A/N: Day 12 of 25 Days of Christmas. Prompt: Fireplace
Happy Reading!
xxx
"I'll see you after the game." Hermione confirmed as Harry and Ron finally left through the portrait hole along with the rest of Gryffindor. Today was the match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, a match the boys simply had to watch because Ravenclaw would be Gryffindor's next opponent, and Hermione didn't particularly feel like spending even five minutes outside the castle, where the world was cold and covered in snow.
It was their additional year, their official seventh but so called eighth year, at Hogwarts. Hermione wanted to get her NEWTs before she started a career outside of Hogwarts, she just knew she'd regret it later on if she didn't, Harry wanted to be treated like everyone else and therefore declined Kingsley Shacklebolt's offer of immediately starting as Auror after the war, and even thought Ron hated school, he agreed to join his friends. The majority of their year returned to Hogwarts, making the decision of simply adding a floor for the eighth years in each House's dormitory easy for Headmistress McGonagall. But the Sorting changed drastically; meaning that there simply wouldn't be one until the students were in their third year. People tended to change, especially throughout puberty. So the first and second years had their own house with their own dormitories called Lumos, as in light, in honour of Albus Dumbledore who never liked the early Sorting anyway.
Hermione didn't have any schoolwork planned for today, she initially planned to watch the Quidditch match along with the rest of the School, but she changed her mind when she noticed the weather during breakfast in the Great Hall. It looked like a storm was coming. She didn't particularly feel like reading either, and without the constant threat of Voldemort looming over them, she didn't have to worry so much about everything, she could simply relax for a change. She just wanted to cuddle up with a hot mug of tea in front of the fireplace of the Gryffindor common room.
She smiled to herself as she left the common room and made her way towards the kitchen. She knew that she could have summoned Winky or another house elf up into the dormitories, but she still didn't like the way most elves were treated; even if they liked serving wizards and witches, abusing them was not okay.
She descended the staircases and made her way down into the dungeons and towards the Hufflepuff dormitories and stopped in front of the portrait of the fruit bowl. Hermione tickled the grape and smiled to herself when it turned into a doorknob, allowing her entrance into the kitchen. She was surprised to see Malfoy and Parkinson sitting at one of the tables by the fireplace, chatting to a cup of tea and some biscuits.
She wasn't sure whether to ignore or greet them, but they decided that for her when hers and Parkinson's looks met across the room.
"Granger." the girl said, sounding mildly surprised.
"Pansy. Draco." Hermione greeted them. It felt weird to call them by their first names, but it felt like old times to call them by their last names, and they weren't enemies anymore, never had been real enemies to begin with.
"I would have thought that you'd watch the game with the rest of Gryffindor." Draco said, one of his delicate eyebrows raised.
"Well, the weather doesn't appeal to me and I assume that's why you're not with the rest of Slytherin either." she replied, walking through the crowds of elves into their direction, as that was where Winky was currently working. Hermione did like to check up on the elf every now and then, wanted to make sure that she didn't fall back into her old drinking habits without Dobby there to support her sobriety.
"You're not wrong. But we do that almost every week. Spend some time down here talking. Hogwarts and privacy don't mix very well." Pansy explained.
"Oh. I'll leave in a minute, just wanted to get some tea and check on someone." Hermione replied, feeling kind of stupid about the situation she landed herself in.
"Hey Winky." Hermione said, crouching down in front of the elf.
"Hello Mistress Hermione. How can I be of assistance?" the female elf asked smiling at the girl.
"I'll just have a cup of peppermint tea. How are you holding up?" she replied, returning the elf's smile.
"Winky is doing good even without Dobby. Winky was sad for a while and thought about starting to drink again, but then Winky thought of what Dobby and the Mistress would say and that stopped Winky. Winky didn't have a drop of butterbeer in over 2 years now!" the elf happily reported as she fixed Hermione her cup of tea.
"That's amazing! I'm very proud of you Winky and Dobby would be glad to hear that too." Hermione smiled, taking the cup of tea.
"Anything else the Mistress wants? Biscuits with the tea?" Winky offered.
Hermione shook her head, straightening up. "No thanks, Winky, I'm fine."
"The house elf had a drinking problem?" Pansy asked. Hermione turned around, she forgot about the two Slytherins, and was met by their alienated expressions.
"Well, yes. She was set free by Barty Crouch Sr. without her consent and it devastated her." Hermione explained.
"Wow, I didn't even know that was possible. Not the setting free part, the drinking problem." Pansy mumbled.
"Anyway, care to join us?" Pansy asked when Hermione was about to leave the kitchen. That earned her surprised glances from Hermione and Draco.
"I thought you two wanted some privacy." Hermione said.
"Well, you won't tell anyone about our weekly tea, will you?" Pansy replied, smiling slightly.
"Didn't plan to." Hermione confirmed as she slowly took a seat in between the two Slytherins.
"How do you know that elf anyway?" Draco asked, taking a sip of tea.
And it wasn't exactly how Hermione pictured her relaxation time in front of the fireplace, but it was nice to chat with two people she didn't know that well for once. It felt nice to just be a teenager for once and to gossip over relationships without getting weird looks for it. It felt good to know that she was extending her social circle, making new friends.