WHAT YOU DO TO ME | Draco Malfoy

Year Two - Part Seven

I went to go see Hermione in the hospital wing every chance I got. I even ate lunch in there with her. I had taken what she said to me to heart and was putting in my effort to be the best best friend I could be.

"You've only got the tail left. You should be out of here in no time." I said excitedly as I handed Hermione her lunch.

"Madam Pomfrey says as soon as I stop coughing up hairballs I can leave." Hermione said sadly. "Who knows when that will be. What are the boys up to?"

"Harry's found some weird book." I scrunched up my nose and shook my head, "He's become quite obsessed with it, but its just an empty journal."

"That's strange." Hermione said. She began to cough and turned her head so I couldn't see her spit up another furball.

There was the faint sound of meowing coming from the corridor that got louder as people drew near. The door opened and Draco Malfoy waltzed in with Theodore Nott, Crabbe and Goyle walked in. They were falling over laughing as they taunted Hermione with cat noises.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" I sneered as I jumped off of Hermione's bed. I felt awkward being around Theo after learning that he wanted to date me. He still looked at me hungrily in a way that made me really uncomfortable.

"When they said we could bring cats as pets to school this isn't what they meant, Fern." Draco cackled.

"Get out of here before I make you leave." I growled at him.

"You should have turned Granger into your guard dog." He continued. "Then maybe she would actually have some use."

"That's enough, Malfoy!" I shouted angrily. He looked surprised by my outburst, maybe even a little scared, but only for a moment before he grinned again.

"Let's leave, boys." He told his friends. "I think we've gotten what we came for." They all laughed and trotted out of the hospital wing. Theo lingered for a moment smirking at me until Draco yelled at him from the corridor.

"I told you he only does things like that to get a rise out of you." Hermione said.

"Has he come in here regularly to do that?" I asked Hermione protectively.

"No. I assumed he only did it because you were in here." She said.

"But he was bullying you." I insisted, "Not me."

"Yeah, and he only left once you got upset, not me." She said thoughtfully.

"That's just silly." I shook my head and sat back down on the bed. "Let's finish lunch. I need to get to the library after this."

"To meet Ron?" Hermione asked.

I looked startled. I hadn't told her about our... plans. "Yeah how did you know?"

"You did your hair nice today." Hermione said quietly.

We ate the rest of the meal in silence before I left. Things had become awkward and tense again. I could feel it. I thought we had worked it all out, but I guess that wasn't what she was mad at me for.

***

Hermione left the hospital wing a few days later and things were still tense between us. The only time she would actively talk to me was in the presence of Ron and Harry who didn't notice anything wrong at all.

We were leaving Transfiguration one day when Harry stopped us all to have a serious discussion.

"I think I know who the heir of Slytherin is." Harry said.