"Watch it, Mudblood," Draco quipped, putting his hands on Hermione's
arms to steady her. He looked down at her in time to see a tear slide down
her cheek. "Whoa, everything okay?" He asked. Hermione looked up at him, to
check if he was as sincere as he sounded. He caught himself just then.
"Have a falling out with Potty?"
"Let go of me, Malfoy," Hermione warned, jerking away from him. "And you should really cut it out with the mudblood crap, you never know who might actually be muggle-born," she tried to scold him calmly.
"No one that matters is," Draco growled. Hermione gasped at his bluntness, and ran down the hall. She'd been tempted to ask him if Pansy had mattered to him at all, but knew he'd make the connection.
"Hermione?" A girl's voice called after her. "Go on, I'll catch up" the girl said to her friends. "Hermione, are you alright?" It was Pansy. "Here," Pansy handed Hermione a tissue. "Let's go somewhere where we can talk."
* * *
Draco walked across the courtyard to where Breena was waiting under a statue of Slytherin. She smiled at him, and he kneeled at her side and kissed her hand before sitting down next to her. He looked around the courtyard at the other students and caught sight of Ron and Sorcha.
"Looks like that worthless Weasley's got himself a girlfriend. Funny, I don't recognize her," he commented. Breena followed his gaze to where her sister was sitting with Ron.
"Oh my gosh!" Breena exclaimed, recognizing her sister. "I mean, how did he ever manage to get her? She's too good for him, look at her!" Breena was furious. Not only did her sister not look anything like herself anymore, but she was associating with that muggle-lover. Draco seemed amused with her frustration.
"My my, aren't we wound up?" He teased. She was still glowering at the two. "You're absolutely adorable when you're angry," he whispered in her ear, and began nibbling at it affectionately. Breena pushed him away and stormed across the courtyard. Sorcha and Ron looked up at her at she approached.
"Can I have a word with you?" Breena spat at her sister. "Now?" She insisted, almost dragging her out of the courtyard.
* * *
"Come on, Hermione, spill," Pansy insisted. She and Hermione were sitting cross-legged in the girl's bathroom.
"Yes, we insist," Myrtle cooed, sweeping down to hover next to the two girls.
"It's so silly, really," Hermione began. She wiped her eyes again. "It's just that, Harry and Ron are so stuck on physical beauty, they can't see past how someone appears on the surface, no matter how nice someone might be. And I'm really not very pretty," Hermione confessed her fear to Pansy.
"Oh, Hermione, you're really not all that unfortunate looking!" Pansy scolded. "You could use a good deep conditioner, and maybe some eyeliner, but really, you're certainly not unattractive."
"I just, I never can compare to all the other girls. Ron's completely taken with that stupid Sorcha girl, and it's all because of her perky boobs and shiny hair."
"So you have a thing for Weasley, huh?" Pansy mused. Hermione looked horrified.
"Oh no, not Ron, we're too good of friends," Hermione corrected. "I don't have anyone in mind, I'd just rather not sit there and listen to them complain about perfectly normal-looking girls."
"Tell you what, Hermione," Pansy said. "Wait here. I'll be right back," Pansy instructed leaving the bathroom. Hermione sat on a sink and listened while Myrtle talked about the kids who teased her while she was at school. Finally Myrtle got so distraught at her recollections she had to leave. Hermione sighed. It was almost more settling to be by herself. She certainly preferred the quiet.
"I'm back!" Pansy bubbled, coming into the room with a huge basket. Hermione's eyes grew wide as she saw all that Pansy had in store for her.
* * *
"No one runs out on a Malfoy," Draco growled as he held tightly to Breena's arm. He led her through the Slytherin common room up to his dorm where he locked the door. He pushed her so she stumbled across the room.
"Ouch," Breena cried, rubbing her arm. "That hurt."
"Good," Draco hissed. "I was humiliated."
"I said I was sorry," Breena pleaded. Draco shook his head.
"Sorry isn't enough. Everyone saw you pull away from me. I can't have my reputation threatened like that," He scolded fiercely.
"I don't know what you want me to do about it now," She muttered. Draco was pacing back and forth in front of her, thinking. "Besides, it's not like the whole school was watching. There were probably only five or six other people in the courtyard," she added.
"Who is she?" Draco asked. Breena winced. She had wished to keep her sister unassociated. It wasn't that she was ashamed, it was just very difficult to explain.
"My sister," she confessed. "We're really identical twins, but in order to avoid the confusion over why we were sorted into different houses, Dumbledore lets her bewitch her image."
"That explains a lot," he said. "I wondered why you were so upset about her relationship with Weasley."
"Not only that, but she completely changed her appearance, I could barely recognize her. Before she just changed her hair color slightly and her complexion, but this is a big difference," Breena had to tell someone why she was so upset with her sister, especially since she couldn't bring herself to tell her sister. Neither twin had wanted to be the one to change her appearance, so Breena had sweet-talked Sorcha into being the one. Breena didn't feel she could rightfully scold Sorcha about changing herself. Draco didn't seem as interested in this, but she could tell he was listening.
"Just don't run out on me again. I like to make a scene, but one that looks favorably on me," He teased. Breena shrugged and looked at her hands. "Hey, I'm sorry I hurt you," he apologized. "I inherited my father's temper," he admitted. Breena smiled a little. "That's better," Draco smiled at her. "You know I would never intentionally hurt you, right?" he asked. She nodded. "Good," he said, looking at his watch. "Dinnertime," he announced, helping her to her feet. "You know I meant what I said earlier," he told her.
"What was that?" She asked, walking to the door with him.
"You really are adorable when you're angry," He told her, softly stroking her cheek. She smiled at him, her eyes shining. Draco leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.
Breena could almost feel her insides melting, and she put her arms around Draco for support. He wrapped his arms around her, returning her embrace. He broke the kiss, and looked into her eyes. He could see that the rush of emotion they had felt had surprised her as much as it had surprised him.
"I don't know what just happened there," he admitted, "but I would hate for it to stop there," he told her. Breena could only nod in agreement.
* * *
"Hermione Granger, prepare to be dazzled," Pansy announced, pulling the towel off Hermione's shoulders. Myrtle nodded her approval, and Hermione spun to look at herself in the mirror.
"Oh my Gosh, Pansy, that's absolutely incredible!" Hermione exclaimed. Her hair was straight and shiny, and her makeup looked amazing. Pansy had put on a light eyeliner and some lip gloss. "I barely even recognize myself," Hermione admitted. "And it was ever so easy."
"Ten minutes everyday, tops," Pansy agreed. "Really, Hermione, you're almost perfect as it is."
"Thank you so much, Pansy," Hermione gushed. She gave the girl a hug, and they headed down to the Great Hall together. Hermione had to admit that she might have had a hard time liking Pansy before, but now that she had gotten to know her better, she really enjoyed her company. They might even be, well, friends.
"Let go of me, Malfoy," Hermione warned, jerking away from him. "And you should really cut it out with the mudblood crap, you never know who might actually be muggle-born," she tried to scold him calmly.
"No one that matters is," Draco growled. Hermione gasped at his bluntness, and ran down the hall. She'd been tempted to ask him if Pansy had mattered to him at all, but knew he'd make the connection.
"Hermione?" A girl's voice called after her. "Go on, I'll catch up" the girl said to her friends. "Hermione, are you alright?" It was Pansy. "Here," Pansy handed Hermione a tissue. "Let's go somewhere where we can talk."
* * *
Draco walked across the courtyard to where Breena was waiting under a statue of Slytherin. She smiled at him, and he kneeled at her side and kissed her hand before sitting down next to her. He looked around the courtyard at the other students and caught sight of Ron and Sorcha.
"Looks like that worthless Weasley's got himself a girlfriend. Funny, I don't recognize her," he commented. Breena followed his gaze to where her sister was sitting with Ron.
"Oh my gosh!" Breena exclaimed, recognizing her sister. "I mean, how did he ever manage to get her? She's too good for him, look at her!" Breena was furious. Not only did her sister not look anything like herself anymore, but she was associating with that muggle-lover. Draco seemed amused with her frustration.
"My my, aren't we wound up?" He teased. She was still glowering at the two. "You're absolutely adorable when you're angry," he whispered in her ear, and began nibbling at it affectionately. Breena pushed him away and stormed across the courtyard. Sorcha and Ron looked up at her at she approached.
"Can I have a word with you?" Breena spat at her sister. "Now?" She insisted, almost dragging her out of the courtyard.
* * *
"Come on, Hermione, spill," Pansy insisted. She and Hermione were sitting cross-legged in the girl's bathroom.
"Yes, we insist," Myrtle cooed, sweeping down to hover next to the two girls.
"It's so silly, really," Hermione began. She wiped her eyes again. "It's just that, Harry and Ron are so stuck on physical beauty, they can't see past how someone appears on the surface, no matter how nice someone might be. And I'm really not very pretty," Hermione confessed her fear to Pansy.
"Oh, Hermione, you're really not all that unfortunate looking!" Pansy scolded. "You could use a good deep conditioner, and maybe some eyeliner, but really, you're certainly not unattractive."
"I just, I never can compare to all the other girls. Ron's completely taken with that stupid Sorcha girl, and it's all because of her perky boobs and shiny hair."
"So you have a thing for Weasley, huh?" Pansy mused. Hermione looked horrified.
"Oh no, not Ron, we're too good of friends," Hermione corrected. "I don't have anyone in mind, I'd just rather not sit there and listen to them complain about perfectly normal-looking girls."
"Tell you what, Hermione," Pansy said. "Wait here. I'll be right back," Pansy instructed leaving the bathroom. Hermione sat on a sink and listened while Myrtle talked about the kids who teased her while she was at school. Finally Myrtle got so distraught at her recollections she had to leave. Hermione sighed. It was almost more settling to be by herself. She certainly preferred the quiet.
"I'm back!" Pansy bubbled, coming into the room with a huge basket. Hermione's eyes grew wide as she saw all that Pansy had in store for her.
* * *
"No one runs out on a Malfoy," Draco growled as he held tightly to Breena's arm. He led her through the Slytherin common room up to his dorm where he locked the door. He pushed her so she stumbled across the room.
"Ouch," Breena cried, rubbing her arm. "That hurt."
"Good," Draco hissed. "I was humiliated."
"I said I was sorry," Breena pleaded. Draco shook his head.
"Sorry isn't enough. Everyone saw you pull away from me. I can't have my reputation threatened like that," He scolded fiercely.
"I don't know what you want me to do about it now," She muttered. Draco was pacing back and forth in front of her, thinking. "Besides, it's not like the whole school was watching. There were probably only five or six other people in the courtyard," she added.
"Who is she?" Draco asked. Breena winced. She had wished to keep her sister unassociated. It wasn't that she was ashamed, it was just very difficult to explain.
"My sister," she confessed. "We're really identical twins, but in order to avoid the confusion over why we were sorted into different houses, Dumbledore lets her bewitch her image."
"That explains a lot," he said. "I wondered why you were so upset about her relationship with Weasley."
"Not only that, but she completely changed her appearance, I could barely recognize her. Before she just changed her hair color slightly and her complexion, but this is a big difference," Breena had to tell someone why she was so upset with her sister, especially since she couldn't bring herself to tell her sister. Neither twin had wanted to be the one to change her appearance, so Breena had sweet-talked Sorcha into being the one. Breena didn't feel she could rightfully scold Sorcha about changing herself. Draco didn't seem as interested in this, but she could tell he was listening.
"Just don't run out on me again. I like to make a scene, but one that looks favorably on me," He teased. Breena shrugged and looked at her hands. "Hey, I'm sorry I hurt you," he apologized. "I inherited my father's temper," he admitted. Breena smiled a little. "That's better," Draco smiled at her. "You know I would never intentionally hurt you, right?" he asked. She nodded. "Good," he said, looking at his watch. "Dinnertime," he announced, helping her to her feet. "You know I meant what I said earlier," he told her.
"What was that?" She asked, walking to the door with him.
"You really are adorable when you're angry," He told her, softly stroking her cheek. She smiled at him, her eyes shining. Draco leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.
Breena could almost feel her insides melting, and she put her arms around Draco for support. He wrapped his arms around her, returning her embrace. He broke the kiss, and looked into her eyes. He could see that the rush of emotion they had felt had surprised her as much as it had surprised him.
"I don't know what just happened there," he admitted, "but I would hate for it to stop there," he told her. Breena could only nod in agreement.
* * *
"Hermione Granger, prepare to be dazzled," Pansy announced, pulling the towel off Hermione's shoulders. Myrtle nodded her approval, and Hermione spun to look at herself in the mirror.
"Oh my Gosh, Pansy, that's absolutely incredible!" Hermione exclaimed. Her hair was straight and shiny, and her makeup looked amazing. Pansy had put on a light eyeliner and some lip gloss. "I barely even recognize myself," Hermione admitted. "And it was ever so easy."
"Ten minutes everyday, tops," Pansy agreed. "Really, Hermione, you're almost perfect as it is."
"Thank you so much, Pansy," Hermione gushed. She gave the girl a hug, and they headed down to the Great Hall together. Hermione had to admit that she might have had a hard time liking Pansy before, but now that she had gotten to know her better, she really enjoyed her company. They might even be, well, friends.