Make Some Real Magic

by GameGirl
 
 

Chapter 2
Stir Me Up
 

"Hi, Lavender," Hermione said as she came to potions.

"Hi!" she greeted back, "congratulations, on being a prefect, Hermione.  I guess we'll be
partners this term, eh?"

"Yeah."

"Miss Granger," Professor Snape drawled, "Mr. Malfoy will be your partner."

"But we're not--" she argued.

"Do not argue with me, Miss Granger," he said, "I will not let you 'help' any of the other
students.  "Go."

Hermione looked curiously at Lavender, half expecting her to say something in her
defense and Lavender just looked as surprised as she was.  Hermione sighed and
slowly went to Draco's table.

"What's the deal, Draco?" she demanded in a harsh whisper, so that Professor Snape
couldn't hear.

"Isn't it obvious, Granger?" he asked, a slight grin appearing on his face, "we'll be
partners.  Since we're both prefects, we'll be partners.  It's a rule."

"I never heard of such--" she began.

"Professor Snape just came up with it," he said, nodding to him.

Hermione was not convinced.  Somehow, Draco must've had bribed Professor Snape into
making her his partner and since Snape favored Draco so, he let him.

"Look who is Hermione's partner!" Harry said to Ron.  "Thomas was right!"

A sneer went across Ron's face.  "I thought she was going to be Lavender's partner."

"So did I!" Lavender said back, "but--"

"Silence!" Snape shouted.  "I want you all to start brewing a potion of ginger root and--"

*****

They began the potion brewing.  Hermione took a ginger root and knife and began to chop
away as Draco read the instructions to her.  She was chopping them just fine but Draco
made his move anyway.

"Oh, careful, Granger," he said, "You wouldn't want to cut yourself.  Here, let me help you."

"I can cut ginger roots," she muttered through her teeth.

He didn't listen.  He got behind her, placed his left hand over hers, which was holding down
the roots and wrapped his other around her cutting hand.  He guided her hand with the knife.
"Careful, now."  He whispered, his lips just an inch from her ear, his breath tickling it.  "There
we go.  Easier this way, isn't it?  You have very soft hands, Granger--" He thumbed the back
of her left hand so delicately that it seemed to tickle her, but she forced herself not to giggle.

Ron couldn't take his eyes of them, "Harry, look at what that scumbag is doing!" he muttered.
"Do something! He's all over her!"

"Like what?" Harry demanded.  "Careful, Ron, you'll cut yourself!"

"No I won't," coming very close to cutting his finger.

"Ron!" Harry shouted.  "Here, I'll cut the roots, you just read me the directions."

"But, Harry--"

Evidently, Hermione really did not need a knight in shining armor to rescue her.  She lifted
her head up, cleared her throat and said, "Professor, could you please tell Mr. Malfoy that
I am quite capable of cutting the roots myself?"

Professor Snape looked up from his notes and grinned, "Miss Granger, did I say anything
about putting blood in the potion?"

"No--but I won't cut myself!"

"Of course you won't," Snape said, "Mr. Malfoy is making sure of that, isn't he?"

She gasped and she didn't have to look at Draco to know he was grinning.  Realizing that
there was no way to make Snape reconsider, she accepted her defeat and relaxed her hand
over the knife, letting Draco do all the work.

"I can't stand this, Harry," Ron muttered.

"Don’t look at them," Harry insisted.

"Can't help it," he said.

"This isn't any easier for me than it is for you but there's nothing we can do about it right now,"
Harry said, "let's just do the assignment and we can talk to Hermione about it later."

Crabbe and Goyle snickered sinisterly.  Ron smelled a rat.  He knew Malfoy was up to
something.

After helping her cut the roots, Draco helped Hermione add them to the cauldron, with his
hands right under hers that held the roots. They fell in the water, splattered and a drop and
a few got on her face.

"Auugh!" she shouted.  "It got on me, Draco you--"  It was just hot water, thank goodness,
but she acted as if it was a potion that would turn someone into stone.

"Draco, what do you to do her?" Ron demanded, dropping the instructions and rushing to
her side.  "You filthy--"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Granger!" Draco gasped, his hands right under his mouth in shock.
"Here, let me get that off for you! You poor thing! I am very, very sorry!  I didn't know
it would splatter."

"No, I don't want your help!" she hissed.

"You heard her!" Ron shouted.

But Draco grabbed her hand and picked up a cloth and wiped the drop off of her face.
"There, now, all better?  Are you okay?" He asked, still dabbing her face.  "You want
me to help you to the hospital wing?  Good thing we weren't making an acidic potion,
hmm?"

During all this, Professor Snape sat back as if he were enjoying a play.

"Don't act sorry, Malfoy," Ron said through clench teeth, "you did that on purpose!"

"I did not!" Draco shouted.  "It was an accident!"

"Why you!" Ron almost lunged toward and Snape shouted.

"Mr. Weasley, get back to your desk!  Ten points from Gryffindor!"

"But Professor--"

"Now, Mr. Weasley!" he ordered and Ron slunk back to his desk.  He looked at Draco,
who was checking to see if any of the solution got in Hermione's eyes.  "And Mr. Malfoy,
for helping Miss Granger in her moment of need, 20 points to Slytherin."

"Thank you, Professor," he said as he still checked for any water droplets on Hermione's
face and asked her if she was all right repeatedly.

"Just never do that again, all right?" she demanded.

"I promise," he said.  "If it makes you feel any better, next time in potions, you can splash
something on my face."

Hermione could not believe it.  First time in all her years at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy actually
sounded sincere for once.  She wasn't sure what to think about it.

"It's all right now, Draco," she said.  "I think you got it all. Can we just finish the making the
potion now?"

"Of course, Granger," he said, "anything for you."

*****

"Hermione, how did you end up being Malfoy's partner?" Ron asked as they went to
transfiguration.

"Because we're both prefects," she replied, still confused.  "I think Malfoy insisted to Snape
for us being partners.  I mean, what a stupid reason.  Why would he want to be my partner?
He hates muggles and mudbloods!  What would he want with me?"

"It might be a joke or bet of some kind," Harry said.  "He probably wants to see if he can
get a mudblood to like him or something."

"You okay?" Ron asked.

"Yes," she said, "it was only hot water."

"You could've gotten boils from that," Harry said.

"Yeah, well, thank goodness it was nothing gross like pig's blood or something," she said.

"Malfoy did that on purpose, you know," Ron said.  "He just did it so he could wipe it off."

"Yes, I know," she said.  "It's a little weird."

"Heard from Victor lately?" Harry asked, changing the subject.  Ron glared at him for
bringing it up.  Harry didn't seem to notice Ron's glare.

"No, he's um," she said, trying not to hide her hurt.  "Not coming.  Has to stay in Romania."

"Did he hurt you or something, Hermione?" Ron questioned.

She didn't answer him.  They walked the rest of the way to transfiguration and did their
work in silence.

*****

Hermione was making her way to Gryffindor tower that night when she heard a voice.

"Hi, Granger."

"Whatcha want, Draco?" she snapped, turning around.

"You've got every right to be angry," he said.  "I really didn't mean to--"

"Yes you did," she cut him off, "you dropped the roots in so they'd splatter only so you
can wipe my face off."

He sighed, "Okay, you got me.  You're clever; I forgot that."

He admitted it.  Hermione stared in disbelief.

"I've always liked your cleverness, Granger," he flattered, "oh yes, the girls from my house
can't even hold a candle to you."

"W-what are you talking about?"

He folded his arms, "I wasn't surprised that you became a prefect.  I was hoping you'd
become one, in fact.  You know you're the first muggle born prefect?"

"Yes, well, besides Harry's mother."

"I didn't know Potter's mother," he said.

This made Hermione nervous.  Why was Draco suddenly being nice to her?

"So, congratulations, Granger," he said.

"Thanks," the word just sprang from her mouth.

"So, are you still involved with that Victor Krum guy?" he asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business!" She snapped, turning her back to him.

"Hey, don't go!" he questioned, going after her.  "What happened, Granger?  Did he hurt
your feelings in some way?  I really want to know!"

"Fine," she muttered, turning to him again and walking up to him.  "You really want to know,
Malfoy?  Victor didn't dump me; I dumped him!  He was a great quidditch player but he was
older than I am and he could never say my name right!  It was embarrassing! And now that I
dumped him I think I made a mistake because I feel alone again! And besides, I think he was
interested in someone else at his own school."

"I'm sorry, Granger," Said Draco.

"Are you?" she demanded.

"Of course I am."

She eyed him suspiciously, "Why do you care anyway?"

He shrugged, "well, like you said, he couldn't say your name right and everything. I've known
you longer too and I could say--"

"Are you sure, Malfoy?" she sneered, folding her arms, "you never called me by my first name,
not once!  You never call anyone by their first names."

"You're a bit feisty too," he said, "I like that!"

"Draco, this is very weird," she said, "for the past years at Hogwarts you wouldn’t give me the
time of day!  You don't like muggles or mudbloods so why are you trying to get on my good
side now, huh?"

"All right," Draco sighed, dropping his hand on her shoulder, making her gasp and back up a
bit, however, he kept his hold on her, "I'll be honest with you, Hermione--"

"You said my name," she whispered, surprised, "and you said it right!"

"Of course," he said, "just because I've never said it doesn't mean I don't know how to say it."

"You have a point there, Draco," she said, finding herself smiling, her teeth showing.

"Hey, you have a cute smile," he said.

This made her blush, "really?"

He nodded.  "That Victor Krum's no good for you, Hermione," said Draco, staring into her
eyes, "I could you offer you so much more. So much more." Saying this, he ran his hand
through her silky hair, which used to be very bushy and perhaps never had a brush touch it.
"You know, I only thought that only full-blooded magic people could really succeed.  In a
way, I guess you could say I was looking out for mudbloods.  Mudbloods, I figured, couldn't
become good witches or wizards.  But you proved me wrong, didn't you?"

"I try," she said casually.

"I guess a mudblood proving his or herself as a good witch or wizard is real magic," he said.

She nodded, "yes, that's right."

"So, how about we just put all the nonsense behind us, huh?" he asked, stepping closer to her,
"We can become friends, you know and maybe make some real magic together on our own?
What do you say, Hermione?"

"Well, Draco," she said, her face warm, "I'm flattered but--"

"But what?"

"You know.  I'm in Gryffindor House and you're in Slytherin.  No two people from Gryffindor
House and Slytherin house became friends."

"Yeah, we could make history together," he said.

"It would be interesting," she said, "and I'm very flattered, Draco, really but how do I know
if you're really sincere?  I mean, this could be a joke or something and--"she heard a noise
behind her and looked over her shoulder, "hey what was that--"

Before she turned all the way, Draco pulled Hermione close to him, his arms tight around her
back and kissed her on the lips.  She could feel him pressing her to him with his hands that were
on her back.  Hermione's eyes were wide open with surprise; her body ridged and her fingers
pointed to the floor.  For a split second, she wasn't sure what to do--whether to push him
away from her and scream, "Get away from me!"--Stay still until he finished kissing her--or to
kiss back.

Hermione realized that she was now getting a kiss--a real kiss--her first kiss.  Something she
believed she'd never receive, from anybody.  It wasn't that she dreamed about getting a kiss
but now she was getting one, she hoped to get some more.  It didn't matter to her now that it
was Malfoy kissing her.  Before he could end the kiss, she relaxed, closed her eyes and lifted
her hands up and they clamped onto his shoulders.  She felt something burning inside her, like
a hot flame and she didn't want it to be put out, even if it was about to burn her to a crisp.
Kissing Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, a rival, was all she wanted to do.  For a guy that did the
cruelest, most mischievous things, Draco Malfoy was one really good kisser.

Breathless, they pulled away and Hermione pecked his lips right away.  Then they stared into
each other's eyes, gasping for air.  Hermione could not believe what had just happened!  It was
her first kiss and it felt so good!  It was the most amazing thing she ever felt.  The funny thing
being that the guy who gave it to her was a Slytherin--Draco Malfoy--perhaps the one guy who
hated her the most in school.  He would never touch a mudblood, let alone kiss one.  But he
had kissed Hermione like there would be no tomorrow.

The only problem was, someone had seen them. Ron.  He was standing next to a wall, spying
on them.  He had only left the dormitories to sneak a snack from the kitchen before going to
bed.  But when he saw Hermione with Draco, of all the boys to wind up with, he suddenly lost
his appetite.  He saw everything from when Malfoy was telling her the lies about how he felt
about mudbloods and muggles to when he kissed her.  A sharp pain seared in his heart, like
what happened to Harry's scar when they were in danger or Voldemort was near.  It kept
getting stronger and ached throughout his whole body.  He clutched at his heart as if he was
having a heart attack.

'Hermione,' he thought, feeling his eyes sting with tears, 'why? Why?'  So he wouldn't get
caught, he quickly but quietly went to the Gryffindor tower.

"W-wow," she stammered, her heart beating as if it were about to burst, "I-I can't believe
it.  Wow."

"So, don't you think I'm sincere now?" he asked, his chest heaving.

"Y-yeah," she wheezed.  "You're a good kisser, Draco.  You know that was my first kiss
you just gave me?"

"I'm honored," he said.  "It was mine too."  But what he had just said was a lie.  He had
kissed some of the most attractive girls in Slytherin the past 2 years at Hogwarts, more
than just once.

"Then you must be a natural," she said, "because you seem to have had a lot of practice."

"We can practice if you'd like," he said, giving her a very sexy grin.

"Tempting, Draco," she said, "But I've really need to get to my house, in case someone
sees us.  We could both lose points."

"You're right," he said, "tomorrow then.  Goodnight."  He kissed her quickly on the lips
and left her standing in awe.  A chill journeyed down her spine and she shivered vehemently,
her arms around her.  Still surprised, she staggered to the fat lady's painting.

*****

"Well that was fast," said Harry when Ron came up.  He noticed no food with him.  "Ate it
right in the kitchen?"

"No, uh, lost my appetite." He said.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Huh, oh, yeah.  Yeah."

"You look like you've seen a ghost," said Harry.

"Harry, come on," Ron grunted "the castle's full of ghosts."

"Just an statement.  So did Myrtle appear while you were eating or something?  Last year
she was in the boys' bathroom while I was in the bath!"

"No, I didn't see Myrtle or any other ghost," he said to Harry and to himself, "I saw something
much worse than a ghost."  He crawled into his bed. He had lost Hermione to Draco, of all
people.  He gave Hermione her first kiss.  He was hoping to give Hermione her first kiss, on
the night of the Yule ball, but term had just started.  He and Hermione were at an end, and
they didn't even get to begin.

'But why, Hermione?' he thought, the image of Hermione kissing that jerk repeating over and
over in his mind. 'Why? Why?'

*****

"Password?"

"Oh--uh--" Hermione was so moved by Malfoy's gesture that she forgot the password.  "I
know this one--come on--I know this--"

The fat lady looked at her skeptically.  Before Hermione had to rack her mind more, Ginny
opened the portrait.

"Hey, what're you still doing up?" she asked, "You're supposed to be setting a good example
for the lower classmen, y'know."

"Just now coming to bed," she said with a grin and entered. "Thanks for opening the door,
Ginny."

"Uh, sure.  But you could've used the password."

"Forgotten it," she said, coming up the stairs.

"You forgot it?" Ginny demanded, "but how could you forget the password?  It's your cat!
See, there's Crookshanks right there!"

"Oh yeah, now I remember!" she said.  "Come here, Crookshanks!"

"Meowrrrr!" the cat seemed furious, as if it didn't recognize her.

"Silly kitty, don't you recognize me?" she tried to pet him but he let out a hiss and scratched
her hand.  "Ouch!  Crookshanks!"

The cat sped out of the girl's dormitory. "You stupid cat!" she yelled at him.

"Hermione, are you all right?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," she groaned, "but I can't believe he scratched me.  Crookshanks, my own cat!"

"Don’t worry, Scabbers bit Ron all the time," Said Ginny.

"Yeah, but Scabbers didn’t turn out to be really a rat, did he?" Hermione snapped.

"Well--no."

*****

Crookshanks entered the boy's dormitory and jumped on Ron's bed.  "Aggh! Checkmate!"

"Hey, it's Crookshanks!" Harry said, "it's okay Ron, it's only Hermione's cat."

"I wonder what he's doing in here," Ron said as the cat walked up on his chest and began
to make a bed with his claws.  "Ooh! Ow! Ouch!  Hey, go sleep on a rug or something!"

The cat laid down on its tummy and stared at Ron, as if he were trying to tell him something.
He purred lightly.

"Wow, this is funny," Ron said, scratching the orange-brown cat behind the ears, making
him purr more, "Crookshanks never seemed to like me much.  What a nice cat and to think
this cat tried to kill Scabbers---of course Scabbers was always useless and he wasn't really
Scabbers in the first place.  Such a good kitty, aren't you?"

Harry raised an eyebrow.  It was weird and he never heard Ron talk like that before.  He
groaned and turned over.

Ron was glad that Crookshanks came to see him, not because the cat was so smart or
anything, but because it belonged to Hermione and he wanted at least some part of her to
care for him, give him some attention, some tenderness, something he believed Hermione
would never give to him.  And the recent events surely proved that.
 
 
 

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Chapter 3