Hermione walked quickly, trying very hard to ignore Draco's shouts as he followed her down the corridor.
"What is your problem, Granger?" asked Draco testily.
"You're rude, you've insulted me, and if you want to get right down to it: you're snarky and I severely dislike you," Hermione snapped. "I simply do not want to spend time with you unless I have to."
"Well, you have to. You might as well stop walking."
"If I stop walking, I'll never get away from you, and that is exactly what I'm trying to do."
"How do you expect to lose me in an open corridor?"
"I had hoped you'd lose interest and go back to your common room."
"Ah," said Draco, and with that he sat down on a nearby window ledge and made no motion to follow her.
"You're going to leave me alone?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not going to follow you," replied Draco.
"Well... I'll see you, then," said Hermione civilly. "If you want to meet again and try to talk, send me an owl at breakfast. No one need know it's from you."
"Right. Well... you'd better be off, then."
Hermione didn't need telling twice, nor did she need to have the last word. She simply turned and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight, Draco turned down a neighboring corridor, rushed up a flight of stairs, took a short-cut behind the tapestry of Bharetius the Barmy, and stepped out into a gloomy old hall.
Hermione fumed. She was still horribly angry at Draco. Try as she might, she just couldn't regain her usual composure.
"He just gets under my skin..." said Hermione aloud. "I don't know how or why... but he bothers me more than anyone else. If he'd just try, he could be rather charming. Oh, no... what am I saying?"
Out of the darkness, Hermione heard a faint creaking noise, and she paused and spun around, both startled and embarrassed. She saw nothing behind her, but thought perhaps a mouse or something had been crawling down the corridor in front of her.
As she turned to look, she was surprised to see anything more than Mrs. Norris, but cowering in the shadowy corridor before her was no other than Draco Malfoy, whom she'd been so sure that she's left behind on the third floor.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy? How did you get ahead of me?" Hermione asked abruptly, subtly failing her.
"None of your business, Granger," Draco snapped. It was he who now seemed upset.
"What? You aren't going to call me Mudblood? That isn't like you at all," Hermione snapped back, then immediately regretted it. The look on Draco's face fell from a haughty smirk to the frown of a sad little boy. If he's come for a second chance, I've just ruined it. Hermione thought.
"How would you know anything about me, Hermione?" Draco asked, putting great emphasis on her name. Hermione was amazed that he even knew her first name, as he'd never bothered to call her by it.
"Well... I..." Hermione stuttered. For once, she could think of no answer.
"That's what I thought. Not Miss Know-It-All after all, are you?" Draco said hotly, and turned down an adjoining passage.
Hermione grew more and more curious about how he actually had gotten ahead of her, and after a minute of greatly debated thoughts, she turned down the same passage in pursuit.
Suppose he wanted to say he was sorry... Hermione thought. I could have ruined my chance of getting this over with quickly and getting a new partner.
After wandering for several dozen meters, Hermione realized that she might as well turn back to the common room, as there was little hope of finding out where Draco had went. For all she knew, he'd taken a short-cut and was back in his common room by the fire.
She looked around, and was startled to find that the staircase she'd just wandered up was no where to be seen. After a moments thought, Hermione decided that she might as well keep going. Perhaps she'd catch up with Draco after all.
"What is your problem, Granger?" asked Draco testily.
"You're rude, you've insulted me, and if you want to get right down to it: you're snarky and I severely dislike you," Hermione snapped. "I simply do not want to spend time with you unless I have to."
"Well, you have to. You might as well stop walking."
"If I stop walking, I'll never get away from you, and that is exactly what I'm trying to do."
"How do you expect to lose me in an open corridor?"
"I had hoped you'd lose interest and go back to your common room."
"Ah," said Draco, and with that he sat down on a nearby window ledge and made no motion to follow her.
"You're going to leave me alone?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not going to follow you," replied Draco.
"Well... I'll see you, then," said Hermione civilly. "If you want to meet again and try to talk, send me an owl at breakfast. No one need know it's from you."
"Right. Well... you'd better be off, then."
Hermione didn't need telling twice, nor did she need to have the last word. She simply turned and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight, Draco turned down a neighboring corridor, rushed up a flight of stairs, took a short-cut behind the tapestry of Bharetius the Barmy, and stepped out into a gloomy old hall.
Hermione fumed. She was still horribly angry at Draco. Try as she might, she just couldn't regain her usual composure.
"He just gets under my skin..." said Hermione aloud. "I don't know how or why... but he bothers me more than anyone else. If he'd just try, he could be rather charming. Oh, no... what am I saying?"
Out of the darkness, Hermione heard a faint creaking noise, and she paused and spun around, both startled and embarrassed. She saw nothing behind her, but thought perhaps a mouse or something had been crawling down the corridor in front of her.
As she turned to look, she was surprised to see anything more than Mrs. Norris, but cowering in the shadowy corridor before her was no other than Draco Malfoy, whom she'd been so sure that she's left behind on the third floor.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy? How did you get ahead of me?" Hermione asked abruptly, subtly failing her.
"None of your business, Granger," Draco snapped. It was he who now seemed upset.
"What? You aren't going to call me Mudblood? That isn't like you at all," Hermione snapped back, then immediately regretted it. The look on Draco's face fell from a haughty smirk to the frown of a sad little boy. If he's come for a second chance, I've just ruined it. Hermione thought.
"How would you know anything about me, Hermione?" Draco asked, putting great emphasis on her name. Hermione was amazed that he even knew her first name, as he'd never bothered to call her by it.
"Well... I..." Hermione stuttered. For once, she could think of no answer.
"That's what I thought. Not Miss Know-It-All after all, are you?" Draco said hotly, and turned down an adjoining passage.
Hermione grew more and more curious about how he actually had gotten ahead of her, and after a minute of greatly debated thoughts, she turned down the same passage in pursuit.
Suppose he wanted to say he was sorry... Hermione thought. I could have ruined my chance of getting this over with quickly and getting a new partner.
After wandering for several dozen meters, Hermione realized that she might as well turn back to the common room, as there was little hope of finding out where Draco had went. For all she knew, he'd taken a short-cut and was back in his common room by the fire.
She looked around, and was startled to find that the staircase she'd just wandered up was no where to be seen. After a moments thought, Hermione decided that she might as well keep going. Perhaps she'd catch up with Draco after all.