Chapter 6
Monday morning, while she was getting dressed and heading down for breakfast, Hermione decided that she would stop worrying about Draco all together. He obviously didn't want to talk to her, and in reality, she couldn't really picture them together. I mean, come on, it's Draco Malfoy we're talking about. He just wasn't the kind of people she hung out with. But her plan didn't last long. In fact, it ended abruptly the second Professor Binns said the words: Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy. Of course they would be paired to do a project together in History of Magic. Hermione glanced around the room, looking for a blond head. She caught Draco's gaze from the back corner of the room and quickly looked back to the Professor. Professor Binns was reading out the other pairs but Hermione was too busy with her own worried thoughts. How could it be, that just a mere hour ago she had decided to clear her mind of worries about the Slytherin and she had already been paired with him on a project and therefore forced to talk to him and study with him? It was as if no matter what she did, she just couldn't have one calm day without boy trouble, girl trouble, school trouble, or having her life risked. "And now that you all have your pairs," Professor Binns drawled in his deep, tiring voice, "here is your project. You must pick one of the many important people we've learned about that took part in the First Muggle War. You are to write a day in the life of this person. No need for: He woke up at six forty five in the morning and then brushed his teeth. Describe his job, and give examples for things he would have been doing at that time... I hope you're all writing this down." There was a moment of bustle as students took out parchment and opened ink bottles. Obviously, Hermione had already been writing everything the Professor was saying, so she took a minute to ponder at this project. It was interesting, probably the most interesting project they had ever gotten in History of Magic. But it was a bit childish as well. After all, this was their N.E. year and they should be focusing on studying, not creative writing. "As I was saying, describe everything you deem necessary. The project should also include a summary of who this person was, his role in the war and his accomplishments. Use your information from previous classes and the notes you took in class. In addition, explain why you chose this particular person to study and write about. The length of parchment required for this project is about a foot and a half long. I'm giving you till the end of the class to discuss ideas with your partners. Good luck," and Professor Binns retreated to his seat. Again, there was a whirl of movement as students scraped back their seats and moved to sit next to their partners. Hermione cautiously stood up and turned to face the back of the classroom. Draco was doodling on his parchment, not meeting her eye, so she began to walk over. She reached his desk, and when he still refused to look up , she executed a classic throat clearing. Draco glanced up, unable to ignore her anymore. "Hi," Hermione said. "I don't know if you were paying attention, but we're partners." When she still didn't get any response, she added: "For the project."
"Well, that's great to hear," Draco muttered. Hermione decided to ignore his comment and sat down. He clearly just wanted attention. "I've got a lot of ideas on who we should pick, but we should go to the library after classes and do a bit of research and then decide who's best. Can you meet at the library at five?" Hermione looked at Draco, not letting him see how nervous she was at talking to him. "Yeah, whatever," Draco said, just barely audible. "Great then." There was a girl sitting in her seat and all the other seats were taken, so they spent the rest of the class awkwardly doodling in their parchments and not speaking to each other.
Hermione stepped into the library and looked around. She was relieved to see Draco slumped in a chair near a table, his nose stuck in a book. She walked over and sat down across from him. She waited for him to acknowledge her, and when he didn't, she took the book from his hands and put it aside. "What are you doing?" he asked angrily, his face turning red. "I've had enough of you ignoring me, we have a project to do, so let's just get it over with." "Git," he muttered.
"You know what, I get that you're mad at the world and frustrated with your miserable life, but why don't you stop feeling so bad for yourself and be nice for a change?" Draco's face scrunched up in confusion and anger. "What's that supposed to mean?" Now it was Hermione's turn to mutter. "Nothing," she said in annoyance, looking around to see raised eyebrows and bewildered faces staring at her and then quickly looking away. "Whatever, let's just get on with the project. The books we're looking for are this way," she said and started walking. She looked behind her and saw that Draco was still in his seat. She rolled her eyes. "Seriously Draco, can you stop ignoring me for one second and help me do this project." "I have the book we need here," Draco said calmly. "Oh," Hermione said, embarrassed. She was pleasantly surprised that Draco had taken interest in the subject and had started researching without her. "Well then." She walked back to her seat and plopped down. "Have you found anyone interesting?" she asked him. The rest of the afternoon went by surprisingly well and in the end they decided on the Head Auror at the time, Meryll Aubrey, who caught many dark wizards that, at the the time, committed mass murders in public muggle places. They decided to meet again the day after, and Hermione walked to the Great Hall for dinner, feeling relieved.
