Hermione was shaken awake by Ginny and she started.
"What the f-" she groaned.
"You fell asleep on the bed in literally three minutes." Ginny said, laughing.
"Well, it's a comfortable bed. Do they have a sleeping charm in the mattress or something?" Hermione asked. Her head felt foggy.
"Maybe? It was pretty easy to get my rest." Ginny said. Hermione's eyes focused and she finally took in all of Ginny. She was head to toe in a champagne shiny dress and her red hair cascaded down her back and over one shoulder.
"You look ridiculous. It's lunch right? Not some dinner party with the Queen?" Hermione quipped. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"So what? I like nice things, and he likes giving me nice things. Plus, I won't keep it." Ginny said. She pressed her palm to the front of the dress and smoothed it beneath her hand. It looked like silk.
"Just, be careful I guess. I don't know his motives yet." Hermione said.
"To get married, of course." Ginny said with a wink. "Oh whatever, Mione. Let me have some fun."
"You're right. I'm sorry." Hermione said. She pulled herself off the bed and onto her feet. "Where the fuck is the exit in this place and why does this bedroom have three doors?"
"Bathroom, corridor, and I don't know where." Ginny said as she pointed at each corresponding door. "Come on."
"Wait. Shit." Hermione said, all of a sudden aware that she was in a blazer and very comfortable looking clothes. "I should- freshen- up."
Ginny raised an eyebrow and tapped her wrist comedically. She really was Fred and George's little sister.
Hermione rushed to the door that Ginny had indicated as the bathroom earlier. Her mind had automatically catalogued what little charms and spells that had been in the room. She didn't have a chance to cast a revealing spell though, but thought she wouldn't be here long enough for it to matter.
There was the sleeping charm, or relaxing charm on the bed. Either the covers or the mattress, but not the pillows because her head hadn't touched it. Then there was some kind of confusion spell, because Hermione couldn't remember which way was out. But Ginny did, so maybe it's a spell that lulls the occupant into a sense of false security.
It felt to Hermione like it was all geared toward encouraging the occupant to never leave.
It didn't matter. Ginny would leave. Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and felt squashed. Like she had been a forgotten fruit at the bottom of a fruit basket with the weight of everything on her face. She didn't have blemishes, but she could see the shadow of dark circles peering at her from under her eyes, threatening to become bags.
Her hair had unravelled a bit from her short three minute nap. With a flick of her wand and a twist with her hands, the loose strands neatly tucked themselves away and she surveyed herself again. There was nothing else she could do. And she had to remind herself that there was nothing else she wanted to do.
She had no one to impress here. Hermione was here for Ginny.
Steeling herself and feeling a sense of deja vu wash over her, she returned to the bedroom. Ginny was sitting at a writing desk, scribbling something on parchment with a very flamboyant quill.
"Hey!" Ginny said when she heard the bathroom door shut. She scribbled something quickly and folded the parchment, sealed it with a tap of her wand and stood up. "You look more confident."
"Thanks." Hermione said. She eyed the letter pointedly and when Ginny didn't address it, she sighed.
"Goose!" Ginny said. A small pop and the elf bowed to Ginny. "Can you mail this for me?"
"Yes, Ms Weasley." he said. He took the letter and with another pop, he disappeared.
"You know. I really don't want to do this. I didn't think I'd be seeing him again." Hermione said.
"Who?" Ginny asked. "Malfoy?"
Hermione felt a blush creep up her face because she realised she hadn't told Ginny what she had overheard at the Prevalence Ball. About Malfoy finding her 'barely tolerable'.
"Ooh!" Ginny grinned and grabbed Hermione around the waist. "This sounds juicy already. What happened? Spill it, Granger."
Hermione hid her face in her palms.
"I overheard him talking to Zabini." Hermione groaned, she couldn't believe she was going to say his words out loud. Repeat his slight that had wounded her own pride, however minor.
"Go on." Ginny encouraged, absolutely gulping at her words for any scrap of entertainment that had to do with Malfoy.
"They talked about you at first. Zabini really likes you. I think you should get him to stick around, you know." Hermione said thoughtfully. Ginny scoffed and laughed to the ceiling.
"You're telling me to get married to him after all?" Ginny laughed.
"No, no." Hermione said, slapping at her. "I just meant he likes you, and he said you were the one thing to convince him to spend money and put some circulation back into the economy!"
"Of course that's what it was. You're the only person I know that would think about the money and not the happiness of it." Ginny giggled.
"Well you just lucked out, because you can have both." Hermione said. She folded her arms defiantly.
"Well, what did Malfoy say?" Ginny said, standing on one hip and resting her palm there. Like she was scolding a child for not speaking loudly enough. Hermione repressed the urge to say how much Ginny resembled Molly Weasley right then and smiled instead.
"Oh, some rubbish. Blaise said you were the prettiest one there! And Malfoy agreed." Hermione lifted her eyebrows and grinned. Ginny stuck her tongue out.
"I can believe he'd say something thoughtless like that." Ginny said, her finger to her chin. "Though, I'm sure he didn't expect to be overheard by the subject of his conversation."
"Isn't it the truth then? He'd more likely lie to my face than to his friend." Hermione said.
"Speaking of which," Ginny said. Her hand dropped with a flop to her side. "Did you know, Pansy isn't as bad as I thought."
Hermione sputtered.
"Pansy Parkinson?" she asked. "She's here?"
"No, not right now. But she was with us for a bit that night." Ginny said.
"I thought, I thought you didn't like Malfoy third wheeling or whatever?" Hermione asked.
"He still feels like a bloody third wheel." Ginny shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it, but whatever Malfoy and her had going on in Hogwarts died there."
"So why's she hanging out with Zabini and Malfoy. That's got to be awkward." Hermione said.
"They're all sticking together, aren't they? It only makes sense. We stuck together all these years too." Ginny said as she inspected her fingernails now and started to absentmindedly pick at her cuticles.
"When did you become so sensible?" Hermione laughed.
"Since I might have to actually get along with people that we never did before." Ginny explained. "I like spending time with Blaise, and it's the most fun I've had since Har- in a while." Ginny said. A blush pinkened her ears and Hermione knew she was about to mention Harry, and Hermione thought it was good at least, to know she considered him. She remembered she hadn't heard back from Harry since the one letter she had sent him, and she made a mental note to write him again.
"Do you absolutely need me here with you?" Hermione asked. She meant it seriously, because if her friend needed her, she would always be there.
Ginny smiled, knowing Hermione's intention behind the question.
"Absolutely, Granger." she said with a spark that twinkled mischief in her eyes. "I need you to keep me in check."
Hermione snorted. She glanced at the door and sighed, her mind wandering back to Malfoy's cold gray eyes, and the way they glinted when he looked at her as they sparred with words.
"He's not bad looking either, you know." Ginny said. Hermione's eyes snapped up and it took effort to keep her face placid, but she agreed with Ginny. He had gotten less gaunt and pompous looking. Though sometimes she saw the pompous exterior flash through that night, when he was being forced to socialise. "Gosh, you give nothing, do you. I wish I was a Legillimens."
"He called me 'barely tolerable', so you know. And it's Malfoy." Hermione said. "He can't be anything other than Malfoy. He'll forever be an idiot."
"Right." Ginny said. "Let's go to lunch with that idiot and his mother."
Ginny linked her elbow with Hermione's and she walked forcefully pulling Hermione before Hermione caught up with her steps. Hermione tried hard to remember the way out and failed. She was surprised Ginny remembered at all. She would ask her about it later, maybe it was still that spell in the room to put occupants at ease.
They made it back to the main room, where the bar looked inviting and Hermione felt drawn to the stools that dotted along the counter. Was she weak to the magic in the space? Had she lived with her parents in a muggle household for so long that all the magical comfort charms that lived here to give a five star experience to the hotel guests affected her?
Or was it the potion that Malfoy had given her?
She assessed herself again. Her taste, sight, smell, her touch and hearing. Nothing was distorted. Her vision felt fine. The tinge of mintiness lingered in the back of her throat. But nothing felt amiss other than her unusual pull toward things imbued with magic.
"Hey, Gin." she asked Ginny as Ginny wandered around the room, peering at the alcohols behind the bar and out the windows that called you to it for the view.
"Hmm?" Ginny responded, standing on her tippy toes as she now peered at the top of a bookshelf at something strange in a bottle.
"How do you feel, you know. After the potion?" Hermione asked.
"I'm fine? Almost one hundred percent better, I think." Ginny said.
"You think?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows going up.
"Yea, I can tell I'm not better. I still have this stupid flu, but I feel okay enough to be upright, and okay enough to want to eat." Ginny said. Hermione left her to wander, as they had no idea where to go and were okay with being occupied in this room. Hermione would prefer to stay here, if she was honest. Dinner playing the second third wheel to Zabini and Ginny didn't sound exciting, especially since the first third wheel was Malfoy.
Goose appeared with a pop at their knees.
"Misses is to come this way." Goose said and he walked forward as he gestured toward a door.
Hermione and Ginny glanced at each other. At least Hermione would have one of her burning questions answered. Where did any of these doors possibly go? There had to be an undetectable extension charm. Unless the entire upper floor was one suite and was rented by Zabini. Exactly how much money did they have?
Hermione thought about Zabini's character. He was charming, and she could believe it would be difficult for people overseas to refuse business with Zabini and his family once they had met him. He was ridiculously easy to get along with and Hermione wondered how he ended up in Slytherin to begin with. He was so smart and loyal, Hermione would have thought him more of a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.
With the thought of Slytherin, she wondered if it was their pureblood statuses or money that brought Zabini and Malfoy together. And what an off pairing they made, Hermione thought. Zabini, carefree and playful, charming and intelligent; Malfoy, cold, calculating, reserved, and oh-so above it all.
But, as Hermione would show up for Ginny, Hermione assumed Malfoy would turn up for Zabini. It was nice to see him show some camaraderie. She didn't like much else about him.
The double doors that Goose walked through led directly to the dining hall. An entire dining hall. Lined with overly ornate framed portraits of witches and wizards who were all either half asleep or very intent on the proceeding of events about to happen. The walls were deep green with tiny golden threads in pinstriped lines that caught the candle light and flames from the two fireplaces on either end of the room. Every few feet on one of the walls, there was a tall thin window that seeped cool toned light.
"Shit." Ginny said as she looked around slowly. Her champagne dress looked more golden with the firelight, but reflected blue tones where the lights from the windows landed. She was looking around at all the details and her eyes landed on the chandeliers on the ceiling. One large, ornate, sparkling one with tiny drops of gems hung from the middle. On either side were two miniature versions with less dangling crystals. All three refracted tiny blocks of light around the room, like a sparse disco ball.
"How much magic do you think this hotel has?" Hermione said in wonder.
"A lot." Zabini said from behind them. Hermione didn't hear him enter. She looked around quickly for Malfoy and Narcissa and breathed a sigh of relief at their absence.
"As much money as your family name has, I bet." Hermione said. Zabini laughed, his hand to his chest.
"It was a great idea, having you for lunch, Granger." Zabini said. Ginny looked between them, her eyebrows going up at their conversation. Zabini's eyes fell on Ginny who's hair was lit bright red by the sunlight behind her. "You're gorgeous, Gin. So happy you're feeling better."
"You helped. Thanks for letting me have Hermione as company. I didn't want to be such a nuisance." Ginny said. Her cheeks had pinkened slightly. She was blushing, Hermione realised. She didn't just like flirting with Zabini, she actually liked him.
"Glad you've both recovered." Hermione said. It was directed at Zabini, but Hermione shot Ginny a knowing look.
"Yes! Draco is quite the potioneer. We're lucky to have him." Zabini said. "Speak of the devil!"
Malfoy walked in, his mother beside him. Hermione and Ginny lingered awkwardly, unsure of where to sit. Two chairs moved faintly and Hermione took that as a hint if there ever was one. Ginny and her sat beside each other, Zabini at the head of the table, and Malfoy sat beside his mother, opposite them.
Opposite her.
Fuck.
"You know why Panse couldn't come tonight, Draco?" Zabini asked. Malfoy lifted his shoulder slightly in a shrug.
"I'll see if she can make it tomorrow," Zabini continued. "I wanted her to see here before we had to leave it."
There was a silence for a moment before Narcissa's clear, smooth voice filled the room.
"Mr Zabini, how is your mother doing?" she asked. Zabini's face lit up.
"Oh, she's great! She's in Italy running a vineyard. It's something she loves, plus she sings on weekends. Keeps the family running smoothly while I get to dance around the globe as I please." Malfoy exhaled through his nose and Zabini grinned back. Ginny gave a small smile.
"She sounds wonderful, I wish I could hear her sing one day." Ginny said. Zabini gave her a warm smile at the thought of his mother meeting her and Hermione couldn't help but feel like something had started that no one would be able to stop. She felt eyes on her and she looked away from Ginny to meet Malfoy's silvery eyes that were slightly blue from reflecting the windows. He looked away quickly and to Zabini again who had dove into a monologue on how much his mother would adore Ginny.
Hermione couldn't understand what reason he would have to look at her. Did she have something on her face? She passed her hands discretely across her face and found nothing. Maybe her hair had come undone, but when she checked that as well, it was still in place. She refocused her attentions to Ginny and was determined now, not to look at Malfoy.
When a clock chimed in the distance, the table filled with food, the empty platters now gleamed with food.
"Does the hotel have its own kitchens?" Hermione asked, wondering about the sheer amount of cooking a fully populated hotel would have to do to keep their occupants, especially the rich ones, happy.
"The elves are all freed." Malfoy said. Hermione's eyes locked to him and he looked away quickly. Hermione felt Ginny watching her from the corner of her eye, and if they were sitting close enough, Hermione knew she would feel the jab of her elbow in her side. Hermione could even hear Ginny's voice in her head, 'Is this your idea of flirting, Granger?'.
"I was just wondering how someone would run an entire hotel like this. I know it's decreed that all house elves should be freed, but serve whoever they wish to remain with." Hermione said. She realised too late that she sounded smug, like she was back in Hogwarts and answering a teacher's question without being called on. A shadow of a smirk had flitted across Malfoy's face, Narcissa's own smile was pointed at the plate in front of her.
"Of course you knew that." Malfoy said. "Interested in hotel law, are you Granger?"
"I've never read about the management of magical hotels." Hermione said. "It's a fascinating subject."
"Leave it to you to find the management of a magical hotel fascinating." Malfoy said. His food was disturbed but unconsumed. Everyone had gone silent, listening to their banter.
"I'm poor, remember. There's not much else to do." Hermione said with a smile. Malfoy stilled for a moment, then brought his spoon to his lips. Hermione followed suit.
"Aren't there any muggle jobs you can do?" Malfoy asked. Hermione met his eyes couldn't discern his intentions from asking the question. What did it matter if she had a job she could do? She didn't trust it.
"No, Malfoy." Hermione said. "All of Britain is in a recession, and my wizarding qualifications don't exactly do it for the little jobs that do exist either."
"The muggles are surviving the recession?"
"Muggles have always bounced back after a recession, so we shall survive this as well."
"How is the quality of life?"
Hermione narrowed her eyes. What was he really asking?
"Livable, for now. It's not as bad as after the first World War." Hermione paused, realising not much wizarding folk were even aware of a muggle world war. It was Zabini's turn.
"Oh yes, World War two, was it?" Zabini said. "I've learned how it affected Italy and France, countries where my families have based their muggle and wizard businesses. Even the magical wines are sometimes tended by muggles."
Hermione was surprised. "How come you weren't put into Ravenclaw, Zabini?"
"Me?" Zabini asked. He threw his head back and laughed. "Oh no, my father would have killed me if I was in anything but Slytherin. Whatever good that would have done any of us."
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked. She was following the conversation with interest, but without having been part of it, hers was the only bowl of soup that was near to being finished.
"I mean, sure the Sorting Hat sees into our heads, or whatever. And then it decides what house we're best suited to. But why did we have to stay with that for the rest of our lives?" Zabini asked. Hermione knew where he was going with the conversation and was completely surprised that it was happening at a table with the most Slytherin people she knew. But she supposed that was the point. Zabini continued.
"I didn't want to be a Slytherin and labelled as such for the rest of my life. That makes no sense. Just because we're dressed in green and silver, people assumed we would follow the Dark Lord, when all I ever wanted was a family life. And to break free from this nonsense that had no right to happen and ruin so many families."
Hermione gave a low whistle.
"Impressive, Zabini." she said. "I didn't know there were more people of our generation who thought that way."
"More?" Zabini said.
"Just me." Hermione said. "Just like I believe this marriage for money thing is a big sham."
Zabini laughed. "Granger, you can't blame us for being hesitant to bail out the country that wanted to convict us just for being placed in a house when we were eleven years old."
Hermione felt the force of the sentence hit her. Why hadn't she ever realised that? She was always so safely on the 'Light" side, that she hadn't thought about the kind of distrust the so called Dark side would have to the limping Britain as they tried to build themselves back.
Hermione wouldn't trust the people who tried to convict her either.
"Thank you, Zabini." Hermione said.
"For what?" Zabini said.
"For opening my mind. I've been so used to thinking one way for so long, I didn't realise." Hermione said. "Whenever we get the economy back up and running, I'm certain we'll all be less stressed."