Hermione was never the one to receive detention. However, being friends with Harry Potter certainly had its perks, and she had found herself in detention almost twice every month along with her two best friends.
This was the first time she managed to lands herself in detention with someone else - this time with Malfoy. And it wasn't even her fault. Oh how Hermione Granger was fuming.
"Detention, this evening, will be cleaning out the potions storeroom." informed Snape. He lead the two students to a nearby door. The light of a few wall-mounted candlesticks cast a subtle glow across the small room. This small amount of light made it possible for Hermione to see that the walls were covered from floor to ceiling with wooden shelves. Atop the wooden shelves, sat crystal bottles and glass vials. There were many different types of bottles covered in dust and cobwebbs. Everything seemed so haphazard.
"You two will organise this- for a lack of a better word- disaster! I expect it to be spotless by the time I get back."
Malfoy rolled his eyes.
Hermione looked around the room with interest and nodded at the professor.
"I shall leave you to it then. Oh, and one more thing, you will have to do it without magic."
"What? "
"But Professor--!"
Snape held out his hand to Hermione, " Your wand, Miss Granger"
Reluctantly, Hermione handed her- Malfoy's- wand to Snape.
He then turned to Malfoy. Malfoy opened his mouth to protest, "That's not fair--"
"NOW! You arrogant little prick."
A hot-tempered Malfoy very slowly placed Hermione's want in Snape's outstretched hand.
Snape turned around and swiftly left the room.
Hermione's good-girl mode had kicked in and he she headed to the nearest shelf on her right and started to remove bottles from the dusty shelf.
Malfoy, being the stubborn pureblood that he was, remained standing where he was. "Carry on, Granger. You seem to be doing enough work for both of us. I'll just wait here for you to finish." He crossed his arms and leaned against a shelf next to the door.
"Like hell Malfoy!" snapped Hermione, making her way to where we he was standing. She shoved the vials that she was holding into his arms and looked him dead in the eyes. "Stop being such a priss and do something you can actually benefit from!"
"I don't see how THIS it going to benefit me! It's servants stuff! Why don't you go right on ahead and finish up the stuff you were meant to do." he retorted, shoving the vials back in to her hands.
Hermione was a Gryffindor, and that meant she wouldn't lose without a fight. "Fine! Have it your way!" She let her arms fall to her sides, and that caused the vials she was holding to hit the floor. They smashed into thousands of pieces and their contents now covered the marble floor. Then Hermione's hand collided with Malfoy's cheek.
Malfoy was frozen.
After Hermione had slapped him, she turned around and headed for the shelf she had been cleaning earlier on, feeling somewhat satisfied.
It took Malfoy another minute to realize what had just happened. Granger had the audacity to touch him. His cheek still burned where her palm had come into contact with his pale pureblood skin.
Hermione turned around and looked smug.
"Granger! What the hell? Have you gone completely mental? What made you think that you could touch me?" yelled Malfoy, a pained expression on his aristocratic face. No matter what, he was brought up with manners, and that means under no circumstances would he hit a woman.
"Well, you really did deserve that. Plus I had fun doing it!" Hermione couldn't hold back her amusement and burst out laughing. "Your expression! Priceless!"
Malfoy looked at her, and couldn't help but crack a smile. "You are insane, Granger, truly."
He nursed his left cheek for a few more seconds, and then moved forwards towards her. Hermione stopped laughing, and so took a small, unnoticeable step backwards. However, Malfoy noticed this and came even closer. Soon he was inches away from her, and reached up, above her head. Hermione was slightly panicked by his close proximity and her eyes widened slightly. He retrieved a crystal bottle from a shelf directly above her head and handed it to her.
"What is this?" Hermione asked in a small voice, turning the crystal glass in her hands.
"I'm helping. Granger." he added.
Hermione let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.
"Okay, then... Malfoy."
The rest of the evening passed in a similar fashion: Malfoy handing her things she could not reach and Hermione cleaning and organising. They did not make any conversation other than small comments here and there.
Soon they had finished and Snape had returned with their wands.He glared around the room, looking for something to criticise, but found nothing he could complain about. Reluctantly, he let them leave.
Hermione noticed that Malfoy had waited for her to leave before following her out the door. They both headed to the head prefects dormitory; Malfoy, a few steps behind Hermione. No one spoke a word on the way back.
Once they reached, Hermione turned to go to her room, but stopped when she heard Malfoy say, "Night, Granger."
"Goodnight Malfoy." she closed her door.
