21 Halloween

Halloween morning they woke to the smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.

Draco rolled his eye seeing people get excited over such easy things. 'Seriously some of you came from Wizarding family, and you are still getting excited about a simple levitation charm.'

Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Draco's partner was Theodore, Pansy's partner was Daphne, Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan, Ron's partner was Hermione.

Draco glanced at them, it was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either Harry or Ron, since the day of the duel.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too -- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

Draco sighed and casually flicked his wand, "Wingardium Leviosa"

The feather started floating up in the air,

"Oh look, Mr. Malfoy has done it." Squeaked Professor Flitwick.

Theodore could lift the feather up but not too high.

"Just concentrate, its simple." Draco said.

"Hey, not everyone is a genius like you." Theodore growled.

'I need to teach them basic science.' Draco thought. Since most wizards are home-schooled they don't learn a lot of things like science. Draco never realized Theodore's basic spells were that bad considering he was quite good at Transfiguration and other spells.

'Well everyone has a weakness, I guess.'

It was very difficult for many other students too. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it -- Harry had to put it out with his hat.

Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Draco heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's has done it too"

Draco smiled looking at Hermione who seemed very happy, 'Cute and intelligent..'

Theodore glanced at Draco, who was making a weird face and whispered. "Don't stare at her too much, you look creepy."

Draco snapped back and coughed trying to hide his face.

After potions class, Draco went to the Herbology class with other Slytherin students. Today they had Herbology with Gryffindors, Draco was happy that he could sit with Hermione in that class. SinceSlytherins didn't have many classes with Gryffindor, and even if they did; in classes like Potions and Charms they couldn't sit together since they had to usually pair up with another student from their own house. Draco went to the class and looked around but Hermione wasn't in there. He sat in an empty seat and the class started. Draco waited for 15 minutes but she still didn't show up.

Suddenly something hit Draco, 'Troll Attack, Shit! How could I be so careless... Today due to that weird dream, I forgot about the whole incident.'

Draco glared at Ron, 'This fucker must have said something to her!!'

Ron felt a sudden chill in his spine.

"Hey, What happened?" Harry asked Ron

"I don't know, suddenly I feel something bad is going to happen." Ron said.

Draco calmed down, getting angry now wasn't going to get things done. He would first have to get Hermione out of the girl's bathroom, then he didn't care whatever the troll did, The teacher would likely stop it. So his only main concern now was Hermione.

As soon as the class was over, Draco left Theodore's and the others and quickly rushed to the girl's bathroom. But after he reached outside he didn't know what to do.

'Should I just go in?' Draco thought 'No, breaking into a girls bathroom is weird as hell.'

"What do I do?" Draco said out loud.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" A voice came.

Draco turned his head to find, Parvati Patil, the Gryffindor girl who tried to stop the Slytherins from making fun of Neville, staring at him.

"Nothing." Draco said and started walking away 'Wait! I can use her.'

"Hey! There is something, can you help me with it."

"What is it?" She asked. She didn't have much impression on Draco, she liked him first, like many other girls in her dorm but after a while with the Remembrall incident's her liking of him went down a notch.

"Professor Snape is calling Hermione to talk about her notes, but she is in the bathroom. Can you inform her about it, please."

She thought for a while and nodded, "Sure."

She went in and Draco waited in the corner waiting. After awhile Parvati came out of the bathroom and walked away. Nearly 10 minutes later, Hermione came out. Her face was wet as if she had just washed it and her eyes were slightly red and puffy.

She was walking towards Snape's office when Draco pulled her.

"What are you doing, Draco?" She asked, "Why did Professor Snape, call me?"

"What Professor Snape?"

"But Parvati said that you.."

"It was a lie," Draco said looking at her.

"What!!" Hermione was surprised, "Let me go! I thought it was weird when I heard it."

"Weird, how?"

"Professor Snape would never call me to talk about my homework, he would just say something mean in the class when handing me the note over if there were any mistakes."

"Hahaha... Life of a Gryffindor in the potion class is really interesting." Draco said imagining what would happen if he had ended up in Gryffindor, 'Chasing Hermione would be fun, but I don't know about the others.'

"You haven't said why you bought me here." Hermione asked looking at Draco who was busy imagining things.

"I can't leave you sulking in the girl's bathroom, can I?" Draco said, "Even if you wanna cry, do it in your room, why the bathroom? It's just weird."

Hermione was feeling a bit happy when she heard the first sentence but hearing the latter part, her face turned quickly into a frown as she stepped on Draco's leg with force.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Hmph!" was all he got in return while the other party kept stepping on his shoes.

"Okay! Okay! I am sorry." Draco said, "Let's go, I want to show you something interesting."

"I am not going to the hall," Hermione said,

"Who said, we were going to the hall?"

Draco dragged her towards the Slytherin common room.

"Wow!" Hermione looked around the Slytherin's common room. Compared to the Gryffindor common room which was on a tower, Slytherins has more of a cozy vibe to it. The main color theme of the whole room was green. Hermione looked around the beautiful carvings on the furniture, the window which was tainted green due to the lake, suddenly from the window, a fish like a creature swam by.

"Its cool, isn't it?"

Hermione nodded, "Its completely opposite of the Gryffindor's common room."

"I guess so since you are up in the tower and we are in the dungeons." Draco said. "Hey, you have to promise me to not show other Gryffindor the way to the Slytherins room, okay?"

Hermione looked confused, "Why?"

"Did you know the way, to the Slytherin common room before?"

"No" Hermione shook her head.

"Was there a way, you could have guessed it?"

"No."

"So you realize it, don't you? Its similar to an open secret. People know about it but don't know where it is. Most people that is."

"Will, you not get in trouble for bringing me here then?" Hermione asked she didn't want Draco to get in trouble because of her.

"Don't worry." Draco said giving a reassuring smile, "The seniors have their classes and the first years won't say anything if I tell them not to."

"Why did you bring me here then?" She asked.

"Well instead of going to the bathroom, I think this will be a nice place to sit and chat with me." Draco said, "We are friends, aren't we? So why not come to me when a problem appears, I will always be here for you."

Hermione didn't say anything and looked down, she didn't want Draco to see her blushing face. Draco looking at her thought she was still upset, so he quickly went to his room and bought out a gift for her.

"Here, take this." Draco gave a small box which completely wrapped in ribbon.

Hermione who didn't even notice, that Draco had gone away for a while looked up to see a box which was wrapped in ribbon all over.

"What is this?" Hermione asked

"A gift." Draco replied casually handing her the box. "I just found out that your birthday was last month, so I got you a gift."

"How did you found out?" Hermione knew she hadn't told anyone about her birthday till now.

"It's a secret." Draco said winking, "How about you open your gift first?"

Hermione looked at the gift which was wrapped all over with a ribbon, she didn't know how to open the present. So she just pulled on the string that was hanging out, as soon as she pulled the string the ribbon unfolded itself and started floating up, bending and tearing itself.

Hermione looked at the ribbon and was surprised, the ribbon after a moment of tearing and attaching, spelled "Happy Birthday, Hermione." and went out in flames.

"Cool right, I experimented with some charms and formations and came up with this."

Hermione nodded, it was very beautiful to look at, but the sad part was that it went out in flames, so she couldn't keep it.

She looked at the beautiful crystal box in her hand, which had a lid on top of it. There was an engraving on the crystal that clearly spelled out, 'NOITOP Perfumes, by Draco Malfoy.'

Hermione looked at Draco who was grinning at her.

"I recently came up with a potion, which could be used as perfumes." Draco explained her all the uses of Perfumes and she was very impressed by it.

"This is the preview version since they will only start selling the perfume after a month." Draco said, "So you are the first person to ever receive this person."

"First person?" Hermione asked furrowing her eyebrows. With Pansy and Daphne around she didn't believe that she was the first person to receive the perfume.

"Yup, you are the first. Father sent me this just yesterday to look at the design of the perfume bottle." Draco said, "And since it was your birthday gift, I wanted it to be special in a way."

"I will believe you, for now then." Hermione said fidgeting.

"Why don't you, try it then?"

She nodded and put some perfume in her hand, and smelled it. The perfume smelled like Roses, which meant she was having feeling towards someone and her heart was fluttering because of it.

Hermione blushed,

"Hey what's the smell?" Draco asked again.

"Can't you smell it?" She asked in a small voice but Draco heard her.

"I can smell what I am thinking, so for me, it smells like lavender since I am calm and happy right now,"

Hermione finally understood the perfume smelled different to each people depending on their mood. So she sighed in relief.

"Mine smells the same too." She said.

Draco bent towards her getting closer to her face, "Are you sure, it doesn't smell like roses?"

Hermione blushed seeing Draco getting closer, so she stepped back, "I told you, it smells like lavender."

"Fine. So what do you think? Do you think the perfume will sell well?" Draco asked.

"Yes, All people like different smells at different times, and this clearly does the same and it smells in a comforting way so no one will have a problem with the smell if you ever wear it. It's like that cake we had, you can never go wrong with it." Hermione said.

"I thought the same too." Draco said smiling. "I took the inspiration from that cake, I wish I could use that slogan too. But the witches in that bakery shop are too scary and they won't let us use their family slogan."

"Hahaha.." Hermione started laughing hearing that, "Hey Draco, why did you name the potion Noitop? Isn't that just the opposite of potion."

"I don't have a good naming sense." Draco snorted.

"hahaha.." Hermione after a while finally stopped laughing, "The idea of your perfume is very good, I think you should add a catalog of some sort, consisting of what smell does each mood give, so people can know about it."

"That's a great idea." Draco nodded, People have the right to know what smell they are getting so putting it along with the perfume is great.

"Also, thanks for the gift." Hermione said, "When is your birthday, I will send you a gift then."

"Mine's on June 5." Draco said, "So are you feeling good now?"

"Yeah! Thank you." Hermione said

"It was that Weasley, wasn't it?" Draco said, "I want to punch him in the face, right now."

"Don't worry about it, it's not his fault." Hermione said. "I always have a bossy tone in my voice, I expect everyone to do as good as me. I am surprised you didn't run away after we met."

"I think its cute though!" Draco said

"What is?"

"Your bossy tone." Draco said smiling, "A girl trying to prove that she is good so badly that she doesn't even know that she is trying too hard. It's really cute."

Hermione hit Draco with her leg, "Idiot."

"No, I am serious." Draco said teasing her, "Okay, since you don't want to go to the hall, then we can eat here."