Chapter 24
Malfoy's Worst Nightmare
The next morning, when the Gryffindors had all gotten up and ready to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Hermione turned to Malfoy, and shook her head, then turned back to her friends. "Go on, you all...I'll be with you shortly," she called.
"Ta ta, Ferretboy," Mariah cooed sweetly, then laughed. The rest grinned and left Malfoy to his own devices.
Hermione looked back at Malfoy, who looked particularly pathetic this morning. "I'll be back after breakfast with something for you," she informed him in a kindly voice.
"Stinking Gryffindors! Grr!" Malfoy swore softly, scowling and trying to find a more comfortable position in the hard, high-backed chair that had become his home. He stared daggers at Hermione, growling, "What are you looking at Mudblood?"
Hermione scowled, shook her head in disgust, then headed down after the others. "That Malfoy...he should watch his mouth, that one," she complained. "If he so much as calls me Mudblood again, he can forget getting a thing to eat!".
"Oh, Hermione? While we're on the that subject," Ron began. "Since he wants to be a rat---"
Hermione corrected him immediately, "He's a ferret, Ron."
"Whatever," Ron shot back, scowling. He continued, "Why don't we feed him like one then...you know, no treats, all vegetables. What do you say?"
"What you mean is that you want me to force him to eat vegetarian? Is that it?" Hermione asked arching an eyebrow.
"Why not? He´s a stinking Slytherin and bloody well deserves it, that one does!" Ron stated with conviction.
It didn't turn out precisely the way Ron would of liked, but Malfoy never did quite go strictly vegetarian. Hermione couldn't find it in her big heart to persecute even Malfoy that way. Later that day, Hermione ate her dinner, saving portions she would present to her prisoner after her supper. She then headed upstairs into the Gryffindor tower with the food she had saved to the common room. There she found Malfoy sitting with his eyes closed, his head drooping.
"Hello? Are you awake?" Hermione asked.
"Why do you ask? Like you´d care," Malfoy muttered, his pale eyes mere slits.
"Look, if you don´t want this food, I can always give it to the house elves, thank you," Hermione said tersely.
Malfoy looked over at her expression, which was rather stormy.
"It no wonder, with an attitude like that, why you´ll never find a boyfriend," he sneered to her.
Hermione didn't even dignfiy that with a reply, she simply glared at him and then sat down and proceeded to cut up the food she'd brought into small pieces. She then dragged a chair over to where Malfoy sat, and rested the plate of diced food on her lap.
"All right, Malofy...open up," she ordered, spearing a piece of meat, and holding up the fork.
"You got to be joking! What do you think I am...a baby?" Malfoy scoffed, wrinkling his nose at the proposition.
"Fine. Then perhaps you'd care to tell me how you intend to eat? Because if you believe, even for one minute, that we'd let you have your arms free, you're sadly mistaken," Hermione informed him matter-of-factly.
Malfoy sighed, realizing he had to eat, and this was his only option, no matter how undignified it might prove to be. Hermione grinned in victory, and shoved the first forkful into his mouth.
Hermione had completed feeding Malfoy, much to her distaste, when Harry and Ron appeared at the portrait hole. "Oh, Harry...there you are," Hermione began. "Listen, I've given Ferret Boy here his dinner. Do you think you could go down to the kitchen and give the house elves whit the dishes?"
Harry didn't envy Hermione her task as warden to Malfoy, and agreed. "Of course. Give them here," Harry said. He and Ron headed down to the kitchens, where he found the painting of a bowl of fruit. He carefully tickled the pear, which giggled, causing the picture to move aside, and he and Ron stepped inside.
"Harry Potter!" a high-pitched voice cried out, and Harry felt something hug him about his legs.
"Hello, Dobby," Harry said with a grin. He looked about as the other elves arrived and took the dirty dishes from him. "So how have you been doing?" Harry asked politely.
"Oh, Dobby is fine, sir" Dobby replied, his green tennis-ball sized eyes glistening. "Oh, does sir remember Winky? Yes? Well, Winky is finally happy too, sir," Dobby explained, pointing over to the little form of Winky, who smiled, her squashed tomato like nose a healthy color for once. She curtsied in a clean Hogwarts uniform of grey blouse and black skirt. "Hello, Harry Potter, sir," she greeted him, before blushing slightly and going back to her work. Dobby ushered Harry and Ron over to a corner table, where a plate of cookies appeared.
"You see, Harry Potter, Winky finally understood Professor Dumbledore's her new master now, sir," Dobby said. "It has been no easy task, that, sir. But Dobby perservered, and Winky now understands."
"So, is Dumbledore paying her as well then?" Ron mumbled around a mouthful of cookie.
"Shh, sir!" Dobby pleaded, shushing him. Ron looked to Harry, who only shrugged. "Mustn't use the 'P' word, sirs, around Winky. No, never! That is...please, sirs."
"All right, all right," Ron said, looking at Dobby as if he were crazy as a loon.
"Dobby is glad to see sir and Harry Potter," Dobby declared, though a bit uneasily. "But I musts get back to work, sirs. So..."
"Right then! We've got to go, Dobby," Harry said.
"Oh, thank you, sirs! Do come back and visits us both," Dobby said.
"Of course, Dobby. We will," Harry assured him, before heading out of the kitchens and back upstairs.
Upon returning to the common room, Harry and Ron joined their friends. Mariah and Hermione did their homework, while Amelia and Ron played a pick- up game of Wizard chess. Harry found his favorite squashy chair, and sat down, putting on his Hogwarts Sisters CD to listen.
"Don't tell me you've gotten hooked on that rubbish too, Potter? Malfoy asked derisively.
"It's not rubbish, Malfoy...else you'd be groveling in it now, wouldn't you? Now, do shut up and let me listen," Harry said.
"Harry!" Mariah yelled from the other side of the room. Harry frowned, paused his CD, and moved one earpiece off his ear. "Yes?" Harry shouted back.
"What's a bezoar again?" Mariah asked loudly, causing Hermione to frown and shoot a glare across the table at Mariah, who grinned sheepishly.
"It's a stone from a goat's belly, Mariah!" he shouted back.
"Say, while we're on the subject of Potions, Potter," Malfoy began. "Would you happen to know why Professor Snape has gotten so weird lately?"
"Oh, that! That's easy, Malfoy. He´s in love with Professor Bat, that's all," Harry told him, grinning at Malfoy's stunned expression.
"I beg your pardon?" Malfoy yelped, turning to look at Harry incredulously. Harry, with a certain amount of smug satisfaction, explained the situation to the more and more disgusted Malfoy.
"But, but...how did you know?" Malfoy asked, not wanting to believe a word of what he'd heard.
"Let's just say I was in the right place at the right time, eh?" Harry said, grinning.
That night, Hermione lay asleep in her bed. She was glad of the thick down comforter on her bed, as it was a chill night indeed. Just then, her conscience panged, and she thought to herself, it must be very cold for Malfoy in the Common Room.
She tossed and turned for nearly a half hour, and finally could stand it no longer. She got out of bed, drew on her robe, scrounged up some blankets.Now, she observed, the blankets were all the red and gold of Gryffindor, but as Ron put it, he was a Slytherin, too bloody bad.
"Well, it'll have to do...it´s all we have," she told herself. She then headed downstairs quietly, so as to not wake anyone. There, she found Malfoy sitting, his teeth chattering madly from the cold.
He sensed Hermione's presence and opened his eyes to look at her. "W-W-What d-d-do you want?" he asked, stammering in the cold.
Hermione shook her head, said nothing, and headed over toward Malfoy. Once beside him, she put his feet up on a nearby hassock and laid the wool blankets over him. She then turned to the fireplace, where she murmured something and pointed her wand at the fireplace. A bright red spark shot from the end of her wand to reignite the fire, which crackled with life. She then turned and started to head back upstairs to her bed. But, just before she made it to the steps to her dormitory, she paused.
"It is only polite to say 'thank you', you know," she reminded him. Malfoy's pale blue eyes just glittered, as he stared at the roaring fire. Hermione sighed wearily, and turned back toward the stairs. Much to her surprise, just as her foot hit the first stair, she heard a muttered, yet distinct, "Thank you".
Hermione smiled in satisfaction, her conscience once again clear, and headed back up to bed.
Malfoy's Worst Nightmare
The next morning, when the Gryffindors had all gotten up and ready to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Hermione turned to Malfoy, and shook her head, then turned back to her friends. "Go on, you all...I'll be with you shortly," she called.
"Ta ta, Ferretboy," Mariah cooed sweetly, then laughed. The rest grinned and left Malfoy to his own devices.
Hermione looked back at Malfoy, who looked particularly pathetic this morning. "I'll be back after breakfast with something for you," she informed him in a kindly voice.
"Stinking Gryffindors! Grr!" Malfoy swore softly, scowling and trying to find a more comfortable position in the hard, high-backed chair that had become his home. He stared daggers at Hermione, growling, "What are you looking at Mudblood?"
Hermione scowled, shook her head in disgust, then headed down after the others. "That Malfoy...he should watch his mouth, that one," she complained. "If he so much as calls me Mudblood again, he can forget getting a thing to eat!".
"Oh, Hermione? While we're on the that subject," Ron began. "Since he wants to be a rat---"
Hermione corrected him immediately, "He's a ferret, Ron."
"Whatever," Ron shot back, scowling. He continued, "Why don't we feed him like one then...you know, no treats, all vegetables. What do you say?"
"What you mean is that you want me to force him to eat vegetarian? Is that it?" Hermione asked arching an eyebrow.
"Why not? He´s a stinking Slytherin and bloody well deserves it, that one does!" Ron stated with conviction.
It didn't turn out precisely the way Ron would of liked, but Malfoy never did quite go strictly vegetarian. Hermione couldn't find it in her big heart to persecute even Malfoy that way. Later that day, Hermione ate her dinner, saving portions she would present to her prisoner after her supper. She then headed upstairs into the Gryffindor tower with the food she had saved to the common room. There she found Malfoy sitting with his eyes closed, his head drooping.
"Hello? Are you awake?" Hermione asked.
"Why do you ask? Like you´d care," Malfoy muttered, his pale eyes mere slits.
"Look, if you don´t want this food, I can always give it to the house elves, thank you," Hermione said tersely.
Malfoy looked over at her expression, which was rather stormy.
"It no wonder, with an attitude like that, why you´ll never find a boyfriend," he sneered to her.
Hermione didn't even dignfiy that with a reply, she simply glared at him and then sat down and proceeded to cut up the food she'd brought into small pieces. She then dragged a chair over to where Malfoy sat, and rested the plate of diced food on her lap.
"All right, Malofy...open up," she ordered, spearing a piece of meat, and holding up the fork.
"You got to be joking! What do you think I am...a baby?" Malfoy scoffed, wrinkling his nose at the proposition.
"Fine. Then perhaps you'd care to tell me how you intend to eat? Because if you believe, even for one minute, that we'd let you have your arms free, you're sadly mistaken," Hermione informed him matter-of-factly.
Malfoy sighed, realizing he had to eat, and this was his only option, no matter how undignified it might prove to be. Hermione grinned in victory, and shoved the first forkful into his mouth.
Hermione had completed feeding Malfoy, much to her distaste, when Harry and Ron appeared at the portrait hole. "Oh, Harry...there you are," Hermione began. "Listen, I've given Ferret Boy here his dinner. Do you think you could go down to the kitchen and give the house elves whit the dishes?"
Harry didn't envy Hermione her task as warden to Malfoy, and agreed. "Of course. Give them here," Harry said. He and Ron headed down to the kitchens, where he found the painting of a bowl of fruit. He carefully tickled the pear, which giggled, causing the picture to move aside, and he and Ron stepped inside.
"Harry Potter!" a high-pitched voice cried out, and Harry felt something hug him about his legs.
"Hello, Dobby," Harry said with a grin. He looked about as the other elves arrived and took the dirty dishes from him. "So how have you been doing?" Harry asked politely.
"Oh, Dobby is fine, sir" Dobby replied, his green tennis-ball sized eyes glistening. "Oh, does sir remember Winky? Yes? Well, Winky is finally happy too, sir," Dobby explained, pointing over to the little form of Winky, who smiled, her squashed tomato like nose a healthy color for once. She curtsied in a clean Hogwarts uniform of grey blouse and black skirt. "Hello, Harry Potter, sir," she greeted him, before blushing slightly and going back to her work. Dobby ushered Harry and Ron over to a corner table, where a plate of cookies appeared.
"You see, Harry Potter, Winky finally understood Professor Dumbledore's her new master now, sir," Dobby said. "It has been no easy task, that, sir. But Dobby perservered, and Winky now understands."
"So, is Dumbledore paying her as well then?" Ron mumbled around a mouthful of cookie.
"Shh, sir!" Dobby pleaded, shushing him. Ron looked to Harry, who only shrugged. "Mustn't use the 'P' word, sirs, around Winky. No, never! That is...please, sirs."
"All right, all right," Ron said, looking at Dobby as if he were crazy as a loon.
"Dobby is glad to see sir and Harry Potter," Dobby declared, though a bit uneasily. "But I musts get back to work, sirs. So..."
"Right then! We've got to go, Dobby," Harry said.
"Oh, thank you, sirs! Do come back and visits us both," Dobby said.
"Of course, Dobby. We will," Harry assured him, before heading out of the kitchens and back upstairs.
Upon returning to the common room, Harry and Ron joined their friends. Mariah and Hermione did their homework, while Amelia and Ron played a pick- up game of Wizard chess. Harry found his favorite squashy chair, and sat down, putting on his Hogwarts Sisters CD to listen.
"Don't tell me you've gotten hooked on that rubbish too, Potter? Malfoy asked derisively.
"It's not rubbish, Malfoy...else you'd be groveling in it now, wouldn't you? Now, do shut up and let me listen," Harry said.
"Harry!" Mariah yelled from the other side of the room. Harry frowned, paused his CD, and moved one earpiece off his ear. "Yes?" Harry shouted back.
"What's a bezoar again?" Mariah asked loudly, causing Hermione to frown and shoot a glare across the table at Mariah, who grinned sheepishly.
"It's a stone from a goat's belly, Mariah!" he shouted back.
"Say, while we're on the subject of Potions, Potter," Malfoy began. "Would you happen to know why Professor Snape has gotten so weird lately?"
"Oh, that! That's easy, Malfoy. He´s in love with Professor Bat, that's all," Harry told him, grinning at Malfoy's stunned expression.
"I beg your pardon?" Malfoy yelped, turning to look at Harry incredulously. Harry, with a certain amount of smug satisfaction, explained the situation to the more and more disgusted Malfoy.
"But, but...how did you know?" Malfoy asked, not wanting to believe a word of what he'd heard.
"Let's just say I was in the right place at the right time, eh?" Harry said, grinning.
That night, Hermione lay asleep in her bed. She was glad of the thick down comforter on her bed, as it was a chill night indeed. Just then, her conscience panged, and she thought to herself, it must be very cold for Malfoy in the Common Room.
She tossed and turned for nearly a half hour, and finally could stand it no longer. She got out of bed, drew on her robe, scrounged up some blankets.Now, she observed, the blankets were all the red and gold of Gryffindor, but as Ron put it, he was a Slytherin, too bloody bad.
"Well, it'll have to do...it´s all we have," she told herself. She then headed downstairs quietly, so as to not wake anyone. There, she found Malfoy sitting, his teeth chattering madly from the cold.
He sensed Hermione's presence and opened his eyes to look at her. "W-W-What d-d-do you want?" he asked, stammering in the cold.
Hermione shook her head, said nothing, and headed over toward Malfoy. Once beside him, she put his feet up on a nearby hassock and laid the wool blankets over him. She then turned to the fireplace, where she murmured something and pointed her wand at the fireplace. A bright red spark shot from the end of her wand to reignite the fire, which crackled with life. She then turned and started to head back upstairs to her bed. But, just before she made it to the steps to her dormitory, she paused.
"It is only polite to say 'thank you', you know," she reminded him. Malfoy's pale blue eyes just glittered, as he stared at the roaring fire. Hermione sighed wearily, and turned back toward the stairs. Much to her surprise, just as her foot hit the first stair, she heard a muttered, yet distinct, "Thank you".
Hermione smiled in satisfaction, her conscience once again clear, and headed back up to bed.