The Lion and the Snake

The Lion And The Snake Chapter 2

Detention With Malfoy, And A Talk With Ginny

Friday evening had come too soon for Hermione. At seven p.m., she walked down the stone torch-lit corridor down to the dungeons. It was always humid and damp down in the dungeons, and no matter how hard Filch tried to get rid of it, a hint of mildew always hung in the air.

As she walked through the door of Snape's dimly lit office her eyes were drawn to the higher shelves where several unlabeled bottles and their unpleasant contents that had been placed there, a large book was resting on a table, it's purpose and title were unknown. Malfoy was sitting casually in a chair with a smirk on his face. Hermione grimaced as she tried to sit as far away as possible from him as Snape swept into the room.

"For your detention this evening, you will identify and label potion ingredients to stock the students' store cupboard, use the book on the table to help you. I will come and get you when your time is up." Snape then left the room as quickly as he had came in.

Hermione set to work labelling a large jar of fluxweed, whilst Malfoy sat in his chair, doing absolutely nothing.

~*~

Malfoy sat motionless. Great.... I get to spend the entire evening with Granger he thought, I'll just let her do all the work. Malfoy leaned back in his chair, as the stony silence pressed all around them. He watched Hermione look through the old book on the table, with a concentrated look on her face. He smiled as a brown curl fell across her face, he had a sudden urge to brush it aside. Oh god, he thought feeling slightly sickened. I'm attracted to Granger!

~*~

Hermione looked up from the tattered and stained book, to see Malfoy's steely silver eyes staring at her with a steady gaze. A shiver went up her spine.

"Malfoy, are you planning on working at all tonight?" she asked icily.

"No, I usually have someone do the work for me," he replied.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Well it's sure as hell not going to be me! she thought, as she scanned the highest shelf for a bottle of hellebore. She spotted it sitting inconveniently out of reach; she stood on her tiptoes and reached for it, but was it was still out of grasp. Malfoy watched her with a smirk, and stood up.

"Here, Granger, let me help," he drawled. Much taller than Hermione, Malfoy was able to grab the bottle for her.

"Here," he said, thrusting it into her hands.

Hermione could hardly believe Malfoy, of all people, had actually done something nice... for her. Their eyes made contact and Malfoy stared into Hermione's warm, amber eyes.

Eww, Hermione thought. I'm making eye contact with Malfoy.

Hermione looked down at the floor and mumbled, "Thank you."

Malfoy, realizing he had done something nice, replied with, "Well, We wouldn't want a clumsy Mudblood, like you, knocking over all the jars, could we?" That's better he thought, grabbing himself a jar to label.

After an hour and a half, Snape walked back into the room to find all the jars labelled, and the student store cupboard restocked.

"Very well, Tomorrow night meet in the library at precisely seven p.m."

Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she walked out of the office, Malfoy close behind her.

"Well...erm," Hermione stuttered.

Malfoy turned and stared at her, "Granger if you have something to say, spit it out," he said nastily.

"Never mind," she said with a fleeting look, as she fled away to the Gryffindor common room.

Malfoy watched her leave, her robes billowing out behind her. He shook his head, and turned on his heel walking towards the Slytherin dorms.

~*~

Later that night Malfoy rolled over in his bed restlessly, trying in vain to get to sleep. He'd been used to being up in the middle of the night before, mostly awake with thought's of his father, and his expectations of Malfoy, to join the Death Eaters, but his thought's tonight were different. Particularly, he was thinking about a brown, bushy haired girl. Ever since the night of the Yule Ball in fourth year, Malfoy had noticed Hermione in a different way, not as the know-it-all Mudblood, but a girl. She was, in her own special way, attractive. She didn't possess curves like Pansy, but she had something more. Damn, he thought. I can't like Hermione, no, Granger, she's a Mudblood. The name Malfoy holds a certain respect, they only associate with purebloods. Plus she's friends with Potter.

"Malfoy pride," he said, reassuring himself, as Goyle grunted in his sleep.

~*~

Hermione woke to the melodious chirping of the birds. She changed out of her pyjamas, and walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"So, Hermione, how was detention with Malfoy?" Harry asked, as he poured some pumpkin juice.

"Well, you know Malfoy," Hermione replied, with a smile. She buttered herself some toast, while Ron and Harry shot confused looks at each other.

Much later in the day Hermione sat cross legged on her bed reading the Standard Book Of Spells Grade 6, when a red-haired girl came bounding into her dormitory.

"Hi Ginny," Hermione smiled.

"Hey 'Mione, can I borrow your copy of Hogwarts A History? I have a report due on Monday," Ginny asked frantically.

Hermione shook her head in disapproval. "Yeah, it's in my trunk." She giggled slightly. "Gin, you really need to stop procrastinating!"

Ginny made her way to Hermione's trunk,

"Aww, now where's the fun in that?" Ginny said devilishly. Ginny had always reminded Hermione of Fred and George in one way or another.

"So, where are the guys?" Ginny asked over her shoulder.

"Out playing Quidditch," Hermione replied, assuming Ginny was talking about Ron and Harry. Hermione glanced out of the window at the large, black clouds.

"Hello! What's this!" Ginny grinned slyly waving a pink make-up bag in front of her face.

"Oh, I forgot I had that. It was a gift from my mum." Hermione turned another page in her book.

Ginny grinned, "Hmm, has never been used," she said, checking the contents of the pink make-up bag.

Two minutes later, Hermione found herself sitting in a chair getting a hair potion applied to her hair by Ginny, as she told Ginny about her detention with Malfoy.

"Wow! So Malfoy is capable of doing something nice after all! Who'd have thought it. So.... Do you like him?" Ginny replied, doing a clever charm on Hermione's hair to straighten it.

"Eww. NO! That'd be gross!" Hermione said shifting in her seat, although a little voice in the back of her head said, I think so.

"Oh...well I would." Ginny giggled at Hermione's astonished face. "He's dead sexy!"

Ginny finished off Hermione's newly straightened hair with pulling some off to the side with two small, sparkly star clips. After doing Hermione's make up, Ginny let her look in the mirror.

"Wow!" Hermione said in a surprised voice.

Her hair was shiny and straight with no bushy strands in sight. Her eyes looked dark and sexy, played up with mascara, eye-shadow and eye liner, but not too much. Hermione's face was powdered, and her lips were glossy. This was all new to her, but she liked her new look.

"Gee, I'm good." said Ginny smiling proudly.

A clap of thunder was heard over head, as Hermione looked at her watch.

"Damn," she moaned. "I'm late for detention!"

Hermione rushed down the spiral staircase, and through the common room past Harry and Ron, both dripping a puddle of water around them.

"Was that Hermione?" Harry said in awe as she rushed out of the portrait hole.

"She looks hot!" Ron breathed amazed.

"Thank you boys!" Ginny said proudly. Ron and Harry stared dry mouthed.