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This was a nightmare.
She cast a rueful glance at Easter. The creature was curled up on her pillow, licking his leg with little thought to her situation.
Hermione had taken off soon after collecting Easter, leaving Draco with that bewildered look on his face. She had no idea how she was going to deal with this.
"And it's all your fault!" she snapped at the uncaring feline. "What did you run to Draco Malfoy for?"
There was no way she was going to make it to the end of the day without a trip to McGonagall's office. She sank down on the bed, groaning. Draco's look was enough to convince her that she was going to be in some very serious trouble. She looked down at her still unhealed hand. McGonagall would probably think Easter was too dangerous to keep around people and they would take him away. Or, knowing Easter, he would disappear permanently.
"Why?" she whispered as Easter resituated himself on her pillow so that she had more space for her head. "Why would you…You wouldn't let Harry or Ron see you, but you went and attacked Malfoy!"
The door opened and Easter disappeared into her bag. She sat up as Lavender leaned in.
"Hermione, there you are. Harry and Ron are looking for you."
She took her bag and followed Lavender back down to the commons. Harry and Ron were waiting for her.
"You didn't come to tryouts," Ron said with a frown. "Where were you? You said you would come."
"I'm sorry, Ron. Something came up."
Harry shrugged. "Okay, well. We'll tell you all about it at lunch."
"Is it already lunch?"
Ron laughed as they steered Hermione out of the commons. "We know eating is a foreign concept, but try to get on board."
Her heart pounded in her chest and she pulled the bag closer to her. "I don't think we have to go right now, do we?"
"Hermione, what's wrong with you? You're not going to revert, are you?"
"No!" She took a deep breath. "I just think that we could…"
Nothing. There were no plausible excuses.
They had just sat down for lunch when Draco strode in, eyes immediately going to the Gryffindor table. Hermione could see a strangely determined glint in his eye as he made straight for her.
"Oi, Mudblood!"
Her stomach sank. He was not going to make this easy. Ron and Harry turned when Malfoy reached the table.
"What the hell, Malfoy?" Ron growled.
"I'd say the same thing to you, Weasley," Draco snapped, eyes still on Hermione. "We need to talk."
"What are you on about, Malfoy?" Harry asked, reaching for his wand. "We don't have anything to talk about."
Hermione's pleading gaze caused Draco to pause. He glanced at Harry and Ron, and then his eyes fell on the bag Hermione was clutching. As it dawned on him that she had failed to tell her two best companions about the scuffle, a frown replaced his determination. His gaze met Hermione's and he straightened up.
"We need to talk," he repeated before striding away. She exhaled, stomach knotted painfully. Harry and Ron looked at each other before turning to Hermione.
"What was that about?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. He's just…well, you know Malfoy."
"Why does he want to talk to you?"
"I wouldn't know, Ronald. I don't presume to know what is going on in his mind."
Ron shrugged, satisfied with the answer. "Yeah, I suppose. So, why'd you miss tryouts? You said you would come with us."
"I told you. Something came up."
She endured Ron's stories about those who had tried out, but every time she glanced over at the Slytherin table, her anxiety rose. Malfoy had not even sat down with Blaise, choosing instead to pace and watch her closely. Harry noticed her distraction and looked over.
"Hermione-"
"Please Harry," she muttered, glancing at him. "Please. I just…I'm sorry Ron, but I have to go."
"But why?" He scowled. "You already said you finished all your homework, so what could you possibly have to do?"
"I don't have time to explain." She left, going up the second floor girl's bathroom.
"What are you doing here?" Moaning Myrtle asked when she came out of her stall. "Ah, you brought that thing with you! You were going to kill poor Draco, weren't you? Well, I won't let you! I'll haunt you, I swear I will!"
"Oh, quiet Myrtle." Hermione paced the bathroom until the door swung open and Draco strode in. They stood across from each other for a while in silence, Draco's eyes going immediately to the bag. She shifted, but before she could reach in, Easter sprung out and went straight for Draco. "Easter, no!" She caught him before he got to Draco, who had retreated a little. Easter stared at Draco from his spot in Hermione's arms, golden eyes unflinching. "Malfoy, I-"
"First of all, don't speak. Secondly, you could have gotten me killed because you've no idea what you have there. Third." And here, he straightened up, eyes narrowed on her. "Either you tell me what is going on, or I will get you expelled."
The tips of her fingers got cold and Easter's fur stood up straight at sensing her discomfort. Taking a deep breath, Hermione sat down on the floor and released Easter. Draco took several steps back, anticipating an attack by drawing his wand. But to both his and Hermione's surprise, Easter simply hissed at Draco and ducked under the sinks. His eyes could be seen glaring, along with the agitated little barb.
"I…I found him."
"Where?"
She scowled. Why was he so nosy?
"It doesn't matter. I found him."
He leaned down so that he could get a better look at the creature. "And you just thought you would bring a dangerous animal to Hogwarts to see what would happen?"
"He's not dangerous!"
"Where the hell were you an hour ago?"
Cheeks flush, she stood to face him. "He's never hurt anyone!"
"Says your hand."
She looked down. "This was an accident."
He snorted derisively. "Sure it was, Mudblood." A smile came to his face as he straightened up to face her. "So, why don't Potter and your boyfriend know about this?"
"What makes you think-"
"You didn't tell them it attacked me, Granger. Highly unlikely they know about it at all. Answer my question."
Hermione frowned. Draco seemed less interested in Easter and more interested in having a piece of information that neither Ron nor Harry possessed. Feeling completely out of her element in all things concerning Malfoy, Hermione was reduced to shrugging helplessly.
"I couldn't tell them," she found herself saying. "It…it disappeared when I tried."
The strangest look came to Draco's face. Her statement seemed to have confused him and he glanced at Easter as if trying to figure something out. Probably the same thing Hermione wanted to know. Why had Easter shown himself so thoughtlessly to Draco, her enemy, and completely disappeared when her friends showed up?
"Hermione's keeping secrets from Harry?" Myrtle interrupted with a laugh, earning herself an agitated glance from Hermione, who could not believe how awful her luck was. Not just for being blackmailed into explaining things to Draco Malfoy of all people, but that the most irritating ghost in Hogwarts outside Peeves was privy to her secret as well. Groaning, Hermione covered her face.
"This can't be happening!"
Draco recovered from his confusion, his trademark smirk returning with a vengeance. "We'll be in touch, Granger," he said before leaving. Hermione sank to the floor, feeling her appetite burn up like it had in the beginning of the year. Easter strolled over, rubbing against her leg and purring as if he had not just ruined the rest of her year.
For a week, Hermione lived in a perpetual state of anxiety. She feared every owl that came for her friends or those that went to the staff table. Whenever a professor asked to speak to her, she would hold her breath until learning of what they wanted to talk about. The same held true whenever Harry, Ron, or Ginny came to her. During meals she would watch the Slytherin table, but Draco had suddenly taken to avoiding the Great Hall. Others had noticed as well and Nott even approached Blaise on the subject but to know discernable answer. Hermione did see Draco during Potions, but he never looked at her, which only made her nerves worse.
At length, she returned to the girl's restrooms after Draco failed to turn up again at dinner. She found him at a sink with his back turned. When he heard her, he glanced over his shoulder.
"For someone who has an illegal animal living in Hogwarts, you don't keep much track of your pet."
Too curious to be worried about being near Draco, she moved to his side and gasped.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like," he muttered, grabbing a cup from off the counter and dipping it into what appeared to be bloody sludge that filled the sink. He dumped the cup's contents into a small bowl beneath the sink and then backed away, motioning for Hermione to do the same. Easter materialized out of the darkness and padded over to the bowl, sniffing it curiously. Hermione's eyes widened as he began lapping it up.
"You got him to eat."
Draco rolled his eyes, grabbing some paper towel to wipe his hands. "You've no idea what that is, do you?"
"Is this where you've been the entire time?"
"Of course." He glanced at her like she was an idiot. "Where else would I be?"
She could not believe she had not come up here before now. "But, wait, what…" Her head was spinning from the many questions she wanted to ask him, one of which was why he had not turned her in yet. He picked up on this and she was a little surprised at seeing a pink tinge come to his cheeks. But he turned away before she could see clearly.
"Do you know what this is, Mudblood?"
She forced herself not to hex him, making a mental note to do it after he had explained himself.
"You know what Easter is?"
His eyebrow rose. "Easter?"
"That's his name."
"You named a dangerous magical creature Easter?"
She pulled her wand. "I don't have time for this, Malfoy."
Shrugging, he went over to where his bag was. "Well, I'm sure you can effectively explain to McGonagall the presence of a dangerous extinct creature on school grounds."
"He won't show himself to anyone. That's an empty threat."
"I'm sure, when McGonagall has the castle scoured, it won't be too hard to see it."
Hermione folded her arms over her chest, knowing she was going to get nowhere with him behaving this way.
"Fine, what do you want?"
The uncomfortable silence that followed caused Hermione to shift around. Draco kept his back to her for a little while before he sat down on the floor, staring at her curiously.
"Where did you get it?"
This again. She scowled at him. "What does it matter?"
"Because it interests me. Obviously you weren't with your two bodyguards when you discovered it. I can hardly imagine a reason you wouldn't have your boyfriend with you."
They stared at each other for a moment before Hermione dropped her gaze to the floor. "Knockturn Alley."
He frowned. "Knockturn Alley?"
"Yes, Knockturn Alley." She glanced up in irritation. "Are you going to tell me what Easter is or am I going to have to leave?"
His gaze moved to Easter, who was still lapping up the sludge. "Looks like a Mngwa."
She blinked. "A what?"
"Mngwa. I know not being Head Girl can be disconcerting, but do try and keep up, Mudblood. It's an African cat, but this one's pretty small. Very dangerous, though. How you got a hold of one is beyond me."
She noticed how he kept bringing up how dangerous it was. When she told him so, he shrugged.
"Because it is. That's what its known for, or so I've been told."
"How do you know so much about it?"
"Being a pureblooded wizard, I have access to information that you obviously wouldn't." He stood. "He's finished."
Easter moved away from the bowl and sat down to clean himself. Hermione sat beside him, stroking his back. He was incredibly calm and there was a gleam in his eye that had not been there before. She noticed how much better his coat looked as well.
"What did you feed him?"
Draco shook a long finger at her. "Ah, ah, Mudblood. Quid pro quo."
"What do you want?"
"Joint custody."
Her eyes widened. "He's mine!"
"He doesn't seem to care much for you during the day."
"How would you know that?"
"Because he's always in here." At her surprised look, he smiled. "You didn't know, did you? Where did you think he was?"
"He comes to my room at night…during the day, he just-"
"Disappears?" Draco shook his head. "You are completely hopeless."
"Listen Malfoy," she snapped, standing. "Easter is my responsibility. I have had him for a while and I'm not just going to let you bully me into letting you take care of him."
He stood as well, walking over to her. "Well, since I seem to be the only other person in this school who he shows himself to, I don't think you have much of a choice."
She wanted to curse him so badly. Curse that stupid smirk off his face. But something in her told her that there was nothing to be done. If Easter was allowing Draco to see him as well as feed him, what could she do? Draco had found out where Easter was hiding out during the day when she couldn't, and he obviously had some information about the creature.
That didn't make it easier to agree to the situation.
At her sigh of resignation, he laughed. "Good, you do listen to reason."
As he headed back to his things, a thought came to her. "He was attacking you," she remembered aloud. "Why isn't he attacking you anymore?"
Draco could not hide the blush in his cheeks this time. "He wasn't trying to attack me," he grumbled.
"Then what was he-"
"He wanted to lick my face, Mudblood," he snapped before hurrying out. She stared after him, stomach tight. Her gaze dropped to Easter, who was also staring after Draco.
"Why are you doing this to me?"