Disclaimer: I wish we owned Harry Potter but sadly, we don't.
Sharcele
Chapter One:
My head was reeling as I resisted the urge to cry out in frustration. I clutched the heart-shaped locket that rested on the base of my neck, it was a gift from my parents during our last Christmas together.
My parents. The last news that I've heard about them was that they haven't been located yet. Sucks for me, doesn't it?
As I sat on a boulder, I barely regarded the darkening skies. I wasn't that bothered by the fact that it was about to rain. I had millions of problems and by the looks of things, nobody can or will help me solve them. Let's start off with one of my biggest and worst problems. The person that hates me, Ronald.
If you want to make it shorter then, Ron.
I knew he had quite a temper, I also knew that he could be nastier than Ginny, but I never expected him to lash out like that.
Who knows how much damage he would've inflicted on the burrow if Harry hadn't restrained him.
But then again Harry paid the price.
Well it wasn't actually a price in the form of money. It was more like he paid the price in the form of a broken nose and a blackened-eye.
I admit, It was all my fault, but who can blame me? I just thought that by breaking up with Ron, I was setting him free. I mean, I wasn't completely happy with him and it was clear that he wasn't happy with me either so I did what any sensible woman would have done, I broke his heart.
But that was a month ago, surely Ron wouldn't be that mad at me anymore considering that we did share a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. True, he would repeatedly glare at me when he thought I wasn't looking but that doesn't exactly mean he's still mad, right?
I pounded a fist against my head as I scolded myself mentally. I had the sudden urge to bang my head against a concrete wall until it bled crimson red, thick drops of blood. I'm sure that would be quite satisfying, considering that my brain actually needs a good blow, preferably one that would induce pain and suffering, before it starts functioning properly.
I slowly made my way towards the castle, my robes billowing behind me as I walked, when I heard the distant sound of flapping wings; I spun around to find an owl with pure white feathers and an angled beak making it's way towards me. I knew that owl, it was Professor McGonagall's owl, Dionysus.
It hastily dropped an injudiciously wrapped letter on the ground in front of me before it flapped its wings again and headed towards the direction it came from. I grumbled under my breath before picking up the letter and opening it.
Dear Ms. Granger,
Your company is requisite. Please meet me in my office after supposedly receiving this letter. The password for the gargoyle is 'chatte'. We will be expecting you Ms. Granger.
Professor McGonagall
I arched an eyebrow curiously. Professor McGonagall isn't the type of person who would owl someone in the middle of a meal time just so she could discuss the latest fashionable robes on the market.
In fact, she doesn't really owl anyone unless it's completely important.
"So much for my depression session" I groaned
As I walked towards the direction of the towers I let my thoughts drift off to fairy land. I just hoped that the meeting wouldn't take that long. I had a misery meeting with myself to attend.
I whispered the password to the gargoyle statue and it jumped to the side. I stepped on the spiral stone staircase and rode it all the way to the highly polished oak doors with the entrance closing behind me.
I knocked on the brass knocker that was a shape of a griffin three times before a tall, rather severe-looking woman, with black hair opened the oak doors. She was wearing an emerald green robe, a pointed hat, and she wore a prim expression on her face. Slytherin colors huh? Who would have thought that the Head of the Gryffindor house would ever wear something in Slytherin's house colors.
"Good evening Professor McGonagall" I said politely. She ushered me into the room and closed the door behind us. My breath caught and I found myself incapable of movement. I simply couldn't move for I was smitten by the sight before me.
The oak doors opened into a large and beautiful circular room with windows, at least one of which faced east with a view of some of the mountains surrounding the castle. I snapped out of my trance, not because Professor McGonagall cleared her throat as she sat behind her enormous desk, but because I felt the spine-chilling feeling that someone was watching me.
I twisted my head a little to the side and had the greatest, most annoying, shock of my entire life! Well, to be perfectly honest, I haven't even lived half of my life yet but still, at that moment It felt like the greatest shock that I would ever experience in my life.
Draco Malfoy was staring at me as if he was drilling a pencil through my skull. He smirked at me before pulling on one of the corners of his mouth to utter my surname.
"Granger" he uttered, looking highly amused. His sleek white-blond hair was slicked back, giving me a good view of his stormy gray eyes and his pale face.
He appeared quite thinner than usual, there were dark shadows under his eyes and his skin had a slight grayish color to them. He was wearing his usual Slytherin robes and he was smirking that awful smirk of his right at me.
"Good evening ferret face" I said, sarcasm mixed with hatred and anguish dripped from my words.
"What do you think makes the evening so good?" he retorted with a dashing, debonair smile in place.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and conjured up a wooden chair, similar to that of Malfoy's
"I trust you both have received my owls. I also suppose that you know I have called you here for a reason." She started when Malfoy interrupted her rudely
"Clearly Professor since you would have no other reason to give your password away to a mudblood"
I scowled at him and he gave me an innocent look that would've been convincing if not for the mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"Please restrain yourselves so we may discuss the matter at hand" the Professor scoffed. "I have appointed both of you as the heads"
I looked at Malfoy and he looked right back at me. I saw something pass through his face and that was when my brain suddenly registered what Professor McGonagall straight-forwardly said.
Malfoy and I bolted from our seats.
"What?!" we shrieked at the same time. "My apologies for not informing you earlier, since I had chosen different heads I never had the time to owl you before that the heads I originally appointed have certain problems to deal with, causing them to be unable to take their eighth year" she explained with an apologetic look gracing her face.
Head Girl. I've always dreamed of being the head girl but if that means that I had to breath and share the same oxygen with—with that—thing! Then I would gladly plot my own death, I'd even arrange the funeral myself.
I sat back down, trying to regain my composure. Malfoy was still standing with his head held high. "Professor McGonagall, I am deeply honored to be head boy but at least pick a better head girl" he said with both his palms flat on the Headmistress' desk. I rolled my eyes at his stunningly horrendous ego. "Sod off Malfoy!" I hissed, standing up and managing to topple down the chair that I was sitting on.
"Mr. Malfoy, I assure you that Ms. Granger is the best. Her grades are the best in your year and I think that making both of you the heads will promote house unity among the students" the petulant Headmistress claimed
"Isn't there any other person who can take her place?" Malfoy pleaded "Uh, one question Malfoy" I started, anger boiling deep down in my veins "Are you five years of age, no, better question, are you an imbecile?" I laughed at the fury clouding his eyes as he paled.
"If you do not shut your mouth Granger, believe me, a head WILL roll" he threatened For a moment I forgot that the Headmistress was standing right there with us. Just one fleeting moment but that, I guess, was enough.
"Yes, you do that, seeing as it's the only thing you've ever been good at you vile murderer!" I scowled. Malfoy went silent. "You think I had a choice Granger" his cool demeanor was slowly peeling off, bit by bit. "I didn't have a choice you stupid mudblood!" he shrieked.
I raised my wand as he raised his. I'm was ready to use an 'unforgivable' on him, "Petrificus Totalus" The headmistress suddenly exclaimed, shocking me down to my core. "After I release you from this spell I want you both to sit down and hear me out. If you ever act like children again I will see to it that you will get the PROPER punishment" there was a hint of utter malevolence in her voice. She lifted the spell and as told, Malfoy and I both sat down with a loud thump, Malfoy because he managed to sit on his chair and me because I had completely forgotten that I had knocked my chair to the floor in my fury.
I blushed crimson red and fixed myself up, along with my chair and my robes.
"You two will work together for the unity of the houses. You will share the heads' dorm which consists of one bathroom, two bedrooms and a common room. If I ever hear of the Heads misbehaving I will. . ."
"See to it that we get the proper punishment. We know, we know" Malfoy interrupted her statement, rudely. The headmistress glared at him "Now, you may both go. Your trunks are already in your assigned rooms, please proceed there and I shall make the announcement tomorrow" Professor McGonagall waved us away.
I stood up, groggily. I felt as if I was signing my own death certificate.
As the gargoyle statue closed the entrance, I stared at Malfoy as he headed for the dungeons, probably to the Slytherin common room to cool off. I felt a cool hand on my shoulder and I shrieked in surprise.
I spun around to face the person who shocked my life out of me. It was Ron.
He looked hesitant, as if he didn't want to be there in the first place. He scratched a spot behind his neck, which was what he usually did when he was nervous or upset. I just hoped it wasn't the latter.
"Ron?"I asked, clearly baffled by the fact that he was still standing there. "Hermione, can we talk" he said, I looked up to meet his heavy gaze. His red hair covered his face which gave me the disadvantage of being unable to read his expression. He was wearing his robes, his black sneakers peeking out from beneath them.
"Hm.. Yeah sure" I said, half-alarmed and half-nervous. "Look Hermione, I know that you're guilty about hurting me and I'm not going to lie, it really was your fault" He started.
"At first I was mad at you for not seeing the potential that we had, we would've been something much more but then again I thought back and realized that it was your loss, anyway" He stopped, clearly out of breath. After taking a few gulps of air he finally finished what he was about to say "I forgive you"
"What?" I asked, still puzzled. "I forgive you, blimey, were you always this deaf?" I felt a jolt of annoyance when he said this but I gave him a hug, anyway.
"Thank You Ron" I said, smiling slightly. Although Ron was a completely conceited git I didn't mind. All I cared about was that I had my best friend back and that he wasn't mad at me anymore.
He wrapped his arms around me hesitantly "So we're friends then?" he asked. "Always" I answered and gave him a grin at him. He chuckled softly then let go of me slowly. He laughed, a sort of nervous laugh. It was cold and unlike him. His laugh didn't twinkle in his eyes like it did before. I had a feeling that something was wrong but I pushed it aside because what mattered at that moment was that I had my best friend back.
"Well come on then, I'll walk you to the heads' dorm" He grabbed my hand roughly as he strode aong the corridors, dragging me behind him.
"How did you know?" I inquired, curiously. "Well. I- I. Well. You see I-I have my-my sources" he stumbled out but I couldn't care less, Ron was my friend and he would never lie to me. "I'm glad we're friends again" I said and we started walking hand-in-hand towards the heads' dorms, leaving behind the pitter patter of our shoes as it collided on the stone pavement.
I knocked furiously at the door. "Malfoy let me in!" I screamed.
As promised, Ron walked me to the heads' dorm and after sharing goofy grins he left me standing there, normally he wouldn't have, like before but I waved it off thinking that I was just being paranoid.
I was about to whisper the password to the portrait of a little girl and a little boy holding hands when realization dawned on me that I didn't know what the password was! I assumed that Malfoy was already inside since I felt the very presence of a slithering snake.
"So anxious to sleep near my awesome marvelous presence now are we, Granger?" Malfoy smirked, stepping outside of the portrait. I pushed past him took my time to examine our common room.
Our common room was decorated with scarlet and emerald tapestries, which were hung on the walls. The tapestries depicted witches and wizards, who I assumed were previous head boys and head girls. In the center of the room were two armchairs adjacent to one another, one of which was plush red while the other was verdigris green. A window looked out onto the grounds of the school, and a large fireplace dominated one of the walls. The whole room was obviously themed 'house unity' if you ask me.
I turned to face a literally fuming ferret clad in emerald green boxers. Merlin! He looked like a teapot. Suddenly I had the urge to sing a certain muggle nursery rhyme that my mum had taught me when I was the age of five. "I'm a little teapot, short and stout" I began to sing. Malfoy looked at me incredulously "Here is my handle and here is my stout" I sang to annoy the ferret.
"Annoyed that I ignored you when I walked in, Malfoy?" Hermione teased.
"Not, really. I knew you were still too fazed about your latest snog session with the ferret" Draco shot back with a triumphant look.
"Oh, shut up you-you disgusting ferret! And put some clothes on for Pete's sake!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs. "Me? Me? You're the one who needs to SHUT UP! You SODDING MUDBLOOD! Regarding the thing with what I'm wearing you have no right to judge me since I own myself!" he yelled "Judge you? JUDGE Y-O-U? I assure you that I did nothing of the sort you pitiful little snake!" I spat.
He began blabbing on about how I was going to die for talking to a pureblood like that. I, on the other hand, simply tuned him out.
"Are you listening to me? I…" I rushed to where he was, intending to put my hands around his neck and just... twist! Twist until his eyes pop out and his breath comes in short, shallow gasps.
I stopped short when I was hit by his scent. It was tantalizing and sweet. It smelled like... It smelled like... I was tempted to sniff him but somehow I knew that he would take that in a seriously disgusting, and perverted way.
"Silencio!" I flicked my wand instead and he realized that he couldn't exactly hear himself speaking.
I stormed to the room, which was pretty obvious since my initials were plastered on the door (I don't know if it was my initials or if it was supposed to mean 'head girl')I looked back at Malfoy and said "Aguamenti" then a jet of water shot out from the tip of my wand. Oh I remembered he was wearing boxers alright. That would teach him to dress up properly next time we see each other.
I ran inside my room and closed the door behind me, thankful that I didn't get to see the effects of my spell. I leaned on the door, breathing heavily. I felt a smile inching on my lips. I've never felt more satisfied before.
That would teach him alright. I stood up and walked over to my bed, I heaved myself on it, too tired to unpack. Too tired for anything but sleep.
My hands shot up to my neck, I habit I had before falling asleep, and realized something. Something was missing.
It took a moment for me to register what exactly was missing but when I did I felt myself break down.
My locket was missing.