Chapter 6: Potion Partners

                                    

                                          
Hermione's POV:
After Ginny and I left the Great Hall, I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief. Until, of course, I caught sight of him. Draco Malfoy.
Every time I looked up, I saw him biting his bottom lip, that smug smirk plastered on his face. It wasn't just the look that bothered me—it was the thoughts swirling in my mind, filthy and dark. Images of him doing unspeakable things to me danced in my head, too vivid to ignore. The bastard. His mental touch was like fire, sharp and unrelenting.
His voice slid into my mind like a caress: "You have no idea what I want to do to you, Granger."
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. Blushing was something I tried to avoid, but with him, it was impossible. His gaze burned through me. I had to squeeze my legs tightly together to stop the traitorous flutter in my chest. He was slowly unraveling me.
"-Newts," Ginny's voice snapped me out of my trance.
"Pardon?" I asked, blinking, still lost in the haze he'd created.
Ginny sighed, clearly annoyed. "You weren't even listening to me, were you? What's going on in that head of yours?"
I opened my mouth to say something, to confess that Malfoy was the only thing on my mind, but then I saw him again—standing at the door to Potions, that infuriating smirk plastered on his face.
"You better hope we're not paired, Granger," he said inside my mind, the words like a threat wrapped in honey.
I swallowed, fighting the instinctive flutter his words caused. What was he going to do? What was he planning?
"Mione!" Ginny's voice broke through my thoughts, making me jump.
"What?" I asked, still shaken.
She shot a glance at Malfoy, then turned her gaze back to me, smirking. "What did he just say to you? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I took a deep breath. "He said, 'You better hope we're not paired.'"
Ginny's grin grew wider. "Good luck," she teased, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "This is going to be interesting."
I groaned and walked into the classroom, sitting beside Ginny. I silently prayed we wouldn't be paired together for the rest of the year.
"Good morning, class!" Professor Slughorn's cheery voice rang out, but I didn't really hear him. My gaze was fixed on Malfoy, whose smirk only seemed to deepen as he caught my eye.
I could feel the tension in the air as his voice echoed in my mind. "Sly snake, Granger? Or are you just afraid of being paired with me?"
I hissed under my breath, mentally cursing him.
"Ow!" Ginny pinched me, hard.
"Stop listening to him," she hissed, glaring at Malfoy, who was still watching us with that insufferable grin.
Professor Slughorn was still droning on, calling out the pairs. I wasn't really paying attention. I couldn't. I was too focused on the way Malfoy was staring at me, the way his eyes burned like molten lava.
"Blaise Zabini with Ginny Weasley," Slughorn called out, and Ginny shrugged before standing up to sit next to him.
I sighed in relief, but only for a moment.