Percabeth Teach at Hogwarts

Chapter Eleven

"Well, you can help your being insufferable, and yet here we are." Hermione slammed down her parchment and quills.

Malfoy blinked. "If this is about our getting detention yesterday from McGonagall, that is entirely your fault."

Hermione has gotten a detention? And from McGonagall? Harry was extremely confused.

"My fault?" Hermione was aghast at the thought, obviously. "You're the one that insisted we go back out after we had almost been late to this class already!"

"You should have brought a watch," Malfoy replied brusquely, grinning to himself.

Hermione seemed about ready to hit him again and Harry was only becoming more and more confused. He knew that Hermione had been busy of late but Harry hadn't considered the fact that she could possibly be hanging out with Malfoy of all people. Why in the world would she willingly be spending time with him? Harry could only imagine what Ron would think ... although he guessed it was of little consequence what with Ron's departure.

"Why didn't you, you prat!" Hermione spat, although she made an effort to keep her voice down. Harry had to strain to hear it.

"You broke mine, remember?"

"Okay, fine. But you had it coming."

Malfoy looked, unblinking at Hermione. "You have something coming – "

Before Malfoy could finish his sentence, the Professors started their lecture. But Harry's head was still spinning from what he had heard between Hermione and Malfoy. He had indeed said to Ginny days before that he found it odd that the two seemed to be hanging around each other more and more, but this was even more than Harry had suspected. The two hanging out alone? There was something deeper than the surface going on between them. Of course, Hermione's feelings towards Malfoy seemed unchanged if not more vocal. So that again brought the question of why?

Harry wasn't used to solving mysteries without Ron and Hermione by his side, especially ones that concerned Hermione herself. Indeed, this year was going to be an odd one.

But for the moment, he concentrated hard on the Professors speaking as he sure as Merlin wasn't going to lose to Malfoy again.

* * *

Hermione

Hermione came to a stop in front of the Professors' common room and knocked lightly. Professor Chase, Annabeth, opened the door and smiled. "Hermione! Come in, yes, come in."

Hermione pursed her lips and stepped into the extravagant Common Room that was draped in blues and grays, which she had since realized was a mark of the two's godly heritages and had nothing to do with Hogwarts colors. "Is Malfoy here?" Hermione had had her fill of the boy but figured he was lurking somewhere around — he seemed to go wherever the Professors went, which happened to be where Hermione was a lot of the time anymore, unfortunately.

"No, why?" Annabeth gave her a funny look. "Do you always call him by his last name?"

Hermione shrugged, feeling suddenly self-defensive. "I - uh, well ... everyone calls him that." Hermione was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that Annabeth was Malfoy's sister, and so she couldn't easier share her disdain for the boy with her like she could with everyone else. Or, perhaps, Annabeth had seen a different side of the cruel boy that Hermione had known. She glanced back at Annabeth. "Why ... " She cleared her throat. "Why did Malfoy end up here, at Hogwarts?"

Annabeth blinked and sat down on the couch in the middle of the room; Hermione stayed standing. "Well, Draco's father was always cruel."

"That, I know," Hermione agreed. "Strange that Athena would find him interesting."