"WE HAVE TO WHAT?" Hermione screeched. Fawx fluttered her wings angrily and turned away.
Dumbledore remained calm, neatly folding his gray and wrinkled hands on his desk. Hermione and Malfoy turned to glare at each other.
"Did I hear you correctly?" Hermione asked. She hit the side of her head. "I think I'm having hearing problems."
"You heard me correctly, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, amused. "You will go to every ball together, every school outing, and you will be seated next to each other during every class, which you have together. I've already made the arrangements with your teachers, and here are your new schedules." He reached into a pile of parchment on his desk and pulled out two cards and handed them to the two teenagers.
Hermione glanced down at her schedule card then back up to Dumbledore. Her eyes said, "Why would you do this to me?"
Dumbledore smiled. "We want to create interhouse unity, and who better set an example for all of the students than you two? The two Heads."
They both opened their mouths to say something, but yet—there was nothing left to say.
"Well then, I feel we all agree, yes?" Dumbledore smiled, yet again and gestured towards the door. "Thank you for taking your time to see me. You may go to your classes now."
The two teens stomped out of the office and Hermione glared at Malfoy.
"This is all your fault," she hissed, not looking at him. They marched down the corridor, attracting stares from all of the passing students.
"This is all your fault," Malfoy seethed. "I can't believe I have to spend the entire year with you. This is ridiculous." They entered the Potions classroom. They had a double class with Gryffindors and Slytherins. Everyone turned to stare at them and gaped.
Hermione looked around and saw that Harry was sitting next to Pansy Parkinson, and Ron was sitting next to Blaise Zabini. She shot them questioning looks, but they shook their heads and rolled their eyes.
Snape turned around to face the two students. "This year, everyone is getting assigned seats. Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, you will be sitting there." He pointed to the desk right in the back corner. Hermione turned to glare at Malfoy and walked over to occupy the aisle seat. Malfoy slipped in besides her, mumbling under his breath.
As the lesson went on, which was all just taking notes, Hermione and Malfoy did everything but cooperate. They bickered endlessly and Malfoy kept on stepping on Hermione's feet and taking up her writing space.
"Talk about occupying someone's personal bubble." Hermione glared at Malfoy and kicked him under the table.
Malfoy kicked back. "Well thanks to you, we have to spend the rest of the year together."
"Yes, it's all MY fault," Hermione muttered, kicking him again. "Because you're the one always insulting me."
"Oh, please—" Malfoy said, but was interrupted.
"Mr. Malfoy." Snape walked up to them, a sneer on his face. "Is there a problem?"
"Actually," Malfoy said. "Yes. There is. I don't want to sit next to Miss Granger."
Snape rolled his eyes. "Well, I do feel it is unfair for you to be seated next to an insufferable know-it-all, but these are the rules, enforced by Professor Dumbledore, and there is simply nothing I can do. End of discussion," he added, as Malfoy opened his mouth to speak.
"Great!" Hermione said under her breath. "It's just my luck to be stuck with you of all people."
"Oh, you just wait, Granger," Malfoy said darkly. "It's going to get a lot worse."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Hermione woke up the next morning with a big headache, and her feet hurt as well. That's what she got from kicking Malfoy all yesterday and getting kicked back. She sat up in bed and felt the room spin. She groaned. Maybe a hot shower would make her feel better.
She stood up, slipped on her pink slippers, and made her way down the hall and into the bathroom. Turning the knob, she threw the door open.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screeched, flinging her arms over her eyes. Malfoy was standing there with nothing on, stepping out of the shower. Thankfully, the steam from all of the hot water covered his, er, private parts.
"AH! AH! AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hermione backed out of the bathroom and slammed the door. She heard loud cackles coming from inside the bathroom.
"THAT WASN'T FUNNY MALFOY!" Hermione yelled through the door.
"YES IT WAS!" he yelled back. "That's what you get for not knocking first!"
"WELL IT'S CALLED A LOCK!" Hermione shouted. She ran into her room and slammed the door. She decided she would just shower at night.
Pulling on a pair of jeans, a green t-shirt, green flipflops, and her black robes, she flung her messenger bag over her shoulder and made her way into the common room.
Right before she exited the portrait door, she paused. Maybe she didn't have to go to the Great Hall for breakfast. Maybe she could just, say, go to the kitchen! She dropped her bag on the couch by the fireplace and ran back up the stairs to the kitchen. Pulling on the red velvet rope, she waited a few seconds until she heard a soft "pop" and a tiny, dark house elf appeared by the table.
She was dressed in a pale pink skirt and a matching blouse with tiny white slippers.
"What can Twinkie get for the mistress?" she squeaked, smiling and bowing her head.
Hermione smiled. Forget S.P.E.W. This was like living it large!
"A large coffee, toast, and scrambled eggs will do," Hermione said. "Thanks."
Twinkie bowed again and disappeared.
Hermione only had to wait for five minutes before her breakfast arrived. Twinkie set it on the table and bowed. "Please, enjoy." She vanished.
Hermione had only picked up her fork when Malfoy appeared at the kitchen door, smirking.
"Taking advantage of the house elves, now are you?"
Hermione glared at him. "I just wanted some breakfast. Is that really too much to ask?"
Malfoy shrugged and sat down, watching her eat. Hermione felt very uncomfortable, and before she knew what she was saying, she asked, "Would you like to have some?"
Malfoy looked taken back for a moment, but then a sneer appeared on his pale, pointed face.
"No thanks. I don't eat with Mudbloods." He stood up and left.
Hermione glared at his retreating back. She couldn't believe she even asked him. Besides, what were the odds of him actually saying yes? Well, the answer was: none. He had already disappeared.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Harry and Ron turned to Hermione as she walked into Herbology class. They had questions in their eyes like, "Why weren't you at breakfast?" but she just shook her head and turned away.
Professor Sprout entered with gloves on her hands. "Welcome, class! Today, we will be dissecting and examining parts of the Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Now, everyone take some gloves." She held out a container that had bright orange gloves. Everyone took a pair and got assigned a partner.
"… Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger," Professor Sprout finished, tucking the list into her apron pocket. Everyone started to get together with their partners.
Hermione and Malfoy didn't wince, just got to work. They already knew they were going to be partners. They had stopped arguing. There was no use. The teachers were never going to change their minds.
They ignored each other for the entire lesson, only talking when they bumped into each other or had to reach across each other to get something.
…
"Oops… sorry."
"Yeah."
…
"Sorry."
"Yeah."
…
"I need the tongs."
"Here."
"Thanks."
"… No problem."
Hermione was surprised he even responded when she said sorry. And just because she hated him didn't mean she couldn't be polite. Who knew? Maybe this "interhouse unity" thing Dumbledore was talking about would actually work.
…
Well, maybe not. But this was start.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Hermione rushed to the Head dorm after class. It had been a long day trying to cooperate with Malfoy. The result was: a little, teeny weeny, itsy bitsy bit of friendliness and a few bruises on Hermione's shins.
She flung her book bag onto her bed, quickly combed her hair and made her way down to the Great Hall. In the common room, she passed Malfoy. She was trying to squeeze through the small space between the coffee table and the couch, and Malfoy was trying to do the same. They moved back and forth at the same time. They both sighed, exasperated. Hermione said, "Go."
Malfoy shook his head. "You go."
"No, YOU go."
"No, I insist. YOU go."
"Fine," they both said, and walked straight into each other.
They both ended up on the floor with bruises where they couldn't see. Hermione stood up quickly and smoothed down her hair. Draco stood up and tousled his. They looked at each other awkwardly.
In the end, Hermione went through the small space and Draco went around the couches. He went upstairs and Hermione slammed the portrait door behind her.
Hermione arrived in the Great Hall just as Dumbledore finished his speeches. She groaned and made her way down to the Gryffindor Table. Harry and Ron were filling their plates with food when Hermione sat down. They looked at her as she quickly began to fill her plate and devour her food with gusto.
"Er… are you okay?" Harry asked. He was looking at er awkwardly as she gobbled down her large portions of food. "You seem… hungry."
Ron stared at him. "Hungry? She looks like a starved beast! She has more on her plate than I do! She started, and I didn't!"
Hermione looked up and swallowed, wiping her mouth. She chugged down her pumpkin juice, looked straight at the boys and said, "Long day." The tone of her voice clearly told them not to ask any more questions and that was the end of the conversation.
Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged. They went back to eating, keeping a close eye on Hermione.
After dinner, Hermione made her way down to the Quidditch field with a book to watch Harry, Ron, and Ginny in Quidditch practice. She walked high up in the stands and sat down at the very top. She had a good view of them, flying up in the air on their brooms. Practice had yet to begin, so Harry was catching some air, swooping up and down and doing loop-de-loops to amuse Hermione, who cheered and clapped for him. Angelina finally took the field as more team members arrived, one at a time.
Practice went smoothly. Harry caught the snitch faster and faster every time it was released. Ron and Ginny were wonderful as well. Hermione was their one-person cheering section. Every time they did something good, she would stand up and yell their names and wave her maroon and gold scarf in the air.
Practice ended quickly and the bright golden sun was starting to melt into the pink and yellow sky. The lake seemed to shimmer under the warmth of the sunset as Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny took a walk around the lake.
Hermione breathed in the fresh, clean air. It smelled like it was about to snow.
They sat down on a fallen log by the edge of the lake and matched as one of the big tentacles of the giant squid raised out of the water and slapped back down, sending little specks of water towards the four students.
Hermione brushed some leaves around with her foot and looked up at her friends. "We better get going. It's getting dark." The sun was just about to disappear from view, and Hermione led her friends towards the glowing castle for dinner.
Inside the castle was warm and toasty, and they could feel their cheeks starting to thaw the moment they entered. They could hear noise coming from inside of the Great Hall. Hermione shivered as they made their way towards the two big doors. Harry threw them open and they walked inside. There was a large group forming around the Slytherin Table. Hermione shot her friends a questioning look, but they shrugged. Walking up to get a closer look as to what was going on, they heard shouts and slams coming from inside the circle.
Hermione's hands flew to her mouth when she saw Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini ripping each others' insides out. Malfoy had a large bruise on his arm and several cuts and bruises on his face. His eye was black and blue and his nose was bleeding. Blaise's eye was swollen to the size of a cantaloupe and there were many bleeding cuts all over his arms and hands. His face was covered in bruises and both of them were nearly unconscious.
Hermione couldn't make a sound as she watched them fight on the Great Hall floor. All of the students around them were cheering them on, but Hermione couldn't stand to watch this any longer. She stepped a little further inside the circle, raised her wand, and yelled, "Mobiliatius!"
Malfoy and Blaise were thrown backwards and knocked fully unconscious. Hermione rushed to Malfoy's side and said, "Mobilicorpus!" His body rose in the air, and Hermione did the same to Blaise. Just as Blaise's body was lifted off the ground, there was a big slam as Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall.
"What in heavens name is going on in here?" she screeched. She gasped as she saw the two bodies in midair. "Ms. Granger! What is the meaning of this?"
Hermione rushed to tell Professor McGonagall the whole story.
The professor was shaking as she listened to the story unfold. "Ms. Granger you did the right thing. Please, take them to the hospital wing immediately. Madam Pomfrey will be able to help them. Everyone else!" She spun around to face the crowd with a stern look on her face. "There is no show here! Get back to your tables!"
Hermione carefully made her way towards the hospital wing. She couldn't believe that she was actually helping two Slytherin boys, especially Malfoy and Blaise. She couldn't even believe that she had stepped up to help in the first place.
Madam Pomfrey looked up in shock as she saw the two boys, unconscious, floating in mid-air, entering the hospital wing.
"Ms. Granger!" she exclaimed. "What is this?"
Hermione, exasperated, explained the whole story once again. Madam Pomfrey put each of the boys in a cot and used her wand to heal the cuts and bruises on their skin. She got rid of most of them, but a fair few were still engraved into their skin. Blaise had a large gash across his cheek and also his arm and Malfoy had a swollen, probably infected, cut on his leg and a deep, black and red gash stretching from his right temple all the way down to his chin.
They looked terribly sickly as they lay there, unconscious. Hermione actually felt sorry for them. She wondered why they had gotten into a big fight in the first place, but decided that she wasn't the one who needed to know.
She was distracted from her thoughts by the opening of the hospital wing doors. Professor Dumbledore entered and looked calmly at the two boys in the cots as Madam Pomfrey bustled around fixing a potion for the two students to take.
"Pity…" he whispered softly, and looked at Hermione. "Ms. Granger, I have a request."
"Yes, professor?" Hermione asked, dreading what his response would be.
"I want you to stay here with Mr. Malfoy while he recuperates. You are to stay here until he is fully recovered. If he is still here tomorrow, which I doubt, you are excused from classes. I will let your professors know if it is necessary." He was smiling, but his tone was serious. "Am I understood?"
Hermione's mouth popped open in disbelief and shock. She felt dizzy and mentally slapped herself. "Er… yes, professor, of course."
Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you. Good day." He exited the hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey tipped some potion into each of the boys' mouths as Hermione fell into a soft blue chair by Malfoy's bed. How was this possible? She had to spend all classes with Malfoy, share a dorm with Malfoy, work together on all projects with Malfoy, and now she had to sit next to Malfoy for a whole DAY just waiting for him to get better? Hermione groaned.
Madam Pomfrey checked the gash on Draco's face and clucked. "Shame… that is one deep cut."
Hermione looked at her. "How long will it take until it fully goes away, scar and all?"
Madam Pomfrey shook her head with pity. "At least another three or four months until it completely disappears. Of course, there are always masking spells that he could use to make it invisible."
In the heat of the moment, Hermione absent-mindedly touched her cheek, just to make sure a gash hadn't appeared on hers. She actually felt so sorry for Malfoy right then. He was in a terrible state. She felt sorry for herself, to. Waiting here day and night for him to gain consciousness would be a drag. But on the bright side, she could spend the time catching up on some reading. She pulled out a book, flipped to her marked page, and began reading kill time.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"Granger?"
Hellooo? Granger?"
Granger! Wake up for Merlin's sake!"
Hermione woke up with a start and looked around the hospital wing wildly. She looked right in front of her and saw narrow silver/blue eyes staring back at her. She jumped a little in her seat.
"Malfoy! You're alive! I mean—conscious! You're conscious! Where's Madam Pomfrey?"
"She already knows," Malfoy said, sinking back down into his cot. "She went to get something for my medicine." He looked at Hermione suspiciously through narrow eyes. "Why are you here anyways?"
Hermione glared at him. "It's not like I CHOSE to be here. Professor Dumbledore made me. I had to look over you while you "recuperated". But I see your injuries haven't had any affect on your attitude, have they?"
Malfoy looked at her with his cold eyes. "Be quiet, Granger. You don't know what I'm going through, so shut your mouth."
Hermione sat back, looking at him with hate in her eyes. "You know, I actually felt sorry for you. Because my heart isn't made of stone, like SOMEONE I know. At least I care about people other than myself."
"Shut up, Mudblood," Malfoy hissed. "Has your father just been sentenced to get the Dementor's Kiss? Is your mother crying in hysterics and going home drunk every night? Has your best friend attacked you in front of everyone? Has your father been made up as a fool on the front page of the Daily Prophet? I don't think so, so just shut up."
Hermione was quiet for a few moments. She looked up at Malfoy with eyes full of tears. "You know Malfoy, yesterday I felt sorry for you. Now, I feel sorry for myself for acting so stupid to think that you would actually have a heart for once. I helped you, and what do you do? You insult me, even when you're still in pain. Who put you in the hospital wing when you were hurt? Who saved you when you were fighting with your so called "best friend"? You could have died if Blaise got carried away! I hate you Malfoy, but at least I have a heart."
Hermione stood up, tears staining her cheeks and Malfoy just looked at her with no expression on his face or in his eyes. She stared at him for a moment then turned around.
"Granger…"
Hermione stood still, her back turned away from Malfoy. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks.
"Thanks."
Hermione's rapid breathing became slower, until it went back to normal. She turned around to look at Malfoy whose eyes were looking out the window. Hermione looked at the gash on his face, the cut on his leg, the bandage around his arm, and turned back around towards the door.
"You're welcome."