**Thank you to my first reviewer! It's really appreciated.
About a month later…
Why I Hate YouI hate the way you annoy me
Draco Malfoy was absolutely shocked as to why Snape chose to display this form of cruel and unusual punishment. Imagine! Him and Granger forced to work on some foolish project. He eyed Granger with complete loathing as she made her way towards his desk.
Before he even got a chance to give her one of his snide comments, she turned to him and said, "Malfoy, let's just get one thing straight. I don't want to work with you just as much as you don't want to work with me. So for once, act like a 17-year old and let's get this stupid project done." Malfoy would have turned red if he didn't have and astronomical amount of self-control. The nerve of that bloody Granger to try to scold him. "First of all," he hissed, "why don't you just shut your mouth. You're telling me to act my age! I do act like a 17-year-old, mudblood. And if I were you, I'd act as if I'm walking on glass, Granger. You do love your parents, don't you?
Draco smirked at the terrified look on Granger's face, but his happiness was short-lived. Granger simply turned around with an annoyingly cheery smile on her face, and just shrugged at him. Draco figured that he might as well get to work, as 15 minutes had already been wasted. As he was chopping his load of spiders, he snuck a look or two at Granger. How annoying, how infuriating, she was. And yet, he couldn't help but notice how rather…er… nice-looking she was. Of course, her looks had nothing to do with her sickening personality. Merlin, it was bad enough she was a wretched mudblood in the wizarding world, but did she have to be pretty while at it?
He quickly snapped out of his thoughts because Granger was calling him. "What?" he snapped. She flinched slightly. "Calm down, Malfoy. I was just asking you to pass me some of your spiders. I'm done with my part and I figured I might as well help you get rid of yours. Jeez, you don't have snap at people for everything." Draco mentally gave himself a kick in the rump. Bookworm-Granger was just trying to help him. Of course, he couldn't go soft and apologize. He couldn't even grudgingly try to pass her his spiders. Draco Malfoy was the symbol of everything rude and wicked and powerful. He'd been so comfortable being this way, why bother changing now?
He quickly glanced at Granger. She had turned her back to him and was reading some book. How he hated her right then more than any other time before. She was the only person he knew who could make him feel bad unwittingly. He returned to his spiders and chopped them as fast as he could. Quickly, he made the potion. Granger was unusually oblivious to everything that was going on. Draco was unusually in a pretty good mood.
Just before the bell rang, Snape collected a sample of Draco and Hermione's potion. Of course, because Draco was part of the project, Snape had nothing bad to say. As how the potion was absolutely perfect, there really was nothing to say. Granger chose to snap out of her reverie when the bell rang and for a moment looked frightened. "Malfoy, what happened to the potion? I can't believe I spaced out like that." Draco smirked. He took a quick glance in Snape's direction. He was heading towards his office. He figured he might as well get some fun out of the day.
"Great going Granger. I tried calling you about a hundred times before I just gave up and tried doing the potion myself. But of course, I didn't have enough time and Professor Snape had to collect what I had." Draco saw the horrified look on Granger's face. "D-did you tell him that I helped you a bit?" "Helped? Granger, please, I'm not really a fan of lying to those who are in a position of authority. After all, as I am a responsible 17-year-old, I simply told him that all you really did was chop up some spiders. As I am one of dear Professor Snape's favorite students, he gave me full marks for my effort." By this time, Draco and Hermione were out of the classroom slowly walking to the Great Hall.
Draco couldn't help but snicker inwardly. The look on Granger's face was so camera-worthy. She looked horror-struck. "And what did he give me?" This was the golden moment. "Well, sorry Granger, but he assumed that you had no interest in helping me get the potion done so he gave you a zero." For some reason, he didn't get the satisfaction he thought he'd get from seeing Granger's reaction. Tears welled up in her eyes almost instantly.
"A-a zero? I can't believe it. You mean to tell me you couldn't tell him that I was doing something?" Draco was shocked. Merlin, he didn't expect her to cry. He sighed. Granger was already walking slowly to the Great Hall. He strode over to her quickly. "Granger relax, I was just joking. I finished the potion, Snape collected it so you can just calm down now." She stopped crying almost instantly. Her face turned red. "Malfoy, that is the last time you try to take advantage of me. I'm sick and tired of you thinking that you can just call me names or play jokes on me."
Draco couldn't help but laugh in her face. "Honestly, Granger. What makes you think you can tell me when the last time for me to do anything is? Oh, this is real classic. The bookworm, mudblood, Granger telling me what to do!" By this time, everyone standing nearby was watching the spectacle Draco was making of himself. He didn't care. "Honestly, Granger, why don't you go somewhere and just die? Save us all of your holier-than-though attitude because even if no one wants to say it, we hate you. Merlin, not even Pothead and Weasel care about their know-it-all friend anymore."
Draco just snapped. These were things that he had wanted to say for such a long time. Maybe if he had a conscience like other people the little voice in his head would tell him that this was overkill. But, he wasn't done yet. He figured if he was going to make a spectacle of himself, he might as well finish it with a grand finale. He grabbed two books out of Granger's hands and held them up to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Hermione Granger's two best friends. Here is Mr. Potions Textbook, and Mr. Transfiguration Textbook. Take a good look, you'll be seeing them a lot!" The crowd roared with laughter.
With a triumphant smile on his face, he turned towards Granger and dropped her books on the floor. The crowd had dispersed within a matter of seconds. Hermione never felt so humiliated in her life. She bent down and picked up her books. She knew that if she spoke, she would burst into tears. "What's the matter Granger? Don't appreciate a good joke? That's really a shame since everyone was having so much fun." Hermione thanked the heavens that most of her hair hid her face, that way Malfoy didn't see the tear that made its solitary journey down her face. She couldn't wipe it off because of the books in her hand. All she wanted to do was go to her bed and have a good cry.
Malfoy was almost on a high. He followed Granger to continue his taunting. "Guess that just goes to show you, maybe you shouldn't try to tell someone who is obviously better that you what to do, right Granger? Right?" Hermione felt like just falling on the floor and crying. But she refused to give Malfoy the satisfaction of seeing her cry. "What's the matter, Granger? Can't talk? Thinking about what I said? About how true it is?" Hermione dropped her books on the floor and turned to Malfoy. "Just shut up Malfoy! Shut up, shut up, shut up shut up! You've done your damage, now just leave me…" Hermione broke down and started crying. "…Alone! Please, I've had enough! You win, alright? Does that make you feel better?" And with that, sobbing and all, she picked up her books and ran the rest of the way to the Gryffindor common room.
Draco was stunned. Perhaps he overdid it a bit. Draco couldn't help but think, "Darn, now she's got me feeling sorry for her." And because of that, Draco hated mudblood Granger more than ever.
Well? What do you think? Please review. The next chapter will be from Draco's point of view again. I'll try to update as often as possible. But with school and everything, it's hard.