Dueling Club had met in the Great Hall in the past, for the number of students involved. The space had never been a problem, for several dueling matches could go on at once, however that didn't seem to be possible this time around. It seemed as though all students in the fourth and fifth years had turned out for this dueling club meeting. It was the first match of the year, but still.
Everyone was extremely crowded. Professor Snape had prepared one of the tables for dueling raised to chest height, and had placed the single table in the center of the room, where everyone was crowded around it. Hermione and Draco were squished together side-by-side right against the table as they waited for the meeting to begin.
Snape was nowhere to be found.
Of course, the rumor that was circulating the crowd was that a few days ago, Lockhart had approached Dumbledore about the dueling club and had asked to join as a co-admin along with Snape, but Snape humbly 'stepped down' his position as the leader of the club in honor of Lockhart.
Hermione and Draco knew that for the load of bullshit that it was.
The Great Hall doors opened then, Draco could easily see over the crowd, but even on her toes Hermione couldn't see around him. Against his ear she asked, "Who is it?" Unbeknownst to her, Draco was immediately covered in chill bumps from her close proximity and shivered faintly.
"Professor Snape," he answered over his shoulder. He glanced back towards the door and groaned, "and Lockhart." The two of them never referred to him as 'professor.' It was their own brand of rebellion.
"Why?" She asked, still against his ear, her hand on his shoulder. He glanced sideways at it, his eyes flitted to Hermione's and how amazingly close they were and then looked back at the door.
"No idea..." He managed. She chewed her lip like she did when she was puzzled and sank back down onto her feet. Draco was relieved for the space, and yet somehow missed it at the same time. He shook these weird, almost constant thoughts from his head and focused on Professor Snape, who was now walking the length of the table. His eyes glanced to two of them as he passed.
"Evening," Snape called out to the room, and was instantly met with silence. The way he commanded a room was amazing.
"Yes, Hello everyone. I can imagine that some of you are surprised to see me," Lockhart flourished with his arm and revealed his arm under his hidden cloak, he wore leather gloves and held his wand. He looked more pompous than normal. "Professor Snape here as asked for my help-" a few of the students tittered at that, "-in teaching you the dangerous art of dueling. Of course I was flattered at this, and accepted. To be the best, one must need be taught by the best. Isn't that right, Professor Snape?" Lockhart turned his smiling eyes upon Snape's emotionally absent ones.
"Right." Snape barely moved his lips as he glared at the blond man, Hermione's eyes kept flying from one man to the next. She was expecting Snape to curse him, or something.
"And I believe the best place to start would be with the disarming spell-" he was interrupted by laughter again, this time Hermione and Draco were participants.
Someone pointed their wand- they were faceless in the crowd of so many- and yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Lockharts wand flew from his hand and landed several feet behind him, on the table. The only other time Hermione or Draco had seen a face that red was when Ron's trouser's fell in a dueling match against Hermione. He didn't say anything as he turned and retrieved his wand.
"How silly of me," he said eventually, "of course Professor Snape would have taught you the most basic of dueling spells. I must assume he has also taught the shield charm?" He asked, and as he looked across the rippling sea of nodding heads, he bowed his head. "I see, Professor Snape, what have you to bring to this meeting?" Lockhart asked. Snape narrowed his eyes at the man but then looked around.
"Today we were to begin dueling multiple opponents. As is, there is not room for this. Instead, I believe we should give a demonstration, so Professor Lockhart does not mistake you all for first years." Snape glanced down at Hermione and jerked his head. Draco helped her up onto the table by grasping her waist and basically sitting her up there. She looked flushed as she got to her feet, and Draco probably was blushing as well.
"Zabini, where are you?" Snape barked, he looked around, spotted the Slytherin boy and gestured for him to come up. The crowd parted for him and he jumped up onto the table with ease.
"These were the Champion finalists from last term. I expect no funny business this time, Zabini." Snape glared as he passed the boy and Hermione missed the tiny smile Snape spared her. Snape moved to the end of the table with Lockhart.
"Begin." Snape commanded. The two students raised their wands and looked each other in the eyes as they bowed at the waist-faintly.
"You won't beat me this time, Granger," the boy spat. Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"You'll certainly have to do better than last time."
"Clearly." He did roll his eyes that time. The two turned at the same moment and took several steps away from each other.
Hermione turned quickly and waited to see what Blaze would start with.
"Rictusempra!" He shouted and with a flick of her wrist and a whispered,
"Protego," the spell bounced almost lazily off of her shield and hit the wall.
"Flipendo," Hermione shot at him and he easily got rid of the spell. The two watched each other for a moment. The crowd seemed to be holding their breaths.
The two of them both started in on each other instantly, mainly using stunning spells. Neither one went to the defensive side and instead hit each other's spells. The red lights lit up the room like fireworks and the crowd was instantly entranced. Some spells went into the crowd, however, but everyone was skilled enough and alert to avoid being hit. The two of them remained heatedly engaged for several minutes.
Then, it seemed Blaze had had enough.
"Serpensortia!" Blaze shouted. The snake jumped from the end of his wand and immediately began slithering towards Hermione. She smiled faintly. She had spent most of the summer thinking of different ways she could have done something about the snake.
"Avifors!" Hermione cast the Transfiguration spell and everyone gasped as the snake turned into a flock of red birds. Blaze watched as they jumped around the table between them and then took flight at the same time. Hermione then narrowed her eyes at Blaze.
"Oppugno!" Hermione cast again. Blaze didn't seem to know what the spell was, but the birds immediately began dive-bombing him. They all flocked around his face, singing their shrill songs and flapping their wings. He threw up his arms, momentarily forgetting about magic. Professor Snape stepped in and banished the birds as the crowd erupted into laughter. Snape glanced over at Hermione and she saw pride in his eyes. She had finally gotten the Oppugno Jinx!
The moment was over and Professor Snape dismissed her from the table and all but shoved Blaze away. Lockhart looked impressed but only for a moment. "Well done Miss Granger. I believe she has earned fifty points to Gryffindor," the Slytherins protested, but their groans were doused in the cheers of the Gryffindors.
Once Hermione was back next to Draco, he wrapped her in an awkward (to him) hug with a, "Well done!" She smiled back at him and then looked up at the two Professors.
"Yes, I see they are certainly advanced, more advanced than I expected, I will admit..." He looked around, "who would like to go next?"
Some weeks later...
"Will you please come?" Draco asked, his hands clasped in front of him. Hermione was seated at the breakfast table, her eyes still stubbornly on the book. "Please?" She glanced up once into his pleading eyes and then let out a frustrated sigh.
"Why do you want me to go?! It won't be like you will be able to see me, flying around up their like a maniac." She waved her hand around for emphasis.
"But I'll know that you are there! Please? It's important to me." She closed her book slowly and stood up just as slow.
"Fine," she said almost inaudibly.
"Excellent! Let's go!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. He was so excited, in fact, that he didn't realize he was holding her hand until they were almost to the Quidditch pitch. It was the first game of the season and was Ravenclaw against Slytherin, Draco was already in his playing robes of blue and bronze. He looked down at their joined hands and dropped it suddenly.
She didn't say anything but lifted her brow in question. A question which he didn't answer. Once they made it to the pitch, he went to the locker rooms and she made her way up the steps and to the Gryffindor bleachers. Harry and Neville looked very surprised to see her, but didn't comment on it as she sat next to them.
The two teams took the field not long after and Hermione hoped that no one got hurt this time. The last game last year was between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw for the Cup, and Draco had broken his arm.
Madame Hooch strode out onto the field and had everyone mount up. She released the balls and the game began.
Hermione followed the quaffle around as it went from player to player, but soon became bored and turned her attention to Draco instead. He was slowly circling up above like an eagle.
She looked down at her hand and then back up at him. He certainly had been acting...well rather odd lately. He blushed sometimes for no reason, and stammered quite a bit now. Hermione really wasn't sure why, but no one else seemed to notice.
The Slytherin side went up into a cheerful roar as the Ravenclaw chaser, Cho Chang was hit with a bludger and dropped the quaffle into the waiting hands of the Slytherin chaser Blaze Zabini. Hermione scowled faintly, but her reaction didn't hold a candle to the outraged roar of Harry next to her.
"What was that?" She asked him as he sat down angrily next to her. He seemed to battle with looking away from the game or ignoring her question. Finally he looked at her.
"What?" He asked.
"You didn't seem so upset when Davies was hit by a bludger," she remarked. Harry blushed randomly, the same way Draco was wont to do.
"Chang was closer to the goal, is all. I don't like Slytherin." Hermione rolled her eyes at him but went back to watching the game. Draco and Terrence Biggs (Slytherin Seeker) were circling the pitch now, each looking for the snitch. As Hermione looked back at the game, Cho Chang scored for Ravenclaw.
Hermione shifted in her seat and forced herself to watch the rest of the game.
She didn't really have that long to wait, thankfully, because thirty minutes later the score was 70-30 for Ravenclaw and Draco had just dived towards the ground.
"About time he saw it!" Harry cursed under his breath which caused Hermione to roll her eyes. Biggs had been on the other side of the pitch and just when he realized that Draco was chasing the snitch and turned to fly that way, Draco caught the elusive golden thing.
Ravenclaw and Gryffindor (and Hufflepuff too, I guess) went crazy cheering for the victory win.
The Ravenclaw common room was uproarious in victory; it was no Quidditch Cup win, but a win nonetheless. Draco was the center of attention for the first part of the 'party' but he was soon able to slink away to go wander the castle. First guess was that Hermione was in the Library, so he headed there first.
To finding the place barren of the brunette, Draco huffed in faint annoyance.
"Can't seem to find your girlfriend?" Fred or George said, as the two suddenly materialized next to him. Draco scowled at both for good measure.
"Do you know where Hermione is?" Draco asked through his teeth.
"Well, let's see, don't you think, Fred?" George asked. Fred nodded and then pulled a bit of old parchment out of his cloak. George glanced around them in the library and then pulled the two of them between two bookcases.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Fred touched the parchment with his wand and Draco watched with wide eyes as ink started to appear on the parchment revealing...
"The Marauder's Map?" Draco asked as he read it. Fred unceremoniously sshed him and unfolded the map. It was Hogwarts, Draco realized. Little dots were walking everywhere.
"There she is! marching back from a trip from the lavatory it seems like..." Fred said pointing to a pair of footprints (not dots) with a banner that read Hermione Granger.
"Where did you find this?" Draco asked, amazed by this bit of magic.
"Filch's office,"
"Where else?" The two spoke together.
"She's going towards the common room. I'd hurry if I was you-wait!" Draco had turned to leave.
"You daft looby..." George rolled his eyes, "Mischief Managed." He touched the map with his wand and then folded the now blank parchment back up and then held it out for Draco.
"Why are you guys giving this to me?" Draco asked with wide eyes, looking between the two of them. Fred shrugged.
"We think you'll get the best amount of use out of it." George said easily. "Don't tell Granger." George pointed a threatening finger at him.
"Now we must go, we have some...business..." The two slunked off, probably to sell more Weasley Wizard Weezes to first years. Their prank items had become a smash hit to the students and a bane to the professors. Their little side business had kept them very occupied this year, Draco hadn't really seen much of them, even at meal times.
Draco stowed the parchment away into his pocket, he knew he would look at the map in more detail later. He left the Library, quickly heading up to the seventh floor to catch Hermione before she made it into the portrait.
Luck was on his side, because she had stopped to tie her shoe on the staircase. "Granger!" He called when he was a floor away. She stood and turned to look at who called her. She smiled down at him and met him on the landing on the sixth floor.
"Good game today," she said though Draco knew she couldn't care less about who won. He smiled anyway.
"Thanks, I usually never see the snitch that quick, you must be my lucky charm or something," The laugh that escaped him after he said that embarrassed him to no end. Hermione arched an eyebrow at him.
"You feeling okay? You've been acting rather strange lately..." She said as her arms folded across her chest, "I can walk you up to Madame Pomfrey if you like."
"No, I'm fine." He said too quickly, she scrutinized him again, causing him to sigh. "Just excited from the win is all. The Slytherins are a vicious lot, you know..." He scratched the back of his head idly, trying to think of something to say. He had wanted to say something before but couldn't remember what-
"The Hogsmeade's trip is coming up this next weekend, would you like to go?" He asked, remembering. It must have been the adrenaline still going from the game hours ago, because normal Draco wouldn't have been so bold. Hermione thought for a moment.
"Well, I have an Ancient Runes text to translate, and that essay in Arithmancy...my Astronomy chart still isn't done, and I wanted to work ahead in Charms, we are going to be covering the Summoning Spell soon!" She looked excited and Draco could have hit his head against the wall. A few times.
"I'll see how much I can get done this week, then maybe we can go. I think Harry and Neville wanted to attempt to break into the Shrieking Shack again, the utter fools. Well goodnight!" Hermione smiled at him and then trotted up the stairs. Draco stood there, kinda...
He let out a frustrated yell as soon as he was sure she was gone, which got him a severe scolding by a few portraits. He scowled his way down to Ravenclaw Tower and threw himself on his bed.
Did she not get what he was asking? She must not have.
He tried not to think too much about it, but he still didn't get much sleep.
"Why do you look like that?" Michael asked as they fixed their ties for breakfast. Draco immediately looked suspiciously at Michael.
"Look like what?" Draco asked.
"Like you stared at the ceiling all night. Seriously, the bags under your eyes look like elf pillows." Michael reached forward to touch one and Draco smacked his hand away.
"They are not...that...bad..." Draco turned towards the mirror and winced. "All hell, they do look like elf pillows." He poked the puffy skin and growled a little.
"I didn't sleep," Draco admitted. "Too busy...thinking." Though that wasn't entirely false, Draco did spend a few hours looking over the Marauder's Map. It showed where everyone was at all times; like how the head boy and girl spent thirty minutes inside an empty classroom.
Talk about gross.
"Rub this stuff on," Anthony said holding out this unassuming jar of cream. Draco eyed it and then let out a snort.
"I'm not even going to ask." Draco dabbed some under his eyes and watched as the magical cream made his black eye bags disappear. He looked like he got good sleep. "Thanks," Draco said, not judging his friend.
"Time for breakfast now, Terry is hungry!" Terry thumped his chest and the four boys went down to breakfast. When they got there, they realized how early they had gotten ready and were pretty amazed at the lack of people around. They usually got in with a half-full room. It wasn't even a fifth of the way full.
"Can't believe we are up so early..." Anthony said as they sat down. Draco didn't think much of it, he had been awake all night anyway and had gotten up and showered at five. When he came back into the dorm the others woke up and just got ready.
"It's Meenie," Michael said quickly but then made a noise, "she just ran passed the door. I guess she doesn't want any breakfast."
"She runs in the morning," Draco revealed. Michael arched his eyebrow, "she told me her parents had her on this exercise schedule over the summer and she liked the morning runs. She's been running in the morning, showers, and then comes to breakfast." Draco didn't understand the looks on their faces.
"So when's the wedding?" Terry asked Draco, which caused the blond boy to choke on his orange juice.
"WHAT?!" Draco finally got out after he coughed several times.
"You spend all your time together. You know everything about each other... You totally are into each other, so. When. Is. The. Wedding?"
"Don't be stupid, Terry. Hermione and I aren't together." Draco said, "she doesn't feel that way about me."
They all seemed surprised by this, yet they noticed that he didn't deny his own feelings.
"I asked her on a date and she shot me down." Draco pushed a bit of bacon around his plate with a fork, "so there. No wedding." He pushed his plate away from him.
"I'll see you chaps in Charms." He left and they watched him go.
"I don't believe it for a second." Michael said instantly. Anthony and Terry nodded conspiratorially.
"We need to get her to admit her feelings."
"So what are we going to do?"
"I have an idea." The three boys leaned in close as they discussed different ways to meddle in the affairs of their friends.
It was Thursday night, just after dinner. Michael had asked Hermione for some help in finding a book in the Library because she had 'read them all, already.' She didn't appreciate the jab, but agreed to help him. Draco had watched the two walk out together with perhaps a green monster on his shoulder.
In the Library, Hermione literally led him directly to the book he had asked for.
"Thanks so much! What would I do without you?" Michael asked her with a charming smile. She glanced at him and laughed faintly.
"Bother someone else, I imagine," she responded. Michael grinned and then stood squarely in front of her.
"Hermione." He said it firmly, but she sensed a question was coming.
"Yes Michael?" She asked.
"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" He asked. She looked surprised and confused at the same time.
"I figured we were all going together-I mean we have been going in groups since we started going to Hogsmeade..." For being very smart, she was also equal parts idiotic.
"No, I mean on a date. Just you and me." He smiled faintly and looked determined. Her mouth closed in shock and she just kinda looked at him.
"A..a date?" She asked for clarification, he nodded, "with me?" Again he nodded, "And just you?" Nod.
"Tell me at breakfast, okay?" He asked, she nodded faintly. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek quickly and walked away, humming a song. Hermione stood their...kinda frozen before she got her feet to work.
She sought out the only person she could think of, who could understand what she needed to talk about; Ginny Weasley.
Ginny was seated in the common room, playing Wizard Chess with another girl from her year. One glance at the frazzled Hermione, had Ginny forfeiting the game.
"Hermione, is everything okay?" Ginny asked, taking the older girl by the shoulders. Hermione nodded but her lips were pressed tightly together. "You can tell me, lets go up to my room." Ginny led the girl up the steps and into the third year girls dorm.
The two of them sat on Ginny's bed and the redhead drew the curtains so no one could eavesdrop.
"He..he asked me out on a date, to Hogsmeade..." Hermione managed to mumble. Ginny's eyes widened in excitement.
"That's great! Harry and Neville and I had a bet going to see how long it was going to take him to ask. Neville said in two years, Harry said never, and I said before Christmas! Ha! That's great!" Ginny was positively giddy.
"What?!" Hermione demanded. She had no idea that Michael had considered her a female, much less one he would like to spend time with on a date.
"Oh don't be daft, it's clear in the way he looks at you," Ginny dismissed with a gesture of her hand. "How'd he ask?"
"He needed a book from the Library and asked me to find it for him...then he just asked." Hermione rubbed her temples, wracking her brain for any sort of clue. A memory then surfaced, of him complimenting her braided hair at the beginning of term. But that was weeks ago! Wouldn't he have said something else by then? "And you are sure he likes me?"
"People don't ask people onto dates that they don't like, Hermione seriously, are you four?"
"I'm just surprised is all!"
"So you said yes, right?" Ginny asked, her head nodding faintly. Hermione shook her head.
"I'm supposed to tell him at breakfast!" She said quickly because it looked like Ginny was going to hit her.
"You're going on this date!" Ginny said strongly, "you deserve it! You work so hard, and he likes you! There's no way you don't have feelings for him too!"
"I do?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowed now. Lately she had been finding herself appreciating his smile...but she likes good teeth! She was conditioned to by her parents! Did that mean she liked him?
Ginny nodded her head several times. "You're going on this date, Hermione Granger. Don't ruin this for yourself."
"OKAY! I'll...think about it." Hermione said with surety...about as much surety that she could summon in this totally frazzled state.
Hermione left Ginny's room before the girl could harass her anymore about it, and she went straight to her room. Ginny, on the other hand, sought out Neville and Harry to collect. It WAS about time Draco asked her out, he'd been a totally love-sick puppy since term started.
Michael and Terry and Anthony were all in position as Draco took a seat in the Ravenclaw table. They know their plan will cause Draco to face his feelings and do something about them.
Neville and Harry and Ginny were also in position, to see Hermione accept Draco's date request. Harry and Neville refused to pay up until they saw that they were, in fact, going on a date.
Hermione walked into the hallway and the two conversations that had been going on ceased, as seven pairs of eyes watched her approach. She looked sure of herself as she walked, with one hand clenched to her bag and her jaw set. She took one look at the Ravenclaw table, however, and chickened out and sat with a thump at the Gryffindor table.
Harry and Neville and Ginny nearly glared at her. "What are you doing?" Ginny asked.
"I can have breakfast first!"
"First before what?" Ron asked suddenly, joining the group. Hermione flushed and refused to answer. "Whatever," he sneered as he squeezed between Harry and Ginny-the two were too close for his liking.
"Oaf." Ginny cursed him. "Now, Hermione, you know what you have to do. You've made a decision right?"
"Yes. Not that it is any of your business." Hermione raised her nose and refused to say anything while she picked her breakfast. The Ravenclaw's (sans Draco) however, were giddy because of what they were expecting to happen.
One the one hand, they figured Hermione would decline because she didn't think of Michael in that way, which would reveal to Draco that she was sought after and she maybe had feelings for someone. On the other hand, she would agree and Draco would become jealous and confess himself (first to his fellow Ravenclaws and then Hermione, or he would go straight to her) and on the date, after it was over, Michael would say he had a good time but the two should just be friends. They were just excited to see where it was going to go.
After Hermione finished her plate she sat straight and fixed her tie. Ginny rolled her eyes, "you're not swearing into the Ministry! You're just saying yes to a date!" She all but shouted. Hermione blushed but stood anyway.
She climbed over the bench and walked over to the Ravenclaw's and stood next to Draco, her eyes flitted to her friends and then to Michael. "Okay, Michael. I'll go on a date with you." She then walked away because of the blush painting her cheeks (hopefully it was slow enough so it didn't look like she was embarrassed as she was.
"What?" Draco.
"What?" Neville.
"What?" Harry.
"What?" Ginny.
"Whaaa?" Ron.
It was simultaneous, but the exclamations drew quite a bit of attention from the rest of the breakfasting students. Draco glared daggers at Michael.
Michael laughed awkwardly, as he had full view of those few Gryffindors glaring at him, "what?" He asked, still laughing faintly.
Ahahahahaha. Sorry. I couldn't resist. I really couldn't. Originally, I was going to have Michael genuinely think he felt something for her, but the meddling friends into business that isn't theirs was funny too. The first bit of the chapter takes place at the start of term in September, but after the Quidditch match, it is November, so for the entire time they were seeing Draco struggle with his feelings and whatnot, and are friggin sick of it.
Dramione isn't Dramione without Drama. We'll get there. Promise.