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By AmonVera

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING. Harry Potter and related characters belong to JK Rowling.

CHAPTER TWO

"How's your breakfast, Harry?"

"Mmm? Oh…yeah, it's good. Erm…thanks."

"Alright?"

"Yeah, Hermione, great. Why are you acting like Ron's mum all of a sudden?" Ron looked up.

"Eh?" He said, seeming to snap out of a reverie. "What about my mum?"

"Nothing, Ron, except I'm scared that Hermione's going to try and tuck my napkin into my shirt in a minute…maybe knit me a sweater or two…" (Ron's ears turned slightly red.)

"I'm only making sure you're all right! You gave Ron and I a bit of a start this morning, slumped over the desk like that, didn't he, Ron?" Hermione turned to Ron, who wasn't paying any attention to her at all, but gazing in the direction of the Slytherin table.

"Where d'you reckon Malfoy's gone?" he asked, still staring.

"I dunno…I don't recall seeing him all week, actually," Hermione said with a furrowed brow. Harry stared in obvious disbelief at his friends. His expression seemed to scream, "Where exactly is the problem here?!"

"Erm, guys? Are you planning on sending out a search brigade or can we enjoy our luck? Malfoy's gone. This is fantastic!" Harry said with a laugh, vaguely wondering how he had missed Malfoy's absence all this week. The he remembered Sirius… A grin spread across Ron's face and Hermione let a small smile play on her lips before actually breaking out into laughter. Ron suddenly let out a very audible "Whoop!" of joy and Hermione, along with most of the Gryffindors and a good portion of Ravenclaws, jumped, startled.

"I'm not sure how necessary that was, Ron," Hermione said, still laughing. "People are staring…" Ron just grinned, gave a small shrug, and returned to his breakfast. Hermione shook her head and followed suit.

Hair…Lips…Teeth...Eyes. But not the nose. No, the nose was his mother's. Cheeks…they were cold. Or maybe his hands were warm. No, his hands were never warm. Well, then they were both cold…ice, freezing together. His whole body. His whole self. Always just a block of ice. His nose. That was all that differentiated him from his father. Disgusted, Draco sat up from his lying position and placed the silver-handled mirror back on his desk. Feeling the rush of blood flow from his head as he stood up, his vision faded momentarily, as he stood still waiting for the vertigo to pass. He often wondered, just as he did now, why it is, after all the years a person goes through life sitting down and standing back up again, that they're still affected by that momentary black-out, the few brief seconds in which their consciousness ebbs away as they change positions; it would seem that after years of experiencing it, the feeling wouldn't be noticeable anymore, something that they never stopped to ponder about, as natural to them as taking a single breath.

Draco considered it. It appeared the same with other things too…emotional things. Hatred. Enmity. It would seem that one could just go through their day, hating someone and not even having to give the matter thought. But, as likely as it seemed, it wasn't at all so. Not for Draco Malfoy. At times, he'd had to remind himself how intensely he despised the Boy Who Lived. After all, he was the one who'd rejected Draco from the very beginning. To be sure, the boy did turn out to be quite a nuisance. And his friends. Weasley…sickening. Granger…the despicable mudblood bookworm. Full of surprises, though. Draco's thoughts drifted to third year and the sound slap he had earned from her then. He chuckled. You deserved it.

Yes, Potter and his two disciples were rather tiresome…and how anyone could be so barbarically stupid (not to mention dirt poor) and still a pureblood was totally beyond him. But that mudblood. Knows bloody everything. Quite possibly more than I do. But her blood line…He pondered this particular matter as he did so often, the answer always completely escaping him. The girl was so unusual…

A/N: Hm. Dern short chapter. Alright, down to business. In case anyone has been left wondering thus far, YES. This IS a Draco/Hermione fic and if you'll be patient, like all good stories, the plot will be revealed as the story continues. I'm not makin it up as I go along, I promise. It's gonna be gooooood stuff, trust me. Now a review or three would be nice. If I get a lot, I will update quicker!