ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴀᴛᴛᴇᴅ ʟɪʟᴀ ʜᴏʟᴍᴇꜱ || ᴅʀᴀᴄᴏ ᴍᴀʟꜰᴏʏ x ᴏᴄ || ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ 1-3

collaboration

a/n: this has got to be one of my favorite chapters

—— Hermione POV, to spice it up ——

I heard hurried footsteps come from the door. I was expecting Lila around this time, so I put my book on the bedside table and sat up expectantly.

Only for Malfoy's rat face to peak in through the curtain.

I instantly put my hands over my ears (the cat ones), though I wasn't fast enough. My nails were still incriminatingly long.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" I sent him my nastiest glare. "Come to have a laugh at me?"

"No. I'm looking for my Potions partner." He grimaced, though his eyes went wide when he caught sight of me. That awful smirk found it's way to his lips. "What the hell happened to you, Granger?"

"Transfiguration accident," I lied. His eyes fell to the side of the bed, where my tail wasn't covered by the blanket.

"Is— is that a tail—" he started to laugh.

"Shut it, Malfoy." I snapped, feeling my face heat up. "I've still got claws too, so I'd watch yourself if I were you."

"Right, sorry, sorry," he was not sorry, and I could tell he was holding in another bout of laughter. He composed himself after a few minutes. "So if Holmes isn't here, and she wasn't in class today—"

"She wasn't in class today?" I was suddenly on high alert. We'd talked enough about the Chamber yesterday, and Lila had been acting shifty. No, she couldn't have—

"Potter and Weasel haven't seen her either, apparently," Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "So I suppose you'd be the only one with any idea what she's up to."

"Oh, I've got an idea alright," I frowned. "I bet she went looking for the Chamber."

"She did what?!" Malfoy's voice went uncharacteristically shrill. I shushed him.

"Don't draw attention to us. We need to get out of here," I hissed. "Quick! Give me your robes. Do you have a hat? I'll need that too."

"You're lucky Blaise just gave me my Christmas gift," he murmured. "I'll have to disinfect this at least three times before I touch it again, mind you."

"Oh, can it," I scoffed as I took the beanie he'd pulled out of his bag. Gucci. Why would I expect anything from less from these rich freaks? I shoved it over my cat ears. I was surprised at Malfoy's willingness to comply, but since Lila was involved I supposed I shouldn't have been.

I never quite understood their relationship, but I had the impression that they'd both developed a soft spot for each other and simply didn't know it.

"Thanks," I shoved his robes over my hospital wing pajamas. "We're going to Gryffindor tower first. She might have left some clues up there."

Peeking nervously out of the curtain, I saw Madam Pomfrey was asleep at her desk. The poor woman had her work cut out for her this year. Luckily for us, it gave Malfoy and I the opportunity to slip away to the tower. The other second years were in class, supposedly, so I figured it would be easy.

I made him wait outside the portrait hole as I hurried through the common room and up the steps. I took her bag full of papers and emptied out the ones I was looking for onto my bed. As I was picking them up, I noticed the corner of one peaking out under my covers. I read the note she left me with an exasperated sigh. Reckless. But at least she gave me someone to talk to.