"What the bloody hell happened back there, Mione?"
Hermione tightened her hand around her water goblet and sucked a breath in between her teeth. She looked up into Ron's pale blue eyes and shook her head.
"Don't ask. I can't even remember how we started arguing." replied Hermione.
That was a lie, of course. She could remember every detail. But thanks to her sodding promise to Professor Dumbledore, she was forbidden from divulging Draco's dark secret, so the tale of her troubles with Malfoy would also have to remain hidden from her best friends.
"He's a right prat, do you want me to ask Slughorn to move you away from him?" Harry asked.
She sighed, "there's no point. Dumbledore and McGonagall are insisting that we behave civilly towards each other."
Hermione glared over at the Slytherin table. He was there. She instantly spotted his silvery blonde hair and his distant expression. He looked more troubled since she had last seen him, which was only a few hours ago. They had yet to serve their first detention and she could only guess how terribly it would play out. Nevertheless, she was intrigued by his demeanour. She was used to the arrogant, aristocratic smirk that Malfoy usually wore. His back straight with pride and his mouth spitting out witty insults. This version of Malfoy–the one that had been present since they had been back at school–was like an empty shell. A poorly made copy. The insults were still there, just lacking an edge. His eyes seemed dull, they were missing their molten sparkle, Hermione begrudgingly noticed. Plus, he looked thinner. Unhealthy, even.
Draco sunk his teeth into a Granny Smith apple and Hermione looked away. Always green apples. What did he love about them so much? She always found them to be too sour with a bitter aftertaste, but perhaps she'd picked from an unfortunate bunch. Still, she made a mental note to read up about Granny Smith apples at a later date. As they say, you are what you eat, so perhaps she would be able to gain a sort of insight into Malfoy's complex character.
Yes. Her mind was changing. After that question he had asked, she felt a small but very present spark of hope. Maybe Dumbledore had seen something in Draco that nobody else had–something good–and maybe that was why he wanted Hermione to befriend him. He had let his facade slip and had so innocently asked her the question, she was almost convinced that it wasn't Draco in front of her at all. She tried to convince herself that he had asked the question to purposefully provoke her, after all that was the catalyst that led to their fight, but she couldn't question the earnest look in his eyes.
"I guess we'll see you once you're done then." Ron shot her a tight smile.
Hermione nodded.
Harry and Ron walked away from the Gryffindor table and she sighed for the umpteenth time. She missed her friends desperately. With Harry away on Saturday's for his private lessons with Dumbledore, and Ron avoiding her since their summer together, she felt that their friendship had been somewhat strained. She didn't blame either of them, Harry was occupied with important business and he tended to fill her in on things when he got the chance and Ron...well, they admitted their feelings together in an awkward stroll around the Burrow during summer. She had initially felt relieved to have everything laid out on the table; the next step to take would be a relationship. But it never happened. Ron hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend and any spark she thought they shared had now fizzled out. They hadn't gone too far in their physical relationship, but it was enough to still make Hermione question whether or not he had just been using her for some sort of sexual release. Either way, she decided to put it to the back of her mind. There were far too many things to focus on and frankly, she decided that if Ron and her were meant to be something it would have happened naturally given all the time they spend together.
"You okay there, Hermione?"
She jumped a little at the friendly voice and turned to smile at Neville.
"I'm okay, thanks. I need to get going actually, Slughorn will be waiting." She told him.
"Oh, right..." Neville paused, "would you like me to walk you there?"
Hermione shook her head, "I'll be fine alone, I'll see you later, Neville."
He beamed at her and Hermione retrieved her bag then begun the short trek to Slughorn's classroom.
"Surprised to see you on time." She commented as she fell into step beside Draco in the corridor.
"Bugger off, Granger."
"You know, it's your fault we're in this bloody mess." Hermione snapped as she shoved open the classroom door with her shoulder.
"If I recall correctly," Draco leaned back on one of the tables, "it was you who punched me. Frustrated?"
Hermione straightened her back and her face scrunched up in confusion. She hated how he looked so relaxed.
"What?"
"Oh, come on, Granger. It's common for people to turn to...physical aggression when their needs aren't being met."
Draco smirked at his fingernails and she felt her cheeks heat up a little.
"What are you insinuating?"
"That Weasley's performance in bed is terrible." He shrugged his shoulders casually.
Hermione spluttered on her breath and stepped a little closer to him.
"You are so bloody crass, Malfoy!"
"But I'm not wrong?" He grinned.
Her heart thudded a little harder against her rib cage and she looked away in embarrassment.
"Wait..." Draco paused, "you don't know, do you?"
His smirk widened.
"I don't really think it's any of your business." She raised her chin defiantly.
Draco pushed himself away from the table and further into her space. She smelt like cinnamon and tangy cranberries, he noticed. A smell he had become somewhat familiar with thanks to their close proximity in lesson.
"I must say I'm surprised." said Draco.
"Wh–"
He ran his eyes over her petite figure once, "even the Weasel has standards."
Hermione tightened her hand around her wand and felt her magic practically singe her fingertips. She ground her teeth together painfully and he smirked as her jaw ticked, her golden eyes ablaze with fury. How dare he speak to her like that.
She stepped daringly closer, "and I see you've set the bar low enough to choose girls who barely have two brain cells to rub together. How is that you impress them, Malfoy? Daddy's fortune?" She mocked.
Draco seethed and pushed her backwards until she was trapped between his body and the desk behind her.
"Don't mention my fucking father!"
"I think I'll say what I bloody want if you're going to speak to me in such a rude manner!"
Draco lowered his head until he felt the tip of his nose brush against hers and their eyes were level.
"Who do you think you are?"
"Hermione Granger," she matched his smirk, "a mudblood who played a significant role in having Lucius Malfoy thrown into Azkaban."
He slammed his fist down on the table behind her, eyes boring into hers angrily. She tightened her muscles to prevent herself from flinching and kept her gaze on his. Always maintain control.
"STOP SAYING THAT!" He bellowed.
She sighed as his peppermint breath breezed over her face.
"No, it's not like it's new information to you. Your father is in Azakaban." She taunted slowly.
"That's not what I meant." He mumbled quietly.
He watched her nose scrunch up in confusion and turned away. He didn't need to notice small mannerisms like that. Not of hers.
"What did you mean, then?"
Draco huffed.
"Mudblood." He murmured.
"You want me to stop saying the word mudblood?" She scoffed.
"It's just strange, okay?"
"No, it makes you uncomfortable that the word no longer affects me. Just how we refer to the Dark Lord as Voldemort–his name which is supposed to invoke fear–and he hates that. Merlin, you're all so pathetic!" She spat.
"That's not the bloody reason." Draco snapped.
Hermione folded her arms across her chest, nudging him away.
"Go on?" She challenged.
Draco curled his lip in disgust, "forget it."
"Your wands, please."
Draco and Hermione jumped apart from one another at the sound of Slughorn's voice. He wandered over to them from his office with one hand outstretched and a puzzled look crossing his features.
"Of course, Professor." Hermione mumbled and dropped her wand in his open palm.
With a grumbled swear, Draco did the same and leaned back on the table beside Hermione, folding his arms over his chest and crossing his feet at his ankles arrogantly.
"Let's get this over with." Draco snarled.
"Yes," Slughorn mumbled tiredly, "sweeping brooms and mops can be found in that cupboard over there," he pointed behind himself, "and if you need anything I shall be in my office. I'd like this room to be spotless please."
Hermione gave him a warm smile and wandered over to the small door with Draco following close behind.
He shouldered past her and walked into the cupboard with Hermione glaring at the back of his head, he grabbed two brooms and thrusted one into her hand.
Her eyes widened, "thank you."
Draco nodded in response and stalked away to begin sweeping the far left corner of the room, his sleeves pushed up to his elbows and his gaze transfixed on the stone floor.
Hermione turned away with a small gasp.
His mark.
There was something so...off about it. It looked awful. Not the emblem itself–although that was true too–but his skin. There was dried blood around it, deep nail marks and scratches trailing the length of his forearm and if she hadn't looked closely enough, you could barely tell that the mark was even hidden beneath that mess.
What in Merlin's name had he done?
"You should probably apply something on that." She tried her best to keep her tone calm.
Draco snapped his attention towards her from across the room and shot her a questioning glare.
She nodded down at his arm and clutched her broom tightly knowing he would lose his temper at the mention of it.
"It looks terrible."
Draco's eyes widened and he scrambled to yank his sleeve back down.
"Piss off, Granger." He spat.
"I just—"
"No! I don't give a shit. You're so bloody nosey," he tutted, "i better not hear you mention this to anyone."
Hermione forced a shrug,
"You have my word."
"I....–wait...what?"
"I won't say anything." She said slowly.
Draco scowled. He wasn't incompetent...just surprised.
"That's not like you, Granger. Aren't your precious order just begging for some sort of information?" He sneered.
Again, she forced herself to shrug and ignored his comment.
"It's not my secret to tell, Malfoy."
Draco clicked his tongue.
It was so unlike her. He didn't take Granger to be a liar. In fact, he was almost certain she was honest and wore all her secrets on her sleeves. She wasn't necessarily an open book, he found her hard to read at times, but he just couldn't recall a time that she may have lied.
He wasn't yet sure if he was making a stupid decision in trusting her with this information, but he nodded and continued sweeping.
"D–do you want me to help you heal it?"
She looked over at him almost shyly.
Merlin, she was full of surprises.
"No." Draco grunted.
Truthfully, he did want to fix it. But each time he had done so, the damage would return much worse. So he chose to leave it.
"Why not?" She asked.
Draco huffed, "nosey bugger, why do you want me to heal it?"
Hermione looked away, "so that it doesn't become infected?"
"It's nice to see that you're worried about me." Draco mocked.
She turned away and continued sweeping the dust and mess into the centre of the room. Once it was all gathered, Draco brushed it up into the dustpan with a little difficulty. He swore under his breath on his third attempt of trying to catch it all inside.
"This is stupid." He snapped.
Hermione suppressed a laugh. Of course, the Slytherin Prince was struggling. She guessed that this was probably the first time he had ever actually had to physically carry out a task. The sodding brat probably used his wand for everything. Good. He needed to be humbled.
She brought over the bucket that Slughorn had filled with soapy water for them and dipped her mop inside. Draco crinkled his nose in disgust.
"Don't let that thing touch my foot, Granger."
She rolled her eyes, "it's water, Malfoy, it won't kill you."
"Bloody disgusting." He grumbled.
Draco mimicked Hermione's movements and mopped the floor as she did, eyeing her from the side to make sure he was doing it correctly.
They tiredly trudged over to the broom cupboard to place back everything they had used and Hermione turned around at the sound of a door opening.
"Ah! Wonderful, you've finished." Slughorn smiled.
Hermione nodded once, "yes, is that all?" She asked politely.
Slughorn reached into his robes to retrieve their wands.
"Yes, Miss Granger, you can leave now."
She took her wand and carefully tucked it away as Draco snatched his back with a mumbled swear.
"This is bloody elves work, just wait till my father hears about how you've got us serving detention." He muttered with a glare.
Hermione huffed, "good luck getting your owl into Azkaban."
Draco shoved her shoulder, "he won't sodding be there forever, mudblood," he argued hotly, "and when he's back I'll be sure to let him know of everything you've had to say!"
Hermione smirked and pushed past him out the door. She tilted her head to the side mockingly,
"We got him locked away once, I'm bloody certain we can do it again."
With that, Hermione swiftly walked away, her lips tilting upwards in triumph. She'd been able to have the last word a lot recently.
~~~
Draco hadn't shown up to their transfiguration class today. It wasn't something she should have noticed...but she did. She didn't realise that she had been drumming her fingers against the desk waiting for his pale blonde hair to shine through the door until Harry grabbed her hand with a huff.
"What is it?" He asked.
He dropped her hand back on the desk giving her a warning look.
Hermione peeked over her shoulder again with a frown. He still hadn't arrived and they were half an hour into the lesson.
"I...–nothing." She mumbled.
Where was he?
Draco–not unlike herself–was a person of habit. He was almost always perfectly on time for lessons and he always sat near the middle or towards the back of the classroom. He quietly made jokes but he always handed his assignments in on time. He hardly broke his habit. He never missed lessons. So, what was so important that made him miss his class today?
She felt a slight itch in her nerves, intuition perhaps, telling her that it was something to do with whatever he was getting up to on the seventh floor. She needed to go there and find out what it was that he did.
Hermione tried to reason with herself that perhaps the wizard was simply ill, but she knew better than to ignore her gut instinct and, right now, it was telling her that Draco was up to something he shouldn't be.
Her gaze travelled to the long hand on the clock and she watched as it slowly ticked around the frame. Just a few more minutes left...
Harry nudged her,
"You're doing it again." He looked pointedly down at her hand.
Hermione scowled at her best friend.
"Why does it bother you so much?" She whispered back.
"Perhaps if you find some sort of rhythm it'd be okay, but since you can't, stop!"
Hermione shook her head with a small laugh. It was these pointless little arguments that reassured her she still had her friends. They were distanced at the moment, but there regardless. It was just fine.
Their lesson gradually came to an end and, once it had, Hermione darted out of her seat and carelessly flung her things into her bag.
"See you guys later!" She called out distractedly to Harry and Ron as she left the classroom.
Without a second glance back, Hermione made her way up to the seventh floor casting a charm to silence her footfalls. It didn't sound like there was anybody else up there but as she peeked around the corner, she noticed two young girls at the far end of the corridor.
She squinted.
Who in Merlin's name...
Draco appeared suddenly from the side and he seemed to whisper to his two female companions. They both nodded, muttering things back and the one on his right scratched at her head and wriggled around uncomfortably.
"For fuck's sake, Goyle!" Draco snapped.
Hermione's eyes grew wide.
Polyjuice potion, obviously.
But why?
She felt her stomach sink a little. Something was definitely wrong. If Draco was taking strong enough measures as to having his two idiotic pets drink Polyjuice potion and keep guard of the room of requirement, then he must be doing something very dangerous inside.
Something to serve The Dark Lord.
~~~
A/N
Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Thoroughly enjoyed writing it and i should have plenty more updates coming soon.
I want to dedicate this chapter to @destinydrakes thank you so much for all the love!
Stay safe darlings x -SoulDaze