The Fine Line Between Love and Hate | Dramione AU by Short-circuit-Soulmate

Chapter 1

...in which Blaise becomes suspicious.

Hermione Granger sat in the library with her best friend, Neville Longbottom. They usually spent an hour or two there every day, doing their homework and starting on any assignments they were given that week. It was the beginning of 6th year, and Hermione was already preparing herself for NEWTS, and Neville, being the closest thing she had to a friend was benefiting from this, highly.

"Hey, Hermione?" Neville asked, peering up from his parchment, "Can you help me with this for a second?"

Hermione put down her own quill and moved to look at Neville's essay. She and Neville had been friends since first year. It was more a friendship out of need, though, because neither of them had any others. Hermione was depicted as the know-it-all bookworm, and Neville was viewed as 'useless'. Hermione had to admit, though, his grades were better than some because of his friendship with her.

Despite that though, they were labelled the school 'losers'. No one wanted to sit near them in class, and no one bothered to speak to them, unless it was to torment. They were their only support system, each grateful for the company they got in a school filled with people who despised them.

Hermione took the parchment, and scribbled a few notes across for Neville to work on, before handing it back, "There you go. It's quite good already, Nev."

He beamed, before gasping, and checking the clock on the wall, "Oh no, I was meant to meet Professor Sprout in the Greenhouses ten minutes ago for my extra credit." He began packing up his parchment and books, and then turned to her frowning, "You'll be alright to get back to Gryffindor tower alone won't you?"

Hermione hesitated, but smiled, "Of course. Go on, you don't want to be late."

Neville gave her one last warm smile, before racing out of the library doors. Hermione sighed. The truth was, she probably wouldn't be fine to walk back to the Tower on her own, all thanks to four boys who had made her life hell since first year.

The Silver Marauder's as they were known, were the most popular group of boys in school, despite the fact that they were all Slytherin. Harry Potter, the Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, was an arrogant ass, in Hermione's opinion. He had a constant gaggle of girls around, and he strutted, actually strutted, around the school as though he were the resident playboy. Hermione rolled her eyes at the thought.

The clown of the group was Ronald Weasley; he had his own cluster of fan-girls and played Keeper for the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Hermione wasn't certain if he ever did any homework on his own. He seemed to date a lot of girls in Ravenclaw, so she assumed they did it for him. He wasn't quite as arrogant as Potter, but he annoyed her because he was one to make jokes at her and Neville's expense.

Blaise Zabini was kind of tolerable. He was the most attractive of the group and had girls hanging off him, but the fact that he didn't play Quidditch and was more of the silent, mature type evened it out. He also never responded to admiration he received, and seemed more level headed. Hermione had been paired with him once in Potions, he was quite smart. He was the least threatening out of them all, only because when they ganged up on her, he never actually laughed or joined in. He just stood and watched, though she assumed that was just as bad.

The final member of the infamous group, and the bane of Hermione's existence was Draco Malfoy. He was Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team in which he played Chaser. He was a racist pureblood, which meant he hated Muggleborns. In other words, he hated Hermione, and boy did he show it. Hermione was certain it was because of him that she and Neville were so ostracised within the school. He'd disliked her since 1st year when she beat him in a Potions test, and ever since then he'd made her life hell.