Author's Notes: My muse Gertrude came up with the clever idea for this story. I hope you all enjoy it thoroughly.
Also the characters and settings of this story are created and owned by J.K. Rowling and various publishers. Please don't sue me! The story of Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare.
Summary: When Hermione and Draco (head girl and boy respectively) are faced with the difficult task of making all the houses (especially Gryffindor and Slytherin) cooperate and mingle by the end of the year or fail the school year, they go to desperate measures to achieve their goal even if it means pretending to be desperately in love with one another!
Like Romeo and Juliet, A tale of Slightly Star-crossed Lovers
Prologue
Hermione Granger was not a vain girl, so there were few things she prided herself in, and punctuality and cleverness were the top two on her list. So naturally when one is so proficient in these fields one hates to be dragged down from one's throne when others aren't nearly as competent.
And that's exactly what Draco Malfoy was doing to her.
There was no doubt in her mind that the blonde prat was doing this to her out of nothing but spite, only just recently realizing how she hated to be late. She looked down at her wrist watch. Precisely three minutes and forty nine—wait fifty seconds she had been standing in the Entrance Hall waiting, and the Slytherin had yet to make an appearance.
Perhaps she was being slightly controlling by insisting he was on time to the minute, but she couldn't bear a repeat of what had happened the first time the two heads had to meet up with the headmaster.
They had agreed, even if grudgingly to meet outside by the Quidditch pitch as Draco had practice that night, and then head to the Headmaster's office. It was a warm September Saturday, and Draco said that he would be finished around eight thirty. So Hermione spent a leisurely day in the library and left at eight o'clock to meet him there.
No one was on the Quidditch pitch and Hermione silently fumed. He should know better than to play these stupid little mind games with her now. Of course the two of them had their differences, but it was their responsibility to set an example for the rest of the school to follow.
When Draco was ten, then twenty minutes late she huffed off to the headmaster's office herself, only to bump into Draco who was on his way to the library.
She had been absolutely furious, "You're twenty minutes late to meet with the headmaster so you're going to the library?" she asked fuming.
Draco had snickered and rolled his eyes, "I'm not the one who's late Mudblood." He sneered, "I was right on time."
"You didn't meet me outside the Quidditch pitch like you promised! Don't you start up with that nonsense." She hissed.
"I beg to differ." He retorted, "I was out on the Quidditch pitch eighth thirty this morning."
If looks could kill, Draco would have been dead three times over. She was absolutely mortified and knew as well as he did that he has her caught there.
So for the October meeting, Hermione was absolutely determined to not look like an idiot. She made him promise her to meet him at eight thirty p.m. in the Entrance Hall or else. She had warned Draco, if he was even five minutes late, she would leave and start the meeting without him. Her right foot tapped the ground impatiently. He had only one minute left to arrive before she high tailed out of there.
Thirty seconds....twenty seconds...ten seconds...the door to the Entrance Hall creaked open. There he was, smirking arrogantly. She glowered at him.
"Evening Granger.' He said nonchalantly cracking his knuckles.
She inclined her head the tiniest amount. "Malfoy." She said.
"Shall we?" he drawled sticking out his arm.
She stared at it with contempt, "We shall." She said pushing past him.
"No need to be so cold love!" he bellowed chasing after her, "I swear, the other, she meant nothing to me!" A few fifth and sixth years they passed in the halls snickered.
Hermione pointedly ignored him knowing that responding back was
exactly what he wanted her to do. And Hermione Granger would never give Draco Malfoy something he wanted. She'd rather clean out underneath Ron's bed without magic. She shuddered...perhaps not.
When she reached the statue of the gargoyle Hermione said the password, "Laffy Taffy." To enter Dumbledore's office and Draco jogged to catch up with her. She walked down the hallway and knocked politely on the door.
"Come in Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy," he called, somewhat graver than normally.
Hermione slid into the room with grace, easing herself into an armchair stiffly, while Draco strolled in casually and plopped down in a seat as far away from her as possible.
"What a prude." Draco thought observing her frigid form.
"Thank you both for arriving together this time," Dumbledore said glancing at them over his half-moon spectacles. "I trust you are both well?" he added rhetorically, his mouth set in a small smile.
They nodded.
"Care for a lemon drop?" he asked mainly to Draco knowing that Hermione would decline. Draco gratefully took the Muggle sweet and popped it into his mouth. He was determined to do the opposite of whatever Granger did.
"Now, onto more important business." He said, "Miss Granger the monthly report?"
She went into her bag and pulled out a thick stack of neatly piled and carefully written documents and began to prattle on about all sorts of nonsense. Draco tuned her out as he normally did, focusing on enjoying his candy.
Finally, when she finished, Draco looked up again listening to the Headmaster speak, "I suppose you both remember the incident between in Gryffindor and Slytherin today." Both teenagers glanced at each other, looking slightly guilty. Neither had actually helped in the prank knowing that they would have to report it if they did, however the majority of their friends were involved or in Hermione's case, the core originators.
It had started out innocently enough. The Slytherin seventh years charmed the Gryffindor's plates to repel food a few days back. So today the Gryffindors had retaliated by casting charms on the Slytherins so that each one would be wearing something extremely pro Gryffindor. They had even gone as far as transfiguring wands and quills into little banners that said "I (Heart) Gryffindor!" or, "Go Lions!" in red and gold, spelling robes to flash different Gryffindor colors and slogans and enchanting book bags and parchment to play the tune of Weasley is Our King.
It had caused an all out war between the two houses, both losing their tempers easily and trying to hex each other into next Sunday. It had caught innocent bystanders from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw who would join the fight for which ever side hadn't hit them.
Dumbledore had been able to stop the massacre eventually, and made them eat the rest of their lunch in dead silence. He had taken all the points away from Gryffindor and Slytherin and half the points away from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Each house received two months of detention and Quidditch was suspended for the time being.
But as Dumbledore had suspected and feared, this did nothing to subdue their spirits but added fuel to a strong fire, each house blaming the other for all their punishment.
They nodded at him, they remembered that day all too clearly.
"I am at a loss as to how to insure inter-house cooperation and fraternization." He told them darkly, "As you both are students of the two most clashing houses, I have come to the realization that you will understand the reasons for this inborn hatred of each other better than this old man does. So I am placing the responsibility upon your shoulders. If you manage to get the four houses to cooperate by the end of the year, I will give the each of you one thousand house points. If you do not manage to get the four houses to co-operate, I shall fail you for the year."
They stared at him in horror. "Y-you're not serious are you?" Hermione asked.
"I'm afraid I quite am." He said seriously
Draco could feel his jaw opening and closing but he found himself enable to articulate.
"Run along now," he said, "I wouldn't want you to waist your evening."
They obeyed with zombie like airs standing up and existing without giving him a second glance. They made their way up to the suit of armor with his head on backwards and Hermione pulled the hand down swinging it forward and revealing a flight of maybe twenty five narrow stairs. They came to a blank wall and Draco prodded it with his wand six times and muttered the password "Skittles."
They entered their small common room and Hermione plopped down on the dark blue sofa exhausted. She kicked off her shoes and rested her feet on the coffee table.
Draco sat down on yellow sofa and did the likewise. They glared at each other for a long time, willing the other to get them out of this mess.
Finally Hermione spoke, "Malfoy, I think its best we work on this together."
He glared at her angrily, "Why would I want to work with a Mudblood?"
"And why would I want to work with a slimy little ferret?" she challenged.
He turned away from her childishly.
She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Listen neither of us wants to do this. But we have to. Do you want to fail?"
"No." he admitted.
"Neither do I. The sooner I get away from you, the better." She said.
"Likewise." Draco consented.
"Let's get to work then."
"Fine."
Author's Notes: Please review! I know it's short, it's only a prologue! I hope no one seems OC!