Another one, another one!
I was a bit lax on proofreading, I hope it's not too bad!
Ginny was still slightly dazed as Hermione rushed her into the common room.
When Hermione plopped her down on a wicker chaise, Ginny waited expectantly her to begin.
Hermione sat down across a table on a comfy looking chair and looked at Ginny with a grin.
"You didn't tell me you had a date Saturday night."
Ginny blinked, thinking. Then she laughed, realizing what Hermione was talking about. "Oh, that. That's nothing serious."
Hermione smirked, looking all-knowing. "Mhmm." She rested her elbows on the table and leaned over to her.
"He really likes you. I mean, really likes you."
Ginny scoffed. "I assure you, he couldn't like me that much. I only met him this morning…. Very odd that he was in the Gryffindor commons…"
Hermione didn't seem to be paying attention. Suddenly she perked. "Gin, I haven't been able to really see you since June!"
Ginny raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Yea, I've really missed actually hanging out with a girl… Harry and Ron are no fun. At all."
Hermione laughed. "Tell me about it. Of course, at least you can talk to them about Quidditch, I never cou-"
"Not for three bloody hours straight! Still… we saw each other at the feast last night but you didn't stay long."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "That git just had to leave right after the sorting."
Ginny frowned. "Speaking of that git, how are you going to be able to live with him?"
Hermione sighed. "I don't know… at least I can always go in my room to hide from him… and I'll try to come around the commons now and then. But… ugh, yesterday after the feast. He was such a git."
Suddenly a voice sounded from behind them. "How very sad, that you have nothing else to call me than a git. And speaking of taking sanctuary in your room, would you mind taking your girl talk there, I've grown rather bored with have you two take up my common room, so if you'll excuse yourselves from my presence…"
Hermione looked indignant. "Shut up Malfoy, it's not your room and we're not taking it up. There's plenty of room for your huge ego over there."
Ginny nodded. "And what reason do we have to listen to you?"
Malfoy scoffed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't think I should have to explain myself to you, as I'm sure I've mentioned it plenty of times before…"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well there is no reason for us to leave."
Malfoy smirked. "Oh but I think there is. I have a lady caller coming over and unless you two get off watching other people-"
"That's disgusting! C'mon Ginny, I can show you my room." With that, Hermione and Ginny ran to the elder girl's room.
-
When Ginny got to Hermione's room, she was surprised.
"Wow, Hermione, not a bookshelf in sight."
Ginny beamed at her, mockingly, but Hermione blushed and magicked open a door that led to an enormous library.
"Tsk, tsk… you must expect to be really bored."
Hermione sighed as she fell onto her bed, looking up at her ceiling. "How could I not have expected something like that? Malfoy is…."
Ginny fell next to her, admiring her dark green ceiling. "Confusing? For a moment I think I can see a bit of charm to him but-"
Sudden movement interrupted her, and Ginny noticed that at her statement Hermione had spun her head quickly towards her, a surprised look on her face.
Ginny raised her eyebrows at her. "What? I'm not saying I fancy him or anything, just that… I can see why other girls do."
Hermione turned her head slowly to look back at the ceiling. "No, Gin, I understand… it's just that I know exactly what you're saying. I just figured I was making it up or something."
Ginny laughed alone. "Well Hermione, with who you are, its best if you do act like you're faking it."
Hermione was silent. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked quietly.
Ginny recognized it immediately. "Oh, come on Hermione, I don't mean anything by it."
Hermione shifted uncomfortably, not quite believing her.
Ginny sighed. "I'm just saying that you, as Hermione Granger, Head Girl, female of the Golden Trio, and best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived, would not be best admiring Malfoy."
"Fancy Malfoy?! Ridiculous Gin, I'm only coming to the realization that perhaps he's got more to him, charming perhaps, but most likely something I don't want to find… And surely not that he would ever display it to me." Hermione then slowed her speech, whispered quietly. "Who would it matter to that I am… those things?"
"Uhhh, your friends maybe? What's going on Hermione, you're hiding something."
Hermione snorted sardonically. Sarcasm was strong on her emotions right now. "Actually I'm not. I've got nothing to hide. I AM those things you said, and nothing could ever change. My best friends will always be there for me, and I will never gain feelings for anyone. I'm Hermione Granger. I'll get top marks the rest of my life and I'll get some great job at the ministry. Why? Because I'm constant. I'm always there, ALWAYS! ...Oh Gin I don't want to yell, I don't mean to yell at you… I just…."
Hermione stood up, still not facing her friend, and walked to the window overlooking the grounds.
Constant. This year was supposed to be assured.
Live it up as Head Girl, don't let anyone talk you down… this year was supposed to be great.
Hermione breathed in deep, wrapped her arms around herself, and finished her statement.
"…I just feel like things are going to be different this year is all."
Someone heard them.
-
After dropping the Weaselette at Zeus' room, Draco had returned to his own room. Dark blues and white trim… He snorted at the idea that it didn't resemble his room at the mansion at all.
Draco walked over to the bed, turned on his side so that he faced his windows, and gazed sadly at the grounds.
Today had been… dull, in sorts.
Nothing surprising about it.
Nothing fun.
Well, that god-guy was a bit of a surprise… why the heck would Dumbledore put him with them?
Knowing Dumbledore, there was probably something bigger going on here…
The Dark Lord maybe?
As that thought crossed his mind he glanced around the room with paranoia.
Closing the curtains to his windows and casting a silencing spell upon his dormitory, Draco reached into his pocket, where he had miniaturized a small chest.
Placing it on the bed before him and sitting Indian-style, Draco opened it and pulled out a crude wooden bowl, bought in a musty little shop down Knockturn Alley.
Breathing in deep, Draco took out his wand.
She was on the floor of the carriage, looking to his eyes with fear as his own widened with surprise at her display
He stared and she tried to cover her sudden fat but that wasn't… it wasn't it…
The mutilation of her wrists…
Another thought, coming fast.
Draco had been surprised she had done it, really.
Mother was never one for pain.
Pain from Father was usually approached by a sedative spell…
So as Draco lay on bed, his door locked from his house-elf knocking quietly, asking softly if he wanted to talk to her, Draco wasn't sure how to feel about the loss of his mother.
He really was surprised that she cut herself to do it. He would've thought she'd have ended with something flashy, maybe hanging herself.
But flashy was just another one of her disguises, and suggesting it proved he didn't know her as well as he did.
No, what he really had expected was poison…
He knew she would get around to it eventually.
Despite the talks he gave her, Mother was ultimately weak, and an incredible escapist.
Draco cringed and, using his wand, dropped the last, depressing thought into the Pensieve.
-
Draco lay on his bed, somewhat sedated from a recent calming spell, when he heard muffled talking.
Heading towards the common room door, the talking got quieter.
He headed towards the other direction, a door that he created for a personal library when they first made their rooms.
He hadn't had a chance to enter it, but once he opened the door he could tell the sounds were coming from here.
Anger flushed through him.
How and why would people be in his library?
Taking out his wand, he prepared to kill whoever he caught, not before asking the flaw in his spell.
The room was dark; there were torches and fireplaces here and there, but no overhead lights.
After a quick pace around, he realized that no one was there, and the sounds didn't originate there either.
Pushing past a distant bookshelf, Draco glimpsed a vertical rectangle of light… and the origin of the sounds, suddenly becoming crystal clear through the open doorway.
"… you, as Hermione Granger, Head Girl, female of the Golden Trio, and best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived, would not be best admiring Malfoy."
Draco's eyebrows shot up. That was Weaselette. But how…? And Granger admires me? ….what the bloody hell, I must be crazy…
"Fancy Malfoy?! Ridiculous Gin, I'm only coming to the realization that perhaps he's got more to him, charming perhaps, but most likely something I don't want to find… And surely not that he would ever display it to me."
Draco's face darkened at her words, but then she continued, in a whisper.
"Who would it matter to that I am… those things?" 'Those things?' Does that include fancying me? Oooh I'll get them both for this one…
"Uhhh, your friends maybe? What's going on Hermione, you're hiding something."
The other girl let out a sound like a laughing horse. Draco smirked at her ungraceful movement.
"Actually I'm not. I've got nothing to hide. I AM those things you said, and nothing could ever change. My best friends will always be there for me, and I will never gain feelings for anyone. I'm Hermione Granger." Sarcastic much? "I'll get top marks the rest of my life and I'll get some great job at the ministry. Why? Because I'm constant. I'm always there, ALWAYS! ...Oh Gin I don't want to yell, I don't mean to yell at you… I just…."
Just what?
During her silence Draco wondered if she was whispering something, and moved closer, getting a good look at where he was.
There was a spiral staircase leading up to Hermione's room, and he was directly underneath it, so even if they looked out the door and straight down they wouldn't see past the shingles.
He moved tentatively closer, just as Hermione answered in a whisper that he somehow heard…
"…I just feel like things are going to be different this year is all."
At that very moment, he stepped on his own toe.
Holding in his breath, he tried to move his foot away but only succeeded in banging his foot against the railing…
Losing balance, twisting, and crashing loudly on the steps in the process.
Holding in his profanity, he stopped breathing as Hermione and Ginny both threw their heads out the doorway.
"What the bloody hell… Who's in here?!"
….silence…
"Maybe Crookshanks got in here while we left it open." Ginny seemed to be reasoning with Hermione.
But Draco couldn't help wondering what the hell they meant; they acted as if they owned his library!
"No, I definitely heard it, and so did you!"
Muttering something, Hermione caused sudden light, illuminating the entire room.
"Geez Hermione, you went a little overboard with this place… Did you expect to hideout in here or something?"
"That's exactly it, so I don't appreciate a little snoop running around in here! …This will only take a sec, Gin."
"Mhmm, sure. It looks like it would take days to get to the other side."
"Oh, shut up."
With that, Hermione stepped onto the first step of the staircase, there was nothing Draco could do.
Malfoy tried to stand, but it seemed that his ankle was sprained.
Fuck.
Shit, his wand was about three feet away.
Concentrate, Draco, you know wandless magic.
Malfoy shut his eyes and prayed it would work.
Hermione was walking closer…
Hermione stepped right through him. Draco, underneath the wavering spell, smiled in relief, until she stopped, her feet still inside his invisible, matter-less form.
She spoke in an annoyed voice, nearly disappointed, her tone set to one of exhaustion, nearly piteous.
"What the bloody hell… Malfoy you think I don't know how to work past that spell?"