Author's Note: This came to me when I was doing homework a while ago. I HATE Draco/Hermione fiction, but I just had a good idea of how to present one. I don't know why…anyhow if you don't LIKE Draco/Hermione then don't read this, but it's also Harry/Hermione a bit later on. Anyhow, if you disapprove of the pairings then spare me the headache and don't read and flame, all right?

Note: The Dr/Hrm. is one-sided meaning one of these people likes the other but not vice versa. For example, Draco likes Hermi but she doesn't like him back, or Hermi likes Draco and he doesn't like her back. You figure it out as this story progresses. Hint, hint: It's Harry/Hermione. Think about it, people. Sheesh.

~* 1 *~

Hermione bit her lower lip and then tried hard to scribble into the margin of her paper a few last words to finish her long, eloquent essay. It lacked originality, that she knew, since she wrote an extensive paper on the numerous wolverine cases that plagued a place named Blackburry in the late fourteen hundreds, which was somewhere in northern Scotland. Professor McGonagall told the class to pick a topic that would be challenging, but Hermione didn't have much time lately and chose a topic that was very extensive and covered in many books in the ancient Hogwarts library.

'… and thus, the Blackburry wolverine cases were closed thanks to the quick-thinking witch, Grizelda Periwinkle.'

Hermione squinted at the paper, holding it away to see if it looked even-spaced. If not, she'd more or less have to rewrite the entire parchment. She hated when her margins didn't line up. She wrote so neatly and evenly lately that it surprised her.

Just as he held her paper up, she felt a hand snatch it upwards with a laugh.

" Hey, Hermione."

Ron's freckled face peeked out over the edge of the paper, which was now in his hands and not hers.

" Ron, give it back! I spent hours on it!" Hermione leaned forwards, the entire table groaning as it slid forwards on the tiled floor.

Ron read the first sentence. " I don't think I wrote any more then you did in your first paragraph." He turned his back to Hermione when her out-stretched hand tried to grope the paper back into her hands.

" Maybe if you and Harry didn't spend your evenings reading the Quidditch News Weekly, you'd have had a great essay." Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Give it back!"

" Always bossy." Ron flipped the parchment to the other side. " Look at how you write. It looks like some sorta blueprint, with how all the lines are perfectly straight."

" It's called 'caring about my work'!" Hermione rolled her eyes.

" I call it 'caring too much about your work'!" Ron put the paper down on the table and Hermione rushed forwards, sending the table forwards on the tiles once again. The scraping sound turned heads in the library.

Draco Malfoy, reading some boring book about his own project a few tables away, looked up. " Lose weight, Granger, you're pushing the tables around when you move about."

" You keep your nose out of this." Hermione muttered under her breath. She pushed her paper into one of her schoolbooks and then tenderly closed the book shut, the leather and gold binding soft but smooth under her fingers.

Draco shrugged and looked down at his book again, flipping a page angrily.

" Come on, Ron, let's go find Harry. We have to wish him luck on his game tonight." Hermione smiled proudly. " I bet Gryffindor's winning the House Cup this year."

" Are you going to the game?" Ron asked, softly.

" I wouldn't miss it for the world." Hermione cooed. She then looked down at her book nervously. " Do you think Harry would be in the common room now?"

" Probably." Ron suddenly grimaced. " I just remembered. I promised Harry I'd get him a book while I'm here. Something about house-elves, since he said that'd be easy to research." Ron turned to glance at the shelves of the library with distaste. " Wanna help me look?"

" I can't." Hermione said. " Sorry." She motioned with her eyes at the essay that was pressed tightly in between the pages of her textbook. " I'm pretty much booked for the entire afternoon, up until the Quidditch match."

" But your essay's done!" Ron complained.

" You just don't want to look through all those books yourself." Hermione replied. " Here's a hint, go to the bookshelf to the far left, alright?"

Ron nodded and then walked off, grumbling about how Hermione was leaving him like that. Hermione shrugged and left the library, not looking back.

~*~

Hermione rushed to the Quidditch match through the grass outside of Hogwarts. The benches were filling up quickly and she could see the players already preparing to leave the building and to begin the game. She caught sight of the red and gold Gryffindor robes and then felt her lips tug up in a smile.

She had brought her books with her, to do some research on her essay, just to make sure she got her facts right. She also had her precious essay with her, the one she spent countless hours of grueling labor to complete.

" Hermione! Come sit here!" Someone called out.

She turned and saw Neville, Ron, Lavender, and Padma sitting on the seats. Parvati was ill in the nurse's office from a minor potions mishap in Snape's class.

" Coming." Hermione made her way up the bleachers.

" I hope Harry beats Slytherin's butts." Neville said, then gasped as the Bertie Botts Every Flavored Jelly Beans he had in his hand suddenly tipped and spilled all over the place.

" Oh, Neville!" Hermione said, and then helped them sweep the candies out of the way so nobody sits on them. The colorful little pebbles fell to the ground beneath the seating.

The game slowly began, and Hermione watched closely as Harry and his teammates began the game against Slytherin. It was a long match and after countless tries to catch the Snitch, Harry finally dove down quickly and swiftly, dodging a Bludger, and managed to catch the golden little ball. It wriggled and shook in his hands, but he held it tight as the scoreboard flashed the results of the game:

Slytherin – 90

Gryffindor – 230

Everyone clapped and cheered and when the uproar settled down, Hermione headed back to the building. She opened her book and began to read as she walked, seeing Ron's red hair out of the corner of her eyes so as not to lose track of her friends.

Her eyes scanned row after row of words, and she tried desperately to find a certain quote she pulled into her essay. As she was just about to close her book in frustration, something hit her in the back hard.

Hermione flailed her arms and then fell face-first, her books pressed tightly to her chest, into a giant mud pit. Then, as she scrambled awkwardly to stand up, screaming in shock, she felt something fall on top of her, pinning her down. It was someone's body, warmth penetrating through it, and she heard angry grunts as the body immediately shot off of hers. Hermione coughed, trying to wipe the mud off her face.

Then, to her horror, she saw it: her essay! It was floating in the mud, completely destroyed, covered with black and brown muddy speckles. " No…" Hermione whispered. She jumped up to her feet and pulled it from the mud.

A few people gathered around her now. Hermione began to scream:

" Who did this! How dare you!"

She spun around in all her fury. Behind her, also completely spattered in mud, was Draco Malfoy. He looked ready to burn the world in fire, the way he was cursing everything from Hermione herself to Goyle who tripped and then pushed him down, all the way to the very mud in the pit.

" You better apologize!" Hermione screamed at him, her voice so loud a few people covered their ears.

He didn't even look at her.

" DRACO!" She hissed, her hand shooting up. She wanted to grab him by the collar, to shake the beans out of him. Her hand shot out, ready to try and pull something off in her desperate fury, when he caught her hand and said:

" Don't touch me, Mudblood." Then, he released her arm, leaving an even, muddy handprint. Hermione nearly exploded in rage. Tears stung in her eyes, and the paper she held in her hands was suddenly squished as her fingers formed a fist. She'd knock this stupid idiot, right in his stupid Malfoy block. She'll rattle him so hard, his ancestors will roll over in their graves. Heck, she'll blast him into next week. She'll kick him so hard his ancestors will still cry in agony.

" I hate you!" She shouted, finally. " I hate everything about you!" She pushed him, from the back. He turned around, ready to defend himself.

" I won't let a girl push me around." Draco said, decisively. He looked ready to hit her back if he had to. Hermione pulled out her wand, ready to blast him with a spell that'll make his hair stand on end. Draco reached for his own wand.

Except she felt hands pulling her back.

" Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, we will not tolerate this behavior. Until you both apologize to one another, you will be punished severely."

The strict tone of Professor McGonagall's voice was unmistakable.

" I'd take any punishment." Draco said, still holding his wand. Hagrid was holding him back, though. " Let go of me, you oaf." Draco struggled to free himself of Hagrid's gigantic hands.

Hermione nodded. "What's the punishment?"

Professor McGonagall smiled, almost meanly. " I had a case like this before, you see, two students that kept picking and fighting one another. Remember, Hagrid, what I did?"

Hagrid seemed to remember, however faintly, for he nodded. " Yer not goin' tah like this, 'Ermione." Hagrid warned.

" … I locked those two students in one room, and I had them stay in there for as long as they had to, and I'd give them food but ample to do. And I'd let them come out once they would apologize to one another." Professor McGonagall said.

Hermione's mouth dropped open.

Frankly, Draco seemed to go through a series of heart attacks, or something, for first he paled, then he swayed on his feet, then his face turned very red and angry, and he shouted:

" That's cruel and unusual punishment! My father will hear of this!"

" Your father won't be happy to hear that you're pushing around girls, Mr. Malfoy." Professor McGonagall replied coolly. " Now, what will you do, take the punishment and stay in the room, together, or apologize right now?"

The hateful looks on the two student's faces showed which answer was evident.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Give me 10 reviews, let's say, and you'll have chapter 2. Now, that's just an average, I mean, its not like I'll not write at ALL or anything, but I'd like to have 10 reviews.

P.S. Don't like the fact Draco might like Hermi or vice versa? Then at least don't complain to me. I don't support these pairings either, I'm strictly H/Hr, but I just had a GOOD IDEA for a story. So there.