CHAPTER SEVEN:
The weekend flew past and Monday was upon everyone entirely too soon. Students and professors alike all rolled out of bed, unready to tackle the long week ahead of them, a few minutes behind schedule.
In the Great Hall the normal morning chatter was much quieter as everyone focused more on not falling asleep in there cereal bowls, rather than what the latest gossip was. Harry leaned back in his chair watching the hundreds of students eating breakfast. When his alarm had gone off this morning he had forgotten completely that he was a professor at Hogwarts and had a class of first year student to teach the basics of quidditch to second block this morning.
A distinct cough pulled Harry out of his musings and he peered to his right to see Hermione giving him a strange look. "You were late coming home last night."
Harry fought of the urge to roll his eyes at the motherly way Hermione had phrased that question. He simply nodded and took a bite of his eggs not really wanting to explain anything to her, and dreading the next question.
"Where do you go?" Harry shook his head and took another bite of cereal. She asked the same series of questions every Monday at breakfast and it was beginning to wear on his nerves. In fact, he had once even tried skipping breakfast, but the uproar that caused when students and staff thought he had been kidnapped in his sleep was not worth it. So he just ignored her most of the time, which did nothing for her temper or his nerves.
"He was with me Granger, calm down." Harry began coughing on his cereal and both women shot him looks: Hermione's of concern and Pansy's filled with amusement. Was she going to tell Hermione where they were?
Hermione was glaring at Pansy and behind her Harry shook his head very slowly. Pansy simply chuckled.
"With you?" asked Hermione, doubt filling her voice. Pansy nodded. She turned back to Harry who tried his best to wipe his face clean of any surprise or guilt that might be present, which just gave him a strangled look and earned him a doubtful glare from Hermione and an actual laugh from Pansy.
At Pansy's little outburst all heads in the Great Hall turned their argument. It was no little known fact that none of the Professors trusted Miss Parkinson so very little students did to.
"Why would she be with you, Harry?" asked Hermione directly questioning him, probably hoping Pansy wouldn't answer again.
She did. Harry looked up to catch her eyes noticing a slight mischievous twinkle in them that Fred and George had so often, before she looked at Hermione, eyes clear of anything. "Well, that's simple Weasley. Considering I am the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and, I don't know if you really remember how bad I truly was, I cornered Harry to ask from help."
Hermione didn't seem to notice that Pansy had just addressed him as Harry, but Harry sure did and looked at her with wide eyes. Pansy cast him a small smile as Hermione continued questioning her.
"Your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"
"I believe that is what I just said. Maybe you should get your ears cleaned out, Weasley."
"And you want Harry's help? Why do you think he would be best suited for the job?" asked Hermione in rebuttal, giving Pansy a triumphant smile as if she had just asked and unanswerable question.
Pansy laughed harder at this and looked at Hermione as she was some kind of idiot. "Well, maybe its just me, but I think the 'Chosen One' should be at least somewhat gifted in Defense, otherwise were all doomed and risking our necks for nothing." She smirked as the triumphant smile faded off Hermione's face. "With that aside, maybe it's the fact that he has gotten past the Dark Lord too many times to count, the fact that he had the DA back in fifth year, and numerous other things suggesting he is good at Defense. My first choice was Longbottom," she finished casting an amused glance at Neville sitting a few chairs away, "but he ran away terrified I might hex him."
Hermione's scowl got deeper. "And why would you two have to leave grounds to do this?"
Pansy opened her mouth, but for once, someone else answered Hermione's question. "I invited her to get a drink with me." Both of them turned to face Harry, and had he been watching Hermione instead of Pansy, he would have noticed the hurt look in her eyes.
"Why!" she yelled, standing up and waving her arms frantically, "why on earth would you want to do anything with this Death Eater!"
This time Fred and George made there way over to the scene, while Professor McGonagall, who had been seated next to Harry, and Professor Lupin, who had been seated next to Hermione took a stance in between the three not willing to risk what might happen if any of them snapped. None of them like Pansy, but having her killed in the Great Hall was not an option.
Spinning around towards Hermione and taking a threatening step forward, only to have Professor Lupin place a hand on her shoulder to hold her back, Pansy's features lost all of their mirth as she gave a hardened scowl at Lupin. He held her firm.
"I am not--" but she was cut off by Harry, who had shoved Professor McGonagall so hard in his anger that she had fallen back into her chair.
"She is not a Death Eater, Hermione, so stop calling her that! Now, if you must know everything that goes on in my life, though let me say it is none of your damned business, she asked me to help her with her classes on Defense Against the Dark Arts and offered some sort of payment in return. Naturally she meant money, however, since she is already trying to scrape by on a rent to stay here, I requested a drink and help with my own classes."
Everyone in the Great Hall fell silent and looked at Harry with wide eyes, wondering when he began trusting just anyone. Especially when that someone had admitted to being a Death Eater, but before anyone could do anything Harry placed a protective hand on Pansy's shoulder and began steering her towards the large doors that would lead them out into safety.
He heard Hermione burst into laughter behind him and if it hadn't been for Pansy placing her arm around his back to keep him from slipping her arm around his back, he would have rushed back to the Head table and wipe off whatever doubtful smirk was probably on her face. He was shaking with anger, but the heat radiating from the small of his back where Pansy's arm snaked around him was enough to turn his mind from Hermione.
The laughter that echoed around the Great Hall from Hermione instantly died out as the heavy doors closed behind them with a quiet "thud." Pansy led him a ways down the hall, out of the corridor that connected to the Hall. Her arm dropped back down by her side, but Harry could still feel the warmth that it had left there. It had been a simple gesture, a friendly one, to keep him out of trouble, but it made his stomach knot and his muscles involuntarily tense.
Feeling a sudden breath of wind pass him, Harry turned his attention to Pansy as she quickened her steps to get away from him. He reached out and clasped his hand around her left forearm, and instantly she tensed up, slowly spinning towards him. The face that met his held none of the laughter and amusement it had only minutes before, but was filled with anger and resentment.
She twisted her arm around a strange way and his grip broke. "Do not grab at me, Potter!" She spit out his name like it was venom on her tongue and he visually reeled backwards at her tone and mannerisms. This was a sudden change in demeanor, and not one he had expected.
His eyes locked with hers for a moment, familiar sage green eyes that he had grown accustomed to seeing around the grounds over the past weeks. He could see the fire burning behind them. "What are you yelling at me for?" His voice was calm, but both of them knew he was close to snapping. He had never been one to control his temper.
"I do not need you, of all people, defending my honor. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she said coldly, her gaze breaking from his and staring at something over his shoulder. "I do not some 'holier than thou' Gryffindor making a pity case out of me."
She cast one last glance at the thing behind Harry before giving him a curt nod and spinning away. Robes billowing out behind her in a very Slytherin manner she disappeared around the next corner, her footsteps slowly fading away.
A distinct laugh rang out behind him and Harry winced as he realized Hermione had just heard the entire conversation. Anger coursed through him as he spun around to glare at his best friend.
"Oh, yes, she is just oh-so-perfect and charming," laughed Hermione, her eyes practically glowing with that 'I told you so!' look.
His glare deepened and when he opened his mouth to respond his voice was low and cold. It was a voice that Hermione would never forget. "Hermione, do not speak to me." Harry brushed past her, side stepping slightly so as not to touch her.
Her face fell as she watched him walk away in the opposite direction than Pansy had only moments earlier, wondering if for once and all their friendship had shattered.
