AN: I do not own anything that is found within the Harry Potter series. This is a complete work of fiction and I appreciate reviews and criticism as long as it's constructive. R&R
Cheers.
Chapter 6: A Chance Meeting
Dumbledore's office was framed with the many portraits of Headmasters of past. Most of them were sipping away on tea, conversing with each other, often pointing at and questioning Dumbledore's hair colour. They could not understand why he would keep the hair colour when he could just charm it away. They also questioned him on his abilities to be a Headmaster for one of the most prestigious schools for Wizards and Witches in the world. How could he let those Weasley twins get away with practically tearing apart the school with their teacher's lounge prank?
It had been quite funny for some of the past professors to watch because the paintings they were in were placed on walls of the lounge that were not affected by the beastly furniture. A few of the other paintings and many current professors didn't find the incident as humourous. The first professor to experience a ride on one of the bucking bronco chairs was Professor Sprout. She had lasted almost two minutes on the wild chair before Professor Flitwick had charmed the chair to stop, only to have him lean on one of the tables which instantly moved out of the way, allowing him to fall right onto the floor. It was a good thing for him that he was so short. As other professors entered, coffee mugs and teacups would keep moving just as they would reach for them, teasing them with their wonderful aroma. Some of the books, once the shelves were touched, started to fly, knocking some of the paintings off the walls and bumping into professors. It was this incident that did not have some of the Headmasters of the past in a very pleasant mood.
Draco, who was being followed by Hermione, entered the Headmaster's office, to find Dumbledore waiting for them. He was standing beside Fawkes, who at this point was back in the equivalent of his teenage years. Dumbledore turned away from Fawkes and headed towards his lounge and took a seat in his big, brown, leather chair. The chair was obviously old and used very often, as there were strains in the seat of the chair, outlining the professor's favorite position. He motioned for the two Head students to take a seat on the leather sofa in front of him, which was sitting across from the fire place that glowed red and yellow onto the quiet room. All of the portraits of past professors stopped to listen in on what the headmaster and his two student spies were going to talk about.
Hermione and Draco sat down as far away from each other as possible when the took their seats on the sofa; they did not look at each other, but rather they focused all of their attention on Dumbledore, who was taking his time starting the conversation. He just let the three of them sit there in silence for the first few minutes, allowing everyone to collect their thoughts.
Draco was becoming impatient. He no longer was sitting with the perfect posture his father had taught him was always important when meeting with one's superior. Draco had learned at an early age that one should almost fear those superior to a Malfoy because there were very few who were. Right now, Dumbledore was not giving the air of a superior in Draco's estimation, so he leaned on the arm of the sofa and looked away from the waiting Professor. He looked into the fire and got lost in the flames, thinking of her, sitting beside him, only a few feet away, not even noticing him.
Draco was unsure of one thing in his life at that moment, and that was why Hermione Granger could affect him when she never had before. He'd even loathed her when they were in their first year, how she would act superior to him, a Malfoy, because she was smarter than he was. The nerve she had, sticking her nose up at him. And now, ever since bumping into her at the train station and finding out that she was the other Head student, he had changed his opinion slightly. She was now his equal at school (he was still a Malfoy so that put him higher up socially, but there at Hogwarts she was his equal) and he didn't like to admit it, and her being in that position was bothering him. He knew that if it were any other girl in the school he would have them twisted around his baby finger, but Hermione Granger was not like the other girls. She practically ignored him, except for when it came to the meetings they had with Dumbledore or any of the other professors. She was a challenge, and Malfoys always enjoyed a challenge. But he wasn't thinking about her only because she was a challenge for him, but also because he was curious about her. She was a closed book to him, with hundreds of unread pages. Draco had always been able to read people, figure out what buttons to push, and know everything about them, but Hermione was just a smart, daring, sexy, and not to mention his enemy's best friend, he knew nothing else of her other than that she was a mudblood. He had never paid much attention to her or her looks because he could have any girl he wanted in the school and he didn't really care to have what he considered Potter's and Weasley's sloppy seconds. But this year he wanted to see what she tasted like, to see if he could turn her pages, and so he had decided on the train to his last year at Hogwarts that he would crack open the pages of one of the hardest books to grace Hogwarts, and unfortunately he realized that he would become a total cliché trying to do it, Head Boy and Head girl, yuck.
"Albus, I think you've lost one of your spies to the fire." Headmistress Dilys Derwent spoke out from the painting by the hearth.
"Thank you, Dilys. Mr. Malfoy – could you please focus on the discussion? I was just mentioning to you both, Ms. Granger, I hope you don't mind the repeat-" Dumbledore looked at Hermione who was still sitting up straight in her corner of the leather sofa.
"No Professor, it's always beneficial to hear instructions a second time, that way you know you understood them properly." She smiled at Dumbledore then glanced towards Draco, who was undoubtedly rolling his eyes at her.
'What a suck up,' he thought to himself and turned his attention to the waiting Headmaster. "You may continue professor – I'm paying attention now."
"As I was saying, I had just talked with the Weasley twins about their behaviour and I want you two to keep an eye out on them. Also, I would like you to keep track of any student that appears to be out of place or suspicious. The twins had mentioned that they weren't the one's performing these pranks, but it's hard to believe them with their track record, so they've been told that they will face a detention if there are any more pranks. If it isn't them, I can assure you they will help find the student or students who are responsible for this," he pulled on his beard. "And they will tell me who it is, and then I will forgive them of any punitive measures. But as it stands now, the Weasley twins are the main culprits. So please keep an eye on them, you can even let them know, if you choose, that I've told you to look over them, but please keep an open mind, as I have not been very good with that regarding these incidences. I believe with the things that went on during the war, it may have clouded over my empathy for my students and be wary of unusual events. Or perhaps it is just my hair colour." Dumbledore let out a strained chuckle and looked out past his students at the picture of him and some of his fallen comrades.
"Now that's all I really have to say to the both of you – Ms. Granger, I need a word with you, Mr. Malfoy you may leave to do your rounds or head back to your dormitory."
Hermione looked over at Draco, who had a puzzled look on his face, wondering why he was being excluded from the next conversation. She only gave him a hint of a smile and that sent his pulse racing. As he passed in front of her to he out of the office he looked down at her, keeping a straight face, not showing any emotion as she looked up at him, their eyes connecting, and then he looked away and headed out of the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore just looked on pretending not to feel the chemistry churning in the air.
"Ms. Granger," she turned towards him, "I just want to ask you a favour. You know of Ygraine Marcum, am I right?" Hermione nodded her head, puzzled. "Well, she's here for her final year of school because she chose to be here, and not be home schooled anymore. This will be the first place that she has lived in for more than three months at a time. I've noticed that she hasn't really been conversing with very many students. She's been keeping to herself mostly, and I just want her to have a good experience here at Hogwarts. I've had some wonderful conversations with her, as have some of the other professors. She's quite a brilliant young lady, and I know the two of you would get along splendidly. I know that she made the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and that will bring her out a little bit, but I was wondering if you could get her more involved in the student community, so that she is not spending all of her time with the professors in the lounge. Bring her into your group of friends, introduce her to what it is like to be a student at a school, as she's only ever really spent her time with adults." Dumbledore was genuinely concerned for Ygraine, and Hermione was happy to accept.
"Sir, I have no problem helping Ygraine get acquainted with students here at Hogwarts, but does she know that you've asked me this?"
Dumbledore looked at Hermione and then turned his attention to the dancing flames in the fireplace. "No, I have not. You may mention it if you wish. Have a good evening Ms. Granger, and I will see you in the Great Hall tomorrow morning." Dumbledore looked back at Hermione and smiled at her as she headed towards the door to his office. "Ms. Granger? Is something bothering you about what I have said this evening?" Dumbledore could tell something was on Hermione's mind as her shoulders were hunched. She turned and faced the professor, standing in the doorway.
"Professor Dumbledore, I don't mean to speak poorly against your judgment, but if the twins say they didn't do it, why didn't you believe them?" Hermione was slightly flushed. She had been thinking about what Dumbledore had said earlier, and although the twins do make fun of her at times, she knew they were honest guys.
"Ms. Granger, I would like to believe them but their track records give me no proof to believe them."
"But Sir, no offense to them, they're not that good at charms; they deal mainly with potions."
"Yes Ms. Granger, that is true." A twinkle came to Dumbledore's eyes, showing the laughter within him, remembering the first year the twins had come walking through the doors of Hogwarts. He knew as soon as they entered that they would keep him on his toes; never had he ever sent so many letters home to a single parent. "Professor Flitwick and I have discussed this issue at some length, and hopefully we'll figure out how they could possibly perform such advanced charms, when they are only pulling off overage marks in class. That is the one thing that makes me question if it is them. But as it stands now, all other evidence points towards them. But I am sure that I can count on you to keep an open mind as well as eyes for me." He smiled at her.
"Have a good evening, Professor Dumbledore."
"You too Ms. Granger. And could you pass that message onto Mr. Malfoy when you get down the stairs? Good Night."
Hermione stood there shocked for a few seconds. Was Draco really down the stairs, waiting for her. Or was Dumbledore teasing her because he had felt the tension in the air? He couldn't be poking fun at her because Dumbledore was not that kind of man, or was he? She quickly hurried down the stairs to see if Dumbledore was right. She slowed up as she got to the bottom, as not to surprise anyone who could be down there.
She looked out into the empty hallway, Draco had not been waiting for her, Dumbledore had just been making fun. A sigh escaped from her lips, and she caught herself off guard. She had actually been hoping that Draco was waiting for her. She stepped off the bottom stair only to slip on something and fall. She looked over from where she was sitting to find the book that Draco had been reading before the griffin had moved, pushing him over. She sat there in her fallen position, holding onto the book as she felt the pain shooting up her backside; she knew there would definitely be a bruise there tomorrow. She almost felt like crying – today had just been long, tiring and not to mention confusing.
She looked down at the book she was holding, to see what Draco had been reading when she was watching him. She giggled when she read the title The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe. The book looked old and very loved. Hermione had read the series as a young child, and her parents had even let her stay up late one night to watch the BBC production of it on television. She laughed at how when she was a child, not knowing what she was destined to be, that she had hated witches and had said that she would never be fooled by one, like some of the children in the book. From that, Hermione had become who she is, one of the smartest witches out there. She laughed at the memory. "Ouch," she said to herself out loud, her laughter had her shaking, her bottom not appreciating the pressure being put on it.
"Need a hand?"
Hermione looked up into Draco's eyes, having a sense on déjà vue, only the roles had been reversed. She gave him her hand and he helped her up.
"Thanks, Malfoy." Draco simply just smiled at her and gestured for his book back. She looked at him as he cast the Reducio charm on it to make it small once again, and slipped it into his pocket.
"Dumbledore says 'Good evening' to you." Hermione said over her shoulder as she headed down the hallway to start her trip back to the Gryffindor tower.
"Does he now? And what else did our dear, old, Headmaster have to say? Why did he keep you behind? Not writing your essays in the right colour of ink?" Draco said as he caught up to Hermione, walking along side her, stealing some glances at her face as she walked on, trying not to look at him.
"Nothing in particular, I just brought up my concerns about the twins. I personally believe them when they say they didn't do it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm turning that way?" Hermione pointed down the hallway that led to the library. She figured she'd take a detour to the tower and pick something up to read before she went to bed. She picked up her pace as she moved past Draco.
"Granger – do you have a problem with me walking with you? Or are you afraid we'll bump into your two boyfriends? You really should just pick one guy to be with. It's not good to tease."
Hermione stopped in her tracks, Draco bumping into her. She quickly moved aside, glaring at him.
"Granger, you really do have an attitude problem. You would look much prettier if you kept that sour expression off of your face. I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be the nice ones." Draco moved ahead of Hermione and held the library door open for her. Hermione paused and looked at him.
"The Hufflepuffs are the nice ones, Gryffindors are loyal and brave. Are you actually being a gentleman for once, or are you coming in?" Draco smiled at her.
"I'm coming in. You just happened to barge your way in first." As he followed her into the quiet library, only a couple students from Ravenclaw could be seen studying away at the tables. Hermione went in search of a book to read that night.
She walked up and down the aisles in the library, not sure of what she wanted to read. She looked at the titles of the books as she skimmed past them, trying not to think of Draco, who was leaning on one of the shelves reading his book, not even glancing over at her. One minute he'd be insulting or rude to her and then the next second it would almost seem as though he was paying her a compliment. They had only been at school one week and already Draco was bothering her. She figured she could either completely ignore him, which would be impossible, or just see what happens. She then realized that she wasn't even looking at the books anymore, but peeking through the shelves at Draco reading. She shook her head and grabbed the book that was right in front of her, not even looking at what she had grabbed.
She signed the book out and headed out the doors of the library, and decided to wait and see if he came after her. She stood against the wall as he came out of the doors.
"Malfoy, are you following me?" Hermione stepped away from the wall and moved towards Draco.
"And if I am?" He smiled at her, cocking his left eyebrow as he moved closer.
"Then I'd say, if you want to walk with me, you just have to ask. That way I wouldn't have to tell everyone that Draco Malfoy is my stalker." Hermione smiled at him and started to head down the corridor. Draco stood there looking at her as she walked away. This girl was too much for him; one minute she was biting his head off then the next the epitome of perfection. He shivered at that moment as the thought of her being just like him crossed his mind. He shook his head, disagreeing with himself; the two of them were alike but not the same: she did everything because it was good and right, and he did things because he felt like it.
Hermione turned and looked at the confused Draco. "Are you coming?" Draco dashed up beside her and looked at her as she continued on in silence. He looked down and saw the book that she was carrying was A History of Advanced Spells for the Gifted. He shook it off and looked back at her as they did their rounds in complete silence. Nothing needed to be said; they both knew if either of them were to say something it would all be ruined, that them walking together would be awkward and not right, so they just enjoyed each others company in silence, the only way they could enjoy it.
They headed down a torch lit hall; unlike many of the other places in Hogwarts, the walls were bare of any portraits or paintings, but did have windows that looked out onto the school grounds. The night sky was clear, the signs of the zodiac evident. The full moon lighting up the hallway, and yet the two of them were still quiet, not for lack of things to say, but instead silenced by the fear of what they might say.
"Ygraine?" Hermione was startled at the sound of Draco's voice as he broke the silence and looked at the tall girl who was sitting on the ground, headphones in her ears, quill taping on what appeared to be a journal, not even noticing the two Head Students walking towards her. The two of them stood in front of her, watching her tap away to the beat, her eyes closed and the music filling the air with its sound.
Draco reached down and tapped her on the shoulder. Surprisingly enough, to them at least, she did not jump from fright. Ygraine just opened her eyes, looked at them and smiled.
"Evening Draco, how are you? It's Hermione, right? How you doing?" Hermione was surprised that the girl was unsure of who she was, and knew Draco by his first name.
"Yes, it's Hermione. You've got an interesting name, just as I have. Doesn't Ygraine come from Arthurian Legend, mother of King Arthur?"
Ygraine smiled up at her, as not many people had ever been able to place where her name came from.
"Yeah, she's King Arthur's mum. Isn't your name from Shakespeare's The Winter Tale?"
Draco rolled his eyes. He was standing with possibly the two hottest girls in school and they were discussing history and literature. Great, all the school needed was another know-it-all-Granger. Then Draco smiled, as he realized what he had just thought, if Granger was just like him, and Ygraine was like Granger, then put him in a hallway all by himself with the two of them . . . life was looking good.
"So, what are you doing out here anyways? Don't you have a common room to work in?" Draco interrupted. The two girls just ignored him. For five minutes, he stood there looking at the two of them chatter away. They were talking so fast and an insanely intellectual conversation was going on. He himself could hardly follow what they were talking about, but then again, they were female.
"Did your parents prefer the work of Mallory's Le Morte D'Arthur, Tennyson's Idylls of the King, or my personal favorite, Bradley's The Mists of Avalon?"
Draco just stood there. No girl had ever ignored him before and now there were two, right in front of him, doing just that. He couldn't have been happier to be in an empty hallway at night, no other students around to witness this embarrassing event.
"Don't you just hate how our parents named us after mothers rather then heroines?" Hermione asked Ygraine as they started to walk down the hall to head back to the Gryffindor house, leaving Draco behind.
"Yes. That's why I have to live a great and crazy adventurous life – I have to be the heroine this time. Wouldn't you…oops, we forgot Draco. Hey Draco – you coming or are you going to stay there watching our fine asses walk away?
Draco was dazed; had Ygraine just blatantly pointed out to Hermione what he was doing? He had indeed been checking them out as they walked away; who wouldn't? They had beautiful backsides, but he had also been standing there because they had taken off without him. He wasn't used to being forgotten.
He looked back at them, Hermione in her uniform, her robes hiding her potential, but he was able to see what Ygraine had to offer. Her white and maroon muggle sporting shirt with the number 33 on it clung to her body in all the right spots. Her low-rider jeans were just low enough to send Draco's imagination into a spin: a school girl and a sporty girl, what guy wouldn't want to see that in front of him? As he walked to catch up to them, he got a better view of their backsides and noticed the small tattoo on Ygraine's lower back.
"Is that a raven?" Draco asked, pointing towards the intricate Celtic knots that flew off her back.
"It is, nice of you to join us." Ygraine smiled at him.
The three of them walked a long the hallways, Hermione and Draco gave Ygraine the ten cent tour of the school, showing her all of the short cuts to the classrooms, with Draco walking between the two girls.
Ygraine had been able to feel it as they walked around the grounds, the tension that was between Hermione and Draco. The way he kept looking at her when she talked, how she would blush if his hand would accidentally brush up against her. Ygraine had to keep herself from saying something on the matter or laughing because the two of them were acting like total five year olds in a sandbox.
"So did Dumbledore explain his hair to you, Granger?" This had caught Ygraine's attention as she listened in on as they headed up the moving staircases.
"No, he didn't. The pink beard was out there, but I don't understand why his hair was blue. Shouldn't the beard and hair match?"
"His hair was blue? I knew about the pink beard, but blue hair? This school really does have a strange Headmaster," Ygraine said, falling behind as the staircase narrowed.
"Oh, were you not at dinner when Professor Dumbledore showed up? He seemed perfectly calm about the whole situation. The poor Weasley twins, they got blamed for it later. Probably would have had points taken away, but someone did that earlier." Hermione pointed out as she moved ahead, glaring at Draco, as the three of them walked in single file, climbing up the stairs that led to the opposite end of the hallway with the Fat Lady.
"The twins got blamed? Do you know if they did it? I know that George told me that he and his brother do that sort of thing, but would they honestly do something to the Headmaster?"
"No, I don't think they would, but that doesn't really matter with their track record. Apparently, the next time it happens, they'll get detention." Hermione said as the three of them took a seat on one of the old benches that lined the hallway.
"I'd hate to be them,' was all that Ygraine could say as she looked across at the painting of an old man sleeping in his chair, his head propped up by his hand.
"Well, I should be off. Wouldn't want your boyfriends Potter and Weasley Jr. to show up and throw a hissy fit at me being here with you. Night 'Graine, Granger." Draco took off down the hallway, brushing Hermione's leg with his hand as he passed by. The two girls waited long enough for Draco not to be able to see that they were sitting only a few feet away from the Gryffindor entrance.
They walked up to the Fat Lady. "Reflections in the Mist." The two of them said, as they entered the Gryffindor common room.
"He was totally macking on you, Hermione." Ygraine said as she made her way over to the fire.
"He was not!" Hermione protested as she headed after Ygraine to take a seat at the sofa, trying not to raise her voice and draw attention to the two of them. "What's macking?"
"It's a word I learned when traveling around Canada. It means hitting on, or flirting with. Macking on someone. And Draco, was totally hitting on you." Ygraine sat down in front of the fire sticking her hands out towards the flames to warm them.
"Who was hitting on Hermione?" Ron asked as he entered the common room with Harry and Ginny close behind.
"Oh, just this first year we bumped into at the library. You can tell that kid's going be trouble, sucking up to the Head Girl already." Ygraine said, covering for Hermione since she could obviously see the panic within her eyes. She made a mental note to ask why later. The boys joined them and laughed at the false story Ygraine told them, Hermione elaborating pieces into the false stories fire.