CHAPTER 18: CONFLICT
Hermione hurried from the Transfiguration classroom and began to comb the long, portrait lined corridors for any sign of the elusive blonde wizard. It soon became evident however that the Slytherins expeditious retreat had left her searching in vain. With a defeated sigh she decided it best to make her way towards Ancient Runes, she did after all share that class with the very wizard whom she sought. She only hoped that his current emotional state would not leave him tempted to skip the lesson.
As she entered the small study hall where Ancient Runes was held the elderly Professor Babbling caught her eye and smiled kindly. She glanced across at the few studious Seventh years who sat hunched over their text books, Malfoy clearly not amongst them. With a sigh she made her way to her seat and collapsed onto the stool feeling dismayed. At least Harry and the others did not take this subject, she could not stand to face them at this time, her anger too fresh. She was beyond furious with Ginny and immensely disappointed in Harry. He had told her he would try to be civil, from where she sat his current behaviour was far from. She would have the opportunity to speak to them tonight, for now she needed to make an attempt to focus on her studies, this was her NEWT year after all.
Professor Babbling cleared her throat and spoke softly, "alright my dears, I have some scrolls for you to translate today. These scripts are a few centuries old so please do ensure you do use your gloves. We only have access to three scrolls so I will need you all to pair up now."
Hermione looked around and saw she once again appeared to be the fifth wheel, the outliner inevitably forced into isolation.
"Oh Mr Malfoy. How nice of you to join us at last." Babbling announced, Hermione's eyes snapping up to meet Malfoys steel blue.
Malfoy inclined his head to the petite old witch. "I apologise for my tardiness Professor."
Babbling smiled broadly up at the Slytherin. "No harm done my boy, we have yet to begin. If you could please pair up with Miss Granger for today's task."
Hermione tidied her quill and parchment and placed her delicate cloth gloves on the desk top before clearing her satchel away to make room for the approaching wizard.
"Sorry I am late." Malfoy spoke softly.
"I wasn't sure if you were going to come at all." Hermione replied.
"I needed a moment to collect myself."
She offered him a swift, apologetic smile. "I am so sorry for Ginny's behaviour."
"It's not your fault Granger. Besides, it's not as if I've never done anything to deserve such treatment." He said with a shrug.
"That is in the past. It's not who you are anymore. I wish the others could just see that." Hermione pouted.
Malfoy smirked at her immature expression but did not respond, instead pulling on his own pair of cotton gloves and carefully unfurling the ancient scroll. Hermione could not pull her eyes away from the wizard as he began to effortlessly decipher one Rune after the next. He translated the ancient symbols without so much as glancing at his copy of Spellman's Syllabary. She had never seen someone so efficient in the subject, save perhaps the professor and herself.
She watched him scratch his quill tip across the parchment, the muscles in his forearm flexing with each subtle bend of the wrist. Gnawing at her lower lip she was suddenly hit with the revelation that she found the wizard by her side immensely attractive. Not just physically, she had accepted that, she could handle that. But just now, she had realised it was more than that, she felt a pull on a deeper level, an intellectual attraction. That terrified her.
Hermione stood before the looming facade of The Three Broomsticks. She drew in a deep calming breath, steadying herself before she reached out to grasp the Inns door handle. The impending encounter had plagued her thoughts all day. She had even briefly considered forgoing the dinner, stalling the inevitable conflict. In the end she had decided against hiding away however, determined that confronting her friend's appalling behaviour was indeed the correct course of action.
Prying the large timber door open, Hermione lifted her chin confidently, pulled her shoulders back, correcting her posture and crossed the threshold. Her eyes scanned the rooms many patrons and fell upon Neville and Luna sat across from one another in a large booth on the Inns far side. The pair appeared to be lost in their own small world, whispered words and gentle caresses. The pair's intimacy and the absence of their other friends gave Hermione momentary pause. Perhaps the group dinner had been cancelled and the others had simply neglected to owl her. She shook her head, discarding the errant thought and set out towards the couple.
As she approached the booth Luna's gaze met her own and the witches face spread into a beaming smile. The Ravenclaw shuffled her way down the bench to make room as she spoke, "Hermione! I am so glad you could make it. It seems like Harry and Ginny are running a little late, I do hope the Blibbering Hummdinger's haven't got to them."
Hermione suppressed her desire to question Luna's remark and instead simply smiled politely at the Ravenclaw's ludicrous claim as she took the offered seat by her side.
Hermione looked across at Neville, truly looked at him. She had not seen her friend so relaxed in, well, ever. "How have you both been? It feels like it has been an age since we last spoke."
"Things have been amazing 'Mione." Neville gushed as he reached out to grasp his girlfriend's hand across the tabletop. She watched as he absently traced small, gentle circles into the palm of her hand with his thumb. She was happy for her friends, happy that they had at last found peace after the war. That they had found each other. Despite the earnest joy she felt for them she could not suppress the smallest pang of jealousy that crept in and settled in the pit of her stomach.
As she sat and listened to Luna and Neville recount their various escapades, she became intrigued by their private glances and intuitive touches. The more she observed their undeniable bond, all the more that small seed of jealousy began to fester, to grow.
From the corner of her eye Hermione caught a glimpse of fiery red hair. Turning her head she spotted Ginny clutched to Harry's side, the pair laughing at some private joke as they made their way towards the booth. Evidently preoccupied in their own company the pair made their way to the booths edge before their collective gaze fell upon Hermione's form.
Ginny's face fell flat in an instant, "Oh. I didn't think you were actually going to come." She spat with no attempt to conceal her contempt.
Harry's brow furrowed at the callous tone in which his girlfriend had spoken to Hermione, yet he did come to his friend's defence. Hermione frowned as she watched her so called best friend gently guide Ginny into the free seat by Neville's side. Once the witch was seated comfortably he placed a small peck on her cheek and turned to summon a wooden stool with a swift Accio. Harry positioned the old stool at the head of the table and sat himself down equidistant between Hermione and his girlfriend.
Harry ruffled his hair, evidently uncomfortable wedged between the two clearly furious witches as they glared at one another in silence. He cleared his throat, shattering the strained quiet. Calling the attention of the bar maid he ordered the table a round of Butterbeer's.
With food and drink now flowing freely Hermione sat with her eyes adamantly fixated upon her dinner plate. Absently she shuffled an errant pea across its smooth surface as she listened to Luna and Neville try once again to stimulate conversation within their small gathering. Despite the pair's jovial attitude and continual efforts towards inclusion the tension had yet to dissipate.
Ginny clearly unable to hold her tongue any longer slammed her fist down on the table, cutting Luna off mid regale and demanded, "What the fuck is going on with you and the snake?"
Without so much as raising her gaze from her dinner plate Hermione replied, "I don't really appreciate the attitude Ginevra."
Having been called by her birth name Ginny's face flared an aggressive shade of red, one that rivalled even that of her hair.
Harry, all too eager to defend his enraged girlfriend, remarked, "Seriously Hermione you can't actually consider the bloody bastard a friend?"
Hermione sighed, dropping her fork to clutter against the crockery and rubbed at her temples in unison. "He isn't the same person he was before the war." She replied exasperatedly.
Luna's calm voice chimed in, "It is true. I have noticed the shift in his aura."
Taking whatever small slither of backup she could get, Hermione lifted her eyes, peering into Harry's green orbs with conviction, "I know you have seen the change in him too Harry, even if you cannot yet acknowledge it. You told me you would give him a chance and up until you supported Ginny's appalling remarks in Transfiguration today I actually believed you were trying."
"My remarks? Appalling?" Ginny laughed humourlessly before continuing, "what about everything he has said to us? Done to us?"
"What you said was pretty uncalled for Gin." Neville supplied sheepishly.
Ginny turned her infuriated glare towards the wizard and he visually recoiled. Hermione rose her voice, pulling the enraged witch's attention back to her as she spoke, "even if Malfoy was the same as he had been in the past, which if you stopped and bothered to bloody notice, he isn't! Even then, your behaviour would be abysmal. You are the one being the bully now!"
As the pair of Gryffindor witches tossed harsh words back and forth, Hermione could not help but notice that Harry remained seated in silence, mouth slightly agape as his eyes darted panic stricken between the pair.
Growing frustrated by his impartial stance Hermione turned her growing fury upon him. "I know you have noticed the change in him Harry. You just don't want to say a word against Ginny!"
Ginny's eyes narrowed instantly as her lip curled back baring her gritted teeth, "Leave my man out of this!"
"You do not own him Ginny!" Hermione snapped. "And you!" She exclaimed prodding her finger into Harry's chest causing him to wince, "stand up for yourself once in a while, stand up for your so called friends. Or have you forgotten how to do that?"
Having reached her limit Hermione felt the now all too familiar sensation of her hairs standing on end as her magic began to crackle against the surface of her skin. She stood abruptly and turned her back on the group before hastily retreating from the booth in great strides.
"What can I get for you dear?"
Perplexed by the question, Hermione responds absently, "Huh?"
"I asked what I could get for you."
She looked up and suddenly realised she had instinctively made her way over to stand before the bar, Madame Rosmerta evidently awaiting her drink order. Rage still pulsing through her veins and her magic threatening to break loose, she yearned for the numbing release of the Firewhisky. However she recalled the words Malfoy had spoken only a short time ago, they had mutually agreed to no longer resort to such methods of self-medication.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled before turning on the spot and fleeing to The Three Broomsticks exit.
The cool night air washed over her skin and she forced herself to inhale a deep and shaky breath. With the chaotic sounds of the Hogsmeade nightlife now muffled behind stone walls, Hermione soaked in the calming nature of the quietude.
Slowly Hermione regained a slither of control over her emotional state, her magic receding within and the tension of her muscles abating. She conjured into her mind's eye the image of the Hogwarts grounds gates and spun on the spot with determination and deliberation.
As she made her way towards the Astronomy Tower Hermione's thoughts drifted from dinner and the argument with her friends, to the cause of that very quarrel, Malfoy. She recalled how his magic had faltered in class that evening as well as the times she had noted its happenstance previously and she found herself immensely curious.
By the time she reached the portrait of Lady Clair De Lune her thoughts were for none but the Slytherin wizard. She crossed the threshold into the Eighth year common room somewhat eagerly, her eyes sweeping the circular expanse in search of his distinctive platinum locks. Finding no sign of whom she sought her shoulders slumped, a sense of disappointment washing over her. Eyes down cast, she turned towards her bedroom door and shuffled forward sullenly.
Half way to her own door she paused and inhaled a determined breath, lifting her head high and pulling her shoulders back she swivelled on the spot to face the door the furthest to the left. Exhaling a short huff of air, followed by a sharp nod, she marched forward with conviction. The moment she reached his bedroom door she reached up and rapt her knuckles against the timber hastily, giving herself no chance to lose her nerve.
The door opened and immediately it felt as if all breath had been ripped from Hermione's chest. There he stood, once again topless, wearing naught but his exceedingly low hanging cotton pyjama pants.
Malfoy raised a curious eyebrow and lifted his arm to lean casually against his doorframe. With a smirk he enquired as to her presence, "Hi?"
Hermione, having been caught off guard by the sight of his exposed torso realised she had neglected to speak for far too long and stuttered, "Oh... Uh... Do you mind if... if I c-come in?"
The wizard chuckled in response to her anxious request but none the less opened his door fully, allowing her room to enter as he replied, "sure, why not."
She accepted his invitation, quickly darting past his tantalising form and into the room. Her eyes explored her surroundings, the room not too dissimilar from her own. His furniture was positioned in parallel to that in her own wedge shaped room. However the Slytherin had transfigured his furnishings into much darker, yet elegant forms. She could not help but note his substantial book collection, one that perhaps rivalled even her own. She was impressed. Not knowing what to do or say, she remained standing awkwardly on the spot and began to gnaw at her lower lip anxiously.
"Sit down Granger, I'm not going to bite." Malfoy announced as he closed the bedroom door and walked over to his closet and picked out a black long sleeved shirt. Hermione surveyed the muscles in his back stretch and flex as he pulled the piece of clothing onto his body. Feeling relieved, yet somewhat disappointed that he had hidden his immensely distracting torso from sight, she swallowed nervously before exhaling a short puff of air.
He walked passed her, taking a seat languidly atop his own bed, the linen strewn aside as if he had not long vacated the covers, and gestured for her to do the same. Hermione made her way the bed and perched herself awkwardly on its edge.
"How was Hogsmeade?" Malfoy enquired.
His question caught her off guard, her posture relaxing marginally as she turned to face him "Oh, I didn't realise you knew I was heading in tonight."
"It's a bit of a survival instinct of mine I guess, to know what's going on around me. I am incredibly observant."
She considered his words for a moment and she realised it made perfect sense that the wizard had developed such a passive awareness through necessity. How should she answer his question, she asked herself. Briefly she considered lying, telling him the night with her friends had been perfect. However, she quickly dismissed the notion, something within her now abhorred the idea of being dishonest with him. Especially after all they had shared. "I had a fight with my friends, well Ginny mostly."
"About me I'm guessing?" Malfoy correctly assumed.
Hermione looked down at her hands and began to fidget anxiously. "I wish they could just see that you're different now."
She looked up at him apologetically, not knowing how to fully express condemnation of not only her friends, but also peers and professors unjust treatment of the Slytherin seated before her.
Malfoy shrugged and a small sad smile graced his lips. "I don't mind too much. I was an arse after all. I'm just glad you don't see me in that light anymore."
Hermione offered a small timid smile in response. When she looked at him the man she saw truly was no longer the bigoted bully of times past. Her opinion of him had changed so drastically in such a short time, yet she no longer harboured a single doubt that his change, his desire to be a better person, was indeed sincere.
"I wanted to ask you something." Malfoy announced, pulling her from her thoughts.
Her brows pulled together as she looked to him once more "Oh?"
"What is a molecule?" He asked, confusion etched into his features.
Hermione could not help but laugh. How was she meant to explain Muggle science to a Pureblood wizard, one in particular who was brought up to think the rest of humanity were still living akin to the stone ages?
"Well everything is made up of minuscule little bits." She began to explain poorly, Malfoy's evident confusion not abating in the slightest.
She considered for a moment and tried again to explain. "Water, you see, is not just water, it is a compound made up of hydrogen and oxygen."
Malfoy simply blinked slowly, his mouth agape and eyebrows drawn in. Hermione rubbed at her face before conceding, "Muggle science and technology has come a very long way in the last few hundred years. I could lend you some books that explain this more thoroughly if you are interested."
Malfoy smiled at her offer, "I find it immensely infuriating that there is an entire wealth of knowledge that has been kept from me my entire life. So yes Granger, I would very much like that. Thank you."
"I actually came here to ask you something as well." Hermione disclosed, her gaze dropping from his as her nerves peaked.
"Yeah, what would that be?" He said with a smirk.
"I was watching you in Transfiguration today. I saw your magic falter. That's not the first time I've seen it happen either. Do you know why it's happening?"
His face morphed and his posture slumped, no longer exuding the confidence of the moment before. "I have no fucking clue."
"Has... has it always been an issue for you?" She asked apprehensively
He forced out an exaggerated, humourless laugh, "No. Just another fantastic bloody consequence of the war. Ever since I got this bloody wand I have been having difficulties."
"Would you mind if I had a look at your wand?" She asked as she turned to face him fully, crossing her legs before her on the bed as her curiosity quashed her nerves.
He arced an eyebrow but obliged her, reaching behind him and under his silken emerald green pillow. It occurred to Hermione that she obviously wasn't the only survivor of the war who had taken to concealing it there in their sleep. Malfoy handed her the wand without hesitation, not every witch or wizard would hand over their wand to another so freely. It crossed her mind briefly that perhaps Malfoy actually trusted her.
She turned the wand over in her palm, she recognized the material. "Hazel wood?"
The blonde looked a little impressed by her swift identification, "Yes. Hazel wood, eleven inches, unicorn."
A thought tugged at the edges of her memory, just out of reach. She knew she had read something about this particular wand wood, yet frustratingly she could not fully grasp the thought.
She looked up at Malfoy determinedly, "we need to go to the Library!"
"Right now?" He questioned in disbelief.
She attempted to mimic his own signature smirk and teased, "What? Worried about being caught out after curfew?"
"Well considering my probationary conditions, yes actually."
The smirk dropped from her face, "Oh. I'm so sorry, I completely forgot."
"That I was on probation?" He chuckled.
She fidgeted with his wand for a moment, twisting it in the palm of her hand while she considered the situation, "I promise we won't get caught. I'm quite good at sneaking around this castle actually."
He climbed from the bed without any further hesitation and headed for the bedroom door. "Come on then. I hope you're as good as you say though. If I breach my probationary conditions they will send me to Azkaban for three years."
Hermione jumped to her feet and exclaimed, "three years?"
Malfoy looked down and sighed, "Quite a few of the Wizengamot would love nothing more than to make an example of me to other youth whom might wander astray."
He looked back up at her, his composure back in place, "shall we go then?" He opened his door a fraction and peaked out into the common room, obviously deciding the way was clear he left the room. Hermione followed after him, his wand still clutched in her grasp.
A/N: Weekly updates YAY! Hopefully I can keep up with this schedule as I would love to interact with all you lovely readers more frequently.
So we finally have some confrontation between Hermione, Ginny and Harry! Not to mention a little bit more of Hermione admitting to herself the depth of her attraction towards our blonde Slytherin.
Please let me know what you thought of the chapter.
Love LilithShade x
