Out of Hand by relativelypositive
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or make any money from the use of J.K. Rowling's characters.
Chapter 6: Interest
Blaise and Draco were sitting in Transfiguration trying to avoid conversation with Pansy and Daphne. McGonagall had yet to appear, which was odd for her.
"Draco, did you hex the little bitch?" Pansy asked nastily. She was sitting next to Daphne, who wouldn't look up from her parchment.
"I thought you liked Daphne, why would you call her a bitch?"
Daphne blushed, but didn't look up.
Pansy made a frustrated noise. "Don't act like I don't know what I'm talking about. That Mudblood bitch is trying to force her way into Pureblood society! Maybe I should take care of the problem."
"Of course not. I have it all under control."
"Well, I'd suggest a proper courtship to a respectable, Pureblooded witch before any more damage can be done."
"Watch your step, Pansy. You lost your chance years ago when you tried to seduce me! Your forwardness alerted me that my father's warnings weren't just overprotectiveness, they were warning me of imminent danger."
"Well, someday you're going to have to choose a witch. Or are you going to let Lucius choose for you?"
"Show some respect. You wouldn't want his regard for you to falter."
"Whatever. I sometimes struggle to remember why I wanted you."
"Right back at you. Maybe you should ask Daphne. I bet she could remind you."
"Daph? What's he talking about?"
Daphne didn't reply.
"Draco, Granger just came in," Blaise whispered.
Draco fixed his gaze on Blaise. He didn't want anyone to think this was affecting him.
"I don't think she's going to pull anything. She doesn't want to trap me."
"How can you be sure? It could be a ruse."
"Since when does Granger admit to not knowing something? Plus, she said something about Weasley. If anyone should be afraid of Granger, it should be him."
"Where is he, anyway? And where is McGonagall? Shouldn't we have started five minutes ago?"
That was odd. Weasley hadn't been in the one class he shared with Draco this morning, either.
He'd heard from Blaise who heard from Tracey Davis who heard from Padma Patil, who heard firsthand that Hermione had said what she said to mess with Weasley's head.
And he hadn't seen Weasley since.
Was he hiding? From Granger?
Was Granger trying to marry Weasley? She could do so much better!
Wait. No. She doesn't know the rules, the ceremonies, or the restrictions of proper courtship. And Hermione Granger would follow every rule. She would want to be proper.
But her crush on Weasley was pretty obvious. That was one of the reasons Draco had been so shocked when Blaise told him what she'd said.
Why was he even thinking about this? It was over. He didn't intend to ever speak to her again. He was positive she'd never repeat her mistake.
It was disappointing that he wouldn't be able to pick on her anymore. It could be misconstrued as showing interest, even if he was insulting her. He hadn't called her a Mudblood for a long time. He kind of missed how mad she used to get. Now he'd never get another chance.
His father would blow a gasket if he knew Draco had enjoyed anything related to a Mudblood, even if it was trying to put her in her place.
The thing about putting Hermione Granger in her place was that her place was no longer set in Draco's mind.
He didn't like her. Her personality was abhorrent. She was all righteous and persnickety.
And she kept outperforming him in class. That was just embarrassing.
She might be sort of pretty, but unlike his friends, Draco knew a pretty face was more dangerous than a plain one.
She wasn't appropriate for him.
He'd never considered her. At all. She was a Mudblood. He'd be disowned. It wasn't worth thinking about.
In truth, if he tried for Hermione Granger, his father would kill her. That wasn't hyperbole. Lucius Malfoy would rather spend the rest of his life in Azkaban than have a Mudblood for a daughter-in-law. To Draco's father, it would be worth it.
So he needed to stop thinking about it.
He needed to stop thinking about how surprising she was. And how she had made him laugh today.
No girl had ever made him laugh.
Professor Sprout toddled in with an apologetic face. "Students! Listen up! Transfiguration is cancelled today. Please use the time to forward your studies. Miss Granger, would you come with me, please?"
Draco couldn't help but look over at Granger. She looked guilty. What had she done now?
She had unknowingly tried to trap him in an engagement, shocked and alienated her friends, been caught in the Restricted Section, sworn at McGonagall, asked her about sex, lost an insane amount of house points, was the subject of ridicule, had been outright insulted in public, and now she was being pulled out of class.
And that was just today!
Draco wondered if she'd ever had a worse day. He tried to shrug off the…concern? Is that what he was feeling?
Did this have to do with Weasley and McGonagall going missing? Was something really wrong?
He watched Hermione struggle to look like she didn't care that everyone was whispering as she repacked her book bag and slid from her chair.
She whispered something to Harry and turned toward Sprout.
For some reason Draco thought she'd glance at him. He felt a little disappointment when she didn't.
"What's that about? You don't think your father heard about this, do you?" Blaise asked with a little panic in his voice.
"No. If he had, I would be the one being pulled out of class."
"Out of school, you mean. I can hear one of his 'protect the bloodline' lectures in my head right now."
"I'm going to follow them. Keep anyone from following me."
Draco and Blaise nodded at each other. As he stood up, Pansy took offense.
"Are you following the Mudblood? Showing interest? Think carefully, Draco, then act accordingly. Isn't that what you're always telling Vince and Greg?"
"Vince and Greg would surprise you, Pansy, they don't need me telling them what to do anymore. People change."
"What are you saying? You are showing interest! How could you?"
"Of course I'm not, don't be ridiculous. I'm gathering blackmail material. I told you, I have a plan."
Draco left quickly, so he wouldn't lose Granger and Sprout in the corridors.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Hermione was silent as she was led to the entrance hall. She was appalled when she saw Professor Dumbledore standing next to her trunk.
"AM I EXPELLED?" Hermione screeched.
Dumbledore approached her with a reassuring smile.
"No! Hermione, it's just for the weekend. You and your parents have a lot to discuss," he reassured her.
"Can I ask you a quick question?"
"Absolutely, but you must hurry."
"Do you think I did anything that would hurt anyone?"
Dumbledore took a moment to think, and Hermione knew his answer would be frank.
"That remains to be seen, my dear."
"Oh. Professor, I must run one small errand."
"Please hurry, Hermione, you'll miss your train!"
"I swear I'll only be five minutes!" Hermione yelled as she raced toward the owlery.
She ran past Draco and didn't even see him. She didn't hear him following her, either. All she could think was that they didn't have an owl at home. She had been composing this all morning, and she knew it was now or never.
She went to the nearest owl and pulled out the parchment she'd felt ridiculous writing, but needed to complete, from her robe. She felt stupid and guilty, neither of which were feelings she was familiar with.
Loudly and clearly, as though she was flooing somewhere, Hermione called out, "Take this to the Daily Prophet!"
She had just shooed the owl out the window when a loud crack accompanied by a yell of panic and surprise spooked the owls. She whirled around to find Malfoy running to the window. His eyes were wild when he turned to her, and she wondered his problem was.
"Shit! Granger, what did you do?"
A/N:
Thank you to ASJS, CecilieDK, Hikari-Kawaii, Dracosgirl007, KodeV, Chester99, Tar-Silmarien, anime-demon-child, and Kermit 304. I've never been a reviewer myself, and now I feel guilty. Even just a "Hey, nice job," is incredibly satisfying. I should have been more appreciative of the authors I've enjoyed. Thanks for the lesson. (That's not a snarky thank you, that's real.)