Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J. K. Rowling. Any text from her books is italicized.
Draco's Curse
Chapter 2
The next day, Madam Pomfrey allowed Draco to go down to breakfast in the Great Hall. He was sitting next to an attentive Pansy, recounting the tale of his attack yet again for her adoring friends, when he looked up at the Gryffindor table and stopped short. Hermione Granger was talking and laughing with Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, that was nothing new, of course. But as she threw her head back and laughed freely, he was struck dumb. She was beautiful. The curve of her neck as she tilted her head, the thick hair flowing down her back, her rosy lips parted wide. He stared for a moment, than shook himself. What was wrong with him? She was a Gryffindor, as well as a mudblood. She was disgusting, he reminded himself. Mudbloods were disgusting. Still, she looked beautiful today... And what was a mudblood, really? Just a name that his father impressed on him? He looked away quickly and continued his story, relieved that no one had noticed his pause.
Next class was Potions, Draco's personal favorite. He wasn't entirely sure why Professor Snape hated Harry Potter so much, but it was certainly amusing. This class in particular was great. He used his arm as a reason for Weasley and Potter to have to prepare his ingredients. Halfway through class, he made the mistake of looking over at Granger again. She was stirring her potion slowly, gracefully, and the steam rising from her cauldron shrouded her face in beautiful mist. He saw her absently start to pour armadillo bile into her cauldron, and before he could stop himself, he had reached out and grabbed her wrist gently in his fingers.
He felt her pulse flutter under his fingers. Her arm was delicate and beautiful. "Stop!" he said to her. She stared at him in utter confusion, while both Weasley and Potter watched him suspiciously. "You were-you were about to add too much armadillo bile," he stuttered as explanation. They were all still staring at him, so he continued, "It would have exploded. It could have caused permanent skin damage."
She glared at him. "As if I'd believe that, Malfoy! What were you trying to do?" Everyone was watching them. Even Snape looked astounded.
"Mr. Malfoy is right, Miss Granger," he said. "I saw you at the last moment. Had he not stopped you, you might very well have suffered permanent skin damage." Potter was still looking very suspicious, while Weasley looked furious and confused at the same time. Pansy had her mouth hanging open, and all the Slytherins were staring at him in confusion and disgust. What had he done? He quickly tried to cover up.
"Much as it would have been amusing to see you covered in permanent pustules and boils, Granger," he drawled, "The potion might have touched me, and I don't want to risk that..." Potter was still watching him with narrowed eyes, but everyone else looked satisfied. Good, he thought, but what was he going to do about his newfound affection for Granger?
Author's Note: Please review and let me know what you think!
