Chapter 8

                                    

                                          


Hermione made it to Potions class that morning just a few seconds before the bell rang. She had to pass by Draco to get to her desk, but he was doing a wonderful job of making sure his eyes were not pointed in her direction. But she didn't shy away from glancing at him. He looked about as unhappy as she felt.
                          
Quickly, she took a seat beside the Gryffindor girl whose name she still didn't know, and looked over to Harry and Ron, who were smiling and waving to her. She gave a small smile back and stared down at her desk. If she didn't think the day could possibly get any worse, she was about to find out that she was horribly mistaken.
                          
Professor Snape entered the room briskly and walked straight to his desk. Without turning around to face the class he said, "Due to recent events, I thought that today we would discuss the pros and cons of love potions." As he said "love potions", he spun around and glared at Hermione, who was now blushing furiously. She didn't even have to turn around to look at Draco to figure he was probably fuming.
                          
A few kids in the class snickered. Hermione just buried her face in her hands.
                          
"Are you okay?" the girl beside her asked.
                          
"No," Hermione grumbled in response. Something told her that the fact that Snape had taken a sudden interest in love potions was no coincidence. A quick glance over at a guilty-looking Harry and Ron confirmed that. Suddenly, realization hit her: yesterday...Snape asking to speak to Harry and Ron...their "detentions"...the anti-potion...Those little buggers! They got Snape involved in this!
                          
As Snape began to talk about different types of love potions, Hermione got brave and turned around to look at Draco. To her surprise, he was staring back at her with a look of disgust. She was suddenly very glad that looks couldn't kill. Quickly, she turned back around in her chair and tried her very best to act normal.
                          
Potions seemed to last longer than normal that day. Snape spent the entire time discussing the different types of love potions, what they do, what their ingredients are, and how no one should ever, ever, under ANY circumstances use one on another living human being. He then went on to list the consequences and repercussions of giving someone a love potion, and none of them were good.
                          
When the bell finally rang, Hermione was quick to pack up her things and bolt for the door, completely ignoring Harry and Ron. She was furious and embarrassed and she suddenly found herself wishing a hole would open up in the floor beneath her and swallow her. But much to her chagrin, that did not happen. Instead, something slammed into her, sending her stumbling forward. Her books flew from her hands and fell to the floor with a THUD.
                          
Oh how wonderful, she thought to herself dryly. When she bent down to pick up her books, a cold voice above her said, "Watch where you're going."
                          
Malfoy. Hermione closed her eyes and silently counted to ten. If you ignore him, he will go away, she told herself.
                          
She was so wrong. When she finally stood up, she found herself face-to-face with a very unhappy-looking Draco.
                          
"Listen, Granger," he said, rather loudly. A few Slytherins nearby – including Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and Crabbe and Goyle – all looked over at them curiously. "I know you are having a hard time getting over me, but you are just going to have to get it through that thick skull of yours that it was all just a joke, okay?"
                          
Hermione stared at him, dumbfounded. "A joke? Malfoy, what are you talking abou-"
                          
Draco sneered at her. "Oh please, Granger – you didn't honestly believe that I liked you...did you?"
                          
Hermione's jaw dropped. Suddenly she knew exactly what it was he was doing. He was protecting his precious reputation.
                          
Before she had a chance to defend herself, he continued: "Oh Merlin, Granger," he said, trying hard not to laugh. "You really did believe it, didn't you? I have to say, I can see how you were fooled so easily. Even I was pleasantly surprised by my impeccable acting skills, which by the way, I wasn't even aware that I had. I mean, I got a silly little know-it-all mudblood to believe that someone like me would actually lower my standards and give filth like you the time of day. Now that's good acting."