I stood by the door anxiously, wondering if she would actually come.
Although I had been cruel to the Gryffindors, surely Hermione could look past
all that to hear my explanation... couldn't she?

At five past seven, I was really beginning to worry. Where was she? But
then... to my astonishment, the door flung open and smacked right into my face.

"Ooowww!" I groaned as I stumbled back, my nose throbbing from the
point of impact.

"Oh my God, Draco, I'm so sorry!" Hermione said as she closed the
door behind her. "Why were you standing right at the door anyway?"

Of course I didn't want to tell her I'd been waiting for her to arrive, so I
quickly thought up a lie to suit my needs. "I was making sure no one came
in here but you," I said, which was partially true, at least.

"Oh... all right," she replied as she walked further into the
room, but still she seemed suspicious. "Now... what was it you wanted to
tell me?"

"I… I wanted to tell you the truth," I said, getting more nervous
by the second. What if she hated me after all this? "The thing is, I… I'm
not here for the reason you think I am. At Hogwarts, I mean."

"You aren't at Hogwarts to learn magic?"

"Not… exactly. The only reason I came here instead of going to
Durmstrang was… to get on Harry Potter's good side. To see if… if he's the new
dark Lord."

"Why would Harry be the new Dark Lord?" Hermione asked,
suspicion in her eyes.

"That's the thing-- I'm not quite sure. My father seems to think that
because he defeated You-Know-Who, he must be some all-powerful wizard. And he's
not the only one that thinks that."

"If you're supposed to be getting on Harry's good side…"
she said slowly, "then why are you so vicious toward him? Toward all
of us?"

"Well, I do have a reputation to keep up," I replied.
"Slytherins and Gryffindors don't exactly mix."

"Why are you telling me all this, then? After all, I'm a
Gryffindor."

"I was hoping you could help me. You see, Granger, I've taken a liking
to you. I believe you could be of aid to me, or at least help me more than the
dumb Weasley boy could. Since you're so close to Potter--"

"If I'm even going to consider helping you," she
interrupted, "it would do you good to remember that we have first
names. And don't insult Ron! He's intelligent in his own way."

"Fine, fine," I said, shaking my head. Why did she have to be so
nit-picky? "Hermione, since you're so close to Harry, could you keep an
eye on him for me? Make sure he doesn't get into any dangerous situations? I'd
like to make sure that he stays safe so I can observe him and see if he
possesses any Dark inclination."

"And why should I help you?"

"Because if you do, I'll leave you and your Gryffindor friends alone.
All you'll have to do is watch him for a while, and then send me a letter by
owl every week telling me your findings. That wouldn't be too hard,
would it?"

"I don't know…" she replied, looking like she was weighing the
options. "Perhaps I could… maybe for a bit… after all, I would want to be
able to help Harry if he were showing any signs of being evil. If we catch it
early, perhaps we could turn him back to the light side."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed. "Think of it as… helping Harry!"
Of course I'd let her think that if it meant she'd help me.

"Fine. I'll do it," she said. "But don't think this changes
how I feel about you, Malfoy."

"Tut, tut!" I teased her. "I have a first name, you
know."

"Ugh… Draco, then." Although she looked annoyed, I could
hear the traces of a laugh in her voice.

"Great. Thanks, Hermione. I'll be expecting your
owl in one week's time." And with that, I left the Charms classroom, in
much higher spirits than when I had entered.