healed (dramione)

22 : Hermione

Song for the Chapter: Dying in LA ~ Panic! At The Disco

Hermione's POV

I felt like such an idiot, walking off like that.

But I'm sure you can understand that having Draco call me Hermione was...frankly, pretty weird. Harry and Ron would have nothing short of a fit if they found out, and my reaction had been pretty much the same - although a lot quieter.

As I arrived in Potions, I saw Draco stood beside Pansy Parkinson and another Slytherin boy, looking extremely uncomfortable. When he saw me, he half-smiled and I looked away embarrassedly, hoping nobody saw as I took my usual place between Harry and Ron.

"Where have you been?" Hissed Ron angrily. "I haven't seen you in ages, Hermione. You're not still hanging around with Malfoy, are you?"

"So what if I am?" I whispered back defensively. "It's none of your business, Ronald Weasley, who I do and do not hang out with."

Ron opened his mouth to reply, then fell silent as Slughorn marched to the front of the class and explained the instructions in brewing the Draught of Living Death. "As always," he called over the class, "Choose your partners, please, and manage everything yourselves. You are an N.E.W.T class, I have no doubt that you can."

Harry and Ron immediately paired up, and while Ron stormed off to get ingredients Harry muttered to me, "Hermione, I'm sorry about --"

"Save it!" I snapped irritably. "I'm sorry, Harry, but until you stop hanging around him I don't feel like talking to you."

"Hermione --" started Harry helplessly, but I marched across the classroom in search of Ginny - before remembering she was in the year below me. Fantastic. Now I had no partner, except the only other loner in the room.

"Morning," grinned Draco slyly. I rolled my eyes and walked off immediately to grab ingredients while he prepped the workbench. I couldn't pretend that I didn't want to work with him. After all, he was pretty funny - well, he could be. 

"Stuck with you again, am I?" I asked, sighing as I cut up ingredients. "Just make sure you actually do what you're told, okay? I have a feeling I'm going to be doing all the work."

"If you say so," shrugged Draco, instantly grabbing a knife and cutting up a snake's tail into the worst, most uneven slices I'd ever seen with a roguish smirk on his face. He looked so ridiculous, I couldn't help laughing aloud - and attracting the attention of both Harry and Ron.

"Oi, Malfoy!" Ron called across the classroom. I instantly ducked behind Draco, my face flushed and my hands trembling slightly. Confrontation was the last thing I wanted. "Just stay away from Hermione, all right? I know it's hard to not talk to your girlfriend, but --"

The whole class sniggered. Just when it looked like Draco was about to kill Ron, I grabbed his arm and begged, in a voice no more than a whisper, "Please. Don't - He's going to hate me."

"No, he isn't," mumbled Draco, his voice dripping with anger. "He's going to hate me. And considering he already does, I figure I have nothing to lose."

He raised his voice, stormed up to Ron, and said loudly, "Well, Weasley, I suppose you don't know the difference between friend and girlfriend, then. After all, rumour has it that every girl you've ever met you've tried to snog."

"I could say the same for you, Malfoy," spat Ron bitterly. "Tell me, how long ago did you try and snog Hermione, then? Last week? Or was it even earlier?"

"He hasn't snogged me at all!" I spoke up timidly, my voice shaking. I wish I sounded more confident. Then maybe my speech would have been slightly more impressive. "You know, Ron, you'd sound a lot less stupid if you just kept your mouth shut."

More sniggering. Ron turned red around the ears and cheeks, then retorted, "I suppose you like it, then? When you hang around with him. I've heard you two flirting. Apparently he carried you to the hospital wing the other day."

An audible gasp rang out around the dungeon. Then Draco said smoothly, "Weasley, it sounds an awful lot like you're asking to get your skull separated from your head."

Author's Note: Hi! I'd like to give a shout-out to @ElimarPerezRamos for voting on almost every single chapter of "Dramione" - and adding both Dramione and Healed to their reading list - thank you so much! Vote and comment everyone <3