Curious and Curiouser

12: Naming Names

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It appeared Granger was going to ignore their awkward goodbye yesterday Draco thought to himself, watching the bushy haired brunette as she started pulling files out of her bag. He still couldn't honestly believe that he had asked her to eat with him, he blamed it on her, clearly she was messing with his mind. There was no other explanation. He frowned over the top of his folder at her, she had her tongue between her teeth, was using her wand to mark her place in the reading while her other hand scribbled something down in a notebook. He seethed. He didn't know what she was doing or how she was doing it but clearly she was clearly responsible for his loss of sanity yesterday.

He smirked slowly to himself, the perfect little mudblood hadn't been so perfect today. She had been late. He could use that. He could get a rise out of her with that. She thought she could show up late and not apologize. He'd show her. He'd put her in her place.

"You were late." He snarled at her, leveling his eyes.

She jumped slightly back in her seat, he had surprised her, that was all he needed to keep going, "When you give me a time Granger, I expect you to keep it," he said, maintaining that same vicious bite in his tone, "Or has the Weasley's poverty finally rubbed off on you? Can mudbloods no longer afford wristwatches?"

She was looking hard at him now, he half expected her to get up and hex him, he knew he was toeing a line but he really didn't care. She was messing with his head, making him forget who he was, forget his status.

But she didn't stand up, she didn't level her wand at him, she didn't even look ready to slap him like she had done in their third year. He noticed she had flinched when he had mentioned the Weasley's but other than that her expression remained inscrutable save for the surprise in her eyes at his outburst.

"For your information Malfoy," She started, her voice shaking slightly as she fought to keep it even, "I, unlike you, work for a living. And I, unlike you, keep my word. So, yes, you're right, I'm late, but you have absolutely no right to criticize me, absolutely no right to expect anything of me. I said I'd be here and I am, don't expect me to apologize for having a life outside of saving the souls of convicted death eaters." She had lost control of her voice around halfway through and the rest had come out very heatedly, her chest was rising and falling rapidly with the effort she was exerting to control herself.

In simpler words, Granger was pissed, and was trying very hard not to show it. She was failing. Draco smirked to himself again, he fixed her with a judgemental stare, knowing it would infuriate her. "You're the one who set the time, I suppose it was too much to hope for you to keep it." he snarled back.

"Malfoy," Her face was flushed now, "I've already apologized for being la-"

"No, you haven't." He said pointedly.

"I-what?" She faltered.

"I said," Malfoy repeated, adopting a slow, infantile voice, "that you didn't apologize."

Her face flushed again, she shut her eyes, she seemed to be having some kind of internal debate, when she opened her eyes again, her voice was cold and even, "Honestly Malfoy, are you really doing all of this for an apology?" She shook her head in a patronizing sort of way, "Well then you've got one; I'm sorry for spending my free afternoons and evenings helping you save a man I couldn't care less about from a fate that a jury of his peers thought he deserved." Her voice was icy cold and it left Draco momentarily speechless. For a moment he considered that she really was on the higher ground in the situation, but then he pushed the ludicrous thought from his mind; she could never be above him.