"Blackbird"
Chapter 2
Around nine-thirty that night, after Hermione and Draco had returned to their common room, Professor McGonagall knocked on the painting outside their common room. "As you both know, the Head Boy and Girl must help the staff patrol the school by doing nightly rounds of the castle." She said as she stepped inside the common room. She looked at the scraps of paper lying on the floor with disgust. Hermione blushed. Professor McGonagall continued. "You will patrol the third floor for two hours every night except on weekends. You will walk together for safety precautions." She looked sternly down at them. "I trust everything will be fine. You will begin tonight at ten and continue until midnight. Any questions?" She switched her eyes back and forth between the pair of them. "No? Good." She exited back through the painting, which had magically closed itself. Both Hermione and Draco simultaneously looked at their watches and groaned. It was already quarter to nine. Without speaking, they each picked up their own textbooks and homework sheets and returned them to their rooms. Silently they headed out of the room and headed to the third floor. After over fifteen minutes of a rather uncomfortable silence, Hermione cracked.
"Will you please SAY SOMETHING?!"
Draco was so stunned by the unsubtle break in silence that he jumped about a foot in the air. He recovered fairly quickly.
"What would you like me to say, Granger? Do you ALWAYS have to keep your mouth moving? Is it like some kind of decease where you just CAN'T stop TALKING?"
Well, for your information, we have been in TOTAL, COMPLETE, SILENCE for the past 32 minutes and 46 seconds."
"What scared, mudblood? Afraid some ghoulie or ghostie's going to get you?" He asked tauntingly. In spite of herself, Hermione laughed. If you were scared of those at Hogwarts, you weren't going to last long.
"So, Malfoy, we might as well keep up a conversation." She stated. "So, what...do you, er, do...over the summer?"
Draco looked at her curiously before answering. "Well, er, I do nothing."
"What's nothing?"
"Well, I basically sit around doing well NOTHING. Get it?"
Hermione shot him a dry look. "Well you can't possibly just stay in that mansion of yours only eating and breathing all summer. I don't suspect you have a TV."
"A what?"
"Never mind." She sighed. "Well, that question was obviously too complicated for you. How 'bout this: do you ever go on vacations? Leave the house? Leave your slaves and ill-treated body guards behind?"
"Watch it, mudblood."
"Well DO you? It's a fair question."
"Christ, you're nosy, Granger." "Ugh. If you just ANSWERED the QUESTION, this wouldn't be such an issue."
"Okay, if it's that easy, I'll ask you." Draco said, hoping that if he asked her questions, she would make long complicated answers, making him stop talking unnecessarily. "So, Granger, what do YOU do over the summer?"
"Oh, nothing much." She said quickly.
"This sounds vaguely familiar..." Draco said, pretending to try and place a similar conversation.
"Oh just shut up, Malfoy. You don't know shit about me." Hermione leaned up against the wall and slid down it, sobbing quietly.
'What the fuck...?' Draco wondered. 'Great plan.' he thought sarcastically. He stood there uncertainly for a moment, then shrugged and slid down the wall next to Hermione. He pulled a cigarette out of his back pocket and lit it with his wand.
"I thought you hated everything to do with muggles." Hermione whispered, watching him roll his eyes at her.
"That's not true, those words never came out of my mouth."
"Whatever." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Shit I'm tired. Do you know that those can kill you?" She said, turning back to Draco.
"Nah, these? They're addictive, and they'll make you happy, but they don't kill you." He said with certainty. After thinking about he said, "Seriously?" "Yeah. That's a cigarette." "No shit, Granger." He smiled as he saw Hermione's eyes roll. "And," he concluded, "It tastes like crap." He took it and put it out with his foot before making it magically disappear with his wand.
"Hmph." Hermione said tiredly.
"Descriptive." said Draco. "Shut up." said Hermione sleepily. After about five minutes of silence, Draco felt Hermione's head fall on his shoulder. She was sound asleep. He instinctively put his arm around her waist while thinking, 'Lovely. Just great. I can't wait until a teacher passes.' He sighed. This night was definitely competing for the weirdest night of his life.
***************************************************
"Miss Granger?" Hermione felt herself being pushed rather roughly. She slowly opened her eyes. Professor Snape was looking down at her with a look of disgust on his face. A sleepy, disheveled, Draco stood next to him, looking sulkily out of the window. Her whole body felt cold and achy. With a jolt, she realized what must have happened.
"Shit." she muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me?" asked Professor Snape coldly, his beetle-like eyes glaring at her.
"I said 'sorry'." Hermione recovered quickly. "I realize what must have happened."
"And what, exactly, DID happen?" Hermione was growing increasingly uncomfortable under Snape's glare.
"Well, isn't it rather obvious?" She snapped. She was not a morning person.
Professor Snape looked outraged.
"What I mean is," Hermione said, realizing that not getting a detention was far out of reach now, "Malfoy and I, we were on patrol of the castle, and we were tired, so we sat down, and well..." She gestured to the floor around her. "We were so tired that we fell asleep." 'Stupid git.' Hermione thought angrily.
"Well, I am pleased to hear that neither you nor Malfoy are lying, as you both said the same story. I am not placing you in detention, for the simple reason that the teachers need you on watch at that time. Though," he added sourly, "we can see what a great job the pair of you do."
Hermione lowered her head and blushed, despite her anger. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Malfoy, follow me. Miss Granger, return to your common room. Professor McGonagall WILL be informed of this." Then, he turned around quickly and headed in the opposite direction with Draco, who looked like he was walking to his death.
AN: Okay, okay, I know this chapter was really short too, but isn't it getting better? Even in the slightest? Please review. More on the way soon.
Chapter 2
Around nine-thirty that night, after Hermione and Draco had returned to their common room, Professor McGonagall knocked on the painting outside their common room. "As you both know, the Head Boy and Girl must help the staff patrol the school by doing nightly rounds of the castle." She said as she stepped inside the common room. She looked at the scraps of paper lying on the floor with disgust. Hermione blushed. Professor McGonagall continued. "You will patrol the third floor for two hours every night except on weekends. You will walk together for safety precautions." She looked sternly down at them. "I trust everything will be fine. You will begin tonight at ten and continue until midnight. Any questions?" She switched her eyes back and forth between the pair of them. "No? Good." She exited back through the painting, which had magically closed itself. Both Hermione and Draco simultaneously looked at their watches and groaned. It was already quarter to nine. Without speaking, they each picked up their own textbooks and homework sheets and returned them to their rooms. Silently they headed out of the room and headed to the third floor. After over fifteen minutes of a rather uncomfortable silence, Hermione cracked.
"Will you please SAY SOMETHING?!"
Draco was so stunned by the unsubtle break in silence that he jumped about a foot in the air. He recovered fairly quickly.
"What would you like me to say, Granger? Do you ALWAYS have to keep your mouth moving? Is it like some kind of decease where you just CAN'T stop TALKING?"
Well, for your information, we have been in TOTAL, COMPLETE, SILENCE for the past 32 minutes and 46 seconds."
"What scared, mudblood? Afraid some ghoulie or ghostie's going to get you?" He asked tauntingly. In spite of herself, Hermione laughed. If you were scared of those at Hogwarts, you weren't going to last long.
"So, Malfoy, we might as well keep up a conversation." She stated. "So, what...do you, er, do...over the summer?"
Draco looked at her curiously before answering. "Well, er, I do nothing."
"What's nothing?"
"Well, I basically sit around doing well NOTHING. Get it?"
Hermione shot him a dry look. "Well you can't possibly just stay in that mansion of yours only eating and breathing all summer. I don't suspect you have a TV."
"A what?"
"Never mind." She sighed. "Well, that question was obviously too complicated for you. How 'bout this: do you ever go on vacations? Leave the house? Leave your slaves and ill-treated body guards behind?"
"Watch it, mudblood."
"Well DO you? It's a fair question."
"Christ, you're nosy, Granger." "Ugh. If you just ANSWERED the QUESTION, this wouldn't be such an issue."
"Okay, if it's that easy, I'll ask you." Draco said, hoping that if he asked her questions, she would make long complicated answers, making him stop talking unnecessarily. "So, Granger, what do YOU do over the summer?"
"Oh, nothing much." She said quickly.
"This sounds vaguely familiar..." Draco said, pretending to try and place a similar conversation.
"Oh just shut up, Malfoy. You don't know shit about me." Hermione leaned up against the wall and slid down it, sobbing quietly.
'What the fuck...?' Draco wondered. 'Great plan.' he thought sarcastically. He stood there uncertainly for a moment, then shrugged and slid down the wall next to Hermione. He pulled a cigarette out of his back pocket and lit it with his wand.
"I thought you hated everything to do with muggles." Hermione whispered, watching him roll his eyes at her.
"That's not true, those words never came out of my mouth."
"Whatever." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Shit I'm tired. Do you know that those can kill you?" She said, turning back to Draco.
"Nah, these? They're addictive, and they'll make you happy, but they don't kill you." He said with certainty. After thinking about he said, "Seriously?" "Yeah. That's a cigarette." "No shit, Granger." He smiled as he saw Hermione's eyes roll. "And," he concluded, "It tastes like crap." He took it and put it out with his foot before making it magically disappear with his wand.
"Hmph." Hermione said tiredly.
"Descriptive." said Draco. "Shut up." said Hermione sleepily. After about five minutes of silence, Draco felt Hermione's head fall on his shoulder. She was sound asleep. He instinctively put his arm around her waist while thinking, 'Lovely. Just great. I can't wait until a teacher passes.' He sighed. This night was definitely competing for the weirdest night of his life.
***************************************************
"Miss Granger?" Hermione felt herself being pushed rather roughly. She slowly opened her eyes. Professor Snape was looking down at her with a look of disgust on his face. A sleepy, disheveled, Draco stood next to him, looking sulkily out of the window. Her whole body felt cold and achy. With a jolt, she realized what must have happened.
"Shit." she muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me?" asked Professor Snape coldly, his beetle-like eyes glaring at her.
"I said 'sorry'." Hermione recovered quickly. "I realize what must have happened."
"And what, exactly, DID happen?" Hermione was growing increasingly uncomfortable under Snape's glare.
"Well, isn't it rather obvious?" She snapped. She was not a morning person.
Professor Snape looked outraged.
"What I mean is," Hermione said, realizing that not getting a detention was far out of reach now, "Malfoy and I, we were on patrol of the castle, and we were tired, so we sat down, and well..." She gestured to the floor around her. "We were so tired that we fell asleep." 'Stupid git.' Hermione thought angrily.
"Well, I am pleased to hear that neither you nor Malfoy are lying, as you both said the same story. I am not placing you in detention, for the simple reason that the teachers need you on watch at that time. Though," he added sourly, "we can see what a great job the pair of you do."
Hermione lowered her head and blushed, despite her anger. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Malfoy, follow me. Miss Granger, return to your common room. Professor McGonagall WILL be informed of this." Then, he turned around quickly and headed in the opposite direction with Draco, who looked like he was walking to his death.
AN: Okay, okay, I know this chapter was really short too, but isn't it getting better? Even in the slightest? Please review. More on the way soon.