Draco Malfoy's First Love

Chapter Four: Halloween

The weeks passed by quickly, and soon Halloween came. The holiday most witches and wizards love most was a great event at Hogwarts Castle. The suits of armor were bewitched to dispense candy to students who passed by. The whole castle was the perfect setting for a spooky night like Halloween. One of the drawbacks was Peeves, who would play even more pranks on unsuspecting first years, and thought it was great fun to pelt them with food and sneak up behind and yell "boo!"

The best thing of all was the Great Hall. It had Jack O' Lanterns replacing the usual floating candles, and the tables were filled with the most delicious looking sweets--Jam tarts, custard pies, candied apples, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, peppermint humbugs, home-made pumpkin ice cream, Honeyduke's chocolate, and much more. It was really a feast to behold.

As Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall, Ron was stuffing his mouth with the rest of the chocolate frogs one suit of armor had given him. "Ifs weawy gwate fhey do fhat." He said thickly.

"Honestly, you think we'd get enough candy during the feast. My parents wouldn't like it, you know, if they knew there were overgrown PEZ dispensers here," said Hermione in a matter-of-fact tone.

"PEZ dispensers?" Ron questioned.

"It's a muggle thing," snapped Hermione. The reason for her grumpiness that evening was because she had been partnered up in Snape's class with Malfoy for the project. "Hey at least you didn't get pared up with Millicent Bulstrode again," Ron had said earlier, "Remember what happened the last time you were partnered up?"

Hermione still shivered at the thought of the dueling club three years ago. Snape split them all into partners for his project today. Harry and Pansy Parkinson, Ron and Millicent Bulstrode, and Hermione with Draco Malfoy. "What a hell of a term," she thought.

During the Halloween Feast that evening, Hermione saw Malfoy get up from the Slytherin table to approach the Gryffindors. She held her breath, was he coming to start another quarrel with Ron or Harry. She was preparing herself to step in if Harry and Malfoy started cursing each other when she realized that Malfoy was right behind her. She jumped as he whispered in her ear, "Meet me after the feast, Granger, if you want to discuss our project. I don't want to be seen in public with a mudblood like you. Half past eight in the entrance hall."

With that, Malfoy stood up and walked out of the Grand Hall to his dormitories. She would meet him, Hermione thought, but only because her grade in Potions depended on it so much. She was not prepared to do all the work herself, she added, and she would have to make Malfoy do his fair share.

* * *

At about quarter passed eight, the Great Hall was empty. Hermione strode into the familiar entrance hall and waited for Malfoy. At exactly 8:30, Malfoy came up the stairs Hermione walked down to potions once a week.

"Granger," Malfoy acknowledged her with a slight head nod.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked.

"Just wanted to discuss the out of class responsibilities of our project. Now, seeing as though I have a rigorous quidditch training schedule, and seeing as you already spend every waking moment in the library, I was thinking that you could do all the bookwork and I'll do all the potion making in class, so okay, I'm glad we talked, goodnight." He finished breathlessly and turned to walk back down the flight of stairs when he heard her cry.

"Wait a bloody minute, there, Malfoy," she screamed, "I will not sit and do all the work while you make the potion and get all the credit. You and I will share the workload equally."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Granger, but I don't want to spend time with you at all. It's quite flattering you want to have little study sessions with me in the library, but I really don't..."

"Sod off, Malfoy," she interrupted, "Like I would want to spend time with you either. I meant we can split the workload and do it each on our own time." Hermione started up the great staircase, "And I don't think your father would appreciate you standing here talking to a 'mudblood' when you could be off torturing some poor muggles!" She turned quickly to storm up the stairs, but Malfoy was too quick for her. He grabbed her forearm and spun her around quickly.

"Do not insult me like that ever, Granger," he spat in an uncontrollable rage, "I am not like my father. Besides," he added as he dropped her limb, "I wouldn't want you of all people thinking that." With that he stormed down the stone staircase to Slytherin House.

Hermione stood there for a few minutes rubbing her elbow and contemplating what Malfoy had just said. What did he mean by 'I wouldn't want you of all people to think that.'? She then quickened her pace up the stairs to escape a cackling Peeves whooshing through the entrance hall.

* * *

As Malfoy sat in his bed that night, he remembered the smell of Hermione's hair as he whispered softly in her ear. She surprised him when she blew up at him later, though, for she rarely ever lost her cool like that. He thought that if he had been in striking range Hermione might have slapped him again. This made Draco smile sheepishly as he drifted off to sleep to the sound of Goyle's snores.