Chapter 7- Agreeable Company
As the day wore on the gathering became more relaxed. They spent a pleasant few hours before lunch playing various card games and several of the board games that Draco Malfoy had bought with him. Hermione was surprised that there seemed to be a large number of muggle games mixed in with the obviously wizarding ones, but when she tried to ask Draco about it he just shrugged and said he had forgotten where he had found them all. After a while Ernie stopped pacing the room and resignedly came and sat with them when they started playing Mousetrap ™.
At about 2 o'clock they stopped the game they were playing and Ginny and Terry again opened their bags and tipped out the food they had bought. Professor Snape joined them at the table for their makeshift lunch although he had spent most of the morning hovering round the door trying charm after charm to unlock it. Ginny sat next to Draco giggling at a story he was telling her and Hermione looked over at her fondly. At least one good thing was happening as a result of their forced company, she thought, and she had to admit to herself that she was feeling more relaxed than she had done in a long time. The only thing spoiling her mood was the 'occlumency incident', and although she had pushed it to the back of her mind she could still feel the embarrassment nagging away at her. Hannah produced several bottles of butterbeer from her bag and they were passed round the table, even Snape taking a drink whilst muttering about it not being fire-whiskey.
As Ginny and Terry cleared away the remains of their lunch, Padma rooted through the stack of games they had not yet touched. Giving a little shriek of excitement she pulled out a largish blue box.
"Oh look," she squeaked, waving the box excitedly at Hannah "Trivial pursuits- Wizard edition!"
It appeared that both Padma and Hannah had attended a lot of parties in their life as they both attacked the box with evident gusto.
"We'll have to team up for this one." Said Ernie solemnly "there aren't enough pieces to play on our own. Hannah would you mind partnering me?" Hannah looked delighted as she shifted along the sofa to sit next to Ernie. Terry squashed over to make room as Padma came to sit next to him and Ginny leaned slightly nearer to Draco, putting her hand on his knee and looking up at him expectantly.
"Hey that's not on!" Hermione objected indignantly "I'm the only one who hasn't got a partner!"
"Well it's not as if you need one now is it?" Ginny said soothingly, her eyes imploring Hermione not to make a fuss and let them keep their original partners.
Hermione folded her arms across her chest and glared at them. If that was the way they wanted to play it so be it. It was unfair, and the Griffindor part of her sorely wanted to win. She knew she didn't stand a chance with them teamed up against her.
"I think I may be prevailed upon to make the teams more even." Came a silky voice from behind Hermione and she jumped slightly before turning and looking up into the eyes of Professor Snape. He had a slightly malicious grin on his face and his dark eyes glinted with what looked like suppressed laughter. She obligingly scooted along as he came round the sofa and sat down next to her.
"Now Miss.Granger, what colour would you like to be?"
Ernie was spluttering as Snape reached over and picked up the green circle of plastic, "More even! But you're a teacher, that's not fair!" He looked across at the others who were all frowning and looking slightly nervous.
"Ha!" Hermione shot back at him triumphantly. "It was ok when you expected me to play on my own against you all but now that I have a partner," she linked her arm through professor Snape's and hoped fervently that he didn't make a scene, "you decide that it's unfair. You made the rules and now you're going to stick to them!" Ernie muttered something under his breath, but picked up the dice and handed it to Hannah to start the game.
Snape leaned a bit nearer to Hermione and whispered, "I think I'm going to enjoy being your partner Miss Granger." She looked up into his dark eyes and no longer felt embarrassed.
As the day wore on the gathering became more relaxed. They spent a pleasant few hours before lunch playing various card games and several of the board games that Draco Malfoy had bought with him. Hermione was surprised that there seemed to be a large number of muggle games mixed in with the obviously wizarding ones, but when she tried to ask Draco about it he just shrugged and said he had forgotten where he had found them all. After a while Ernie stopped pacing the room and resignedly came and sat with them when they started playing Mousetrap ™.
At about 2 o'clock they stopped the game they were playing and Ginny and Terry again opened their bags and tipped out the food they had bought. Professor Snape joined them at the table for their makeshift lunch although he had spent most of the morning hovering round the door trying charm after charm to unlock it. Ginny sat next to Draco giggling at a story he was telling her and Hermione looked over at her fondly. At least one good thing was happening as a result of their forced company, she thought, and she had to admit to herself that she was feeling more relaxed than she had done in a long time. The only thing spoiling her mood was the 'occlumency incident', and although she had pushed it to the back of her mind she could still feel the embarrassment nagging away at her. Hannah produced several bottles of butterbeer from her bag and they were passed round the table, even Snape taking a drink whilst muttering about it not being fire-whiskey.
As Ginny and Terry cleared away the remains of their lunch, Padma rooted through the stack of games they had not yet touched. Giving a little shriek of excitement she pulled out a largish blue box.
"Oh look," she squeaked, waving the box excitedly at Hannah "Trivial pursuits- Wizard edition!"
It appeared that both Padma and Hannah had attended a lot of parties in their life as they both attacked the box with evident gusto.
"We'll have to team up for this one." Said Ernie solemnly "there aren't enough pieces to play on our own. Hannah would you mind partnering me?" Hannah looked delighted as she shifted along the sofa to sit next to Ernie. Terry squashed over to make room as Padma came to sit next to him and Ginny leaned slightly nearer to Draco, putting her hand on his knee and looking up at him expectantly.
"Hey that's not on!" Hermione objected indignantly "I'm the only one who hasn't got a partner!"
"Well it's not as if you need one now is it?" Ginny said soothingly, her eyes imploring Hermione not to make a fuss and let them keep their original partners.
Hermione folded her arms across her chest and glared at them. If that was the way they wanted to play it so be it. It was unfair, and the Griffindor part of her sorely wanted to win. She knew she didn't stand a chance with them teamed up against her.
"I think I may be prevailed upon to make the teams more even." Came a silky voice from behind Hermione and she jumped slightly before turning and looking up into the eyes of Professor Snape. He had a slightly malicious grin on his face and his dark eyes glinted with what looked like suppressed laughter. She obligingly scooted along as he came round the sofa and sat down next to her.
"Now Miss.Granger, what colour would you like to be?"
Ernie was spluttering as Snape reached over and picked up the green circle of plastic, "More even! But you're a teacher, that's not fair!" He looked across at the others who were all frowning and looking slightly nervous.
"Ha!" Hermione shot back at him triumphantly. "It was ok when you expected me to play on my own against you all but now that I have a partner," she linked her arm through professor Snape's and hoped fervently that he didn't make a scene, "you decide that it's unfair. You made the rules and now you're going to stick to them!" Ernie muttered something under his breath, but picked up the dice and handed it to Hannah to start the game.
Snape leaned a bit nearer to Hermione and whispered, "I think I'm going to enjoy being your partner Miss Granger." She looked up into his dark eyes and no longer felt embarrassed.