praying for dreamless sleep

Chapter 6

Hermione braced herself for the morning. She was feeling especially shit. It was some test for history she had already studied for a while ago and didn't need to do much to pass.

She slumped back into bed, thinking back to what had happened with Malfoy. She went over how it played out again in her head but decided it wasn't worth thinking too much about.

Covering herself with the blankets and duvet she started to drift off again, tired and groggy, but a jolted as there was a rap her door, waking her up again.

"Granger, get up. Class starts in 20," Malfoy called from the other side.

She groaned and rolled out of bed.

In a record time for her she managed to pull on her uniform and heavy duty boots. Muggles were right for this, comfortable and could kill a man by stepping on him.

Sorely temped with Malfoy after interupting her sleep again. But she couldn't blame him this time.

With a few minutes left to spare she had to skip on breakfast and leave for History, taking her bag and a cardigan in her hands.

Malfoy was nowhere to be seen in the common room, and Hermione was too tired to give it much thought.

By the time she got to class almost everyone had sat down. She took a seat available closest to the back. Ungracefully she took out a pen and some parchment.

The room was darker and dingy, more so than normal. There were bare stone walls, one window and little personal features around the classroom.

She rested her head in the crook of her elbow on the desk, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

A few minutes passed before the professor came in, he introduced himself and put the essay question on the chalk board. The whole class groaned as it was so early in the morning. Hermione didn't really pay attention to the introduction and just got on with the essay.

Sometimes it really paid off to be a total swot and being over prepared for everything.

It wasn't that she didn't like History of Magic but it was something she had already learnt, so it was repetitive, and most of all she was tired and hungry.

Which she realised that after writing a few paragraphs and her stomach started to growl.

She wrapped her arm around her waist and tried to ignore it.

Her stomach growled again and she heard a huff to her left.

She lifter her head to the person to give them her best death glare. She blinked in surprise.

Her eyes narrowed. It was Malfoy. Of course it was. The git.

He just rolled his eyes and took something out of his bag. It was an apple.

What was it with him and bloody apples.

"Go on, take it," he whispered.

"Why?" she asked.

"You want it or not?"

She took it before anyone around them would notice an exchange or before someone would cause a scene.

"Thanks," she said. He just nodded and turned back to his own work.

Her only problem was eating it quietly. She was basically done on her essay so she finished it off, checked it and pushed it to the corner of her desk.

She rubbed the apple of her shirt and cast a silence charm, and leaning back in her wooden chair she had breakfast. Most people were still writing but no one paid attention to her, perks of sitting at the back. The professor was at the front looking bored and marking something.

After what seemed like for ever the professor called, "Time's up, hand in your essay and off you go."

Everyone was shuffling, chairs scrapped against the floor and people got up, leaving their work on the professor's desk as they went out the door.

She had finished her apple at the point and it was just a lonely stalk on the desk. She got her stuff, essay in one hand and apple stalk in the other.

Hermione put down her work and chucked the stalk in a fluid motion.

The professor saw, looked confused and asked, "How- ?"

Hermione shrugged, didn't give an answer and left.

She could hear Malfoy behind her giving an amused huff of laughter as he followed her out.