It just...happened...

“HERMIONE!” Harry shouted with obvious frustration.
She had been in the damned library all ruddy morning,
and now they would be late for Transfiguration.
He knew how McGonagall got when they were late.

‘So much for Head Girl responsibility.’ Harry
thought sourly. Truth be told he had always
assumed that as Harry Potter, boy wonder he
would have a little more leverage.

It only seemed fair for he to be named Head Boy…but no. Draco Malfoy.
It had hit him like a smack in the face, leaving him bitter
and more withdrawn this year. He was still the
charismatic, boy wonder who had almost defeated Voldemort, but he different now.

They were all around eighteen, in their seventh
year and the onset of inevitable maturity had
passed through them both around sixth year.
The taunting had lessened the bickering stopping
and finally they just quietly loathed each other,
although even that had seemed to stop after a
while, as it was all to exhausting.

Now, this isn’t to say that they all got along
because that would be a grave error…
Draco Malfoy and his Slytherin kind were
still horrid to Harry, Hermione, Ron and the
Gryffindors…but a little more tactfully.
No more ‘mudblood’ or mention of deceased
family members. Instead defeating opposing
houses in academia became their main focus…
oh and of course who could forget Quidditch?

Harry was about to storm into the Library,
snatch the book from Hermione’s hands and
shove her to class when she finally ran out,
her eyes bright with excitement.

“Harry!” She squealed triumphantly,
“You won’t believe what just happened!”

Harry rolled his eyes, about to say something
when a languid voice rained in on his thoughts…
as it always did, with that oddly perfect timing…

“Mister Potter, Miss Granger…late for class I see.
Ten points.” Snape emerged from the shadows of
the cobblestone halls, his upper lip curling fiendishly
as Hermione looked to her watch helplessly.

“But Professor Snape.” She stated matter of
factly, pointing to her timepiece,
“We’ve still got two whole minutes.”

Snape slid over to her, towering of her, as
he looked down on her, irritated with her
defiance. He pulled a small gold pocketwatch
from his own cloak and then without warning
gripped Hermione’s still raised wrist in one hand,
pulling her unintentionally to him.

She bumped her arm against him uncomfortably,
feeling the heat from his body as she pulled
away a moment, her wrist still in his soft hand.
Must have been from all the potions he mixed.
He smelled of tantalizing spices, now that she
was this close to him she could distinctly place it.

He looked from her watch to his own, his dark
eyes sliding back from face to face of the
watches and suddenly he smirked at her
fiendishly and dropped her wrist, it hung limply
at her side then.

“You’re watch is three minutes behind, Miss Granger.”
Snape said triumphantly, “I suggest you set it properly.”

Hermione felt her cheeks go red with anger, he
was ALWAYS doing stuff like this. Blaming her
for things she hadn’t done nor had any control
over, lying about things, it wasn’t bloody fair!

“But my wat-“ she started before she was
cut off by his booming and obviously quite
irritated voice.

“Enough.” He commanded, “Ten more points for
wasting my time as well as being late. Off with you both.”

With that he turned on one well-placed heel and
strode off down the hallway, his hair swishing as
he walked. Hermione couldn’t help but stare after him,
the blatant rudeness of it all. He looked over his shoulder
as he sauntered off, smirking at her openly before
turning down a hallway.

Harry frowned looking to Hermione who exhaled
loudly after the contemptible man, finding it hard to
find the words to exactly place how she felt.
She settled on;

“I hate that man.”