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Pansy's Volcano	By : Bluemidget57 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 206366 -:- 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
- 34
- 35
- 36
Chapter Thirty Five

As Hermione left the DaDa classroom she breathed a sigh of relief. The first day was over, and she had survived it! The skirmish with Pansy after Herbology had turned out to be the only minor disturbance; just the other girl finding a scapegoat to vent her pain upon. Hermione felt almost giddy when she considered how much worse it could have been. She had forcefully impressed upon Neville that there was no need to tell Harry and Ron about Pansy�s blow-up, and so far he seemed to have respected her wishes because the boys were not getting all huffy and defensive as they usually did when they decided the Slytherins were plotting against them. So far their suspicions of this morning had not led them to suppose that whatever was wrong in the other house would directly affect them; if Neville mentioned Pansy�s melt down after Herbology, that could all change very quickly.
Harry apologized for abandoning her, but said they had the Quidditch pitch booked, and since it was getting dark so early they had to run and get the best use of the remaining daylight. Hermione was happy to send them off and make her way to the library; she felt a need to try and make sense of today�s notes, particularly from Potions where Draco�s proximity had turned her brain to mush, and resulted in absolute gibberish flowing from her quill. She still could hardly believe that the dismal offering which glared back at her from her parchment could actually be a product of her own hand.
As the boys scuttled off to collect their brooms, Hermione made her way slowly towards the library. She wasn�t at all sure what to expect next from this incredible development. Draco had made no attempt to explain why he had suddenly chosen to ignore years of animosity; his parting from her this morning had implied (at least in Hermione�s treacherous mind) that he was not treating the experience as a just one night stand. Or a two night stand. Well, certainly as something which might happen again.
Did she really want to continue with something which had never been defined? There was no denying that together they were incendiary, even with as limited experience as she had, she could recognise that the passion which flared between them was uncommon. But could something which burned so bright last beyond the initial spark? Should she just let the lust take its course, and put it down to experience, or should she try and talk it out with him, push him to confess exactly what it was that he perceived they were doing, and as a consequence maybe lose the opportunity to experience it again?
For the first time in her life Hermione thought she might actually be intending to accept something without understanding it; she had a horrible suspicion that she really, really wasn�t ready to admit to herself just exactly what had happened to her this weekend.
There was a Monday Prefect�s Meeting tonight, and she absolutely had to get her thoughts in line before she had to sit in a room which contained Pansy, Ron and Draco, trying to look like nothing had changed!
She had reached the library subconsciously, her steps taking her to her usual table in the far corner where she was less easily disturbed by students who seemed totally unable to read the signs which asked for Quiet Please, let alone the actual words printed in the books. She spread her papers in front of her and tried to extract Snape�s homework assignment from the scribble which comprised her notes for the lesson.
Unfortunately, what she actually discovered was that she had managed to doodle Draco�s name twice more in the midst of a woefully incomplete list of the properties of dried dragonfly wings. In a fit of temper she burnt his name from both places with the end of her wand, leaving two black scorch marks on her parchment, and immediately she had done this, she leant over and hit her forehead on the smooth wooden surface of the table, moaning aloud.
It was in this position that Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle discovered her.
�Uh - Granger,� one of them began, and she groaned as she straightened up. The boys were trying hard this year; she had to give them credit for that - they had seemed remarkably eager to obtain her help on the discussion topic for the Social evening, and despite their House she had felt unable to turn them away. Wasn�t this what Dumbledore wanted, after all?
�Hey, guys,� she responded, pushing a hand through her hair which seemed to have escaped it�s confines and bushed out all over the place in just the few moments she had been resting her head against the table. She turned towards them and found herself staring straight into a pair of bright silvery grey eyes. The rest of her greeting froze on her tongue, as she burned from the heat in his gaze.
Luckily, her brief salutation was perfectly adequate for Crabbe and Goyle, who were not much prone to trivial conversation anyway (hence, she supposed, Dumbledore�s attempt to broaden horizons with this Social evening) . They sat down opposite her and immediately launched into the purpose of their visit, rambling happily on about the book which they had just obtained from Madam Pince, whilst Hermione and Draco simply stared at each other, oblivious.
�Restricted Section, ten minutes,� Draco finally mouthed to her over Crabbe�s (or was it Goyle�s?) head, and then turned away to disappear into the aforementioned area of the library. Released from the distraction of his presence, Hermione was finally able to give her attention back to the other boys. She took some index cards from her satchel and tried to explain to them how to make notes of the most salient points onto the cards as a memory aid, which would be convenient to slip into a pocket for confidence on the night. Vincent and Gregory seemed uncommonly fascinated with the brightly colored lined cards, and Hermione thought sadly that it was a shame so few purebloods were allowed exposure to Muggle ingenuity.
It took her twenty minutes to deal with their questions and convince them that their efforts would be more than adequate for them to get a passing mark on the subject. When they finally stood up from her desk and made to leave the library, Crabbe looked around searchingly and asked, �Where did Malfoy get off to? I thought he was going to wait for us.�
Gregory scanned the room and shrugged. �Don�t know, Vinny,� he muttered. �Maybe he had stuff to do. I�m not sure he�s too comfortable about us talking to you, Granger,� he added looking at Hermione, who was fighting very hard to keep a flush from her face. �But he�s okay when you get to know him, so you should give him a chance, you know. What with you both being the Head Students and all. It might be nice if you could try and be more friendly - don�t you think?�
Tongue tied, Hermione couldn�t do much more than nod in response. �I think the Headmaster would like that,� she managed eventually which made them both smile brightly as they lumbered off to wherever they intended to spend the rest of the evening. She wondered why they hadn�t bothered to ask her who they would be sitting next to, as all of the other 7^th years seemed to be obsessed with the desire to find out this one piece of information. Maybe Draco had already told his class mates, although she didn�t think he would; or maybe the two big Slytherin boys were just more into the spirit of the exercise than the whole of the rest of the 7^th year put together?
Hermione didn�t move from her desk; her body was screaming at her to run and grab Draco but her brain was advising caution - telling her that she needed to know what was happening between them before she could give in to the demands of her newly awakened libido. Well, come to think of it, the library was probably the safest place to approach a discussion between them; at least they would be unable to give in to rampaging hormones in the middle of such a public place. Even being seen talking could give rise to all sorts of gossip, so there was no chance of being tempted into anything further. Pleased with this deductive line of reasoning, Hermione gave in to the overwhelming desire to go and find Draco again.
She left her books on the desk, and taking only a parchment which she held up to her face to give the impression that she was searching for a book mentioned thereon, she casually made her way to the Restricted Section, unhitching the rope across the entrance and tidily replacing it after herself.
She moved slowly along the aisles, her heartbeat accelerating with every step. The air in this part of the library was kept artificially cool by charms, and there were no windows, as many of the books were so old and delicate that harsh sunlight and sudden fluctuations in temperature could cause irreparable damage to their ancient pages. Students were only allowed to use them if in possession of a signed pass, and there was a list of titles which could only be touched when wearing special cotton gloves dispensed by Madam Pince, for the acids present in human sweat would dissolve the parchment on contact. The only two students who were fully exempt from the signed pass rule were the Head Students, and in the previous term, 6^th year Hermione Granger had been honored by her inclusion to that exclusive number.
Today however, Hermione felt she was entering the Restricted Section searching for something far more dangerous than all the information contained between the covers of so many of these volumes. Although she had been expecting it, she was still startled when an arm shot out from behind one of the shelves near the very back of the area and she was dragged down the aisle until she was pressed against the very back wall of the library.
Despite the turmoil of shock, fear and (admit it, Hermione) - lust flowing through her veins, she managed to be impressed that the formerly obnoxious ferret had sufficient respect for the books to know that pinning her against the shelves could be very harmful to them, and managing to avoid this.
�What took you so long?� He growled into her ear, and the heat of his breath caused goosebumps to raise all along her arms.
�I - I was helping your friends,� she muttered in response trying to focus on a point over his shoulder so that she wouldn�t look into his eyes and forget her own name. It was seductively dark and private back here in the depths of the library, and although her common sense told her that other students and even the librarian were only yards away, the atmospheric charms and dampeners placed around this section always made it seem isolated from the rest of the room in some odd way. Everything always seemed muffled when you were in here, and Hermione wondered for the first time if there were silencing charms cast over this area, too.
�Yeah, I know. They were singing your praises all the way up here. When did that happen?� He replied, and he was definitely nearer now. She could feel the heat of his body hovering mere millimeters away from full contact with her own. She gulped, trying to retain control of the situation. If she let him touch her now, her whole plan would be down the tubes. She turned her head at the last second, grimacing as his mouth grazed her neck instead. �Granger?� he muttered puzzled, and she knew he was still thinking fairly clearly because the last two nights he had forgotten that she was Granger and he was Malfoy, moaning out Mina to her as he came inside her when he was equally lost to passion as she had been.
�What is this, Malfoy?� she asked, head still turned away from him. �Do you know what�s happening to us, because I really don�t.� He sighed and his hands which had been pinning her shoulders back, released her and skimmed down her arms until his fingers found hers and curled around them. He leant forwards bringing his body in full length contact with her own and rested his forehead against the wall above her left shoulder.
Hermione was barely conscious of how readily she relaxed into him, welcoming the weight of him and automatically adjusting her stance so that their legs slipped between each others and their hands clasped together. �No, I don�t,� Draco replied to her question, although he had some frightening suspicions he couldn�t give voice to yet. �But I think it�s been coming for quite a while. Maybe even longer than we realise. I know I�ve been fighting it for most of this term, and I can�t do that anymore now because it�s obviously not going to go away.�
Hearing Draco put into words exactly what she had been feeling herself brought some sense of relief to Hermione. She was not upset to hear that he had been fighting against giving in to this - thing - which had sprung up between them. Hadn�t she been living in denial for months herself, also? Maybe it was simply one of those things that you just had to do in your life, and then it would be over as suddenly and incomprehensibly as it had started. At least it seemed that it truly wasn�t some kind of scheme to embarrass and humiliate her; a thought that had intruded into her mind on more than one occasion since that first kiss on the Quidditch stands, and had not really been put to rest until this very moment. However, she genuinely believed now that Draco was as confused and disoriented by what was happening between them as she was herself, and that made everything just a little easier to cope with.
�So should we just let it keep happening or are we going to -� she began, and Draco lifted his head from its resting place against the wall, letting go of one of her hands so he could catch hold of her chin and force her face around to look at him.
�Look at us, Granger,� he whispered. �I don�t think letting it happen is exactly the phrase you�re looking for!� And she realised he was right; they were curled as tightly together as it was possible to get in an upright fully clothed position. Draco was hard against her stomach and she was subconsciously riding the leg which had slipped between her own. Whilst her mind had been trying to make some sense of this her body had acted on its own and gone after what it wanted.
She let out a defeated whimper and reached up for his mouth with her own. His hand let go of her chin and curled around into the hair at the nape of her neck, holding her still so that he could thoroughly ravage the inside of her mouth with his tongue until she was clinging weakly to him, her breath coming in sharp pants. Finally, reluctantly and desperately slowly she pulled away from him turning her head to rest her cheek on his shoulder, her nose nuzzling into his neck, one hand coming up to absently play with his Slytherin tie.
�We can�t do this here,� she panted at last. �It�s restricted, but someone could still catch us.�
�I know,� he replied, equally breathless. �Actually, I did also need to change something about the seating plan for the Social Evening, but that�s another thing we can�t talk about where someone could overhear us. Can I explain why after the Prefect Meeting tonight?�
Hermione nodded, unwilling to move even though they had both admitted they were taking a risk. �We - actually there�s another thing we need to talk about,� she muttered into his shoulder. God, he smells so good! He made an encouraging noise and she continued, somewhat distracted by the thoughts which had blossomed from that sudden revelation. �Oh, - yes, - um, it�s about Pansy Parkinson?�
She knew she had been right in thinking that the subject needed addressing when he tensed infinitesimally against her, and tightened his grip on her hand. �Yes, well unfortunately that goes hand in hand with my issues over the seating plan.� He replied grimly, and she raised her head to look at him again as he spoke. He smiled thinly at her and brought her mouth to his in a brief but scorching kiss that threatened very quickly to get out of control.
Finally, breathing heavily, he stepped back from her and said. �You better leave first. I just need to wait for certain things to calm down a bit before I�m fit to be seen again.� Hermione flushed and was unable to prevent herself from glancing down to his trousers, although it was too dim to see clearly she was fully aware that he was rock hard and thrusting against the confines of his uniform. He grinned at her quick glance and reached out for her arm as she turned quickly to hide her embarrassment at being caught looking there. �Hey, Granger,� he whispered huskily. �You can look all you like. In fact, better still, you can touch any time you want. Okay?� With these words he brought her hand down and pressed it firmly against the hot rigid length of him, at which action they both groaned simultaneously and he muttered hoarsely. �Bad idea! Now it�s going to take even longer before I can get out of here..�
Hermione fled.

********
They avoided each other until the beginning of the Prefect�s Meeting, neither wanting to return to their study in case the other had the same idea, for they were both quite sure that to find themselves in a place where they were alone would only lead to things that shouldn�t be started so close to their scheduled meeting time.
Hermione gathered up her books and fled the library to the Gryffindor Tower where she had to run the gamut of whispered questions from Neville about Pansy�s erratic behaviour and why she didn�t want Harry and Ron informing about it? Eventually the Gryffindor Quidditch team returned to the common room, and Hermione then had to weather several meaningful looks from Ginny before the younger girl finally went to her dormitory to remove the damp red uniform and get changed for dinner.
Hermione tried not to stare too hard at Draco sitting in his place at the head of the Slytherin table when she finally entered the Great Hall with Harry, Ginny, Neville and Ron in tow. As she took her own place in the Consulting Chair, as Ginny liked to teasingly call it, she began to wonder how long he had stayed in the Restricted Section, waiting for his obvious arousal to recede. Fast on the heels of this thought, another one occurred - maybe he hadn�t simply waited! Maybe after she left he had taken the matter in hand, so to speak. She was quite sure that unlike her, Draco was absolutely no stranger to pleasing himself.
Great Merlin she thought now, blushing furiously, why had it only just occurred to her that he might have done that after she had left him alone. Of course now that the thought had occurred to her, she was unable to concentrate on anything else - anything at all - except the pictures she was creating in her mind of the Head Boy leaning back against that wall in the darkest part of the library, wanking himself off over her. Would he have released his penis she wondered, sinking deeper into her lustful fantasy, and fondled his erection until he ejaculated all over the floor, or mindful of the danger of discovery would he have stroked himself through the layers of clothing until he came in his shorts. She shifted uncomfortably on her chair, trying to alleviate some of the pressure on her own suddenly aching sex, and a little moan slipped past her lips totally without her knowledge or permission.
Dean Thomas� voice cut through her erotic musings. �Hermione - Hermione - are you okay? You look awfully hot, and you were just groaning. Are you going to be sick?�
Hermione came back to reality with a bump, and shuddered at what she had nearly given away. �Uh, no - I�m fine, Dean,� she mumbled. �I just have a bit of a headache, and I�m not much looking forward to the Prefect�s Meeting tonight. I have a lot of homework to finish.�
As if on cue, Dumbledore stood and tapped his goblet with his wand demanding silence. �I have only a couple of notices tonight,� he announced when the chattering had abated in the Hall. �It is of course Monday, so the Prefects are expected to meet with Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger in the Prefect Office tonight and receive their assignments for the week. Mr Malfoy has asked that the time be brought forward to 7.00, so please make a note of this earlier hour. And onto other news, Madam Pince has asked me to inform you that she has received on loan from the Wizards Lending Library in Diagon Alley, a selection of Muggle books which might help some of you out with your research for our new Christmas tradition. That will be all, thank you for listening.�

********

Hermione found herself unable at this point to avoid returning to her room, as her files and schedules for the upcoming meeting were currently sitting on her bedside table, and would do her absolutely no good there. She waited until a young Slytherin boy approached Draco and made a few muttered excuses to her friends before making a quick escape to the Head students rooms. It was much closer to the Great Hall than going by way of the Gryffindor tower, and she planned to be in, collect her notes and be out through Godric�s painting before Draco had even finished talking to that boy.
For once, Merlin seemed to be smiling on her plans. The only thing which occurred to delay her was an odd encounter with the painted founder of her house. Instead of passing a polite salutation and complimenting her again on her marks or her achievement as was his usual custom, Gryffindor gazed reproachfully at her and shook his head in disappointment. He didn�t return her greeting, choosing instead to sigh and walk away to take a seat in the furthest corner of his painted room.
Hermione wasted precious moments trying to persuade him answer her, but finally pressed for time and concerned about her weak will-power, she was forced to give up trying to soothe his offended sensibilities and leave the room. What could she really say to justify herself anyway? There was no denying that she had almost shagged the poster boy for Slytherin values right up against the poor man�s oil-based resting place. It was hardly surprising he refused to talk to her!
When she entered the Gryffindor common room, Ron was already complaining about the earlier time for the Prefect meeting, as it meant he had been unable to enjoy a third serving of dessert. Ginny was rolling her eyes at her brother as she gathered up Derrick Taylor the other 6^th year prefect, and waited for the two new 5^th year prefects, Joanna Waverly and Martin Hillier to join them. Ever since Hermione became Head Girl opposite that Bloody evil ferret-faced Slytherin, Ron had insisted that all the Gryffindor prefects walk to each meeting together to show solidarity and hopefully intimidate the dismal choice for this Year�s Head Boy (his words).
Ron fixed an eye on Hermione as she entered the common room. �Did he ask you if he could change the time?� he demanded immediately, not bothering with a greeting. �Or did he just arbitrarily decide this on his own, and expect us all to fall into line?�
Hermione sighed, wondering when the animosity between the two boys would diminish, if ever. �No, the first I heard about it was when Professor Dumbledore announced it tonight,� she replied. She certainly wasn�t going to defend Draco to Ron, or lie for him. Whatever weird thing they had got going on between them now was not to be allowed to change how they appeared to the rest of the school. Hermione wondered briefly about performing a late Obliviate on Ginny, but quickly dismissed the idea as unethical.
However, she couldn�t prevent herself from adding, �Why is it a problem if it�s earlier, anyway? It just means we�ll get done with it quicker.�
Ron huffed, clearly unwilling to admit any concessions when the matter involved Malfoy. �He always does just what he wants,� he grumbled. �He always has, and he just expects the rest of us to trot along behind him like obedient little House Elves. I still can�t believe that Dumbledore made him Head Boy! As if he wasn�t insufferable enough before he had this to rub it in with. I don�t know how you stand it, Mione, having to put up with that inbred Ferret day in and day out.�
It was really just more of the same complaints that her brother had been making all term, but Ginny watched Hermione�s face carefully as she listened again to Ron�s grumbles about Malfoy, and had to admit that the older girl was showing remarkable fortitude; there was very little reaction to Ron�s ranting beyond a slight wince when he started. Ever since he had been made a prefect in 5^th year, the onset on one of her brother�s tirades on Malfoy�s many failings had been known to make poor Hermione grind her teeth in despair. Ginny had heard her saying ever since she first received her letter of appointment in August that no amount of bewailing it could change the identity of this year�s Head Boy, so he might as well learn to live with it.
Hermione seemed disguising her reactions to the weekend�s events much better than Ginny would ever have imagined possible given her flushed emotional state on Sunday, and she suddenly looked forward to seeing them interact at the Prefect meeting. With this end in mind, she shushed her brother with a sharp clip to his ear and began to hustle their little group out of the common room and towards the Office.
Hermione for her own part was already planning how best to present the appearance of being unchanged in Draco�s presence, for she knew her inquisitive friend would be watching like a hawk ready to seize the slightest inconsistency in her behaviour; thus Ron�s muttering had passed largely over her head in the face of more important issues, and she found herself standing outside the Prefect Office long before she was actually ready to be there.
Unlike the meetings preceding the Halloween Ball which had been almost entirely under Draco�s direction, their current project was undoubtedly a joint one from which she could not abstain by placing herself in the midst of the other prefects; she had duty rosters and seasonal assignments to hand out to the others. Tonight she would have to be in the spotlight up there at the right hand of the Head Boy, under the scrutiny of Pansy Parkinson and the chosen representatives of each house. She only hoped she could bluff her way through it.
Most of the other prefects were already present as Joanna, who was walking ahead pushed open the office door for them to enter. Hermione instantly noted that Pansy was sitting towards the back of the room flanked on either side by the 6^th and 5^th year female prefects from Slytherin who were each holding a hand. Hermione and Ginny exchanged a worried glance at this sight; it was beginning to seem more and more as if the rumours of Pansy�s fidelity charm had some basis in truth, for the timing of this sudden show of female Slytherin solidarity towards the senior girl was simply too suspicious to overlook.
Hermione was relieved to see that Draco had not yet arrived and she could take her spot at the Head table without having to walk right up to him in front of all those eyes. She settled herself quickly in her seat and began arranging her papers on the table in front of her so as to occupy her hands, which were dangerously close to shaking at the thought of behaving normally for the benefit of the other students.
The three remaining prefects straggled in, and at precisely 7.00, Draco swept into the room causing a sudden murmur to ripple through the students already seated. Tonight for some reason best known to himself, Malfoy had eschewed his customary Slytherin robes and marched up to the front of the room, wearing instead a pair of faded and comfortable looking jeans, a black knit sweater and boots which looked suspiciously like Doc Martens. The effect on the other occupants of the room was electrifying; Hermione, despite her resolution to conduct the whole meeting without ever once looking at him, found herself staring open mouthed along with the rest of the prefects. Malfoy never wore Muggle clothing; when not in traditional robes, he had been seen occasionally in beautifully tailored trousers and pristine dress shirts, but this - this was a first for everyone in the room. Draco took his place beside Hermione at the Head�s table and dropped his own sheaf of papers on the surface beside hers. He didn�t sit down and this fact alone turned her into a hormonal mess; standing right beside her as he was brought his remarkable arse to her eye level. Along with the other girls, Hermione couldn�t help admiring the way the denim clung lovingly to every curve, and what was worse, she - and all the other girls - but particularly Hermione from her position at his side - had an eyeful of his spectacular equipment outlined by the soft denim; He dresses to the right, Hermione thought unable to control her wayward imagination. Oh, Lord - he�s been inside me with that!

Draco was speaking and tapping on his notes with one finger, but Hermione and she suspected most of the other girls present hadn�t heard a word of what he said, too wrapped up in lustful thoughts concerning the picture of their Head Boy in a pair of faded Levis. A sudden random glance at Pansy Parkinson was sufficient to bring Hermione back to her senses, however.
The Slytherin girl looked ready to commit murder. She was glaring viciously at Draco and the hold her two house mates had previously maintained on her hands had been loosened in the face of their shock at the Slytherin Prince�s appearance resembling nothing so much as one of those sultry Muggle underwear models, and leaving almost as little to the imagination. Probably most of the boys present were feeling a little inadequate right now, too.
Hermione forced herself to listen to what Draco was saying, although she kept a cautious eye on Pansy not liking the prickling sensation which was running along her spine; the other girl was including Hermione in her bitter scowls at Malfoy, and if not for that episode in the Greenhouses this morning, Hermione would have thought that Pansy knew exactly who to blame for her current upset; as it was Pansy�s only malice towards her seemed to be in relation to Hermione�s refusal to help her dig into Draco�s personal life, but it seemed like that was going to be enough for her to be caught in the backlash.
��..There�s only a week until the Social evening,� Draco was saying when Hermione finally tuned in to his words. �I am assuming that all of you will go back to your Houses and ensure that the Headmaster�s wishes for study topics have been attended to. The arrangements at the Hotel have been made as follows; there will be two rooms available for changing and resting, one for the girls and one for the boys. Professor Dumbledore has arranged for carriages to transport us to Hogsmeade; there can be up to six students to a carriage. You are actively encouraged to travel with people outside of your house; for the duration of the evening, any attempt to remain exclusively with members of your own house, or your significant other is highly discouraged. There will be a member of the teaching staff and a guest from outside at each table and you are expected to engage these individuals in conversation which does not revolve around school work or any House-related subject.�
Draco took in a breath and turned to Hermione for the first time since he had entered the room. He was having a similarly difficult time behaving as if she was a continued annoyance he had to put up with. He was quite sure that he would give them away just by looking at her; this was one of the reasons he had decided to make such a radical change to his appearance tonight. Always a strategist the Slytherin in him had decided that any small aid in distracting people�s attention away from Hermione and himself was to be used. And the localized concealment charm firmly in place again.
�Granger - got anything to add?� He asked hoping he sounded coolly distant. He hadn�t even made eye contact with Parkinson. He was so unbelievably furious with her that he didn�t trust himself to even speak to her. His silence seemed to be having the added benefit of making her all the more distraught and he was glad that she was hurting, although Hermione would probably have told him he should feel sorry for her, he just couldn�t find it in himself to pity someone who had been so invasive into his private life.
Hermione cleared her throat. �Not about the Social Evening,� she said. �I just have this week�s patrol schedules to pass out, and I would like to remind everyone that just because Christmas is approaching doesn�t mean that we can be lax with discipline, but at the same time, do try and stay in the spirit of the season!�
Draco paused a moment and when there was no comment, he opened the meeting for any other business; the 5^th year Ravenclaws wanted to know who would be in charge of the remaining students with all the Heads of Houses absent at the Hotel in Hogsmeade, one of the Hufflepuff girls wanted to approach the faculty about letting girls wear trousers instead of skirts as part of their uniform during the winter months, and there were the usual complaints being passed on from the younger years about unfair points deduction in varying situations.
This part of the meeting usually took the longest, and Hermione walked amongst the prefects handing out their schedules as they debated the matters raised. She gave the rosters for all the Slytherin girls to Serena Pucey, the 5^th year who was seated at Pansy�s left side, and retreated quickly. Pansy was looking very unbalanced and Hermione didn�t want to get any closer to her than absolutely necessary.
When there were finally no more issues to be covered, Draco called the meeting to a close and began gathering up his notes. Hermione joined the other Gryffindors heading for the door, simply glad to be done with the tortuous last hour, for she had been squirming under Ginny�s hawk-like stare for the whole meeting, just waiting for either herself or Malfoy to make a mistake which would expose their liaison to the whole school.
She knew she would be giving her excuses almost as soon as they returned to the common room, and making her way back to the study she shared with Draco; the matter of Pansy had to be resolved - particularly given how unhinged she had looked tonight.
However, it turned out that the explosion with the Slytherin girl was more imminent than even Hermione had expected. The first few prefects had barely exited the room when she shook off the restraining hands of the two younger Slytherins and leapt out of her chair yelling at Draco and gripping onto her wand until her knuckles glowed white in her clenched fists. �Draco - you bastard! I knew there was something going on. I knew it when Isabelle -�
Wide eyed and white faced, Hermione swung back around to watch in horror as the other girl fell apart, except that it never actually happened. Draco�s face closed off into a cold mask, as he muttered a couple of quiet words and Pansy�s mouth kept moving although there was no more sound leaving her lips. Her wand flew out of her hand into his, and he slipped it decisively into the back pocket of his jeans. Pansy, unable to understand why no sound was coming out of her mouth , panicked and began sobbing silently to herself. All the prefects stood open mouthed staring at the tableau in front of them, until Draco turned and dismissed them abruptly.
�It seems like Miss Parkinson and I have some extra issues to deal with,� he said coolly. �If you would all return to your Houses, Pansy and I will be along shortly.� He waited expectantly for the other students to leave, and when they realised that there would be no more entertainment tonight, they filed reluctantly out of the office, watching avidly as the door slammed behind them, locking the two Slytherins inside.
Hermione exchanged a minute pained look with Ginny, until Ron broke out into happy cackling laughter. �Well, whatever that was, I hope she fixes him good and proper!� He choked out. �With a bit of luck they might hex each other into oblivion and we�ll be rid of two worthless Slytherins!�
�Ron! How could you!� For an awful moment, Hermione thought that the words had spilt out from her own mouth, but she realised thankfully that she was merely standing there appalled and that it was Ginny who had chastised her brother, accompanied by a quick worried glance at her.

�What? Now what did I do?� Ron asked disgruntled.
Hermione took a deep breath and answered quickly when it looked like Ginny might leap in again and make the whole situation seem even more suspicious. �Ron, Malfoy is the Head Boy this year,� she placated. �Professor Dumbledore is very serious about all the houses getting on better. As prefects we have to set an example to the other students. I have to work with him this whole year, and I don�t want it making any more difficult than it already is. Please make an effort not run him down where others can hear you. He did exactly the right thing keeping an argument between himself and some one in his own house private so that the rest of the school didn�t get to hear it and spread rumours about it. Let�s not be shown up by the Slytherins!�

�Sorry, Mione,� Ron muttered shuffling his feet awkwardly. He hated to disappoint her even though they weren�t dating any more. Ginny winked knowingly at her over Ron�s head Hermione found herself flushing hotly again.
She just wished she could believe her own words, and not be worried to death about what was happening back in the Prefect�s Office.
*********************
Well, Hellooo readers.
It seems like it has been a very long time away. As many of you will know my daughter was taken to hospital in the middle AFF�s last collapse, and when that was resolved, this whole story had been deleted along with the 370-some reviews it had received. Although I am sad your kind words are no longer publicly acknowledged, for my own selfish pleasure, I had printed most of them off and only lost about 15 towards the end.

Please be assured I know and appreciate every single one of you who took the time to say something nice about my little story before the deletion. I hope we have better luck from now onwards!
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Pansy's Volcano