Another Interference
"I'm Hermione!"
Hermione bolted upright in her warm, comfortable bed at Belle Strait. Sweat had accumulated on her forehead and began to drip down her panicked, nerve-racked face. Her eyes swiveled around as though looking for something and finally came to rest upon Mackenzie as she slept peacefully in her bed. Hermione's two other roommates, Eliza Citray and Sammy Bruthis, also slept soundly. Only Hermione appeared to be having trouble sleeping. The dream stood out clearly in her mind. She had been looking in on Hogwarts from a glass window in the ceiling, and the sight that greeted her was not at all warm and welcoming. Draco, Pansy, Harry and Ron were all closely huddled together at the end of the Slytherin table whispering in hushed voices, but for some reason Hermione could hear them. They were so happy, talking about what they were going to do together during the Christmas and summer holidays, Draco's arm wrapped snuggly around Pansy's shoulder. Suddenly, Hermione burst into the Great Hall and demanded to join them, but they didn't even know who she was. Just some girl barging into the Great Hall acting insane. But it wasn't an insane girl. It was Hermione…
Sighing and throwing off her comforter because of the extreme heat it was giving her, Hermione managed to drift back to sleep, trying with all of her might to forget about that damn Malfoy.
………………………
"Miss Granger, could I have a word with you?" Professor Flectus asked Hermione as the earsplitting bell went off and older, sophisticated students began filing out of the classroom.
Hermione's head snapped up. She had been thinking about Malfoy once more, reminiscing about the last time she had seen him. How horrible it had been. And yet she still could not completely forget him. She could not put him out of her mind like she had Ace and Harry and Ron.
"Yes, Professor?" Hermione asked as she stood up and made her way to Professor Flectus's enormous desk. He was an aged, shrewd old man with much wisdom to tell; it was obvious that he had been teaching at Belle Strait for a long time now.
"Miss Granger, I am going to be forthright with you." Professor Flectus said, firmly. "You are not exactly the brilliance that I had expected after speaking with the headmistress. She spoke rather highly of you, and I had been excited to have the chance to teach you. But you are lacking in effort, and those who do not aspire are those who should not be at Belle Strait. I've seen your work and observed you over the last three weeks, and it is quite obvious that you have the potential to work much more superiorly than you have been since arriving at the school."
Hermione's cheeks flushed as she fumbled with a lose string on her new robes, avoiding Professor Flectus's eyes. She could argue and say that she had been giving Belle Strait all that she has, but she knew in her heart that that was not the truth. The truth was, Professor Flectus was right on the money. Hermione just could not concentrate like she could before. Before she had started her seventh year at Hogwarts, before when she had a relationship with Draco… that determination to be the smartest girl in school had been put out. Maybe it was because of the hours she spent thinking of Malfoy, or maybe it was the mere fact that she secretly wanted to get kicked out of Belle Strait and be sent back to Hogwarts to face what she had left behind. Either way, Professor Flectus was noticing Hermione's lack of determination and he was not too pleased about it.
"Yes, Professor. I understand. I'll try harder, I promise." Hermione said.
"You won't try harder." Professor Flectus replied, sternly. "You will work harder. You will put one hundred and ten percent into every piece of work that you do and I expect to see an immense improvement, otherwise I'll necessitate a word with the headmistress. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Professor." Hermione said, staring at her feet as though they were the most fascinating things in the world. When Professor Flectus said no more, Hermione turned and left his classroom, exhaling heavily as she stepped outside.
Finally it's Christmas holidays, Hermione thought to herself. The three weeks at Belle Strait had not been as wonderful as everyone made it out to be. Perhaps it was because of Draco that Hermione could not fully appreciate the amazing school, but because of her lack of interest in anything, she had not made many friends. Only Mac was interested in maintaining a friendship with her; Eliza and Sammy gave up trying halfway through Hermione's first week at Belle Strait. They found her to be too spacey, so they decided not to bother sustaining a friendship with her.
"Yo!" A voice hollered. Hermione continued walking. The voice was not talking to her.
"Yo, Granger!" The voice repeated.
Startled, Hermione spun around. A tall, burly guy was jogging to catch up with her. Once he did, he just stood there, not saying anything.
Hermione looked at him expectantly. He almost looked embarrassed. Hermione rolled her eyes and continued to walk, leaving the boy behind.
"Granger!" He called again, surprised and almost insulted that she continued walking without saying a word.
"What?" Hermione snapped, frustrated. If he wanted a word with her then why did he say nothing before?
The boy composed himself, putting on a charming face and strutting the distance that she walked away from him.
"I'm Will Tompkins." He introduced, smiling a cheesy smile as though he were a model posing in a tacky, cheery commercial.
"That's nice." Hermione said. She knew that she was being rude; at Hogwarts, she would have never acted like this. But the prospect of finally getting out of Belle Strait and going back to her hotel suite in the heart of Paris for the Christmas holidays sounded so wonderful that Hermione did not want to waste another minute at the school, especially not talking to a guy who looked as though he could not string two words together.
"This is where you tell you me your name." Will said, slightly abashed at her rude reply.
"You seem to already know it." Hermione said.
"I know that you're Granger." Will said. "I don't know your first name."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm Hermione."
"Nice name." Will said, smiling that cheesy smile.
"Thank you." Hermione replied sarcastically before continuing her walk down the corridor and back to her large dormitory to gather her things.
Will once again jogged to catch up with her. He was definitely fit, and he sure was not eighteen. He looked more twenty, twenty-one.
"So, where are you off to for the holidays?" Will asked, attempting conversation.
Hermione sighed inwardly. What was the point in being rude if this guy was obviously not taking the hint? "I'm staying at a hotel suite in Paris."
"No way!" Will cried. "That's awesome."
Feeling it would be impolite to not ask the same question, Hermione asked, "What are you doing for the holidays?"
Will lit up like a Christmas tree. He was getting through to her! "Hanging around here, I suppose." Will replied. "By myself." He added as an afterthought.
Hermione nodded. "That's nice. Now if you'll excuse me-"
"Hey, I have brilliant idea!" Will exclaimed, standing in front of Hermione to look at her face-to-face. "You could stay here, and we could just hang out for the holidays. It's better than being by myself."
"Thanks, but no thanks." Hermione replied. "I see enough of this place when it's not holidays."
"Oh." Will said, feigning disappointment. His face then lit up once more. "Okay then, how about I stay with you in your suite? It sounds like fun."
Hermione's face shriveled up in an expression that clearly said that Will was unbelievable for even daring to suggest the idea. "No!" She cried, not even thinking about it.
"Why not?" Will challenged, walking backwards as Hermione began walking once more, not caring whether she knocked Will down or not.
"Because!" Hermione exclaimed. "What a stupid question! I don't even know you, and to tell you the truth I don't like you much either."
"You grow to like me." Will explained, grinning. "Look, I've heard that you're having a bit of trouble dealing with the work that the school is giving-"
"I am not!" Hermione lied. "Who said that?"
"The point is, I heard it. And to let you know, I'm rather brilliant myself. I can help you out. I've been here for two years. I know very well that they assign a lot of work over the Christmas holidays, and you can't do it if you don't understand it. Let me help you." Will glanced at her with big, puppy dog eyes.
Hermione looked up at him. As much as she despised the idiot at that moment, he had a point. She had not paid attention in class, therefore she would not be able to understand the work assigned. Perhaps Will really could help her out…
"Fine." Hermione caved, angrily. "But you're to stay out of my way when I'm not working, do you understand?"
"Understood." Will said, grinning a huge grin. "I'll go pack. Meet you at the front doors in say twenty minutes?"
"Fifteen." Hermione said, firmly. "And no later, or I'm leaving without you."
"Fifteen it is." Will said. "See you then." He took off down the opposite end of the corridor, leaving Hermione to stew in the misery she had just concocted for herself.
…………………………
BANG! BANG!
No answer.
BANG!
Finally, at the third knock, Draco could hear footsteps on the other side of the door. Tapping his foot impatiently, he waited until the footsteps grew louder and louder, approaching the entrance. The door swung open and Dumbledore stood framed in the opening, a mildly surprised expression upon his face.
"Good morning, Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore said, politely.
Draco pushed his way past Dumbledore into his vast, circular office, completely disregarding how amazing the room actually was. "The gargoyles let me in because I'm Head Boy."
"Of course." Dumbledore smiled. "What would you like?"
"I'm ready to leave now." Draco said.
"For Paris?" Dumbledore asked, already knowing the answer.
"No, for Zimbabwe. Of course for Paris!" Draco said, irritably.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, but chose to ignore Draco's ignorance. "So, you still want to go?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I?" Draco challenged.
"No reason. I suppose you know why I asked you to wait until the Christmas holidays?" Dumbledore asked.
"No idea. I think it was rather stupid, really. But I didn't argue. And now it's the Christmas holidays. I want to leave now!" Draco demanded like a spoiled teenager.
"I asked you to wait because had you gone earlier, you would not have been able to find the school, just as it is almost impossible to find Hogwarts. But unfortunately, it is not possible for you to leave at this very moment." Dumbledore said, calmly.
"Why the hell not!" Draco exclaimed, furiously. "I can leave if I want to!"
"Mr Malfoy, I ask that you keep a respectful tone, please." Dumbledore said warningly. "Now, as you know you are Hogwarts Head Boy. Madam Rosmerta from the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade has unfortunately grown ill, and she is unable to attend to her customers. She kindly came to me and asked if it were possible for me to come up with two students who could take over for her while she is ill, and the most responsible, most reasonable students in the school would have to be you and Miss Abbott, the new Head Girl."
"I… I have plans!" Draco stammered.
"I am sure that this is not for the entire holiday, but while she is ill I ask a favor of you and Miss Abbott to please assist dear Madam Rosmerta." Dumbledore asked in a slightly pleading tone.
That tone made Draco stop what he was about to say, which was a good thing too as he was about to tell Dumbledore to shove his beard up his ass. "Fine." Draco replied, irately. "Fine. Whatever. I'm not telling Abbott, though."
"Miss Abbott is already informed and is wholly willing to help out the Three Broomsticks. She will be delighted to hear that she has your hand in assisting her." Dumbledore smiled.
"And I won't have her making out with Weasley while I'm working. I'd rather not be sick on the job, thank you." Draco replied, coldly.
"That will be seen to. Good day, Mr Malfoy."
"Whatever." Draco said, turning and leaving Dumbledore's office, his whole plan for seeing Hermione completely destroyed.
…………………………..
"December twenty-second. Three more days until Christmas!" Will grinned, emerging into the living room of Hermione's suite. He was wearing only his boxers, reminding Hermione immensely of Draco when he used to strut around their common room in his boxers as though he owned the place.
"Put some clothes on." Hermione said, continuing to read the Daily Prophet.
"Why are you so hostile?" Will asked, plopping down on the sofa beside Hermione.
"I am not hostile." Hermione replied, angrily. Who was he to call her hostile? He doesn't even know me!
"You so obviously have guy problems." Will said, simply. "It's the only reasonable answer. I can't see why, though. You have virgin written all across your face. If you're a virgin, then there's nothing worth having problems over."
"I do not!" Hermione exclaimed, mortally insulted.
"So you're not a virgin?" Will asked, skeptically. Hermione was silent, feeling slightly ashamed for the first time about being a virgin. "That's what I thought."
"Oh, like you're not?" Hermione asked.
"Nope. Lost it when I was sixteen. Four years ago… man, it was great being sixteen. Seventeen, too." Will smiled. "Those are the years to just go out there and have fun."
Hermione unconsciously blushed. She did not just 'go out there and have fun.' If she did, she wouldn't be a virgin.
"You know if you're scared about having sex, I can help you." Will offered, acting as though he was being extremely generous.
"Excuse me? How could you help me?" Hermione asked, feeling affronted.
"We could do it. I can't really teach you, it sort of comes naturally. But I can be your first time so that way you can say that you have experience and you know what it's like." Will explained.
Hermione grabbed the pillow on the sofa and whipped it in Will's face. "You're such a little bastard, Will. I should send you back to Belle Strait right now."
"I'll take that as a no?" Will asked, disappointedly.
"You can take that as fucking hell no." Hermione replied. "It's illegal, remember?"
"And if it wasn't?" Will asked, grinning cheesily.
"Then it would still be a fucking hell no. Now get out of my face before I seriously hurt you."
"Feisty." Will grinned, slipping out of the living room as he narrowly escaped another pillow beating from Hermione.