AN- Quidditch is hard to write, but I hope I did it justice. This chapter is loaded. That's the only word to describe lol. Well, this was also the hardest chapter to write. It took the longest too. I don't really have commentary for this one, but I kinda like how it turned out and I kinda don't. The part with Madame Pomfrey was annoying. I like how I ended it even though, I don't know if this is how I wanted it to turn out, but it's good enough. Review, tell me what you think!(Apparently you can no longer have astericks in your document...does fanfiction.net get any worse? Sometimes I use astericks to emphasize on words, but now I have to bold them--hoepfully that shows up too. And there are like three parts where time is supposed to pass, but I've clued it in the story enough so you can probably figure it out. Okay go read!!)

Chapter 3 - Quidditch Bloopers

"Loveable Virginia Weasley blocks another! I tell ya, that girl's a fighter. Oh! Nott looks heartbroken! Wait…There goes the other flamehead accompanied by Parvati Patil, switches to the side, fakes to the right--- And they SCORRREEEEE!"

The crowds in the stand hollered and hooted, as Wayne Hopskins, new Quidditch game commentator(and a funny one at that) reported his latest comments on the game. So far Gryffindor was winning by seven points. That wasn't so bad. Surely the game plan Zabini devised would ensure them winning. Draco flew higher into the air, the brisk wind smacking against his cheeks the higher he sailed. It'd been only 20 minutes into the game and there was no sign of the snitch. Or maybe there was? He wasn't sure; to be quite honest he couldn't see clearly and he'd been keeping close to Potter, following him. He realized Scarhead had no sign of the golden sphere either, so he was shit outta luck.

He slowly started moving forward, keeping his eyes open as wide as he could. The longer he forced his eyelids open, the worse his vision become. His eyes were tearing, once again. This was actually the sixth time it'd happen. As he used one hand to balance his broom, while he wiped his eyes. He could feel a sharp wind zoom by him. And then he heard yelling, more, shouting, clearly hearing Hopskin's voice. "There goes the Goldenboy after his golden treasure! Potter whims after the snitch!" The words 'Potter' and 'snitch' instantly got Draco's attention. Thinking quickly and ignoring his close to blind eyesight he instantly whipped his broom around flew full speed ahead.

"Malfoy's been a little slow today, but he's right on Potter's arse—Ouch!" Wayne looked up to the glowering figure of Professor McGonagall. He looked back forward taking the hint, " —Tail! Malfoy's right on Potter's tail!"

"After him Malfoy!" screamed someone of his team.

Draco continued full speed ahead. His head was pounding from an excruciating headache and his veins were surely to bust from the adrenaline being pumped ferociously through him. His stomach was fluttering profusely as he broke through every shield of hard wind. He kept on even as little specs of dirt carried by the wind went flying into his pupils. He couldn't help but use a hand to wipe away at his brow again. Harry and his broom were becoming a fuzzy, wet blur. There was more hooting and hollering, loud screeches of excitement erupted everywhere. It did not help his headache…

"Is that a? Malfoy's going right into it! A perfectly lead--"

Shit, what am I going into!? Perfectly lead what?!?

"WRONSKI FEINT you fuckw--!" That was definitely Zabini's annoying voice.

Oh fuck! I've never…no…Wronski Feint?! FUCK! Draco immediately stopped his broom, jerking forward from the whiplash. He was breathing hard, and wiping the sweat and tears that slid down his face. He felt…sick.

"— Feint by Potter. But where's the snitch?!?! And what's up with Malfoy?! Aww, someone's not having a very good day. Oooohhhhhh, Weasley blocks another! You go girl!"

Draco was becoming completely oblivious to all that surrounded him due to his lack of equilibrium. All he could hear was the sounds of rushing wind and faint screams. He was dizzy, his mind was racing. His stomach was doing flip-flops. His arms were shaking, his muscles felt weak. And not to mention his eyes…His eyes were stinging…not stinging. No, they were burning. It felt as if he'd taken an eyedropper full of acid to each pupil.

This was so embarrassing, he knew people were watching. He knew his team was watching. But what made it all the more; all those bloody Gryffindors were probably flying around looking at him and laughing in his face. Several people were screaming their voices were becoming more distinct 'Get out,' one of them said. The voice was coming from behind him. 'Get out of--'

"Get out of here, Malfoy! Move!" screamed the female Weasley. She ended up taking over for her brother as Keeper, she grown to enjoy being a Keeper more than any other position. So putting two and two together, he realized that if he could hear Weasley's voice, he was on her turf. if Draco was being warned to move. That could only mean one thing. Quaffle hoops. It was nothing you could get fouled for, but it was quite a distraction for Keepers. It was suggested not to hover around the goalie area. And at the moment that's probably what he was doing. He pivoted his broom to the girl addressing him. He could see the vibrant red hair and the pale face it belonged to, but that as pretty much it. It was all a blur…

"Move dammit!" she screamed again. Draco could've sworn there was a hint of disgust in her voice. He turned on his broom and flew away. He made it a few feet and felt suddenly robes whipping at his own. His broom shook unsteadily, from the fast force that just whizzed on by him. He needed to find that bloody snitch. Where the hell is it?!

"Bllllloooooooooddddddyyyyy Barrrroooooon!!!!"

His head whipped around. He heard those two words. Someone on his team had called that out; they saw it. The same voice called it out again. "Bloody Barron!" they screamed. Anyone else would have to question what that meant. But Draco and all his other teammates knew. They used a code word for the snitch, just in case it was spotted. So it must've been spotted; it was near. The two words rang strongly through the air again. "You twat, look up!" the voice screamed. He didn't listen to the voice at first. Pfft, they told him to 'look'…couldn't they see that he was handicap in that department?! He blocked out all the voices and listened instead. The screaming became faint and the sound of rushing wind started to die off, as he concentrated hard. He inhaled, thinking of the one sound to listen to. A noise that sounded like dragon flapping its wings 10,000 times fast. He listened for that distinct flutter. His eyes suddenly flew open. The snitch had just flown right by his ear.

"BLOOD BARRONNNNN!" the voice screamed again. Without any other thought Draco lunged forward on his broom. He focused on the tiny wings that were trying to escape him. He tried to reach out and grab it, but he was to slow; the snitch instantly flew high into the air. And his concentration was lost. All the screaming students and players came full on, pounding hard onto his eardrums.

"Malfoy almost had the snitch!" commented Wayne Hopkins' voice again.

Draco shook his head before hearing the code word again. 'Bloody Barron to the right' it screamed. He turned his broom to the right instantly and flew forward.

"Whhoooaaaaa watch out!" screamed a girl's voice, most likely someone of Gryffindor. His broom thankfully halted before it could collide with the girl who flew in front of him. She ignored her though, the fluttering came whizzing by him again. He didn't need anyone to scream out 'Bloody Barron'. He flew straight up following the snitch's magical noise. He heard more screaming, not from the crowds, but from players. And the screaming didn't sound good either. He was so close to the snitch, he flung his arm into the air, opening his hands just in case. He continued to listen for the noise of the snitch. His hand was so close to touching it, so close! Ignoring the toxic tears that were forming in his lids he squint his eyes, hoping to get a clear view of his gold ball.

"Malfoy's after the snitch! But the snitch doesn't want to get caught today! Oh here comes Potter!"

And that's when it happened. The snitch really didn't want to get caught today. Just as Draco's leather gloves were about to grasp it's thin wings, the snitch did some kind of nose dive. It was gone from sight, but he could still hear it. It was taunting him, flying all around him. Doing spirals around his broom and then around his idle body. And Draco's head was spinning. He thrashed his head in every direction. Everyone was screaming at him.

"Catch the bloody snitch already!" screamed Hopkins. "Potter's right behind you!"

He couldn't see everything was dizzy; his broom was wobbling back and forth. People were laughing at him, looking at him funny. He could tell and then he heard Potter's voice. "Merlin, I really thought you were going to catch it. Better luck next time!" his voice faded off as he flew by Draco. And that was the entire boost he needed. He didn't care about his teammates cursing at him or the Gryffindors laughing hysterically, Potter. Potter was about to steal that snitch. He turned his broom around again and flew forward. And that's when everything started in slow motion.

As soon as he turned around, he heard a kind of bellowing that could not have come at a worse time. "Watch out Malfoy!" it screamed. It was too late though. Turning around on his broom, he had no idea…no idea that a bludger was headed in that very direction. He flew forward a few inches, before colliding with a blurry black blob. Much like a medicine ball, the bludger rammed itself into Draco's stomach and instantly flew away when contact was made. Gasps and screeches could be heard. He could hear it all, and then suddenly could hear nothing. He doubled over in pain and leaned forward on his broom. His eyes finally shut, as he used one hand to clutch his side. His broom suddenly flipped and had Draco hanging upside down on it. And with the slip of his one hand, he was falling. Everything went black…

"What happened to this boy?!" Madame Pomfrey questioned furiously. The look she had on her face was simply a look of fright and disgust. Madame Pomfrey was shocked, the only Slytherin boy who wore blond hair, looked as if he'd just been kicked in the face repeatedly. The sight was highly disturbing. "My God, is that Draco Malfoy?!" The blond boy who hung helplessly over Zabini's shoulder gave a miserable groan in response to the question of his identity. Madame Pomfrey just gawked at him even more.

Zabini shrugged. "Took a bludger to the ribs. I'm not sure what's wrong with his face. He started coughing up a bit of bloo--"

"Oh dear, get him on a bed and quick!" she cried worryingly, watching Zabini stroll over to a free bed, with Draco dragging along. Assuring herself that the black-haired boy could handle putting Draco onto a bed, she teetered along. She fled into her private vicinity and quickly reemerged carrying a cold compress. When she came from beyond her own wall of drapes, she almost felt pity for the notoriously known boy with a bad attitude who lay on the bed, tightly holding his stomach. She hovered above Draco and gently put the cold compress to rest on his forehead. She wiped his brow and stared at him in confusion. He looked so hurt. She'd had not had Draco Malfoy in her care in years. He looked like he was in such a horrible condition, what a shame.

The boy suddenly groaned loudly, clutching his stomach. Madame Pomfrey breathed in nervously. "Oh my, you said the bludger hit him in his side…his ribs?" she asked frantically, while untying Draco's quidditch robe. Without looking up, she addressed Blaise again. "Get his robe off for me, will you…"she requested as she pulled Draco up to lie on his side. Once Blaise pulled his heavy robe off the bed, Madame Pomfrey let him gently fall onto his back. Ignoring his twisted snarl and moans, she quickly unbuttoned his shirt, spreading it open. She looked down to him, speaking loudly. "Draco point to where it hurts."

She watched carefully as his hand slid over his abdomen. He hissed, "Broken…I think it's broken."

"Let me see," she forcefully pulled his wife beater up a little, feeling the skin of where Draco pointed to. "This might hurt a little, just stay still." And with that she ran her hands over his stomach and pressed her palms into his injured flesh. He winced and said something that made Madame Pomfrey say, "Language, Draco!" She sighed and continued to feel for his ribcage. "Hmm, I'm afraid your right. You've broken two ribs, lower abdomen. It's not a terrible break, but they're deep in there." She took her hands away from his stomach. "We can fix this right away. Now what shall we do about your eyes? Did you get hit in the face too?What happened to you?"

With much malice in his voice, he answered coldly, "I dunno, ask Granger…"

She arched her eyebrow at him, "Granger? Hermione Granger? Did she do this to you?" Her face was concerned and overall confused. She turned to Draco's friend who was still waiting patiently, leaning against the nearest bed. "Dear, dear. Blaise! Go find Ms. Granger and while you're at it, find Sn—Snape! Professor Snape! I was just asking for you!" she declared. As she was talking to Blaise, she didn't take notice of the cloaked figure that quietly swept into the infirmary. And when she finally looked past Blaise, she saw that Professor Snape was quietly waiting in the background.

Snape quickly walked over, "What has happened to Mister Malfoy?"

"I'm afraid he's suffering from two broken ribs and inflammation, swelling in his eyes. Maybe an allergic reaction…"

"No, not an allergic reaction. Granger did this," Draco finally spoke up, turning his head to look up at Snape.

Snape stared down at Draco. His beady black eyes narrowed upon hearing the name 'Granger'. "Zabini, you can return back to your dorm. I will get Mrs. Granger." Blaise nodded his head at Draco and quickly left. Snape disappeared momentarily, as he went to the back of Madame Pomfrey's office. He enchanted a note to be sent to Ms. Granger right away. When Snape came back, Madame Pomfrey was busy interrogating him. He decided that he'd have a little interrogation himself…

"Draco, this happened last night didn't it?"

No answer.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Draco, I'm trying to help you out, don't ignore me." A grunt could be heard from the bed, and Draco slowly turned over facing his Professor. "Something got in your eyes didn't it?"

"Possibly," Draco nodded.

"Did it sting when it went in your eyes?"

"What do you think?!"

"Did your eyes itch? When you woke up, were they as swollen as they were now?"

"Yes and yes." He answered, feeling bored. Madame Pomfrey suddenly fled to her office and returned with a manila folder.

"Poppy, may I take a look at those?" Snape questioned quietly. The head nurse nodded and handed them over graciously, as she looked them over.

"Draco, you're allergic to a few things. I'm sure you know that… Blueberries, dandelions, walnuts. And then there's--"

"Earworm thistles?" Snape finished. He knew of one thing in his office that contained that magical substance…Hokey Elixir.

"Yes," she smiled weakly. "Well your body had an allergic reaction to this. Don't worry, you're not deathly allergic, but we'll fix you right up. "

Madame Pomfrey again retreated to her private office and came back with a tiny vial in her hand. She hovered over Draco and made him lay flat, while she dropped some type of medicine into each eye. Whatever kind of liquid remedy dribbled from the eyedropper, worked almost immediately. He could feel his eyes sort of deflate as he blinked incessantly. She bent down and wiped his eyes with a handkerchief, of the tears that started to leak uncontrollably. Tears were good though. Tears meant that his eyes were being cleansed. She retreated to the back again and this time came back with a larger vial. Without any warning, she dropped two tablespoons of Skele-mend into his parted lips. Draco choked, but eventually let the foul tasting liquid travel down his throat and soon he knew the magic was kicking in from the sudden sharp pains coming from his abdomen.

Nodding her head at his unpleasant expression, she walked off.

Draco could feel his eyes roll into the back of his head. He suddenly felt very sleepy. He could faintly hear Snape's voice and then footsteps, and then nothing as his body shut down. He dreamed of Granger…Granger getting in some serious deep shit. And he hoped that this wasn't going to just be a dream. But…where was Granger anyway?

It took her almost thirty minutes to walk down 2 flights of stairs, walk through five different hallways and then walk all the way up one more stairwell. And why? All because she receive a note out of thin air that said 'Report to the infirmary immediately'…from Professor Snape of course. She had a strange feeling this had to do with a certain Slytherin. Her assumptions were correct when she finally pushed through the double doors and saw Snape and Madame Pomfrey huddled around a boy with distinguishable blonde hair. She grunted and continued her waddle into the tense room.

Snape whipped his head around, asking sharply "You did this to him?"

Hermione quickened her step to get closer to her Potions teacher. She couldn't believe he ratted on her! "Look at what he did to me!" she pleaded. Snape had already noticed, but by this point he was staring down at her feet with disgust.

Suddenly Draco's voice came out of no where, "She did that to herself!"

"No! He made me drop it. He pushed the door on me and --"

"It?"

"Yes, I was holding this--"

"This?"

"I don't know what it was. But I was holding it and DRACO rammed the door into me and made me to drop it! It fell all over my feet….and as you can see. Oh Professor! Ne—Neville! Neville will tell you the whole story! He saw it happen. He was there the whole time. Ask Neville!"

"First off, Neville is supposedly the culprit of the mess left in my office." He stared at Hermione wickedly. "Seems as if you've just ratted yourself out. You ratted, you and Mr. Malfoy out. And--"

"Neville! You have to get him, he'll tell you everything. He saw it all! Please, this is HIS entire fault!" she bellowed, pointing at Draco's limp figure.

"Neville Longbottom?" Professor Snape and Madame Pomfrey both looked at each other warily. "No need for that, I believe you."

Hermione caught sight of Draco, who threw her an incredibly dirty look. She noticed that his eyes were back to normal. Really watery, but they weren't bulging. His eyelids had slightly overlapped. How ugly, she snickered to herself. She looked back to Snape who was grimacing at her.

"Well the both of you will be punished. This is shameful coming from two highly respected prefects. You had no right to disturb my personal belongings. And I'm certain both of you don't know that there was considerable damage done to my floor. That's right," he sneered. "Because of your childish behavior, school property has been marred. And you better hope it's not permanent."

"Oh, I'm sor--"

"I don't want you apology Ms. Granger. I only want your time. Tomorrow night at 8. You and Draco are to report to my room for detention. House points will also be deducted from Gryffi--" He coughed and tugged at his collar. "—both houses."

"That's fine," Hermione nodded graciously. Just as Snape was about to walk away, she decided to speak up. "Professor, can I ask?"

"No you cannot. Now go on and let Madame Pomfrey tend you, you…" Snape muttered while walking away, "you unabashedly foolish girl." The double doors flung open, as his cloak disappeared behind them. He left Hermione standing in the middle of the infirmary, blinking in confusion. She just wanted to know what spilled on her feet, but she supposed she'll never know. Her curiosity was put to a halt once she heard Madame Pomfrey's voice requesting her to sit down.

The bustling nurse came out from her office, carrying what looked like large roll of Ace Bandage. "Here Draco, you'll need this so the bone can heal in place. It's going to be sore during the night." She patted him on the shoulder. "Pull your shirt up for me."

Draco hesitated then grunted. He looked over to Hermione who fortunately wasn't looking. Making sure the coast was clear, he pulled his wife beater from up over his chest and Madame Pomfrey helped to pull it over his head. He groaned from the discomfort; as he had to slightly lean over.

Hermione was intrigued by the groan of pain that came from the bed opposite of hers, so she looked up. Her eyes widened slightly and she gulped. Oh bugger. As soon as she looked up, she caught sight of Draco's half-naked body. His chest was taut and as he leaned in to allow Madame Pomfrey to wrap the thick bandage around his waist, she got a chance to see his abs that were chiseled so nicely on his skinny frame before Madame Pomfrey wrapped around the first layer of tan fabric. She reminded herself that he was skinny, okay not that skinny, just tall and stretched out. But it was nice to know that he had some well-toned muscle under that lanky body of his. His biceps were rounded so nicely and as she followed down his arm, she noticed the mighty veins that rose in his skin and continued to flow down his hand. Quidditch gives you those great arms, she thought eagerly to herself. She'd learn to appreciate the anatomy of a boy's upper body from the likes of Harry and Ron. And they too were uniquely sculpted in their own way, but Draco…his body was…was… Sexy, she thought absentmindedly to herself. She didn't even know she was staring at him, until he snarled at her. She blinked and quickly turned away. She knew she was making herself very obvious by tugging her hair back behind her ear repeatedly, but she didn't care. How embarrassed she was for getting caught. And she could feel his eyes watching her menacingly. She took one quick glance, to see him patting down the layers of cloth that now covered his ripped abdomen. Thankfully her attention was diverted, just before she could get caught again.

"Hermione take off your socks," Madame Pomfrey requested decisively.

"Do I have to?" she whined. But Madame Pomfrey responded with a stern look, that told her she better hop to it or else. "Alright, alright," she muttered indignantly. Hermione reluctantly slid off each tube sock. During the visually strange process, she could've sworn she heard a chuckle from the bed beside her, but as she looked up she saw that Draco was now turning to face the other side. She gave him an evil look that he wouldn't be able to see, but somehow she felt slightly avenged. She ignored him and gazed down at her feet. Eughhh, she shuddered in disgust. She couldn't believe everyone. How could they laugh at this…this…ATROCITY?! That's what it was, some kind of terrible atrocity attached to her ankles. But, at least it wasn't permanent. She had to thank her lucky stars for that and especially knowing that she was in good hands. She looked up, eagerly awaiting Madame Pomfrey's return, hoping to ignore the distasteful boy across from her.

"What in the hell is that rancid smell?" Draco twisted his head around to look at her. He ignored her blank expression and let his eyes catch sight of her feet. "Ugh," he snarled in disgust and turned back around.

Her eyes naturally followed his and a wave of sadness and anxiety suddenly swept over her. They don't smell…do they?? Hermione rolled her eyes and before she could say something back, she recognized the hasty figure coming towards her.

Madame Pomfrey came back to Hermione's side carrying a ruler and something in her hand that resembled toothpaste. "Okay," she twisted the cap off and squeezed a bit of the ointment into Hermione's palms. "Rub this all over your feet and when they've gone back to their original size call for me and we'll wash it right off. You may very well loose an inch or two, but get it close enough." She gave Hermione a warm smile and then fled off to her office once again.

Hermione lathered her feet in the white ointment. She could instantly feel the magic kicking in, as she felt millions of needles pricking at her skin. Well, that's what it felt like. She let her feet hang over the side of the bed and she watched after a few minutes as her feet started shrink in size. The transformation was fascinating and left her excitedly waiting for the results…

The moments following Madame Pomfrey's disappearance a tense silence followed. He had turned on his side, with his back facing her and was trying to delve back into his sleep that was interrupted earlier. His eyes felt heavy. Not heavy because he was tired, but heavy literally. His eyelids were drooping so low, he was surprised he could see the amount that he could, but continued to stare onward, hoping to drift off. The leading lines of the isle of empty beds was slowly entrancing him to sleep, but his eyelids forced themselves open as he heard the sound of undoubtedly Granger's voice. He groaned…just how many annoying voices was he going to have the pleasure of hearing today?

"Y'know Malfoy…" Hermione smiled. Even though he had his back to her, she could tell he was already annoyed, but she continued on. If he wanted to rub things in, she could do it too…and she could do it damn well. "I must tell you how amazing that save was," she looked to the ceiling victoriously. "When you caught that snitch, after it was falling towards the ground full speed ahead. Amazing I tell you!" her praise, earned her a grunt. She didn't know if the grunt was good or bad, but at least she knew he was listening. She continued on, "The way you dove after it, I was sure your glasses were to slip off, but they didn't….and wait…" Hermione's face shifted into bewilderment. "You don't wear glasses! And wait…you didn't catch the snitch! Oh silly me, Harry caught the snitch! You remember Harry right?" She looked at him questioningly, as if he were really going to answer.

Little did she know that Draco was gripping the sheets tightly with his eyes glaring at the wall ahead. He had to hand it to her though. The mudblood knew how to get a rise out of someone and it was in his best interest to hide his aggravation, but he must've not been hiding it well, seeing how her wretched, bossy, prissy, know-it-all voice continued to ramble on…

"Harry Potter, your sworn enemy, you hate him…a lot more than me, mind you. I can understand a loss of memory after a fall like that. You're lucky Hooch even saw you …you were centimeters from smashing into the Earth!" She smiled, "Now that was an amazing save. But oh yes, Harry dove after the snitch, it actually started to follow you on its way down, but he caught it!" Hermione clapped, for effect. "He caught it, won us the game. Would you like to know how many points we won by?"

Dead silence, but Hermione could tell he was dying to know…well not really, but it'd be quite evil to tell him anyway. "Yes, I thought so…well we were already in the lead by seven, so that's….uhhh 37 plus 150. I must say mental math is not my strong suit, but I believe that's 187 as our final score. Slytherin team was pissed, you should've seen them Malf--" Her words were cut short by the sight of his hand thrusting into the air, with his middle finger sticking straight up. She smiled and snickered.

"Did I mention that Gryffindor has qualified for the finals?"

Draco's response was a loud groan, as he grabbed the pillow from under his head and roughly threw it over his ears.

"Just thought you should know," she sighed and looked down to her feet. If she had to fight fire, with fire, she would…and she would win. She smiled triumphantly to herself. After a few more moments of quiet and wait, Hermione dropped the ruler, satisfied with the measurements, hopped off the bed and called for Madame Pomfrey, as she slowly tip-toed over to the nurse's office, careful of not to slip.

Draco still had not fallen asleep, he was extremely tired, but his body would not allow him to go to sleep just yet. As his eyes struggled to remain opened, he couldn't help but notice Granger's stiff figure, stalk across the floor. What a weirdo, he thought to himself, as she stood on her bare toes. He noticed that her feet weren't as ridiculously big as they were…in fact, they were normal. She wasn't normal, but her feet were, which was a disappointing thought. He was very much enjoying the sight of her trying to prance around with Hagrid-sized feet. He watched her disappear beyond the thick drapes of Madame Pomfrey's office. He shifted himself once again, pushing himself onto his back. He stared on to the set of beds that sat across from his.

Just as his eyes were starting to close, they naturally opened at the sight of the Gryfindor bitch walking towards past bed. He didn't mean to, but he allowed his eyes to peer at her as she walked over to her bed. She slumped down on it hard and picked up something from the floor. Her socks. She was putting on her socks and somehow he found this fascinating.

Lying on his back, he started to stare at her through his peripheral vision. He couldn't help but notice the milky skin that was just calling for his attention. She'd definitely grown over the years. Her hair was still as bushy as ever, but had developed into bronze floppy curls. Her face was…tolerable. Not bad. Her face was defined more softly, more femininely than her pre-puberty days. She wasn't exactly the bushy-haired beaver she used to be. Speaking of beaver…her teeth! Hexing her by accident was probably the best hidden blessing she'd ever got! Her teeth were nice and white and matched perfect with her bow-shaped lips. Her body was alright. There was a definite bump…okay hill… a good sized hill that stretched the blouse's fabric across her chest. And she seemed skinny, fairly petite. But he couldn't tell for sure, she did dress like a nun. There was no telling what kind of lavish body was hidden under all those layers of clothing. At least she kept her legs visible. Thank God for that. They were stunningly perfect stems. Nice color, nice size…they were probably soft to the touch. As he thought about it more, Hermione Granger, Princess Prim was clearly on her way of becoming some kind of fox. In fact, he could admit that she was cu…Wait, what am I thinking?!? No, she's not cute! She's beastly! A real birth defect…UGH! So what if she has a nice rack and gorgeous legs and small waist and a sweet smile…she's ugly! Draco was feeling the betrayal on his behalf. How dare he allow himself to think such thoughts? And not only betrayal from his thoughts, but also a specific place down under. He was beginning to twitch about, finding discomfort in his current position; flipping sides on his bed, his female neighbor observed him weirdly.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked. She didn't care, but the way he was moving about almost made him look like the little girl from The Exorcist. Her brow was arched in bewilderment, as she hoisted one foot on the edge of the bed to put her sock on.

Draco plopped himself flat on the bed again and stared angrily towards the ceiling. After a few seconds of eye rolling and growling he answered, allowing his body to sit straight up against the headboard.

"No, I'm not alright. Granger," he huffed. "Can you explain to me why even I can see that stubble protruding from your legs?!" He slowly turned his head to sneer at her, but his small eyes caught sight of something he'd never thought he'd see.

The words, crotch shot, came to mind. Okay so her legs were nothing close to hairy and even if he had strong 20/20 vision, he doubt he'd notice any black microscopic dots on her legs. But why could he clearly see her…baby blue knickers? His eyes widened and blinked in surprised, but he quickly dismissed the sight, turning to look forward again.

Hermione absentmindedly hoisted the other foot onto the edge of the bed, giving him an even better view if he so desired. "Why were you even looking!?" She snapped. She wanted to ignore him, but she could never understand why he went out of his way to irritate her. Why?!

"I wasn't looking," he snapped back, in his usual snappish tone.

"Yes you were," she teased. He's just mad 'cause he got caught, Hermione snickered at the thought.

"I . Wasn't. Looking."

"And what's that drool coming from your mouth then?" she half-smiled.

"Like I'd be drooling over your filthy, hai--" he snapped, but was cut off by the sound of a much sharper voice.

"Oh, you two! Hush up!" Madame Pomfrey ordered as she came trotting over with a brand new pair of Mary Janes in hand. It was a good thing she had decided to interrupt when she did, because only God knows what Draco would've said if she hadn't. "The both of you should have come to the infirmary immediately. Why didn't you?"

"W—I didn't want to get in trouble…" Hermione answered quickly, feeling very guilty.

Madame Pomfrey gave her a quizzical look, "Well you got in trouble anyway." Hermione nodded. "Ah well, here are your new shoes." She smiled, handing Hermione over the pair of Mary Janes. "I'm sorry about the navy blue, my mind wasn't thinking clearly."

"They'll do just fine. Thank you Madame," Hermione said graciously. She didn't care what color they were. Any pair of shoes was better than no pair of shoes.

Madame Pompfrey nodded, and turned to Draco, who looked less than pleased. "Draco, you're doing better?"

The only response he gave her was the cock of his eyebrow. He stared at her coldly, and mumbled.

"Alright then, Hermione you are free to leave. Draco get some rest," she started to walk away, "Oh and next time one of you has a bit of an accident, come here right away."

"Thanks again!" Hermione called out, as she fixed the buckle on her left foot.

"Right…" Madame Pomphrey faded off, disappearing into her own quarters again.

Now it was just she and him.

The silence was tenser than ever and the atmosphere seemed to become very grim. It was as if everything was in the right place, but at the wrong time. And Hermione couldn't understand why it felt so weird to be buckling up her shoe in the deafening silence. And was mush as she wanted to rush out those doubled doors and head back to her common room immediately, but she couldn't. A part of her wouldn't let her. And she knew why. She didn't want to, but she at least had to say something. It was the guilt that held her back. But it was also the nobility and benevolence her heart possessed, that made her stay. Reluctantly she breathed in and played a weak smile on her face. Well, here goes nothing…

"Malfoy, I'd just like to apologize. I honestly do feel bad for this happening…" She looked down to the floor momentarily. "…even if it happened to you. So I am sorry," After a few moments of silence, she spoke up again. "And this would be the part where you would apologize…but you're not going to are you?"

Draco slowly turned his head and proceeded to glare at her, like he never glared before. Of course, he didn't answer…wasn't going to either.

She sighed deeply. "And here I'm supposed to be the uncivilized one…" Her eyes rolled as she turned the other way.

"Oh don't worry, you still are," he smiled and then slumped on his side, turning away from her.

"Ugh. Anyways," she stood up from the bed and looked down at his body. "Even if you're not sorry, I still am." She brushed her blouse off, feeling rather refreshed. "Feel better then," she added quietly, as she flounced off leaving the infirmary.

Thank God, he had his back to her. His face was very flustered, though his expression remained the same. No one had ever apologized to him. At least never, genuinely apologized. He couldn't remember a time in his life where someone said 'I'm sorry' and meant it. And of all people…Granger!? Of all the people to…

He was surprised to say the least. He knew that she was a genuinely kind person. But that was to everyone else. She had always been hostile towards him, (not that he wasn't to her), but it made him wonder why she would go out of her way to do such a gesture…and especially to him! It was an unnerving feeling, but for some reason it left him content.

He rolled onto his back and stared at the tall ceiling above. Folding his arms over his midriff, he pondered.

Why did she say that? Stupid mudblood, he snickered. And as humorous the thought was becoming, the more his wicked grin was starting to contract. His snickering started to break and his brow began to wrinkle. He almost felt psychotic, gazing at the ceiling with a crazed laugh, but really… really he was beginning to feel guilty…? Well, he wasn't sure of how he was feeling, but the calm he was feeling earlier was gradually drifting into something he could not explain. Something not good, nor bad. Just something…unexplainable.

Little did he know he'd be experiencing a lot of this unexplainable…and a lot of this unexplainable very soon.