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Seventeen year old Hermione Granger was walking with her arms full of books when a small puppy darted between her legs causing her to trip and fall. She gave a short yelp as her books scattered and she hit her knees hard.
Without even stopping three guys in the same year as her in Hogwarts ran past- Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott- stepping all over her books and ignoring her shouts.
“Look where you’re going!” She yelled as muddy footprints were dug into her books.
The trio didn’t even pause as they charged after the puppy. “Hurry up and fucking get him!” Malfoy yelled to his other two friends.
Hermione looked down the alleyway they charged down. What were they doing to that puppy? She told herself not to get involved but that only lasted a second as she heard a pained yelp in the direction of the alley. She stood up and left her books where they lay to go charging after the group.
The puppy must have ducked under a pile of crates and they were throwing them to the side trying to get at him.
“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing to that puppy?”
“Mind your own business Granger, there’s no books here so just toddle off like a good mudblood.”
Bloody prat. Her hand tightened on her wand. Zabini finally managed to get close enough to the puppy to snatch at it, and it darted between their legs directly into Hermione’s path. With quick hands she levitated the puppy so it was running in the air for a second and picked him up, facing the boys.
Malfoy stepped in front. “That’s mine, give it here.” He held out his hand.
The puppy made a mournful sound in her arms, trembling. She tightened her hold on it reassuringly. “No.”
Three wands came out in response pointing at her and she raised her wand towards them. “Do you know what my head of house is famous for?” She paused, letting them think about it. “Dueling.”
Zabini and Nott took a step back but Malfoy was fixated on the puppy. “Why do you have to be such a bloody busy body? Isn’t there an essay you could be writing? Give me back my damn dog Granger.”
Hermione gave a brief glance down at the puppy, he had silky wild black fur and startling green eyes that looked up at her pleadingly as if asking her not to hand him over. She looked back at the boys facing her- she wasn’t giving the puppy up.
“It's my dog now. And I’m taking him home.” She started to back away keeping the trio in her sight, and ofcourse just as she thought they would let her walk away without a fight several spells came flying towards her.
She batted them away and sent back stinging hexes smiling at their yelps.
“My father is going to hear about this Granger! Thievery is so unsavory and expected of a muggleborn.”
Would he bring charges? Did she care? No. She’d make sure he never got his hands on this puppy- she didn't know why he was so fixated on him but she wasn’t letting Malfoy have him.
The spells came faster at her this time - darker- cutting curses, knockback and stunning spells. She cast a stronger shield charm repeatedly, not able to return fire with the speed at which they came at her. Malfoy was the only one that came close to hitting her, instead of casting at her one of his curses hit the boxes stacked against the wall of the building and they exploded outward knocking Hermione roughly to the side. She shielded the puppy with her side, taking the majority of the impact.
Flitwick had praised her shielding repeatedly - she wasn’t as fast as him - but her shield work was phenomenal and if someone was too close when she cast it would knock them back effectively acting as two spells. So she made use of it now- repeatedly casting the shield charm but instead of backing away she moved towards them.
The puppy was wiggling and barking madly in her arms but she kept him tightly held. She saw their expression change as she got closer with her shield charm. From anger at her refusal to do what they asked to astonishment as she advanced with nothing more than a strong shield. Until finally fear as they wondered what would happen when she hit them with it.
That’s right, you’re going to bounce right into that brick wall. Hermione thought with satisfaction.
“Granger-” But Malfoy couldn’t finish his sentence because her shield charm hit him, bouncing him and his little minions back six feet into the brick wall behind them.
Three stunning spells in quick succession left them knocked out at the end of they alley as she panted with the effort of the battle. She would definitely tell Flitwick about this - he would be impressed. The puppy whined in her arms and she nuzzled it. “It’ll be okay, I’ve got you now.”
Her whole body ached from the fall when they knocked her down to the impact when Malfoy had hit her with the explosion. She wobbled as she bent to pick up the books she had dropped at the entrance of the alley while holding the wriggling puppy.
“Could you please hold still for me?” Strangely as if the puppy understood he stilled, and she smiled down at him.
It was hard going home, she thought she might have a few cuts and bruises and couldn’t really attend to them in the street with the puppy. When she walked into her house she was lucky that her parents didn’t see her and went quickly up to her room.
“I wonder what Malfoy wanted with you.” She looked down at the puppy she held in her arms, now that she was closer she noticed that he had a faint pattern in the fur of his face- it almost looked like he was wearing glasses.
She smiled at him, scratching him under the chin. “Although of course you are a very handsome puppy, so there is that.”
She carried him into the bathroom with her, wetting a small hand towel and wiping him down briefly, he looked mostly unscathed by his interaction with Malfoy. She looked down at herself- she couldn’t say the same for herself.
As she stripped she talked to the puppy. Telling him about the classes she was taking. How she thought she could keep him and she would make sure Malfoy never got his hands on him.
She was in the middle of washing her hair when there was a distinct pop and she looked over to where the puppy had been sitting. But instead of the puppy there was a boy there- who looked about her age. He had black silky hair just like the puppy and bright green eyes. They both stared at each other for a minute before he muttered a spell and apparated out of her bathroom with a crack.
Hermione stared at where he had been and slowly sank down in the tub trying frantically to remember everything she had said to him- she had been naked in front of him. Did she know him from somewhere? Those green eyes had been familiar.
The Gryffindor Seeker has done it again! Potter has won the cup for his house!
How could she not have recognized him? She had brought Harry Potter into her bathroom and wiped him off and told him she would keep him as a pet!
Hermione groaned and buried her face in her lap, the water still raining down on her. He had seen her NAKED. He was the most popular student at school! Great. Just Great.
Bloody Fantastic.
She thumped her head on her knees, before slowly getting up to get out and try to fix or cover up the majority of her wounds. Her parents would definitely not be happy with her getting into a fight.
She wondered though what had happened to him that he gotten transformed into a puppy, and what exactly Malfoys involvement had been.
She supposed she would never know though - not like she was going to talk to him. Ever. Merlin, he had seen her NAKED.
She was never getting over that.
The Daily Prophet
… Lucius Malfoy is furious that his son along with two other pureblood wizarding families' sons have been expelled from Hogwarts for conduct unbecoming to a witch or wizard.
“This is all a mistake- that idiot Dumbledore doesn’t know what he’s doing and my son will be attending Durmstrang moving forward.”
The Potter family only said they were satisfied with the outcome of the altercation…
Hermione was sitting with her parents, quietly eating dinner when the doorbell rang. Her father got up to answer it and she heard quiet murmurs then her father entered with someone coming behind him.
Hermione felt the blood drain from her face when she saw Harry Potter standing there. Harry was dressed in muggle clothes, a black t-shirt, jeans and trainers. He looked amazing- and he had seen her NAKED. What did he want? All she could think about was his little puppy face as she stripped and took a shower.
“Hermione, this young man says he’s a friend of yours from school.”
Hermione forced a smile. “I’ll talk to him outside Dad, be right back.” She stood up and grabbed his hand, dragging him back outside to the front porch of her house.
She let go of his hand as soon as they were out of the house, wrapping her arms around herself. “What do you want?”
He paused looking at her, his hand going up to rub the back of his neck. “I uh wanted to come say thank you for rescuing me.”
She swallowed hard and moderated her tone. “You’re welcome, but um you didn’t really have to come it’s okay- no big deal- let’s just -”
She cleared her throat. “Let’s just forget that ever happened.”
He looked at her, and flush climbed up his face. “I’m sorry- about that- I thought maybe we could get to know one another. Maybe we could go out.”
The end of the sentence was said in a rush of jumbled words. Hermione stared at him dumbfounded. Why did he want to go out with her?
“Are you asking me to go out of pity?”
“What!” He looked genuinely shocked and bewildered by the question.
Really what could the most popular guy in school be doing this as other than some bizarre thanks slash pity for her? The biggest nerd in Hogwarts?
“I’d really rather just forget everything that happened, thank you.”
He looked disappointed looking away nodding. “Okay, you probably don’t want to go out with someone who was stupid enough to be transfigured by Draco Malfoy. My uncles will never let me live that down.”
“Malfoy did that to you?”
“Yeah he caught me off guard near Knockturn Alley - I think he wanted to make sure the Slytherins would win the upcoming game.”
“Wow, he’s crazy! All that over a game.”
Harry gave her a smile. “It’s more than a game to some of us.”
“I read in the paper that he got kicked out Hogwarts- at least there’s that.”
“That only happened because of you. I think he got scared about getting in trouble - he was trying to convince Zabini to kill me when I escaped. You saved my life. You’re amazing- I thought you were going to get hurt but then that strategy with the shield charm? Bloody brilliant, scary but brilliant.”
Hermione looked at him- the expression in his green gaze- admiration and warmth. “You really do want to go out with me?”
“Yes.” The answer was quick and firm.
She nodded slowly at him and he seemed to take that as permission to get closer to her. He raised his hand to stroke it along the side of her face. “So you will go out with me?”
Hermione lifted up on her toes, her lips close to his. “Yes, you were a very brave little puppy.”
He smiled and she kissed his smiling lips.