First Week Back; Nothing's Going According to Plan

School had started, and I was made Head Girl. I had my own room, but apart from that, nothing was going according to plan.

My schedule was completely screwed up, and to top it all off, the wait to see my head of house was forever long.

Finally, after about two hours of waiting, I was called back.

"Hermione Granger," Professor McGonagal called. "What seems to be the problem," she said once we were in her office.

""I got the wrong schedule. I'm signed up for Divination."

"Divination?" she blinked at me. "What's wrong with Divination?"

"Nothing," I said. "Except I'm not a seer, I've never been good at that."

""Well," she said slowly as a loud noise sounded from somewhere outside her office, "Maybe it's Introduction to Divination. That's the beginning level.""

""I never signed up for Divination,"" I said a little bit louder, jus to be heard over the noise. ""I don't want to take it.""

""Fine, well, then write your name on this sheet,"" she said, losing all patience whatsoever with debating the merits of Future Seeing Training, and excusing herself a moment to see what all the commotion was about.

While she was gone, I heard a familiar voice on the nearby radio. Dumbledore insisted upon having a muggle radio to keep an ear open for any unusual activity.

I turned up the radio, it was my father, on his local London radio station. He was announcing a marriage engagement, his marriage engagement. And to make matters worse, Professor McGonagal chose to walk in, in time to hear, followed closely by Draco Malfoy.

"Hermione, that's your father isn't it?"

I looked over to them, "Hi," he said.

""I…I have to check something before I fill this out,"" I said as I left he office. I stood outside her door and I could hear her and Draco.

""Sit down, Malfoy…let's see if we can sort out your usual chaos…maybe you'll even do us the honor of attending this year.""

""Draco was not in school to Get an Education or Prepare for a future outside of school. It was just a necessary evil, tempered by perpetual tardies. Half the time he showed up looking like he just rolled out of bed, and he was forever getting yelled at by all the Professors. He was the master of the forged excuse.""

""Oh, okay, later PM, I got to rethink that dueling class, I'm pretty scary with a wand.""

I heard him walking behind me in the corridor; then he was beside me.

""You didn't know, did you" About your dad getting married?""

""Yes I did. Okay. Sort of. No.""

""What a bastard, telling the world before he tells you.""

""He's not a bastard, he didn't mean to--whatever.""

""At least if they're eloping you won't have to go t a wedding, weddings are the worst.""

By this time, we were on the front steps of the school, I don't even remember leaving the school. Draco sat down and pulled me by the wrist with him.

""Between my parents, I've had to go to, like, five of them, don't ask. Listen PM wasn't giving you a hard time in there was she?""

""PM?""

""Professor McGonagal and I, are on close terms. You get to know the Professors really well when your clearly in need of desperate guidance. I've got it down to a science. First, try to divert her by mentioning anything about your therapist. For example: "My therapist is helping me work on my problem with authority." Just the word "therapist" will usually cut you come slack. And if that doesn't work, use the 'Jedi Mind Trick'.""

""What's That?""

""You never saw 'Star Wars'?""

""I saw it, seeing as you don't live in the muggle world, I guess I didn't think that you would have, I guess I didn't memorize it like you did.""

""Well that's your loss. The 'Jedi Mind Trick' is when you tell someone what to think, and then they think it. Like when PM says, "Draco, you're already in trouble and it's only the first day of school. Is this any way to start off the new year?" Okay, pretend your me; what do you say?""

""I say, oh, no, I want to be someone else.""

""Cute. You say, as me, "Professor McGonagal, you're going to let this slide, because it's only the first day. It was an honest mistake, and the fire was put out as quickly as it was started.""

""You didn't really start a fire did you?""

""The point…the point is," he said with a flick of his hand, "You put the words in heir mouths and they say them right back to you like they just came up with the idea," he said and grinned, and when he did I almost believed him. "Like when I ask you to go out with me this Friday night, you'll almost think you're the one asking me. Because you're going to say, "Yes, Draco, I would love to go out with you, because I think we'll have a totally great time together, and in fact I'd been hoping you'd ask me all week.""

He stood up and offered me a hand; I accepted.

""You want to go out on a date with me!""

""See, I told you you'd ask me,"" he grinned and then chuckled.

""Oh Draco, I think I like you too much already to actually go out with you.""

""What kind of logic is that?""

""It's Logical logic. The quickest way to ruin a relationship with someone is to actually try to have a "relationship" with them. Haven't you noticed that when the opposite sex gets together, eventually they always end up hurting each other," I asked him, and walked away.