AN: Thank you to sierraemilie and LUNA GURLZ for reviewing. And as for LUNA GURLZ's question about what's going to happen when Hermione wakes up, you'll have to wait and see.
Read and review please!
Song suggestion: New Perspective, Panic at the Disco.
Chapter Sixteen: Food Musing.
Pansy watched Weaslette slam into the dining hall, which echoed with voices and clatters of cutlery. Blaise followed easily, sauntering in with a high head. Malfoy, on the other hand, glanced around uneasily. These people hated him, he was supposed to be Dumbledore's assassin, he'd be lucky if they didn't kill him. Trying to remain calm, he placed his hand on the small of Pansy's back and led her in, feeling her hesitation too.
Everyone was suddenly silence at the appearance of the three Slytherins, but no hexes were thrown, so apparently they all already knew about the defectors. It gave them little relief as they strode up to the serving counter. Blaise, to the mystification of his friends, simply let Mrs Weasley serve him as if this was an everyday occurrence. Malfoy and Pansy followed his example quietly, looking around with discrete wariness.
"How's Hermione?" Mrs Weasley asked as Ginny poured herself a drink.
"Unconscious." Ginny replied simply but her quivering lower lip betrayed her true worried state. Mrs Weasley and her daughter shared a sympathising look. Blaise watched this as the older woman served him a plate of cottage or shepherds' pie. He couldn't guess if it was beef or lamb in the gravy and vegetable mix.
The matriarch then looked at the three Slytherins. She handed the darker boy a hearty serving of the pie along with his male counterpart. But as Pansy held out her plate, Mrs Weasley looked at the girl pitifully before giving her an extra helping on top of the already large portion. Pansy smiled and thanked her in a quiet, inoffensive tone before shuffling off to pour herself a pumpkin juice.
Turning around to view the tables, the Slytherins considered them. There were two tables, seating ten, lain out with cutlery as place settings. Harry, Ron, Lavender, Ginny, and Dean were sat together on one table. Fred, George, Percy, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, Arthur, Remus, and Nymphadora sat on the other. The three slid into the free seats as far from the other students as possible, leaving a spare seat on either side of the table between the two factions.
"Where are Ollivander and the goblin?" Malfoy wondered out loud as he sipped his juice.
"Another safe house." Pansy nodded, "They only hold about twenty of us each, there was no room for them here."
"How'd you know?" The two boys turned to her.
"I overheard them talking while you were being questioned." She shrugged, "I also know that Lavender is in agony with backaches-"
"We knew that." Malfoy interrupted and she sent him a scolding glare.
"And is refusing to take any potions in case it harms the twins. Apparently, Weasley King isn't taking it so well." Malfoy snorted, receiving another sharp look, "Before they left on whatever mission they were on before they were caught, he had been asking his mother about a c-section."
"Impatient idiot." Malfoy shook his head.
"Draco." She hissed and kicked him under the table, "Brown has barely made it to meal times because of the pain she is in, have some respect. If your wife was pregnant like that, you'd want to help her too."
"Since when did you stick up for them?" He snapped back.
"Since we changed sides. It's plain to see; Brown is just about ready to bawl in pain." She motioned to Lavender subtly. The two boys cast imperceptible glances at the expecting witch. With her white knuckled grip on her fork and damp eyes, Blaise pitied the girl. But her idiotic Gryffindor nature to pretend everything was fine when it wasn't made him want to rant at her stupidity, "Back breached maybe." Pansy mused as she scooped up some mashed potato.
"Anything else you've learned Pansy?" Blaise asked curiously.
"Yes." She nodded at Malfoy, "Your cousin's pregnant."
"Right." Draco found it odd, considering his disinherited cousin simply his cousin now, both were probably disinherited together. But he did glance at her subconsciously. He could barely tell she was pregnant with her extra-large jumper covering her, only when she stroke an affectionate hand over her globed stomach did she show.
"And Mrs Weasley is the only healer here because Lupin is reluctant to let her work. Your cousin is a bit miffed apparently, but otherwise is running her husband ragged with her requests as punishment." She sniggered, "Granger was a healer too until…now." The mood instantly sobered and they ate silently as Lupin and Luna came in. Both quickly got food before sitting down.
The three Slytherins were surprised to see Luna plop down next to Blaise, though it would have been more shocking if she'd taken the other free seat next to Draco. The dreamy girl instantly began to update her friends just as Lupin did on the adults' table.
"She's still not woken up but Remus thinks it could be a while so we came for dinner." She smiled sadly before forking a mouthful of meat into her mouth. Her friends seemed to consider this for a sombre moment before they began talking about other unimportant things.
"They just left her on her own?" Malfoy muttered in disgust.
"Draco, they have to eat." Pansy tried to pacify him, "Anyway, she's not waking up any time soon."
"Right." He mumbled and then ignored his two friends who looked at him wonderingly before talking quietly, heads together.
Draco didn't understand why they would just leave her. Shouldn't someone be watching her in case she did wake up? Saying that, apparently there was no guard on constant watch either. He wondered what he'd gotten himself into as he mulled over his dinner. His thoughts circling around the tortured girl in the medical wing.
Noticing he was done, but everyone else's plates were still half full, he pushed it away, and drained his glass before standing up. All eyes seemed to be on him as his chair scrapped the tiled flooring. Resisting sending a superior sneer at the staring onlookers, he muttered the excuse of needing the lavatory before striding out.