CHAPTER 3

AS THEY SAIL BY

~•~•~•~•~•~

Without contraries

is no progression.

Attraction and repulsion,

love and hate,

are necessary to

human existence.

- William Blake

~•~•~•~•~•~

The day hadn't gone particularly well. Ron and Harry were as usual not speaking. She was quite ashamed to admit that Ron, not unlike a certain grey eyed ferret could be a pompous and stubborn git sometimes too.

It was afternoon now. Afternoon meant a double period Potions session. Potions meant Malferret.

She just loathed the thought.

Some people shouldn't exist...

As she walked with Harry to the dungeons, she saw a message in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage-

Support CEDRIC DIGGORY-

the Real Hogwarts Champion!

"Like them Potter?", said Malfoy loudly as they approached. "And this isn't all they do- look!". He pressed his badge into his chest and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green:

POTTER STINKS

The narrow passage filled with raucous howls of Slytherins' laughter.

Hermione felt sick.

She turned towards Malfoy, who in turn was looking intently at her for the whole time. A very short, eternity long stare match ensued; grey to brown, brown to grey.

Storm to chocolate, chocolate to storm.

"Really witty", she said at last to him. He faltered for a second and then regained his composure. She noticed his falter. Interesting, she mused inwardly to herself. He just smirked haughtily to cover his minute moment of losing his suave style.

"Want one Granger?", he asked.

"As if I would."

"Really, no?"

"Yes, No!"

"Enough of this Malfoy!", a third voice spoke. It was Harry; his bottled anger of many days was pouring out.

"Oh Potter, you have the nerve to break a pleasant conversation." He glared at Harry, as if he had had interrupted the world's most important talk. In his angry haste, Harry drew out his wand.

She felt helpless. "Harry!", she cried out warningly but it seemed to have no effect on her friend.

"Go on, then Potter," Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now- do it, if you've got the guts."

Then something wholly unexpected happened.

She didn't know what came over her. In her blind fury directed at both Harry and Malfoy, she didn't see whose arm she was tugging at and began yelling, "Stop! Stop! Stop! For Merlin's sake, Stop!"

In the background she could hear a multitude of whispers and someone shouting, "Hermione what are you doing?!"

"Granger, what are you doing?", a cool drawling voice coming from somewhere near her left ear, asked.

A deathly silence descended upon the red and green crowd as Hermione stopped yelling and looked around to see Harry's, Ron's, Pansy's and almost everybody else's gaping faces. It was then that she realised that the arm she was hanging onto wasn't Harry's but Malfoy's...

She dropped his arm as if it were infected and put as much as distance between them as she could in that narrow passage.

She was still dazed from what she had just done, when she heard the distinct voice of Pansy Parkinson ring through her ears.

"How dare you touch Draco, you filthy Mudblood?", her sharp voice cut through the damp air. If looks could kill, Hermione would have been splattered on the walls in a matter of a few seconds.

"Oh please Parkinson! You can have your Draco all to yourself. In fact, I and not you should be the one complaining. Look! How unclean I have become!" To prove her point, she took out a handkerchief from one of her robe pockets and began wiping her hands vigourously. Let them see the true Hermione Granger she thought; the sassy Hermione Granger.

He watched her with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. For a small moment, the storm of his eyes seemed to have subsided to give rise to a calm grey.

She was the centre of his world...

But fate had plans other than the ones continuing his amusement and her hidden sassy nature.

As Hermione turned around to face Harry, Ron and her other fellow Gryffindors, she couldn't have thought that a nasty, 'Densaugeo'would be thrown her way. She had no chance to save herself.

Her already large front teeth began growing at an abnormal pace. Her attacker, Pansy Parkinson, glared at her abysmal state with a look of utter contentment.

She felt helpless for the second time on that fateful day. She barely managed to suppress the tears which were threatening to fall out at any second.

"Hermione!", a new voice called out. It was Ron. He went over to her to comfort her as she tried to hide her enormous teeth.

Draco was trying hard to look approvingly at Pansy. He couldn't believe what was happening that day. Who knew Pansy Parkinson could throw a hex. But most of all, he was worried for Granger.

"What's going on here?", a cool deadly voice spoke.

Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamoured up to him to give their explanations. "Not all at once!" He pointed a long, thin yellow finger at Draco and said, "Explain".

"Granger provoked Pansy; Pansy hexed her.", he replied coolly.

"Let's see, detention Miss Granger. Twenty points from Gryffindor for provoking a respectable student. To the hospital wing now. Mr. Malfoy, you take her there."

She couldn't believe the injustice of the situation. But still she was glad that Snape hadn't insulted her in front of all the students.

As she started to walk with Malfoy down the path to her destination, she glanced back to see Harry and Ron's concerned faces as they entered the classroom.

She looked at Malfoy beside her, who was oddly quiet. He looked at her, straight in the eyes, with perhaps concern and worry in them. Grey to brown; brown to grey.

She couldn't identify the strange softness in his eyes. Malfoy feeling concerned for her? That was ridiculous! But she had to admit that he was acting strange. No insults? No rudeness? She couldn't understand this boy.

Some people shouldn't exist...

He on the other hand was highly worried for her. He chose to keep quiet, knowing well that if he would speak, he would pour out his heart to her, since they were alone then. So, he just stared at her now and then. He wanted to remove her hands from her mouth, he wanted to wipe away some of the stray tears. He wanted to tell her that everything would be fine.

Instead he chose to be silent; it was too soon to tell her anything yet. In fact, he himself was confused.

She was the centre of his world...

Author's Note-

I tried to bring their narratives together. Did you like it?

I am aware that the first quarter is fully cannon but well, how did you take the twist?

Please comment what you think!

Any questions, queries? Feel free to ask!

~ Norma