This is the first chapter of Late-night Monopoly Teachings - which is a direct continuation of Late-night Monopoly Meetings. I highly reccommend you read that, first, since it would help you understand this story.

o1. No Point Crying Over Spilt Ink

Dedicated to all my readers, who were awesome encouragement to continue this story. :D

Being left standing with a Monopoly box under one's right arm, and a note in one's left hand reading;

'go back to the dorm.'

may not make one a very happy person.

Draco Malfoy was, at this moment, not a very happy person.

In fact, he was so unhappy, that he was scowling.

And he still was (scowling and being a not very happy person) as he questioned Hermione Granger as to;

"Why you felt the need to leave me a note when you could have just bloody told me. We practically stay in the same room, Granger!"

The corners of her mouth threatened to creep into a smile, but she just managed to hold it down. "Oh, I don't know, to annoy you?" she asked sweetly, dipping her quill into the pot of ink she had set down on their commonroom's table, and proceeding to write slowly and calmly, knowing it would just frustrate him more. "After all, Merlin knows you do an awful lot of things to get on my nerves, too.

Gritting his teeth, he already knew that she was just trying to get on his nerves. Granger was somuch more cunning than she let on – which would have been attractive, save for the fact that she infuriated him to no end. "Youare impossible to get along with," he snapped, setting the box down on the table, purposely shaking it and making her writing run askew, before turning to go into his own room.

"Like you're one to talk," she snorted, taking out her wand and muttering a quick spell to undo the damage.

"Ouch. That one's going to leave a scar," he shot back dryly, stopping and turning around, "Maybe putting a bit of thought into your replies would make them seem a little smarter."

"I'm sorry, Malfoy, but I can't. Your aura of stupidity – it's too overbearing," she sneered. Hermione sighed. She should've known he wouldn't take it well – he was too proud and arrogant a fool to enjoy himself. Shaking her head, she bent over her work and continued writing, trying her best not to stand up and encourage what was sure to be a shouting match.

Draco glared at the back of her head, fuming. She had the absolute nerve to... he didn't even know what she was doing. He hadn't done anything – and yet she wanted to – Draco gave up. He didn't get girls. "Wait, remind me again – who is it who always insists on playing out in a hallway when we share the same commonroom?" he said, walking back to the front of the table and sweeping his arm over it, toppling her ink, which seeped over her paper like a living creature eating her essay combined with her blood, sweat and tears. He smirked.

That – that was just too much. She knew that, true, it had been her who was wrong first, but did he really have to make a fight out of everything? "Oh, real mature," she snorted, glaring at the emptied bottle that had gone on to roll around the table. She would've sworn it was leering at her.

"You haven't answered the question, Granger," he told her dryly.

Suddenly, Hermione was tired of his stupid pride. She shouldn't have bothered trying to have some fun in the first place. There were more ways than one to reply to him, but she decided to take the easy way out. Even if it meant that there would be a lot of pride-swallowing. Okay, it wasn't the easy way out – but it would (hopefully) be the fastest. "Fine, I'm sorry," she said, looking up for the first time, "I shouldn't have made you go all the way there only to make you come back here. After all – it is such a long journey."

"Still haven't answered it," he said, quirking an eyebrow, but secretly pleased that she'd apologised.

"Don't push it," she warned, raising her eyebrows back at him with a small smile on her face.

She looked back down at her paper. "Well, that was a stupid fight," Draco declared, stretching his arms above his head while she cleaned up the mess she had made, "even for your standards."

"My standards? They're your standards, too."

"Point taken. It takes two to tango," he relented.

"I never expected Draco Malfoy to speak Muggle phrases with an air of wisdom about him," mused Hermione, slightly surprised at how fast he'd gone from someone who was set on reducing her to tears (not an easy feat), to a teasing and – would she say it? – endearing boy. He did it quite a lot, but she had still to get used to it.

"I thought I had a... how did you put it? Aura of stupidity? How, then, could I be wise?"

"Whatever," she muttered, not knowing how to get back at that one, "that's just when I don't like you." She was aware of the fact that he'd blatantly avoided the question, but didn't pursue it.

"So you like me now?" teased Draco, moving onto the single seat at the end of the table.

Hermione pretended to ignore his question, but scoffed at the idea, and turned to face him. "Don't you want to know why we're not playing tonight?"

"Because you're finally bored of a long and dreary game that basically repeats itself over and over?"

"Monopoly isn't a long and dreary game!" she exclaimed, horrified, "You're such a prat. It's because we have to discuss what we're going to do at the next Monopoly lesson."

"It's the first Monopoly lesson," he pointed out.

"Just bloody concentrate, will you?" she huffed, "Anyway, as I was saying, we'll need to capture their attention. Lure them into the game. Like the way you were. We'll –,"

"Look, Granger, I hate to burst your bubble, but I asked you to teach me just to get on your nerves."

"But you liked it in the end, right?" she asked, unfazed.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, I liked it in the end."

"Then there we go!" Hermione forced out excitedly.

"That makes very little sense," he said sceptically.

"I know," she snapped, "You don't have to be so blunt about it.

"It's what I do, Granger. It's what I do."

"How do we do this?" sighed Hermione.

"Well..." Draco started, thinking. It was funny – now that she was down, he wanted it to work. When she'd been 'up', he hadn't cared. "We could... encourage competition. Award points. Or something. Then they'll like it in the end. Like... you said."

"That's brilliant, Malfoy!" she cried, sitting up straight suddenly and shocking him, then she suddenly deflated. "How are we supposed to award points?"

"We're head prefects. Merlin, Granger – you're supposed to be smart!"

"We can dock points, stupid. We can't award them – can we?"

"So maybe you are smart."

"I know," she said unconsciously, then covered her mouth in shock, "I can't believe I just said that."

"You're learning from me – I like it," he smirked.

"You're a horrible influence," she grumbled, before stifling a yawn. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was happy that he hadn't just shot her down and refused to cooperate. So maybe he was nice. Just a little.

"But an influence nonetheless," he said, trying not to laugh – she looked sodding ridiculous half-yawning half-talking.

The night ended with little progress.

an; So! Now you have the first chapter of Late-night Monopoly Teachings (for lack of a better name). I know it's rather short, but I just wanted something to start off this part of the story. I promise the next chapter will hold a little more.. 'substance'. Oh yeah, and some people told me about the fact that head prefects are seventh-years, so ignore that little error in LMM - this story, they're a year older. XD I'll go back and edit that.. sometime.

Anonymous Replies;
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nemo - Thank you so much! Your review is so nice. xD Honestly, I don't think I would be able to take it if I just ended it like that. I mean, they haven't even started denying that they like each other! x3 It was one of my greatest fears that people would find them OOC, so I'd like to think that I tried really hard to keep them in character, and I'm really happy that people think I succeeded. :D There will be a lot more romance in this part of the story - there was practically none in the previous one. :/ Once again, thanks for the wonderful review! :D

kk - Thanks for the review! But that's the reason why this fic exists, because it isn't over yet. :3 I know, and I'm considering changing the genre into 'friendship' instead, but I'm still not sure about it. If more people are unhappy with it, I will. c: And I'm glad you liked it!