Hermione had never been so angry. The look on Ginny's face from their conversation kept popping up as she tried to get some sleep, and not far behind it would be Draco's sneering expression, sending her mind into a fresh rant. When her alarm clock rang, sounding too cheery in the early morning haze, she knew she'd look terrible. She greeted Ginny in exhaustion, and wasn't surprised to see that she looked no better for the wear either. Hermione picked up the phone and dialed a long number while Ginny turned the TV on with a click of the remote.
"Hello Parvati," Hermione said into the phone. Ginny listened carefully, tucking her long Weasley legs under her comfortably and muting the TV. "Yeah…uh huh…no she's fine…Listen, I won't be in work today. No, it has nothing to do with-I think I ate something funny last night…ok. Ok. Bye." Hermione clicked the phone off and opened the fridge. "Telephones are so much better than owls," she muttered, taking out the jam. Ginny was silent; it was the first time Hermione was ever going to miss work and it was because of her.
"Hermione, you really don't have to-" she began awkwardly, but Hermione just waved her hand at her impatiently.
"Shut up, you know I do. Besides, I have a letter to send." Ginny raised her eyebrow, but Hermione was at the moment sticking her head in the fridge trying to find the crumpets. Ginny sighed and un-muted the television.
"Hey Herms, since when has Parvati had a phone?" she yelled into the kitchen.
"Ever since she started living with Dean," Hermione answered grinning. Ginny laughed.
"Does he have her going to football games with her yet? West Ham and all that?" Hermione shook her head laughing now.
"If you thought Parvati would be caught dead at a football game you obviously don't know the girl," she said, making Ginny laugh more. Suddenly, the newscaster music came on the TV and caught their attentions.
"We are here live at Piccadilly Square with a special news bulletin." The square-jawed woman on the screen was looking excited, as reporters do when something truly awful has happened. Ginny bit on her lip anxiously as Hermione came in with a crumpet dripping jam in hand. "There was a mass massacre last night at this very popular hangout with who police think were also responsible for the Lancaster Square murders. Authorities believe that the culprits are pyrotechnics of sorts due to their method of using sparks and lasers to kill. Back to the station, I'm Saffron Jones for CNN." Hermione's face was grave.
"Those Death Eaters are getting more and more ambitious…Piccadilly Square for God's sakes!" Ginny nodded, although fighting to keep down her giggles at 'method of using sparks and lasers to kill'. "Thank God this wasn't in Turkey or something, because then I'd have to really go into the office today." Ginny looked up.
"Oh go Hermione they'll need you!" Hermione shook her head.
"I'll bet you that at this instant they're rallying a press conference together for Harry; he's Head Auror anyway. I'd just be there to take notes or something, and right now the staying home bit sounds a lot more appealing." Ginny shrugged.
"All right, whatever you want to do." Hermione nodded efficiently, looking just like their Transfiguration teacher in Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall.
"That's right."
--
Draco Malfoy was sitting in his study opening a large, dusty old volume when the owl flew in. It was a beautiful owl: snowy white with flecks of golden all over it, like its huge eyes. However, it was unfamiliar to him and that made him a little wary. There was a small chain of Howlers that came to his doorstep when his parents were sent to Azkaban two years ago. Apprehensively he walked toward the owl. It cocked its head in an almost suspicious manner before sticking out its leg and hooting. Draco snatched the letter off of its leg and scanned it quickly.
Malfoy-
I won't lie to you; seeing you is the last thing I want. But sometimes you have to do something whether you like it or not. That being said, I need to speak with you: do you want me to Apparate to your 'manor' or will you come to my apartment?
-Hermione Granger (a.k.a. 'Mudblood')
So Granger 'needed' to see him! Well, that was an interesting development. For a second, Draco was planning to write back and say 'no thanks sod off', but his curiosity got the better of him.
Mudblood (you sad it, not me),
I have to say, I'm intrigued. I have a break in Quidditch practices so I'll Apparate to your place- 7 good for you? Don't bother to send a response unless there's a problem.
-Draco Malfoy
He sent the owl out the window and watched it fly away across the moors. "It almost looks like a postcard," he muttered tilting his head slightly. "One of those really crappy ones with yapping dogs and fox hunters." He shrugged and sat down ready to start translating the text in his hand from the Ancient Runes. He had translated 'dogs are fluffy carnivores' when the doorbell rang. "Marvelle!" He yelled. A small house elf came skidding into the study.
"Yes master?" Draco loved that: master.
"The door?" he said, making it sound completely obvious. Marvelle stood shock still for a moment before running off at breakneck speed to the door. Draco cringed when he heard the high voice of Pansy Parkinson saying 'take my coat? That's a good…erm, thing.' He waited to hear Marvelle say 'Sir is not home' but what he got was 'sir is in his study'. Scowling, he made a mental note to talk to that house elf about listening.
Pansy's high heels were clicking closer with every step, making Draco look around wildly for a closet he could duck into. No such luck; she threw open the door with a bang.
"Draco honey, can I come in?" she asked coming in. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Well sure, thanks for asking," he replied sarcastically. Pansy sat down on the couch looking like she was trying to be both alluring and furious; it didn't work. "So what is it Pansy?" he asked boredly, looking back to the book he was holding.
"Are you sure you meant to say that last night?" she blurted out. Draco smirked.
"I'm quite sure I did. That's why I said it." Pansy's eyes narrowed.
"Why though? I mean, it was going so well, and then you just…end it?!?" she shrieked, starting get a little colored from anger. "Without warning or anything? And in front of our friends?!?" Draco nodded.
"Yes dear, without warning, in front of our friends." Pansy pouted.
"But I don't understand."
"Frankly, you're overwhelmingly…well, overwhelmingly you. Now I'll talk to you later, drop me an owl and all that, bye bye now." Pansy's jaw dropped and she started to say something, but Draco's well trained house elves had come in and were now dragging her out by her arm. Draco sniggered as he watched her trip on the hallway carpet protesting loudly.
"Draco sweetie, get these creatures off me!!!" Draco just swiveled his chair around so he was facing the window and started to read about the nature of dogs chasing cats in his book.
--
Hermione took out her wallet. "All right, I've got a ton of Muggle money and it's been ages since I've gotten new clothes…are you up to the challenge?" Ginny jumped up glad for the interruption; the Muggles on the news were getting increasingly annoying.
"Yes! I'll be glad to do it." Hermione grinned.
"OK good. I need pants, shirts, shoes…" she paused. "Well, everything really." Ginny laughed.
"Everything's my specialty." Ginny ran in her room and slid her sneakers on, grabbing her purse as she wiped some lip gloss on hurriedly. With a nod to Hermione they popped out of their apartment.
--
Five hours later, they collapsed on their sofa, exhausted. Hermione clutched three bags while Ginny clasped five. She gave Hermione an embarrassed grin. "And this was supposed to be a trip for you!" Hermione laughed.
"Hey I got loads of stuff," she replied pointing to her bags. Ginny started to happily unpack her new clothes when Helena came flying in. Hermione jumped up.
"Fastest owl I've ever seen!" Ginny said in amazement as Hermione untied the letter from her owl's leg. She read it through quickly and smiled mischievously. Ginny looked at her curiously.
"What's up 'Mione?" Hermione looked up and shook her head. "Come on tell me!"
"No! Now come on, it's time for you to go to work." Ginny groaned.
"You got to skip work why can't I?" She moaned. Hermione tapped her on the head with the parchment.
"Because if you don't go everyone will think you've gone 'round the bend because of Bleach Boy," she explained simply. Ginny sighed.
"You're right I suppose. All right, I'd better get out of my sweats then." Hermione watched Ginny walk into her room with her carrier bags and then she looked at the letter in her hands again.
"My, won't this be fun?"
--
Thirty minutes later, Hermione brushed up Ginny's makeup with a stroke of the eye brush. "There! No one could tell you were bawling your eyes out just last night," she said, blending the eyeshadow in. Ginny smiled gratefully.
"Thanks."
"No problem. I've got nothing better to do anyway," she replied, putting the makeup brush in its little pot. Ginny looked at herself in the mirror; the dark circles were gone, hidden by concealer, and instead her eyes looked their sparkly best. She pouted in the mirror and then cracked up laughing at the horrible attempt.
"Well, I'd better be off then," she said, giving Hermione a hug before she went. Ginny looked at her waitress' outfit making sure no mysterious stains were on it before popping out of sight.
Hermione waited a minute or two to make sure she had really gone before rushing into the living room. She checked the oven clock; 5:13. Breathing a sigh of relief, she took out her wand. It wouldn't hurt to touch things up a bit.
It really was a very good thing that Hermione had magic to help her, because it would have taken a Muggle five hours to clean up the mess she cleared with her wand. She pointed her wand at the stereo and started dancing as she cleaned, shimmying as she made everything sparkle. Hopping to the beat, she made the dishes wash themselves. Muggle music had been one thing that wizards couldn't substitute; they really knew how to make it good. Hermione bounced around the room cleaning the windows, levitating clothes to get in their proper drawers and wiping the counters. She was just getting really into it, jumping a couple feet into the air on every other beat (with the help of her wand of course) when she heard a 'pop'. She brought herself back down to the ground and flushed when she saw the amused face of Draco Malfoy looking at her. Quickly switching off the stereo she motioned for him to sit. He obliged, looking around.
"So is this just your apartment then?" he asked, noticing how big it was for a London flat. She shook her head, sitting across from him.
"No, I have a roommate." Draco leaned back in his seat.
"Anyone I'd know?" Hermione rapidly searched for an answer that wouldn't give Ginny away.
"She's out; she's got work." This dodging of questions had been Hermione's specialty in the latter part of her school life. It would always fool Harry and Ron, who never thought to get the correct answer to their question. Draco, however, was different.
"Oh…" he said, recognition coming over his face. He looked innocently at Hermione. "So which room is the Weasel's?" She glared at him but pointed it out anyway.
"That one." Draco peered in and smirked.
"Must be nice, going from her old shack of a house to this dump." Hermione clasped her wand very tightly.
"Look Malfoy, all I want is two minutes of your time and then you're out of here," she said with tight lips, willing herself not to curse the living crap out of him. He shrugged.
"Fine. Go ahead."
Hermione leaned forward taking a big breath. "If you think that we're just going to take your shit like school, you're gravely mistaken. I'm not threatening you or anything physical like that, but you'd better watch it Malfoy; we don't care why you may be saying things to hurt people, but if it doesn't stop soon-"
"What? You're going to tell on me?" he asked in a bored tone.
"No. But you'll have to live with yourself knowing you caused people so much pain," she replied simply. "Ginny was just doing her job; granted, she didn't want to serve your table, but she did it anyway. And for you to bring up her most traumatic memories ever is completely unacceptable." Draco was inwardly impressed despite himself, but kept up the indifferent guise.
"Well look who's gone all McGonagall on us," he said smirking. Hermione breathed in deeply.
"Just watch it." Suddenly, Draco found himself being propelled through the door and then having it slammed in his face.
"This should be interesting," he said quietly, before Apparating out of sight.
--
Promises for Next Weekend:
-Draco and Ginny meet again
-Hermione talks to Ron and Harry
-Pansy makes a cameo
how special! Now you can mark it on your calendars. :-)