Chapter III: Peppermints
"She's with that bloody git again!" Draco thought furiosly as the Slytherins and Gryffindors filed outside Snape's classroom down at the dungeons. He just spotted Blaise and Hermione together AGAIN.
He had tried to approach her at breakfast...but Blaise was with her. He tried to talk to her when he spotted her sitting alone by the lake but the moment that he took a step closer, Blaise suddenly appeared from nowhere and sat beside her. He approached her during lunch even if Ron and Harry were with her (at least Blaise isn't) but again, much to his displeasure, Blaise entered the Great Hall and headed towards the Gryffindor table to eat. So, he was forced to insult Ron, Harry and Hermione instead. There were some exchanges of snide remarks and he left, with Ron, Harry and Hermione glaring after him.
He just wanted to talk to her WITHOUT Blaise tailing her like some pretenious drooling dog.
"It's not like I REALLY want to talk to her." Draco insisted inwardly. "I just have to prove something to that git that I can have any girl I want. Even that insufferable know-it-all mudblood Granger! It's not like I really REALLY like her! That would be disgusting, just thinking of it makes me wanna puke!"
"Mr. Malfoy..." Snape's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Y-Yes?"
"Do you want to stay outside or come in with the rest of the class?" He coldly stated.
Draco suddenly noticed that he's the only one standing outside the Potion's classroom. Without a glance at Snape, he went inside the classroom and choose the only remaining vacant desk which is with Millicent Bulstrode. She gave him a wide, toad-like smile as he sat down.
Snape grouped the class in two for the potion's activity for the day and much to Draco's fury, Hermione was partnered with Blaise and he was stuck with Millicent. He often glances at them that he doesn't notice that he was putting wrong ingredients at his potion.
"That git..." He thought furiously as Hermione laughed at something Blaise said about the crocodile skin he's holding.
"Draco..." Millicent said as she scanned the book. "It says here we have to add the eye of newt first, stir the potion for 3 minutes, then add the diced dragon liver."
"Yeah...whatever." Draco mumbled, his eyes still narrowed.
"Ok, I'll dice the dragon liver. Just add the newt and stir."
"Fine..."
Millicent busied herself with the dragon liver while Draco, eyes still plastered on Blaise and Hermione, picked up something he thought was eye of newt on the table...when actually...
"Draco! What are you doing?! It says here eye of - AAARRGGHH!"
The potion exploded. Green potion splattered the walls and some students, Millicent got a facefull. She cried as small boils and tentacles began to sprout on her face.
She was taken to the hospital wing and so are some of the students who also sprouted boils and tentacles.
"Mr. Malfoy..." Snape said in his monotonous tone as the rest of the class went out. "You need to establish carefuleness next time."
"Right..." Draco mumbled, partly unaware of what he's hearing.
"Is there something wrong? Are you sick? You seem..." Snape heaved a sigh. "...distracted."
"No I'm not. I just have to go now." Draco picked up his bag.
But as he walked out of the room, Snape called back and said...
"10 points will be deducted for your clumsiness." He hid a small smirk. "And maybe next time, I'll partner you with Granger, if that's what you want and to avoid disasters too."
Draco's head snapped back.
"Wh-What? I-I'm not..." He sputtered.
"Class is over Mr. Malfoy." He beckoned him out. "Good bye."
Draco's heart thumped on his chest as he climbed up the stairs.
"Stupid Snape! Assuming that I REALLY have it in for that stupid Mudblood!" He thought furiously as he climbed up the stairs, bumping several students as he went. "She's filthy! And I'm not as stupid as Blaise to mingle with the likes of her." Draco's face screwed in disgust. "That moron.."
And so, he kept on grumbling to himself insults and reasons why Blaise Zabini should be tortured to death. He went outside, deciding it would be nice to calm himself by reading a book by the lake, under the shade of a tree.
He absentmindedly put his bag down and sat, his back leaning against a large oak tree. He opened his bag, pulled, How To Be The "It" In Quidditch, and started to read. All of a sudden, he heard a sneeze form someone he assumed that is sitting behind the large oak tree. He didn't mind it at first...that is, until he heard...
"Oh my, I think I'm gonna be si-" She hadn't got the change to finish her sentence as she let out a violent sneeze again. "Oooh, I think I've got cold." She rubbed her red nose. "Darn, I have to study tonight for my quiz tomorrow, I c-can't-"She sneezed again.
Draco was rooted on the spot, his book lay forgotten on his lap. The cogs on his mind worked furiously...
"There's Granger, go and talk to her!" Said a small voice at the back of his head.
"Why would I?!" He protested.
"Because you've been wanting to talk to her for ages!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"I said no!"
He clasped a hand on his mouth too late. Hermione heard him and she peered from the other side of the tree.
"What're you doing here?" She demanded.
"What's that got to do with you anyway?" He said fiercly.
"Malfoy, you-!" She failed in stringing the sentence again as she sneezed.
Draco's couldn't help but smile a little bit. Her eyes were watery, her nose was red and her cheeks were slightly pink. He didn't know why but for some reason, she looked cute...
"Crap! What the hell is happening to me?!" He mentally kicked himself. Then, he noticed Hermione look at him strangely and quickly replaced the small smile with a smirk.
"Git.." She muttered but he still heard it.
"Mudblood..." He snarled.
"Ferret face."
"Bushy-haired freak."
"Idiot."
"Know-it-all"
"I'd rather be a know-it-all than a stupid prat who can't brew a relatively simple potion!" She retorted back.
"Granger, for your information, I was just distracted!" He said hotly.
She looked at him and scoffed. "You and your lame excuses to get you out of humiliation Malfoy. You're an arro-AACCHOO!" She sneezed again and sneezed. Draco's watching her, amused at how someone with a bad cold can still look...well...nice.
"What?!" She snapped as she noticed that he's staring at her.
Draco didn't speak and still watched her intently as she wipes her red nose with a handkerchief.
"Where's your boyfriend Blaise anyway?" He mocked. Something twinged on his chest as he said the word 'boyfriend' but he ignored it.
"For your information, Blaise is not my boyfriend." She huffed. "And he's in the infirmary, thanks to you and your stupid potion!'
"So Blaise has tentacles and boils now, how fun." He laughed inwardly. "Oh well, you should thank me, with those tentacles and boils, he's must be better looking right now.
"You know Malfoy, as much as I enjoy this little chat with you, I have other more important things to do!" She sardonically said, stood up and collected her things. She started to walk away when he called her.
"Granger!"
"What?!" She irritably stated.
"Here." He threw something at her. She caughed it and noticed that it was peppermint candy.
"What's this for?"
"It cures cold..." He simply stated, sat back down, opened a book and started reading again.
Hermione curiously glanced to him and the candy in her hand. And with a last look at Malfoy, she stalked off to the library...
Draco lifted his eyes off the book as Hermione walked away. He lets out the breath he's been holding and his heart rate seems to return to normal. The odd feeling in his chest and in his stomach is back again. As they were talking a while ago, he feels like his chest is going to burst and his stomach is churning badly it's like he ate live, squiggly worms for breakfast. But of course, being an expert in hiding his emotions, he was able to conceal this from her.
"Merlin, what's happening to me..." He ran a hand to his platinum blonde hair and heaved a breath again.
Come to think of it, the conversation they just had was the most civil one he could remember. And he felt, well, good about that. He never had the chance to see her upclose but as he stared at her a while ago, he noticed she's actually pretty...
"Pretty..." Draco mumbled. "I-I suppose..."
He thought of Pansy and the other girls who's going gaga over him. And then, he thought about Hermione. Hermione was a simple, clever girl who loves to read books and camp in the library as long as life would permit her whereas Pansy and those others care so much about their looks, puts so much make-up in their faces which they thought looked good when actually they look more of a clown and flirts with every boy that passes them by the corridor. Hermione actually is the only girl who has the nerve to pick a fight with him. He remembered how she hit him on their third year. It did hurt but afterwards, he could help but be amazed at her guts. He didn't voice this out loud of course...
"I'm going nuts..." He stared in the lake and watched the third years poke the tentacles of the giant squid with a stick while laughing madly. "I'm thinking of Granger right now. Yeah, I 'am going nuts."
Granger...It felt good saying it. But of course, he rarely calls her that and often referrs to her as "Mudblood". The truth is, he didn't care much about the purity of blood anymore. His father is a pureblood but look where he is right now, in Azkaban, locked with his other pureblood buddies. Now that Voldemort's gone and everything is at peace again, he couldn't help thinking that, maybe -just maybe- he can try to change. For starters, he can stop calling Hermione mudblood. But as he thought of it, what will be his excuse for talking to her if he quits on insulting her? He didn't know why but he felt like his day isn't complete when he never hears her speak or see her.
"D-Does that mean I-I like her...?" Draco asked uncertaintly to himself. "B-But I can't...I don't want to..."
He shrugged, leaned back at the tree and buried his face in his hands...
"Why? Why can't you like her." Said the same, small voice in his head.
"Because I don't want to..." He firmly stated.
"Why is that...?"
"I just don't want to!"
"Is it because of Blaise? That you think you cannot compete with him because you reckon you couldn't win..?"
Draco stood up, fuming and annoyed. He hurried off to the Slytherin common room and tried to brush away the infuriating voice inside his head...
Hermione sat alone on the back of the library, trying to focus on the book she's reading. But for some reason, her vision keeps on landing at the peppermint candy he gave him which is on top of the desk. He said its cure for her cold. But why did he even give her that? It makes no sense. She picked it up and examined it.
"This can be a trick, maybe it's poison or some kind of food that can do funny things to the eater." She thought. But before she can even fathom more about the candy, she let out a sneeze again. She wiped her nose and her watery eyes. "I need to study for Arithmancy tomorrow and I can't afford to be sick. Professor Vector warned us that it's going to be difficult and I can't fail!"
She examined the candy again, trying to make up her mind.
"If something bad happens, I can always dock points from Slytherin and give him detention he'll never forget." She started to open the wrapper but still eyed it skeptically. "Ok, maybe I'll take the risk...I have to study and this stupid cold is getting in my way."
"Well, here goes."
She closed her eyes and popped the candy in her mouth. She sucked it for minutes and to her surprise, a warm sensation spreads in her entire body. Then, she felt that she can breath normally again and the clog on her nose was gone. Her cold was cured.
"He wasn't lying..." She thought. Then, without second thought, she picked up her bag and books and headed outside. She's going to thank Draco. But as she scanned the ground, he was no longer there. Her shoulders dropped and felt disappointed.
"Maybe tomorrow..."
"Hermione!" She whipped around to see Blaise running towards her, boil and tentacle-free.
"Hey..." She smiled. "I'm glad to see you're ok."
"Yeah, me too." He smiled back. "Madam Pomfrey made us drink 4 disgusting potions before it's finally gone."
She giggled. "All right then, do you want to study with me?"
Blaise's face lightened and his smile widened even more. "I sure do."
"Ok, let's head on to the library then."
Blaise nodded and followed her, feeling elated.
The next morning, Hermione headed to the Great Hall with Blaise as usual. She greeted Ron and Harry as she sat down.
"Ron!" She said, exasperated as she watched Ron stuff two sausages in his mouth. "Will you please act like a human and not like a pig?!"
"Amhangry!" Was all Ron can say as he took a bite of the egg too.
Harry and Blaise laughed while Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed a toast.
Then, she noticed Draco enter the Great Hall with Crabbe and Goyle. He's looking annoyed and for some reason, haggard. As he sat down at the Slytherin table, Hermione stood up.
"Where're you going?" Harry asked.
"I just need to do something." Then, to their surprise, she headed to the Slytherin table.
"Malfoy..." She started. Draco looked up at her and she noticed that he looked fatigued indeed. "The candy you gave me yesterday, it worked. Thank you.." She gave him a smile before she headed back to the Gryffindor table.
Draco was left with his mouth hanging open, he noticed this and quickly closed them. She smiled at me! He wiped the sleep off his eyes, he's wide awake now. The truth is, he didn't get much sleep last night as she kept entering in his mind.
His eyes landed on Blaise and saw that he was looking at him. And Draco couldn't help it, he gave him the famous Malfoy smirk...
NOTE OF THE AUTHOR: Yay! dances I updated! I updated! Thank you so much for reading! Especially to -jellyacey-, mantarisenja, D.M. lover, ginsensu, danavalkyrie, cosmopolitan, Jenny-Beth, Avanell, xMidnightWingsx, vikkiitori, clarealexandra and katrin4p for the wonderful reviews . See you in the next chappie!