Title: Advantage
Author:ScribbleDream
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Hermione feels like her friends are taking advantage of her and has only a certain Slytherin to fall back on.
Author Notes: I'm looking for someone to beta for me. Leave it in the reveiws if you're interested. Oh, and please be constructive.
Disclaimer: They aren't mine and I had to go through extensive therapy to be able to admit that.
Chapter One: Favors
"What do you get when you boil wormroot?"
"Um... Soup?"
"Very funny."
"I thought so."
"You're an ass, Malfoy."
"No more than you, Granger."
Hermione slammed her head down on to her open Potions book and let out a stream of colorful curses that she would never have said if the circumstances didn't allow them. Draco Malfoy smirked down at her and waggled his finger in front of her face. "Language, Granger, language."
Hermione had a sudden temptation to bite his finger off.
"Get that thing out of my face," she hissed, pushing his hand away. "It's not my fault you're failing Potions. I don't even want to be here!"
"Well, that makes two of us," Malfoy replied, leaning back in his chair. "That's the first thing you've said that has made sense in... ever."
"So, why don't we go, then?"
"Because if I leave this little tutoring session, I will continue to fail Potions, and that's getting in the way of my Head Boy status."
"What 'Head Boy status?'" Hermione cried. "We're in sixth year! No one is Head Boy yet!"
"That's what you think."
"ARGH!" Hermione cried, standing up from her chair. Madame Pince looked over disapprovingly, and Hermione sat back down slowly, blushing. She gave the crusty old librarian an apologetic smile and leaned over to Malfoy.
"If anyone is going to be Head Boy in seventh year, it's sure as Hell not going to be you," she hissed into his face. "Dumbledore has many kind, upstanding wizards to choose from, as opposed to a known Death Eater's son!"
Malfoy's face flashed cold, but almost instantly returned to a cocky smirk. "And you think Weasel's going to beat me out?"
"I think Dumbledore is going to choose a better wizard and a better man than you are, Malfoy!"
"My, my, we have gotten off topic," said a sinister drawl from behind Hermione. She turned around slowly, already having recognized the voice.
"Professor Snape, we were just..."
"I don't care, Miss Granger," Snape chastised. His face was drawn up to look as though he was surprised, but behind his dark eyes there was a twinkle of satisfaction at having caught Hermione doing something she wasn't supposed to."You were supposed to be teaching Draco about Potions, and instead, you have lead him into the discussion of Head Boy-ship, none of which has anything to do with you, as you, I hope, are not in the running for Head Boy." Snape smirked, and looked remarkably like Malfoy.
Hermione was flabbergasted. "But, I didn't lead him that way! He's the one who brought it up, Professor..."
"You, as the tutor I assigned, were to teach him Potions," Snape interrupted. "You should have gotten him back on track. Ten points from Gryffindor, and if I come in here later today to find that you are speaking of anything but Potions, then you shall be joining me in a Saturday detention. Is that understood?"
Hermione hung her head. "Yes, sir."
"Good." Snape began to walk away, but turned to Malfoy at the last minute. "And Draco, do try to listen to her. You must get your grade up."
"Yes, sir," Malfoy replied with yet another smirk. As soon as Snape walked away, Malfoy turned to Hermione.
"All right, teach me about this wormroot thing."
Ron and Harry looked up from their homework assignments and were relieved to see Hermione bustle through the portrait hole. They had been struggling with their History of Magic essays all week, but as Hermione had been tutoring Malfoy, they had no one to help them.
"Mione!" Ron cried as she walked toward them. "Mione, I'm so glad to see you..."
Hermione beamed. It was wonderful to see a friendly face after three hours with the Slytherin King.
"I'm glad to see you guys, too!" she replied, sitting down in the armchair adjastent to them. "I've had the most awful evening. I don't know how the teachers do it, trying to get through to Malfoy. He's as daft as paste, I tell you!"
"That's great, Hermione," Harry interrupted, "but we really, really need help on this History of Magic assignment. Do you know the date of that rebellion thing where all the elves attacked that one place..."
"But, don't you want to hear about my day?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe later, but we have to get this done!" Ron said. "If we don't, you know it's going to bite us in the arse later."
"But, I'm tired, guys, and I really need to talk to..."
"Come on, Mione," Harry pleaded.
"Yes, don't be selfish!" Ron said.
Hermione's mouth fell open. She was being selfish? She was? What kind of mixed up universe was this? She would have torn into them, but she was just too tired. Instead, she got up from her chair and walked up to her dormitory without a word.
Flopping down on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling and wanted desperately to talk to someone. But who?
Suddenly, she sat up from her bed, ran out of the dorm room and down the spiral staircase one level until she reached the fifth year's dorm. She poised her hand to knock, but the door opened as soon as her fist went down. Ginny was standing there, dressed in hot Muggle clothes, with three other fifth year Gryffindor girls whom Hermione knew to be Arianna Tibbet, Justina Phillips, and Oliver Wood's younger sister, Vivian.
"Hey, Hermione, how are you?" Vivian asked, as all four girls filed past her.
"I'm fine, how are-"
"Heard you had to tutor Malfoy, bummer," interrupted Arianna.
"Yes, actually, it-"
"Well, gotta go, see ya," cut off Justina, pulling the other three girls after her down the staricase.
Hermione caught Ginny's arm. "Wait, where are you going?"
"Party in the Room of Requirement," Ginny said, guiltily. "I'd have invited you, but it's fifth years only, I'm really sorry..."
"No, I don't want to come," Hermione said. "I just wanted to talk to you."
Ginny shifted her feet uncomfortably. "Can't it wait, Mione?"
"Well, I suppose..."
"Hey, wait a tick!" Arianna cried. "She can do it for us!"
The other girls nodded excitedly and Hermione looked to Ginny in confusion. "What do they mean?"
"Well, I kinda could never get out of here with my brother sitting in the Common Room," Ginny said, rubbing the back of her neck like she always did when she was nervous. "Not dressed like this anyways. So, I was thinking... could you steal Harry's Invisibility Cloak for me?"
Hermione stepped back. "Harry's Cloak? How did you know about that?"
"We've nicked it before," Justina said. "There are a lot of parties we are expected to make an appearance at."
"But... Harry would kill me!"
"Please, Hermione?" Ginny pleaded. "I've never asked you for anything ever in my life and you're my best friend and I really, really need to go to this party. Michael's going to be there and I have to show him what he missed when he broke up with me..."
"Wait... Michael Corner?" Hermione asked. Ginny's eyes widened. "I thought you said this was just a fifth year party. He's a seventh year."
"Well, I..."
"Why didn't you invite me? Why didn't you even tell me?"
"I said I was sorry, Mione..."
"Why don't you just tell her the truth, Gin?" Arianna whispered from the back. Hermione folded her arms across her chest.
"The truth about what, Ginny?"
Ginny looked to her friends and down at the floor. "Tell her, Viv."
"You see, we can't take you to parties," Vivian said. "You kind of ruin our image. I mean, we are the most popular girls in the fifth year. Having a nerdy bookworm in our posse would kind of ruin everything. You understand, don't you, darling?"
Hermione couldn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, Mione," was all Ginny said.
"So, are you going to get the Cloak or not?" Justina grumped. Hermione shook her head.
"Not in a million years," she muttered and walked back up the staircase to her dorm room.
Again throwing herself on the bed, she looked over to Lavender Brown's bed. She was pretending to be asleep, but Hermione knew she wasn't really. Lavender snored when she was actually asleep.
"Lavender?" Hermione hissed into the darkness. "I know you're not sleeping, so talk to me, Lavender."
"What's wrong?" Lavender asked, opening her eyes. "You sound sad."
"I am," Hermione admitted.
"Well," Lavender began, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, "you can always talk to me."
Hermione sighed in relief. Finally. She launched into an explanation. "It's just that everyone seems to be..."
At that moment, Parvati Patil rushed through the door. "Lavender! Oh my God, you'll never believe who wants to meet us in the trophy room this very instant!"
"Not right now, Parvati, I'm talking with Herm-"
"Emery Jacobs and Danny Taylor!" Parvati squealed. Lavender's eyes lightened up.
"Are you serious? They want to talk to us?"
"Right now! Come on, let's go! We can totally sneak out, if Hermione will cover for us." Parvati looked to Hermione. "Won't you?"
Hermione sighed. "Of course. Wouldn't want you to pass this up."
They two girls left quickly, but not before Lavender said, "I'm sorry, Hermione. We'll talk in the morning I promise. Thanks so much!"
Hermione sighed and rolled over. After a few moments of staring at the ceiling and trying hard not to cry, she fell asleep.
A/N: Make sure to tell me what you think and the next chapter should be up soon. (More Draco in this chapter evil grin)