Silencio

Chapter 5

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, GOD!

They had done it again. They had really done it again. It was no longer a crazy one night fluke, now it had happened twice, making it a pattern.

Sleeping with Malfoy was a pattern.

Oh, God.

Hermione was horrified. She was horrified that she had done it again—and been so wicked about it too—and she was also quite horrified that she was now feeling giddy. Giddy, of all things! It must be the Peeves incident still affecting her.

Yet, even though the thought of Malfoy's face, as Peeves hit him with the slime balloon, still made her giggle, she knew that wasn't the reason. She was giddy because she couldn't help herself but feel extremely pleased about what had happened. It was sick and twisted, she knew, and she tried quelling the feeling, but to no avail.

Sleeping with Malfoy was a tremendous ego boost. It wasn't that he lied to get her into bed (or desk, or closet, or bath)—it was very obvious that he didn't. He wasn't smart enough to be that devious. Every time he made a concession to wanting her, he seemed slightly resentful at the thought, and he clearly hadn't wanted to let her know that he didn't find Pansy appealing anymore.

That revelation alone she could live on for the rest of the year. Pansy with her crowd of Pansettes, always thinking she was so much better and yet—who was it Pansy's boyfriend turned to for passionate encounters?

Hermione knew she was smirking but was unable to help herself.

She was quite perky by the time she reached Defense Against the Dark Arts and happily ignored Harry and Ron's disgusted looks.

"It figures," Ron moaned. "She's happy to make it in time for this class. Doesn't know a good opportunity when she sees one."

"Oh, shut up, Ron," she cheerfully replied. "If I weren't here, whose notes would you copy?"

The only reply was a low grumble.

"Malfoy is probably milking it for all it's worth," Harry said. "I bet nobody sees him before lunch."

Hermione giggled again and was on the receiving end of another couple of appalled looks, which made her feel a little guilty. "Oh, come on," she said. "He did get pretty mucked up, didn't he? And since when are you sorry to not see him around?"

Just then Professor Snape came billowing in, fortunately cutting her friends off from whatever they were about to say.

*****

Harry was right. Nobody did see Malfoy before lunch. Hermione might not have noticed him then either, if it hadn't been for the whispers and sniggering. As it was, however, she looked up, saw his annoyed frown and slightly pink cheeks, and began chuckling again. He had really had this day coming for a long, long time.

As if alerted to her presence, he looked straight at her, his eyes darkening with something other than anger, before he looked away and went to sit with his friends. Pansy, she noticed, didn't look too happy about the sort of attention he brought with him that day. Well, that was just too bad for her, wasn't it?

*****

A few days passed without incident again. Sometimes Hermione would look up and catch Malfoy looking thoughtfully at her, but he made no attempt to approach her, and during the weekend they had no reason to be around the same places—except at meals, which hardly counted.

Malfoy still sneered and baited Ron and Harry, but, for the most part, he seemed to pretend that Hermione was beneath his notice. It was amusing in its own way, as he had been baiting her for so long that his sudden change of policy seemed rather abrupt. He was acting odd in so many other ways, however, that nobody put two and two together.