Owl Post

Chapter 2: Ink Bottles and Secrets

Hermione lowered Elf Treatment Over the Past Century and glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 8:56. She quickly shut the book and returned it to the shelf. If she didn't hurry, she would be late for Potions class and she could never let that happen. Shouldering her bag, Hermione scurried out of the library and headed down the stairs that lead to the dungeons.

She arrived just in the nick of time and hurriedly took her seat next to Harry and Ron, who were still busy discussing the topic of racing brooms. Hermione smiled at the fact that her two best friends had finally found some form of interest in History of Magic. It's also lucky that Professor Snape didn't see me rushing in late. He surely would've taken off points.

However, someone else had noticed her arrival. Hermione glanced over at the Slytherin section of the classroom and almost jumped when she saw Draco Malfoy staring right back at her. She gave a tentative smile which Draco tried to return with little success - in the end, it looked like a strained smirk. At this, Hermione covered her mouth with her hand to hide the giggles that escaped but her eyes betrayed her; dancing with laughter.

Yes, we can be friends. In the library, after trying to convince herself that she loathed Draco Malfoy hadn't worked, she decided upon the title "just friends". Nothing more. I refuse to develop a crush on him. He's still a Malfoy after all. He'll just be a friend - like Harry and Ron.

This sent another wave of laughter over Hermione at the thought of what Harry and Ron would say if they found out she had just compared Draco to them. But she didn't have any time to contemplate it because at that instant, Professor Snape entered the classroom. Everyone immediately ceased talking and Snape looked rather pleased at being able to hold so much control over the class.

"Open your books to page 45," he said in a hissing whisper that almost resembled parseltongue. There were sounds of bags opening and pages ruffling, but Hermione slowly raised her hand.

"Granger," said Snape in an annoyed tone, "do you have questions about the lesson that I haven't even explained yet?"

Some of the Slytherin's snickered, and Hermione was hurt to see that Draco was one of them. But she quickly brushed that away and turned her attention back to Snape.

"No, Professor Snape. I was just wondering which book we should use since you required two this year - Common Potions of the 19^th Century and-"

"I know what the titles of the books are," Snape said snidely, "I don't need you to tell them to me. But in answer to your question, I had thought it would be obvious that I meant the common potions book since Potions for the Advanced contains much more difficult potions as I had expected you all to know in the first place."

Hermione fought back to the urge to respond "I bet Crabbe and Goyle were too stupid to know that" and simply opened her book. There was renewed laughter from the Slytherins and this time, Hermione didn't even look over. It really bothered her that Draco had laughed.

Snape continued on with the lesson and Hermione tried to appear as though she was listening to him rant on about such-and-such potion. She couldn't help but realize that she was acting very unlike herself that day. Normally, Hermione would be completely attentive throughout class and not let little things like jeering from teachers and classmates get in the way. But this was the second class in a row that she had spent letting the lecture go in one ear and out the other. It unnerved her at how un-Hermione-like she was being.

However, Hermione was snapped back to attention when Snape began to assign partners. When he finally reached her name, her mood darkened even further. "...Granger and Malfoy..."

Surprise, surprise. Is everyone trying to pair me with Malfoy today?!

Hermione meandered over to the cauldron she had been assigned and was put off by the sight of Malfoy strolling over looking rather cheerful.

"Fancy being partnered again, Hermione. I'm just glad I didn't get stuck with Weasel or Scarhead."

"'Weasel' and 'Scarhead' happen to be my friends, Malfoy," Hermione whispered back, so their conversation would not be overheard by Snape.

"I know that. But just because we're friends doesn't mean that I have to be all chummy and buddy-buddy with them as well."

"Who said we were friends, Malfoy?" Hermione couldn't help it. She just couldn't get the image of him laughing along with the other Slytherins out of her head.

"Alright, Granger," said Malfoy, finally sensing the malice in her voice, "what's got you so uptight? I thought we'd come to a truce and decided to no longer call each other terrible names, make fun of each other, and the like."

"Yeah, well you broke that truce rather quickly."

"How so?"

"You laughed at me when Snape mocked at me and basically called me a Smarty Pants, which I'm not!"

"Oh for heaven sake!" cried Malfoy.

Hermione heard a sudden crash behind her. She turned to see Neville covered in bats' blood and a shattered bottle in front of him.

Snape approached him in fury. "When, Mr. Longbottom, will you learn to handle ingredients carefully!"

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape," Neville stuttered, "Malfoy's sudden cry just scared me and I dropped the bottle."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor. Ten for the bottle, and ten for trying to put the blame on Mr. Malfoy. It is your fault, and your fault alone. And as for your potion, that was my last bottle so you'll have to receive a zero for today."

Neville turned bright red and looked positively forlorn as he headed towards the bathroom to wash his hands. Pansy, who was Neville's partner, burst into tears. Blaise Zabini wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"There, there, Pansy. I'm sure Professor Snape will let you redo the potion during a free period."

"No, it's not that," sobbed Pansy, "He got blood all over my new robes!"

"Everyone back to work," cried Snape, ignoring the weeping Pansy completely.

Hermione almost started laughing at Pansy's outburst, when she remembered Neville. It had been Malfoy's sudden cry that had caused him to drop the bottle. She added that onto her list of why Malfoy and she could never be friends and her anger returned. Hermione quickly turned back to her potion and continued to work, trying with all her might to ignore Malfoy. However, it wasn't working very well, as he seemed determined to talk to her.

"Pansy is rather pathetic, I must admit. If she weren't so damn rich, she'd be an embarrassment to the Slytherin House."

Hermione was shocked at first but then scolded herself. How could she expect anything else? "I suppose that's all you care about ... money."

"No not really." Malfoy worked on cutting up the dried roots, speaking as though they were old friends. "I have plenty of it so there's no need to worry. It's not like it's going to disappear in a flash."

"You really are an arrogant bastard, aren't you?"

"I try my best," and he smirked at her, though underneath Hermione detected a slight teasing smile. It took all her strength not to let her anger melt away at that.

"And that was very cruel of you to let Neville take the blame. It was your outburst that caused him to drop it."

"Can I help it if the boy has butterfingers?"

Hermione shook in her head. "Honestly, Malfoy."

Malfoy slowly deposited the roots into the potion and it slowly changed from sky blue to a light lavendar. "So as I was saying before we were interrupted - I laughed. So what? Honestly, what was I supposed to do? Jump up, defend your honor and say 'Snape, give the girl a break. She may be smart, but she's hardly a mind reader?' It would ruin my reputation and that's usually Potter's job, not mine."

Hermione blushed at the compliment. Does he really think I'm smart? "Well," she tried to keep her voice steady, "you could've just done nothing."

Malfoy snorted. "Come on, Hermione, you must know me better than this. If I didn't do something to torment you, the Slytherins would rush me to the hospital wing to see if I was sick. I'm anything but invisible."

Hermione sighed and then furrowed her brows as she added centaur hairs to the potion. "Well, you see that's the problem. I don't know you, or anything about you. In my mind you've just always been a rich, arrogant Slytherin, who has nothing better to do than to make fun of muggle-borns."

At this, Malfoy averted his eyes and looked down at the potion. Suddenly, Hermione felt guilty. Perhaps she had gone to far. And truth be told, she really did want them to be friends.

"Oh, Draco, I'm-"

"Listen, Hermione. I just see you as a stuck-up, bookworm Gryffindor who can't seem to understand that others might also know the answer to the question. We both have no idea who the other is. I say we take this as an opportunity to change that. I meant what I said in History of Magic. So we may as well put our past's behind us and just kiss and make up." At once Draco blushed.

Hermione's face also flushed but she laughed lightly at Draco's serious and pale face, dotted with spots of red, as if he had never really blushed before in his entire life.

"You know what I meant," he mumbled and turned back to the potion.

For the next 20 mintues, the class continued normally. Hermione contained her laughter to a small smile and Draco's face had receeded to the usual pallor that he had always preferred it at.

"Okay, Hermione, now it says to add the dried unicorn hair."

"What!" she exclaimed. "That can't possibly be right. You must've read it wrong." She had made potions similar to this before and the unicorn hair was always added last.

"Are you doubting my flawless vision, Granger?" Draco tried to make his voice stern, but Hermione could see a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

And what nice lips he has too. Hermione almost smacked herself at thinking this. Draco was having an effect on her that she really did not like. She looked up and saw him waiting for an answer, so she decided to play along with his teasing.

"As a matter of fact I think it's so terrible that you might be forced to wear a pair of those gigantic muggle glasses that make your eyes look like dots in comparison."

Draco wrinkled his face. "How hideous. I'd rather not. It would ruin my dashing appearance don't you agree?" He leaned back against the cutting table and looked at Hermione with his eyebrows raised.

Most defenitely she wanted to reply. Hermione couldn't help but admit that he did look dead sexy standing there in front of her, his robe partially open, revealing a crisp black polo and his hair slightly tousled from the heat of the potion they were brewing. She was about to open her mouth to respond when Parvati called out to her.

"Hermione, could you be a dear and toss over your ink bottle. Mine's almost finished."

Hermione felt a wave of relief pass over, glad that she didn't have to answer to Draco's question. "Sure thing, Parvati." She turned to the table where she'd left her bottle and threw it to her. Her mind was still so full of thoughts about Draco that she barely thought to aim.

The ink bottle went flying in the air, but in a slightly different direction. Draco, who hadn't noticed at first, looked to see a bottle flying his way and swerved just in time, so that it only barely missed his ear. The bottle then continued to fly towards Ron. It hit him squarely on the shoulder before tumbling to the ground and crashing to the floor.

Hermione covered her mouth in shock. She was sure that Snape would take off points for the disturbance she had caused. But looking around, Hermione realized that he must've been in the storage room and had missed the entire thing. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to see Draco walking towards her looking annoyed.

"Good god, woman! Are you trying to kill me? Praise god you're not on the Quidditch team or we would've all died long ago!"

Hermione reddened and looked worried. "I'm sorry. Are you all right?"

Draco gave a pained expression. "I might have to walk up to the infirmary after this." Then, upon seeing Hermione's concerned face, he softened. "No lasting damage, I expect. Just a slight graze on the ear."

Hermione smiled and slowly raised her hand to touch his ear. It felt warm and soft beneath her fingers and she trailed them down to the bottom. Draco caught her hand before she could continue down his face.

"We should get back to the potion. Don't want Snape to walk in and wonder what all the hub bub is about."

However, just as Draco turned back to the potion, she couldn't help but notice that he had held her hand for a little longer than he should have...

Meanwhile, the Gryffindors were surveying the damage the ink bottle had made on their side of the room.

"Nice toss, Hermione," said Parvati sarcastically.

"Maybe she meant to throw it at Malfoy," Harry suggested. "For being a terrible potions partner or something."

"Well, I don't care why she threw it at Malfoy," Parvati huffed. "Nor do I want to know. The only thing I do know is that now I have no ink to write with."

"Allow me, madam," said Ron with a flourish of his wand. "Reparo." The bottle instantly repaired itself and he handed it back to a beaming Parvati.

"Oh thank you, Ron. You're the best!" And she headed off to finish her notes.

Ron shot Harry a smug look, but it quickly disappeared when he glanced at the storage room. Snape was standing there with a sneer.

"Weasley that will be ten points from Gryffindor and a week of detention for destroying ink bottles and causing yet another disturbance. Too bad. The year has just begun and already your house is in the negatives. Now, I suggest you get back to work before you and Potter cause your house to sink any lower."

And with that, Snape returned to his desk, leaving Ron's smug mood completely shattered.

*

"Hurry up, Hermione!" called Ginny. "We don't want to be late." She ran out of the carriage and towards the Three Broomsticks at full speed. Hermione followed behind at a comfortable walk.

"Late for what?" Hermione asked. "Is there some show going on that I don't know about?"

"No, of course not," sighed Ginny, "but if you don't hurry all the tables at the Three Broomsticks will be completely taken up and I refuse to sit at the bar."

"We're not allowed to sit at the bar anyway," said Hermione, finally catching up to her.

"Well then we better get a move on."

Hermione grudgingly followed her at a faster pace until they reached the most popular pub at Hogsmeade. It was the first trip of the year down to this little village and Hermione always enjoyed it. She loved the crowded streets full of witches and wizards, no muggles in sight, all buying things and enjoying each other's company. This year, Ginny had asked Hermione if she would come with her and she had agreed.

Just as Ginny had predicted, the pub was full, and the girls had to wait five minutes before a couple finally got up and left. Madam Rosmerta immediately came over to them.

"Hello, dearies. What can I get for ya?"

Ginny ordered an entire meal and drink, but Hermione wasn't very hungry.

"Just a butterbeer, thanks."

"Just a butterbeer?" echoed Ginny as Madam Rosmerta walked away. "Aren't you hungry? I'm starving!"

Hermione smiled. Ginny was always hungry and she could eat at any time of the day. Yet still, she managed to keep her slim, slightly toned figure from hours of Quidditch practice. It was one of the things that she envied Ginny for. Hermione was deathly afraid of flying on brooms. She supposed it was mostly because, unlike most subjects and activities in school, you couldn't learn how to fly from a book. You had to learn from experience. Hermione had nothing against gaining a few scratches, but she wasn't one to take the risk of falling off and breaking her neck. Sometimes, she didn't know how Harry could do it so many times and yet still have the courage to get back on a broom again.

Madam Rosmerta returned and placed their orders on the table. "There you go, dears. Just let me know if you need anything else."

Ginny immediately began to gulp down her food. If Hermione hadn't known better, she would've thought Ginny hadn't eaten in days. After swallowing another big bite, she finally turned to Hermione. "So, anything interesting happen in transfiguration?"

"We're learning how to transfigure ourselves into animals, though most of us are having little success."

"But of course you've succeeded." Ginny nudged Hermione playfully with a small smile. "You're the smartest witch in the entire school!"

Hermione blushed at the compliment and was about to reply when suddenly Draco Malfoy appeared at their table.

"She may be the brightest witch in the school, Weasley, but don't forget that there are still some wizards who surpass her intellectual abilities."

Ginny immediately glared. "No one asked you, Malfoy."

"Nevertheless, I couldn't help but overhear and I felt I should correct your slight error."

"I didn't make an error," retorted Ginny. "I said Hermione was the smartest witch and you agreed with me. You just added an extra little side note, that's all."

By this point, Hermione had turned beet red, and really wanted this conversation to end. "You know, Malfoy, she does have a point." She glanced up into his stormy gray eyes and then quickly looked down at her butterbeer, which was still almost full.

"Later, Granger," he said quietly and left. Hermione inwardly sighed, glad that that was over. They had agreed to use their surnames in public since they didn't want people to become to curious or cause unnecessary "scandal". Not to mention, her friends and his cronies would never forgive them if they learned of their truce to no longer name-call or send evil looks.

Ginny, on the other hand, still looked peeved. "What a most despicable person. I don't know why he just doesn't curl up and die. He'd be doing us all a favor."

Hermione snorted with laughter at the thought of Draco curling up in a ball on the floor. "I doubt he would. It would ruin his neatly pressed robes." The laughter became contagious and soon the two best friends were holding their stomachs, tears streaming down their faces.

"I think it's time we asked for the check, Gin, before Rosmerta throws us out for making so much noise."

After paying, they decided to head back up to the castle since the beginnings of winter had arrived and both had forgotten their coats. They walked in silence until the carriages with the invisible horses that pulled them soon came into view. That is to say, the carriages did; not the horses.

"I love Hogsmeade, but I suppose it's good that we're going back early. I need to finish up a potions essay," said Ginny, breaking the silence.

Hermione merely nodded.

Ginny rounded on her. "Okay, Hermione, spill it."

"What are you talking about, Ginny?"

"Who's this guy that's got your head in the clouds?"

Hermione looked stunned. "Huh? What guy? Where did you get that from?"

"Well, I've never seen you like this before. You're so quiet these days. Ron's told me you sometimes don't pay attention in class, and you always seem to be thinking about something ... or someone."

"Ginny, there is no someone. I've just had a hard time this year getting back into the groove of school. I'm allowed to be unlike myself sometimes, right?"

But Ginny wouldn't let the subject go. "Still, there has to be someone you sort of like! I mean, you're seventeen. There must be some boy in this big castle that strikes your fancy."

"No, there really isn't - "

"Tell you what," Ginny interrupted, "I'll tell you who I like if you tell me yours."

Now Hermione became interested. "I thought you were going out with Dean Thomas."

"No, we broke up last year before the summer. He was too boring for me, and way possessive. I needed some room to breathe."

"Oh, Ginny I'm sor -"

But she cut straight to the point. "So, are you going to tell me who your mystery man is?" When Hermione looked a little hesitant, Ginny resorted to begging. "Please, Hermione. Just say the first name that comes to mind."

Hermione sighed, did just as Ginny had suggested and said the first name that she could think of.

Ginny's expression turned from interest to shock. "Draco Malfoy!"

Hermione instantly covered her mouth with her hand, her brows furrowed in confusion. Draco Malfoy?! Had she really meant to say him? She had told herself that they would just be friends, and yet here she was, telling Ginny that she fancied him. Well, I guess it could be true. Ironically, he has been on my mind a lot recently. And he isn't such a bad guy now that we're friends. Maybe I do like him.

So, although Hermione wasn't sure, she nodded to Ginny.

She, in turn, made a face. "Ugh! How could you like that slimy git?"

Hermione shrugged. "He's not so bad once you have some normal conversations with him. So, who do you like?"

But Ginny just shook her head, grinning maliciously.

"Ginny! Tell me!"

"Tricked you!" Ginny shrieked. "That is for me to know and you to find out."

Hermione didn't know whether to punch her or just tackle her. "I hate you, Ginny," she cried, although they both knew that she didn't mean it.

"So, come on, tell me more about Draco. How'd you guys end up having a normal conversation? Does he know you like him? Does he like you too?"

Ginny kept asking Hermione for more details and explanations the entire way back to the castle, but Hermione wouldn't indulge her. The idea that she now had a crush on Draco Malfoy was still very new to her.