Draco rose late on the Monday. That Saturday, he had eaten breakfast at the Slytherin table, and for some strange reason, Hermione Granger had been staring at him the whole time he ate.
It wasn't as if he hadn't been staring back, however. He wondered if that Hermione Granger knew he'd been. He hoped not. He would be so embarrassed. Though he was sure he could trust her not to speak to anyone about it if she had.
"Late again, Mr. Malfoy? Ten points from Slytherin," McGonagall said when he reached the Transfiguration classroom. He really wished he hadn't been late. He was already failing most of his subjects but Potions, ad Transfiguration was his worst subject of all.
"Sorry, Professor," he Draco muttered under his breath, something that he had never done before and even surprised him.
"See me after my lesson," McGonagall said, straightening her spectacles.
The lesson was unbearable. Not inly was it double Transfiguration, but they were onto human Transfiguration, something that would be interesting had not they be studying the theory with the Gryffindors. He had the worst seat he could get right in front of the classroom in the center of the row. And for some reason he found it difficult to look at Hermi-no, Granger, at the next to him also in the first row.
Draco had almost forgotten about what McGonagall had said to him at the start of the class, but the professor and Headmistress called to him and he was forced to oblige.
"You are failing Transfiguration, Mr. Malfoy, and if you do not ace your N.E.W.T.'s, you will find it very difficult to get a halfway decent job." McGonagall pointed out the obvious.
"Yes, Professor McGonagall," muttered Draco.
"Then you should support my decision when I say I will appoint you with a tutor to help you with your grades. And please do not forget, I am only trying to help you, not trying to hurt you or make you miserable. If you do not pick your grades up after half a year of tutoring lessons, you will be forced to end my lessons of Transfiguration. I do not know how you passed your O.W.L.'s, but your average is lowering with every lesson. And of course, today you have arrived late to class." McGonagall paused at the end of her speech.
"Yes, Professor. Who will be tutoring me? Will it be you?" Draco did not much fancy the idea of spending hours with his least favorite teacher, who also happened to be the Headmistress of Hogwarts, but he supposed he did not have much of a choice.
"No, it will not be me. I hope you will forgive me when I say your tutor will be Gryffindor Hermione Jean Granger."
Draco gaped. Let it be McGonagall, Snape, or even the Dark Lord, but not, never, Hermione Granger.
"I've told you you wouldn't like this," sighed the professor.