Fifth Year Fling

Part 5

Draco lay in bed the next morning stewing on what an absolute moron he was. Kissing Granger? Have I lost my mind for a second time? He rolled out of bed with a grunt knowing if any of the other Slytherins found out what was going on, he would hear about it in an irate howler from his father by the next day. Part of the problem of being a Slytherin is everyone is self-serving and taking down a Malfoy would be a plus for the rest of the families because they could twist anything to get something out of it.

Draco made his way to the Great Hall knowing full well that he was already late to his first class, he might as well take his time due to the whirring in his head all night after leaving Granger in the Charms corridor. As he sat down by himself at the Slytherin table, a large eagle with glossy black and white speckled wings swooped in and as it approached him his stomach dropped to the floor. This could only mean one thing, a letter from his father.

He saw his name written in emerald green ink and the tight scrawl of his father's penmanship and his stomach did not relax. He knew when his father wrote him there was urgent business to attend to and for Draco that was never anything good. Ripping open the letter, he read:

Draco,

Your mother and I have been informed of two very important matters. One being that Hermione Granger has been assigned your partner by Severus. This is something that I find despicable of him to enforce upon you knowing our situation and what is expected of us. This can only hurt us. You must keep your distance from this girl while I try to impose upon him the seriousness of this predicament he has put us in. She will no longer be your partner by the end of the week.-

Truly Draco was surprised it took his father three weeks to figure out that Hermione had been his Potions partner. He knew Pansy as well as the rest of her posse had all written to their mothers talking of their "worry" for Draco's situation. When in reality it was all about staking their claim on him, his life was hardly his own. It was all about future matches and possible mess ups to prevent them.

Secondly, we have heard rumors that Dolores Umbridge will be coming to Hogwarts and implementing many new regulations on the students and staff alike. It is your job to make this an easy transition and aid her in anyway possible. Make us proud.

-Your father

P.S. Your mother will be writing soon.

That was it. No sentimentality or even asking how his classes were going, but that was exactly what Draco expected from his father. He knew his mother would send a letter in a week or so describing the latest gossip in her circle along with how much she missed him along with Trixi's chocolate chip cookies. Often it felt like his mother and his house elf were the only two people who cared about him, other than his father's constant worry that he would somehow besmirch the family name.

As usual after a letter from home, Draco found himself in a foul mood. He gulped down the rest of his pumpkin juice, stuffed an apple in his bag, and rushed from the hall with his bag slung over his shoulder before he even knew where his feet were taking him.

Hermione woke up feeling utter relief. Draco blatantly told her that whatever was going on between them was honestly nothing and it would continue to be nothing and she couldn't be happier. She felt slightly sick comparing herself to Lavender Brown when thinking about her "nothing is going on" relationships, but if that is what is happening here she was fine with that. She only had to worry if she also began to flip her hair from side to side and giggle uncontrollably when Ron said something less than dazzling. With this revelation, she realized how all feelings of having to impress him fell away because it isn't like it mattered and it wouldn't happen again. Or would it? Do I want it to?