Disclaimer: Everything except the plot belongs to J.K. Rowling, and not to
me.
"Hermione, can I talk to you for a moment?" Hermione looked up from her Arithmancy homework.
"Of course you can, Harry. What's up?" Harry looked uncomfortable.
"Um… I saw you and Draco down by the lake yesterday." He blurted out. "Kissing." Hermione went slightly pink.
"Oh."
"Were you going to tell us?" Harry sounded slightly cross.
"Of course I was!" Hermione protested. "But I wanted to tell Ron first, and I haven't found the right moment." Harry leant towards her.
"Would you do me a huge favour?"
"What's that?" Hermione sounded wary, suspecting blackmail.
"Could you wait until after tomorrow's Quidditch match against Slytherin? We need to win, and we need Ron to be focused." Hermione smiled, relieved to have an excuse to put off the dreaded confession a little while longer.
"Sure. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of victory!"
*****
Dear Father,
Remember at Christmas I told you I'd made friends with Hermione Granger? Well, we've become more than just friends. I know you don't like me mixing with people from Muggle families, but I like her, and I think you would too, if she was pureblood. As I said during the holidays, I think it's better to have friends than enemies. If I need these people to trust me later in life, for whatever reason, it's better to start now. I can always make enemies later. You always said that you hated weak people who can't think for themselves. Well I'm thinking for myself now, and I've chosen a girl who's better for me than any of the half-wit purebloods I've dated before. Please try to understand.
Draco
*****
Dear Draco,
I can't say that I'm pleased with you, but I can tell that you won't listen to reason. At least this girl can be useful, she might encourage you to work harder, and as you said it could be to our advantage later if she trusts you. In any case, you're only sixteen and I'm sure this is just a phase you're going through. Mother sends her love.
Father
*****
"I'm actually seventeen now. You'd think he'd remember when my birthday is, wouldn't you?"
"It sounds like you're setting up some sort of plot to use me in a few years time." Hermione compared a copy of Draco's letter to his father's reply.
"I had to try to convince him. Let him think what he wants if it means he won't oppose us." She handed the pieces of parchment back to Draco, who tucked them into his pocket.
"How did Ron take it?"
"I haven't told him yet. We're playing you in tomorrow's Quidditch match, and I don't want to distract him."
"Putting Quidditch before me?" Draco pretended to be hurt. Hermione smiled.
"No. Harry saw us by the lake yesterday. I'm being blackmailed…"
*****
"Come on Gryffindor!" Ginny was starting to sound a little hoarse from screaming. "Come on Ron! Come on Harry!"
It was a long game. They'd been playing for nearly two hours, and there was no sign of the Golden Snitch. The scoring had been even for the first hour, then a couple of penalties to Gryffindor put them in the lead. For that point on, Ron was on top form. The Gryffindor score was now 280, Ron having scored 150 of those points.
"He's got the Quaffle again!" Ginny was standing on her seat, clutching Ron's Omnioculars. The Slytherin keeper tried to block him, but Ron feinted for the left hoop, then tossed the Quaffle through the central one.
"Go Ron!" Ginny yelled. Hermione winced and rubbed her ear.
"Come on Harry!" Neville stood up, pointing to where Harry and Draco were streaking towards a flash of gold.
Hermione held her breath. She knew that she should have been cheering for Harry, one of her best friends, and for her house, but she couldn't bring herself to shout out against Draco.
"Come on!" She let out her breath and settled for a neutral yell that people could interpret as they wanted. Ginny grabbed her hand and hauled her onto the seat.
The red blur that was Harry and the green blur that was Draco were now so close together that, even with Omnioculars, it was difficult to see what was going on. Suddenly they both slowed right down, and began to descend.
"Which one of them caught it?" Neville squinted at the pitch. Hermione focused her Omnioculars.
"Draco."
The Gryffindors fell silent for a moment, then Dennis Creevey gave a shout.
"We've won! We've won!"
"What?"
"We were 290 to 130. The Snitch is worth 150, so now it's 290 to 280. We've won!"
Various people started screaming.
"Come on, Hermione!" Ginny leapt off her seat, dragging Hermione after her, and ran for the stairs to go and congratulate her brother.
*****
"Well done, Ron!" Ginny flung her arms around her brother. "You were amazing!"
"Thanks Ginny." Ron looked past her to Hermione, who smiled at him and hugged him once Ginny let him go."
"Well done!"
"It was so close for the Snitch. Malfoy was just lucky." Ginny commiserated with Harry.
"Never mind." He shrugged and smiled. "We still won!"
"You idiot! Two more goals and we would have won! You had to go and catch it, didn't you! You could have just blocked him!" The Slytherin captain wasn't impressed by Draco catching the Snitch either.
Hermione caught Draco's eye and mouthed "well done!" They shared a smile, unaware that they were being observed.
"Hermione, can I talk to you for a moment?" Hermione looked up from her Arithmancy homework.
"Of course you can, Harry. What's up?" Harry looked uncomfortable.
"Um… I saw you and Draco down by the lake yesterday." He blurted out. "Kissing." Hermione went slightly pink.
"Oh."
"Were you going to tell us?" Harry sounded slightly cross.
"Of course I was!" Hermione protested. "But I wanted to tell Ron first, and I haven't found the right moment." Harry leant towards her.
"Would you do me a huge favour?"
"What's that?" Hermione sounded wary, suspecting blackmail.
"Could you wait until after tomorrow's Quidditch match against Slytherin? We need to win, and we need Ron to be focused." Hermione smiled, relieved to have an excuse to put off the dreaded confession a little while longer.
"Sure. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of victory!"
*****
Dear Father,
Remember at Christmas I told you I'd made friends with Hermione Granger? Well, we've become more than just friends. I know you don't like me mixing with people from Muggle families, but I like her, and I think you would too, if she was pureblood. As I said during the holidays, I think it's better to have friends than enemies. If I need these people to trust me later in life, for whatever reason, it's better to start now. I can always make enemies later. You always said that you hated weak people who can't think for themselves. Well I'm thinking for myself now, and I've chosen a girl who's better for me than any of the half-wit purebloods I've dated before. Please try to understand.
Draco
*****
Dear Draco,
I can't say that I'm pleased with you, but I can tell that you won't listen to reason. At least this girl can be useful, she might encourage you to work harder, and as you said it could be to our advantage later if she trusts you. In any case, you're only sixteen and I'm sure this is just a phase you're going through. Mother sends her love.
Father
*****
"I'm actually seventeen now. You'd think he'd remember when my birthday is, wouldn't you?"
"It sounds like you're setting up some sort of plot to use me in a few years time." Hermione compared a copy of Draco's letter to his father's reply.
"I had to try to convince him. Let him think what he wants if it means he won't oppose us." She handed the pieces of parchment back to Draco, who tucked them into his pocket.
"How did Ron take it?"
"I haven't told him yet. We're playing you in tomorrow's Quidditch match, and I don't want to distract him."
"Putting Quidditch before me?" Draco pretended to be hurt. Hermione smiled.
"No. Harry saw us by the lake yesterday. I'm being blackmailed…"
*****
"Come on Gryffindor!" Ginny was starting to sound a little hoarse from screaming. "Come on Ron! Come on Harry!"
It was a long game. They'd been playing for nearly two hours, and there was no sign of the Golden Snitch. The scoring had been even for the first hour, then a couple of penalties to Gryffindor put them in the lead. For that point on, Ron was on top form. The Gryffindor score was now 280, Ron having scored 150 of those points.
"He's got the Quaffle again!" Ginny was standing on her seat, clutching Ron's Omnioculars. The Slytherin keeper tried to block him, but Ron feinted for the left hoop, then tossed the Quaffle through the central one.
"Go Ron!" Ginny yelled. Hermione winced and rubbed her ear.
"Come on Harry!" Neville stood up, pointing to where Harry and Draco were streaking towards a flash of gold.
Hermione held her breath. She knew that she should have been cheering for Harry, one of her best friends, and for her house, but she couldn't bring herself to shout out against Draco.
"Come on!" She let out her breath and settled for a neutral yell that people could interpret as they wanted. Ginny grabbed her hand and hauled her onto the seat.
The red blur that was Harry and the green blur that was Draco were now so close together that, even with Omnioculars, it was difficult to see what was going on. Suddenly they both slowed right down, and began to descend.
"Which one of them caught it?" Neville squinted at the pitch. Hermione focused her Omnioculars.
"Draco."
The Gryffindors fell silent for a moment, then Dennis Creevey gave a shout.
"We've won! We've won!"
"What?"
"We were 290 to 130. The Snitch is worth 150, so now it's 290 to 280. We've won!"
Various people started screaming.
"Come on, Hermione!" Ginny leapt off her seat, dragging Hermione after her, and ran for the stairs to go and congratulate her brother.
*****
"Well done, Ron!" Ginny flung her arms around her brother. "You were amazing!"
"Thanks Ginny." Ron looked past her to Hermione, who smiled at him and hugged him once Ginny let him go."
"Well done!"
"It was so close for the Snitch. Malfoy was just lucky." Ginny commiserated with Harry.
"Never mind." He shrugged and smiled. "We still won!"
"You idiot! Two more goals and we would have won! You had to go and catch it, didn't you! You could have just blocked him!" The Slytherin captain wasn't impressed by Draco catching the Snitch either.
Hermione caught Draco's eye and mouthed "well done!" They shared a smile, unaware that they were being observed.