Chapter 2
-One Month Later-
By November, me and Draco actually became friends. It was way less then what I had with Harry and Ron, but we were considerably more then acquaintances.
"Hermione! Wait up!" I turned around and saw Pavarti Patil. We never were really close; she was a little too prissy for my taste. But I guess she was okay.
When she finally caught up to me, she said, "Hermione! I haven't talked to you in like forever! Listen, me and Lavender are having a party tomorrow in the Gryffindor common room. Can you make it?"
I was mildly surprised, but happy too. "Sure! When?"
She grinned mischievously. "Well, we were thinking that it should start at 11. You know, when curfew begins."
Why not?" I shrugged. "Is it just going to be Gryffindors or…"
"There'll be a lot of Ravenclaws too, a few Hufflepuffs, and one Slytherin."
One Slytherin?
"Who's the Slytherin?" I asked her.
"Oh, its this one Asian girl, Serena Zhei. She's, like, totally unlike a Slytherin. Honestly, I strongly believe that the Sorting Hat was wrong in her case. She is so much more of a Gryffindor." She answered as she checked her watch. "Oh fuck, we're gonna be late for Potions!"
"Shit! Snape's gonna freak!" We ran all the way to the dungeons and sat down right when the bell rang.
"Ahem. Thank you for joining us, Ms. Granger and Ms. Patil." He seemed quite put out that he didn't get to take away points from us for being late. "Today, you all are going to be put into partners which I will be choosing."
I groaned inwardly. No doubt he would pair me up with someone foul, like Crabbe or Goyle.
He started to read from a list. "Potter and Malfoy, Weasley and Goyle, Thomas and Parkinson, Longbottom and Bulstrode, Granger and Zhei…"
Zhei? As in Serena Zhei? Pavarti did say she wasn't bad... I just hope she was right.
I took my book bag and moved over to what I presumed to be her desk, since she was the only Asian I saw in the classroom.
"Hi," she said brightly. "Hermione, right? Head girl with Draco?"
I nodded. "Serena is your first name, right? And you're going to the party in the Gryffindor common room?"
"Yup. Well, I guess we should get started on the potion. Sorry if I mess up, I'm hopeless at this subject." She started gathering the materials. I looked over at Harry and Draco, where they obviously weren't getting along. Harry's hands were pulling at his hair, making it even more messy then it already was, and Draco looked like he was ready to punch him.
I guess he felt my eyes on him, because he turned around. I gave him a sympathetic look. He smiled. Harry noticed.
I turned back to Serena, who looked horribly flustered. "Um…do you need some help?" I couldn't help but giggle at her helpless expression.
She looked up at me gratefully. "Please and thank you."
-After Class-
"So Hermione, what's up with you and Malfoy?" Harry asked me casually while we were walking toward the great hall for dinner.
I looked at him, surprised. "What are you talking about, Harry? You know we're friends now."
He looked at me, as if trying to figure out if I was sincere, and said, "Really? Just friends?"
I laughed. "Of course. What did you think?"
"It's just… never mind. Let's eat."
-Head Common Room-
"I heard that there was going to be a party in the Gryffindor Common Room tomorrow." Draco and I were reading in bed just like every night when he suddenly brought up the party.
I brought down my book to my lap and looked at him curiously. "Yes. What about it?"
He shifted his position so he was facing me. "I was thinking…um…" He was blushing. "Do you think that… well…"
"Spit it out already."
"Do you think the Gryffindors would mind if I came?" He blurted out.
"You actually wanna come?" I never thought I'd see the day when Draco Malfoy would want to hang out with a bunch of non- Slytherins.
"Well, yeah." He lost his blush now. "I always wondered what kind of parties your house throws. Merlin knows the Slytherin parties suck ass. Everyone is all uptight." He stopped for a second. "Except for that one girl, Serena. The girl you partnered up with in Potions today."
"Yeah, she's going to the party too. The only Slytherin there, in fact."
He chuckled. "She always was hanging out with the other houses more then her own." He looked at me again. "So do you think they'll let me go?"
Right at that moment, while I was looking at his blue eyes, I found that I really really wanted Draco to be at the party. Which didn't even make sense because I didn't even really care if Harry or Ron would go. And Draco was a friend. Right?
"Yeah, they probably wouldn't mind. You'll be my guest." He smiled at me as I said these words, words I would probably regret the next day when I'd confront Pavarti. But at the moment, he was happy.
Wait… I was happy, not he. That's I meant to think. Whoa, what was wrong with me?
"Thanks, Hermione. Well, goodnight." He turned off the lights.
"Goodnight," I repeated slowly as I sank into my bed, waiting for sleep to overtake me.
-Next Day-
"Pavarti! Wait up!" I ran toward her while she was just heading toward the Gryffindor portrait.
"What's up, Hermione?" She asked.
"About the party." I paused, trying to think up a good way to word this. "What do you think about having another Slytherin there?"
She wrinkled her nose. "Who?"
"Well, I think Draco might want to come." I braced myself for the inevitable Hermione, what were you thinking?
Instead, she smiled and said, "Draco Malfoy? Oh, gosh, yes! Bring him! He's such total hotness!"
"Really?" I wanted to hug her with relief. Although it was making me a tad uncomfortable hearing her talk about him like that.
"Oh yes! All the ladies in the girls' Gryffindor dormitories, as much as we hate to admit it, all think he's totally fine! And you! You lucky ass, you get to live with him."
This was news to me. I mean, sure, I was always aware that Draco Malfoy was good looking, but I never knew it was enough to make all my fellow female house members swoon.
"Well. Okay then. I'll let him know, okay?"
"Fabulous. See you at the party, Hermione!"