"WHAT?!" Four voices sounded at exactly the same time. The makers of these shouts were Malfoy, Snape, Harry, and Ron.
"Professor Dumbledore!" protested Harry.
"How can you - you can't!" said Ron weakly.
"Really, Headmaster..." Snape exclaimed.
"I am not living with a stinking Gryffindor MUDBLOOD!" yelled Malfoy, drowning out all the rest. His face bore a look of utter revulsion.
"Now, now," said Professor Mcgonagall. "I believe the Headmaster knows what he is doing..." Though she seemed a bit uncertain herself. She cast a pleading look at Dumbledore for help, who had been watching all this quietly with an amused smile on his face.
"I understand that both of you are not on...friendly terms," Dumbledore mused. "But I believe with hard work and perseverence, you shall be able to get along fairly well. And don't bother protesting, Mister Malfoy," he added sharply, as Malfoy opened his mouth to speak. "You cannot be reassigned another partner. I'm afraid you will have to, as some of you say, 'stick it out'.
"The Ministry has conveniently arranged a number of Portkeys for us. Note that only you and your partner will be sent to the same school. The rest will be attending seperate schools in different areas of London. Those involved wll be expected to pack tonight, as you will be leaving tomorrow.
"Well, I suppose the rest of the students are getting quite hungry, aren't they? Let us - eat!" With a sweep of his arms, the golden plates in front of them filled up magically. Though, true to his words, the students were indeed hungry. Still, the Great Hall was filled not of the happy chatter that it had just been, but of curious looks and uncertain conversations. Everyone was taken aback from the abrupt starting of the feast.
Hermione had been distinctly silent throughout all this. She spooned treacle onto her plate as Ron and Harry stared disbelievingly at Dumbledore, who had resumed conversation with Professor Flitwick. Quite a few teachers were looking surprised, too. Malfoy was simply glaring furiously at everybody who had merely glanced at him.
When the pair finally came out of their stupor, Ron kept giving Hermione bits of 'advice'.
"If he's a git to you, which I expect he will be, write to us and we'll send him undiluted Bubotuber pus," said Ron worriedly, Harry nodding encouragingly behind him.
Hermione finally silenced him after about ten minutes of non-stop blabbering.
"I'll be okay, alright? He's just an overly arrogant git. I know what to do. I'm the smart one here," she added. "Just...go on and eat or something. You must b starving."
Ron pondered this for about a millisecond. Seizing his fork and knife, he said simply,
"You know, I expect I am."
"Ooh...where did you get that?" squealed Lavendar delightedly as Hermione pulled out a spaghetti strapped black top out of the closet.
"This?" Hermione said dismissively as she held it up. "You want it? My Aunt sent it to me."
"But it's gorgeous!" Parvati cried. "Why would you give it away?! I, personally, would never give up a treasure like that!"
Hermione shrugged. "I just...I just don't wear clothes like that."
"Come on, put it in," Lavendar urged, a mischevious glint in her eye. "You never know."
"Oh, fine then," Hermione said huffily. Asking her roommates to help her pack had ended up to be a one biggg mistake!
An hour later, when the trunk had been stuffed full of things Hermione would never wear, Parvati and Lavendar decided to retire to their beds to get ready for the next morning. Hermione joined them. Now, as she lay in bed, half asleep, her thoughts turned to a certain blond-haired Slytherin. But thinking about him made her quesy. It reminded her about the night they were in the kitchen...kissing.
Hermione shuddered. Why had Malfoy done that? Perhaps he was on a bet? She pondered this. Hermione doubted whether any of Malfoy's goon friends would be smart enough to. And Pansy Parkinson certainly wouldn't do a thing like that, everyone knew that she had a crush on him. Hermione was puzzled. She still hadn't figured out the mystery behind Malfoy sudden appearence.
Hermione kept this up until midnight. When she at last noticed the steadily darkening sky, she chided herself for staying up so late. She had to get up at seven tomorrow! Hermione lay her head down on her pillow and tried to nod off in vain, and instead took refuge once again in her thoughts.
Finally, her brain, exhausted from all the thinking it had been doing, ordered her eyes to sneakily lower their eyelids till they had completely closed, sealing her from the world beyond, and into the place where troubles did not exist.
"Professor Dumbledore!" protested Harry.
"How can you - you can't!" said Ron weakly.
"Really, Headmaster..." Snape exclaimed.
"I am not living with a stinking Gryffindor MUDBLOOD!" yelled Malfoy, drowning out all the rest. His face bore a look of utter revulsion.
"Now, now," said Professor Mcgonagall. "I believe the Headmaster knows what he is doing..." Though she seemed a bit uncertain herself. She cast a pleading look at Dumbledore for help, who had been watching all this quietly with an amused smile on his face.
"I understand that both of you are not on...friendly terms," Dumbledore mused. "But I believe with hard work and perseverence, you shall be able to get along fairly well. And don't bother protesting, Mister Malfoy," he added sharply, as Malfoy opened his mouth to speak. "You cannot be reassigned another partner. I'm afraid you will have to, as some of you say, 'stick it out'.
"The Ministry has conveniently arranged a number of Portkeys for us. Note that only you and your partner will be sent to the same school. The rest will be attending seperate schools in different areas of London. Those involved wll be expected to pack tonight, as you will be leaving tomorrow.
"Well, I suppose the rest of the students are getting quite hungry, aren't they? Let us - eat!" With a sweep of his arms, the golden plates in front of them filled up magically. Though, true to his words, the students were indeed hungry. Still, the Great Hall was filled not of the happy chatter that it had just been, but of curious looks and uncertain conversations. Everyone was taken aback from the abrupt starting of the feast.
Hermione had been distinctly silent throughout all this. She spooned treacle onto her plate as Ron and Harry stared disbelievingly at Dumbledore, who had resumed conversation with Professor Flitwick. Quite a few teachers were looking surprised, too. Malfoy was simply glaring furiously at everybody who had merely glanced at him.
When the pair finally came out of their stupor, Ron kept giving Hermione bits of 'advice'.
"If he's a git to you, which I expect he will be, write to us and we'll send him undiluted Bubotuber pus," said Ron worriedly, Harry nodding encouragingly behind him.
Hermione finally silenced him after about ten minutes of non-stop blabbering.
"I'll be okay, alright? He's just an overly arrogant git. I know what to do. I'm the smart one here," she added. "Just...go on and eat or something. You must b starving."
Ron pondered this for about a millisecond. Seizing his fork and knife, he said simply,
"You know, I expect I am."
"Ooh...where did you get that?" squealed Lavendar delightedly as Hermione pulled out a spaghetti strapped black top out of the closet.
"This?" Hermione said dismissively as she held it up. "You want it? My Aunt sent it to me."
"But it's gorgeous!" Parvati cried. "Why would you give it away?! I, personally, would never give up a treasure like that!"
Hermione shrugged. "I just...I just don't wear clothes like that."
"Come on, put it in," Lavendar urged, a mischevious glint in her eye. "You never know."
"Oh, fine then," Hermione said huffily. Asking her roommates to help her pack had ended up to be a one biggg mistake!
An hour later, when the trunk had been stuffed full of things Hermione would never wear, Parvati and Lavendar decided to retire to their beds to get ready for the next morning. Hermione joined them. Now, as she lay in bed, half asleep, her thoughts turned to a certain blond-haired Slytherin. But thinking about him made her quesy. It reminded her about the night they were in the kitchen...kissing.
Hermione shuddered. Why had Malfoy done that? Perhaps he was on a bet? She pondered this. Hermione doubted whether any of Malfoy's goon friends would be smart enough to. And Pansy Parkinson certainly wouldn't do a thing like that, everyone knew that she had a crush on him. Hermione was puzzled. She still hadn't figured out the mystery behind Malfoy sudden appearence.
Hermione kept this up until midnight. When she at last noticed the steadily darkening sky, she chided herself for staying up so late. She had to get up at seven tomorrow! Hermione lay her head down on her pillow and tried to nod off in vain, and instead took refuge once again in her thoughts.
Finally, her brain, exhausted from all the thinking it had been doing, ordered her eyes to sneakily lower their eyelids till they had completely closed, sealing her from the world beyond, and into the place where troubles did not exist.