Chapter 7: Boris the Bewildered

Capitulo VII: Boris el Desconcertado

Draco entered to the class and searched until he found a head with frizzy brown hair. It was the first time he saw her since what had happened the day before with her and Dewey. He didn't know why he wasn't able to sleep and when he did, he dreamed with Granger crying and he woke up with an anguish sensation in the stomach, that he didn't want to recognize. Whatever he did, he felt a weird and sour feeling that made him felt distracted. He had kissed Pansy for some minutes after the incident but he didn't feel distracted, he had insulted Crabbe and Goyle by their stupidity and that morning, he had scared some first year girls and made them cry, but nothing made him feel better. He was experimenting a new sensation that, of course, he wasn't enjoying, and he thought it had to do with the bookworm.

He entered the classroom talking loudly with Zabini to be noticed, but Hermione who was backward, didn't pay attention. He sat behind her and opened roughly his book, but the Gryffindor didn't move a hair and she started to talk with her friends and to laugh loudly about something the weasel had said. Draco saw the three of them with hate in the same instant Slughorn, with his round belly, entered the class.

Good morning students – he greeted them joyfully, he was quite cheerful that day – today I have something special planned for you… the potion "Amichicus", I think you will like it, does someone knows what is this potion about?

Surprisingly Hermione didn't raise her hand. Slughorn and her classmates looked at her as if they thought she was ill or something, but she just look at her book without saying anything. Behind her, Draco smirked. He knew that if Granger wasn't answering was because he had criticized her for that the day before. He felt satisfied, but soon enough that sour sensation appeared to ruin his humor, what the hell was that?

- Miss Granger, do you know the answer? – Slughorn asked her smiling again.

- Well… the Amichicus is a potion of friendship, it makes people that drinks it forget their differences and be friends again… or by first time – she added with a strange tone in her voice. She normally answered with enthusiasm and efficiency, but this time it seemed that she wasn't interested in the potion and its effects. Everyone noticed that and stared at her as if they could find something in her face that will give them an explanation.

- Perfect! – exclaimed Slughorn breaking the tension – 10 points for Gryffindor! And now… - he continued rubbing his fatty hands – I'm going to propose something different because of this potion. You'll see, because it is a friendship potion and you always work with your friends today you will have different partners. So, at the end of the class maybe you won't need the potion to have a new friend – and he smiled radiantly as if he had said something very intelligent but all in the class were watching themselves with speculation. In potions there were a few Gryffindors and Slytherins, Ernie McMillan from Hufflepuff and Terry Boot from Ravenclaw. It was evident that neither the Gryffindors nor the Slytherins wished to be paired together, so Slughorn talked again.

- Move, move, I'll do the pairs myself. Let's see… - he said thinking – Harry you will go with Blaise; Nott with Weasley… and… my sweet Hermione you with… Malfoy… - and he continued pairing the group. Zabbini had already moved angrily near Harry so the seat next to Draco was free, he observed the Gryffindor with satisfaction, knowing that she will be very pissed by being with him. No matter how hard she wanted him not to exist, he did.

-Professor? – Hermione was standing with her backpack on one hand and the cauldron on the other – if you don't mind I will prefer not to work with him.

And at the stunned looks of her classmates, Hermione went to sit nex to Ernie McMillan without waiting Slughorn's answer. Draco was full of anger when he saw Ernie's dumb expression when Hermione sat by his side, he blew up like a peacock. Draco had to contain himself from throwing up when he heard Ernie talk:

I hope this doesn't mean we are not friends.

No Ernie – answered Hermione, but he could hear a boring tone in her voice – it just means that in this class there are some persons with whom I don't want to have any relation.

Ernie was suddenly disappointed, but Draco was full of anger. How does that filthy mudblood dare to reject him? Draco didn't notice when Terry Boot sat at his side, because he was occupied throwing Hermione killer looks that she didn't appear to notice. During the rest of the class, he tried to concentrate with the ingredients of the stupid potion but it was impossible. He was too angry because she had dared to reject him, she rejected him, a mudblood a Malfoy. He said to himself that he didn't wanted to sit with her but didn't avoid him of making dust the roots instead of cutting them. Terry Boot wasn't helping either, because after Slytherin won the quidditch match and that his captain was injured, he hate him. The result was that neither of them spoke more than three words to each other for the whole two hours that the class last, and when Slughorn said the class was finished, they both stood up without saying good bye.

Draco immediately searched for Hermione and he found her talking with McMillan, who was laughing pompously.

Granger, I wanted to thank you for freeing myself of your company – he spitted with rage but she let out a loud laugh, ignoring him completely, cause Ernie had said something quite funny.

Can you believe it? – asked McMillan who hadn't noticed the Slytherin either, he was to concentrated in Hermione, and she laugh again. Draco felt completely ignored and out of place, and he wanted to shut up that bookworm but finally, he turned away before he was able to kill somebody.

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During the following days, Draco moved by Hogwarts as a basilisc. He was specially cruel as a prefect, he made many students cry, he confiscated as many personal stuff's as he could, he took off points of every Gryffindor that was near him and he even watched a fight between third years encouragingly, but nothing appeared to heal his fury. It wasn't a surprise though he felt angrier as each day passed.

Hermione, as in the last Potion's class, ignored him completely. Many times she had ignored offensive comments and mockery, but Draco knew that it bothered her, but now when he said something she ignored him and started talking with whoever was near her. She don't even looked at him when he passed nearby or when he insulted Potter or Weasley. Draco had gone to the library to sit where she was studying and bother her but she closed her book, stood up and abandoned the library without looking at him.

The only thing that consoles the Slytherin was that for Dewey wasn't any better because after what had happened, the boy didn't approach her and when he did, the Gryffindor was distant but polite. But beyond that, Draco was still in a very bad mood and he didn't know what to do to fight with the bookworm. Insult or disturb her wasn't giving any results, so Draco passed hours thinking how to upset her until he got obsessed with it. At the beginning, he had insulted her infront of Pansy, and she had sat on his lap, happy to criticize the Gryffindor with him, but after some days, she clicked her tongue with irritation every time Draco mentioned her, so he stop doing it, and also being with her. He didn't handle being with people and he treated everyone bad as if it was their fault he was angry. Only Crabbe and Goyle dared to be with him, but that was because they were to stupid to be affected by Draco's comments.

There were many plans on his head of how to bother her, but he couldn't test anything yet. When he didn't find her on the library, he walked threw Hogwarts with hope in finding her, or at least to be alone and think. In the Common Room was a little bit complicated because Pansy was always looking for him and Crabbe and Goyle couldn't be left alone, so with this little walks he was able to have peace with the excuse of being patrolling as a Prefect. At last, a couple of weeks later when he turned into a corridor of the fifth floor, he saw Granger's shape and decided to follow her. He observed how the girl stopped near the statue of Boris the Bewildered, a wizard with a lost face and many clothes out of place, and whispered the password. Draco hide behind an armor before she looked to both sides of the corridor and walked threw the entry the statue had left. Just when he heard the snap of the statue regaining its place, he came out of his hiding with a malicious smile. It was the Prefect's bath.

Draco usally didn't use it because there was another one in the second floor that was closer to the dungeons, but he knew the password. He felt how his heartbeat raised and his stomach fill expectation, and for the first time in weeks he felt well. He would catch Granger in the bath and once locked in there, she won't be able to ignore him anymore.

With a calculating expression, he approached Boris and murmured "Banshee song". Immediately the statue moved apart and emerged the entry in which a minute ago Granger had walked and Draco crossed it filling how the wall closed behind him.

Hermione was there, covered by a towel and kneeled near a golden faucet of the big tub. She looked at him with a terrorized and blushed expression. Malfoy examined her from head to toes, watching her elbow's curves and his delicate ankles.

- What are you doing here Malfoy? – she asked in a high pitched voice while trying to cover more herself with the towel.

- Don't bother to cover yourself Granger – replied Draco, feeling how the pleasure of disturbing the Gryffindor was filling him, relaxing his body and making him smile – there is nothing interesting to see.

- Go away! – she yelled standing on her feet and picking up her wand to point him still pressing the towel to her chest. She appeared to be so furious that Draco didn't doubt that she would attack him.

- This is the Prefect's bath Granger, I can be here – he replied without caring of her wand.

- Of course you can be here, but not when there is a prefect in it – answered Hermione, her hand trembled with rage against the wand.

- Well, if I don't exist for you, I don't see the problem of me being here – he said sharply – just ignore me as you have been doing these days.

Hermione was about to cry by the rage, but her eyes were dry and cold. Slowly, she relaxed her bodu and lowered the wand; she picked up her robes and clothes and walked away to the entry as if Draco wasn't there. The Slytherin was angry, so he put his body between the girl and the exit, so the girl was forced to look at him.

If you are so interested on being here, stay – the said trying to move him apart.

I don't know why you bother yourself and come here Granger – he said leaning towards her making the girl back some steps nervously – no matter how many times you bath, you cannot take your impure smell.

You can always smell worse – she replied – for example… to rotten.

Draco reacted to these words as if he had been punched in the face, his grey eyes turned cold, and he raised his hands towards the girl. He grabbed her by her nude shoulders until she let out a painful moan, but Hermione didn't complain nor moved.

I dare you to repeat that – he challenged her but the girl remained silent holding his gaze – Mi family dominated magic many time before your first ancestor learned how to light up a candle. I come from a pure linage that had passed from one generation to another without mixing up with any muggle or…

So what? – she interrupt him unimpressed – that makes you better than anyone else? Because I might be wrong but from what I know you're neither the best student in this school in none of the signatures nor in the best quidditch player. You don't have more magic talent than any student in Hogwarts not matter how important your ancestors were – and she added in a strange sad tone – and your are much more bad person that none of them. I'm thankful because you saved me in the lake but I don't want to have nothing to do with you.

After that she moved Draco apart and walked out of the bath, taking only a white towel but with her face proudly raised as if she was dressed with silk and gold. Draco stood there feeling a stab if pain in the chest that he didn't like but soon turned in pure anger. She had rejected him in all the possible ways, well, now he will do it. He had a plan.

Hey

How was the chapter? Do you liked it? I hope so… as you see Hermione had tried to ignore him but it's not easy XD and he is such in a bad mood… personally if I met Draco in the prefect's bath, I wouldn't have run away hahaha but Hermione is quite hurt… and Draco very pissed. How about that plan he has? I think you will be surprised in the next chapter, or at least I hope so. As always speculations are welcome lol

Thanks a lot for the reviews, they make me hallucinate :)

Hey! SORRY!! I'm really really sorry I'm this late but I've got a LOT of homework and there is no time to translate :S but I hope I'm going to be able to update soon! Kisses! And thanks for the reviews!!