A Thousand Years [Harry Potter]

Chapter 3 - Paying More Attention to a Mudblood

Draco did not have an appetite for the rest of the day. Every time he came across Hermione Granger, he quickly dodged her because he did not want to feel more ill than he already was. The thought of something romantic happening between them... it disgusted him. Honestly, it disgusted him more than the fact that he had to kill the headmaster.

He abruptly left Annabelle that morning after she said he needed to see past the mudblood side of Hermione. He muttered "impossible" and was off. That ghost girl was truly speaking nonsense. He would spend the rest of the day keeping his head down, and after classes, cooped up in his common room, working on homework, trying to get his mind off of Hermione and Annabelle.

But he was not so lucky, as far as staying away from the girl who once punched him in the nose. Actually, he wanted to steer clear of her since then, but only because she had it coming to her, not because he was afraid of her.

For potions class, his last class of the day, Slughorn decided to pair the students up while they concocted a happiness potion, or an "Elixir to Induce Euphoria." Draco scoffed at that. What he needed was an anti-vomiting potion. He had actually looked up the ingredients for it in his potions textbook the night before and wanted to concoct it himself in some deserted tower of the castle.

"Alright everyone," Slughorn announced, clapping his hands to stop the chattering teens. "I put all your names on pieces of parchment and mixed them together in this hat here. I'll pick out two names at a time." He pointed at the students. "No changing partners. We're here to learn from one another, understand?"

He commenced pulling names out, and groans and "yays" were heard around the room. Draco's name was called. He glanced around at the people who were not chosen yet, and some turned their heads from him when they caught his gaze. Obviously, people did not want to be his partner. Well, he did not want to be their partner either. He would rather work on his own. Independence should have been his middle name.

"And Draco's partner is... Hermione Granger."

Draco's heart dropped to his stomach. Mild gasps were heard, and both Draco and Hermione stared at their professor, and Draco really thought about disapperating out of the room. Disapperating and vomiting. He really felt ill in the stomach.

"But Professor..." Hermione protested, but Slughorn countered, "No changing partners, Granger, as I have said."

Hermione glanced at Draco, and he looked away from her. Just his luck. Of course he would be paired with her when he wanted to avoid her. Maybe that bloody ghost girl had something to do with it. How would a ghost that people could see do something, though? Magic. It was all magic.

Once Slughorn finished with the name draws, he told everyone to get with their partners, pick a table and get to work. They had the whole class period to make their potion. Hermione stood at a table near the front. Draco did not move from his spot in the back. She gave him a glare, and his nose twisted. He might as well get this over with. He cantered up to the table and stood there, arms folded, as he stared at the black empty cauldron in front of them. Hermione sorted out the ingredients.

"Care to help?" she asked.

"Not really."

"Well, if you want decent marks on this, you have to help."

His nose twitched again. He spent two hours doing the assignment he missed the day before because he was talking with Annabelle. He did not want any more marks deducted and get a bad grade. That could mean his GPA would lower, and he would get scolded by his father. He recalled how is father reacted when he got a poor school on his O.W.L.s... that was a memory he wished he could forget. He took the shrivelfig and added it to the red-color liquid in the cauldron—Hermione had already started with the peppermint.