I Hate You

It was two days after the incident in Snapes office and Hermione still went as red as a tomato if she dared to think about it. Not that she thought about it on purpose of course…her mind just seemed to wander without permission from her as to where is was not allowed to go.

Proff. Dumbledore had made light of the situation but she had noticed that he seemed to be worried. Of course he's worried, she thought. Malfoy had his hands on my legs. Who knows what he might have done if the Headmaster hadn't interrupted! Hermione's mind proceeded to imagine exactly what she thought Malfoy would have done if he wasn't interrupted.

"Hermione, are you OK?" asked a questioning Ron. He had never seen Hermione go from deathly pale to ghastly red so speedily and so often.

Hermione went even redder under the confused stares of Ron, Harry AND Ginny.

"Yes. I'm fine thank you very much for noticing and making it worse…Ron".

Ron looked at Harry who in turn looked at Ron. Both boys then began to eat their dinners.

Ginny turned to Hermione.

"Can I talk to you late? In private I mean."

"Sure." Said Hermione, cringing inwardly. She knew exactly what Ginny wanted to talk to her in private about. Being a fellow female, Ginny would have a fair idea why Hermione was perpetually blushing. Hermione would just have to make something up so the younger girl would leave her alone and not pester her about it…

-0-

"David Green??" squealed Ginny. "Oh that's just perfect!"

Hermione sat staring open-mouthed at the girl in front of her. She had picked one of the most unobtainable students in the school to 'have a crush on' and Ginny seemed to be on really close terms with his sister…who happened to be in her year! Just typical, thought Hermione. Ginny would obviously now try to….

"…SET YOU UP WITH HIM!"

Hermione groaned.

"It's just the thing to get your mind off how rotten this year has been for you so far, especially what happened a couple of days ago! Can you still not remember where you were for so long or what you were doing?" asked Ginny softly. She knew thinking about it upset her friend.

"I still can't remember. Proff Snape and Proff. Dumbledore tried to figure it out but they said it was as if someone had stolen my memory of what had happened. I told them that it couldn't be possible but they didn't look shocked. I don't know what's happening to me Ginny. It's really staring to scare me."

Ginny reached out and hugged Hermione.

"Don't worry; I have the perfect thing to take your mind off everything…at least for a while!"

Hermione saw the same mischievous sparkle in Ginny's eyes as she had seen so often in her older brothers. Great.

-0-

Hermione didn't have to wait long to find out what Ginny had in mind. The next day at lunch, David 'accidentally' bumped into her as she made her way to the table.

"I'm terribly sorry about that." He said grinning. "Would you care to join me for lunch by way of apology?"

Hermione took a breath to tell him he might as well stop acting when she saw Malfoy staring at her. He didn't so much stare as glare at David. This might get him off my case, she though.

"Sure, I'd love to"

-0-

Hermione didn't expect to but she found that she really enjoyed David's company or Greeny as he liked to be called. He was funny, charming, extremely bright and most importantly he seemed to like her. They had shared a couple of lunches, dinners and nearly every study session together in the past week. It was during dinner one evening when he asked if she'd be going to the upcoming Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

"Actually no, I only ever go when Gryffindor are playing." She said biting into an apple.

"Oh." said Greeny looking decidedly deflated.

It was then that Hermione remembered Ginny telling her that he was a beater for the Ravenclaw team.

"I suppose I should go to this match aswell though…seeing as that you're on the team." Hermione said quickly, going red…again.

A slow smile spread across her face as she saw him fight not to show how happy he was.

"Umm…thanks." He stammered going just as red. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to…or if you have too much study or…I don't know, whatever you girls do for hours at the weekend…" He trailed off as Hermione began to laugh, great big belly laughter.

"I don't spend hours on girlie stuff!" she said whilst trying to catch her breath. "I spend hours writing essays. It's a lot more interesting I assure you."

Hermione slowly stopped laughing as she felt someone staring at her from across the hall. Malfoy was openly staring at herself and Greeny and it wasn't a friendly stare.

I doubt he's capable of a friendly anything, thought Hermione.

She heard Greeny saying her name and then a slight pressure on her knee. She turned to see Greeny smiling at her bashfully. Smiling back covered his hand with hers.

Suddenly there was a shadow standing over them. Hermione looked up to see Malfoy looming over Greeny. He had a crazy look in his eyes, like he had a high fever.

"Get your hand off her. Now." He said quietly.

Greeny stood up, towering a good six inches above Malfoy.

"Get lost Malfoy. Your two girlfriends are looking lonely without you." He said looking over at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Don't touch her again." said Malfoy in that same quiet tone.

By now, most of the people around them had stopped eating to watch what was going on.

Greeny took a step closer to Malfoy. It was only then that Hermione realise how big he was. He was muscled without being bulky and had the same hidden strength that all small beaters seemed to posses. But it doesn't matter how big he is, Hermione said to her self. It's who's quicker with a wand.

Hermione had her wand aimed at Malfoy before he could fully raise his. As she was still sitting down, only a few people could see what she was doing.

"Malfoy, I don't know what your problem is but I think it would be a good idea for you to put you wand away. Now"

Malfoys hand convulsed around his wand. His arm started to shake as he closed his eyes. Hermione kept her wand trained on him as he seemed to wage an internal war. Finally, he opened his eyes. The crazy gleam had disappeared from his eyes and he had stopped shaking. Abruptly, he turned and staled out of the Great Hall.

Greeny sat back down beside Hermione.

"What was that about??"

"I don't know," replied Hermione, staring after the retreating figure.

-0-

Draco turned the shower onto full power and let it beat into his tense shoulders. He played over in his mind what had just happened.

He had been eating dinner. He saw Herm- Granger with that Green fellow again. They had been laughing when she looked over at him. That look had paralysed Draco. He didn't know how or why but when she looked at him he felt like sitting up straighter or making sure that he didn't have food all down his face. As if, he thought. Then he saw that Green slime ball put his hand on her knee. Then she put her hand over his. That had made him remember what had happened in Snapes office. His hand on her knee, the soft feel of her skin…her gently covering his hand with hers. The next thing he knew he was over beside them trying his best now to kill the slime-ball. Something inside of him was urging him on…telling him to get rid of Green, that he was a…complication? Another part of him was freaking out that he even cared! It was GRANGER for Merlin's sake! Stupid know-it-all-bushy-haired-Weasel-loving…

I wonder if she actually fancies the Weasel.

Malfoy closed his eyes and sighed. Why should I even be wondering if she likes the Weasel?

He turned off the shower wrapped a towel around himself and stepped out of the shower. Hermione was standing two feet away from him with a death glare on her face.

"How DARE you! What were you thinking??"

Malfoy grabbed the towel around his waist and held onto it tighter.

"What was I doing? What were you doing you mean!" he spat back at her.

"I was having a conversation with a friend of mine and the last time I checked 'Hogwarts: A History' that wasn't against the rules!" she said, punctuating the last few words with a pointy fingernail in his chest.

His back hit the cool glass of the shower cubicle. Staring down at Hermione, he realised why he was so mad. He was mad that she had let Green touch her, and she had touched him back. Was what they shared in Snapes office nothing??

Malfoy stopped himself in mid thought. He was thinking about Herm-GRANGER as if she was his girlfriend…as if she meant something to him.

He stood up straighter and began to advance on Hermione.

"I don't like you Granger." He said quietly. He took another step forward.

"Infact…I hate you and all of your kind. All of you mudbloods." He said the word as if it had a bitter aftertaste.

Hermione tried to back away but Malfoy grabbed her by the arms, spun her and slammed her up against the same pane of glass that he had been pressed against only moments before. Her heart began to beat wildly. Malfoys gaze dropped to her neck. He could see the fragile flutter of her pulse beating there. Once again his mind wondered into places that shouldn't exist. It was driving him mad. He had to rid his mind of her. He had to prove to himself that he wasn't going mad, that he wasn't doing the one thing that even his mother would disown him for…

Hermione opened her eyes. She hadn't even realised that she had closed them. Malfoy was gazing down at her, his pupils dilated to the full. A small breath escaped from between her lips.

"I. Hate. You." he whispered and covered her lips with his own.

A/N: This chapter is extra long to make up for the amount of time it took me to post. I've noticed that loads of people read a new chapter but only a couple or so review. Unfortuanalty I lost my ability to read minds when I was 3 so unless you review I don't know what you think of the story! Please review ;o)