Unwell

Hermione looked down at the schedule that had been handed to her before she left the great hall. She groaned when she realized that she had Double Potions with the Slytherins and Double Transfiguration class with the Slytherins, too. She sighed. It was their first day back, and already the work was being piled on. She should've guessed. It was their sixth year, and everyone was preparing for their N.E.W.T.S. She heard Ron voice what she was thinking:

"Two doubles, on the first day?? Have the teacher's gone mental? Do they expect us all to have had our noses stuck in a book like little-miss-smarty-pants Hermione?"

The words stung as they left Ron's mouth. Harry elbowed Ron and gave Hermione a reassuring smile. He knew that Hermione hated to be called names because of her knowledge. It wasn't her fault that she excelled and pushed herself to the limit in anything and everything that she did. Harry forced Ron to keep his mouth shut, saving Hermione from having to redeem her and saving them from arguing. The trio entered Snape's dungeon and took seats towards the middle section of the room.

Snape didn't give them time to pull out their wands before he began relentlessly badgering them for how much they would have to improve this year in order to perform well in their academic careers. Snape started into questioning them about things they should've remembered, but of course forgotten over the summer holiday.

" Potter, what four ingredients do you add to a boil cure potion after the cauldron is removed from the fire?"

Harry stared at Snape, his emerald eyes widening, knowing that he was doomed to lose points for his house on the first day. Snape stood, sneering at him, awaiting an answer.

"Well Potter, do we have an answer? No? How surprising," Snape said in a sarcastic tone, "ten points from Gryffindor. Now can anyone else give me the correct answer? Miss Granger, how about you enlighten us."

But Hermione wasn't paying attention. She was distracted by cold, steel-gray eyes staring at her from across the room. Why is he looking at me like that? Do I have leftover breakfast on my face? Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts by Ron's elbow jabbing into her ribs.

"Ouch! What?" Hermione realized that the entire room was staring at her. "Yes, Professor Snape? What potion was that again?"

"Four parts of the boil cure potion that should be added after the cauldron is removed from the fire."

"Yes, of course," Hermione cleared her throat, " dried nettles, crushed snake fangs, stewed horned slugs, and porcupine quills."

"Excellent Miss Granger, Fifteen points for Gryffindor, but I shall remove five points for your lack of self-control. I should think at this age that you should be able to pay attention instead of gawking at the other students from across the room."

Hermione's cheeks turned crimson red as she lowered herself into her seat. Snape began telling all how incompetent they were at not being able to remember a simple potion taught to them in their first years at Hogwarts. As he was ranting on, brown eyes met steel gray once again. For some reason, Hermione felt a shiver go down her spine, and smiled to herself before realizing it. She quickly diverted her gaze and kept it away from Draco for the rest of the class.

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Draco couldn't seem to take his attention off of the brown-eyed-fuzzy-headed Gryffindor who was seated between The Weasel and Potter. He hadn't been able to take his mind off of her since breakfast that morning. What's wrong with me? She's Granger. She's part of Potter's Pack! She's best friends with my sworn enemy! And, she has the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen. It was true, ever since their first year, Hermione's eyes had haunted him. But Draco had thought nothing of it, considering most of their encounters he had been insulting her friends or teasing her for one reason or another. Yet, something was different this time. Something inside of him wouldn't let him take his mind off of Hermione Granger. And Draco didn't like it or understand it one bit.

He had smiled to himself when he saw her cheeks turn crimson. So he hadn't been thinking it was just coincidence that every time he looked up she was staring at him with that brown gaze. Even Snape had also that she was staring at Draco. But why? Draco shook himself. He didn't care. He didn't give two galleons about why that old Mudblood Granger was staring at him. The second time she looked over, Draco cast her a sly look. A plan was forming in his head. He would toy with this Granger girl. Not only would it affect her, but it would get to her friends too. Yes, this was the perfect plan for getting back at the Potter Pack. He made a mental note to find Pansy Parkinson after class and discuss it with her.