14. Chapter 14: Hermione

Arigatou for all your support. I appreciate hearing from you. :) Thanks especially to all the people who have continuously reviewed this fic since the early chapters. You know who you are, and I do too. So thank you very much. -Glomp-

& here is...

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10 Ways to Kill Draco Malfoy

Chapter 14

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HERMIONE

Well, I'd hoped that yesterday had been all one big dream - I mean, nightmare. But after I'd left the Prefects' bathroom in a state of daze after the smooching session, I'd pinched myself as hard as I could. On my arms, legs and face. If you don't believe me, I have bruises to show you as proof.

OK, I admit it. I went a bit overboard with the pinching. But the point is, I didn't wake up next to the lake, or anywhere for that matter. I stayed where I was, in my swimming gear (I wear it when bathing, in case of Peeping Toms sharing the Prefects' bath with me). And I hurt all over. My lips had still been flaming from Malfoy's kissing and my hair was tousled from him playing absently with it as we'd kissed.

Which takes us back to why we'd snogged in the first place. I admit that I'd wondered what it would be like to kiss Malfoy before. And a small part of me was satisfied that I had finally found out. Still, I had no affection for him. It was just a curiosity, and now that it had been fulfilled, I feel pretty much the same as ever towards him.

Really.

Now I have those plans I've written for Malfoy to carry out.

Plan 4: Burn Malfoy with magical fire.

When: During today's Quidditch match.

Why: Because... because I said so.

How: When he is flying and about to get the Snitch, cast Acquapyro on him. Must resist from casting Pyrifico on him instead, because that would burn him for real.

"Hermiiiiiiiiiiione!"

"Bwahaha- I mean, uh, hi Ginny!" I try to cover up my evil laughter with a loud cough in an attempt to distract her. "So, seen Harry this morning?" Gah! That was a dumb question. We'd come to the pitch together, all four of us. There isn't much of chance of her not spotting him this morning if they'd walked next to each other on the way to the Great Hall, as well as to the Quidditch pitch.

She gives me an odd look. "Of course. We were just with him a second ago, weren't we?"

"Er, yeah! Sorry about that. Got a bit carried away with my thoughts."

Ginny laughs. "Malfoy-killing plans, right?"

I grin. "Something like that. So, good luck on the game. Make sure you give the Slytherins what they deserve. Don't hesitate to jab a few of them in the eye."

"In the eye? Well, I'll try my best. Thanks! Cheer for us." And with a wave, Ginny departs, holding her Nimbus Two Thousand tightly in her hands.

Where did that Nimbus come from? Well, basically, when Ginny had been going out with Dean Thomas, he had been really into her and bought her a load of presents. Dean's family weren't millionaires, but they were close to it. They had a modest little house, without any unnecessary things in it like huge plasma TVs or sound systems throughout the house. This meant that Dean got a lot of money, because his parents had a lot of money to spare.

Now that Dean and Ginny had broken up, they are still good friends and occasionally, he would buy her the odd present. I guess she's just lucky.

"Hiya, 'Mione!" A gruff voice says brightly.

I look up. "Oh! Hey there, Hagrid! Come to watch the match?"

"Yeah. Heard that Ginny Weasley's playin' fer the Gryffindor team?" The half-giant sits down, waving aside a protesting 3rd-year that had been next to me.

"That's right."

"Good on 'er," he says, staring at the people down below. "Takes after 'er brothers, it seems!"

"Annnnd, in the red corner, is the GRYFFINDORS! Yeah!"

Seamus's voice booms out, and I snap my attention towards the pitch. On one side is the Gryffindor team, Harry in the front. On the other side, green and silver-robed figures stood, looking menacing. At their front is Draco Malfoy. My heart does a little flop, and my hand tightens around my wand. I am going to do Plan 4 to Malfoy at this match. Hopefully no-one will notice me waving my wand around a bit and muttering spells under my breath.

On the pitch, Harry and Malfoy both step forward. Even at this distance, I can see the glares on their faces, and their reluctance to touch each other. After a few seconds of silence, Harry finally raises his palm. Malfoy slowly raises his and clenches it around Harry's hand. The forced grins on their faces nearly make me pee my pants with laughter.

Thankfully I don't pee my pants, or it would have been rather unladylike.

Madam Hooch's whistle blows, and the two teams take off in a flurry of dust and multicolored robes. Soon, Ginny, Heather and Georgina are passing the Quaffle between them. After a few seconds, Georgina receives the red ball and, being close enough to the Slytherin goal hoops to be able to take a good shot, throws it towards the right hoop. The Slytherin goalie flies as fast as he can towards the Quaffle and tries to catch it, but misses by a good metre.

The crowd around me roars in triumph. Opposite the pitch, the Slytherins glare at us and mutter amongst themselves.

Harry and Malfoy seem to be making conversation as they both sit atop their broomsticks and scan the pitch for the tiny golden Snitch. They make one dive after another, but always pull away near the end, feinting. Eventually, Malfoy sees something Harry hasn't and starts to fly down. The Slytherins cheer as he zooms down, obviously spotting the Snitch.

"Come on, Harry! You must have seen it!" I mouth to no-one in particular. "Geesh... OK, time for Operation Burn-Malfoy." I grab my wand, and covering it with the sleeve of my robes, wave it in a complex pattern in the air and point it at Malfoy. "Acquapyro!"

To my pleasure, Malfoy's quidditch robes catch on fire, just like I'd intended. Harry seems to be yelling something at him, but he doesn't notice the flames until a few seconds later. Then he starts shouting in surprise.

"What's this! Draco Malfoy, of the Slytherin team (boo) has caught on fire! What's happening?" Seamus cries, eyes wide. Sheesh. Ever the drama king.

"'Mione! Did ya see his face, that ferret!" Hagrid booms, laughing heartily. "He looked scared out of 'is wits!"

"Uh, yeah. Hahaha! That was very funny. Ha. Ha."

Hagrid stops laughing and gives me a funny look. "Somethin' wrong, Hermione? Ye don't sound well."

"I'm fine. Just laughing at Malfoy. Haha. Ha!" I force a grin as I crane my neck to see how Malfoy is.

"Hermione... I think I'll go and talk ta Madam Pomfrey about yer behaviour," Hagrid says, starting to stand.

I quickly drag him back down, smiling at him and looking as sane as possible. "No! I said I was fine, thank you. I appreciate your concern, Hagrid, but I'm really OK." I stand up instead. "I'm going down to talk to Harry. Stay here, will you? Don't come looking for me, I'll be alright getting down there."

"Erm... OK, then. If yer say so," he answers, looking doubtful. "See ya."

I wave at him and then hurriedly make my way down to where Harry is standing, laughing like a maniac. "Harry! You OK? The flames didn't get to you, did they?" I hadn't done the spell very much before, only in my first year when I'd set Snape on fire in the same way, except I'd caught the flame in a jar first. I didn't know what might happen if a person who wasn't the target caught fire too. The blue flames wouldn't burn the targeted thing, but anything else like clothes or shoes would be demolished. I hoped that Malfoy hadn't put his wand in his pocket, because then it would have been burned up too.

"Nah, I'm fine. But you should have seen Malfoy! He was jumping around screaming before Madam Pomfrey assured him that he was still fine and not burnt." Harry chuckles. "I wish I had a camera."

I smile at him, and then look over at where Malfoy is. I suck in my breath and wish that my heart would stop flopping around, because it did that just now.

His robes have been burned clean off, revealing his bare chest and the jeans he is wearing underneath his now non-existent quidditch gear. The scowl on his face doesn't make him look any less sexy. And even though I'd shared a bath with him yesterday, I hadn't seen anything because we had been underwater, and the bubbles on the surface of the Prefects' bath had made the water practically opaque. Plus the water had been nearly up to his shoulders, so there hadn't been much to see.

Obviously other girls are thinking the same thing as me (not the bit about the bath, the first part), because a bunch of them come to fawn over him. His scowl widens as he pushes them away. Only the really persistent ones, like Pansy, come back to him. The others realize he is in a bad mood and stay a reasonable distance away, not wanting to feel his anger or get in his bad books.

When he looks up and spots me, he waves a fist at me menacingly, cold grey eyes flashing with humiliation and unmistakeable anger. "GRANGER!"

I wouldn't be surprised if the whole school had heard him, because suddenly the pitch goes rather quiet. "Um... hi?"

He stomps over to me and leans so close to me that I can feel the heat from his body. "You... you did this, didn't you?"

"What if I did?" I answer rather coldly, or as coldly as I can manage so close to Malfoy.

He sneers. "Right. You'd better watch out, Mudblood, because I'm going to get back at you soon - very soon."

I pretend to shiver. "Omigod. I'm so friggin' scared. Bring it on, Malfoy. I doubt you could hex me even if I were asleep."

Malfoy's face turns slightly pink. "You'll be sorry you said that." And with that, he strides away, his female fans glaring at me. I make a face at his back, and as much as I would love to hit him with some kind of hex, my pride doesn't allow me to make such an underhand attack. Instead I satisfy myself with a few choice swear words, which I won't list here.

"Oy, 'Mione."

I turn around to grin at Harry, who looks a tad bit worried. "Yeah?"

"Do you think he was telling the truth? I wouldn't put it past him to hex you while you were, say, asleep. He might even ambush you while you're on Prefect duties with Ron!" Harry says, looking concerned. "Who knows what that Malfoy and his croonies will do to get back at you. I mean, you embarassed him quite a lot. He was seen jumping up and down screaming in front of the whole school."

I wouldn't have called it screaming, but it was close enough. "Hm. You're right. But isn't that what Ron's there for?" I grab Ron and hook my arm through his. "My bodyguard's right here!"

"H-hey! Hermione, I doubt I could fight off Malfoy and his friends by myself," Ron splutters, flushing. "Anyway... don't take him too seriously, you two."

I am pretty sure that Malfoy was serious. But I don't think he would be dumb enough to hex me - I am practically infamous in Hogwarts for my tasteful revenge on those who dared to attack me. I relax as a familiar jumble of spells tumble into my mind. There is the jelly slugs one, and then there is the one who turns the victim green with purple spots. Many more are there, but listing them would take too long.

The Quidditch match being over, I walk along to Potions with Harry and Ron. I can tell that it's not going to be an enjoyable lesson, even it is just Gryffindors in the class. Snape will be sour that his house team was denied the chance to maybe win against the Gryffindors, and that one of his favorite students was humiliated in front of the school. And judging by the scowl on the Professor's face as we walk into the dungeon classroom, I'm probably right.

"Five points off Gryffindor for you three being late," he barks as soon as we open the door. I roll my eyes at Harry and Ron. "And a further ten points off, Miss Granger, for rolling your eyes!" I gape at him, but wisely keep my mouth shut even though a few choice retorts are at the tip of my tongue. I take my seat and look as neutral as possible, so that Snape can't take points off from me for smiling or scowling too much.

Throughout the lesson, points are taken of for the slightest mistake. By the time we exit the classroom, our house points have gone down by about sixty. The whole class is muttering and complaining about the unfairness of this situation, us included.

"That -" - Ron makes a rather rude gesture in the air - "- stinking rat! Now we're probably last in running for the house cup!"

Harry doesn't look too worried. "There's still the rest of the year, Ron. And plus, we're having another match on Thursday, so if we beat whoever we're playing, we should be ahead by a little again."

"That's good to know," I remark. "Just make sure you beat that team. Don't you dare lose. We don't have many crystals left in the hourglass..."

"So, Snape's taken revenge? About time..." A voice drawls from behind us. I groan. That voice is all too familiar. Nearly as familiar as my hexes. Which I have a funny feeling I'm going to need to perform in a few moments.

"Go away, Malfoy," Ron says automatically. This is one of his many auto-responses to Malfoy. Others include, 'Get lost, stinking ferret.' and '-Insert unpleasant word here- off, idiot.' Not exactly positive, but then again, Malfoy doesn't really deserve positive comments from us.

"Not likely," he says loftily. "I haven't even taken revenge yet." His smile grows malicious as he aims his wand at me. "Which I will do now... Tarantallegra!"

Immediately my legs start tap-dancing. Wow. Never knew I could dance so well. Now if I could just get it to stop...! "AHHH!" I scream as my frenzied dancing leads me to a wall. My feet kick at the stone wall and the sound echoes along the corridor. Malfoy starts laughing as I trip over my feet and fall on my butt, legs still kicking like something in its death throes.

Urgh. Not exactly a nice thought.

"Reversio!" Harry shouts, and my feet stop. I huff and heave a bit, while Harry and Ron ask if I am OK. I nod and slowly get to my knees, and before Malfoy can block it, I pull out my wand and yell: "Mobilicorpus!"

And Malfoy floats ten feet into the air, his head nearly bumping the ceiling. "Oh, holy shit!" he shouts, looking around frantically for his wand before realizing that it is in his hand. "Rever- no!"

I laugh at his panicked expression. "That's right. You can't reverse this, because then you'll be a wizard pancake! And I doubt Crabbe and Goyle know how to conjure a stretcher yet. So have a good time up there, amigo." Cackling to myself, I beckon to Harry and Ron to get going to Transfiguration. "Come on. We'll be late if we don't hurry."

"Get me down! Or when I die I'll come back and haunt you!"

"I bet you'd do that whether I get you down or not," I mutter.

"You bitch! Get back here! Or at least, if your pride won't let you, tell one of your boyfriends to do it!"

I turn pink. "For the last time... HARRY AND RON ARE NOT MY BOYFRIENDS!" And because of my anger, I decide to add something: "Petrificus Totalus!"

Full-body bind.

So now Malfoy is not only floating ten feet up, but he's also immobilized. If his nose itches then he can't scratch it. And there's nothing worse than a continuous itch that you can't scratch. "I'll repeat myself one last time - have a good time up there, Malfoy." Then with a satisfied smile, I turn around and join Harry and Ron. I wonder what he'll do for revenge. Knowing Malfoy, it'll be very... close-up and personal.

OK, why is my heart beating so fast at the thought of being up-close to Malfoy? This is very unnatural. Slow down, you idiotic thing.

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Not an awfully big advancement on the plot, but yeah... kinda necessary to the whole relationship thing.

I don't know how some authors can write huge, 20-page chapters. O.o I mean, in some fanfics, for one chapter the scrollbar is like tiny. And I think I include enough thoughts and descriptions... but at most one chapter for me is about 5 pages.