'Toadstools.' Hermione says to the portrait of the Fat Lady. 'It's a rather easy one this week, Leona.' Of course she knew the portrait's name!
'Well, we wouldn't want another fiasco like last week, dear. That boy Longbottom has the memory of a beetle!' Hermione chuckles politely.'You better get in. That rude caretaker and his fleabag cat are already patrolling. I wouldn't take the risk.'
'Thank you.' She says, stepping through into the comforts of Gryffindor's common room. 'Have a nice night.' She calls back.
'You too, dear.' floats through as the portrait swings closed.
Hermione turns and takes in her surroundings. Two of the armchairs are occupied by Ginny and Luna. Luna is knitting and Ginny is holding the wool for her. Neville is sat at the table behind them, doing the extra potions work Snape 'rewarded' him. 'Where did I put my ink?' He mumbles to himself.
'Have you checked your pocket?' Ginny responds absentmindedly.
'Of course I- Oh wait, found it! Thanks, Gin.' And his head goes back down to just staring at the parchment. Ginny just rolls her eyes, though the corners of her mouth twitch upwards.
Hermione makes her way over to the fireplace where Ron and Harry are sat playing wizards chess. 'Totally barbaric, that game.' Hermione smiles. Both boys look up in surprise. They then turn to each other for a glance. Then back up to the frizzy-haired girl standing in front of them with an armful of books.
'Mione' Ron springs to his feet. Harry following after in suit. 'W-Where have you been?'
'Out. What's is it to you anyway, Ronald? You both certainly look very worried for my safety.' She says with an accusing look.
'Well, we first assumed that you would have gone over to Ravenclaw to bunk with Luna for the night. Assumed that you would hide out there. And when Luna turned up here with Gin, Seamus and Dean went out looking. Said it would be safer, ya know?'
'Yes, they were quite worried.' Luna chimes in, her voice dreamy and distant as always.
'Thanks Luna, and nice scarf.' Hermione says, motioning to the ball of knotted wool with a knitting needle stuck in it that was sitting on Luna's lap.
'It's a hat actually.' Ginny says with a snicker.
Hermione ignores the remark and turns back to the boys. 'What are you on about? Safer? And why would I be hiding out in Ravenclaw?'
'Oh, you don't know.' Ron says defeatedly. He looks to Harry who shakes his head and whispers' This one's all you, mate' before sitting down in an empty armchair.
'Know what, Ronald? What don't I know?' Hermione is beginning to get worried at this point. Her mind begins racing around all the possibilities. Has someone died? It has always been a looming darkness of possibly. Or has voldemort taken someone else hostage? Or had she failed a class?
'There is a rumour that- that...' Ron begins.
'That what? Tell me or I swear to god.'
'That you and Malfoy are secretly dating!' He says, colour rushing to his face. Everyone in the common room holds their breath. You could tell that everyone knew and were waiting for Hermione to cry or scream or punch someone. But instead she laughed, hard. Everyone's faces were stricken with confusment and shock.
'Erm... Hermione?' Ron about whispered.
'I think we broke her. She has finally pased the tipping point. Lucky she lasted this long, having put up with you for 5 years.' Ginny chimed.
'Shut it.' Ron scolded. Hermione's laugh had dulled to a few chuckles. She took a deep breath then looked at Ron.
'You mean, you mean' Ron braced himself, 'that everyone is getting this worried about a little rumour that me and Malfoy are dating? What are you, seven?' Hermione chuckles again. Her chuckle is cut short by a loud banging on the other side of the portrait.
'You watch where your hands go, young man! I have a beauty standard to uphold.' The Fat Lady says.
'Let me through or I will tear through you myself. Just try me.' The unmistakable sound of Malfoy. Even through the wall they could hear the snarl of his voice.
'Okay, okay.' The portrait swings open and Malfoy steps in. Suprisingly, he is there alone, in his pyjamas. He looks almost embarassed but he steps forward again and he seems to have gained all the confidence in the world.
'Carry on. God, you all look like you have seen a flying pig farting.' He casually strides over to where the trio, and Ginny, are standing alert.
'What do you want, Malfoy?' Harry snarles.
'What, no warm welcome? Now where's that Gryffindor spirit you keep trying to convince the world you have? I have come to adress the rumours that have been spread, which are not true,' He adds loudly enough so that the commonroom can hear it. 'As if I would ever date a Mudblood like little miss Hermione Granger, Gryffindor's very own suck up.' He practically spits the word Mudblood.
' Oh sod off, Malfoy! Just because Mummy didn't love you enough and you're Daddy's latest dissapointment doesn't mean that you can go round pushing your self-hatred onto everyone else. No wonder Crabbe and Goyle aren't by your side. No one can stand your rotten, little-'
'Ginny, that's enough.' Hermione interjects. Ron and Harry aren't quite sure why because they know damn well that she would love to tear into him as well, but they don't say anything. They know she must see some reason, though what is beyond them. The truth is that Hermione could see in his eyes that what was said hurt him, she saw a wounded animal behing the hard exterior. And she saw relief when she stopped it. She knew that he would never admit to it but she knew it was true, deep down. 'You said you were here to adress the rumours. So, go on.'
'I believe that it was Pansy who spread the rumour. You see, she is hoplessly in love with me but I see her as nothing more than a desperate, needy child. As you can imagine, when I told her that I was hugely uninterested she threw a tantrum. She decided to get revenge by hitting me where it would hurt, had I not been me.'
'Sounds like a load of hogwash to me.' Ron mutters to Harry.
'And how much damage do you think was done?' Hermione asks, voice emotionless and stern.
'Not much. No one believes that someone like me would even touch someone like yourself.'
'More like the other way around' Harry mutters to Ron, who chuckles. Hermione turns and shoots daggers at them with her eyes. They shut up immediately. She turns back to Malfoy and, as fast as wind, whips her wand to his face. His eyes widen amd his hands fly up. Not to his wand but up as if in innocence. 'Take us to Slytherin.'
Half a dozen 6th years wandering the corridors lit only by their wands is bound to raise suspicion among the paintings that line the corridors. The steady wave of hushed voices follow the huddle as they make their way to the Slytherin commonroom located in the dungeons, careul as to not bump into Filch or his retchid cat Mrs Norris.
When they get to the dungeon door seperating Hermione from the person who tried to ruin her evening, Draco orders for them all to turn around. When he says they can turn around again the door is opened. They all clamber through the door frame, not caring to be quiet. There is a low, relaxing tune playing through the area ahead, the source of the music unknown. It isn't nearly as dark or evil as they had imagined. A candlelight toned glow lit up the room. The seats were black and green but in a stylish and modern way. Children and teenagers were sat in huddles amd alone. Some were reading, others listening to music through enchantments. A young girl with dirty blonde hair was sat drawing an incredibly detailed scene of a waterfall. She looked up as the group approched and Hermione saw Draco wink at her and her face went back down to the drawing. A boy in the far corner stood up amd stepped forward. Blaize Zambini, Hermionie recognised from joint potions with the Slytherins. As he stepped forward, the table the small group of green-lined robe wearing children were huddled around came into view. They seemed to be playing cards, a simply muggle game with a seemingly muggle deck. A big, burly dark-haired teen shuffled around and the cards were swept from view. 'What is this, Draco?' Blaize said, hurrying to talk with Malfoy and not course too much disturbance.
'Where is Pansy?' He said, as if talking to a stranger on the street.
'Yes?' A tall, thin girl who had just risen asked. She has shiny, straight hair that was cut mid arm length and bangs that ended just above her neat eyebrows. Her eyes were emerald green and lips were plup and smooth. She looked like the perfect pretty evil. Hermione took a step forward but Ron grabbed her hand. She pulled away without looking at him and stormed over to where Pansy stood among her sitting friends. A twinge of guilt passed through Hermione about what she was about to do but she ignored it. She was so sick of people fighting for her. It was time to fight for herself. And with that thought coursing through her mind, she punched Pansy in her perfect little nose. And she didn't hold back. Immediately, she felt a sharp pain in the fist she had just broken someone's nose with but whe brushed it off like nothing. Malfoy walks over, crouchs to the ground next to the hunched figure holding her bloody nose and says, 'Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?' He then stands up, and walks to where Blaize is stood, shocked, and sits down as if nothing ever happpened. Hermione strides back to the group of Gryffindors and says, 'Lets go, quick' before turning to the door they first entered and walking off down the hallway without looking back. On the way back, she is walking next to Ginny, who seems to wake up from a haze and goes into 'Oh my god, Hermione. That was awesome!'
'Thanks. Where's Luna?' Hermione asks.
'She stayed behind to finish the hat. As if that is a hat!'
'Haha. Have you told Ron yet, about you and her?'
'No. It's not that I'm scared to but you know how he is when he knows I'm dating someone. I don't want him to scare her' Ginny responds, the worry in her voice showing.
'Listen, don't worry. I'll keep Ron in check. Just tell him, he needs to know.'
'I know. I will. I promise.' She leaves it there and joggs up to Neville to talk about what they just witnessed.
Later that night, the Gryffindor common room is full with cheers, song and lots of firewisky. Hermione glances over to the corner of the room where Ron and Ginny are stood, talking. She smiles and he pulls her into a tight hug. Luna jumps up and joins in, causing the three of them to errupt into a laughing fit, all holding eachother in a moment of acceptance and tranquility. In that moment, everything seemed right. But that feeling was short lived as the events that would follow the warm evening would completely change the trios life forever.