Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters or
settings in this fanfiction. Unfortunately that also includes Draco
Malfoy...but I own the plot.
The Library, she couldn't think of any other place that would be safe enough to hide from the three of them. She started walking briskly to her new destination. When the library doors were in view, she sprinted and didn't stop running until she had slammed the library door harshly behind her, she was breathing heavily.
There were several students who were staring at her quite bewildered by her strange behaviour.
"What are you looking at?" she snapped.
Immediately the students resumed what they were doing but whispering in harsh voices. She didn't care though; she tugged her shirt and composed herself then headed towards the farthest corner from the door slightly more dignified.
She found a secluded table then rushed over and took a seat staring at the other empty seats around her. She lowered her head then picked casually at some dirt in her fingernail. Feeling extremely silly for sitting there alone with no books, she thought about sneaking into the Gryffindor Tower and grabbing some homework to work on for the rest of the night. 'Wait, I already finished it all' she snorted, 'Plus, it would be too risky.'
She suddenly felt quite ashamed of herself. This was not part of the plan. What else was she supposed to do? Simply make him carry on? Of course not. But why wasn't she fighting back? It'd be too suspicious. Have they noticed? Most likely.
The night came crawling back into her memory. It was the last summer night, since then the weather had been growing colder, days were getting darker. The next morning had been a handful; Harry and Ron were attacking her with questions from left and right.
"Just leave it, he thinks he's God's gift to women. Nothing but a filthy, foul blonde git," she'd tell them.
It had worked the first few times, but after it was no longer effective. The encounters were becoming more and more frequent and they were inevitable. He was everywhere.
"Lavender! Have you seen Hermione?" she was snapped out of her thoughts, 'Oh no.'
"Yeah, acted a little odd if you ask me," answered Lavender.
"Well, where did she go?" Harry asked again.
"Somewhere down there," Hermione grabbed the closest book and hid her face behind it, 'No, no, no, no, no!'
She realized her defeat when she sensed a seat on either side of her shuffled by their new occupants.
"'Mione, what are you doing all the way back here?" Ron asked, and then paused, "And why are you reading '10 Ways to Defend Yourself From What's Under Your Bed'? And you're -,"
"Dust bunnies," Hermione said quickly.
"Right, well why are you reading it upside down?" he asked, his eyebrow rose.
She looked at the pages in front of her, they were upside down. She cursed under her breath, then slammed the book closed and shoved it across the table. "It was on the floor open, so I picked it up. Disgusting how some people treat books isn't it?"
Ron eyed her suspiciously. She felt her face growing hot, 'I really got to work on coming up with better excuses,' she thought. Trying not to look at Ron she turned to Harry, but it was none the better. He had never looked at her that way before. He seemed frustrated and confused.
"Is there anything wrong Hermione?" he asked.
"Harry," she looked at him pleadingly, begging him to understand, "I told you I need to sort things out, I-,"
"Damn it Hermione! It's been a month! What is it you're hiding from us!?" Hermione jumped in her seat, it was a sharp whisper but it was deafening.
"It's nothing," she mumbled.
"Nothing? Nothing to do with Malfoy either?" Ron asked this time.
Hermione turned to him feeling slightly petrified, her usual excuse won't work this time and she knew it. "Malfoy? Ron, I honestly don't know where you're getting such rubbish but -,"
"Well, strange isn't it Hermione? These encounters you have with him, a little friendly aren't they?"
"What are you getting at Ron?"
"What's going on between you and Malfoy?"
Hermione snorted this time, a little too loudly though, "There is nothing going on between me and Malfoy. What do you take me for?" she looked at both of them sharply, "Do you honestly think I have been sneaking around snogging Draco Malfoy?"
"Have you?" Ron asked looking straight into her eyes.
She stared back, speechless. 'It's true, though, isn't it?' teased a voice in her head. 'No it's not,' she answered it. She was not regularly lip locking with him. 'What about that night up in the astronomy tower?'
She shook her head and looked back at Harry. He was rubbing his forehead and opened his eyes when he sensed her staring at him.
"Hermione, we're not accusing you for anything," he said calmly, "But there must be a reason for your behaviour, I mean you -,"
"I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this Harry," she snapped.
"Big deal?" he asked in disbelief, "Hermione you've left me in utter confusion for the past month I think me and Ron have every right to know what's going on, we're only trying to help you...protect you."
This had finally hit a nerve, Hermione glared at him menacingly, "Protect me!? Do you think I can't fend for myself!?" she now stood up and daggers were shooting out of her eyes towards both boys, "I'm not some helpless little girl!"
Many heads were turning towards her direction. People were getting up to see what was going on. Once again she didn't care, she was outraged.
"Well, I don't want your help! It is none of your business what is going on with my life! Leave me alone!" she shrieked.
Madame Pince hurried over to the table looking quite revolted, "Miss Granger!" she hissed, "May you please lower your voice down or I will be forced to throw you out of the library!"
"That's perfectly fine, I was leaving anyway," Hermione said more calmly she turned to the guys. Harry had walked over to the window and Ron was staring at his hands as if asking them for answers. "I'm taking this with me," she said and grabbed '10 Ways to Defend Yourself From What's Under Your Bed' and stormed out the library.
She had never felt so low before. She was walking aimlessly clutching the book in her hands. It was the second fight this year she's had with them and it's only been two months. They had also both been on the same topic. None of this would've happened if she could've understood why Malfoy was acting this way. What did he want from her? For once in her life, she didn't have the slightest clue, not even a crazy and completely uneducated guess. 'Well it's stopping here,' she thought. She was going to find him and when she did, 'He's going to get it.'
She continued walking around the castle looking for him. For once, he was nowhere to be found. She snorted, this was ridiculous. All month, everywhere she looked, he was right there, but now it was a mystery where his whereabouts could be.
That's when Lupin's words repeated themselves in her head, 'Very cunning creatures dragons are, but have predictable habits, they usually like to revisit their hunting grounds.' Of course, the astronomy tower.
She ran up the stairs and when she reached the top, the balcony was deserted. 'I can't believe this,' she thought angrily and walked back down. She dropped herself on the last step when she reached the bottom.
"That loathsome, intolerable, useless, worthless, evil-,"
"Panties in a twist, Granger?"
"You!" she cried.
The Library, she couldn't think of any other place that would be safe enough to hide from the three of them. She started walking briskly to her new destination. When the library doors were in view, she sprinted and didn't stop running until she had slammed the library door harshly behind her, she was breathing heavily.
There were several students who were staring at her quite bewildered by her strange behaviour.
"What are you looking at?" she snapped.
Immediately the students resumed what they were doing but whispering in harsh voices. She didn't care though; she tugged her shirt and composed herself then headed towards the farthest corner from the door slightly more dignified.
She found a secluded table then rushed over and took a seat staring at the other empty seats around her. She lowered her head then picked casually at some dirt in her fingernail. Feeling extremely silly for sitting there alone with no books, she thought about sneaking into the Gryffindor Tower and grabbing some homework to work on for the rest of the night. 'Wait, I already finished it all' she snorted, 'Plus, it would be too risky.'
She suddenly felt quite ashamed of herself. This was not part of the plan. What else was she supposed to do? Simply make him carry on? Of course not. But why wasn't she fighting back? It'd be too suspicious. Have they noticed? Most likely.
The night came crawling back into her memory. It was the last summer night, since then the weather had been growing colder, days were getting darker. The next morning had been a handful; Harry and Ron were attacking her with questions from left and right.
"Just leave it, he thinks he's God's gift to women. Nothing but a filthy, foul blonde git," she'd tell them.
It had worked the first few times, but after it was no longer effective. The encounters were becoming more and more frequent and they were inevitable. He was everywhere.
"Lavender! Have you seen Hermione?" she was snapped out of her thoughts, 'Oh no.'
"Yeah, acted a little odd if you ask me," answered Lavender.
"Well, where did she go?" Harry asked again.
"Somewhere down there," Hermione grabbed the closest book and hid her face behind it, 'No, no, no, no, no!'
She realized her defeat when she sensed a seat on either side of her shuffled by their new occupants.
"'Mione, what are you doing all the way back here?" Ron asked, and then paused, "And why are you reading '10 Ways to Defend Yourself From What's Under Your Bed'? And you're -,"
"Dust bunnies," Hermione said quickly.
"Right, well why are you reading it upside down?" he asked, his eyebrow rose.
She looked at the pages in front of her, they were upside down. She cursed under her breath, then slammed the book closed and shoved it across the table. "It was on the floor open, so I picked it up. Disgusting how some people treat books isn't it?"
Ron eyed her suspiciously. She felt her face growing hot, 'I really got to work on coming up with better excuses,' she thought. Trying not to look at Ron she turned to Harry, but it was none the better. He had never looked at her that way before. He seemed frustrated and confused.
"Is there anything wrong Hermione?" he asked.
"Harry," she looked at him pleadingly, begging him to understand, "I told you I need to sort things out, I-,"
"Damn it Hermione! It's been a month! What is it you're hiding from us!?" Hermione jumped in her seat, it was a sharp whisper but it was deafening.
"It's nothing," she mumbled.
"Nothing? Nothing to do with Malfoy either?" Ron asked this time.
Hermione turned to him feeling slightly petrified, her usual excuse won't work this time and she knew it. "Malfoy? Ron, I honestly don't know where you're getting such rubbish but -,"
"Well, strange isn't it Hermione? These encounters you have with him, a little friendly aren't they?"
"What are you getting at Ron?"
"What's going on between you and Malfoy?"
Hermione snorted this time, a little too loudly though, "There is nothing going on between me and Malfoy. What do you take me for?" she looked at both of them sharply, "Do you honestly think I have been sneaking around snogging Draco Malfoy?"
"Have you?" Ron asked looking straight into her eyes.
She stared back, speechless. 'It's true, though, isn't it?' teased a voice in her head. 'No it's not,' she answered it. She was not regularly lip locking with him. 'What about that night up in the astronomy tower?'
She shook her head and looked back at Harry. He was rubbing his forehead and opened his eyes when he sensed her staring at him.
"Hermione, we're not accusing you for anything," he said calmly, "But there must be a reason for your behaviour, I mean you -,"
"I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this Harry," she snapped.
"Big deal?" he asked in disbelief, "Hermione you've left me in utter confusion for the past month I think me and Ron have every right to know what's going on, we're only trying to help you...protect you."
This had finally hit a nerve, Hermione glared at him menacingly, "Protect me!? Do you think I can't fend for myself!?" she now stood up and daggers were shooting out of her eyes towards both boys, "I'm not some helpless little girl!"
Many heads were turning towards her direction. People were getting up to see what was going on. Once again she didn't care, she was outraged.
"Well, I don't want your help! It is none of your business what is going on with my life! Leave me alone!" she shrieked.
Madame Pince hurried over to the table looking quite revolted, "Miss Granger!" she hissed, "May you please lower your voice down or I will be forced to throw you out of the library!"
"That's perfectly fine, I was leaving anyway," Hermione said more calmly she turned to the guys. Harry had walked over to the window and Ron was staring at his hands as if asking them for answers. "I'm taking this with me," she said and grabbed '10 Ways to Defend Yourself From What's Under Your Bed' and stormed out the library.
She had never felt so low before. She was walking aimlessly clutching the book in her hands. It was the second fight this year she's had with them and it's only been two months. They had also both been on the same topic. None of this would've happened if she could've understood why Malfoy was acting this way. What did he want from her? For once in her life, she didn't have the slightest clue, not even a crazy and completely uneducated guess. 'Well it's stopping here,' she thought. She was going to find him and when she did, 'He's going to get it.'
She continued walking around the castle looking for him. For once, he was nowhere to be found. She snorted, this was ridiculous. All month, everywhere she looked, he was right there, but now it was a mystery where his whereabouts could be.
That's when Lupin's words repeated themselves in her head, 'Very cunning creatures dragons are, but have predictable habits, they usually like to revisit their hunting grounds.' Of course, the astronomy tower.
She ran up the stairs and when she reached the top, the balcony was deserted. 'I can't believe this,' she thought angrily and walked back down. She dropped herself on the last step when she reached the bottom.
"That loathsome, intolerable, useless, worthless, evil-,"
"Panties in a twist, Granger?"
"You!" she cried.