Written for the September Event: (colour) Beige.
Also for Astronomy Assignment 7 at Hogwarts: to write about an act of kindness.
Words: 574
Being Civil
Hermione's PoV
"Granger!"
"Yes?" I looked up from my table as Draco Malfoy took the chair across me as he dropped his book bag on the table.
"You!"
I rolled my eyes. "Draco, form complete sentences. I am not at the same frequency as you, you know. I am not a Legilimens."
I patiently waited for him, watching the healthy tan he had developed over the summer when he had spent time with Blaise at his house in Italy. Even his hair had darkened a little, now a light beige colour which softened his angular features.
"Why are you being so bloody kind of me? You are driving me mad! You should be hexing me, hating me, threatening me and you..." He trailed off as he looked at me like I was about to hex him any moment, now that the game was up.
It was a testament to how much wound up he was that he actually said this to me, in a particularly anti-Slytherin way.
I smiled, knowing he deserved an honest answer. "Because you are not what you were before. You have changed. As children, we can be cruel, me included and I can't hold you against what you thought was right at that time. We tend to imitate and learn from the elders around us."
Elders, here being, Lucius Malfoy was unsaid. He had publicly defied his father at the final battle moving over to the light side when Voldemort waited for people to go to their sides. Narcissa had went after him, choosing to stay with her son than her husband and, then, in an extraordinary moment, a reluctant Lucius Malfoy had also followed his family to the other side. Not that he'd had a change of heart, it was just to keep the family together.
"There goes my 50 galleons." He buried his head in his arms, such that the beige colour of his hair glinted a golden colour from the sunlight streaming in from the window to my right.
"You bet that there was an agenda behind me being nice to you?" I questioned, bemused.
"Mmm-hmm," came the answer.
"Really Draco, you expect so high of a Gryffindor? I thought you knew better," I joked, to lighten the mood.
"Well, Blaise and I may have corrupted you with our company. Now that Potter and Weasley are no longer by your side 24/7."
I laughed, "You are incorrigible!"
I thought of my supposed best friends who were acting like a pair of idiots. They still haven't got over the fact that I was speaking with Slytherins and were waiting for me to come around. Sooner or later, they'll bring their heads around the fact but I wasn't going to talk with them first or apologize. Ginny and Luna got along splendidly with Draco and Blaise and I had no doubt in my mind that Ginny would hex Harry and Ron to bits if they stopped talking with me over this.
I was glad that day I had talked with Blaise and Draco in Ancient runes, three month ago. I had, now, two more good friends in my life. And following my example, the rest of the Hogwarts had also started warming up to the resident Slytherins, no longer excluding them.
A small act of kindness, trying to understand from others' perspective, goes a long way to help the society.
Guys, so I think you might now understand how these stories are interconnected. Please tell me how you like this sequence of events so far. I will update till 15 chapters as promised. If you people like this, and I get a good feedback, I may extend this.
UPDATE: I got 19/20 for this.