Partners

Part Three: Partners

It was rude.

The way he made her feel unwelcome and as though she was going to ruin his last year because they shared the same classes.

How dare he make her feel like she was the worst thing to happen to him.

She heard about his private dorm.

She heard how he made Head Boy.

And above all that he had the nerve to suggest his year would be horrible because he was stuck in the same classes she took.

It was absurd.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asks as Hermione mindless bends the tines of her fork with her thumb. When she doesn't explicitly answer- Ginny bravely puts her hand on Hermione's arm.

"What's his problem?!" She comes to life angrily and everyone looks at her confused.

"May I ask whom you're referring too?" She asks curiously and at the same time unsure she wants to tango with the angered girl so early in the morning.

"I mean the nerve of him to suggest I will ruin his year- is absolutely abhorring!"

"I think she's talking about Malfoy." Neville says and Hermione points to her nose aggressively and looks down towards the Slytherin table that is full of the pompous arseholes, but not the one who has irritated her this morning. She finds it odd he finds himself too good to even eat in the Grand Hall with everyone else.

He probably eats in his private room because he can't stomach looking at all the people who are beneath him.

Growling to herself, she sets the fork down and pushes her hair back.

"He isn't worth the breakdown Hermione. Just leave it be...where is the little ferret anyway? I haven't seen him all morning." Poking her eggs with her fork, Ginny herself has been keeping a close eye on Draco Malfoy- finding she wants to know about his whereabouts because someone needs to keep an eye on the little creep.

"Probably in his private room eating apples and making plans to make my life a living Hell as Head Boy!"

"Are you kidding me?! McGonagall made him Head Boy?! AND gave him his own room?!" Gin rages and Neville shakes his head.

"He is the boy of our year with the highest marks. He would be the highest student of all of us if Hermione wasn't around." Neville adds and Hermione fumes slightly.

"He is that- isn't he. Very smart. If only he was smart enough not to be a prat...." She grumbles and drinks her orange juice. "I have class in a few minutes- wish me luck."

"Good luck." The three friends say in unison and Hermione makes her way to Slughorns' for potions. On her way, she comments to a few underlings on how they should conduct themselves in the hallways and how their books are to be cared for unless they wish her to have a book tending class on how to fix the spines and bindings by hand- to which each of them apologized and hurried on their ways.

As she's about to walk into Slughorn's she and another student get wedged in the door frame- having trying to pass through at the same time. Unjamming, she rolls her eyes instantly as she finds it was Malfoy.

"Sorry." He apologizes and allows her to go first into the classroom- to which she gives no response and goes in.

"Ah! Miss Granger- welcome back." Slughorn happily chortles and then he catches Malfoy's gaze. "Mr. Malfoy...I trust we'll have a good year?"

"Sure." He groans and makes his way to the very back of the class and sits down. Resting his head on his books and pretending he doesn't exist. Hermione of course sits in the front of the room and Parma Patil sits beside her. As they catch up on what the Patil sisters did all summer, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Seamus, Dean, and Earnie McMillan all come in and take their seats- no one sitting next to the undesirable boy in the back.