Hey guys! The review responses are below, and yes, I know that more of you reviewed, and I want to thank you for that, but I just wanted to say to these reviewers…
Daniela P: I think I mentioned in chapter 7 that the wards at Hogwarts were lowered for Ministry use. I also totally forgot about Madame Pomfrey, but let's just say she was out, yes? ;) Lol glad to see you were paying close attention to detail, I didn't even notice and I wrote it!
snakegirl98 and playwright82: Thanks for the suggestions! You'll find out next chapter!
And thanks to everyone else who reviewed/alerted/made favorite!
No, it wasn't Lord Voldemort. But Draco found that he might have preferred it had been when he watched helplessly as his ex-girlfriend waltzed towards him.
Hermione recognized her from the multiple times she had seen her in his office at the Ministry. There was no mistaking the sun kissed skin, dark curls, long legs, and the signature family eyes of Astoria Greengrass.
"Astoria," Draco's shoulders tensed slightly and his words seemed almost strangled. "What brings you here?" he asked politely.
"Daphne tripped and broke her nose again, and since I was the only one with her, I decided to bring her here," Astoria replied airily. Draco nodded.
"Typical Daphne, right?" Hermione knew that Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's older sister, and Draco, had been good friends during Hogwarts. If she recalled correctly, she was a bit clumsy, which explained the use of the word 'again' in Astoria's sentence.
Draco looked at his feet awkwardly. "This is Hermione Granger, I'm sure you remember her from school, she was in my year," Astoria was two years behind them when they were in school.
Astoria gave Hermione a twisted smile. "Of course. Who doesn't know the great war hero, Hermione Granger?"
Her words chilled Hermione to the bone. The smile the beautiful brunette gave the older witch did not meet the eyes. Her eyes…they pierced Hermione like a sharp knife stabbing her in the abdomen. In all words, she looked very threatening. But why?
Hermione's eyes flickered back and forth between Draco and Astoria. From the time that she had read the tabloids, this was strongly encouraged (forced, was the word Hermione preferred) by Ginny, Hermione could remember that Astoria Greengrass had dated Draco for two years. They had appeared tightly knit, and Hermione knew she wasn't the only one who was shocked when the news of the break up hit the front page of the Daily Prophet. Hermione had assumed that they were a happy couple and had even expected Draco to propose to her soon.
Hermione cleared her throat, it had gone scratchy. "I best be going, I have plans to attend to, and so do you," Hermione said, referring to Kiana and Draco's rendezvous.
"Let me bring you home," Draco said hurriedly. Hermione shook her head.
"No, no, I'm fine. And you two obviously have some catching up to do," Hermione said. Astoria was about to agree about needing time to talk with Draco when a voice cut her off.
"Actually, we have to run too,"
Daphne Greengrass peered over her sister's shoulder. Her nose had no trace of being broken, and her beautiful face was flawless once more.
"How's the nose?" Draco smirked, and Daphne's arm shot out at once and slapped Draco's arm. Draco yelped and ducked out of the way. Hermione grinned at the old friends.
"Bloody fantastic," Daphne said sarcastically, which looked out of place on her sweet face. Then she gave in and threw her arms around Draco, engulfing him in a bone crushing hug that shouldn't have been possible with her petite frame. Both Astoria and Hermione had their eyes narrowed. Finally Daphne disconnected herself from him.
"This is quite the little outing, isn't it, Tori? I'm catching up with all my friends," Daphne said cheerily. She even gave Hermione a smile, which surprised the Gryffindor. "But, we best get going," she tugged on Astoria's arm, who seemed reluctant. "See you around Draco, Hermione," she gave the two a knowing smile (what was with all the Slytherins doing that? It was sincerely starting to freak Hermione out) and dragged Astoria away. Draco grinned before grabbing Hermione's own arm and apparating them away.
"You know I hate it when you do that," Hermione grumbled as she stumbled in front of her apartment door. Draco shrugged in response, throwing her a sheepish grin. However, she refused to smile back at him. Did he find it funny, playing with her so much? She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of reaction. Hermione once again did a mental face palm when she had made a sort of rhyme. 'At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet,".
"Well, thank you, and make sure that you review those files on Trelawney again some time tonight," Hermione inwardly winced at the thought of what he may be doing tonight. Draco nodded, sensing her dismissal. He opened her door for her and held it open while she stepped inside. He turned to leave when he didn't get any other sort of reply.
"Oh, and Hermione," Draco paused at her door. Hermione looked up expectantly.
"Two can play a game,"
And with that he closed her door.
'Two can play a game,' the words rang through her mind. What did that mean? Hermione sank to the ground, her back against the door and her head in her hands.
"Rough day?"
Hermione sprang to her feet, alarmed. Her hand flew to her pocket to grab her wand, but she paused when she saw the intruder. Her shock turned to recognition, then to a glare. "I was going to eat that!" she accused.
Ginny Weasley shrugged, waving the spoon to the tub of chocolate ice cream in front of her. "What can I say? It was lying around, untouched-"
"In my freezer," Hermione pointed out.
"-And my kind heart extended out to it as I welcomed it into my warm embrace happily, where it could meet a life of joy as its flavors burst in my mouth, the chocolate sliding down my throat-"
Hermione exclaimed exasperated. "Enough already!"
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "You, my friend, are in the serious need of the healing powers of chocolate icecream. Get your butt over here," she patted the stool at the counter she was eating at. Hermione sulked over and sat down moodily in the chair while Ginny hopped up and grabbed an extra spoon, shoving it in Hermione's hands. Hermione accepted it gladly, and dug her spoon into the tub, which she found was half empty. She turned to the red head with her eyebrows raised.
"Okay, so I admit, my day hasn't been amongst the grandest of days either," Ginny explained.
Hermione giggled. "How long have you been sitting here?"
Ginny seemed to think about this for a moment. "I don't think it's a good idea to tell you that,"
"Why not?"
"Because you'll forever wonder how I managed to consume that much icecream in so little time,"
Hermione decided to leave it at that.
"So, what's up?" Ginny asked, leaning on her elbows. Hermione shook her head.
"Nothing really," she received a glare from Ginny, "I'm okay," insert another glare here, "Just being a jealous moron I guess," it was starting to freak Hermione out "I don't feel like talking about it" Seriously, it was a dead on stare that could have made Voldemort quiver.
"Would you cut it out!"
"So there is an 'it'," Ginny said triumphantly. Hermione spooned a large mouthful of icecream into her mouth, savoring the taste of it before she continued.
"Yes, there is, I just-I can't-Oh, I don't know," Hermione dropped her spoon on the counter where is landed with a clatter. The ringing of metal was the only sound for a while. Finally Ginny spoke.
"Tell me what's wrong, Hermione," she said softly. Hermione knew that if she started to explain, then the floodgates would open. She wouldn't be able to control what came out, but it was better to let it out than to form cracks in the damn she had carefully constructed.
"It's like he's playing with me, at my own expense! He acts like he likes me one moment then the next he's off flirting with Jasmine. 'Oh, let's snog Hermione then see what happens when I start sex talking to another woman in front of her'. It's like he wants to see me break! I can't stand it, I can't stand him! He shamelessly flirts with other woman whenever I'm around, and I don't want to know what he does when I'm not there to see it. Like right now he's probably screwing Kiana back at his apartment after that lovely chat with his ex."
Ginny put a spoonful of icecream in Hermione's mouth before she continued.
"Then he has the nerve to ask me what's wrong, and leave me with the parting words of 'Two can play a game'. Well, isn't he so smart, so clever, yes!
Ginny stopped, staring at Hermione wide eyed. "What did you just say?"
Hermione frowned. "I said that he told me that two can play a game," Ginny suddenly broke out in a smile. "Why are you smiling?" she was now very confused.
"Good God Hermione! They call you the brightest witch of your age!" Ginny said excitedly. "Can't you see?"
"Evidently not," Hermione shuddered at how freakishly similar she had sounded like Snape when she pronounced every syllable.
"He's jealous!"
Hermione stared at Ginny blankly before putting a hand to her forehead. "Gin, are you feeling alright?" Ginny pushed her hand off.
"I'm fine, Hermione. The question is, are you?"
Hermione stared at the red head in exasperation. "Did you just miss my rant? I'm far from fine!"
"Tell me, what are you feeling right now?" Ginny ignored her.
"Ginny-"
"Just sum it up in a few words,"
"Frustrated, upset, I guess…jealous," Hermione admitted. A look of satisfaction crossed Ginny's face.
"Then he has achieved his goal," Hermione was seriously starting to wonder if she should check Ginny into an Insane Asylum.
"…What?"
"I think that Mister Malfoy was trying to make you jealous,"
Hermione thought back. If so, he had a terrible way of expressing it. She thought back to the way his eyes flitted over to hers when he made Jasmine laugh, or how he made her feel when he talked with Kiana, (she wanted to murder Kiana brutally). "But why?"
"Think, Hermione, remember that day my brother came to visit you in your office, and Draco came in?" Ginny prodded. Hermione did remember, she remembered the hurt that had registered on Draco's face when he saw their hands linked, the smiles, the laughter and hugs…
Hermione nodded slowly. "But what are you trying to say? And how did you know about that…?"
"Hermione, imagine how that made Draco feel," Ginny said quietly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Ginny, we were just being friendly to each other, nothing romantic. Ron is one of my best friends,"
"But what do you think it looked like to him?"
"Two friends interacting," Hermione said simply.
"No Hermione, it looked like you and Ron were back together again. Think, you had been all over Draco with this bet, seducing him and making him feel…special. I bet he hasn't felt that way since he broke up with Astoria. Then you go and start fussing over Ron, seeming to completely turn your back on him. If he thought before you were harboring feelings for him when you first lay a hand on him in the shower that night, he probably now thinks you were just using him…and…you kind of are,"
Realization hit her fast and hard. "I'm willing to say that he was scared to show what he was really feeling because you seemed so unstable to him. I think he wanted to make you jealous to try and show that you weren't really affecting him. So he did it the only way he knows how."
Hermione felt overwhelmingly guilty, before she felt anger. "So you're saying that this is my fault? That I'm using him because of a bet you created? All I'm doing is trying to win this bet, Ginny, not to get some guy all jealous over me," she felt a twinge in her chest when she said this, but she ignored it.
Ginny shook her head. "Don't turn this on me. I was just explaining the reason behind his actions. If you're upset, go talk to him about it, don't yell at me,"
"But he's probably off shagging some girl right now. Remember, he arranged a one-night stand right in front of me!" Hermione began to raise her voice.
"Yes, Hermione, I remember you telling me that. But do you really believe that's going to happen?"
"Of course it will happen! You should have seen the way he threw himself at her!"
"Only because you were there! No man would ever arrange a sex date with another woman when he already has someone he is interested in. No one is that shameless, Hermione, not even Draco, despite what you believe,"
"Then that just proves that he's not interested in me!" Hermione felt her anger boiling. Hermione didn't want to fight with Ginny, she as just trying to help, even though she couldn't yet see how.
"He's insecure!" Ginny yelled, slamming her spoon down on the table.
Hermione scoffed "That's the stupidest thing you have said to me all night, Ginerva,"
"Oh really?" Ginny sneered. "And why is that? Imagine being the great, Draco Malfoy,"
"The egoistical brat whose head is too big to fit through the door," Hermione shouted, shocked at the sneer upon Ginny's face.
"How about the man who is never given a chance to feel wanted for himself? The man who girls bend over backwards for his looks, body, money, sex, everything that has nothing to do with who he is as a person,"
"He's insecure," Ginny said softly. "He's not going to want to do what people say he does willingly to prove them right. You've always prided yourself in looking deeper, Hermione. Seeing the good in everyone. Hermione, open your eyes and see the man who is unsure of himself, who is trying to see if the woman, possibly the only woman, he has ever wanted like this, is just like the rest."
Hermione opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. "But I am like the rest," she said quietly. "I doing this bet for his body," she trailed off. Ginny put her hand on her friends shoulder.
"It doesn't have to be, you know. Sure, you are seducing him, but you practically just admitted that you have other intentions besides the obvious reasons. You were so jealous to think that another woman could make him smile. You're growing feelings for him," Ginny said gently, smiling at her. Hermione shook her head, she didn't have feelings for him.
"So why was your day hard?" Hermione changed the subject.
The smile that had brightened Ginny's face disappeared in a heartbeat. "Ron has something to tell you," she wrung her hands.
Hermione's brow furrowed, slightly worried. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly. Ginny stood, pressing her lips together.
"You'll find out tomorrow,"
"Gin-"
"You're not going to like it, it's bad timing…" Hermione's heart plummeted. Oh no, she thought.
"Hey Ginny, I'm really tired," Hermione began, and Ginny nodded in understanding. She gave Hermione a hug.
"You go get some sleep so that you are well rested for tomorrow," Ginny said, letting go. "And…do you mind if I take that?" she pointed to the icecream container. Hermione chuckled.
"Go right ahead," she smiled. Ginny gave her a thankful grin.
"Great, thanks Hermione!" she said, before she apparated away.
The pillow felt soft under her head, the sheets clinging to her frame. So many thoughts were swimming through her mind. She felt very bad for fighting with Ginny, but that brought up the question; was Draco really just playing around with other woman to get a reaction from her? And then of course there was the matter of what Ron had to say.
She curled up under her covers, wondering what could possibly await her tomorrow.
Fast update, huh? This chapter did not run like I had planned, and I hope it's not too confusing. Just to recap in case you are lost:
-Ron has something important to tell Hermione, which we can guess has to do with the advice he wanted earlier on
-Ginny suspects that Draco is being a jerk to make Hermione jealous. Ginny thinks that Draco wants to see if Hermione will react.
-Astoria is back, which can never be good
-Ginny absolutely adores icecream
-Hermione is more confused than ever, and…
-Theo enjoys stirring up trouble XD
Review :) Please help me break 100 reviews!