Bigger Than Expected

"Hey, Hermione, are you busy tonight?"

Hermione looked up into Ginny's expectant face. "Why, do you have something else to tell me?" Hermione asked.

"Not really. I just wanted to talk," Ginny said.

"About what?"

"Well…I know we kind of left each other on bad terms. I don't want you to be angry with me."

Hermione sighed. "I'm not. You just caught me off-guard." She turned back to her dinner and contemplated the positioning of the chicken next to the carrots. "But we can still talk, I guess."

"Great." Ginny rose from her own seat. "I've actually got some work to do in the library right now. Can I come by at eight?"

"Sure. See you then," Hermione said as her attention returned to her plate.

She was actually going over the events of the past few days in her mind, and how unfazed Draco seemed to be by the letter. He hadn't mentioned it to her at all. It was almost like he hadn't received it. And now that Hermione had had more time to consider it, she was completely convinced that Draco couldn't possibly be on his way to joining the Death Eater—if he wasn't worried then why should she be? At least, that was what Hermione told herself.

Harry and Ron slid over into the space Ginny had previously occupied and interrupted Hermione's thoughts.

"So what's the news, Hermione?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked up at Harry's words and noticed that he was giving her a concerned look. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Oh, nothing much. Although, you'd know that if you were around more often."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh Harry, you're so tactless." Ron pushed him aside and leaned closer to Hermione. "What he means to say is that we miss you. We don't see you anymore."

"You see me right now."

"Right. But we never really hang out, you know?"

Hermione considered the idea. "I suppose you're right…"

"Hey, what are you doing tonight? Surely you can spare some time."

"I can actually," she said and smiled. Now if only Harry could be like that. But no, Harry had been a little uptight lately, ever since he'd discovered her relationship with Draco. And he was still giving her that concerned look she'd thought she misinterpreted before.

"We'll stop by sometime tonight. And then we can paint our nails and gossip about all the cute guys," Ron joked.

"Ha ha." Hermione looked at her watch. "Ok, time's up. I'll see you later." Hermione picked up her books and rose.

Perhaps it would be a good thing to talk to them. Ron was right—she hadn't been with her friends in a while. And while they were probably blaming that all on Draco, and while they were probably right, at least she knew it and felt bad about it. Maybe she could even figure out just what was making Harry so sour. Although he'd said himself that he had no problem with Draco, Hermione had more than just a suspicion that Harry wasn't being completely honest about that.

"Harry, maybe you should try to be a little nicer to her." Ron said after Hermione had left. "Even if she is with Malfoy, she's not the evil one here."

"Was I being mean?" Harry asked.

"You certainly weren't being nice." Ron sighed. "And in any case, if we're going to convince her of anything we don't want to make her angry. Don't look so upset," he said and patted Harry on the back. "She even said we could come by tonight. She's not completely ignoring us."

"Yeah yeah yeah…" Harry rolled his eyes. "Malfoy doesn't have to ask to come by. He probably just forces his way into her bedroom…"

"From the way you talk you'd think you actually do fancy Hermione," Ron said with a grin.

"Let's not go there," Harry said. "We should probably go find Ginny now."

"Right."

The two boys stood and walked out of the Great Hall in the direction of the library. Ginny was sitting on the couch where the three had last met.

"Well, she said I could come by at eight," Ginny said.

"I wonder if she's expecting us at the same time she's expecting you," Ron said as he took a seat.

"Wait—what?"

"She said we could come by too."

Ginny sighed. "You can't do that."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Because she doesn't know that you two know about the letter."

"I thought we'd agreed that we were all going to talk to her."

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time—"

"It was your idea…" Harry reminded her.

"Yes I know. But then I thought, hey, she'll be angry enough that I'm telling her to dump her boyfriend—"

"That's too bad." Harry stood. "We're going. Right now." He walked off before Ginny could say any more to him. Ginny looked at Ron, and he shrugged, but they followed anyway.

"Let me go first," Ginny said when they arrived at the Heads' dormitory. "She's not expecting you yet."

Ginny said the password, and all three walked into the dormitory, then up the staircase leading to Hermione's room. She called Hermione's name and seconds later, the portrait opened.

"Hey Ginny," she said with a smile, "and Harry and Ron…I didn't think you guys would be here now." She gave Ginny a questioning look but the redhead avoided her gaze.

"There's no problem with that, is there?" Harry asked as he walked into Hermione's room.

"I guess not—I just thought that Ginny and I were going to talk about…things that these guys wouldn't want to hear."

Ron closed the door behind him. "Well, actually…we all want to talk about it."

"About what?" Hermione eyed the three as comprehension dawned on her, and then turned to Ginny. "Did you tell them! Oh gods, I can't believe this!"

"Calm down Hermione," Ginny said as she moved towards her. "Wouldn't you have done the same thing?"

"No!"

"Not even if you were worried about one of us?" Ron asked.

Hermione sighed. She closed her eyes and counted to ten in an attempt to calm herself. "Maybe I would." She sat down on her bed. "But you don't have anything to worry about."

"Yes we do," Harry said.

Hermione sighed again. She knew she was in for a long conversation. "I guess you'll want chairs, then." She conjured a couch big enough for them all to sit on, and Harry, Ron, and Ginny settled onto it.

"We've all seen the letter, Hermione," Harry said as soon as Hermione had taken a seat on her bed. "And there's nothing else that it could be referring to besides Malfoy's initiation into the Death Eaters' circle." Harry kept his gaze on Hermione to gauge her reactions, but the expression on her face remained set in stony seriousness. She frowned, however, at the tone in which Harry pronounced Draco's last name and rolled her eyes.

"Draco's not going to be a Death Eater," she said.

"Are you so sure about that Hermione? Really, it's all in the letter. And we have every reason to worry. Something's going to happen and it's going to happen soon. They've moved it up. Whatever Voldemort's planning is important enough that it needs to be done as soon as possible."

"And that means we all have to worry," Ron said. "But of all of us in this room, besides Harry of course, you're in the most danger. You're Muggle-born, Hermione. It's probably not the best idea that you're living with someone who's swearing himself to You-Know-Who."

"I'm sure you don't have to stay here, Hermione," Harry said. "I bet if you ask Dumbledore he'll let you move in with Ginny or something."

"Ok, Harry, I'm not moving out of my dorm. This is ridiculous. I'm really serious—Draco's not going to be a Death Eater."

Harry scoffed. "How can you say that, Hermione? Are you being dense on purpose?" Malfoy is most definitely going to be a Death Eater," he stated. "And Death Eaters exist to kill Muggle-borns. You're living right next to someone who's going to kill you."

Hermione rose from her seat with this statement. "How dare you say that, Harry!"

"Because it's true!" Harry was now also on his feet.

"Ok." Hermione stared him down for a few seconds. "Get out—now."

"Herm—"

"Get out. Stand up," she said to Ron and Ginny who were still sitting. They rose and she waved the couch into thin air. "Now leave."

Harry still hadn't turned to go, and still had his gaze locked on Hermione's face. She said nothing and returned his angry stare. Finally Harry turned around and walked to the door, Ron and Ginny in tow. Hermione slammed the door behind them.

Ginny looked at the floor, and then back up at the two boys. "Looks like that didn't go how you planned."