Chapter 3.
Hermione walked along the corridor of the swaying train, trying to keep her balance as she searched the compartments for her friends. Finally at the last compartment on the left she found a familiar red-head.
"Hey Ginny," she exclaimed entering the compartment and sitting on the seat across from her. "Where's Ron and Harry?"
Ginny laughed hollowly, "They are a few compartments up on the right with the rest of the Quidditch team. Harry was informed over the summer that they voted him captain and so he just had to get started right away." Ginny informed her with a bite in her voice while she stared at the book she was reading without even looking up.
Hermione mentally took a step back. Ginny had never sounded like this before and Hermione really couldn't quite place the emotion in the other girl's voice. Anger...no...Hate...no...Jelousy...no...it's almost like vehnamence towards both her brother and Harry. Though the majority of it seems to be directed towards Harry.
Hermione had known something was wrong at the Burrow all summer. Ginny had become quite distant in her letters to her and over the summer they had become shorter and shorter and more pointless. Until finally, the last letter she had recieved had only two lines and it merely stated 'see you on the train. Ginny.' But honestly, she had been so wrapped up in all the shit that was happening to and around her that she hadn't been able to really respond with enough insistance to get Ginny to respond.
And in reality, her letters had been getting just as short to Ginny and she had completely stopped writing Ron and Harry altogether. It had taken only one brutal summer to see the trio's relationship the way everyone else saw it. One summer to see what had been happening all along and her so desperate for friendship that she blew it off. Well that is going to change this year.
She glanced back up at Ginny. In truth, Ginny was the only person who had ever befriended her without an ulterior motive. She started to open her mouth to say something when she noticed that Ginny was totally engrossed in the book she was reading. Come to think of it I've never seen Ginny read a book that wasn't on the class list. Magazines sure. Book...no. Tilting her head Hermione tried to get a glimpse of the name on the spine but found it covered by one of those cloth stretch covers that muggle students were using to cover their books with. She shrugged. I'll ask Ginny about it later. Slowly she pulled out a book from her bag and opened it and began to read.
Ginny watched from under her lashes as the emotions ran across the other girl's face when she told her where the other two legs of the trio were and found herself jubilant inside as Hermione seemed to not really care.
She noticed when Hermione started to say something and then changed her mind. She was glad. If Hermione had asked her what was wrong at that moment she probably would have blurted everything out and then nothing would be safe. I need more time. I'll tell her...soon....but not now. I'll have to make it pretty soon, she decided as she watched Hermione try to read the name of the book she was reading and not being able to, pull out a book of her own.
Ginny glanced at the other book and saw Hermione had wiped the spine clean of the name. Weird. I'll just ask her about it another time. Ginny let a cynical smirk play at the corner of her lips. Who knows, maybe Hermione has a secret just like mine.
Meanwhile in the last compartment on the right, across from the two girls Draco was seriously considering jumping out the window. He watched the cloudcover open and close revealing the harsh countryside every few seconds. He tried to block out the inane arguement Crabbe and Goyle were having, if you could even call the 'I know you are but what am I' arguement an actual argument, and concentrated on the scenery outside the window.
Whenever the clouds parted to show it he would drink it in. The rolling hills interrupted by a sharp mountain or a steep cliff with enormous rocks and gullies seemed harsh to the majority of people who observed it but to him it was beautiful. Something I can relate to. All people see is the harsh, the bad, what's up front. If they just looked a little closer then maybe they would see the good. The hollows filled with flowers, the tiny creeks that flowed clear to the bottom where smooth rocks shone like gems or maybe they would see the occasional hut or cabin and instead of thinking it small or having to live in squallar they would see the beauty of it. How it fit in perfectly with it's surroundings. Besides it could be hiding an exquisite splendor inside but they would never know because all they ever looked at was the outside. What was put up front for everyone to see to keep the beauty on the inside only for those who cared enough to look. I wish someone cared enough to really look at me.
"What the bloody hell!" Draco exclaimed as he turned away from the window. His foot smarted where someone had stomped on it. He looked at the two idiots sitting across from him and saw them staring at him blankly with one side of their heads tilted to the extent that they looked like a fish out of water. Well it wasn't Crabbe or Goyle. They aren't faking that stupid look. Merlin, why do I hang out with people like this?
A throat cleared nervously to his left and he glanced over irrated to find Pansy looking at him with those wide blue eyes of hers. She really wouldn't be so bad looking if she would just let up on the makeup and skanky clothes. Oh and let's not forget that she sleeps with everyone. I mean honestly, does she really think I even want to hang out with her after finding her and my dad? Merlin, that was disgusting. And she just stared at me, licked her lips, and rode him harder. Disgusting.
"What do you want Pansy?" Draco asked with an edge to his voice.
She leaned in close to his ear and put her hand on the inside of his thigh. "You," she whispered huskily.
Draco grabbed her hand by the wrist and used it to toss her over onto Crabbe and Goyle. "No thanks."
She pouted and Goyle lumbered into the space next to him as the door to the compartment opened. A rather old and jolly witch stood there with a cart full of treats and food. "Anything off the trolley dears?"
Not noticing the compartment across from them opening its door, Draco looked at the old woman with deadened eyes, "You got anything that contains poison so I can die instead of sitting here with these three gits?"
He glanced across the hall noticing the open door and saw the dark haired girl from earlier sitting in a compartment with Ginny Weasley who was buying a couple of chocolate frogs. The old woman gave him an odd glance and replied with a quick negative on the posion and then gave the red-headed girl her change.
So she knows the weasel's little sister. Hmmm. Blaize knows that red-head. Maybe we could all arrange a little get together. Draco smiled in anticipation and let his gaze back wander to the window and the clouds swirling by outside.
Continued in Chapter 4...