TWO

Thursday, 10 September 2020

Two weeks into term and she was already on the verge of jinxing Malfoy to pieces. He was everywhere. She couldn't go more than a minute without seeing that smug expression on his face or hearing his voice without it grating on her every nerve. He was there when she woke up. He was there, stealing all the hot water no matter when she tried to take a shower. He was in nearly every one of her classes and had insisted on pairing up with her because they were Heads when she knew damn well it was because she would do all the work.

But today was the first duel of Defense and she was more than ready to let off some steam in the name of learning.

Of course, she had seen his ability to duel; seen it change and grow stronger throughout their years of having the class together. He was as confident in his spell work as he was in his looks. But after seeing the glint in her eye once they had taken their places opposite each other, she saw some of that confidence waver.

Professor Riddle stepped in between them on the dueler's platform and looked at Malfoy before her. "I know you're both aware of the rules, so I won't rehash them here. I only seek to remind you both to keep it clean." His gaze lingered on Hermione just a second longer than it did on Malfoy and she rolled her eyes. "You may begin," he said, clearing out of their way.

The moment he stepped onto the stone floor of the classroom, Hermione launched her first spell. It hit Malfoy square in the shoulder and he hissed as his shield activated a moment too late. His gaze narrowed slightly as he shook out his arm as she smirked at him while her mind plucked the next spell to use from her mental library.

Where he still hadn't quite mastered wordless incantations, he was good at keeping his wand movements to a minimum, making him just as hard to predict. The grip on her wand almost slipped as his hex hit her wrist and sent shockwaves up her arms. By the time she regained the grip of her wand, he had already sent another jinx her way, but she managed to step out of the way, firing two spells in rapid succession back to him.

There were a few more simple exchanges from both of them as if they were testing the waters, but as she landed a spell in the center of his chest, the moment shifted. Both of them stopped holding back and before she knew it, there was a sheen of sweat on her brow and a burning of her magical core from putting it through the ringer.

Just as she thought she was going to collapse from exhaustion, she landed a spell that sent him to his knees and had him yielding. Hermione sank to the ground herself and panted for air as Professor Riddle declared her the winner of the day and then checked on both of them. After determining they were fine, but free to go to Madam Pomfrey if they needed, the platform disappeared and the normal rows of tables and chairs returned.

Malfoy approached her with a tick in his jaw, but his hand out. She took it without hesitation and gave it a firm shake. "Well done, Granger. I didn't think you had it in you."

She huffed as she shoved him playfully away from her. "You should know better than to think I'd ever lose to you at anything."

The tips of his lips twitched as his eyes narrowed. "It's only the beginning of the year. I have plenty of time to best you in a rematch."

"You're on," she said, rising to the challenge as the bell chimed to signal class being dismissed.

They gathered their things, both them not bothering to rush out into the hall like everyone else. They might not need any potions or other forms of healing, but they were too exhausted to fight their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Great job you two," Professor Riddle said from where he was leaning back on the edge of his desk. "Ten points to each of your Houses."

"Ten?" Malfoy questioned; lips curled into a friendly sneer.

But Riddle didn't miss a beat as he smiled at Hermione. "And another ten to Gryffindor for a well-earned victory."

Hermione's smile was bright as she turned to gloat at Malfoy. "Thank you, Professor!"

Malfoy turned away then, muttering something that distinctly sounded like the word favorite and left the classroom with a wave of his hand over his shoulder. Hermione shook her head and laughed, watching him go as she hoisted her bag over one shoulder. "He almost had you there, didn't he?"

Hermione sighed heavily as they both turned towards the door. "He really did," she admitted.

His hand came up to rest on her shoulder, the contact making them both go still. Hermione swallowed hard, her body hyper aware of his touch. When she lifted her gaze up the length of his arm, she saw his throat constrict as his eyes darkened slightly. He kept his hand there for a moment longer than necessary and when he did pull away, the tips of his fingers ghosted down the exposed skin of her upper arm.

"Have a nice lunch, Miss Granger," he said, turning back to his desk, his voice tight.

She wet her lips and gave a nod, but didn't say anything as she took her leave of the classroom.

Saturday, 12 September 2020

Harry was on the opposite end of the couch, but unlike Hermione, his textbook was closed and his parchment had been rolled up for quite some time. He was just sitting there with his feet propped up on the coffee table, reading Quidditch Through the Ages again. She was glad to see that a Christmas present from years ago was still a favorite. Even if it was the only thing he read, at least it was a book. She would count it as a win.

"So what are we doing next weekend?" he asked, setting the book down next to him so he could turn his attention to her.

"What's next weekend?" she asked without looking up from her essay.

"Really?" he snorted before dissolving into a fit of laughter. "Brightest witch of her age doesn't remember her own birthday?"

Hermione did look up from her essay then, if only just to give Harry a barely there smile. "We can just wait to get a Butterbeer when we go to Hogsmeade."

"That's three weeks after!" He shook his head at her. "Come on, Mione, we should do something. In seven years of friendship, you haven't let me celebrate it properly yet." She frowned at the sight of him looking around the private dorm for her and Draco. "Maybe we could throw-"

"Please no," she whispered.

"-a party?"

As if on cue, Draco came into the common space through the main entrance, a wicked grin on his face. "A party?"

Hermione sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why is it that you only hear the things that benefit you?" she groused, turning in her seat to scowl at him.

"I believe you're the one that told me men have a predisposition for selective hearing," he replied without missing a beat. He shrugged out of his robes and came to plop himself down on one of the chairs across from the couch. "I think a party is a great idea," he said, grinning between the two of them. "What's the occasion?"

"Hermione's turning eighteen on Saturday."

Draco's grin widened even more. "That's right, you're older than us." He rubbed his hands together and looked at Harry. "I was actually just telling Granger it would be a shame to let our private space go to waste. I'd be more than happy to help you plan it, Potter."

"Excellent."

Hermione packed up her things and got to her feet muttering all sorts of things about how she would be planning something of her own. "Not that either of you will listen to me, but please do try and keep your plans as minimal as possible."

"Of course," they replied at the same time which made her anxiety shoot through the roof.

"Gods help me," she murmured as she retired to her room, leaving the two of them to their own devices to plot her birthday.

Sunday, 13 September 2020

Despite not having the commotion that was the Gryffindor common room, Hermione still preferred spending her Sunday mornings in the library. She was the only one in the entire school that Madam Pince didn't feel the need to monitor and given that she had a pass to the Restricted Section, she went about perusing the shelves without having to worry about getting in trouble.

"A little early to be practicing the Dark Arts, is it not?"

Hermione paused with her fingers hovering over the spine of a book. Slowly, she turned around to face Professor Riddle with a sheepish grin on her face. "One can never be too prepared."

He let out a light chuckle and peered around her for the name of the section. "How high on your list is caring for magical creatures?"

"Pretty high," she replied. She glanced behind her again and then back to Riddle. "Even the worst creatures on the planet should be dealt with in a humane way."

"A noble gesture," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "One that could definitely get you in far too much trouble."

"Regardless, I think it better to know what I'm facing rather than be kept in the dark."

His eyes shone with pride for a moment as he inclined his head. "Are you still taking Professor Hagrid's class?"

She nodded readily. "A bit unorthodox in his methods, but I'd rather learn about the creatures from the creatures, not the texts."

His brow lifted as his head canted to the side. "Is that a jab at my curriculum, Miss Granger?"

She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled past her lips. "Of course not, Professor. I think you do a fine job of blending the two as well."

"Well I'm glad to hear that." He lifted the book that was tucked in his arm and with a flick of his wand, the book returned to the shelf he had taken it from.

"What about you?" she asked, watching the book slide into place. Her eyes studying him when they returned to his face. "I didn't realize the Dark Arts made for good bedtime material. I would have nothing but nightmares."

"Just getting some ideas for lesson plans." He saw the way her eyes widened as they flickered around the space. "Nothing too horrible, Miss Granger. I would never compromise the safety of my students."

She cleared her throat and gave a slow nod. "I know."

They fell into silence, the pair staring at one another for some time. It was when his gaze started to drift downward that she felt hers do the same. By the time their gazes reconnected on the way up, she realized that it wasn't just her breath that had quickened ever so slightly.

"Do Wednesday nights work for you?" he asked.

It took her a moment to realize why he was asking that. She nodded and flashed him a smile. "Wednesday nights are perfect."

"After dinner?"

She nodded again. "Sounds perfect."

He smiled and after another sweep of his gaze over her from head to toe, he turned to leave. "Then I'll leave you to your morning ritual."

A/N: Thank you all so much for your patience on this one :)

As I'm sure you've seen, both with my lack of updates or if you're in my FB group: madrose_writing, my heart just isn't in it anymore. For my mental health as well as my career, I've decided to take a step back from fanfiction. I do still plan to update this one and Divergence, but posts will be rather scarce.

Thank you in advance for understanding and just know that I'm okay and I'll be back eventually :)