The Purist / DRAMIONE (COMPLETE)

Our EBF (Even Bigger Friend)

Hermione refrained from commenting further in their lesson, but soon set about admonishing Harry as soon as the lesson was over. She fixed Harry with a beady eye and opened her mouth determinedly, but Harry got there first.

"It's no good nagging me, it's done," her friend said firmly, surprising her. For a moment she was confused about what they were discussing. However, it soon became clear. Harry and Ron clearly had one-track minds. "Fred and George had got the gold – spent a good bit of it, too, by the sounds of it – and I can't get it back from them and I don't want to. So save your breath, Hermione."

"I wasn't going to say anything about Fred and George!" Said Hermione indignantly. Ron snorted disbelievingly and she sent him a dirty look. "No, I wasn't!" She continued angrily. "As a matter of fact, I was going to ask Harry when he's going to go back to Snape and ask for more Occlumency lessons!" Harry had told them how Sirius wanted Harry to keep learning Occlumency. "You can't tell me you've stopped having funny dreams because Ron told me you were muttering in your sleep again last night."

"You were only muttering a bit," Ron mumbled apologetically, as Harry threw Ron a furious look. Personally, Hermione didn't see what he had to be apologetic for. They were only looking out for him, after all. "Something about 'just a bit further'."

"I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch." Hermione could tell he was lying, as he was more forceful than he intended. "I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit further to grab the Quaffle." 

It was a brutal tactic, but it worked. Ron's ears went red and he dropped the subject. Hermione, however, did not.

"You are trying to block your mind, aren't you?" She asked. "You are keeping going with your Occlumency?"

"Of course I am," replied Harry, trying to make it sound like the question insulted him. He avoided her eye, and Hermione didn't continue interrogating him. 

She wouldn't get much out of the stubborn boy.

"You know," Ron entered the conversation, ears flaming red, "if Montague doesn't recover before Slytherin play Hufflepuff, we might be in a chance of winning the cup."

"Yeah, I s'pose so," Harry answered, clearly glad of the subject change.

"I mean," continued Ron, "we've won one, lost one – if Slytherin lose to Hufflepuff next Saturday_"

"Yeah, that's right," interrupted Harry. His gaze was focused solely on Cho, who had walked past the three of them, and was decidedly not looking at Harry.

Hermione sighed internally. Her friends would never change. Stupid, stubborn Gryffindors. Sometimes she wished she'd chosen Ravenclaw.

*

Draco didn't see Hermione on the day of the match; he was too busy singing 'Weasley is our king', however he did meet with her in the library the day after.

"That oaf brought back a giant?" Whispered Draco, horrified.

"Yes," Hermione replied, just as quietly, "and he's not an oaf." Her eyes flashed and Draco knew better than to push it.

"And he's getting beaten up by a giant because he's trying to teach it English?" Draco continued disgustedly. "He's on a whole new level."

"Also," said Hermione, miserably, "he wants Harry, Ron and I to teach him English when Hagrid gets sacked."

"Well, yeah, he will get sacked pretty soon, Umbridge'll see about that," Draco murmured, then the first part of her sentence registered. "He wants you to teach it too?"

"It has a name, Malfoy," Hermione scolded gently, "but yes."

"But no," exclaimed Draco. "If he's getting a bloody nose every time he says hello to it, you'll end up in a million pieces! Does he have a brain in that cavernous skull of his?"

"I suspect not," Hermione replied softly, although the question had been rhetorical. "I appreciate your concern, Malfoy. I suspect that when the time comes, we simply won't bother. Thanks anyway, though."

"Well," said Draco, "if you do endeavour to teach the beast, Stun it. Don't wait for it to pummel you into the ground."

"And if that doesn't work?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Throw it away and punch it on the nose," Draco suggested with a straight face.

Hermione burst out laughing. It was what Ron had told Harry to do to Draco when he was challenged to a Wizarding Duel in their first year. Hermione had been eavesdropping, quite uncharacteristically, on them and heard the entire conversation. This time Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Any better suggestions?" He questioned.

"How about running?" Hermione asked, neglecting to mention why she'd been laughing in the first place. "You know, that thing that Muggles and wizards alike do when they're scared?"

It was the first joke she'd tried on Draco, and to her surprise it worked. He shook so hard with laughter that the one book on their table, Wilbert Slinkhard's Defensive Magical Theory, fell off and landed on the floor with a thud. Madam Pince hastened to chase them from the library with a feather duster.

*****

A.N. Some banter, or 'repartee' (Jenny) between our two fav characters. Hermione tries to be cool and Draco attempts to be civil regarding Hagrid and Grawp. It doesn't work. 

All the recognisable stuff belongs to our heroine, J.k.R.

Thank you! :)