When a Tornado Meets a Volcano
Chapter 2: The Increasing Winds
Hermione awoke with a start. How long had she been sleeping? Did she miss any of her classes? She raced over to the window, ripping the curtains open, only to find that she was greeted with a cool night breeze. Rolling her eyes, she turned and walked back to the couch, making it groan as she plopped down heavily.
“Goodness,” she mumbled to herself, running a hand through her hair. “I thought I had slept through till tomorrow.” She chuckled to herself, fumbling with the hem of her skirt. She hadn’t changed before she took her nap, and as a result, her clothes were wrinkled. She sighed and stood again, heading towards the stairs to her room.
The way the living quarters were set up was such that she shared a staircase with one of the other prefects. In total, there were three staircases in the rather expansive common room: one on each side for a pair of prefects, and one in the middle leading to the Head Girl and Head Boy’s rooms. Unfortunately for her though, the person she shared her staircase with was none other than Draco Malfoy.
The very same person who was standing in his doorway, looking at her in a bemused sort of way as she made her way up the stairs.
She hadn’t noticed him yet, even though he was quite visible with is disheveled blonde hair and rumpled clothing. He, too, had not changed from his school clothes before collapsing to rest on his bed. She had made it to her door, and was just about to turn the knob when she gave a high-pitched squeak and turned in his direction. He grimaced and covered his ears.
“What the hell are you making so much noise for, Granger?” he asked, rubbing his temples dramatically. “It is the middle of the night, for Merlin’s sake.” Hermione frowned as she turned. Even in her still-sleepy state, the voice was unmistakable - Draco Malfoy was standing not four feet away, scratching his head.
“How long have you been standing there?” she choked out, still a bit shocked.
“Long enough to see you freak out at the mere thought of sleeping through until tomorrow night,” he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He must have been looking over the small landing at her, and moved when he saw that she was coming.
“Oh, and I suppose you wouldn’t care if that happened to you then?” she raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms skeptically over her chest.
“Oh, I would care,” he said. A small smirk had started to form and Hermione braced herself for the upcoming insult; she knew he wouldn’t pass up the chance to turn her words around on her.
“But, unlike you,” he said, making a loose hand motion in her direction. “I actually can appreciate something that doesn’t involve studying. I don’t hole myself up in that dust bucket of a library and study all day, and I actually have a life.” He emphasized the last word and his grin grew as he saw the look o her face that told him he had struck a chord.
She swiftly made her way over to him, getting right into his face. She glared fiercely into his eyes, and it too all of her self-restraint not to punch him.
“Let me tell you something Malfoy,” she hissed, making him scared for just a moment. “All my life I have been told that I have to show everyone that I am not worthless. I have been appreciating the fact that I am even here every single day since I got my letter. I have been appreciating not having my life magicked away from me countless times. I have appreciated knowing that if I could do my best at something than people would accept me. I know better than you ever will the meaning of appreciating things. So don’t give me this bullshit about not being able to. Come talk to me when you actually can do something on your own without ickle daddy-kins there to pay your way through.” She stood there for a moment, her face flush with anger and her eyes bearing into him like drills in a diamond mine.
“You have no idea what you are talking about Granger,” he growled, narrowing his eyes and leaning menacingly closer. If the air between them had been thick before, you might even say that now, nothing short of a chainsaw could hack through it. They were so close that their noses almost touched, and Draco could feel her warm breath travel lightly over his face. She could hear as his heartbeat increased, presumably from anger.
“Oh, what? Did I strike a nerve?” she asked with mock sincerity, giving him a sickly sweet smile. She pulled her head back just a bit, but he leaned further in, causing her fingers to twitch should she need to defend herself, but she urged on. “I suppose ickle-daddy-kins and Drakey-poo aren’t getting along then?” She used for Draco the silly pet name Pansy Parkinson had bestowed upon him in 3 when he’d been hurt by Buckbeak.
Draco laughed wryly. “You think you know so much, don’t you, Granger?” he hissed, this time making her flinch. “My father…what goes between my father and I, is none of your business and if I were you I would take care to keep my know-it-all nose out of other people’s affairs.”
“What is going on here?” a small, groggy voice asked from behind Draco. He turned to find Serine Driscoll, Head girl standing in her doorway, looking peeved. Hermione blanched; here she was in the middle of the night arguing with Draco Malfoy, completely forgetting to be considerate of the other people she shared the space with. She looked away in embarrassment.
“Why are you two so loud?” Serine asked, placing a hand up when she saw Draco open his mouth to protest. “Get back into your rooms, and go to sleep. We all have classes tomorrow, and I doubt you want to be sleeping through them.” Draco scowled and gave Hermione a final glare before going back into his room with a huff and slam of the door.
Serine raised her eyebrow at Hermione, giving her hand a short flick to indicate that she should be off as well. With head hung and feet dragging, Hermione made her way into her room and shut the door. She pulled out her wand and after casting a silencing charm, opened her mouth and let out the loudest scream she could.
“I HATE YOU DRACO MALFOY!” she screamed, beating her fists on the wall that separated her room from his. She knew he couldn’t hear, but she was satisfied enough with just letting her anger out. She hit the wall until her hands started to bruise then collapsed on the bed, out of breath and with tears streaming down her face. “You are the bane of my existence, and I swear to Merlin, if it is the last thing I do, you will fall. I swear, Draco Lucius Malfoy, you will fall.”
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The rest of the night was fitful for Draco. After arguing with Hermione, he had gotten so worked up that sleep evaded him completely. He could still feel the heat of Hermione’s rage beating down on him and he sighed in defeat as he watched the sun come up through his window.
He hated how he let her get to him. He knew that he hated her, yet he couldn’t help the fact that he sought her out constantly to argue. He had figured out that he was a lot more irritable if he didn’t have some sort of spat with her at least every couple of days. It was strange, yes; and though he didn’t want to admit it, he knew that on some level, she made him stable. He closed his eyes for a moment, giving one last huff of breath before rolling out of bed and getting ready for his day.
The night had been no different for Hermione. She had tossed and turned in her sleep, leaving her feeling more tired and short-tempered than she would have liked to be. As she brushed her teeth in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. The bruises were starting to turn a nice purple color, and they stung whenever she moved her hands. She sighed; it was all his fault.
Walking out of the bathroom and into her room, she gathered her things. As she headed down the stairs, she heard a click behind her and sped up, knowing that he was not far behind, and not wanting to confront him this early in the morning. She made her way quickly to the Great Hall where she plopped across from Harry and Ron and began filling her plate with food.
She looked up when the two boys her fell silent. “What is it?” she asked, popping a piece of toast into her mouth.
“What happened to your hands?” Harry asked with his eyes wide with shock. She looked down at them and silently cursed herself for forgetting to cast a glamour on them to make them seem normal. She regained her composure momentarily, however, and looked up at her friend.
“I just had a little accident is all; nothing too bad,” she said, giving him a small smile. It was the second lie in less than 24 hours.
“Hermione,” Ron said, causing her to turn in his direction. “You don’t do anything but study. How could you hands have gotten so bruised?” She nearly choked on her pumpkin juice.
“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Hermione said, her voice rising. “What type of stuff do I do then? You obviously know everything about me and my life, so tell me.” Under the table, Harry kicked Ron, sensing that he was about to say something stupid.
“Well boring stuff; like reading and studying. That’s all you really do. You don’t really have a life.” Ron replied shrugging and stuffing a piece of ham in his mouth. Harry gave Ron a sidelong glance that said ‘You’re doomed.’ Hermione grit her teeth in frustration, glowering at him with all of the nervousness, anger, and tension pouring in to that one look.
“That’s all I do? Ok, thank you for clueing me in Ronald. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go read, study, and continue with my boring existence because according to you that’s all I do and it isn’t even considered a life. Don’t bother to come and find me.” She said, rising. With a flourish of robes and one last hate filled glare, she stormed out of the Great Hall, her face flush and her heels clicking violently against the tile.
Draco was watching the whole time from the Slytherin table. It was understandable why she had avoided him just a few moments ago in the common room - he didn’t want to talk to her, either. But what had concerned him is when he saw the bruises on her hands. He didn’t realize what they were; she had left so quickly he didn’t get a good peek. But when Potter brought it up, he could see them very clearly, as he was sure that everyone else could as well.
Before he knew what was happening, she was storming off, her discarded breakfast plate slowly disappearing from its place. What had happened exactly? Though he was unsure of whether he should, he quickly ate the rest of his breakfast and stood.
“Where you going, mate?” he heard someone ask and turned to see Blaise. His friend was giving him a knowing look, almost as if to say, don’t answer because it obvious. Draco merely said a short ‘see you later’ before making his way out of the hall as quickly - but as inconspicuously - as possible.
He headed towards the dungeons; Slytherins and Gryffindors had double potions together that morning, so he knew that was where she would be headed. He was correct: not far ahead of him, he could hear the now soft click of shoes against the floor. He followed them, but slowed to a stop just before he reached the classroom.
What exactly was he doing, following her like this? It was none of his concern how she had hurt her hands; it was her own fault, right? She had looked so mad when she had left the Great Hall... That was it. He was jealous of someone else who could make her that mad. That was his job; Official Hermione Granger Annoyer. He rolled his eyes at his own rationalization, and took the step he needed to in order to see her around the corner. What he was surprised him.
Sitting on the floor, with her head in her bruised hands and her bag lazily placed beside her, was Hermione Granger. And she was crying.
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A/N: Okay, I have to admit, this was a really hard chapter to write. I needed some sort of filler chapter for what is coming next, but I didn't really know how to to do an effective one, so this is the result. Read and review, for sure!
Hermione awoke with a start. How long had she been sleeping? Did she miss any of her classes? She raced over to the window, ripping the curtains open, only to find that she was greeted with a cool night breeze. Rolling her eyes, she turned and walked back to the couch, making it groan as she plopped down heavily.
“Goodness,” she mumbled to herself, running a hand through her hair. “I thought I had slept through till tomorrow.” She chuckled to herself, fumbling with the hem of her skirt. She hadn’t changed before she took her nap, and as a result, her clothes were wrinkled. She sighed and stood again, heading towards the stairs to her room.
The way the living quarters were set up was such that she shared a staircase with one of the other prefects. In total, there were three staircases in the rather expansive common room: one on each side for a pair of prefects, and one in the middle leading to the Head Girl and Head Boy’s rooms. Unfortunately for her though, the person she shared her staircase with was none other than Draco Malfoy.
The very same person who was standing in his doorway, looking at her in a bemused sort of way as she made her way up the stairs.
She hadn’t noticed him yet, even though he was quite visible with is disheveled blonde hair and rumpled clothing. He, too, had not changed from his school clothes before collapsing to rest on his bed. She had made it to her door, and was just about to turn the knob when she gave a high-pitched squeak and turned in his direction. He grimaced and covered his ears.
“What the hell are you making so much noise for, Granger?” he asked, rubbing his temples dramatically. “It is the middle of the night, for Merlin’s sake.” Hermione frowned as she turned. Even in her still-sleepy state, the voice was unmistakable - Draco Malfoy was standing not four feet away, scratching his head.
“How long have you been standing there?” she choked out, still a bit shocked.
“Long enough to see you freak out at the mere thought of sleeping through until tomorrow night,” he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He must have been looking over the small landing at her, and moved when he saw that she was coming.
“Oh, and I suppose you wouldn’t care if that happened to you then?” she raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms skeptically over her chest.
“Oh, I would care,” he said. A small smirk had started to form and Hermione braced herself for the upcoming insult; she knew he wouldn’t pass up the chance to turn her words around on her.
“But, unlike you,” he said, making a loose hand motion in her direction. “I actually can appreciate something that doesn’t involve studying. I don’t hole myself up in that dust bucket of a library and study all day, and I actually have a life.” He emphasized the last word and his grin grew as he saw the look o her face that told him he had struck a chord.
She swiftly made her way over to him, getting right into his face. She glared fiercely into his eyes, and it too all of her self-restraint not to punch him.
“Let me tell you something Malfoy,” she hissed, making him scared for just a moment. “All my life I have been told that I have to show everyone that I am not worthless. I have been appreciating the fact that I am even here every single day since I got my letter. I have been appreciating not having my life magicked away from me countless times. I have appreciated knowing that if I could do my best at something than people would accept me. I know better than you ever will the meaning of appreciating things. So don’t give me this bullshit about not being able to. Come talk to me when you actually can do something on your own without ickle daddy-kins there to pay your way through.” She stood there for a moment, her face flush with anger and her eyes bearing into him like drills in a diamond mine.
“You have no idea what you are talking about Granger,” he growled, narrowing his eyes and leaning menacingly closer. If the air between them had been thick before, you might even say that now, nothing short of a chainsaw could hack through it. They were so close that their noses almost touched, and Draco could feel her warm breath travel lightly over his face. She could hear as his heartbeat increased, presumably from anger.
“Oh, what? Did I strike a nerve?” she asked with mock sincerity, giving him a sickly sweet smile. She pulled her head back just a bit, but he leaned further in, causing her fingers to twitch should she need to defend herself, but she urged on. “I suppose ickle-daddy-kins and Drakey-poo aren’t getting along then?” She used for Draco the silly pet name Pansy Parkinson had bestowed upon him in 3 when he’d been hurt by Buckbeak.
Draco laughed wryly. “You think you know so much, don’t you, Granger?” he hissed, this time making her flinch. “My father…what goes between my father and I, is none of your business and if I were you I would take care to keep my know-it-all nose out of other people’s affairs.”
“What is going on here?” a small, groggy voice asked from behind Draco. He turned to find Serine Driscoll, Head girl standing in her doorway, looking peeved. Hermione blanched; here she was in the middle of the night arguing with Draco Malfoy, completely forgetting to be considerate of the other people she shared the space with. She looked away in embarrassment.
“Why are you two so loud?” Serine asked, placing a hand up when she saw Draco open his mouth to protest. “Get back into your rooms, and go to sleep. We all have classes tomorrow, and I doubt you want to be sleeping through them.” Draco scowled and gave Hermione a final glare before going back into his room with a huff and slam of the door.
Serine raised her eyebrow at Hermione, giving her hand a short flick to indicate that she should be off as well. With head hung and feet dragging, Hermione made her way into her room and shut the door. She pulled out her wand and after casting a silencing charm, opened her mouth and let out the loudest scream she could.
“I HATE YOU DRACO MALFOY!” she screamed, beating her fists on the wall that separated her room from his. She knew he couldn’t hear, but she was satisfied enough with just letting her anger out. She hit the wall until her hands started to bruise then collapsed on the bed, out of breath and with tears streaming down her face. “You are the bane of my existence, and I swear to Merlin, if it is the last thing I do, you will fall. I swear, Draco Lucius Malfoy, you will fall.”
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The rest of the night was fitful for Draco. After arguing with Hermione, he had gotten so worked up that sleep evaded him completely. He could still feel the heat of Hermione’s rage beating down on him and he sighed in defeat as he watched the sun come up through his window.
He hated how he let her get to him. He knew that he hated her, yet he couldn’t help the fact that he sought her out constantly to argue. He had figured out that he was a lot more irritable if he didn’t have some sort of spat with her at least every couple of days. It was strange, yes; and though he didn’t want to admit it, he knew that on some level, she made him stable. He closed his eyes for a moment, giving one last huff of breath before rolling out of bed and getting ready for his day.
The night had been no different for Hermione. She had tossed and turned in her sleep, leaving her feeling more tired and short-tempered than she would have liked to be. As she brushed her teeth in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. The bruises were starting to turn a nice purple color, and they stung whenever she moved her hands. She sighed; it was all his fault.
Walking out of the bathroom and into her room, she gathered her things. As she headed down the stairs, she heard a click behind her and sped up, knowing that he was not far behind, and not wanting to confront him this early in the morning. She made her way quickly to the Great Hall where she plopped across from Harry and Ron and began filling her plate with food.
She looked up when the two boys her fell silent. “What is it?” she asked, popping a piece of toast into her mouth.
“What happened to your hands?” Harry asked with his eyes wide with shock. She looked down at them and silently cursed herself for forgetting to cast a glamour on them to make them seem normal. She regained her composure momentarily, however, and looked up at her friend.
“I just had a little accident is all; nothing too bad,” she said, giving him a small smile. It was the second lie in less than 24 hours.
“Hermione,” Ron said, causing her to turn in his direction. “You don’t do anything but study. How could you hands have gotten so bruised?” She nearly choked on her pumpkin juice.
“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Hermione said, her voice rising. “What type of stuff do I do then? You obviously know everything about me and my life, so tell me.” Under the table, Harry kicked Ron, sensing that he was about to say something stupid.
“Well boring stuff; like reading and studying. That’s all you really do. You don’t really have a life.” Ron replied shrugging and stuffing a piece of ham in his mouth. Harry gave Ron a sidelong glance that said ‘You’re doomed.’ Hermione grit her teeth in frustration, glowering at him with all of the nervousness, anger, and tension pouring in to that one look.
“That’s all I do? Ok, thank you for clueing me in Ronald. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go read, study, and continue with my boring existence because according to you that’s all I do and it isn’t even considered a life. Don’t bother to come and find me.” She said, rising. With a flourish of robes and one last hate filled glare, she stormed out of the Great Hall, her face flush and her heels clicking violently against the tile.
Draco was watching the whole time from the Slytherin table. It was understandable why she had avoided him just a few moments ago in the common room - he didn’t want to talk to her, either. But what had concerned him is when he saw the bruises on her hands. He didn’t realize what they were; she had left so quickly he didn’t get a good peek. But when Potter brought it up, he could see them very clearly, as he was sure that everyone else could as well.
Before he knew what was happening, she was storming off, her discarded breakfast plate slowly disappearing from its place. What had happened exactly? Though he was unsure of whether he should, he quickly ate the rest of his breakfast and stood.
“Where you going, mate?” he heard someone ask and turned to see Blaise. His friend was giving him a knowing look, almost as if to say, don’t answer because it obvious. Draco merely said a short ‘see you later’ before making his way out of the hall as quickly - but as inconspicuously - as possible.
He headed towards the dungeons; Slytherins and Gryffindors had double potions together that morning, so he knew that was where she would be headed. He was correct: not far ahead of him, he could hear the now soft click of shoes against the floor. He followed them, but slowed to a stop just before he reached the classroom.
What exactly was he doing, following her like this? It was none of his concern how she had hurt her hands; it was her own fault, right? She had looked so mad when she had left the Great Hall... That was it. He was jealous of someone else who could make her that mad. That was his job; Official Hermione Granger Annoyer. He rolled his eyes at his own rationalization, and took the step he needed to in order to see her around the corner. What he was surprised him.
Sitting on the floor, with her head in her bruised hands and her bag lazily placed beside her, was Hermione Granger. And she was crying.
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A/N: Okay, I have to admit, this was a really hard chapter to write. I needed some sort of filler chapter for what is coming next, but I didn't really know how to to do an effective one, so this is the result. Read and review, for sure!