Chapter 8^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Arithmacy class slowly exited the class room after the bell rang. None of them were excited about going to their next classes where they might get assigned homework. When they had all eventually left the classroom, the students walked down the hallway together, laughing and joking. The only two students who weren’t joining in on the celebratory feelings were Draco and Hermione.
They were walking on opposite sides of the hall, Hermione staring at the floor and Malfoy staring straight ahead, with the occasional glance at Hermione.
‘Damn it! Why did I have to be nice to her? She’s a mudblood. Filthy, unworthy, lowly, mudblood.’ He just felt . . . . . . . . different, when he was around her. ‘Ugh! I shouldn’t be debating with myself over this!’ He thought to himself all the way to the split in the hallway. Turning left, he saw Granger talking with the Weasels and The Golden Boy.
‘Hmmm. Maybe if I insult her she won’t remember me being’ He shuddered convulsively ‘nice to her.’ Malfoy thought to himself. Walking slowly up to the Dream Team and company, he drawled
“Hello Potty. How’s home life Weasels? Maybe you can work for Scarhead and he’ll pay you to wash his clothes! That would work out wonderful, eh mudblood? And don’t worry; you can work as a maid. Cleaning up the dirt off the floors seems appropriate, don’t you think? If you all do a good job, I’ll even hire you! Lord knows I can pay much more than Potty can.
But Granger, do you know those cute Play Boy bunny suits? You’ll be required to wear one of those when you work for me.” Draco Alexander Malfoy stated, saying everything in a slow pace. The rage of the foursome seemed to be a physical presence and before he knew it, Hermione’s hand had reached his left cheek and Ginny’s had reached his right. The satisfying sound resounded from the hall and Malfoy chose it as the right time to leave, seeing as Ron and Harry were closing in.
“Goodbye Gryffindorks, Mudblood, and all-around-idiots! See you,” He let a huge, dramatic sigh escape him, “unfortunately, in Care of Magical Creatures with that oaf Hagrid.” Malfoy turned on his heel and left, leaving the ‘Gryffindorks’ with evil looks on their faces, except in Ron’s case; he had a look on his face that showed he was thinking about ripping Malfoy in two.
“Um, okay. Well, I’ll see you later. I have to go to Herbology.” Ginny said to her friends, also leaving. When Ginny left, the trio of close friends headed down the way Malfoy had.
“How out of character was Malfoy?” Hermione asked her friends. “One minute he’s holding doors open for me, the next he’s insulting us! I don’t get it! Or him, for that matter! He is such a jerk!” Hermione said more to herself than to her two best friends. Harry and Ron just stared at her with their mouths hanging open. Noticing her companions bewildered expressions, Hermione questioned them.
“Didn’t I tell you? Guess not. Malfoy held the door open for me before Arithmacy and was actually polite. It was really scary.”
Ron, for the second time that day, went berserk. “POLITE! Malfoy! You have got to be kidding! The only reason that ferret is polite is if he wants something!” After the words poured out of his mouth, he stopped abruptly and looked at Hermione with his brown eyes wide and his mouth moving up and down like a fish that’s been taken out of water. Suddenly, his voice changed to a whisper and he asked Hermione, “He . . . he hasn’t . . .” He gulped louder than he was talking “tried to . . . . to feel you up . . or . . . . anything like . . . . like . . . that . . . . has he?”
Hermione just closed her eyes and said weakly, “Ron.” Taking Hermione’s exasperated actions as a sign of correction, Ron started to run down the hallway, obviously planning on inflicting as much damage on Malfoy’s physical body as possible.
Harry sighed. “Here we go again. Hermione, you need to stop telling him things!” He ran hurriedly down the hall after his rash best mate. Hermione just groaned and put her head on the cold stone walls, trying to ignore the piercing looks of question she was receiving from her class mates.
By the time the three Gryffindors had reached Hagrid’s hut, Ron had a red face and Harry was panting from his exhausting run after his cherry colored friend. Hermione stood in-between Harry and Ron, telling Ron “You really need to get a grip! Malfoy is a little ferret boy who isn’t worth the breath! Or the time! I really wish you would get that through that thick skull of yours Ronald Weasley!” She was furious. Embarrassed by Ron twice, and the day isn’t even over! It was a new record!
Hagrid cleared his throat loudly.
“Now today, we’re gonna be doin’ some cool stuff. Ya’ll need to pay ‘ttention. We’re gonna be look’n at Green-Light Cows. Any a’ ya’ll know anything ‘bout these? ‘Sides Hermione, course.” No one in the group of Gryffindors or Slytherins raised their hand. “Right, Hermione. Tell ‘em about the Green-Light Cows.” Hagrid demanded in his rough, scratchy, voice.
“Here goes the girl who swallowed a book.” Murmured a certain blonde Slytherin to his best mate, Blaise. Blaise laughed quietly so only Malfoy could hear him.
“The Green-Light Cow, or Prasini Lux Bos, gives off a green aura after just finishing a meal of grass. The Green-Light Cow is very useful in the fact that its milk cures sores, boils, and warts, but its meat is deadly to eat.” Hermione told her class as they all, except Harry, rolled their eyes and moaned inwardly.
“The rest of ya’ll had better of been pay’n ‘ttention cause ya’ll don’t know nothing.” The half-giant growled to the class in a low rumbling voice. Then he proceeded to put on his Dragon hide gloves and told he class to do the same. “We’re gonna be milk’n ‘em. Madame Pomfrey is outta milk so I told’er I get ‘er some more. After ya’ll put on your gloves, follow me. Ya’ll gonna get inta’ pairs of three,” He winked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
“And you’re gonna each take turns milk’n a cow. Their tied up so nothin’s gonna happen, but be careful. They aggravate easy.” He walked around the corner and what the class saw next made them stop dead. Even Hermione, who had seen pictures of the Green-Light Cow, was shocked. They had walked into a green light bulb. Everything shined a florescent green. The light coming from the grazing cows was blinding was bouncing of the leaves of the plants and making the trees green buds look pale by comparison. The cows in the center of the clearing stopped eating the grass as the stunned students drew closer. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the light started to fade and when the surrounding tree’s had regained their normal color it seemed as if someone had changed a bulb in an overhead ceiling light, or possibly even the sun.
“Bloody hell!” Someone in the awestruck crowd whispered. That was the only way many of the teens could respond to what had just happened. Malfoy and the other Slytherins were doing their best to remain un-impressed, but Draco’s thoughts betrayed him.
‘Bloody hell is right! I can’t believe that oaf could show us something so. . . . . interesting. I thought for sure that it was going to be more, ugh, Blast-Ended Skrewts.’
He turned to look at his peers. Most of their mouths were agape and all of their eyes were bulging. ‘Pansy’s eyes look like their going to pop out of their head. If they do, I’ll be sure to pay the oaf handsomely for doing all males a favor.’ While scanning the crowd, he caught sight of Granger. ‘She doesn’t look surprised at all! She’s the only one. Guess she’s not surprised because she’s such a book worm that she’s seen them before. Wouldn’t be surprised if she had raised a herd in her back yard. Even though they probably died because they ate all that mudblood grass.’ He continued to stare at her, no one to snap him out of it because they were going back into shock at the fact that the cows had started to light up again. He didn’t care, and only gave them a passing glance. He just continued to look at Hermione. Surprising himself, no negative thoughts or insults came into his brain. Only one word. ‘Hermione.’
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Hermione felt eyes barring into the back of her head. ‘It’s probably Parkinslut trying to get my attention so she can do something totally like her and stupid.’ So she ignored the continual feeling of being watched. But after about a minute, she couldn’t take it anymore, and she whipped her head around and tried to identify the person who had made her feel uncomfortable. To her ultimate shock, she saw Malfoy. Draco ‘Bouncing Ferret’ Malfoy. The biggest egomaniac in all of Hogwarts, was staring at her. A pureblood was openly looking at a ‘mudblood’ and not cringing or sending glares. Hermione’s brain did something for the first time. It shut down. All she could comprehend was his eyes. Draco’s eyes weren’t closed in disgust, or showing rejection and superiority. They were normal. His ice blue peepers seemed to go right through her. When she got working order of her mind, she concluded, ‘If he always had his eyes like that, open and innocent, he would be much more . . . . attractive. His eyes are always clouded with his stupid feelings of resentment. Jerk.’
Hermione stared back at him, and they both accepted the others presence, not fighting or challenging each other. Then Hermione looked away. ‘How can he have such great eyes? He’s a pompous, arrogant, idiotic, weird, stupid, geeky, obsessive, gross, perverted, evil, soon-so-be-Death-Eater, pureblood manic, jerk-off ferret boy! Ugh! He is just playing with my mind! I’m not going to let him, that JERK!’ The irate female thought angrily, aggravating herself more with each syllable. ‘If he plays with my mind I’m going to play with his! Bring it on, Draco Malfoy!’
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‘Why had Hermione turned away?’ Malfoy asked himself. He felt the anger start to well up. ‘Why was this filthy, inexperienced mudblood trying to play with his brain? She can’t play with my mind! I’m going to just have to play with hers!’ Was his thought as the anger in him drove out all logical thinking. ‘Okay, Hermione Granger,’ Draco thought viciously, ‘bring it on!’
A/N: Sorry about this chapter! It’s REALLY bad! Please don’t send to many flamers! The next chapter will be better, promise! I just thought I REALLY needed to post so . . . . . . well, you see the result! Ugh! Anyways, HAPPY 2005! Have a good new year!
~Anticrombie0919