There was a tense and awkward silence as everyone settled back into the circle; the only difference was that it was much more far spread out. Therefore, the entire carriage was taken up by sprawling and pretty much very hormonal/angry teenagers. Harry looked around and almost laughed. Two days ago he never would've thought he'd be stuck in a train car with these people!
Hermione coughed and everyone jumped. "Sorry," she mumbled, crossing over to the window seat and sitting down on her knees. Ron yawned and started tapping out "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the wooden floor until he realized the annoying stares he was getting. He flushed scarlet as Weasleys are well known to do and then George burst out jovially, "So the game's a bust because Peroxide here fancies our little sister. Now what?" Draco scowled at the name and comment while Ginny fought to keep her own blush down. Ron snarled but kept quiet, except for his loudly cracking knuckles.
"Ew that's so nasty!" Pansy exclaimed, inching farther away from Ron. Ron grinned mischievously and rotated his wrist and then his neck: cracking all round. Pansy shrieked and backed up straight into Draco. He looked down and opened his mouth to say something scathing, but then sighed and leaned against the wall, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
"I need to get out of here," he muttered darkly. "I think I'm going mad."
"You'd better hope you're going mad," Ron began, taking a suspicious look at him and then Ginny, before receiving a Look from Hermione and Harry.
"He's right though, if we don't get out of here soon we'll either starve or skin each other alive with penknives," Harry put in. There was a murmur of agreement that circulated the room. Ginny idly threw a Sickle up into the air and started twirling it midair with her wand. Everyone watched, with a lack of something better to do. She concentrated hard, tongue sticking out slightly as she made it go loop-the-loop and swoop dangerously close to her eyes. Draco, getting sick of the silence, got up abruptly and grabbed it out of the air. He smirked at her indignant face and pocketed it.
"Hey thanks," he said, patting his pocket. Ginny frowned, but when he turned around the Sickle floated out of his pocket and into her hand. Hermione looked on approvingly.
"You've really gotten very good at Charms Gin!" she said, coming to sit next to her instead. Ginny beamed.
"Thanks."
From the corner of the room came a low humming- Pansy. Ginny and Hermione listened despite themselves as Ron, Fred, George and Harry started talking about Quidditch; Draco crossed over to them to listen. Pansy's humming was quite good for a hum; low and rich. Hermione recognized the song as a Muggle tune, and picked up the middle part when the right beat came. Her hum was lovely, not too high not too low, and incredibly rounded as it seemed. Pansy looked up, surprised, but didn't stop. Ginny looked from girl to girl and listened attentively as they rounded where the repeat was. Having the tune, she joined in; a lilting soprano. Crabbe and Goyle were playing Rocks Paper Scissors in the corner, where the winner would pound the other's hand viciously with their "rock".
The girls came to the loudest part of the song and without thinking, they burst out into the words (although Ginny was singing on "la"). The guys all jumped from fright and then simultaneously raised their eyebrows. Draco saw this similarity and stopped immediately. The girls shut their mouths firmly, embarrassed, but there was a secret smile between them now that was the musical bind that united them in song. Pansy's face was that of pure relief, although on every guy's face was what Kwik Horror must look like.
"What was that?' Fred asked pleasantly.
"A song I suppose," Ginny answered sarcastically, and Hermione and Pansy laughed. Harry and Ron looked at Hermione quizzically, but she took no notice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The boredom was beginning to settle in. No one had a watch even, so the minutes seemed to sludge by at the pace of molasses in January. Harry looked around him and shook his head with a slight smile as Pansy shoved back the cushions of the window seat to find her lost nail. Red like the rest presumably. She was muttering under her breath, "Bugger, that's the third one this week!" Pansy looked up to find Hermione crouching down as well. Pansy snarled. "What do you want Granger?"
"Helping you find your sodding nail," came the muffled reply. Hermione hadn't moved her head to look at her, which was probably a good thing: Pansy's face was one of confusion. Hermione popped up triumphantly. "Got it! Here you are," she said, handing the nail to Pansy.
"Need adhesive glue to get that thing back on Pans?" Draco drawled sarcastically. Pansy scowled.
"No thank you I'm fine," she replied, arranging it on her middle finger carefully and then sticking the newly improved finger at Draco. Everyone started laughing as Draco narrowed his eyes.
"Watch it Parkinson," he said in what he thought was a menacing manner. Pansy started giggling.
"Au contraire Malfoy, you should watch it," she said pointing at her finger again threateningly. Fresh laughter erupted all over the carriage as Draco's expression darkened considerably. He sat down glaring at them all thinking hard.
Okay…I'm stuck. In a bloody train carriage. With the people I hate most. And now the one person I know I can control is on THEIR side! Looks like the only way I'm getting out of here is to fake it. Draco looked back up to find that everyone had moved on from his minor embarrassment and was relieved. He leaned back and started quietly eavesdropping on the conversation Ron and Hermione were having in hushed tones behind him.
"I don't like it Herm, its way too strange," Ron was saying, and Draco could hear the cracking knuckles while he spoke. Draco's interest perked.
Hermione sighed. "Look, you'll just have to get over it, ok? Just because he might think your sister is…" it seemed like Hermione was disapproving of the term, "…hot or something, doesn't mean you can let him annoy you so badly!" Draco silently congratulated himself on the unintentional annoyance he had now provided them.
"It's just bloody wrong! She's my sister, a Weasley, and he's supposed to hate us! That's the natural way of things! And she didn't even look repulsed at the very idea of it!" Ron's voice increased in volume slightly and indignantly.
"Well, that game certainly brought out…interesting aspects of people…" Hermione's voice said, sounding as though it carried a hint. There was a pause.
"Look Mione, I-I reckon I went slightly mad there or something just forget about it ok?" Ron replied defensively. Inwardly, Draco grinned; from his past experience, that is something a guy should never say to a girl, even if under the influence of drugs!
Hermione's voice was slightly shaky, but trying to be nonchalant when she answered, "Oh well yes, that's what I was planning to do. Right. Yes well-back to Ginny then?" Draco decided he had heard enough and that he didn't want to hear anymore about him and slid to the floor for a nap.
Hermione wasn't listening to a word of the rant Ron was on as she seethed silently. He's such a bloody bloke! A guy with no sensitivity at all! Damn pig, how DARE he even say that to me??? She came back to reality when she heard Ron saying "Isn't that right Hermione?"
"Oh yes, absolutely," she replied rolling her eyes, but he didn't see. Now he was onto Draco Hair Bashing. Hermione leaned back and sighed deeply. She'd heard it all before, and was quite frankly starting to get sick of it. Sure, he was an enormous prat, but it wasn't so bad that she wanted to throw him off of a cliff. She'd gotten over the Mudblood thing ages ago too. It's hard to get really worked up about a term that's from a world you're not.
In a way, she thought, analyzing Ron like one of her textbooks, he's WORSE than Malfoy…at least Malfoy acknowledges he's a prat! She brought her eyes up and they met Harry's. They had the hint of a grin in them and she narrowed her eyes at the mockery. He knows…
All of a sudden a huge POP came from the corner of the train. Draco rolled over from his nap and hit the wall with a thud and a low "owww" when he heard the sound as everyone's heads jerked up to see a huge floating scroll. It read:
Dear Inhabitants-
Congratulations! Seven of you have made strides towards getting out. Granted, not large enough: but strides nonetheless. In fact, two of you are free to go once the morning comes. Nighty night!
-Albus Dumbledore
Ron looked confused at the letter. "Seven? There are ten of us in here, so who hasn't made strides?" They all looked around; only two people didn't look confused.
Hermione looked at Ginny. "Do you want to explain to the rest of this clueless lot?" Ginny grinned and nodded. Everyone looked at them suspiciously, with the exception of Crabbe and Goyle who had fallen asleep hours ago and never bothered to wake up yet.
"Well, since Dumb and Dumber haven't been conscious for awhile, they obviously aren't part of the seven," Ginny started to explain. Nodding of heads went around as she continued. "I figured out who the third one was through the process of elimination and I'm sure Hermione did too- Ron."
"WHAT?!?" Ron exploded. "Oh I don't believe this! I try and TRY to get along with our serpent faced friends here and what do I get? Association with the scum of Slytherin! Fab!" Ginny bit her lip to stop from laughing.
"No, let me explain you silly prat!" she said, stifling giggles. "Hermione, me and Pansy seem to be all right- I always have thought blokes were hopeless," she added while the 'blokes' scowled. "Harry…well, he just seems to be all right, doesn't he?" She turned and flashed him a radiant smile and he grinned back.
"Thanks Gin."
"Typical," Draco muttered darkly. "Scarhead, the Ambassador of Peace…"
"Don't get too bitter Draco," Ginny said pointedly, remembering their previous conversation, and Draco looked up, surprised she had heard him. "You're the seventh."
Draco actually laughed. "You have got to be kidding me. Me, Draco Malfoy, actually get along/like a Gryffindor? Not bloody likely," he replied, settling into his seat. She looked at Hermione for help. Hermione grinned.
"Oh you're more stupid than I thought- you've seen past the Weasley little girl image to actually…erm, how shall we put this?...appreciate her new looks," Hermione said. Ginny blushed deep scarlet while everyone else started laughing- besides Ron of course. He was silently counting to two hundred before he could go and punch his sister and Malfoy both. Draco chose not to comment on this although he was a little freaked; it had been nothing but teasing ever since that stupid Truth game thingy. It wasn't even worth the money he won for God's sakes…
"…and Fred and George weren't even supposed to be here- they practically like everyone," Ginny finished quickly, noticing the growing anger on her brother's face and the horror fighting to cover Draco's. Fred and George broke into identical grins.
"Excellent! I'm starving," Fred said, rubbing his stomach thoughtfully.
"Y'know, I'm sure we could conjure up something," George pointed out. Harry grinned all of a sudden.
"I think I can help out there," he said, pulling up the sleeves of his robes. This brought everyone's attention to that Harry was still wearing robes.
"Off with it Potter," Draco said sarcastically. "I can see Little Red Riding Hood here just aching to see you robeless," he said, motioning with his head toward Ginny. She bit her lip in frustration at his malevolent comment as Harry cocked an eyebrow.
"And you're not restless to see her topless? Come on now Malfoy, you're an idiot, but I never took you for a hypocrite." The twins whooped and Ron broke out into a grin as Ginny blushed deeper than ever. Draco frowned, not being able to find an adequate answer to this. All of a sudden, his eyes narrowed into slits and he stood up.
"Right, I'm sick of this bull. Either you stop with the jokes or I won't cooperate at all, and then we're all stuck here! I hate you as much as you hate me so let's just at least fake friendship or whatever and then we're free to ignore each other for the rest of the year –yes, that's a promise. I won't breathe a word to you for as long as I live if I get out of here alive! Oh, and by the way Weasley, I have no viable interest in your little sister whatsoever," he added to Ron on his left. "Did you ever think that me wanting to date someone is similar to that of shagging someone? And let's face it; Pansy and Granger here aren't exactly the shaggable type," he finished up, sitting on the bench to face the looks he was getting. No one was used to hearing a huge speech from him, as most of their conversations included bitter sarcasm and frantic wand waving.
Hermione, Ron and Harry all wore the same face of complete and utter disbelief at his bluntness; Hermione & Ron in particular looked furious. Fred and George were torn between laughing and hexing him senseless. Crabbe and Goyle were still asleep; Pansy looked absolutely livid at the label "non-shaggable". However Ginny's face was one of a crushed and heartbroken girl, and everyone in the carriage struggled to figure out why it looked so familiar…but only Harry and Draco landed the right interpretation.
It was the face she wore for four years while she longed for Harry's attention.
"Excuse me," Ginny muttered, and the next minute she was out of the carriage and sitting on the grassy knoll outside. Hermione stood up, shaking with absolute rage, wand out.
"You are without a doubt, the most loathsome, shameless creature I have ever had the horror of meeting," she said, ice freezing in every syllable of the statement. Even Harry and Ron, who were used to her rants and tirades, were shocked at how angry she sounded. Fred and George looked at each other and simultaneously shifted themselves away from her.
"I have to agree with her Malfoy," Pansy said, getting up also and glaring murderously at him. "I can't believe I was so desperate to get your approval! This is bloody ridiculous." Draco's jaw was dropped in disbelief at the responses he was getting. "Oh shut your mouth you berk! Come on Granger, let's go see if she's slashed her wrists yet." And without another furious glare or word, they walked out and slammed the carriage door behind them. Harry was now conversing in low tones with Ron, and they both looked uncharacteristically grim.
"Oh for God's sakes, I don't think she needs you two to hold her hand!" Draco spat out, slouching in a don't-even-try-it manner.
"She doesn't need idiots like you making her miserable either!" Harry retorted angrily, losing his temper slightly. "I don't get why you have to be so damn offensive! What is it Malfoy, a defense mechanism? A souvenir of a tortured past? Well goody for you – as of now, I officially don't care whether you were barbequed in tar tar sauce and fed to cannibals!"
Draco stood up abruptly, his gray eyes literally flashing. "Say that again."
Ginny sat down blankly, staring ahead into the gray sky and bleak green grass. Her hands twisted in her lap, but the rest of her was still. She heard a silence in the car behind her and then a yelling that sounded like Pansy. Involuntarily, a tear slid down her cheek. That was all it took; the sobs came out of her like the words on a page, cutting through her. Gasping for breath, she hunched over into herself, curling up to try and make them stop.
How could I be so stupid?? First Harry, then Malfoy…they're all right. I'm just a little girl. God I'm so stupid!
She bit her fist hard so that she could stop crying, but all she succeeded in doing was making two little punctures in her knuckles that looked like a vampire bit it. All of a sudden she heard the carriage door slam behind her and Hermione and Pansy were sitting next to her. Hermione looked angrier than Ginny had ever known her to be, and Pansy looked plain insulted. Hermione took her hand.
"God Ginny he's such a prat, don't listen to him!" she consoled, and to Ginny and Hermione's fantastic surprise, Pansy took Ginny's other hand.
"I've been in this boat before, you want to get on deck ASAP," she said, laughing slightly. Ginny smiled slightly through the overwhelming tears.
"Breathe Gin, breathe," Hermione said, looking more concerned than angry now. Ginny obeyed, taking in one rattly breath after another. Pansy squeezed her hand, now fake nail-less, and looked sad.
"I actually had hope in him – I thought he could be a nice guy. Never mind that eh?" Hermione nodded fervently.
"Oh, I can stand Mudblood, but you insult my friend like that…he's got something coming to him all right!" Hermione vowed, and the others looked at her in surprise. She grinned mischievously. "What, I'm not allowed to scheme?"
"Nope, you've got to get your learner's permit first," Pansy remarked, letting go of Ginny's hand and hugging her knees to her chest. "Tomorrow, we launch Operation Draco. Tonight, we get some rest. Do either of you have blankets in your trunks?" Hermione shook her head, but Ginny brightened up.
"Actually, yes. What, can we sleep out here?" she asked eagerly, sounding like a girl on Christmas morning. Pansy and Hermione laughed.
"I'd rather sleep out here than in there. Accio Ginny's Trunk!" Hermione intoned, and the trunk came crashing through the window of the car. Hermione grinned sheepishly while Ginny and Pansy laughed. "Ah well. Let's sleep."
But no one in the car had noticed the crash- there were too many going on in there already.