Draco didn't sleep. He lay on the four-poster bed staring at the ceiling all through the night, thinking about the previous evening’s events. He grinned, knowing he got Granger good. The look on her face when she realized her ears had grown three times their normal size...
She’d returned the favor, screeching "Densaugeo!", and Draco, turning his wand to his nose, had to shout out "Reducto!" whilst trying to dodge a Freezing Charm that had been thrown at him.
They'd gone through a number of hexes and charms before McGonagall's Stunning Spell took them both down, yet Draco couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment; he'd dueled Hogwarts' cleverest witch!
He shifted slightly and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw something moving near his window. The curtain was drawn back to reveal a house-elf dressed in a simple red-checked cloth donned like a toga.
Draco watched in silence as the creature laid out his clothes, stoked the embers in the fireplace, and spot-dusted all the surfaces in the room.
As his eyes followed the house-elf's progress, Draco couldn't help but wonder how it had gotten into the room. After Dumbledore had sealed his door, Draco tried all he knew to open it--just to see if he could break the spell. Unfortunately, nothing worked, not even "Alohomora".
Not that Draco actually expected any spell to succeed. Dumbledore wasn't going to place a simple charm on the door if Draco could break it. He wondered if Granger had had the same problem. Of course not, he scoffed silently. Miss Prim probably went right to bed like an obedient dog.
Draco chuckled, causing the house-elf to look directly at him, gasp, and then disappear. Stupid, filthy creature, he thought disgustedly. But this made him grin; he thought back to last evening, when Granger had looked a bit like the house-elf after McGonagall had stunned her.
She was so shocked, Draco thought with a laugh. The idiot Mudblood probably couldn't believe McGonagall had had the guts to do that.
"But she defended you..." a very tiny, almost inaudible voice in his head whispered. "She pleaded with Dumbledore not to expel both of you."
"No," Draco said aloud, getting out of bed. "Granger was just trying to save her own skin. She only said 'us' to make herself look good."
"Liar." The voice sounded amused. "Don't deny it. You saw her face."
Granger's tear-streaked face sprang unbidden into his mind's eye. He shook his head to clear the image. "She was bloody faking," he growled. "Granger's a girl--or at least I think she is--therefore like all the others: she uses me to get ahead."
"You don't mean that..."
"Shut up," Draco muttered. His conscience was really getting on his nerves.
He walked over to the window. The sun was just coming up over the mountains surrounding the lake, and the giant squid was gliding lazily across the surface. Despite all attempts to focus on the squid, Draco's thoughts strayed back to Hermione Granger.
She did look rather upset, he said to himself. Perhaps Granger was really crying. Was she that worried she'd be expelled? Draco knew he'd been nervous. It wasn't the fact that he'd have to explain the circumstances to his mother; he could handle Narcissa. It was Lucius' reaction that bothered him most.
His father had already proven his displeasure when Draco, having visited Azkaban only days before, had informed him that Hermione Granger was the Head Girl.
His father had looked confused. "Granger..." he'd muttered. "The name sounds famil--" he stopped short, his eyes widening in recognition. "The Mudblood?" he'd hissed. "Of course," he’d sneered, "this is Albus Dumbledore's doing, the Champion of Mudbloods and Muggles." Lucius had pressed his face and body up against the bars. Instinctively, Draco had moved closer.
"Draco, listen to me," his father breathed, clutching at his son's coat. "Avoid that filth; she is beneath you. Don't let her fill your head with her ridiculous ideas. You are a Malfoy; do not be fooled by a Mudblood."
Draco turned away from the window. He understood perfectly; Granger may be Head Girl, but she was still lowly and disgusting; unfit to gain his trust. He wouldn’t give another thought to her or her tears.
A sudden sharp knock on his door brought him back to attention. “Malfoy?” It was the insufferable Granger. How in the bloody hell did she get out of her room? he wondered, glancing over at the clock; it was seven-thirty. Almost time to meet my doom, Draco thought snidely. What sort of punishment could Dumbledore possibly give to me? The Dark Forest no longer scared him and Draco had seen or done enough things over the last two summers that would probably straighten Granger's hair.
"Malfoy? Are you awake?" Granger sounded annoyed. Draco strode over to the door. "What do you want?" He snapped, knowing full well what her response would be.
"You can open the door, Malfoy," her muffled voice shot back. "The spell wore off at seven o'clock."
Draco yanked open the door to find Granger inches away, staring up at him with her large brown eyes. "Oh!" she exclaimed, taking in his disheveled appearance. Hastily, she stepped back and said, "We need to meet with the Headmaster shortly."
"Tell me something I don't know, Mudblood," Draco snapped, but felt a slight pang at the stricken look on Granger's face.
"Obligation..."
There it was again; that voice.
With a growl, Draco scooped up his fresh clothes and headed for his bathroom beyond the doorway between the window and the fireplace. He changed quickly then stepped out into the Common Room. He didn't meet Granger's questioning gaze; Draco simply strode over to the portrait hole and went out into the corridor.
Granger had to run to catch up with him. "We're supposed to go together Malfoy," she informed him haughtily, slightly out of breath.
"Whatever, Granger," he replied sullenly.
"What do you think he's going to say?" Granger blurted out; it was obvious she was nervous.
Draco stopped in his tracks so suddenly that Granger bumped right into him. He spun around to face her. "Look, Granger, I don't want to speak to you any more than you want to speak to me. Let's just get this over with so we can go our separate ways. Understood?"
The Head Girl stared at him blankly, then tossed her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Fine," she replied shortly. "So sorry for trying to be civil."
"Don't bother." Draco and Granger continued moving along the corridor until they reached the statue that guarded the steps to Dumbledore's office. "Licorice Whips," Draco muttered and the statue moved to reveal a set of stone steps, which the two students quickly climbed up to reach the Headmaster's office.
Draco lifted his hand to knock on the door, but before his knuckles could make contact, a voice called out, "Enter!"
The heavy wooden door swung open on its own and Draco stepped into the circular room, followed closely by Granger. Portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses lined the walls and all appeared to be sleeping.
Moving further into the room, they noticed Professor Dumbledore standing at his desk, pouring steaming liquid from a shiny round teapot into two dainty teacups.
"Ah, Mister Malfoy and Miss Granger," Dumbledore smiled, setting the teapot down. "How good of you to join me."
It's not like we had a choice, Draco said inwardly.
"You have a choice, Mister Malfoy." Dumbledore’s voice cut into the blonde boy’s thoughts.
Draco's eyes widened. "What?" he asked suspiciously. "Did you just--?"
Dumbledore was holding up a sugar cube. "One lump or two?"
Draco faltered. "Um...two. Two, please."
The Headmaster turned to Hermione, who nodded and said, "Two also, thank you." He then dropped the requested amounts into the teacups, then handed them to the Head boy and Girl.
As they sipped their tea, Dumbledore moved to sit behind his desk. He folded his hands upon the surface and peered at them over his glasses. "I'm not going to ask you if you know why you are here," he began, "as it's not likely you've forgotten recent events. With that said," he sighed, "let us discuss the terms of your punishment."
He waited until Draco and Hermione finished their drinks, then spoke again. "I must say that the two of you are unusually quiet this morning. Is there something amiss? The tea, perhaps?"
Draco looked at the girl seated next to him. When she did not speak, he decided he ought to. "Headmaster," he began tentatively, "we... appreciate the small talk, but if you would please just tell us what you've chosen for our punishment, we can be on our way."
Dumbledore's eyebrow shot up. "Mister Malfoy," he replied slowly, as one would when talking to a small child, "I chose Miss Granger and yourself as Head Girl and Boy for the sole purpose of bringing together your Houses. Gryffindor and Slytherin have never been further apart than they are now and both Houses look to the two of you to lead them." Here, he paused, looking at the two meaningfully. "Taking your badges or expelling the two of you will defeat that purpose."
The two students were silent, unsure of what to say.
"Might I give you a bit a advice?" Dumbledore asked quietly. "Sometimes the best lessons are learned not through books, but through friendship."
“Excuse me, sir,” Draco said pointedly, “but I’d rather not be friends with her.”
Hermione glared at the offious Head Boy and huffed loudly, crossing her arms; Draco wasn’t sure if she was agreeing--or was offended.
Wordlessly, Dumbledore stood up and extended his arms. “I apologize for any discomfort this will cause,” he murmured, “but I believe this to be the only solution.”
Before Hermione and Draco could register what was happening, the Headmaster swept his hands together and called out, "Constrictio."
A sudden heated feeling ran through the pair. Draco pulled at his collar and mechanically shot to his feet. "What in the...?" he muttered, staring down at his legs. I didn’t want to stand up! He looked wildly about and noticed Granger moving closer and closer. She looked as though she were struggling with an unseen force. It was then that Draco realized he was helping close the gap between them!
"Sir!" Draco cried out, trying to remain calm. "What's happening to--?"
Before his sentence was complete, however, he and Granger were standing hip-to-hip; they were so close that Draco could see gold flecks in Granger's brown eyes and a light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her pert nose. There was also a hint of jasmine about her--something he hadn't noticed earlier. Appalled, he tried to turn away, but was greeted with a yelp from the Head Girl.
"OUCH! Let go, Malfoy!" she cried.
"I can't, Granger!" he bit out. "I think I'm caught on your robe!"
"That's impossible!" Granger snapped, trying to pull away, but only succeeded in dragging Draco with her. They would have fallen down if he hadn't grabbed the chair Granger had just vacated.
Realization struck the Head Girl and she gasped, "We're stuck together!" Her wild-eyed gaze moved from Draco to the Headmaster; she looked ready to burst into tears. "Professor Dumbledore? Why have you done this? This--this isn't fair!"
After watching this highly amusing display, Dumbledore finally spoke. "Yes, Miss Granger," he told her, his eyes twinkling, "I agree; it’s not fair at all However, this is your punishment. I guarantee that you won’t be together for too long--”
"How long will that be?" Draco interrupted snidely. This can't be happening... he groaned inwardly.
The Headmaster's amused expression did not fade. "For as long as necessary, Mister Malfoy. Until then, the two of you are stuck together."
Draco stared at Granger in horror, the expression on her face mirroring his own.
"Oh, damn," Granger muttered under her breath.
Draco snorted in disgust. "My thoughts exactly."