CHAPTER 9: Shock
The entire Hall went silent when they walked in holding hands. The onlookers at the mistletoe had spread the story, but apparently not everyone believed it until now.
Weasel stood from his seat before anyone had said anything, but Potter pulled him down, whispering furiously in his ear. Draco couldn't help but smirk at him. From the other side of the table, the youngest Weasley had stood and was now heading in their direction, a huge grin on her face. The new couple waited for her and, when she arrived, she pulled Hermione into a hug and whispered something into her ear which made her laugh.
"Draco," Ginny greeted, smiling.
Inspiration hit Draco suddenly. "Little Red," he grinned back. Of course, she wasn't exactly little – she was just as tall as Hermione, if not taller – but Draco liked the name anyway.
"So where are you sitting?" Little Red asked. Hermione looked to Draco to decide and after briefly glancing around, he pulled Hermione towards the Slytherin table with nothing but a smirk. The three sat at the end of the table and the whispers around them began.
"Ron hates you at the moment, Hermione," Ginny said cheerfully, ignoring the whispers. She nodded at Draco. "You more than ever."
Draco shrugged and piled up his plate with bacon and other genuine breakfast foods, unconcerned.
"And Harry?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Said something to Ron that made him shut up for a bit. I wish I knew what it was. I could use it at home." Draco snorted at her comment, amused at the distaste in her tone.
"You know, I'm glad I'm an only child," Draco admitted around a mouthful. Hermione looked disgusted.
"Don't you know any table manners?"
"No."
At that moment, Blaise joined the trio and sat next to Red. He looked at her up and down. "Not bad," he said approvingly. She flushed and turned to face Hermione head on, her face extremely blank. Blaise turned to Draco. "About time, Malfoy. I was starting to wonder... oh well. About time." He placed a bagel on his plate and broke it in half, offering some to Red. She took it, smiling.
Rolling his eyes at Blaise's antics, Draco glanced at the Gryffindor table. Weasel's ears were flaming red and he was glaring at Draco. It was surprising easy to ignore him. Beside him, Potter was talking to him about something, but he gave up when he saw Weasel was not paying attention. After trying to get his attention a few times in nice ways, he hit him over the head with a newspaper. Draco choked on some bacon.
"That's bad table manners," Blaise said loftily. "And as a member of an infamous pure blooded family-"
"Shut up, Blaise."
"Don't speak with such vulgar language around ladies, Malfoy."
"Well stop trying to impress them."
"Easy for you to say, you've already got your girl."
Out of the corner of Draco's eye, he saw Hermione and Red share a look. The girls stood up. "We'll leave you two alone," Hermione said calmly, smiling. Draco stood on a whim.
"What are you doing?" she whispered. Draco smirked.
"I'm saying goodbye to my girlfriend," Draco replied innocently, then kissed her.
Blaise wolf-whistled and Red dissolved into giggles. He murmured something to her that Draco knew to be disgustingly cheesy, like, You have a lovely laugh, or Your eyes sparkle beautifully.
Satisfied with the change in atmosphere around him, Draco broke away from Hermione and immediately looked at Weasel, who was already out of his seat and coming towards them. Hermione, noticing him too, forced Draco to sit down.
"You sit as well," Draco demanded, not willing to admit he didn't want to face her friend without her close. She looked like she was going to argue, but Red said it too.
"'Mione, come on. You know Ron. He's not going to be the same until he gets what he's thinking off his chest. Sit down."
After thinking about it for a moment, she sat. Draco was relieved and shot Ginny a thankful look, who smiled and made idle conversation with Blaise. When Ron arrived at the Slytherin table, the chatter died off. It seemed everybody wanted to listen in on them. Draco prepared himself.
"So. It's true then," Ron grumbled. Hermione gave no indication that she heard him. "'Mione, look at me. Please."
She did, but slowly. "What is it, Ronald?"
"You aren't really dating him, are you?"
Hermione sat up straighter. "Yes, Ronald, I am. Not that it's any of your business."
"You said that you two weren't... you know, friendly."
"And at the time we weren't, but things change, Ron. People change."
"Malfoy doesn't! Damn it, 'Mione, he's a Slytherin! A Death-eater! Surely you know that you just can't let all of that go!"
Hermione stood up faster than Draco could blink and slapped him. The sound echoed through the Hall and Draco wondered why the Professors weren't intervening. With a glance at the Head's table, he saw that Dumbledore was standing and had his arm out, a signal for the other professors to wait.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Ronald Weasley," she growled. A red handprint was forming on his cheek when he turned to Little Red.
"And what are you doing here?" he demanded. Draco couldn't believe he talked to his sister that way, and apparently, neither could Blaise.
"She's offering her friend moral support," he said for her, once it was obvious she wasn't going to say anything.
"I wasn't asking you," he snarled.
Red sat up straighter. "I'm offering Hermione my moral support," she repeated. Ron glared at her.
"I suppose you two are dating now, too?" he asked sarcastically. Blaise hung a protective arm around Red's shoulder.
"As a matter of fact, Weasley, we're going to Hogsmeade together," he said calmly. If Red was surprised by this, she didn't show it, and neither did Hermione. Weasley could've had steam coming out of his ears, he was that angry.
Little Red, who had been mostly silent, snapped when he turned to Draco. "Merlin, Ron! You're going off your nutter just because you're jealous? Why can't you just be happy for her? And for me?"
"Because you two don't see what I see! They're Slytherin's! They've made our lives hell! They-"
Blaise interrupted. "Actually, I haven't done anything to you," he pointed out. Weasley whipped his wand out and pointed it at him.
"Shut up," he growled.
Hermione and Red had their wands on him the moment he got his out. "Ronald," Hermione said firmly. "Leave now."
"Or I'll bat-bogey hex you," Red threatened.
"You wouldn't hex me, I'm your brother," Weasley snapped.
Draco snorted but couldn't stop himself from adding, "A brother who just verbally attacked his sister, threatened her boyfriend with his wand and yelled at one of his best friends. Yeah, what a great brother."
"You stay out of this, Malfoy. This mess is because of you." He pointed his wand at Draco and Blaise got his out too.
"You really don't want to do this, Ron," Hermione said in what Draco supposed was a soothing voice. She lowered her wand and placed it inside her robes. Draco only gripped his wand tighter and he was pleased to see Blaise and Ginny do the same.
At that moment, Dumbledore chose to interrupt. "Is there a problem here?" he asked smoothly.
"No professor," everyone mumbled, putting away their wands, but Draco didn't follow suit.
"Yes, professor, there is," he said loudly. "Weasley here was just verbally abusing Hermione and Lit- I mean, Ginny, for promoting inter-house unity."
Dumbledore's lips twitched and his eyes twinkled. "And pray tell, Mr. Malfoy, how are you promoting inter-house unity?"
Draco faltered, the wheels of his brain coming up empty, but Blaise smoothly saved him.
"We're all going to Hogsmeade together, Professor Dumbledore, sir."
"I am very pleased to hear that, Mr. Zabini," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Weasley, follow me."
He spun on his heel and headed outside the Hall, Weasley following him grumpily.
"Oh Merlin," Hermione sighed. Draco rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.
"Are we really going to Hogsmeade together?" Draco asked. Blaise shrugged.
"It was the only thing I could think of. You weren't doing a very good job, you see."
Draco threw his bacon at him in response, but as he threw with his left hand, his aim wasn't very good and he ended up hitting Ginny instead.
"Oh, you did not just throw bacon at me," she said dangerously.
"Oh Merlin," Hermione sighed, holding up a plate in front of her face like a shield. "Please don't hit me."
Draco could only look at Hermione in confusion before a bagel hit him squarely on the nose.
"FOOD FIGHT!" Ginny yelled, throwing food in every direction.