The Golden Girl's Dark Streak

Mint Toothpaste.

It was 6:45am, Hermione was using the bathroom half asleep, with ink swiped across her mouth and left eyebrow.

Almost as if she didn't notice, she began to brush her teeth with her signature morning mint toothpaste, as she started to clean from left to right. She began to think of the summer before sixth year and her now extremely well hidden infatuation with the embodiment of Slytherin himself.

His thoughts, her thoughts unknowing to her sometimes crossed each other, for example they were both thinking in this exact moment - "why didn't I say anything before" except, Draco was still bed and was most likely going to turn up to his first lesson of term late.

Her gums, then began to sting. So she slowly spat and looked at herself in the mirror.

She knew at least half of her potions homework was smeared across her face, she lifted her hands towards her face and frantically began to rub with soap, to try and at least ease the inks appearance, before she washed her face again and brushed her hair to a manageable brown mess down her back.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed. She was almost ready to be thirty minutes early to her potions lesson, she had now hit a literally snag in the crossroads. Her tights had a large ladder from the back of her calve to her knee fold, and it was refusing to fix itself. No matter how hard she waved and flicked her wand.

"Well, i'll have to just pretend it's a new muggle style - 90s punk rock it is", she said this with slight amusement. As she pictured Cho and Luna's faces, when she turned her right leg and showed them the upcoming new muggle look. She knew that at least by the end of the week she won't be the only sixth year with laddered tights.

She began making her way to the great hall, she scanned the room for him, before she then sat beside Ron, pretending to pay attention to his new quidditch updates from over the summer. At least Harry was laughing and chattering along with him or her obvious scanning of the room for one particular person would become far to obvious.

Pushing him aside she then began to eat her semi-warm toast and read over the Daily Prophet for the 17th time to see if the news would change from the Death Eater conquest to something at least more lighthearted, but still the same words were sprayed across; "HE'S BEEN SEEN WITH THE MALFOY FAMILY! TURN TO PAGE 9 INSIDE FOR MORE". The uneasy look that was displayed across her face was noticed by Harry.

"Since we've been back you've hardly spoken Hermione", a true face of worry was reflected in his face and was soon mirrored onto Ron's, however unlike Harry he thought a sharp elbow to her ribs and a laugh would make her loosen up, it did. But not in the way he desired. Using the excuse of homework and reading for her lack of speech, the pair turned back to their conversation which was now being joined by the whole table seemingly leaving a now relaxed Hermione to her thoughts.

'Where is he. He can't be late to the first lesson we have together for the rest of the year!', and almost as if by magic his presence filled the hall. Whispers began and the sound of freshly bought Oxfords echoed. She knew that walk and aftershave anywhere - she'd been engulfed in it for half the summer.

She noticed as he had gotten older his authoritative nature grew along with him, his air of confidence became almost chocking as he slowly walked past the Gryffindor table, making sure to flash a particular relieved brown haired girl a small smirk.

She knew he was toying with her, seeing if she would blush or become uncomfortable with him being so close but so far. But she kept calm and was thankful in her head that even though she knew. He was still able to put across his face arrogance for the masses.