Chapter 3: Followed
Tests were under way and Hermione had to keep her friends close without having them suspect anything. It wasn't exactly hard to do because her friends needed her help preparing for the exams, and Ron certainly would have failed his potions final if were not for her help. This helped keep her mind off of dodging Draco all the time. Everywhere she went it seemed like he was there watching her every move, waiting for her to be alone. She felt relieved that there were only a few days left of school.
At dinner that evening, Hermione saw Draco staring at her again. She no longer felt the need to avert her eyes, but didn't exactly want to meet his stare either. It was odd how he'd sit there meal after meal just staring at her with his expressionless face, it was surprising to her that no one noticed it. The only motion he made was the act of bringing food to his mouth and chewing it. For nearly two weeks she had been just across the Great Hall from him yet it might as well have been an ocean between them for he could not get to her with everyone around. She shielded her eyes from him and turned towards Harry. She was aware of it and it was making her uncomfortable. She would have greatly preferred it if he would have sneered or looked like he smelled something foul, or even a smirk like he usually had when he looked at her. At least that way she would know what he was thinking. Anything could be going through his head with that type of look on his face. Besides, someone was bound to notice and start asking questions.
"Excited about the summer Harry?" she asked.
"Oh yeah," replied Harry. "We have all sorts of stuff planed to do at the Burrow. When do you plan on coming for a visit? I'll be there straight away, the sooner I get away from the Dursley's the better!"
"We could have dad pick you up again Harry," piped in Ron. "He's still telling the story about our last 'visit' to the Dursley's at the Ministry. 'Fascinating' he calls them. Always raving about the muggle things, you know how he is."
"I reckon Uncle Vernon would be upset at having to answer loads of questions about a toaster. What say we let your dad stay with them for the time, sort of like an student exchange program," Harry added.
"Nah, mum would never go for it. Plus we might loose dad forever to the muggle world. Mum always says he'd prefer to have been born one. Hmmf 'fascinating' he says. Well I say if it can't be done with magic than it ain't bloody well worth doing!"
This last sentence brought to mind Fred and George. Hermione remembered the summer before her fifth year of school when Fred and George had apparated everywhere instead of walking. Since they had just come of age, they were the epitome of wizarding laziness.
"So how are Fred and George anyway Ron?" she asked.
"Great! Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is doing superb. They've got loads of customers all over the world now, and they have the most wicked thing that lets you… well never mind," he blushed. "Only thing is, mum won't let me open any gifts from them till she's given it a once over, or twice over in some cases."
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances as Ginny just shook her head and looked down at her plate.
"At any rate, we will be getting a right good game of quidditch going over the summer and you could even play some too Hermione," Ron said. "We all know you'd love it."
Hermione just laughed it off. "If I don't get to be Head Girl than maybe I will and you can put out of my misery."
Ron was staring out of the Hall and didn't seem to notice what she had said.
"Are you ok Ron?" Ginny asked.
Hermione turned around and saw Kiara Bryant, a sixth year Ravenclaw.
"Ron fancies her," Ginny reported.
"Why don't you just go talk to her?" asked Harry.
"Well I would you know, but her friends are there and I don't want to bother her. I talk to her all the time."
"Yeah like, 'here's your quill', or 'what did Flitwick say?'" Ginny teased.
"Shove off!"
"Go soak your head."
They all laughed.
After dinner Ron and Hermione set off on their prefect rounds.
"Hopefully these are the last days I will have to do rounds," Hermione muttered. "Well as a prefect I mean. I would really love to be Head Girl next year."
"Don't worry, you'll be Head Girl. Who else do they have that's got more up on you?" Ron answered. "I know that I won't be Head Boy though. I'm surprised that Dumbledore even made me a prefect. Crazy old man, Dumbledore is. Great man, but a little out of sorts at times don't you think?"
"He always knows what he's doing Ron. There is something about him that I just can't put my finger on. He does have something special and he sees that in Harry. I reckon Harry will be like him some day, don't you?"
"Yeah. Do you think Harry will land the Head Boy like his dad then?"
"Maybe, you never know."
"I'd love to see Malfoy's face when he heard that! Probably get that dung eating look and storm about crying 'Wait till my father hears about this, oh boo hoo!'" Ron said, stamping about, Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "Speaking of the little daddy's boy, what if he got the Head Boy spot?"
This brought them both to laughter, but the notion did seem possible and ominous to Hermione.
"What I can't get at is how ol' Lucious and the other Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban, and no one has seen them yet," Ron said.
Hermione remembered the night that she had seen Draco coming back from the Forbidden Forest. Lucious and his fellow Death Eaters must have been in the Forest that night, and could still be there for all she knew. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder as she thought of the lot of them there at Hogwart's. She felt extremely grateful that Dumbledore was still there as headmaster. He was the only one who Voldemort had ever feared after all. Sometimes, she thought, Voldemort must have added Harry to that short list. He must have, or else he wouldn't be trying to kill him. And, she remembered, the prophecy had said that only one of them could kill the other.
"Rememberall!" Ron said, pulling her out of her thoughts as they walked into the common room.
"So you like Kiara?" Asked Hermione.
"Yeah I do." Ron answered.
"Well there are only a few days left of school and if you don't make some sort of move you will have to wait all summer before you will see her again. By then it might be to late."
He sat there for a minute thinking about what she had said. Hermione was really happy for him. After they had got their feelings out of the way they were more like brother and sister now.
"You're right, I will talk to her tomorrow. Thanks Hermione."
"Your welcome."
"Well, goodnight," she said as they parted ways in the common room.
Ron nodded and yawned as he waved and went of to his room. She was truly happy for him. She was in no rush herself to get into a relationship. She was focused on school now and on becoming an Auror. She also thought that she would like to get in a few years of her career before she looked to settle down and find someone.
Hermione began changing for bed. She put on her garnet with gold marbling camisole top and matching hipster bottoms. It always made her feel very feminine which was something she liked these days. Her once bushy hair had become nicely wavy and she often got compliments on it, which she found as a nice change. She sat on the edge of her bed brushing her hair and staring at herself in the mirror. She had grown more beautiful and ever more comfortable with herself over the years. She was glad that she now had a figure and that her teeth had fit her face better. She stood up to admire herself in the full-length mirror. The camisole stopped above her belly button revealing her nicely flat stomach. She was becoming a woman and now had curves in all the right places. She dared even consider herself sexy, shh! It was no big deal as long as no boys saw her wearing stuff like that.
She lay in bed mulling over the exams for the next day. She really wanted to do well on the exams and there was so much riding on them. She really wanted to be Head Girl next year, and with her wanting to be an Auror, she had to get top marks. Although she was exhausted, she was having trouble falling asleep. She had this sensation that she was being watched but there was no one awake in the room. None of the boys could get in the room, so that was out of the question. Ron had tried a few years back but had failed miserably. Boys simply were not allowed in the girl's room. The magic had to be stronger than the hormones.
Moonlight shone through the window and onto her bed. She had closed the other curtains of her canopy bed but left the one facing the window open. She liked to lie in bed and look out at the night sky. Tonight, however, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
"It's just silly," she thought to herself. Nevertheless she rose to look out of the window to reassure herself.
She stood there looking out at the grounds at night and admiring how peaceful quiet everything looked, painted with the moonlight. The glass felt cool against her fingertips. Suddenly a hooded figure emerged on a broom and hung in midair looking at her. She gasped in shock and stepped back. He pulled his hood back and they stared at each other. Draco started to look her up and down and she turned and crawled back on her bed. She then turned on her knees and faced him, grabbing the curtains to draw them violently closed when she saw he had a smirk on his face. This smirk was different than the usual ones though. She drew the curtains closed and lay back on her bed.
"What was that look about," she thought. Then she realized what she was wearing, and what he had seen when she had crawled on the bed in her hipsters with her backside to him. She imagined how she had looked there kneeling on the bed with her knees apart and arms in the air and felt slightly embarrassed and appalled at the same time. She wrapped herself in her sheet making sure nothing was visible but her head and didn't care that all her curtains were closed. She then resolved to wear her bathrobe to bed and to close the curtains before taking it off.
"Of all the people to see me like that, it had to be him!" she said, causing Parvati to stir.
"Why was he out there anyway? It's not like he could get in here. He wouldn't have even tried with the other girls in here. Slytherins aren't exactly known for their bravery," she thought. "Bloody peeping tom," she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Hey there I hope you guysenjoyed the chapter!I just want to thank:niahannie and katelynne-sthanks for the tips and i'll try to fixthem when i figure out how, lol! And thanks to prin69, Kristaltearz, anais, silverhazel, xoxokissmyassxoxo, Curlyg2713, and anonymous reviewer for your reviews! It means so much to me thanks! And thanks to the future reviewers that reviewed after i put this up:) the story is finished so you don't have to worry about me not putting up the rest. Please review, i can't get enough! Lol!