Mr maybe

Chapter 3

HERMIONE P.O.V

I am starving. Absolutely starving. It seems like it's been a lifetime since I last ate. That is one of the reasons why I am in such a hurry to get to the Great Hall. However, I shall not tell a lie. The main reason is that Draco will be there and I haven't seen him since Potions. I instantly brighten up just thinking about him. He's so wonderful.

"Hey guys." I say to Harry and Ron who are traipsing behind me at some distance and talking (I wonder what about...). "Do you think I should go over and say hi to Draco when we go in?" I ask, brightly, eyes wide in excitement. They have the oddest reaction to my reasonable question. Harry's eyes seem to almost be falling out of his head and Ron is looking at me as if I need to be sectioned (which I most certainly do not).

"Um, Mione," Harry is the first to speak, albeit reluctantly. "I don't think that's a very good idea." I blink twice at his words. Eh? Why is that?

"Why?" I ask, mouth pursed in worry. Is Draco ill? Won't he be there? My face falls. Oh no... Harry and Ron exchange glances before the latter answers.

"It's just that he's in a bad mood right now-"

"All the time actually..." Harry mutters and I frown. What are they trying to say?

"-and he may want to be disturbed." Ron finishes, uncomfortably. Oh, Ok. My face clears up in relief. He's OK!

"Oh, alright." I say, leading the way into the Great Hall. Just before we sit down at our seats, I think I see Harry and Ron give each other what look like relieved glances, but that's ridiculous, right? I mean, what do they have to be relieved about?

Where's Draco? My eyes scan the Slytherin Table across the room. Smiling brightly, I wave at Draco who looks as if he's going to be sick. I hope he isn't coming down with something... but then again, what would give me an excuse to be near him-even if it would only be to look after him. My smile widens and I pick up my fork.

I must have done something really good in a previous life.

DRACO P.O.V

Seeing Granger wave at me from across the room causes me to almost throw up the chicken wing I just consumed. This, along with the fact that Pansy and Blaise are teasing me mercilessly, only serves to further infuriate me.

I mean, why me? Sure, I'm not exactly the nicest people and I had a Death Eater for a father, but surely that's not reason enough to make my life a living Hell.

"So, does this mean you and Granger will be going to the Halloween Ball together?" Blaise asks, unwisely might I add. Dear Lord, this boy does not value his life at all, does he? Then that foolish bitch, Pansy, joins in.

"Yeah, and I bet you're going in matching costumes."

Blaise nods before adding something of his own.

"How cute!"

The two erupt into a fit of irrepressible laughter. How dare they? Don't they know who I am?

"Shut up, you two, before I kill you personally, bring you back, torture you, then kill you again." I say quietly and, for good measure, I begin to toy with my knife in a dangerous fashion to show them that I mean business. They don't even flinch. What is going on here? Usually, this would be more than enough to silence anyone...maybe I'm losing my touch...? I laugh. Heck, no, like that's possible. With one glare, I can put fear into the heart of any sane human being-which these two obviously are not.

"On a level, Draco. I don't even see what you're complaining about," Blaise says, looking genuinely confused. "I mean, Granger is one of the hottest-if not the hottest- girls in school. Half of Hogwarts-the male half, that is, if it weren't obvious already- would kill to go out with her. Heck, given the chance, even I wouldn't miss a shot at it."

Pansy nods in agreement as I look at the two mental cases on either side of me in abject disgust.

"Much as I hate to, I agree with Blaise. Think about it. Just tow her around for the next few weeks. Make all the boys envy you even more than they already do for having her."

ARE THEY CRAZY? I give them the dirtiest look I can muster.

"I don't know what wrong with you two. I would NEVER be as desperate as to go out with a mudblood." I say, coldly. Pansy sighs.

"You know what, Draco? You seem to be the only guy at Hogwarts who has a problem with her based on her heritage. Even I don't give a fuck about that. You really need to stop-"

But I stop listening. I don't have time for this rubbish she is spouting. I rest my head in my hands. Why does no one seem to understand? I would hate her whether or not she was a mudblood. That just adds to it. I sigh and pick up my fork.

I must have done something pretty bad in a previous life.

18:33/MONDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER/ HEADS' QUARTERS/ COMMON ROOM

NARRATOR P.O.V

Draco is sitting in the common room on his favourite sofa, doing his homework. There is a fireplace directly in front of him and a white throw rug directly in front of a black sofa. The entire room is in monochrome, with black and white abstract paintings, glass tables and other paraphernalia. To the far left of the room, there is a spiral staircase and a landing with three doors on it leading to Hermione and Draco's respective bedrooms and their shared bathroom. There is peace and serenity, the only sound being of a ticking clock in the far right.

Suddenly, surprising us all, the door to the common room bangs open. Who's there? Ah, yes. The Head Girl herself. She enters, smiling brightly, messy bun in disarray, carrying a tray filled with what looks like cookies and sporting a pink apron with a message emblazoned on it that cannot be read from here. She saunters shyly over to the Head Boy. What's she going to do now?

"Hi, um, Draco. Would you like some cookies? I made them just now." Her expression is bright and innocent, eyes twinkling. Oh, dearie me. Has this girl got a death wish?

Draco's face is like thunder, a slight pulsation at the side of his head. His entire day has been torture and now this? Oh, Hell no.

He holds out a hand as if asking for the tray. Hermione's smile now threatens to reach that of epic proportions and she hands it over eagerly. What exactly is going on here? Our jaws drop as we gaze upon them from our hiding place at the top of the stairs. But-no. As he hurls the tray to the other side of the room, the Head Girl's face falls.

"Did you actually fall for that? DAMN GIRL! I thought you were meant to be 'the cleverest witch of our age'." He watches her in disgust as she continues to look at him, as confused as the rest of us. "Jeez, bitch. Don't you get it? I would never take anything from you no matter how much anyone begged me. Piss off." With these harsh final words, he goes back to his Charms homework. Hermione simply stand there, gazing at him in confusion and fright. A few moments pass. Draco is inspecting his homework while she has now resorted to looking panicked and stricken. A fewmore moments pass. Tum-te-tum... this is getting a teensy bit boring, isn't it? This waiting business. You know I've never been much good at waiting. I remember this one time, just last week, when some idiot had the nerve to ask me-

"DAMNIT!" suddenly, an exasperated shout erupts from the Head Boy, startling us all. Hermione jumps as Draco tosses his homework aside, angrily (Temper, temper.). She gulps, visibly.

"Would you- would you like some help?" she asks, timidly, tentatively holding out his homework. He looks at her in disbelief. Can't she just leave him alone?

"FUCK OFF!" with this scream, Draco stalks out of the room, banging the door behind him. He leaves Hermione standing there, abject misery on her face. She stays gazing at the door as the first tear falls to the wooden floorboards.