Dust. Chapter Two

"I don't know what you're so pissed about, Granger," Draco drawled as well as he could as he quickly tailed Hermione down a corridor – it was difficult to drawl nonchalantly whilst slightly breathless.

Draco had found his best friend and Head Boy, Blaise Zabini, talking with the Gryffindor witch about an hour ago and had been following her ever since as she frantically patrolled the corridors of Hogwarts in an attempt to complete her Head duties. She had tried valiantly to throw him off, to lose him through complicated twists of the castle, but to no avail; he was still behind her, hot on her heels and infuriating the life out of her. If he sped up just a little more he would actually be scuffing the backs of her heels and she could already imagine the blisters.

She could feel her temper practically boiling. He incensed her so much and yet Blaise still tried to convince her that they both harboured some kind of affection towards each other. Personally, she didn't see it. All she saw was an irritating boy who took delight in being the bane of her existence.

"The way I see it, I was giving you some useful advice. Girls are unreasonable little things when they're surfing the crimson wave and I just thought that telling you would help – if you know that you're acting stupidly then you can stop it."

Hermione stopped sharp causing Malfoy to slam into the back of her, sending him rebounding backwards and onto his arse. She spun around viciously and had her wand already pointed directly at his forehead.

Unreasonable little things? She took a deep breath. Unreasonable. Little. Things. She ground her teeth together in an attempt to hold back whatever curse was forming already on her tongue.

He noticed this and frowned, trying to look like he genuinely didn't understand what he had said that could evoke such a sharp reaction but he failed dismally - what with the crooked smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Listen up, Malfoy," she spat "I don't understand why you're following me, I don't understand what makes you think that you are qualified to give me 'advice' in any way, shape or form, but what I do understand is that you will die a very painful death if you do not get out of here right now!"

"You're stressed, it's understandable, but I still don't think that that's any excuse for threatening me," He pouted whilst pulling himself gracefully to his feet.

"I'm not threatening you, Malfoy. I'm telling you," She replied, smiling sweetly. "Now leave me to complete the rest of my duties in peace."

He laughed inwardly, "Oh Granger, always the martyr. The sensitive, know-it-all bookworm who is so dedicated to her duties that she forgoes the simple pleasures in life." He sighed dramatically.

"And what," she ground out, "would those simple pleasures be, Malfoy?"

"Why, me, of course." His smirk was well and truly back on his face now and Hermione's wand was once more directed at his face.

"You're not one of life's pleasure, Malfoy, you are life's biggest pain,"

Draco staggered backwards, grabbing at his chest as though wounded.

"Ouch, that hurt. Wounded. Won't make it," He gargled. "Can't. Take. The. Pain." he gasped as he collapsed on the floor, eyes closed and breathing heavily, writhing about as if in pain. Hermione scoffed but he continued on until, after a particularly violent shudder, he went still. Apparently lifeless.

After giving her sufficient time to grieve, he arose from his deathbed and took a proud bow. Opening his eyes as he dipped to the floor he noticed a lack of feet. His own were there but Hermione's had gone. He straightened up quickly and scanned the corridor – just in time to see the corner of a cloak whip around a corner.

Aha!

He followed quickly. He couldn't believe it – she had gotten away and he hadn't even heard her. She was wearing school shoes and still she hadn't made a noise! Pride flared up inside him but he checked himself after reasoning that she hadn't gotten away; she had only made it to the end of the corridor and he was going to catch up with her effortlessly. It was a constant game of cat and mouse between the two and he loved it. He strode off, purposefully.

From the shadows Hermione watched as Draco stalked off in the opposite direction to her - following the sixth-year Hufflepuff group that had just emerged from one of the empty rooms. Technically she should have reprimanded them for being in a classroom, un-supervised and for being out after curfew, but she recognised a few of them as being good students and they had, albeit unwillingly, rescued her from the company of Malfoy, and for that she was tempted to even award them house points.

She stepped cautiously from behind the suit of armour she had been using as cover Peeking out just far enough, she watched as the blond Slytherin disappear around the corner. Knowing that she didn't have long until he figured out that she hadn't actually gone that way, she quickly lifted her cloak and pulled her other leg from behind the armour.

Feeling the cold edge of something against her skin, she looked down just in time to see the statues flag pole falling towards the ground as her foot had caught it on it's way out.

The loud clanging of metal echoed around the corridor and Hermione looked up in horror as the visor of the helmet began opening and closing in quick succession. In any other circumstance she would have picked the pole up and try to make amends with the armour, but these were extenuating circumstances; this was a matter of life or Malfoy, and she knew which she would rather have.

Grimacing apologetically, she turned on her heel and ran as quickly and quietly as she could until she rounded the corner, zigzagging her way up and down around the castle as quickly as she could – stopping and hiding every so often to see if she had finally escaped Malfoy. He hadn't been following her, she was sure; there had been no racing footsteps other than her own. She looked around; there was nothing and no one in this present corridor. She smiled whilst breathing deeply. She had escaped him.

Finally secure in the knowledge that he hadn't seen her, she made her way back to her common room – she had been nearly all over the castle and her patrol shift had come to an end somewhere in the midst of trying to avoid Draco, so she reasoned she could go straight back, have a bath, relax, and get ready to start her weekend.

She had a Transfiguration essay set earlier that day and she had been itching to make a start on it ever since. A Transfiguration essay, some cookies, a hot water bottle and a quiet, empty common room was her idea of bliss and that was exactly what she had planned for her Friday night.

She'd have to put some ointment on her leg as well – the shin had bruised from where she caught the flagpole earlier, but she could do that once she had had a bath and her skin was soft.

She sighed happily to herself as she opened the portrait hole the led to hers and Blaise's common room. What she was greeted with stopped her dead in her tracks.

Ron, Harry and an incredibly smug-looking Draco Malfoy were sat around the main table with small mounds of Bertie Botts Every-Flavour Beans in front on them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked with disbelief. She had been running around the castle trying to avoid him and here he was sat in HER common room all along.

Draco leant back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head and yawning lazily; inadvertently flexing his muscles just as Blaise appeared from his room behind them.

"Hey, Mione" he smiled in greeting as he took his seat and shuffled the pack of cards in his hands. Harry and Ron had considered saying hello to her but had decided against it after sensing the tension and anger currently radiating from her.

Hermione stood there and just gulped like a fish out of water – she couldn't believe. She just could not believe it. He was there, sat like some kind of King all high and mighty, in HER common room. Flexing his muscles.

"Want to play poker with us, Granger?" Draco asked cheerily.

Blaise snorted, "Girls don't play poker, Draco; they get too excited when they have a good hand; they are no good at poker-faces. It just doesn't work." He laughed even more, inwardly. Hermione's face was a picture. He didn't really believe what he had just said, but there was a grain of truth in it – from his experience, girls were rubbish when it came to poker faces and it had played havoc with his conscience when he had won all of their chocolate matchsticks from them.

Hermione drew in a deep breath deciding there were no words to express her anger at that precise moment in time. She marched towards her room with a view to taking over the bathroom for an hour or two and then heading to Ginny's dormitory for some much needed female company.

Noting Blaise's somewhat pleased look at having silenced her, she punched him squarely and soundly on the arm on her way to her room.

Smiling slightly, she shut her door, dropped her bag, kicked off her shoes and headed to the bathroom immediately locking all the doors. She let tub fill with water and bubbles as she shucked off her clothes. Lowering herself into it, her smile spread slowly but gradually across her face; there were times when magic just wasn't as satisfying as using one's hands.

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Yay, another chapter! Hmm, still building up to the good bits but they should begin in the next chapter  can't tell you what's going to be in it but there's just one more reason for you to carry on reading!

Thank you so much to Crystal, USAgal and Sacagawea for reviewing the last chapter! It means a lot to me and any suggestions are always appreciated! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

And I'd also like to thank The Black Pearl is Freedom (you're so kind! My favourite kind of reviewer, lol), Kath Kruger (I'm one of those clumsy people too - a lot of the things I use in my fics are based on personal experiences. I probably shouldn't have admitted that… damn… don't read this fic!), wahinegurl (thanks, I was worried the format might be confusing but I'm glad you liked it!), Marauder Angel ( thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it), Lady11Occult (sorry, no more chapters for that one, but have I told you about my new fic called 'Dust'?), Jadza (thank you for all your comments! Your review brightened my day), and Raye Wolfe (you could have a coconut but I wouldn't know where to send it so you'll just have to be happy with the knowledge the I owe you one, one day.  but thank you!) for reviewing my Draco/Hermione one-shot "Give the Girl a Coconut" – I couldn't add it to that fic so I've posted on this one in case any of you happen upon it.

Thank you all so much and happy reading!