Polyjuice: A Dramione Fanfiction

the punishment

"Are we going to be expelled?" Hermione blurted out, voicing her worst fear.

The headmistress smiled at her faintly. "No, I'm afraid helping to defeat one of the darkest wizards of all time compensates for school pranks in bad taste." 

"Thank you!" the girl gushed, with Ginny quickly echoing her sentiments. 

Professor McGonagall looked at the girls, her voice hardening a little with every word. "That's not to say, however, that you won't be punished. You most certainly will. Ms. Weasley, you'll be tutoring Ms. Parkinson twice a week from now on - she needs help with her Charms work." Ginny winced. The teacher turned to Hermione. "And you, Miss. Granger, will be tutoring Mr. Malfoy twice a week as well - this time in Transfiguration. If I get word from them that you're not tutoring them twice a week until the end of the year, punishment will be more severe. Understood?" 

"Yes," the two girls said weakly. 

{ }

Hermione owled Malfoy the next morning, and it was (grudgingly) agreed upon that they'd meet after dinner in the Transfiguration classroom that same day.  The Gryffindor was walking to her next class - Charms - with the rest of the Golden Trio when Ron guided her a little ways away from Harry. 

"What's up?" Hermione asked, smiling as Ron tucked some of her hair behind her ear. 

"We need to go on another date," he said. "Hogsmeade?" 

Hermione's heart sunk. Were all their dates going to be at Hogsmeade? It was so small, with so few shops, and even the first time they'd went as a couple was kind of boring. "Is there anywhere else, maybe?" 

"George told me to do some reconnaissance for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes by seeing what was selling most at Zonko's, so..." 

Hermione tried to rearrange her frowning features into a convincing smile. "Oh. Then never mind, Hogsmeade it is!" 

"Brilliant!" he said, kissing her quickly before running to rejoin Harry. 

Hermione, however, stood in that spot for a moment. She was happy, right? She had a boy she was in love with. 

Then why did she feel a sinking feeling in her gut at the idea of spending time with him?

{ }

Draco slammed his bag down on the table. They were in the library, and Hermione had chosen a place as far away from the public eye as possible. If people thought she was intentionally spending time with Draco Malfoy...

"Why are you doing this again?" he snapped, throwing himself into the seat across from the girl. 

"Goodness of my heart," Hermione chirped. Then she snorted. "As if. McGonagall is making me." 

His eyes narrowed. "Why?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she smirked. "So I hear you're struggling in Transfiguration..." 

"I'm not struggling! I'm second in our year!" the boy protested, growing more and more annoyed by the minute. 

"Ooh, you know what's really interesting? I'm first in our year. Turn this" - she indicated a small piece of paper - "into a bird in ten seconds." 

He did so easily. Then Hermione turned the piece of paper into a flock of birds in five seconds. They went back and forth, competing to see who could Transfigure something the fastest. 

"Okay. Now Transfigure yourself into Ronald Weasley," Hermione said, smirking. 

He groaned. "Transfiguration is useless." 

"Shut up and do it, Malfoy." 

With a sigh and a flick of his wand, he managed to give himself red hair and brown eyes, though his face still remained distinctly Malfoy-ish. Hermione laughed out loud. The boy looked in a mirror and groaned again.

"I'm leaving now." 

"No!" Hermione blurted. Blushing, she added, "I mean, um, you can't." 

Malfoy slumped in his seat. "I have Quidditch practice." 

"Oh, really? I'm so glad you're here because Gryffindor will win if Slytherin's precious Seeker doesn't practice." 

"Fuck off, Hermione." 

Hermione opened her mouth to retort but ultimately chose not to. Instead, she snapped, "This is unsustainable, Malfoy. We need to meet an hour every week so that McGonagall instills in me the price of crossing her. And so you actually do well in school." 

"I do great in school," he sneered. 

"Looks like I'm doing better, though. Just goes to show there's always room for improvement." She gave him a little smirk of her own. 

"Whatever, Granger," he sighed, holding up his wand again. "Thirty minutes left. Let's try not to throttle each other until then?" 

"Is Draco Malfoy throwing up a white flag?" 

"Only so you don't force me to turn into a Weasley again," he spat, though the act wasn't as convincing this time. "Don't think I hate you any less." 

"I'd be offended if you liked me," Hermione stated, rolling her eyes at the blond boy. "You only got a Satisfactory on your last essay. Why?" 

"Didn't try. I had more important things to worry about."

The girl rolled her eyes again. "I hope those important things were worth it, considering they made us spend two hours together every week." 

"As long as you're unhappy, there's no place I'd rather be," Malfoy said. 

Hermione harrumphed angrily. "Could you be any less thick?" 

"I'm second in our year!"

"Not in our sixth year you were. Luna Lovegood beat you out. I guess you were too busy failing to kill Dumbledore to pay attention to your studies." 

What little color there was in the boy's face left immediately. "Don't go around talking about things you don't understand, Granger." 

"What I don't understand is that you said we shouldn't fight, but you're still arguing with me!" 

"You're not making it easy not to," Malfoy spat. 

"Just give me your essay. We'll go over why you failed utterly at it."