*Chapter 9, Thanks to all you lovely wonderful reviewers J Note to self: tidy up desk, is getting difficult to write as you have no room. Anyway, on with the story*
Trouble
Hermione woke up to once again find Raid sitting across the room on her bed. This morning however her appearance was far from subdued. She sat smiling looking out the window whilst twirling a lock of bright red hair around her fingers. She looked over when Hermione awoke and jumped up
"Morning Mio!" She said cheerfully.
"Yeah." Hermione said, grimacing looking at the clock.
Hermione got up and went to the bathroom whilst Raid successfully managed to wake up the other girls in the dormitory and piss them off in the process. All scowling and muttering they followed Hermione in to the bathroom whilst Raid sat grinning in the dorm. After a wash Hermione felt much more human, she went to get dressed, whilst she was pulling on her robes she heard Raid announce.
"I'm starving."
"Well come on then 'Miss Starving' lets go and get some breakfast." Hermione jested.
The two girls entered the Great Hall laughing, many heads turned to stare at them. Raid's hair contrasted vividly with her robes. Many of the teachers sitting at the table at the head of the hall looked shocked, Professor Dumbledore looked mildly amused.
The girls sat down to a breakfast of bacon, sausages and eggs. As they were getting up to leave they came face to face with an angry looking Harry and a nervous looking Ron.
"Morning Ron." Raid said cheerfully.
Then she turned to walk away completely ignoring Harry who was focused on Hermione.
"I told you to stay away from her Hermione, she's bad news." Harry said dangerously.
Raid turned back to face Harry. Before Hermione had any chance to say anything to Harry she said silkily in his ear.
"I don't think you have any right to tell Mio what to do."
With that she turned and walked out of the hall, leaving Hermione with Harry.
"Neither do I." Hermione whispered and walked out steadily to the doors of the hall without looking back.
Raid was waiting for her outside.
"I'm sorry Mio." Raid said sincerely. "I really am, this is all my fault that you are arguing with him."
"It is." Hermione said. "But I never thought Harry would react like this, he can not tell me who I can and can not be friends with." She finished smiling at Raid.
Raid smiled back and the two of them made their way to their Potions class.
Hermione sat next to Ron for the lesson, and did not speak to Harry who was staring menacingly at Raid.
Raid sat and chatted comfortably to Malfoy, who was taken back by her friendliness to him. The lesson was a theory lesson and they had to work in pairs to research an invisibility potion they would be making the next lesson. Snape strangely had allowed them to talk in their pairs and sat moodily at his desk for the whole lesson.
"Why are you being so friendly towards me?" Malfoy asked Raid.
She looked surprised by his question but smirked at him nonetheless.
"Why not?" She countered.
"Well I'm a Slytherin for one thing, also hasn't Potter and Weasel warned you off me? I know that Granger isn't exactly a fan of mine." He smirked as he said the last sentence.
"Well Draco." Raid began. "I wouldn't let Potter warn me off anyone, and since he has a distinct dislike of me I doubt he will try anyway. And secondly because you are in a different house doesn't mean I have to hate you, I'd rather make up my own mind about you." She said.
"Oh." Malfoy said simply.
He was rather astounded by this explanation. Also by the fact she had called him Draco, it was rare that anyone every called him that other than his parents and Pansy Parkinson.(sp?). He sneered at the thought of the pug face girl who acted like she owned him.
The pair sat in silence till the end of the lesson, it was a comfortable silence and neither felt intimidated by it. Raid was the first one to speak, at the end of lesson whilst packing away.
"I'll see you around Draco." Then she smiled at him and turned and went to join Hermione.
Draco stood for a minute, he had felt his insides melt when she smiled at him. How was a girl completely disarming him like this? He needed to sort himself out, he was a Malfoy and always in control of things. His Malfoy pride and arrogance kicked in, he wasn't going to be pushed around by this girl.
As Raid and Hermione left the classroom, Raid heard a shout that strangely she knew was directed at her.
"SLUT!"
She turned to see who had insulted her and she felt a hand slap her across the face. Although it was evident that the attacker had put a lot of force in to the slap Raid's head only turned slightly when the impact came. A faint red hand mark appeared on the left side of Raids face as she turned to face her attacker.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked calmly looking over the slightly over-weight girl wearing too much make-up in front of her.
"I'm Pansy Parkinson." The girl said proudly with her nose in the air. She was short and barely reached Raids shoulder in height. "And you are a slut." She said finally.
Raid smiled evilly.
"Is that so?" She asked.
"Yes. I've seen you flirting with Potter and Weasley And with my Draco. You're nothing but a slut with stupid hair." She shrieked and she drew her hand back to slap Raid again.
But this time as the hand came round Raid caught Pansy's arm. A look of utter shock came over Pansy's face.
The smile had left Raid's face.
"I don't think so." She said smoothly.
And then she punched Pansy squarely in the face and let her fall.
"Are you finished? Or do I need to hit you again?" Raid asked icily.
Pansy sat on the floor with her hand over her nose.
"She.. she.." Pansy said.
As Malfoy walked past she clutched at his robes.
"Draco! Look what she did to me." She whimpered.
"Yes Parkinson I can see she hit you. And by the way, I am anything but 'yours'." Malfoy said coldly as he walked by.
Pansy burst in to tears.
Raid turned to Hermione.
"Shall we go then?"
Saying nothing, Hermione nodded and followed Raid out to the school grounds for their Care for Magical Creatures lesson.
*There you go my darlings, read and review!*