He had been waiting for this moment for almost a month.
For now, he sat trying to think of anything except for what he was going to have to do.
He sat in the Slytherin common room on the floor in front of the fire throwing pieces of his essay into its depts and watching at the parchment caught fire and smoked purple with the ink. It was mid-November and the first snow was starting to fall outside, the talk of the room was the upcoming Hogsmeade trip that the students had been permitted to go on. This would be his chance to get the necklace to Dumbledore without ever having to place himself into a situation. He had sent for the cursed object shortly after his lapse of judgement in the library. She had gotten in his way again. A habit he had needed to break and quickly, waiting for him like a cat with a toy, she needed to fear him. That look in her eyes that she got when she had bested him in something, needed to be replaced before it got them both into trouble.
"Draco Malfoy, I'm charmed you made yourself present tonight." Theo said plopping himself on the couch behind him and laying his legs over the arm. Blaise nocked them off and sat down next to Theo.
"I see Granger has stopped looking at you like a wounded dog." Blaise said picking at his nails. He bristled at this remark. Pansy had promised to keep the things she noticed between the two of them, it seemed she had felt the need to share.
"I just needed to remind her of her place is all." He replied turning the page of his book. He had shown her weakness, allowed her to see the anger that bubbled just under the surface and that had drove him crazy for the days that followed. She had gotten to far under his skin, practically begging him to let her in. He had to have done something right in his response, she had not looked at him in the weeks to follow. He had made sure of that. The first night afterwards he had glared daggers into her eyes across the room and she had not dared to look his way again.
"Remind her of her place? Aren't we the mighty Pure Blood" Theo snorted
"Shut it Nott, she needed to stop the act, so I made her stop" Draco stated matter of factly.
"Did you curse her?" Theo said eyes wide. Blaise slapped him roughly on the back of the head and Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Okay so you didn't curse her" he said rubbing the back of his head.
"Doesn't matter what I did, the witch is leaving me alone and that's all I can ask for."
"For now." Blaise said stretching out his limbs.
"What are you playing at Blaise?" Draco asked setting the book down on the coffee table.
"Well Granger isn't well known for giving up on things. She's always putting her nose where it doesn't belong. It's kind of her thing isn't it." Pansy said walking up to the group and sitting in the arm chair to the right shrugging her shoulders as she got comfortable in the chair. "You would be daft to think this is over Draco, she's smart." Pansy said pointing at him before looking into the fire. Draco could feel the blood draining from his face as he thought about it. She had a point Granger had a reputation for getting what she wanted from professors and students alike.
"You alright there mate?" Theo said staring at him. Draco just slowly stood up and left to get some sleep as his friends continued their conversation.
Hermione sat in breakfast and prepared for Potions, but this morning her small bubble of concentration was no match for the level of noise her classmates were putting out.
The room was abuzz with excitement over the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow, Ron had not stopped talking about Honeydukes since they sat down. Apparently, Fred and George had begun sending things to the shop owner and that was all anyone in Gryffindor could talk about. She was going to miss the ending of the Fanged Frisbees flying around the common room, it had made her avoidance of the library easier to bear.
There was no way she was going to put herself in the position again any time soon. She had been left defenseless in his presence twice now. The library was going to be off limits for a while, Harry be damned. She had a rough time trying to explain that one off like the last. The less the boys knew about what had happened the better, nothing had happened in their world and that was how it was going to stay. She allowed herself a glance at the Slytherin table, trying to hide herself if he was there. To her relief he was missing again, she looked a few heads down and made eye contact with another Slytherin. Blaise smiled at her in an all to knowing way and she quickly looked away. Had he been looking for me?
"Hermione, you're going to Hogsmeade this weekend, right?" Ron said alight with excitement. Bringing her back to reality.
"Of course, Ron, wouldn't miss it." She said taking a drink of pumpkin juice, she had wished to miss it greatly but with both Harry and Ron excited about it she did not want to make them stay for her. She caught Blaise standing and making his way without breaking his eyes from her own. He turned and walked out of the door. He had piqued her interest enough. Excusing herself from the table she gathered her things and followed him out a few minutes later.
"What are you playing at Granger?" He said turning on her as she followed him into one of the emptier corridors, this was a mistake. Whether on purpose of accident he mirrored the sentiment of his friend and it brought her back to that night.
"Nothing Blaise, you're the one playing games. What do you want?" She said impatiently dreading the fact that she so willingly came along with him.
"I've made a bet and I want to make sure you don't royally screw it up for me." He said shrugging his shoulders. She had no response to that, she simply stared at the man in front of her.
"Why would I be involved with any bet of yours Zabini" She finally sputtered out.
"Let's cut to the chase Granger. You know damn well he's hiding something from all of us. So, figure it out and stop him before he gets killed preferably." He said walking past her.
"Why would I help him." She yelled at his back causing him to run to her shushing
"Because it's what you do, you Gryffindors run around here finding lost causes and I don't know why you chose him but you did, so fix him. You put your name in this charade on your own, no matter who set you up to it in the first place." Blaise whispered to her as a group of first years passed them. "Please" he said looking at her before turning and continuing the walk to Potions.
She had no choice but to follow him as much as she hated it. She was not Malfoys bloody keeper and she did not go looking for him as a lost cause. A pet project for her to take up. The certainty that she would do exactly what Blaise wanted had her blood boiling.
She slammed her potions book on the table staring at the man two row down from her and contemplating many jinxes she could send his way. Awaiting the start of the class, she did not look at her table mate when he sat down next to her, she would not allow herself to. Nothing would come of it anyways. He had avoided her and classes for weeks, only showing up when an excuse got old.
One look won't kill you
Groaning internally, she turned her head slightly and gasped at what she saw. A bruise was working itself around his neck as if he had been strangled in the night. She could see the ill placed glamour charm that he had tried to halfheartedly perform. Its impact did not quite reach all the way around his neck. Pointing her wand at him from under the table she shot Blaise a nasty. He had known this was what she would see. He knew one look and she would fall into his trap of the day. She opened her Potions book and pretended to read.
"What happened to you" she whispered into the book.
"A dream" He said laying his face in his hands and rubbing away the night. "It was only a dream" he said staring straight ahead. What the bloody hell did that mean?
"It had to have been more than that to leave a mark on you Malfoy. Someone laid their hands on you."
"Leave it Granger." He said not looking at her but watching as Slughorn entered the room. He removed a cover from the cauldron in front of him and Hermione groaned, this would not be a quick and painless lesson.
"Can anyone tell me what I have here?" He said waving the class to come up and join him around the pearled colored potion. "Ah yes Miss. Granger please."
"Amortentia or Love Potion," she said walking with the rest of the students Draco close behind her.
"Very good Miss. Granger, please take a sniff what is it you smell?" He asked smiling to himself as if this was all a good game to him. She had no desire to tell the class what her true love smelled like, whomever he may be.
"There's dark chocolate. Maybe apples and freshly opened ink" she said taking her time to dissect the smells as they came to her one by one.
"Well done Miss. Granger well done. Mr. Malfoy care to try," Slughorn said looking up over her shoulder.
"Strawberries, vanilla and worn parchment." He said emotionless. Slughorn nodded and one by one asked the students to smell the cauldron in front of them. Before sending them back to their benches. They sat and pulled out the rest of their belongings to begin the potion work. Hermione opened her book as Draco opened his pot of ink.
A.N. Please Review!