Eye Candy

Chapter One: The Odd Staring Problem

It was a wonderful cloudy day as Hermione Granger ate in the Great Hall. It was the 2^nd of the September and the Great Hall was filled with the sound of laughter and talkative students. Hermione sat next to her two best friends, the famous Harry Potter and the redhead Ronald Weasley.

Most of the Gryffindors were chatting with the new first year students. Hermione, however, was chatting with Ron's younger sister, Ginny Weasley, who had fiery red hair and was a year younger than Ron, about their classes.

Hermione was enjoying the meal very much until she started to notice that her Draco Malfoy, her worst enemy, was staring at her. But not like he usually does. He actually looked quite happy, and seeing Draco happy was not very common.

Hermione was puzzled as to why Malfoy, of all people, was smiling at her, the studious know-it-all Gryffindor. She pondered over this as she finished her meal and hurried to Potions.

She sat with Ron and Harry in the back the room hoping that maybe today Professor Snape wouldn't criticize them. Fortunately, they made out today without losing too many house points.

During lunch, Hermione noticed it again. Malfoy was staring at her. She tried not to think of Malfoy and went back to eating a cracker and sipping Root Beer.

Later that evening, after dinner, Hermione was in the Gryffindor common room talking with Ginny.

"Hermione, you seem really, well, out of it. Is something wrong?" Ginny asked, worried about Hermione.

"No," Hermione responded quickly.

"Okay, whatever you say. But if something really is wrong, tell me, okay?" Ginny said.

"Okay," Hermione glanced around and then whispered to her best friend's sister, "Ginny, did you notice Malfoy staring at me during Breakfast and lunch?"

"No, I was trying not to look or think of him," Ginny said as scowled at the thought of him. "He was looking at you?!" Ginny shouted and everyone in the common room was staring at Ginny and Hermione who were sitting at a small table in the corner of the room.

"Shouldn't you guys be studying?" Hermione finally commented to the Gryffindors, who all went back to what they were doing, except Ron and Harry who were making their way to the table in the corner.

"Who was staring at you?" Ron and Harry whispered together.

"No one," Hermione and Ginny chanted.

"Then why was Ginny shouting that 'he was staring at you'? Who's he?" Ron asked Hermione.

"Malfoy," Hermione mumbled, trying to keep Ron and Harry from hearing her.

"MALFOY?" Ron and Harry yelled and once again the Gryffindors were staring at the table in the corner and the room was dead silent.

"They were just saying that Malfoy is a stupid brat," Hermione said loudly. Everyone in the room nodded in agreement and then got back work.

"Why was Malfoy staring at you?" Harry said quietly.

"I don't know. He looked, well, he seemed, like he was actually happy," Hermione whispered.

"HAPPY?" the two Weasleys yelled. Drawing attention once more to the corner. This time however, many students told them to shut up. But one student wondered over to the table.

"Why are you guys screaming?" Neville asked, approaching the table.

Ron totally ignored the fact that Neville had just asked a question and blurted out, "Malfoy was staring at you and he looked happy?"

Hermione, looking frustrated, said, "Yes he did. Is it so hard to believe that a boy would stare at me?"

Ron, Neville, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione all knew his answer should be 'yes' but Ron couldn't do that to his friend and said, "No, it's just unbelievable that Malfoy would stare at you. And he looked happy. Malfoy and the word happy do not belong in a sentence together. Unless, of course, the word not was is that sentence, too."

Hermione smiled and said, "That is very true. I better get to bed. I'll see you all in the morning."

*

Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table, feeling glad he was away from his horrid father, and he was eating breakfast. As he was eating he noticed Hermione Granger, one of his many enemies in a new light.

It seemed as though over the summer she learned to tame her hair and she was smiling. Draco never really noticed how beautiful her smile was.

Suddenly Hermione noticed Draco staring at her and looked confused.

She even looks nice when she's confused, he thought. No! Stop! She's a mudblood and I'm a pureblood. Although, she does look very nice

His eyes and mind seemed permanently locked on Hermione all day: during breakfast, lunch and dinner he could not take his eyes off Hermione Granger.

Hermione apparently wasn't the only one who noticed Malfoy staring happily at Hermione. Pansy Parkinson noticed also.

Malfoy went up to the Slytherin common room, sat down, picked up his quill started to do his Potion's homework but he couldn't keep his mind off Hermione. He slouched in his chair and looked lost in his mind.

Pansy walked over to him looking mad. "What is with you, Draco? Why were you staring at that Gryffindor mudblood?"

Draco immediately sat up in his chair. "I was not!" Draco said quickly.

"Yeah, you were. You know, when you stare at girls you're supposed to do it so they don't notice. It's freaky when people stare at you dreamily! I know all about that, thanks to Crabbe and Goyle," Pansy said, still angry.

"I wasn't staring at her. I might have scowled at her, but not stare. I'm going to bed. 'Night," Draco said as her ran up to his dormitory.

"It was staring!" Pansy yelled to Draco as he ran up the stairs.

Chapter Two: The New Member

A few weeks rolled past and Hermione still caught Malfoy staring at her regularly. Hermione was still puzzled as to why he would stare at one of his worst enemies. A few times she saw Pansy Parkinson look angrily at Malfoy and Malfoy would stop looking at Hermione. This just made Hermione more curious.

Hermione was very excited today and didn't even bother to look at the Slytherin table for Malfoy's dreamy stare.

Today was this year's first official S.P.E.W. meeting. Hermione had everything ready in an extra classroom (which she asked permission from Professor McGonagall to use) on the second floor. The meeting was going to be held at 4 o' clock, so Hermione spent the rest of her Saturday in the library looking up the history of house-elves.

*

Draco decided that he should at least try to be nice to Hermione and maybe she'll look at him the way he looks at her.

Maybe I should get to know her better. She does do that house-elf thing. Maybe I should join... Malfoy suggested to himself as he went to breakfast.

She's having a meeting today, Malfoy thought remembering the poster in the library.

*

At three-thirty that afternoon, Hermione dragged Ron and Harry to the classroom where the meeting was to be held. As soon as they got there Hermione seemed to have a nervous breakdown.

"What if no one comes? What if we're the only ones? What if I make a mistake? What if-"

"God! Shut up, woman!" Ron interrupted

Hermione was having trouble breathing.

"Fine! I'm putting a spell on you so you think happy thoughts!" Ron yelled. He then murmured, "Surexcité. I knew having Fred and George, as brothers would pay off sometime!"

Hermione seemed so peaceful. She was suddenly so happy and amused by anything. She laughed at the slightest things, like Harry's socks that Dobby gave him.

"You have such funny socks!" Hermione giggled.

"Ron, you know the countercurse, right?" Harry said to Ron, whose ears were turning bright red. "Ron? Please tell me that you know the countercurse!"

"I knew I should never listen to Fred or George. Mum was right; they always make trouble. Trouble for everyone, especially me. They find it funny. Especially now that they aren't here so I can't go force it out of them. I'm going to send an owl to Mum and tell her about this. She'll go ballistic! She'll probably... Harry stop looking at me that way!"

"Ron, Hermione's going to be like this for her first meeting of the year! We better fix this or..." Harry trailed off, looking at the now open door.

"Is this classroom for the spew thing?" said a familiar voice behind Ron. Ron knew the voice, who could forget that cold voice?

Before Ron even turned around to look at the person who just entered the classroom he asked, "Malfoy, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the spew thing. What's wrong with Granger?" said Malfoy nonchalantly.

"What's wrong with YOU?" Harry and Ron asked together.

"Oh, look! It's Malfoy the staring Slytherin. What does the special staring Slytherin need? Does he need new eye candy? Ooh! He might be here to join my group! Ooh. Okay, doubt that. RUN AWAY!" Hermione said, (quoting her favorite muggle movie, Monty Python and The Holy Grail) she was giggling excessively. She was talking in a high voice, so it was easy to figure out that she was under a spell.

"What did you do to Hermione?" Malfoy said, starting to run to Hermione, but Harry and Ron stopped him from getting near their friend.

"Since when do you call her Hermione? I thought it was either Granger or Mudblood, according to you," Harry said to Malfoy.

Malfoy looked dumbstruck. "Well, I mean, well"

"Yeah, I thought so. So... YOU LIKE HERMIONE?" Ron yelled.

"Ah, the power of memory charms," Draco laughed as he whispered the charm. "Aucune mémoire" (A/N this spell -according to me- means that the victim forgets the last conversation they had... just in case you were wondering)

Ron and Harry looked really confused.

"You were just leaving. You had to go to the library. Bye-bye, now!" Draco said pushing the two out the door.

"You sure look funny, Malfoy!" Hermione laughed, looking extremely dizzy. She was about to fall backwards when Draco ran over and caught her before she touched the floor.

Hermione seemed to black out even though she didn't fall to the floor. She awoke moments later seeming much more Hermione-like.

"Why in the world are you holding me, Malfoy?" she said jumping away from Malfoy, who was merely smirking.

"Well, you didn't exactly expect me to let you fall, did you?" Malfoy asked.

"Actually, yes. Where are Ron and Harry? What happened to me? I want some answer, Malfoy. I want them now!" Hermione demanded.

"Well, I came in to join the spew thing when I saw-," Malfoy started.

"You wanted to join S.P.E.W.?" Hermione spat out.

"Well yes, but anyway, I saw you. You were acting like a monkey. Weasley put a spell on you to make you act crazed. I suppose Potter and him wanted a couple laughs."

"They wouldn't!" Hermione yelled.

"Yeah, they would. Because I just saw them do it. I made them leave immediately and put the countercurse on you, and here we are," Malfoy lied.

"Well, I'm going to go talk to them," Hermione told Malfoy.

"Well, Hermione, they might do the spell on you again," Malfoy told her.

"Well, I don't care. I need to talk to them," Hermione said scowling at him.

"Whatever, but remember, I won't be there to save you next time," Malfoy smiled at her.

"I can manage, Malfoy. I can take care of myself," Hermione said walking to the door. She then turned around, looked at Malfoy and said, "And don't call me Hermione. Only people I like call me that. Oh, also, Malfoy, you know there's a rumor going around that you play with Barbies. I thought you hate all muggle things," she then left.

"Who told?" Malfoy asked the empty classroom.