Actions

Work Header

Chapter 2: Good Crookshanks

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

     Hermione woke up the next morning earlier than usual, as the birds had yet to even start making noise. She felt eager to start the day and Crookshanks seemed to share that sentiment as he pawed at her face to wake her. 

     “Mmh. Crooks please. I’m getting up”, she grumbled and pushed the orange cat away slightly as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes and looked around at the almost fully packed room. No time like the present. She stretched her arms up above her head before she stalked towards the bathroom at a torturously slow pace, hoping to stay quiet and not wake Malfoy. 

     Once she was back in her room and dressed, she started to unpack her trunk, taking her time to place each book with care on the shelves. Once they were placed, her next mission was to try and fix the way the shelves dipped with just the sheer weight of the books. She was unsuccessful and gave up officially around half an hour when her stomach let out a low rumbling noise. 

     She let out a sigh of defeat and exited the sanctuary of her room in the direction of the common room’s kitchen, where she found Malfoy leaning back against the counter, an apple in hand. She could be civil. 

     “Good morning”, she greeted with an attempted cheerfulness that she was sure fell short. Malfoy simply ignored her, not looking up from his reflection in the unblemished apple, most likely couldn’t stop staring at himself. 

     Hermione took a deep breath and tried again. “Tea?” She lifted the muggle kettle she had requested from the house elves. “I’m making some for myself and I think we should talk.” When he yet again didn’t respond, she continued. “About setting ground rules for the dorm since we will be living together for the rest of the year and I don’t quite fancy the idea of y-”

     “Fine”, was all he said, effectively cutting her off. His eyes left the apple and found hers, his permanent scowl still stuck on his face even though she had just graciously offered him tea. Prick. 

     After she made the tea and they were both sitting at the kitchen table, she started on her lingering list of questions she had thought of in the shower. She knew the answer to the first one but just needed another verbal confirmation. 

     “Are you really the Head Boy? This isn’t a joke?” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table and Malfoy looked up at her again, his grey eyes harshly digging into her. They looked bored with her repeated questions. 

     “Cross my heart, Granger”, he said slowly, very obviously talking down to her as his hand raised to trace a soft ‘X’ over his heart. He then leaned back in his chair on its two back legs and took a sip of his tea and continued, “Believe me, I want to be here as much as you want me to be here.” This for some reason enraged Hermione even more. 

     “If you don’t even want it, why would you say yes?!” She sputtered like he just said the most egregious thing ever, and in her mind, he did. 

     “You say this like I had a choice. Would you ever say no to McGonagall?” He raised a blond eyebrow in her direction, knowing the answer was a firm no. 

     “I guess that’s all the confirmation I needed.” She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “Well, yours and Professor McGonagall’s” Hermione said, like that was supposed to be obvious. Malfoy decided to finally sit up straight again, the chair creaking when the two front legs hit the ground. 

     “Oh, speaking of which,” He leaned forward on his elbows, edging closer to her over the small table. “I received a letter from McGonagall this morning, asking me to meet with her this afternoon to talk about my absence at the Welcoming Feast. I guess I have to thank you for that.”, Malfoy jibed. 

     “Well, it is true.” Hermione protested, leaning backwards to increase the space he had just breached. “You were absent, and besides, did you really expect me not to say anything to Professor McGonagall? It is my duty as a Head Girl to report any students who aren’t fulfilling their duties, Head Boy included.” She jutted her chin out slightly like she was waiting for him to challenge her. When it never came, she continued, “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. We need to set some rules if we’re going to coexist as Heads for the rest of the school year, since we share a living space and all.”

     Malfoy held in an incredulous eye roll before taking another sip. “Go ahead then, Granger”. As he placed his mug back on the kitchen table, the large orange cat hopped up onto it, moving to stretch out in the middle like he owned it. 

     “I think we should meet once a week to write down and arrange the Prefect’s reports for McGonagall and assign patrols.” She said quickly, remembering to add the next part before she lost her nerve. “Also, no mingling with friends in this common room or bringing whoever your new girlfriend of the month might be. If you want to do any of that, you can do it somewhere else.” She let out a breath once it was out there, her hand mindlessly going to run through Crookshanks’ fur. 

     “Fine by me, Granger. Whatever you say”, he said sarcastically, “but the same goes to you. I don’t want to see Scarhead or Weaselbee hanging around here. Place’s tainted enough by that ugly bloody cat.” His tone was laced with the same amount of disgust that crossed his features as he eyed the animal on the table. 

     Before she could reply and defend poor Crookshanks, he was standing and heading to the portrait without another word, leaving her in silence. 

 

     Hermione only had a class left before lunch. She had always enjoyed Charms with Professor Flitwick and this year was no exception. She sat in the front,  her quill splattering ink all over her hands with the speed she was copying every word he spoke. It was a nice distraction from the unfortunate living situations she would be forced to return to.

     After she exited the classroom with Neville, they walked towards the Great Hall Entrance. Her eyes scanned the room quickly but she caught herself before they had reached the Slytherin table. She rolled her shoulders back and then moved to sit at the Gryffindor table with Ginny, Harry and Ron, who had already started eating. Before she could even reach for food, Ginnys’ elbow landed firmly on her ribs. 

     “Ow!”, Hermione said and put a hand over where she had been jabbed, her other hand reaching to still collect food. Ginny was staring at her expectantly, waiting for what seemed like an answer to a question. 

     When none came from Hermione, the redhead then spoke, “How is your new dorm?”, her voice was full of excitement, ready for the gossip Hermione would inevitably give. Even though Hermione refused to call it gossip, she believed Lavender and the Patil twins gossiped enough for everyone. “Who is the Head Boy? I haven’t seen him around, I think.” She leaned forward on her hand.

     Hermione glanced in her direction before letting out a sigh. “It’s Malfoy”. Her words were barely audible but the entire table had heard nonetheless. 

     Ginny, Harry and Ron stopped eating, looked up and spoke at the same time, “Malfoy?!”. Ginny was the first one to speak separately after their joined confusion. 

     “If I were you, I would’ve hexed him the moment I stepped through that portrait. Please tell me you did that.” Her brown eyes were lit up with the idea of hexing Malfoy silly. 

     “I didn’t, obviously, though I should have. I thought it was a joke or something.” She huffed as her fork stabbed the food in front of her with more aggression than necessary. “I even went to Professor McGonagall’s Office and she said this is what the school needs right now, whatever that means”. 

 


 

     On the opposite side of the Great Hall, at the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy was gesturing angrily and talking, well, complaining to Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson.

     “She’s such a bitch.” He scowled and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to steady his gesturing hands and regain control. “She had no right to complain to McGonagall. You know what the old hag told me? She said if I fail in my duty as Head Boy one more time, she will be taking my badge.” He scoffed, “Ridiculous”.

     Pansy was the first to speak up, her hand reaching across the table to rest over his in an almost possessive manner. “Yeah. She’s truly wretched. So swotty. She has nothing better to do.” Pansy scoffed and Theo snorted.

     “Could be worse, yeah? You could be living with Pansy, for Salazar's sake.” Theo snickered and leaned out of the way of the incoming swat of the Slytherin’s manicured claws. 

     “Shut it, Theodore.” She hissed at him before turning her attention back to Draco. She squeezed his hand but he pulled it from under her grip to grab his water. He raised the cup to his lip before lowering it again. He had decided he wasn’t done complaining. 

     “I can’t explain it. She’s just-” He huffed and raised the cup to his lips once more. 

     “It’s only day two and she’s driving me insane.” He drank the water, finally finished complaining. For lunch at least. 

 


 

     A week later at the Gryffindor table, Hermione took a deep breath and ran both her hands through her curls, trying to tame them down but inevitably making them worse. She had been so strained with Malfoy. They had barely said four words to each other all week and he was always lurking. Everytime she wanted to shower he had already claimed it and every time she stepped into the kitchen he was already there eating breakfast. It was like he had learned her schedule just to disrupt it. She was going to implode at this rate. 

     “-he’s a right git, I tell you. First thing he said to me this morning,” she cleared her throat and dropped her voice and changed it to an obnoxiously posh accent to mock him, “Hope you don’t mind doing the Prefects’ write ups. I’ve got plans, Granger”, she then groaned and put her face in her hands. “I'm going to lose my mind. This is it. This is how I go absolutely mad. I will be in St. Mungo’s by October if he keeps this up.” She exclaimed into her hands. Ginny reached an arm out and patted her shoulder, attempting to offer some semblance of comfort. That's when Hermione felt it, the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, the thickness in the air suddenly palpable, almost touchable. 

     Hermione felt she was being watched, no, knew she was being watched. So she lifted her eyes from her hands and pushed her hair back behind her ears once more. She glanced to the side and immediately met Malfoy’s stone cold eyes across the Hall, where he was sitting with his friends. His eyes went from annoyed to angry within a second and he stared her down with an icy glare before turning back to his conversation. 

     She brought her attention back to her friends and let out a soft huff of defeat. Harry placed a hand on top of Hermione’s and said, “Don’t worry, Hermione. If Malfoy gives you too much trouble, you let us know and we will handle it. We got your back. I have no problem hexing him into graduation”. 

     Hermione gave him a warm smile and nodded, “Thanks, Harry.” 

     They finished their lunch with random conversations about Quidditch and then went back to their afternoon classes. 

 

     Hermione had been patrolling for two hours. The only thing that could be heard was her footsteps echoing against the flagstone. Her mind was elsewhere as she thought of how all she wanted was to get in bed and read with Crookshanks. When she rounded the corner of a dark hallway and suddenly heard a moan. She froze dead in the spot, a part of her brain telling her that her mind was playing tricks. 

     Holding her wand, she casted “Lumos” and started searching for the source of the hopefully non-existent noise but couldn’t find it. 

    She took a deep breath and decided to make her way back to the dormitories, clearly this was a sign that she needed sleep. Except when she walked by one of the classroom’s doors and heard the moan again, clearly coming from that classroom, she didn’t freeze. She knew what she heard. She gripped her wand a little tighter in her hand before she pushed the door open and held her wand out. Nothing could have prepared her for what the wand had illuminated. 

     Hermione felt rooted to the floor, speechless with the sight in front of her. If she wanted to move, she couldn’t. If she wanted to talk, she couldn’t. She was stuck and her breath somehow failed to work. 

     It was Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson against one of the desks, his head in the crook of her neck. Her leg was wrapped around his hip and his fingers dug into her thigh, keeping her in place against the rickety desk. Her head was thrown back as she moaned each time his hips snapped against hers. 

     When she came back to her senses, which took a longer period of time than she’d like to admit, she spoke.

     “Merlin's Beard!”, she exclaimed and put a hand over her eyes. They either didn’t hear her or they seemed intent to ignore her and continue the thrill. She shifted her weight and cleared her throat loudly, “Malfoy!” and they stopped, both their heads snapping in her direction with an angry expression. Draco released his tight grip on Pansy’s thigh and she pulled her shirt together. Once the moaning stopped, Hermione dropped her hand from her eyes. 

     “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Granger?”, Pansy spat, her hand still clutching the open and broken buttons of her shirt. Hermione stiffened under her gaze. 

     “I should be the one asking you that, Parkinson, it is after curfew, after all. You shouldn’t be outside your House this late.” She crossed her arms tightly over her chest before her gaze shifted to Malfoy who looked capable of murder in this moment. “Ten points from Slytherin, from each of you, and I’ll have to report this to the Headmistress.” Hermione said, almost triumphantly, entertaining the possibility of getting Malfoy’s badge removed.

     Malfoy stepped away from Parkinson and quickly fixed his trousers. As he buttoned them, he turned and stood, facing Hermione. Somehow his face had only become more menacing. 

     “You can’t take points away from me. I’m the Head Boy”, Malfoy scoffed. “And besides, any points you took from her, I can give them back. Use your brain, Granger.” He fixed the buttons of his shirt while he spoke, flattening the white cotton that had been wrinkled under Pansy’s grip. 

     “I am clearly using my brain, Malfoy. You are breaking one of the school rules, if you haven’t noticed you wer-” 

     Pansy let out an obnoxious laugh, interrupting Hermione mid-sentence.  “As if you had any idea of what was happening just now, you frigid mudb-” Hermione felt a chill run up her spine. She uncrossed her arms and took a step forward as she raised the vinewood wand to Parkinson’s half exposed chest. She gave her a look like she was tempting her to try and complete her statement.

     “Go ahead Parkinson, finish that sentence”, Hermione prompted with a raised eyebrow. Pansy didn’t. When she was satisfied with the look of anger and disbelief plastered on the raven-haired girl’s face, she lowered her wand and pocketed it in her robe, “but good luck trying to explain this to Professor McGonagall tomorrow.” She turned on her heel to the door, pausing when she heard Malfoy speak.

     “Don’t you dare, Granger”, He practically growled and Hermione turned her head so her side profile was illuminated by the light in the hallway. 

     “Watch me”, and with that, she rolled her shoulders back and her posture turned smug as she left the classroom, heading straight to her dorm. 

 

Notes:

Updates will be on Sundays. You might get a treat on Wednesdays!