Chapter Ten
"Blimey, I've forgotten my -er- bag in Transfiguration-class," Hermione said, once again lying. But this lie was necessary to make sure she did not get caught in the other one.
"Can't you just pick it up tomorrow? It is past curfew," suggested Ginny.
"Uhm, no, I have some homework in it which is due tomorrow morning. I'll be back in a few." Ginny looked at Hermione with disbelief written across her face. Hermione had not been near the Transfiguration-classroom that day since it was the first day back, and she for the same reason did not have any homework. Ginny knew that Hermione was up to something.
"Don't get caught," Ginny said at last. She decided that it was Hermione's own business, and Ginny could question her later on.
Hermione nodded to Ginny, then walked out through the portrait hole, and towards the Ravenclaw-Tower. It was a long way, and she had to tip-toe to not get caught by Filch or any of the Professors. She could not even imagine how much trouble she'd be in, getting caught on the first day.
"Lumos," she whispered, making a light appear on the tip of her wand. Besides that the corridors were as dark as the dead night outside. Luckily they were not as cold. A warmth filled up the whole caste -except the Dungeons- as were there lit fireplaces everywhere.
All of a sudden another light appeared ahead of Hermione. As she looked closer she realised it too was a lit wand. Somebody was right in front of her, and she could not escape. She was caught. Hermione turned of her light with a simple "Now".
"All right, you got me," she said surrendering.
Silence fled in, leaving Hermione thinking the worst. Maybe it was a Death Eater who had sneaked in? She shook that thought of her. No, a Death Eater could not enter Hogwarts like that. Not without anybody noticing it.
"Granger?" a voice, the other person, asked. Hermione jumped with the sound of Draco Malfoy's voice. Hermione lit her wand again, and lead it towards the place where the honey-soft voice had just been. There he was, looking rather worried and sweaty in a white shirt and black trousers.
"Malfoy? As a Prefect I will have to-" Draco cut her off.
"Yeah you're out too," he said. Hermione felt as if she had just hit a brick wall. He had a point; she was out too, breaking the rules. And Draco was also a Prefect. He had the same abilities as her, and could easily turn her in. he probably would, considering the face expression he had worn earlier.
"Why don't we just walk hand in hand down to McGonagall's office, and turn each other in?" Hermione suggested with sarcasm in her voice. She rarely spoke sarcastic, and Draco was not afraid to show that he was surprised.
"Great idea, why don't you just knock on the Dark Lord's door and tell him your blood-type, now you're there?" Draco replied, too in sarcasm. Hermione felt hurt, she always did when she got called a Mudblood or her blood-type was pointed out.
"So you do know where he live!" Draco frowned. He was ashamed of his family's relation to Voldemort, but that was something he would never admit. Especially not to Hermione Granger.
For a long time none of them said a word, though they did still look at each other. Hermione had a strange feeling in her gut. She wanted Draco to take another step towards her, grab her hips... Hermione quickly shook of the picture that crossed her mind.
"Well, if you are not going to arrest me or send me to the wise dead, I have to move on," said Hermione when she got too tired of the silence. She loved silence when she was reading, studying or thinking, but awkward silence in the middle of a conversation made her go insane.
"And where is it exactly you are going, I may ask?"
"The Ravenclaw-Tower, curious ferret-face." Hermione was referring to the episode where Barty Crouch Jr. acting out as Mad-eye Moody, had transfigured Draco into a small ferret in front of his mates. Hermione herself had not been present at the hilarious event, but Harry had explained it very detailed to her. He had loved seeing Draco being embarrased.
"I hope you get caught, Muggleborn." Draco walked further down the corridor, making sure to bump into Hermione as he passed her by.
When Hermione finally arrived at the beginning of the staircase leading up to the Ravenclaw common-room, she realised she probably could not solve whatever it was of a conundrum that the door would give her. They were always tricky.
Hermione stood there for a while, but smart as she was she quickly agreed with herself that it was a part of her Prefect duty to check up on how the Ravenclaws were doing. She could always hope somebody would let her in.
She walked up the spiral staircase, and did -with a bit of hesitation- knock softly. She hoped a few students would still be awake, and open up for her. After a minute or two a Seventh year Ravenclaw student, whom Hermione had only seen around but never talked to, opened the door.
"Hermione Granger? I would never have believed to see you out past curfew," the Ravenclaw girl said with surprise in her voice. She did not look surprised in her pretty face, though. She was tall -even taller than Ron- and had short, dark blonde hair.
"Just doing my Prefect duty. May I have a word with Luna Lovegood, please?" Hermione pinched herself discreetly because she once again had lied to another person.
"Is she in trouble?" the girl asked, looking a bit concerned.
"No -not at all. I just need to talk to her."
"Oh, good. Sure, I'll send her out. Just a second," the blonde girl said, and re-entered the common-room.
Shortly after a dirty-blonde haired girl with silvery-grey eyes showed up.
"Hermione, hi!" Luna nearly sang. Her voice was beautiful, Hermione had to admit, even though she did find it a bit annoying after a few minutes.
"Hi, Luna. The reason I am here is actually to ask you a -er- favour," Hermione said with a shaking voice. "If I may, of course," she quickly added, not wanting to sound dis-polite. She
fumbled nervously with her robes.
"Yes of course, Hermione! Do you need help finding the Nargles? Don't say they've hurt you!" Luna looked worried.
"No, that's not it. It's.. If anyone ask you about your Christmas Eve, will you please say you spent it with me?" Hermione's eyes were begging.
"Sure I'll do so. Now, sleep well, Hermione," said Luna, not even asking why she had to lie. Hermione liked her for that -she was not very curious.
Feeling relieved Hermione tip-toed back to the Gryffindor common-room.
"Fairy Lights," she whispered, and the Fat Lady swung aside.
First day back in classes was hard. All of the teachers were throwing homework at them as if their N.E.W.T's were just around the corner, and not over a year away.
Especially Potions with Professor Slughorn was tricky. He had over the holidays decided that we should all become friends and see each other as equals. He therefore wanted to mix up the Gryffindors and the Slytherins.
"It will be good for you. Maybe you'll even make friends!" Professor Slughorn said with false hope and a bit of sarcasm. He knew none of them would make friends, that was like expecting Hagrid to fear such a big spider as Aragog.
Slughorn looked down at the rather mad students of his.
"Er, Harry m'boy, you and Mr. Zabini, eh?"
Harry Potter had a relieved expression on his face -probably because he did not end up with Draco- but he was still mad about having to work with a Slytherin.
"Weasly and Parkinson," Slughorn continued -making Ron's face turn bright red, and Pansy slip out a moan- and then read up the rest of the names. Many sighs filled the room. Nobody seemed to be pleased with their partners.
"Oh, and at last, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger. Make some magic!"
"But.." said Hermione in protest, but stopped herself.
"Just go with it! See if you can get some inside information out of him," Harry whispered to her. Hermione sighed at Harry's silliness.
"Like Draco Malfoy would be spitting out information about You-Know-Who to a Mudblood!"
"Ssh, don't call yourself that, Hermione!"
Hermione moved over to the table where Draco was seated. He had not bothered doing his hair that day. It still looked great, though, Hermione thought.
"Malfoy," she said, but she did not look at him.
"Granger. Why do you seem to show up anywhere I go?" Draco asked. Hermione had been wondering the same thing.
"What you are supposed to do is brew the potion Calming Draught. I have written the instructions to it on the chalkboard. You have to help each other to make it correctly," Slughorn instructed.
Both Hermione and Draco read the instructions on the chalkboard through very carefully.
"Sir?" Neville Longbottom begun, "will there be any prizes to the best potion?"
Slughorn quickly searched through his pockets, and at last found a little piece of parchment with some writing on it that Hermione could not read on distance.
"Yes, 'Bottom, the pair who makes the best potion will get awarded with a gift-card to dinner for two at Hog's Head!" He was now speaking to the entire class.
The thought of going out to dinner with Draco made Hermione decide she wanted to brew the potion badly.
"Knock yourselves out, m'friends!"
"So you don't fancy going out with me, then?" asked Draco after ten minutes. He was watching over their cauldron, making sure it did not explode, while Hermione was cutting out pieces of an ordinary, Muggle pork.
"Why would you think that?" There were no tension in neither Draco nor Hermione's voices. Hermione did not know why it had disappeared. It felt as that night on the top of the Malfoy Mansion again.
"The instructions clearly says to cut the porks in tiny pieces, and your pieces are at the sixe of my thumps!" Hermione could feel herself blush, she felt all warm. He had caught her sneaky trick.
"Let me," Draco said. He walked up to Hermione, placed his hands on hers, and helped cutting the pork into small pieces. His touch on hers was warm, which Hermione had never expected with Draco being so pale. He looked as someone who had really cold skin, but that luckily was not the case.
After an hour of sweat, failed attempts and loads of fights between the two Houses, Slughorn called class to an end.
"Now, let us see.." he said, walking around the classroom, looking into different cauldrons. He wrinkled his nose at Ron and Pansy's. Hermione had not expected differently. She was sure the two of them could not get along. It was in nature. Like matching a giant elephant with a mouse -Ron was the elephant.
"Wenby, you can do better than this, and same goes for you Parkinson. I would defiantly not drink this." He moved on to Neville's table.
"Harry m'boy, this should be good!" Slughorn said as he approached Harry and Blaise. But the face expression that crossed his face was far different from what everyone had expected to see.
"Er, interesting, you two.. Ah, I smell.. leaf, is that correctly? You must've misread my instructions." Hermione held back a giggle. It was obvious that Harry had not been using his Half-Blood Prince book because Blaise was watching him. That just told Slughorn how bad Harry actually was at Potions.
After a while of walking, Slughorn approached Draco and Hermione's table with a disappointed look on his face. He had expected more from his student -at least from Harry.
"Granger, Malfoy, you're Calming Draught is.." Slughorn paused, and took an extra look at their cauldron. ".. perfect! How did you do this? It is nearly impossible for a Sixth Year student to to!" Hermione was used to being praised by her teachers, but Slughorn had never quite liked her; Harry had been shining so bright that it had blinded Slughorn for Hermione's brilliance.
"P-perfect?" Draco stammered. "I mean, of course it is perfect! What'd you expect?"
"Yes, perfect, Mr. Malfoy." He searched through his pockets once again. "Here you go, enjoy Hog's Head!" Draco received the card with a smile on his face which he was trying to hide.
Hermione could not hide her joy. She was smiling all over her face -probably looking like a jerk, she thought. But what did that mean to her? She had just won over Harry and his stupid book.