Ohkaaay. So, I know this update is kind of late and I'm sorry about that, but I have a life. Not going to make excuses though. All I can do is hope that you enjoy this next installment. Be sure to let me know, eh? ;) Bunny out.
Even after Malfoy and Ginny disappeared into the Great Hall, Hermione couldn't bring herself to move, for the shock had frozen her in her place. The question of sharing living quarters with the ferret was temporarily overshadowed by the fact that little Ginny Weasley had apparently been sorted into Slytherin. What the hell?
The brunette had no idea the younger girl was even going to be sorted again, but never had she thought she'd see her wearing silver and green. Yes, the redhead had acted like a true snake all summer, but Hermione never thought there was an actual chance of her leaving the lions' den. It was absurd.
Too shocked to really think about it anymore, she just pushed it to the back of her mind and went into the Great Hall herself.
She took her seat at Harry's side in silence and stared at nothing in particular, but the boy obviously noticed. "Hey! Earth to Hermione?" She looked at him with a confused glint in her eyes before her head dropped to the table with a great sigh. "Just leave me to die..." The gloomy mumble didn't deter Harry though, because he playfully poked her in the side. "Oh come on, what could be so horrible already? We haven't even been here for an hour, Hermione."
She answered him by glaring at the table at the far end of the room. "I'm not saying anyone needs a reason to look at Slytherins like that, but I know you have one. Come on, spill!"
Oh well, he'd find out sooner or later anyway. "That stupid git Malfoy got Head Boy! I mean, I can't believe this! How can they not see that he is going to abuse his power? I hate how Dumbledore always tries to see the good in people! That ferret is nothing but a manipulative, conniving little shit that will ruin everything!" Throughout the course of that sentence her voice kept getting louder and louder until she was at the verge of screaming. Surprised at this emotional outburst from Hermione, who was usually quite the level-headed person, Harry gently patted her shoulder, trying to calm her down. He always had been rubbish at that, though.
In response to that, the brunette simply brushed his hand off and huffed indignantly. "He's going to ruin everything..." she finally muttered again, and there was a tinge of stubbornness to her tone.
"What are you talking about? What is he going to ruin?" Asked Harry gently, hoping she had a lid on her temper now. The girl had in the meantime dropped her head back on the table, so her friend had to struggle to understand her reply, muffled by the wooden surface.
"My seventh year, Harry. That's what he's going to ruin." She lifted her head again and there was a big red mark on her face from where she had squished it to the table. Harry had to really struggle not to laugh. "I mean, I had it all planned out you know! It was supposed to be a carefree year, but now look at all the mess... Ron, Draco, Ginny..." Her eyes strayed to the Slytherin table again, but this time they were filled with sadness. Harry followed her gaze and noticed a girl with a hair colour he would recognise anywhere. Completely shocked, he stuttered: "H-Hermione... Is... Is that Ginny?" The sorrowful look she gave him told him all he needed to know.
After that they just sat in silence for a while and almost didn't notice how the chatter in the hall completely died down. It was, of course, because McGonagall just entered with the first years in tow. Hermione couldn't really focus on the Sorting that followed, nor did she really hear the words Dumbledore spoke after that. It took the delicious sight and smell of the welcoming feast to finally bring her back to her senses. Her stomach growled hungrily and with the realisation that she hadn't eaten anything since morning, the brunette filled her plate without hesitation.
After the dinner was finished and everything was said and done, it was time to go to their respective houses. That reminded Hermione that she now had her own quarters, but not without the unwelcome addition of a certain ferret. With a sigh, she instructed the prefects to show the way for the little ones, reminded them of the password and then slowly started in a different direction. She was, after all, in no hurry. In time, even her amazingly slow tempo brought her to the portrait on the fourth floor that stood before her new home and resignedly, she mumbled the password.
As the painting swung to the side for Hermione, a surprised gasp left her mouth. Slowly stepping into the common room, she looked around.
It was beyond belief. The walls were painted a warm, peach colour, there were two enormous brown leather couches in front of the chimney and a soft, fluffy rug covering most of the floor. It looked like it would be heavenly to walk barefoot on. One window was a beautiful vitrage that would surely look amazing in daylight and the other two were ceiling to floor, not to mention the terrace beyond them. And that was just the main room! To the side, it expanded into a small kitchenette with a little stove and an assortment of teas.
Completely awestruck already, she was now practically jumping with excitement to see her room. Only, she didn't know which one it was. There were three doors: one to the left, one to the right and one in the middle, which she guessed led into a bathroom. Pretty sure that Malfoy was already here, she had no desire whatsoever to encounter him should she knock on the door of the room he had claimed as his, but as she had no other choice, she trusted her intuition and went left. When no one answered her knock, she cautiously opened the door and once again, she was met with unexpected luxury.
The bed was double, made with beautiful golden sheets that shimmered like only satin could, the drapes scarlet, proudly displaying the colours of her house. Furthermore, she had a big, polished desk, a fairly spacious closet and once more, the cold stone floor was nowhere to be seen, since a soft red carpet covered everything. There was also another door, probably leading into the bathroom.
Giddy with excitement, she dropped down onto the bed and squealed as she fell into the softness. No wonder everyone wants to become the Head of Prefects! The benefits are amazing! She had to wonder if the teachers' rooms were this luxurious as well. And to think she had had to endure shared dorms and communal showers for six years when this little jewel was hidden here all along.
After lounging on the bed for a while, she decided that she might want to do something productive after all, so she got the Charms textbook out of her trunk and strolled out of her room, barefoot. The brunette had been curled up on the futon before the fireplace reading for quite a good amount of time when she suddenly felt a presence next to her. Marking the page where she left off before closing the book, she now turned to Malfoy sitting on her left with a saccharine smile plastered on his face.
"Why hello there, roomie!" he exclaimed in an excited, over the top way. "We'll just be a minute and then you can go back to bookworming," he winked insultingly. "See, as we're going to be living together, I wanted to establish some ground rules. How about that, huh?" At first, Hermione had had half a mind to just ignore him and continue reading the textbook, but now that he mentioned it, she agreed that they actually did need to discuss some rules.
"Okay, I'm listening. List your propositions and then we can talk them over." She thought she noticed a shimmer of surprise in his eyes as she said that. Apparently, he had been convinced she'd immediately jump at him after that statement. She couldn't quite help the small smile of satisfaction that sneaked onto her face at that.
"Sounds great, roomie," he responded, again in that awfully annoying voice that sounded like a stereotypical gay man. "First off, you do not go into my room or touch my stuff and second, who I invite in here is none of your damn business. You keep to yourself and don't disturb me and this living arrangement might actually work. "Any trace of mocking disappeared from his voice as he said that and now expectantly stared at Hermione.
"Sounds good, except that the same things naturally apply to you as well. Don't go into my room, don't touch my stuff and leave me alone unless there is something you need. Do we have a deal?" At that, she extended her hand and the blonde took it, sealing their arrangement. "I'm glad we had this talk, roomie," he once again switched to the annoying, high-pitched voice and left through the portrait hole. With a sigh, Hermione went back to reading, her mind fully committed to the thought of the classes starting in two days.