Hey guys! Thanks for all your reviews! Anyway, here's a longer chapter with BOTH points of views. The first I wrote this morning before class and I managed to get the second one done during work (yes, got paid while writing fanfics. Life is good. D) Enjoy!
Hermione's Point of View:
"There nerve of that, that, that brat!", huffed Hermione as she paced Ginny's cabin for the twelfth time since she'd left her own cabin. She was, to put it mildly, furious. Here she was, but a few minutes before having to put on a nice face before the entire school as this year's head girl and the boy who was supposed to cooperate with her for the rest of the term had just insulted her in a way few had dared try.
"It was clearly a misunderstanding..." tried Ginny, only to be shot down by her friends killer stare. 'No point trying to reason with this one', concluded the young red head, not willing to jump in front of what would clearly be suicide. It was only then that the door swung open, Draco's stone cold face peeking into the room. It took all of Hermione's self composure not to throw a book at his cocky face.
"We're requested to attend the front compartment to meet with McGonnagal" he stated flatly. He didn't even bother to make eye contact with her, but instead just nodded to excuse himself and retreated back into the hall, closing the door behind him. How dare he be so calm after all he'd said to her? After all she'd...
"Oh dear Merlin!" exclaimed Hermione, a heavy weight landing on her shoulders as she stopped her pacing. "All I said to him... I..." She fumbled for the right words, a state she rarely visited. Ginny nodded, glad her best friend had reached the same conclusions she had, if only after a prolonged fuming spree. "I'm no better than he is, Ginny", continued Hermione, looking at the youngest Weasley as if daring her to contradict. "The things I said were simply unforgivable. That wasn't me, it couldn't have been. And here I've been so busy ranting about what he said I had forgotten that terrible things I had retorted". She welcomed Ginny's embraced, hoping that the contact would help her feel slightly less hateful towards herself.
"You are nothing like that fool" said Ginny, forcing the her to look into her eyes. "That boy would never feel sorry for what he said. By wanting forgiveness and, perhaps, forgiving him... that's when you become great".
"I have to go" managed Hermione, whipping away tears she didn't know she'd shed.
Draco's Point of View:
She entered the room and didn't even bother to look at him. 'Not that I deserve better', he thought dejectedly to himself. 'But she'd certainly retaliated!' They both sat before McGonnagal who, sharp as ever, looked at them as if feeling the tangible tension in the air. Clearing her throat, she began.
"Miss. Granger, Mr. Malfoy" she started, nodding at each of them respectively. "Let me be the first to personally congratulate you on your offices as head boy and head girl. You've both worked hard for this". She paused, pulling out two identical envelopes, handing one to each of them. "However, as your are both aware, this office is both a previlege and a responsibility. I've enclosed your schedules in those folders. You are in charge of a weekly detention session for first and second years as well as patrolling every other Sunday evening. I've also enclosed a list of punishable acts and the range of house points to be deducted per offense. I'll leave the exact quantities within these categories at your discretions. You'll also be meeting with me during the year to schedule some other assignments. For today, your duty will be to help Hagrid with the first years, make sure they are properly escorted into campus without causing too much trouble. Any questions?" Neither replied and McGonnagal simply let out a deep sigh.
"Of the record, whatever issues the two fo you have, leave them on this train". Added the professor dryly. "Not asking you to be friends. Merlin knows I don't expect a miracle! But it would simplify things if you weren't so blatantly avoiding so much as looking at each other, never mind any potential form of civilized conversation". With that, she stood up and left.
For the longest time, Draco sat there, not moving, looking at the empty space where the teacher had been waiting. He waited, listening for the footsteps and the eventual shutting of a door that would signal that the mudblood had left the room. But it didn't happen.
"You are a jackass Malfoy" she state plainly. He nearly let out a snort but thought better of it. "Six years of torture and I don't think even you can disclaim me in this". She paused, breathing heavily, as if waiting for him to contradict her. 'Keep shut, Malfoy. Just keep shut. She'll leave soon enough'
"Merlin, I can't believe I'm doing this" she exclaimed, exasperated. He heard her footsteps approach him and stop. He stared down into her shinny pitch perfect black shoes, as if wishing they were gone would make it so. He did, however, enjoy noticing her fidget slightly. 'At least I'm not the only one dreading this year', he figured. His concentration was interrupted though as she extended an open hand out to him. "A truce, Malfoy. Cooperation, no more no less."
He looked up at her, wondering why in heaven's name she' was bothering. Whatever pleasant lies they might considering for the sake of pleasing McGonnagal, they both knew that, in the real world, they'd go back to being enemies. There was no place for a truce among people who had so unflinchingly verbally destroyed each other less than an hour past. Miss. Goody-Goody perhaps felt she has to, he concluded, so that when the truce fails, she can go ahead and blame the entire thing on him to McGonnagal. 'Like hell!'
"I'll play along, Granger" he replied, gracing her with one of his classic grins while catching her off guard as he took her hand as a lift up rather than to shake it. He let go quickly enough, eager to return to normalcy among his false friends in Slytherin.
"That's all I can ask for, I guess" she mumbled, more to herself than him, as he swung the door open and left. It wasn't until he was outside of the train, in the company of Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise that he dared open his hand and read the minute piece of paper she had handed him. In it, in the precise and neat style that defined everything Hermione Granger ever did, were two simple words: I'm sorry...
