Hermione looked over her schedule between sips of coffee and bites of a cream cheese slathered bagel.
Arithmancy at 8 a.m.
History of Magic at 9 a.m.
Transfiguration at 10 a.m.
Free Period
Care of Magical Creatures on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's.
Herbology on Tuesday's, Thursday's, and Saturday's.
Charms at 1 p.m.
Potions at 2:30 p.m.
Required Life Class 4 p.m.
With her new schedule Hermione would have plenty of time to study. Which, in between planning the Halloween Masque, taking care of Head duties, Hermione intended to study her rear off.
"Wow." Hermione looked up at Ron as he spoke looking at her schedule.
"What?" Hermione looked at Ron, her voice hard with suspicion as she looked at him miffed.
"Nothing." Ron's voice held even more suspicious innocent tones as he looked at his best friend. "Just surprised you don't have more than seven classes a day is all. Mione." Her cheeks flamed as his jest as the two boys laughed.
"I'll have you know Ronald." The laughter stopped at her cold tone. "That with an overly crowded schedule I wouldn't be able to adequately so my duties as Head Girl. So of course my schedule isn't packed, not that you considered that." Gathering up her bag Hermione stormed off heading for her Arithmancy class. On her way out the door Hermione bumped into a statue, a warm moving statue.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there." Hermione bent to pick up her books, when a pale hand shot out gathering them up first. "Th-". Her voice faltered taking theory from him. Malfoy. Malfoy had helped her pick up her books. Malfoy had touched her, well was touched without calling her a name.
"You should be more careful Mu." Malfoy pursed his lips. "Granger." Malfoy stopped the insult before it fell from his lips. He pushed past her quickly. Hermione blinked, looking back at Ginny for a moment. Ginny looked just as confused as Hermione.
Not wanting to be late to her first day of class, Hermione knew that she couldn't dwell. After all the wonderful world of Arithmancy awaited her. Hermione hoped she remembered everything.
For the next hour the young witch dutifully took notes though, within minutes it became clear that Hermione hadn't forgotten anything she'd learned before the war started. As the hour came dwindling down Hermione felt proud of herself having earned 25 points for Gryffindor. Tucking her notes away Hermione couldn't help but smile. She loved being back in school, surrounded by sources of knowledge, books, parchment, quills, and grades!
Draco stared at the tea cup before him. He didn't see anything in the leaves, at least nothing but clumps of leaves. The ditzy lady teaching him didn't notice that he wasn't paying attention in the least.
The tea leaves in his cup looked decidedly brown though, less black than usual. He mused over that for a millisecond before he noticed that the leaves were almost the exact shade of Granger's eyes. Had to be green tea leaves. As that thought hit him Draco felt the cup slip through his long, slim fingers. It clattered on the table stopping Professor Trewelaney in her long winded, boozed intwined words. She rushed to the blonde looking at him wildly.
"Have you seen something in the leaves dear? Was it terrible?" She asked picking up the cup peering into it, the smell of sherry overwhelmed Draco.
"Yeah, yeah I saw a mermaid holding a flower." Draco said trying to get rid of the batty old woman.
"Yes, yes I see what you mean." Trewelaney moved her glasses up on her nose as she rolled her eyes around the cup. A few giggling Hufflepuff's gasped moving up to try and get a glimpse of what lie in the cup.
"You do? You see a mermaid? Holding a flower?" Draco asked the strange Professor, the look on his face dubious.
"Yes indeed a mermaid holding a daisy." Draco sat up, not being able to help himself, this was ostentatious.
"I see it!" One of the girls insisted. "What does it mean Professor?" She asked and despite himself Draco also wanted to know the supposed meaning.
"A mermaid holding a daisy suggests flirtatious new things with happy out comes." He could have swore that she looked unhappy about it being a happy ending. "But you know, mermaids also can lead to, well." She gave a monstrous high pitched laugh. "Can also symbolize great tragedy, usually a shipwreck but," She waved a hand as if to say it were just circumstantial.
"Not to be rude Professor but I have no intention of getting on a boat any time soon." Trewelaney looked at him for a moment, deciding he held no more interest and gracefully, well as gracefully as she could with all her blood interfering with the sherry in her veins, sat down in her plush arm chair.
Happiness, the thought seemed like a far away one. Draco remembered at one point thinking that he would never be happy again. Then again, a lot of people felt the same way a year ago. Even the sun didn't seem to shine. Escaping the class, Draco was relieved to be going to Potions. At least in Potions he had it with the bloody Gryffindor's. They were at least interesting.
"Now can anyone one, yes Miss Granger I know you can, can anyone else tell me what this is?" Professor Slughorn asked gesturing to the bubbling cauldron in front of him. "Not overly complicated to brew, though very tedious. We will be working on it all week." Draco lazily sighed putting his hand in the air Not waiting on Slughorn to call on him he said.
"It's the Sensi Potion said to enhance all five of a persons senses, as long as it's brewed properly." Slughorn was pleased and from there he began to instruct them on hoe to begin their potions. Draco spent the hour in silence, listening to Theo and Blaise talk about Quidditch, normally he would have joined in, but Draco didn't feel like it, something was off, all he felt like doing was sneaking glances at Granger.
"Oi, Draco, how did you get yours so blue already?" Blaise asked nudging him, breaking him from his daze. Draco blinked, wondering how long he had been staring into his cauldron.
"I juiced all of the spiders before tossing them in." Draco muttered. Though he had done it on accident, not seeing that it called for intact spiders. Blaise's face turned thoughtful as he began juicing his own spiders.
"Let your cauldrons simmer, we shall return to them tomorrow." Slughorn instructed with a clap of his hands.
Letting his cauldron simmer, covering it to boot, Draco stood cleaning his hands with the mutter of scougify. Putting away his things Draco's back went rigid at the menace in Blaise's voice.
"What do you want Granger?" Slowly, stiffly, Draco turned to face the small girl Who returned Blaise's glare. Draco wasn't sure why, Blaise had never hated someone like this. The boy, for a Slythrin, was rather easy going.
"Nothing to do with you." Her own voice was venom laced, looking at Draco her eyes widened, he wasn't glaring at her. "Neville wants us to take lunch in the Head's office. So we can work out tactics. I expect you there." Draco snorted as she turned, he knew his friends were watching him closely.
"Right, I knew she chose me to torture me." Already taking away his first lunch.
Hermione turned abruptly, a glare on her face as she looked up at Draco. Standing at 5'5" Draco towered over her by a good seven inches. How could he be so infuriating?
"Excuse me, I chose you not to torture you, but so that Slytherin would have a fair say in things. Being friends with Luna we've got Ravenclaw covered and Hufflepuff, well they're sweet, they don't want much." Hermione's eyes lit up, a fiery gold with flecks of green as she got angry. Harry and Ron watched from behind them, smiles on their faces. They knew the woman could handle herself.
"Now if you would stop being such a git, Neville is waiting for us." Hermione promptly pushed past Draco, making sure not to touch him. After all she didn't want his rudeness to brush off on her. Ron laughed shaking his head.
"I'll see you later mate. Have fun with her, she's in one of her moods." Ron laughed with Harry. Feeling in a good mood, after seeing Draco getting yelled at he stopped for a moment, turning to look at the blonde. "Watch out for birds." Harry snickered at the comment, even if Draco didn't get it.
Draco sat in the group of Gryffindor listening as the divided up rounds, and which prefects would do which rounds. Draco didn't care too much, though he paid attention. Granger, as expected, had taken the lead on rounds and what to do with the prefects. She even went in to explain how they could each only do rounds twice a week instead of the usual three or four.
"You know Hermione, I think that we are going to make a great team." Draco looked up at Neville's words lazily. He stopped in his motion, his grey eyes widening.
"Thanks Neville!" Hermione touched his arm lightly. "I do too. First year, I might not have thought so but I'm really looking forward to working with me." Hermione assured Neville, Harry nodded, he agreed with the both of them. They were going to make a good team.
What was this? This, this anger? Draco couldn't remember feeling this angry before in his life, ever. The only other person who made him this mad, besides Granger, was Potter. Weasley, he was an annoyance, but Longbottom?! Longbottom had always been a blimp on Draco's radar, nothing to worry about. Draco stood abruptly, his fist clenched, hidden behind the fold of his robes.
"If you'll excuse me." Draco felt as if his very skin was lit up in flames. The image of that smile, her hand on his arm. The fire burned within Draco, dark, ugly, he didn't like the feeling within him. He refused to name it. There was no way that Draco Malfoy was jealous of Neville Longbottom because of Hermione Grange.
Potter, Granger, and Longbottom all looked up at him as he stood. Each of them shared quizzical looks upon their faces. Unsure of why he had stood. Draco could feel their stares. He fumbled with his words for a moment.
"Are you alright Malfoy?" Potter asked, the only one that even cared a bit, though it wasn't much, spoke up first.
"I'm fine, just I forgot my wand up in my room. I feel very uncomfortable without it. Also, I'd like to check on something. A few of our first years were be being picked on. Nothing to worry about." Malfoy saw the look on Potter's face. Apparently it didn't matter who it was, Potter couldn't stand a bully. Shooting one more glance, at Granger's hand, still on Longbottom's arm, Malfoy turned away.
"I'll be back later. Ten minutes tops." Draco added closing the door a bit harder than he intended to. Merlin he needed to get a grip, and quickly. Maybe a shot of firewhiskey would help. Though only one, lord help him if Granger thought he'd been drinking and shoving off his duties.
A/N Like any Author, I would love, love, love, love reviews!