Inevitable Lovers

Chapter 2:

The next morning, Hermione awoke to leaden grey skies and a chill in the air after the night's rain. It took her a second to realise where she was, but on sitting up in her luxurious four-poster and taking in the new surroundings of her bedroom, she smiled at the inner warmth that came from familiarity of Hogwarts. She dressed quickly that morning, packing her bag with only quills, ink and parchment; they did not yet know what lessons they would be having and when.

Down in the common room, she noticed that a sign had been attached to the wall over the now extinct fire. It addressed "The new Hogwarts Head Boy and Girl"

Below was listed a set of tasks to be done between her and Draco, and dates they had to be completed by - fresh ones were apparently to follow. Hermione was determined that Malfoy did his share, thinking crossly of the previous night. I won't wake him now, she thought, especially not if Pansy is with him...

Something large and furry winding round her ankles interrupted the chain of thought. She looked, startled.

'Crookshanks,' she said fondly, pausing to scratch him behind the ears. Smiling smugly at the thought of Malfoy being late to the first lesson of the year, she bent to pick up her bag, smoothing down her new school robes and tossing her hair behind her shoulders. The common room entrance sealed itself behind her as she left.

Five minutes later, Hermione had joined Harry and Ron in the Great Hall for breakfast, eager to hear how the first night in Gryffindor Tower had been.

***

Draco woke with a determined air. Last night had been unnecessary, he reflected whilst dressing. She shouldn't have thrown herself at me like that. From now on, I'm not going to fuck Pansy...and I won't pick any fights with Granger...maybe then she won't think I'm the Big Bad Wolf...

Pansy Parkinson had slipped off at the crack of dawn, although Draco had had the impression that she thought she could come back any time. Well, she's not going to, he thought. And with that, he grabbed his own bag and left the common room, not noticing his duties on the wall.

Ten minutes into breakfast, and after Hermione had told Harry and Ron her displeasures about Malfoy, Ron was glowering and Harry promising to curse him as soon as he got the chance.

Professor McGonagall approached them, interrupting Harry's diatribe.

'Here are your timetables,' she said briskly. 'It will be hard work this year, so please try to keep up with your homework before it mounts up on you.'

She looked slightly pointedly at Harry and Ron whose homework records were not untarnished, and they grinned. McGonagall then moved on to Lavender and Parvati, further down the table.

The trio studied their timetables. Surprisingly, both Harry and Ron had made it into Snape's NEWT Potions class last year, not having made any horrendous errors in their OWLs. Harry had hated the idea of having Snape another two years so much that he had almost dropped Potions, but Professor McGonagall persuaded him to take the subject, as it was such a good opportunity for success; indeed, his dream of becoming an Auror could not be fulfilled without this qualification. Harry didn't exactly relish the thought of enduring Snape's torments another year, but at least it would be their last. Unfortunately, the class was now made up of mostly Slytherins, with members of the other houses generally bonding over the animosity that they all too often received.

'Seems like today's the worst day,' grumbled Ron, studying the piece of parchment in front of him, 'double Potions and double Transfiguration.'

'Well, advanced NEWT is going to be even harder to manage with my Head Girl duties,' said Hermione. She peered at his timetable. 'At least you've got Care of Magical Creatures, that's easy.'

'Yeah, well, you know I didn't want to do that, Hermione. Wasn't my fault I had no other choice. It's better than Herbology anyway. I don't fancy being out in this weather, though.'

He looked gloomily up at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, which reflected a dreary, downcast sky.

Harry grinned through a mouthful of toast.

'Still, you can see Hagrid more often,' he said. 'Tell us any news.'

Ron nodded in agreement and as the bell went the three headed off together for double Potions, their collective first lesson. As they descended the stairs, Draco Malfoy turned from where he had been entertaining a group of Slytherins, looking up at them maliciously. His Head Boy badge glinting in the gloom, and there was no sign that he had been anything other than on time that morning.

'Looks like your popularity rating's going down, Potter,' he said loudly. 'Fancy that, not even Dumbledore's favourite boy anymore. Guess your heroics have just about died...all those "adventures" and you didn't even get Head Boy. Shame, isn't it?' he smirked.

'Like your father didn't use gold to bribe the governors. Piss off Malfoy, or you might just find yourself having to have a lie down in the Hospital Wing,' Harry said through gritted teeth.

'Er, I don't think Professor Snape would like to hear you threatening me.' Draco's eyes glittered dangerously.

'Er, I don't think I care,' said Harry aggressively. He pulled out his wand. 'Better not let your fan club see me hex you, Ferret-Face.'

Ron also advanced on Draco.

'Yeah Malfoy, believe it or not the whole of Gryffindor doesn't want to hear about your sex-life. So why don't you push off, and stop giving Hermione a rough time.'

'Ron,' Hermione warned. 'I can deal with him on my own.'

Pansy, who had been looking smugly at Harry, said, 'The Mudblood's never going to have a sex-life of her own, Potter, so listening to ours is probably good for her - I bet even The Boy Who Lived wouldn't touch a Muggle,' she snorted derisively.

Hermione stood squarely in front of Pansy.

'Malfoy's not worth anything more than you,' she said witheringly, 'and if you come to the tower again Dumbledore will hear about it, you shouldn't even know the password.'

Ron moved to stand next to Hermione. Pansy's eyes had narrowed. She pulled out her wand, as did Ron and Malfoy.

'No henchmen to protect you now, Malfoy,' said Ron. Crabbe and Goyle hadn't, of course, managed to get into Snape's Potions class.

'What is going on here?' came a low, menacing voice.

At first no one heard, and Harry and Draco raised their wands. The class held its breath.

'If I were you, I'd stop right there, Potter,' Snape now thundered. 'For blatantly provoking Mr Malfoy, forty points from Gryffindor. I would just like to remind you that as Head Boy, Mr Malfoy has certain...privileges that he will not hesitate to make good use of, I'm sure. Now get in my classroom, and I do not want to see any nonsense again!'

Fuming, Harry Ron and Hermione entered the dungeon, and sat at the back. Harry banged his things down on their usual desk in tangible fury, and Ron was breathing hard through his nose. Hermione was also angry, and not only at Snape and the Slytherins. She was not, however, plotting far-fetched mental schemes to torture Malfoy or Snape, as she knew Harry and Ron were probably doing.

'What is the matter with you?' she hissed at Ron on her right while everyone settled down. 'There was no need to say all that to Malfoy!'

'What are you on about?' said Ron, a little too audibly.

'Stop talking Weasley, or it will be detention,' said Snape as he swept to the front of the room. 'Now, today we are going to be brewing a potion called the Stealth Implementing Potion, which I assure you will take the utmost care. It is to be lightly brewed, as too much or not enough of anything could result in adverse effects.

When properly formulated, this substance will enable the user to be deceptive and near invisible, should they so wish, not be easily noticed. Of course, as you all know, I will tolerate no sub-standard mixtures or anything that has been carelessly put together. As you are NEWT level, I will keep a close eye on anyone who...fails to meet my requirements. When completed, the potion should be a faint green in colour, very light in texture.'

Snape conjured the instructions and ingredients on the blackboard in an instant, and the door large cupboard in the corner sprang open, full of the things they needed, and everyone duly went to collect the ingredients after consulting carefully with the instructions. When Harry, Hermione and Ron had set their ingredients on the table, Hermione continued what she was saying to Ron in an undertone.

'I don't need you to defend me! I can handle Malfoy, so there's no need to put in your comments! He'll have you in detention if you're not careful!'

'What? Hermione, what he's doing is not on. I was just trying to fix the git,' said Ron earnestly, holding up his phial of leech juice to measure its contents by sight, then tipping the contents into his cauldron.

'Yes, but I didn't ask you to! Next time, please just leave it.'

Ron held up his hands. 'Okay, whatever you like,' he said placidly.

Hermione huffed and started to slice her mint leaves. The potion was simple in terms of quantities, but very difficult when it came to stirring, heating and timing. Although she was absorbed in her work, she could not resist pausing to remind Harry to bring his potion to the boil, or tell Ron that his should be stirred counter-clockwise after six minutes.

When Snape announced it was time to cork a sample, Harry and Ron felt satisfied they had scraped a decent mark. Hermione's Stealth Implementing Potion, of course, matched exactly the description Snape had intoned at the beginning of the lesson, to his apparent distaste; his lip curled when he looked down his hooked nose at her potion, and he gave her a curt nod. Hermione walked away, satisfied.

After the lesson, Hermione split from Harry and Ron to go to Arithmancy, while they attended Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures respectively. Hermione both enjoyed Arithmancy and found it challenging, so at lunchtime she was feeling rather jovial. She joined the Gryffindor table to a discussion about the Quidditch prospects of the year ahead.

'Yeah, so I wonder who will be the new Gryffindor Captain?' Ron asked Harry. 'Maybe it'll be you, mate.' It seemed that Ron's self-confidence had increased after a consecutive year as Gryffindor Keeper, although Harry now looked doubtful.

'I don't want to get my hopes up,' he said, 'I mean, I just don't think I'm like Wood was, or Angelina...

'Well, I'm sure you'll make it Harry,' said Hermione warmly. 'Just look at what happened with you in the first year!'

'I suppose,' mused Harry. Secretly, he really, really hoped he would become Captain, but didn't tell the others this for fear of disappointment.

Later that afternoon, the trio left their first double lesson of Transfiguration, which had been suffered through after proving extremely difficult at NEWT level. They had been trying to transfigure small mammals into other mammals, as this would prepare them for human transfiguration later on, and even Hermione's head felt sore.

Tired, Hermione promised to visit the Gryffindor common room after dinner, when she had done some of her homework. After she had eaten, she proceeded to her own common room, feeling rather wary; she was sure Malfoy would have something to say about Potions that morning. As she hadn't been sitting near him in Transfiguration, she hadn't spoken to him all day, which had certainly been a relief.

However, the common room was empty when she arrived, so Hermione drew her wand to light a fire, and settled down in front of the warmth, pulling out her Arithmancy notes. She had been working for about ten minutes when she heard the stairs creak, the door leading to them being open. She looked around. Her eyes widened. Malfoy was halfway down the stairs from his bedroom, wearing naught but a towel round his waist. His wet hair was slicked over his face, and droplets of water ran down his chest. He had obviously just been in the shower.

Hermione couldn't help but stare at him for a moment, then came to her senses.

'What on earth are you doing?'

Malfoy ignored her, not fazed in the least. 'Been telling tales to Scar-face and the Weasel, have you Granger?' he sneered. 'Can't fight your own battles?' He descended further, all the way into the common room, on the pretence of retrieving his school bag.

'Actually, I know about fifty good curses I could use on you right now, without assistance,' said Hermione acidly. 'So if you don't mind, I've got work to be getting on with.' She looked back at her work, her mind still on Draco. I just never realised he's so...good-looking, she thought. All of him, it seems...oh I really shouldn't be thinking this...this is Draco Malfoy for heaven's sake!

Draco had now retreated back upstairs after picking up his bag, thinking about the little scene that had just happened. In a way, she is so frustrating, so I just have to argue with her, but that's also why I like her. He shook his head abruptly, as if to clear these dangerous thoughts. As if anything could ever come of this, he thought as he got changed. I know, I'll go to the Slytherin common room, then I won't have to see her at all.

Later, Hermione had finished her homework and was still sitting by the fire, Crookshanks perched on her lap. She was thinking about many things, like how Ron's ears went red whenever she accidentally touched his arm, or how Harry and Ginny seemed so comfortable with each other. It was confusing. She felt as if she should like Ron, that it would be a good thing to go out with him, yet...she didn't really want to get involved somehow. He was one of her best friends, nothing more. Oh, I don't know, she thought miserably. Romance wasn't her field, she wasn't experienced enough. Perhaps I should go and see my friends. And with that, she headed off to the Gryffindor common room.

***

Draco was feeling very pleased with himself. He felt he finally had one over on Potter, as when he had entered the Slytherin common room, Crabbe and Goyle had raced to tell him that he had become Quidditch Captain! He felt incredibly smug, and couldn't wait to parade the news in Potter's face. He was sure they'd win every match now. He was in such a good mood, that when Pansy came over to see what was going on, he welcomed her advances, even though he hated to show affection in public. After she was practically wound round him, he suggested they go down to his old room.

'Sure, Draco,' she giggled, and tried to hold his hand, but he shrugged her off. He never held hands.

Once they were down there, in the dark, rather cluttered dormitory where Crabbe's robes lay in a heap on his bed and Goyle had neglected to stop a candle dripped wax all over the little table, the passion seemed to die a bit. Draco was very obviously half-hearted when Pansy tried to kiss him.

'Draco?' she asked, 'what's wrong? Don't you want me?'

She became even more passionate, and tried to push him down onto his old, unused four-poster.

'Actually, Pansy, I think I've had enough,' said Draco, fending her off. 'I'm going back to the tower.' He faked a yawn. 'I'm just t-too tired.'

'But Draco...don't go,' said Pansy. 'Just stay a while, please?'

'No,' said Draco firmly. And with that, he left.

***

Meanwhile, Hermione was happily drinking Butterbeer with Harry, Ron, Ginny and the rest of their friends, celebrating the fact that, as yet unknown to the Slytherins, Harry, who was grinning from ear-to-ear, had also been made Quidditch Captain, having been informed by Professor McGonagall.

'So, Captain, when's the first meeting?' joked Ron. He was glad Harry had got the job rather than anyone else in their house, although he couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy. Harry might not have been made Prefect or Head Boy, but he always seemed to come out on top, regardless.

'And are you going to hold try-outs?' asked Hermione. She knew little about the intricacies of Quidditch, but was always happy to cheer her friends on.

'Yeah, you can help me organise them, mate!' Harry said to Ron. 'There are a couple of people I can think of right now.' Ginny beamed proudly.

The best thing was, Hermione reflected as the evening wore on, that she was back with the people she loved best, her mind no longer troubled by disturbing thoughts of a certain seventh year Slytherin who was currently residing in their shared tower, quietly awaiting Hermione's return.