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Pansy's Volcano	By : Bluemidget57 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 206382 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Pansy's Volcano
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
- 18-Eighteen
- 19-Nineteen
- 20-Twenty
- 21-Twenty one
- 22-Twenty Two
- 23-Twenty Three
- 24-Twenty Four
- 25-Twenty Five
- 26-Twnety Six
- 27-Twenty Seven
- 28-Twenty Eight
- 29-Twenty Nine
- 30-Thirty
- 31-Thirty one
- 32-Thirty Two
- 33-Thirty Three
- 34-Thirty Four
- 35-Thirty Five
- 36-Thirty Six
- 37-Thirty Seven
- 38-Thirty Eight
- 39-Thirty Nine
- 40-Forty
- 41-Forty One
- 42-Forty Two
- 43-Forty Three
- 44-Forty Four
- 45-Forty Five
- 46-Forty Six
- 47-Forty Seven
- 48-Forty Eight
- 49-Forty Nine
- 50-Fifty
- 51-Fifty One
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 33
- 34
- 35
For those of you still following my little tale I apologise for the lateness of Ch 34. Real Life in the form of ambulances and hospitals has a way of wreaking havoc with ones writing plans. However, here we are at last.

Chapter Thirty Four

Pansy seemed calmer at lunch, although given Draco�s volatile overreaction to him the previous evening, Blaise deemed it wise not to approach the Head Boy quite just yet to try and smooth things over. It was plainly obvious anyway that her surface calm was not the product of a rational mind, but was merely covering up one which was frantically trying to produce a new and riskier plot to capture Malfoy.
Draco sat in what Blaise privately called the Hot Seat, to all intents and purposes making himself available to the general populace of the school. Blaise allowed his eyes to roam thoughtfully over to the Gryffindor table, and found the Head Girl positioned similarly. Currently she was talking to a young Hufflepuff; as Blaise watched she reached over and patted the girl�s hand, smiling encouragingly at her. The girl bobbed her head enthusiastically and made her way smiling back to the Hufflepuff table. Her place was almost immediately taken by another younger student who was treated with the same grace and attention by the Head Girl.
Blaise tried to find something in Hermione Granger�s demeanor which might suggest that she was suffering from any unusual or unexpected stress at all, but she appeared unchanged from the previous week. For the first time since he had spoken to Draco in the Prefect�s Office, Blaise began to doubt his conclusions. He knew that Granger was made of different stuff from the Slytherins; he was convinced that something like sleeping with Malfoy should have brought about some kind of shift in the girl�s mannerisms. Surely there was no way that one of those loyal, brave, straight as an arrow Gryffindors could lie with the �enemy� without it showing on their face. Maybe Draco had performed an obliviate on her? Or maybe he had been wrong after all, and it wasn�t Granger.
He looked back to his table, only to find that Draco was staring fixedly at him, apparently perfectly aware of where his own gaze had been resting minutes before. Draco narrowed his eyes and swung them thoughtfully towards the Gryffindor table as if simply checking what Blaise might have been looking at.

Shit, but this was getting messy! Blaise had never any desire to get on the wrong side of Malfoy; he was far too fond of the easy life to want to turn someone that powerful against him. He would have to think very carefully how to salvage the situation whilst still trying to contain Pansy�s malice.
His musings were interrupted by a sudden nervous silence at the table which was soon explained by the fact that the Head of Slytherin had left his seat at the High Table and was currently approaching with purpose in his step. Professor Snape halted briefly beside Draco, and invited smoothly,
�Mr Malfoy, I would like a word with you. Please arrive early for class this afternoon,� before gliding on his way, his teaching robes billowing out behind him.
Those students close enough to have heard Snape�s silkily issued invitation immediately began to cast each other worried glances. It was quite one thing to regard Draco as a hero for his sexual exploits in the privacy of the common room, but when their unpredictable Head of House began to show an interest in the situation, it could only mean that things were going to start getting uncomfortable in Slytherin.
Draco tried not to let a frown settle on his face; Snape had been inordinately relaxed this year, although anyone outside of Slytherin would barely have noticed it. Draco, who was very observant, had put this down to the fact that at last a member of his own house had been rewarded with something over the Gryffindors; that Draco had finally managed to beat Potter at Quidditch had been icing on the cake as far as Snape was concerned. Well, - that, and the largely unknown fact that Professor Snape had taken himself a lover.
Draco had a sudden fear that his escapade last night was going to put paid to the much pleasanter atmosphere which had pervaded their House so far this term, and he certainly didn�t want his contribution to the Slytherin 7^th form yearbook to read; Draco Malfoy, Stupid Git, He ruined Snape�s good mood! He hadn�t paused earlier during Muggle Studies to wonder how Snape had learnt of Pansy�s volcano, or what it meant, but all of a sudden the thought that Snape might know everything including the identity of the witch concerned, made his stomach heave unpleasantly.
He pushed away the last of his lunch suddenly not very hungry; since Potions was the next class, he might as well head straight on down to the dungeons and get this over and done with. He allowed himself one last quick look at Hermione to give himself courage and found her laughing at something one of the other Gryffindorks had said to her, a sight which did nothing to settle his churning stomach and only served to make him jealous that he did not have the freedom to casually tell her jokes which would made her eyes sparkle and her mouth curve up into the beautiful smile she was wearing now.
He stomped out of the Great Hall aware that Zabini was still watching him, but unconcerned for the moment.
He found Professor Snape in the classroom, dictating instructions onto the board with his wand. Despite the Professor�s contempt for foolish wand waving he was considerably better at it than most. �Ah, Mr Malfoy,� Snape said as he became aware of Draco�s presence. The wand stopped moving and hovered in the air waiting. �Please come in and shut the door.�
Draco did as he was bid, moving to stand before Snape�s desk. The Professor moved to the other side of the desk and settled into his chair, motioning Draco to seat himself also. �Why do you suppose I wish to speak with you today, Mr Malfoy?� Snape asked, steepling his fingers in front of him and watching Draco over the tips.
�Well, I would imagine it�s about what happened over the weekend, Sir,� Draco replied. He would be damned if he would let the older man intimidate him. �I figured out that you had heard about it during Muggle Studies this morning.�
�Exactly so,� Snape agreed. �However, I have decided against telling the Headmaster about what happened as I do not believe it reflects well on either yourself or Miss Parkinson. It has been several years since Slytherin House has been in the good standing we currently enjoy, thanks to your election as Head Boy.� He did not continue, but Draco could hear the implied words hovering in the air between them, Not since Potter came here�.

Draco sat up straighter in his chair. �Thank you, Sir.� He replied. �I do know that you were highly instrumental in recommending me for this position, and I don�t intend to let you down��
Snape pursed his lips. �That�s as maybe, Mr Malfoy,� he said. �However, if Professor Dumbledore had not first nominated your name to the short list, I fear there is nothing that one such as myself could have said nor done to sway the vote in your favour. In the past year I have watched you turn yourself around from a nasty whining, spoilt brat who expected everything to be handed to him on a silver plate, into quite a promising young man. I would hate to see you backsliding. Am I making myself clear?�
Whilst he had winced at Professor Snape�s less than flattering character analysis, Draco was also quite simply stunned to hear that the Headmaster had nominated him as a candidate; given his behaviour in the past he would have thought the old coot would have been pleased to see him fail in his attempt to reinvent himself, rather than try to assist him. He nodded quickly when Snape seemed to be expecting a response.
�I am going to ensure that Miss Parkinson does not make any further attempts to curtail or invade your personal life,� Professor Snape continued, �However, I expect that any future sexual encounters you may chose to indulge in will be undertaken with the utmost discretion. I don�t imagine I need to remind you that one of the many expectations of the Head Boy and Girl -� Draco�s heart nearly leapt out of his throat at Snape�s casual pairing of their names together - �is that they are guardians of moral behaviour here in Hogwarts, and should be setting an example for the whole school.� Oh, Merlin, he knows! He Knows! �Whilst the staff realises that it is virtually impossible to keep hormonal teenagers apart every minute of the day, inappropriate public displays and being caught in the act is simply unacceptable for those who have been gifted with the benefits of authority.�
Thanks only to years of training from his father, Draco managed to maintain a calm façade; his mind was racing and his heartbeat was so fast he could barely hear what the older man was saying above its thumping in his ears. He did remember however, to avoid making eye contact with Professor Snape, mindful that he was far too unnerved to keep the man out of his mind if he chose to try and penetrate for Draco�s memories of last night. Draco was trying to decide whether this was simply the general warning which it appeared on the surface or if Snape was making deeper and more subtle references to the identity of Draco�s partner. As a result he missed the first few words of Professor Snape�s next sentence.
��..Headmaster on his House unity campaign. I had thought it wise to separate you and Miss Granger for the rest of this project, but I am forced to admit that academically you are well matched; the work you have turned in together has been the best I have ever seen from either of you. An opinion which I expect that you will not share with Miss Granger. I do not believe in intruding on my student�s private lives as long as they stay that way - private. However, given the events of the past weekend I feel compelled to ask you whether this is over and done with now or is it the start of something which may cause repeated disturbances within Slytherin?�

Repeated disturbances? Draco rather admired the subtle understatement of Snape�s words. Oh yes, he could quite easily see the occurrence of repeated disturbances if ever Hermione�s identity was revealed. But he found he couldn�t lie about what had happened to him, however he tried to answer as ambiguously as possible for he was still unsure as to whether Snape had all the facts yet. �I don�t believe there will be any more reactions such as the one on Saturday night,� he said cautiously. �The object which Pansy charmed destroyed itself in the process of performing it�s function. The - relationship which caused it to activate is - new -�
Snape studied the Head Boy, �New and serious?� he questioned meaningfully.
Draco held his gaze for a long moment trying to read any emotion in the older man, but came up blank. He sighed. The truth then, �Yes - very.� He admitted finally.
Snape nodded once, seemingly oddly pleased with the answer. �Very well, in that case I have just one more thing I am going to say to you now. I do not know, nor do I have any wish to know, who it is that you were with this weekend. If, as you say, you have finally found someone you care deeply for, make perfectly sure that Miss Granger does not catch you in any compromising positions in your quarters. I expect you to be the very definition of discretion; do not do anything which might give the Head Girl reason for suspicion - or even worse confirmation - of an act which could end up with you being stripped of your badge,� he finished.
�That will be all, Mr Malfoy,� Snape added brusquely when it appeared that Draco had frozen in place in his seat. Draco leapt quickly to his feet and reached for the Professor�s hand, shaking it hard and vigorously. All he could grasp from the outcome of this conversation was that they were still undetected. Professor Snape tugged his hand away from the Head Boy�s thorough shaking and flexed his crushed fingers. �Very well, then. I suggest you go to your seat and take advantage of the extra minutes to begin writing down today�s notes. The rest of the class will be here shortly.�
It finally dawned on Draco that she would be here; in mere moments Hermione would be with him again. He felt ridiculously like a 2^nd year in the grip of his first crush. He could feel his palms getting sweaty and his heart was thundering so fast he was amazed that Snape couldn�t hear it. Wonderful, excellent, clever Snape for partnering them together and giving him the perfect opportunity to be with her in public! He flung himself down at the table which had become their usual workspace, thankful that the vindictive side of the Potions Master had made him send Hermione to sit with Draco at the back of the room, isolated from the other students. He hadn�t been so lucky in Transfiguration; McGonagall had planted them near the front where she could better keep an eye on the Slytherin.
Soon enough the noises of arriving students were heard outside of the classroom. Draco�s bubble was burst forcefully at the sight of Hermione walking in chatting happily to Anthony Goldstein, the bastard. For a heart-on-your-sleeve Gryffindor, she certainly seemed to be doing a lot better than him at the whole pretending nothing had happened game. Goldstein squeezed her arm sympathetically as she turned away from him and made her way towards Draco�s desk at the back of the class, and Draco felt the surge of angry magic flood his fingertips at the action. He sat on his hands, but Snape had obviously also felt the charge in the air for he unerringly turned to Draco and frowned thoughtfully.
Whoops. Nearly screwed up again, and it�s only day one! Need to get a better grip on this jealousy thing; admittedly a difficult task for poor Draco who had never actually experienced it before. And then she was there, right in front of him. Draco simply stared, at a loss for words.
�Malfoy,� she hissed eventually. �Are you going to shift over so I can sit down, or not?�
The fortuitous use of his last name when he had been lost in his memories of her sobbing, �Draco, oh God, Draco!� underneath him as she climaxed in his arms last night, managed to bring him back to a sense of his surroundings, and he pinned a derisive smirk on his face which he knew didn�t quite reach his eyes, and retorted. �Nah, I don�t think so, Granger. You can sit round the other side today!�
He caught Snape sending him a warning scowl which clearly said �Make nice with her!� from the lectern and congratulated himself on his fumbled save of the situation. Hermione simply snorted her displeasure although her eyes were downcast and hidden under her lashes, and marched around to take the seat on his right.
Immediately he could feel the heat of her body and the undeniable effect it was having on his own; if he had found these partnered classes uncomfortable before the past weekend, it was nothing compared to how distracting he found her presence at his side now that he knew how she tasted, how she sounded in the grip of passion.
He had never found it so hard to concentrate in a class before and it didn�t help to watch her quill flying across the page as if she hadn�t a concern in the world. Who would have ever thought that little Miss Perfection would be better at the lies and deception than the Prince of Slytherin himself?
It wasn�t until Hermione stuck her hand up to answer a question posed by Snape that Draco felt brave enough to turn and look at her, and immediately wished he had done so earlier for he discovered that her eyes were fixed glassily on the board and that her fringe was sticking damply to her forehead as if she were sweating nervously. She even breathed a sigh of relief when Snape - as usual - did not call upon her to answer, and Draco realised that the arm waving had all been for effect. He allowed his eyes to scan her parchment quickly and found that there was nothing but gibberish written there, although doodled carefully in the margin was his name surrounded by swirls and curlicues and little flowers, and his heart took another unplanned leap up into his throat, so that he had to stare very hard at the desk to prevent anyone else seeing the foolish smile which spread across his features. They would obviously have to come to some kind of agreement or neither of the Head students would get any work done, and end up failing the whole year in disgrace.
As Hermione�s hand fell back into her lap when Snape called on Padma Patil to answer the question, Draco allowed his right hand to creep slowly over under cover of the desk and their robes, and catch a hold of hers. She jumped almost imperceptibly in her seat, but managed not to turn and look at him, only acknowledging his action by the returning pressure of her own fingers as she allowed them to entwine with his. They sat thus until the end of the period and oddly enough, although the touch of her skin caused a definite pressure in the front of his uniform, the contact seemed to finally stabilise his thoughts and he managed to return his attention to the class; he thought Hermione�s concentration seemed similarly improved. Good thing he had been a jerk when she arrived this afternoon, making her sit in the other seat. Good thing he was left handed. He resolved to sit on this side for all the rest of the classes they shared together.

***********
Hermione gathered her books together with shaking hands when Professor Snape dismissed the class. She had thankfully caught sight of her artistic faux-pas as she rolled her parchment up and vanished it quickly with her wand. Had Draco seen, she wondered? Did he know she was doodling his name on her notes like a love-struck 2^nd year? Merlin, let him not have seen it! Her hand actually felt cold and empty from the loss of his own as they had to separate and present their usual image to the world.
They were moving to DaDa next, a class they both obviously took, but which contained also Harry, Ron, Blaise Zabini and a host of other people who could never be allowed to catch them feeling less than intense dislike for each other. He had confused her horribly with something as simple as holding her hand; Draco Malfoy was not a demonstrative person. Everyone knew this as readily as they knew of his sexual exploits; despite the number of witches his name had been linked to, he had never been seen walking around the castle holding hands with any one of them, nor sitting casually with an arm around some girl�s shoulders. He did not flaunt his conquests nor acknowledge them openly like most of the boys in school. Harry and Ginny were often to be seen cuddling in between classes, and they rarely went anywhere together if they weren�t hand in hand. Even shy Neville had come out of his shell and could be seen submitting to PDA�s from Parvati. It was a trend prevalent in all the Houses, not merely her own.
But not with Draco Malfoy; she had supposed before this year, if she had ever spared the time to consider it at all, that it had been that whole we�re better-than-anyone-else Malfoy pomposity which had prevented him from behaving like a normal teenage boy, but from where she was standing today, nervous and confused, she couldn�t help but wonder why no one had ever seen him out with a girl.
She just wished she knew what was going on inside his head�.Hell, at the moment she would have settled for knowing what was going on inside her own!! She couldn�t walk to DaDa with him; that would be totally out of character, so heaving a sigh she turned her back to him and quickly caught up with Tony Goldstein. She was quite pleased that she had done so well in acting like nothing had happened between them; she would never have believed herself capable of it this morning. It all went to show what the human spirit could produce when under pressure.
She was completely unaware of the murderous glance which followed her exit from the class with the Ravenclaw prefect. Professor Snape caught the tail end of it however, as he turned from clearing the board just as Draco passed by his desk. �Mr Malfoy,� he warned, �I suggest you don�t glower at the Head Girl in that manner. It is the choice which has been made and you need to live with it.�
For the first time that day, Draco managed to think about something that wasn�t Hermione, and oddly enough it was to be surprised that Snape was so totally off base in his assumptions about Draco�s feelings for the Head Girl. He had always regarded Professor Snape as perceptive and insightful, yet his observations today had been so wildly far off the mark that Draco couldn�t help wondering if he had overestimated the older man. He smiled his first genuine smile of the day. �I�m sorry, Sir,� he said calmly. �I promise I will try to see the Head Girl in a new light from now on.� I think candlelight and us totally naked might be a good place to start�

He followed Hermione and the treacherous Ravenclaw to DaDa at a discreet distance, admiring the sway of her hips and the way all that glorious wild hair of hers bounced on her shoulders as she walked; there was some benefit to trailing behind her in this manner after all. And it was some small comfort that Goldstein also lost her as soon as they reached the classroom for she immediately defected to Potter�s side and settled herself between him and Longbottom to await the arrival of Remus Lupin, who had returned to teach in 6^th year once Draco�s own father was out of the way and unable to lead a protest against his reinstatement. Secretly, Draco found him to be an excellent teacher, but Merlin forbid he ever admit to it out loud.
Draco calculated he probably had at most five or six hours to get through before he could see her alone in the Study, and approach her to amend the seating plan minutely for Pansy�s maximum embarrassment. Unfortunately since it was Monday, there was a Prefect meeting to be fitted in some time this evening also. Not a prospect he was particularly looking forward to, as Pansy was still the 7^th year Slytherin Prefect, and would have to attend unrestrained by Zabini - who seemed to have decided to try and monitor her for some odd reason which escaped Draco.
He had not missed hearing Professor Snape say that he intended to deal with Pansy, but Draco�s own pride refused to let him abdicate the responsibility for dealing with her infraction to another, even if it was the Head of their House.
Actually, he thought hopefully, with a bit of luck he might catch Hermione in the Library before the dinner hour even, and possibly persuade her into a heated snogging session in the Restricted Section where no one could disturb them without a pass from one of the teachers. He felt immediately more cheerful at this plan, which meant he really only had about ninety minutes before he could get her alone again. Merlin, he had it so bad!

Lupin arrived and immediately paired everyone up to begin practicing disarming hexes on each other; evidently he hadn�t gotten the memo which declared that the Head Boy and Girl were to be partners in all classes. He directed Draco to work with Parvati and Hermione to pair up with Terry Boot. Well, Draco consoled himself, at least it wasn�t Goldstein.
The class passed quickly; it wasn�t a good idea to allow your attention to wander when hexes were flying freely around the classroom and Draco felt confident to say that it was probably the first time that day that his thoughts had stayed focused on something other than Hermione for longer than 10 minutes at a time. How are the mighty fallen that he could consider this the crowning achievement of his day.
He watched surreptitiously as Hermione left the room flanked by Potter and Weasley, with Longbottom and his own class partner trailing in their wake. Vince and Greg, whom Lupin had paired with each other obviously in an effort to save the rest of the students from disaster, were still attempting to retrieve Vince�s wand from the chandelier where Greg had sent it in one of his attempts to summon it to himself. Sighing, Draco accio�ed it down and placed it in Vince�s hand. Both of the larger boys shuffled their feet and muttered faint apologies to which Draco shook his head and motioned them to follow him.
They were halfway back to the dungeons when Vince and Greg suddenly stopped in the middle of the corridor and Greg spoke words which Draco had never imagined hearing from either of them. �Ah, Draco - we were wondering if it would be all right with you if we just went to the library for a bit now?�
Draco was struck speechless, an uncomfortable state of affairs which up until this moment in time had only ever been brought about by the Head Girl. �You want to go where?� he managed at last.
�Yeah, well we heard that there�s a new book in there about Australia, and since I have to research Kangaroos, you know - I thought there might be some pictures in it I could look at -� Greg continued justifying his request, seemingly alarmed by Draco�s uncharacteristic silence into thinking that he had asked for something forbidden.
Draco was hardly listening however; he had already started to analyse how his friends� sudden desire to partake in the academic facilities Hogwarts offered might facilitate his own plans for the afternoon. �That�s an excellent idea,� he agreed nodding to them. �I�m pleased you�re taking this seriously. We should be able to show Dumbledore that Slytherin can rise to any challenge he gives us.�
Vince nodded. �You know what, Draco,� he muttered in a low confiding tone. �Some of those books in the Muggle section are really interesting. My parents never told me that Muggles could do half the things they can. I would really love to drive a car one day; a Ferrari. A red one.�
Draco made an immediate mental note to find out what a Ferrari was. It simply would not do for Vincent Crabbe to know something he did not. He turned his feet in the direction of the library, noticing that his steps seemed much lighter now that he was on his way towards Hermione.
�Did you get a subject for the Social Night yet?� Greg asked as they made their way up the stairs.
Had he? Draco certainly hadn�t been thinking about his invitation for the past 48 hours, his mind had been full of other things; curvaceous, soft, feminine Gryffindor things. �I don�t know,� he admitted. �I haven�t looked since Friday. H - Granger suggested that our topic might be the actual organizing of the party. Maybe the staff of the Hotel will be testing to see how well it turns out.� It felt awkward talking about Hermione with the two other boys; all of a sudden he felt uncomfortable referring to her so impersonally, and he was sure the tone of his voice had changed entirely as he mentioned her.
Luckily neither of his companions seemed to notice anything amiss. Greg nodded and after casting a quick glance around to check that they were alone he lowered his voice to a whisper as Vincent had done so recently and confided to Draco. �She�s not so bad either, is she? I mean, she was real helpful to us last week when we asked her if she�d ever been to Australia, talked to us real polite - you know - as if we�d never done mean things to her in the past.�
Draco found himself at a loss for words again. The other boys gave him an odd look as if they were expecting a reply, and he finally realised that whatever he chose to say now might possibly be the most influential words he spoke in his whole life. They had opened their eyes and seen beyond the classic doctrines which their house and their families had emphasized for the whole of their lives, and they were tentatively asking for him to confirm that it was okay.
That it was Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe who were the first Slytherins to openly question centuries of pureblood propaganda and tradition was something which Draco found at the same time both incredible and yet fitting. Sure their outward appearance gave the impression that they were little more than inbred muscle from somewhere near the bottom of the gene pool, but once he had spared the effort to get to know them personally Draco had found that their friendship had its own rewards. They would definitely never challenge him mentally but that was one of the things which made Hermione so sexy to him; her ability to match up to him in so many areas. Crabbe and Goyle�s friendship was more soothing, he never felt he had to compete with them - they were probably the only people in Hogwarts who actually accepted him without any expectations.
He wanted, he really did, to say the right thing to the boys about Muggles and Purebloods and the political standpoint of the Dark Lord, but all mixed in with the bigger questions which needed answering here, was the fact that he was standing here having just shagged the Head Girl�s brains out - or more accurately perhaps, let her shag his brain out - something he didn�t dare expose to the predominantly unrepentant portion of Slytherin House. He really had no idea how to answer fairly without prejudicing himself.
Greg and Vince were still waiting for his response, and in fact were beginning to look worried that they had made a mistake by asking in the first place. He really had to find something to say quickly and ambiguously so as to reassure them without giving away his personal involvement. �I think that the Governors made a good choice for Head Girl this year,� he decided on finally. �I am sure Granger would never turn away any student who approached her for help, no matter which House he came from.�
Greg nodded sagely and Vince suddenly broke into cackles of laughter which caused Draco to give him a concerned look. �Greg fancies her,� he confided to Draco when he could contain himself, causing the other boy�s round face to flush bright red, and received a sharp whack to the back of his head as a result.
�I do not,� Greg muttered defensively. �I just said I thought she looked pretty in that costume at the Halloween Ball.�
Vince hooted. �Hell, all the guys in the school thought she looked pretty in that costume, Greggers,� he taunted. �Who knew she was hiding all that under her prissy little Gryffindor robes? But the rest of us weren�t moaning her name in their sleep like you did the following week! Oh! Her-mi-oneeee�!�

�Vincent Crabbe. You said you�d never mention that to a living soul!� Greg hissed, poking the other boy fiercely in his shoulder with his wand.
�Hey! It�s just Draco,� Vince objected, pushing the wand away. �He would have heard you himself if he wasn�t Head Boy and got his own room! Tell him, Draco!� he added for emphasis, turning to their friend and wondering why he was so silent.
Draco had his eyes shut. This had to be a nightmare, surely. He could not possibly have just heard Vincent Crabbe tell him that Gregory Goyle of all people had a crush on his girl. Could things possibly get any worse? �Draco - are you all right?� Vince�s suddenly concerned voice cut into his musings and he took a deep breath before opening his eyes and training a fierce glare on both boys.
�No, I�m not all right.� Draco snapped. �This conversation did not happen, I don�t want to hear another word about you and Granger, Greg! Not another murmur, not a whisper! I certainly don�t want to know you�ve been entertaining dirty little fantasies about m - about her in your bed at night!�
The other boys were quiet for a moment, taken aback by his sudden virulence when Draco had been so happy moments earlier. Vince was thinking hard, a process which was visible by the lines of concentration etched onto his face. �So you�re saying it�s okay to talk to her about school and stuff, but you don�t reckon we should be thinking about dating Muggle girls, then?� he concluded after much rumination.
Draco wanted to rip his hair out. Sometimes talking to them was like pulling teeth. �No; what I think is that if you want to paddle around in the gene pool you should start at the shallow end.� They stared blankly. �Date all the Muggle girls you want; just not the Head Girl, okay?� He stated clearly enough to leave no doubt of his meaning. �Oh, forget it - let�s just get to the library and see to your Kangaroo book.� Library�Hermione�. �Just how did you hear there was a new book in the library anyway?� He asked, finally catching the inconsistency in this picture.
�Ah, well - Granger suggested we ask Pince to send us an owl when the book came in; she got it loaned from the library in Diagon Alley..� Greg trailed off hesitantly as Draco�s face darkened again. �Look, Draco - we know you�ve just got together with a new girl and all that,� he mumbled, deciding that he may as well really push the boat out, �And we know you�re really pissed at Pansy, and you should be too, but it isn�t Granger�s fault, and we - I think you should try and be nicer to her!� He finished in a rush before his nerve failed him. �Don�t hurt me!� he added suddenly in a high pitched squeak when Draco didn�t respond.
�I�m not going to hurt you, Greg,� Draco sighed wondering if everyone in Hogwarts was in a conspiracy to try and revise his hypothetically bad opinion of Hermione Granger. They would probably all choke on their tongues if they had any idea of his actual opinion of the Head Girl! �You are just the second person today to tell me to make more of an effort with He - Granger, and I am a little shocked to say the least. Okay? Now let�s go and do this -�
�You don�t have to come if you don�t want to,� Vince put in helpfully, �We�re getting the hang of this library thing now, you know. We�ve been twice in the past week!�
There was absolutely no way that Draco was going to let these two get near Hermione this evening without him. He actually snorted at the idea. �No, I�ll come with you. I should start getting to know her better apparently.� They looked alarmed. �I�m joking! I have to talk to her about some business for the Social Evening, as it happens, so it will be a good idea to go with you. Come on, then.�
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Next time up, a visit to the library, and a Prefect Meeting complete with all the usual suspects.
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Pansy's Volcano