A/N: I know it's been a while but this chapter should rekindle your interest. I hope! :p
Previously: "What is it?" Blaise asked half heartedly. She lifted the face of the book for him to read. He cocked an eyebrow questioningly.
This," Hermione started, waving the book in front of her, "I hope, will provide us with some answers."
Blaise leaned forward with interest. "Do you mean to tell me, that blue blood is actual – "
"Yes," she cut him off, not wanting him to say it aloud. He leaned back against the bookshelves with a thud, disbelief written all over his face, along with a hint of undeniable revolt.
"Any idea whose?" he asked thoughtfully.
"Malfoy's," she offered, sitting back against the stacks opposite him, the book clenched tightly in her hands. She was going to break it to him slowly.
"Figures," he bit out, his expression more annoyed than disgusted.
"That's not all. It brings to light a whole new level of service from a house-elf. Add a dash of ragwood, and voila, blue blood," she finished.
Blaise was silent for a moment, trying to make sense of her cryptic explanation. He stared at her bug-eyed as it dawned on him. "House-elves!?" he exclaimed, a little too loudly. She sent him a reprimanding glare.
"House-elves?" he repeated, his voice terse yet whispered. Hermione nodded, a wave of nausea revisiting her. "Shit," he said, more for his own benefits as he consolidated his thoughts. "That can't be good," he shook his head.
Hermione looked down at the book in her lap. She couldn't face reality just yet. "I think it's best that I take this back to my room and read it thoroughly. You better go finish your essay." Hermione stood up, stepping over to her bag. As she bent down to retrieve it, Blaise's hand rested on her forearm.
"Can I see you later?" he asked suddenly. Hermione wasn't sure she wanted contact with any Slytherin. She pulled her bag up, and rested it on her shoulder, before staring down at him.
"Aren't you angry with me?" she asked.
"Well, this kind of puts a new spin on things," he replied, his lips tightening as he frowned. The whole classroom incident was still too fresh in her mind, yet she felt guilty if she refused his request.
"Meet me on the fourth floor, after dinner. We can go through this together," she waved the book to signal her intention to keep it work related. Blaise stood up, brushing his robes before turning his attention to her. He just nodded before walking away in the direction of the study carrels. Sighing, Hermione walked to the front desk to check out the dreaded book before exiting the library. She needed some air.
"Hermione Granger," she heard someone call out as she walked towards the castle exit into the quadrangle. She turned in the direction of the girl's voice. It was Lisa Turpin, the raven beauty.
"Hi Lisa, did you want something?" she asked. Lisa walked up to her with a determined pace.
"I've been meaning to talk to you, actually," she smiled in such a way that implied something unfavourable.
"Is it about patrols?" Hermione attempted to deduce.
"Not quite. It's more about my patrolling partner." Hermione shifted her weight from one leg to the other impatiently.
"What about him?" Hermione felt like she was being set up. Lisa was being exceptionally sweet toned.
"Well, Draco and I were patrolling, if you will, and I must say, I was rather surprised when he had a momentary lapse of confusion."
Frowning, Hermione responded tartly, "What exactly do you mean?"
"I doubt I would ordinarily noticed such a slip up, but it certainly caught me off guard when Draco happened to say your name in the heat of the moment, if you catch my drift," Lisa divulged slowly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Hermione's mouth went dry, as she tried not to react to what she had just heard.
Straightening her back and lifting a brow, Hermione feigned disgust. "I can't control what Malfoy says in the moment, as you put it. Maybe you should ask him about it?"
"Oh, but I did. He just denied it. It was rather amusing, really." Lisa offered, tilting her head, amusement apparent in her face.
"I'd be worried if the guy I was patrolling with didn't get his partner's name right. Maybe it hits home on something?" Hermione didn't know why she was acting all defensive, but it certainly didn't help that Malfoy was starting to act out his side effects in the presence of others.
"I know it's not me, that's why I thought you might provide some insight. But, perhaps I am mistaken, I mean, you and Draco?" Lisa laughed at the notion.
"Are you done?" Hermione's patience was almost extinguished.
"For now," she shrugged, "I'll see you at the prefects meeting?" her tone suddenly civil once again. Oh, how Hermione wanted to shut her down, her vengeful streak rising to the surface. 'Walk away, Hermione,' her sensible self warned.
"You bet," she replied as sweetly as she could, brushing past the Ravenclaw and walking out into the quad. She didn't realise she had been holding her breath until the doors closed behind her, and she exhaled in relief, releasing her pent up rage. The patrolling roster needed reviewing. Malfoy was stirring all sorts of trouble, without even realising it.
Hermione lodged herself on the stone bench at one corner of the quad, lying flat as she stared up at the vaulted ceiling. The day was not even half over and she had already dealt with too many surprises. The inquisition from the Ravenclaw only served to heighten her stress factor. It was one thing to act out on something in her presence, and a whole other consideration if the side effects were meddling with his subconscious. What was the muggle term often quoted to frivolously to cover up such occurrences?
A Freudian slip.
Just perfect.
She closed her eyes worriedly, trying to clear her mind of all the morning frivolities.
"A penny for your thoughts." Hermione's eyes shot open and she found herself staring directly into the dark eyes of one much unexpected Theodore Nott. She instantly sat up, straightening herself into an air of proper indifference. His grin was disconcerting.
"Theo," she acknowledged reluctantly as she swung her legs over the edge of the seat, once again hitting the ground. He sat down next to her, infuriatingly close. What ever happened to mudblood germs that whole rat pack had taunted her about?
"Hermione," he acknowledged, "how is the Gryffindor head girl these days?"
She turned to him, her expression suspicious. "Fine," she replied tersely. He nodded, silent for a moment. It gave her the opportunity to inspect him closely. He was square jawed, rather rugged for a Slytherin, and surprisingly was sporting a pair of tortoise shell square frames which gave him an air of a slight alternative sophistication. She didn't realise he was actually doing the same thing in return until she caught his gaze. Instinctively, she looked away.
"Was there something you wanted?" she asked for the second time that day, to an even more unlikely person.
"McGonagall asked me to find you," he offered. She raised her brow goading him to elaborate. He moved to one side, leaning back slightly as he reached into his trouser pocket, pulling out a piece of folded parchment. He handed it to her.
"What's this?"
"I'm failing Transfiguration. McGonagall reckons you'd be a good tutor," he shrugged.
"Surely, someone from your own house can give you a hand?" she replied, unfolding the parchment and reading over it quickly. It was a notice from the Professor outlining that if his progress continued at his current state, he would fail NEWT Transfiguration. She looked back at him questioningly.
"Well, yeah, but I am not about to go announcing to the rest of my house that I need a tutor. Besides, you come highly recommended." He was being unusually civil with her. Of course, it did help that it was to his benefit if Hermione agreed to tutor him. Yet, it still puzzled her that he would want to.
"How can you be failing if you qualified for NEWT Transfiguration?" He shrugged. Hermione frowned.
"Poor organisations skills?" he threw into the wind. His sarcasm did not go unnoticed.
"If you're not serious about this, then I don't see why you should bother with seeking a tutor." She handed him back the paper.
"Hermione, I am asking you this favour as Head Girl, house rivalry and blood status aside, I am willing to cooperate and be civil with you." He was offering a wager now, appealing to her sense of duty. She sighed.
"Wednesday's after lunch, I have a free. You?" He nodded. "Fine, meet me in the library."
"Thanks." He got up and gave her a small smile of civil gratitude before walking back into the castle entrance.
Everything happens in multiples of three; Hermione tried to re-assure herself that the surprises for the day were over. Not a moment's peace had been achieved.
She was sorely mistaken.
Dinner in the Great Hall had never been such a nerve wracking affair. It began in a normal fashion, the usual catch up with house mates, Ron's jokes, Harry and Ginny's exploits of affection, Ron's reprimand in disgust, Seamus' dirty jokes, and Pavarti's update on 'Who's hot, and who's not'. Dean was definitely a 'not' of late, bringing momentary amusement to Hermione.
It was between mouthfuls that Hermione was alerted to the novel scenario.
"Hey, check out the Slytherin table," Ron alerted Harry and herself. Hermione looked up, swallowing her food, before opening her mouth in surprise. "Wonder what that's all about," Ron shook his head in amusement.
Malfoy had stood up abruptly, his stature depicting one who was ready to duel, his eyes dark with rage, as he walked over and jabbed his wand into Blaise's back.
"Get up," she heard him order with such malice it was frightening. Hermione could feel her heart beat accelerate as the blood pumping through her system caused her ear drums to throb in anticipation. They watched Blaise stand slowly, his eyes down-cast, his jaw-clenched as he turned to face his newly estranged friend.
"What do you think you're doing?" she heard Blaise growl, his temper equalling that of the Head Boy. Slytherins never showed such emotion, and here they were, the two most inscrutable and controlled, creating a scene in front of the whole school. Hermione knew that none of the other Slytherins would dare intervene.
"Where do you get off meddling? I warned you already, only to find out that you're still trying?" Draco bit out, loud enough for Hermione to make sense of what he was saying. To anyone else, Malfoy was vague enough to elicit confused shrugs from bystanders. To Hermione, it was crystal clear. Without realising, she had stood up from her seat, "where you going, Hermione?" she heard Harry ask, and walked in the direction of the perpetrator, ignoring the heated whispers of surprise and puzzled glances.
She walked up behind Malfoy, catching Blaise's attention as he sent her a warning look not to get involved. She ignored it, naturally. "Malfoy, put your wand down," she ordered, her voice clear. "You're the Head Boy for goodness sake!"
She could not see his face, but the acid tone of his voice said it all. "Granger," he drawled icily. The hall went quiet as he turned to face her. It was perhaps an unfortunate thing that no professors were present this evening due to a staff meeting. "Always, Granger," he repeated, a sudden sign of resignation crossing his features. Hermione stood her ground.
"Malfoy, whatever you and Blaise need to discuss, do it outside," she continued, superficially unfazed by his leering attention. To anyone else, it would appear that he was mocking her presence. Up close, she could see that his eyes betrayed his expression, their blackness stirring unwanted feelings within her. Why was it that she reacted to him? He brought his wand up and pointed it at her. Hermione faltered slightly.
"Scared, Granger?" he teased. She could not take break away from his gaze, like a magnetic force was once gain drawing her to him. He stepped closer, ever so slightly, her eyes widened.
"Bad idea, Draco," she heard Blaise caution.
"Malfoy, you better think twice about how outnumbered you are right about now." It was Harry. Hermione's trance was broken and she turned to see him standing next to her, Ron standing next to him, and a few other Gryffindors from her year level behind Ron. All with their wands pointed at the Head boy. Malfoy turned his attention to Harry, narrowing his eyes before breaking out into a manic grin.
"Why, if it isn't the whole Gryffindork pack," he bit out. "Lions move in packs don't they, Granger?" He turned back to face Hermione, bringing his wand down before abruptly leaning in further. She could feel his breath on her cheek. "Granger, do they know what they're even protecting you from?" he whispered, for her ears only. Hermione's mouth dried up instantly, as she stepped back and glared at the Head boy. He smirked, before turning to Blaise.
"This isn't over, Zabini," he threatened before turning and storming out. The whole room stared after him as the doors to the Great Hall shut behind him, ending the startling incident.
Hermione looked at Blaise, he nodded back discreetly. She understood his gratitude but could see his discomfort as he glanced at Harry and Ron before sitting down. She felt Harry's hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Hermione? What possessed you to come over here?" Harry asked.
She turned to face him, slightly frustrated. "I am the Head Girl, you know. It is my job to thwart conflict, no matter whose." He regarded her silently for a moment.
"Okay, Hermione, just be careful how you go about it next time." He turned and ushered for the others to head back to the Gryffindor table, leaving Hermione standing alone. Fed up by the melodrama, she turned and walked towards the great doors, her eyes betraying her as she glanced at the Ravenclaw table and caught Lisa Turpin staring at her with an expression of interest. Hermione could see the Ravenclaw's mind reeling behind those eyes. She quickly looked away, picking up the pace and rushing out of the hall, the doors shutting definitively behind her.
There was only one place she could escape to, her fourth floor hide away.
A/N: Well well, a set up of things to come! Revelations and new developments...don't know about you, but even I am on tenterhooks! :p