[Author Notes: Sorry for the delay. I've been busy.]
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by JKR. The modified lyrics belong to REM's "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" which happens to be one of my favorite REM songs.
Plot: Draco/Hermione. Don't like it? Go somewhere else. This is my story. And I did warn you in the summary. As for the actual plot being original, no one has a copyright on the entire school idea. If so, Hollywood would be in serious trouble
Chapter 10: Pretty and Sexy
"Alright then, from the top once more, and then we'll break," Draco said. Although he had some vocal training, he was getting tired. Maybe it had been the Quidditch practice earlier that day. But since Granger had agreed to let them practice in the common room, Draco was unwilling to give up this opportunity to jam together. They were basically running through their old set, refreshing their minds and memories of what it was like to play together after the summer apart.
Boots let the bass start and Zabini and Pucey joined in while Draco sang his heart out.
"What's the emergency, Albus?"
I'm sure things can change.
I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed
I thought I'd pegged you in the extreme
Tunnel vision from an outsider's scheme
I never understood the emergency
You wore our expectations in and up and down
I'd studied your runes, credo, music, plea, moves, guarantees
Snape said, "Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy"
A smile like the buffoon, tooth for a truth
You said that irony was the shackles of youth
You wore a shirt of violent green
I never understood that we could change
"What's the emergency, Albus?" is your medicine
Butterfly, dragon, in the middle, dogging the scene
You smile like the buffoon, truth for a tooth
You said that irony was the shackles of youth
You are a sun, violent rays and all
I never understood that we can't change
You wore our expectations like an armored suit
I don't understand
You said that irony was the shackles of you
I couldn't understand
You wore a shirt of violent green
I can understand
I never understood, don't fuck with me"
The song had an almost hypnotic bass, the beat moved at a moderate clip and it was immensely popular with the school. He and Zabini had cowrote it after they heard Boots improvising on his guitar. Were they poking fun at Dumbledore? Just a little. But they weren't really say anything with the song, there was no hidden agenda or political message. Although there could be. Zabini had insisted on making it deliberately ambiguous and seeing what interpretations you got back. It never failed to amuse him.
Draco always thought of Blaise in masculine terms, although he was sporting a female form at the moment. With long hair in pigtails, wearing male black/white board shorts that came to his knees, a black bikini top and black muggle sneakers, Zabini looked more like he was ready for a day in an Australian beach, surfing, than practicing on the drums. But Draco knew how much Zabini sweated behind the drums. Hell, anyone sweated playing drums.
"Can we smoke in here?" Terry asked Draco, taking off his guitar strap.
Draco shook his head to signal 'no'. He could not imagine the row he would have with Granger if she came in and found out that they had been smoking. She would probably let out another of those banshee screeches and prohibit them from ever practicing in the common room ever again. Well, Draco didn't smoke because it limited his vocal range. Pucey and Boots were the real smoke fiends, often going through packs of muggle and wizard cigarettes. Draco didn't understand the fascination with smoking. Not that he was opposed to smoking a cigar once in a while, but smoking a cigar was not the same as continuously inhaling cigarette smoke. "Outside on the balcony," he said.
Both Terry and Daniel got their cigarettes and waited for Draco to show them through his room and out to his balcony. Blaise followed and went to the bathroom in search of a towel. He returned with a damp towel across his shoulders. His skin shone with sweat, and everyone could see the beads of sweat drip down his chest and between a pair of medium sized breasts. Draco and Pucey were used to Zabini's antics but he knew that Boots was at least mildly disconcerted. Draco certainly didn't want to be staring at Zabini's breasts, but he was male. He had to at least acknowledge them. So Draco did and put it out of his mind entirely.
"So what's it like? Living with the resident Know-It-All?" Daniel said after taking a drag.
Draco shrugged. He really didn't see Granger that much. Mostly in class, the daily patrols and the weekly prefect meeting. They still shared the common room but half the time he was either inside his room or she was gone to the library. Two weeks had passed and they had settled into something of a routine. She would shower in the morning and he would shower before class and after Quidditch practice, which sometimes meant showering twice a day. He didn't know if she was purposefully avoiding him. Not that it mattered. It wasn't like they were friends. And hadn't he gone weeks without talking to Granger before? Of course, they hadn't shared close quarters before. They had minor squabbles but Granger had taken to simply not saying anything and it wasn't any fun to argue with someone that just wasn't willing to argue back.
"This place," Terry started to say with a shake of his head, "it's better than any of the dorms. And you even have frigging room service." He took another drag as he looked at the spectacular view from the balcony, overlooking the Southern side of the castle, a great view of the valley.
Dobby, at Draco's behest, had brought them pumpkin juice and a couple butterbeers as well as some snacks to have while they practiced. Dobby was summoned usually after patrols but Draco always found a glass of pumpkin juice and an apple whenever he entered his room after class. The first time Draco had been startled that Dobby remembered that particularly detail from the Manor and would even continue it. Draco reminisced for a full ten minutes before he actually drank his juice.
"You should know by now Boots that if you stay in my band that there would always be superior quality service," Draco drawled, a not-so-subtle hint about Slytherin power. Pucey, Zabini and Malfoy were all respected names within the Wizarding community, not to mention exceedingly wealthy. Despite the smearing his family name had taken because of Lucius, there were very few families that would openly reject the Malfoy name, mainly because of the wealth and connections it commanded.
Terry merely raised his eyebrows and gave them a half–grin. Before he could say anything, Crookshanks made his appearance by coming from behind them and rubbing up against Draco's leg. All of them looked down to see the source of the purring and Crookshanks merely gave them all a feline grin and continued to harass Draco to be petted.
"I didn't know you had a cat," Zabini said with raised eyebrows, the only strain that his face showed. He couldn't believe he hadn't known this. Besides, how impossible was it to never notice a cat? Especially one as ugly as that one! Not that he would ever say so to Draco. The last time he had insulted one of the Malfoy pets, Draco had unleashed the hounds on him and chased him around the Manor. He had only been saved from being severely mauled because his mother and Narcissa Malfoy had decided to investigate the source of all the barking.
Draco could almost laugh. Zabini was probably about to shit a brick. This was absolutely hilarious. Zabini prided himself in having the best powers of observation and the ability to obtain information. To have missed that Draco had a cat was probably killing him. He could tell that Pucey and Boots were also very amused.
"Shit Draco. I would have thought you could afford a better looking cat,"
Terry said, a little derision in his voice.
A subtle tension in Draco's demeanor meant that he had taken the insult a little too personally. "Are you implying Boots that the cat is ugly?" he drawled blandly, but those trained to listen to the nuances in Draco's speech knew that he was more dangerous in his blandness than when he was blatantly angry.
Blaise and Daniel exchanged a look without Terry noticing and both of them relaxed a little more to enjoy the show. Draco was gonna rake Terry through the coals and he wouldn't notice it until it was too late.
Terry looked to see everyone relatively relaxed, despite his audacious comment. He took his cue from Blaise and Daniel who seemed to be amused at the entire situation. Looking back on the incident, Terry would realized that it was for entirely different reasons than the ones he thought. Thinking that his temerity had pleased Draco while taking him down a few pegs, although a contradiction, pleased Terry.
"I'm not implying. Just look at it! It's ugly!" Terry continued, gesticulating with the still burning cigarette.
"It is," Draco nodded in agreement with glinting. "However, I am mildly insulted that you or anyone could believe that this is my cat. As a Malfoy, we take pride in the best. This cat is not the best."
He heard Crookshanks hiss and narrow its eyes at him. Draco should have known that the cat would take offense to his comment. In the last two weeks he had ample opportunity to study the cat and its habits, the most annoying one being its daily naps in his bed. He was perpetually ridding himself of orange hairs from his robes and his linens. He also noted that the cat was particularly ill-tempered. Very much like his owner, Draco thought with a scowl.
Terry saw Draco scowl and knew he had made a mistake.
"Malfoy, I meant no offense. If that's not your cat, whose is it?" Terry asked quickly.
"Granger's," Zabini divined with a smile parting his pout and a clearing his expression. He felt positively light headed. He hadn't been missed a thing in the Slytherin dungeons. Draco had merely wanted to toy with him.
"Correct," Draco made the word a clipped note.
"What is Granger's pussycat doing in your room?" Pucey asked with raised eyebrows, insinuating that there was something more going on between them.
Draco smiled frostily. He couldn't very well let other Slytherins think that he was going soft and being friendly with a Gryffindor, much less a mudblood. Their very uneven truce was also unspoken. In the past two weeks, they shared their common room and bathroom like if it were a minefield. They also ignored each other. Draco didn't like being ignored. Although he was glad that he could do his homework uninterrupted, he also knew that Granger made it a point not to speak to him, even when he heard her muttering to herself. He wasn't going to be the first one to break the wall of silence either. She would cave in before he did. He had practice holding his tongue. She practically jumped at a teacher's question and blabbered about the answer.
It was one thing to have sex with a mudblood, another to be friends with one in the Slytherin school of thought. More importantly, Pucey was in no position within the hierarchy to make those insinuations. Draco gave Zabini slight leniency because he was such a power player and the information broker, and Zabini could have gotten away with it. But Pucey was out of line.
"Not that it's any of your business," Draco said with a smile that was more teeth than pleasant and a not quite so subtle reminder that Pucey's question was out of line. "The blasted thing seems to like me. And as much as I would like to obliviate it into nothingness, I don't particularly want to lose my position as Head Boy over something as trivial as a pussycat."
"So what's it like? Living with Granger?" Zabini asked, the underlying amusement was easy to detect.
Draco snorted. He didn't think he was living with Granger. Hell, he couldn't think he ever actually lived. It's hard to describe what life as a Slytherin was like to non-Slytherins. It was equally as difficult to describe what life as a Malfoy should be, even to other Slytherins. Zabini might understand with some of the same expectations placed upon him. But Zabini's father was not Lucius. More important, Zabini, as far as Draco knew had never been continuously and constantly treated like a failure. Pucey might understand him better in that aspect but he wasn't fucking going to reveal that Lucius was less than proud of him. He certainly was never going to admit that his father considered him something of a disappointment and a failure under circumstances other than a Cruciatus curse. Of course, every Slytherin knew that his father was less than pleased about certain things, especially in those younger years but then again Lucius was not known to be a particularly pleasant man.
More importantly, there really wasn't something to say about sharing quarters with Granger. They basically lived separate lives apart from their duties as Head Boy and Girl. Outside the bubble of their living quarters, their enmity was still legendary. The sneers, the taunts, the cold looks still continued. Of course, both sides were a little more banked, a little more cautious from upsetting anyone too seriously. The brewing war made everyone a little more conscious of sparking a battle prematurely. But every slight was duly noted and retribution was to be expected. Perhaps not immediately, but soon.
Despite their lack of interaction, there were little things that he had come to learn about Granger. She was fond of her mangy ragamuffin cat. She took her studies seriously, almost too seriously for Draco's liking. She liked to shower first in the mornings. She wore simple scents that wafted after her, an innocent and alluring trail after her. He certainly wasn't going to disclose how nice the little mousy bookworm smelled or how deeply he inhaled once he walked into the bathroom. He also noticed that she wore her school skirts at a very becoming length, stopping at midthigh, exposing just a few tantalizing inches before the beginning of her knee high socks. But on weekends and other moments, she preferred to wear muggle jeans and those hugged a very pert bottom. Not that Draco had been fancying her ass, it was just eye candy. Sort of like the same way he noted Zabini's breasts. It was noted and filed away.
But there were things he couldn't so easily dismiss. Like the way she would lightly bite her lower lip when she was deep in concentration, considering a homework problem. Her face intense and glowing, her hair a tumbling around her, she was arresting. If he were a cat, he would feel the necessity to bask in her. Since he wasn't a cat, he merely forced himself to tear his eyes away and bludger less than academic thoughts into oblivion.
"She's an annoying upstart prissy bookworm banshee. Woman has got a screech that can flatten a man at ten paces. No wonder she's still a virgin," Draco drawled as he noticed that he had taken more than the necessary few moments to answer Zabini's question.
"How do you know that she is a virgin?" Zabini asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Merlin! Zabini are you bloody daft? Can you imagine anyone wanting to do her?" Draco grumbled annoyed. He didn't like that twinkling in Zabini's eyes. Reminded him too much of Dumbledore's twinkly little eyes. And it was a sure sign of trouble. Another sign of trouble was picturing Granger biting that lower lip of hers as she tried to restrain herself from moaning out his name. Damn Zabini and his insinuations! It was all his bloody fault!
"I would," Terry said without thinking, and then he realized what he said. Damn, it was his day to continuously shove his foot inside his mouth, wasn't it? Trying to salvage himself he tried to explain. "I mean, I can imagine others that would. Viktor Krum certainly had something for her. She's pretty. Not like mindblowing attractive but enough that you don't have to put a paper bag over her head, you know? And you wouldn't have to worry about other guys hitting on her. And she's smart. Plus, there's that quality of snagging her from under Potter's and Weasley's noses. She's a challenge. Some guys dig challenges," he said quickly.
Draco could almost feel his jaw dropping to the ground. Boots found Granger attractive? Not just shaggable but attractive enough to date! What the hell was wrong with the world?
"I have to agree with Boots on this one. She's pretty. But more to the point, she's a challenge. There is the entire virgin deal. But on top of that, you have to steal her from Potter and Weasley. But if you do, well man, you've got the biggest bollocks in school and people respect that," Pucey said.
Everyone turned their head and dropped their jaws. Pucey thought Granger was pretty! Draco felt like he had walked through the mirror and went down the rabbit hole at the same time. He wanted to bash his head against the wall. The last five minutes of conversation had not happened. He was stuck in some sort of alternate reality. Granger was not attractive! Could nobody see what she was? Just another annoying mudblood bitch! No one was supposed to notice or think that she was pretty!
Draco continued to ignore the niggling voice in the back of head that continued to taunt him saying that he did think that Granger was pretty.
---------------- ----------------- ------------------------
"So Hermione! Spill the beans! Completely! Don't you dare leave a detail out!" Lavender Brown had pounced on her the moment she stepped into the Gryffindor common room. She and Parvati had swooped down on her like a pair of rapacious vultures and dragged her away from the common room to their room.
"Where is Harry? Ron? Ginny?" Hermione asked with a panicky voice, asking for one of her closer friends to try and get out of what promised to be a hideously torturous gossip session.
"They have Quidditch practice. It should be over soon. So you'll just have to stay here and wait for them," Parvati said sweetly, an amused twinkle in her eye.
"Oh! In that case, I could just walk down to the Quidditch pitch," Hermione started to say quickly.
"Don't be silly Hermione. By the time you get there, they will be done and you'll just have to walk all the way back here. Besides, you have barely spent any time with us. Honestly, one would think that we weren't friends anymore because you don't want to spend time with us. We've barely seen you since classes started," Lavender said with a feigned hurt look in her eyes.
Hermione wanted to groan. She had been neatly and efficiently cornered. And she couldn't think of a way out. And the by the satisfied looks on both Lavender and Parvati, they knew this as well. The last thing she wanted to do was alienate Lavender and Parvati. Despite them being somewhat vapid and too boycrazy for her likes, they were somewhat friends. Equally as important, they were some of the biggest gossips in school. Which in this case, was also equally as dangerous. She knew that both of the girls wanted to hear about Draco Malfoy. So she decided that her only way to escape a head on collision with scandal was to hopefully manage to stall them until she was rescued.
"We are friends," Hermione said in a placating tone.
Lavender and Parvati sensed their prey weakening. Their smiles broadened. "Of course. So you should have no problem confiding in us," Lavender said soothingly.
"Confide what? You've known me since the first year! I don't have any secrets," Hermione said, deliberately misunderstanding them.
Parvati's eyes narrowed slightly but their smiles didn't fade. "Puh- leaze! Hermione! You're the only one with this unique opportunity! So tell us. What's he like?" Parvati said.
"Oh, you know Harry. He's trying not to let things get to him. I think he's grown a few inches this summer," Hermione babbled on, with her most innocent face on, trying to repress the smirk she felt when she saw the a thin line of a frown begin to appear on Lavender's brow.
"Not Harry! We know about Harry! Give us the dirt on Malfoy!" Lavender said, her voice still in a somewhat soothing tone, although there was a trace of irritation.
"Goodness! He's just a snarky git. Everyone knows that. Malfoy is a ferret and always will be!" Hermione said in a tone, trying to act disgusted. Not that she hadn't seen a different side of Malfoy these last few weeks. She was trying desperately trying not to think on how he had chastised her twice. The second time had been even more humiliating than the first time. Malfoy – 2; Hermione – 0, she thought glumly. And she was still perturbed of the time that she had been caught in his room. It was one thing to feel his presence in a crowded hall or room. It was an entirely new game in a bed room by themselves. She assured herself that she merely had been frightened at being with him in a room together because he was such a rat bastard, probably a Death Eater already and would hex her brains out. She definitely hadn't expected him to be mature and slick and offer her a truce, however uneasy and shaky.
But she would rather be caught riding a Hypogriff after curfew and face expulsion before she even dared breathe the slightest hint to Parvati or Lavender that she didn't think that Malfoy was anything but an absolute prat. She would have never thought that Malfoy would have been capable of a truce, muchless with a Gryffindor and even less to a muggle-born witch. It just made her suspicious. Dumbledore would probably be interested in any information she could obtain. She told her that was the only reason she was so keen on keeping an eye on Malfoy. She definitely wasn't interested in seeing if Malfoy was human after all.
"And isn't he sublime? And when he wears those black dragon pants of his. Merlin! He has the best bum I've ever seen," Lavender gushed enthusiastically.
Hermione wanted to roll her eyes in disgust. Not that she hadn't observed that the black dragon pants made Malfoy look sexier. Now she did make a little sound of disgust in the back of her throat. She didn't want to think of Malfoy as sexy to begin with. Never mind that she had seen him walk in after Quidditch practice a number of times, all rumpled and muddied and looking completely shaggable. Seeing how he preferred to be utterly impeccable most of the time, to see him in a less than perfect state made him approachable. Like you could touch him and find warm skin instead of the icy coolness that seemed to pervade him.
Both Parvati's and Lavender's keen senses of hearing heard the little noise of disgust. "Seriously Hermione. He is a total hottie. Sure, he's a nasty Slytherin but we're just looking. And he's awfully nice to look at," Parvati said, a little snappishly.
"I hear he's a really good snogger," Lavender said, dreamily. Then she colored and quickly added, "Not that I'd ever snog him. But Padma was saying that Susan Bones heard Mandy Brocklehurst say that Lisa Turpin told Laura Madley that his snogging was heavenly."
Again, Hermione was impressed on how Lavender and Parvati kept all these details straight but couldn't exhibit the same level of memorization for their class work. If those two ever decided to pay attention, she would have had to fight them tooth and nail for her Head Girl badge. Those two could understand the intricate relationships of who-was-dating-whom but they couldn't manage to brew a simple Confusing Concoction. Although if one did hear them speak, they probably could manage to confuse you and give you a gargantuan headache in less than fifteen minutes. Hermione knew it was just harmless prattle. She just didn't see why she should be subjected to it.
"Ooooh!" Parvati cooed.
Hermione didn't want to think of Draco snogging anyone. It was disturbing mental picture. She didn't precisely know why. Probably because he was a snarky git that just wanted to get in any girl's pants. Although she knew it wasn't true. In their three weeks of sharing living quarters, the only ones that had come to see him had been Blaise Zabini, Daniel Pucey and Terry Boots. And he had asked for permission beforehand. If he really was the pervert that he seemed to be, there would have had to install a revolving portrait so that all the girls he was crediting of shagging could be able to walk through.
Before Hermione developed a multi-personality disorder, Ginny walked in muddy and sweaty, her face flushed from Quidditch practice. Even though she usually sat on the bench, Harry insisted that everyone be prepared for any eventuality. He worked those on the bench as hard as the ones that walked onto the field. "Shower," was all she said before she disappeared again.
"Have you seen Draco after Quidditch practice? I bet he looks just as sexy when he's sweaty and rumpled," Parvati said with a wink.
Of course he does!, her brain thought. But wisely, Hermione held her tongue. The last thing she wanted was a line of girls trying to get into her private common room and into the bathroom she, unfortunately, had to share with Malfoy. She knew how embarrassing it was when the Gryffindor girls tried to sneak a peek of Harry in the shower. Frankly, it was just an invasion of privacy. And she definitely didn't not want to start running a peepshow for Malfoy's benefit. The bloody ferret would probably enjoy it too much. Goddamn egotistical bastard.
"Honestly, I haven't noticed," Hermione said nonchalantly. On recollection, she should have guessed that this was a reverse psychology tactic that only made people want more. Needless to say, Hermione realized that didn't deter Lavender and Parvati.
"Haven't noticed? Seriously, Hermione. You have possibly the hottest guy in the entire school!! You share a common room!!! And you don't notice how hot he is? You're never going to get a boyfriend this way. I mean, it's just not normal," Parvati said with a moue.
"He's just a bloody ferret. So maybe he's got some really cool silver eyes, and maybe half the female population thinks he's überhot. Big fucking deal. He's still a Slytherin prat, with or without dragon skin pants," Hermione said with a certain amount of steel in her voice. She was Hermione Granger. Pretty blond locks or smouldering gray eyes were not going to make a difference. There was more to people than their bloody looks.
Lavender and Parvati just rolled their eyes. Hermione still didn't get it. More importantly she was using her prefect voice on them. Did she have any clue how annoying it was?
Just then Ginny popped in and rescued Hermione from the girly chatting and Lavender and Parvati from Hermione showing off her infamous temper. Hermione and Ginny headed out to the Gryffindor common room to hang out with the boys.
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by JKR. The modified lyrics belong to REM's "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" which happens to be one of my favorite REM songs.
Plot: Draco/Hermione. Don't like it? Go somewhere else. This is my story. And I did warn you in the summary. As for the actual plot being original, no one has a copyright on the entire school idea. If so, Hollywood would be in serious trouble
Chapter 10: Pretty and Sexy
"Alright then, from the top once more, and then we'll break," Draco said. Although he had some vocal training, he was getting tired. Maybe it had been the Quidditch practice earlier that day. But since Granger had agreed to let them practice in the common room, Draco was unwilling to give up this opportunity to jam together. They were basically running through their old set, refreshing their minds and memories of what it was like to play together after the summer apart.
Boots let the bass start and Zabini and Pucey joined in while Draco sang his heart out.
"What's the emergency, Albus?"
I'm sure things can change.
I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed
I thought I'd pegged you in the extreme
Tunnel vision from an outsider's scheme
I never understood the emergency
You wore our expectations in and up and down
I'd studied your runes, credo, music, plea, moves, guarantees
Snape said, "Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy"
A smile like the buffoon, tooth for a truth
You said that irony was the shackles of youth
You wore a shirt of violent green
I never understood that we could change
"What's the emergency, Albus?" is your medicine
Butterfly, dragon, in the middle, dogging the scene
You smile like the buffoon, truth for a tooth
You said that irony was the shackles of youth
You are a sun, violent rays and all
I never understood that we can't change
You wore our expectations like an armored suit
I don't understand
You said that irony was the shackles of you
I couldn't understand
You wore a shirt of violent green
I can understand
I never understood, don't fuck with me"
The song had an almost hypnotic bass, the beat moved at a moderate clip and it was immensely popular with the school. He and Zabini had cowrote it after they heard Boots improvising on his guitar. Were they poking fun at Dumbledore? Just a little. But they weren't really say anything with the song, there was no hidden agenda or political message. Although there could be. Zabini had insisted on making it deliberately ambiguous and seeing what interpretations you got back. It never failed to amuse him.
Draco always thought of Blaise in masculine terms, although he was sporting a female form at the moment. With long hair in pigtails, wearing male black/white board shorts that came to his knees, a black bikini top and black muggle sneakers, Zabini looked more like he was ready for a day in an Australian beach, surfing, than practicing on the drums. But Draco knew how much Zabini sweated behind the drums. Hell, anyone sweated playing drums.
"Can we smoke in here?" Terry asked Draco, taking off his guitar strap.
Draco shook his head to signal 'no'. He could not imagine the row he would have with Granger if she came in and found out that they had been smoking. She would probably let out another of those banshee screeches and prohibit them from ever practicing in the common room ever again. Well, Draco didn't smoke because it limited his vocal range. Pucey and Boots were the real smoke fiends, often going through packs of muggle and wizard cigarettes. Draco didn't understand the fascination with smoking. Not that he was opposed to smoking a cigar once in a while, but smoking a cigar was not the same as continuously inhaling cigarette smoke. "Outside on the balcony," he said.
Both Terry and Daniel got their cigarettes and waited for Draco to show them through his room and out to his balcony. Blaise followed and went to the bathroom in search of a towel. He returned with a damp towel across his shoulders. His skin shone with sweat, and everyone could see the beads of sweat drip down his chest and between a pair of medium sized breasts. Draco and Pucey were used to Zabini's antics but he knew that Boots was at least mildly disconcerted. Draco certainly didn't want to be staring at Zabini's breasts, but he was male. He had to at least acknowledge them. So Draco did and put it out of his mind entirely.
"So what's it like? Living with the resident Know-It-All?" Daniel said after taking a drag.
Draco shrugged. He really didn't see Granger that much. Mostly in class, the daily patrols and the weekly prefect meeting. They still shared the common room but half the time he was either inside his room or she was gone to the library. Two weeks had passed and they had settled into something of a routine. She would shower in the morning and he would shower before class and after Quidditch practice, which sometimes meant showering twice a day. He didn't know if she was purposefully avoiding him. Not that it mattered. It wasn't like they were friends. And hadn't he gone weeks without talking to Granger before? Of course, they hadn't shared close quarters before. They had minor squabbles but Granger had taken to simply not saying anything and it wasn't any fun to argue with someone that just wasn't willing to argue back.
"This place," Terry started to say with a shake of his head, "it's better than any of the dorms. And you even have frigging room service." He took another drag as he looked at the spectacular view from the balcony, overlooking the Southern side of the castle, a great view of the valley.
Dobby, at Draco's behest, had brought them pumpkin juice and a couple butterbeers as well as some snacks to have while they practiced. Dobby was summoned usually after patrols but Draco always found a glass of pumpkin juice and an apple whenever he entered his room after class. The first time Draco had been startled that Dobby remembered that particularly detail from the Manor and would even continue it. Draco reminisced for a full ten minutes before he actually drank his juice.
"You should know by now Boots that if you stay in my band that there would always be superior quality service," Draco drawled, a not-so-subtle hint about Slytherin power. Pucey, Zabini and Malfoy were all respected names within the Wizarding community, not to mention exceedingly wealthy. Despite the smearing his family name had taken because of Lucius, there were very few families that would openly reject the Malfoy name, mainly because of the wealth and connections it commanded.
Terry merely raised his eyebrows and gave them a half–grin. Before he could say anything, Crookshanks made his appearance by coming from behind them and rubbing up against Draco's leg. All of them looked down to see the source of the purring and Crookshanks merely gave them all a feline grin and continued to harass Draco to be petted.
"I didn't know you had a cat," Zabini said with raised eyebrows, the only strain that his face showed. He couldn't believe he hadn't known this. Besides, how impossible was it to never notice a cat? Especially one as ugly as that one! Not that he would ever say so to Draco. The last time he had insulted one of the Malfoy pets, Draco had unleashed the hounds on him and chased him around the Manor. He had only been saved from being severely mauled because his mother and Narcissa Malfoy had decided to investigate the source of all the barking.
Draco could almost laugh. Zabini was probably about to shit a brick. This was absolutely hilarious. Zabini prided himself in having the best powers of observation and the ability to obtain information. To have missed that Draco had a cat was probably killing him. He could tell that Pucey and Boots were also very amused.
"Shit Draco. I would have thought you could afford a better looking cat,"
Terry said, a little derision in his voice.
A subtle tension in Draco's demeanor meant that he had taken the insult a little too personally. "Are you implying Boots that the cat is ugly?" he drawled blandly, but those trained to listen to the nuances in Draco's speech knew that he was more dangerous in his blandness than when he was blatantly angry.
Blaise and Daniel exchanged a look without Terry noticing and both of them relaxed a little more to enjoy the show. Draco was gonna rake Terry through the coals and he wouldn't notice it until it was too late.
Terry looked to see everyone relatively relaxed, despite his audacious comment. He took his cue from Blaise and Daniel who seemed to be amused at the entire situation. Looking back on the incident, Terry would realized that it was for entirely different reasons than the ones he thought. Thinking that his temerity had pleased Draco while taking him down a few pegs, although a contradiction, pleased Terry.
"I'm not implying. Just look at it! It's ugly!" Terry continued, gesticulating with the still burning cigarette.
"It is," Draco nodded in agreement with glinting. "However, I am mildly insulted that you or anyone could believe that this is my cat. As a Malfoy, we take pride in the best. This cat is not the best."
He heard Crookshanks hiss and narrow its eyes at him. Draco should have known that the cat would take offense to his comment. In the last two weeks he had ample opportunity to study the cat and its habits, the most annoying one being its daily naps in his bed. He was perpetually ridding himself of orange hairs from his robes and his linens. He also noted that the cat was particularly ill-tempered. Very much like his owner, Draco thought with a scowl.
Terry saw Draco scowl and knew he had made a mistake.
"Malfoy, I meant no offense. If that's not your cat, whose is it?" Terry asked quickly.
"Granger's," Zabini divined with a smile parting his pout and a clearing his expression. He felt positively light headed. He hadn't been missed a thing in the Slytherin dungeons. Draco had merely wanted to toy with him.
"Correct," Draco made the word a clipped note.
"What is Granger's pussycat doing in your room?" Pucey asked with raised eyebrows, insinuating that there was something more going on between them.
Draco smiled frostily. He couldn't very well let other Slytherins think that he was going soft and being friendly with a Gryffindor, much less a mudblood. Their very uneven truce was also unspoken. In the past two weeks, they shared their common room and bathroom like if it were a minefield. They also ignored each other. Draco didn't like being ignored. Although he was glad that he could do his homework uninterrupted, he also knew that Granger made it a point not to speak to him, even when he heard her muttering to herself. He wasn't going to be the first one to break the wall of silence either. She would cave in before he did. He had practice holding his tongue. She practically jumped at a teacher's question and blabbered about the answer.
It was one thing to have sex with a mudblood, another to be friends with one in the Slytherin school of thought. More importantly, Pucey was in no position within the hierarchy to make those insinuations. Draco gave Zabini slight leniency because he was such a power player and the information broker, and Zabini could have gotten away with it. But Pucey was out of line.
"Not that it's any of your business," Draco said with a smile that was more teeth than pleasant and a not quite so subtle reminder that Pucey's question was out of line. "The blasted thing seems to like me. And as much as I would like to obliviate it into nothingness, I don't particularly want to lose my position as Head Boy over something as trivial as a pussycat."
"So what's it like? Living with Granger?" Zabini asked, the underlying amusement was easy to detect.
Draco snorted. He didn't think he was living with Granger. Hell, he couldn't think he ever actually lived. It's hard to describe what life as a Slytherin was like to non-Slytherins. It was equally as difficult to describe what life as a Malfoy should be, even to other Slytherins. Zabini might understand with some of the same expectations placed upon him. But Zabini's father was not Lucius. More important, Zabini, as far as Draco knew had never been continuously and constantly treated like a failure. Pucey might understand him better in that aspect but he wasn't fucking going to reveal that Lucius was less than proud of him. He certainly was never going to admit that his father considered him something of a disappointment and a failure under circumstances other than a Cruciatus curse. Of course, every Slytherin knew that his father was less than pleased about certain things, especially in those younger years but then again Lucius was not known to be a particularly pleasant man.
More importantly, there really wasn't something to say about sharing quarters with Granger. They basically lived separate lives apart from their duties as Head Boy and Girl. Outside the bubble of their living quarters, their enmity was still legendary. The sneers, the taunts, the cold looks still continued. Of course, both sides were a little more banked, a little more cautious from upsetting anyone too seriously. The brewing war made everyone a little more conscious of sparking a battle prematurely. But every slight was duly noted and retribution was to be expected. Perhaps not immediately, but soon.
Despite their lack of interaction, there were little things that he had come to learn about Granger. She was fond of her mangy ragamuffin cat. She took her studies seriously, almost too seriously for Draco's liking. She liked to shower first in the mornings. She wore simple scents that wafted after her, an innocent and alluring trail after her. He certainly wasn't going to disclose how nice the little mousy bookworm smelled or how deeply he inhaled once he walked into the bathroom. He also noticed that she wore her school skirts at a very becoming length, stopping at midthigh, exposing just a few tantalizing inches before the beginning of her knee high socks. But on weekends and other moments, she preferred to wear muggle jeans and those hugged a very pert bottom. Not that Draco had been fancying her ass, it was just eye candy. Sort of like the same way he noted Zabini's breasts. It was noted and filed away.
But there were things he couldn't so easily dismiss. Like the way she would lightly bite her lower lip when she was deep in concentration, considering a homework problem. Her face intense and glowing, her hair a tumbling around her, she was arresting. If he were a cat, he would feel the necessity to bask in her. Since he wasn't a cat, he merely forced himself to tear his eyes away and bludger less than academic thoughts into oblivion.
"She's an annoying upstart prissy bookworm banshee. Woman has got a screech that can flatten a man at ten paces. No wonder she's still a virgin," Draco drawled as he noticed that he had taken more than the necessary few moments to answer Zabini's question.
"How do you know that she is a virgin?" Zabini asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Merlin! Zabini are you bloody daft? Can you imagine anyone wanting to do her?" Draco grumbled annoyed. He didn't like that twinkling in Zabini's eyes. Reminded him too much of Dumbledore's twinkly little eyes. And it was a sure sign of trouble. Another sign of trouble was picturing Granger biting that lower lip of hers as she tried to restrain herself from moaning out his name. Damn Zabini and his insinuations! It was all his bloody fault!
"I would," Terry said without thinking, and then he realized what he said. Damn, it was his day to continuously shove his foot inside his mouth, wasn't it? Trying to salvage himself he tried to explain. "I mean, I can imagine others that would. Viktor Krum certainly had something for her. She's pretty. Not like mindblowing attractive but enough that you don't have to put a paper bag over her head, you know? And you wouldn't have to worry about other guys hitting on her. And she's smart. Plus, there's that quality of snagging her from under Potter's and Weasley's noses. She's a challenge. Some guys dig challenges," he said quickly.
Draco could almost feel his jaw dropping to the ground. Boots found Granger attractive? Not just shaggable but attractive enough to date! What the hell was wrong with the world?
"I have to agree with Boots on this one. She's pretty. But more to the point, she's a challenge. There is the entire virgin deal. But on top of that, you have to steal her from Potter and Weasley. But if you do, well man, you've got the biggest bollocks in school and people respect that," Pucey said.
Everyone turned their head and dropped their jaws. Pucey thought Granger was pretty! Draco felt like he had walked through the mirror and went down the rabbit hole at the same time. He wanted to bash his head against the wall. The last five minutes of conversation had not happened. He was stuck in some sort of alternate reality. Granger was not attractive! Could nobody see what she was? Just another annoying mudblood bitch! No one was supposed to notice or think that she was pretty!
Draco continued to ignore the niggling voice in the back of head that continued to taunt him saying that he did think that Granger was pretty.
---------------- ----------------- ------------------------
"So Hermione! Spill the beans! Completely! Don't you dare leave a detail out!" Lavender Brown had pounced on her the moment she stepped into the Gryffindor common room. She and Parvati had swooped down on her like a pair of rapacious vultures and dragged her away from the common room to their room.
"Where is Harry? Ron? Ginny?" Hermione asked with a panicky voice, asking for one of her closer friends to try and get out of what promised to be a hideously torturous gossip session.
"They have Quidditch practice. It should be over soon. So you'll just have to stay here and wait for them," Parvati said sweetly, an amused twinkle in her eye.
"Oh! In that case, I could just walk down to the Quidditch pitch," Hermione started to say quickly.
"Don't be silly Hermione. By the time you get there, they will be done and you'll just have to walk all the way back here. Besides, you have barely spent any time with us. Honestly, one would think that we weren't friends anymore because you don't want to spend time with us. We've barely seen you since classes started," Lavender said with a feigned hurt look in her eyes.
Hermione wanted to groan. She had been neatly and efficiently cornered. And she couldn't think of a way out. And the by the satisfied looks on both Lavender and Parvati, they knew this as well. The last thing she wanted to do was alienate Lavender and Parvati. Despite them being somewhat vapid and too boycrazy for her likes, they were somewhat friends. Equally as important, they were some of the biggest gossips in school. Which in this case, was also equally as dangerous. She knew that both of the girls wanted to hear about Draco Malfoy. So she decided that her only way to escape a head on collision with scandal was to hopefully manage to stall them until she was rescued.
"We are friends," Hermione said in a placating tone.
Lavender and Parvati sensed their prey weakening. Their smiles broadened. "Of course. So you should have no problem confiding in us," Lavender said soothingly.
"Confide what? You've known me since the first year! I don't have any secrets," Hermione said, deliberately misunderstanding them.
Parvati's eyes narrowed slightly but their smiles didn't fade. "Puh- leaze! Hermione! You're the only one with this unique opportunity! So tell us. What's he like?" Parvati said.
"Oh, you know Harry. He's trying not to let things get to him. I think he's grown a few inches this summer," Hermione babbled on, with her most innocent face on, trying to repress the smirk she felt when she saw the a thin line of a frown begin to appear on Lavender's brow.
"Not Harry! We know about Harry! Give us the dirt on Malfoy!" Lavender said, her voice still in a somewhat soothing tone, although there was a trace of irritation.
"Goodness! He's just a snarky git. Everyone knows that. Malfoy is a ferret and always will be!" Hermione said in a tone, trying to act disgusted. Not that she hadn't seen a different side of Malfoy these last few weeks. She was trying desperately trying not to think on how he had chastised her twice. The second time had been even more humiliating than the first time. Malfoy – 2; Hermione – 0, she thought glumly. And she was still perturbed of the time that she had been caught in his room. It was one thing to feel his presence in a crowded hall or room. It was an entirely new game in a bed room by themselves. She assured herself that she merely had been frightened at being with him in a room together because he was such a rat bastard, probably a Death Eater already and would hex her brains out. She definitely hadn't expected him to be mature and slick and offer her a truce, however uneasy and shaky.
But she would rather be caught riding a Hypogriff after curfew and face expulsion before she even dared breathe the slightest hint to Parvati or Lavender that she didn't think that Malfoy was anything but an absolute prat. She would have never thought that Malfoy would have been capable of a truce, muchless with a Gryffindor and even less to a muggle-born witch. It just made her suspicious. Dumbledore would probably be interested in any information she could obtain. She told her that was the only reason she was so keen on keeping an eye on Malfoy. She definitely wasn't interested in seeing if Malfoy was human after all.
"And isn't he sublime? And when he wears those black dragon pants of his. Merlin! He has the best bum I've ever seen," Lavender gushed enthusiastically.
Hermione wanted to roll her eyes in disgust. Not that she hadn't observed that the black dragon pants made Malfoy look sexier. Now she did make a little sound of disgust in the back of her throat. She didn't want to think of Malfoy as sexy to begin with. Never mind that she had seen him walk in after Quidditch practice a number of times, all rumpled and muddied and looking completely shaggable. Seeing how he preferred to be utterly impeccable most of the time, to see him in a less than perfect state made him approachable. Like you could touch him and find warm skin instead of the icy coolness that seemed to pervade him.
Both Parvati's and Lavender's keen senses of hearing heard the little noise of disgust. "Seriously Hermione. He is a total hottie. Sure, he's a nasty Slytherin but we're just looking. And he's awfully nice to look at," Parvati said, a little snappishly.
"I hear he's a really good snogger," Lavender said, dreamily. Then she colored and quickly added, "Not that I'd ever snog him. But Padma was saying that Susan Bones heard Mandy Brocklehurst say that Lisa Turpin told Laura Madley that his snogging was heavenly."
Again, Hermione was impressed on how Lavender and Parvati kept all these details straight but couldn't exhibit the same level of memorization for their class work. If those two ever decided to pay attention, she would have had to fight them tooth and nail for her Head Girl badge. Those two could understand the intricate relationships of who-was-dating-whom but they couldn't manage to brew a simple Confusing Concoction. Although if one did hear them speak, they probably could manage to confuse you and give you a gargantuan headache in less than fifteen minutes. Hermione knew it was just harmless prattle. She just didn't see why she should be subjected to it.
"Ooooh!" Parvati cooed.
Hermione didn't want to think of Draco snogging anyone. It was disturbing mental picture. She didn't precisely know why. Probably because he was a snarky git that just wanted to get in any girl's pants. Although she knew it wasn't true. In their three weeks of sharing living quarters, the only ones that had come to see him had been Blaise Zabini, Daniel Pucey and Terry Boots. And he had asked for permission beforehand. If he really was the pervert that he seemed to be, there would have had to install a revolving portrait so that all the girls he was crediting of shagging could be able to walk through.
Before Hermione developed a multi-personality disorder, Ginny walked in muddy and sweaty, her face flushed from Quidditch practice. Even though she usually sat on the bench, Harry insisted that everyone be prepared for any eventuality. He worked those on the bench as hard as the ones that walked onto the field. "Shower," was all she said before she disappeared again.
"Have you seen Draco after Quidditch practice? I bet he looks just as sexy when he's sweaty and rumpled," Parvati said with a wink.
Of course he does!, her brain thought. But wisely, Hermione held her tongue. The last thing she wanted was a line of girls trying to get into her private common room and into the bathroom she, unfortunately, had to share with Malfoy. She knew how embarrassing it was when the Gryffindor girls tried to sneak a peek of Harry in the shower. Frankly, it was just an invasion of privacy. And she definitely didn't not want to start running a peepshow for Malfoy's benefit. The bloody ferret would probably enjoy it too much. Goddamn egotistical bastard.
"Honestly, I haven't noticed," Hermione said nonchalantly. On recollection, she should have guessed that this was a reverse psychology tactic that only made people want more. Needless to say, Hermione realized that didn't deter Lavender and Parvati.
"Haven't noticed? Seriously, Hermione. You have possibly the hottest guy in the entire school!! You share a common room!!! And you don't notice how hot he is? You're never going to get a boyfriend this way. I mean, it's just not normal," Parvati said with a moue.
"He's just a bloody ferret. So maybe he's got some really cool silver eyes, and maybe half the female population thinks he's überhot. Big fucking deal. He's still a Slytherin prat, with or without dragon skin pants," Hermione said with a certain amount of steel in her voice. She was Hermione Granger. Pretty blond locks or smouldering gray eyes were not going to make a difference. There was more to people than their bloody looks.
Lavender and Parvati just rolled their eyes. Hermione still didn't get it. More importantly she was using her prefect voice on them. Did she have any clue how annoying it was?
Just then Ginny popped in and rescued Hermione from the girly chatting and Lavender and Parvati from Hermione showing off her infamous temper. Hermione and Ginny headed out to the Gryffindor common room to hang out with the boys.
