Title

Among the Serpents

Chapter 4

By

Adrienne Black

Blaise fell onto a couch in the Slytherin Common room exhausted. He had been searching for Potter all day, with no luck. He asked everyone he could think of if they knew where he was, but no one had seen him all day. Alright, Potter where are you? He was staring into the fire as Draco came in an annoyed expression on his face.

"What's up fucker?" Blaise asked curiously.

"That goddamned fucking Potter kicked me out of the Head's common room. Can that git even do that? And of course he waited until Hermione was in the bathroom to do it. He's probably hoping she fucks him or something…"

Draco continued to rambling on as Blaise mentally smacked himself. It never even occurred to him that Potter could be in his room. Not that it mattered, he wouldn't have been able to speak to him in front of Draco and Granger, it would have been too conspicuous.

"Do you think she would?" Draco finished to an uninterested Blaise.

"Would what?"

"Screw him!"

"What? Who? Potter? I don't even think Granger could sink that low," The words escaped Blaise before he could get a chance to twist the opportunity against Granger.

"Oh, well yeah I guess. I'll hex him into Monday if he touches her."

Blaise yawned and retreated to the common room, leaving Draco to fume over Potter, and not a moment too soon. Pansy had just sat on Draco's lap, who looked thoroughly disgusted and pushed her to the floor. She pouted for a bit then went to sit next to him, trying to put her head in his lap, which Draco didn't allow. Blaise stifled a laugh as he entered the Boy's Dormitory.

Harry Potter awoke to a violent knocking on his door, followed by a loud yell "Oi! Potter! Get up you lazy ass!" He turned over in his bed, trying to ignore the annoying girl outside his room, but it kept getting insistently louder. Finally he got up and strode over to his door, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Harry pulled the door open to find Hermione Granger tapping her foot impatiently. He rolled his eyes at the sight of her.

"Why the hell am I awake at," he glanced at his clock, "five o'clock on a Saturday?"

"We need to gather up all the Prefects, we need to start a schedule and start planning for the Winter Ball and…WAKE UP!"

Harry had leaned against the doorway and closed his eyes. He had a late night last night, and the last thing he wanted to do was talk to Granger about Head duties. The fact that this early-morning-schedule-making-Granger was completely out of left field for her.

"Can we talk about this later? I was up late last night," he said through a yawn.

"Ohhh no no no, we're doing this now. I'm not about to be the first Head Girl to throw a horrible Winter Ball."

"Well then can't you just do it without me then?"

"No you insufferable moron! Your Head Boy, I'm Head Girl, we have to do it together. God, what the bloody hell was Dumbledore thinking making you Head Boy. Get up!" she snapped and walked down into the common room.

As she walked away Harry couldn't help but stare at her backside. It was rather nice. Another pang of jealousy surged through him as he realized Ferret Boy could do whatever he wanted to that ass, and all he could do was stare at it.

"Stop looking at me ass, Potter" she said over her shoulder.

He cursed her as she walked away, he didn't think he had been that obvious. He walked out of the doorway and into the bathroom. Before he started he needed a nice cold shower. Twenty minutes later he wrapped a towel around his waste and walked into his room. He couldn't help but notice Granger's eyes following him.

Where the hell is that slacker? Hermione thought to herself. God, I may be a bitch, but at least I'm not an irresponsible git. We could lose our positions for ruining the Winter Solstice Ball… She lost her train of thought as the 'Wonder Boy' walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. Her jaw dropped a little. This was the first time she had ever seen Potter without a shirt on, and she had to admit, she didn't hate it. But I should. But you don't. Her eyes surveyed Potter's body. He had a six pack, not like the perfectly cut six-pack of Malfoy, but it was still there. He had those sexy increases on his pelvic bones. And for a brief instant she wanted him.

Snap out of it, this is Potter here.

Yeah, and Potter's hott.

Draco's better.

You tell yourself that then…

He's a Gryffindor.

I bet he's good in bed.

Stop it!

She blushed as he looked at her with a smirk. The cocky bastard. Now he's going to think I was looking at him. You were. Hermione spent the next five minutes debating with herself. Then Harry walked down the stairs, fully clothed in a brown and yellow stripped polo and washed out jeans. His hair was messy, as always. She had to hand it to him though, he found out how to work his unruly hair to his advantage. He looked like an Abercrombie model the way he wore it now. She cursed her muggle life, and her strange thoughts before turning her attention to Potter. She didn't realize she had been staring at him for an unusual amount of time.

"See something you like?" he said, sounding entirely too cocky.

"Hah, I hope you're not talking about yourself," she replied, forcing out a scoffing laugh.

"Yeah, well it's pretty obvious you want me."

"Sorry Potty, you're getting your signals crossed. You're a conceited, arrogant, cocky…"

"Good, now I know you can use a thesaurus. And I'm not arrogant, I'm charming."

"A blast-ended Skwert has more charm than you."

"Well, I'd like to see a blast-ended Skwert be as good in bed as I am."

"Alright, good I'm glad you shared that with me. Now if you don't mind, I think we should get to work. Or would you rather talk about your cockiness some more?"

"Well my charm is always a good thing to talk about, but I don't find you much of a conversationalist, so lets get started."

Hermione opened a manila folder, filled with empty schedule sheets as well as names of all the prefects, a meeting schedule, and a list of bands available for the Winter Ball. She separated them into piles along the table, and turned up to speak with Potter.

"Well, let's start with a meetings schedule. We'll need to plan around Quidditch, Wizard Chess Club, Charms Club and," she scowled, "The Harry Potter Fan Club." she said the last club with a disgusted tone.

"There's a Wizard Chess club? Oh and was that last one my fan club? Fancy that."

"Oh shove it Potter. Can we just work?"

"Yeah fine, so do you have those club schedules?"

"Yeah, Chess meets every Tuesday, Charms meets Saturday, your revolting fans meet every Saturday. They all meet at four. Quidditch will be a tad more difficult because practices vary."

After four hour of arranging, and rearranging Prefect schedules they finally came to one that would fit everyone's week. They also set up patrolling shifts and finally thought up passwords for the Prefect special rooms. They finished at nine o'clock, just in time to catch the last half hour of breakfast.

"God I'm glad that's over. The only thing is we haven't even touched on the Winter Ball, but I guess it'd be better if we did that during the Prefect meetings. Besides, there's still a good few months before it even takes place, but still… Well, I'll go post these."

Harry cocked an eyebrow at her. He was waking up now and couldn't help but notice her attitude. How odd she was being. He had the impression that she was a slacking, prissy, snob whose Daddy paid her way into the Head Girl's position. And here, quite to the contrary, was know-it-all, schedule-making, task-oriented Slytherin Granger.

He got up, and followed Granger out the door, but instead of turning left to the go to the Great hall, he veered right to Gryffindor common room.

Hermione hurried out of the common room, a bit uncomfortable. She couldn't help but stare at Harry the entire time. Harry? No, Potter. She just couldn't erase his chest from her mind. She shook her head, pinning up the schedules in all the House Common Rooms. Since she was Head Girl she had omni-house password privileges. After she finished she raced down to The Great Hall for the last fifteen minutes of breakfast. Unfortunately she bumped, literally bumped, into Professor Snape as she was running down to eat. She collided with him, and while he didn't move at all, she landed on her backside, all her books and schedules scattering across the corridor.

"Sorry Professor, I didn't see you." she apologized hastily.

"It's quite alright Miss. Granger. May I ask where you are headed?"

She liked Snape for one reason only: he favored Slytherin members above all the other students. Had anyone else but a Slytherin ran into him, as she just did, they would have received detention and at least fifty points from their house for not paying attention. Other than this reason, she wasn't very fond of the Potions master.

"Just on my way to breakfast."

"It's rather late, what, may I inquire, kept you? Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini were there." He said slyly. Truth be the matter, she was sure Snape wasn't very fond of her either. If she wasn't in Slytherin she thought he might despise her. This was clearly his way of noising around her business. He probably thought she had been making all kinds of trouble.

"Well Professor, Potter and I had to make up Prefect meeting schedules. A most grueling task given the company I had to endure," she hoped this would soften him up, since she knew as well as anyone else Snape despised Potter and his wonder-friends.

"Ah, quite understandable. Well don't let me keep you Miss Granger."

"Thank you, Professor. I hope you have an enjoyable Saturday," she smiled, and continued on her way.

Professor Snape stalked off to his office. The insufferable mudblood ran into him, and because she was a Slytherin (for God knows what reason) he couldn't take any points, or even reprimand her. She was Malfoy's little pet, which infuriated him even more. How could that boy not know, not realize. Even Zabini could tell there was something wrong with the girl. The worst part was, he couldn't even announce her for the disgrace she is, for it would sully the pure name of Slytherin. All he could do is hope it revealed itself in time. Thank goodness he was an accomplished occlumens, otherwise he might have treated the girl favorably.