THREE
Tuesday, 2 September 1944
The hallway leading towards the girls' dorms were just as barren as the common room. The only light was from the sconces on the wall with the same green flames. Hermione took in every inch of wall they passed. Kalista walked ahead and told her all about the prefects. "We're assigned the duty in Fifth Year and it continues until we leave. One boy and one girl from each house. So six in total. Us three girls share a room. Headmaster asked if we would be okay adding another and we agreed."
"Thank you," she said after a moment.
The inside of the room was somewhat similar to the set up in Gryffindor. There were four large four-poster beds with canopy's of black, silver, and greens. What excited her the most was that there were partitions between the beds and plenty of space between. With the right wards and charms, it would be private.
"That one's yours." Hermione looked over to the far corner of the room. It was the most private one by far. "All of the supplies and things you rounded up earlier are already stashed in the trunk at the foot of your bed. Do you know where your classes are?"
She nodded. "Yes, Tom took us on a tour already."
Kalista's smile tightened for a moment. "Don't let him scare you too much. He just comes on a little strong, but he's alright once you get to know him."
Hermione didn't comment. Instead, she put on a smile and shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry, I'm Harmony Granger. My friend is Draco Malory."
Kalista's brown eyes sparked at the mention of Malfoy. "Speaking of your friend… Are you two…"
It took a moment for Hermione to catch on. When she did, she wanted proclaim loudly that she would never be caught dead thinking of Malfoy as something other than foul and loathsome. Yet, the way the girl was asking made her feel possessive of her only connection to her real world.
"Yes."
Kalista sighed. "Figures, all the good-looking ones are taken. You did well, Harmony."
She mustered up a smile and looked around, not really sure what to do next. She just wanted to get back to the common room and see Malfoy again. She shuddered at the thought; it was surreal to crave his presence.
"Oh, and don't worry about the no boys thing. We've all snuck in a bloke a few times," Kalista said, her eyes alight with mischief. "Just do us a favor and let us know before hand, yeah? We'll never tattle."
Hermione felt heat wash over her and she dropped her eyes to the ground. "Thanks."
"I have class to get to, but after dinner I'll introduce you to the rest of the girls. It was nice to meet you, Harmony!" she called as she made her way to the door.
Alone in the room, Hermione grabbed her wand from her robes and set about warding her corner of the room. Much like the wards from being on the run, once she stepped behind it, no one would hear or see anything. More importantly, no one would be able to step foot across the wards unless she invited them. She considered adding Malfoy's signature to the wards, but decided against it for now. Finished, she returned to the common room.
Malfoy was pacing in front of the fireplace as he waited for her. There were still other people in the common room, but at least Riddle was gone. She motioned for him to follow and they left the common room. If she remembered correctly, there was a secret passage near the potions classroom. After checking for prying eyes, she opened the passage way and they stepped inside.
"Lumos," they whispered in unison; their wands tips casting a warm glow in the darkness.
"I'm rooming with the prefects," she informed him. "You?"
"Riddle." Hermione's eyes went wide. "Head Boy and Head Girl get their own room. He opened his up to share with me. Don't I feel lucky."
"At least you'll be able to watch him."
"I'm not a fucking Gryffindor!" he snapped. "I would much prefer a room full of strangers so I can blend in and get the bloody hell away from that psycho!"
"It's better to keep your enemies closer," she argued and then gestured between them. "Case in point."
He narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't comment. She stared at him for a moment, bit her lip, and then looked down quickly. "What?" he asked.
"Kalista asked me if we were…" she cleared her throat and rushed on. "I said that we were."
"Of course you did."
Her eyes snapped back up to him; blazing of golden fire in the wand light. "If I had said you were single, everyone would have been throwing themselves at you and you'd get distracted."
"Are you sure you weren't just jealous, Granger?"
She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Piss off. I'll tell them we broke up and you can feel free to whore around. Even the thought of being your fake girlfriend makes me want to throw up."
He sneered at her. "How could I forget your preference for red hair and pudding for brains?"
She stepped closer to him, seething. "Ron Weasley is thrice the man you'll ever be! At least he fought for what he believed in instead of doing as he was told and hiding behind his mother's skirts!"
He snarled at her as he pushed her back against the wall. His palms slapped against the stone on either side of her head. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest against his as he got in her face. "Not everyone has the luxury of doing whatever the fuck they want, Granger. We come from very different worlds. Don't presume to know anything about me!"
They were each rooted to their spot; their eyes spitting daggers at one another. Slowly, the seething rage seeped from both of them only to be replaced by something new. Malfoy stepped back the moment the air shifted and Hermione pressed herself further against the stone wall, shaking that emotion off as fast as it had come to her.
"Please don't mention Ron or Harry to me. I won't talk about your family in return."
He nodded.
"And I'm sorry for claiming we were together without talking to you. It was just the easiest way to get a cover story. If we plan on spending all of our free time together to figure out how to get home, then they'll all assume that's the case anyway."
"It's fine, Granger." She let out a breath at his acceptance and straightened herself. "If anything, it will help Riddle keep his distance from you."
Her heart dropped into her stomach.
"The way he was looking at you…" his fists clenched at his side. "He won't believe what he can't see. We'll have to put on a show. Can you act your part?"
"Yes." Her voice was terse and flat, but she knew it was better to put up with Malfoy than any sort of advances Riddle might make.
"Whatever happens here is forgotten the moment we get home," he assured her.
"We have some time before dinner, we should go to the library and start researching."
He looked to the entrance and then back at her. "What if someone sees?"
Her eyes lit up for a moment. "I didn't have a little beaded bag on me when you came to, did I?"
He thought about it and then shook his head. "Nothing but your clothes. Why?"
There was a chance it may have been destroyed in the fire. She wondered if she should tell Malfoy about her plans to recreate the map. He huffed in annoyance at her silence.
"Granger, we're in this together. If it's something that pertains to us getting out, then-"
"There was a map in the bag. When activated, it would display all of Hogwarts and its inhabitants."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes, but there was curiosity too. "That's how you three managed to get around so easily."
"And spy on people, yes," she said, her lips quirking up a little bit. "Come on, if I can recreate it, I'll be able to show you exactly how it works."
Carefully they made their way out of the secret passage. From the looks of things, no one saw and they proceeded towards the library for the hour that they had leading up to dinner.
With notes in hand, Malfoy and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. They hadn't discussed much once they left the secret passage way. Once at the library, Hermione had gone straight for books on map making and tried her best to find a blueprint of Hogwarts. Malfoy had opted for magical theories on time travel and the pair had lapsed into silence to research.
After six years of second nature, Hermione began heading for the Gryffindor table, but Malfoy pulled her back. "You're in the snake pit now," he reminded her in a low voice.
She gave the crimson and gold banners a longing look before following him across the hall to the Slytherin table. They perched themselves at the very end and began to eat.
Their solitude was short lived as Kalista and two other girls sat down at the table across from them. "Draco, Harmony," she greeted with a smile. "This is Gertrude Mcleod, a Fifth Year," she said, gesturing to the brunette on her left. "And Agnes Birchwater, Seventh Year," she added, nodding at the honey haired witch to her right. "They're your fellow roommates."
"Ah, pleasure to meet you," Hermione said, nodding her head at both of them. "Thank you for letting me share your room."
"Of course!" Gertrude said with a large smile. "I'd love to hear all about Durmstrang." She leaned in a little, her dark eyes flashing. "Is it true? That they teach more about the Dark Arts than they ought to?"
"We know enough," Malfoy answered.
"The Dark Arts was never my strong suit," she said. "They taught what they needed to."
Gertrude sat back clearly unsatisfied with their answer. Kalista shook her head and smiled. "Forgive Trudy, here. She's prone to say whatever is on her mind."
Hermione mustered up a smile. "It's fine. I've been told I make horrible first impressions."
Malfoy snorted from next to her and she resisted the urge to shove her elbow into his ribs. Agnes' eyes flickered between them both for a moment while she buttered a biscuit. "So how long have you two been together?"
"Since the summer," Malfoy answered easily.
The girls across from them picked up on the icy undertones of his voice and let that particular conversation drop. Instead, they focused on comparing their course schedules and giving the new students a run down on the likes and dislikes of the professors. When dinner was over, Hermione and Malfoy excused themselves back to the library.
"You're terrible at making friends," he said once they were seated.
"I disagree. I just choose my friends wisely."
"Yes, I suppose waiting until people come to your rescue is the foundation of a solid friendship."
"As opposed to having lackeys to do my every bid?" Something flickered in his eyes and he stiffened. She thought of the scream in the Room of Requirement amongst the Fiendfyre and sighed. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Serves him right," he said after a moment. "He had no business casting Fiendfyre."
She nodded and pulled out her notes they had collected earlier. She stopped rifling through them when she felt his eyes boring a hole into the side of her skull. She looked up at him. "Yes, Malfoy?"
"They're going to ask you about us later."
She tapped the desk with her fingertips and rolled her eyes. "I know."
"What will you tell them?" His head tipped to the side as he leaned back; arms folding across his chest. "I'm curious to see how I swept you off your feet." She rolled her eyes and he clucked his tongue at her. "If you keep doing that, they'll get stuck inside your head."
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes yet again. She folded her hands neatly atop her notes and took a deep breath. "Fine. You said it started over the summer. I'll tell them that it started when our parents decided to move their business back to London. That my parents moved first and you couldn't bear the thought of me leaving and made the first move. I'll tell them you didn't come back until near the end of summer and we spent most of our 'relationship' writing letters.
"For good measure, since I'm sure everyone can sense your vile nature, I'll tell them that you wanted to commute to Drumstrang, but I wanted to come here. That you decided last minute to come with me because you couldn't stomach a year without me."
She grinned at the scowl on his face. "You might want to tell them something they'll believe."
"Oh they'll believe it. I'm quite good at cover stories," she said, thinking of all the times she had spun preposterous tales to cover for herself, Harry, and Ron over the years.
He simply bristled with a harrumph, but didn't say anything. Hermione held his gaze for a moment and then turned back to her notes. "What would you have said, then?" she asked without looking up.
"Something that doesn't make me come off as whipped," he answered brusquely. "Maybe something along the lines of I snogged you senseless and you just keep coming back for more."
She snorted and looked up at him. "You're opposed to a believable young love story in favor of making me out to be a slag? Classy."
"I said snog, Granger." His brow quirked. "It's what usually happens when I snog someone; they just can't keep away."
"That makes you sound like the slag," she said icily. "But that's the difference between the sexes. Blokes can rack up all the snogs and boast about prowess and come off as some sort of a hero. Yet women, the fairer of the sexes, get judged and shunned for how many men we snog."
"Just how many witches do you think I've snogged, Granger?" His grey eyes were clouded with curiosity.
"I'm sure it's an abhorrently high number. And honestly I'd rather not waste my time thinking of where your mouth has been."
"And I suppose yours is squeaky clean?"
"At least mine never touched something like Pansy Parkinson."
He narrowed his eyes for a moment and then chuckled. "Touché," he said. "Although, I would say the same about Weasley."
Memories of the Chamber of Secrets came to her and she turned her head. She remembered the way her hand had trembled as she brought the fang down to the cup. She recalled the rush of water as she and Ron scrambled to get away from the shard of Voldemort's soul trying to get away. She closed her eyes as she recalled the glance she exchanged with Ron a moment before his lips sought hers.
"If you're not going to research, you can go," she said with finality as she got to her feet. She didn't look at him as she moved away, losing herself in the stacks. She found the books on charms and map making that she was reading earlier and returned to the table.
He was still there with his own notes spread about. A book on time travel open as well. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice low.
"I'll tell them whatever you want me to tell them."
"Your story is fine."
She bobbed her head and cracked open her book. They stayed there until the warning for curfew sounded throughout the castle. The sconces in the library dimmed, signaling it was time for them to return to the dorms.
"Are you sure we can't just stay in the Room of Requirement?" he asked, packing his things slowly. "I'd rather wither and die in a broom closet than share my room with that snake."
"At least he doesn't have Nagini yet," she said, offering a small smile.
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
She paused in the main hallway and looked at him. "He's rather proficient at Legilimency."
"I'm aware," he replied. "I've been through enough of his intrusions. Between him and Aunt Bellatrix, I've become quite good at Occlumency."
She winced at the sound of her name and instinctively grabbed her left forearm. "That should help then. I'm sure he wouldn't think twice about using it on either of us. The last thing we need is for him to see what he becomes. You should teach me."
His eyes went wide with surprise. "You mean to tell me there's a skill I possess that you don't, Granger?"
"I'm sure I can read about it and practice it on my own, but it would be easier to have practical lessons from someone with adequate experience," she said, nose turning up in the air as they continued on to the dungeons. "Harry tried to teach me while we were on the run, but he wasn't very good at it."
"You do understand the process can be quite…" he paused to think of the right word. "Intimate in a way."
"I have nothing to hide from you and I'd rather you poke around inside my head than Riddle," she answered. "And besides, I'd like to practice Legilimency, so we'll both be open to one another."
His lips parted and she was sure he was going to object, but he sighed instead. They were silent until they reached the common room. They stood near the corridor juncture, not wanting to part just yet.
"We both have Transfiguration together first if I remember correctly," she said.
"Yes."
Her eyes lit up. "Maybe we should ask Dumbledore for help?"
"He's not the Dumbledore we knew, Granger."
"He is, actually. He's just a little younger." He was tense and she knew the reason for it. She reached out and gently laid her hand on his forearm. "Look, I know we had very different encounters with him over the years, but he's the closest thing we have to a lifeline right now. I trust him. Do you trust me?"
He stared at her for a long moment before cracking a light smile. "As long as you're not flying a broom, I trust you."
She smiled in return and gave him a light shove. "I'll see you in the morning. Do try and get some sleep."
He nodded and watched her as she turned to the right and made her way to her own dorm. She gave one last look at him before turning out of sight. When she entered her dorm, her roommates were sitting together on the floor playing a game. They smiled at her and waved. She thought about what Malfoy said and went to them. Whatever helped keep her mind off of Malfoy alone with Riddle was a welcomed distraction.