When it started to rain, I decided to go back up to the castle.
By the time I got inside, I was drenched, and the bottoms of my jeans were covered in mud.
Sighing, I rolled them up, and started towards Gryffindor tower.
I was only halfway there when I saw some of the Slytherins from earlier heading my way.
As quickly as I could, I ducked behind the nearest statue, hoping that they wouldn't see me.
"Oh, look at that. It's Malfoy's precious little Gryffindor!"
Too late.
I came out from begin the statue, and glared at them. I decided to walk haughtily past them, but only got about halfway there before one of them spoke again.
"Don't know what he sees in YOU, of all people. Bloody know-it-all."
I stiffened, but kept walking.
"Exactly" agreed the other Slytherin. "I mean, the guy can get any Slytherin girl he wants, and he goes for Hermione Granger? It just don't add up, do it? You know what I think? I reckon she put a spell on him-" he abruptly stopped talking when I got out my wand and pointed it at him.
"I'll put a spell on YOU, if you're not careful" I said, between my clenched teeth.
"Ooooh" said the other Slytherin, taking out his wand. "Touchy, touchy."
I lowered my wand.
"But, you know what?" I said. "You're not worth it."
With that, I pushed past them and stormed off.
---
By the time Harry and Ron returned from quidditch, I was up in my bed feigning sleep.
I had told them I wouldn't tell any more lies, and I had every intention of keeping that promise.
That didn't mean I couldn't stall.
After hours of lying around, just reading and thinking to myself, I didn't need to feign sleep any more. My eyes fluttered closed, and I found myself in a familiar corridor ...
---
I blinked.
I knew that my dreams were extremely irregular, but hadn't expected another one so soon. Malfoy didn't seem to be in any direct danger, and neither did I.
Still, I pressed my eye to the crack in the door, and watched. It took a moment for my eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness, but I soon realised I was looking in to the Slytherin boys dormitories.
"Granger? You've got to be kidding me."
"Look, Blaise, I know how it looks. But just-"
"She's a mudblood, a Gryffindor, and an annoying, bushy-haired know-it-all, Malfoy, and you know it."
I glared into the crack. I was obviously witnessing a fight between Malfoy and one of his Slytherin friends. About me.
"Yeah. I know it. But, listen, you gotta remember here that-"
"If you know it, and I know it, and everybody else knows it, then whats the problem?" Blaise folded his arms. "There are hundreds of girls here, just go pick a new one."
I cringed. He was talking as though I was an inanimate object, worthy of replacement.
"What? No! I can't ... you don't get it."
"Don't get what?"
"She's ... I don't know. I know she's a mudblood, I know shes a Gryffindor, I know she's annoying, and bushy-haired, and everything! But I-"
"Like her anyway?"
"I don't know!" Malfoy turned around, disgustedly. "I'm not used to this crap."
There was a silence, during which I took in the surroundings. Malfoy and Blaise were both sitting on their respective beds, in complete darkness. As near as I could tell, they were both dressed in boxers, and nothing more. I swallowed.
Finally, Blaise spoke in a low voice.
"Look, Draco, your dad is in Azkaban. Your mum is distraught. I can understand if you've gone a bit off the rails but-"
"I have not" Malfoy spun around again, glaring. "Gone off the rails."
Blaise held up his hands in an I-surrender gesture.
"Hey, I never said you had. I'm just saying that your folks are in no right state to help you recognize what's right from wrong, and-"
"I'm sixteen, I think I can look after myself."
Sure, I thought, with a little help from me.
"Well, whatever. But, you're not serious about this, are you?"
"I am dead serious."
Blaise shook his head.
"She's the complete opposite of everything we-"
"Look, it's not like I'm asking YOU to like her, okay? Get off my back."
"You brought it up. I'm just giving you my honest opinion here" he blew out a breath. "Everybody thinks that. She's a nothing, why the hell are you wasting your time?"
Malfoy clenched his fists by his sides.
"I don't know, alright? I don't even know why we're having this stupid conversation" he rolled over, and climbed angrily under the covers.
---
The next morning, I was in a grumpy mood.
I had hoped my dreams were over, and now it just felt like I was spying on Malfoy. Against my will, of course, but still spying.
My mood did not improve when it became apparent that Ron and Lavender were still fighting, and yet they had taken the liberty to sit on either side of me.
I sat, silently fuming, for some time until their bickering got the better of me, and I stood up and left.
It was still fifteen minutes before class was due to start, but I stormed over to Hagrid's hut anyway.
"'Ermione! Yer early!"
"I know" I said, trying not to sound too angry.
"A good thing, too" Hagrid whispered. "Ye wouldn't believe who else showed up early."
He cocked his head to the left, and I looked over to see Malfoy standing with his back to us.
"I was afrai' he migh' try an' mess me up a bit before you's all got here. Bu' he done nothin' but stand there" he shook his head. "Righ' unsettlin' that is."
I nodded, but didn't take my eyes off Malfoy's back. As soon as Hagrid left to prepare his lesson, I walked over to the fence Malfoy was leaning against.
"Malfoy?" I asked, softly.
He turned his head to look at me, but didn't say anything.
"I was just wondering-"
"Look, just forget it."
"What?"
"Just forget it. If you don't want to do this, then fine. If it's too much trouble, then just forget about it" his voice was sour.
"I never said I didn't want to-"
"You didn't bloody have to."
"What? Malfoy, I don't think it's too much trouble, I just-"
"I SAID FORGET IT" he yelled.
I stared at him, willing myself not to get angry or upset. Before I could do either, he pushed off the fence and walked off.
By the time I got inside, I was drenched, and the bottoms of my jeans were covered in mud.
Sighing, I rolled them up, and started towards Gryffindor tower.
I was only halfway there when I saw some of the Slytherins from earlier heading my way.
As quickly as I could, I ducked behind the nearest statue, hoping that they wouldn't see me.
"Oh, look at that. It's Malfoy's precious little Gryffindor!"
Too late.
I came out from begin the statue, and glared at them. I decided to walk haughtily past them, but only got about halfway there before one of them spoke again.
"Don't know what he sees in YOU, of all people. Bloody know-it-all."
I stiffened, but kept walking.
"Exactly" agreed the other Slytherin. "I mean, the guy can get any Slytherin girl he wants, and he goes for Hermione Granger? It just don't add up, do it? You know what I think? I reckon she put a spell on him-" he abruptly stopped talking when I got out my wand and pointed it at him.
"I'll put a spell on YOU, if you're not careful" I said, between my clenched teeth.
"Ooooh" said the other Slytherin, taking out his wand. "Touchy, touchy."
I lowered my wand.
"But, you know what?" I said. "You're not worth it."
With that, I pushed past them and stormed off.
---
By the time Harry and Ron returned from quidditch, I was up in my bed feigning sleep.
I had told them I wouldn't tell any more lies, and I had every intention of keeping that promise.
That didn't mean I couldn't stall.
After hours of lying around, just reading and thinking to myself, I didn't need to feign sleep any more. My eyes fluttered closed, and I found myself in a familiar corridor ...
---
I blinked.
I knew that my dreams were extremely irregular, but hadn't expected another one so soon. Malfoy didn't seem to be in any direct danger, and neither did I.
Still, I pressed my eye to the crack in the door, and watched. It took a moment for my eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness, but I soon realised I was looking in to the Slytherin boys dormitories.
"Granger? You've got to be kidding me."
"Look, Blaise, I know how it looks. But just-"
"She's a mudblood, a Gryffindor, and an annoying, bushy-haired know-it-all, Malfoy, and you know it."
I glared into the crack. I was obviously witnessing a fight between Malfoy and one of his Slytherin friends. About me.
"Yeah. I know it. But, listen, you gotta remember here that-"
"If you know it, and I know it, and everybody else knows it, then whats the problem?" Blaise folded his arms. "There are hundreds of girls here, just go pick a new one."
I cringed. He was talking as though I was an inanimate object, worthy of replacement.
"What? No! I can't ... you don't get it."
"Don't get what?"
"She's ... I don't know. I know she's a mudblood, I know shes a Gryffindor, I know she's annoying, and bushy-haired, and everything! But I-"
"Like her anyway?"
"I don't know!" Malfoy turned around, disgustedly. "I'm not used to this crap."
There was a silence, during which I took in the surroundings. Malfoy and Blaise were both sitting on their respective beds, in complete darkness. As near as I could tell, they were both dressed in boxers, and nothing more. I swallowed.
Finally, Blaise spoke in a low voice.
"Look, Draco, your dad is in Azkaban. Your mum is distraught. I can understand if you've gone a bit off the rails but-"
"I have not" Malfoy spun around again, glaring. "Gone off the rails."
Blaise held up his hands in an I-surrender gesture.
"Hey, I never said you had. I'm just saying that your folks are in no right state to help you recognize what's right from wrong, and-"
"I'm sixteen, I think I can look after myself."
Sure, I thought, with a little help from me.
"Well, whatever. But, you're not serious about this, are you?"
"I am dead serious."
Blaise shook his head.
"She's the complete opposite of everything we-"
"Look, it's not like I'm asking YOU to like her, okay? Get off my back."
"You brought it up. I'm just giving you my honest opinion here" he blew out a breath. "Everybody thinks that. She's a nothing, why the hell are you wasting your time?"
Malfoy clenched his fists by his sides.
"I don't know, alright? I don't even know why we're having this stupid conversation" he rolled over, and climbed angrily under the covers.
---
The next morning, I was in a grumpy mood.
I had hoped my dreams were over, and now it just felt like I was spying on Malfoy. Against my will, of course, but still spying.
My mood did not improve when it became apparent that Ron and Lavender were still fighting, and yet they had taken the liberty to sit on either side of me.
I sat, silently fuming, for some time until their bickering got the better of me, and I stood up and left.
It was still fifteen minutes before class was due to start, but I stormed over to Hagrid's hut anyway.
"'Ermione! Yer early!"
"I know" I said, trying not to sound too angry.
"A good thing, too" Hagrid whispered. "Ye wouldn't believe who else showed up early."
He cocked his head to the left, and I looked over to see Malfoy standing with his back to us.
"I was afrai' he migh' try an' mess me up a bit before you's all got here. Bu' he done nothin' but stand there" he shook his head. "Righ' unsettlin' that is."
I nodded, but didn't take my eyes off Malfoy's back. As soon as Hagrid left to prepare his lesson, I walked over to the fence Malfoy was leaning against.
"Malfoy?" I asked, softly.
He turned his head to look at me, but didn't say anything.
"I was just wondering-"
"Look, just forget it."
"What?"
"Just forget it. If you don't want to do this, then fine. If it's too much trouble, then just forget about it" his voice was sour.
"I never said I didn't want to-"
"You didn't bloody have to."
"What? Malfoy, I don't think it's too much trouble, I just-"
"I SAID FORGET IT" he yelled.
I stared at him, willing myself not to get angry or upset. Before I could do either, he pushed off the fence and walked off.