Against You

Author's Note: Glad everyone is enjoying it so far :D Even though I have no idea where I'm heading...But we won't let that get in the way of good, clean fun, will we? As for writing longer chapters, I find it extremely difficult to do. I'm not really sure why. I tried really hard to make this one longer and still only managed to barely extend it. Something about the way my brain likes to partition events, I suppose. I will try with each chapter to cram in a little more fun into it, but if it gets too long-winded and stupid...I'll be sure to revert to ridiculously short, drabble-type chapters again :P Thank you for reading!
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Morning came and regardless of how the Head Girl felt, life went on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft of Wizardry. Even if it felt like that Draco Malfoy had single handedly turned her world upside down, she had duties to attend to, classes to study for, students to keep in line. There was no way that she, Hermione, HEAD GIRL, could possibly let her routine come to a screeching halt because of one kiss from the boy she hates. Hated. The boy she hated. Though, really, he wasn't much of a boy anymore, was he? He loomed over her petite frame, a far cry from the small, skinny child he once was. Childish he may be, but a child Draco Malfoy was not. That kiss was scorching, his tongue was absolutely scintillating and she had no doubts he could perform as he did in her fantasies...

"FOCUS, Hermione!" She slapped herself a few times to get the point across.

The thought of Malfoy had all but swept away her ability to breathe and she stood in her room, realizing she had one leg in her skirt and the other ridiculously on the outside of it. She couldn't even dress just because of one kiss (snog)! If anyone caught wind of this, they'd be snickering about how love-starved the poor Head Girl was for months to come. She was absolutely not love-starved! She just had plenty to do! There wasn't much time to socialize outside of her duties, let alone with boys that she had an interest in!

Yes, she had Ron and Harry, but that's all they were: Ron and Harry. Harry is and always will be the brother she never had. There would never be anything more than past curiosities between (never mind the fiery redhead he was currently committed to). Ron, on the other hand, was a whole other can of Flobberworms. They had so many missed signals and bad timings that it was almost laughable. Almost. Somehow, all her subtle smiles and brushes up against him just meant that she really appreciated him...as a friend. For awhile, Hermione was almost convinced that he card for her in more than that familial way, with his jealousy and his glares.

Now, though, it seemed that Ron's baby blue eyes were wandering everywhere but her. She was busy, but never too busy for her two best friends' lives. She had already noted the slight awkwardness that had began creeping over her and Ron as he began to find other girls more interesting. She's just a friend, is what Ron's thinking, nothing special.

After all, Hermione angrily thought to herself, I'm just a swotty, know-it-all bookworm! Who could ever find me remotely attractive?!

"Listen, Granger," Draco pleaded, "I just need you to know, to really KNOW, with your infinitely large brain, that I. Like. You."

Oh, of all the things to remember now, it had to be that! There's no time for him (even though she had to make time for him later to do the nightly patrol, but still...) right now! It was time to get in gear, Granger, get dressed and get to breakfast! No more of this dilly-dallying business!

Resolute in her decision to just get on with the day as normal, Hermione went about her normal business. Organizing her book satchel, ensuring that her uniform was crisp and of course, the daily struggle with The Hair. Today, it seemed to want to play nicely, so she quickly slipped it into a ponytail (The best look for working, her mother once said). Nothing was going to stop her from carrying out her usual routine.

That is, until she spied a small piece of parchment, right by her door.

"Must've been slipped under," she mumbled to herself, cautiously walking to it with her wand out (could never be to careful, given the past mischief her fellow Head had gotten into). A quietly whispered spell later revealed the parchment to be free from any harmful curses, jinxes or hexes.

In her hands, the parchment was less beige in color than she had initially thought. There was almost a glimmer of emerald in it. Though Hermione was fascinated by the color, what was more fascinating was the elegant scrawl on it:

"Sorry," it read, simply and definitively.

"Sorry? All that--that bollocks about fancying me and now he apologizes about it?!" Hermione very nearly shouted, crumpling the paper in the meanwhile, "Who does he think he is! Who do I think I am! Draco Malfoy is not worth this sort of time!"

With that, she cast aside the crumpled parchment and stomped her way down the stairs, barely registering that this, since the start of term, was the first time she had not encountered Malfoy on the way down to breakfast.

Her eyes sparking anger, many of the students quickly shot out of the way of the Gryffindor girl, though some of the brave ones (from her own house, no doubt) dared a "Hullo!" and "G'morning!" to her incensed visage.

Though her mind was a-whirl with fuming thoughts, her body continued its normal path to the seat between Ron and Harry. It didn't take long for them to realize that their dear friend was in a more agitated state than usual.

"Hullo, Hermione," Harry greeted cautiously, his many years of terrible run-ins teaching him that discretion was the better part of valor.

It was hard to suppress any sort of smile when it came to harry, and she returned his greeting with warmth. Harry Potter was a keen bloke and noticed that although his best friend had smiled, she was far from being in a genial mood. He sincerely hoped that his other best friend would notice this as well, lest he be short one friend this year.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Hermione?" Ron asked in between bits of breakfast, "Honestly, your attitude recently has been draftier than this castle!"

Hermione slowly turned towards Ronald, glaring at him from the corner of her eye, "Drafty? The only thing that's been making this castle drafty is that gaping excuse for a mouth that can't seem to keep shut long enough in the presence of food!"

A quick swallow later (though crumbs of toast were still around his chin) and Ron was ready to fight back, had Hermione not silenced him with a look, "Don't even start Ronald."

Leaving behind her largely uneaten breakfast, she immediately got up, nose in the air and swept away to the opposite end of the corner, where the unsuspecting First Years sat. It was with a bit of fear that they welcomed the Head Girl to their seating area. Hiding behind her duties, she smiled warmly (or she hoped it came off warm) and inquired about their classes, if they were having any trouble and that they were always welcome to speak to her or any of the other Prefects for help. Many of the young Gryffindors noticed that she had failed to mention that the Head Boy was also available. With a glance around the table, it was accepted that they would not bring up this fact.

Breakfast ended soon after and it was time for class. Class came with all the normal dread of being in the cold, dank dungeons for Double Potions. Potions. Oh, bloody hell. He was in potions. The one person Hermione could live without seeing for the rest of her life was in the same classroom. For the next hour and a half no less. Suddenly, she felt quite flustered: a very dangerous thing to be in a lab full of potent ingredients and Hogwart's resident Gryffindor hater, Severus Snape.

Just don't pay him any attention, Hermione, she thought as she sat in her seat, Just pay attention to the lecture, take your notes and brew your potion. Simple.

It was a very simple and easy list to follow, until (once again) the Head Girl was flabbergasted by the same emerald-tinged parchment waiting for her in her seat. She didn't want to open it. In fact, it would be right proper to not open it, as it was time for class and students were filing inside. Hermione had always been an inquisitive girl, and even Snape could not curb her curiosity. She liked cats for a reason, she supposed, because they were just like her.

Hands trembling slightly (let it not be forgotten that she had a strong respect for authority...even for the ones that didn't respect her), Hermione slowly unfolded her second letter of the day:

"I'll be waiting for you tonight."

With those few words, Hermione knew there was no hope for the rest of her day to keep focused.