Hey guys! This is shorter than what I normally write, but I figured you'd rather shorter chapters more frequently than longer chapters once a month? Is that correct? Please let me know. :)

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As always, anything you recognize is not mine.

Chapter Eleven

Hermione decided to eat in her dorm once again for lunch, not wanting to have to face Ron so soon after their kiss. Every time she rejected him, he pretended nothing had happened, and she was not in the mood to listen to him talk as if he hadn't done anything wrong. She had done absolutely nothing to make him think she would even remotely want him to kiss her, and thought she had made her feelings – or lack thereof – toward him clear that summer.

She stormed down to the dungeons, letting her anger grow inside of her. She was sick of Ron. He never appreciated her until he discovered this stupid little crush, and now he refused to respect her wishes and leave their friendship as it was. And she had no doubt he was telling Harry endless lies about her, pushing the trio even further apart. As if their dorms didn't already do that!

When she reached the elf statue she pounded at the wall with the side of her fist, muttering angrily to herself. She pulled back in surprise when the door opened and Blaise Zabini's tall form appeared in in front of her.

"Blaise? What are you doing here?" she asked, momentarily pulled from her anger.

"Just visiting Malfoy," he said casually, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. "Did Miss Granger really forget the password?" he taunted. Hermione immediately felt her anger flood back.

"It's one of Dumbledore's stupid ideas," replied Malfoy before Hermione could answer. He walked up behind Blaise, pulling his shirt sleeves down to his wrists as he walked. "We can only enter at the same time, or we have to have someone from the inside open the door."

Blaise laughed, stepping back to let the still fuming Hermione inside. "Should've known this whole set-up was that old kook's plan."

"Shut up, Blaise. He's a better wizard than you'll ever hope to be!" Hermione's hand tightened on her wand, and she willed herself not to get out of control; it wouldn't look very good if the Head Girl attacked a student, but she was already so riled up from Ron it took every ounce of her power not to point it at his temple and curse him into oblivion.

"Ohh, feisty today, aren't we Granger?" replied Blaise, smirking. Hermione ignored him; instead, her eyes were glued on Malfoy, daring him to insult her even once and give her an excuse to hex him. His eyes flickered down to her wand, and he turned away.

"Come on, Blaise. We can talk in my room," he said over his shoulder.

Once the door had shut behind the two boys, Hermione let her hand relax and sighed deeply. She was exhausted, and suddenly the idea of preparing lunch for herself wasn't very appealing. She glanced at Malfoy's door, wondering what the two Slytherin's were discussing, then decided it wasn't worth her lack of sleep and walked over to her bedroom for a quick nap before Potions.

"Granger, get up!"

Hermione jerked upright in bed, her blankets twisted around her legs.

Malfoy's voice came again. "It's time for class!" She shook her head, trying to get her bearings. She had Potions. She had slept through lunch. She was in her room and if she didn't leave now she would be late and face Professor Snape's rath.

"I'm coming!" she called back, but the bang of the main door told her that he had already left. She grabbed her book bag and rushed out after him, hurriedly coming through her knotted hair with her fingers.

She absolutely dreaded Potions, and wasn't surprised that she had nearly slept through the class. It was made up of nearly all Slytherins, and Professor Snape definitely favored his House. It had been manageable with Harry and Ron the previous year, but without them she had no one to distract her from the torment from Professor Snape and the Slytherins.

"Tardy, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Snape as Hermione stumbled into class a few minutes later, panting and out of breath. She had realized halfway to class that she forgot her Potions book and had to run back, causing her to be late.

"I'm sorry Professor," she replied, pushing her hair out of her face and glancing around for a seat. She caught sight of an empty table in the back of the room and hurried over to it, grateful she wasn't forced to sit next to a Slytherin.

"Miss Granger, you will sit up here today," said Professor Snape, motioning to the only other empty seat in the room. "We will be making a potion that requires a partner and everyone has to pair up." A snide grin appeared on his face. "Although you may be able to pass for two with your current hair." Hermione immediately brushed her hair back as the class burst into laughter, cursing it for being so bushy whenever she ran.

Hermione looked where Professor Snape had pointed and immediately paled. The only other seat open was directly next to Malfoy.

"Professor, can't I just work alone…?" she asked, begging him with her eyes. She had finally calmed herself down from her meeting with Ron, and she did not need Malfoy to rile her up again.

"No. Now obey me before I take points away from Gryffindor," he replied. He turned away as Hermione gathered her books and slowly began walking through the aisles toward Malfoy. "You will open to page three hundred and four," he said as he walked to the chalkboard, where he wrote the page number. "One partner will complete the Love Potion on the left-hand page, and the other will complete the Hate Potion on the right-hand page. You will then each sample a small spoonful of each. If you make them correctly, the potions will cancel one another out. You have one hour. Begin now."

Hermione groaned as she sat next to Malfoy, pulling out her Potions book. "Of course I would be partnered with you," she muttered.

"Just get to work," he snapped back, clearly angry as well. "I'll make the Hate Potion."

"Of course you would."

Malfoy paused with his hands on his book, closing his eyes and setting his jaw. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounded like."

Malfoy swung around to face Hermione, his face venomous and his voice low. "I'm sure the Love Potion will be no problem for you. That is how you got Krum fourth year, isn't it?"

"Following my love life now, Malfoy?"

"You wish."

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, fifty-five minutes," called out Professor Snape, pulling the two out of the staring contest they had begun. Hermione pulled her hair out from behind her ears, blocking Malfoy from her view, and stared at the ingredients list.

The sound of crackling fires beneath cauldrons barely registered in Hermione's ears as she continued to stare at the page. She wished she had just stayed in bed. It was so cold in the dungeons, and everyone was being so loud.

"Get going," hissed Malfoy beside her, tossing fly wings into his cauldron and stirring the concoction. "I'm not failing this course because your head is in the clouds!"

Hermione barely heard him, her mind surrounded by a fog. She shook her head, trying to snap out of the trance she was in. After lighting the fire beneath her cauldron she went to the cabinet to collect her ingredients. She barely comprehended the words before her as she began mixing the potion.

"Watch it!" said Malfoy a few minutes later, grabbing her hand and stopping her from throwing in the ashwinder eggs she was clutching. "Those go in last. Look, you skipped five steps!"

"Leave me alone Malfoy," she replied, yanking her hand away. "I know what I'm doing."

"Obviously not, and if I'm going to be swallowing that potion, you better make it right."

"Shut up Malfoy!" yelled Hermione, accidently dropping the eggs into her bubbling cauldron in her anger. She stood gawking at it for a moment before Malfoy pulled on her robes.

"Get down!" he yelled, pushing her to the floor and covering her body with his own. The boiling liquid exploded, splattering the floor surrounding them. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the burn that never came. She slowly opened her eyes as the room quieted, and she saw Malfoy's face inches from her own, distorted by pain.

"Malfoy?" she asked, but he just shook his head, pushing himself off her and ripping off his robes. Hermione let out a light gasp when she saw the holes that had scorched through his clothing.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, pulling off his shirt as well. He grimaced as the fabric pulled on his back. "I told you not to put them in yet!"

"I dropped them!"

"Silence," said Professor Snape, stepping up beside the pair who were still sitting on the floor. He glanced around the floor and noted that the potion had only spread a few feet. "Both of you, to the infirmary. When she releases you return here to clean this mess and complete your potions." He turned to the rest of the class, most of who were also on the floor. "Well? Get going. Thirty-five minutes left."