"What's wrong with you?" Daphne asks as she slides into the vacant seat next to Hermione. Who is resting her chin on the table in front of her a pout clearly on her face.

"Fluxweed."

Daphne merely blinks at Hermione, waiting for her to elaborate. A minute passes, and Hermione doesn't, causing Daphne to sigh and roll her eyes. "Are you waiting for me to ask more questions, or do you honestly think that's a great answer?"

Hermione groans as she sits up, deciding to slouch because of her sour mood. "I need fluxweed picked on a full moon. Professor Snape is all out, and I just went to the greenhouses and nothing. There is no fluxweed on Hogwarts grounds, and it's so irksome! I now have to ask Professor Snape to order some, and I know exactly what he's going to say!" Hermione clears her throat and begins a rather awful imitation of their Professor. "You've waited this long to tell me this, Miss Granger? Are you looking to fail your advance potions work that you incessantly asked me to give you?" Hermione crosses her arms as she finished her mocking, the pout back on her lips.

Daphne giggles behind her hand. "Hermione, I don't know if I want to ask you to keep imitating the Professor or if I want you to stop. That was such a train wreck!" Daphne ends up giggling so hard tears start to come to her eyes, and when she opens them and looks at her glaring and still pouting friend, her giggles turn into full laughter. It takes her a full minute to calm down, and by the time she does, Professor McGonagall enters her classroom.

"We are turning beetles into buttons today, so please open your textbooks to the marked page. Also, I need you to answer the questions and turn it in in 30 minutes. You may work with your desk mate." Professor McGonagall's gaze pierced the students, who all started to do as instructed. The Professor then turns her back to the class and heads to her desk.

"Ugh." Daphne complains as she flips her textbook open.

"It's not that bad Daphne, it's one of the easier assignments we've had in this class."

"That doesn't make me hate it any less, Hermione."

"That's why you have me."

Daphne sighs but nods. "So other than the fluxweed, how is the potion coming along?"

Hermione shrugs as she records the questions on a piece of parchment. "Well, since I'm missing a potion ingredient, I can't actually get to work on the legitimate potion until I have it. The lacewings are finished, though," Hermione shrugs again as she pulls another blank piece of parchment out and writes out the first question. "So that's a bonus. But it's going to take at least 2 weeks to properly brew it. It's such a tedious potion."

"But it's also exactly what you needed, though, isn't it?"

Hermione nods. "It is. I'm used to working at my own pace when it comes to school. In the muggle realm, I skipped a few years because of how advanced I was with my schooling, and since the teachers noticed I was so far advanced they would give me all of the classwork and homework months ahead of time, so I was able to learn and do everything at my own pace." Hermione pauses as she looks over her answer to the first question. "My brain is used to being busy, and while learning things I never thought was possible has been a huge help, it's still rather easy for me to get bored when it comes to learning."

Daphne shakes her head. "Hermione, you are something else." The two lapse into a short silence while they both tackle the questions that Professor McGonagall assigned. Moments later, Daphne breaks it when a thought crosses her mind. "What about ballet?"

Hermione pauses in her quill scratching and looks at Daphne from the corner of her eye. "What do you mean?"

"How have you not gotten bored with it? You're immensely skilled in it."

Hermione hmms and taps the feathered end of her quill against the table. "Well, I haven't only learned ballet. I've learned a couple different styles of dance, including partner dances. But in the beginning, when I was learning ballet, I did get bored of it. I naively thought that after I learned all the positions of the arms and feet and got my first lead role in my dance company, I was done. I learned all that I could."

"What changed your mind?"

"Swan Lake," Hermione answered simply. "As I watched the ballet, I was mesmerized. I didn't realize there was so much more to ballet than what I had just mastered. And while I was gushing to my dance instructor about the two ballerinas that played the white swan and the black swan, she told me it was the same dancer that played both, when she told me that I was immediately hooked. I just had to learn everything that I could, and so" Hermione shrugs then pauses in her talk as she looks over her completed assignment. "Now, I'm at the level you just saw me at."

"Swan Lake is a gorgeous ballet." Daphne sighs dreamily, her attention dramatically shifts when she sees Hermione stand up. "You're finished?!"

Hermione nods as Daphne groans. "How is that even possible?"

Hermione giggles. "I read this chapter already."

Daphne rolls her eyes. "You're such a swot."

Hermione flashes a smirk towards Daphne and heads to the Professor's desk. Placing her completed assignment on the desk, she returns to her seat.

"Do you need help?" Hermione asks as she settles back into her seat. Daphne stubbornly shakes her head and waves her off.

"No, no." Daphne sighs. "I think I've got it, I just hate transfigurations."

"I don't understand why it's such an easy subject."

Daphne rolls her eyes. "You find every subject easy, Hermione."

Hermione shakes her head. "I do not!"

Daphne turns and looks at her best friend. "Oh, really?"

Hermione glares at Daphne. "Oh, just be quiet!"

Daphne grins, takes the victory, and goes back to her work. Meanwhile, Hermione busies herself with writing a letter to her parents, letting them know that she plans on staying for the winter break because of her potions work. She almost feels terrible about it, but at least this gets her away from the horrible parties her parents make her attend.

With a flourish, she finishes her letter and tri-folds the parchment. Intending to go to the owlery once class lets out. Daphne sighs beside her.

"Finally!" Daphne exclaims as she pops out of her seat.

"Finished?"

Daphne nods excitedly and walks towards the Professor's desk. Once Daphne gets back, the twosome fall into menial chit chat until Professor McGonagall starts class back up.

"I need to go to the owlery." Hermione says as she gathers her belongs and places them into her pack. Daphne nods absentmindedly as she too clears her desk. Daphne hikes the strap of her bag over her shoulder when she groans.

"I can't go with you. I have to speak to Professor Sprout."

Hermione shrugs. "That's fine, I can go by myself."

Daphne glares at Hermione and then turns around towards Zabini and Nott. "Can one of you escort our dear Hermione to the owlery?"

Zabini shakes his head. "Sorry, I've got plans that I can't cancel."

Daphne rolls her eyes at him and then looks at Nott.

"Sure, I've got nothing planned."

"Wonderful." Daphne claps her hands excitedly. "Well, I have to go; otherwise, I'm going to be late for my meeting." She pauses. "Take care of her, Theo!" She parts with a wave and flounces off. Zabini not far behind her.

"Shall we?" Nott asks as he shoulders his pack strap.

Hermione groans. "I'm sorry." The two begin to walk out of the classroom, Nott holding the door open for her.

Nott shakes his head "It's fine, not a problem. I happen to agree with Daphne anyway. You really shouldn't be walking anywhere alone with this monster running amok."

"It's not going to kill me, Nott." She pauses. "But, thank you for your concern."

Nott gives Hermione a small smile, and the two lapse into silence for a moment, but Nott interrupts it with something Hermione wasn't expecting.

"Draco is a prat."

Hermione merely looks at Nott with a raised brow, waiting for him to continue this random train of thought.

"I know he's a right prat, especially to you, and I'm sorry I don't stand up for you when he's calling you names."

Well, this has been an exciting development. "I appreciate the apology, but it's really not necessary. I don't need anyone to fight my battles for me, and the name-calling doesn't bother me anymore. He's just a bully, and I've dealt with those everywhere I've been." Hermione pauses, her brows furrowed. "Why bring this up, though?"

Nott sighs. "I'm trying to explain him, I suppose. It's quite obvious that Draco idolizes his father." Hermione gives an unladylike snort. "Mr. Malfoy holds onto old beliefs, and Draco wanting to essentially be him holds onto those same beliefs." Nott smirks. "You should have heard the tantrum Draco had during the summer. He was so upset that you bested him in all subjects, he wouldn't stop talking about it. The only reason why he did was because his mother insinuated that he liked you because of how often he talked about you. That shut him up real quick, it was glorious."

Hermione just continues to stare at Nott, waiting for him to get to the point.

"Anyway, Parkinson is trying to implement something, something Daphne made me swore not to tell you about. Not because we are hiding it but because she's worried, and she doesn't want you to know anything about it, so if anything does happen, you can remain innocent of any accusations. If Pansy does get her way, and it goes in the way that I think it will, Draco and you will be spending lots of time together. Whether you want to or not. I just feel as if it's in your best interest if you understand why Draco is the way he is."

Hermione stops to study the boy beside her. "I understand why Malfoy is the way he is. He's a spoiled little boy who has gotten everything he's ever desired except for one thing. He was thinking he was going to come to Hogwarts and be the best thing since sliced bread, and finally, his father would say he was proud of whatever accomplishments he did. I put a wrench in his plans." Hermione starts to walk again. "I understand why he does it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Or accept it."

Nott nods his head. "I'm not asking you to accept it, just hoping you'll continue to have an open mind. And to accept him when even he himself doesn't accept himself."

"You're very astute in your observations."

"We've been friends since we've been in nappies. It's easy to know you're friends when you've been friends for so long."

"So, you think, Nott."

The twosome finally get to the owlery, and Hermione calls to Daphne's owl. Attaching the letter to the owl and feeding her a couple of treats, the owl takes off to deliver the message.

"I need to talk to Professor Snape, do you have anything I'm keeping you from."

Nott shakes his head. "Nope, I'm all yours."

Hermione nods. "Sorry, again, you have to play babysitter."

Nott shrugs his shoulders. "It's not a problem, really. Besides, we may be friends, but I still don't know that much about you. This is the perfect opportunity to get to know you."

Hermione nods, flattered, she hadn't realized he considered her a friend already. "Well, what do you want to know?"

The two get to talking about a myriad of different things, the conversation only pausing when they get to the potions lab, and Hermione has to face the irate Professor about her goof. "I will be docking points from your potion for this oversight Ms. Granger." Once that conversation is done though, the twosome continues their talk, well into the Slytherin common room.

Hermione bites her lip as she pours over the potion book. Huffing in annoyance as she has to push her bushy hair back away from her face again.

"Do you have an elastic Daphne?"

Daphne didn't answer, too engrossed in the muggle fashion magazine Hermione has been asking her mother to send. Hermione rolled her eyes and cleared her throat.

Not even bothering to look up, Daphne just hummed.

"Do you have an elastic?"

"No, sorry." Daphne still didn't lookup.

Hermione rolled her eyes again but turns back to her potion. She bends down to her pack and takes one of her quills out of it. Quickly twisting her unruly hair around it, she spears the quill through the middle of it. Satisfied now that she had her unruly curls out of her face, she turns back to her work.

Quickly she rereads the first part of the potion. Okay, so I need to add 3 measures of fluxweed, then 2 bundles of knotgrass after I have to stir 4 times clockwise, and then I need to wave my wand over the cauldron and let it brew for... She quickly scans the recipe once more. 60 minutes because I have a copper cauldron.

Following the book's protocol for the potion, she finishes it quickly but perfectly to her immense relief.

With a deep sigh in relief, she turns towards Daphne. "Okay, I'm finished for the next 60 minutes."

"Finally!" Daphne exclaimed as she scoots over in her seat, making room for Hermione. "I have so many questions that you just have to answer."

Hermione made a face as she settles into the seat next to Daphne. "Daphne, I highly doubt I'm going to be able to answer these questions you have."

Daphne waves her hand as if waving Hermione's concern away. "Oh posh, Hermione, I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Hermione groans, accepting her fate. I wish I had never asked my mother for these magazines. I created a monster.