Author's Note:
Happy Saturday! (If you're reading this the day I post it, but if not, just have a happy day in general)
I'm about to leave in an hour or so for my grandmother's house, but i luckily managed to get this story finished and posted on my regular weekend schudual before leaving.
I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. I personaly had a lot of feels while writing the last part especially.
Don't forget to favorite and leave positive/encoraging reveiws!
CHAPTER FIVE
Wandering thoughts
"Draco!" I yelled down the crowded hall of students poring out of the doors on all sides. I pushed my way through towards where he was walking, thankfully by himself, careful to protect the brown paper package in my hands. Why was I even attempting to be nice to him? Honestly, I had no idea. He was pompous and arrogant and yet I still felt like I owed him this after all that had happened. Plus, I was being the bigger person that he would never be. I was, in fact, still becoming slightly frustrated at the fact that my feeble cries went unnoticed.
"Hey, Draco!" I yelled once more, and finally he turned his head ever-so-slightly, but enough for him to see my waving arms. With a questioning and irritated look, he stopped near the wall and waited as I came towards him. "What is it, Granger?" He asked, obviously annoyed.
"This is for you." I stated, and pushed the box into his arms, "it's to replace your ruined shirt from Friday."
He gave me a quizzical glance, stared at the package, and then back at me.
"What is it?" I asked. Why was he acting as if he'd never heard of replacement of damaged items?
"My parents can easily buy me a new shirt. Why would I need you to waste your money?"
I blinked once. "Because it's the right thing to do, you prat. It's an apologetic gesture. Ever heard of those?"
"Well, I don't need it," he responded, "so you can take it back."
I restrained myself from another of the many eye rolls I felt whenever I spoke to him. "You can't give it back, it's a gift. Whether you want it or not you're going to take it. I have to get to class. And you're welcome." I turned away, and began to move past other students.
"Hermione!" Draco called bluntly after me.
"Yes?" I asked impatiently as I stopped.
"Thank you." He said, with a hint of sincerity hidden behind his usually cold green eyes. For some odd reason I just stood there, feeling a stupid smile threatening to expose itself on my face, before finally turning back towards my destination, my cheeks slightly red.
My hand shot into the air for the fourth time during that one period.
"Can anyone answer my question to give Miss Granger's arm a rest?" Professor Mcgonagall asked of the class, giving a slightly exhausted smile in my direction.
The class responded the same as the last few times a question had been asked, sitting there with a lazy look stuck on their faces.
Was I not raising my hand? I couldn't see why it was wrong that I answered more than one question per class. My hand shook from the effort of keeping it up so high, ready at a moment's notice to answer.
"Miss Granger, since you appear to be the only one of my students who is paying attention, why don't you go ahead and enlighten us." The professor finally said.
"The spell most commonly used to transform something or someone into a bird would be the Avifors spell." I finished proudly. Obviously by the lack of knowledge of that spell, no one had been listening last week in class.
"Correct again, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffendor."
I smiled, imagining the Gryffendor hour glass filling up with even more red crystals.
As we all spilled out of class with our homework assignment, Ron and Harry immediately began their complaining. "I would rather be whacked a couple of times with Dudley's school cane than have to do all this work." Harry sighed as Ron agreed with him whole heartily.
"Maybe if you two spent less time worrying about quidditch, and more time doing homework, you'd get it all done and have better grades."
To this they went off on several tandems on how quidditch was more important to them then homework, and so on.
"Who's that Ravenclaw chatting with Lavender?" I asked suddenly, not recognizing the thin tall boy leaning against the wall, talking with our Gryffendor friend.
"Oh, that's Cooper McKenna, I think he's-"
Suddenly I reaped the repercussions that came from not looking where I was going. I bumped right into someone walking the same direction, and spilled the handfuls of books that I hadn't yet placed in my bag. I yelped, very un-ladylike, and landed flat on the ground.
"Watch where you're going, Granger." Oh, of course it was him, but this time all traces of the sincere gentleman were gone. Gone were any traces of the 'thank you' he had given me just yesterday.
"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry growled. No one bothered to help me stand up, so I clumsily got up, dusted myself off, and leaned over to pick up all my things. When I straightened up again, it appeared as if I missed the beginning of a staring contest. A five-way staring contest. Harry and Ron were glaring daggers at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, all daring each other to make the first move. Before things could go any farther, I tugged at the boy's collars, pulling them down the hall. I payed no attention to their yelps and mumbled, "Come on you two, it's not worth it...He's not worth it."
They stopped chirping at me for my sudden yanking, and walked along side me, obviously noticing, but not questioning, my frustrated demeanor. They probably thought I was just on my period or something. To be honest I didn't know why I was frustrated either. Had I expected he would act any differently, just because he had said something nice for once in his life?
That night as I sat by the commen room fire, my thoughts had strayed from the Ancient Runes and the sleeping potions I was supposed to me working on.
Why was it always him? Whenever something went wrong, whenever anything happened these days, it always seemed like he was there. To get me in detention, to bump into me in the halls, to insult Harry and Ron, it was always him. Nothing good ever came from whatever he was involved in...except... That night in the dungeons, he had showed his weak side, a side that wasn't protected by the cold walls he had built, and his pride had been right down with him, on the floor when he fell. And the first night of detention, when he had wanted to..to.. PROVE that he was a gentleman.
We would always be opposites, I thought, sitting there as the boys bid goodnight to me.
His walls were built with the power of being pure blood, and the need to be the king of anything and everything. We would never get along, I continued to convince myself, there would always be this standstill of blood between us. Not that I cared. I furiously went back to my studying of my homework, not allowing my mind to stray.
On the opposite side of the large castle, another fire burned for the attention of only one. Another student sat deep in thought, trying to get his despicable homework out of the way, and not trying to let his mind wander to the broken eyes of a mudblood girl earlier that day.
Stay awesome,
ThePondFamily3