101 Ways to Manipulate Someone
The next morning was chaos, everyone running around trying to work out teams and people discussing what they would wish for if they won. It wasn't long before Ginny came up to her and started talking about the competition.
Hermione was sat curled up in her favourite armchair in the corner by the fire place doing some reading.
"What are you are you reading?" She looked up from her book to see Ginny right in front of her, her red hair almost looking as if it were on fire, glinting from the light of the candles in the common room.
"Just a muggle book."
"I recognise that one, I think my dad has it in the house." Hermione watched as Ginny inspected the cover. "Hmm, Pride and Prejudice. Sounds interesting."
"Actually it is quite interesting, I have only just started it, but at the moment I think that Liz might want to kill Mr Darcy even though they have only just met."
"Sounds very interesting then."
In response Hermione closed the book and sat forward, clearly Ginny wanted to talk to her about something.
Ginny sighed as she sat on the coffee table in front of her and continued talking. "Hermione, if you want you can join our team you know."
"Who is it in your team agin?" Hermione said trying to change the subject.
"Originally it was going to be me, Harry, Ron, Luna, Neville and Lavender but...Lavender...she said that she didn't want to work with me and Luna. And also Luna proposed that you join our team because if anyone is going to win, it's you but obviously Lavender decided that her and Ron were going to win no matter what."
"What did Ron have to say about it?"
"He didn't really have a choice in the matter."
"Why didn't she want to work with you though."
"I don't think she likes us very much because we took your side when Ron broke up with you."
"So?"
"Me, Harry, Neville and Luna are in a team so if you want you can join our team."
"I don't even think I want to do the competition, I just want to get on with the school work and in the night I want to finish reading my book and have some coffee."
"Really you have coffee before bed?"
"Don't worry, I have it decaf before bed, I just really like the taste."
"Okay well we are going to go and put our names in the bowl of snow I'll meet you in the library later with Luna." She stated as she stood up and walked over to the door.
"Alright see you later."
Before she left she turned, "You know you can talk to me right, if you ever feel the need to I'm here."
"I know."
Ginny left the room leaving Hermione alone to read her book.
As she sat there trying to read she found that her mind kept on wandering back to Ron. She was going to make him see what she was worth and exactly what he was missing by dumping her. She closed the book once more and headed straight over to the library, this time walking slower so she wouldn't walk into Malfoy. As soon as she was there she walked over to a section on muggle studies, picked up several books on psychology and went back to her favourite corner, this time sat at one of the desks and started reading a book titled '101 ways to manipulate someone'.
After thinking and reading for a while she decided that she was going to have to do something to either make Ron miss her or make him jealous. Deep down she thought that there was a way that she wouldn't have to do anything and eventually things would fall into place.
On the other side of the building Draco was stood in the Slytherin common room, resting his arm against the fireplace shelf as he schemed. Blaise and Pansy were sat on the low couches listening to Draco's various plans to win the Winter Games.
"Draco I don't think it is wise to kidnap people from Ravenclaw and make them work out the riddle for you." Pansy said.
"Hay, they didn't say that kidnapping was against the rules."
"Anyway are Ravenclaws really going to help if you are going up against Granger's team, you know that she is going to win it."
"Yeah, she probably will." Blaise replied.
Draco stood silent for a few minutes, staring into the flames of the fire. Yes it was pretty much inevitable that Granger's team would win, the question was who was on Granger's team, maybe there was someone they could manipulate to sabotage the team.
"Who is on Granger's team?" Draco asked as he looked towards the two.
"I actually don't know maybe she isn't even doing it."
"Fine then I suppose the only thing I can do is ask her then my self."
"Won't it be weird if you just suddenly start talking to her."
"No, I was working with her in potions the other day, I'll ask her something about that."
With that Draco grabbed his jumper of the arm of the sofa and walked out of the common room, straight to when he knew she would be. The library.
As Hermione sat at the table doing some writing she was startled slightly when there was a loud bang on the table in front of her. She looked up to see Malfoy standing over her, hands on the table.
She looked back down at her writing.
"Granger."
"What do you want Malfoy?"
"Umm, you know the other day in potions, I think you took my cauldron with you."
"I don't have your cauldron Malfoy, if you think it's been stolen then maybe you should ask one of your Slytherin friends."
He pulled his hands off the table and sneered at her. "If anyone was likely to steel it, it would be you as part of some elaborate scheme Potter has cooked up."
Finally she looked up from her book and looked him in the eye. "Will you please leave me alone, I'm trying to work out how to manipulate someone, something I presume you are very good at."
"Well I never thought I would see the day that you would want to manipulate someone."
She scoffed, "Don't be surprised Malfoy, I have done far worse."
He smirked and dragged a chair over from near by, and sat down on it back to front so he could rest his arms on the back of the chair.
"So then who is it you are trying to manipulate, I bet it's weasel."
"So what if it is?"
"Ugh enough games now, I want to know if you are entering this competition tomorrow and if yes who is on your team." He said as he picked up her pen from where she left it on the table and started to twirl it between his fingers.
"What does it matter to you?"
"Well I need to win this prize and...and I will make a deal with you."
"What's the deal?"
"If you don't enter the competition then I will let you share the prize."
"Well I'll just have to enter now." She said smirking at him. "Besides I need to prove to Ron that I'm better than Lavender in more ways than my intelligence, and this competition seems like a good way to do that."
"I thought the whole challenge was intellect based?"
"Not always, last time there was an extra part involving singing precise notes to open a door, there is a lot of skill involved as well."
"What if... what if you joined my team, that way I would definitely win."
"Well what would I get out of it."
"Really Granger, my company isn't enough."
She just responded with a roll of her eyes and went back to reading.
"Fine then, what if I showed you how to manipulate people as well as I do."
"I think you may have a deal there Malfoy."
"Good I'll meet you back her in two hours with the others in my team and the pice of paper to write your name on."
"Great, that will give you two hours for you to rethink your life decisions and back out."
"I'm not going to back out of this one Granger."
"Neither am I."
With that he got up and left leaving Hermione once again alone in her favourite corner of the library reading a book and writing notes.