Hermione sat down next to Draco, silently organizing their supplies. He hadn't spoken a word to her since their names had been called five minutes earlier, and Hermione had no intentions of being the first to break the silence. She opened her potions book to the bit about Amortentia and quickly scanned the page, double checking that they had all of the supplies needed to make the potion. Once she was satisfied that everything was there, she fiddled with the supplies again – reorganizing them in the order they would be used.
She looked at Malfoy out of the corner of her eye, he hadn't moved since they sat down and was staring at the table. He looked like he was in deep thought about something else and could care less about this class or her; however the silence between them was beginning to make her nervous. She had no idea what to say to him and she wasn't sure if she should start making the potion without his help.
Okay, I have to do something. I'll just start on the potion; Malfoy doesn't care about this kind of stuff anyway right?
She reached over her cauldron to check her textbook once more and the sleeve of her cloak caught a phial of Wormwood Essence, knocking it off the table and into Malfoy's lap.
"Watch what you're doing mudblood" Malfoy yelled as he jumped up from the table. "These are brand new robes!" He pointed his wand at her.
"Don't call her a mudblood ferret" Ron yelled from across the room, his wand drawn ready to defend his friend.
"Stay out of this weasel." He turned to Hermione "When are you going to start fighting your own battles, Granger."
"That's enough." Slughorn shouted. "Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Weasley please return to your seats and continue with your potions please. I don't want to give anyone detention on the first day of term.
Draco sat back down, crossed his arms and looked at Hermione. "Well, let's get on with this, then." He said gesturing towards her cauldron.
"I – I'm sorry. You know, about the wormwood I mean."
Malfoy kept staring at her.
"I can clean up your robes for you…if you want." She said nervously. Using the end of her robe sleeve, she began slowly wiping the area on his robes, hoping to dry it.
"What are you doing, Granger?" Draco exclaimed squirming uncomfortably in his seat. "Are you a bloody witch or not?"
"O-oh right. Of course. What was I thinking?" she murmured half to herself. She was just so embarrassed by Draco's observation about her. He was right. She never really stood up for herself. She had always just stood by and let Harry and Ron take care of things. Except during third year when she decked Malfoy. And boy had that felt good. Really good she thought as she remembered how empowered she had felt afterwards.
She pointed her wand to the spot on his robes and muttered "Evenesco" She watched as the wet spot on Draco's lap slowly dried up and no evidence of her clumsiness remained.
"I hope you don't think being nice to me is going to make me hate you less." Draco growled.
Hermione's breath caught. She had always known Malfoy disliked her because she was muggleborn, but she never thought he hated her. A part of her always hoped there was some good in him. That deep down, he really didn't believe all of the lies his parents had taught him. She didn't know why, but this revelation made her angry.
"Let's just make the damn potion" Hermione retorted. They spent the rest of the lesson in agonizing silence.
Draco sat next to Hermione with a sour expression on his face. He'd rather be working on Voldemort's assignment for him than wasting time making a stupid love potion with Granger. He still had to work out a few kinks in his plan. He thought wistfully of being in the seclusion of the Room of Requirements where he could work it all out in peace. But no, he was stuck in this stupid partnership with the mudblood for the rest of the fucking term. God, he wished Snape was still teaching this class. He actually used to like potions, but he could tell class with Slughorn was going to be supremely unpleasant.
He looked over at Granger out of the corner of his eye and saw her fidgeting with the potion supplies. He was in no hurry to make the Amortentia potion. He didn't want Granger to find out what it smelled like to him, he wasn't sure he knew himself what they would be. But Slughorn wanted them to include that in the essay he set for them. So it was inevitable that Granger would find out these intimate details about him and that made him uncomfortable and when he was uncomfortable his guard went up.
God, he wished she would stop messing with the potion supplies. It was bloody annoying. He saw Granger look over at him out of the corner of her eye, for a moment it looked like she was going to say something, then she turned back to her cauldron and leaned over it reaching for her book.
Then next instant he was covered with wormwood essence.
The mixture of surprise and discomfort he felt made him blow up. He was out of his seat and yelling at Granger, wand drawn, before he could even blink. And then Weasley had to go and get involved. Why wouldn't Weasley and Potter just let Hermione stand up for herself for once? Was she that bloody cowardly? She was a Gryffindor after all, where was the bravado?
He wanted Granger to respond, wanted her to stop staring at him with frightened eyes. He wasn't that scary was he? He wasn't really planning to use his wand. Did she think he was? He slowly lowered the wand but kept his eye contact with Granger.
Slughorn interrupted his thoughts, telling him to sit down or get detention. He righted his overturned chair and sat down.
"Well, let's get on with this, then." He said gesturing towards her cauldron.
"I – I'm sorry. You know, about the wormwood I mean." Hermione stammered.
Her apology stunned him. He didn't expect an apology - a sarcastic comment or rude gesture maybe, but not an apology. He just stared at her unsure of what to say.
She nervously licked her lips, then offered to clean up the mess. She reached down and started rubbing his lap with her robe sleeve. He stiffened immediately as he felt himself getting hard. Goddammit was he getting aroused by Granger?
"What are you doing, Granger?" he exclaimed squirming uncomfortably in his seat, hoping Granger didn't notice his semi. "Are you a bloody witch or not?"
He watched as she turned bright pink and muttered to herself. Then she said "evenesco" and the spot slowly dried.
Before he knew what was happening he said "I hope you don't think being nice to me is going to make me hate you less."
Her only response was a strained "Let's just make the damn potion."
He didn't know why he said he hated her. Sure she was a mudblood and she hung out with Saint Potter and the Weasel but she had never really done anything to make him hate her, hell he even sort of deserved the punch he received from her.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Where the fuck were these thoughts coming from? His head was clearly still fogged from his arousal. But that didn't mean he liked Granger. He would have reacted that way if any girl had done what she did. It was a purely male instinct. He couldn't control what his penis did anymore than he could control the weather. Of course he hated Hermione, she was a fucking mudblood after all.
Mudblood's are dirty and don't deserve to have magic. He had heard his father say that sentence for as long as he could remember. Of course his father was right, why should a muggle get to study magic?
He looks over at the frizzy haired girl sitting next to him. She was painstakingly measuring out ingredients for their potion. He thought back to all of the lessons they had shared together over the years, how she always knew the correct answers and how she always got the highest marks out of everyone in the year. He didn't know what to think about that.
Hermione spent the rest of the lesson diligently working on the potion and making neat, precise notes about the process.
Draco spent the rest of the lesson trying to forget that she existed.
A/N: Sorry I left you guys hanging for so long. I went to Europe for the summer and when I got back I was busy with school starting and everything. I'll try to update more frequently in the future.