermione was unable to even decipher one.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Testing out some spells in the Sp-"
"Spell Creation Committee?"
"How did you know?" Harry's voice suddenly became stiff and informal.
*No, don't go back to that,* Hermione pleaded with him in her mind. *I so want to say sorry, but I know how much our pride forbids. Oh, Harry, please don't be noble for this one time in your life.*
"I interviewed the Minister this morning," Hermione replied, refusing to let Harry get away so soon. "What do you do in it?"
"Test spells." Hermione gazed up into his eyes and searched for something that would tell her he wanted to go back to what they had. There was nothing there.
Searching for a top, Gregory Wallace suddenly popped back into her mind. "Do you know a Gregory Wallace?"
"Yes," Harry's eyes flashed with anger.
"You don't like him?" Hermione recognized that flash, he had always looked that way when he spoke of Draco back at Hogwarts.
"There's nothing to like."
"Is there something to dislike?"
*Hermione, why do you have to do this?* Harry thought. *You always pry into my brain when I have no right to those thoughts. Please, don't do that.*
Harry chose not to answer the question.
"Harry." Hermione began, but she was unsure how to finish.
"Please, Hermione, don't apologize, because then I'll have to feel sorry myself and that's the last thing I want to top off tonight."
Hermione looked up into his eyes and felt tears beginning to form.
"Don't cry over me," he replied before putting her parchments down besides her and striding out.
"Oh, don't worry, Harry, I'll try not to," she whispered after him, wiping away tears that were beginning to spill, and stood up.
***
Drexelina Malfoy was the only one in the common room, everyone else had cone off to watch the Quidditch Match.
She was sitting cross-legged before the fire, staring at it intently as if expecting something to appear at any moment.
The flames suddenly turned into an odd shade of green before a bodyless head appeared in the midst of it.
"Hello Sirius," she said.
The head in the fire was owned by Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather and the only man alive who ever had succeeded in escaping from Azkaban, the dreadful wizarding prison.
"Hey Drexelina, how's everything?"
"Well, if you say that people proclaiming their hate for you in front of the whole school is okay, then I'm fantastic."
"You'll be out of this place in a couple years, and then you'll leave them all behind you, don't worry about it."
"I'm not; I'm just telling you how I stand with the student body."
"Well, anyways, have you been able to find anything else out on becoming an Animagi? There's only so much I can remember and can help you with in the process of you becoming one."
"I found out that to become one you have to first know which animal you'll be turning into."
"And that is not at all up to you," Sirius cut in, his voice sounded tired and Drexelina realized how many more gray hairs he had sprouted since his last talk with her through the fireplace.
"Do you know how to find out what animal you'll turn into?"
"Well, for me it was in the form of my favorite pet as a child, but it's different for every body. James."
"James Potter?"
"Yes, you know very well that he was my best friend before, well, yeah."
"I know, just making sure."
"Well, anyways, James became a stag because his personality was so similar to one."
"I've done some researching, and I've decided that I'd probably become a leopard or some animal similar to that."
"How'd you find a leopard to be similar to you?"
"Lonely, fast."
Sirius nodded as if this was a completely acceptable answer.
"I'll probably be able to attempt and transform by next month, do you have any suggestions?" Drexelina continued.
"None at all, and I really hate to be cutting this short, but I must be going. I'm afraid that if I stay too much longer I'll get in trouble."
"Bye."
"Bye."
The flames returned to orange, and there was no head lingering in the fire anymore.