by squidward
==============================================
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter and Kareshi Kanojyo no Jijyou (Kare-Kano for short, His and Her Circumstances in English). JK Rowling and GAINAX do though…
=================================================
HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCESFreak's Slave, Love Saved?
"Very good Draco. Ten points for Slytherin," Snape said after Draco recited the properties of Verisaterum. The class watched him with awe and Hermione could distinctly hear Lavender's and Parvati's excited squeals. She saw Draco glanced at her but she quickly looked away – she didn't want to see him smirking at her.
"Now, who can tell me the effects of the Truth serum?" Snape asked bossily and Hermione raised her hand immediately out of habit.
"Good," Snape grunted after Hermione answered his question. He didn't award her any points at all and Hermione heard Ron hissed angrily about Snape being a bias jerk. But Hermione received the same reaction from the class like when Draco recited. They were glancing at her with admiration but that didn't please her at all. Little did they know that she was not a prima donna anymore – she was Draco's slave from now on! She glared at Draco's back with pure disgust. She had to devise a plan on how to escape from him or else her remaining years in Hogwarts would be hell.
Draco didn't give her work last night, just the horrible confirmation that she would be his reliable homework-maker. And she was facing the prospect of meeting him in the Transfiguration classroom every night. If it wasn't a nightmare Hermione didn't know what it was. Draco Malfoy was bad enough for stealing the class representative glory from her without him blackmailing her.
She was relieved when the Potions class was through. She would be attending a Malfoy-free class next and that was a slight improvement in her indescribably terrible day. She still managed to act like she always did, and she was still getting the reaction she wanted from her classmates and teachers so she was somehow relieved. What would she do if this image would crash? She couldn't bear the idea so she had no choice but to become Draco's lapdog.
To Hermione's annoyance the time flew faster than usual and she already found herself eating her dinner. She swallowed the last bite of her pie and stood up. She resisted the temptation of glancing to Slytherin table to check if Malfoy was already leaving too. She marched with dignity out of Great Hall and headed to the deserted Transfiguration room.
She sat on the chair she occupied last night and waited patiently. She had to watch her every move – Malfoy was a dangerous schemer and he might put her into bigger trouble. Her wait didn't last long for after a minute or two Draco was already strutting inside the room carrying piles of parchments with him. The sight made Hermione flinched.
"You're never late, aren't you?" Draco started, "I was still halfway eating my dinner but I already saw you leave so I followed." Hermione didn't answer. It sounded that Malfoy was doing her a favor.
"What's your business with me tonight, anyway?" Hermione said coolly. She knew the answer to her question but she had to ask it to keep herself calm.
Draco slammed the parchments on her desk and smirked. It was slightly fewer than before. "Just need your help with these," he said pointing at his homeworks. Hermione restrained herself from yelling at him. She took the parchment and read it silently.
"These will be just a piece of cake for you," Draco remarked slyly.
"If it will be then for me then it will be a piece of cake for you too," Hermione spat irritably.
"But I'm a busy person. I need someone to help me with these or I'll crack!"
"Well, don't you realize that I'm a busy person too?!"
Draco sneered. Hermione knew he was provoking her and she hated herself for falling for his trap. "I'll wait here while you do them," he said calmly.
Hermione stared at his eyes with courage and defiance. She had to do something…
"I can't believe you could do this to a helpless girl like me!" she blurted in an unusual girlish tone. She looked at him with misty eyes and meek expression, hoping strongly that Malfoy would fall for the bait.
"Crying will not have an effect on me, just start your work now, okay," he replied coldly. The sheep-like Hermione turned into a ballistic tigress and she glared at Draco intently. Draco, watching her sudden change of mood, snorted.
"You're really funny, Granger, but really cute. A pity that act will not work on me."
Hermione gave him one sharp look, pulled a quill out of her pocket and grabbed the parchments angrily. She started scribbling while Malfoy watched her quietly.
"You can do them without referring to your notes?" Malfoy asked.
"Don't disturb me."
"How long have you been doing that?"
"Since I grabbed my quill."
"How long have you been doing that act?"
Hermione looked up at him. He was staring at her curiously and his tone didn't sound offensive. She turned back to her work before answering, "Since I was kindergarten – it's sort of a Muggle preparatory school where little kids learn," she explained hastily seeing Draco's blank look.
"That was years ago then," Draco said, "You've thought about doing that kind of thing since you are little?"
"Sort of. And it's really tiring, you know. I have to keep on guard always," she said proudly.
"You're weird," Draco said, smiling.
"I already know that." It was amazing how she could chat with him that easily. They continued talking like that the whole night, discussing their lives as if they were close friends. And this continued on the following nights.
As days went on their meetings turned into friendly chats. Hermione was still doing Draco's homeworks but they were talking to each other without any worries about public image and the likes. They shared jokes, discussed school issues and other stuffs. They were having a genuine friendly talk, and that made Hermione's work lighter. Since then Hermione's anger towards Draco started to subside and Draco was giving her lesser works.
They acted friendly with each other even in public. Hermione hadn't given up on keeping her image yet so she couldn't laugh loudly at Draco's jokes in classes like when they were in their night meetings, but they still enjoyed each other's company. Hermione felt that for the first time in her life, she finally got a true friend.
She contemplated on this matter during their Charms class, but her trail of thoughts was interrupted when Lavender and Parvati approached her.
"What is it?" Hermione asked sweetly.
"We just wanted to ask you," Parvati began nervously, "are you – er…" Hermione looked at them blankly.
"Don't get mad at us or anything, we just wanted to, er, know," Lavender muttered making Hermione more confused than before.
"Ask me about what?"
"Well, er, are you, uhm, are you and Draco Malfoy going out?"
Hermione stared at Parvati with great incredulity. She felt her face burn. "No, er, we are, er, we are just friends," she explained quickly, seeing the nervous looks on their faces. They both sighed in relief.
"Oh, I'm happy to hear that," Lavender smiled. "I thought you were his girlfriend! We always see you together!"
"Not that you two don't look good together, but you see, loads of girls fancy Draco Malfoy," Parvati said excitedly.
"Well, I hope I already cleared the issue," Hermione said coolly. Lavender and Parvati thanked her and moved away. Hermione sighed. So that was what people were thinking. They thought they were already a couple.
But they were just friends.
"Yeah, friends."
====================================================
Sorry for the late update and a pretty short chap… there's a problem with my PC and with my head. Thank you so much to those who reviewed: Poetic-Mind, Naivety, KaranaBelle (tnx for the corrections!), MysticalSpirits and LilJon (this is DHr, not RHr. Glad to know you read my other fics).
Your opinion matters! Just hit that little GO button there and REVIEW!