"The food here is, like, really good... how does the common room look, Draco?" Samantha asked as they walked down the corridors to the dungeons, where the Slytherin common room was located. They'd finished eating, and it was now time for the prefects to lead the other students to their common rooms. Of course, Draco had other places to be, but he wanted to show his two new friends around first.
"Well, it's in the dungeons... what do you think it looks like?" Draco replied. Samantha rolled her eyes as they stopped, waiting for the Slytherin prefect to give the password to enter the common room.
"You're not very helpful, Draco," Brianna said as they walked inside.
Once they got inside, Draco showed Samantha and Brianna to their dormitory, though Pansy or one of the other seventh year girls could've done so. But he didn't want them getting mixed in with that company.
"Alright, so... I have to go the Head Boy and Head Girl common room and dormitories... so... see you guys later," Draco said.
The two girls grinned. "Have fun, Draco! You and Hermione will get along great once we put our plan into action tomorrow!" Draco smirked at them as he left the common room and headed towards the common room where he would be living for the remainder of the Hogwarts year.
He reached the portrait to the common room, which was just a portrait of some fruits in a basket. It seemed kind of silly to have a portrait of fruits in a basket to Draco, but he guessed it was for the better.
"Bertie Botts," Draco said to it. It swung forward, allowing Draco inside.
He had to admit, he wasn't expecting the common room to look as good as it did. There was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, most likely lit by tiny faeries inside each of the lights. There were portraits of all the former Head Boys and Head Girls, one of which happened to be Percy Weasley, Ron Weasley's older brother. The rugs were hand-beaded, and everything looked so clean.
And Hermione was sitting on the red, leather couch, staring up at him.
"Hello, Draco," Hermione said rather coldly to him as he sat down across from her.
"Hey... um, Hermione," Draco replied. She quickly looked back down to the book she had been reading. Just like Hermione, always reading and improving her knowledge.
They sat in an uncomfortable silence for nearly an hour, doing completely random and somewhat pointless things just to avoid talking to each other. This definitely wasn't any fun. In fact, Draco was feeling completely miserable inside, but he still acted like the same arrogant jerk he'd always been to Hermione.
"Well, Draco, I'm going to bed, if you don't mind," she said, standing up and walking towards her dormitory.
Draco sneered at her. "Already? Why, it's not even ten o'clock yet. Usually, on the first day, the Slytherins and myself stay up until midnight. But, oh, that's right, you're too focused on your studies to even think of having fun, aren't you?" Hermione froze. Draco knew he'd struck a nerve right then.
She spun around to face him. "You don't think I know how to have fun? Well, I'll just have to prove you wrong then." He just stared at her, not saying anything.
"If you think I'm all work and no play, you're wrong, Draco. You know, you're right. I am too focused on my studies. And I'm not even tired anyways," she sat down next to him, a little close in fact. "So... what do you want to do then?" she asked, grinning up at his completely shocked face.
Draco didn't know what to say. The only words that were coming out from his mouth were little squeaks of "ah" and "uh". He was truly being pathetic, and Hermione sure knew it.
"Uh, well, uh, I, uh..." Draco stuttered as Hermione inched closer to him with a sly grin on her face. And, to make matters worse, Draco could barely move.
"Aw, is Draco nervous? Does Draco... like Hermione?" she said in a baby-ish voice. Draco gulped, his face reddening, looking directly at her. Hermione stared back at him, trying to read the expression on his face, and when she did, she looked extremely shocked.
"Oh my God. You do like me!" Hermione said. Draco still said nothing. He was too embarrassed to even look at her anymore.
"Draco... do you like me as a friend, or... as more than a friend?" she continued.
He looked up at her. "Uh, friend, definitely friend." She smiled, standing up and walking towards her dormitory.
"Well, now that that's cleared up... I can go to bed now. Good night, Draco," she said as she closed the door behind her.
Draco leaned back into the couch, sighing. Just a friend? How far from the truth was that? But, he reasoned with himself, if he told her how he really felt... well, things probably wouldn't go over too well, especially with the Slytherins and Gryffindors.
"I better go to bed too..." Draco mumbled as he stood up, walking over to his dormitory door.
He paused at the door, looking over his shoulder to Hermione's closed door. "Good night..." he whispered, and with that, he walked in his dormitory and closed the door behind him.