Chapter 11
A/N – Happy Halloween, everyone!
Again, nothing happened for a moment.
Then, a piece of wall rolled away, revealing a small tunnel.
Hermione grinned triumphantly at Malfoy, her nose in the air.
He sneered at her.
"Yes, yes, all right. You've proven how oh-so-clever you are," he grumbled sourly, "How did you figure it out anyways?"
"Simple. It's the rhythm to 'Helga Hufflepuff'," she stated matter-of-factly.
"Of course it bloody is," spat the blond as he climbed into the tunnel.
Hermione followed after him, still grinning.
He paused at the end of the tunnel, obviously checking that the coast was clear. Finally, he stepped out, allowing Hermione her first glimpse inside.
The room was open, with a low ceiling and lots of warm, welcoming colors. She stepped into it, then giggled softly as a hanging fern tickled her nose.
As her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the fire, she began to pick out more details. The large mantle of the fireplace was made of beautiful, honey-colored wood, with intricate carvings of badgers frolicking along its edges. The light from the dwindling fire glinted playfully along the polished wood. She had a sudden urge to curl up in the squashy, oversized armchair that sat invitingly in front of the warm embers.
Her eyes were drawn towards another soft source of light; moonlight drifted in through circular windows that lined the top of the fireplace wall. She could barely make out blades of grass creeping up the bottom edges of the windows.
We must be mostly underground, she thought.
Turning in a slow circle, she spied a wall of shelves holding various plants – all of them dotted with a lively green that spoke of new growth and tender care. They were stunning. She sighed contentedly.
It was so peaceful here. So inviting. She could stay in this room for hours, studying happily while the low-hanging ferns tickled her hair.
She finished her circle, facing the same way she had when she entered the common room - and saw Malfoy staring at her curiously.
She cleared her throat, then whispered, "Well, um… where should we set up?"
Malfoy only blinked, then motioned towards the far corner. She followed him as he hid behind a sprawling potted plant.
"Can't we still be seen here if someone walks up close?" she asked anxiously, her heart pumping fast. She had to crouch quite close to the blond in the small corner.
Malfoy brandished his wand again and made a few swooping motions in the air while he muttered something under his breath.
"Notice-me-not charm," he explained in response to her questioning stare.
"That's an advanced spell, Malfoy," she responded, wide-eyed.
"And your point is…?" he trailed off, making it a question.
"Nothing," she said, feigning nonchalance. She could never tell him that she was actually impressed with his skill.
He seemed to understand anyways though, because a smirk blossomed on his pale features. Hermione rolled her eyes, thinking off-handedly that we would be much more attractive with a bit of extra humility.
She hadn't had much occasion to see him so close-up. His angular features and full lips bestowed an aristocratic handsomeness that was… surprisingly alluring. And there was a subtle scent clinging to him that she couldn't quite place. It was masculine, but not musky and overwhelming like some of the boys in Hogwarts preferred. It was almost… woodsy. But when would Malfoy ever venture into the forest? She ran her eyes over his face, as if searching for the answer to his mysterious scent. He really was quite, well, attractive - when he wasn't smirking.
He interrupted her slightly disturbing train of thought by whispering, "Well, Granger? Are we going to sit around here all night?"
She showed him her tongue and pulled the Time-Turner out from her robes, throwing one end of the long chain around his neck.
She searched the darkness for a clock and spotted one above the entrance tunnel. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, calculating how far back she wanted to take them. After dinner would probably be the best time to find Cedric and the other Hufflepuffs here. She opened her eyes again, ignoring Malfoy's guarded gaze, and turned the dial exactly two and one-quarter rotations.
Immediately, Hermione felt as if she'd been pushed roughly backwards. She was used to the sensation of going back in time an hour or so, but she had only made one longer trip before - when she and Malfoy had spied on Quidditch. Thus, she was caught off-guard at the intensity of the sensation, and she reflexively grasped Malfoy's arm beside her to avoid losing her balance.
When the colors around them stopped swirling, she looked up to find Malfoy's pale hand holding her own tightly to his arm. A faint buzzing hummed through her skin where it made contact with the Slytherin's.
Malfoy unscrewed his eyes and looked around, not seeming to notice the contact at first. Then his eyes flicked down to their interlocked hands, and they both quickly pulled away.
Hermione wrapped her arms around her knees and peered out between the leaves of the sprawling plant.
Sunlight shone happily through the high windows behind the fireplace, and she could see the swish of feet as students walked past outside.
Other students milled about inside the common room, all dressed in black and yellow. In the center of the room sat Cedric Diggory, surrounded by the smiling faces of his friends, although his grin dwarfed the others'.
Well that was lucky, Hermione thought, shifting slightly to get a better view of him.
Pieces of conversation floated to the pair hiding in the corner.
"...good lesson. Flitwick always explains things so clearly; I think Charms is my favourite subject this year," came a female voice.
"You're just saying that because he always awards you points, Teagan," laughed another girl.
"No, honestly!" said the girl, Teagan, "It's just so interesting, and so useful! Everything from levitation to summoning to just about whatever else you can think of."
"I think you should be re-sorted, Tea; you were obviously supposed to be in Ravenclaw," the second girl teased, "Flitwick alone must have awarded Hufflepuff 60 points by now because of you!"
"That's such an exaggeration…" muttered Teagan, obviously embarrassed.
"No, it's not; and it's precisely why you need to stay right here!" exclaimed another boy, "Can't have you off winning points for other houses!"
"Yeah, we need clever people like you," Cedric said. Even though he spoke quietly, his warm voice still seemed to carry.
"I actually think we have a shot at the House Cup this year!" added a boy who Hermione recognized as Justin Finch-Fletchley, "Especially with our very own star seeker!"
A few cheers erupted, and Justin shouldered Cedric jovially.
Hermione leaned forward a bit further so she could read the expression on Cedric's face.
He ducked his head, smile falling away, "I wish you wouldn't say that. Potter would have won if those… things… hadn't interfered."
"We know, Ced," a blond girl responded with a tired edge to her voice, "but you tried to get Madame Hooch to change the call. Even the Gryffindor Captain admitted it: we won! We never win anything!"
The group cheered again, and Cedric raised his head with a half-hearted smile that was a pale shadow of its usual brilliance.
"It doesn't feel like winning to me," he insisted quietly, "I hope I get another chance to play - a chance to really win."
But no one seemed to hear him. They kept laughing and joking, too swept up in their recent victory to pay attention to much else.
Hermione had heard him, though. She tore her eyes away from the boy's chiseled features to shoot a gloating smirk at Malfoy. The Slytherin only grimaced.
Hermione turned back, proud that she'd been right. And, secretly, she was also relieved that Cedric really was the kind-hearted, genuine man she thought him to be.
Hermione continued to watch him, unaware of the goofy grin that had bloomed on her face. Cedric ran his hands through his hair, head tilted down and grey eyes peeking out through his brown locks. He laughed at something one of his friends said, and the sound rang through the air.
Suddenly, Hermione became aware that she'd been staring for several minutes with a dopey grin plastered on her face. She hurriedly tried to stifle it, biting down on her bottom lip and hoping Malfoy hadn't seen.
Oh no…
Shoulders hunched to prepare herself, she looked up to gauge his expression.
She'd been expecting annoyance at losing their bet, probably coupled with judgment and condescension at her obvious gawking. What she saw, though, was nothing less than raw fury.
She furrowed her brows, confused at the extreme emotion. Malfoy didn't usually express himself so openly. It was always sneering insults masking his hatred, or blank expressions when, she assumed, he was feeling vulnerable. But this… this was different. Confusing.
"Take. Me. Back." he demanded in a low voice.
"Back?" she whispered.
"Or forwards, whatever," he sneered.
Hermione must have still looked as bewildered as she felt, because Malfoy continued:
"We've seen what we came to see, now let's jump forwards and get the Hell out of this place!"
Hermione shook her head, "I can't take us forwards in time, Malfoy. Time-Turners only go backwards."
"You mean to tell me," he hissed, "That I'm stuck here, watching you fawn over Mr. Perfect-"
"I'm not fawning!"
"-until all of the little Hufflepuffs clear out?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes!"
"Well that's just fucking brilliant!" Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest, an effect that was dramatically decreased by his sling and the cramped space. Instead of looking furious and intimidating, he looked like a five-year-old having just been put in time-out for having a tantrum.
Stifling an exasperated sigh, Hermione stared angrily at the plant in front of her. He was acting like such a child!
No, worse. He was acting like Ronald. Ron was always getting angry at her for illogical reasons.
This whole thing had been Malfoy's idea in the first place! Was he really that sour over losing their bet?
But his anger was simply too disproportionate for the bet to be the only cause. Still, Hermione couldn't work out another possible explanation at the moment.
That didn't stop her from thinking about it, though. Once she locked on to a puzzle, she didn't often let go; and Draco Malfoy was extremely puzzling.
And so they both sat there, crouched behind the sprawling plant, shrouded in furious silence. They watched as, one-by-one, the Hufflepuffs dispersed. To Hermione's disappointment, Cedric was one of the first to head up to his dormitory. She noted, however, that a tiny bit of tension seemed to leave Malfoy when the brown-haired boy had gone.
Eventually, two haggard-looking fifth years made their way to their beds, leaving the common room almost completely deserted. Only the girl called Teagan remained, poring over a textbook in front of the fire.
The two hidden students had a very heated, whispered argument in which Hermione had to convince Malfoy not to simply hex the girl so they could leave. Finally, the little Hufflepuff packed up her textbook, parchment, quill, and ink, and headed towards the girls' dormitories.
Hermione let out a sigh of relief when Malfoy finally put his wand away. Her relief was short-lived, however, as next moment, she was shoved unceremoniously out from behind the plant.
"Move, Granger!" Malfoy hissed, "I want to get out of this nauseating room!"
Hermione, already irritated from her fight with Ron and from dealing with the spoiled Slytherin all night, finally lost her temper.
"That's it!" She screeched. Then, realizing they were still trespassing in another house's common room, she grabbed Malfoy's robes and yanked him through the exit behind her.
It was high time she gave him a piece of her mind.
A/N – I know, I know – we're ending on another point of contention between these two, yet again. I promise their fighting will, well, diminish soon.
I hope you enjoyed their foray into the Hufflepuff common room! I have a special place in my heart for this room. When I read JK's description of it for the first time, I instantly fell in love (not just because I'm a Hufflepuff). I want to go there. I want to live there. But, until they make a replica of all of the common rooms for me to visit, I'll just have to write it instead.
As always, your reviews light up my day! Thank you so much.