Anyone But Me

Chapter Nineteen

The look of confusion that settled on her face must have been comical, she hadn't been expecting that. Why did all of the males in her life care who she brought to a lame party?! It was almost as if they thought that girls could not have platonic feelings for a member of the opposite sex.

Guilty consciences, maybe?

She did feel the anger that had been promised but there was also relief. This was an easy answer... "Because he asked me to go, neither of us had found dates and it was days away."

"Really?" He asked her incredulously. The fact that he didn't believe her explanation was plainly obvious.

"Yes, really. He cornered me in the hall and wouldn't shut his mouth about all of the different connections he could help me build until I agreed." She told him truthfully. It was hard for her to reconcile the fact that Draco Malfoy was jealous of Cormac McLaggen. Like they were even in the same league to make comparisons.

The tense set of his shoulders finally lifted and he smiled over at her. A real smile that set her heart a flutter. "So you do not have an interest in that infernally irksome idiot?"

She snorted and shook her head, a few curls falling down into her face. "No! I can barely stand the guy..."

"Well that definitely makes my night better." He said, stepping closer before he reached up and brushed the stray locks away.

"Why? I don't understand how me bringing an acquaintance to a party would affect your night in the slightest." Hermione asked.

"I... I don't know. It was like a rock had settled in the pit of my stomach when a little birdie told me you were dating the infuriatingly punchable git..." The hard set to his shoulders returned as he described his former thought process.

Her mind worked over his words, trying to decipher the meaning. Obviously her conversation with Pavarti had made its way to his ears. Something she had not accounted for when the decision to mess with Ron had been made. All that she had wanted to do was make him as uncomfortable as she had been the past couple of months. That was it. She hadn't thought of how it would look to anyone else. And then it dawned on her...

"Wait... Were you planning on party crashing so you could hit McLaggen because you thought we had started dating?" Her eyes widened at her epiphany.

"No. That wasn't my plan." He said, smirking down at her.

"Oh... What was your super secret plan then?"

His smirk reached his eyes as he cocked an arrogant eyebrow. "I was going to wait in the corridor until he came out and then punch him for stealing the only thing that makes me want to come back to this soul sucking shithole."

Her eyes widened even more, they felt like they were going to pop out of her head.

He was talking about her... He had just said she was the only reason he wanted to return to Hogwarts. She wasn't sure if he meant from Christmas break or in general. Did that mean he had come back to school since Voldermort's return for the express purpose of being able to see her?

Surely not... She shouldn't let her imagination and ego run that wild. He did have a magical education to get and appearances to keep up...

"Oh..." She whispered, not knowing how to respond appropriately.

In a weird way it was flattering that he would go to such lengths... At the same time, the Prefect in her shied away from any form of physical violence between students. Something she noted Draco never seemed to have qualms with, even when he had been given the same responsibilities.