Hermione let out an involuntary gasp in spite of herself. Draco Malfoy, the twitchy ferret? Come back to Hogwarts for eighth year? Malfoy, likewise, stood there, gaping at her. After what seemed like an eternity, he managed to clamp together his lips, and stiffly climbed into the carriage, with Hermione still staring at him.
As he sat down, Hermione heard him mutter, "I guess I should've figured you would come back, too, Granger." Hermione didn't reply. It was as if her mind had been frozen, and she had only felt this way one other time in her life: the first time she had seen Ron and Lavender kiss. Meanwhile, Crookshanks had leapt off her lap to the floor again, then, straight back into his cage. As he pulled shut the cage bars, he stared at Malfoy with his lamp-like eyes, clearly suspicious.
Finally, Hermione tore her eyes away from the boy sitting next to her, and tried to regain her wit. After another eternity, she said, "Well, I certainly didn't expect to see you." in a small voice. She realized she was trembling. Why on earth am I trembling? she inwardly questioned herself. She hoped Malfoy hadn't noticed, and hurriedly stuffed the message she was holding through the bars of Crookshanks's cage, ignoring his protests.
The rest of the carriage ride passed in silence, with the exception of the pitter-patter of raindrops and Crookshanks's occasional mew and the chewing of paper. "Oops," Hermione thought. When they reached the main entrance, Malfoy quickly said, "Locomotor trunk." and sharply exited the carriage. Hermione cast the spell on her own trunk and Crookshanks's cage as well and also conjured up a thick blanket with a hole for the handle to cover Crookshanks's cage. Her cat purred in appreciation for the protection against the rain, seeming to forgive her for the intrusion of the scroll, although it was already in shreds.
Just then, the carriage door closest to Hermione opened. Malfoy appeared again, this time, holding an elegant umbrella, his trunk floating next to him. "Are you coming or not?" he smirked.
Hermione flushed, not realizing how much time she'd taken up. "But then again," she thought, "he didn't have to wait for you…" With a shock, she realized he had opened the door for her. However, she kept her head held high, and merely replied, "I had to cover Crookshanks's cage. He doesn't like getting wet." With that, she hopped out of the carriage and under the shade of Malfoy's umbrella, Crookshanks and her trunk trailing behind her.
As the two trudged up behind the rest of the students, Malfoy drawled, "So… did McGonagall tell you anything about this year? Where are we sleeping? How are our schedules going to work?"
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, "Well-" before being cut off.
"Are we the only two eighth years?" he asked, his disgust evident in his tone.
Hermione, though used to much worse from him, still felt as if she had been slapped. The war was over, wasn't it? Wasn't it time to lay down the stupid prejudices?
However, she kept her face straight, and snapped back, "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" with as much venom as she could.
Through the mist, Hermione could finally make out the ghost of Nearly Headless Nick waiting among the throng of crowding students inside. When they passed through the entrance, Malfoy closed the umbrella and placed it on top of his floating trunk, as Nick delightedly exclaimed, "Hermione! How wonderful it is to see you again! And of course, your friend." He bowed to them both, his head in severe danger of rolling off his neck.
Hermione flushed yet again, saying, "Yes, it's great to be back, and even better being able to see you. But Malfoy… we're not friends." She finished off.
Nick raised an eyebrow, and then chuckled merrily. "That's all good, because now you two will have the chance to develop a long-lasting friendship throughout the year!"
Hermione, horrified at Nick's reply, sneaked a look at Malfoy's face, expecting a look of utmost terror.
However, Malfoy's face remained polite, and he calmly said, "We'll see." to the ghost.
"Excellent!" Nick beamed. "Now, let's get you to your new dorm, and then you can have dinner!"
"What?" Malfoy looked utterly confused. "What new dorm? I'm in the Slytherin dorms, aren't I?"
Nick swiveled his head to Hermione. "I thought the Headmistress sent you a message about this arrangement?"
Hermione flushed a third time, stammering, "Y-y-yes… I received Professor McGonagall's message…" Oh Dear Lord, she thought, staring at her shoes. "B- but… I, er, forgot to tell Malfoy about it." She finished lamely, sneaking another look at Malfoy.
He shrugged, and Nick seemed to accept this as well, immediately explaining most of the contents of McGonagall's message to Malfoy. When he finished, Hermione anxiously waited for Malfoy's reaction to having to share a dorm with her for the rest of the year. She prepared to cringe.
Surprisingly, Malfoy only stated, "I understand." in response, and followed by "Shall we go then?" His face remained unreadable, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. This was going better than she thought possible. Perhaps the year wouldn't be so bad, after all.
Nick broke into her thoughts, saying, "Of course, Mr. Malfoy. I expect both of you two are quite tired." and turned around, gliding deeper into the castle.
Hermione and Malfoy both followed, walking side by side, their luggage floating behind them. As they approached the rest of the student body, Nick veered off to a door on the right, which was already open, and headed up the staircase that was inside.
As the staircase was too narrow for both of them to be walking side by side, Malfoy slowed down, and let Hermione and her luggage go in first. "What on earth just happened?" Hermione wildly thought, as Malfoy let his trunk float ahead of him and closed the door gently with a wave of his wand. "Did Malfoy just behave like a gentleman?"
When the trio reached the top of the stairs, after exactly ten flights, they found themselves on a landing that was wide enough for a group of ten, and in front of a portrait of a very beautiful woman. "So this is Lady Montecino?" Hermione thought, in between pants. "What a change from the Fat Lady! And what a trip," she looked back towards the stair case. "I guess I'll be exercising a lot more than I thought this year!" However, she groaned inwardly when she thought of the daily textbooks she would have to carry all the way up and down stairs. She thanked her lucky stars there was the wonderful concept of magic to allow her to float things around. The woman smiled at seeing them, and asked cheerfully, "Password?"
Nick turned to Hermione and said; "Er- the Headmistress told me it already, but I forgot…" he trailed off, looking at Hermione abashedly.
Hermione smiled, and said, "That's quite alright, Nick." She turned to the portrait, and stated "House Unity."
Lady Montecino nodded, saying "That is correct," and swung open. Neither Hermione nor Malfoy were ready for what was inside.
The room was circular, and everything was white. White walls, white curtains, white carpets, white chairs, white doors… However, all the furniture just seemed so… modern? Muggle-like?
As the trio stepped in, Nick started to recite the details of the new dorm in his best realtor voice.
"Yes, yes, quite a change from tradition, isn't it? Now, the portrait is at the northernmost part of the room, so on the east wall; we have, actually, not wall, but a window. Right now, the curtains are drawn because there's not much to look at outside, but tomorrow morning, draw them open, and you will get a burst of the morning sunrise and a fantastic view of the Quidditch pitch."
Hermione gawked. The curtains covered the whole eastern curve of the dorm, from ceiling to floor! "That's… a lot of window…" she said weakly.
Nick chuckled, noting her expression. "Not to worry, Ms. Granger. It's one-way glass! From the outside, the tower still looks like stone, so you won't be disturbed by pesky Quidditch players."
Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief. She liked her privacy immensely, thank you very much!
"Now on the western side," Nick continued, "is a lot more wall, save the curtained French doors. Those lead to a stone balcony outside. There is awning, as well as a table and lounge chairs. The Headmistress wanted to include a special luxury for you eighth years!" Nick grinned.
Malfoy, as if in a trance, finally moved, walking to the curved couch, behind a fashionable glass coffee table with white wooden legs, and sat down. His trunk settled on top of one of the two chintz armchairs that were on either side of the couch. Hermione followed, settling in the other armchair, while Crookshanks's cage and her trunk gently thudded to the floor beside her.
From this angle, she and Malfoy were both facing the portrait door, as well as the two mini-fireplaces, one on each side of the door, as if mirroring the two armchairs on either side of the couch. Malfoy asked, "So, this is our common room?"
"Ah yes," said Nick, gliding around them to hover behind the couch. "And these mini-fireplaces are all the newest fashion in interior design, and look what they can do once lit!"
Hermione and Malfoy both aimed their wands at their respective mini-fireplaces, and called the incantation to start a fire. Behold! The fire changed colors constantly, like a rainbow was burning!
"It's lovely, Nick!" Hermione gasped. Even Malfoy nodded his head in appreciation. Nick beamed. "I knew you two would like it! Now, look behind you."
The pair turned around and saw three doors at the back of the common room. "This is the southernmost part of the tower, and where your rooms are. The door in the middle leads to the bathroom, which, in my understanding, you two will be sharing. The doors on either side lead to your respective bedrooms, which you can choose for yourselves. There are doors connecting to the bathroom inside your rooms as well, so you don't have to walk outside to the common room every time you need to go to the loo."
Malfoy immediately said, "I want the room on the left." sneering at Hermione, as if daring her to challenge his choice. She, although annoyed by his rudeness, didn't really mind his comment, as she had already mentally claimed the room on the right for herself. "Fine," she said, with a roll of her eyes. "Can you at least let Nick finish first?"
"Oh, that's quite all right, Ms. Granger. I was about finished anyways. I really need to get down to the Sorting, now. The house elves will bring you two foods as soon as the feast starts. Start settling in, I guess!"
Malfoy, without another word, got up and dragged his trunk into his room, closing the door behind him. To compensate for his lack of manners, Hermione jumped up, and thanked Nick vigorously.
"It's all good, it's all good, Hermione." chuckled Nick. "You can go to your room now, too. I know you're secretly dying to see how it looks!" With that, and a wink, Nick glided out of the portrait hole, which automatically swung shut behind him.
Grinning, Hermione grabbed the handle of her trunk in one hand and the handle of Crookshanks's cage in the other, and walked into her new home, the one she wouldn't have to share with Ferret Boy.