-2-

"You owe me something"

Hermione could feel her heart thud inside her ribcage, for the first time in Hermione Granger's life she was at a loss for words. Alarm bells rang inside her head as Draco Malfoy stepped inside her compartment and walked closer until he's less than a meter away from her.

"What is it, Malfoy?" She managed to say, thank god she didn't stutter, she refuses to show that she's intimidated- no, no not that, she's wary of him, yes wary.

"Oh you know, the part where you're supposed to be thankful, I didn't rat you out to Snape, and should be kneeling and worshipping me right now" Malfoy sneered at her.

Hermione suddenly felt fury at this slimy git's audacity to tell her to kneel for him. She clenched her fist and told herself to calm down. She stood up and walked towards Malfoy, she saw the boy widened his eyes and stepped backwards. Yes, let's chase the little bastard away, as he thinks of me dirty. Let's use this to shoo him away. Hermione continued to step forward as Malfoy stepped backward until he reached the door frame of the compartment. Hermione smirked, a perfect replica of Malfoy's. As his right foot stepped outside the compartment, Hermione raised her hands to thoroughly push him out of her compartment. Malfoy suddenly wrapped his hand around Hermione's wrist and yanked her close to him. Hermione shrieked.

"What are you doing Malfoy?!"

"Oh you think you're so clever huh, think you could chase me away Hermione?" He smirked at her. Hermione's mouth fell open. Did he just call me by my first name?

"Hermione" Her heart thud faster again.

Malfoy's face suddenly became blurry. Oh no, am I fainting?

"Hermione…"

"..mione..? Herm.."

"Hermione!"

She felt someone shaking her, she knitted her eyebrows. Slowly she opened her eyes and she saw the face of Lavender Brown. Was the scene with Malfoy a dream? She looked around her and she's still in her empty compartment with her book open in her lap.

"We've already arrived at King's Cross Hermione, I noticed as I passed by your dozing off, so I woke you up" Hermione turned back her gaze at her classmate with wide eyes. They're at the station already? Oh Merlin, she really should've sat with Lavender.

"Thank you for waking me up, should we get off together then?" Lavender nodded.

She closed her book, stood up, and collected her luggage from the rack above her seat. Both girls exited the train and waved goodbye to each other. Hermione looked for her parents in the crowd and immediately saw them as both of them still had their scrubs on, she waved frantically to get their attention as she dragged her luggage along with her and walked towards them.

"Mum! Dad! I'm right he- "

Someone just hit her shoulders and she almost toppled to the ground with her luggage. She turned around to reprimand the person but she froze as she saw the face of Draco Malfoy smirking.

"See you around, Mudblood"

She watched as Malfoy sauntered away, and didn't even notice her parents had already made their way beside her. Her mother put a hand on her shoulder and she snapped out of it. She hugged both of her parents. She decided to just forget all about Malfoy again, she has a great Christmas Vacation to look forward to. Her thoughts wandered to Harry and Ron. I wonder if they'd have found information by now…

Hermione Granger scruffed her nose in mild disgust. Two grown men, namely Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy were wrestling each other in the middle of Flourish and Blotts, knocking bookshelves and people at the shop. It doesn't help that the people around are just staring and even the Weasley twins and Ron are cheering for their father.

Her gaze caught Draco Malfoy's sullen face; he didn't really bother with her for the rest of their 1st year at Hogwarts after that encounter at King's Cross. Her gut was telling her that he's scheming, a Slytherin would never pass up blackmailing people to their own advantages, she stared long enough at him that he caught her gaze too, Hermione felt uneasy at his stare but didn't look away. They both continued to stare each other down, but were interrupted when Molly Weasley's shriek was heard.

"Arthur, stop! What are you doing?" Molly fought her way to the gathering crowd around the two wrestling men, along with a man who is likely a staff member screaming at both men to stop.

The two were separated from each other but still their gazes were locked. The mess was somewhat taken care of, the two Malfoys left, with Malfoy junior goading Potter and subtly glancing over at Hermione before leaving with his father. Leaving the Weasley clan along with Hermione and her parents, who were moments later forced out of the bookshop because of the mess created a while ago.

Molly Weasley was scolding her husband for being kicked out of the shop along with them all, later on the group was separated. After saying good-byes to each other, Harry and the Weasley Clan have traveled back to Leaky Cauldron to floo back home, then Hermione and her parents have taken off towards the Muggle street on the other side.

"Hermione dear, are you sure you have everything you need?" Mrs. Granger checked her daughter, in case they had forgotten to buy something. Hermione nodded and began checking the things she bought, she suddenly gasped. She's missing one book!

"You did miss something didn't you?" Hermione looked sheepishly at her parents and nodded. How could she be stupid to have forgotten?

"Yes, I'll be right back! You both just stay here" Before her parents could reply Hermione rushed back to Flourish and Blotts.

She passed by Leaky Cauldron and saw that Harry and the others have long been gone. She rushed through many people, a few of them bumping shoulders with her. Finally she arrived in front of the bookstore, the staff that shooed them away mere minutes before looked at her for a moment and nothing more. She sighed and went inside, she saw Gilderoy Lockhart signing books as witches line up to get their turns. Hermione's face suddenly turned dreamy. Oh what a fine man! It seems all thoughts about retrieving her book have gone, and she just stared at Lockhart's smile with a dazed look.

She was snapped out of her daze when she heard someone laugh behind her, she turned around and faced Draco Malfoy sneering at her. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. Didn't the Malfoys leave this shop before them? Why was Draco Malfoy still here? Her eyes caught Malfoy holding something and she realized it was her missing book. She gritted her teeth in annoyance because she had to deal with Malfoy to get back her book.

"Pardon me Draco but I think that book in your hands is mine, so if you could kindly give it back now" Hermione tried hard not to cringe at her 'polite' voice. Because she knows if she'll be hostile with this git, it'll just get more difficult.

Hermione was surprised to see the Slytherin boy widen his eyes. Probably because she spoke in a polite tone or she said his first name, either way Hermione doesn't care, she just wants to get her book back and go back to her parents that are still waiting for her. But the surprise was quickly replaced by a disgusted face. Hermione inwardly groaned, this is not gonna end well.

"How dare you utter my name Mudblood! So you're not getting your book back" Malfoy smirked as he watched the horror etched into Hermione's face.

"What? No! It's mine Malfoy, give it here!"

Hermione stepped towards him and yanked the book from his hands, he tightened his grip and Hermione was unable to get her book. She glared at Malfoy who just smirked at her. He yanked the book and Hermione felt her grip loosened from the book. He turned the book and read the front page.

"Holidays with Hags? This is utter bull, but anyway the author is bull so his work will be too"

"Take it back Malfoy! Gilderoy Lockhart wrote them! How-"

Malfoy suddenly threw the book at Hermione, making her cut off her rant to catch the book. She quickly composed herself, glared at Malfoy and muttered 'rude'. Malfoy rolled his eyes and looked over to Gilderoy Lockhart smiling and winking at the ladies gathered around him.

"I don't want to hear your love sickness about Lockhart, Granger" Hermione froze.

"What do you want Malfoy, I know you having my book isn't a coincidence. You know I'll come back for it, you waited for me" Malfoy snorted, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm serious"

"Of course it isn't, and I'm not waiting for you. It's called a trap, Granger"

"What do you want?" She was getting antsy, she started tapping her fingers on her book.

"Hmmm, I'm still thinking about it"

Malfoy put up his hand on his chin. He looked at her and smirked, bloody Slytherin!

"Run along Granger, I still haven't made up my mind" Malfoy swishes his hand as if to shoo her away. Hermione hesitated for a moment but turned her back on him and began walking out of the shop.

"Watch out, Granger"

She spun back to look at him and he blankly stared at her and slowly he began smirking. How creepy. She hurriedly stepped out of Flourish and Blotts and never turned to look at Malfoy again. Merlin the mess she was in!

She reached her parents and both worriedly asked her what took her so long, she just smiled at them and smoothly said that she just ran into a classmate and chatted for a bit, her mother patted her hair, and together they went home.

Hermione Granger quickly skimmed her eyes on the bookshelf, she remembered about Harry being able to speak Parseltongue, and immediately went to the library to search for books about monstrous snakes. She pulled three large tomes from the shelf and levitated them to a table and began reading them. An hour passed and the first book was deemed useless, and another half an hour passed and she still hasn't found a clue. She almost pulled her hair in annoyance, she was supposed to be going down the pitch with Ron to watch the Gryffindors vs Hufflepuffs game.

She was so immersed and intent on finding information that she didn't notice someone sliding up behind her, even when the said person was already seated beside her.

"Granger"

Hermione jumped and almost fell out of her chair. She turned to the person beside her and Draco Malfoy was looking at her but to her confusion his face wasn't wearing his usual sneer or rather his annoying smirk. He was staring at her with a face that Hermione didn't even see once in the Slytherin's face.

"Malfoy"

"You know, you'll never get what you're looking for in this place"

"This is the library Malfoy, it holds many valuable information for almost everything"

Hermione ignored the dreadful feeling taking over her. How does Malfoy know? Does he already know who the heir is? She watched him reach inside his robes and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

"Do you know something Malfoy?" She eyed the crumpled paper on Draco Malfoy's hands, then she looked up to his face and was surprised to see unassertiveness all over his face.

He didn't answer her, but rather he suddenly pulled out her right hand and thrust the paper into her palm. Hermione almost pulled back her hand in reflex, but she just froze at the fact that Malfoy willingly touched her.

"Malfoy-"

He hurriedly stood up and walked out of the alcove where her table was located before she interrogated him further. Hermione sat still in shock.

"What the hell was that?" She asked to no one in particular in the empty library alcove.

She then looked at the crumpled paper on her hand. Why would Malfoy…? She slowly uncrumpled the paper and gasped. It's information about the monster that lurks in the chamber and petrifies students!

"A basilisk… Are controlled by Parselmouths, Harry! But no, how can it travel the grounds without opening the entra- THE PIPES!" She jumped in her seats and she heard Madam Pince shushing her from a distance and she flushed.

Hermione was ecstatic, they know what the monster is already! She suddenly faltered as she remembered Malfoy. But why… She shook her head, she'll worry about it later, she has to relay this information to Harry. She gathered the large tomes she had plucked randomly at the shelves and put them back. She tucked the crumpled paper back into her hand. As she was departing from the library she passed by Penelope Clearwater using her mirror to fix her hair.

Hermione glanced at her mirror and stood very still, there she saw the very face of the Basilisk. She clutched the paper in her hand in a death grip. Harry please find this!

Hermione opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by white curtains, she speculated that she was at the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey came into view as she parted the curtains to come beside her bed.

"Oh, Hermione dear! You're awake! Hurry along now, the feast has been going on for hours. I'm sure your friends would be thrilled to see you again" Pomfrey gently ushered her out of bed, and she confusedly obeyed.

"Feast?"

"The Basilisk was defeated, by Harry Potter, and of course we cured the petrified patients, all is well now"

Hermione suddenly felt relief, joy, and all sorts of explosive emotion go through her. They did it! Harry solved it. She silently thanked the Gods. She happily exited the hospital wing and entered the Great Hall. The tables were all filled with food and students were celebrating with utmost joy.

She roamed her eyes across the Hall and met Harry and Ron's eyes. She ran towards them and hugged them both tightly.

"You did it! You did it!" Both boys chuckled at her.

"We couldn't have done it without you Hermione" Harry smiled at her.

"We're glad you're back Mione"

She felt warmth spread inside her chest as she watched both her best friends smile at her. She was very lucky to have them.

At the other end of the Hall, she failed to notice the grey eyes that followed her ever since she entered the Great Hall, and how it flashed with relief as she smiled.

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A/N: Hello! I've come back. I hope ya'll will like this chapter, reviews would be much appreciated ^^