Chapter Fourteen:
Project Workings
Draco found himself pacing his dorm room. The confrontation with his father hadn't lifted his spirits any and he hated the way Lucius had bashed Hermione.
But, at this thought, he considered himself a hypocrite.
Stop it, now, Draco! He thought to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. You made fun of Hermione tons of times – calling her Mudblood and all!
But then there was that other side of him that wanted to say he'd changed.
That was before! Before you knew Hermione – before you got to know her and realized that you...
Shaking his head, he sat on the edge of his four-poster and tried to get all his self-worries out. It was a horrible habit of his to dwell on things until he felt sick in the stomach, though many never knew this besides his mother – however distant a relationship he had with her. Nibbling on the end of his finger, he tried to shake the unease from his stomach.
It seemed to come in waves. It was horrible and he didn't enjoy worrying.
Then stop it! His mind told him.
"I can't!" he said out loud, not realizing it.
Slowly, he put his face in his hands and tried to sort it all out.
He was of pure blood, but Hermione wasn't. His family came from a high, well-known position in the magical world and his father was a very influential figure in the ministry. Hermione's family consisted of muggles, which he knew not much.
"I can't take this!" he said angrily to himself. He was mad at his father for being so closed-minded to mingling with muggles. If Draco had his way, he'd let it be known that he'd met one of the nicest people in the wizarding world – and she was a muggle herself!
But then that horrible feeling returned to his stomach, stronger than before. He found himself feeling very alone and very vulnerable.
Looking up through his fingers, he spotted the Permetula sitting in its pot beside his bed. Its purple petals and golden highlights shimmered in the fading sunlight. This seemed to brighten his spirits a little because he smiled at the sight of the intriguing flower.
"Well, at least you're happy." he muttered to it, smiling. The flower seemed to nod as he said this, as though understanding. Draco blinked, but decided it must have been the light playing tricks on him.
After a little while of watching the flower, he reached into his bag and took out a sheaf of parchment and a quill. He needed to talk to Hermione, but he couldn't possibly do that at this hour. She was probably in her room right now, doing homework.
Maybe I can write a note, he thought to himself. Crabbe and Goyle were down in the Common Room making mischief again, so there wasn't anybody around to see him writing the note – or whom it was for.
Reaching over the side of the bed into his bag, he pulled out a piece of parchment. He became displeased when he saw that it had a wrinkle at one corner and a crease down the middle. He reached in again, but he found that he had none left. That was his last piece.
"Buggers!" he groaned as he tried to flatten the parchment on his lap. He did the best he could, but he feared even that looked too amateur.
Taking a quill out of his bag as well, he put the tip of it between his lips – a habit of his – and thought of how to start the note.
After a good five minutes of pondering how to start the note without making it sound too personal, he started scratching away at the parchment.
Hermione,
I'm sitting in my dorm room right now and wanted to talk
to you, but I can't. It's getting late, so I thought I'd write you a note.
It's the next best thing to talking to you.
This is kind of awkward for me – but – after you talked to me
in the corridor after the Quidditch Match, my father confronted me.
I'm no stranger to lectures – but he went on forever about how he'd
overheard our conversation. Now – I don't think anything personal was
said, but my father obviously thinks I'm getting too personal with you,
but I think this is rubbish.
If I could, I'd like to talk to you later sometime – perhaps while
we work on our project. We could later in the evening. I think the Library
will be open long enough for us to get half our report done. I've got all
the research, so you don't have to worry.
Well, I've got to get some sleep – I guess. I'll talk to you later.
Sincerely,
Draco.
There. That sounded good. Not too formal but not too intimate. Intimate things made Draco gag. Friends was one thing, but –
Folding the parchment clumsily into a tiny packet, he slipped it back into his bag, making sure it wasn't wrinkled any more than it already was. Tucking the quill beside it, he closed the bag and slid it beneath his bed.
He'd have to give the note to Hermione the next morning before classes started. As he turned over, hearing Crabbe and Goyle coming up the stairs, he decided he could slip it to her in the hallway before they ate breakfast in the Great Hall.
That's good, he thought to himself as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Harry was awoken by the sound of someone stumbling out of bed. Looking up without giving away that he had been awoken, he saw a blur of red and took it to be Ron. Keeping his head to the pillow, he watched behind squinted eyes as Ron struggled to pull on his robes, half dressed.
Harry wondered why in the world he was making such a fuss over the way he looked. It appeared he was looking into a mirror that Seamus had brought with him. It was enchanted to point out things that didn't look nice like uncombed hair and crooked ties.
Listening, Harry heard Ron groan to himself as the mirror squeaked out things that he was doing wrong.
"Your hair – dear! It's awfully messy! But, a beautiful shade of red! That can make up for the messiness!"
Ron ran his fingers quickly through it and sighed.
"Does it look good now?"
The mirror mumbled something that Harry couldn't hear because the pillow was blocking one of his ears, but Ron nodded and started towards the door.
Harry sat up as Ron left the room. Taking his glasses off the bedside table, he put them on, squinting as the light and room came into focus. He got up and put on his slippers. Judging by the light outside, it wasn't nearly time to go to breakfast yet. The sun still had a ways to rise.
Walking over to the mirror, he looked into it, being sure not to talk too loudly – Seamus and Dean were still asleep.
Catching his face in the mirror, Harry started to talk to it, hoping it would answer him.
"Excuse me," he started.
Watching, he noticed that the glass reflecting his face back at him rippled from the center out as he talked to it. It reminded him of water. He half wanted to reach out and touch it, but he remembered the Pensive he had been sucked into in Dumbledore's office and decided to keep his hands to himself.
"Yes, dear," the mirror started, the ripples getting greater as it hummed to him.
"Um...I was just wondering if you know," he started, feeling a little guilty he had to be asking it that question. "Do you know where Ron's heading so early?"
The mirror brightened a little as it thought to itself. Then, the ripples reappeared as it replied.
"Yes, as a matter of fact – I do. But, I'm not liable to tell you."
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Is it something personal then?"
The mirror gave out multiple ripples and Harry took that as a chuckle.
"Yes, it is personal. Concerning someone else – but that's already too much for you to know."
Harry nodded.
"Okay. I'll find out for myself."
The mirror stopped rippling as it replied sternly.
"I wouldn't be doing that, if I were you." it said, only producing a single ripple this time.
Harry turned, halfway into his robes.
"Why not?"
"Because. From what I've heard from your friend – you want to know too much. He said it's one of your faults, dear."
"One of my faults?"
"Oh yes. He said you were in trouble with somebody over wanting to hear too much."
Harry groaned.
"Hermione," he said as he rolled his eyes. "Thanks. I almost forgot about that."
"It's just what I know, dear." the mirror replied apologetically. "It may help you. Perhaps you need to keep your nose clean."
Harry chuckled.
"Oh really?" he muttered back as he put on his shoes. "Well, we'll see whose nose is clean today."
And with that, he left the dorm room.
Draco had dressed quickly this morning and was up earlier than he usually did. But, he had to because if he wanted to get the note to Hermione without anyone else seeing, he'd have to slip it to her before any of his Slytherin classmates saw him.
Quickly, he grabbed his bag and slipped out of the Common Room, down the hallway towards the staircase. He had an idea of where Hermione would be. If he knew her habits well enough, he'd say that because of the amount of stress she was going through – she'd be in the Library.
As fast as he could, he made his way down the stairs, accidentally walking through Professor Bins' ghost as he did.
A shot of icy cold ran through his limbs for a moment before he shrugged it off, seeing the entrance to the Library just in sight. Glad that nobody else was around, he headed straight for it.
But, before he could get very far into the library, he noticed somebody sitting all by himself in a corner surrounded by balls of parchment.
Slowly walking closer, he noticed that the person was Ron Weasley. Usually he felt a jolt of dislike towards the red headed boy, but this morning he felt a tinge of guilt towards how he'd mocked him. Ron looked distressed and he ran his fingers through his messy red hair.
"No!" he muttered to himself. "That will never do! Bloody Snape! Putting his nose where it doesn't belong! I suppose the whole school will know by now..."
"The whole school will know what by now?" Draco asked, not being able to hold his tongue as he watched Ron.
Glancing up, Ron hastily snatched up most of the crumpled pieces of parchment, stuffing them into his already full bag. Draco decided to help and picked up a ball by his feet, but as he unfolded it, Ron got to his feet and snatched it out of his hands.
"Thank-you." he said as he stuffed all of it in his bag. Draco shrugged and took a seat at the table next to Ron's. Placing his bag on the table, he took out the folded piece of parchment he was going to give to Hermione when he saw her.
"What are you in here for, Malfoy?" Ron asked suddenly as he sat back down. He appeared less tense after he had hidden all the parchment away.
Draco glanced over at him, flicking his eyebrow up.
"Oh, I'm hoping to meet somebody before breakfast."
Ron shrugged.
"Oh," he started, looking down at the tabletop as though it were very interesting. "Me as well."
Draco smiled.
"Coincidence, eh?"
Ron chuckled nervously. It was a short laugh that lasted only a couple seconds, unlike the ones that lasted for minutes at a time when he was around Harry and Hermione. "Yeah. Coincidence."
Draco hated long silences between anybody, even if they were enemies, so attempted to start a conversation.
"So, how's Potter been?"
"Huh?" Ron started, looking up.
"Potter. You two are friends, right? Or am I just stupid?"
Ron shook his head.
"Oh, we're friends...yeah."
"Well, how is he? He's not still awful after all that puss stuff got on him, is he?"
Ron shrugged.
"Well, I guess it's worn off pretty well. He's stopped itching it, so that's good I guess."
"You guess?" Draco replied with a grin. "That stuff sounded pretty awful to me. I wouldn't have wanted it to get on my skin!"
Ron shook his head, with a smile. "Me neither."
There was another moment of silence, and Ron appeared to be avoiding eye contact with Draco. Draco didn't know why, but he got the feeling Ron felt nervous around him. He couldn't imagine why because all he'd ever gotten from the red head was anger and a glare.
"Loosen up, Weasley!" he said finally, not liking the tension. "I'm not going to bite."
"Yeah, well, I'm used to getting slammed by you all the time. It's kind of hard to get used to being pleasant with someone you've loathed for a long time."
"A couple years, at least." Draco added. Desperate for something to occupy him for more than a minute, he looked down at his watch, pretending that the time was interesting. "Would you look at that?" he muttered as he spotted the time. "Only a half hour till breakfast."
Where is she? He thought to himself. She usually went into the Library to do some homework or suggested reading. But, this morning it appeared she was still in the Gryffindor Dorms.
Looking back over, he saw that Ron was writing something on the parchment again, vigorously.
"What in the world are you writing?" he asked, curiously.
Ron didn't look up.
"Nothing. None of your business."
"Oh," Draco said as he crossed his arms. "Okay. Not a love note, is it?"
Ron rolled his eyes.
"Can't you take a hint? Don't you know what bug off means?"
Draco found himself slipping back into his sneering self, but didn't get a chance to tell Ron off for being rude to him because at that moment, he spotted Hermione outside the Library heading towards the Great Hall.
Quickly, he got to his feet and ran out of the Library towards her, finally catching up.
"Hermione!" he said as he put a hand on her shoulder.
Hermione, turning, smiled when she saw that it was he. Her hair was tied up once again and she still looked wonderful in her school robes, even though they didn't flatter Draco too much.
"Draco! Hey!"
"Hey," he started, trying not to crush the note in his palm. "I...uh, was hoping I'd catch you before you went in to breakfast."
Hermione looked a little muddled, but smiled just the same.
"Oh. Why'd you want to catch me?"
Draco took a moment as he tried to decide how to word everything. Then, he dove in.
"Well, first, I wanted to ask you if you'd be up to working on our project tonight – you know...at Hagrid's. I think our flower will die if we keep it in that tiny pot, so I thought we could replant it in Hagrid's garden and watch it from there."
"Oh...sure." Hermione replied with a smile. "That'd be great. I really don't have anything to do anymore, so I'll have plenty of time to work on things."
"Great." Draco said, trying not to sigh in front of her. He was glad he'd started that off without sounding too uncomfortable. "Oh – and Hermione?"
She turned back to see him looking a little uneasy.
"Yes?"
Draco hesitated, but then reached out his hand, giving her the note.
"This is for you."
At first, Hermione looked as though she didn't understand what it was then took it. She grinned and gave that sort of giggle she did when she was happy.
"Thanks." she said simply and started edging back towards the Great Hall backwards, still facing Draco. "I'll see you tonight then. Six okay?"
Draco nodded.
"Six is fine," he said as she entered the Great Hall. "Six is absolutely perfect."
As he turned to go back to his dormitory to pick up some things, he noticed Ron was still sitting in the Library, once again surrounded by crumpled pieces of parchment.
Shrugging, he started towards the Marble Staircase.
Project Workings
Draco found himself pacing his dorm room. The confrontation with his father hadn't lifted his spirits any and he hated the way Lucius had bashed Hermione.
But, at this thought, he considered himself a hypocrite.
Stop it, now, Draco! He thought to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. You made fun of Hermione tons of times – calling her Mudblood and all!
But then there was that other side of him that wanted to say he'd changed.
That was before! Before you knew Hermione – before you got to know her and realized that you...
Shaking his head, he sat on the edge of his four-poster and tried to get all his self-worries out. It was a horrible habit of his to dwell on things until he felt sick in the stomach, though many never knew this besides his mother – however distant a relationship he had with her. Nibbling on the end of his finger, he tried to shake the unease from his stomach.
It seemed to come in waves. It was horrible and he didn't enjoy worrying.
Then stop it! His mind told him.
"I can't!" he said out loud, not realizing it.
Slowly, he put his face in his hands and tried to sort it all out.
He was of pure blood, but Hermione wasn't. His family came from a high, well-known position in the magical world and his father was a very influential figure in the ministry. Hermione's family consisted of muggles, which he knew not much.
"I can't take this!" he said angrily to himself. He was mad at his father for being so closed-minded to mingling with muggles. If Draco had his way, he'd let it be known that he'd met one of the nicest people in the wizarding world – and she was a muggle herself!
But then that horrible feeling returned to his stomach, stronger than before. He found himself feeling very alone and very vulnerable.
Looking up through his fingers, he spotted the Permetula sitting in its pot beside his bed. Its purple petals and golden highlights shimmered in the fading sunlight. This seemed to brighten his spirits a little because he smiled at the sight of the intriguing flower.
"Well, at least you're happy." he muttered to it, smiling. The flower seemed to nod as he said this, as though understanding. Draco blinked, but decided it must have been the light playing tricks on him.
After a little while of watching the flower, he reached into his bag and took out a sheaf of parchment and a quill. He needed to talk to Hermione, but he couldn't possibly do that at this hour. She was probably in her room right now, doing homework.
Maybe I can write a note, he thought to himself. Crabbe and Goyle were down in the Common Room making mischief again, so there wasn't anybody around to see him writing the note – or whom it was for.
Reaching over the side of the bed into his bag, he pulled out a piece of parchment. He became displeased when he saw that it had a wrinkle at one corner and a crease down the middle. He reached in again, but he found that he had none left. That was his last piece.
"Buggers!" he groaned as he tried to flatten the parchment on his lap. He did the best he could, but he feared even that looked too amateur.
Taking a quill out of his bag as well, he put the tip of it between his lips – a habit of his – and thought of how to start the note.
After a good five minutes of pondering how to start the note without making it sound too personal, he started scratching away at the parchment.
Hermione,
I'm sitting in my dorm room right now and wanted to talk
to you, but I can't. It's getting late, so I thought I'd write you a note.
It's the next best thing to talking to you.
This is kind of awkward for me – but – after you talked to me
in the corridor after the Quidditch Match, my father confronted me.
I'm no stranger to lectures – but he went on forever about how he'd
overheard our conversation. Now – I don't think anything personal was
said, but my father obviously thinks I'm getting too personal with you,
but I think this is rubbish.
If I could, I'd like to talk to you later sometime – perhaps while
we work on our project. We could later in the evening. I think the Library
will be open long enough for us to get half our report done. I've got all
the research, so you don't have to worry.
Well, I've got to get some sleep – I guess. I'll talk to you later.
Sincerely,
Draco.
There. That sounded good. Not too formal but not too intimate. Intimate things made Draco gag. Friends was one thing, but –
Folding the parchment clumsily into a tiny packet, he slipped it back into his bag, making sure it wasn't wrinkled any more than it already was. Tucking the quill beside it, he closed the bag and slid it beneath his bed.
He'd have to give the note to Hermione the next morning before classes started. As he turned over, hearing Crabbe and Goyle coming up the stairs, he decided he could slip it to her in the hallway before they ate breakfast in the Great Hall.
That's good, he thought to himself as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Harry was awoken by the sound of someone stumbling out of bed. Looking up without giving away that he had been awoken, he saw a blur of red and took it to be Ron. Keeping his head to the pillow, he watched behind squinted eyes as Ron struggled to pull on his robes, half dressed.
Harry wondered why in the world he was making such a fuss over the way he looked. It appeared he was looking into a mirror that Seamus had brought with him. It was enchanted to point out things that didn't look nice like uncombed hair and crooked ties.
Listening, Harry heard Ron groan to himself as the mirror squeaked out things that he was doing wrong.
"Your hair – dear! It's awfully messy! But, a beautiful shade of red! That can make up for the messiness!"
Ron ran his fingers quickly through it and sighed.
"Does it look good now?"
The mirror mumbled something that Harry couldn't hear because the pillow was blocking one of his ears, but Ron nodded and started towards the door.
Harry sat up as Ron left the room. Taking his glasses off the bedside table, he put them on, squinting as the light and room came into focus. He got up and put on his slippers. Judging by the light outside, it wasn't nearly time to go to breakfast yet. The sun still had a ways to rise.
Walking over to the mirror, he looked into it, being sure not to talk too loudly – Seamus and Dean were still asleep.
Catching his face in the mirror, Harry started to talk to it, hoping it would answer him.
"Excuse me," he started.
Watching, he noticed that the glass reflecting his face back at him rippled from the center out as he talked to it. It reminded him of water. He half wanted to reach out and touch it, but he remembered the Pensive he had been sucked into in Dumbledore's office and decided to keep his hands to himself.
"Yes, dear," the mirror started, the ripples getting greater as it hummed to him.
"Um...I was just wondering if you know," he started, feeling a little guilty he had to be asking it that question. "Do you know where Ron's heading so early?"
The mirror brightened a little as it thought to itself. Then, the ripples reappeared as it replied.
"Yes, as a matter of fact – I do. But, I'm not liable to tell you."
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Is it something personal then?"
The mirror gave out multiple ripples and Harry took that as a chuckle.
"Yes, it is personal. Concerning someone else – but that's already too much for you to know."
Harry nodded.
"Okay. I'll find out for myself."
The mirror stopped rippling as it replied sternly.
"I wouldn't be doing that, if I were you." it said, only producing a single ripple this time.
Harry turned, halfway into his robes.
"Why not?"
"Because. From what I've heard from your friend – you want to know too much. He said it's one of your faults, dear."
"One of my faults?"
"Oh yes. He said you were in trouble with somebody over wanting to hear too much."
Harry groaned.
"Hermione," he said as he rolled his eyes. "Thanks. I almost forgot about that."
"It's just what I know, dear." the mirror replied apologetically. "It may help you. Perhaps you need to keep your nose clean."
Harry chuckled.
"Oh really?" he muttered back as he put on his shoes. "Well, we'll see whose nose is clean today."
And with that, he left the dorm room.
Draco had dressed quickly this morning and was up earlier than he usually did. But, he had to because if he wanted to get the note to Hermione without anyone else seeing, he'd have to slip it to her before any of his Slytherin classmates saw him.
Quickly, he grabbed his bag and slipped out of the Common Room, down the hallway towards the staircase. He had an idea of where Hermione would be. If he knew her habits well enough, he'd say that because of the amount of stress she was going through – she'd be in the Library.
As fast as he could, he made his way down the stairs, accidentally walking through Professor Bins' ghost as he did.
A shot of icy cold ran through his limbs for a moment before he shrugged it off, seeing the entrance to the Library just in sight. Glad that nobody else was around, he headed straight for it.
But, before he could get very far into the library, he noticed somebody sitting all by himself in a corner surrounded by balls of parchment.
Slowly walking closer, he noticed that the person was Ron Weasley. Usually he felt a jolt of dislike towards the red headed boy, but this morning he felt a tinge of guilt towards how he'd mocked him. Ron looked distressed and he ran his fingers through his messy red hair.
"No!" he muttered to himself. "That will never do! Bloody Snape! Putting his nose where it doesn't belong! I suppose the whole school will know by now..."
"The whole school will know what by now?" Draco asked, not being able to hold his tongue as he watched Ron.
Glancing up, Ron hastily snatched up most of the crumpled pieces of parchment, stuffing them into his already full bag. Draco decided to help and picked up a ball by his feet, but as he unfolded it, Ron got to his feet and snatched it out of his hands.
"Thank-you." he said as he stuffed all of it in his bag. Draco shrugged and took a seat at the table next to Ron's. Placing his bag on the table, he took out the folded piece of parchment he was going to give to Hermione when he saw her.
"What are you in here for, Malfoy?" Ron asked suddenly as he sat back down. He appeared less tense after he had hidden all the parchment away.
Draco glanced over at him, flicking his eyebrow up.
"Oh, I'm hoping to meet somebody before breakfast."
Ron shrugged.
"Oh," he started, looking down at the tabletop as though it were very interesting. "Me as well."
Draco smiled.
"Coincidence, eh?"
Ron chuckled nervously. It was a short laugh that lasted only a couple seconds, unlike the ones that lasted for minutes at a time when he was around Harry and Hermione. "Yeah. Coincidence."
Draco hated long silences between anybody, even if they were enemies, so attempted to start a conversation.
"So, how's Potter been?"
"Huh?" Ron started, looking up.
"Potter. You two are friends, right? Or am I just stupid?"
Ron shook his head.
"Oh, we're friends...yeah."
"Well, how is he? He's not still awful after all that puss stuff got on him, is he?"
Ron shrugged.
"Well, I guess it's worn off pretty well. He's stopped itching it, so that's good I guess."
"You guess?" Draco replied with a grin. "That stuff sounded pretty awful to me. I wouldn't have wanted it to get on my skin!"
Ron shook his head, with a smile. "Me neither."
There was another moment of silence, and Ron appeared to be avoiding eye contact with Draco. Draco didn't know why, but he got the feeling Ron felt nervous around him. He couldn't imagine why because all he'd ever gotten from the red head was anger and a glare.
"Loosen up, Weasley!" he said finally, not liking the tension. "I'm not going to bite."
"Yeah, well, I'm used to getting slammed by you all the time. It's kind of hard to get used to being pleasant with someone you've loathed for a long time."
"A couple years, at least." Draco added. Desperate for something to occupy him for more than a minute, he looked down at his watch, pretending that the time was interesting. "Would you look at that?" he muttered as he spotted the time. "Only a half hour till breakfast."
Where is she? He thought to himself. She usually went into the Library to do some homework or suggested reading. But, this morning it appeared she was still in the Gryffindor Dorms.
Looking back over, he saw that Ron was writing something on the parchment again, vigorously.
"What in the world are you writing?" he asked, curiously.
Ron didn't look up.
"Nothing. None of your business."
"Oh," Draco said as he crossed his arms. "Okay. Not a love note, is it?"
Ron rolled his eyes.
"Can't you take a hint? Don't you know what bug off means?"
Draco found himself slipping back into his sneering self, but didn't get a chance to tell Ron off for being rude to him because at that moment, he spotted Hermione outside the Library heading towards the Great Hall.
Quickly, he got to his feet and ran out of the Library towards her, finally catching up.
"Hermione!" he said as he put a hand on her shoulder.
Hermione, turning, smiled when she saw that it was he. Her hair was tied up once again and she still looked wonderful in her school robes, even though they didn't flatter Draco too much.
"Draco! Hey!"
"Hey," he started, trying not to crush the note in his palm. "I...uh, was hoping I'd catch you before you went in to breakfast."
Hermione looked a little muddled, but smiled just the same.
"Oh. Why'd you want to catch me?"
Draco took a moment as he tried to decide how to word everything. Then, he dove in.
"Well, first, I wanted to ask you if you'd be up to working on our project tonight – you know...at Hagrid's. I think our flower will die if we keep it in that tiny pot, so I thought we could replant it in Hagrid's garden and watch it from there."
"Oh...sure." Hermione replied with a smile. "That'd be great. I really don't have anything to do anymore, so I'll have plenty of time to work on things."
"Great." Draco said, trying not to sigh in front of her. He was glad he'd started that off without sounding too uncomfortable. "Oh – and Hermione?"
She turned back to see him looking a little uneasy.
"Yes?"
Draco hesitated, but then reached out his hand, giving her the note.
"This is for you."
At first, Hermione looked as though she didn't understand what it was then took it. She grinned and gave that sort of giggle she did when she was happy.
"Thanks." she said simply and started edging back towards the Great Hall backwards, still facing Draco. "I'll see you tonight then. Six okay?"
Draco nodded.
"Six is fine," he said as she entered the Great Hall. "Six is absolutely perfect."
As he turned to go back to his dormitory to pick up some things, he noticed Ron was still sitting in the Library, once again surrounded by crumpled pieces of parchment.
Shrugging, he started towards the Marble Staircase.