lithorose
09-29-2003, 12:38 AM
A/N: This is a short piece I wrote a while ago, but it took me a while to get it to where I liked it. It's sorta Draco/Hermione, and sorta not. Let me know what you think!
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Harry Ron and Hermione sat down to lunch. About halfway through lunch, Ron suddenly said to Hermione: "Malfoy's staring at you again." Ron glowered at Malfoy who glared back. Hermione ignored both of them.
Later, Hermione was in the library poring over a dusty book. She heard footsteps behind her and turned. It was Malfoy. He came up to her and without saying anything took her book and read aloud its title: "Magical Herbs of Medieval England: Their Uses and Properties. You always read such dull stuff?" he asked with a sneer.
"It's only dull to the dull-minded" she replied dryly.
Draco looked sharply at her. "What do you see in him, anyway?" He sat down across from her. "I mean, he's got no talent, no connections, no money, and (pause) no looks. Irritating as hell, too." He stared at her.
Hermione was somewhat confused. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you even knew where the library was."
Draco ignored the insult. "I've come to study." Smirking, he added: "To learn from the Greats. To master the art of Magic, and drink from the Fount of Ancient Wisdom!"
"Well, then I suggest you stop talking and start reading." Perturbed, she returned to her book and ignored him. Malfoy looked around, glared at anyone looking in his general direction, and opened his book. He tried to read from it, but after less than five minutes got up and left. Hermione glanced up from her book, and let out a sigh of relief.
---
It was nearly Christmas at Hogwart's. The trees were up, the candles were up, and a few presents lay under them. Hermione walked into her room to find a small present on her nightstand. It was beautifully wrapped in metallic paper and covered in ribbons. There was a tag with her name on it, but no other. She picked it up and rattled it. There was a faint noise within.
She opened the gift. It was a small velvet box. Inside was a beautiful pair of earrings; gold, with diamonds and sapphires. Hermione gazed at them in wonder. She took them out and examined them thoroughly. 'These must be very expensive', she thought to herself. She looked inside the box for a note but found none. Now she was perplexed. She put them carefully back in the box and went to dinner.
At dinner she didn't mention them to anyone, but looked around to see who could possibly have given them. Not Ron or Harry; neither had the money or the wit. Her eyes stopped on Malfoy. A nasty feeling was growing in her stomach; people had whispered things to her about him that she refused to believe. Malfoy? He looked at her with a slight smile. She rolled her eyes.
By dessert she was getting the impression people were staring at her. She kept imagining she heard her name whispered. When dinner was over and they were walking back to the Griffindor common room, Hermione was accosted by a group of older girls and pulled away from Harry and Ron. They huddled around her. "So, is it true?" one of them asked.
"Is what true?"
"Don't play stupid, Hermione."
"Did Malfoy really send you a gift?"
Hermione stared. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. Excuse me..." and she shoved through them and rushed to her room. How on earth had they heard? She entered Gryffindor common room. Ron looked up. "What was that all about?" "Oh, nothing. They just wanted to know something. Stupid really."
Ron stared at her. "Sure, whatever. If you don't want to tell us, that's okay. We don't mind. Do we, Harry?"
"Huh?" He looked up from his cards.
"Nevermind."
"It's nothing Harry. Ron just got overdeveloped interests, that's all."
Harry half-smiled: "Oh, okay then."
Hermione ran up the stairs. She entered her room and closed the door behind her. Lavendar and Parvati were lounging on their beds. Parvati had a magazine open in front of her. Lavendar was writing in a notebook. They looked up. Hermione said nothing. She looked from one to the other. She opened her mouth. She closed her mouth. Parvati raised her eyebrows. Hermione went to her bed and opened a book. Parvati went back to her magazine.
Hermione looked at the box. It was undoubtedly from Draco. She looked at the other two. Which one had let him in? "Um," she began. They both looked up. "Do either of you two know where that present on my nightstand came from?"
Lavendar looked at it. "You have a present?" Hermione showed the box. "Ooh, pretty!"
Parvati looked at it without much interest. "Nope," she said, returning to her magazine. "What is it?" she added.
"It's a pair of earrings. I have no idea who sent them, though, there was no name."
Lavendar rolled off the bed and came over. "Oh! Those are gorgeous!" She picked them up and held them to the light. Parvati put her magazine down somewhat reluctantly and also came over. "Wow." she turned one around. "Are these real?"
"Oh, they're real all right." said Lavendar. She looked knowingly at Hermione. "Someone likes you a lot!" She picked up the box and examined it.
"No return to sender, huh?" said Parvati. "Well, they've gotta be rich if these are real."
At that moment there was a knock on the doorway, and Ron peeked his head in. "Hermione, me and Harry are going to the-Whoa!" Ron came over. "Who gave you those?" He took one from Lavendar, and held it up in the light.
"No idea. There was no card."
"Blimey, those are sparkly. Whoever it was, they've got taste."
Parvati snickered.
"What?" He studied at Parvati. "You don't think I know taste when I see it?" Parvati shrugged. She nudged around Ron and threw herself onto her bed, head against wall. With her head in her magazine, she said: "Bet you anything it was Malfoy."
Ron snapped his head around. Hermione looked nonplussed. "What makes you think that?" Ron's head swung around to Hermione, then back to Parvati in expectation.
"They say he's got it bad for you." Hermione snickered, but after a little too much time.
"It's true. He stares at you all the time in Potions class." Parvati examined her nails.
"He does not. You're imagining things."
"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why he doesn't flirt with Rosa anymore. Melissa says he never even looks at another girl anymore, and she should know." It was common knowledge that Melissa had had a crush on Draco since their second year.
Hermione said nothing. She hoped she was not blushing.
"Get outta here. Malfoy?" said Ron, in all his perception. He sat down on Hermione's footlocker. "Malfoy 'I-hate-mudbloods-go-suck-an-egg' Malfoy?" Ron chuckled. Hermione could only manage a weak smile. Footsteps in the stairway announced Harry's arrival. "Hermione, is Ron...Ah. You're here. Good. So?"
"So-what?" Hermione said, looking at Ron. Ron remembered what he'd come in to ask.
"Wanna go to the lake with us? There's a polo game going on with the merfolk."
"Kinda late in the day, isn't it?"
"The merfolk say the water isn't warm enough until late. It sounds like a blast..."
"I'd better not. I've got a lot of studying to do..."
---
---
Harry Ron and Hermione sat down to lunch. About halfway through lunch, Ron suddenly said to Hermione: "Malfoy's staring at you again." Ron glowered at Malfoy who glared back. Hermione ignored both of them.
Later, Hermione was in the library poring over a dusty book. She heard footsteps behind her and turned. It was Malfoy. He came up to her and without saying anything took her book and read aloud its title: "Magical Herbs of Medieval England: Their Uses and Properties. You always read such dull stuff?" he asked with a sneer.
"It's only dull to the dull-minded" she replied dryly.
Draco looked sharply at her. "What do you see in him, anyway?" He sat down across from her. "I mean, he's got no talent, no connections, no money, and (pause) no looks. Irritating as hell, too." He stared at her.
Hermione was somewhat confused. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you even knew where the library was."
Draco ignored the insult. "I've come to study." Smirking, he added: "To learn from the Greats. To master the art of Magic, and drink from the Fount of Ancient Wisdom!"
"Well, then I suggest you stop talking and start reading." Perturbed, she returned to her book and ignored him. Malfoy looked around, glared at anyone looking in his general direction, and opened his book. He tried to read from it, but after less than five minutes got up and left. Hermione glanced up from her book, and let out a sigh of relief.
---
It was nearly Christmas at Hogwart's. The trees were up, the candles were up, and a few presents lay under them. Hermione walked into her room to find a small present on her nightstand. It was beautifully wrapped in metallic paper and covered in ribbons. There was a tag with her name on it, but no other. She picked it up and rattled it. There was a faint noise within.
She opened the gift. It was a small velvet box. Inside was a beautiful pair of earrings; gold, with diamonds and sapphires. Hermione gazed at them in wonder. She took them out and examined them thoroughly. 'These must be very expensive', she thought to herself. She looked inside the box for a note but found none. Now she was perplexed. She put them carefully back in the box and went to dinner.
At dinner she didn't mention them to anyone, but looked around to see who could possibly have given them. Not Ron or Harry; neither had the money or the wit. Her eyes stopped on Malfoy. A nasty feeling was growing in her stomach; people had whispered things to her about him that she refused to believe. Malfoy? He looked at her with a slight smile. She rolled her eyes.
By dessert she was getting the impression people were staring at her. She kept imagining she heard her name whispered. When dinner was over and they were walking back to the Griffindor common room, Hermione was accosted by a group of older girls and pulled away from Harry and Ron. They huddled around her. "So, is it true?" one of them asked.
"Is what true?"
"Don't play stupid, Hermione."
"Did Malfoy really send you a gift?"
Hermione stared. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. Excuse me..." and she shoved through them and rushed to her room. How on earth had they heard? She entered Gryffindor common room. Ron looked up. "What was that all about?" "Oh, nothing. They just wanted to know something. Stupid really."
Ron stared at her. "Sure, whatever. If you don't want to tell us, that's okay. We don't mind. Do we, Harry?"
"Huh?" He looked up from his cards.
"Nevermind."
"It's nothing Harry. Ron just got overdeveloped interests, that's all."
Harry half-smiled: "Oh, okay then."
Hermione ran up the stairs. She entered her room and closed the door behind her. Lavendar and Parvati were lounging on their beds. Parvati had a magazine open in front of her. Lavendar was writing in a notebook. They looked up. Hermione said nothing. She looked from one to the other. She opened her mouth. She closed her mouth. Parvati raised her eyebrows. Hermione went to her bed and opened a book. Parvati went back to her magazine.
Hermione looked at the box. It was undoubtedly from Draco. She looked at the other two. Which one had let him in? "Um," she began. They both looked up. "Do either of you two know where that present on my nightstand came from?"
Lavendar looked at it. "You have a present?" Hermione showed the box. "Ooh, pretty!"
Parvati looked at it without much interest. "Nope," she said, returning to her magazine. "What is it?" she added.
"It's a pair of earrings. I have no idea who sent them, though, there was no name."
Lavendar rolled off the bed and came over. "Oh! Those are gorgeous!" She picked them up and held them to the light. Parvati put her magazine down somewhat reluctantly and also came over. "Wow." she turned one around. "Are these real?"
"Oh, they're real all right." said Lavendar. She looked knowingly at Hermione. "Someone likes you a lot!" She picked up the box and examined it.
"No return to sender, huh?" said Parvati. "Well, they've gotta be rich if these are real."
At that moment there was a knock on the doorway, and Ron peeked his head in. "Hermione, me and Harry are going to the-Whoa!" Ron came over. "Who gave you those?" He took one from Lavendar, and held it up in the light.
"No idea. There was no card."
"Blimey, those are sparkly. Whoever it was, they've got taste."
Parvati snickered.
"What?" He studied at Parvati. "You don't think I know taste when I see it?" Parvati shrugged. She nudged around Ron and threw herself onto her bed, head against wall. With her head in her magazine, she said: "Bet you anything it was Malfoy."
Ron snapped his head around. Hermione looked nonplussed. "What makes you think that?" Ron's head swung around to Hermione, then back to Parvati in expectation.
"They say he's got it bad for you." Hermione snickered, but after a little too much time.
"It's true. He stares at you all the time in Potions class." Parvati examined her nails.
"He does not. You're imagining things."
"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why he doesn't flirt with Rosa anymore. Melissa says he never even looks at another girl anymore, and she should know." It was common knowledge that Melissa had had a crush on Draco since their second year.
Hermione said nothing. She hoped she was not blushing.
"Get outta here. Malfoy?" said Ron, in all his perception. He sat down on Hermione's footlocker. "Malfoy 'I-hate-mudbloods-go-suck-an-egg' Malfoy?" Ron chuckled. Hermione could only manage a weak smile. Footsteps in the stairway announced Harry's arrival. "Hermione, is Ron...Ah. You're here. Good. So?"
"So-what?" Hermione said, looking at Ron. Ron remembered what he'd come in to ask.
"Wanna go to the lake with us? There's a polo game going on with the merfolk."
"Kinda late in the day, isn't it?"
"The merfolk say the water isn't warm enough until late. It sounds like a blast..."
"I'd better not. I've got a lot of studying to do..."
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