(AN: I'm sorry for taking so long to update my fanfic, I hope you find this chapter worth the wait.)

Chapter 7
Hotaru in Transfiguration

Professor McGonagall has just finished demonstrating to the class how to change a turtle into a frog (AN: I don't think she actually teaches this but it just came to mind at the spur of the moment.). "Now make sure you don't turn others into frogs as well. It will be very difficult trying to find so many frogs in this room. You have until five minutes before the end of class. You may begin," she instructs. As Hotaru is about to mutter the spell to turn her turtle into a frog, Draco leans over and breaks her concentration when he says, "I hope your friend enjoys detention with Potty, Weasel, and the Mudblood because it's going to be a long night. Professor Snape always keeps his detentionees (AN: I know it's not a word but I couldn't come up with anything better) till around 11:30 to midnight." "Why do you call her that?" she asks. "What do you mean, why do I call her what?" he asks in mock confusion. "Why do you call Hermione a Mudblood?
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Draco says while playing innocent and stupid with her. Hotaru raises herself from her chair and nearly towers over the sitting Draco. She stretches her arms back behind her as if she were stretching, when she catches him off guard she quickly turns her right fist sideways and socks him right in the nose. She hits him so hard, he is knocked backwards in his chair and onto the hard stone floor.
As soon as she hears the chair fall backwards, Hotaru turns to admire her work. When she turns her head to look at him she sees that his nose is bloody and looked as though it might be broken. He is just lying there with his hand over his nose trying not to let the blood leak out like runny gore. When he feels her eyes on him, he looks at her and glares vengeful daggers at her. As they are staring hard at each other they don't notice that other students have crowded around them to see what had happened and not too long afterwards the crowd is broken through by McGonagall herself. As she approaches Hotaru and Draco and notices his nose bleeding she gasps, "What in Merlin's name has happened here? I demand to know immediately." "He/she started it," Draco and Hotaru say in unison.
"I don't care who started what, I just want to know what happened," McGonagall says while pulling Draco up by his robes. As Draco is being pulled he tries his best to keep his hand over his nearly broken nose. "Malfoy called Hermione a Mudblood...," Hotaru begins. "I did no such thing. I was just sitting here doing my work and out of nowhere she turns and punches me," he interrupts. "Professor, are you going to believe a compulsive liar or the new student?" Hotaru asks in shock. "Miss Tomoe, I don't know who to believe right now. We'll settle this with Professor Dumbledore as soon as Mister Malfoy returns from the Hospital wing, please escort him up there and when you two return we will decide what your punishment shall be, ok?" she sighs. "Yes Professor," Hotaru says. "Let's go Malfoy," she adds while pulling him by the arm. When he finally realizes that it is Hotaru who has hold of his robes he pulls away from her and walks on his own a little ahead of her. "I can walk on my own," he adds cheekily. "If you say so," she snorts while rolling her eyes. They walk up the many flights of stairs in silence with at least a five-foot distance between them.
After what seems like a century they finally reach the Hospital wing and enter through the double doors. Surprisingly Hotaru holds open the doors for Draco (AN: Hey, she might have broken his nose, but she isn't that mean). Draco walks in while glaring daggers at her as if daring her to try something. When Madam Pomfrey hears the doors open and shut she comes out of her office to see who had come in. When she notices Draco with his hand over his nose, she hurries up to him and helps over to a chair to sit down so she can take a look at it. "Mister Malfoy, what has happened now?" she asks taking some wet cloths and putting them gently over his nose and placing his hand over them. "Now hold that there while I go get something for that broken nose," she instructs as if she doesn't really care to hear what happened. When Draco is being ushered to the chair Hotaru decides to wait by the door so as to keep a safe distance from him. As soon as Madam Pomfrey finally finishes bandaging up his nose Hotaru takes a good look at it and quickly stifles a laugh before Draco could even sense her laughter. As he ambles to the door he gives her a disgruntled look. When he turns away from her she lets out her laugh. He turns to see what she is laughing at and then at that moment he knew. She was laughing at him. He looks at himself in the nearby wall mirror and then realizes that she is right, he does look funny. "Alright, lets go back to class Malfoy, you've admired yourself long enough," she says, holding the door open for him. As they walk back to class she starts up a conversation. "So, are you still infatuated by my friend Raye?" she asks jovially. "What makes you think I was even infatuated with her in the first place?" he asks. "Oh, don't give me that. I can tell when people are infatuated by each other. I have an eye for these things ," she says laying a finger on her eye and grinning with a wink.
"Just so you are aware, I will get my revenge for you breaking my nose," he says out of nowhere. "Oh, I know, I haven't forgotten that vengeful glare you sent my way earlier, you little nitwit," she snarls before whisking ahead of him. Not long after that they arrived back at the transfiguration classroom, they see talking with Professor McGonagall, none other than their head of house, Professor Snape. When he saw them enter the room, he did not look the least bit happy. "Well?" Professor Snape asks looking from Hotaru to Draco when they approach him. "Well what, Professor?" Hotaru asks first. "Well, don't you have some explaining to do Miss Tomoe? About what happened during class?" he emphasizes. "Oh, yes, that," Hotaru replies as if she had forgotten. "Well, you see what happened Professor was that...." she begins before Draco interrupts her. "She punched me for no good reason Professor, I was just minding my own business and she turns and punches me right in the nose," Draco whines. "He's lying Professor," Hotaru begins before Snape stops her. "Frankly, I don't care what happened and frankly I don't care who started it. The fact is that you both were caught in the act so you both will be punished," Snape says looking from one to other with near disappointment in his eye. "I think a week's worth of detention ought to teach them a lesson, don't you Professor McGonagall?" he asks turning to Professor McGonagall to his left. "I do believe a week's worth would be suitable for this act of behavior Professor Snape," she replies. Draco and Hotaru stand there, mouths nearly wide open with shock. "bubububu, Professor," Draco stutters as Hotaru snickers lightly beside him. "No buts, I want you both down in the Potions at 10 pm this evening." he instructs. "Do I make myself clear?" "Yes Professor, "they respond in unison.

Meanwhile.....

Darien meets Oliver Wood in Herbology

"Now, before we end class for today I want to partner you all up for the next assignment as well as for the rest of the year. I'm going to read off your name and your partner's name from this list and I want each of you to move to the seat next to your partner, ok? Ok," Professor Sprout instructs. "Darien Chiba from Ravenclaw, you will be paired up with Oliver Wood from Gryffindor," she begins. As she continues to read off each person's name everyone moves around to pair up with his or her partner. "Hi," says Darien when he reaches Oliver. "Hey," Oliver replies. "So, it looks like we're stuck with each other for the entire year, huh?" Oliver says jokingly. "I guess so," Darien replies. They continue their conversation for five more minutes until it is time for them to gather their things and leave.
"So, what do you have after lunch?" Darien asks. "I have Advanced Potions with Hufflepuff." "I have Muggle Studies next. Good luck with Potions, Professor Snape is really tough on anyone who isn't in Slytherin House," Oliver explains. "Thanks for the tip, I'll remember that." Darien says as they enter the Great Hall for lunch. "Well, this is my turn, I'll see you later Oliver, it was nice meeting you," Darien says before heading towards the Ravenclaw table to take his seat and to save a place for Serena.
It wasn't more than ten minutes after Oliver had started when all of a sudden he hears loud voices coming straight towards the Great Hall. "What in the world?" he asks himself before getting up to see what it could be. As soon as he lays a hand on the enormously large handle to push on one of the doors, he his all of a sudden pulled forward off of his feet. As he feels his feet leave the floor he closes his eyes, ready to hit the floor, but notices that he in fact doesn't hit the floor but strong feminine arms. When he looks up to see who it was that had caught him, the first thing he sees are the prettiest brown eyes he had ever seen. "Oh, I am so sorry miss, how clumsy of me," he says to the girl as he stumbles back on his feet and helps her pick up her books that he had unintentionally caused her to drop. When he hands her back her books he realizes who the person is, "it's ok, Oliver, it was my fault I should have paid better attention to where I was going," Hermione apologizes with her face as a red as Ron's hair. "No, please it was my fault, I should have paid better attention myself," Oliver replies. "Well, it seems we're even then, huh?" Hermione says. Oliver looks at her with a puzzling look. "What do you mean?" he asks. "You know, I apologize to you, you apologize to me, we both apologize to each other for something we each have no control over," she says smiling. Not a moment later Hermione feels tug on the sleeve of her robes, she turns to see who it is and all of a sudden remembers that she was walking and talking with Serena before this turn of events took place. "Oh, I forgot. Oliver this is Serena, Serena this is Oliver. I was telling her how Professor Snape gave me, Raye, Ron, and Harry detention today," she says. When she sees the look of dismay on his face she adds, "I'll explain later, but for now lets just get some food, I'm starved, ok?" "Ok, it was nice meeting you Serena," Oliver says as he follows Hermione to the Gryffindor table. "It was nice meeting you too Oliver," Serena says as she heads over to her own table.
When she approaches the Ravenclaw table she notices Darien looking at Hermione and Oliver. As she seats herself next to him she notices he did not once look at her since she walked into the Great Hall. "Is something wrong Darien dear? Do you see something interesting over in that direction that requires so much of your attention that you cant even give your own girlfriend at least a glance?" she asks. "Huh, what? Oh, hi Serena, I didn't see you sit down, how were classes?" Darien asks embarrassingly. "I wonder why, you didn't even see me at all, you were too busy looking at Hermione over there," she begins. "You think she's prettier than me, don't you?" she whines. As he puts his hands up to object with an "I'm innocent" look on his face and before he can even get a word out she stands up and leaves the Great Hall with a "Hrmph." Darien continues to stare in shock as she walks away, wondering what it was he had done wrong.
Two tables away Hermione has just finished telling Oliver how she had gotten detention. "And then Raye jumps up out of her seat and yells at Professor Snape, it was almost worth getting detention to see someone finally stand up to him," she says as she finishes her story. Just as she says her final word she notices Raye enter the Great Hall and seat herself next to and not to far behind her were Ron and Harry. "What took you guys so long, lunch is almost over with, we have nearly ten minutes left," Hermione informs them. "Ten minutes, oh man," Harry and Ron say in shock as they start shoveling food into their mouths. "Whoa, Whoa, slow down, the food isn't going anywhere boys. I know it's natural for Ron to eat that fast, but for Harry no," Oliver says. Harry and Ron act as though that had not heard a word he'd said. "Did you hear me?" he asks. "Oh, yeah, we heard you," they finally reply.
"Well, I'm going to go ahead and start heading to class," Hermione says to the two human disposals. Oliver takes another look at them and nods while saying, "Hey Hermione, can I walk you to your next class?" She almost looks at him shockingly but quickly hides it. "Oh, why of course, feel free," she says as she finishes gathering up her remaining books. As she reaches for her "Monster book of Monsters"(AN: I think that's the name of the one book that Hagrid required for his Care of Magical Creatures class, if it isn't, someone please let me know, so I can go back and change it. Please) Oliver picks it up first, she looks at him eyes wide open and he adds before she can speak, "Please allow me," with a smile. "Thank you," she says as they exit the Hall together. Harry and Ron stop eating for a moment to watch them leave together, "You know Ron, I think Oliver and Hermione make a splendid couple," Harry says. "What do you think?" "I was just thinking the same thing, Harry ol' chap." "And we were thinking what you two were thinking," Fred and George say in unison as they pop up next the two out of nowhere. "Fred, George, where did you two come from," Ron asks nearly scared out of his mind by their sudden appearance. "Well Ron, ol' dear brother of ours. We came out of the same place you did, our dear mother," they say. "No, no, that's not what I meant. I meant, where were you before now and how did you get here so fast, I didn't see you come in," Ron says wanting to whack them for thinking such thoughts.
"That is not important right now dear brother, what is important right now is playing cupid," Fred and George continue while rubbing their hands together as if they were about to concoct something evil. "I think Harry and I can handle this "cupid" stuff on our own thank you, we don't need your "evil" plans to do something so simple, "dear brothers", let's go Harry," Ron says before gathering his stuff to leave. As he and Harry get up to leave Fred grabs Ron's arm lightly and adds, "Whether you like it or not little brother, we are going to help you with this little project of yours." "We'll see," Ron says before departing the Hall with Harry following behind. Not more than five minutes later Darien decides he might as well go to class as well since everyone else seems to be leaving. He grabs his stuff and departs the Hall not too far behind Fred and George Weasley.