Hermione slowly made her way through the corridors. Though she would not get in trouble for being out because she was a prefect, she wanted to make sure that she didn’t run into anyone else until she found Draco. And find him was exactly what she did. No sooner had she walked halfway down the corridor when she saw Draco come out of a secret passage directly in front of her.
She stopped so abruptly that Harry almost walked into her. He should have known better than to follow so close behind, but he was as surprised by Draco’s sudden appearance as Hermione had been.
‘Come on Hermione,’ he thought.
*~*~*~*~
He couldn’t believe it. He had actually walked right into Hermione’s path.
‘It can’t be this easy,’ he thought. ‘What is she doing out of bed anyway? She knows it’s my night to patrol.’
*~*~*~*~
“Draco,” she said uncertainly. “What are you doing here?” No sooner had the words escaped her lips, she knew she sounded like an idiot for asking.
A sneer played on Draco’s lips. “What do you mean what am I doing here? You know very well that it is my night to patrol Granger.”
“Yes, I mean,” she was stumbling over her words.
“You what Granger? I haven’t got all night to just stand here. In fact I should be asking you what you are doing out of bed at this hour.”
‘Don’t just take this Hermione!’ pleaded Harry silently from under his cloak.
Hermione gathered her wits and decided to get it over with. She took a few more steps towards him and said, “I was looking for you, actually. I was wondering if you wanted some company while you patrolled. I know that I don’t like walking around the castle alone so I thought you might feel the same way.”
She waited for the harsh words, the insults, but they didn’t come this time. She looked at his face and couldn’t believe what she saw. Confusion and, she could have sworn she was hallucinating, elation? But then she saw doubt cross his face, and waited slightly anxious.
‘She wants to patrol with me so I won’t have to be alone? I must have misheard her.’
“Why would I want you to patrol with me? I am perfectly fine with doing it alone Granger.” He realized he shouldn’t have been so harsh when he saw her face.
‘You stupid prat! Next time I see you in the corridors I am going to hex you!’ thought Harry angrily from under his invisibility cloak. He knew that look on Draco’s face, and he was not going to let him play with his friend this way.
Hermione looked extremely crestfallen and said in a low voice that even Harry had trouble hearing, “Never mind, I was stupid. Good night Draco.”
She said this last part louder and turned to go back to the common room, causing Harry to jump quickly to the side in order to get out of her way.
“Wait a minute Granger.”
Hermione stopped and turned to look at him. ‘I guess he does want to insult me after all.’
“I suppose you could join me if you wanted to, I can’t exactly stop you seeing as how you too are a prefect.” Draco didn’t want to make it sound like he wanted her to come, though he desperately did.
Hermione could not help smiling at him. ‘It worked! He’s going to let me walk with him!’
“I was just about to start this corridor, since you’ve come from that direction and saw no one, we can continue this way.” He pointed and she caught up to him and they started walking down the corridor.
‘What on earth am I supposed to say to her?’
‘What on earth am I supposed to say to him?’
‘When on earth is she going to say something to him?’ thought Harry as he followed quietly behind.
Finally it was Hermione who decided to break the awkward silence.
“So, why are you in this corridor? Don’t you usually start patrolling the dungeons first?” She hadn’t been able to think of anything else to say.
Draco shrugged, “I don’t know, decided to change my route. What’s it to you?”
At this Hermione looked down, maybe it wasn’t worth it if he was just going to be rude the whole time.
“Nothing, just wondering,” she said in a small voice.
‘Brilliant! Keep acting like a complete jerk when she obviously wants to spend time with you! Good going!' Draco thought to himself.
“I’m sorry,” He said. Hermione’s face instantly looked up at his. “Maybe since you’ve decided to keep me from boredom out here, I can cut back on my rudeness. But only when no one is around to see it Granger.” He wanted to make it perfectly clear that she was not to start talking to him whenever she saw him around school.
Hermione was perfectly happy with that. ‘It’s a start,’ she thought to herself.
They walked all the floors that were supposed to be patrolled, and surprisingly enough had had a very intelligent conversation. Hermione was very surprised at how wonderful Draco could be when he wasn’t speaking with hatred and contempt.
Realizing that they should probably get back to their respected common rooms they stopped, and looked at each other, the silence slowly creeping back between them.
“Well Granger, since we have finished patrolling we should head back.” He didn’t know what else to say.
“Yeah we probably should.” Hermione wished he would walk her back but knew he wasn’t going to offer. “Well good night Draco.”
She had noticed that he hadn’t once called her by her name. ‘I guess I can’t get everything.’ She thought.
She was about to turn and walk away when he spoke, stopping her.
“I can,” he started for some reason looking a bit uneasy. “I can walk you back Granger. Might as well, there might be someone out now that wasn’t before.”
“Yeah, ok.” She said, and they headed off in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.
‘Thank God!’ thought Harry. ‘But I have to make sure I get back before she does.’
Harry slipped ahead of Draco and Hermione so that he would be in the common room waiting and she would never suspect that he had followed her.
Then Harry saw something that made the color drain from his face.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’
He couldn’t believe it! It must be close to 11 PM and they are still snogging!
Ron and Lavender were wrapped around each other right in front of the portrait that hid the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.
‘Shit!’ thought Harry. ‘Hermione is going to have a fit if Ron sees her with Malfoy! But I can’t very well tell her because then she would know that I had followed!’
He didn’t know what to do, and he could hear Hermione and Draco about to turn the corner.
‘Too late,’ he thought.
Hermione came around the corner laughing. Draco was actually funny if given the chance. Once they turned the corner she saw something and stopped, all laughter fading in an instant. There, with a look of complete shock and disgust was Ron. Behind him, Lavender looked like she wanted nothing more than to burst into a fit of giggles.
‘Damn it, what the hell am I going to do now? This is going to be all over the school by breakfast tomorrow morning.’ Draco decided in a quick instant what he needed to do.
“Fifty points from Gryffindor each, for being in the corridors after curfew.” He spat at Ron and Lavender. Lavender quickly lost the urge to giggle.
“Hermione, what,” Ron stammered. “What are you doing with, with Malfoy?” His face still held the same shock.
Following Draco’s lead she responded.
“I, Ronald, am a prefect. It is part of our duties to patrol the corridors in case someone is not where they are supposed to be. In case you have forgotten Malfoy is also a prefect and we were both patrolling tonight.” She knew he wasn’t about to let it go.
“You were laughing. I heard it.”
“Yes I was laughing Ronald. For your information I choose laughter over tears when someone is insulting me.” It was the only thing she could think of that made sense, but she did feel a bit guilty.
“Now, both of you get into your dormitories before I take more points off of Gryffindor.”
‘Go inside!’ Harry begged silently.
It was the only way he would get in before Hermione. To his relief Lavender pulled the stunned Ron inside and he slipped in with them leaving Hermione alone with Draco.
Now the silence between them was unbearable.
“Listen,” Hermione began unsure whether she should continue. “I know you probably won’t talk to me like this again, but thanks. I knew you weren’t as bad as everyone thinks. I hope we can really be friends one day.”
She said this in a rush and ran into the Gryffindor common room not giving Draco a chance to respond.
When the portrait hole closed he began the trek back to his own common room. “Friends” she had said.
‘Well, I will be lucky if she is willing to even be that.’ He thought. ‘Yes, friends. That is all I can let it become, because once she finds out it would all be over anyway.’
He was both happy and sad. He knew he had no hope with Hermione Granger.
*~*~*~*~
When she entered the portrait hole, her ears met the loudest argument that she had ever heard. Lavender was no where to be found, but Harry and Ron were in the middle of a good row.
“She was laughing with him!” Ron shouted.
“Ron you are being the biggest prat right now!” Harry shouted back. He Turned and saw Hermione standing there. Ron turned and saw her too.
“What the bloody hell has gotten into you Hermione?” he shouted and she just glared at him.
“What? I can’t patrol with the other prefect?” she said this daring him to continue.
“Not when it’s that prat Malfoy! Any other guy and-” Hermione interrupted him.
“Oh wait! So are you mad that I was walking with another guy or that the guy happened to be Draco?” Hermione asked angrily.
“And she’s calling him “Draco” now?” he put this to Harry with an incredulous stare.
Harry was not entering into this one; he merely sat down and looked back and forth between the two.
“I will have you know Ronald that I can walk with whomever I wish.” There were tears forming in her eyes. “Now if you do not go to your dormitory I will report to McGonagall that I caught you and Lavender out after hours!”
Harry could see her shaking with anger.
Ron just gaped at her. Then, looking defeated, he climbed the spiral staircase to the dormitory.
“Hermione,” Harry started but she interrupted him.
“No Harry.” She said. “I am going to bed I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Then she headed up the staircase leading to the girl’s dormitories. She guessed this settled it. She had no hope with Draco Malfoy.