The next morning found Hermione pacing her classroom as she waited for her seventh years to arrive. To say she was dreading this class was an understatement. She had two major reasons to be apprehensive and their names were Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy.
What kind of mess had she found herself in? In the last 24 hours she had broken up with the man she thought she would be with forever, and kissed her enemy. Worse than that, she'd liked the kiss. On some level she'd known she and Ron were over for quite some time. They had never been quite right as a couple. But that kiss with Malfoy, that was a true shock. In fact, their whole interaction had been a shock.
True, he had been different this year. She had to admit that she looked forward to seeing him in class, if only to see someone else as serious about schoolwork as herself. She had found herself studying him more and more over the weeks. The way his brow furrowed when he was working out a problem, the carefully crafted blank face he pulled up whenever anyone spoke to him, the quiet pride he took in his work. He was quite attractive really. And then last night she had seen a completely different side to him. A softer side, a funny side, a human side. A person that she could actually be friends with.
So wrapped up was she in thoughts of their kiss that she had all but forgotten to be sad about Ron. She felt guilty, and anxious about what was to come, maybe a little disappointed in the way things had turned out but she wasn't sad. Not the way you were supposed to be after a break up. And that's what made her upset. Was she some sort of unfeeling robot? After all, she had kissed another man just hours after breaking up with her boyfriend. What would people think if they knew?
The bell rang and Hermione took her seat at her desk to anxiously await the arrival her students. Unsurprisingly, Harry was the first to enter. He only had to take one look at her and Hermione knew that Ron had told him everything.
"How is he?" She asked nervously, standing and walking toward him.
Harry hesitated.
"Not good Hermione. He's talking about leaving Hogwarts," Harry said, concern etching his voice.
"What?" she exclaimed. He was really going to leave Hogwarts because they had split up? No. That was absurd.
"He said he only came back because of you, and he would rather help George with the shop than stay here," he replied.
"That's absurd. He can't just drop out of school," she said, wringing her hands.
"That's what I told him, but he seemed pretty sure," Harry said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
Hermione chewed her lower lip. She didn't know what she had expected him to do, but it wasn't this.
"You can change his mind Hermione. Just talk to him.You know how he is. He blows up and then comes to his senses and apologizes," Harry said, "I'm sure you two can work it out."
Hermione stared at him, the gears in her mind turning. Could she? Should she? After all, it was her fault that he was making this decision.
Wait a minute. No it wasn't. He was making this decision himself. Whether it was with the purpose of guilting her into getting back together with him or because he truly didn't want to be at Hogwarts anymore made no difference. Hermione was not his keeper, and it was time she stop acting like it.
"No, Harry, I'm sorry but I can't," she said firmly but gently.
"So you two really are done then?" Harry asked. His green eyes searched hers for any signs of uncertainty, but there was none there.
"Yes," she replied, "we're through."
And she meant it. She couldn't be responsible for Ron's decisions. He had shown time after time that when things got too hard, he ran. Whether it was leaving them in that dratted forest or giving her the silent treatment because he didn't like her cat. He always came back, but she was realizing, that maybe she deserved someone who wouldn't leave in the first place.
Harry nodded looking a little lost. She knew that he hated getting caught in the middle of them, but she also knew without a doubt that she didn't want to get back with Ron. The more she forgave him the more he hurt her next time and she was sick of it.
Before he could say anything, more students started filtering in and taking their seats. Hermione smiled weakly at Harry and went back to her desk, trying not to let the apprehension show as she waited for two faces to enter.
When Malfoy walked through the door Hermione found that she wasn't so much nervous as she was relieved to see him. If he hadn't shown up then she would have known she had truly made an enormous mistake. But as he walked to his seat he made eye contact with her, the slightest hint of a smile on his normally blank face. Hermione looked away confused. Her first reaction was to smile back, but then she thought, what if this is all some sort of cruel trick? Be nice to her, get her to fall for him, and then rip the rug out from under her? She didn't think that's what it was, but that little voice in the back of her mind told her that no one would be attracted to her otherwise.
She mentally shook her head. It didn't matter if she felt some strange attraction to him or if it was some elaborate con. Nothing could happen. Nothing. And she would have to make that perfectly clear to him today.
As the bell rang Hermione let out a breath of relief. Ron hadn't shown up. Not that she had really expected him to, especially with the news of him leaving. Though she would not have been surprised had he shown up just to make some big scene.
"Good morning class," She greeted cheerfully. Or at least as cheerfully as she could after a night of virtually no sleep, a nasty break up, and a confusing kiss.
The class greeted her in return. Judging by the looks on some of their faces, specifically the Gryffindors' she gathered that news of her break up had already spread.
"Today we are going to work on transfiguring duplicate items at once, please pull out your wands," she said to the class.
"This spell was taught last year so some of you may be familiar with it already," she continued, "would anyone like to demonstrate?"
Malfoy raised his hand.
Hermione raised her brow in surprise. He hadn't drawn much attention to himself in any of her classes except for the odd question here and there about an assignment. He certainly had never volunteered to demonstrate anything.
"Malfoy," she called, gesturing for him to come to the front of the class. As he walked to the front the class fell oddly quiet. It seemed that most of them had forgotten he was even there.
Hermione pointed at an apple on her desk.
"I want you to duplicate that apple and then transfigure both apples into identical wood boxes," she explained.
Malfoy nodded, pointing his wand at the apple. With a wordless incantation he duplicated it into an identical apple. The next spell was a little trickier, but he muttered an incantation and the apples became two small wooden boxes. They even had little stars etched into them. Hermione fought a blush at the small reminder of last night. Maybe he had been just as affected as her.
Hermione picked them up and examined them. They were completely identical down to the very last star.
"Very good, Malfoy," she said impressed, "10 points to Slytherin."
He went back to his desk and Hermione went on with the rest of the class, helping her students to perfect the spell. The class passed in a daze as she furtively stole glances at Malfoy, remembering the feel of his lips against hers. But it didn't matter. It couldn't happen again, and she had to make that clear. Before she knew it, the bell was ringing and chairs were scraping as students hastily got up to leave.
"Malfoy, stay back please," she said, raising her voice to be heard.
Looks were exchanged as the students left the classroom, whispering about what Malfoy had done to get in trouble. Harry lingered, silently asking if he should stay, but Hermione gave a little wave of her hand to shoo him away.
She waved her wand, closing the door as Malfoy sauntered up to her desk.
"Yes, professor," he purred, his face full of mischief.
A shiver went down her spine at the way he said professor. Merlin, this was going to be harder than she thought. Swallowing hard, she opened her mouth to speak.
"About last night," she began confidently, "it was a mistake."
He stepped closer, smirking sexily. She thought she hated his smirk, but this one was entirely different. It did something to her. Something not altogether unpleasant. Butterflies began fluttering about in her stomach.
"And it can't happen again," she continued, a little less confident.
"Of course not," he agreed, stepping even closer. His words agreed with her but his actions most definitely did not. The butterflies in her stomach turned to bats as he approached ever closer.
"I'm your professor," she said shakily. Was it hot in here? No, just her?
He smirked and continued toward her. Hermione's heart beat faster with every step he took.
"It would be wrong," she said breathily. She could reach out and touch him now if she wanted to. Merlin help her did she want to.
"So very wrong," he agreed, nodding. He was directly in front of her now, inches away.
"And besides, I just broke up with Ron," she said. She was warm all over, her heart trying to break free from her chest.
"Oh, but haven't you heard?" he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "The rebound is always better," he whispered in her ear.
She shivered. She couldn't take it any more.
Placing her hands on either side of his face she pulled him to her in a fiery kiss. He responded with fervor, wrapping his hands around her waist pulling her flush against him. She ran her fingers through his hair as he deepened the kiss and moaned ever so slightly at the feel of his muscular body against hers. Where had the scrawny boy that she'd known disappeared too and how did he get these muscles?
He knotted a hand in her hair, tilting her head back for better access. She ran her tongue a long his bottom lip and he responded eagerly, opening his mouth, running his own tongue along hers. His hand fluttered along the side of her breast, she leaned further into him. He broke apart from her lips, moving to her neck instead. She tilted her neck as he led a trail of kisses stopping at the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. Where ever this passion between them was coming from, she hoped it never stopped.
Suddenly a knock sounded at the door effectively drawing them from their reverie. Hermione gently pushed Draco away from her, breathing heavily.
"Just a moment," she all but squeaked toward the closed door.
Her face burned as she looked at him. What they had just done was all kinds of wrong, and yet all she could do was lament that they'd been interrupted.
Malfoy reached for her, straightening her robes and fixing her hair. Hermione did the same for him before turning to the door.
"No one can know," she whispered, before opening the door.
He smirked again, clearly thinking he'd won.
"Ah, Millie, hello there. Mr. Malfoy and I were just going over the details of his detention tonight," she said smoothly.
Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her.
"Mr. Malfoy, I'll meet you in the entrance hall tonight at 8:00 for your detention. You may go," she said haughtily.
"Of course, professor" he winked, leaving her more confused than ever.
Oh Hermione, what have you gotten yourself into?
