Title: Examinations
(Subtitle: Loser. Kisses. Winner.)
Author: luckdragon
Rating: oh, PG again I suppose
Summary: Life is full of tests. There's nothing that says they can't be fun.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I have invited them out to play.
Author's Note: I don't even know what to say anymore – the response to this little series has completely overwhelmed me. Some of you went back to review every chapter! I'm in shock. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Also, someone asked how I came up with this idea: the first chapter was written as a one-shot in response to a question posed over at FAP. People asked for more, and I wrote another installment. Then people asked for more again, and I wrote another installment. And so on. Now, I basically have this plotted out until the end, but am trying to stick with the original form. So, on with the plot!
Well, this is certainly better than being completely ignored, Hermione thought sarcastically.
She was standing outside of Hagrid's hut, trying not to list too obviously away from the largish reptilian… bird… thing… in his arms – the thing that was currently chewing through the sleeve of his shirt.
It appeared that Hagrid had not grown out of his love of dragons. As he was forbidden to own one, he seemed determined to teach his students about all things similar.
Draco stood on the other side of the anxious group of students, looking none too relaxed himself.
Rather than disregarding her entirely, he seemed to have chosen to glare at her throughout the entire class.
That wasn't really true.
It wasn't a glare. It was more of a cool, detached, extended glance. He used it infrequently enough that he didn't look like some sort of incensed madman, but frequently enough that others took notice.
Ron leaned over and whispered, "Hermione, have you had a run-in with Malfoy that we don't know about?"
Harry looked over upon hearing this, evidently curious.
She wondered what would happen if she told them the truth.
"Why, yes, Ron. Actually, it's been several. We've been having secret snog sessions every week or so for at least a month now. Draco's gone and got angry about it, though."
She imagined every eye swiveling towards her, every mouth dropping open, aghast.
It was almost enough to make her laugh. The whole thing was laughable, really.
Hermione decided to tell Harry and Ron the truth anyway.
"I have no idea what his problem is," she hissed back, shooting Draco a look of her own.
"'ere you go, Harry," Hagrid said cheerfully, interrupting the trio's tête-à-tête.
"Wha – oh!" Harry exclaimed as he began to extend his arms, but retracted them quickly as the creature snapped menacingly at his hands. "What are you doing?" he asked frantically, clearly also trying to sound as calm and pleasant as he could.
"We're jus' passin' Gladys here aroun', so yeh can take a look at 'er feet," Hagrid explained. "As I was sayin' –"
"Hagrid," Hermione interrupted, wide-eyed. "Don't you think that you'd best just show us her feet? She… she probably… wouldn't like being handled by so many strangers," she improvised. "It makes animals uncomfortable."
She heard several relieved sighs around her.
Draco, however, gave her the icy look again. She glared back.
"Quite righ', Hermione, quite righ'," Hagrid said agreeably. "Why don't you three gather roun', an' take a look…" He extended the creature's foot to show off its retractable talons. Gladys nipped at Hagrid's hand while Harry, Ron, and Hermione shuffled almost imperceptibly forward, wearing matching looks of horror.
The students managed to escape class that day relatively unscathed.
At least by Gladys, Hermione thought bitterly, trying to soothe her ruffled pride.
This proved difficult, as Draco nearly bowled her over on the way back to the castle.
"Sorry," he mumbled distractedly, before realizing who he had bumped so hastily into.
She'd thought at first that he had done it on purpose, and was surprised to find out that he really hadn't seen her ahead of him. He had been walking fast, alone, with purpose; his startled look was genuine. It appeared that he had a destination in mind and had not expected interruptions.
But then recognition slid over his face, and he glanced behind her at Harry and Ron.
The change in his behavior was evident.
"Watch where you're going," he growled, his face twisting into an unpleasant expression.
Yet he didn't move his hand from her arm, where it had instinctively landed to right her.
It was a split-second's pause. She knew that Harry and Ron would never see it, would never notice it for what it was.
But then, they did tend to overlook things.
And anyway, it wasn't like she knew what it was either. She did know, however, that it was noteworthy.
Then he turned abruptly, and as he hurried away, she called out in frustration, "But you ran into me!"
"Then watch where you're standing," Draco returned without breaking pace. He didn't turn, didn't pause; he tossed the words out over his shoulder, sounding more bothered than anything.
Hermione pursed her lips and glowered stolidly at his retreating form. He walked very confidently.
"Never mind him, Hermione," Ron said huffily. "Great arrogant bastard. Say – are you all right?"
Plastering her face with false liveliness, she glanced at her friends.
"Fine, Ron, perfectly fine of course."
She berated herself internally for the remainder of the walk back to the castle.
By the time she reached the doors, she had determined that she was a right idiot for letting Malfoy bother her for what was obviously some sort of malicious amusement. Furthermore, she had resolved to not give the matter another moment's thought.
Right.
That lasted until dinner.
That was the next time they were anywhere near each other.
Hermione, stuck sitting in such a way that she was facing the Slytherin table, braced herself for another onslaught of disdainful glares.
She only got one more. After that, things changed a bit.
The next time she was unable to stop her gaze from resting on Draco, he was looking at her in quite an odd fashion indeed.
She remembered that close up, his eyes were striated. She must be seeing a different layer now.
She tried to tack adjectives to it… Judicious. Cautious. Curious.
Oh, blast.
She was going to have to get to the bottom of this after all.
Well, if there was one thing that irritated her, it was not knowing something. She was a fool to think that she could go without pursuing some bit of knowledge that so greatly affected her own being.
This would just be a bit harder than going to the library and taking out a book, was all.
Draco didn't look at her for the rest of the meal, which left her time to gather her confidence.
Hermione finished her dinner in relative silence and with as much speed as she could manage without appearing a glutton. After setting her fork down with a sharp clank, she practically leapt to her feet, hoisting her bag to her shoulder.
"I'm going to go study in my room," she announced, trying to make it sound as normal as she could.
"But you don't have an exam coming up – you only use your private room to study for exams," Harry pointed out. "Why don't you just use the library?"
Ah, the critical point. Because just like every other time I've used that dreadful excuse, I don't want anyone looking for me.
"Because it's too loud," she said, with little forethought. She tried not to wince at her own feeble excuse, but couldn't quite keep her face from twitching slightly.
"Loud?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Er, yes. Madame Pince really needs to assert her authority every now and again," Hermione lied in her most argumentative tone.
"Why don't you just study in our Common Room as usual then?" Ron asked pointedly.
Harry looked across the table in disbelief. "Talk about loud, Ron," he scolded.
"Thanks, Harry – I'll stop by before I turn in for the night," Hermione promised, before leaving the Great Hall with haste.
For a brief second, she thought that she might rather be examining Gladys's feet than doing what she was about to do.
But nobody ever said that confronting an irritable Draco Malfoy was something to be comfortable about.
Then again, perhaps he shouldn't be too comfortable either, she reasoned. He was about to meet with a ruthlessly determined Hermione Granger.
She walked on decisively.