Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K.Rowling; or else I wouldn't be sitting here and mugging my head off instead of twiddling my thumbs at my desk watching the millions in my bank account grow exponentially.

slytherin-kittycat: I'm so sorry I was so slow in updating! I had a week of exams which terrorised me from the beginning of the month as well as a concert to prepare for so I never got down to updating. Here comes the next chapter! I bet you forgot the story after so long hahaha...
unhingedintellectual: Thanks for the correction! Sorry!

When Hermione next met Draco, it was in Arithmancy class.

She meant to avoid him.

She really wanted to avoid him.

But it seemed almost inevitable that she had to see him – because both of them were too wrapped up in their own thoughts – and then realised right at the end that there were only two seats left for them, side by side, whilst everyone was looking at them queerly.

"Mr Malfoy? Miss Granger? May I begin?" the Professor inquired sweetly. Draco grunted, while Hermione breathed deeply and nodded, attempting to plaster an earnest smile on her face. It was clear neither of them were ready for the lesson.

Shut up Granger. I know what you are going to say.

And what is that?

Don't you dare preach to me in the middle of –

Who said I was going to preach to you? If you insist on doing the wrong thing, how can I stop you?

Oh yeah? You'll go tell the Potter boy and the Weasel and all three of you will come to hex me in the dark of the night…

Hermione gripped her quill, eyes flashing. Don't push it, Malfoy.

Who's the one pushing it? Draco felt a gleeful smile arising, but he suppressed it. He didn't know why he was feeling particularly mean to Hermione, but he just wanted to taunt her. Maybe – maybe it was the Dark Mark at work…

"Mr Malfoy? Could you answer this question?"

Draco blinked, and the blurry blackboard became clear in an instant. "Uhh…"

Hermione raised her hand, shooting Draco a smug look.

"Miss Granger, I said Mr Malfoy."

Hermione's face fell, and Draco couldn't help smirking while he replied in a laid-back manner.

Too bad Granger. Things don't always have to turn out your way, you know.

I'm trying to help you Malfoy! Is the Death Eater mindset setting in or something.

Something clicked in Draco.

Behind Hermione, she heard a loud THUMP! And when she turned around, she saw Draco Malfoy standing up, eyes blazing, his books scattered on the floor and table overturned, while the rest of the class gasped in horror. The Professor gave a terrified squeal, but Draco remained unfazed, his eyes fixed on Hermione, who was trying to remain as calm as possible (but failing).

"Don't you mess with my affairs, or I swear…"

Hermione glared at him, tears threatening to spill out from her eyes in her rage.

With that, Draco swung his cloak behind him and stomped out of class, leaving everyone to gape after him, and Hermione to look after him with a pained expression.

---

"So I heard, Draco. It is unlike you to be fooling around in Arithmancy class…" Snape drummed his fingers on his office table in an annoyed manner. "I will not hear of such behaviour from a Slytherin student ever again, do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir." Draco didn't sound the least bit repentant; he was still boiling inside.

"If you have any problems Draco…" Snape cleared his throat, for he was not good at any form of psychological talk. "You could always share them…"

"Yes, sir," grunted Draco, and Snape knew there was no use talking to the boy anymore.

"Dismissed!" He barked with a wave of his hand, and Draco trudged out, face contorted in anger.

However, the scowl left his face as puzzlement replaced it, while he leant against the railing to watch the staircases of Hogwarts swivel around in the central area of the school. Why was I so angry…I can usually take this kind of rubbish…what made me so angry?

His eyes narrowed onto three bobbing heads on one of the staircases. Granger was smiling once more, but he could tell it was a troubled smile. Did the two idiots beside her not realise their friend wasn't happy at all? Harry was still laughing with Ron, and Hermione was merely smiling…as though to please them.

The irritating Mudblood…she should just keep to her own affairs!

But it was with that thought, that light suddenly dawned upon Draco. The reason why he was so angry about this whole situation…why he was so reluctant to kill Ron, why he was so angry with Pansy for meddling, why he hated Hermione for sticking her nose into his affairs – was simply because he didn't want her to be involved. He didn't want Hermione Granger to be brought into the affairs of the dark side, to be a pawn in the game of the Dark Lord.

He didn't want her to be hurt.

---

Draco was not happy to realise that he was thinking that way. She's a Mudblood! He reminded himself sternly, as he approached the Slytherin common room. However, a few steps away, he felt a sense of repulsion from the door. The snake in the painting hissed slyly at him, but he backed away instead.

"Why Mr Malfoyy…" hissed the snake. "Don't you want to come innn?"

"Shut up!" snapped Draco, as he turned around and began to walk away, only to see the figure of Pansy Parkinson walking towards him, smiling coyly.

"Get out of my way, Parkinson!" snarled Draco, who definitely wasn't in the best of moods to be chatting with Pansy.

"Oh why the hostility?" Pansy batted her eyelids. "I've come to tell you good news…"

That didn't strike Draco as a wonderful thing. "What the hell did you do Parkinson? Stick your ugly spotted nose into things and meddled with them?"

Pansy's smile faded and was replaced by a scowl. "Is this what I get in return for helping you?"

Suddenly, Draco felt fear pumping into his heart. "What did you do?"

Pansy began to laugh, but her laughter was filled with such menace that Draco began to get agitated. "What the hell did you do!"

"Oh…" she tittered girlishly. "I merely helped you to well…settle some longtime foe of yours…well it's not the one with the scar though – such a pity. I wasn't able to reach him. But I suppose Carrots works well enough?"

With that, Pansy gave a soft laugh, and the snake painting swung aside to let her in.

As she brushed past Draco, she whispered in his ear. "You owe me one."

And she laughed again, before disappearing behind the painting.

The painting swung back.

Draco stood in the middle of the dungeons, hardly breathing.

What the…

He didn't know what to do. His mind was telling him that he should go find out what Pansy had done, but yet something else was lying beneath that thought…

Don't go. She has helped you. She has gotten rid of that useless creature. You will be well rewarded by the Dark Lord.

Rewarded?

DRACO!

The sudden shout in his head brought exploding dots to his vision as he reeled from the impact of the decibels. What the –

Draco! What have you done!

Granger? What's wrong? Draco felt his voice suddenly twist into that of concern, and he didn't like it.

Malfoy you disgusting git! Why is Ron unconscious!

Ron? Unconscious? Draco suddenly felt light dawn upon him. Pansy!

Now you're putting the blame on others! Oh Ron Ron don't die! Don't!

Die. Granger had said the word "Die".

Draco felt the impact of that single word hit him squarely in the face, and he fell backwards in a trance, not noticing the ceiling was soon in his vision – and his head, a sudden BANG…

---

"Now Mr Malfoy, don't move, you've might got yourself a concussion…" Madam Pomfrey bustled about him, running the various medicinal bottles about. "Not good for your nervous system – but a dose or two will do…"

"Madam Pomfrey!" Draco sat up almost immediately despite her horrified look, and winced when pain shot up to his head.

"Mr Malfoy! Lie down at once!"

Draco found himself obeying her. "Madam Pomfrey, do you know where is Ronald Weasley?"

"Funny you should ask about him…" Madam Pomfrey eyed the Slytherin boy suspiciously, causing a flaming sensation to rise in Draco's face. "But oh the dear dear boy…he's not very good indeed! Seems to have faced some form of Stunning Hex and is in what I might think could be a Permanent Hex if not for the fact it was cast by a juvenile…"

"Juvenile?"

"Poor thing really. Must have incurred the wrath of some silly child…" and her eyes narrowed even further to Draco. "And that child can come from only one house…which specialises in the dark arts…"

"Mind what you say, Madam Pomfrey!" Draco felt the hostility come back.

"Whatever, Mr Malfoy. Just don't get up to any tricks around here."

Before she went, Draco still didn't feel very comfortable. "Madam Pomfrey, is he…is he…"

"Dead?" Madam Pomfrey finished the question. "I told you he is Stunned! But very slim chance of recovery. Wide-eyed, stiff, lying there like the last time the Basilisk did damage to our students…his friends are really hysterical over it…especially the poor girl. Now I always thought the two of them were…" she paused thoughtfully, then sighed. "What a pity."

And she went off, leaving Draco to sit in his bed motionlessly.

He could hear someone whispering not far away.

"Ron? Ron? Wake up. Stop stoning like that. It's bad for your eyes…"

"Hermione, it won't do any good."

"Ron?"

Draco could sense something sour in his throat, but he swallowed it back, prompting him to feel even more ill than ever. Snuggling back under his blankets, he closed his eyes, trying to shut out the voices around him…including one that said "Well done…well done…you have accomplished your first mission…indeed, my true loyal minion…"