*Last time: After recovering in the hospital, Hermione wants to find the
stranger who saved her. At the dueling club, she recognizes Malfoy's voice
as the voice she had last heard before she fell into unconsciousness at the
Midnite Dance*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione walked numbly to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Gooberslobber," she said monotonously and climbed through the portrait hole.
Sitting down on one of the squishy purple chairs Hermione shook her head, confused to a dangerous point. No, it couldn't be, she thought. No one named Draco Malfoy would ever save her after she fainted in the dark. He probably would have thought it was funny if someone stepped on her while dancing.
But at the same time, Hermione was certain that it was Malfoy who called her name back at the dance. The voice had the same tone, same texture, and same anxious ring to it. No way, Hermione countered. Malfoy had never called her by her first name. He always called her "Granger" or "mudblood". Then again, maybe that was the reason she didn't recognize his voice the first time. Yes, she was just thrown off. Hearing her first name from his mouth was something new. But was it a good something new?
Hermione shook her head again, completely baffled. Why would Malfoy suddenly be nice to her? It's not like she'd changed in any way, right? Oh god! Help me, Hermione thought, sinking back into her chair.
Perhaps I should just ask him, she thought. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Hermione sat up, suddenly overcome with a horrible vision of Malfoy telling everyone that Hermione liked him, and everyone was laughing at her. No! I can't ask him! If I'm wrong, I'll be the laughingstock of the school if Malfoy tells!
Hermione was exhausted with all the thinking she was doing. Thinking about this, to her, was even more confusing than ten pages of Arithmancy homework. Hermione was very thankful it was a Friday afternoon. I mean, there's no way I can concentrate on my subjects with this hanging over my head, she thought.
Suddenly, her stomach grumbled. It suddenly occurred to her that she had skipped lunch and just how hungry she was. Hermione got up, climbed back out the portrait hole and headed down to the kitchens for an afternoon snack. She tickled the portrait of the pear and walked into the kitchens.
"Good afternoon, Misses!" the house elves chorused as she entered the room.
"Could I have a ham sandwich?" Hermione asked tiredly. She was too distracted to convince the house elves to go on strike this time.
"Coming right up!" the elves ran and came back with a big, juicy sandwich.
"Thanks," Hermione said and climbed back out the kitchen door. She wandered listlessly around the castle for a while, eating her sandwich. She finally turned a corner and saw Draco Malfoy standing there, apparently trying to finish his Transfiguration essay. Hermione walked up to him. "Actually, the wand movement is the slash and jab, not the slash and flick. The flick is too light," Hermione pointed out to a sentence on his essay.
"No one asked you, Granger, so keep your filthy hands off of my essay. What do you want?" Malfoy glared at her.
"Oh, um, yeah." Hermione finally cooked up enough courage. "Were you at the dance? If you were, I swear I heard someone like you call my name before I fainted." Hermione said this very fast, while blushing.
"Yeah, it was me, 'cause I saw you fall," Malfoy said shamelessly.
"Oh, erm, well, thank you," Hermione stammered. "You know, you didn't have to carry me to the hospital wing."
"Oh, I know I didn't have to. In fact, I didn't. Weasley did. Next time, get your facts straight, mudblood. Oh, and the only reason I called your name was because I wanted to be the hero the saved the poor muggle- born." Malfoy walked away, smirking.
Hermione stood frozen, steaming. How dare he? How dare he blame it on Ron? Hermione narrowed her eyes. She could not believe that she had ever thought that he cared even a tidbit for her. But what if he said about Ron was true? Hermione shook the thought out of her head. God! That Malfoy will never change. He will always be the idiotic jerk that Hermione had first thought of him as. Hermione made a vow, right then and there, that she would never forgive Malfoy no matter what he said. Feeling satisfied, she walked up back to the Gryffindor common room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione walked numbly to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Gooberslobber," she said monotonously and climbed through the portrait hole.
Sitting down on one of the squishy purple chairs Hermione shook her head, confused to a dangerous point. No, it couldn't be, she thought. No one named Draco Malfoy would ever save her after she fainted in the dark. He probably would have thought it was funny if someone stepped on her while dancing.
But at the same time, Hermione was certain that it was Malfoy who called her name back at the dance. The voice had the same tone, same texture, and same anxious ring to it. No way, Hermione countered. Malfoy had never called her by her first name. He always called her "Granger" or "mudblood". Then again, maybe that was the reason she didn't recognize his voice the first time. Yes, she was just thrown off. Hearing her first name from his mouth was something new. But was it a good something new?
Hermione shook her head again, completely baffled. Why would Malfoy suddenly be nice to her? It's not like she'd changed in any way, right? Oh god! Help me, Hermione thought, sinking back into her chair.
Perhaps I should just ask him, she thought. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Hermione sat up, suddenly overcome with a horrible vision of Malfoy telling everyone that Hermione liked him, and everyone was laughing at her. No! I can't ask him! If I'm wrong, I'll be the laughingstock of the school if Malfoy tells!
Hermione was exhausted with all the thinking she was doing. Thinking about this, to her, was even more confusing than ten pages of Arithmancy homework. Hermione was very thankful it was a Friday afternoon. I mean, there's no way I can concentrate on my subjects with this hanging over my head, she thought.
Suddenly, her stomach grumbled. It suddenly occurred to her that she had skipped lunch and just how hungry she was. Hermione got up, climbed back out the portrait hole and headed down to the kitchens for an afternoon snack. She tickled the portrait of the pear and walked into the kitchens.
"Good afternoon, Misses!" the house elves chorused as she entered the room.
"Could I have a ham sandwich?" Hermione asked tiredly. She was too distracted to convince the house elves to go on strike this time.
"Coming right up!" the elves ran and came back with a big, juicy sandwich.
"Thanks," Hermione said and climbed back out the kitchen door. She wandered listlessly around the castle for a while, eating her sandwich. She finally turned a corner and saw Draco Malfoy standing there, apparently trying to finish his Transfiguration essay. Hermione walked up to him. "Actually, the wand movement is the slash and jab, not the slash and flick. The flick is too light," Hermione pointed out to a sentence on his essay.
"No one asked you, Granger, so keep your filthy hands off of my essay. What do you want?" Malfoy glared at her.
"Oh, um, yeah." Hermione finally cooked up enough courage. "Were you at the dance? If you were, I swear I heard someone like you call my name before I fainted." Hermione said this very fast, while blushing.
"Yeah, it was me, 'cause I saw you fall," Malfoy said shamelessly.
"Oh, erm, well, thank you," Hermione stammered. "You know, you didn't have to carry me to the hospital wing."
"Oh, I know I didn't have to. In fact, I didn't. Weasley did. Next time, get your facts straight, mudblood. Oh, and the only reason I called your name was because I wanted to be the hero the saved the poor muggle- born." Malfoy walked away, smirking.
Hermione stood frozen, steaming. How dare he? How dare he blame it on Ron? Hermione narrowed her eyes. She could not believe that she had ever thought that he cared even a tidbit for her. But what if he said about Ron was true? Hermione shook the thought out of her head. God! That Malfoy will never change. He will always be the idiotic jerk that Hermione had first thought of him as. Hermione made a vow, right then and there, that she would never forgive Malfoy no matter what he said. Feeling satisfied, she walked up back to the Gryffindor common room.