A/N: Ok, I know the first chapter was horribly short, but there is only so much that I could make Ginny say. So, to make up for it, I will try to make this chapter super long. If I do succeed, please read and review! Reviews are what keeps me writing.
Hope you all enjoy it!
Chapter 2:
Dire Enemies
Draco Malfoy was not a happy camper. But then again, when had he ever been a happy camper? Malfoy's don't do the camp thing – ever.
Although Draco noted wryly that he would rather camp outside for the rest of the year than share the Head Boy and Girl dormitory with a Mudblood. Of course, he had known that Hermione would be the Head Girl in their year, there simply wasn't another suitable candidate, but he would never have guessed that he would be Head Boy. Not with his father being who he is.
So, Draco Malfoy found himself in a small but luxurious common room, sitting across from a know-it-all Mudblood who was glaring at him with the same animosity that he was feeling for her.
"Let's get this straight from the beginning, Granger." Draco made sure to keep a hint of intense dislike in his tone. "I am sharing this dormitory with you because I have to. There will be no snooping into my private life or trying to get into my head. I am not here to be your friend so do not expect me to spend loads of quality time with you. It is my business if I am late or if I choose to bring someone in here. Got that Mudblood?"
"No, Malfoy, I don't get that. Here are my rules." Hermione's eyes were flashing and she stood, hands on hips, glaring at the blond haired Slytherin. "There will be no parties in our common room, and you will not bring more than one other person into this place without my prior consent. You will not belittle me or call me names and you will not insult my friends. We are Head Boy and Head Girl; we have to give some semblance of working together as a team. And you will do your share of the work. Got that, Malfoy?"
Draco curled his lower lip in disgust. "You keep my rules, I keep yours, Granger. Now, don't you have to run off to complete Potter's fan club? He might just do something rash without you there playing his mother."
Hermione narrowed her eyes in anger, but refused to be bated. Instead, she threw back her hair and shrugged. "Go torture some fluffy bunnies, Malfoy; I have no time to listen to your insults."
"And here I thought you were an animal lover, Granger. Tsk-tsk, what would Dumbledore say if he knew that you were encouraging people to torture helpless creatures?" Draco smirked. "And I have to add that your comeback was far from adequate. I expected more from you, Head Girl."
"Sod off, Malfoy." Not caring whether she proved his point or not, Hermione puffed herself up like an angry cat and spun around, climbing the stairs to her room in a huff.
Draco lazily settled himself in one of the plush chairs scattered around the small common room and smiled with satisfaction. This could be more fun than he thought. Getting under her skin could make for hours of amusement, and it didn't have to be limited to mere chance encounters in the hallways or in classes.
Another smile came to his lips, giving the Slytherin Prince a malicious look. It was time to survey his domain.
****
"I can believe that they are making her stay with that…that freakin Death Eater ferret!" Ron was working himself into a right state up in the boys' dormitories. Neville, Dean and Seamus only exchanged confused looks and shrugged. They had no idea what Weasley was going on about.
Harry nodded, throwing himself onto his bed. "I think she should appeal to Dumbledore. It could be dangerous for her. I mean, we all know that Death Eaters hate Muggle-born witches and wizards. He could be killing her now and we would never know!"
Ron, who had been pacing around, came to a sudden standstill. "You're right; we have to go check on her!" Ron made a bee-line for the door, Harry hot on his heels.
Neville, Dean and Seamus exchanged another look.
"What was that all about?" Neville asked; the others only shrugged and returned to whatever they had been doing.
In the mean time, Harry and Ron made their hasty descend, almost knocking Ginny over in their haste to get down.
"Geez, where are you guys off to in such a hurry?" Ginny asked, brushing drops of hot coco from her new dressing gown.
"We are going to check on Hermione!" Harry called over his shoulder as he and Ron reached the portrait hole. "She is alone with Malfoy, and he has been looking for a chance to take revenge on her for ages."
"Oh for the love of Merlin!" Ginny muttered and set off after them, depositing her hot coco on one of the small tables on her way out. "Harry, Ron, wait up!"
They slowed down for a few strides, allowing her to catch up.
"Do you even know where the Head Boy and Girl have their dormitory?"
Ron looked uncertainly from his sister to his best friend. He scratched his head, reluctant to admit that he had no idea where they could find the dormitory. Harry shook his head.
Ginny sighed and clucked her tongue. "Silly boys. You honestly think that Malfoy would kill Hermione right under Dumbledore's nose? Don't be silly, he would find himself in a cell in Azkaban the very next hour. He might be an annoying, obnoxious, arrogant prat but he's not that stupid!"
Harry couldn't help but stare at her. "You're right, I guess." Ron said, but could not keep himself from looking anxiously down the corridor, almost as if he expected to see Malfoy coming around the corner any moment, carrying Hermione's lifeless body.
Shaking her head, Ginny too glanced around the corridor. "Perhaps we should get back to the Gryffindor common room, before Filch catches us."
"Yeah, we can check on Hermione tomorrow morning." Harry started walking back to the common room, thoughts on the Marauder's map stashed away in his trunk. "And kill Malfoy if he does anything to her."
****
I sigh as I grab my book bag and start my way to McGonagall's class. If NEWT level Transfiguration was in anyway as hard as Harry and Ron says it is, I get the feeling that it's going to be a long year. Not that any of my other classes are going to be easy. I especially shudder when I think of another two years of Potions with Snape. I might have gotten an OWL for Potions end of last year, but I'm starting to wish that I hadn't gotten as many OWLs as I had.
At least Hermione didn't come out of her first night alone with Malfoy with any permanent damage. Oh, she is miffed beyond words, but she still had enough sense left to keep Harry and Ron from charging over to the Slytherin table right then and there and beating the shit out of the Head Boy. Although, it might have helped to get some of that pent-up rivalry out of their systems. Harry and Ron have been staring daggers at each other the entire morning, but I haven't managed to figure out exactly what happened this time. They are still mad at the fact that I showed some logic last night. Breakfast was a strained affair. I get the idea they were planning on jinxing me when Hermione started ranting about what an insufferable git Malfoy is.
Not my problem. They would have gotten into a worse fix if Filch had caught them traipsing around the school. And them with no idea where the Head Boy and Girl have their common room. Men, idiots, all of them.
"Watch it!" I exclaim as someone bumps into me.
"You are the one who wasn't watching where she was going, Weasel, don't blame me if your parents can't afford proper eye-care for your family." Malfoy smirks at me. Merlin! Just what I need now. Mr. Death-Eater-in-the-making himself. Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle laugh psychopathically. Doesn't he ever go anywhere without Dumb and Dumber?
Why aren't Ron and Harry here to beat him up now that it's needed?
"Perhaps if your ego wasn't so big, Ferret, you might be able to get nearer to the side of the corridors and people won't have to dodge your ugly face the whole time." I'm not in the mood to trade insults with Malfoy, and I know from experience that this could turn ugly.
"I would watch my mouth if I was you, Weasel, one of these days you might just land in detention. Now, I have to go burn these robes before I catch some disease." And the stupid prat just turns around and walks away, his buddies in his wake.
One day, I'd like to just reach out and strangle that ferret-face. But for now, I will have to be satisfied with getting to McGonagall's class on time.
I get to Transfiguration just in time. Briefly I wonder if McGonagall will take Malfoy for an excuse if I ever come late. Somehow I doubt it, though, but I guess that it could be worth a try if I was desperate enough.
I slip into a seat between Colin Creevey and Luna Lovegood. I am glad that they are both in my class, even if Luna is slightly well… weird, and Colin is still struggling to get over his crush on me, but at least I will have someone to talk to.
Colin grins at me as I flop down in my chair, and Luna gives me her characteristic big-eyed stare and a small smile, but we have no time to talk, because McGonagall launches straight into a lecture about the year's work.
"So you're a Prefect again." Luna states as we walk out of Transfiguration and head down the corridor towards Defence Against the Dark Arts. You can almost feel the anticipation mounting amongst the sixth-years as we near the class. The reason is obvious, of course – the new DA teacher. We're his first class, so we have no idea what to expect.
I nod to Luna, but I don't comment. Being made a Prefect is not something I feel comfortable boasting about. My name is not Percy Weasley. Fortunately we reach the DA class and I am saved the necessity of making some comment to spark conversation. We join the silent line of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin students that are lined up to enter the DA class. It is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Of course, we all know the DA teacher, or sort of, in anyway. I don't think that anyone who was in Hogwarts in the year of the Tri-Wizard Tournament can easily forget Victor Krum.
As far as we could figure, Krum was offered the job of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher after a nasty accident that left him unable to play Quidditch this year. Not that many of the students mind. Some of the more fluff-brained twits still think that they'll be lucky enough to snag the Seeker. Ha, as if Krum wants anyone but our Hermione. She, of course, was highly excited for the first, oh, five minutes or so after the news came; then, hard reality set in and she managed to figure that students and teachers couldn't date – no matter what had happened before Krum got the post.
Generally I love Ron, and usually I don't like to see him tortured, but his spitting-mad repertoire of swear-words have been depleted after an hour-long stream of obscenities. Which I couldn't help but laugh through, obviously.
The students before me start to move into the class, and with a last amused smile at my dearest brother's expense, I follow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Hah! Told you I'd make this one longer. See, I keep my promises. Hope that wasn't too bad. Let me know what you think by reviewing!