Chapter Two:
September
Hermione could not stop fiddling with the Head Girl badge displayed proudly on her robes. It was her own medal of accomplishment. An honor she had had her sights set on for six years. Now that she had finally achieved it, she was beyond ecstatic.
"Wow, Hermione! That's great. So Harry, how about those Chudley Cannons?" Ron had muttered.
"They had a decent season this year, I must say." Harry replied. Hermione rolled her eyes. Why didn't she have friends that would fully appreciate her academic triumphs. Oh well...can't win them all. She thought, rummaging through her book bag. She emerged with a romance novel and proceeded to immerse herself in literature. The mindless Quidditch debate Harry and Ron were having was soon a distant chatter. It took something extremely sudden and loud to disturb her reading. Like the compartment door slamming open. Hermione looked up, annoyed.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione demanded impatiently. The blonde Slytherin looked over the young woman he could barely recognize. Hermione had worked tirelessly over the summer to concoct a potion that would keep her hair from frizzing up. By August third, she had discovered the mixture. Her brown hair fell neatly to her shoulders, shiny and sleek. Also, jogging every morning assisted her in maintaining an envious figure.
"That's a long list, Granger."
"Then what is it that you want from us?" Hermione specified, growing increasingly agitated. His eyes came to rest on the Head Girl badge pinned proudly to Hermione's robes.
"You're Head Girl?" He spat in an incredulous tone. Hermione smirked at him.
"That's what my badge says."
"Mine says something like that. 'Draco Malfoy, Head Boy'," He said, pointing out his own badge. It was Hermione's turn to be completely shocked.
"You? Head Boy? There must be some sort of mistake!" She exclaimed, not wanting to believe him. Then she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're lying to me, aren't you? That's a fake badge, isn't it?" Draco chuckled a low, evil laugh.
"Silly, mudblood. Read it and weep." He handed her an envelope with the Hogwarts seal addressed to him. Hermione's heart sank into her stomach as she understood that he wasn't lying. At his mudblood comment, Harry and Ron had both jumped out of their seats.
"What did we tell you about calling Hermione that word?" Ron demanded, his fists shaking.
"What are you going to do about, Weasel? Use that pathetic excuse for a wand to attack me? Where did you find that thing? In a dumpster? What's the matter? Couldn't afford a new wand?" Draco taunted. Ron was turning beat red with intense hatred. He started to rush at the Slytherin, but Harry held him back.
"Hermione, help me!" Harry groaned, struggling to keep Ron from tearing Draco limb from limb. But Hermione had had it with Draco's arrogance. She sighed.
"Just let him go, Harry. If he kills Malfoy, then the world will be a better place." Draco glared harshly at her.
"You don't mean that, Granger. I know you."
"No you bloody don't!" Hermione exclaimed, rising to her feet.
"I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't want anyone dead. Even me." Hermione shifted her gaze to the floor. He was right, and they both knew it. But it was important that he never gained an inch. So Hermione lifted her eyes and stared straight into Draco's blue ones.
"Are you willing to bet on that?" She asked in a dangerous whisper. She fought to keep her eyes stoic so she would appear more threatening. It seemed to work. He only gave her one last glare before leaving the compartment. Harry finally let go of the thrashing Ron, who stuck his head out of the compartment and shouted something blasphemous after Draco. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Ron, must you always be so hot headed? Malfoy could really hurt you," Hermione scolded him. Ron rolled his eyes at her.
"Hurt me? That daddy's boy couldn't hurt a fly!" Ron raged on. Hermione rolled her eyes. Ron was too set in his ways (A/N: like old people). Harry shrugged at her, giving her credit for at least trying. Ron was still complaining about Draco when Hermione decided to get some fresh air. She left the compartment and headed for the back of the train. Standing out on the tiny platform, she almost felt nervous that if the train stopped suddenly, she'd be propelled forward onto the tracks. It was this same element of danger that made her want to stay there. It was an alluring rush of adrenaline. The rhythmic clickety-clack of the wheels underneath was soothing. Some of her nervous thoughts about the upcoming year melted into nothing. The door creaked open. Hermione whipped around quickly, causing her to lose her balance. The tall blonde reached out to grab and steady her. When she was upright and her heart rate had normalized, she opened her mouth to thank the man who had saved her. Their gazes clashed and Hermione suddenly could not find the words.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" Draco demanded.
"What are you doing out here?"
"I saw someone out here. I thought that perhaps they should know that this is dangerous. Of course, if I had known that it was you, I wouldn't have bothered," He sneered at her.
"I know you, too, Malfoy. I know that you would have still come out here if you knew it was me." He raised his eyebrows at her.
"So certain?"
"Yes."
"Sometimes, Granger, you can be so stupidly naive." He shook his head at her, then went back inside the train. Hermione paused for a moment, trying to decipher what he meant by that. Deciding that she didn't really care, she followed him inside. Back in the compartment, Ron was sleeping and snoring loudly. Harry was staring out the window. When Hermione came back in, he looked at her and smiled.
"Finally. I was wondering how long I'd have to bear Ron's snoring by myself."
"At least he's not complaining about Malfoy anymore," Hermione pointed out. Harry rolled his eyes and put his head in his hands.
"Can we not talk about that? I can still hear him cursing." Hermione laughed, and Harry joined in. This jolted Ron out of his slumber. He lifted his head and looked somnolently at his friends.
"What's going on? What did I miss?"
"Malfoy came in here, and Hermione put him in a dress," Harry replied, winking at Hermione. Ron sat bolt upright with his eyes as wide as dinner plates.
"Are you bloody kidding, mate? I missed that?" He jumped up and poked his head out of the compartment, as though hoping he would be able to catch a glimpse of Draco in a frilly pink dress. Harry and Hermione fell into another laughing fit as Ron slumped down in his seat.
"We were just kidding, Ron. I didn't put Malfoy in a dress," Hermione told him, wiping her eyes. Ron looked confused at first, then upset.
"Come on, guys! Now you both owe me something."
"Like what?"
"Well...next time Malfoy bothers us, Hermione, you have to put him in a dress," Ron declared, not sounding so depressed anymore. In fact, the sheer thought of future revenge put him in a frighteningly good mood. Hermione rolled her eyes, but agreed. Soon, the Hogwarts Express began losing speed. With a muddled combination of excitement and anxiety, Hermione stepped off of the train and joined the masses of people waiting for carriages. Hermione turned around to say something to Harry, but neither Harry, nor Ron was in sight. Standing on her tiptoes, she panned the crowds for her best friends. Unfortunately, she had no luck. Reluctantly, she got into the nearest carriage, not realizing that it was already occupied.
"Granger?"
"Malfoy? Guess I'll be leaving now." Hermione grumbled, moving towards the door. As she reached for it, it snapped shut, and the carriage jolted forward. She was propelled into Draco's lap. A shockingly delightful spicy scent reached her nose, and she hadn't expected Draco Malfoy to smell so good. They were only in contact for a few moments. Quickly, Draco had pushed her off, and Hermione had flung herself down on the other seat. They both proceeded to act like it had never even happened.
"Where are Potty and Weasel? Run off to save the day, I suppose?" Draco asked, sarcastically. It was too dark for him to see the evil look Hermione was giving him.
"I lost them in the crowd."
"Of course you did. I think you just wanted to be alone with yours truly."
"Are you daft? Why in the world would I want to be alone with you?" Hermione exclaimed defensively.
"Where should I start? There's the fact that I'm devilishly charming. I'm handsome. I'm brilliant-"
"You're arrogant. You're self absorbed. You're an overall bastard, do you need me to continue?" Hermione asked. Draco chuckled wryly.
"Go ahead and deny the truth, Granger. You're only hurting yourself." Hermione decided that it wasn't worth it to argue with him. He was always going to think that he was right, and there was nothing she could do or say to change that.
"Right. So what are you doing in here alone if you're so charming, handsome, and brilliant?" There was a silence. Draco averted his eyes to the dark Hogwarts grounds.
"Someone with such stature deserves their own carriage."
"Of course. How foolish of me," Hermione muttered. They continued the rest of the ride in complete silence. When their carriage came to a halt, both students moved for the door. Two hands reached for the door handle, they both stared each other down.
"Excuse me, Granger. Beauty before bitch." He shoved her aside and jumped out of the carriage. Hermione seethed with anger. Unlike Ron, she managed to contain her fury. Stepping into the entrance hall of Hogwarts made her forget all of her dark thoughts towards Draco Malfoy. The warmth of coming home again calmed her down. She went into the Great Hall and made her way towards the Gryffindor table. She spotted Ginny, and went over to the freckle faced red head.
"Hermione!" Ginny squealed when she noticed her.
"Hey, Ginny!" The two girls hugged in greeting. When they pulled away, Ginny ran her fingers through Hermione's hair.
"What did you do with your hair? It looks fantastic!" She gushed. Hermione smiled and sat down with Ginny, explaining the lengthy process it took to make the de-frizzing potion. By the time she had finished, Harry and Ron had arrived and sat down next to them.
"Hermione, what happened to you? One minute you were right next to us, then suddenly you were gone."
"The same thing happened to me, Harry. I got in an empty carriage when I couldn't find you two." Hermione lied. They both shrugged it off and started involving Seamus and Dean in their Quidditch related conversation. Ginny rolled her eyes at them.
"Boys," She muttered.
"Tell me about it," Hermione agreed. Involuntarily, her eyes scanned the Slytherin table. They came to rest on Draco Malfoy. Pansy Parkinson appeared to be having an animated conversation with herself, but Hermione assumed that Draco was just not paying attention to her. He had a different look in his eyes as he stared off into space. As Hermione watched him for a longer moment, she identified the unknown expression in his eyes as loneliness. Hermione found it confusing. He was the center of the Slytherin society. Everyone in that house looked up to him like he was their god. Even the seventh years regarded him with a high level of respect. If Hermione had to guess, she would say that even though he was the most hated in Hogwarts, he was probably the most respected. And if this were true, he shouldn't be so lonely. It puzzled Hermione, but soon she concentrated more on what Harry was talking to her about. After the feast, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny walked up to the Gryffindor tower. "Miss Granger! Could I have a word?" Professor McGonagall called as Hermione was about to step into the common room.
"I'll be right back, guys," Hermione told her friends. She hung back and approached McGonagall. "What is it, professor?"
"First of all, I wanted to congratulate you in person on achieving the position of Head Girl. I know you will do exceedingly well."
"Thank you, professor. It is an honor."
"Secondly, there is a special Head Girl and Boy common room for studying purposes. I'd like to show you where it is located so if you wanted a quiet place to study, you can use the room."
"Certainly, professor." Hermione followed McGonagall through the corridors and up several staircases. They were in an area of Hogwarts that Hermione was unfamiliar with. Finally, McGonagall paused in front of a portrait of a stately looking unicorn.
"This is Ferris," Professor McGonagall said, nodding to the unicorn. "Ferris, this is Hermione Granger. This year's Head Girl." The unicorn eyed Hermione and bowed his head.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hermione Granger. The password is dragon tears." Hermione nodded.
"Well, good-night, Ferris. You better get some sleep as well, Miss Granger. First day of classes tomorrow," McGonagall reminded her, as though she could forget. Hermione headed back to the Gryffindor tower. She committed the route to the Head common room to memory, as well as the password. When she reached the girl's dormitory, she collapsed onto a bed and closed her eyes. She was dreaming in moments.
Draco stared out the windows, tuning out old Professor Binns. Draco wasn't in the mood to listen to the droning git. When is this loony going to retire? He wondered, glancing at the pathetic professor. Looking around the classroom, no one was paying a shred of attention to what was being said. Except for Hermione. She was scribbling notes furiously, hanging on every single word. She had black ink spatter on her face. Draco smirked. She probably didn't even realize it. Professor Binns asked a question, and Hermione's hand shot up into the air.
"You've answered quite a few questions, today, Miss Granger. Perhaps we should let someone else answer this one." Draco almost laughed out loud at the expression of disappointment on Hermione's face. She was absolutely crushed. Binns picked on Seamus Finnigan, who obviously had no idea what was going on. Draco got a kick out of listening to Seamus rambling on about everything but what Binns was asking for. The class ended, saving Finnigan's ass. Draco gathered his books and walked over to Hermione's desk.
"How do you do it, Granger?" She glanced up at him, puzzled.
"How do I do what?"
"How do you stay awake? And furthermore, how do you find anything remotely interesting to take notes on?" Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"That's how I stay awake, you nitwit. Taking notes keeps me focused. You should try it sometime," She added as she started to walk away. Draco frowned. If she wasn't such a bitch, she would be incredibly sexy. Heading down to the dungeons for Potions, Draco grew less depressed with himself. Potions seemed to cheer him up. Especially when he had Potions with the Gryffindors. Snape was just the person to make Draco's day by humiliating Potter or Weasley in front of the entire class. Of course, it was also the class of misfortune. Often, Snape paired them up randomly. More than twice a semester, Draco had been paired up with Hermione. Then Draco loathed Potions and Professor Snape. Sitting down in the back of the room, Draco ignored Pansy, who attempted to flirt with him before class started.
"I'm assigning you partners for a written report on the importance of a particular element in a specific potion. The essay should be no shorter than three rolls of parchment. You will also be required to concoct the potion your report is on." Draco rolled his eyes. He felt an overwhelming sense of doom. It was inevitable. He was going to be paired up with Hermione Granger. She seemed to share his feeling of dread, because she shot him a look over her shoulder. Sure enough, Snape announced that the two Heads would be working together. Sighing, Draco waited for Hermione to come to his desk. She slammed her books down on the desk and sat down.
"We've done this before without killing each other, so I'd like to get this over with," She muttered.
"I agree," Draco concurred. "That's why I vote that you do the essay and I'll make the potion." Hermione turned her head to glare at him so quickly, Draco expected it to snap off.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"So I've heard."
"Malfoy, there is no way I'm doing that entire essay by myself. Concocting a potion is a million times easier than writing an essay."
"Precisely."
"Malfoy...either we both work on the essay together, or I will make your life a living hell for as long as you live."
"Ooh that sounds threatening, Granger, especially since my life is already a living hell."
"Just help me do some research, Malfoy. I'm not asking for the bloody moon."
"All right, fine. Don't get your knickers in a twist. Meet me in the Head common room tonight and we'll work on it then," Draco told her, leaning back in his chair.
"We can start now."
"No, you can start now if you really want to. I really want to relax. So if you'll do me a favor and shut up," He stared into her eyes solemnly, "it would be immensely appreciated." Hermione looked as though she wanted nothing more than to tackle him to the ground right then and there. But Draco knew she wasn't like Weasley. She'd hold out. He spent the rest of the class lounging around, while Hermione appeared to be working on Astronomy homework. When class was over, Draco picked up his books and poked Hermione in the ribs. She squealed loudly and glared at him.
"Is someone a little ticklish?" He grinned maliciously. "Anyway, I'll see you tonight, Granger. Eight o'clock sharp; don't be late." He left the dungeons with a slight smile on his face. Hermione was too much fun to mess with.
They're off to a rocky start as it is. I hope you like it so far.