You're Mine (A Dramione Story)

Chapter 3: The Better Dueller

     "I can't believe Professor McGonagall chose him - of all the people in the entire world to choose, she chose that stupid, blond prick!" Hermione stormed through the newly built walls of Hogwarts and to the Great Hall. Ginny and Neville were hurrying to keep up with her. If someone hadn't looked closely at her face or the direction she was walking in, one might have thought she was making her way towards the library.
Hermione was fuming. She refused to accept the fact that Draco Malfoy, former death eater, had been chosen to be Head Boy with her.
"He can't be that bad," Ginny ventured. "Anymore," she added hastily. But the damage was done. As soon as the last word left her lips, Hermione's cheeks turned blotchy, red patches blazing. Her jaw tightened, and her arms shook. She stopped just outside of the doors to the Great Hall, rounding on Ginny and Neville.
"Not bad?" she repeated in a whisper. Her voice shook just as much her arms. "Not bad?"
Ginny looked like she wished she could take back her poor choice of words. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I forgot-"
"You forgot? Ginny, we are talking about the boy who tormented Harry, Ron, and me for six years. The boy who never missed a chance to call me Mudblood. The boy who found it funny that Neville had broken his wrist. The boy who nearly got Buckbeak killed, and then laughed about his exectution. The boy who joined the Inquisitorial Squad in fifth year and supported that evil toad and her nasty beliefs. The boy who became a death eater! The boy who had let those horrible people into our home! The boy who had stood by and let Professor Dumbledore be killed! The boy who had joined Voldemort's side in the war! The boy whom Harry, Ron, and I have never received a thank you from for saving his bloody arse twice! The boy who had just stood by and stared, as I was tortured and had the word Mudblood carved into my arm!" Hermione's voice had risen to a shout. Her chest heaved. People had stopped and stared as she yelled out all of the things Malfoy had done. Tears had risen into her eyes, but she was determined to not let them fall. Neville looked uncomfortable, and Ginny swallowed hard. "So don't go and tell me that Malfoy's not a bad guy! Because that's a bloody lie!"
Hermione turned angrily towards the great, oak doors. Then a voice behind her drawled, "Now, now, Granger, don't get your knickers in a twist."
She whipped back around to see Malfoy standing right behind Neville, on the top step. His hair was gelled back as usual, his infamous sneer already on his face. Behind him, stood Zabini, Parkinson, Nott, and Goyle. Malfoy leered as she gripped her wand tightly, pointing it directly at his face. Her tears were gone. Her eyes were completely dry. Her face showed only hatred.
"Give me a reason," she snarled in a deadly whisper.
"Oh, be sensible, will you, Granger? Why don't you just have a go at me, like in third year? We all know that you'll end in the hospital wing if we choose to bring out our wands. Poor Madame Pomfrey, already having to look after the Mudblood."
"Hermione, no!" Ginny hissed, grabbing at Hermione's wand arm, but it was too late.
"Diffindo!" Hermione cried, pointing it at Malfoy's rucksack. It split open, all of the contents spilling out of the bag. Pansy Parkinson shrieked as one of the ink bottles shattered, splashing ink everywhere.
Malfoy's lip curled. "Flipendo!"
But she was ready. "Protego!"
Flashes and jets of light flew everywhere, shooting out of their wand tips, bouncing off of the corridor's walls, causing everyone to scatter. The pair that was fighting were equal; neither could seem to be able to hit their opponent.
"Impedimenta!" Hermione shouted. Malfoy had just opened his mouth to say a hex when it hit him. He body parts slowed. His gaze was hard as he stared at her. He slowly opened his mouth, when Hermione yelled, "Expelliarmus!" His wand went flying toward her. She caught it, her breathing ragged.
The crowd that had gathered around them during their duel watched with baited breath. The muggle born's face was filled with contempt. Then came her stream of hexes, jinxes, and spells.
"Immobulus! Densaugeo! Langlock! Locomotor mortis! Furnunculus! Rictusempra! Tarantallegra! Stupefy! Flipendo! Petrificus totalus! Levicorpus! Avis! Oppugno!"
Spell after spell, hex after hex, jinx after jinx, streamed from Hermione's wand tip. But it didn't seem to satisfy Hermione. Her hair was bushier than it had been in awhile, her face was completely red, and her eyes were wild. She looked quite mad.
Hermione took a deep breath, about to continue, when the doors to the Great Hall slammed open. She turned. Professor McGonagall was walking out briskly with Argus Filch.
"Why is it," she was saying, "that none of the returning seventh years are at the feast? I recall many of them sending back their letters-" She stopped short, just noticing the crowd in front of them. She gave a gasp when she saw Malfoy dangling in the air by his ankle. She hurried forward.
     Hermione's spells had taken a huge toll on Malfoy. He had been immobilized, had his teeth grow to a most unnatural size, his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth, he had had a binding spell put on his legs, boils were squirting pus out of his face, he had been laughing uncontrollably, unable to stop, then had the leg-locker curse lifted, only to be replaced with a hex which would make his legs dance uncontollably as well, stunned, hitting a wall, flipped through the air and landing on stone floor, then had been completely binded from head to toe, stopping the uncontrollable laughing and dancing. He was then lifted into the air, dangling by his foot, and finally, was covered in bites and scratches from Hermione's birds, which were still going at Malfoy.
     "Liberacorpus!" Professor McGonagall said, brandishing her wand. Malfoy hit the floor with a sickening thud. She muttered the counterspell for the Full Body-Bind hex. The birds disappeared.
     Malfoy stood up. His gaze was murderous as he locked eyes with Hermione's.
     "By wand, Granger," he breathed. His face was swollen and one of his eyes were shut closed. His words came out funny-sounding, and if they were under different circumstances Hermione would've laughed. The hatred etched on his face was one to rival the expression on hers. He wouldn't risk calling her Mudblood or having a go at her right in front of McGonagall. Yet Hermione didn't move; she wasn't done. Those spells didn't even make up for what he'd done to her, Harry, and Ron for those long years. "By wand, Granger," he repeated, louder this time.
     "Miss Granger, is this your doing?" Professor McGonagall asked, her astonishment evident. Hermione still didn't say anything. "Well?"
     Hermione gave a stiff nod, as if it were excruciatingly painful. McGonagall's lips thinned, turning white, and her nostrils flared. She looked at Malfoy.
     "Hospital wing, Mister Malfoy," she said. "Mister Zabini, accompany him, if you will."
     "Brofessor, I think I ab berfectly cabable-" Malfoy started, in attempt to sound polite. Or normal. His front teeth were growing increasingly large. They were almost at shoulder level.
     "I insist. Your teeth look rather heavy." Professor McGonagall's voice sounded strained.
     Malfoy turned bright red. A boil on his face erupted. He muttered something incrompehensible, and then made straight for Hermione. His gaze never left her face. She tensed, tightening her grip on their wands. He snatched his wand from vise grip, and then muttered in her ear, "You're going to regret doing that."
     Hermione wasn't fazed. On the contrary, she would've hexed him again, right then and there, if Professor McGonagall hadn't been standing behind her. She took one look at his face, and then snorted. Malfoy scowled, then turned and headed for the infirmary. Zabini hurried after him.
     Professor McGonagall turned on Hermione. "Stay here, Miss Granger. I would like to have a few words with you in my office."
"Professor-" she protested.
"Do as I say." Professor McGonagall turned to the rest of the returning students. "The rest of you, to the Great Hall!" she barked.
All of the students scurried to the the doors. Neville and Ginny gave her nervous looks, and then followed the seventh years.
McGonagall looked at Filch. "If you would please tell the other staff members where I have gone. I shall return shortly. Thank you."
"Yes, ma'am." He gave Hermione a disgusted look, and then ran flat-footed into the Hall.
"Follow me," McGonagall said curtly to Hermione after the doors had closed behind Filch.
Hermione followed quite reluctantly. Now she was scared. McGonagall was a strict, but fair woman; she never played favorites, even with students from her own house. Hermione recalled how she had taken 50 points each from Harry and her in their first year, after they were discovered out of bed. It had cost them a great deal. What would she do to her, now that she had seen what Hermione had done to Malfoy? He no doubt had deserved that, but she had shown lack of self control. Would she get detention with him as well, after she had told her story? She would most likely get more than one detention. Would she get house points taken away? She didn't think she would be able to bear that. Points taken away, and it's not even the second day back, she thought bitterly. Would she get stripped of her Head Girl duties? That, perhaps, she might be able to bear. No matter how much she had wanted to be Head Girl when she 11 years old, she absolutely refused to do it with Draco Malfoy. All of these thoughts were running so fast in her brain, she hardly noticed when they had arrived at Professor McGonagall's office.
"Sit," Professor McGonagall said as she walked into her office. It was quite simple. Plain colors, and a wooden desk. A bowl of biscuits sat in the corner of the table. McGonagall had seated herself in the large, plush, faded, red chair. Hermione sat in a rather comfy red seat across from her.
Professor McGonagall stared at Hermione for awhile. Her gaze was slightly intimidating. It was not like Professor Dumbledore's, whose eyes had been piercing, but always had a twinkle behind his half moon shaped glasses. "Please tell me why you did this," she finally said after awhile.
So Hermione began her story, starting from when they entered Hogwarts. She told Professor McGonagall how she had been ranting to Ginny about how she couldn't believe that the headmistress had decided to make Draco Malfoy, Head Boy. She told her how she yelled at Ginny, pointing out all of Malfoy's faults. She told her how she had turned to the doors of the Great Hall, only to whip back around to see Malfoy standing there. She told her how he had started provoking her. She recalled how he had called her Mudblood. McGonagall's face softened when she saw the girl's angry demeanor waver. Or her lips weren't as thin anymore.
     When Hermione finished her story, Professor McGonagall studied her for a moment, then sighed. "Miss Granger, out of all of the students in your year, you would not be the first person I think of to start a duel."
    Hermione shrunk into her seat a little. Her words cut into her. She wished McGonagall had yelled. The disappointment was worse than the screaming. At least for the screaming she would have expected it, prepared herself.
     "Never in my time at Hogwarts," McGonagall continued, "has a student responded so harshly to a provoked attack. Calling a student a name should not result in the victim hexing the antagonist multiple times!"
     But McGonagall didn't understand. She didn't understand how much Hermione had had to endure for six years. She didn't understand what being called a Mudblood was like. She didn't understand what it was like to have your confidence crack, just a bit, because of one person, and one word. She didn't know how much she had been holding back, how much hate and resentment had been building up inside of her. How much she had wanted to hurt him all of those years ago, but had restrained herself in fear of the consequences. She didn't know how much she just hated him. Draco Malfoy, and all of his arrogance, all of his prejudice ways, his entire ego.
     Hermione looked at Professor McGonagall again. However, Hermione  was unsurprised by the professor's following words.
     "50 points from Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall said regretfully.
     "But Professor-"
     "A week's detention."
     "Professor-!"
     "And I expect an apology to Mister Malfoy. In the Great Hall, tomorrow morning at breakfast. I'm sorry, Miss Granger. You are Head Girl! Attacking a fellow student, in front the entire seventh year, is unacceptable! It matters not, what he did to provoke you. You, of all people, should have expected it! Being Head Girl is about setting examples, following the rules. After what happened tonight, I am starting to question your being of Head Girl! I chose you for this particular role because I thought you were best suited for the authority. Because you are sensible, you are fair, and you are kind. Your actions tonight suggest differently!"
     Hermione glared at McGonagall. This was unjust! What about Malfoy? What did he get? Six years of tormenting, and no detention! What did Hermione get? A week's detention, 50 points from Gryffindor, and was being forced to apologize!
     "I haven't gone to the feast-" she started, straining to keep her voice steady.
     "You will eat here," Professor McGonagall said, rather snappishly. She waved her wand at the desk. A silver plate, full of grilled cheese sandwiches, appeared, along with a silver goblet that held pumpkin juice.
     MgGonagall gave her one last long look, before walking out of her office, saying as she left, "I expect to see an apology tomorrow morning, Miss Granger. Detention, tomorrow night, my classroom. Good night."
     Hermione swallowed hard, staring at her plate, resisting to say something back. She could not get in any more trouble, no. Not for Malfoy.
     But as Professor McGonagall's footsteps faded down the corridor, she muttered, "I'm still the better dueller." Then took a bite of her sandwich.

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A.N.

Hey guys! This was kind of a long chapter, sorry for the wait! Thanks for reading, I'll update again soon.