DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE. JK's. :)
A/N: Okay, so first of all, let me explain how I've written the storY. You see, there are chapters in the present, and chapters set in the past. These are all in Draco's P.O.V., unless stated otherwise :) feel free to review your questions and correct me if there's anything off about it! Thanks! :)
I'llCatchYouIfYouFall, Shivani, and Annabeth-Artemis, thank you so much for the reviews!
I know that I should have posted this last week, but I was busy with college stuff! I'm really really really sorry! This is just an in-between chappie :) love you guys! :)
CHAPTER TWO-FLASHBACK
September 1, 1998
"Hermione, Hermione! Look at me!" Ronald Weasley's booming voice echoed throughout the already noisy Great Hall. Dozens of heads turned towards the redhead's direction, just in time to see him balance two silver spoons on his ginormous nose and Hermione rolling her eyes at him.
"Poor bloke." Blaise said, chuckling at the sight. He glanced at Draco, meeting his eyes, before looking back at the pair, "Been trying to catch her attention for years and she still thinks he's an imbecile."
"Who ever said that Weasel wasn't an imbecile?" Draco said, smirking at the redhead and the brunette who was currently ignoring the said redhead. "He should stop being so idiotic. Heaven knows that being an ill-mannered blundering fool isn't the key to that little goody-two-shoe beaver heart."
Blaise snorted, almost spewing all of his pumpkin juice onto his meal. "So you're saying that you know how to get Hermione Granger? Legendary for her strong wits and even stronger chastity belt?"
"No chastity belt is strong enough for me." Draco winked, smirking even deeper. "Not that I'd even go for that mudblood. Too low class for me."
"No one is good enough for you, Drake, as you always say." Blaise snorted, but then he smiled sneakily. "But that has never stopped you from sleeping with anything who has two legs."
"Blaise, that's Granger, one third of the Gryffindor Golden trio of stuck-up saints, know-it-all bookworm beaver and goody-two-shoe." Draco scoffed, raising an eyebrow and glaring pointedly at his best friend. "Any of the things that I've just stated would be enough reason for any self respecting Slytherin to stay clear away from her."
"Apparently, it doesn't stop Nott." Blaise smirked. The Italian glanced at their dark housemate. "A little birdie told me that he's got his eye on her."
"Since when?" Draco frowned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Nott likes Granger? How could he have missed that?
"Uhh, I dunno, around sixth year? Vector assigned them as partners in Arithmancy, since then, Nott's been giving Granger the goo goo eyes."
Sixth year? Again, how could he have missed that? He thought to himself. Glaring at the dark haired Slytherin. How could he? How could he betray their house by crushing on a mudblood. He had spent years campaigning against her, making sure that no Slytherin crossed the line and went on to even look at the mudblood. He spent hours cajoling and threatening anyone who ever expressed that she was noticeable, much less attractive! He'd been trying to save his housemates by making sure that they stayed away from her, and here was Nott, crossing the line that he had religiously drawn.
"Draco, Draco," Blaise called from beside him, breaking his glaring marathon and distracting him from your thoughts. "Earth to Draco. I don't get why you're so pissed, everyone knows that Theo doesn't have the balls to ask her out."
"But he's crushing on the mudblood. If it was up to me, he'd get kicked out of Slytherin."
"You would kick anyone out of our house if you find out that the bloke just looked at her for a second too long." Blaise said, rolling his eyes.
"Of course I would." Draco scoffed. "No one respectable should even look at that piece of filth too long or-"
"Students, settle down, please." Dumbledore said as he rose to his winged owl podium. The whole hall quieted as the old man spoke. "I know that you're all tired from the journey and the food, but there is one more important announcement that I have to say. And that is the assignment of our Head Boy and Girl!"
Everyone erupted in a flurry of whispers. Everyone knew who the Head Girl would be. It was obvious that it was Granger. Mcgonagall would probably have a coronary if she wasn't chosen for the position. It was the Head Boy that was worth the deliberation. Everyone knew that Dumbledore favored Potter, but Malfoy was the second in their class, and Nott had served as Slytherin prefect since his fifth year, when Malfoy had only received the position in their Sixth Year.
"Who do you reckon that it would be?" Pansy asked from across the table.
"Most likely Potter. The old bat would lick his shoes if Potter asked him to." Pucey answered, glaring disgustedly at Potter.
"It could be Nott, he's been prefect longer." Goyle said. Everyone glanced at Nott, who looked like he was praying, or just constipated.
Blaise glanced at Draco, who was strangely quiet and facing away from the rest of the group. "What about you, Drake. You think you'd get the position?"
The blonde shrugged, giving the Italian one of his signature smirks. He turned his attention to Dumbledore, who was currently congratulating Hermione Granger, who was standing with him on the podium.
He couldn't wait to see their faces when the old bat calls his name.
During the summer, Mcgonagall had owled him about the position offer. He immediately accepted of course, seeing as it was another achievement to brag about.
"And now, for our Head Boy," Dumbledore said with glee. "Everyone, give a round of applause for our very own, Draco Malfoy!"
It would be an understatement to say that everyone's jaw dropped.
Amused, Draco strode towards the podium, eliciting disbelieving glances and in the shocked silence, his footsteps echoed loudly. He loved being Head boy already.
"Professor, I thought that Theo was supposed to be a candidate Head Boy!" Hermione Granger protested as soon as the three of them - Draco, Hermione, and Mcgonagall- were out of ear shot from the rest of the student body.
Draco frowned, "I never knew that you were so chummy chummy with Nott."
He had to do something about that, he thought darkly, following the two females up a hidden spiral bound staircase.
"Unlike a certain blonde ferret, at least Theo's been nothing but nice! Why did you replace him with him?"
"Miss, Granger, Mr. Malfoy deserves this position more than Mr. Nott, Miss Granger." The older witch snapped, leading them towards a painting at the end of a window-filled hall. Draco smirked at her and Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "The Headmaster's decision is final. I suggest that you two find ways to get along, we don't want to tell the school that the Head Boy and Girl murdered each other, now, do we?"
"Yes, Professor." They chorused.
"Good." Mcgonagall turned towards the suit of armor situated at the end of the hall. "Now, this is sir William the Weedkiller, he will safe guard your tower from people who aren't welcome. The password for this month is 'Kelpie'."
They neared the statue. Draco glanced at Hermione, who was still crossing her arms in subtle defiance, but there was also defeat in her posture. He smirked. He was going to make Granger's life a living hell. He had a feeling that he was going to be so happy this year. So, so happy.
"Who goes there?" The booming voice from the suit of armor called out, pointing his rusted sword towards the group.
"I bring the Head Boy and Girl."
"Password?"
"Kelpie."
"You may pass." With that, the knight withdrew his sword and stepped sideways, a spiral staircase slowly emerged from the ceiling, right to where the knight once stood.
Hermione glanced at Draco, only to find that he was looking at her. They both exchanged surprised expressions, but they seem to catch themselves at the same time. They frowned at each other and pointedly looked away.
"Follow me." The professor said, clutching the railing of the staircase. It started to move on its own accord, bringing the professor up into the ceiling.
"Beavers first, mudblood." Draco whispered snidely. Hermione scoffed at him and stepped daintily onto the first step. He soon followed after her.
The room that they had came into was lavish and grand, the ceiling reaching to about three floors in height. It was expansive and circular, with bookshelves lining most of the wall, save for the area above the fireplace, where a giant moving stained glass window stood. The current scene was that of the night sky, but the glass kept shifting and changing to form other landscapes, and sometimes, people. In front of the fireplace, there was a large plush sofa, along with two armchairs. In the center of the room, there were two desks, facing each other and identical, save for the nameplates on each one. But the most breath taking part was the ceiling. Draco had not noticed it before, but he saw that it was enchanted to reflect the pitch black sky outside.
"You're probably having a heart attack right now, Granger." He smirked as he saw the awed and longing look that Hermione was directing towards the shelves. "What with all the books in here. Professor, I don't think that you'd ever get her out of here again."
Mcgonagall shot him a bemused look. "Play nice, Mr. Malfoy." She chastised. He rolled his eyes and glanced at Hermione, who was still lost in dream land. Mcgonagall coughed and they both shifted their attention away from the room and towards her. "This room, is your common room. You will be doing Heads business here. All your of your paperwork will be delivered and taken from your desk every wednesday of each week. All of the books here are copies of the ones we have at the library, save for the restricted ones. Your kitchen, if you ever deem to use it, is downstairs. Pull the small blue book from the seventh bookshelf panel, and a trapdoor will open towards it. Your rooms are upstairs. Miss Granger, you can use the twelfth panel staircase, Mr. Malfoy, you get the seventeenth. You should pick a book to select as your password of sorts. Tickle the spine twice to assign a book. Then, you only need to place your palm fully on the spine to make the panels slid down. You step on the top and when the panel slides up, you'll find yourselves in your rooms."
"What's with all the security features, Professor?" Hermione asked, eyes widening at the complicatedness of it all.
"Let's just say that the Head boy and girl positions were very coveted back in the day. Sometimes, some witches and wizards would stoop very low to get them, hence the out of proportion security measures."
"Oh."
"What about the bathroom?" Draco asked, raising a perfect eyebrow.
"Panel two, the blue book identical to the one used for the kitchen. The bathroom would be very much like the prefects one, albeit much larger and grand. There is only one bathroom in the tower, so you two have to share."
"Share a bathroom with -"
"Malfoy?!" Hermione screeched, the same time as Draco said, "Beaver!?"
"No." They chorused.
Professor Mcgonagall eyed them sharply. "You don't have a choice."
"But-"
Mcgonagall raised a hand, silencing the two. "No buts. Now, for your duties." The Deputy Headmistress fixed them a stern stare. "The two of you are in charge of drawing up the prefect schedule, which, I believe, miss Granger has already submitted and had the Headmaster approve of-"
"Show off." Draco muttered under his breath, which made the brunette glare at him.
"-Both of you are also in charge of future parties, whenever the school deems to throw them. You also have the liberty of taking and giving points to other students. Prefect Meetings will be held on thursday nights, but you can call them whenever necessary. You would also need to do rounds together thrice a week, aside from your normal prefect rounds. Any questions?"
"Professor, what about our friends? Can we invite them inside the tower."
"Yes, you may, but only ones of the same gender are allowed into your rooms. The spell that forbids people of the different sex to enter your rooms don't work on yourselves. In the past, the wards were there, seeing as you are both teenagers and therefore hormonal-" they both indignantly blushed at this, "-but it was abolished during the 1960s, when one of the students had sudden convulsions in their room and their counterpart couldn't save them because he couldn't go inside her room. It was a tragic year. She died before the head boy could bring madame Pomfrey back. Hence, the exemptions. I trust that you will not abuse them, yes?"
"Of course we won't, Professor."
"Good, now, I'll leave you be. Remember, we want you to act like the civilized adults that you are. No maiming and fatal hexing." With that, the professor pulled a black book from the first bookcase panel beside the fireplace and disappeared down the secret stairwell.
"You're a git, and an asshole, and positively horrid to me," Hermione said as she turned to Draco, frowning and crossing her arms. "I don't care that you're almost as smart as I am, or that you can break me in two without even trying. I can defend myself from you, Malfoy. Don't ever think other wise. But the Professor is right. I'm supposed to be working with you, not being aggravated to the point where I find myself plotting ways to kill you."
"Wow, you really can compliment a bloke, mudblood." He said sarcastically, and he saw him flinch at the word. Good. He still has an effect on her, he thought smugly. "Don't worry, I think that you're a prissy, stuck up, know-it-all who is a pain in my ass too. But I also don't want to be thinking mean nasty thoughts about killing you, all the time."
"We should stop calling each other names and-"
"But I like calling you mudblood!"
"-and we should minimize the insults."
"Alright. But Potter and Weasley isn't and would never be, part of this truce."
Hermione bristled, but she nodded all the same. "Well, we've reached an agreement. Truce?"
"Yes, truce." Hermione stuck out her hand, and in a fit of deranged disregard for his overall cleanliness, Draco took the said hand and shook it. Electricity surged between them, and they both let go at the same time.
Awkward silence filled the room, until Hermione said, "Well, I'm going to sleep now. Good night uhh, Malfoy."
He nodded and he sat on one of the armchairs, collapsing. He heard the swoosh of the bookshelf ascending back to it's place, taking the muggleborn out of sight and hearing.
He'd had a long night, but there was one more thing to do. Report to his father.
He took some of he specialized floo powder that Lucius had instructed him to use before hand and sprinkled some into the almost dying embers of the common room fire. He glanced at the Stained glass window, glaring at it as he saw two figures, which creepily enough, looked like him and Granger.
"Creepy window, creepy people." He shuddered. He was not a fan of stained glass windows. Ever since he accidentally charmed the ones in his room to show nightmares every night, he had hated them with a passion. Well, with as much passion as a four year old could have hoped to achieve.
Over the years, he had forgotten his fear, but something about the window creeped him out.
"Draco." His father's voice boomed throughout the room. "Anything new?"
"Nothing much. Granger is as insufferable as ever. She was annoying before, but now, it's like she's been made to be my personal hell. I don't understand why the school chose her and not some other bimbo. I would have settled for anyone, but no. The old fart chose her. Well, she is the smartest in our year, but she's also-"
"Son, do you never stop talking about this mudblood?" His father cut him off. He resisted the urge to berate the senior Malfoy for calling Hermione mudblood. He was the only one allowed to call him that.
"But she never stops being someone worth complaining about! I don't know how Potter and Weasel stands it-being near that monstrosity all the time. But they practically worship the ground that she walks on. Idiots."
"They do?" Lucius raised a questioning eyebrow. He knew that the mudblood and Potter was close, but not that close.
"Yes. I don't think that they'd would have passed first year if it wasn't for her. Without the mudblood, those two wouldn't know left from right."
"I see. Very interesting news indeed." His father nodded, seemingly distracted. "I am needed elsewhere. Continue keeping your eye on the mudblood."
And with that the elder Malfoy's head turned and disappeared.
Draco stood up and picked up a chestnut-colored book on his own bookshelf panel. He smirked, stroking the spine. It was the exact same color as Granger's hair, who would expect him to pick it? Another stroke of brilliance, you handsome bloke you, he thought to himself, chuckling slightly as he stepped onto the top of the bookshelf.
There were so many things to do, with so little time. He was expected to keep up his grades, with his position as Quidditch Captain, and being Head boy, he was going to be swamped this year.
But, first things first. He had to make Nott stop liking Granger. It was Draco's duty to his fellow Slytherins after all. It was only right to keep them from making the wrong choices.
He grinned evilly as he neared the ceiling.
He was going to make Nott regret that he ever looked at Granger.
A/n: There you go! Don't forget to review, guys! I'd really appreciate it! :) did you guys feel how protective Draco is of her, without realizing it himself? It was tricky making him feel all of those possessive thoughts without him realizing it! hope you guys liked it!