Chapter VII - The Situation Gets Steadily Worse

"-What do you think, Hermione?"

Upon hearing her name, Hermione jerked out of her slumber to see her two best frinds staring at her. She smiled back at them apologetically.

"I just fell asleep in the middle of something important didn't I?" She asked rather sheepishly.

Both Harry and Ron nodded.

"Just plopped down next to the Cornflakes. " Harry informed her as he poured her a cup of coffee. "What's been up with you lately? You've been a little off, yesterday you dozed of in Binn's class and now here at breakfast? Are you quite alright?"

Hermione opened her mouth. She wanted more than anything to tell her friends that now, when ever she slept her dreams would be filled with Draco Malfoy doing questoinable things to her, if she even slept at all. It had been getting harder and harder to get a good night's rest. When she did sleep she would wake up even more tired than the night before. She couldn't keep her mind clear for two minutes and had the attention span of a gnat.It had been only three days and already he was permeating every aspect of her life, when she couldn't hear his thoughts, her thoughts revolved around him.

No, Harry, she was not quite alright.

"Yes, Harry, I'm quite alright." She found herself saying instead. Oh God, lying. Now she was even acting like him.

"Be careful." Ron warned. "You might just get a Ninety-nine percent in ancient runes. Heaven knows that would bring your average way down."

And we wouldn't want that, would we?

Hermione sighed. She rested her head in her right hand which was proped on the table, she as trying her very hardest to concentrate on her friends who were laghing and shoving her good-naturedly.

It wasn't working. Malfoy was awake and now all her thoughts centered on him.

Oh, great, you're awake.

And a very good morning to you too, Granger.

Perhaps the most annoying part was simply that Malfoy seems unperterbed by all of this, he went on with life as usual. Hermione didn't even noticed the change in his lifestyle. There were no circles under his eyes like there were under hers, he didn't seem distracted all the time, he had even won his quidditch match the other day against Ravenclaw.

Damn, this was unfair.

life is unfair.

Get out of my head.

Hermione found herself saying that more and more often as of late, although, lately it didn't even illicit a response.

you know very well thatI would ifI could. However in the meantime, it is my intention to have as much fun asI possibly can.

She glared at him, her action spilled over into the physical world and to any casual observer she looked as if she was glaring a hole in the milk jug. Her friends exchaged looks.

"You have been really off lately, 'Mione," Harry said gently. "Are you sure that you are alright? Because you just zoned off again and this is really unlike you. Ron andI are beginning to get worried."

Something snapped in hermione.

"Yes, Harry!" She exploded standing up abruptly and overturning the milk jug. "Yes! I'm fine! Alright? FINE! Perfectly fine!I am so fine, I don't even remember what its like to be a 'little off'! AND I am just so SICK and TIRED of having EVERY SINGLE PERSONI know, friend and teacher alike, ask if I am fine! Which, mightI add,I have already assured every single one of you, thatI am!" She turned to the rest of the student body who were all curently staring at her. "And that goes for any of YOU who wish to PESTER me with such IMPERTINENT questions!"

Then she turned on her hell and stomped out of the room ignoring both the staring and the silence after her release of pent up fury.

At this moment she didn't care that she was taking out her anger at her frieds and all the other innocents in the room. She didn't care that every single on of them would be talking about her today. All she cared about was the fact that she was tired, she hadn't had any good sleep in about three days, she could barely concentrate on a single thought for longer than five seconds and she had a throbbing head ache. To make matter worse, her friends were now irked at her, they had noticed something was off and lastly, now that she had gotten everything off her chest, she had lost all adrenaline and was now even more tired than she had ever felt in her life.

So, as she usually did in times of crisis she made her way over to the library to immerse herself in reasearch.

She hoped that it would make her feel better.

Everyone had been shocked by Herimione's sudden out burst, even Draco malfoy.

He was minding his own business (ignoring her thoughts) in the bathroom, going through what he ususally did in the morning. (Blaise called it his morning routine) he was shaving when all of a sudden a sudden burst of adrenaline, heat and pent up fury washed over him, nearly knocking him to the floor. Luckily, none of the other prefects were present in the bathroom at the time. Now, Draco managed to keep himself in check but he had nicked himself with his shaver.

And that's when her shouting sounded in his head.

Draco gritted his teeth and cluthched the counter of the bathroom so hard he was afraid the white marble just might break.

Then, just as suddenly as it came, everything stopped and Draco felt the adrenaline subside and the sudden exhaustion and weariness kick in. They were a mirror of what he had been feeling for the past few days.

Though he hid everything adequately, he was exhausted, frustrated and unable to concrentrate.

Luckily, he had found a remedy for it during the Ravenclaw quidditch game. He managed to convince himself that the wings of the snitch reminded him of Granger's hair and the colour reminded him of Granger's house. Now that the ball was related to Granger he found he could concentrate on it more, infact he fanatically, desperately searched of it.

Though it did work, it was beyond disturbing.

Another strange thing was, he was not attracted to the frumpy bookworm. Though he wished that every single girl in Hogwarts looked just like her, and every thing in the world reminded him of her, when he thought of her he felt nothing. No attraction. Nothing more than the bond they shared. Or more suitably put, the chains that bound them together.

Pulling on his bath robe, he walked back up to his room and began to dress for the day. While he was pulling on his shoes, his eye caught on one of the book he had checked out of the library the previous night. He finished trying his shoes and then walked over to it. The title was THE SUBTLE ART he had not even begun to read it, but he had remembered Snape's first intoduction into potions nearly five years ago.

"...the subtle art and exact science..."

Checking his watch he realized that he had less than an hour before his first class and he had better hurry up. Taking the book and slipping it into his leather satchel, he made his way to the dinning hall.

As soon as he had sat down, Pansy Parkinson latched onto him.

"Draco," She whined in what she thought was a terribly, arousing voice. "You haven't come to VISIT me in some time."

Draco sighed.

He hadn't really been out to VISIT anybody in some time.

"I've been busy, Pansy." He said rater shortly.

Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. Who ever it was he wanted to kiss them for interrupting his little talk with Pansy, even if it Scar-face and Weasel coming to beat him up for upsetting their golden mudblood. Looking up he saw Blaise and decided the kissing-thing was quite out of order.

"Come with me, Draco." He said. "I have a matter to disscuss with you."

Draco nodded then turned to Pansy.

"I'll see you later." He said as politely as he could.

Pansy's smile was tinged with not-so-subtle innuendo.

"You promise?"

Deciding not to give her a respose, Draco stood and followed Blaise to the other side of the table, far enough so as not to hear Pansy's annoying voice and not to catch her come hither looks.

"You owe me." Blaise said smugly.

Draco nearly smiled.

"So I do."He said. "I pass on my thanks."

Blaise nodded.

"Did you hear what the mudblood, Granger, did today?" he asked.

Draco shook his head, although he knew what was coming, it would be interesting to see what Blaise thought of it.

"Blew up, right in the middle of the dinning hall." Blaise informed him. "Yelling at her friends, at her boyfriend, Merlin, Draco, you should have been here it was so amusing.I had to fight from laughing."

Draco nodded.

"I see." He said. "That does sound quite out of character."

Blaise nodded.

"What do you have there?" He asked.

Draco looked down, realizing that he had pulled the book out and was leafing through it absently.

"Just studying up on a quiz in potions." He said quickly.

Blaise shook hs head taking long drink for his pumkin juice.

"Like you need to." He said shaking his head slowly.

Draco ignored him, he had just turned the page to the Biandrinum section, and what he had found was not a good sign.