Game of Emotion

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Everyone in the Great Hall was in a state of shock. It was halfway through the school year, and every meal time, without fail, their Head Boy and Girl, Draco and Hermione, would have a screaming match in front of the entire hall before stomping off to their house tables. But not this morning. This morning they both sat, close together, at the special table that they had not bothered with since the beginning of the year.

And they were whispering.

Ron had paused with one hand halfway to his mouth, looking back and forth between them. What were they doing? Were they, Gods, were they dating or something? And to make matters worse, Harry was looking over at the Slytherin table, a sly look in his eyes, which met Pansy Parkinson's across the room, from where she looked coquettishly over at him. What was next? Was Ginny suddenly going to announce that she was in love with Crabbe?? Or worse, Blaise Zabini??!! Ron was losing it.

Hermione and Draco however, were not dating. They were not even friends at all. They did however, have a common problem.

"I think Pansy likes Harry." She said, buttering a piece of toast. "Or something of the like. She keeps on giving him covert looks and smirking."

Draco smirked himself. "She's not the only one staring. Potter is planning something himself."

Hermione looked alarmed. "You don't think..." She broke off into silence.

"I don't think....what?" Draco asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow.

"They couldn't be. They wouldn't be....Dating, do you think?" Hermione said, shocked.

Draco looked over at the two in question. "Maybe not. They are, however, playing a game. A game that you and I are quite well acquainted with, Granger."

Hermione's eyes widened in realisation, before she broke into a smile. "Is that all? I didn't think that Harry would do that sort of thing." 'Emotions, such a fun game to play.'

"It should be interesting." Draco grinned, starting to eat his breakfast.

"Yes, it should. We'll have to watch and wait, see how the game turns out." Her eyes flicked over to him. "I think Harry will win." She said seriously.

Draco looked back up at her. "A wager, Granger?" He asked in disbelief, mischief slowly covering his tones. "You're on. And the prize?"

Hermione smiled sweetly over at her couterpart. "Winner's choice. May the best person win, Malfoy."

That settled, they started to eat their breakfasts again.

*

Pansy looked over at the Gryffindor table again, becoming suspicious as Harry's lips twitched in.. 'was that amusement?' He looked far to pleased with himself. She smirked back over at him, before lowering her eyes flirtatiously. 'There, let him stew over that.' She thought viciously.

She'd made her resolution, and she was going to stick by it. It was going to be an interesting day.

Pansy noticed Draco and Granger talking, and looking over at Harry and herself periodically. 'What are they doing?' She wondered. 'Draco would never date a Mudblood like her, so it has to be something else.' Pansy glanced across at Harry once more, noticing his poise and expression. It was almost...predatory.

She smiled. It looked like the game had just gotten that much better.

*

Harry looked up, and stared calculatingly over at the Slytherin girl. The game was afoot. Occasionally she would look across to him, raise her eyes. Once she even winked. He was confused. What was she playing at exactly? He was supposed to be messing with her, not the other way around!

Suddenly, her attention diverted to the front of the hall. He followed her gaze across to a table where... His eyes widened in surprise. Was that... Hermione? With MALFOY? This was rather... odd. Beside him, Ron made some really disturbing gnargh sounds.

Harry looked back across to Pansy and raised an eyebrow. 'Any ideas?' his expression conveyed.

'None whatsoever.' Her shrug said back.

They realised what they were doing, and stopped. He examined her. What did he know about the girl called Pansy Parkinson anyway? Besides the fact that she was his age, a girl, a Slytherin and liked the colour pink, what was there to know about his adversary?

His right foot tapped a rhythm under the table as he thought. Well, she was smart and pretty, two qualities that she usually used to her own benefit. She had a large family that supported Voldemort. The Parkinsons were, in their own way, influential. Not so much as the Malfoy family, but still.

His left foot also joined in on the musical performance, tapping out a staccato beat. She liked Malfoy, or at least she had in the past. She was resourceful, and of course, now he knew she liked sitting on walls, people-watching. His gaze became somewhat ravenous, and he unconsciously lounged back in his chair.

Parvati saw this transformation happen, and nearly fainted. "Lavender!" she hissed. "Look at Harry!"

Lavender looked, and immediately sighed dreamily. "He looks gorgeous."

"Yeah." Her friend vehemently agreed.

Harry took no notice at all of the conversation, his full attention was occupied by the girl across the hall. His feet stopped tapping suddenly.

The lines were drawn. The game would be fun. Who would have thought it?

*

Everyone was leaving the hall for first class, but Hermione and Draco still sat at their table. They had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore in twenty minutes, so were not expected to go to Potions, their first class.

"I think they'll take the game to a new level fairly soon." Hermione said contemplatively to Draco.

"Oh?" He asked with a smirk, "How soon?"

Hermione looked over to him mischeviously. "Oh, I don't know." She smiled. "How about now?"

Across the hall, Pansy waited to leave the place. She was slightly apprehensive as Harry had been looking at her measuringly all the way through breakfast. She wished she could know what was going on behind those lively green eyes of his.

Such thoughts are summoners.

Suddenly she felt something dragged smoothly across her shoulders. Pansy suppressed a shiver almost before it started, before looking back at whoever had dared do such a thing.

Harry's eyes danced, he had just walked past her and swept his hand across her shoulders. 'What are you going to do?' His green eyes asked innocently.

Although internally Pansy was seething, she gave him a flirtatious smile, and a saucy wink. "Wanted something, Potter?" She asked mockingly, before pushing her way through crowd and out the double doors, not waiting for his answer.

Harry frowned. She'd just left. 'Well' he thought angrily, 'and we'll just see who is the victor, Miss Parkinson.' With that, he walked out freely of the hall. After all, crowds parted for Harry Potter.

Hermione turned back to Draco with a triumphant smile. "See Malfoy, I said he'd do something."

Draco smirked back. "Yes, but she didn't react the right way, did she? Potter was the one who stomped off angrily."

Hermione pouted. "It was one time, Harry wont let it end like that twice. I'm going to win." She said confidently.

"In your dreams, Granger." He replied with a laugh. "In your dreams."

*

Pansy was annoyed at her almost slip. She'd almost lost it to Harry, Potter. Whatever. But she'd won that skirmish. A smile caressed her lips, and she made her way to Potions.

This game was going to be even better than she had thought.

*

Harry walked along to Potions, green eyes snapping with irritation. She'd beaten him. He just couldn't believe it. He wasn't supposed to lose! He was the 'good' one!

Huh, well, she would not be as lucky next time. He was going to be the victor.

*

Millicent Bulstrode watched Pansy stride away, hips swinging, with wide eyes. Surely Pansy wasn't dating Harry Potter! But, what other explanation was there?

Oh dear, there was going to be a problem. And Millicent did not like problems with her friends.

This would take some watching.

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