It's all About the Cookies (PG-13) for cyyt
Title: It’s all About the Cookies
Author:
Pairing: Draco/Hermione
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Fluff
Summary: Growing up can change you, but wisdom acquired during youth still remains beneficial.
Notes: A huge thank you to kristan1 for her phenomenal beta skills. This story would not make sense or be legible without her. To the recipient, I had a wonderful time playing with your prompt, I hope you enjoy it and it meets with your approval.
At the tender age of three, Draco Malfoy learned a valuable life lesson, “It’s all about the cookies.”
That summer, his mother felt he was finally old enough, and well behaved enough, to join her on society functions. The Pureblood Ladies Auxiliary was hosting their annual cookie drive to benefit those unfortunates whom the previous war had left disabled and/or orphaned.
Draco had been very proud that his mother had baked her own cookies and not asked the house elves to provide them for her. She had explained that, for “charity” events - all the purebloods did their own baking.
His mother had let him taste one of her cookies that morning, so he could tell her if they were good enough for the charity event. She had made mint chocolate chip cookies. Draco always loved mint and chocolate and the combination was the most heavenly treat his young taste buds had ever experienced. He’d praised the cookies and called them a treat fit for Merlin himself. Secretly, he thought they were a lot like his mother, cool and refreshing like the mint, combined with love and comfort like the chocolate.
Narcissa had kissed his cheeks and handed him a bag to keep for himself. Draco had hugged the cookies to his breast all the way to his room, where he locked them in his secret box for later consumption.
When he returned, his mother lifted him into her arms and carried him out to their carriage. It was a short journey and his mother provided him with some cooling charms to keep him comfortable.
When they arrived, he was amazed to see that all the ladies brought trays upon trays of their favorite cookies. A plate was set before each display for prospective purchasers to taste, so they could decide which cookies to purchase.
He was sure his mother’s cookies were the best, but a pretty lady standing next to his mother offered him one of hers to try. Draco looked to his mother and she nodded that it was acceptable for him to do so. He accepted a chocolate chip cookie from the woman his mother called Mrs. Showalter. It was tasty and sweet, but lacked anything memorable. It reminded him of the woman who’d given it to him, sweet and nice but not someone he’d think about very often.
Then, Mrs. Goyle came over with a sugar cookie for him. It was round, thick, and fat. It tasted very bland and sickeningly sweet. It was just like the rounded lady herself, who always smiled and agreed with everyone, never having an opinion of her own. She was very nice to him but never had any good ideas; she left the thinking up to him, which made play dates at her house very dull. That’s when Draco first decided that the cookies were just like their bakers and he could determine the best girls by their cookies.
For instance, he’d always hated Mrs. Crabbe. She would pinch his cheeks and want a hug and always squeezed him much too hard. That’s why it was no surprise to him that she’d brought coconut cookies. Draco was allergic to coconut. Maybe he was allergic to her too.
Mrs. Parkinson brought meringue cookies. They were fluffy and sweet, but rather hard around the edges and melted away as soon as they were in your mouth. Just like her! He’d always found her rough around the edges, kind of nice but she disappeared whenever you wanted to do more than kiss her cheek. She was nothing really.
Mrs. Zabini brought gingerbread men. They were fun and pretty with a bit of spice, just like her!
As the years passed, Draco found that his cookie measure was always accurate. In his fourth year, the Slytherins decided to have fun pairing up for the Yule Ball. The girls all baked cookies and only marked their ‘year’ on the cookies. Fourth year boys tasted the fourth year cookies and ‘bid’ on the best ones to get their dates. Draco tasted each of the cookies. There were oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chip, and pumpkin spice, etc. The oatmeal was plain but tasty. The peanut butter was dry and dull. The chocolate chip was sweet and fluffy. While the pumpkin was soft and spicy, Draco immediately began to guess the bakers. Oatmeal for Millicent, peanut butter for Tracey, chocolate chip for Daphne and pumpkin for Pansy, it was so easy to determine the cookie match-up. He was pleased to see he was right when he won the pumpkin and Pansy squealed.
They had a great time at the ball, but Draco knew that soft and spicy Pansy wasn’t what he wanted for a wife. He wanted someone who was both refined and kind. He wanted a woman like his mother. He needed to find another chocolate chip mint woman.
As he dated his way through his fifth and sixth years, he would often ask his ‘girl’ to bake him some cookies for a treat, and each time, he was met with disappointment. Hannah made him strawberry, Susan baked cranberry and Cho brought him butterscotch. The break-ups followed quickly after the cookies. Somehow, he always went back to Pansy and her pumpkin cookies, only to become bored once again. Going back for seventh year, he was hopeful that he would finally find his mint chocolate chip girl.
The train ride began as usual, with all the girls on the train providing treats for the ride back to Hogwarts. Pansy brought him pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting. He thanked her and nibbled one as he longed for a mint chocolate chip. Since they were both prefects, they headed to the prefect’s car and settled down to await the announcement of the Head Boy and Head Girl. Draco pouted, knowing that he had been passed over for Head Boy. A letter was always sent to the Head Boy and Head Girl at the beginning of summer so they could prepare for the extra duties their positions gave them. Dim Dumbledore probably gave the honor to that stupid scar head.
“Hello, boys and girls. It’s so nice to see you all here. Are you eager for the new year?” Dumbledore greeted.
There were general sounds of agreement and applause from the Hufflepuff corner. Draco sneered over at the Puffs and they quieted quickly.
“I hope you’ve all had a nice summer and are refreshed so that you can concentrate on your studies again. But I know that isn’t what has you all excited. You are waiting on the announcement of our Head Boy and Girl. This year, our Head Boy is a young man who has proven to be intelligent, kind and resourceful. I am proud to introduce your new Head Boy, Terry Boot.” Dumbledore announced.
Cheering and applause rang out in the cabin as Boot blushed and came forward to accept his “Head Boy” pin. Dumbledore smiled as he attached the pin to Boot’s Ravenclaw robes.
Dumbledore motioned for Boot to take a seat before resuming his announcements, “Your new Head Girl is equally worthy of her honor. She’s been called the smartest witch of her generation and has taken it upon herself to crusade for fair treatment of everyone from younger years to house elves. She’s never too busy to help tutor a younger year in any subject, regardless of the house that student is in. I am pleased to introduce your Head Girl, Hermione Granger.”
The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs went wild with applause as a frizzy haired Granger came forward to accept her Head girl pin and settle next to Terry Boot.
“I leave the meeting to these two capable young people,” Dumbledore informed the group before apparating away.
Terry Boot stood up to take over, “Hi everyone, I just wanted to say a few words. It’s good to see all the prefects are taking their responsibilities seriously and have arrived on time and ready to participate in today’s meeting. Hermione and I have worked out patrolling schedules and tutoring assignment schedules for everyone.”
Draco, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood all raised their hands.
“Malfoy?” Terry Boot called out.
“Have our quidditch practice schedules and class schedules been taken into account?” Draco asked.
“Yes, Malfoy. We received everyone’s class schedule and the quidditch practice schedules for all the prefects who play, so there should not be any conflicts and everyone should be able to meet the requirements of their schedules. In the event that you are unable to perform one of your assigned patrols or tutor sessions, please notify Miss Granger or myself as soon as you know, so we can find a substitute for you. Do not find your own substitutes. We need to know who is not meeting their requirements and who was patrolling, and if there are any incidents during that patrol,” Terry answered.
Ginny’s hand went down but Luna’s remained high and waving. Terry tried to control his smile as he called on her, “Luna?”
“Don’t forget to warn the prefects about the wrackspurts,” she reminded.
“Thank you, Luna. We were just getting to that. If you are made aware of any dangers or have any concerns regarding the welfare of the students, please notify Miss Granger or myself and we will be sure to include it in our next meeting, so everyone is aware of all problems and situations that might arise. Miss Lovegood informed me earlier, that due to Venus’s proximity to the earth over the next two weeks, the wrackspurts will be spawning and more active than usual, so try to stay alert,” Terry announced as a blush covered his cheeks. He quickly sat down to turn the floor over to Hermione.
Luna smiled sweetly at him before looking over her schedule. Hermione gave her a wink, happy that her eccentric friend had found a loving relationship with her co-Head.
Hermione stood up and took over the meeting. “As prefects, you are the class leaders. Therefore, you need to set a good example for your fellow students. That means you must be above reproach. Maintain your grades, you can lose your prefect status if any subject falls below an Acceptable and you must have at least two Outstandings at all times. Be respectful to your teachers and fellow students. Any prefect who receives more than three detentions a semester will be removed from their position. There are some new programs being offered at Hogwarts this year and you will be required to sign-up up for at least one of them. They are: Save the Simurgh, Preventing Pollution in our Ponds, Keeping our Castle Clean, Equal Rights for House Elves, Helping with Herbology, and Acclimating Muggleborns to the Magical World. Does anyone have a club preference?”
Every hand in the room shot up and Draco stifled a groan. This was going to be a long meeting and he was exhausted. He looked longingly at the treat table in the corner with the coffee pots and cookies. What he wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee right about now. There was something about the train’s motion that lulled him to sleep regularly.
Hermione smiled as though she expected this response, “We’re going to let the youngest students choose first, alphabetically by house, only we’re going to go backwards so Slytherin third years, you get to choose first.”
Pontius called out, “Save the Simurgh.”
Hermione nodded and wrote it down on her list, handing the boy a schedule.
“Helping with Herbology,” Emily chimed in.
Hermione nodded again, handing the girl a schedule before she moved on to Ravenclaw.
Draco leaned back in his seat and rested his head on Pansy’s shoulder. He sighed in contentment as her breathing sped up in response to his nearness. It was nice to have a girl fawning over him the way Pansy did. It was a shame she was pumpkin cookies. Closing his eyes, he dozed off.
“Malfoy?” Granger’s voice roused him.
Sitting up and shaking his head slightly to clear away the drowsiness, he looked at the bushy haired muggleborn, “Did you want something?”
“Which club did you prefer?” she asked, the corner of her lip twitching as though she was ready to laugh.
“I don’t care, just put me wherever you need more people,” Draco drawled sleepily and settled back into Pansy’s shoulder.
He heard Granger ask Pansy “Is he ill?”
Knowing Pansy would handle whatever needed taking care of, he ignored the muggleborn and fell back to sleep.
“No, he’s fine. Motion puts him to sleep,” Pansy answered, ruffling her fingers through his hair, just the way he liked.
“It seems to make him more tolerable too,” Granger added in a teasing voice.
“No, that’s just because he’s sleepy. He forgets to be a prick when he’s not awake,” Pansy’s voice responded in a soothing tone meant to keep him slumbering. He allowed it; he could punish her for sharing his secrets later.
The meeting must have wrapped up because Draco was awoken by Pansy shaking his shoulder, “Time to wake up sleeping beauty.”
“I told you never to call me that,” Draco muttered sitting up and rubbing at his eyes with his fists, like a small child would upon waking.
A hushed female “awe” caused him to look up into the face of Hermione Granger. Feeling a flush staining his cheeks and cursing his pale skin tone he sneered, “What’s the matter Granger, did someone kick your puppy?”
“No Malfoy, I just saw a moment of humanity and was touched,” Hermione answered, turning away to scold Ron over how much food he was piling on his plate.
Draco smirked, secure that Weasleys would always be big eaters and he would always have girls fawning over him.
“Bring me some sugar so I can wake up properly,” he whined to Pansy, knowing she’d oblige him.
Pansy rolled her eyes and swatted the back of his head but still she rose and headed in the direction of the buffet table.
Draco pushed back his hair, it had grown longer over the summer and in a rebellious snit he’d refused to cut it before returning to school, so now it kept getting in his eyes. Sighing in frustration, he leaned his head back and hoped the sugar rush would help him to wake up properly before he had to face the rest of the train.
Pansy poured a cup of black coffee and added three teaspoons of sugar. She picked up a plate and set two sugar cookies and two chocolate, chocolate chips on the plate before bringing it back for Draco.
Draco looked at the plate and sighed. Things between him and Pansy must be getting worse, she’d moved on to sugar cookies and chocolate, chocolate chips. Maybe he should stop breaking up with her all the time and just be resolved to a pumpkin cookie fate. Taking a bite of the bland sugar cookie, he grimaced and changed his mind again.
“Lousy sugar cookie?” Pansy asked in sympathy picking up the second one to taste.
“It’s just a bit bland, don’t you think?” Draco questioned hopefully.
“No, it tastes alright to me. I think McGonagall made them,” Pansy responded.
“More like Sprout,” Draco corrected, taking a big gulp of the sugary coffee, he was finally waking up.
“Oh Draco, stop. You can’t tell who baked a cookie just by looking at the type or taking a bite. It’s just some fancy parlor trick you like to play,” Pansy scolded.
“Actually, Malfoy’s right, Professor Sprout did make them,” Hermione joined in, sitting across from the two Slytherins with Ron by her side.
“Let’s see if you’re any good at this. Who made the chocolate, chocolate chip?” Hermione quizzed.
Draco took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, “It has to be Pomfrey.”
“That’s amazing,” Hermione responded excitedly, “wait right here.”
Draco rolled his eyes and yawned, as if he would go anywhere before he was fully awake.
Hermione came back with a plate full of cookies. Draco’s interest perked when he spied what looked suspiciously like a mint chocolate chip.
“Try this one,” Hermione urged picking up an oatmeal scotchie.
“I don’t have to, McGonagall obviously made them,” Draco retorted.
Hermione shook her head and chuckled before motioning to the anise lemon cookie.
Draco raised an eyebrow, “Trelawney.”
Hermione laughed aloud this time, “Did you see the list?” she demanded.
Draco shook his head and smirked, “I’m just a talented person.”
“Sure you are Malfoy,” Ron muttered around a mouth full of what looked like the delicious mint chocolate chip. Why didn’t Pansy bring him some of those? She must not know him at all!
“Two more,” Hermione announced, undeterred. She pointed to what looked to be peanut butter cookies with a gigantic chocolate chip on top.
“It’s got to be our new Muggle Studies Professor, I can’t remember her name,” Draco responded waiving his hand around in an impatient gesture.
“Smythe,” Pansy supplied helpfully.
“Okay Malfoy, here comes a real test, these were not on the list, care to tell me who made them?” Hermione teased holding up one of the mint chocolate chip cookies.
“I believe I’d need to taste it to ensure accuracy,” Draco drawled.
Pansy raised an eyebrow in suspicion but remained silent.
Hermione handed the cookie to Draco, who brought it to his lips and bit off a small bite. He closed his eyes to savor it because the cookie was perfection. There was just the right balance of mint to chocolate, it was soft, fluffy, and almost melted in your mouth but the taste lingered exquisitely. Draco moaned in pleasure.
“What have you done to him?” Pansy demanded looking concerned.
“Well?” Hermione questioned.
Draco opened his eyes and took a swallow of coffee to stall answering so he could go over the possibilities. He quickly went through the list of teachers and board of governors at Hogwarts. The only one who could have possibly made the cookie was his own mother and he doubted she would have made a batch without sending a bag along with him for the train ride, unless she wanted to surprise him?
“That’s a tough one. I’m sure it isn’t any of our teachers,” Draco started.
“You’re right, they weren’t made by a teacher,” Hermione agreed.
Pansy rolled her eyes, “Brilliant deduction, now tell her who made them before I’m bored to tears.”
Ron laughed, “Good one Parkinson.”
“Pansy,” she corrected.
“Pansy,” Ron agreed.
Now Draco rolled his eyes. “You can flirt with tall, red headed, gangly, boys later when I am not around to have my stomach turned by the thought of you allowing a Weasley to touch you. Right now, I have perfection in a cookie to savor,” he informed his friend.
“Fine, we’ll leave you alone to your cookie riddle,” Pansy sighed standing up.
To Draco’s surprise, Ron stood up and offered her his arm. “May I escort you to your car, Miss Parkinson?”
“It would be a pleasure, Mr. Weasley,” Pansy replied placing her hand on his arm.
Draco watched the two walk away in shock but Hermione seemed unsurprised.
“Did you know about that?” Draco demanded.
“Sure, they’ve been dating all summer,” Hermione shrugged.
“How is it possible that I wasn’t aware?” Draco pondered.
“You don’t seem to pay much attention to her,” Hermione answered.
“Touché’” Draco responded.
“So any guesses?” Hermione continued.
“The only one I can think of isn’t a possibility,” Draco admitted.
“You’ll only find out if you try,” Hermione teased.
Draco felt a blush stain his cheeks as he answered, “They taste like my mother’s cookies but I know if she’d made them, she would have given me some at home.”
“It wasn’t your mother,” Hermione agreed.
“Then who made the cookies?” Draco asked.
“I did.” Hermione admitted, watching him for a reaction.
Draco smirked. Perhaps it was time to let old prejudices die and take a real look at Hermione Granger. After all, a mint chocolate chip cookie girl was a rare prize and well worth the effort.
Standing up, Draco offered his arm and requested, “May I escort you to your car, Miss Granger?”
“I’d be delighted, Mr. Malfoy.” Hermione responded accepting his arm.
The End
dmexchangemods is an account created solely for purpose of posting the gifts created for this exchange. It has not authored or created these gifts.
Author:
Pairing: Draco/Hermione
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Fluff
Summary: Growing up can change you, but wisdom acquired during youth still remains beneficial.
Notes: A huge thank you to kristan1 for her phenomenal beta skills. This story would not make sense or be legible without her. To the recipient, I had a wonderful time playing with your prompt, I hope you enjoy it and it meets with your approval.
At the tender age of three, Draco Malfoy learned a valuable life lesson, “It’s all about the cookies.”
That summer, his mother felt he was finally old enough, and well behaved enough, to join her on society functions. The Pureblood Ladies Auxiliary was hosting their annual cookie drive to benefit those unfortunates whom the previous war had left disabled and/or orphaned.
Draco had been very proud that his mother had baked her own cookies and not asked the house elves to provide them for her. She had explained that, for “charity” events - all the purebloods did their own baking.
His mother had let him taste one of her cookies that morning, so he could tell her if they were good enough for the charity event. She had made mint chocolate chip cookies. Draco always loved mint and chocolate and the combination was the most heavenly treat his young taste buds had ever experienced. He’d praised the cookies and called them a treat fit for Merlin himself. Secretly, he thought they were a lot like his mother, cool and refreshing like the mint, combined with love and comfort like the chocolate.
Narcissa had kissed his cheeks and handed him a bag to keep for himself. Draco had hugged the cookies to his breast all the way to his room, where he locked them in his secret box for later consumption.
When he returned, his mother lifted him into her arms and carried him out to their carriage. It was a short journey and his mother provided him with some cooling charms to keep him comfortable.
When they arrived, he was amazed to see that all the ladies brought trays upon trays of their favorite cookies. A plate was set before each display for prospective purchasers to taste, so they could decide which cookies to purchase.
He was sure his mother’s cookies were the best, but a pretty lady standing next to his mother offered him one of hers to try. Draco looked to his mother and she nodded that it was acceptable for him to do so. He accepted a chocolate chip cookie from the woman his mother called Mrs. Showalter. It was tasty and sweet, but lacked anything memorable. It reminded him of the woman who’d given it to him, sweet and nice but not someone he’d think about very often.
Then, Mrs. Goyle came over with a sugar cookie for him. It was round, thick, and fat. It tasted very bland and sickeningly sweet. It was just like the rounded lady herself, who always smiled and agreed with everyone, never having an opinion of her own. She was very nice to him but never had any good ideas; she left the thinking up to him, which made play dates at her house very dull. That’s when Draco first decided that the cookies were just like their bakers and he could determine the best girls by their cookies.
For instance, he’d always hated Mrs. Crabbe. She would pinch his cheeks and want a hug and always squeezed him much too hard. That’s why it was no surprise to him that she’d brought coconut cookies. Draco was allergic to coconut. Maybe he was allergic to her too.
Mrs. Parkinson brought meringue cookies. They were fluffy and sweet, but rather hard around the edges and melted away as soon as they were in your mouth. Just like her! He’d always found her rough around the edges, kind of nice but she disappeared whenever you wanted to do more than kiss her cheek. She was nothing really.
Mrs. Zabini brought gingerbread men. They were fun and pretty with a bit of spice, just like her!
As the years passed, Draco found that his cookie measure was always accurate. In his fourth year, the Slytherins decided to have fun pairing up for the Yule Ball. The girls all baked cookies and only marked their ‘year’ on the cookies. Fourth year boys tasted the fourth year cookies and ‘bid’ on the best ones to get their dates. Draco tasted each of the cookies. There were oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chip, and pumpkin spice, etc. The oatmeal was plain but tasty. The peanut butter was dry and dull. The chocolate chip was sweet and fluffy. While the pumpkin was soft and spicy, Draco immediately began to guess the bakers. Oatmeal for Millicent, peanut butter for Tracey, chocolate chip for Daphne and pumpkin for Pansy, it was so easy to determine the cookie match-up. He was pleased to see he was right when he won the pumpkin and Pansy squealed.
They had a great time at the ball, but Draco knew that soft and spicy Pansy wasn’t what he wanted for a wife. He wanted someone who was both refined and kind. He wanted a woman like his mother. He needed to find another chocolate chip mint woman.
As he dated his way through his fifth and sixth years, he would often ask his ‘girl’ to bake him some cookies for a treat, and each time, he was met with disappointment. Hannah made him strawberry, Susan baked cranberry and Cho brought him butterscotch. The break-ups followed quickly after the cookies. Somehow, he always went back to Pansy and her pumpkin cookies, only to become bored once again. Going back for seventh year, he was hopeful that he would finally find his mint chocolate chip girl.
The train ride began as usual, with all the girls on the train providing treats for the ride back to Hogwarts. Pansy brought him pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting. He thanked her and nibbled one as he longed for a mint chocolate chip. Since they were both prefects, they headed to the prefect’s car and settled down to await the announcement of the Head Boy and Head Girl. Draco pouted, knowing that he had been passed over for Head Boy. A letter was always sent to the Head Boy and Head Girl at the beginning of summer so they could prepare for the extra duties their positions gave them. Dim Dumbledore probably gave the honor to that stupid scar head.
“Hello, boys and girls. It’s so nice to see you all here. Are you eager for the new year?” Dumbledore greeted.
There were general sounds of agreement and applause from the Hufflepuff corner. Draco sneered over at the Puffs and they quieted quickly.
“I hope you’ve all had a nice summer and are refreshed so that you can concentrate on your studies again. But I know that isn’t what has you all excited. You are waiting on the announcement of our Head Boy and Girl. This year, our Head Boy is a young man who has proven to be intelligent, kind and resourceful. I am proud to introduce your new Head Boy, Terry Boot.” Dumbledore announced.
Cheering and applause rang out in the cabin as Boot blushed and came forward to accept his “Head Boy” pin. Dumbledore smiled as he attached the pin to Boot’s Ravenclaw robes.
Dumbledore motioned for Boot to take a seat before resuming his announcements, “Your new Head Girl is equally worthy of her honor. She’s been called the smartest witch of her generation and has taken it upon herself to crusade for fair treatment of everyone from younger years to house elves. She’s never too busy to help tutor a younger year in any subject, regardless of the house that student is in. I am pleased to introduce your Head Girl, Hermione Granger.”
The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs went wild with applause as a frizzy haired Granger came forward to accept her Head girl pin and settle next to Terry Boot.
“I leave the meeting to these two capable young people,” Dumbledore informed the group before apparating away.
Terry Boot stood up to take over, “Hi everyone, I just wanted to say a few words. It’s good to see all the prefects are taking their responsibilities seriously and have arrived on time and ready to participate in today’s meeting. Hermione and I have worked out patrolling schedules and tutoring assignment schedules for everyone.”
Draco, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood all raised their hands.
“Malfoy?” Terry Boot called out.
“Have our quidditch practice schedules and class schedules been taken into account?” Draco asked.
“Yes, Malfoy. We received everyone’s class schedule and the quidditch practice schedules for all the prefects who play, so there should not be any conflicts and everyone should be able to meet the requirements of their schedules. In the event that you are unable to perform one of your assigned patrols or tutor sessions, please notify Miss Granger or myself as soon as you know, so we can find a substitute for you. Do not find your own substitutes. We need to know who is not meeting their requirements and who was patrolling, and if there are any incidents during that patrol,” Terry answered.
Ginny’s hand went down but Luna’s remained high and waving. Terry tried to control his smile as he called on her, “Luna?”
“Don’t forget to warn the prefects about the wrackspurts,” she reminded.
“Thank you, Luna. We were just getting to that. If you are made aware of any dangers or have any concerns regarding the welfare of the students, please notify Miss Granger or myself and we will be sure to include it in our next meeting, so everyone is aware of all problems and situations that might arise. Miss Lovegood informed me earlier, that due to Venus’s proximity to the earth over the next two weeks, the wrackspurts will be spawning and more active than usual, so try to stay alert,” Terry announced as a blush covered his cheeks. He quickly sat down to turn the floor over to Hermione.
Luna smiled sweetly at him before looking over her schedule. Hermione gave her a wink, happy that her eccentric friend had found a loving relationship with her co-Head.
Hermione stood up and took over the meeting. “As prefects, you are the class leaders. Therefore, you need to set a good example for your fellow students. That means you must be above reproach. Maintain your grades, you can lose your prefect status if any subject falls below an Acceptable and you must have at least two Outstandings at all times. Be respectful to your teachers and fellow students. Any prefect who receives more than three detentions a semester will be removed from their position. There are some new programs being offered at Hogwarts this year and you will be required to sign-up up for at least one of them. They are: Save the Simurgh, Preventing Pollution in our Ponds, Keeping our Castle Clean, Equal Rights for House Elves, Helping with Herbology, and Acclimating Muggleborns to the Magical World. Does anyone have a club preference?”
Every hand in the room shot up and Draco stifled a groan. This was going to be a long meeting and he was exhausted. He looked longingly at the treat table in the corner with the coffee pots and cookies. What he wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee right about now. There was something about the train’s motion that lulled him to sleep regularly.
Hermione smiled as though she expected this response, “We’re going to let the youngest students choose first, alphabetically by house, only we’re going to go backwards so Slytherin third years, you get to choose first.”
Pontius called out, “Save the Simurgh.”
Hermione nodded and wrote it down on her list, handing the boy a schedule.
“Helping with Herbology,” Emily chimed in.
Hermione nodded again, handing the girl a schedule before she moved on to Ravenclaw.
Draco leaned back in his seat and rested his head on Pansy’s shoulder. He sighed in contentment as her breathing sped up in response to his nearness. It was nice to have a girl fawning over him the way Pansy did. It was a shame she was pumpkin cookies. Closing his eyes, he dozed off.
“Malfoy?” Granger’s voice roused him.
Sitting up and shaking his head slightly to clear away the drowsiness, he looked at the bushy haired muggleborn, “Did you want something?”
“Which club did you prefer?” she asked, the corner of her lip twitching as though she was ready to laugh.
“I don’t care, just put me wherever you need more people,” Draco drawled sleepily and settled back into Pansy’s shoulder.
He heard Granger ask Pansy “Is he ill?”
Knowing Pansy would handle whatever needed taking care of, he ignored the muggleborn and fell back to sleep.
“No, he’s fine. Motion puts him to sleep,” Pansy answered, ruffling her fingers through his hair, just the way he liked.
“It seems to make him more tolerable too,” Granger added in a teasing voice.
“No, that’s just because he’s sleepy. He forgets to be a prick when he’s not awake,” Pansy’s voice responded in a soothing tone meant to keep him slumbering. He allowed it; he could punish her for sharing his secrets later.
The meeting must have wrapped up because Draco was awoken by Pansy shaking his shoulder, “Time to wake up sleeping beauty.”
“I told you never to call me that,” Draco muttered sitting up and rubbing at his eyes with his fists, like a small child would upon waking.
A hushed female “awe” caused him to look up into the face of Hermione Granger. Feeling a flush staining his cheeks and cursing his pale skin tone he sneered, “What’s the matter Granger, did someone kick your puppy?”
“No Malfoy, I just saw a moment of humanity and was touched,” Hermione answered, turning away to scold Ron over how much food he was piling on his plate.
Draco smirked, secure that Weasleys would always be big eaters and he would always have girls fawning over him.
“Bring me some sugar so I can wake up properly,” he whined to Pansy, knowing she’d oblige him.
Pansy rolled her eyes and swatted the back of his head but still she rose and headed in the direction of the buffet table.
Draco pushed back his hair, it had grown longer over the summer and in a rebellious snit he’d refused to cut it before returning to school, so now it kept getting in his eyes. Sighing in frustration, he leaned his head back and hoped the sugar rush would help him to wake up properly before he had to face the rest of the train.
Pansy poured a cup of black coffee and added three teaspoons of sugar. She picked up a plate and set two sugar cookies and two chocolate, chocolate chips on the plate before bringing it back for Draco.
Draco looked at the plate and sighed. Things between him and Pansy must be getting worse, she’d moved on to sugar cookies and chocolate, chocolate chips. Maybe he should stop breaking up with her all the time and just be resolved to a pumpkin cookie fate. Taking a bite of the bland sugar cookie, he grimaced and changed his mind again.
“Lousy sugar cookie?” Pansy asked in sympathy picking up the second one to taste.
“It’s just a bit bland, don’t you think?” Draco questioned hopefully.
“No, it tastes alright to me. I think McGonagall made them,” Pansy responded.
“More like Sprout,” Draco corrected, taking a big gulp of the sugary coffee, he was finally waking up.
“Oh Draco, stop. You can’t tell who baked a cookie just by looking at the type or taking a bite. It’s just some fancy parlor trick you like to play,” Pansy scolded.
“Actually, Malfoy’s right, Professor Sprout did make them,” Hermione joined in, sitting across from the two Slytherins with Ron by her side.
“Let’s see if you’re any good at this. Who made the chocolate, chocolate chip?” Hermione quizzed.
Draco took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, “It has to be Pomfrey.”
“That’s amazing,” Hermione responded excitedly, “wait right here.”
Draco rolled his eyes and yawned, as if he would go anywhere before he was fully awake.
Hermione came back with a plate full of cookies. Draco’s interest perked when he spied what looked suspiciously like a mint chocolate chip.
“Try this one,” Hermione urged picking up an oatmeal scotchie.
“I don’t have to, McGonagall obviously made them,” Draco retorted.
Hermione shook her head and chuckled before motioning to the anise lemon cookie.
Draco raised an eyebrow, “Trelawney.”
Hermione laughed aloud this time, “Did you see the list?” she demanded.
Draco shook his head and smirked, “I’m just a talented person.”
“Sure you are Malfoy,” Ron muttered around a mouth full of what looked like the delicious mint chocolate chip. Why didn’t Pansy bring him some of those? She must not know him at all!
“Two more,” Hermione announced, undeterred. She pointed to what looked to be peanut butter cookies with a gigantic chocolate chip on top.
“It’s got to be our new Muggle Studies Professor, I can’t remember her name,” Draco responded waiving his hand around in an impatient gesture.
“Smythe,” Pansy supplied helpfully.
“Okay Malfoy, here comes a real test, these were not on the list, care to tell me who made them?” Hermione teased holding up one of the mint chocolate chip cookies.
“I believe I’d need to taste it to ensure accuracy,” Draco drawled.
Pansy raised an eyebrow in suspicion but remained silent.
Hermione handed the cookie to Draco, who brought it to his lips and bit off a small bite. He closed his eyes to savor it because the cookie was perfection. There was just the right balance of mint to chocolate, it was soft, fluffy, and almost melted in your mouth but the taste lingered exquisitely. Draco moaned in pleasure.
“What have you done to him?” Pansy demanded looking concerned.
“Well?” Hermione questioned.
Draco opened his eyes and took a swallow of coffee to stall answering so he could go over the possibilities. He quickly went through the list of teachers and board of governors at Hogwarts. The only one who could have possibly made the cookie was his own mother and he doubted she would have made a batch without sending a bag along with him for the train ride, unless she wanted to surprise him?
“That’s a tough one. I’m sure it isn’t any of our teachers,” Draco started.
“You’re right, they weren’t made by a teacher,” Hermione agreed.
Pansy rolled her eyes, “Brilliant deduction, now tell her who made them before I’m bored to tears.”
Ron laughed, “Good one Parkinson.”
“Pansy,” she corrected.
“Pansy,” Ron agreed.
Now Draco rolled his eyes. “You can flirt with tall, red headed, gangly, boys later when I am not around to have my stomach turned by the thought of you allowing a Weasley to touch you. Right now, I have perfection in a cookie to savor,” he informed his friend.
“Fine, we’ll leave you alone to your cookie riddle,” Pansy sighed standing up.
To Draco’s surprise, Ron stood up and offered her his arm. “May I escort you to your car, Miss Parkinson?”
“It would be a pleasure, Mr. Weasley,” Pansy replied placing her hand on his arm.
Draco watched the two walk away in shock but Hermione seemed unsurprised.
“Did you know about that?” Draco demanded.
“Sure, they’ve been dating all summer,” Hermione shrugged.
“How is it possible that I wasn’t aware?” Draco pondered.
“You don’t seem to pay much attention to her,” Hermione answered.
“Touché’” Draco responded.
“So any guesses?” Hermione continued.
“The only one I can think of isn’t a possibility,” Draco admitted.
“You’ll only find out if you try,” Hermione teased.
Draco felt a blush stain his cheeks as he answered, “They taste like my mother’s cookies but I know if she’d made them, she would have given me some at home.”
“It wasn’t your mother,” Hermione agreed.
“Then who made the cookies?” Draco asked.
“I did.” Hermione admitted, watching him for a reaction.
Draco smirked. Perhaps it was time to let old prejudices die and take a real look at Hermione Granger. After all, a mint chocolate chip cookie girl was a rare prize and well worth the effort.
Standing up, Draco offered his arm and requested, “May I escort you to your car, Miss Granger?”
“I’d be delighted, Mr. Malfoy.” Hermione responded accepting his arm.
The End
dmexchangemods is an account created solely for purpose of posting the gifts created for this exchange. It has not authored or created these gifts.