Sorry about the delay, I know it's been a long while. Honestly, I should stop lying to you and me both and just accept that I am a person who really can't get a chapter out quicker than in a month, so it's safe to say that's more or less my updating schedule. Try to keep in mind that I think this up as I go, which makes it pretty hard to go on when writer's block hits. Anyway, enough of my rambling.
I hope you enjoy this chapter! Bunny out.
"Ginny?" Hermione stuttered, genuinely surprised. "I don't really see what I could tell you that you don't already know, Malfoy. I mean, you two are friends right? She keeps her heart on her sleeve." Malfoy levelled her with a meaningful look and she hung her head. "She used to, anyway."
The partial responsibility she felt for the redhead's changes over the summer nudged painfully at the ball of guilt lodged inside her chest.
"Besides, why do you want to question me about her? Why not just ask her yourself? I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate you snooping around her past." She crossed her hands defiantly over her chest and stared at him with the 'you ought to be ashamed of yourself' look that she so often used on the younger students she caught doing something wrong. It had been perfected over her years of patrolling the castle and chastising students she caught outside after hours.
"Oh cut the crap Granger. You think I can't see what you're trying to do? Stalling won't get you anywhere. Either you agree to give me information and I in turn provide ingredients or you get the hell out of my room."
Hermione bit her lip and scrunched up her face, but really, the decision had already been made in her mind. It's not like she was going to be giving up much about her former friend, the girl didn't have many secrets anyway. And besides, Malfoy was surely already aware the redhead had been smitten with Harry, which was the biggest thing Hermione had on her.
"Fine, but you only get to ask five questions." The blond observed her for a few seconds but in the end only shrugged. "Fine by me."
Malfoy placed a hand on the small of her back as if to guide her out of the room, but Hermione merely swatted it away and made her way into their common room with her chin high in the air. After she settled comfortably in her favourite armchair and her roommate took a seat on the big sofa across from her, she inclined her head to let him know she was ready.
"Splendid, let's get started. How did Ginny take to being expelled last year?" Hermione eyed him curiously, not understanding why he would want to know such a thing.
"Well, she was devastated, obviously. Hogwarts was like a second home to her. I can't even begin to imagine what I would feel like if I were in her place, not that that could ever happen." She smiled softly and her eyes glazed over with a faraway look for a few seconds before she continued.
"That sadness quickly shifted into anger though. She got over the loss and completely cut herself off from everyone, stopped answering letters and all. Gosh, I remember being so worried about her, I'd even write to her weekly to try to entice her into talking, but she would never reply. I only got to see her again at the end of the summer and she was a completely different person by that time. I'd say she worked through some serious issues she was battling with for a long time. I just resent the direction she took when making the changes that were long overdue…"
Blushing when she realised she had gotten completely lost in her answer, telling Malfoy more than was necessary, she quickly shut her mouth. Her roommate's expression gave out absolutely nothing and she fidgeted under his gaze as he studied her with curiosity.
Decidedly uncomfortable under his scrutiny, she diverted her eyes. "Anyway, that's as much as I can tell you about this. Next question?"
Malfoy looked at her in silence for a few more seconds before coming up with a new question. "How capable did Ginny use to be in school?" Despite finding the question peculiar, Hermione answered.
"Well, she was more or less average. She had her stronger and weaker subjects like everyone else, though. Godric, she used to be horrible at Transfiguration and it made McGonagall absolutely miserable. I'd sit with her in the common room late into the night and practice the spells with her for so long that she'd either finally be able to cast them correctly or we'd both fall asleep on the couch." A fond smile of reminiscence flitted across her face as she remembered those times. "In contrast to that, she's absolutely brilliant with Potions. You'd think that she'd hate the subject because of Snape, but I guess she's just so good he can't even insult her on her work. I think potions and quidditch are about the only subjects I have ever spied her reading a book on for fun. Absolutely barmy, that woman."
If Hermione had been more attentive in that moment, she would have noticed a smile that made a quick appearance on the blonde's face, but as she hadn't been, the expression was smoothed back into a poker face before she had time to notice the little change.
"Since you already mentioned it, how about quidditch? I remember she was on your team last year and performed quite well."
The brunette across from him rolled her eyes and sighed. "I seriously can't understand everyone's fascination with that game. It's just a couple of balls being thrown about, what's the big deal? Half of this school takes it way more seriously than their bloody exams!"
Malfoy had to chuckle at that, since Granger just successfully reinforced her bookworm-y reputation in his mind. It couldn't possibly have been because he was actually finding her to be an interesting person. "Not answering my question, darling," he reminded her with a slight smile still playing around the corners of his mouth.
In reply, she playfully blew away a stray curl that had fallen in her eyes and actually smiled at him in return. This wasn't turning out to be the awful interrogation she had been expecting at all. Truthfully, she was in a much better mood talking to him than she had been in quite a long while. Maybe she should give him a chance to redeem himself sometime. That time was not right now, however, and Hermione composed herself to finally give him a proper answer.
"She's pretty good I guess, though I'm no expert. She finally got on the team last year when a lot of the old crew graduated, same as Ron finally got his keeper position. I dare say she's a much better quidditch player than him though, and aside from being our team's best chaser, she was also the seeker reserve. I think she's been training a lot over the summer too," she remembered their first encounter in August when the girl had been executing some wicked-looking feints. "You should totally give her a chance if she goes to try out, Malfoy. It's her passion and I doubt you'd regret putting her on the team."
The blonde shrugged, indicating that it wasn't in his hands. "If she goes to try out and she's good enough, I don't see why not. The decision is Blaise's anyway, I'm not the captain. That's enough about quidditch, though. Besides Potter who we all know she was crushing hard on, do you know of anyone else she was into?"
Hermione had to think about that question for a while and a small crease appeared on her forehead as she contemplated it. "Well, she dated Dean Thomas and Michael Corner last year, but she wasn't truly interested in any of the two. For as long as I've known her, the girl has been head over heels for Harry and Thomas and Corner were merely tools to try to elicit a jealous response from him. Pointless, though. He'll probably never get over seeing her merely as Ron's little sister, and even if he did, I think she finally sobered up this summer and got over him. Maybe that was a big part of her change, her world was basically revolving around him all these years."
There was a faraway look in her eyes and she seemed to be half thinking aloud, so Malfoy was very careful when he spoke, trying not to rouse her out of this state, seeing as she was divulging quite a lot.
"You didn't… Support her in her pursuit of Potter?" Despite his carefulness, Hermione's eyes came back into focus at the sound of his voice.
"Well not really, no. It's not like I was stopping her from trying or anything, but I knew they just weren't right together, and Harry wasn't looking like he was going to recognise her attentions anytime in this lifetime. A beautiful girl like that shouldn't waste her life pining after a guy that was never going to see her for the amazing person she is."
A certain rosiness tinged her cheeks and another barely-there smile passed Malfoy's lips. "If not Potter, which boy is deserving of her then?"
The colour of Hermione's cheeks darkened a bit more and she stared at the carpet as she answered. "How the hell should I know, am I a bloody seer? I'm sure someone will come along."
One golden eyebrow lifted at her uncharacteristic use of profanities and he promptly uncrossed his legs and got up. "Well, I am satisfied with your replies Granger, you even let me have six questions, so thank you for that."
Calmly walking over to the kitchenette, he started on tea and stopped while getting his mug out of the cupboard. "Shall I make enough for two?"
It was a blatantly nice gesture and the brunette's jaw dropped before she quickly regained her composure. "Yes, please." Who would have thought Malfoy would be the first to extend a sort of truce offer? It seemed he wasn't as bad as she had had him pegged to be.
In a flash, their tea was ready and he carried her mug over, handing it to her before motioning towards his room. "I'm a man of my word. If you want to collect your ingredients today, it'll have to be right now, because I'm expecting visitors in a half an hour."
Hermione immediately felt hot in the cheeks again, knowing full well what that meant for him, the memory of him sandwiched between a wall and a hunky, chocolate skinned Slytherin flaring up in her mind. She had been so caught up in trying to find out what she couldn't remember of last night that she completely forgot about the things that she hadn't forgotten.
"O-okay, I'll take them now," she stumbled over her words and Malfoy grinned at her, leading the way into his room and watching with quiet satisfaction as she gathered up the ingredients, sneaking a peek at the list she was reading from. The knowing smile that spread over his face was quite troubling, but a flustered Hermione gathering up jars was unable to see it, her back turned towards the smirking Head Boy.
Oh, I'm itching to try a chapter from Draco's perspective, but I jump back and forth between Hermione and Ginny POV as it is, so it would probably be too much, wouldn't it? If you'd like a chapter from his perspective as much as I would like to write it though, please, please let me know, because your feedback is priceless to me! Can you take that minute to leave me a comment, pretty please? It makes my day every single time my inbox holds a mail titled Review of Of The Lion Who Grew Scales. I am at your mercy, my dear readers!