Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, they are the brilliant works of the marvelous J.K.Rowling. I also do not own Coldplay or To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
CHAPTER 11
The next few weeks went smooth for most, but while Hermione and Draco were getting closer, Hermione was starting to notice little things about Draco that she found rather unsettling. She often found him talking to himself by the fire and being secretive. Otherwise she was very happy. Harry and Ron were starting to get suspicious. Hang on, let me re-phrase that. Harry was starting to get suspicious; Ron was starting to get jealous. Hermione and Draco did not show public affection (obviously) but she was acting differently, and they all saw it. She was thinking of bringing both worlds together, but she had now realized that it was an impossible task, and had given up. Even though she wasn't going to do it, she still did not like it when one group had a go at the other. She would glare and sometimes hit Draco when he had a go at her friends. Once she got so annoyed at him she tackled him to the floor. He gave up easily and it soon turned to fun. She would lightly tell Ron and Harry off when they had a go at Draco, but was more careful and less obvious with them.
They often confronted her about why she was acting so strangely, but she just took on the defense that she had to work closely with him as Head Girl, and that it didn't make her job any easier having to hear them make fun of him all the time.
"You know, he's not that bad when you get to know him" she'd often say.
When Gryffindor and Slytherin had classes together, she badly wanted to sit with Draco, but had to sit with Harry and Ron to save their image. Sometimes they would all look over at him, and he would pull a face. They all scowled back, Hermione even poking her tongue out and laughing about it when she thought Harry and Ron wouldn't notice. But they did. One time Ron made a scene and yelled at Hermione about it.
"It's all a big joke to you, isn't it!" he screamed.
"So?" This was not the answer they were expecting. They thought they'd be getting an earful of the normal defensive stuff, but this time she simply shrugged it off, sick of their childishness. The N.E.W.T.S were fast approaching in less than 7 months, and Hermione turned back to her studying.
One morning Draco and Hermione were walking the almost empty halls on their way to 'Study of Muggle objects' when he swept her into one of the empty classrooms and playfully pinned her to the wall. She didn't mind. When they were late to class they could just write it off as 'Head Person's business'. They were kissing and his hands were creeping up into her robes. He had done this so many times before it no longer sent shivers up her spine, and she was quite used to his touch.
Just as the clip on her bra had come undone, two figures appeared in the doorway. The red head and brunette gasped at the sight, but instead of excusing themselves they barged in and launched themselves at Draco. He was ripped from Hermione and thrown to another of the room's walls.
"What were you doing touching her like that! YOU DON'T GO NEAR HER!"
"You bloody sick bastard! What the hell were you thinking! How dare you-" Ron would have continued had Hermione not butt in first.
"What are you doing in here?" She had only just grasped the situation. Harry, standing with Draco pinned to the wall with one hand replied,
"Professor Smith said she was going to show the class a TV today and this is the only room in the school with a power point installed. We were sent over to hook it up" He nodded toward the doorway where a Panasonic TV screen was sitting on a wheelie-trolley.
Draco had not put up any resistance to Harry's attack, but Harry didn't seem to notice and was pushing Draco hard against the wall, as if fighting him to keep still. Draco figured it made him feel good about himself, being able to overpower someone so strong. He stood still against the wall, looking bored at having to put up with Harry's heavy-handedness.
"SO! What's going on then!" Ron screamed at Draco. Draco replied in a sickly calm tone to contrast with Ron's, showing him that he did not need to yell.
"I didn't do anything wrong" He looked over at Hermione as if to say 'what else can we do?'. They had a silent conversation about what they were going to do, and came to the decision that there was no way it could be kept from Harry and Ron now.
"Let him go" She said, also calmly.
"But- but! Hermione, we saw what he was- doing to you! Why are you sticking up for him?" She glared at him and Harry let him go, but grudgingly. Draco rubbed it in by pretending to wipe 'Harry germs' from his shoulder while walking over to Hermione. He also put his arm around her waist just to spite them, but to Harry and Ron's surprise, she did not seem to mind; she looked used to his touch.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron burst out.
"We're... Draco and I are... What I'm trying to say is...-" Draco cut her off.
"We're 'seeing' each other" He said it in a rather matter-of-fact way, very casual.
It occurred to Hermione that he no longer seemed to care about his father finding out; he seemed more interested in getting back at Harry and Ron.
They all stood there a moment, frozen in thought. Hermione was busy thinking how they could have prevented them finding out; what lie they could have told to change the truth. She reasoned that would likely just have gotten Draco in trouble. She hated the looks on Harry and Ron's faces. They were of pure hate and contempt for Draco, more than ever before. She looked from Harry to Ron. Harry's face had moved to being unreadable, and Ron's was unbelievably broken. During this whole fiasco she had forgotten that Ron liked her, though he denied it year after year.
Ron tried to mutter something inaudible and Harry looked at the floor and said quietly,
'How could you?' His head raised a little after saying this, his eyes raging from behind his dark brown fringe. The class was starting to file through the door and Harry and Ron stormed past Hermione and Draco on their way to their seats. Everyone else took their places and Hermione parted from Draco to sit next to Harry. He stood up when he saw her coming over and kicked the chair over that was next to him. They stared at each other for a moment, hate in his eyes, pleading in hers.
She went to the back of the room and sat next to a lone Gryffindor but did not talk to her. The girl was surprised the Head Girl would sit next to her, and was too nervous to speak. Hermione was grateful for the peace. Ron and Harry did not look at her the whole of the lesson, and she could not concentrate. A few times she felt the tears creeping to her eyes but she refused to let them out. She felt alone.