Chapter Seven: Someone's going on the 'nice' list this year...
(A/N: This is backtracking a bit...perhaps that's clear, but whatever)
"Bloody HELL..." Draco muttered. "Sodding goody-two-shoes Gryffindors pooping up all over the place, can't a body get any peace..." He looked down at the young redhead on the floor. What to do with her? His first impulse was to leave her, but a letter from his father that had been received that morning still weighed heavily on his mind. The Weasley girl had enough troubles ahead of her without being left to the mercy of Peeves or Mr.Filch.
He scooped her small frame up in his arms and set off toward the great hall, in hopes that Potter or one of his friends would be there and wouldn't kill him before he had a chance to explain.
As luck would have it, Granger and the Weasel were there. Ron started up as Malfoy approached them, but Hermione spoke first. "What happened, Malfoy?"
Draco looked at them and felt a twinge of guilt. They had no idea what was going to be revealed to them in just a very few hours, he imagined. "I don't know." he replied quietly. "I was walking up from the dungeons and she ran into me, quite hysterical, mind you, and -" he paused as he transferred Ginny to her brother's arms. "-and then she sort of collapsed."
"All on her own, eh?" Ron said furiously. "If you did something to her Malfoy, I swear to Merlin, I'll-"
"Ron, I'm not surprised." Hermione cut him off smoothly. " You know Ginny hasn't been eating, she's probably suffering from malnutrition and such...oh dear, we should take her up to the Hospital Wing right away...Madam Pomfrey will know what to do."
"Yeah, yeah, all right." Ron muttered.
"Acually, Ron, why don't you and Malfoy do it, and I'll get Harry."
"Hermione!" Ron sounded outraged.
"Oh fine then, I'LL go with Malfoy and YOU get Harry."
"That's no better!"
"Ron." Hermione sighed patiently. "I don't have time to argue with you. Give Ginny to Malfoy. He hasn't hurt her yet, I doubt he'll start now." Ron grudgingly obliged her, giving Draco murderous looks all the while. "Now go get Harry." Ron slouched off in the direction of the doors and Hermione sighed. Draco had to admire her empowered attitude.
"Now," she rounded on him and he became a bit less admiring and a bit more intimidated. "Let's go. I want to know everything about what happened, and I mean EVERYTHING, it could be important." He followed her meekly out of the dining hall.
"Er, okay, well, she came tearing round the corner blubbering like a-"
Hermione gave him a hard look that said 'Some people might be afraid of you, but I'M not.'
"Okay, okay, she was running and crying about...something." Draco paused. "What do you mean she hasn't been eating?"
"Like you care." They hopped the trick step, and Hermione was surprised at the way Draco was careful not to jolt the small body in his arms.
"Perhaps I do." was all he said.
"Ginny's...depressed, I guess you could say. She's been having a rough time of it."
"With...Potter."
"Yeah."
"Not surprised."
"Well, frankly, neither was anyone else, at least when they started snogging in the middle of the common room. What surprised people was Harry running away 5 minutes later."
"Er, not following you."
"Yeah. Kissed her and ran. Quite a soap opera. People thought he was just shy until the nub and thrust of it came out."
"Yeah?" This was juicy stuff, Draco mused. Who knew Potty and the Weasel had such interesting lives or that the brainiac could be such a gossip?
"Harry and Ginny...they love each other, I think, but with the dark lord and all the deaths, especially people close to Harry...he's scared, I think, and Ginny..."
"Yeah?"
"And..." Hermione faltered.
"Er, what?"
She shook herself. "Why am I telling you this? Anyway, here we are."
Draco would be dissapointed that they had reached the hostpital wing except for the fact that his arms had started to go numb. Madame Pomfrey almost accosted them, clucking in a motherly way and demanding to know what had happened. Draco gently deposited Ginny on one of the hospital beds and left quiet and unnoticed as Madame P tutted at Hermione. Or so he thought.
Hermione saw him leave and a small smile alighted her face. What had gotten into Draco Malfoy?
(A/N: This is backtracking a bit...perhaps that's clear, but whatever)
"Bloody HELL..." Draco muttered. "Sodding goody-two-shoes Gryffindors pooping up all over the place, can't a body get any peace..." He looked down at the young redhead on the floor. What to do with her? His first impulse was to leave her, but a letter from his father that had been received that morning still weighed heavily on his mind. The Weasley girl had enough troubles ahead of her without being left to the mercy of Peeves or Mr.Filch.
He scooped her small frame up in his arms and set off toward the great hall, in hopes that Potter or one of his friends would be there and wouldn't kill him before he had a chance to explain.
As luck would have it, Granger and the Weasel were there. Ron started up as Malfoy approached them, but Hermione spoke first. "What happened, Malfoy?"
Draco looked at them and felt a twinge of guilt. They had no idea what was going to be revealed to them in just a very few hours, he imagined. "I don't know." he replied quietly. "I was walking up from the dungeons and she ran into me, quite hysterical, mind you, and -" he paused as he transferred Ginny to her brother's arms. "-and then she sort of collapsed."
"All on her own, eh?" Ron said furiously. "If you did something to her Malfoy, I swear to Merlin, I'll-"
"Ron, I'm not surprised." Hermione cut him off smoothly. " You know Ginny hasn't been eating, she's probably suffering from malnutrition and such...oh dear, we should take her up to the Hospital Wing right away...Madam Pomfrey will know what to do."
"Yeah, yeah, all right." Ron muttered.
"Acually, Ron, why don't you and Malfoy do it, and I'll get Harry."
"Hermione!" Ron sounded outraged.
"Oh fine then, I'LL go with Malfoy and YOU get Harry."
"That's no better!"
"Ron." Hermione sighed patiently. "I don't have time to argue with you. Give Ginny to Malfoy. He hasn't hurt her yet, I doubt he'll start now." Ron grudgingly obliged her, giving Draco murderous looks all the while. "Now go get Harry." Ron slouched off in the direction of the doors and Hermione sighed. Draco had to admire her empowered attitude.
"Now," she rounded on him and he became a bit less admiring and a bit more intimidated. "Let's go. I want to know everything about what happened, and I mean EVERYTHING, it could be important." He followed her meekly out of the dining hall.
"Er, okay, well, she came tearing round the corner blubbering like a-"
Hermione gave him a hard look that said 'Some people might be afraid of you, but I'M not.'
"Okay, okay, she was running and crying about...something." Draco paused. "What do you mean she hasn't been eating?"
"Like you care." They hopped the trick step, and Hermione was surprised at the way Draco was careful not to jolt the small body in his arms.
"Perhaps I do." was all he said.
"Ginny's...depressed, I guess you could say. She's been having a rough time of it."
"With...Potter."
"Yeah."
"Not surprised."
"Well, frankly, neither was anyone else, at least when they started snogging in the middle of the common room. What surprised people was Harry running away 5 minutes later."
"Er, not following you."
"Yeah. Kissed her and ran. Quite a soap opera. People thought he was just shy until the nub and thrust of it came out."
"Yeah?" This was juicy stuff, Draco mused. Who knew Potty and the Weasel had such interesting lives or that the brainiac could be such a gossip?
"Harry and Ginny...they love each other, I think, but with the dark lord and all the deaths, especially people close to Harry...he's scared, I think, and Ginny..."
"Yeah?"
"And..." Hermione faltered.
"Er, what?"
She shook herself. "Why am I telling you this? Anyway, here we are."
Draco would be dissapointed that they had reached the hostpital wing except for the fact that his arms had started to go numb. Madame Pomfrey almost accosted them, clucking in a motherly way and demanding to know what had happened. Draco gently deposited Ginny on one of the hospital beds and left quiet and unnoticed as Madame P tutted at Hermione. Or so he thought.
Hermione saw him leave and a small smile alighted her face. What had gotten into Draco Malfoy?