Choices

A/N: Thank you to all my lovely reviewers. You guys rock! Without further ado, Chapter 8

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Chapter 8: Seriously?

By the time Hermione got to the library she was shaking with fury. She couldn’t believe the nerve of him. She’d barely made it through her last class. The day’s not even half over. Merlin I hate that man! she thought as she made her way to her usual table in the back of the library. She’d had to stay after class to ask a question so she’d gotten separated from Harry, Ron, and Elkara. She was relieved to see Elkara and Ginny already there, with Harry and Ron acting as bodyguards. She nearly laughed at the sight of the two boys standing on either side of the girls, spines straight, arms crossed, and glaring around the library as if they expected Death Eaters to start popping out of the walls and bookshelves.

“Hey guys. What’s their problem?” Hermione asked, indicating Harry and Ron. The two boys hadn’t even acknowledged her presence.

Ginny glanced at Ron and said, “They’re taking ‘guard duty’ a little too seriously.”

“Yeah,” Elkara added, “and it doesn’t help that Malfoy made the mistake of trying to talk to me. I thought they were going to kill him.”

Hermione looked up at the boys, glad that they were so serious about keeping Elkara safe even though they didn’t know the reason they were doing it. As pride for her boys welled in her chest, tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them back, hoping no one had noticed.

Clearing her throat, Hermione said, “You guys can go if you want. I know you’d rather be somewhere else during your free period than in the library.”

Ron nearly fell over. “You mean you don’t want us to spend the time studying? Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?”

Harry chuckled as he said, “I think she’s trying to be polite about telling us to go away, and that the conversation they’re about to have is a girls only conversation.”

Hermione gaped at Harry. When had he become so insightful? Harry smiled at her almost as if he knew her thoughts, and the two boys left.

“All right,” Hermione began. “What was that all about? I know they’re serious about keeping watch over us, but seriously?”

Elkara tossed her long black hair over her shoulder, saying, “I was serious when I said Mal- Draco tried to talk to me. All he said was ‘hi, how are you?’ but the guys acted like it was a death threat.”

Ginny nodded and said, “Yeah, I thought Ron was going to blow a gasket when I told him to calm down. Harry just stood there glaring at Draco and didn’t say anything.”

Hermione nodded. No one had told the boys of the tentative friendship that the girls had struck up with Draco, or about the conversation Hermione had overheard between Malfoy senior and Snape.

“I have to tell you guys what happened after DADA. El, you know how Professor Malfoy asked me to stay behind?” Hermione said.

The dark haired girl nodded, indicating that Hermione should go on.

“Well, first we talked a bit about what I plan on doing after graduation, then he kissed me,” Hermione spoke in a rush, and couldn’t believe that she’d just said it flat out like that.

Ginny nearly fell out of her chair and screeched, “He did what?”

“He kissed me. Then I left. I stood outside that classroom for a minute to calm myself down, and I heard him saying something about the game being on. What the hell is that even supposed to mean? Is he trying to seduce me, or is this payback for the spoon thing?”

El shook her head and said, “I’m not sure, but either way, we’ve got to stay ahead of him. Hermione, if this really is a game to him it means that now it’s your turn.”

The girls sat and plotted Hermione’s next move, after checking to make sure that teacher/student relationships weren’t forbidden. They stopped when they heard a thump and a muttered curse. Hermione spun around in her chair, resisting the urge to draw her wand. She saw a fellow seventh-year student, a Ravenclaw whose name she couldn’t quite recall. She had dropped a book on the floor.

When she turned back to face Ginny and Elkara, Ginny nodded toward the girl and said, “That’s the one Ron’s all hot for. Cute, huh?”

Hermione turned around again to study the girl a little closer. She had light brown hair falling to the middle of her back, a clear complexion, and a cute little upturned nose. Cute, but not a raving beauty, Hermione thought.

Hermione turned back to her friends and said, “Yeah, she’s cute. Do you know why Ron has a crush on her?”

Ginny was the one that answered. “She’s on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. I guess he saw her flying a couple weeks ago and has been in love ever since. The sad thing is, he’s never even spoken to her.”

Hermione nodded and asked, “Do you know her name? I feel like I should, seeing as she’s a seventh-year, but I can’t remember.”

“I think it’s Rachel, or Raquel, or something like that,” Ginny answered.

Elkara stared at the girl, then said, “It’s Rachel Woodward.”

“How do you know that?” Ginny asked.

El grinned and said, “It’s a gift.”

Ginny’s response was interrupted by the bell sounding for lunch. The girls packed up the books they’d been pretending to study and left the library. On the way to the Great Hall they discussed trivial matters such as homework, classes, and unfair teachers. Ginny tried to say something about Ron’s crush, but Hermione ‘accidentally’ stepped on her foot. She answered Ginny’s glare with a whispered, “She’s walking right behind us.”

They finished the walk to the Great Hall without further incident and made their way over to the Gryffindor table where the boys were busy arguing with a couple of sixth-years. They sat down in their usual spots on the other side of the table from the boys.

“Hey guys. What’s going on?” Hermione asked, making her Head Girl badge really noticeable.

One of the sixth-years, who turned out to be Colin Creevey, turned and grinned at her. “Professor McGonagall’s agreed to let me start a newsletter for Gryffindors. I’m trying to talk Harry into giving me an interview,” here he pouted slightly, “but he won’t do it.”

Hermione shook her head, and, thinking quickly, said, “Colin, let Harry eat his lunch. Why don’t you go talk to Luna Lovegood about making it a newsletter for the whole school? When you’ve finished, you can take the idea to Professor McGonagall, who, I’m sure, will take the idea to Professor Dumbledore for approval.”

Colin smiled widely at her, saying, “That’s a great idea, Hermione. Thanks!”

They all watched as he rushed over to the Ravenclaw table and plop himself next to Luna.

“Now that’s a match if I’ve ever seen one,” El said quietly enough that only Ginny and Hermione heard her.

“So what was so important that you had to kick us out of the library?” Harry asked, not really expecting an answer.

“Nunya,” all three girls answered in unison, then started giggling.

“Ron!” Hermione said, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

“What?” He asked, turning his head to look at her.

“You were staring again,” she answered.

“Oh, thanks,” he said, blushing.

Hermione just shook her head and dug into her lunch. She’d barely brought the fork to her mouth when the back of her neck began to prickle. It was the feeling she always got when someone was staring at her. She turned to look at the Head Table, expecting it to be Lucius Malfoy staring at her. It wasn’t, he was deep in conversation with Professor Flitwick. She continued to scan the Great Hall and her gaze came to rest on the silver eyes of Draco Malfoy looking right back at her. He winked at her, then turned to Blaise Zabini and started talking.

El poked her lightly on the arm and asked, “What was that about?”

Hermione shrugged and nearly whispered, “Draco was staring at me, and he just winked at me.”

“Think he wants to talk?” El whispered back.

“Probably,” Hermione whispered.

“No whispering at the lunch table,” Ron nearly shouted.

Hermione gave him a look of mild annoyance and went back to her lunch.

“Hey, Ron, why don’t you go talk to your Ravenclaw? You know, ask if she wants to ‘study’ with you,” Ginny said loudly enough to get the attention of a few nearby Gryffindors, which made her brother’s face turn nearly as red as his hair.

Ron glared at her and whispered, “You’re a bitch.”

“I know,” she answered with a grin and a little bounce.

Hermione had a sudden stroke of inspiration and nearly dove under the table to retrieve her bag. Pulling out a quill, parchment, and an ink bottle, she said quietly, “Ron, why don’t you write her a note and I’ll give it to her. Muggle kids do stuff like that all the time, or we could enchant it to fly to her.”

“Thanks, ‘Mione, but I think I’d rather talk to her in person,” he answered.

She smiled at him and said, “Okay, Ron. Would you like me to cause her bag to rip in the hall, so you have an excuse to talk to her?”

Ron grinned and shook his head. He went back to his lunch, looking a little happier because he had the support of his friends.

“Hermione, can you help me out?” Harry asked her, blushing a little.

“Sure, Harry. What do you need help with?”

“Hannah Abbott. I like her, but I’m not sure if she likes me. Can you talk to her for me? You know, do the best friend thing?” He asked, turning a brighter shade of red.

Hermione grinned, saying, “Sure, Harry. She’s in my Arithmancy class after lunch; I’ll talk to her then.”

“Thanks, ‘Mione,” he said.

Merlin, they’re all getting romantically involved with others. When’s it my turn? She thought. She let her thoughts and a minute amount of self-pity carry her through the rest of lunch. She was so distracted that she didn’t even notice the two pairs of silver eyes that were intently focused on her.

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A/N: Sorry it’s short, I kind of hit a wall with this chapter, and it’s more for filler and information than actual plot anyway. Reviews are always wonderful.

For those of you that have reviewed; I’ve been having a really shitty couple of weeks, and reading all the positive reviews for this story made me feel so much better, so thank you. It’s been so bad I actually posted this to the wrong story, and it was there for a two days before I realized it!