Chapter Thirty-Six

If asked how he knew Hermione was in the stands, Draco would have a hard time explaining it.

He pushed off into the air, relieved to finally put all of those agonizing hours of study to use. He'd warmed up with the rest of the team, so he felt limber and loose and sat easily on his broomstick. His broom felt much like his wand, in that it was more like an extension of himself. With a subtle twist of his hips and a shift in balance he turned and grouped up with the rest of the team. All the while he could feel her presence in the stands, a gentle yet persistent tug at his attention.

He wondered what that meant, if it had anything to do with how often they worked magic together, how much time they spent in each other's company. It was disconcerting, distracting.

Vaisey did his best to boost the team morale, which Draco thought he would have done a better job of if he hadn't been very obviously hinting at how upset he was that Davies was injured. He also did little to hide the fact that he believed Draco would carry the team to victory. For all that he showed little emotion, he was very candid about his opinions of the state of the team. It was that directness that got him the position, they believed, thought no one was quite sure who picked the Captain (Draco had a theory that it was the castle itself). Either way, Vaisey's temperament suited them all well, in most cases. This was an example of when it didn't.

Vaisey split them into two teams and ran drills until they were all sweating and easy with the equipment. Draco spent his time seeking out the Snitch before he noticed how lackluster his teammates were practicing. The Beaters swung halfheartedly at the bludgers, sending them wide of their targets, and the Chasers scored easily past the Keeper who seemed to only notice the quaffle once it passed through the hoop. It was unacceptable and Vaisey, despite yelling bloody murder at his time, seemed unable to rile them enough to give a damn. Frowning, Draco swept down towards a Beater and gestured for his bat. With trepidation she handed it over just in time for Draco to whack at the bludger that came pelting his way. It whistled through the air and caught the Chaser holding the quaffle on the shoulder, sending him looping through the air on his broom as he struggled to right himself. The game seemed to come to a halt as everyone stared at Draco in astonishment. When the next bludger came his way Draco did not hold back, he set it careening towards the same chaser who only just managed to dodge it.

"Come on!" he yelled and swung another bludger at him. "If you're not going to try what's the point of even having a team!"

This time the Chaser dodged easily and shot off towards the goal post, body tucked tight against his broom. When he threw the quaffle toward the hoop, the Keeper swerved to intercept and caught it with little effort, tossing it to his teammate as they breezed past. Draco swung his Beater's bat again and the bludger narrowly missed the Chaser's broomstick. He turned back to their Beater and handed her the bat. "Make them work for it, yeah?" he said imperiously, and took off in search of the snitch. He flew high above pitch and looked on in satisfaction as his team finally got to work. It surprised him when Vaisey flew up next to him.

"Maybe you should be the captain too," he said glumly as he watched a Chaser make a cheeky score on their Keeper.

"Maybe you should show more confidence in your team, Vaisey," Draco sniffed. "You practically told them they were worthless without me here. Great way to start a practice."

"I thought maybe it would bolster them to do better," Vaisey said, affronted.

"Seems to me that it had the exact opposite effect." Draco shrugged. "Goading doesn't work if the team believes what you say to actually be true."

Vaisey scowled, but it quickly faded as he zeroed in on a Beater who was holding his bat wrong. "Hm," was all he said before he zoomed off to correct the technique.

Half an hour later Vaisey allowed them a break. "We'll be implementing our secret weapon upon resuming, so come back prepared to work hard, you lot!"

Draco's eyes swept the stands, though in reality he didn't need to, he knew exactly where Hermione was and it appeared that she wasn't alone. As he got closer he could see Ginny was there, as well as Phil and Munoz. They were engaged in a card game, but they all looked up and waved when he neared them, dismounting smoothly and plopping down with little grace a row above them. "Glad to see you all could make it," he said easily, his eyes lingering on Hermione—who ducked her head and placed a card on the stopgap table between the four of them.

"This has to be the most entertaining Quidditch practice yet," Munoz said, with a flirtatious smile aimed at Ginny Weasley.

Draco chuckled and stole a chestnut from his dwindling pile, ignoring Miguel's protests. "If you want to keep your nuts, Munoz, I suggest you find your entertainment elsewhere." That surprised a laugh out of all of them and Draco looked at them with wide-eyed innocence. "I meant the chestnuts," he said in mock incredulity.

"Sure you did," Phil said, still snickering. "How is practice going? I heard you yelling earlier but I couldn't make out what you were saying."

Draco leaned back and rested his arm on the bench behind him, his other hand running through his hair to tame the windswept blond strands. "Oh, as well as can be expected after Vaisey told them they were nothing without me."

"He didn't!" Weasely said with a gasp, surprising Draco with her vehemence. Although he shouldn't have been surprised at all; Ginny knew out of all of them how detrimental a blow to the confidence of a team so close to a match could be.

"He did," Draco confirmed with a shake of his head. "But I believe I've set them to rights. We'll need to be in good form if Ravenclaw's Seeker is half as good as they say."

"They're being oddly secretive about their identity don't you think?" Ginny said conspiratorially.

Draco agreed. "Very, but I'm sure it's just a tactic to put us off."

"I heard they're a snitch whisperer," Munoz put in. "That the snitch just flies into their hand, easy as you please."

"I heard they grow a third arm to help them fly better; one to hold the broom and the other two are free to snatch the snitch right out of the air."

And just like that they were off, coming up with more and more outrageous rumours to their great amusement.

Draco turned his attention to Granger, who looked to genuinely be enjoying herself. He picked up a chestnut and tossed it at her. It hit her chest and she caught it in her hand, her reflexes much improved from their sparing. She gave him a smile under narrowed eyes. "Alright, Hermione?"

Her smile turned gentle and she nodded. "The company is quite agreeable," she said, her tone hinting at words unsaid, as her eyes did a shifty thing, taking him in. It was almost imperceptible but Draco noticed, and he felt himself sit just a bit straighter, his head tilting ever so slightly to the left as he tried to figure out what it meant. "It's nice being outside, hanging out with friends. It feels normal."

Draco understood what she meant. Sometimes he needed to take a break from studies and worrying and just be. "I'm pleased you could make it, though I regret that this came at the expense of our... other studies." He hadn't meant for it to come out sounding suggestive, but he'd made a miscalculation: he hadn't thought anyone was paying them any attention. And so when Munoz whooped and the others sniggered, Draco realized his mistake. He scowled at them and sent a stinging hex at Munoz, which only served to confirm whatever erroneous thoughts were roaming through his head. Draco swore Munoz could make anything seem inappropriate if he put his mind to it.

"Other studies?" Munoz cooed with a smirk. "Do tell."

To Draco's surprise and pure delight, Hermione thought a demonstration was better than words.

Munoz was reaching for a chestnut when she grabbed his wrist with one hand and pushed him forward with the other, twisting his arm about until it was trapped behind him and he was forced forward, his nose almost touching the bowl of heated chestnuts. "Any questions?" she said group burst into laughter and cheers and Draco was glad to see the gleam of amusement in Hermione's eyes as she held Munoz easily in place.

"Yes," Miguel wheezed out, his lungs constricted by laughter and the awkward position. "When does the rope come into play?"

That earned him another hex from Draco, just as Ginny sent her own hex at Munoz. His eyes watered with the pain of it, but he was still laughing as Hermione released him. Primly, she adjusted her hair and robes as if nothing had happened, and ignored Munoz as struggled to catch his breath.

"You're incorrigible," Phil told Munoz with little sympathy and a twinkle in his eye.

"All part of the charm," Miguel agreed after he was able to breathe properly.

A whistle blew off in the distance and Draco felt a pang of regret at having to return to practice. He was having a good time amongst the four of them.

"Suppose I should get back to it then," Draco said as he stood and collected his broom. "You lot behave." He aimed a glare at Munoz so that there was no confusion as to who it was he meant.

He mounted his broom and took off into the air, only just missing Pansy's arrival in the stands.

#

Pansy wore black robes that hugged her frame in a flattering manner, and her black hair gleamed in the setting sun, styled in a smart asymmetrical bob. She made her way over to the group, though no one noticed her until she spoke.

"Oh, would you just look at this. What a sterling example of house unity. And at a Slytherin Quidditch practice, no less." When they turned to look at her, she gave them all a cold smile, looking down her upturned nose at them. She turned her piercing gaze to Hermione. "I am surprised to see you here, though I suppose I shouldn't be considering the rumours." She looked at Ginny. "And where one goes the other follows, ready to hex the bogeys out of anyone who dares look at her precious Saviouress the wrong way." Pansy noticed the Weaselette move to stand but Granger put a hand out to stop her, shaking her head when Ginny looked askance at her.

"What are you doing here, Parkinson?" Phil said in cool neutral tones.

Pansy seated herself without being invited, crossing one leg over the other and pressing her hands into the pockets of her robes. "Am I unwelcome?" she asked, the look in her eyes daring anyone to speak out against her presence.

"You usually never come, is all," Munoz said easily, and offered her the bowl of chestnuts. "It's just a surprise, is all." He smirked at her. "I'm not complaining."

Pansy ignored the offering and Munoz altogether. "I heard tell that Draco would be flying tonight." She looked at Hermione from the corner of her eyes. "I see so little of him these days, as he's otherwise occupied with his little projects." The word was like a dagger slicing through the air towards its target. She smiled when Granger frowned, though there was little else to give away the girl's thoughts. "I thought I would stop by and look my fill. You understand what I mean, don't you Granger?" Her smile was as sharp as glass and as sweet as candy.

xXx

Draco winced as the snitch flew through the fingers of their reserve Seeker. Had he looked that small and frightened at 12? It had taken them a few runs through a play before he'd realized just why Vaisey had been so reluctant to put the boy into play. The young Seeker acted as if he was afraid of the snitch, as if it had teeth that would unfold and bite him if he caught it. He was nervous and twitchy, and he always had half an eye on Draco when he should have been concentrating on the whereabouts of the snitch. Draco had caught the snitch every run, the last time right from in front of the reserve's eyes, and only after he had given his teammate a chance to catch the snitch himself. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why the boy was hesitating. Vaisey set them up for a fourth run, hand signals and all, and while the rest of the team were getting the hang of the signals and formations, the reserve seemed only to regress. Draco hung back once the run started and watched the reserve float about the pitch, scanning the air for a hint of gold. Draco had already spotted it near the goal post, but he waited until his teammate noticed it. He cut Draco a look, which Draco pretended not to notice, and edged his broomstick around to face the goalpost. He took off for the snitch, Draco wheeling around as if just noticing it, and they both sped towards the dancing snitch. In no time Draco had caught up with the reserve Seeker, reaching for the snitch. At the last minute the reserve pulled back and Draco closed his fingers around cold medal.

"What was that?" Draco spun his broom around to face the reserve who wouldn't meet his eyes. "You've been doing this all evening, letting me catch the snitch. Are you afraid of it?"

Without speaking the reserve shook his head.

"Then what is it? Speak up, man!'

"I'm— I can't!" the boy cried out, gritting his teeth around the words.

It dawned on Draco what was going on. As much as he tried to pretend that he was just another player on the team, Draco was, well, Draco Malfoy: Seeker for Slytherin since he'd attended Hogwarts. He'd never been better than Potter but he had been good in his own right, and it must be intimidating as a first year to be pitted against the Draco Malfoy. Years ago that would have made him giddy with hauteur, but that day it only made him feel queasy. It was like Davies all over again, if slightly different circumstances. He knew this boy would need a more aggressive approach than Davies did.

"Fellington, is it?" Draco said, and continued without allowing the boy to answer. "I intimidate you, don't I?" Fellington looked up sharply, his eyes narrowed and his breathing heavy, but he didn't deny it. Draco knew his judgement had been correct from that response alone. He laughed and tossed the snitch in the air, snatching it back up when it tried to zip away. "I don't blame you, I would be afraid of me too if I were you." He smirked and noted the way Fellington's grip tightened on his broom. "I don't believe you could catch the snitch even if you tried. You're too slow, too afraid." He gestured to the stands, to the scattered clumps of students watching below. "Might as well take a seat with them, as you'll be benched for the rest of the season, playing the way you are. Oh and here," He flew towards Fellington and pressed the snitch into his chest with enough force to move him backwards in the air. "This is what a snitch feels like, in case you were wondering."

With one last smirk Draco took his leave to join the team for the next run. When next Vaisey blew the whistle, Fellington was a different player entirely. He rocketed through the air like lightning when he spotted the snitch. When Draco pulled up beside him he leaned into the wind, his eyes set on the snitch before them. Draco reached out his hand for the snitch, could already feel the chill of it in his palm, when Fellington leaned over and knocked Draco off of his path, grabbing the snitch out of the air with a bellow of triumph. They pulled up short, panting. Fellington did a victory spin and met Draco's eyes, his smirk dropping when he noticed Draco was smiling at him.

"Well done. If you can put that much effort forth every time, you might give Davies a run for her Galleons," Draco said.

"I see," Fellington didn't quite smile, but he gave Draco a nod of understanding.

By the end of practice Draco was beat and ready for dinner. Vaisey sent them off with a far better speech than he had begun with and they all hit the showers in a jovial mood. Draco made his way up to the stands to check if anyone was still there, and found Munoz gone, but Phil, Ginny, and Hermione were still chatting where he had left them. Despite appearances the atmosphere was off. There was a strain on everyone's face that puzzled Draco.

"I think we might have a chance at Ravenclaw on Saturday," Draco said, drawing their attention to him.

Phil pulled out his wand and began clearing the abandoned cards and chestnuts. "That's good to hear. Got them into shape did you?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "No thanks to Vaisey. Honestly it's more than I signed up for."

"Oh you love it," Ginny said from her spot next to Hermione. "Draco Malfoy, star Seeker and coach of the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Not bad for your last year at Hogwarts."

"If only it were true," Draco sighed dreamily. "No, I've enough to put up with this year without adding coaching to the list."

"Busy with all of your little projects, are you?" Hermione said, and although her tone was light enough, there was a hint of something acidic that made Draco pause.

He hesitated before replying. "As a matter of fact I am. Reform is hard work." The joke was met with awkward chuckles. "Did something happen?" he said, looking at all of them. Hermione looked away and Ginny frowned, her eyes glancing over at Hermione.

"Pansy showed up," Phil said.

Draco needed to hear no more. She had faded into the background of his life so easily that he hadn't thought twice about her since. Now that she had shown her face again, Draco had no doubt that she was up to no good. She had said something to Hermione, that much was obvious, but what?

"I'm sure she had plenty to say," Draco deadpanned. "The important thing to remember about Pansy is that she is mostly bark. She knows how to push people's buttons." Draco knew because he had taught her just how to do it. Pansy was always quick but Draco had helped hone her skills into needle point accuracy. Little did he know he would come to regret that one day. Suddenly feeling more tired than ever, Draco walked over to Hermione and held out his hand. The others took this as a sign to gather their things, and as he pulled her to her feet he heard them talking quietly amongst themselves, covertly looking their way. "Alright, Hermione?" he asked gently.

They stood close to one another and Hermione had to tilt her head back to look him in the eyes. Her hand was still in his as she spoke. "Parkinson is just being Parkinson, I shouldn't let her get to me." She gave her head a little shake and squeezed his hand before releasing it. Draco regretted the loss. "Forget it, it's really nothing."

"If she gives you trouble you'll let me know, won't you?" His face was set as he gazed down at her, searching her eyes for any sign that she was hiding anything more. He saw resolve there and something like the fire he'd witnessed when they were sparring. Seeing it made him feel a lot better. Pansy might view Hermione as an easy target but Draco had a feeling that she would make a grave mistake if she decided to take action.

"Draco," Hermione's smile widened and she pushed at his shoulder with her small hand. "I said it's fine." She raised her eyebrows. "Trust me."

Draco let out a breath, stepping back to let her pass him. "I do," he said solemnly, and followed after her.

The two girls pulled ahead of Draco and Phil. He took the opportunity to drill Phil about what happened.

"It wasn't good," Phil said with a grim expression. "I think she knew Hermione would be there. It was like she showed up just to make her uncomfortable. She made a lot of insinuations about the two of you. Some veiled threats towards Hermione if she so much as thought about dating you." He looked sideways at Draco.

Draco growled. "It's like we get rid of one problem only for another to rear its ugly head."

"'Reform is hard work.' Isn't that what you said?" Phil put in. "We'll just deal with this like we've dealt with everything else. In the meantime you keep doing your best and hope everything works itself out."

"I just want…" Draco trailed off, his gaze wandering to where Hermione and Ginny were walking together ahead of them.

Phil followed his gaze and smiled wistfully. "She might not be as out of reach as you think."

It took Draco almost a full minute to realize what Phil had said. "What?!" The stragglers leaving the pitch with the team turned to look at them in passing, even Ginny and Hermione glanced back to check that everything was alright. Draco smiled and signalled that all was well. When they continued on, Draco pulled Phil off to the side, gripped him about the shoulders, and gave him a little shake. "What do you mean she might not be as out of reach as I think?"

Phil chuckled and pried Draco's hands free of his person. "I'm just saying she might be open to-"

"Did she say something?" Draco interrupted. His heart felt like it would pound out of his chest and he was jittery all over with a sort of nervous excitement.

"No, not in as many words, but…" Phil shrugged and said no more.

Draco ran a hand slowly through his hair, and then did it again when his brain refused to process what Phil had said. "She did something, then," Draco said, turning quickly back to Phil. "What did she do? How do you know?"

"The same way I knew you had a thing for her," Phil sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Look, the two of you have been dancing around each other for months now. It's getting quite tiresome."

"Dancing around each other—Phil!" Draco paced back and forth gesticulating wildly, ignoring the looks he was drawing. "There was no dancing, I'm only just realizing I even like her! How could you possibly say we've been dancing around each other?"

"Oh, now, I could see what was happening from a mile away. Since the beginning!"

Draco stopped pacing and scowled at him. "A Seer now, are you Phil? Been shacking up with Trelawny's ghost for lessons?"

Phil only chuckled. "No, you're quite obvious if anyone knows the signs."

Draco stood thinking, and wondered.

"If it's any consolation I don't believe Miss Granger is any the wiser to your feelings." Phil supplied, as if he was also a Legilimens.

That did make Draco feel better, but only in a sad sort of way. How much easier would things be if Hermione already knew? How much harder? If she were able to just deny him now, wouldn't it save him the heartache of it later? Though Phil seemed to think she might fancy him too…

"Listen, dinner won't wait for us. How about we go and get a bite to eat and you can have a meltdown later, hmm?" Phil suggested, placing a reassuring hand on Draco's shoulder.

"I'm not having a meltdown, I'm just—thinking," Draco corrected him, but allowed himself to be led back to the castle.

xXx

By the end of dinner Draco was ready to take action, but Sylvia managed to persuade him out of it. Dinner passed with Draco deep in his thoughts, barely noticing when Pansy took a seat a few people away from him. It was obvious even to him that she was stirring up trouble, her voice raised enough for him to hear her over the din, but his mind was occupied with more important thoughts, or, really, the same thought over and over and over again: Does Hermione like me?

It made him rethink every moment they'd had together. How quickly she'd moved away from him when they'd fallen together in the woods what felt like ages ago, her blushes when he touched her, how she'd frozen when he'd accidentally flashed her earlier that week, and then there was the way she had given him that once over, so quick Draco almost missed it. All things he'd brushed off in the moment, but now took on a new meaning if Phil was right. If Phil was right. Though Draco was changing, though he would never be the same, nor the world around them, he couldn't fathom, not truly, that Hermione would actually fancy him. Oh sure, the idea had popped into his head a few times, but to seriously consider it to be true was another matter.

At some point Pansy had excused herself, no doubt finding her efforts at being supremely annoying a failure, and by the end of dinner it was just the three of them making their way back to the common room. Along the way Draco had been silent, ignoring their questioning. Only when they were seated at the spot that was quickly becoming their usual did he speak.

"I must write to her," he declared.

"And say what?" Phil asked, looking alarmed. "'Hello Hermione, do you like me? Tick yes or no'? I can't imagine that will go over well. And besides, it's only been a little over a week since Blaise. You need to give her time. We've talked about this, Draco."

"As a woman I agree, you can't rush love," Sylvia added.

"Love," Draco scoffed. "I can't believe I'm even entertaining the notion. This is enough to drive me mad."

"If ever there was a time to employ a sense of patience, this is it," Sylvia admonished him gently. "Let her come to you. Phil is right, Granger has a lot going on right now. If you go blundering head first into this you'll surely botch things up."

Draco frowned and sat back in his chair. "What am I to do then, pretend all is normal? Carry on as if I'm not thinking—things?"

Sylvia laughed at his inept description. "Yes, you're to do exactly that." She leaned forward in her chair until she caught his eye. "If it's meant to happen it will." She smirked at him. "Just continue being yourself, heartbreaker that you are."

"That was much easier to do when I didn't really care," Draco said, and then grimaced at how disgusting that sounded. "I'm sorry, but it is the truth."

"Sadly, I believe you," Sylvia nodded. "But you must try. For your sakes, the both of you."

"And if she doesn't make a move?" Draco turned to Phil. "And if you're wrong and she doesn't like me as you say she does?"

"Then I'm wrong," Phil said simply, then smiled crookedly. "But I'm not."

"He's not," Sylvia agreed, turning to Phil and widening her eyes at him. "Though I do believe you should have waited a bit longer to let the cat out of the bag."

"I couldn't go on watching Draco suffer much longer," Phil said in a pleading tone. "It was awful."

Sylvia rolled her eyes and gestured at where Draco sat pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're right, he looks quite relaxed now, doesn't he?"

Phil shrugged. "I think he does better with more information than less."

"I'm not sure I agree with you on this one, Phil," Draco murmured.

"Ah, well," the other boy said with a smile, "can't always be right, can I?"

xXx

Thwack.

Something small and hard, about the size of an acorn, smacked into Hermione's chest and her hand shot up to catch it as it bounced off her body. Frowning, she examined the chestnut in the palm of her hand, looking up to see where it had come from. She found Draco watching her, an easy grin on his face.

"Alright, Hermione?"

She'd been absorbed in the easy camaraderie of the evening, Phil and Miguel both friendly and teasing, much like Harry and Ron were, and Ginny—bolstered by having a family of brothers—giving as good as she got, especially when it came to Miguel's teasing flirtations. When Draco had arrived a few minutes before, he'd slipped into the conversations easily, his friendships with both boys apparent, and Hermione had been pleased at Ginny's own friendly interaction with Draco as they bantered about Quidditch. It meant a lot to Hermione for her closest friends to find Draco's company agreeable these days, the feeling having snuck up on her without her realizing it until she watched the sportsmanlike camaraderie between the two. Maybe Ginny could call Draco a true friend one day too.

Narrowing her eyes at Draco under the teasing glint shining out of his own, Hermione smiled back, feeling happiness at the pleasant evening warm her while she glanced down at the chestnut wrapped in her fingers. She considered flicking it back at him, just to see if his snitch-catching reflexes were as a good on the ground as they were in the air, but found herself distracted as she answered his question. Draco was sprawled back on his bench, his Quidditch robes spread about him as if he wore a royal robe instead, the look on his face open and content. He was a faintly sweaty from flying hard, but somehow it only enhanced his looks, giving him a somewhat windswept and rugged appearance that she found pleasing. His grey eyes sharp as ever, Draco seemed to notice her appraisal even before Hermione was aware of her wandering eyes, and she watched him shift his body slightly, cocking his head toward her. She felt her cheeks flush faintly at being caught out; she wasn't normally this brazen.

"…at the expense of our… other studies," Draco's silky voice brought Hermione out of her inner thoughts and back to the conversation they'd been having, though she'd been replying half on auto-pilot. The way his mouth curled around the last few words brought the light blush she'd been fighting roaring to the surface. Why had he spoken that way? What was he taking away from their time spent together that she was not? When he talked like that it made it sound like they were doing anything but studying—an idea that seemed to have blossomed in Miguel's mind as well, if the raucous hoot of laughter he let out alongside Phil's sudden grin and Ginny's smirk had anything to do with it.

"Other studies?" Miguel asked lasciviously, waggling his dark brows at her as he reached for a chestnut. "Do tell."

Acting almost before she was conscious of moving, Hermione jumped up from her bench, reaching for Miguel's exposed wrist and twisting him about swiftly in a move that she and Draco had been practicing recently, nearly shoving his face into the bowl of nuts. Phil gaped and Ginny let out a little startled gasp, and though she couldn't see Draco's face just then, Hermione knew he'd be smirking. "Any questions?" she asked sweetly, enjoying both the ease and power behind her actions, and the fact that she'd been able to react so naturally, even though this was just a game. Her training was paying off.

Miguel's body vibrated, and he let out a choked sound that Hermione realized was laughter, amused at her response, though he still tensed beneath her, his body straining to be free and at the same time realizing that she wasn't completely playing. "When does the rope come into play?" Miguel gasped out, and Hermione shoved him away, flushing at his teasing, a second before he flinched twice, moments apart, the smell of magic permeating the air. Though she felt a little embarrassed at Miguel's teasing, Hermione still felt warm with the acceptance of Draco's friends. She was glad she'd come out to the practice tonight.

The evening had begun to darken, and Phil flicked his wand at the lanterns he'd brought as a faint whistle recalled Draco to the pitch. He bid them farewell as he shot back into the air, and Hermione smiled up at the sky, half-listening to Miguel and Ginny restart the card game behind her.

"Oh, would you just look at this…" came a snide voice from out of Hermione's view, and she twisted around, feeling a coldness shoot through her at the sight of Pansy Parkinson sauntering down the row toward them. What was she doing there? Hermione hadn't really expected Pansy would come to the practice, not since she and Draco were no longer dating, and not without her wingman, Blaise Zabini, by her side. Pansy continued speaking as if she thought the small gathering was her captive audience, ignoring Phil's cool reception and Miguel's attempt at defusing the growing tension in the air, zeroing in on Hermione as if the two girls were alone.

"…with all his little projects," Pansy continued, her dark eyes locked onto Hermione's face to see if her insinuation landed.

Beside her, Ginny's fingers twitched toward her wand, eyes on Pansy as if calculating how many hexes she could get off before the other girl had time to react, but Hermione caught her friend's wrist, giving her a quick warning shake of the head. She didn't want to start trouble. It was obvious Pansy was lashing out because she was jealous of the time Hermione was spending with Draco, she needed to rise above it and not react to her baiting words.

"He's a fine specimen, isn't he, Granger?" Pansy went on, flicking her eyes to the sky and tracking Draco's lithe form as he zipped past, a younger boy feet ahead of him, both of them shooting toward the far goal posts where, presumably, the snitch must have been sighted. Hermione worked to keep her face blank and Pansy smirked cruelly. "Though even I have to admit he's not as well built as Krum. He's a devil between the sheets though, showing off his muscles well enough." She ran her eyes over Hermione consideringly, before purring: "How was Krum, Granger? Was he as much of a brute off the field as he was on it?"

Hermione flushed, both with anger and deep-seated embarrassment. She did not want to hear about Draco's time with Pansy. She wasn't naive enough to think Draco hadn't been intimate with his girlfriends, especially considering the suggestive things Blaise had said over the last few months, but she didn't need the gory details. Even less did she want to talk about her own love life—what little there had been of it. "Victor was a gentleman," she bit out through lips so stiff from consternation that she almost couldn't speak clearly.

Pansy's narrow face split into a mocking smile. "By which you mean that even an international Quidditch star couldn't prise those swotty little legs apart? Goodness, Granger, who are you holding out for? The King of England?"

Hermione choked on rage and humiliation, unable to form words for a moment, an issue which wasn't echoed by the others present behind her.

"A problem, it would seem, that you don't have, according to the Hogwarts Quidditch League," Miguel said mockingly, no trace of teasing in his voice now. "Is there a bloke at school you haven't slept with, Parkinson?"

"You, for a start," Pansy snapped back, glaring at Miguel, who only smirked disdainfully at her.

"A loss by which I count myself among the lucky few," Miguel replied, rolling his eyes. Pansy huffed, turning her malicious gaze back on Hermione.

"He's not going to fall for it," she said coldly, staring haughtily down her nose at Hermione.

"What?" Hermione managed to get out, finally getting her voice back under control.

Pansy smirked. "You dumped your worthless, loser boyfriend hoping to get in Draco's pants," she said venomously, and Hermione felt her face drain of all colour. "But the only part of your body," Pansy hissed, placing special emphasis on the last two words to make sure Hermione got her insinuation, "that he cares about is your brain, Granger, and once he's done with that he'll toss you in the gutter with the rest of the rubbish, where you belong."

"Now hold on," Phil started to say, voice hard with anger.

"Shut up, Parkinson!" Ginny cried, face flushed with rage as she jumped to her feet, hand fumbling for her wand. "I'm surprised McGonagall even allowed you back into school this year, when you were so clearly an advocate for You-Know-Who!"

Pansy only looked at Ginny as if she were a particularly disgusting flobberworm. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Weasley. Dating the Chosen One doesn't give you the status you think it does. You're still just the last, unwanted, child of a family of blood-traitors. And you," she ran her eyes down Phil's front as if taking his measure, "are just a pathetic lap dog, following Draco around, trying to force your friendship on him on like a whinging first year. He only puts up with you because he gets off on taking your galleons at cards."

"I think it's time you left, Parkinson," Phil said coldly, steel in his voice and a cold look on his face that was every inch a pureblood Slytherin, starting to stand and move in front of Ginny, though whether to prevent the girl from leaping at Pansy, knocking both of them over the railing of the stands, or simply to hide the fact that Ginny was wearing Gryffindor colours—removing the red from in front of the enraged bull, as it were—it was hard to tell.

Pansy glanced over at him, her gaze flickering as if she suddenly realized that she'd insulted everyone present without any backup. She still rose carefully to her feet, moving slowly as if she had all the time in the world. "You're not worthy of him, Granger," she hissed as she moved down the aisle, swinging her hips as she passed Miguel, as if taunting him with goods he was doomed never to sample. "He doesn't look at you that way, he never will. And if he does, know that it's only a lark he's playing out, just ask Blaise." Hermione flinched, though Pansy only smirked viciously at her, dropping her voice as if she wanted only Hermione to hear her next words. "He's mine, and if you so much as try to sway him, you'll be sorry."

The group stared in silence as Pansy disappeared down the stairs to the ground, her act of malice complete.

"Er, you ok, Granger?" came Phil's hesitant voice, breaking the silence that had dropped over the group, leeching away the feeling of contentment Hermione had been enjoying a few minutes prior. She looked up from where she'd been staring down at her hands clenched in her lap, fingers knotted tightly together.

"I'm fine," she managed, struggling to make her voice neutral, though Pansy's words had struck deep. She didn't think that Draco was really just using her for her brain, not any more, not since after that first week in September, but she had to admit that Pansy had managed to hit upon several of her insecurities in just a few minutes of speaking, and she felt ashamed that she still struggled with such feelings.

Miguel cleared his throat, getting to his feet. "I'm going to take my leave," he announced, "make sure Parkinson didn't get lost on her way down the stairs." Phil nodded at his roommate, the understanding that Miguel would make sure Pansy was long gone by the time the rest of them decided to make their way back to the castle silently communicated between them. "Later, Weasley," Miguel called, nodding at her with an approximation of a flirtatious smirk, before turning to Hermione. "Don't let Parkinson get to you. She's an uptight bint who's only jealous of your superiority." He winked, trying to lighten the mood, and Hermione tried to smile at him as he backed down the aisle, disappearing down the tented stairwell a minute later.

Ginny moved down the bench to sit next to Hermione, the card game forgotten on the seat below them. "Are you ok?" she asked, voice tight with concern. "Parkinson is really a—" And then she let loose a muttered string of words that would have earned her a month in her room at the Burrow, had Mrs. Weasley heard her.

"I'm fine," Hermione insisted, her voice a little too shrill to sound convincing. "She's never been nice to me, why should it matter what she says now?" Phil and Ginny exchanged a look and Hermione tried to steady herself. "Yes, she's a cow, but if I rise to her words then she wins. If I ignore her she'll get bored eventually."

Phil cleared his throat, not looking convinced, then eyed the girls a little hesitantly, a forced cheerfulness in his voice when he spoke. "What do you say we scrap Falsehood and play a little Five-Card-Draw?"

Ginny glanced at Hermione, though she was sitting tall, her face determined not to show a hint of emotion now that Pansy was gone, and then turned back to Phil. "It's on!" she announced, smirking at him. "Just so you know, Fred and George taught me practically every muggle card game there is. You're going down, snake-boy."

Phil grinned. "Hey, we're not called Slyther-WINS for nothing, Weasley; put your galleons where your mouth is."

Ginny started piling chestnuts on the bench between them, a blazing look in her eyes, and Hermione felt her nerves calm a bit. She just had to take her own advice and not let Pansy get to her. Besides, it wasn't like what she'd said was true. She hadn't broken up with Ron for Draco. And despite the little things that had happened between them, Draco hadn't done anything to backup Pansy's claim that she was a passing fancy…or even a fancy at all.

She wasn't sure which bothered her more.

#

Draco's arrival at the end of practice, some thirty minutes later, brought an end to a scene of forced unconcernedness, and Hermione was almost relieved. Though Phil and Ginny conversed with him naturally enough, Hermione couldn't help herself when Draco insinuated how busy he was that year. What if Pansy had been telling the truth, her heart hissed. What if she really was just one of many girls Draco had in the air, juggling hearts without care and speaking words of assurance to each of them that faded with the setting of the sun. He looked startled at her comment and Hermione immediately felt ashamed that she'd spoken such. She was letting Pansy get in her head.

Phil announced exactly that a moment later, and Draco's expression cleared, then darkened as he made mental calculations as to what must have taken place in his absence. He was in front of Hermione a moment later, his hand grasping hers and pulling her gently to her feet, eyes only on her as, behind his back, Phil and Ginny suddenly found other things to do. Hermione felt herself flush under Draco's unrelenting gaze, very aware of the casual way he'd taken her hand, and how he had yet to release it, even though she was now standing. They were very close in the narrow aisle between the benches, and Draco was bent slightly toward her, concern in his eyes. Hermione had to bend her own head back to meet his gaze, feeling slightly vulnerable with the way the action exposed her throat.

"Alright, Hermione?" he asked quietly, and a little shiver skittered down her back at the feeling hidden in those two simple words. She squirmed a little under Draco's scrutiny, and quickly tried to downplay the horrible interaction, forcing as real a smile as she could, as she assured him that she was fine, gently extracting her fingers from his grip. Having him hold her hand like that, while other people were around, well, it felt embarrassingly intimate, and she needed to get her reeling emotions under control before she read too much into a simple, friendly gesture of concern.

"Come on, Gin," Hermione called over to where Ginny and Phil had been talking quietly, stepping away from Draco's warmth and overpowering gaze, as if putting space and air between them would do anything substantial to help her sort out her feelings. "We should get back." Though Draco moved easily back to allow her to pass, he looked as if he didn't quite believe her insistence that Pansy hadn't bothered her, which, of course, only went to show how well he knew both of them.

Draco dropped back to walk with Phil as Hermione dragged Ginny down the aisle toward the stairs, and she felt a wave of relief that he hadn't pressed her on exactly what Pansy had said. The group reached the grass and began to make their way away from the pitch with the remaining team members and scattering of students who had been in the stands, and Hermione looked surreptitiously around for Pansy or any of Blaise's creepy friends, relieved not to see anyone else unwelcome, though when Draco shouted "What?" behind then, she jumped, spinning around to see what had produced such a response in him when he'd ben so turned inward at the top of the stands.

Draco met her eye and summoned a reassuring grin, waving her off as he dragged a chuckling Phil off to the side of the path, talking in a low, intense tone as he did so. Hermione felt herself relax. If Draco was joking around with his friends then the evening wasn't all bad. She continued up toward the castle with Ginny, their arms looped together as if they might break out into a rendition of "We're Off to See the Wizard" at any moment, a little smile on her lips at the muggle-wizard connection. Yes, Pansy was an awful person, but Hermione was determined not to let her get to her.

xXx

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