Horses

Rated T

No Triggers

"What in the bloody hell is that?" Ron asked with his face drawn into a tight frown that caused Harry and Hermione to giggle.

"It's a barn Ronald," Hermione said with a giggle.

"Smells like a swamp or something that fang shat out," he responded holding his nose.

"Bet it smells like your bedroom Weasel," came a voice from behind the group.

"You'd like to know then Malfoy?" Ron spat back. "Want to see the inside of it do you?"

Draco sneered at him. "Hardly," he said menacingly. "Grangers I might be interested in thought," he grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "In your dreams Malfoy."

"In yours I hope," he smirked at her.

Hermione turned away to hide her smile, but the fact that he was flirting with her did something to her stomach and she couldn't help but grin.

"Alright kids gather round please," Madame Famil shouted at the group. "Today we will be following a dirty job in the non-magical world and all of you will be expected to participate."

She stepped away from the group and motioned to a gangly man with a smart cap on his head. "This is Mr. Rochester," she shouted. "He is the caretaker here at Winesmate Stables. While he is a wizard and graduated from Drumstrang, he prefers to do somethings the muggle way. Mr. Rochester if you would?"

The man smiled at the group. "Somethings are just better done the muggle way and tending to the horses is one of them you see. They gets a bit skittish around magic and to keep them calm and happy I much the stables with a shovel and barrow just like any muggle would do."

"Right then," Madame Famil said, "you'll be paired off and each take a section of stables in the barn to clean. The pair whose work is most satisfactory will receive fifty points for their house as well as an O in muggle studies."

"Fifty points each or will you split 'em?" asked Seamus Finnegan.

"Since the pairs will consist of one member of Gryffindor and one member of Slytherin house the points will be split evenly."

An audible groan went through the group. Being paired with their opposite house was never pleasurable for any of the students. "You will be matched using a simple spell that I will cast momentarily. This spell does nothing more than pair you off with an opposite of your personal house. Once the spell is cast you will note a symbol on the upper lapel of your robes. Find your matched symbol and that will be your pair for the day. Ready? Par jugum!"

Harry's lapel lit up with a large green spade and he was immediately matched with Millicent Bulstrode. Both of them let out an audible sigh of relief because the pairing was satisfactory. They knew from experience that they worked well together. Ron's lapel, on the other hand, was lit with a bright yellow square that matched Pansy Parkinson. "Bloody hell," they muttered together.

"Let's get on with it then," Parkinson said with a snarl and started off towards the barn with Ron trailing behind.

Hermione's lapel was lit with a blue triangle and she was both pleased and terrified to see her match in Draco Malfoy. "Shall we Granger?" he said offering her his elbow for escort.

"If you throw horse shit at me I will hex your knobby bits to turn a sickly shade of green Malfoy," she said taking his offered elbow.

"Well we wouldn't want that now," he responded with a smirk. "I'll mind my manners Granger. I'm trying to make a good impression after all."

She was confused. "On who? Madame loves you."

"On you, you silly swot." He bumped her nose with the tip of his left pointer finger before changing his focus to the barn ahead.

The stalls assigned to Hermione and Draco were fortunately not too disgusting. She wasn't sure how they got so lucky because some of the others were ankle deep in horse waste. "You said she loves me," Malfoy stated interrupting her train of thought.

"What?"

"I see your brain working Granger. You're trying to figure out why our stalls are relatively clean."

She frowned. "And it's because Madame loves you Malfoy?"

"Well, she wouldn't want my aristocratic hands blistered by a lot of shoveling."

"More like she doesn't want to listen to you complain."

"That too," he said with a chuckle.

Hermione looked around the four stalls they had been assigned. "What do we do now? The job is finished."

"I can think of something," he said close behind her now.

She swallowed. "Not something that would get us in trouble now Malfoy."

"Never that Granger."

He was right behind her now and she could smell his soap and cologne. He swept her hair away from her neck and leaned down to nip at her ear. "I like you Hermione," he whispered. "I want to get to know you better."

"You want to get to know my knickers better," she whispered back.

"Eventually," he whispered back. "But I'd like to know your mind better before I start to learn about your body."

She turned on him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why Malfoy? You've never been anything but cruel to me and now suddenly I'm supposed to forget all of that and be your friend or something more. You're an arse if you think that I'll be easily won over!"

He frowned. "I know I've been an arse. But don't you know that boys pick on the girls they like. We don't have to do anything Hermione. I just want to be around you. Get to know you. And maybe, if you can forgive me one day, we can be something other than friends."

She frowned at him. "I can't believe you Malfoy. You think calling me by my given name and making eyes at me is going to do away with seven years of hell?"

"No," he said defensively. "But… I had hoped it would be a start."

She glared at him. "Fine, it's a start. But I'm not some floozy to fall all over you because you're Draco Malfoy. I'll need to see more than the mask you show the world."

She turned on her heel and left him standing in the now clean barn stall. Draco sighed and drug his hand down his face. "That went well," he said out loud.

A snort sounded from the entrance to the stall. He looked up to find Millicent and the scar headed wonder staring at him. "And just what do you lot want?" he spat at them.

Millicent shook her head. "You won't be able to win her over with sweet words Draco," she said in her heavy accent.

"She's not a conquest Malfoy," Harry growled at him, before he stomped off down the length of the barn.

Millicent smiled at him. "I think Hermione is like the horses."

"What the hell does that mean Millie?"

"You'll have to earn her trust and keep it to even have a chance of riding her."

Millicent smirked at his wide-open mouth and strolled away confidently. She needed to find Harry and chill him out.

FIN