Chapter three: the blood of a confused teenager

Draco walked blindly out of the bathroom, he had forgotten about Granger. This was going to be hard, sharing a bathroom for an entire year with a mudblood. It just wasn't fair, why should he have to share? He couldn't believe his luck; he should have just stayed in bed. He hated himself for thinking that Granger was hot, he was supposed to be like the Dark Lord and remove himself from everybody, especially a mudblood. Draco heard the bath running and no matter what he told himself he couldn't stop his imagination from thinking about Hermione in the bath, and how much he wanted to be in there with her even though it would never happen.

Draco would never admit it to anyone but he found Hermione to be attractive and so even if he wouldn't do anything about it, he could still look at her. Draco felt a smirk slide across his face; he had come up with a brilliant plan. Draco walked across his room to the bathroom door; he didn't have to make these living arrangements any easier for poor Granger.

Draco wrenched open the bathroom door and stormed inside, making as much noise as possible. He looked over to the bath and saw that Granger had used bubbles. She let out a screech and moved to cover herself up. Draco smirk grew even bigger as he saw the look of utter surprise cross Hermione's face.

'DRACO! GET OUT OF HERE!'

Draco let out a laugh; he had never heard her so high pitched.

'Why should I? It is my bathroom too and I need to use it.'

With that Draco walked over to the sink, picked up his wand and started to perform his usual grooming charms.

'I'm in the bath, Draco. I need my privacy.'

Hermione had gotten over her shock enough so that she was comprehensible again. Draco turned to look at her and realised just how naked she was. She was sitting upright with her arms crossed over her chest. With the water dripping down her face and onto her shoulder she looked extremely beautiful, like a fallen angel. He stopped what he was doing, an easy hair charm, and just looked at her.

'Take a picture, Draco, it will last longer.'

Even though Draco didn't know what she meant exactly, he knew that it meant she was pissed off and it made him happier.

'A cat can look at a queen, can't it, Hermione?'

Hermione scowled up at Draco and he took it as a sign that he should leave while he still had four limbs. He walked over to his door and then, as a last minute decision, blew her a kiss.

'Ciao bella.'

Draco walked into his room and silently laughed to himself, even though it was going to be a long year, he was going to make it as fun as possible.

Hermione sat in the bath, more shocked than she had ever been in her life. She could hardly believe what had just happened. Even though a lot of things had happened in that short time he was in the bathroom but the one thing Hermione felt was the most important thing was how he looked at her. HE looked at her as though she was a woman, like he was attracted to her. No one had ever looked at her like that before; everyone just saw her as a book with legs and treated her accordingly. But her enemy looked at her as though he thought she was beautiful which was just beyond words.

Hermione couldn't understand it, he hated her and yet, the way he looked at her made her think it might be something else. Hermione mentally shook her head; that was just stupid. She finished up in the bath and stepped out, getting ready for the day. When she was ready she walked back into her room and put on her school robes and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, strands of hair already falling out. She walked out of her room and went over to the little kitchenette to make a cup of tea, noticing a note on the kitchen table. She picked it up and her eyes widened in surprise at the contents.

Draco and Hermione,

To further prove that Slytherins and Gryffindors can get along the teachers and I would like you two to eat at meals together. Breakfast with Gryffindor, dinner with Slytherin and you can choose what to do for lunch. Thank you for your understanding.

Professor Dumbledore.

Hermione could barely believe the audacity of Dumbledore, thinking that this would solve the problem. The school was going to have a field day with this and dinner with the Slytherins? Hermione shuddered at the thought of eating with those monsters. It was one thing to expect them to share a bathroom but to spend all meals together? This was going to be awful! Especially seeing as they had a lot of the same classes. There was no way they were going to last for a month let alone an entire year.

Draco's door creaked opened, reminding Hermione that she would have to tell Draco the news. Without looking at Draco she held out the note.

'Here, you should read this.'

Draco took the note without saying anything. Hermione could feel him stiffen without even looking at him and she knew he had finished reading.

'What? Eat together? This is insane.'

Hermione nodded her head numbly and let out a sardonic laugh, this was insane. Dumbledore was expecting way too much of them. Draco thrust the note back in Hermione's hand.

'I don't believe this. There is no way I'm eating with The-boy-who-just-wont-die.'

Hermione swiveled to face Draco.

'Don't you dare say that. That's a horrible thing to say. Do you think I want to eat with the slimy Slytherins? Of course not. But I know better than to complain. So why don't you just give it a rest.'

And with that, Hermione stormed out of the kitchenette and out of their rooms, all thoughts of him finding her attractive flew out of her head. She was just too mad.