Closed Eyes

Chapter 3

 Arithmancy went off more or less without a hitch.  Draco would read Hermione the problems from the board, and she would solve them in her head.  It was not long before she was doing the work in her head just as quickly as she had ever done on paper.

When the class ended, Draco packed his own things, then waited less than patiently while Hermione packed up her own things, eventually getting upset with her and shoving her out of the way to toss them carelessly into her pack.

They made there way into the Great Hall slowly; as Hermione seemed to be running into every wall they passed (Draco couldn't help but shudder at the horridness of Crabbe and Goyle's master plan.)  But they soon arrived in the crowded room.  "Where should I dump you then?"  He asked as the entered the large doors, but the question was soon answered when another hand touched on Hermione's other arm.

"Come on, I saved you a spot," came a voice she recognized as Ginny's.  Hermione turned her head in the direction she thought Draco was standing, unsure as to whether or not she should say goodbye, but Ginny was pulling her away and she did not get the chance to think about it any longer.

Ginny helped her friend see where to sit down, and then began filling both of their plates in accordance with Hermione's wishes.  "So, how was the afternoon?  Did Draco bugger you over in both your classes?"  Ginny asked after she sat down

Hermione was giving most of her attention to the fork she was currently stabbing in general areas around her plate, hoping to spear some bit of food.  "I don't think so.  Professor Flitwick took me aside to show me some private things in charms, because the Slytherins are behind us, and in Arithmancy he just had to read me the questions, and I used a charm Flitwick taught me to bewitch my quill to write whatever I told it to."  She said, and than gave a small shout of victory as her fork finally managed to spear what felt like a piece of boiled potato.

Draco stood in his spot a few moments, watching Hermione as she sat down and attempted to get some food on her fork.  He laughed as he watched her struggle, but he couldn't help but notice that the laugh held less, much less, malice than usual.

He sighed after a moment and turned to walk to the Slytherin table, but stopped a few feet away when his eyes set on the dark haired girl sitting there chatting with her friends.  They were meant to go on a date that weekend, it was Monday now, which meant he only had four days left to find a way out of the date that he had not agreed to go on.

He decided to avoid that side of the Slytherin table, and instead sat at the other end, finishing his meal quickly and then making his way into the Slytherin common room.

"Draco, hey!"  Malfoy turned and saw Crabbe and Goyle coming towards him, both had their hands full of random sweets they had taken with them from the supper table.

"Did you run her into the walls like we told you?"  Goyle asked, a great smirk on his face that showed just how clever he had thought this plan was.

"Yah, for a bit, it just got old after a while though.  You two really should let me make the plans."  Malfoy mumbled as he continued on his way to the common room.

"You get a gift for Pansy yet?"  Crabbe asked, and at this Draco did a double take.

"A gift?  What the bleeding hell would I get her a gift for?"

"Well, it is your first date, and all the other girls got gifts from their steadies on their first dates, it is a tradition.  Blaise got an emerald necklace, and Adrian got wicked broach with a snake eating a lion."  Said Goyle around a mouthful of pastry.

"Yah well, I am not Pansy's steady and I do not plan to become one, so she will be getting no trinket of jewellery from me.  Besides I just spent the last of my pocket money for the week on repairs for my broom."  It was true that Draco had drained the pocket money his father had sent him for this week, but he did not mention that he still had most of what had been sent to him over past weeks hidden under his mattress.

Crabbe shook his head.  "Yah well, I don't want to be you when Pansy finds out you are not giving her a present.  You might want to find a charm to make your ears fall off or something, because if you don't your head will never stop hurting."

Draco sent a glare at the two boys, but neither had anything else to add and so the conversation was closed, and for once Draco had not quite won.  "Women."  He muttered under her breath.

"Men."  Hermione exclaimed as she collapsed onto her bed.

Ginny gave a sympathetic look out of sheer habit, then remembered that Hermione could not see and said, "You know 'Mione, they don't do it on purpose, they just haven't got a clue how to talk to you.  You know how boys are, no sense at all."

Hermione gave a great huff that implied she did not at all agree with the redhead's comment, but she said nothing.  Ron had once again tried to apologize, and once again Hermione had not been ready to accept, and so he had said she really should just marry Draco.  Hermione had been livid, and stood so fast she knocked her chair out from under her.  "Ronald Weasley you are a horrid little boy!"  She had exclaimed.  Ginny had been at her side then, and the two of them had escaped to the solitude of their private bedroom.

"Well, you have all your classes with Gryffindor tomorrow, which is something good right?"  Ginny said from some place across the room.

"Yah I suppose."  It was true, she had Double potions first thing, Care of Magical Creatures after lunch, and then Defence Against the Dark Arts.  She was not much looking forward to them though, not with Ron and Harry still angry with her, but at least she would not be stuck with the others, and maybe she could have Dean or somebody trail behind her in between classes to make sure that Draco stopped ramming her into every wall they past, she was sure she had a nasty bruise forming on her elbow.

"Anyway, I have loads of homework to deal with, so I should really go and take care of it all.  Will you be okay if I go down to the common room?"  Hermione nodded and Ginny trotted off down the stairs.

This left Hermione sitting alone cross-legged on her bed, and she decided it would be a good chance to work on some of the new charms professor Flitwick had taught her. 

"Caecus Visum."  She cried, pointing her wand at herself, and all at once she felt the world around her come into a strange new focus.  She could hear the slight breathing coming from a spot near the bed where Crookshanks slept, smell the strange Jasmine perfume Ginny had put on hours ago.  In her mouth she could still faintly taste the dinner she had consumed in the Great Hall.  She could feel each ridge or dent as if they where great canyons, where seconds before she had thought there was perfect wood.

"Oh."  She uttered, and the whispered sound seemed to echo in her head.  It was like nothing she had ever experienced before; it truly was as if she could see without sight.

Taking in a deep breath, the young witch got to her feet and began walking around the room, touching this and sniffing that, getting the feel for what everything was and where in the room it was located.  She nearly stepped on Crookshanks several times, but after a while was able to tell where he was in the room by the sound of his breathing (which had become much louder after several tail stampings.)  It was truly amazing.  She smiled when her hand came to rest on the bookshelf.  She slipped one out of its case and pulled her wand back out of her pocket, uttering a quick "Affor" and listening as "Hogwarts a History" was read aloud to her.

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