A/N – I'm sorry my chapters are getting so short! I wish they were longer but I'm writing them so quick. I've been writing for less than a week and I'm actually already on chapter seven. I hope you guys find this amusing.
"MR. WEASLEY!" Professor Singlia repeated, taking a deep breath and puffing out her chest a little. "You are extraordinarily fortunate that I have found you instead of Professor Umbridge!" Ron flushed once again, looking down at the floor. Singlia was right, if Ron had been caught then he would have been joining Harry in detention and though Ron and Hermione didn't know exactly what was going on in detention they knew it would not be good.
"Mr. Malfoy, stand up and got a hold of yourself" Singlia snapped. It was scary seeing her fiery instead of serene. Malfoy clambered to his feet, fists balled. If you were able to see his eyes they would undoubtedly be angry slits. As it was you could tell how furious he was.
"Now, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy and…" she scanned the crowd and then smiled. "Miss Granger—you will all come with me"
The whole crowd had fallen silent and the three that were called on began to follow the Professor at once, Malfoy spitting inaudible insults and swear words at Ron's back. They walked up a staircase and down a corridor before reaching Professor Singlia's classroom. After they arrived and filed in, she closed the door behind them, smiling, serene again.
"Now, as I understand…magic is not permitted in the corridors. Am I right?" They all nodded. She nodded, picked up her wand and transformed Malfoy's face back to it's original form. "There you are, Draco"
Now she had dropped the formal act, it was quite a transition. The minute Draco's face was back the way he liked it he rounded on Ron.
"You wait, just you wait!" he spat, glaring and looking livid. "My father will hear about this and….you just wait, Weasley!" Hermione looked at her knees, hating this. She wished Ron had listened to her, she wished he would think before acting…why did nobody ever listen to her?
"Draco, there is no need for threats in here. We are here to make peace" Singlia announced, standing up and rummaging in her desk drawers. From their depths she pulled out three blank pieces of parchment and three quills. She thrust them towards the students, smiling brightly. Malfoy screwed up his nose, staring at the stationary.
"Take them" Singlia commanded, taking her seat once again.
Reaching out, Hermione pulled her parchment towards her and picked up the quill. What crazy idea was Singlia throwing at them now?
"Well then…from what I've been told, you three have some issues that have hardly been discussed because they have not proved dangerous. But I feel that making peace now is the best solution before hatred gets too far. I want each of you to write something nice about the other two, something constructive"
"What?" Ron and Malfoy exclaimed at the same time. "Something nice about him?" Ron finished, glaring at Malfoy as if it was his fault they had ended up here.
"Yes" Singlia confirmed. "Fire away!" and she settled back in her seat, puling a book towards her and opening it.
Chewing her lip, Hermione bent over her parchment and began to scribble instantly. It was easy to write good things about Ron, so she got that out of the way first.
Ron, although it's sometimes not a good idea, will always defend the people he cares about.
Satisfied with her answer, she sat back and wracked her brain for something to say about Malfoy. It was a struggle, especially due to their history. He wasn't loyal, he wasn't nice, he wasn't funny…
Malfoy…she began before scribbling that out and writing Draco instead.
Draco sticks to what he believes in.
That was the best she could do, she pushed her paper away and watched the other two as they glaring at their parchment obviously struggling for a way to write an insult as a compliment. Once ten minutes were up, Singlia sat up in her seat and clapped her hands, silver nails glistening in the light from the light hanging above her.
"I trust you have all found something to write by now" she said, looking directly at the two boys. "Now, I want each of you in turn to read what you wrote. I'm sure we're all interested to hear them"
"No!" Malfoy snapped, shaking his head and folding his arms over his chest.
"Yes" Singlia told him, laughing. "I am the teacher here Draco"
Hastily both Ron and Malfoy pulled their parchments towards them and began to write furiously, scribbling out some lines and altering others. Hermione watched them and looked at her own paper, she hadn't written anything rude so she was probably safe.
"Now that we have made the necessary adjustments" said Singlia, amused. "Hermione can go first"
Quietly Hermione quickly read the words on her page. Ron's face lightened when she read her comment on him and when she came to Malfoy's he just rolled his eyes and smirked. What was he planning?
"Ron?" Singlia requested, waving a hand at him. He began to stand, and then realized he could stay seated and sat back down again looking nervous. He looked at Hermione first, smiling slightly.
"Hermione is really, really smart—smarter than me and Malfoy put together" he threw a look in Malfoy's direction and then looked at Singlia as if to check if that was okay. She nodded and he continued. "And Malfoy…isn't as stupid as he looks." The minute he said it, Singlia's eyebrow shot up and she frowned.
"That was the best you could come up with?" she inquired while Malfoy resumed his glaring. Ron simply nodded, crumpling up his paper.
"My turn!" Malfoy announced, tossing aside his parchment and fixing his eyes on Ron. "Weasley is the best person the Gryffindor Quidditch team could possibly get."
"Why is that?" Professor Singlia asked him, crossing one leg over the other.
"Because it's likely he'll keep missing the Quaffle and the other team would win" Malfoy said, shrugging.
Professor Singlia frowned but didn't say anything, Ron's ears turned red.
"And…Hermione…" he paused, making a show of saying her real name. Both Ron and Hermione's eyes narrowed—Ron's in anger, Hermione's in confusion. "Is the prettiest girl in Gryffindor…if not the entire school!" he said, triumphantly.
The room fell silent, Hermione stared at him. That can't have been what he had written. Then it dawned on her, a little slower that it should have—he was playing with Ron. It was working too, for Ron had gotten to his feet and had his wand in his hand once more. Sensing the danger, Professor Singlia reached forward and snatched it out of Ron's hand.
"Hermione, Draco…go back to your Common Room, I want a word with Mr. Weasley alone" she said, her tone turning frosty once again. Draco smirked, happy with how things had worked out.
"Come on, Hermione" he said, moving towards the door. "Let's go back to our Common Room" he threw one last look at Ron and strode out the door, Hermione following.
The minute they were outside, Hermione rounded on Malfoy in fury.
"What in the world was all of that about?" she shouted, causing the students wandering the corridors to stare. "Provoking Ron…that is not fair! I have no idea how Scarlett and Amber-Rose could be friends with someone like you, I honestly don't." Malfoy stared at her, looking around quickly.
"Keep it down, will you Granger?" he snapped, tidying up his tie a little and glaring at her. "People are staring"
Hermione's eyes grew wide in frustration. "Oh!" she exclaimed, triumphantly. "So, you don't want your precious little friends hearing you get screamed at by a Mudblood, am I right? And we're back to Granger again…honestly, Malfoy—you are so immature"
And with that she turned on her heel and stalked away.