AN) Yes I know, she's alive?! Sorry for the wait, but I did say that updates aren't frequent! But a massive THANK YOU to those who review, because it was actually what you said that made me want to write another chapter. It's not my favourite, but the games start soon! Also, you may not quite understand what Draco is thinking, but that is intended. Enjoy. ~TheOnlyQuirk
10) A little bit of gardening
The sun slipped into the horizon leaving a dusky glow over the grounds. A pale, slim boy sat on a crumbling wall, away from the hub of the manor. Technically, tributes are not allowed outside the manor unless authorised, but being a pure-blood as well as the hosting setting being his own home gave little reason as to why he should be kept indoors. Tucked in a corner, was one part of the manor that wasn't well kept. It was the flower bed that his mother had insisted to have, and the house elves were once instructed not to touch it. Of course, as the war became inevitable, Narcissa had forgotten about her hobby and nobody had remembered to tell the elves otherwise. It was out of sight, and out of mind. Draco had found from an early age that if you climbed up onto the wall using the apple tree, you could see the rolling fields beyond which were now being bathed in a golden glow.
If the war at Hogwarts had been bad, it was nothing compared to the battle raging inside Draco Malfoy. Each day he'd change his mind, decide on something else, and then a few hours later change it back again. In the training room he had told himself to keep a low profile (as much as possible at least) and to not interfere because his father was right. And then he would see her, damn Hermione Granger, and the risky plan was back. So risky that Draco wasn't quite sure whether he could in fact bear to carry it out. And whether she'd let him was another problem.
As these dangerous, illogical and confusing thoughts tumbled through his mind, the sun set completely, and darkness began to roam.
Ginny poked her head round Hermione's door and gave a small smile.
"May I enter your humble abode?"
Hermione's room was plain and simple, holding only the necessities. Hermione herself was curled up on the lumpy bed, her chestnut curls spilling around her and hiding her face. Ginny came in and gently closed the door, before placing a small brown roll on the pillow next to her quiet friend.
"You missed dinner. Managed to sneak this past the death eater. He was too busy trying to chat up that Chelsea witch."
Ginny half wondered whether Hermione had fallen asleep, but after a second a small slender hand took it.
"Thank you" Hermione mumbled.
One quality that she had always admired about Ginny was the fact that she knew when to let you do things at your own pace. It was one thing when she was shouting at you to climb a huge climbing wall, and another to sit quietly until you were ready to talk.
After a few minutes Hermione sat up, and Ginny was surprised to see that no salt stains were evident on her cheeks.
"It was like I was back in the war Gin" she spoke softly.
"I got lost, I just had to win this time, I just had to win" her breath hitched, and Ginny placed her hand gently on her back.
"I was about to kill him."
"Hermione, you know those were mock wands…"
"That's not the point. At the time, I wasn't thinking about mock wands, I was firing to kill…to kill Malfoy."
Ginny shifted over so she too was sitting on the bed, and it creaked under the weight.
"So…what happened after that?"
Hermione was quiet before answering.
"He cast some dark magic I guess. I flew backwards and that was all I could remember. The thing is Gin…all this has just hit me. What we're going to have to do, the odds that are completely against us…"
"So you know what to do then don't you?" Ginny said, a smile sliding onto her face.
"What?"
"Enjoy it while it lasts!" And with that, the Weasley picked up Hermione's pillow and thwacked it straight on top of her, giggling.
"Ginevra Weasley!" Hermione spluttered. "This is certainly not the time for a pillow fight!"
But even as she said it, a smile couldn't help but make it onto her face too. Ginny's positivity, even in a really really bad situation was infectious.
This was their last week at the manor. Just a few more days of training, then the test and scores would be given in order to help the rich know who to sponsor. The next day, all tributes would be in the arena.
When Malfoy and Granger turned up the next day for training, Hermione was glad to see that he didn't mention a thing about what had happened in the duelling room. Alas, he continued to confuse her by following her to whatever activity she chose to partake in. The other pure-blood and half-blood tributes watched the pair uneasily, not sure what the young Malfoy was up to. Once, Hermione decided to make her way over to the deserted plant section, to see if he really would follow. And of course he did.
"What do you think you're doing?" Hermione whirled around to face him as they reached the vegetation table.
"I thought we were going to learn about plants?" he replied innocently.
"No, I mean following me. Whatever your stunt is, I don't want to be at the end of it."
"What if you were at the top of it?"
"I'm not joking here Malfoy."
"Neither am I."
She looked at his face of indifference, almost completely emotionless except his grey eyes that always seemed to have some sort of intensity about them. Staring back, she tried in earnest to uncover just a glimmer of what he was thinking, but came to a brick wall. She hated to say it, but he was just too good.
"Shall we?" he said calmly, gesturing towards the plants.
"I guess…" she replied uneasily.
In front of them was a large glass table. On one side was a pile of different leaves, berries and shrubs, both natural and magical. On the other side of the table there were three glowing circles, and above each one was a word. One said 'eat', one said 'harmful' and the last one said 'harmless'.
"I suppose we have to sort them?" Draco said, and picked up a twig sporting golden berries.
"That's lummox, it's poisonous" Hermione blurted out quickly with thought.
Draco raised his eyebrows. "Didn't know you were into gardening Granger"
"No, just books." She mumbled, and put the berries in the 'harmful' circle, where the band of light which was the circle glowed green for a second, before the plant disappeared and the circle returned to normal.
Without consultation, Malfoy picked up a normal looking leaf and put it straight into the 'harmful' circle, causing it to glow green again.
"Didn't know you were into gardening Malfoy."
He quirked a smile. "Fell into some poison ivy when I was eight. Didn't forget that plant in a hurry."
He then picked up a fluffy looking triangular leaf and furrowed his brow in confusion.
"That's a stinging nettle." Hermione said, but stopped him when he was about to put it in the harmful category.
"Wait!" she said, taking it off him, and placing it quickly into the 'eat' circle. It glowed green, and the witch gave an almost Malfoy-like smirk.
"Stinging nettles can hurt, but you can eat them too. I once ate stinging nettle soup whilst camping."
"Sounds barbaric."
"Didn't taste too bad."
"You're gross."
Hermione couldn't help but giggle a little, and then carried on sorting the vegetation. They got most of them right, but an argument broke out concerning the last item – a small pile of blue coloured berries.
"They've got to be harmful, the only edible berries I know of are the Kensal berries, and we've already done them!" Hermione said.
"Granger, these are perfectly safe to eat."
"If you ate them, you'd be dead within minutes."
"If that was correct I might make you eat some, just to shut you up." Malfoy said, leaning against the table in a relaxed position.
"Then maybe you should eat them just to prove me wrong"
"Alright, I will."
Malfoy brought his hand up to his mouth, but was stopped as Hermione's hand caught onto his wrist quickly.
"Don't be stupid Malfoy."
"Worried about me Granger?"
"They're deadly"
"Bit like you then." And with that, he slipped free from Hermione's grip and tipped the berries into his mouth, chewing quickly. Hermione stood still, a mask of horror on her face as the boy swallowed and smiled at her.
"See? What did I tell-"
And then he collapsed onto the floor.
"Malfoy!" Hermione shrieked, and fell to her knees to flip him over onto his back, her heart racing. Nobody had noticed yet, but perhaps if she shouted, she could get the antidote soon…
She heaved with all her might, and when she finally saw his face she thought for a horrible second that it was contorted in pain…until she realised it was scrunched up from laughter.
"Your…face!" Draco said between laughs, getting up and pretending to wipe his eyes. "Malfoy!" he mimicked before cracking up again. Draco couldn't remember a time where he had laughed this much. He hadn't laughed for years.
Hermione was standing too, but with a look of pure fury on her face.
"Oh calm down Granger, I was only pulling your leg…"
He didn't get time to say anything else, because she slapped him round the face, leaving a visible handprint on his pale cheek. A death eater started towards her, but Malfoy put up a hand towards them.
"It's okay" he said, still smiling. And then, quieter, "I guess I deserved that."
Narrowing her eyes, Hermione looked back to the glass table which had magically reproduced another lot of the same plants for the next tribute to try. Sifting through the leaves, she found the blue coloured berries and held them up suspiciously.
"So if these are edible…and they don't in fact kill you…"
"Clearly."
"Then what are they, and how did you know?"
Draco grinned, and took a step so he was inches away from her. She resisted the urge to flinch as he carefully picked up another berry from her hand and popped it into his mouth. Once swallowed, he leant forward and whispered into her ear,
"They're blueberries Granger."
Your reviews make a difference. Thank You!
(P.S see if you can spot why the certain blood groups are wearing those certain colours mentioned in the previous chapter. If you can you're a clever clogs!)