I hadn't walked far, when Malfoy caught up to me.
"Whoa. What was that?"
I rounded on him, glaring, and started to yell.
"THAT WAS RON BEING AN INSUFFERABLE GIT!"
To my annoyance, Malfoy grinned at me.
"Yeah, I saw THAT. I meant, what was with pouring the butterbeer on his head?"
I sighed, heavily, and covered my face with my hands.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time" I said, my voice muffled.
Surprisingly, Malfoy put an arm around me and steered me around to some benches behind the tavern. I sat down next to him, but didn't take my face out of my hands.
"Ah. See, next time you should just pick it up and leave. Much more effective, because you can't just fix that straight away with magic."
He shut up about the butterbeer when he noticed that I was crying.
"Whoa. Granger? Are you alright?"
I took my hands away from my tear-stained face to glare at him.
"Yes. I'm fine. I often just sit places and cry when I'm absolutely fine" I said, sarcastically.
He frowned at me, and I buried my face again. It was only a few minutes later that I spoke again.
"I should have known he w-w-was going to have a f-fit."
Malfoy rubbed my back.
"I could have told you he was going to."
"You said he c-couldn't p-p-possibly react worse than P-Pansy."
"True. But then, I don't know Weasley very well."
I wiped my eyes, slowly, even though the tears were still falling.
"What do I d-do now? All my friends h-h-hate me."
He stood up and knelt down in front of me, allowing me to lean forward into his chest. He wrapped both arms around me and continued to rub my back in slow circles for a while.
"I'm sure they don't hate you, Granger. They hate me, that's the problem."
I pulled back and looked at him, my vision blurred by tears.
"So, that's it? I can just never t-tell them?"
"I suppose so. But, admit it, sneaking around does have its perks."
I gave him a watery smile.
"What? Like, detention?"
He didn't smile. After a moment, it became clear that that wasn't the response he had been looking for.
"Um. Forget I said that, I didn't mean-"
"Look, Granger, if it's causing this much trouble then-"
"No! I didn't mean that!"
Malfoy gave an audible sigh of relief, and a smile spread across his face.
"Oh, thank God. For a minute there I thought-"
I cut him off, by kissing him. Admittedly, I must have got his face all wet with my tears, but he didn't seem to mind.
---
Malfoy and I soon parted ways. Nowhere in Hogsmeade was very private, and the possibility of Harry and Ron finding us somewhere and getting even more angry with me didn't hold much appeal.
Wandering around Hogsmeade all alone wasn't much fun either, so I decided to just head back to Hogwarts and go to the library.
I didn't even realise how long I had been reading until Ginny came in.
"Hermione?"
I looked up, but quickly looked back down at my book. I wasn't in the mood for another fight.
"Hi."
"Harry and Ron are down at dinner ... Ron's still really mad."
"Good for him."
There was a silence. I pretended to be reading my book, but my concentration was ruined. Ginny sighed.
"I don't know whats up with him. I mean, Malfoy IS a git and all but he's being so protective about it."
I looked back up at Ginny, and gave her a small smile.
"Yeah. I guess that's one way of putting it."
"Just don't worry about it. He'll get over it, eventually."
"What about Harry?"
"He reckons that Malfoy dug his own grave, and now should have to lie in it."
"Oh."
"I agree with him, really."
I looked back down at my book, resignedly. I had expected as much, but hearing it stated so bluntly didn't make me feel any better.
"Okay" I said. "I'll come down to dinner, later."
Pretending once more to be engrossed in my book, I didn't look up again until Ginny was gone.
---
I never ended up going to dinner. I went straight from the library, with a borrowed book, up into my dormitory.
I read until the early hours of the morning, but all the while my mind was on something else.
Malfoy.
My friends all hated him, and they had good reason too. I had good reason to hate him, too, but I didn't. I really, really didn't. I didn't know how I felt about him, really. I knew that I had started to like him, in a more-than-friends kind of way, but I didn't know whether the feeling was mutual, or whether I was just wasting my time. Did I trust him?
On a different note, my dreams had stopped. Did that mean the danger had passed? Why had I had the dreams in the first place?
Questions swum around my head all night, and I slept badly. The worst part was that, even when I awoke late the next morning, I was no closer to answering any of them.
It was about eleven by the time I made my way down to the common room. I hadn't really slept for more than one hour at a time, and the night had been long. It had been at least dawn by the time I fell asleep properly.
When I finally got to the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry and Ron weren't there. Ginny was sitting with some friends in her own year, so I sat alone and ate in silence. I didn't really mind, and was quite happy to read the Daily Prophet while I ate my porridge.
About halfway through my meal, I heard laughter behind me. I turned around, to see Pansy Parkinson pointing at me.
"Oh, this is priceless. The Mudblood's only friend is the NEWSPAPER!"
Her shrill voice was laced with malice, and most of the Slytherin table was laughing. I tried to catch Malfoy's eye, but he was busy glaring at Pansy.
"I'd rather have a newspaper for a friend, than a brainless git for a boyfriend." I said, sweetly.
Pansy's lip curled, and I realised, too late, that Goyle had heard me. He stood up and started walking towards me. I made to get my wand out, and Pansy grabbed the back of my robes and pulled me backwards off the chair onto the floor.
Trying to ignore my smarting back, I pointed my wand up at Pansy, glaring. I didn't notice how close Goyle was until he was right over me, raising his fist to punch me in the face. I covered my face with my free hand, and closed my eyes.
Many things happened at once.
I heard Malfoy yelling out a jinx, and opened my eyes in time to see Goyle fly about four feet in the air and land clumsily in my porridge. At the same time, McGonagall stormed over to break up the fight.
"The four of you! In my office, NOW!" She yelled.
As I stood up, I saw the whole of the Slytherin table eying Malfoy suspiciously. He looked livid. Whether he was angry at himself, Pansy and Goyle, or me, I didn't know.
---
"Well?" McGonagall yelled. "I'm waiting for an explanation, and it had better be good!"
Goyle pointed a meaty finger at me.
"She called me a brainless git!"
I glared at him.
"I only called you that because your girlfriend called me a mudblood!"
The silence was deafening. Professor McGonagall turned to Pansy.
"Is this true, Miss Parkinson?"
Pansy shook her head so fast that her hair whipped around and narrowly missed hitting me in the face.
"She's lying, Professor!"
Malfoy, who had been silently fuming for the whole exchange, rolled his eyes.
"Parkinson, the whole hall heard you." He said, flatly.
McGonagall looked at him for a moment, her thin lips parted in surprise. It was obvious that she had thought Malfoy's spell was aimed at me, and that hitting Goyle had been a mistake. She hadn't been expecting Malfoy to be on my side.
"You heard her say this, Mr Malfoy?"
He nodded.
"And did you hear Miss Granger call Mr Goyle a-"
"Brainless git? Yes, I heard that, too."
"Did you direct a harmful spell at Mr Goyle?"
"Yes. He was going to punch-"
"I have heard enough. The four of you, detention tomorrow afternoon. Meet here straight after class. Now, go."
We all nodded, silently, and shuffled out.
"Draco, what is your PROBLEM?" Pansy screeched, as soon as we were out of McGonagall's earshot.
Malfoy just glared at her, and stalked off.
"Whoa. What was that?"
I rounded on him, glaring, and started to yell.
"THAT WAS RON BEING AN INSUFFERABLE GIT!"
To my annoyance, Malfoy grinned at me.
"Yeah, I saw THAT. I meant, what was with pouring the butterbeer on his head?"
I sighed, heavily, and covered my face with my hands.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time" I said, my voice muffled.
Surprisingly, Malfoy put an arm around me and steered me around to some benches behind the tavern. I sat down next to him, but didn't take my face out of my hands.
"Ah. See, next time you should just pick it up and leave. Much more effective, because you can't just fix that straight away with magic."
He shut up about the butterbeer when he noticed that I was crying.
"Whoa. Granger? Are you alright?"
I took my hands away from my tear-stained face to glare at him.
"Yes. I'm fine. I often just sit places and cry when I'm absolutely fine" I said, sarcastically.
He frowned at me, and I buried my face again. It was only a few minutes later that I spoke again.
"I should have known he w-w-was going to have a f-fit."
Malfoy rubbed my back.
"I could have told you he was going to."
"You said he c-couldn't p-p-possibly react worse than P-Pansy."
"True. But then, I don't know Weasley very well."
I wiped my eyes, slowly, even though the tears were still falling.
"What do I d-do now? All my friends h-h-hate me."
He stood up and knelt down in front of me, allowing me to lean forward into his chest. He wrapped both arms around me and continued to rub my back in slow circles for a while.
"I'm sure they don't hate you, Granger. They hate me, that's the problem."
I pulled back and looked at him, my vision blurred by tears.
"So, that's it? I can just never t-tell them?"
"I suppose so. But, admit it, sneaking around does have its perks."
I gave him a watery smile.
"What? Like, detention?"
He didn't smile. After a moment, it became clear that that wasn't the response he had been looking for.
"Um. Forget I said that, I didn't mean-"
"Look, Granger, if it's causing this much trouble then-"
"No! I didn't mean that!"
Malfoy gave an audible sigh of relief, and a smile spread across his face.
"Oh, thank God. For a minute there I thought-"
I cut him off, by kissing him. Admittedly, I must have got his face all wet with my tears, but he didn't seem to mind.
---
Malfoy and I soon parted ways. Nowhere in Hogsmeade was very private, and the possibility of Harry and Ron finding us somewhere and getting even more angry with me didn't hold much appeal.
Wandering around Hogsmeade all alone wasn't much fun either, so I decided to just head back to Hogwarts and go to the library.
I didn't even realise how long I had been reading until Ginny came in.
"Hermione?"
I looked up, but quickly looked back down at my book. I wasn't in the mood for another fight.
"Hi."
"Harry and Ron are down at dinner ... Ron's still really mad."
"Good for him."
There was a silence. I pretended to be reading my book, but my concentration was ruined. Ginny sighed.
"I don't know whats up with him. I mean, Malfoy IS a git and all but he's being so protective about it."
I looked back up at Ginny, and gave her a small smile.
"Yeah. I guess that's one way of putting it."
"Just don't worry about it. He'll get over it, eventually."
"What about Harry?"
"He reckons that Malfoy dug his own grave, and now should have to lie in it."
"Oh."
"I agree with him, really."
I looked back down at my book, resignedly. I had expected as much, but hearing it stated so bluntly didn't make me feel any better.
"Okay" I said. "I'll come down to dinner, later."
Pretending once more to be engrossed in my book, I didn't look up again until Ginny was gone.
---
I never ended up going to dinner. I went straight from the library, with a borrowed book, up into my dormitory.
I read until the early hours of the morning, but all the while my mind was on something else.
Malfoy.
My friends all hated him, and they had good reason too. I had good reason to hate him, too, but I didn't. I really, really didn't. I didn't know how I felt about him, really. I knew that I had started to like him, in a more-than-friends kind of way, but I didn't know whether the feeling was mutual, or whether I was just wasting my time. Did I trust him?
On a different note, my dreams had stopped. Did that mean the danger had passed? Why had I had the dreams in the first place?
Questions swum around my head all night, and I slept badly. The worst part was that, even when I awoke late the next morning, I was no closer to answering any of them.
It was about eleven by the time I made my way down to the common room. I hadn't really slept for more than one hour at a time, and the night had been long. It had been at least dawn by the time I fell asleep properly.
When I finally got to the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry and Ron weren't there. Ginny was sitting with some friends in her own year, so I sat alone and ate in silence. I didn't really mind, and was quite happy to read the Daily Prophet while I ate my porridge.
About halfway through my meal, I heard laughter behind me. I turned around, to see Pansy Parkinson pointing at me.
"Oh, this is priceless. The Mudblood's only friend is the NEWSPAPER!"
Her shrill voice was laced with malice, and most of the Slytherin table was laughing. I tried to catch Malfoy's eye, but he was busy glaring at Pansy.
"I'd rather have a newspaper for a friend, than a brainless git for a boyfriend." I said, sweetly.
Pansy's lip curled, and I realised, too late, that Goyle had heard me. He stood up and started walking towards me. I made to get my wand out, and Pansy grabbed the back of my robes and pulled me backwards off the chair onto the floor.
Trying to ignore my smarting back, I pointed my wand up at Pansy, glaring. I didn't notice how close Goyle was until he was right over me, raising his fist to punch me in the face. I covered my face with my free hand, and closed my eyes.
Many things happened at once.
I heard Malfoy yelling out a jinx, and opened my eyes in time to see Goyle fly about four feet in the air and land clumsily in my porridge. At the same time, McGonagall stormed over to break up the fight.
"The four of you! In my office, NOW!" She yelled.
As I stood up, I saw the whole of the Slytherin table eying Malfoy suspiciously. He looked livid. Whether he was angry at himself, Pansy and Goyle, or me, I didn't know.
---
"Well?" McGonagall yelled. "I'm waiting for an explanation, and it had better be good!"
Goyle pointed a meaty finger at me.
"She called me a brainless git!"
I glared at him.
"I only called you that because your girlfriend called me a mudblood!"
The silence was deafening. Professor McGonagall turned to Pansy.
"Is this true, Miss Parkinson?"
Pansy shook her head so fast that her hair whipped around and narrowly missed hitting me in the face.
"She's lying, Professor!"
Malfoy, who had been silently fuming for the whole exchange, rolled his eyes.
"Parkinson, the whole hall heard you." He said, flatly.
McGonagall looked at him for a moment, her thin lips parted in surprise. It was obvious that she had thought Malfoy's spell was aimed at me, and that hitting Goyle had been a mistake. She hadn't been expecting Malfoy to be on my side.
"You heard her say this, Mr Malfoy?"
He nodded.
"And did you hear Miss Granger call Mr Goyle a-"
"Brainless git? Yes, I heard that, too."
"Did you direct a harmful spell at Mr Goyle?"
"Yes. He was going to punch-"
"I have heard enough. The four of you, detention tomorrow afternoon. Meet here straight after class. Now, go."
We all nodded, silently, and shuffled out.
"Draco, what is your PROBLEM?" Pansy screeched, as soon as we were out of McGonagall's earshot.
Malfoy just glared at her, and stalked off.