Draco glanced at the clock set upon a marble pedestal near his dormitory door; he'd been in his quarters for nearly an hour, doing absolutely nothing to pass the time except sleep and dream of ways to make Granger even more miserable.
Now it was time to make the evening rounds with her, and Draco wondered what they'd have to talk about--if they talked at all. Draco shuddered at the thought of having to speak to the Mudblood.
Not that I'd want to talk to Granger, Draco thought contemptibly, stretching his arms over his head and yawning widely. She'd just bore me to death with stories about books she's read or tales of Potty and Weasel. Even though they expected him to work with Granger, they couldn't force him to be civil. Perhaps he could just ignore her.
He rose from the high-backed, dark green chair near the fireplace, straightened his white shirt, and ran a hand through his hair. Better get this over with, Draco sighed inwardly, donning a black robe with his Head Boy badge pinned to the front. Perhaps I'll put a Silencing Charm on Granger to keep her from opening her trap.
Draco sauntered over to the door, fully expecting Granger to be waiting in the Common Room for him, her foot tapping impatiently. He grasped the knob and pulled--but nothing happened; the door didn't budge. That's odd, Draco frowned. I didn't lock this door.
He tried it again; he pulled, pushed, and even attempted to jiggle the knob, but nothing worked. What in the bloody hell is going on here? he wondered.
As though on cue, Draco heard a faint giggle drift into the room from the other side of the door. Curious, he flattened himself out on the carpet and peered into the Common Room through the space between the door and the floor. He watched in disbelief as a pair of black Mary Janes moved toward him, then suddenly stopped mere inches from his eye. They remained motionless for a few seconds, then moved away.
"Granger!" Draco hissed. "She wouldn't..."
Draco scrambled to his feet and tried the door again. He pulled the knob so strongly that the door crashed right into him. Rubbing his forehead, he glanced over to see the Common Room door close. "I'm going to kill her!" Draco muttered. "That filthy Mudblood locked me in my room!" What in the bloody blazes was she thinking?
Pulling out his wand, Draco ran through the Common Room and yanked open the door. Immediately he spotted Granger making her way down to the Entrance Hall.
"Granger!" Draco yelled, racing down the steps to catch up with her. "Get back here! I want to have a word with you!"
He saw Granger's chin go up defiantly. "I have nothing to say to you, Malfoy." She turned and continued walking quickly down the steps.
Draco's mouth dropped slightly. How dare that ugly witch walk away from him? "Well, I have something to say to you!" he hissed, moving with lightning speed toward her. Draco pointed his wand at Granger's back. He shouted a Trip Jinx and nearly laughed out loud when Granger, grasping at the air around her frantically, fell on her face with an ear-splitting shriek.
His mirth was short-lived, for the girl scrambled to her feet, whipped out her wand and cried "Petrificus Totalus!" Draco gasped as his arms and legs locked together and he rolled down the last five steps. As he lay there, Granger moved to stand next to him, blood trickling out of her nose. She wiped it away with her sleeve, smirked at him, then stepped on him as though he were a dirty rug. She continued on her way through the Entrance Hall, and Draco lost sight of Granger's frizzy head when she rounded the corner and disappeared.
After ten agonizing minutes, the spell wore off and Draco stumbled to his feet. Humiliated that a Mudblood had gotten the better of him, he swore he'd make her pay. No one insults a Malfoy, he thought angrily. He stalked off in the direction he'd seen Granger go.
He spotted her almost immediately; she was speaking to a couple of first years who appeared to be quite distressed. Draco, his eyes narrowing and an evil smile slowly spreading across his face, saw his chance; not only would he get Granger back, but he'd show those first years that Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts' Head Boy, was not to be crossed.
Slowly, Draco raised his wand...
~*~*~*~*~*~
"I understand you're new and not used the unfamiliar surroundings," Hermione smiled sympathetically at the two Hufflepuff boys in front of her. "But I must ask you to return to your Common Room. You don't have to go to bed," she told them when they'd begun to protest, "but you do have to remain there. You don't want Professor Snape to catch you out here; trust me on this." The pair stared at her in wide-eyed horror. Hermione couldn't help but grin; the mere mention of the surly, hooked-nose Potions Master gave almost everyone the chills.
Hermione patted them on their shoulders to turn them around, but they stood rooted to the spot, their faces frozen in fear and looking just beyond her. She realized, without looking, whom they were staring at: Malfoy.
With a deep sigh, Hermione slowly turned to face the Head Boy. She expected he was not happy with her, but she'd had no choice--he needed to be hexed. If he'd been civil and spoken to her like a human being, instead of shouting at her and spewing curses, then perhaps she would have apologized for locking him in his room.
No, Hermione thought grimly, her hand reaching into her robes for her wand, he wants to play this game.
Simultaneously, they fired off incantations. Jets of light flew everywhere, and the two first years shrieked and ran for cover.
"TAKE THAT, GRANGER!" Draco shouted, letting loose an Engorgement Charm. Hermione screamed, "EAT DIRT, MALFOY!" as she shot a Jelly-Legs Hex straight at him.
This continued for several minutes. Draco and Hermione were so focused on hexing one another that they did not see Professor McGonagall running down the hallway towards them, her graying tresses and red plaid robe streaming out behind her.
"STOP! STOP THIS AT ONCE!" She shrieked, her face almost as red as her nightgown. "BOTH OF YOU!"
When Hermione lowered her wand to look at Professor McGonagall, Draco saw his chance; he hexed Hermione one last time.
Professor McGonagall, sensing Hermione was going to attempt a retaliatory curse on Draco, whipped out her wand and stunned both of them. Before either could blink, Hogwarts' Head Girl and Boy, both covered in the others' hex marks, fell to the stone floor with a thud.
*~*~*~*~*
"IN ALL MY YEARS OF TEACHING AT THIS SCHOOL, I HAVE NEVER WITNESSED SUCH AN APPALLING DISPLAY BY OUR HEAD STUDENTS!" Professor McGonagall shouted at Hermione and Draco. Both students were seated in her office--having recovered from their hexes and the Stunning Spell the Deputy Headmistress placed on them.
Hermione was looking down at her hands. They would be expelled for sure, and it was all Malfoy's fault. If he hadn't tormented her with his smug attitude and close proximity, none of this would have transpired.
A tear slipped down her cheek. How would she explain this to her friends and family? It was not like Hermione at all to lose control like that. Everyone will be so disappointed, she thought sadly. What will I do?
"WHAT ON EARTH CAME OVER YOU?" Professor McGonagall was still hollering at them, her voice and color rising. "ONE HUNDRED POINTS EACH WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR HOUSES--IMMEDIATELY!"
Hermione gasped, jerking her head up to gape at the head of Gryffindor House. We don't even have one hundred points each to take away! she thought wildly. Hanging her head in shame, she imagined the reaction of the other Gryffindor when they discovered this. Hermione glanced over at Malfoy; he seemed to be staring at some point beyond Professor McGonagall's chair, his mouth set in a grim line and his jaw clamped tightly.
Professor McGonagall began pacing the room, continuously berating them regarding their "deplorable behavior". "I am sorely tempted to expel you for breaking school rules and it is within my right to do so. You have set a very poor example for the other students in this school. We now have two first year Hufflepuffs in Madame Pomfrey’s care because of tonight’s events!” she sighed heavily. “I do not know--nor do I care--what the problem is between you, but it needs to be resolved immediately. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Professor," both Malfoy and Hermione chorused miserably.
"I will be informing the Headmaster immediately and contacting your parents in the morning..." Professor McGonagall continued. Hermione's stomach plummeted; she heard Malfoy make a small noise and shift in his seat.
"Now, Mister Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said briskly, striding back to her desk to sit down. "I have spoken to Professor Snape about this situation and he feels that whatever punishment I give you will be sufficient..."
Hermione snuck a glance at Malfoy; his mouth had dropped open. No doubt he was hoping to have Snape punish him, Hermione said to herself. Snape's always easy on the Slytherins. Professor Severus Snape was head of Slytherin House and tended to favor those students over the rest.
"Professor-." Malfoy began, but the Transfiguration teacher cut him off.
"Mister Malfoy, do not try my patience. If you speak without my permission again, I will take another one hundred points from Slytherin. Is that understood?"
Malfoy's nostrils flared, but he answered, once again, "Yes, Professor."
"Good. Now, I don't need to tell you how disappointed I am," Professor McGonagall went on, her voice still full of anger.
More tears slipped down Hermione’s face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy looking at her. She turned her face a mere fraction in his direction, but he whipped his gaze back to Professor McGonagall.
"Until I can sort all of this out, you will be serving detentions with Mr. Filch," Professor McGonagall told them.
Hermione gasped once again. Argus Filch, Hogwarts Caretaker, hated all the students and didn't hide the fact that he thought rule-breakers ought to be whipped. He nearly got his wish two years ago, when the monstrous Professor Umbridge had taken over Hogwarts.
When Ron's brother's, Fred and George, had gotten into trouble, Filch had been beside himself with glee. After all those years of 'ridiculous' punishments, he was able to give 'real' ones.
Filch's excitement was short-lived, however, for the Weasley twins left the school in a stunning display that many still talked about.
Filch was now entering the room with his constant companion, Mrs. Norris. The cat blinked its glowing eyes at Hermione, who shivered slightly. Filch smiled nastily at Hermione and then Malfoy, who didn't move a muscle.
"Well, now," Filch drawled, "what ever shall we do with these two?" Mrs. Norris meowed once and Filch looked down at her. "Perhaps, my sweet, perhaps..." he murmured.
Professor McGonagall folded her hands upon the desktop. "That is entirely up to you, Argus," she said tiredly. When Filch's eye lit up, she coughed discreetly and added, "Within reason, of course."
Filch's excitement died instantaneously and he gave a small growl. "Well, the dungeons need cleaning," he began and Hermione's eyes widened; Filch kept instruments of torture down there! She’d never set foot in the dungeons with Malfoy--she'd rather sit in a crate with a Blast-Ended Skrewt.
"...the bathrooms, or scrub the fourth floor corridor," Filch was muttering. "The Trophy Room could use another clea--"
A voice interrupted the Caretaker. "I believe I have a suitable punishment." The four people in the room turned to see Professor Dumbledore, wearing a purple robe covered in silver stars, standing in the doorway.
"Albus?" Professor McGonagall queried, rising from her chair. "I didn't realize you were awake."
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "I was apprised of the situation a short time ago," he said calmly, walking into the room. "So naturally, Minerva, I came to investigate."
"Headmaster," Filch began, "I am quite sure I can--"
Dumbledore held up one hand. "Argus, I have no doubt that you are quite capable of overseeing detentions for other students, but these two," he gestured to Hermione and Malfoy, "need something more; something they aren't likely to forget."
At this, Filch blinked mutely; his mouth set mulishly. He scooped up Mrs. Norris and nodded to Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stopping only to glare at the seated students, then left the office, muttering, "Let's see what Peeves is up to, my sweet."
When the door closed behind Filch, Dumbledore spoke again. "It has come to my attention that our Head Boy and Girl came to blows, so to speak, in the first floor corridor." When no one spoke, he continued. "I realize there is a rather sour history between the two of you, but I had hoped," he peered a them over the top of his half-moon spectacles, "that you had grown out of that." Dumbledore sighed. "But, alas, I was wrong and now I must deal with my mistake."
Hermione couldn't contain herself; her hand shot straight up into the air. Dumbledore turned to her, a look of questioning on his bearded face.
"Yes, Miss Granger? You have something you wish to say?"
"Please, sir, don't expel us!" Hermione blurted out in a rush. Malfoy snapped his gaze to her face and Hermione saw something unreadable lurking behind his gray eyes.
Dumbledore, however, looked amused. He strolled around the edge of Professor McGonagall's desk. Minerva hastily vacated her seat for the Headmaster and he nodded his thanks before sitting down. "Expel you?" he asked. "Why ever would I do that?"
"But I thought..." Hermione's voice trailed off and she bit her lip. She decided not to continue, feeling foolish.
"My dear Miss Granger, it is late and no doubt you will want to get some sleep. I am going to allow you and Mister Malfoy to return to your rooms until the morning," Professor Dumbledore told her in a gentle voice. "However," he added, looking at them meaningfully, "I will be placing a charm on your doors to ensure tonight's events do not repeat themselves after we've all gone to bed." He nodded to Professor McGonagall.
Hermione and Malfoy stared mutely. Dumbledore gestured for them to rise, also getting to his feet. Once more, the Headmaster nodded to the Deputy Headmistress, then led the Head Boy and Girl to their Common Room.
Neither Malfoy nor Hermione made a sound as they followed Professor Dumbledore to the second floor corridor. Hermione's mind reeled. What is Dumbledore going to do to us? What could be worse than being expelled? She didn't have long to dwell on these thoughts, for they had approached the portrait leading to their Common Room.
A dark-haired woman in the picture smiled at the trio. "Headmaster," she purred, her gaze turning to Professor Dumbledore. "It is good to see you."
Dumbledore winked at the lady and called out "Butterbeer". Her smile broadened and the picture slid over to allow them entry.
Hermione and Malfoy muttered their goodnights to Professor Dumbledore and began moving towards their sleeping quarters. However, the Headmaster's voice made them halt in their tracks.
"I will be expecting the two of you in my office at eight o'clock in the morning; do not be late. We will discuss the terms of your punishment at that time. Pleasant dreams!"