Ron did not talk to Hermione the whole of Friday, and when she woke up on Saturday morning it was to find herself with the image of Draco’s eyes before her and a throbbing headache.
‘I don’t know how much longer I can stand this.’ She thought to herself as she got dressed.
Not only did the whole school know about her little “evening stroll” with Draco but they were making it out to be something it wasn’t. Lavender was lucky that Hermione hadn’t caught her alone, she would have been hexed into oblivion; everyone knew it had been Lavender who had spread the story.
The worst thing though was Draco’s attitude toward her. She knew that he had to make it look like he still hated her with all his heart ‘ha! That won’t change.’ But it still hurt all the same. She really just wished she could talk to him like she did two nights ago.
She headed down into the common room and found Harry waiting for her; Ron had decided not to speak to him either.
“Good morning,” said Harry. Hermione couldn’t have asked for a better friend.
“Good morning Harry,” she answered. “I take it Ron has already left.” She was becoming tired of Ron’s puerile behavior.
“Yeah, but don’t worry Hermione. He’ll stop acting like an idiot eventually.”
“Ha! I’ll be dead by the time that happens!” She laughed as they headed down to the great hall for breakfast.
“And look at it this way,” Harry added. “It’s a Hogsmeade weekend, so we’ll be able to walk around the village and forget all about ‘Won Won’ as Lavender calls him.” At this they both laughed.
*~*~*~*~
“Will you come off it already Pansy!” Draco had refrained from shouting but now he was becoming extremely annoyed. “I was performing my prefect’s duties! I did not ask that Granger be made a prefect so I don’t know what you’re so pissed about!”
‘If she doesn’t shut up!’
“Well that’s not what everyone is saying,” Pansy continued angrily. “They are saying that you were actually flirting with her! And she’s a mudblood!”
“Look, seeing as how you are having a fit about something that didn’t happen I will leave you to it.” Draco said, as he marched out of the dungeon common room and up to the great hall for breakfast, leaving Pansy standing their fuming.
‘Honestly! It’s not my fault all I can think about is her, and all I wake up to are her eyes looking into mine! At least it’s a Hogsmeade weekend, I can get away from everyone, wait a minute.’
Draco was struck with a brilliant idea, and redirected his steps towards the owlery.
*~*~*~*~
Breakfast was almost over, when the headmaster stood up. He hadn’t been there the past few days and Hermione wondered what news he had for them.
“Good morning all,” Dumbledore said. “As many of you know, this year we have been forced to increase security measures outside and inside the castle as well.” His eyes twinkled in Hermione’s direction and she thought she saw a smile before he continued.
“I have no doubt that some of you have heard that both our prefects were patrolling the corridors Thursday evening.”
At this a soft whisper swept through the hall and eyes came to rest on Hermione who looked around and realized that Draco had not come to breakfast.
“This,” Dumbledore waited until the room was quite, “is so that they will not be alone in the case of an emergency.” Ron refused to make eye contact with Hermione, and Harry just smiled at her.
“Enjoy your weekend.” And with that Dumbledore sat back down and began speaking with professor McGonagall.
‘I can’t believe this! Now I can walk with Draco without having to hide it!’
Harry and Hermione got up leaving Ron with an odd look on his face and began to head towards the oak front doors so they could be on their way to Hogsmeade early.
“Can we stop in Honeyduke’s first, Harry I want to get some - ouch!” Something had hit her on the head as she was walking out the door. One of the school owls had dropped a letter on her head and had taken off back to the owlery.
“Who’s that from? Were you expecting a letter Hermione?” Harry asked giving it a glance.
“No, I wasn’t.” She opened it to see one just one line of text.
Meet me by the Shrieking Shack when you get into the village.
~D.M.
‘D.M. who had the initials…’
“I think it’s from Draco!” Hermione said in astonishment.
Harry snatched the note and looked at it. Then he smiled.
“Well you are going to meet him aren’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know Harry…We really don’t know that it’s from Draco, what if it's not?” Hermione would not like it if it was a trap set by a Death Eater to get her and Harry away from all their class mates.
“Ok, then we will go under my invisibility cloak, and if it really is Draco you can talk to him. If it’s not him we can just leave, ok?”
Hermione thought about it as they walked. Finally she said, “Ok.” And they continued the rest of their walk to the small wizarding village in silence.
*~*~*~*~
He saw the owl drop the note on her head. He was already half way across the grounds when he turned to look back.
‘This was perfect,’ he thought, ‘Now I can tell her that I wouldn’t mind if she patrolled with me, and maybe she’ll ask if I want to patrol with her when its her turn.’
Draco smiled, something he hadn’t done in a long time, and continued walking to ensure that he arrived at the Shrieking Shack before Hermione did. He hadn’t heard the announcement that Professor Dumbledore had made that morning at breakfast.
As Draco continued down to the village, a figure came out from behind one of the trees on the grounds and began following him.