Fair and Tender Maidens

Friday, December 12th, arrived with much excitement. The day of the contest had finally decided to grace the students with its presence. Dumbledore gave all the students a day off from classes to prepare their acts and, if they weren't going to be in the competition, to give others much needed moral support. Everyone, teachers and students alike, rejoiced at a well-deserved break. All except for Snape, who was quite pissed off at the idea of giving students off for music.

Now, let us see how our hero is doing.

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, sat at a small table in the library, studying. Well, thinking thoughtfully. He was thinking of Hermione Granger, his best friend, the brainy little witch who had saved him so many times. She would never know how she had saved him. She showed him affection. She hugged him and encouraged him. She stuck by him with he was an arse. He would never ever find another woman that could ever replace her, he knew. He--

Oh, pardon? Draco Malfoy? Hero? Oh, yes! On to Draco...

Draco Malfoy swore under his breath. He was going over his piece once more. It was going quite well, except for the fact that the piano was not exactly listening to a word he was telling it. It didn't like him, he concluded. It only liked Hermione.

Which, Draco himself could understand. Afterall, he only liked Hermione too.

Whoa. Where did that come from? Malfoy, snap out of it! She's a Muggleborn! Whoa! Wait? What's happened to me? What happened to the Muggle/Mudblood hater? The one who hates Granger will all his heart and soul?

He moved, Draco decided. Just when he really needed him.

He sighed. This was going to be a long night.

******

Hermione nervously tugged at her blouse. She glanced at her peers standing around her warming up. She noted the cool looks on their faces and envied them. She wished her heart wasn't pounding so. She sighed. It WAS too bad that it wasn't beating the tempo of her song, but that couldn't be helped. It would've been nice.

Draco Malfoy bumped into her as he walked past. He didn’t apologize and she didn’t expect him to. He was just the same as always. How could she have ever thought that he could be different? It just proved the point that people don’t change. Ron still obsessed over Quidditch. Harry still was flaky and quiet about his feelings. Ginny was still talking about breaking the hearts of every male student in the school. Neville still was forgetful and still was afraid of Snape. She, Hermione, was still a bookworm and an overachiever.

The door opened and Dumbledore entered. He looked quiet excited to be starting the festivities. He smiled brightly at them all. The contestants smiled weakly in reply.

“Here in my hand I have the order of performance,” the headmaster of the school told them all with too much enthusiasm. “ Miss Hermione Granger, you’re first.”

Miss Hermione Granger’s stomach fell to her feet.