"Hey! Hermione, I didn't see you at breakfast this morning. Neville said you weren't at the Head's office either. where were you?" Ginny asked as the girl entered the common room, sitting in a squashy chair oposite of her two best friends. Harry sat beside Ginny, though he didn't look awake and his forever messy hair stood on edge. Hermione guessed Ginny had woken him when he missed breakfast too.
"I had my animagus training last night, I figured Harry would ave told you." Harry blinked, before registering that he had been addressed.
"Harry, why didn't you tell me where Hermione was? It's practically the first thing I asked you." Ginny accused though Hermione could tell she found it hard to be mad at him, he did look awfully adorable sleepy eyed. Harry smiled sheepishly as the two girls looked at him.
"Sorry Gin, I meant to tell you, really I did, but uh." Harry looked at Ginny, this time the look changed. "I got distracted and tied up the rest of the night." Guessing from the bright pink Ginny turned, clashing horribly with her hair, Hermione didn't want to know what Harry had meant by that little comment. Hermione cleared her throat looking down at her hands.
"Yes, well, I was at animagus training." Hermione chose her words very carefully. Would Malfoy want everyone to know that he was in the Hospital Wing? No. Probably not. People would get the wrong idea, think that he had been protecting her or something along those lines.
"What was it like?" Ginny asked pulling her feet up under her. Hermione couldn't help but smile.
"From what I experienced, it was, it was amazing. Professor Langdon had us transformed into wolves and we spent te night with other wolves. The freedom. It's, it's very amazing." Hermione chose to ignore all the negative elements from what had swooned at the idea.
"I can't wait until our day is called. Though I'm sure that being around a flock of deers will be much different than wolves. After all, deers are more peaceful." Hermione laughed. Ginny had no idea just how much more peaceful deers were. Her stomach growled in protest. The cinnamon roll hadn't been enough to satiate her hunger.
"'Mione have you not eaten today?" Harry asked worry etching his face. Hermione quickly waved her hand at him.
"I had a little something but, it would appear that wasn't enough." Glancing at the clock in the common room Hermione shrugged, it was early but still within time. "I'll just go grab some lunch. I'll see you guys down at the Great Hall in a few minutes?" Hermione suggested. Ginny nodded enthusiastically, wanting to talk about the animals some more. Though Harry yawned, Hermione had no doubt the bespeckled boy simply wanted to return to his bed upstairs.
Hermione had no intention of visiting Malfoy up in the hospital wing when she left the Gryffindor common room. In fact her stomach quite insisted that she go down to the great hall, get a quick bite to eat, then head up to the library for some studying. Hermione's feet weren't connected to her brain though, and the girl found herself standing in front of the Hospital wing.
"Merlin's beard, I must be losing it." Hermione muttered and pushed open the door. She stopped though, with the door open only a few inches. Blaise and Theo were still with Malfoy, though he was awake this time, and sitting up despite the pained expression on his face. Hermione had never been one to eavesdrop, but seeing Malfoy awake, the girl worried, she didn't want him to be angry with her. If she had to apologize Hermione would gladly do it, she still felt bad that he'd gotten in the fight.
"How long before she let's you out of here?" Blaise asked taking a bite out of the green apple he held in his smooth brown hand.
"From what she has been telling me, and trust me the bloody woman hasn't been telling me much, I'll be free of this place once I stop bleeding and most of the bruising goes down." Hermione bit her lip looking at the blonde boy. He didn't appear to be in a lot of pain, though something told Hermione that, that was from years of masking pain.
"Well, I'm sure that won't be too long. The words weren't terribly deep, had they of been Granger wouldn't have been able to levitate you out of there without your intestines spilling out all over the place." Theo's logic made sense. Though all Hermione had seen was blood, blood that had her worried. Malfoy looked up at Theo sharply.
"Excuse me, what did you just say?" Gooseflesh rose up on Hermione's arms at the dangerous tone of Malfoy's voice. Not having to guess at which part Theo wanted repeated, he stated calmly.
"Granger levitated you out of the container. You'd be dead if she hadn't, would have bled out, I'm positive."
"You're telling me that Granger, that little." Malfoy pursed his lips. Hermione felt the dread in her heart. Of course he still hated her. Why had she thought he wouldn't. Why? Why had she thought that he wouldn't hate her still? Why? When had that thought even crossed Hermione's mind? "That Granger came back and saved me?" Hermione barely heard the last of his sentence, watching coldly as Theo nodded. Why the fuck did Hermione even want Malfoy to like her? He annoyed the piss out of her.
"Not only that but she was hear mate, blubbering all over your bed." Hermione felt the heat rise up in her chest at Blaise's tone and words. She had not been blubbering. "Bitch got you into this mess and then had the audacity to come up here and check up on you." The sneer in his voice was evident, even as his back was turned to Hermione.
"Of course she was in here. That bleeding Gryffindor heart. I'm sure she is very sorry." Malfoy scoffed. "I'm just glad I wasn't awake when she was here. I can't get rid of that girl. If she doesn't nominate me to be a Deputy Head, she and I get the same animagus. Hell Slughorn talked about pairing us in potions. Every where I go, fucking Granger!" Malfoy ran a hand through his hair. His eyes looked wild. Hermione turned away in disgust. Of course she was a burden. Not anymore though. Draco Malfoy had just become the plague, and Hermione would become very, very good at avoiding such a disease.
Draco looked at both of his friends. He didn't know if he should tell them or not. They were his friends though, with everything they had been through Draco knew that he could trust them.
"I don't know what happened yesterday. I woke up and she, she smelled delicious. I wanted." Draco's lips tightened. "I wanted her. All of her." Blaise's eyes narrowed, not liking the crazed sound in his friends voice. Theo listened politely though. He had seen the way Draco had looked at Hermione for a number of years. It didn't come as a shock to him that he was having these feeling's now. "Let me tell you, being a wolf, it's a whole hell of a lot different than being a human. I've never been able to smell like that before and she was all I could smell. Even now, I swear it's like she's here."
"Drake. Mate. This is Granger we're talking about here." Blaise reminded him unkindly.
"You think I don't know that Blaise?" Draco's anger got the better of him. "You don't know what it's like, to have these, these, these thoughts about HER! Of all people her. Merlin's saggy, left, nut even now I want to see her. My Father would kill me." Draco threw himself back against his pillow despite the immediate pain that followed him.
"Draco, you just, you need to avoid her at all costs. I know you won't like the idea but, stay in the Hospital Wing as long as you can. This witch, I'm sure that it has to do with being a wolf too long. Theo and I, we researched it. When wizard's are transformed into animals for too long they begin to think like animals. Give it a few days mate, I'm sure you'll go back to your self again, Right Theo?" Blaise looked to Theo. The dark eyed boy nodded, agreeing with his friend despite his feelings of doubt. Draco at least seemed appeased by his words.
"Yeah you're probably right, besides I would love to go a few days without hearing her annoying voice." It'd be worth a few extra days in the Hospital wing just to get over this feeling.