chapter 3... getting a little longer i think, and the pace may be too slow, but please stick with it grins
Disclaimer- same as previously
"Hi!" sang Hermione, dumping a load of books on the table, "Sleep well last night?" In reply, Harry looked at her as though she was crazy. Hermione bit back a smile and surveyed the scene. Dean, Seamus and Neville were all slumped in their chairs. Harry looked as though he was about to drop dead in his cornflakes and Ron was making a valiant effort to feed himself, but seemed to have forgotten where his mouth was.
Someone was calling her name. she glanced up to see Ginny waving frantically at her from the other side of the Great Hall.
"One minute," she called. Swallowing her last bite of toast, she gathered up her books, quills and bag, and started to make her over to Ginny as quickly as her legs would carry her. As she sped past the Slytherin table, she didn't see a leg shoot out ready to catch her ankle. Nor did she see who it belonged to, until she had rolled over after smacking into the cold stone floor. The 'tripper-upper' was giving bows to his appreciative house-mates, basking in the adulation, his trademark smirk stretched from ear-to-ear. Hermione hauled herself to her feet, rubbing her head and glowering.
The laughter and cheering stopped as the students saw the murderous look on Hermione's face. All sounds ceased. Even Crabbe and Goyle stopped shoveling food into their faces and looked up. The anticipation was hanging in the air – along with the ghosts who had come to see the fight. A vein in Hermione's neck was pulsing. Her fists were tightly clenched.
"I. Have. Had. Enough. Malfoy," she snarled.
To his credit, Draco looked genuinely terrified.
Right on cue, Colin
Creevey dropped his plate. The Hall descended into murmurs and
scoldings. A lot of swear words were exchanged.
Hermione stuck two
fingers in her mouth and whistled. That got their attention.
"Listen up everybody, there's something you should know," she began. No-one moved. "Something Draco doesn't want an-y-bod-y to know." More silence. Several people were ont eh edge of their seats. "A week ago, I was walking in the corridor and I saw…" At that moment, Draco clamped his hand around her mouth and sat her down next to him.
"Shut-up-shut-up-shut-up" he intoned in her ear. And to the rest of the Hall he waved his free hand and said, "What are you staring at? Get back to eating! Keep talking!" Once he was satisfied that there was enough noise, he released Hermione. Before she could say anything, the blonde-haired boy turned to her and said, "Look. I'm sorry 'k? I was, you know – not thinking and stuff…" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "OK, OK I was thinking , but there was no reason for you to tell the whole school about me wandering the corridors in - " He broke off. Someone was breathing in his ear. He rolled his eyes. "Pansy, piss off OK? This is private." The Slytherin girl narrowed her eyes at Hermione, but turned around all the same
"You were saying?"
"Oh yeah. There's no need to tell the school I was wandering the corridors in…" here he mumbled something so that only Hermione could hear.
"Oh. I didn't actually know about that. I was going to tell them about that little incident you had last week in the Astronomy Tower, when your mother sent you that Howler. And..yeahh…"
Malfoy blushed. "Well that is pretty bad too I guess…I can't believe I just told you…and you didn't even…you weren't even going to say…" he shrugged. "You're going to tell Potter and the Weaselbys all this aren't you?"
Hermione just sat there staring at him.
"Please don't," he pleaded.
"I'll think about it."
He grinned.
"Mudblood"
"Bedwetter," and with that, Hermione stood up, "See you in Potions"
Malfoy groaned.
