You're Safe With Me ( Draco Malfoy )

Chapter Three ✔️

"Well of course I think he's cute, but it'll never happen." Hermione placed her head in her hands as she spoke to Alice. The girls were sat cross-legged on Alice's bed talking, well, gossiping. It was similar to how they used to stay up and gossip in first year, other than how, when they were younger, they'd talk about how bad boys smelled, and now it was about their romantic interests.

"Oh come on, Hermione! You and Ron would be perfect together!" Alice encouraged while picking at her nails, a terrible habit but one she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to rid herself of. She was determined to help Hermione's love life in any way she could, and if that meant getting her to talk to Ron about how she felt, then that was what Alice had to do. Honestly, she still found it surprising that, out of everyone, it was Ron and Hermione who had a possible romance brewing, since what they were like in their first year was so hectic. It was rather cute, though, and Alice one-hundred percent supported it.

"But it's Ronald! We've known each other for too long, plus the fact he thinks I'm the most irritating person alive." Hermione pointed out while absentmindedly stroking her ginger cat, Crookshanks, who had just crawled on to her lap. The cat had some grey hairs littering her face around her whiskers, but other than that still acted the same. By 'the same', it scratched anyone who wasn't Hermione and was generally grumpy, hissing if people looked at her.

"No, he used to think you're the most annoying person alive, now you're at least 3rd!" Alice exclaimed, Hermione glared at her. "I'm being serious, it's so obvious he likes you. I mean, have you seen the way he looks at you?"

Hermione sat, quiet for a moment, seemingly in thought. Her eyebrows pulled together in contemplation as she scratched the cat's head, who purred happily and closed it's eyes.

"You really think he likes me?" Hermione asked quietly, a small, bashful smile on her face. Alice giggled at her friend, pushing her on the shoulder.

"Of course he does, you moron! Ask him out! Or, at the very least, talk to him!" She encouraged. Glancing over for a moment at the muggle alarm clock that Hermione kept on her bedside table, a keepsake from home, Alice gasped, leaping off of the bed and rushing to collect her book.

"Woah! what's wrong?" Hermione asked, confused as Alice hastily pulled on her shoes, using the edge of the bed for support as she hopped around on one foot. As she replied, she yanked on her robes and shoved a quill in her pocket.

"Slughorn's extra potions classes, they start today!" She exclaimed, cursing herself for not keeping an eye on the time. Her inability to be punctual was proving to be a pain once again.

"Didn't you say they started at 7? It's already quarter past!" Hermione pointed out, Alice stopped her rushing to momentarily glare.

"Why do you think I'm rushing?!" She yelled, gesturing her arms wildly as she did so. Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

After bidding her friend goodbye Alice quite literally ran out of the common room, yelling a quick 'hello' to Dean and Seamus, who were lounging on the sofas and watching her leg it past them. Holding her heavy potions book up with one arm as she sprinted down the several flights of stairs in to the dungeon, trying her best to not trip and roll down hundreds of stone steps. At times she was glad that Hogwarts was as big as it is, but now is not one of those times.

Slowing to a quick walk when she reached the dungeons so as not to look like a complete lunatic, Alice flattened out her hair with her hand, getting to the potions class door and pushing it open gently. Her hopes for a subtle entry were shattered when the door to the classroom made an outstandingly loud creaking noise. Instantly, every set of eyes was on her.

Brilliant, she thought.

"Ah, Miss Lonen, so nice of you to join us." Slughorn remarked from the front of the class. Surprisingly, there was no sarcastic tone in his voice, his big smile still on his face. Frankly, it was beginning to kind of creep Alice out.