7th Year
Read On, My People, Read On
By byebye
Author's Note: Well, someone help me with my storyline here.. I don't want anything graphic *sorry* because I'm only thirteen and if my mom somehow finds out I'm dead, and.. Well, aside from that it's all good. Anyhow, I do not own these characters, and seeing as I'm completely unoriginal *see I can't even use an original word (haaaha..ha)*, I probably won't make up that many to own anyhow. The storyline, however, is, and.. Well, if you like it I'm flattered, because it really doesn't exist right now *you know, the substance, the plot* because the previous chapter was all setup. For school and that sorta thing. "And for Draco being nicer!" *cough* *cough* Didn't mean to shout there people. *incoherent mutterings* I'm just a YOUNG teenager trying to write a decent fanfiction. The word fanfic isn't that bad, but I have a LOT of time on my hands. *haaaaaaha, time on my hands, haaha, you type with your hands, getit?!! Haaaa.. I just realized that that's not funny. But it wasn't supposed to be when I typed it either. My brain goes mushy when it doesn't know what to type. So I'll just give you my story then? LOVE you. byebye. @_ o~~
*****
'What?' Hermione froze for a moment, wondering what had just happened. Malfoy was actually being somewhat normal. Maybe he had changed over the summer? She shook her head with a slight frown; his father would never allow that to happen, imagine, a Malfoy, sweet and caring to a mudblood? Continuing to walk to the food stand, Hermione paused, pulling out some money and dropping it on the counter as she received a small container of pebbled ice cream flavored vanilla. "Ginny?"
The familiar redhead grinned as she snatched the ice cream and spoon from Hermione, twirling the plastic silverware between two fingers. "So, Hermione, how've you been?" Ginny smiled mischievously, ever the fun-loving girl.
"Ah, fine?"
The younger girl continued to smile, giving back the container of forgotten ice cream. "That's what I thought, seeing as-." She coughed to cut herself off purposefully. "And what were you doing talking with Malfoy? He actually looked like he was being.. I don't know, normal."
Now Hermione laughed, offering the container back to Ginny. She didn't want it anymore; Ginny took it with a questioning look and waited to a response. "Well.. He doesn't think I should be here." With a slight smile, she added, "I don't really think I should be here though; Ron and Harry left me as soon as they figured out where they were, and, well, I've never liked Quidditch that much, you know?"
"'Mione! Don't let Malfoy get to you. You are interested in Quidditch." She shifted. "Really." She paused for a moment to take a scoop of the ice cream. "Besides, if you keep giving me free food I will be too."
"Harry, look at this!" Ron pulled him by the sleeve to an ancient broomstick that had been used until it had been worn to the point that it looked sanded.
"You know, it looks a bit like yours.."
"Be quiet! Besides, that isn't too much of an insult.. It doesn't look bad at all, though the handling might be a bit.." Harry shook his head in amazement and continued along, halting as they reached the seating area for the lecture.
"Well, if it isn't Potter and Weasley." A snide voice sounded beside them and Ron's cheeks reddened, though only slightly. "Do you think you'll be able to keep up with the speaker? Best in his time."
Harry frowned as Ron's fists clenched and unclenched. He wished Malfoy would stop aggravating Ron; he didn't do anything to him. "Do you need something, Malfoy?"
"Funny you should ask; Granger asked me that some time ago." He smirked as Ron's knuckles turned white. Harry was harder to annoy. "Is there a reason she was left all along for me to rag on? Or is she just the easiest target out of you three? You're normally inseparable. Or is this where that.. bond ends?"
"Malfoy." Harry's tone seemed to tell Malfoy he was pushing it. "Hermione isn't the biggest fan of Quidditch, as you might've noticed. She went off by herself because she didn't feel like dealing with two people who are."
"Who are what? Quidditch's largest fans? I'm not quite sure about that, Potter, but I'll get back to you. I have a few more people to annoy. G'bye, Weasley. Good luck finding a cheap broom."
Ron looked like he was going to sucker punch him, but he kept it to himself. "If he did anything to her,.." he growled, fists balled up.
"Don't worry Ron. We'll both deck him then. For now, let's just find her? Speak to her a bit at any rate." Ron nodded, but the two soon got caught up in another showcasing. Not that they didn't care to find Hermione, but they could see her every day. This they couldn't. Besides, Malfoy wouldn't do anything to her while there was a crowd.
"'Mione!" Ginny nudged Hermione, who had started to wander off again thoughtlessly.
"Sorry, Ginny. My mind's on other things. What is it?" Hermione cut her off as she opened her mouth. "Oh! Sorry. Time for the lecture, right?"
She smiled weakly. "Um, yeah. That's the reason everyone's here, remember?"
Hermione shoved her playfully before they began making their way towards the seating area. There were several, but they wanted to at least get seats where they would be properly faced. "I'm not that thick. Look, there's Ron." Ginny sprinted forward to ram into her brother playfully as Hermione approached the two, Harry giving her a quick squeeze as he glanced around. "Mm, where've you two been?"
"Ah, nowhere. Just comparing the similarities of the brooms they had back when and Ron's." They sat, Hermione beside Harry and Ginny, Ron sitting on the other side of Ginny. "So,.. Hermione, we hear you had a run in with Malfoy?"
"What?" Her eyebrows came together and Ginny looked up at her expectantly. "Who told you that?"
Ron cut in. "Malfoy."
Her lips twitched and she shrugged slightly. "He just doesn't think I should be here. Seeing as I don't play Quidditch."
"Well that's ridiculous! Ginny doesn't play Quidditch!" Ron nearly hit his sister in the head when his arms swung out. Ginny was, in fact, training. Secretly, and under Seamus Finnigan. He was a good teacher, but not the best player for the sport.
"Um, Ron, getting a little close there." Ginny gently pushed her brother's arm down and motioned toward the stand. "You guys, be quiet, okay? He'd going to be up soo-"
Right then the speaker did in fact appear at the front of the building crowds. "Good afternoon, everyone." The man stood up onto the stand and it was rather quiet for a moment as the crowd finished filling in. It wasn't as much as Ron and Harry had thought tehre would be, and the man began his lecture.
Draco Malfoy stood at the back, casting his demeaning gaze over the crowd before it landed on Hermione Granger. 'Mudblood. Filthy, rotten, mudblood.' He turned his head in disgust. She had broken into him, but he wasn't about to let that happen again. Sure he had been less than cruel to her, but that gave her no excuse-! He was about to stalk off when she stood up, muttering something to Harry beside her. Potter seemed to try and gently pull her back into the seat, but she shook her head gently and walked down the aisle as ___ continued talking, saying something about how he knew the son of the son (etc.) of the founder of Quidditch. As she neared the end he silently stalked to the side. Unintentionally, of course. He never meant to sneak up on people, though it was a startlingly helpful trait. "Granger."
She nearly jumped, swiveling sharply to face him. "Oh-!.. Malfoy?" Chestnut hair fell lazily below her shoulders, cascading down her back in slender ripples. It was much improved from the first three years of frizz. She looked at him strangely. "Do you.. Need something?"
"Always the same question, Granger. Break out of the box, or cubicle for that matter." He frowned at himself, turning. He would have to shut up. Why did he approach her anyhow?
She paused for a moment. "Well then, how are you, Malfoy? I'm so longing to hear an answer."
"Stuff it."
"Ooh. Yeah. Great response there. Next time why don't you try something more original, like I know you are but what am I?" She frowned in a slightly cute pout. He might need to see a therapist. "Why bother changing if the reply is going to worsen?"
"And my responses mean that much to you, Granger?"
To his surprise she blushed slightly, though she quickly reverted to the normal, slightly tan cheeks resting on high, slender cheekbones. What was his problem, anyhow? "What? No. I just want to be on neutral terms, if we're, as you say, going to be living even remotely near each other."
"And you take these precautions with everyone? I had the feeling I would be excluded from such treatment." He frowned, raising his eyebrows at her suspiciously. "There isn't something you're not telling me, is there?"
"And if there was, why would you need to know?" She smiled; she got him. "We're not going to be that close, Malfoy."
He frowned, but she had caught that. "Neutral, hm? What do you mean by that then?" He raised his eyebrows expectantly. From his father he had found that the Head Boy and Girl would each have their own separate room, but those two rooms would be separated by only a shared common room and balcony outside.
"What do I-!" She paused upon realizing that the question itself was neutral, without any implications. "I mean not fighting and arguing all the time, Malfoy." She paused. "Though sometimes it's nice to debate.. not all the time. Alright?"
His eyebrows raised once more, disdainfully. "Never thought you'd stoop to bargaining for peace, Granger. Never thought." Draco shook his head with an amused smile and she frowned, looking up at him.
"If you don't want to then tell me so, don't be derisive." She took a step back. "But you didn't answer my question."
"Right. I'll do what I please, Granger." He smirked. "But I really don't think I have a choice. I'll be seeing you."
After she had went to the bathrooms and come back, Hermione sat thinking at her seat, only half paying attention to the speaker and her surroundings. Once or twice she felt Harry nudge her as ___ said something important, but that was all. Malfoy was being semi-nice to her. This was strange. Didn't he hate her or something, for being a Mudblood, associated with the Boy who Lived and Ronald Weasley, the 'poor git'? Yet he had just, sort of, agreed to at least try to be peaceful? Granted he said he didn't have a choice, but that was just what he had said. What was up?
"Hermione." Harry's voice sounded softly in her ear and she blinked once as she gently turned to almost face him. Was ___ still speaking? Yes. "What're you thinking of?"
She smiled slightly. "What?" She turned slightly away consciously; their heads had almost touched.
"You're obviously not thinking of Quidditch."
Hermione nodded slightly, now for some reason paying rapt attention tot the man. "Just about school. Hogwarts. What our last year is going to be like." She nudged him. "That sort of thing."
*****
It was finally over. Thank god. Even Harry had gotten bored by the first hour; Ron had begun to half-sleep by the next thirty minutes. "So.. What did you think?" Hermione recoiled at the glares she got. "The two of you wanted to go to this, remember?"
"Your idea.. in the first place."
"You think you wouldn't have gone anyhow, had there been some reminder?" She shoved Harry as Ginny appeared in the kitchen, and he stumbled into her, Ginny blushing wildly.
"Sorry, Ginny." He looked up at the ceiling and then over and down at Hermione. "Well.. I suppose," he muttered. "I didn't know someone could ramble on for so long about.. I don't know, the times he's broken something, or how many times he's narrowly avoided breaking something. I thought it was about Quidditch techniques, not old tech-masters."
"We all thought that, Harry," Ron sighed, propping himself up against a wall.
Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "So now what are we going to do?"
Ginny grinned. "It's three in the afternoon, 'Mione. What do you think boys do?" Hermione's genuinely unknowing expression caused the younger Weasley to laugh lightly. "They sleep. Like logs." Ron had once told her the male race preferred bears over that, but he was already half-asleep anyhow.
"G'night, Hermione, Ginny.." Ron stooped up the stairs; they heard him collapse onto the floor as he entered his room. Nodding at the two slightly, Harry followed.
Ginny shrugged. "It was a three hour speech. You can't expect men to stay awake through all of it." Hermione nodded a bit in agreement. "But.." Now Ginny's face blushed a bit. "I think I'm going to sleep too." She shook back at Hermione's wondering look that stated clearly 'What is the world coming to?'. "You know, just to try it out?"
"Whatever you say, Ginny. If I'm not here when you guys get up I'm shopping." Hermione nodded a bit in agreement. "But.." Now Ginny's face blushed a bit. "I think I'm going to sleep too." She shook back at Hermione's wondering look that stated clearly 'What is the world coming to?'. "You know, just to try it out?"
"Whatever you say, Ginny. If I'm not here when you guys get up I'm shopping." Ginny trudged up the stairs apologetically, leaving Hermione to do nothing but what she had said she would do. "When all else fails," she whispered. "Shop." It was a method she had learned a few years back, but it worked splendidly. "Apparatus."
Arriving just outside of Diagon Alley, she drew her purse up to her closer, tapping the brick and entering briskly. The shops were as crowded today as ever, with last minute shoppers for Hogwarts bustling around.
"Hey, Hermione!" Seamus Finnigan caught her eye and hesitated a few moments to walk beside her, carrying huge bags. "How are you? Staying with Ron the last few nights?" He winked suggestively and she blushed, shoving him playfully.
"No! Well, yes, but not like that." She frowned at him, not quite meaning it, and continued walking along, quicker to keep up with his increasing pace. "Are you looking forward to the school year?"
"Hah!" He paused for a moment as she looked serious. "I mean.. no?" She shook her head and he shrugged. "Anyhow, I think I'll talk with you later at school, about, erm, homework," Hermione smiled disapprovingly, "But I've got to catch up with my mum. She's paying for everything, you know, so-… Hey! Mum! Wait up!"
*****
Hermione had shopped. And shopped. There was nothing she needed. Several potion ingredients from the apothecary, as well as a few books on potions, spells, and basic histories, but that was all. She was in a small store filled with several organized miscellaneous things. Lifting a silver sphere lightly, she shook it in one sharp movement, and the telescope came out in its many layers. Gingerly she lifted it to her eye, muttering a few words to adjust the amount it magnified. Something suddenly blocked her view and she dropped it, startled, looking into the eyes of Draco Malfoy.
"Wouldn't want to drop that, Granger." The hints of a genuine smile showed at his lips, but his expression wasn't there. Looking down, she found that his hands were wrapped around hers, cupped as hers had been shaped, to cradle the compact telescope gently. They remained like that for a moment before he abruptly pulled away, as though realizing what it must look like. "Did I startle you?" He smirked; here was the Malfoy she knew. Or not, seeing as the question voiced that he cared somewhat about what happened to her.
"A bit, yes." She smiled slightly. "But I suppose that's to be expected. Last minute shopping, Malfoy?" She said the name with less malice than usual.
His lips twitched as though deciding what to say. "Not exactly. Looking for things I might want." He paused, pulling one of her bags from her and looking over the title of one of her books. "Potions? Going to Polymorph again?" Her lips twisted into a frown. "No need, Granger. I know it was your idea. Potter and Weasley, not too much offense, aren't bright enough."
Hermione smiled slightly. "No. I just thought it might be useful.."
He decided not to comment. That was a first. "Well.." He shrugged, handing her bags back to her as she shifted uncomfortably. "It doesn't matter to me. I might ask to borrow it, once in a while though, is that alright?"
Draco Malfoy, asking her permission for something? She nodded dumbly and caught herself as she was about to remark on that. "So.. What do you think of the living arrangement?"
He appeared to shrug slightly, though she wasn't sure. "I don't really care." He was just being indifferent now. "I suppose it'll be nice to have my own room for once, and a commonroom that's not quite so crowded." To mention nothing of the balcony. "And the sharing.." He appeared to frown. "I can put up with that."
"Ah," she said brilliantly. Hermione really couldn't think of anything to say; since when did Malfoy approach her to initiate normal conversation? "What did you think of the lecture?"
His frown told her everything. "It was fine. Though I believe everyone was under the impression that his speech would be on things other than himself. Particularly techniques and styles that he used in Quidditch when he was still able to play. Not on the mishaps that had occurred of that he had narrowly avoided. I notice your friends slept rather soundly?"
"Yes." She smiled at the memory. Ron next to Ginny was leaning on his sister, too much weight for the younger Weasley, who was leaning over to Hermione for support. Harry, in addition, was already asleep, but he at least slept sitting straight up. "Ron and Harry didn't find the lecture to be as interesting as they thought either." If she was to assume that Malfoy didn't think that it was as interesting as it could have been.
Draco frowned. This was almost a normal conversation. Like he would have with some relative that he didn't particularly care about. This needed to stop. He couldn't be nice to a mudblood. "I didn't think you would've stayed awake. You're not even interested in Quidditch." Still neutral. Damn.
"Well, it's more I don't care for doing the actual sport rather than watching it played out before me." She shrugged slightly as she continued to roll the ball from one hand to another. It was almost irritating. "What?"
"Nothing." His voice was a low growl, and he knew it. This was better. "So you prefer watching people do something that they worked for then not even care for it rather than figuring things out and actually experiencing it?"
Now Hermione frowned, eyes caught between an angry flashing and a bright twinkle. It was.. "You yourself told me not to earlier, didn't you, Malfoy?"
Why did she keep track of those things? He didn't bother trying to find a reply; it was hopeless, and even if he did, he would have to backtrack. No need to; Granger could make the extra effort if she wanted to continue talking to him. He shook his head as she raised her eyebrows questioningly, slightly pompously, as he had told her earlier as well. "Yes, Granger, I did. Because you would absolutely make the Gryffindor team a horrendous match against anyone, so I take it back, join, I don't mind. The whole of Gryffindor might, but hey, that's alright, why not?"
She hated his sarcasm. "Whatever, Malfoy. Listen, remember the neutral thing?" He nodded slightly. He knew where this was going. Good; now at least he could undo whatever nice things he had told her. "Forget it. I'm sure we can both live without that."
Draco nodded. "I'm sure we can. I'll just avoid you in the common room, and the balcony, and the hallways, and classes, and we'll do great." He smirked, half frowning. At least he could aggravate her. "I'll see you around, Granger."
Hermione watched him leave the shop. Had he come in there only to speak with her? Or had he been in there before and she just hadn't noticed? Or.. 'Who cares?' She frowned at herself. For whatever strange reason, she did.
*****
Aaaaaaaaagh! Still no reviews. *so sad, so sad. Of course, I put this up 2 days after I published this thing, so.. oh well.* Anyhow, since I have exactly no one's opinion on this, I cannot tell people what I think of their reviews, or of them, or of anything for that matter. And seeing as that is the case, I don't think anyone is reading this either. Ah, well. So review, please. As for my apologies to the people who do read this, sorry that it still has no plot. I write, and I write, and there is still no plot. Somebody shoot me before the tomatoes start hurtling at my face. At any rate, sorry that this is going nowhere. In the first chapter starting a few days before Hogwarts seemed like a good idea, but for whatever reason it's not working for me. I'm just trying to pass those days now, so if you have any ideas, can you help? Because I sincerely have no idea what to do for the last two days. Really. But if I don't get any reviews I'll still write, BUT IT WON'T BE AS GOOD! Of course, my work can't really be called good, but you know. So review, PLEASE..!!!!!!!! Oh. Review should be capitalized, shouldn't it?.. REVIEW! Thanx.