Chapter 10: Paranoid Hermione

Disclaimer: I own everything that J.K has never used.

Draco had joined her table in Arithmacy, taking over half of the surface while pulling up the seat next to her. If he hadn't of been the only Slytherin in the class, she would have suspected foul play. Soon class began and she put the ferret out of her mind.

Just before class ended, Draco passed a note to her, causing her to loose her count and concentration on the task in front of her. She shot the blond a dirty glare before glancing down at the scroll paper.

Heard you have a date with Cameron, what could he see in you?

She was dumbstruck by the abruptness of the question. Recovering quickly, she grabbed her quill and scribbled away furiously before tossing it at his face.

For your information, not all males are looking for sex in a relationship. He asked me out for drinks to get to know me better.

Draco thought for a moment, a line forming in the middle of his platinum brows. After a moment he wrote carefully, almost as if he was trying to weigh his words and the impact they would have.

What does your soul mate think of that?

He watched the look of shock cross her face. Draco knew what she had been reading over the past few days, and had seen the lists she had subconsciously made in her fits of writing.

How do you know about that?

Your not the only one who goes to the library.

Fine, what do you know about soul mates then?

His trademark smirk fell into place when he read her question. Being of true Slytherin tendencies, he had the notion of making her believe that he was her soul mate, that was until Professor Snape's words from breakfast crossed his mind.

"Be careful about trying to trick the girl, she has been paired with a Weasley and I have already seen his temper run hot with Mr. Ferguson. If you can get her to believe you are the one, do not hesitate. The Dark Lord has many plans for the girl and wishes her to be on our side."

I know that when you accept your soul mate, inner peace fills you.

This caused her to pause, there was no reference to inner peace so far in the book, only eternal happiness. Maybe that was in a chapter she had yet to read.

Alright Mr. I-Know-Everything, who is my soul mate then?

Will you accept him if I told you?

It depends on who it is.

The bell rang at that point, causing both of them to jump. Hermione quickly grabbed her things together before heading towards the door. Just as she reached the opening, she felt a hand on her arm, and looking back she saw it was Draco's.

"Meet me in Hogsmead on Saturday and I will tell you who it is."

He winked before walking out of the classroom, heading down towards Transfiguration, leaving Hermione to stand there in utter shock and dismay. She had been hoping to find out today, but that only strengthened her resolve to finish the book in a day.

She sat down to dinner that night, not noticing that she had almost sat in George's lap. When a sharp ow reached her ears, it brought her back to reality.

"Sorry George, I have a lot of things on my mind, did I hurt you?" She asked him while slightly rubbing the spot she had sat upon.

He drew a sharp intake of breath before grabbing her hand in his and moving it back to the table.

"No Mione, I just had a bluger hit me at practice earlier."

She noticed that a slight pink tinge had hit his ears and silently wondered why that would be, until her mind registered the loss of contact between them. For some reason it had felt, right, to hold his hand in hers, almost as if it belonged there.

Food soon appeared on the table, and with it Ron and Harry entering the Great Hall. They were whispering back in forth, but stopped as soon as they saw her.

"Hey Hermione, how are you feeling?" Ron asked with a concerned look upon his face.

"Alright you two, out with it."

"What do you mean?" Harry countered.

"You know very well what I mean, what have you two been getting into now?"

"We haven't been getting into anything, we just care about how your feeling."

"You know that's rubbish as well as I do Ronald, now fess up."

The boys looked between each other before sitting down on the opposite side of the table as her and leaned in. This caused Hermione and George to lean in so their conversation would not be overheard.

"We heard a rumor from some of the Hufflepuffs that you've found your soul mate. I had to explain why it was so important to Harry, but you haven't heard the worst part of it."

"A rumor, seriously Ronald, you would believe in a rumor?"

George just leaned in closer to his brother, a look of questioning crossed his face.

"Who is it Ron?"

"They've been saying it's Malfoy. They saw them passing notes in Arithmacy today, and after class Draco asked her to meet him in hogsmead so he could tell her who it is."

"Do you think it's him?" George pressed on as Hermione's face took on a look of surprise.

"Not sure, the Ravenclaws have been spreading the same rumor, but that it's Cameron instead of Malfoy."

It was as if her entire private life was thrown out for all of Hogwarts to see. Two of the three people she had considered since she had gotten the book, were out for everyone to see and to speculate. Soon there would be wild accusations that she had rejected one and doomed him to live his life in utter turmoil, or that she was just leading them both on.

She leaned back on the bench to try to get enough air to clear her head. By doing this, she had a clear view of the entire hall, and it felt like every single pair of eyes were upon her, watching her, criticizing her every move and the way she looked.

Hermione pushed herself off the bench and quickly made her way from the hall, still feeling the eyes watching her practically run down the isles to the oak doors. No sooner had she cleared the hall though, she bumped into one of the few people she didn't want to see right then and almost fell to the floor in the process. If not for his quick reflexes, she might have.

"Sorry Cam, wasn't watching where I was going."

She found herself yet again wrapped in her arms, and the feeling of something missing pervaded her mind. She pushed away slightly, trying to be able to look at his face to gauge his expression.

"It's ok Mione. Are you hurt?"

"No, just trying to get away from a bad situation."

He seemed slightly confused but snapped out of it as she pulled even more away from him.

"Why don't you let me walk you up to your Common room? It's the least I can do."

She was a bit unsure, the presence of still being watched lingered on her, but she still nodded her head. Cameron ushered her up the stairs while two pairs of eyes followed them up without being aware of the other.

(A/N: R&R please. Any speculation on who is watching them, and what will happen next?)