Hardest Thing
Chapter Four
"I'm serious, Ron," Hermione said, becoming irritated. "Nothing happened! Malfoy and I were locked out on the Astronomy Tower all night. The most he did was conjure me a blanket after I'd gone to sleep."
"Right," Ron grumbled, "You said that already."
"Don't you believe me?" Hermione cried, dropping her toast back onto her plate.
"You have to admit, Hermione," Harry said, "It's a bit strange. When has he ever been anything but horrible to you? Especially after those incidents in the hallway?"
"He could have jumped me anytime he wanted to last night," Hermione practically shouted. "But he didn't! I'll take Veritaserum if that's what it takes to make you believe me. We even had a pleasant conversation." Harry and Ron fell silent and stared at her.
"You what?" asked Ron, not quite getting it.
"Had a pleasant conversation," Hermione answered. "About flying."
"That's fraternising with the enemy, that is," accused Ron. "Did you hear that, Harry?"
"I sure did," Harry answered, taking a long swallow from his pumpkin juice. "I suppose if you want to make nice with the Ferret…"
"What are you saying?" Ron roared. Several of the students around them looked over with interest.
"Shut up, Ron," Hermione ordered. "And Harry, I'm not 'making nice' with anyone. We were both exhausted last night. I'm sure he had no idea what he was doing. Either that or he's grown up, which is more than I can say for the two of you!" She stood up and stormed angrily from the Great Hall, headed for her room.
…………
Malfoy bumped into Hermione just outside the library later in the day. He wouldn't have been surprised to see a storm cloud hovering over head from the expression on her face.
"You look cheerful," he commented, holding the door open for her and following her inside. He dropped his voice to just above a whisper at Madam Pince's frown. "What's the occasion?"
"None of your business," Hermione responded, fairly stomping to the nearest shelf. Malfoy raised a delicate brow.
"Why not?"
"Because I said so," Hermione whispered fiercely.
"Where's the escort?" the blonde boy inquired politely, handing her the book she was reaching for. Hermione scowled at him.
"They don't follow me everywhere, you know."
"No, actually, I didn't know," answered Malfoy mildly. "Had a fight with them, have you?"
"How perceptive you are," Hermione said, flipping deliberately through the book she held.
"The book's upside down," Malfoy told her, hiding a smile.
"I can read it that way," Hermione retorted, but she corrected herself, a hint of colour tinting her cheeks.
"Why are you fighting?" Malfoy pressed, following Hermione down the narrow aisle.
"Why won't you leave me alone?" Hermione hissed, shutting her book with a snap.
"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" Malfoy retorted, leaning against the shelf and blocking her path. Hermione glared at him and spun around. Malfoy followed as she walked away. Hermione marched straight out of the library, Hogwarts' Head Boy right behind her. Finally, Malfoy was able to corner her when she turned down a blank corridor by mistake.
"Let me by," Hermione demanded, trying to press past the taller boy. Malfoy smirked and held his ground.
"Not until you tell me why you're upset."
"I'm upset because you won't let me go," Hermione growled, still trying to get past.
"That's not good enough," Malfoy answered in a singsong sort of a voice. He was toying with her and Hermione knew it.
"Just leave me alone! They're mad because you were nice to me, all right?" Hermione said angrily, looking up at the Slytherin boy with flashing brown eyes. Malfoy felt slightly stunned, but he didn't let on.
"Why would they be mad because I was nice to you?" he asked, sneering a bit.
"They're just not used to it," Hermione sighed, taking a step back. She looked at him tiredly. "Will you let me by now, please?" Malfoy stepped aside with a mock bow. Hermione stormed away down the hallway.
Malfoy leaned contemplatively against the wall. So his being friendly towards Hermione Granger made his two least favourite people uncomfortable? On any other day, Malfoy would have jumped at the chance to continue this new angle of torment. However, using Hermione to get to them didn't seem quite fair. He'd had ample opportunity to irritate Hermione, more now that they lived next to each other and shared duties as Head students.
Oddly enough, Malfoy felt almost angry on her behalf. She could accept that he was more than one-sided, so why couldn't they? For once, Malfoy felt something akin to hatred towards the image he'd been taught to project. It denied him so much at times, gaining him so much at others. This was too confusing. Malfoy turned away from the wall and walked away down the corridor, hoping to find something to distract him.
…………
Hermione felt slightly nervous. She'd waited all day to say anything to Harry and Ron, and now it was dinnertime. She hoped fervently that neither one would cause a scene. Inside the Great Hall, Hermione sat down across from her friends.
"Hello," she said, flipping a napkin daintily into her lap. Harry and Ron looked at her.
"Er, hi," said Harry nervously. "Look, Hermione, I'm sorry for being so horrible about Malfoy earlier. It's just weird, you know? It'll take a bit of getting used to, you guys being more civil to each other."
Ron reluctantly agreed. "I'm sorry, too, Hermione. It was, er, stupid of me."
"It's quite all right," Hermione said, pouring herself some juice. "Anything new today?" She listened patiently as Harry and Ron told her all about Quidditch practise and Ron's new chess technique. When they inquired about her day, Hermione was purposefully vague.
"I stopped by the library, had a bit of a chat, did some homework, the usual." When she looked up from her plate again, Ron had leaned over to say something to Neville, giving Hermione a clear view of Slytherin table. Malfoy looked across the room at her and slowly, deliberately, he winked. What in Merlin's name had he done that for? She felt her cheeks grow hot. Harry looked at her curiously.
"Something up?" he asked.
"No," Hermione answered quickly. "In fact, everything is quite, er, down." Ron had sat back up again by this point, rescuing Hermione from any more eye contact with the Slytherin boy across the room. Hermione finished her meal quickly and waited patiently for the school to be dismissed, keeping a steady stream of questions aimed at her friends.
When everyone was excused from the hall, Hermione followed Harry and Ron back to Gryffindor tower, grateful for the Sunday-night chatter that allowed her to listen rather than participate. At a suitable hour, Hermione begged off to her room, crying homework rather realistically. Instead of any chart of Arithmancy, however, Hermione was drawing a complete and utter blank on what to think about Malfoy. He seemed to be obnoxious and charming by turns, and it left her feeling remarkably confused. She wondered what would happen the next time they were alone together. Would they meet before next Saturday? Hermione had no way of knowing.
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Draco sat in class, wishing it would end so he could leave. He stared out the window, twirling his quill absentmindedly. Something fell onto his desk, a note. Draco picked it up and opened it, glancing around to see who had sent it. It should have been obvious. Pansy had drawn a border of little hearts had been drawn around the edge.
Dear Draco,
Meet me after class. I have a surprise for you.
Love,
Pansy
The blonde boy sighed. This was ridiculous. He turned the note over and wrote:
I don't take orders and I hate surprises.
He tossed it behind him at Pansy's desk. He heard her draw in her breath sharply as she read it, but this didn't seem to stop her from pressing the issue. Within minutes, the note was back on his desk.
Dear Draco,
Please meet me after class then.
Love,
Pansy
She wouldn't let it drop! Draco scrawled another line.
I'm busy.
He tossed the note back. The next time it landed on his desk, Draco didn't even bother to open it. He pulled out his wand and tapped it. The parchment curled into ashes which he then blew off his desk. Behind him, Pansy frowned. Mother said that boys were difficult, but I didn't know she meant this difficult! She'd have to try again when he was in a better mood.
When class ended, Draco strode purposefully from the room and down the hall. If he was lucky, he might run into Hermione somewhere. The thought struck him as odd; he'd never considered running into her lucky before, but he wanted to find out whether or not she'd made up with Potty and the Weasel yet. Another hole punched in the strange-ticket. If he didn't know better, Draco would have called it a crush, but that couldn't be. He'd only been speaking with her for a couple of days. Besides, he'd always been told that people like her were beneath him, and his father would probably even object to their having to walk rounds together. Draco sighed as he continued down the corridor. Maybe he'd find her in the library.
…………
Hermione searched the shelves for something new to read, pausing every now and then to check a title or rearrange a couple of misplaced books. She jumped when Malfoy walked up behind her and brushed her shoulder with his fingers.
"Hey," he said, softly. "You make up with the entourage?"
"In a way," Hermione answered, continuing to examine the spines in front of her.
"Glad to hear it," Draco responded politely. He picked up a book and thumbed through it. "This sounds interesting. Ever read it?" Hermione glanced disparagingly at the gold-leaf cover.
"Yes," she answered. "Several times." Malfoy shrugged and put the book back, following her down the aisle.
"Is there a reason you're following me?" Hermione demanded, turning around to look her newest shadow in the eye.
"Who said anything about following you?" Malfoy asked. "I am simply looking for a book to read. Here, this looks interesting." He picked a book from the shelf at random.
"Bored To Death: A Study of Flobberworms," Hermione read from the cover. "I'm sure it's fascinating." Malfoy jammed the book back onto the shelf. "You did it wrong!" Hermione admonished. She reached past him to the book, setting it back in its proper place. Without another word, she turned and walked away, feeling terribly exasperated. To her chagrin, Malfoy followed. Hermione turned up one corridor and then another, taking staircase after staircase. Malfoy was behind her every step of the way. Thinking quickly, Hermione headed for the second floor girl's lavatory. Hermione heard Malfoy stop outside the door. He was waiting for her! Hermione hurried into one of the stalls and called softly into the u-bend.
"Myrtle?"
"Yes?" Myrtle asked from behind her. Hermione jumped and spun round.
"Oh, hello, Myrtle. You startled me. Listen, can I beg a favour?"
"What do you want?" Myrtle asked curiously.
"Well, there's this boy following me, see…"
…………
The ghost wouldn't leave him alone. She trailed after Malfoy, giggling and jabbering, following him up stairs and down corridors much the same way he'd followed Hermione, except noisier. He tried avoiding her by going into the boys' loo, but she followed him inside anyway.
"Can I have some privacy please?" he demanded.
"You haven't got anything I haven't seen before," Myrtle answered blithely.
"How do you know?" Malfoy asked with a sneer.
"You were a prefect," Myrtle answered with a grin. "I often frequent that particular bathroom…"
Malfoy's cheeks grew slightly pink. He turned on his heel and strode from the bathroom, ignoring the stares he got from passing students. Myrtle swooped after him, shooting through walls occasionally. When they reached the Head Boy's quarters, Malfoy turned to the translucent ghost and glared at her.
"My room is charmed to keep anyone I didn't invite into it out of it," he told her firmly. "Don't even bother to coming in after me." He opened the door with his wand and stepped inside, glad to be rid of the bothersome spirit. Needless to say, he was much less than thrilled when Myrtle came floating nonchalantly out of his bathroom.
"Where did you come from?" He wanted to know, getting up from his desk and facing her squarely. Myrtle smiled sweetly.
"Whoever charmed your room forgot to charm the plumbing," she said, "And I know plumbing pretty well. But don't worry. I just have to haunt you until you promise to leave Hermione alone."
"And why should I do that?" Malfoy inquired, sitting back down again. He picked up his quill and began to write quickly, trying to ignore Myrtle's laughter.
"Because otherwise I won't leave you alone!"
A large inkblot appeared on Malfoy's parchment. He pulled out his wand and erased it neatly. Sighing, he turned around in his seat and looked back at Myrtle, who now hovered over his bed.
"Fine. I'll leave Granger alone. You can go now."
"Do you mean it?" Myrtle asked.
"Yes," snarled Malfoy.
"Will you pinkie promise?" Myrtle asked, gliding over to him.
"NO!" Malfoy bellowed. "Just go!"
Myrtle smiled cheerfully and sank through the floor. The Slytherin boy scowled at the floor where she'd just disappeared. Maybe he shouldn't have tailed Hermione all over the school, but that was no reason to set a ghost on him. He sighed and returned to his homework. He'd think about her later.
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Hermione did a gleeful little dance when Myrtle found her in the Gryffindor common room. Myrtle looked very pleased with herself, and also pleased to see Harry who smiled rather wanly at her.
"Hello Harry," Myrtle giggled.
"You seem rather cheerful today, Myrtle," Harry said, cued into the conversation by Hermione, who smiled thankfully at him. Myrtle giggled again.
"I've been in better spirits since Filch cleaned the toilets again," Myrtle told Harry, who barely managed to hide his grimace.
"Did it work?" Hermione asked Myrtle hopefully.
"Yes!" Myrtle cried, hopping up and down above the floor. "He says he'll leave you alone now. He wouldn't pinkie promise, though."
Harry snorted. "Wonder why. Hermione, why was he following you if he's supposed to be nice now?" Hermione didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Myrtle.
"Thanks a lot, Myrtle. Do you want to stay for a little while?" Hermione indicated the common room.
"No," Myrtle shook her head. "I want to get back to my toilet, and maybe go visit the Head Boy's bathroom again." She giggled.
Hermione looked at Harry and made a face. "Well thanks again, Myrtle," she said, "Let me know if I can do anything for you." Myrtle nodded and with another smile at Harry, shot up through the ceiling and disappeared. Harry shivered.
"I've never seen her look that happy," he remarked.
"She still has a crush on you, you know," Hermione said. "It might be because I told her you'd be pleased if she helped me out."
"You didn't!" Harry groaned.
"You're right," Hermione said, "I didn't. Have you done your homework yet?"
"Er," said Harry uncomfortably. "No."
Hermione frowned at him.
"But I'm going to!" Harry exclaimed, getting up. "Right now, in fact. I think Ron is up in the boys' dorm, too. I'll go remind him about his Divination stuff, I think."
Hermione left Gryffindor Tower looking satisfied.
…………
True to his word, Malfoy steered clear of Hermione, and in fact, all of the Gryffindors until Saturday night when he and she met in Filch's office. Malfoy kept his eyes purposefully looking away from her until they were dismissed up to the fifth floor.
"You didn't have to set a ghost on me," Malfoy told her sulkily.
"It got me what I wanted," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "You're all for that aren't you?"
"Not when it comes to ghosts, Malfoy answered.
"You wouldn't leave me alone," Hermione told him, "So I did something about it."
Malfoy was silent until they reached the Astronomy Tower entrance.
"Are you going first?" he asked, standing aside. Hermione stopped and crossed her arms.
"No." she said firmly. Malfoy shrugged and mounted the staircase. Hermione couldn't help noticing how well his pants fit… When they reached the top of the stairs, Hermione was careful to put the doorstop in. Malfoy went straight over to the wall and leaned over it. Hermione walked across the tower to the opposite wall, looking out across the grounds. A few clouds drifted across the sky, curling around the moon. The grounds were still except for the slight swaying of the treetops in the distance.
Hermione looked back to the place where Malfoy had been a moment before only to find him gone. She peered around at the tower, searching for him with her eyes. She hadn't heard him move, but that didn't mean much. She went over to the door and listened, no footsteps. He hadn't gone down the stairs. Hermione went to the place where he'd last been and looked around.
"Malfoy?" she called.
"Yes?" said a voice. Hermione looked over the wall and gasped. Malfoy was seated comfortably on top of a gargoyle on the side of the tower.
"Come up from there," Hermione demanded. "You'll fall!"
"Have a little faith," Malfoy said calmly.
"I mean it, Malfoy."
"You'll have to give me a hand," Malfoy said, getting to his feet. Hermione bit her lip and extended her hand. Malfoy took it, sending shivers up her spine. Malfoy pretended to lose his balance, causing Hermione to tighten painfully her grip on his wrist.
"Ouch! Relax. I won't fall," Malfoy assured her. "Although I don't see why you're worrying. You weren't this worried about my welfare when you hit me third year. Or sent four kinds of curses at me in fourth year. Or-"
"I get it," Hermione grumbled. "I'm not sure why I'm worried, either. Maybe a good long fall would knock some sense into your head."
Malfoy now stood next to her and they glared at each other for a moment. An owl glided over the tower on its way to the owlery. Hermione looked up to watch it fly, still feeling quite angry with Malfoy for scaring her. She crossed the tower to watch the graceful bird as it continued its flight. When it finally flew out of sight around the castle, Hermione continued to stare after it, taking deep breaths of the cool night air, attempting to calm herself down.
…………
Hermione was completely lost in staring out across the grounds. Malfoy smirked as an idea formed in his mind. He slipped carefully across the tower, waiting until he saw her shoulders relax to come up behind her. Just as she let out another long, slow breath, Malfoy grabbed her. She screamed and spun round.
"Malfoy!" Her eyes flashed angrily at him. "Of all the stupid tricks! You are the most obnoxious person I have ever known. Abso-lute-ly the most irritating, exasperating, self-righteous, snotty little b-"
Her protests were cut short by Malfoy's lips covering her own.
"Shut up," he said, stepping back and holding her arms. Hermione glared daggers. Malfoy decided he was lucky that one needed a wand to do an Unforgivable curse.
"No I won't shut up!" Hermione cried. "What did you do that for? How can you be so-"
She was cut short again by another kiss.
"I mean it," said Malfoy, looking her in the eye.
"Stop that!" Hermione said angrily. "I don't like it and it makes me furious. I refuse to-"
Malfoy kissed her again, enjoying every second of it. This time she responded slightly, leaning into him briefly then pulling away with a start.
"Don't do that!" she yelled. "I'll curse you into next Thursday, I swear it!" Malfoy stepped back and let her storm away across the tower. She opened a door and stepped inside.
"That's the supply cupboard, Granger," Malfoy called after her. Hermione stormed out again, looking murderous. She fumed away down the Astronomy stair case, leaving Malfoy alone on the tower. Malfoy chuckled to himself and followed.
............
A/N: Sorry this took so long... I had to rewrite bits of it because they sucked. :0) Next chapter begins with Hermione's POV. Thank you for all the support! Nocturnal Sun, I'm glad you like it. Parody-of-an-angel, wait and see! Seraphina Faye, how persuasive was that? Perhaps Hermione is beginning to see things his way... Caren H., glad you enjoy it!
As always, thanks to my super-super betas, Kerichi and Aindel S. Druida. You're brill!
Have an abso-lute-ly fabulous day!