The rest of the meeting went smoothly. No one had any more outbursts, and I kept my hands off Malfoy. I mean, why did he have to hit my weak spot? I always feel sorry for people, animals, anything that had the courage to stand up and not go along with the crowd.
In all honesty, that is why I stayed friends with Harry for so long. He always made me feel sympathetic for him, even when I should have been mad at him for breaking the rules. Not that I didn’t like Harry. It’s just the thing that got me through the rough parts of our friendship.
Speak of the devil, here he came, striding up to me with a smile!
"Hey, Hermione!" he said, stopping in front of me. "How's the 8th year going so far? I bet you've already finished all of your essays from this morning?" he teases, but I still blush. "oh no you actually did? Jesus Mione... I mean Hermione..." I had flinched at the work 'Mione', the nickname only really being used by Ron and occasionally Ginny. "Gosh I'm sorry..." he mumbled "anyway...you already did the 4 foot long essays?" I smile and blush again,
"Only the 3. The Transfigurations one was assigned after lunch," he glances at me questioningly so I clarify "I went to the library." He groans but smiles broadly.
"Good to see we didn't change you that much" he grins and then in a sing-song voice adds, "You can take the girl out of school, but you can never take the school out of a girl." I punch his arm playfully,
"Go away you big oaf, Ginny's looking for you." I smile at Ginny over his shoulder and turn on my heal, tripping as I near the back doorway of the heads office. I fall into strong arms, and immediately my eyes spring open. Malfoy had caught me. Again!
"T-thanks," I tell him, trying to steady myself, but failing and wincing in pain.
"You must have twisted your ankle," he informs me, looking down at my foot. He then places me on the ground, my injured leg lying out in front of me, the ankle twisted slightly inward. I groan and sink into the carpet, digging my fingers into it as Malfoy looks down to inspect it.
"Yup..." he says finally, "Definitely twisted." I grimace and grit my teeth.
"Thanks, doctor," I say sarcastically, "I needed to know what injury it was. That's really going to help me fix it now that I know what it is."
"It is though," he says, almost defensively. And then before I can protest, he points his wand at my ankle and whispers <1>episkey. The relief of pain is almost instant. I loosen my strangling grasp on the carpet and sit up straighter.
"Thanks!" I say softly, now standing up and brushing myself off. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."
"Oh it's fine," he says, the warmness in his eyes returning just a little bit.
"Well..." I say, my gaze still lost in his eyes.
"Yes?" he prompts
"Oh... um, I'm going to the library. I have one more essay to finish before dinner."
"You've already done 3?" he says incredulously, gaping at me.
"Guilty?" I laugh and he smiles even wider.
"Well, I'll see you after dinner?"
"Malfoy, we share a dorm!" I say, laughing lightly, "Of course you'll see me."
"Can't wait" he says, and I swear I see him wink as he exits. "Don't trip again, won't you?"
~AFTER DINNR~
I am sitting in the same love seat I had sat on this morning, when Malfoy walks it, dragging his feet.
"You okay?" I ask him. He nods and I don't push it. We sit in awkward silence for a few moments before he finally rescues us.
"I need a hot cocoa," he says and I immediately feel my eyebrows raise.
"Okay?" I said questioningly, "There's powder in the kitchen. Third cabinet to the..."
He cuts me off, "No I want it from the Kitchens." I scoff and turn away.
"Well don't expect me to accompany you."
"Still on about spew are you?" I scoff again, and then turn to face him so fast I feel my neck crack.
"How'd you... how'd you know I did S.P.E.W?" I say flabbergasted.
"Well..." he muses in mock sincerity, "I mean, you went around the great hall waving a collecting tin under everyone's noses, you wore a badge that said S.P.E.W on it, and you tried to get everyone you passed to join." I glare at him. "How could anyone not have noticed?" he finishes, and I stare at him.
"Really? When you say it like that... oh nevermind, I am going to get jeans on. I'll meet you here in 5." I sigh defeatedly and get up, striding towards my dorm, before I turn back to catch him mid grin. "And don't think I'm doing this for you. I've been meaning to get down there and check on them for a while." His grin falters a little bit, and I turn around, happy with my work, to go get changed.
When I emerged from my room, Malfoy is still sitting on the couch, now flipping through one of my favorite books.
"That's Shakespeare," I say, coming up behind him.
"God Granger, You scared me."
"Exactly what I wanted to do," I say, and then remembering our conversation in the bathroom. "And I needed to get back at you anyway," I say, smiling lightly and breathing a chuckle. "Anyway, are we going or not? Curfew is at 9. I don't want to get in trouble."
"You. are. the. head. girl." he says to me, looking dumbstruck, "You can stay out past curfew."
"Yes," I say like I am explaining it to a 2-year-old, "But I don't want to abuse my power."
He looks at me like I am a 2-year-old refusing Ice Cream and goggles at me for a minute, before saying,
"You know what, forget it. I just really want hot coaco."
"Then let's go," I say, and I step out of the portrait hole.