Chapter Eight
"Out in the real Wizarding world, we don't always get to choose who we work with," Snape was lecturing. Ron and Harry exchanged glances. They knew Snape was referring to their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, a loud, energetic man who really got on Snape's nerves. His lecture could only mean one thing. They would be paired with Slytherins. "So I see no reason why my classroom shouldn't be the same way," Snape continued. "Harry Potter, I want you to work with Pansy Parkinson. Ron Weasley and Breena Turston, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy," Snape listed the students as he looked around the room.
"Hey," Breena whispered as Ron sat next to her, a huge grin on his face. "You're smiling too much, someone will catch on," she criticised, squeezing his hand under the table.
Hermione slid into the seat next to Draco and pretended to be very interested in her textbook. Across the room, Harry took the seat next to Pansy, who was staring blankly at her notebook, which was completely blank. He smiled at her, hoping to make the best of things, but she didn't seem to see him. At least she wasn't glaring at him, he thought to himself.
"These will be your partners for the remainder of," Snape paused, and they all waited for him to say school year. "Your time here at Hogwarts," He finished. Hermione's mouth dropped open, but she closed it quickly and continued to pretend she was reading. "Now, I have your reports to finish grading. Work on the potion on page thirty-seven. I will not tolerate any arguments today," he said, sitting down at his desk. Hermione turned to the right page and read through the instructions several times as Draco skimmed it.
"Need me to explain it, Granger?" He asked nastily, leaning over to her so Snape wouldn't hear.
"No, I understand just fine, thank you," She replied calmly. He shrugged and looked her over. She wasn't so bad looking for, well, for her. He couldn't say for a mudblood after Pansy. But attractive or not, she was still a Gryffindor and an enemy. He stood up to get the ingredients, but something caught his eye.
"Where did you get that necklace?" he hissed, turning pale. She covered it with her hand.
"What's it to you?" She asked. His eyes flashed.
"Because it belongs to me," he told her.
"I never pictured you as the heart kind of guy, " she retorted. He started to say something but stopped. "Keep it then," He said, surprising himself and her also. He stormed over to Snape's desk and asked to be excused. He headed for the bathroom to recollect his composure. Seeing the necklace had thrown him off. He looked in the mirror. "Get it together, you pussy," he told himself. He splashed some cold water on his face, to keep him alert, and headed back to class.
He threw himself into his chair next to Hermione who had already started their mixture. "Are you alright?" She asked. He nodded and smirked.
"Were you worried?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and didn't answer. He took out a sheet of parchment to do the write-up while she finished adding the ingredients. He heard a giggle from across the room and looked up to see Breena giggling at Ron. His heart broke again. How could she be so cruel? She knew how little he cared for Ron, and couldn't believe she would be so terrible. He bit his lip, feeling tears spring to his eyes.
Hermione looked at Draco, who was writing furiously, then followed his previous line of sight to see Breena and Ron flirting like mad. She frowned, then looking over at Sorcha, who was gazing at Draco with a depressed look in her eye, figured it all out. The twins had switched places. It must have been so that Breena could recover with more ease. Meanwhile, Draco was suffering.
"Silence!" Snape yelled. The room fell into a complete hush. "I want to hear nothing from you the remainder of class. I cannot concentrate with this incessant prattle of yours." The class was quiet and continued working, exchanging pointed glances.
Hermione took off the necklace and looked at it. Everything was coming together now. The necklace must have been Breena's, which explained why she hadn't claimed it, and Draco had been so upset by its appearance. Hermione coiled it neatly and sat it on the corner of Draco's parchment. His hand closed around it slowly, and Hermione could have sworn she saw a tear fall from his eye. But Draco wouldn't cry about anything, would he? She pushed it out of her mind and finished the potion.
* * *
"She wouldn't even look at me," Harry complained. "I did the entire potion myself," he said, referring to Pansy. Hermione shrugged.
"Better than her being mean and unbearable," Hermione said. She looked at Sorcha, who was sitting next to Ron on the sofa, looking completely miserable. "Sorcha, let's go for a walk, hmm?"
"Er.alright," Sorcha agreed, shooting a nervous glance at Ron. He gave her a little hug, and she followed Hermione out of the Common Room and into the hallway.
"How are you?" Hermione asked. Sorcha shrugged.
"Just fine, why do you ask?" Sorcha said softly, and not very convincingly.
"It's alright, Breena, I know," Hermione said. Sorcha's eyes grew wide and she checked the hallway quickly.
"I'm better," she corrected. "It's been really hard," she admitted.
"If you need to talk, I'm here for you," Hermione said. Sorcha's eyes grew dark.
"Like I would want help from some nasty little mudblood like you!" Sorcha quipped, realizing who she was talking to.
"Don't call her that," Draco said harshly. He put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "A mudblood is filth, not someone like Hermione here. I would have thought you of all people would be more sensitive to that, Sorcha," he rebuked. Sorcha's eyes flashed.
"You're making excuses, Draco. I suppose your father hasn't taught you anything," Sorcha's voice was haughty, and her words struck the right nerve. Draco was furious now.
"Don't you ever say that to me," He spat. "You don't know anything about my father!"
"I know more than you think," Sorcha said under her breath. She gave him a cool smile and turned to walk down the hall. Draco's anger got the best of him, and before he knew what he was doing, he had grabbed her and shoved her up against a wall.
"You stupid bitch," he hissed. "You picked the wrong day to fight with me," he informed her. She smiled snottily, and he smacked her across the face. Hermione gasped, and started to run the other way. Draco pulled out his wand and froze her in place. Fortunately for him she was looking in the opposite direction and wouldn't be able to witness what he was about to do. Sorcha was grinning down at him, which just made him even angrier.
He unfastened his pants and yanked her panties off. There was no way this little bitch was just going to insult him and not feel sorry for it. He lowered her so that she was parallel to his waist, and slammed into her. Her head hit the stone wall hard, and she cried out in pain, but as her head rolled forward again, Draco saw her eyes which were full of lust. The pain couldn't actually be turning her on, could it? He shuddered involuntarily, and continued his thrusts. He came quickly and set her down on the ground. Her eyes met with his, and he saw a familiar look in her eyes. They really were identical twins, he thought. She pulled a wand from her pocket and gave it a quick spin, and suddenly he was looking at Breena. He went pale.
"It was you all along," he gasped. She nodded, starting to cry. "I wouldn't have, oh, if I had known, Breena, I'm sorry," he said, reaching to comfort her. She jerked away.
"Don't touch me," she snapped. "What's done is done. We're through, you know that as well as I do. If you would hurt my sister, you're not worth my love and trust. I'm sorry I didn't show you who I was before, but I had to know how far you would take this. I almost wish I didn't know, but I'm glad I do in a way. I won't hold this against you, Draco. I think it's best if we both just move on," she told him. He nodded.
"You're right," he agreed. He reached to wipe away her tears, but she caught his hand and shook her head. She squeezed his hand, gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, and walked away.
He watched her go and wiped the tears that formed in his own eyes. "I will never love another woman as long as I live," he vowed.
"Out in the real Wizarding world, we don't always get to choose who we work with," Snape was lecturing. Ron and Harry exchanged glances. They knew Snape was referring to their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, a loud, energetic man who really got on Snape's nerves. His lecture could only mean one thing. They would be paired with Slytherins. "So I see no reason why my classroom shouldn't be the same way," Snape continued. "Harry Potter, I want you to work with Pansy Parkinson. Ron Weasley and Breena Turston, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy," Snape listed the students as he looked around the room.
"Hey," Breena whispered as Ron sat next to her, a huge grin on his face. "You're smiling too much, someone will catch on," she criticised, squeezing his hand under the table.
Hermione slid into the seat next to Draco and pretended to be very interested in her textbook. Across the room, Harry took the seat next to Pansy, who was staring blankly at her notebook, which was completely blank. He smiled at her, hoping to make the best of things, but she didn't seem to see him. At least she wasn't glaring at him, he thought to himself.
"These will be your partners for the remainder of," Snape paused, and they all waited for him to say school year. "Your time here at Hogwarts," He finished. Hermione's mouth dropped open, but she closed it quickly and continued to pretend she was reading. "Now, I have your reports to finish grading. Work on the potion on page thirty-seven. I will not tolerate any arguments today," he said, sitting down at his desk. Hermione turned to the right page and read through the instructions several times as Draco skimmed it.
"Need me to explain it, Granger?" He asked nastily, leaning over to her so Snape wouldn't hear.
"No, I understand just fine, thank you," She replied calmly. He shrugged and looked her over. She wasn't so bad looking for, well, for her. He couldn't say for a mudblood after Pansy. But attractive or not, she was still a Gryffindor and an enemy. He stood up to get the ingredients, but something caught his eye.
"Where did you get that necklace?" he hissed, turning pale. She covered it with her hand.
"What's it to you?" She asked. His eyes flashed.
"Because it belongs to me," he told her.
"I never pictured you as the heart kind of guy, " she retorted. He started to say something but stopped. "Keep it then," He said, surprising himself and her also. He stormed over to Snape's desk and asked to be excused. He headed for the bathroom to recollect his composure. Seeing the necklace had thrown him off. He looked in the mirror. "Get it together, you pussy," he told himself. He splashed some cold water on his face, to keep him alert, and headed back to class.
He threw himself into his chair next to Hermione who had already started their mixture. "Are you alright?" She asked. He nodded and smirked.
"Were you worried?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and didn't answer. He took out a sheet of parchment to do the write-up while she finished adding the ingredients. He heard a giggle from across the room and looked up to see Breena giggling at Ron. His heart broke again. How could she be so cruel? She knew how little he cared for Ron, and couldn't believe she would be so terrible. He bit his lip, feeling tears spring to his eyes.
Hermione looked at Draco, who was writing furiously, then followed his previous line of sight to see Breena and Ron flirting like mad. She frowned, then looking over at Sorcha, who was gazing at Draco with a depressed look in her eye, figured it all out. The twins had switched places. It must have been so that Breena could recover with more ease. Meanwhile, Draco was suffering.
"Silence!" Snape yelled. The room fell into a complete hush. "I want to hear nothing from you the remainder of class. I cannot concentrate with this incessant prattle of yours." The class was quiet and continued working, exchanging pointed glances.
Hermione took off the necklace and looked at it. Everything was coming together now. The necklace must have been Breena's, which explained why she hadn't claimed it, and Draco had been so upset by its appearance. Hermione coiled it neatly and sat it on the corner of Draco's parchment. His hand closed around it slowly, and Hermione could have sworn she saw a tear fall from his eye. But Draco wouldn't cry about anything, would he? She pushed it out of her mind and finished the potion.
* * *
"She wouldn't even look at me," Harry complained. "I did the entire potion myself," he said, referring to Pansy. Hermione shrugged.
"Better than her being mean and unbearable," Hermione said. She looked at Sorcha, who was sitting next to Ron on the sofa, looking completely miserable. "Sorcha, let's go for a walk, hmm?"
"Er.alright," Sorcha agreed, shooting a nervous glance at Ron. He gave her a little hug, and she followed Hermione out of the Common Room and into the hallway.
"How are you?" Hermione asked. Sorcha shrugged.
"Just fine, why do you ask?" Sorcha said softly, and not very convincingly.
"It's alright, Breena, I know," Hermione said. Sorcha's eyes grew wide and she checked the hallway quickly.
"I'm better," she corrected. "It's been really hard," she admitted.
"If you need to talk, I'm here for you," Hermione said. Sorcha's eyes grew dark.
"Like I would want help from some nasty little mudblood like you!" Sorcha quipped, realizing who she was talking to.
"Don't call her that," Draco said harshly. He put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "A mudblood is filth, not someone like Hermione here. I would have thought you of all people would be more sensitive to that, Sorcha," he rebuked. Sorcha's eyes flashed.
"You're making excuses, Draco. I suppose your father hasn't taught you anything," Sorcha's voice was haughty, and her words struck the right nerve. Draco was furious now.
"Don't you ever say that to me," He spat. "You don't know anything about my father!"
"I know more than you think," Sorcha said under her breath. She gave him a cool smile and turned to walk down the hall. Draco's anger got the best of him, and before he knew what he was doing, he had grabbed her and shoved her up against a wall.
"You stupid bitch," he hissed. "You picked the wrong day to fight with me," he informed her. She smiled snottily, and he smacked her across the face. Hermione gasped, and started to run the other way. Draco pulled out his wand and froze her in place. Fortunately for him she was looking in the opposite direction and wouldn't be able to witness what he was about to do. Sorcha was grinning down at him, which just made him even angrier.
He unfastened his pants and yanked her panties off. There was no way this little bitch was just going to insult him and not feel sorry for it. He lowered her so that she was parallel to his waist, and slammed into her. Her head hit the stone wall hard, and she cried out in pain, but as her head rolled forward again, Draco saw her eyes which were full of lust. The pain couldn't actually be turning her on, could it? He shuddered involuntarily, and continued his thrusts. He came quickly and set her down on the ground. Her eyes met with his, and he saw a familiar look in her eyes. They really were identical twins, he thought. She pulled a wand from her pocket and gave it a quick spin, and suddenly he was looking at Breena. He went pale.
"It was you all along," he gasped. She nodded, starting to cry. "I wouldn't have, oh, if I had known, Breena, I'm sorry," he said, reaching to comfort her. She jerked away.
"Don't touch me," she snapped. "What's done is done. We're through, you know that as well as I do. If you would hurt my sister, you're not worth my love and trust. I'm sorry I didn't show you who I was before, but I had to know how far you would take this. I almost wish I didn't know, but I'm glad I do in a way. I won't hold this against you, Draco. I think it's best if we both just move on," she told him. He nodded.
"You're right," he agreed. He reached to wipe away her tears, but she caught his hand and shook her head. She squeezed his hand, gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, and walked away.
He watched her go and wiped the tears that formed in his own eyes. "I will never love another woman as long as I live," he vowed.