"DRACO!"
Malfoy didn't wince like he usually did at the sound of Pansy's Banshee-like screech. He was expecting it. But it sounded even worse than usual because she poured all her anger out when she yelled like that. That, Malfoy mused, was one of the things that made Pansy so undesirable.
He looked around. Luckily for him, the common room was empty except for the creature standing before him. Pansy's hair, usually neat, was all over the place. Her shirt was wrinkled and there were mascara streaks on her cheeks-she had obviously been crying.
That, Draco thought while looking at her, was another thing that made Pansy so undesirable.
"Well? Don't you have anything to say to me?" asked Pansy, her nostrils flaring in a sort of gross way. Her eyes burned into him.
Malfoy smirked at her. "Rinse your face off."
Pansy's mouth fell open in shock.
"And close your mouth."
Pansy snapped. "HOW DARE YOU KISS THAT-THAT-MUDBLOOD! YES, YOU KISSED HER FIRST, I SAW YOU! THEN SHE KISSED YOU BACK, AND THEN YOU KISSED HER AGAIN," she raged, stomping around and waving her hands wildly.
"Your powers of observation astound me, Parkinson," said Malfoy cooly, stepping past Pansy to sit down on the couch.
"I MEAN, I AM YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"
"Unfortunately, you are, Pansy dearest."
"Well?" Pansy asked, calming down a bit.
"Well, what?" said Malfoy, feeling a bit annoyed now. Pansy's reaction was amusing for awhile, but he now had a headache.
She glared at him. "Well, why did you do it?"
He didn't really have to answer her, and Pansy knew it. She was beneath him. The entire house of Slytherin was beneath him. Malfoy considered the question for a moment.
"Revenge is sweet, dearest. And sometimes it may be quite enjoyable-don't you think?"
"Um...yes?" Pansy said, uncertainly.
"Yes. Now, I need to rest. Don't bother coming up to "talk" to me-you do remember what happened last time?" Malfoy said casually. Pansy flinched.
"Yes Draco," Pansy muttered. Malfoy patted her on the shoulder and pushed past her. Pansy was furious.
"OH, YOU CAN KISS THE MUDBLOOD, BUT WHAT DO I GET? A PAT ON THE SHOULDER! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK ANYMORE!" Pansy shrieked. Malfoy did wince this time.
"Don't think at all, Parkinson! You might hurt yourself. You do remember what happened last time?"
"What? What happened last time?" said Pansy, confused.
"Exactly."
He left the common room and headed up the stairs without another word to Pansy. Pansy stood in the middle of the empty common room trying to figure out what just happened.
It would take awhile.
Hermione stopped reading and checked her watch. It was early in the evening. 'Time to put my plan into motion'. Hermione would need Harry's map to begin. But how to get it without meeting her friends along the way?
She didn't want to face her friends. Not now, when her mind was a mess. Surely after her goal was reached the Malfoy thing would be easier to explain. 'I'll just have to avoid them all on the way to the Common Room. With a bit of luck, I'll be able to do this'. Most of the students were in the Great Hall. She would have a better chance now. Hermione gathered up her stuff quickly and set off at a run.
Luckily for her the only people she encountered were a couple of first years. A Slytherin boy was picking on a HufflePuff girl, and she was crying. Normally Hermione would have stopped to help the girl, but she had no time.
"15 points from Slytherin and leave her alone," Hermione yelled at the boy as she ran past. She caught a glimpse of the boy's scowling face before she turned the corner.
Skidding to a stop in front of the Fat Lady, she muttered the password she got from Ron the day before. To her great relief, the common room was deserted. Hermione climbed the stairs leading to the boy's dormitory carefully. It was also empty. Hermione smiled and walked in.
The dormitory was a complete mess. 'Just like boys to have a room like this' she thought. Candy wrappers were all over Ron's bed-apparently he found a new source for his muggle candy. A potted plant was on the floor near Neville's bed. She approached it and it snapped at her fingers. And under Harry's bed was- the marauder's map.
"Yes!" said Hermione, scooping up the map and grinning. 'Let's see...oh good, the girl's dormitory. Hermione left the room and went up to her old room.
hr /hr
"Hello, ladies," said Hermione. "Fancy seeing you here."
It was Lavender and Parvati. She hadn't seen them since they put out their Spy Girlz newspaper. Parvati looked up from the Teen Witch magazine she had been reading and gasped.
"Hermione! Um, Lavender- it's Hermione, she's here." Lavender dropped the bottle of nail polish she had been holding. It spilled all over her skirt, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Ahh! It's Hermione! Oh no!" Lavender yelled. Parvati glared at her.
"You forgot the disillusionment charms, didn't you?" Lavender looked down.
"Yeah..."
"And the glamours?"
"Yeah..."
"The cloaking spells?"
"Yes, dammit, all of them!" Hermione laughed.
"All that for me? How sweet" she said, walking towards the two cowering girls.
"Hermione, please don't hurt me. I have a date with Seamus this coming Saturday! Take-take...Parvati! Yeah, take her instead!" Said Lavender, gesturing frantically to Parvati, who smacked her promptly.
"You traitor! I'll have you know I'm not against using you as a human shield!" Parvati hissed. Hermione just smiled.
"Although it would be amusing to see Lavender used as a shield, I'm not going to hurt you guys," said Hermione sweetly. The girls sighed in relief.
"Oh thank you Hermione, I hoped you would see it our way-freedom of the press, you know" said Parvati earnestly. Lavender nodded.
"We were really afraid you'd come to get some kind of revenge, I mean, you aren't called the smartest witch at Hogwarts for nothing!"
"Yeah, we've been given permission in our classes to hide. So we're there, but you just can't see us. The things we put up with for the truth," said Lavender dramatically. "Professor Snape was kind of nice about our...situation, actually. I think he liked our paper," she added.
"Yes, for all our efforts to bring interesting news to Hogwarts-I mean this is what we get!" cried Parvati. Lavender nodded again..
"I know! So totally unfair!" said Lavender.
"I mean, we're sneaking around like cowards because of this!" Parvati said. Clearly this annoyed her greatly.
"Do tell me who you are hiding from," Hermione interrupted smoothly.
They glanced at each other. "Well," said Lavender reluctantly, "Draco Malfoy-" (They sighed at his most wonderful name).
"Ron Weasley."
"Ginny Weasley."
"...You"
"Lauren Gerud-she thinks we're stalking her"
"Half the Slytherin girls..."
"Dean Thomas"
Parvati narrowed her eyes at that one. "Oh please Lavender! You aren't hiding from him. You're throwing yourself at him! Don't think I didn't see you yesterday!" Lavender sniffed. "You're just jealous."
"Anyway," Hermione cut in, "There's something I need you both to do for me."
"Yes?" said Lavender.
" Before I ask for a favor, close your eyes."
"Okayyy..." Hermione whipped out her wand and muttered a spell.
"Open your eyes." They did.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Lavender shouted, staring at her arms.
"EEEEEKKKK!" Parvati screamed, looking in the mirror.
"But Parvati, said Hermione innocently, "I thought you liked pink. And Lavender, obviously purple's your favorite color."
"But not on us!" they sobbed, staring at each other.
Hermione had turned Parvati's skin a hot pink color, and Lavender a deep purple. 'Payback time!'. "That's for giving Malfoy a reason to kiss me, and for embarrassing me and my friends. Don't worry, it will only last for a week. I think. Maybe more. I hope Seamus likes purple."
Lavender rushed forward to attack Hermione. "You little- Purple clashes with my hair! And how DARE you mess with my beautiful smooth skin-which is way more beautiful than Parvati's, by the way. "
"Is not." Parvati said crossly.
Before Lavender reached her, she had her wand out and muttered another spell that turned Lavender's hair green.
"AHHHHH!" Lavender screamed. "My beautiful hair!" Hermione whispered another spell. Lavender's nails turned orange.
"AHHHHHH!" Lavender screamed. "My beautiful nails!" Hermione turned Lavender's ears bright yellow.
"AHHhhh...I'm tired of screaming."
"Does anyone else want to try to attack me?" asked Hermione, savoring her victory.
"No, Hermione!" said Parvati quickly, backing away
"Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't hurt us!"said Lavender, glaring at her.
"Are you lying on the floor bleeding?"
"No..."
"Then I didn't hurt you."
"You're quite scary, you know."
"Thank you. And now, I need your help with something." Lavender snorted.
"Like I'm going to..." Parvati slapped her.
"Of course Hermione, what is it you need?" Parvati said nervously, while shooting annoyed looks at Lavender.
"Well..."
(A/N): I would like to thank harmless platonic relations... for motivating me to update this story. And also for me to plan this all out, at least I know where this is going now, lol. So thanks for all the reviews everyone, and review this chapter if you can.