Bad Blood: A Dramione Fanfiction

Chapter Four

Draco

The door opens after I draw the pattern on the wall. I yawn as I step inside. The blaze in the fireplace is now just a plethora of glowing embers. Hermione isn't here yet, so I venture over to the couch and sit down. I retrieve my wand out of my shirt pocket, point it at the fireplace, and shout "Incendio!" The fire instantly turns into a large blaze. I lean back on the couch and stretch out my arms. Surely she'll be here soon.

In the meantime, I head over to the desk and get out a piece of parchment and a quill. I begin writing some of our project about Patronuses. I write for about fifteen minutes before deciding to try to cast a Patronus myself. To conjure a Patronus, you have to think of a happy memory. The happiest moment of your life. Do I even have one? All of the "happy" memories from my past are derived from evil.

"Expecto Patronum!" I yell. A silver wisp as fragile as a wilting plant bursts out of my wand. If anyone else would've seen it, it would even be embarrassing. It vanishes as quickly as it appeared.

Thirty minutes later, I finally admit it: Hermione's not coming. Sighing, I rip up the parchment I had written on, go over to the couch, and lie down.

Hermione is the closest thing to a friend that I have, and even she doesn't want to be around me.

I shouldn't have come back to Hogwarts.

* * *

The steady patter of rain on the windows wakes me up, and I look at my watch.

"Blimey!" I shout.

Class starts in three minutes. I clumsily stumble off of the couch. My robes are already on because I slept in them, and my books are in a bag in the corner. Running, I get them and dash out of the room, accidentally going right through a ghost.

"Watch where you're going!" The ghost yells at me.

Once again, I check my watch: two minutes. It would've been nice to have a wake up call like yesterday.

Two minutes later, just as class is due to begin, I burst through the door. Everyone turns to look at me. The table I sat at yesterday with Hermione is empty, so I sit there by myself.

What did I do to her?

Attempting to look nonchalant, I turn around and glance for her. She's sitting next to a blonde Gryffindor girl: Ambrosia West, who hates me just like everyone else at Hogwarts. Ambrosia catches my glance and shoots me a threatening look, and I turn around again.

Professor Aberforth instructs us to work on our project, and everyone begins to cast Patronuses. I make my way up to his desk.

"Um, Professor, I don't have a partner." I admit, looking down.

"Yes, you do. You have Miss Granger."

"No, sir. Her partner is Ambrosia now."

He glances over my shoulder and says, "Well, there seems to be nobody else, so I'm afraid you'll have to work alone on the project, Mr. Malfoy."

I nod and venture back to my seat. Sadly, I don't have the essay I wrote on Patronuses last night since I ripped it up. There's parchment in my book bag, though, so I get some and begin writing again.

I don't look up from my paper until an hour later, when it is time to change classes. I pull my wand out of my shirt pocket and whisper, "Pack!" The parchment and quill instantly put themselves into my bag, and I throw it over my shoulder.

Hermione is about to walk past my table. Should I attempt to talk to her, ask her what I did? Or let her go without trying?

Gathering up my courage, when she passes, I begin, "Hey, Her-"