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Draco Malfoy was having a fan-fucking-tastic day. And it was only the bloody second day! Actually, if one wanted to be precise, Draco hadn't even been there for 48 bloody hours! The only bright spot on his day was bugging the hell out of Granger. Draco almost felt smug, but then he remembered she got in the last word.
Damn this unfair world and all its inhabitants.
To add on to his sullen mood he had to explain to Valerie about the ferret incident to shut up her curiosity. They had walked into potions with Valerie laughing at his expense. But the adventure didn't end there, oh no!
"You know, if you like a girl, just tell her. It doesn't waste as much time as playing the asshole," Valerie had stated.
"Beg pardon?" Draco was confused.
"Your joke and attitude toward Hermione Granger."
Draco had stared at the American for a full minute before he managed to ground out, "I don't like Granger."
She had just raised her eyebrows. "Could've fooled me." And then she laughed again.
Draco had glanced over at Granger then, thinking of the absurdity of that statement. He didn't realize that he had not looked away when Valerie had followed his gaze. She turned toward him and gave him a smug look.
"Don't like her, huh?"
And then Potions class continued from there.
XXXXX
Draco was in the Slytherin Common Room when some little first year had interrupted his homework time to give him the message that McGonagall wanted to speak with him. The stupid kid had gone up to Draco all quiet and cautious and had to repeat his sentences four different times before Draco got the gist of what he was saying. The kid had even started crying when Draco just stood up. Poor Blaise had to calm the kid down and reassure him that Draco wasn't going to kill him. Not that Draco would kill him anyway. First years may be annoying, but Draco wasn't going to waste time and effort on them.
Draco had left Blaise with the frightened child, and made his way to the Headmistress' office. The corridors were lit with more torches than Draco remembered, but Draco didn't mind. He was ashamed to admit it, but the worst part of his nightmares was when the darkness came. Draco Malfoy was afraid of the dark. When Voldemort had overtaken the Manor, he had kept it dark. Draco would just be walking the halls of his childhood home and then the pale faced bastard would melt from the shadows. It always scared him when there was a dark corner. After the war and his trial, Draco had kept the fireplace in his room well lit when nighttime came. He had kept that habit alive in the dorms as well. No one had complained, so maybe he wasn't the only one who didn't like the dark.
Draco had trouble finding the entrance to McGonagall's office. Truth be told, he had never been to the Head of Hogwarts office. Even when he got in trouble he had never had to go there. His father merely made a 'donation' to the school, and he went on his merry way. He had turned around at least three times and hit a dead end before he had found the entrance. The eagle guarding the entry way was extravagant. Draco had seen all the statues from the school, but he had not seen one like this. The feathers actually seemed to move as if wind was blowing on them. This was quite a door. His admiration gave way to the realization that the first year had not given him the password. He stood there contemplating what the password could be. He knew that Dumbledore had kept candy names for passwords so he tried Fizzing Whiz Bee, Acid Pop, even Cockroach Clusters. None of them worked.
"Merlin's harry balls," Draco sighed.
The eagle gave a groan and then turned to reveal a stairway leading. Draco looked at the statue in bewilderment.
"That's honestly your password?" Of course, the statue didn't respond. Shaking his head, Draco bounded up the stairs as the eagle turned back around, hiding the passage once more. Draco came upon a set of double doors carved with a scene of Hogwarts. There was a werewolf by the Forbidden Forrest howling at the moon, along with a mermaid in the Black Lake. There was a hippogriff flying over the castle that looked like that winged menace that attacked him in third year. He was staring at what he was sure was a carved depiction of him being changed into a ferret when the doors swung open. The room was open and warm, with a large dark cherry wood desk in the center. There were several different gadgets on the desk that McGonagall was sitting at. It wasn't McGonagall that Draco was worried about. It was the group of students that were piled in McGonagall's office. He saw Pansy, who smiled at him, along with Nott, the Ravenclaw Patil twin, Terry Boot, Ernie McMillian, Hannah Abbott, Longbottom, the Gryffindor Patil twin, and Granger.
Ahhhhh, Granger. For the most part, Draco had managed to keep his thoughts off of the unfortunate pairing with the frizzy haired know it all. Every time he did think about it, Draco got a headache. Granger liked the idea of working together as much as he did. Their little spat moments before the class had not helped things, nor did the spat after Granger had talked with Valerie. He thought about being civil with her for the sake of the assignment, but there was something about Granger that had him bristling when he was near her. Draco figured he had the same effect on Granger because when she caught him looking at her, as Draco Malfoy did not stare at her, she had jumped. He smirked at the thought of having that effect on her. Granger seemed to have contemplated the possibility of being civil as Slughorn had said, but Draco wasn't sure. And if Granger wasn't willing to be civil, there was no way in hell Draco was.
Draco had actually considered Slughorn's words about ending the house rivalry, but how? There was just too much animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor over the years that couldn't be wiped away with the swish of a wand. Besides, house rivalry, good house rivalry, was fun. Draco remembered the Quidditch games and the after parties that had gone the way they had because of house rivalry.
Coming back to the present moment, Draco saw McGonagall beckon him forward with her hand. The Ravenclaws, Draco noticed, were not happy about his presence. The other students seemed like they didn't care, while Granger was ignoring him.
"Now, I want to start off by saying none of you are in trouble."
Draco let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"That being said, you are all here because I have decided to name you prefects for the Eighth years."
The students around Draco smiled at one another.
"With the confusion of actually having Eighth years, not to mention having the students repeat the year, I had not thought to appoint prefects. I have called you here to remedy that situation. I believe you are all responsible enough," Draco snorted in his head, "to carry out these rolls. Now, there is another matter that must be fixed: Head Boy and Head Girl."
"But Professor, I thought the letter said that there wouldn't be any Heads this year," stated Abbott.
A stern look fell across the old Transfiguration professor's face. "That was the Ministry's decision, not mine. I believe it is important to uphold something that has been around since this school's inception. So, please welcome your new Heads, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy."
Wait, what?
Draco wiggled a finger in his ear to see if he had heard right.
"MALFOY?" Terry Boot shouted. "Professor he's a Death Eater! He killed Dumbledore!"
Draco clenched his fingers so hard that his knuckles turned white. He had to refrain from jumping onto the annoying Ravenclaw and beating him bloody. No matter what he did, he would always carry around that brand. Death Eater. Dumbledore's killer. Once again, it didn't matter that he wasn't the one to cast the Killing Curse. He was the one responsible for letting the other Death Eaters in, and that in turn had led to the Headmaster's death.
His arm itched. He had searched every corner of the Manor's library, but he hadn't found anything on how to get rid of the offending tattoo. The Dark Mark had started to scar into his arm. He didn't want to carry that around for the rest of his life, a constant reminder of his past mistakes.
The other Ravenclaw had taken up Boot's argument, but the others stayed silent. He had expected more of fight. He was surprised that they hadn't gathered pitchforks and lit torches to start a mob against him. He wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved that so few people had shouted in protest.
"Mister Boot, Miss Patil that is enough. My decision is final, and I will not be changing it."
"But he killed Professor Dumble-"
"Severus Snape killed Albus Dumbledore. It was a choice Albus made and had Severus carry out. You have heard this I am sure, and if you haven't, then I suggest you get out more. I will hear no more on the matter, and if you want to be a prefect, then you will keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself."
Draco had never really respected the older woman. She was always too strict and too much of a Gryffindor for him to even begin to like her. But in that moment, he saw her, not really in a new light, but just a different light. She was defending him, and he knew that she did not like him, not like she liked Granger, Potter, or even Longbottom. If not for the others in the room, Draco would have smiled at the Headmistress.
"Now, here are your badges and a list of duties. You will report to both Heads every two weeks and report anything and everything. If you don't" she said, looking at the two Ravenclaws, "then you will be stripped of the prefect title."
The Ravenclaws left, but not before giving Draco a glare. Pansy passed by whispering, "Congrats." The rest filed out, not saying anything. Draco started to follow suit, but McGonagall called him back.
"Mr. Malfoy, a moment." Draco turned around and was stunned to see that Granger had not left. Her determined gaze was set straight ahead, ignoring him still.
"I take it Mr. Slughorn has assigned you two as partners already?" Draco and Hermione were quiet.
" Very well. Then he has also told you about the reasoning behind it."
"Professor, I don't see a reason that-"
"Ms. Granger for as long as I have known you, you have always done things with logic and reasoning. But your fight with Mr. Malfoy seems more emotional. That being said, even when you are emotional, you are capable of your own thoughts, as the incident in Sixth year with Miss Brown. As for you Mr. Malfoy, you are on thin ice. You have a lot to make up for from the years past when it comes to Ms. Granger. I am hoping that by the end of this assignment, you two will have come to an agreement to end this ridiculous child's argument."
Professor McGonagall got up and came around the desk. She picked up the Head badges and presented them to Draco and Hermione.
"Now for your duties as Heads. I believe you have both worked hard, academically, and that is usually the criteria for becoming a Head. You won't need to change your schedules or living arrangements. You will need to set time aside, however, ever two weeks for the prefect's reports. This includes all the prefects from Fifth and Sixth year. You will also participate in patrols. If there is a major incident that arises, I expect you two to come to me with it. Now I believe it is time for bed. Off you go."
McGonagall gave each student and encouraging smile.
"Professor?" Granger had halted at the carved doors and turned back to the Headmistress.
"Yes dear?"
"Was it really your idea for us to be partners for Potions?"
"If you want to be technical, it was Professor Dumbledore's idea."
Draco glanced up at the painting of the old man. There was a twinkle in his eye and a genuine smile on his face. Draco would have preferred if the dead man had glared at him or screamed. But he didn't.
There was nothing left to be said, so the two students left the office. The eagle turned to let them out. Draco and Hermione were back in the hallways, walking side by side. So their partnership was Dumbledore's idea. Is no one's ideas original here? If Professor Dumbledore wanted them to be partners for a project what did that mean? Sure, he would have wanted them to play nice, but that twinkle...Draco was weary of that look in the man's eye, painted or no.
The awkward silence between the Slytherin and Gryffindor before Draco remembered something he wanted to ask.
"What was the password you used to get into McGonagall's office?"
Granger furrowed her brow.
"The password? Didn't Jeremiah tell you?" Jeremiah must have been the first year that Draco made cry.
"No. It must have slipped his mind."
She shrugged her shoulders.
"The password was Merlin and Harry. Don't give me that look. Peeves made that password."
They walked a few more steps before confusion crossed Granger's face.
"Wait, what password did you use?"
"Nothing."
"Then how did you get access?"
Draco smirked. "I have charm, Granger. I don't need passwords."
Granger studied him for a moment. "You didn't...no. Never mind."
Draco looked at her. Despite being attacked, Granger looked fine. Draco was more bothered on the fact that word had not gotten out about his little 'heroic act'. Of course, Draco had told Pansy and Blaise about what happened. He had sat farther from the crowd then last time at dinner. Blaise had spit up his pumpkin juice and Pansy had dropped her fork. Both parties had stared at him like he had told them he planned to dye his hair green. No, that wasn't an apt description. They had looked at him like he had told them he had saved Hermione fucking Granger.
"You helped Granger?" Pansy had asked in a low and slow tone.
"What was I supposed to do Pansy? Stand there and let them hex her to death?" And Draco would have stood there and done just that, had Valerie not snapped him out of his fog. Draco was bothered by the fact that he had frozen up like that.
"They were going to perform the Cruciatus on her, for Merlin's sake!"
Pansy and Blaise looked at each other, then back to Draco. They wanted to say something more, but what could they say? Draco was right. Blaise had no problem with the girl, really. He was just surprised Draco had helped her was all. Pansy was a different matter. After years of having Pureblood supremacist mantras drilled in your head, it was hard to let those go. Pansy had undergone "therapy" with a Ministry official after the war. She had not done much during the war. Well, I did try to hand over Potter to the Dark Lord, but that's neither here nor there, Pansy thought. To be honest, that was the only thing the Ministry could charge her with. And they would have charged her too, if Potter hadn't shown up. He had stated under no circumstance was she to be charged. Pansy was still uncertain as to the why behind that choice, but she wasn't complaining. The Ministry was not happy with Potter for that, but since they couldn't charge her, they decided she needed bloody therapy.
In one of her sessions, Pansy's therapist had brought up the Muggle-born topic. Her therapist had asked, other than her blood, why did Pansy hate Granger? Pansy couldn't say anything. Hell, she couldn't think of anything. Granger could be a know-it-all, all the time, but so could Draco. Granger could have an air of superiority about her regarding her schoolwork, but then again, so could Draco. That was why Pansy had signed that release form stating that she renounced the Pureblood beliefs. Why, if she couldn't find a problem with the actual person, should Pansy hate her? Had her parents survived the war, they would have disowned her. Pansy wouldn't care. She hated her parents.
But it still took some getting used too, thinking of Granger as an equal. Pansy had even referred to her as Mudblood in her mind, not because Pansy had anything against the girl, but just because it was habit.
"So Valerie can perform wandless magic?" Blaise piped up.
"Only some." Valerie said, sitting by Draco. Draco had not even heard her coming or sit down.
"GAH!" Blaise had jumped so bad, that he fell out of his chair. He put his arms on the tabletop and rested his chin on top as well to get leverage. It looked like he was hanging onto a ledge. Pulling himself up, Blaise sat back in his chair and glared at Valerie.
"Do you have to do that? Every time? Just vaporize out of thin air?"
Draco's thoughts were brought back to the time when Voldemort had done that at the Manor. Draco became uncomfortable. Valerie gave him a sideways glance, and then turned back to Blaise.
"She did that in Charms today and I about had a heart attack!"
Valerie shrugged her shoulders. "Salem provided stealth classes last school year, and I took them. I like to practice every once and a while."
"Well, don't practice around me." Blaise said, brushing off his shoulders.
"Wait, last school year? Wouldn't you have been a Seventh year? Why are you at school here then?" asked Pansy.
"Oh, Salem starts first graders off a year later than Hogwarts. If I was still in America, this would be my last year." Valerie stated.
"Anyway, back to the Draco being a hero and you being a super wizard." Blaise said, waving his hands in the air for emphasis.
"I can't figure out why that Seventh year hasn't told anyone."
"Isn't it obvious?" Pansy asked Draco.
"Enlighten me."
Pansy rolled her eyes. "He's a Slytherin who had his arse kicked. Not to mention he had his wand taken from him."
"Which reminds me, Valerie, what did you do with it?" Draco asked.
"Do with what?"
Draco gave her a long look. "The wand. The wand you took from that idiot."
"I don't have any other wand. I have mine. I think the poor boy must have lost it, say, underneath his bed?" She flashed a wicked smile.
Blaise stroked his chin before turning to Draco and pointing to Valerie. "I like her."
Valerie blew him a kiss.
Dinner had ended some minutes after their conversation. Draco had gone back to the Slytherin Common room and started on his homework, and then Jeremiah had come up to him.
Draco brought his attention back to the present, still looking at Granger. Why did he help her? Draco was more worried with why he had frozen up. The only other time he had frozen up was when he and Potter had gone up against each other. He was fighting and shooting hexes at Scarhead, and then he was saying an Unforgivable. He hadn't even realized it until halfway through the word, and he had tried to stop it. Well, he didn't have to worry about not finishing because Potter had hit him with that agonizing curse, and the rest was history.
But his lack of action with Granger was different. He only remembered seeing her that helpless when Aunt Bella had started using Granger as target practice. The realization hit him so hard, he stumbled. No, he told himself he would forget that moment. Granger's screams and Bellatrix cackling. Draco shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind, locked it in a chest, and locked that chest in a room.
Draco looked away from Granger's face, trying to keep that chest locked away.
They came upon the changing staircases and headed separate directions.
There wasn't any "Goodnight" between the two. No words were exchanges as they went their own way. Both Eight years were thinking, though, that that was the first civil conversation they had ever had.
Maybe it won't be as hard as I thought.
XXXXX
Draco regretted those bloody words he thought the night before. Who on earth would have thought it would be so hard to sit there and not bother each other. How hard would it be to get along with Granger, damn it!
"Well, judging from what just happened, fucking difficult." He and Blaise were standing outside of the Great Hall, letting other students pass by them.
Draco had not realized he had spoken aloud until Blaise had commented on his little outburst.
"It wasn't my fault."
Blaise widened his eyes. "They bloody hell it wasn't! That entire situation was your fault and you know it! You had an entire library at your disposal, and you had to take the one book that Granger picked out. Come on mate!"
Draco glared at his best friend. "She had Advanced Potions Number Four. That's the best book on potions there is!"
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes because we all know that Draco Malfoy must have the best of everything. Hey, you there!" Blaise was pointing at some random student passing in the halls.
"Did you know that Draco Malfoy must always have the best?" The random student looked at Blaise like he had lost his mind, and hurried off in the other direction.
Draco smacked Blaise upside the head. "Would you stop it? If it makes any difference I'm sorry."
"As much as your apology astounds me, I'm not the one you need to apologize to."
Draco didn't say anything for a minute. "Do you think they'll forgive me?"
Blaise snorted. "Well, Granger will have to, seeing as you have to finish your assignment or fail. Valerie may be a different matter.
"Why do you think she got all offended? It wasn't like I meant to say it; it just sort of slipped out."
"Plenty of people are offended by that word Draco. It doesn't matter that you didn't mean it, what matters is that you said it."
"Now you're starting to sound like Mother."
"Then be a good little boy and do as I say."
Draco glared at him. It wasn't his fault that Granger got her knickers in a twist over something as simples as a book. Then again, this was Hermione Granger.
Slughorn had held Potions class in the library that day, so that the students could start on their potion. Blaise and Draco found a secluded table with four seats near a window and sat down. Draco sat down in the chair closest to the window, and Blaise took the seat next to his. Draco rubbed his eyes at the bright light and blinked a few times. Blaise sighed sadly.
"Your nightmares are getting worse aren't they?"
Draco peered at Blaise over his raised hand.
"Look mate, I may not be Hermione Granger smart, or you smart even, but I'm not an idiot."
Draco looked at his best mate. He was so shocked that he didn't even acknowledge the rather insulting comparison that Blaise had used.
"Have you ever thought about talking to someone?" Blaise asked.
"Blaise I'm-"
"Don't even think about saying that you're fine. You won't talk to Pansy, you won't talk to me. Whenever we ask you about...anything, you shut us out! How can you expect to get over your nightmares, if you won't talk about it? Maybe, maybe you should see a therapist like Pansy did. She said it helped."
"Blaise I'm not talking to a complete stranger."
"Then talk to someone! You're doing the exact same thing you did in Sixth year: holding it all in and making yourself sick. You need to let it out, mate."
Draco didn't answer. Draco didn't want to answer because that would mean that he would have to face reality. He was saved from continuing the conversation when Valerie walked up to the table. She dropped her bag onto the floor with a plunk, and pulled the chair out too fast, so that it scraped on the floor with a loud screech.
"Is my entrance more to your liking this morning Blaise?"
Blaise smiled. "Yes it is thank you. And where were you at breakfast this morning? I kept my eye open for you."
"Awwww, my first stalker. Zabini I'm flattered."
Blaise narrowed his eyes at her. "I wasn't stalking you, you daft bint." Valerie raised her eyebrows.
"Bint?" She looked at Draco for an explanation.
"It means woman, but it's more of an insult." Draco said, smiling.
Valerie thought about that." I must admit I have my crazy moments, but I've never been called stupid."
"THE POINT IS is that I was watching out for you so you wouldn't pull your creepy stealth moves and scare the living daylights out of me!"
Draco and Valerie laughed.
"What's so funny?"
Draco stopped laughing and looked up to see Granger standing there with a stack of books in her arms.
"Blaise was explaining to us how much of a wuss he is."
"I am not a wuss! Granger, explain to Valerie how creepy it is to pop up out of nowhere next to people."
Granger smiled. Draco had never seen her face light up like that. Again, I'm not admiring her; I'm admiring my handy work.
"Well, it is a bit frightening how you can do that." Granger said, taking a seat next to Valerie.
Valerie rolled her eyes. Hermione gave Draco a brief look, but then turned her attention back to Valerie.
"So, I think since we're in the library, we should get started on our projects," Valerie started. "Blaise, you should look through the Potions book we have for class, see if anything is in there. I'm going to see if there's anything in one of the library books. Do you want to come along Hermione?"
"Oh, no. I already searched for some books," she said, patting the stack she had.
"Ok. Draco?"
"Yeah, sure."
Draco and Valerie got up out of their seats and made their way down the aisles. Draco was scanning the rows of books for a specific book. When he didn't find it on the first row, he moved down the rows, passing by Valerie. When he passed by her, he noticed scars on her right arm. It looked like claw marks almost, but on closer inspection, it looked like human fingernails had done it. There were three marks that ran parallel down her forearm, starting just below the wrist and ending just before the elbow. Draco couldn't recall seeing scars on her arms, but Draco remembered he had only ever seen her in sleeves. She had sleeves on today, but she had rolled then up. Valerie got the sense that someone was looking at her, and lifted her head to see Draco staring at her arm.
"Hiking accident," Valerie said.
Draco gave her an incredulous look. "You got that from hiking? It looks like someone scratched you."
Valerie turned her gaze back to the books. "I slipped near the edge of a cliff and fell off. I managed to grab the ledge, but I was slipping. I was hiking with my parents and my dad rushed over and grabbed my arm. His grip was slipping though, and he clutched my forearm tighter, but he didn't get a good handle until he got to my wrist. That's why I have them."
Of course Draco didn't believe that story. She hadn't looked him in the eye, which was a mistake on her part. And when she had mentioned her parents, the corner of her mouth had turned down into a frown. Whatever it was that happened, she was going to keep secret. And whatever that secret was, Draco planned to find out. Perhaps it had to do with the cryptic things the hat had said about her.
"Why do you hide them?" Draco asked.
Valerie turned her head toward him and gave him a long gaze.
"Why do you hide yours?" Valerie cocked an eyebrow. Draco recoiled at the question.
"That's different," he said coolly.
"It's just a scar. Why should it matter?"
"Why should it matter?! What is fucking wrong with you?" He was aware that he was raising his voice and lowered it.
"It's the Dark Mark. Voldemort's mark. Do you think people would want to see that? I wish the only scar I had was three little scratches. Your scars are from an accident, but mine is from a mistake I made, that cost people their lives. This scar symbolizes evil."
"Is that what you think it is? Draco, scars don't make you who you are. Your choices do. Scars simply tell a story. And the story you are letting that your scar tell, is that you were a coward fighting for an evil man. I can already tell you're not that kind of person. You were a scared child protecting his family. I'm not saying wear it proudly, but don't let that scar on your arm define you." Valerie grabbed a few books from the shelves and walked back to the table with Granger and Blaise.
Draco looked after her for a moment before lifting his arm and pulling up the sleeve on his robe. The greenish black ink had faded around the edges and the center, leaving the scarred tissue. There were only some spots left where the ink was visible. Strange thing was that it wasn't ink. It was dark magic that had been grafted into his arm, and he could feel it. He let two of his fingers glide across the top of his arm.
Could Valerie be right? Draco didn't think so. He would carry this scar, tattoo, mark, whatever, until he died. And it would be there still. Like the names they had branded him with. Death Eater, Dumbledore's killer, racist Pureblood. He didn't like those titles.
Don't let that scar on your arm define you.
It was a scary thought, not having something to define him. Draco had always been defined by something else. He was Lucius son, the Slytherin Prince, he was rich, he was handsome, and he was an arse. Draco could never remember being his own person or setting his own person. In fact, the biggest thing that had determined his person had been Lucius. Draco had looked up to that man, had idolized that man, and when Lucius had fallen, so had Draco's person. Draco wanted to be himself, without fear from the repercussions.
However, Draco had another matter at hand, and like everything else, he shoved the thoughts to the back of his head into that chest behind the door.
He scanned the books again but could not find Advanced Potions Number Four. That was the best book for Potions. It was an older book, but it was the most detailed and accurate book that Draco had stumbled across. The newer ones had altered potion ingredients and recipes so brewing did not take as long, but Draco didn't like those. If you were going to do something, you needed to do it right.
Sighing in defeat, Draco grabbed an older looking book and made his way back to his chair. Blaise was looking at the Potions class book with feigned interest. Granger was scribbling notes down on parchment in a manic fashion, while Valerie was just reading one of the books she had grabbed.
Draco sat down and opened the book. He hadn't read even five minutes when he knew that this book wouldn't help.
Great. Now what?
Draco let his eyes wander around the library for a while, before Granger shifted the book in her hand to prop up. He read the title of the book. His eyes widened. Advanced Potions Number Four. No wonder he couldn't find the damned thing. Granger had it! She probably didn't even realize the gem that she held in her hand. Maybe he could ask her for it? No that was preposterous. Maybe he could just grab it from her and tell her 'tough'. Somehow, Draco knew that wouldn't end well. Granger leaned over in her chair for a moment, searching her bag. Her view was not on the book. Seizing the chance, Draco grabbed the book and switched it with the one he had. Blaise caught Draco's eye, and gave him a look while shaking his head. Draco put a finger over his lips, signaling for Blaise to keep quiet.
Hermione had found what she was looking for in her bag and sat back up. She grabbed the book and started scanning the page for where she left off. She furrowed her brow in confusion when she couldn't find the spot, so she flipped the page backward. When she didn't find it on those pages, she flipped to the page in front of the original page. Nothing. Hermione flipped the book around and read the title. Potions of the Advanced Kind. That wasn't what she had. She looked around the table. Valerie had the same book she had had. Blaise Zabini was dozing with his head propped in the palm of his hand. Malfoy was still reading- Wait, that wasn't the same book.
Hermione reached forward and lifted the book. Advanced Potions Number Four. Malfoy grabbed the book from her.
"Something I can help you with Granger?" Malfoy asked innocently.
Hermione glared at him. "Give me the book back Malfoy."
"Why whatever do you mean?"
"You stole my book Malfoy, give it back!"
Valerie looked up when the commotion started, and Blaise had awoken with a jerk.
"Didn't your mummy ever teach you to share, Granger?"
"Yes. Didn't your mother teach you not to steal?"
Draco narrowed his eyes. "Of course. And I didn't steal it, I'm borrowing it."
"News flash Malfoy, borrowing something without asking is stealing."
"News flash Granger, I don't care."
Draco brought his attention to the pages in the book, ignoring Granger.
"Give me the book back, Malfoy!"
"There's an entire library here. Go find another one."
"YOU go find another one and give me that one back."
"It's just a book Granger."
"Then you won't have any problem getting another one!"
Their argument went back and forth like that for a moment. Valerie looked over a Blaise and leaned forward. "Is it always like this?" she whispered. Blaise, being used to the spats between Hermione and Draco, did not take his eyes off the book. "Pretty much." Valerie gave him an incredulous look and widened her eyes. Valerie sat back in her chair and watched the scene play out. The argument had ended between Hermione and Draco, but now they were insulting each other.
"Ferret!"
"Know-it-all!"
"Snake!"
"Prude!"
"UGH! You are such an annoying ferret!"
"That is overused, Mudblood!"
Draco sucked his breath in, after the word shot out. Blaise was fully awake now, and had a panicked look on his face. Hermione, used to being called that word, rolled her eyes and grabbed the book back. She gathered the rest of her stuff, and stormed off.
Draco watched her leave before smacking his head onto the table. There was silence again. Draco was getting tired of all these damn silent moments. He would have even gone for Blaise's small witticisms. He brought his head back up, rubbing the spot where he hit his head on the table. Blaise was just wide eyed, shuffling around his papers in an awkward manner. Draco looked over to Valerie.
Her expression was stormy, and she glared at Draco with something akin to hate. Draco had seen the predatory gaze, the knowing gaze, and the regular gaze. But this one...Draco cast his eyes down.
He heard the scrape of a chair on the floor. "You'll have to excuse me Blaise. I've suddenly become disgusted." He heard feet stomp off in the direction of the library exit. They were left in that bloody silence again, with Blaise clearing his throat on occasion. Draco lifted his eyes to look at Blaise. His head was resting in the crook of his thumb and pointer finger.
"This is a new record, Draco. You managed to piss off two girls in the span of under five minutes." Blaise's look was level, but with the faintest amount of disappointment in them.
There was a call at the front of the library, telling people it was time to go to their next class. Draco gathered up his books and waited for Blaise. They didn't talk as they headed to their respected classes.
"Meet me outside of the Great Hall later, will you?" And then Blaise left. Draco had gone to his classes, and waited outside of the Great Hall when it was time for lunch.
Draco rubbed his eyes. If the rest of the year was like this, Draco didn't even know how he was going to survive.
"Well, you can start by apologizing." Damnit, Draco spoken out loud again. All this bloody stress from fighting with people had Draco talking out loud. He never talked out loud!
"If either of them listens." Draco muttered.
"Look, I don't see Granger yet, but Valerie is at the table with Pansy."
Blaise was right. At the Gryffindor table, Draco only noticed Potter, Weasel, She-Weasel, Felix, and a few others. Draco turned and faced the Slytherin table. Pansy and Valerie were talking while eating the soup that was for lunch that day.
"Now or never mate." Blaise said.
Draco groaned and let his head fall back in frustration. He gathered himself for a minute and then headed over to Pansy and Valerie. He walked between the Slytherin and Gryffindor table to where Valerie was sitting. He noticed her tense up.
"Look, I want to apologize-"
"Oh, do you."
Pansy shot him an unsure smile.
"I swear I'm not...like that. I was, but I'm not anymore."
Valerie stood up and turned to face him. Her expression was stony.
"I think I misjudged you Malfoy. I would have thought that after everything this place went through, you would have changed. I'm mistaken." Valerie grabbed her bag and started to walk off.
"Look, I'm sorry okay?" Valerie stopped and turned around.
"Are you really?"
"If Draco says he's sorry, then he is. He doesn't apologize for anything," added Pansy.
"I promise I'm sorry. Why are you so defensive about this?" Draco asked.
"Because I'm Muggle-born!"
Draco's eyes bulged out of his head. Pansy's chocked on her soup, and Blaise's mouth dropped open.
"Oh," Draco said stupidly.
Valerie shook her head in disgust. Draco was going to explain, when a shout behind Valerie interrupted him.
"YOU'RE A MUDBLOOD?" The Seventh year that had attacked Granger was standing a few feet away from Valerie, shooting her a hateful glare. The entire Great Hall had gone silent.
Always this fucking silence.
Every eye was focused on the Seventh year and Valerie. The teachers looked so thunderstruck; they were frozen in their chairs.
"You dare defile Slytherin House with your filthy blood!?"
"As I recall, it was the hat who dared defile," Valerie said dryly.
The younger boy purples in rage, reminding Draco of Weasley when he got too mad.
"You...you...piece of filth! You trash!"
McGonagall and a few other professors had managed to gather their wits, and were making their way over to the boy.
"You tell her Harper!" shouted someone from the boy's group of friends.
Draco noticed movement out of the side of his eyes, and saw Felix stand up with an angry expression.
The Harper boy continued his rant before he said something about Valerie's parents. She snapped her head around.
"ENOUGH!" Valerie waved her hand, just her hand, in the air and pulled it across like a zipper. Harper immediately went silent, but his mouth was still moving. He realized what just happened when no words came out. He, along with all of Hogwarts, stared at Valerie. Even the teachers had stopped.
Valerie walked forward until she was towering over Harper. "Now, I'm not about to care about the outdated views of some old dead guy. That's the second time that you've used that word. I'm starting to think you don't say anything nice. And my mother, my Muggle mother, taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say," she smiled an evil smile, "then don't say anything at all."
Valerie shoved past Harper, knocking into his shoulder. He stumbled for a bit, before he toppled over and landed right on his arse.
The Hall descended from silence into abrupt laughter. The boy, red faced, picked himself up off the floor. McGonagall got to him about that time, and, grabbing him by the ear, lead him out of the Great Hall. Professor Sprout came by and got the boy that was shouting Harper encouragement.
Amidst all the laughter, Draco heard Blaise.
"That was fucking brilliant."