IMPRESSIONS chapter fifteen
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, except for stuff you don't recognize.
Summary: An emotionally, physically, and mentally wounded Draco needs someone to help him, whether he wants to admit it or not, after his father lands in Azkaban, his mother is committed to St. Mungo's, and his entire world crumbles. Romance/Angst.
Author's Note: Please review!
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"Miss Granger?" said Snape, walking over to their table. Hermione looked up as the Potions Master's shadow blocked the light. She went crimson; Draco looked merely amused. Hermione hadn't realized that she had no longer been talking in an undertone.
"Professor"- she began.
"Miss Granger, I would advise you to stop any more words from leaving your mouth," said Snape coldly. "I believe that will be ten points from Gryffindor and another detention. Also, the detention for the library incident will take place tonight." He began to turn away but swiveled to face Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, Professor McGonagall informed me that your detention was to be served tonight as well. Report here with Miss Granger"- he paused to twist his lips into a leer – "at seven o'clock."
"Yes, Professor," said Malfoy, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair unconcernedly.
"And you?" said Snape to Hermione.
"Yes, Professor," she whispered meekly, still a violent shade of red.
"Now, as I was saying, the Aphelas Potion is very complicated…"
"Nice job, Hermione. Isn't that thirty points you've lost us?" said Ron spitefully once class was over.
Hermione ignored him and marched straight past, refusing to let the redhead see her eyes filled with tears.
"Fine, go and snog Malfoy!" shouted Ron, losing his head as she rounded the corner.
"Cool it, Weasley…" Malfoy drawled, sauntering out of the classroom to sneer at the lanky boy. "Like I would snog a mudblood."
"You did before!" said Ron angrily.
Malfoy smirked. "Oh, yes, I forgot. Whoops."
"What have you got in for her?" asked Harry quietly, keeping his tone under strict control.
"Whatever do you mean, Pothead?" asked Malfoy innocently. "Still angry over the Quidditch match?"
Harry ignored the barb about his loss to Malfoy. "What are you pulling with Hermione?" he asked again, slowly and precisely.
"Oh, Granger!" said Malfoy, pretending to just realize whom they were talking about. "Yeah, her. Fantastic kisser," he added, leering at Ron, who went quite purple and launched himself towards the Slytherin, drawing his wand.
Malfoy neatly stepped away and Ron stumbled, falling to the floor. He snickered. "Really, Weasley, I know you worship me, but isn't groveling a bit much? Although…" he began thoughtfully. "I suppose you're really just a beggar."
Ron, if possible went even more scarlet as he stood. "You want me to do that nice little spell I did in the library?" he spat.
Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "Was that the best you could do?" he asked. "Oh, you just want to see me do some more Dark Magic, right?"
Ron's near-suffocation was still fresh in his memory, and he paled somewhat. "Look, Malfoy, all we want to know is what your deal is with Hermione," said Harry, grabbing Ron's arm so that he wouldn't beat the silver-blond into pulp.
Malfoy shrugged. "That's for me to know," he said, turning away and strolling down the hall.
Ron's eyes bulged and he bellowed a rather violent swearword after him, for which Professor Snape, who happened to hear it, docked five points off of Gryffindor.
After classes, Draco walked into the Room of Requirement to gather the things he had collected during his stay and found Hermione standing with balled fists and eyes blazing. "What was that about?" she shrieked.
Draco winced. "Bloody hell, what are you on about?" he muttered, irritated.
"The cauldron comment! Do you know what people are going to think of me?" she shouted at him.
Draco smirked. "I thought it was funny. Besides, I was just trying to annoy those stupid Gryffindors. Aren't you mad at Potter and Weasley?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Well – yes, but no!" said Hermione. "They're my friends, okay? And I don't want to give them another reason to be mad at me!"
Draco looked mildly puzzled. "Why are you so concerned with what everybody else thinks?" he inquired lightly.
"What are you talking about?" asked Hermione wearily, running a hand through her thick curls.
"You're worried that people are going to think you slept with me. Why does it bother you?"
She looked at him like he was insane. "I don't want people to think I'm a whore!" she said, scandalized.
"Why does it matter what they think?" asked Draco, crossing his arms and keeping his face expressionless. "If I cared what they thought, there's no way I would have said the thing about the cauldron. Or sat with you."
"But…" Hermione seemed to be struggling for words. "Don't you mind if people think you're… I don't know, a Death Eater? People do, you know," she said seriously.
His eyes darkened, and the amused demeanor disappeared. "I'm not. That's good enough for me."
"But you got so angry at me when I called you"-
He stalked towards her and clenched her arm. "Shut up," he hissed.
"See, you do care!" said Hermione triumphantly.
He relaxed his hold. "Are you going to help me with this translation?" he asked blandly.
"What?" she was temporarily confused by his abrupt change of subject. "Oh, the book of Runes. Yes, I would, normally"- she glared at him – "But I have two detentions to serve tonight."
Draco fought a smirk. "Right, well, I'll see you at seven o'clock, bookworm," he sang out.
She glowered. "I am not a bookworm. I hate it when people call me that."
His evil grin broadened. "Exactly. You care way too much what people think."
She found nothing to say to that and he summoned his things without another word, leaving the room – and her- quietly.
"Ah, Miss Granger. You decided to show up," said Snape as Hermione rushed into the dungeon breathlessly.
"Sorry, Professor, I"-
"I don't want to hear excuses. Brew a Pepper-Up Potion for this hour, Madam Pomfrey has run out of stock. When Mr. Malfoy arrives, I will give you your instructions," said Snape coolly. "Begin."
Hermione nodded and went to the storeroom to collect the necessary ingredients for the basic draft.
"Professor, I made five pints," said Hermione, wiping sweat from her brow and handing the Potions Master the bottle of crimson liquid.
"Very well," said Snape, leaning down to observe the rather thick potion more closely. "It appears to be correct," he muttered.
"Am I late?" asked a fresh voice.
Snape raised his head and Hermione looked towards the door to see Draco walk in wearing just the school uniform, not the robes.
"No," said Snape shortly. "Your task will be to grade first and second-year essays for the next hour. I expect them all to be done in an unbiased manner. If you have any questions, do not bother me, but instead look up the answers," said Snape briskly. "I will be in my workroom," he said, sweeping out of the room without further adieu.
Hermione looked despairingly at the pile of parchments Snape had indicated. "We have to grade those?" she whimpered.
Draco stalked towards a desk and jerked a few of the scrolls to him. "This is ridiculous, they can hardly write," he said, raising his eyebrows at the messily written papers.
Hermione trudged over to a desk. "What is your detention for, anyway?" she asked.
Draco smirked. "I used shadowy magic on Weasley," he said airily. "McGonagall overreacted, of course."
'"Shadowy' as in Dark Magic?" asked Hermione, narrowing her eyes at the pale Slytherin. "On Ron?"
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "It wasn't that Dark. Anyway, the Weasel started it," he said, conjuring a quill and red ink with his wand.
"So what if Ron started it?" said Hermione furiously. "You can't use Dark Magic!"
"Of course I can. It's all a matter of if I'm allowed to," said Draco seriously. "It's really not that bad. They're like regular curses," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just harder."
"But"- Hermione stuttered. "It's bad," she squeaked out.
Draco observed her coolly. "Look, Grange- Hermione, I mean, calm down. Weasley's fine, isn't he?"
"What did Ron do, anyway?" asked Hermione irritably as she conjured another quill and dipped it into Draco's ink.
Draco shrugged. "
"He was angry I kissed you, threatened to kill me. The usual, really," said Draco in a bored voice.
Hermione snorted. "Ron is just…" she sighed.
"Extremely jealous?" offered Draco. He made a face. "Look at this, the idiot said, 'The properties of minkwort and watercress are the same, and can be substituted for each other.' Honestly," said Draco, dipping his quill into the red ink and scrawling a big 'twenty out of sixty' on the top of the page.
Hermione was staring at him in disbelief. "Ron is not jealous!" she managed finally.
"Of course he is. Are you blind?" asked Draco coolly. "He's been lovesick over you since… third year, I expect.
Hermione blanched. "You're crazy. Ron would never like me."
"Then why is he so angry that you kissed me?" Draco countered.
"I did not! You kissed me!" said Hermione indignantly.
"Well, you enjoyed it nonetheless," said Draco nonchalantly.
Hermione sputtered, "You're so bloody arrogant!"
He smirked. "It's one of my charms. I happen to be extraordinarily modest as well," he said.
Hermione gaped at him for a minute and slowly began to laugh.
Draco looked up at her. "What?"
At this, the Gryffindor only laughed harder.
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Author's Note: Yes, finally! It took forever for me to get up to detention… You'll notice that this chapter was longer than the others; I tried to make it so. Let me see… Wow, I got 21 more reviews since last chapter. I'm so thankful! And I swear: Next chapter: the genre 'romance' will come into play just a tad more…
Thank you…Amsev Lucidity Shi-Sha Ms. Lit Artholien Lover Del Dragon Catmint Ladie-giggles Geni5 siriuslyafanficaddict Poztcardz205pean Tenken no Miko Lady Jade Green Spo Falling_ice_star Hakusho009 Strega Brava Pyroprincess4rmeverwood Dracowar Remorseful Passion Stardrops Karen
That's all for now. Thanks, everyone!
Ar-Zimraphel