Dramione - Battle of the Pranks

Chapter 3 - Broken Souls

Chapter 3

Hermione showered quickly, healing her injuries with a simple spell as the water cascaded down her body. She always loved a shower, the refreshing spray of the water and the sweet smell of her shampoo waking her up and alerting her senses.

Hermione sat at breakfast, her book lying beside her on the table. She could hear him laughing; it had been years since she had heard that sound. Malfoy hadn't done more than chuckled since their fifth year, but now as he tried to explain something to his friends; he couldn't keep a straight face. Hermione watched him with fascination, she hadn't realised how foreign the sound was to her.

"Shit Hermione, The Slytherin's are looking right at us." Ginny hissed, shooting a dirty look across the hall.

Hermione watched the smile fall from Malfoy's lips, a cruel smirk slipping easily into place. Just like two pieces of a puzzle they slotted together, transforming the picture from happy to dangerous in seconds. He fascinated her. She couldn't deny that whatever hid behind the mask of Draco Malfoy sparked her curiosity; hopefully she wouldn't start a fire.

She turned back to her book, trying to avoid the eyes which would surely meet hers if she dared to look up. "Do I look okay? Is my eyeliner smudged?" Ginny whispered, eyeing up Blaise with her 'flirty eyes'. Hermione smiled at her friend, "You look gorgeous as usual."

"That's just what my ego needed, thanks."

Hermione stole a glance at Malfoy who was glaring at Ginny, looking at her with such intensity she felt a pang of... jealousy? Shaking her head she muttered something about libraries and left the hall, patting down her frizzy hair as she went. Hermione couldn't work out what she was feeling; it was unfamiliar and bubbled in her chest like a boiling potion.

She strode along the halls with no apparent purpose, shoes squeaking against the stone. The Gryffindor entered her dorms, passing her fellow housemates who were hurrying out of the portrait hole. Hermione couldn't help but grin as they shot past her, trying to tame their fierce bed heads with their combs as they ran; hoping to get a bite of breakfast before class. She placed her book onto her bed, scanning her dorm for anything she might have forgotten. It was useless, of course she had everything; she was Hermione freaking Granger.

Class was almost torture; she had to endure Ginny's angry ranting about how Blaise Zabini hadn't said a decent thing to her all day. "It's not even flirty arguing! He just sneers at me before marching off or we get into an argument which we both leave feeling extremely irritated! How hasn't he melted yet? I'm using all the charm in the world! Maybe I don't even want him to like me? Yeah that's probably right, I'm just lonely... Making up feelings so I would have something to chase... Gosh Hermione you're such a good friend, you help me out with everything." Ginny ranted, using wild hand gestures which were frantic enough to match her tone.

Hermione had been nodding for half an hour now, not knowing what her friend was even babbling about. But she could guess it was the same topic as the whole of the day, Blaise Zabini. "Yeah you deserve better." She droned, scribbling down some more notes in her book before turning back to her slightly insane best friend. History of Magic was the dreariest class in the universe and unfortunately it was shared with the Slytherin's.

"Hey, Granger! Have the birds in your hair hatched yet? Or is that nest of yours too messy?" Malfoy crowed from behind them, Hermione gritted her teeth with annoyance. Of course he had to make at least one comment a day about her hair.

"Yeah, they hatched but their parents got sent to Azkaban and abandoned their children. Maybe you can relate, Malfoy?" She sneered, watching his nostrils flare with rage as he thought of a comeback.