I banged the doors to the Great Hall open a little more forcefully than necessary. Out of everyone that was staring me, my eyes caught the sparkling ones of Dumbledore. I gave him the dirtiest look I could muster. I would feel guilty for that after my reason came back to me.

I stalked over to the Gryffindor table and looked for Ginny. She wasn't there. I looked over to the Slytherin table and Blaise wasn't there either. I didn't give them enough time to get here. Damn.

I rushed out of the Great Hall. My anger was starting to turn into uncontrollable tears. I hated being a girl sometimes. When you don't want to cry, there is this overwhelming emotion that forces you to.

So I started running. Where you ask? Nowhere in particular, I just ran down corridors hoping Ginny or Blaise would miraculously appear so I could vent some of this anger. Out of breath, I slid down the wall and curled up in a ball.

Somehow I woke up in my bed. I looked at my clock and almost jumped out of my skin. It was 11:00! I had missed most of my morning classes. I got up and took the fastest shower of my life. As I rushed down to the dungeons for potions, I realized that Malfoy was my potions partner, and I would have to sit next to him.

Then I thought of the trouble I would be in for interrupting Snape's class. Although I was scared, I held my head up high as I entered the classroom. I was a Gryffindor after all. Plus, makeup work's a bitch. Snape commented on my inability to do simple tasks like wake up on time. I didn't really care though.

I expected this to be the most awkward class of my life, but I was mistaken. It seemed that Malfoy had finally understood me, in a way. He went back to being especially rude and nasty to me. Although it may sound funny, I liked it that way. As we began to work on our potion though, I started to notice some things that would do nothing to quell my anger.

All around the class room, people were whispering. I was wondering what they were gossiping about, when Pansy enlightened the situation for me. She said, intentionally loud enough for the whole class to hear, "My poor Draco was locked up in that room with the mud blood, because she likes him! My poor Drakey had to kiss her to get out of that room that she conjured up. She's so pathetic. I mean, isn't that sexual harassment or something?"

I couldn't believe it. My face flushed with embarrassment and anger. I turned to look at Draco in disbelief, but he just smirked at me. Everyone was looking at me and laughing. I then started yelling. If Draco Malfoy thought I was going to let him get away with that, he had another thing coming.

"Draco Malfoy, if you have to tell that lie to cover up the fact that you have a crush on me, you're more pathetic than I thought. I know you probably feel a little less manly after admitting your crush and after being beaten up by me numerous times, but that was low! Grow some balls, Malfoy!" Then, I stormed out of the potions classroom.

What had I just done? I just left Snape's classroom early after already arriving late. I yelled at Malfoy in front of all those people. Oh Merlin, I said "balls" in public!

I all but sprinted to my Head's dormitory. When I got there, I started pacing. Draco Malfoy had certainly succeeded in messing up my head.

Blaise strolled into our common room. Damn it. It must be his free period. Of course he asked me why I was in the common room during class. I was about to launch into that whole story, when I remembered something crucial: I was furious Blaise.

I walked up to him, and I slapped him hard. I was getting really good at slapping. "How could you?" I asked him. I realize now that I was a little overdramatic.

He started laughing.

LAUGHING! I pushed him, and he started laughing harder. I started punching him in the chest, and he started gasping for breath because he was laughing so hard. I was starting to get really frustrated. I pulled out my wand and pointed it at his neck.

He stopped laughing.

HA! I told him, "I should kill you where you stand". He actually looked terrified. Well, I had my crazy eyes going. I couldn't really blame him for being scared. He put his hands up and backed up. "Hermione, it wasn't all that bad" he pleaded.

I started laughing a kind of crazy, evil laugh. I think I was still a little bit off my rocker from the experience. "It wasn't bad, was it?" I asked, circling him like prey. "I HAD TO KISS MALFOY!" He said, "Hermione, I didn't mean it". I snarled at him. Then, he blurted out, "It was Ginny' idea!"

I waved my wand and cursed him with a spell that I thought was particularly fitting. It caused Blaise to yell "Malfoy and I are lovers" every time Blaise tried to speak. It was the first time I had smiled in a while. I got my stuff to go to my next class.

Harry and Ron rushed up to me during our next class to tell me how brilliant my outburst was in potions. They described Malfoy's face as "priceless". Apparently now everyone was talking about Malfoy. Serves him right. Or so I thought.

Walking to dinner with Ron and Harry, I was ambushed by Lavender and Pavarti. If you thought they were bad then, now they were members of the new Hogwarts magazine, The Cats out of the Bag. It was truly a trash magazine filled with rumors, but most Hogwarts student's read it. As if rumors needed a faster way to spread. The only good thing about the magazine was that Pavarti and Lavender had Crookshanks model for the front cover.

Lavender shoved a recorder in my face and asked, "Hermione, How does it feel to know that the hottest guy in Hogwarts has the hots for you?"

I rolled my eyes, and I told her I had no comment. Pavarti then snapped a picture of me. I was blinded by the flash for a moment, but then Harry and Ron lead me to a table for dinner.

Ron was ranting, "The nerve of those girls. Malfoy doesn't have the hots...he just has a little crush…he'll get over it…it's probably just a scam anyway…" Ron was jealous. What a surprise.

Harry was pouting. I asked him what was wrong. He said solemnly, "I thought that I was the hottest guy at Hogwarts!"

I rolled my eyes. Boys.

I looked up at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was looking at me. It was a weird look. I thought it would be a look of anger, but it just looked like he was confused. Then all of a sudden, Blaise tried to speak. A loud "Malfoy and I are lovers" rang through the Great Hall. Everyone started to laugh, including me. I looked over at Blaise, still laughing, and than I saw Malfoy again. I thought he would be furious, but as he looked at me, I swear I saw him smile just a little bit.

I looked away embarrassed. Ron patted me on the pack, and he told me that I always thought of the best spells.

Harry noticed that Ginny wasn't at dinner. Ron laughed and said "she's probably scared of Hermione. I would be." I smiled at him and said, "Thanks Ronald. I'll take that as a compliment."

I returned to my common room happy. I didn't even think I was all that mad at Ginny anymore. I'll have to pretend to still be furious though when I see her. I let off the curse on Blaise when he entered the room, and he even admitted it was a well deserved, hilarious spell.

Right before I went to bed, Blaise said "I like you much better when you're sane, Hermione." I giggled and said "Me too."

I went to bed feeling much more like a regular Hermione. I was happy that everything could go back to the way it was. After I'm done with Ginny that is. I could be me again! I was so terribly wrong.

That was the first night I dreamt of Draco Malfoy.