Draco and Hermione, Love and Hate

Viktor Krum

     Harry Potter had become the fourth Triwizard Champion. Draco couldn't believe his ears when he heard Dumbledore read Potter's name. The whole school was talking about it. Of course Potter would want to be in the spotlight like that. The good thing was Potter wasn't skilled enough to even do remotely well in the tournament and thus he had no chance of showing off.
     At the following Care of Magical Creatures class Draco strode to Hagrid's hut, a smirk on his face as he spotted Potter.
     "Ah, look, boys, it's the champion," he said to Crabbe and Goyle the moment he got within earshot of Potter. "Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer. . . . Half the Triwizard champions have died . . . how long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet."
     Crabbe and Goyle laughed and Draco's smirk widened, but he had to stop there as Hagrid emerged from behind his hut to start the class.

     As Draco sat at the Slytherin table one lunch a thought came to him as he watched Granger enter into the Great Hall carrying her box of elf supporting badges. She hadn't asked him to join, but he had heard others talk about what she was doing and it amused him greatly.
      Draco spent the next few days making his idea come to life. Finally he had made what he was working on and he introduced it to his fellow Slytherin's in the Slytherin common room. He handed each of his fellow school mates a badge with the inscription with luminous red letters:

SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY—
THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!

     All the Slytherins were highly impressed as they all put their badges on.
     "There's enough for the whole school, and that's not even the best part! Watch!" smirked Draco.
     Her pressed his badge and the message disappeared and a new message in green letters appeared:

POTTER STINKS

      "This is amazing, Draco!" squealed Pansy Parkinson, shooting him a smile.

     The following day his fellow Slytherins wore their badges around the school. After lunch Draco made his way to the Potions classroom in the dungeon. Shortly after he arrived with his fellow Slytherins, the Gryffindors started to arrive. Potter and Granger came down the staircase and their eyes landed on the badges on the Slytherin's chests, which were glowing in support of Diggory.
     "Like them, Potter?" said Draco loudly as Potter approached. "And this isn't all they do — look!"
     He pushed his badge into his chest, and the green message appeared.
     The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Potter.
     "Oh very funny," Granger said sarcastically to Pansy and the Slytherin girls around her, who were laughing harder than anyone, "really witty."
     "Want one, Granger?" said Draco, holding out a badge to her. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."
     Potter grabbed his wand and people around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor.
     "Harry!" Granger said warningly.
     "Go on, then, Potter," Draco said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now — do it, if you've got the guts —"
     For a split second, they looked into each other's eyes, then, at exactly the same time, both acted.
     "Densaugeo!" screamed Draco.
     "Furnunculus!" Potter yelled.
     Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles — Potter's hit Goyle in the face, and Draco's hit Granger. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up — Granger, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.
     "Hermione!"
     Weasley hurried forward to see what was wrong with her; Draco looked and saw Weasley dragging Granger's hand away from her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Granger's front teeth — already larger than average — were now growing at an alarming rate; she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, passed her bottom lip, toward her chin — panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry.
     "And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice.
     Professor Snape arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Professor Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Draco and said, "Explain."
     "Potter attacked me, sir —"
     "We attacked each other at the same time!" Potter shouted.
     "— and he hit Goyle — look —"
     Professor Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been in a book on poisonous fungi.
     "Hospital wing, Goyle," Professor Snape said calmly.
     "Malfoy got Hermione!" Weasley said. "Look!"
     He forced Granger to show Professor Snape her teeth — she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had grown down past her collar. Pansy and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Granger from behind Professor Snape's back. Draco also smiled at the slight of her.
     Professor Snape looked coldly at Granger, then said, "I see no difference."
     Granger let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned in her heel and ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight.