2. The Diamond And The Dagger
Draco opened his eyes and shook his head. He groaned as he felt a dull throb at the back of his head. It took him a minute or two for him to get his bearings and realise he was in the hospital wing.
Suddenly, a loud, angry shout came from the doorway. "You little…" The person began calling him every name under the sun. It made his head hurt even worse, the nearer she got, the louder she got. Draco realised who it was.
"Look, I'm - " he tried to begin.
"What did you do that for?" Kamini Beau Diablo screeched at him. "What were you thinking? The whole school's going to know about this, you idiot! Draco Malfoy kissed a Mudblood!" Draco stole a glance at Kamini. Her cheeks were pink and she was dragging her hands through her hair. "You - " she began, but she seemed lost for words.
Draco looked around again. "Kamini? Why am I here? The hospital wing?"
Kamini suddenly looked guilty. "Well - uh - when I - hit you - I didn't think you'd be out for - so long."
"And exactly how long have I been out?" Draco growled.
"Uh - about - " she checked her watch. "You've been unconscious for - f - five hours…"
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco lay awake that night thinking hard. What does a Malfoy do when a girl loves him, and he likes her, but she is a filthy, stinking Mudblood? Darn muggles, ruining the world. Again. Ruining my love life. Stupid. And then there was Kamini. Kamini the beautiful devil. She was rich and gorgeous, but the only thing she could do was Potions. Granger came top of every class. That was the muggles fault too. Stupid. We should all be ferrets or something.
Whoa. Stop thinking about the ferret. Not a nice experience. That shouldn't happen to anyone. Well, maybe Potter.
Suddenly, he thought of something. Hopefully, it was a Hogsmeade visit soon.
~*~
Draco might like me! Hermione thought. He kissed me! For quite a while, too! She beamed into the darkness. And he's rich…He could buy me all the things I had ever wanted, my parents would…
At that thought, a word popped into her head. Mudblood. The Malfoys hated her, because of her parents. Stupid parents, she thought. Stupid muggles. Oh, brilliant – I'm thinking like a Malfoy now! Stupid Malfoys…
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco was angry. There wasn't a Hogsmeade visit for three months. Oh well - there was always the Christmas present option. He spent the time doing his homework very slowly, so that he didn't have to think about Granger. Hermione. But at night… his thoughts were filled with her. Her smile, her eyes, her kiss. That's what he remembered most of all. He regretted wiping his mouth afterwards.
The months were uneventful - apart from Kamini. She seemed to have fallen out with Draco. She stayed away from him, and gave him dark looks whenever possible. She made snide comments to him, and became friends with Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode. It reminded him of someone - but he couldn't quite place it. He knew other people did. There were whispers in the corridors, people pointed and stared. Crabbe and Goyle were also rather distant.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
When he eventually managed to get to Hogsmeade, however, Crabbe and Goyle decided to go with him. Draco knew exactly why this was. Neither of them knew how to get around Hogsmeade. The only places they knew were Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks.
Draco left Crabbe and Goyle staring around in Honeydukes stupidly, and walked further into Hogsmeade. He was sure there was a shop around here somewhere...there! He checked no - one was looking, then darted through the door. He smiled. I look like I'm going into a Dark Arts shop, he thought to himself. Well, I do have plenty of practice from actually going into them… He walked up to an old woman sat in the corner, her eyes fixated on a stone in her lap, whilst waving her wand above it.
"What's the most expensive thing you have in here?" He asked, startling her. "Well?"
"This," the old woman replied, holding out a blue box. It was velvet. He opened it. "It's platinum," she said.
"Perfect. Could you add something? To the box?"
The woman frowned. "What sort of thing?"
He smiled quickly, as though someone would see him and tell everyone he knew - Draco Malfoy smiled! "This sort of thing." He pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket, with a picture scribbled onto it. "Could you add this to the lid?"
"It will take a few minutes," she said.
"Fine." He pulled fistfuls of Galleons from his pockets. "How much?"
~*~
Hermione sat in the Three Broomsticks, sipping her Butterbeer. She watched the door carefully.
"Oi. Hermione?" Ron waved a hand in front of her face. "Hellooo?"
Hermione shook her head. "What?"
"You can't fool us, Hermione. You're pining for him. Malfoy."
"Draco…" Hermione murmured.
"See! You're using his first name!" Harry pointed out.
"So what if I am? I'm sixteen - I'm allowed to like whoever I want."
"Yeah, but not Malfoy!"
"Why not?"
Ron sighed. "It's like some sort of unwritten code. In fact, I'm sure there is a code somewhere about not falling in love with You - Know - Who's supporters…"
"He doesn't support him! That's his dad!"
"Yeah. Like father, like son."
"Not quite. He hasn't made one Mudblood remark for months!"
"So?" Harry was sceptical.
"So, he likes me too!"
"No he doesn't." Ron challenged her.
"Yes he does."
"So you're basing this on what? No Mudblood comments, and a lousy kiss?" The boys frowned.
"Wasn't lousy." Hermione muttered. "It was quite good."
"It was probably a dare!"
And so the debate continued. Not one of them noticed Draco Malfoy walk past the widow, holding a small blue box.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Malfoy smiled at her across the hall. But it was a malicious smile, and his eyes glinted evilly. That was the only word for them – evil.
"Mail," muttered Ron, and Hermione glanced up briefly from her Muggle Studies book to see a flurry of owls tumble through the windows and swoop across the tables. Pig fell onto Ron's toast (which, of course, was covered in marmalade) with a copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry looked up. "Hermione, owl."
She rose her head again to see an eagle owl she vaguely recognised perched on a chair across the table, watching her intently. "What?" she asked, looking it in the eye. It nodded its head slightly and she spotted a box on the table, covered in blue velvet. She opened it and stared in amazement.
It was a ring. It was platinum, with thousands of tiny diamonds set into it, surrounding an opal. She looked on the inside of the lid and spotted another set of diamonds. It took a minute for her to realise what it was – a snake and a lion. She looked at the owl again, and it took off. She watched it, and it flew straight over to the Slytherin table.
It turned towards…Malfoy. He leant forward and spoke to the owl. It nodded its head at him. He smiled again, but this time it was pure triumph. He whispered something else, and another nod was the answer.
She pocketed the box and left the Hall.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco saw her watching him. He gave her his nastiest smile. It was only natural. He looked up and watched as the owls poured into the Great Hall. His eagle owl, Shadow, flew over to him, carrying his usual supply of sweets from home. Draco wrote a note, saying 'Early Xmas Present', tied it to his owl's leg with the box, and sent it off. Draco watched Shadow land on the Gryffindor table. She didn't notice him, until Potter pointed him out to her. She looked at his owl, then (finally) noticed the box. She opened it and Draco watched her eyes light up.
Shadow took off and swooped around back to him. "Did she like it?" he asked. Shadow nodded, and he smiled triumphantly. "Did she see my little addition?" he asked, and Shadow nodded again.
Draco watched Hermione pocket his gift and leave.
So did someone else, who had been watching the whole thing from the side. She ran her hand through her long blonde hair, gave Draco a piercing stare, and left the Hall.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
==I=o
I moved silently through the corridors, running my thumb along the blade. A tiny cut appeared, and a drop of blood fell to the floor. I glanced at it. It was black.
I muttered the password and the wall opened up. I had the sensation of being deep underwater, the walls glittered and shone in shades of emeralds and greens. I opened the door of my carefully selected victim. He did not move as I brushed a stray lock of hair from his face, nor did he flinch when I pressed the point of the knife to his pale neck. "Sorry." I muttered, taking his hand. I didn't notice the smear of blood I left as I let go.
Taking a deep breath, I plunged the knife into his neck three times, and fled as the blood began seeping into the bedspread.
Taking a moment, I destroyed the knife, then settled down into my bed, my bloodthirsty, murderous mind still working away…
==I=o
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco opened his eyes and shook his head. He groaned as he felt a dull throb at the back of his head. It took him a minute or two for him to get his bearings and realise he was in the hospital wing.
Suddenly, a loud, angry shout came from the doorway. "You little…" The person began calling him every name under the sun. It made his head hurt even worse, the nearer she got, the louder she got. Draco realised who it was.
"Look, I'm - " he tried to begin.
"What did you do that for?" Kamini Beau Diablo screeched at him. "What were you thinking? The whole school's going to know about this, you idiot! Draco Malfoy kissed a Mudblood!" Draco stole a glance at Kamini. Her cheeks were pink and she was dragging her hands through her hair. "You - " she began, but she seemed lost for words.
Draco looked around again. "Kamini? Why am I here? The hospital wing?"
Kamini suddenly looked guilty. "Well - uh - when I - hit you - I didn't think you'd be out for - so long."
"And exactly how long have I been out?" Draco growled.
"Uh - about - " she checked her watch. "You've been unconscious for - f - five hours…"
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco lay awake that night thinking hard. What does a Malfoy do when a girl loves him, and he likes her, but she is a filthy, stinking Mudblood? Darn muggles, ruining the world. Again. Ruining my love life. Stupid. And then there was Kamini. Kamini the beautiful devil. She was rich and gorgeous, but the only thing she could do was Potions. Granger came top of every class. That was the muggles fault too. Stupid. We should all be ferrets or something.
Whoa. Stop thinking about the ferret. Not a nice experience. That shouldn't happen to anyone. Well, maybe Potter.
Suddenly, he thought of something. Hopefully, it was a Hogsmeade visit soon.
~*~
Draco might like me! Hermione thought. He kissed me! For quite a while, too! She beamed into the darkness. And he's rich…He could buy me all the things I had ever wanted, my parents would…
At that thought, a word popped into her head. Mudblood. The Malfoys hated her, because of her parents. Stupid parents, she thought. Stupid muggles. Oh, brilliant – I'm thinking like a Malfoy now! Stupid Malfoys…
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco was angry. There wasn't a Hogsmeade visit for three months. Oh well - there was always the Christmas present option. He spent the time doing his homework very slowly, so that he didn't have to think about Granger. Hermione. But at night… his thoughts were filled with her. Her smile, her eyes, her kiss. That's what he remembered most of all. He regretted wiping his mouth afterwards.
The months were uneventful - apart from Kamini. She seemed to have fallen out with Draco. She stayed away from him, and gave him dark looks whenever possible. She made snide comments to him, and became friends with Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode. It reminded him of someone - but he couldn't quite place it. He knew other people did. There were whispers in the corridors, people pointed and stared. Crabbe and Goyle were also rather distant.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
When he eventually managed to get to Hogsmeade, however, Crabbe and Goyle decided to go with him. Draco knew exactly why this was. Neither of them knew how to get around Hogsmeade. The only places they knew were Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks.
Draco left Crabbe and Goyle staring around in Honeydukes stupidly, and walked further into Hogsmeade. He was sure there was a shop around here somewhere...there! He checked no - one was looking, then darted through the door. He smiled. I look like I'm going into a Dark Arts shop, he thought to himself. Well, I do have plenty of practice from actually going into them… He walked up to an old woman sat in the corner, her eyes fixated on a stone in her lap, whilst waving her wand above it.
"What's the most expensive thing you have in here?" He asked, startling her. "Well?"
"This," the old woman replied, holding out a blue box. It was velvet. He opened it. "It's platinum," she said.
"Perfect. Could you add something? To the box?"
The woman frowned. "What sort of thing?"
He smiled quickly, as though someone would see him and tell everyone he knew - Draco Malfoy smiled! "This sort of thing." He pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket, with a picture scribbled onto it. "Could you add this to the lid?"
"It will take a few minutes," she said.
"Fine." He pulled fistfuls of Galleons from his pockets. "How much?"
~*~
Hermione sat in the Three Broomsticks, sipping her Butterbeer. She watched the door carefully.
"Oi. Hermione?" Ron waved a hand in front of her face. "Hellooo?"
Hermione shook her head. "What?"
"You can't fool us, Hermione. You're pining for him. Malfoy."
"Draco…" Hermione murmured.
"See! You're using his first name!" Harry pointed out.
"So what if I am? I'm sixteen - I'm allowed to like whoever I want."
"Yeah, but not Malfoy!"
"Why not?"
Ron sighed. "It's like some sort of unwritten code. In fact, I'm sure there is a code somewhere about not falling in love with You - Know - Who's supporters…"
"He doesn't support him! That's his dad!"
"Yeah. Like father, like son."
"Not quite. He hasn't made one Mudblood remark for months!"
"So?" Harry was sceptical.
"So, he likes me too!"
"No he doesn't." Ron challenged her.
"Yes he does."
"So you're basing this on what? No Mudblood comments, and a lousy kiss?" The boys frowned.
"Wasn't lousy." Hermione muttered. "It was quite good."
"It was probably a dare!"
And so the debate continued. Not one of them noticed Draco Malfoy walk past the widow, holding a small blue box.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Malfoy smiled at her across the hall. But it was a malicious smile, and his eyes glinted evilly. That was the only word for them – evil.
"Mail," muttered Ron, and Hermione glanced up briefly from her Muggle Studies book to see a flurry of owls tumble through the windows and swoop across the tables. Pig fell onto Ron's toast (which, of course, was covered in marmalade) with a copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry looked up. "Hermione, owl."
She rose her head again to see an eagle owl she vaguely recognised perched on a chair across the table, watching her intently. "What?" she asked, looking it in the eye. It nodded its head slightly and she spotted a box on the table, covered in blue velvet. She opened it and stared in amazement.
It was a ring. It was platinum, with thousands of tiny diamonds set into it, surrounding an opal. She looked on the inside of the lid and spotted another set of diamonds. It took a minute for her to realise what it was – a snake and a lion. She looked at the owl again, and it took off. She watched it, and it flew straight over to the Slytherin table.
It turned towards…Malfoy. He leant forward and spoke to the owl. It nodded its head at him. He smiled again, but this time it was pure triumph. He whispered something else, and another nod was the answer.
She pocketed the box and left the Hall.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco saw her watching him. He gave her his nastiest smile. It was only natural. He looked up and watched as the owls poured into the Great Hall. His eagle owl, Shadow, flew over to him, carrying his usual supply of sweets from home. Draco wrote a note, saying 'Early Xmas Present', tied it to his owl's leg with the box, and sent it off. Draco watched Shadow land on the Gryffindor table. She didn't notice him, until Potter pointed him out to her. She looked at his owl, then (finally) noticed the box. She opened it and Draco watched her eyes light up.
Shadow took off and swooped around back to him. "Did she like it?" he asked. Shadow nodded, and he smiled triumphantly. "Did she see my little addition?" he asked, and Shadow nodded again.
Draco watched Hermione pocket his gift and leave.
So did someone else, who had been watching the whole thing from the side. She ran her hand through her long blonde hair, gave Draco a piercing stare, and left the Hall.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
==I=o
I moved silently through the corridors, running my thumb along the blade. A tiny cut appeared, and a drop of blood fell to the floor. I glanced at it. It was black.
I muttered the password and the wall opened up. I had the sensation of being deep underwater, the walls glittered and shone in shades of emeralds and greens. I opened the door of my carefully selected victim. He did not move as I brushed a stray lock of hair from his face, nor did he flinch when I pressed the point of the knife to his pale neck. "Sorry." I muttered, taking his hand. I didn't notice the smear of blood I left as I let go.
Taking a deep breath, I plunged the knife into his neck three times, and fled as the blood began seeping into the bedspread.
Taking a moment, I destroyed the knife, then settled down into my bed, my bloodthirsty, murderous mind still working away…
==I=o
3/~*~~*~~*~\3