Chapter 12
Saturday morning, and it was a Hogsmade Day.
Hermione came out of her room pulling her hair up into a high, messy ponytail. Dressed in jeans and a long sleeved plaid pull-over she shrugged into her army green jacket. It was November and she knew the weather to be very tricky with its games of being hot and cold.
Picking up her knitted scarf off the floor she thought about putting it on as well, thought better and just stuffed it into her bag.
Her cat, Chrookshanks sat on the top of the couch, his feet tucked under him, he stared down Malfoy who was only just waking up. She watched him yawn and stretch occupying the whole couch now wrapped in her favorite blanket he always seemed to be wrapped in.
It occurred to her on more than one occasion to just give it to him at the end of the year. He always used it and even had it when he went to St. Mungos. But if she gave it to him would he take it, or would he just throw it away? Would his girlfriends figure it out and ruin it? "It was something "poor people" did. Pansy wasn't "that" stupid.
"Where are you going?" he asked scratching the back of his head. He looked up at the cat looking down at him. He raised his hand and snatched it back quickly before Chrookshanks could paw it and repeated the process three more times before Chrookshanks gave up and stuck his paws back under him.
"We're going to Hogsmade today, don't you remember? Or are to you too hung over?" She crossed her arms snotfully.
"I'm not the one with the weak stomach."
She blushed pink and huffed.
"I had more, so I won." She felt stupid even saying it. She cringed and looked away. She heard him chuckle so she had to change the subject before he blasted it. She went over to the couch and petted Chrookshanks. "Now mommy's going, so you let me know if Malfoy is mean to you."
The cat looked at Malfoy, then to her and gave a low, raspy meow.
"That's right," she cooed. She pet his head again then hiked her bag up onto her shoulder. She smiled inwardly.
"Why are you so excited?" he questioned sitting up. He looked like a mess and smiled like one too.
"Everything's just great, don't you agree?" she had to play that card because things were falling into place. She had her plan to win their bet with him not suspecting a thing. The curse was a thing in the past and Ron was acting very mature. She got rid of her stress the night before and if she could get a hold on the out of order students then everything would be perfect.
When he didn't answer she continued to talk. "Why aren't you dressed? Aren't you going to Hogsmade?"
"Does it matter to you?" he barked. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration clearly built into him.
She didn't want to deal with it. "I see that you are in one of your moods so I'm leaving. Have a nice day if you can manage that." She headed for the exit when she heard, "Granger." She turned around. He looked ready to say something, but swallowed his pride and instead of the biting remark he was going to say, said, "you too."
She nodded, shocked as he was and left. Things were just getting too weird. She didn't know whether she liked it or not. What would benefit from it, and what if everything went wrong and got out of hand? Was it going to tear the whole school apart? It was a very dangerous situation that could go either way.
She headed down to breakfast. Not many people were there. Maybe not up yet. Or they had already left. She didn't see many Gryffindors, but Ginny was there eating breakfast. She joined her and made a plate for herself.
"Where is everybody?" she asked the young Weasley who had cut her hair to just below her shoulders. It suited her.
"Still asleep," she said casually. "They are sleeping off the effects of last night."
They both shared in the insights of an inside joke.
"Ginny, can I confide in you about," she glanced around and came in close to the girl, "Malfoy?"
The young girl's face showed mischief and some kind of knowing. She told her about some of it before, now would put the icing on the cake.
"Yeah, sure. Where is the devil any-"
"Granger!" Hermione rolled her eyes. The air was thick with attitude of snob, and very thick with musky perfume. She didn't need to guess who was behind her. It was Pansy and other Slytherin girls.
Hermione stood up and faced her eye to eye. Pansy had her long, dark hair pulled back in a braid and eyes rimmed black. She looked like a gothic demon-maybe she was. She had her arms crossed. "Where's my husband?"
Was she referring to Malfoy? Ew.
"Probably hiding from you," she replied sarcastically.
"What's your excuse Granger? You don't have anybody," she taunted back.
She wanted to say, your "husband" sleeps next to me every night.
Maybe she did have a dark side. If so it sure was showing this year. Maybe it was how she was supposed to be.
"What do you want Parkinson?"
Pansy became bored and started to walk away, thought better of it and stopped. Not even turning around she said, "I want bad things to happen to you," and she started walking again.
Hermione put off a fake, sarcastic sigh of relief and shouted after her, "woo, Thought I was the only one." She sat back down with Ginny's hand out raised for a high five.
"Snob doesn't know anything," Ginny proclaimed.
Hermione received a few pieces of mail and gathered them up. "Go wake up everyone and I'll meet you there."
"Yeah, I'll go wake the dead." She headed in one direction and Ginny in the other.
She arrived to the Common Room and saw that Malfoy was still on the couch, only now the blanket covered his face.
"Are you dying again?" she asked. Her cat was sitting on his feet she saw upon closer inspection. She put her letters on the table and sat on the edge of the couch.
Before she could move the blanket away he sat up knocking heads with her. He looked around frantically.
"Ow." She rubbed her head.
He sees that it's her so he lay back down, face in the cushions. Chrookshanks looked up at him from the ground growling, tail twitching furiously.
"Malfoy, just tell me are you dying or is the fact," she became smug, "that you are a light weight."
"Just shut up. Shut the hell up!" He rolled over quickly and peeled the blankets off him.
She saw that his skin was pale and his eyes, which stared up at the ceiling were blood shot.
She picked up the blanket and draped it on his legs. He shut his eyes as if he didn't have control of them.
"Do you need to go to the hospital wing, or are you going to Hogsmade?"
"Granger, relax. It's just a cold. For someone like you, you sure jump to conclusions."
"I don't want to find you dead." She stood up with her bag. "Are you going or not?"
He gave a shake of his head. "No."
"Your wife is looking for you, by the way."
He had no response to that.
"So I'll see you later." She was unsure what to say. She felt very awkward.
"Don't get into any trouble." His sarcasm was noted.
"Do you need anything?"
"You can't get me what I want."
"If only I could," she whispered.
"What?"
"Nothing." She walked out the portrait before she could shove her foot farther down her throat. At this rate she was going to have her foot in her stomach. What possessed her to do it, she didn't know, but he was kind of being nice as well.
In Hogsmade they all met up and had a wonderful day. It was nice to have a nice day to hang out, and with security so high it was easy to let their guard down just a little and not have to think about harm coming their way.
Only a little. There were still shady characters they still had to look out for. No one was completely safe, but with familiar faces it was safe to say that they had their backs.
On her own for a few minutes she felt a presence following her down the street. Though it was very crowded she knew someone was tailing her.
She spotted a familiar face. Nymphadora Tonks, member of the Order, and she was walking with Snape. Hermione hurried up to the two of them. A little out of breath she took to Tonk's side and greeted the two. "Hello Tonks. Hello Professor."
"Wotcher Hermione," the metamorph greeted in a very cheerful mood. Her hair was a pale orange, almost hinting at a tan brown.
"Granger," Snape greeted.
Hermione gave Tonks a look and a small jerk of her chin to indicate that she was being followed.
"Why don't you go into Honeydukes," Snape said the calmest of anyone.
"Yes sir." She went inside and saw the two of them talking quietly as they headed back in the direction from which they had come.
Inside she once again greeted with the sugary goodness of sugar and sweets; every child's fantasy, every parent's nightmare.
"Mudblood." Why did her day have to be ruined again? She was trying to avoid them; those who hated her, Slytherins, but it was the main 'brat' of the pack, again, Pansy, only this time she was alone.
She thought about ignoring her but as of always, what would be the point in that?
"What?" she jerked around sharply and faced the Slytherins brat.
"Where's Draco?" She asked arms crossed again, her bag swinging on her shoulder. Her stance firm in flat shoes.
"Why do you keep asking me that? I don't know. I don't care." 'How's that for you, she wanted to shoot at her but kept it to herself and kept cool.
She did in fact know where he was. He was sleeping, wrapped in a knitted blanket. It was so ironic, the sugary taste of the situation tasted too good to be true.
"Let me tell you this Granger, Draco is mine. You better not even look at him. Got it! I almost had you before, I-"
"You admit that?" Hermione suddenly cut it, eyes going to the door where two people walked in. Perfect.
"I wish I could take the credit alone, but it was a few-"
"Exactly what I needed to hear." Hermione smiled and walked away as Tonks and Snape took her place.
The day was perfect. Life was perfect. She purchased her treats and walked out on the high of the day. She had to find her friends; they would want to share in her happiness.
She found them at a small venue getting cotton candy. The venue was new and seemed to stick out amongst the older buildings. She joined them.
"Guys, Pansy Parkinson just confessed to the curse that was aimed at me."
"Yeah right," Harry countered. Ginny elbowed him.
"You would think so. She was bothering me, pestering me about Malfoy when she said that she wished she had done me in, in my face. Professor Snape and Tonks had just come in and heard the end of that sentence."
"All right!" Ron whooped. "Maybe she'll get expelled. One less snake."
Don't get my hopes up high, Hermione thought, but wouldn't say aloud. She didn't want to ruin someone's chance at an education, but if she was going to act crazy, then something had to be done.
It started to snow. It was light. The sun was still out.
She put on her hood and took out her scarf from her bag glad that she brought it.
She wondered how Malfoy was doing. It wasn't something she wanted to think about, but with everything that happened, he was in the ring of fire as well.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Ginny questioned.
She clicked her jaw and looked away. "Ginny walk with me. We'll catch up to you guys later." She didn't wait for an answer and pulled her along. She told her about Malfoy. Everything. She just had to tell her. She wouldn't judge her.
And she didn't.
