Ch. 19: Grace period
Ravenclaw won. It was a very emotional game and Gryffindor was just this close to winning, but then Cho Chang did a masterful faint and, with a huge grin, caught the Snitch. In the gloomy, Gryffindor common room, Ginny accused Harry for still having a weak spot towards the girl, but they all knew that Cho had simply been the better Seeker that day.
Harry's excuse was that he had been too busy avoiding Corner's bat and the Bludger that the boy was sending at him and at Ron in turns. It was true that the game was also particularly vicious and, after it was finished, half of the players went to the Hospital Wing to be patched up by Madame Pomfrey. Harry and Ron returned from there in foul moods and went to sleep immediately.
Over the next couple of days, the excitement died down, although the Ravenclaws were talking about defeating Slytherin in the last game and finally winning the cup. Hermione couldn't care less, since Gryffindor would not win anymore, and she happily welcomed the more relaxed atmosphere that was slowly returning to the Gryffindor common room as the emotions cooled.
With a sigh, she looked up from the book she was reading, only to notice that it was almost time for dinner. She stretched lazily and remembered that Professor Flitwick didn't give them homework that day, because he was so overjoyed at the result of the game, so she could enjoy the evening off for once. That's an idea, she thought to herself, I'll have a calm, relaxed dinner and then just gossip away in the common room.
With that thought firm in her head, she closed the book and went to put it away on the bookshelf, smiling as she noticed Shion with a pile of books, also putting them away. Has he been in the library as well? Did I get so used to that white head that I didn't notice it immediately? She supposed it would be a good sign if that was the truth because, as far as she has been able to find out, there was no way to return his hair to its previous colour.
'Hello,' she said in a light tone, putting the book back on its place. He turned to her and smiled, echoing her greeting. 'Aren't you in the common room, enjoying yet another celebration?' she asked. Safu said that they have been partying every evening, which even she thought was too much. Shion laughed.
'Nope,' he said, stating the obvious. 'I'm enjoying my grace period though,' he added in a light tone, putting one of the books where it belonged. Hermione followed him to another bookshelf.
'Grace period?' she asked, curious. She thought she could see him wince briefly, but when the replied it was in a light, casual tone.
'My guess is that, when the euphoria after winning against Gryffindor dies down, Corner will be back to stalking me and trying to peek under the shower,' he said. A shiver ran down Hermione's spine. 'If I didn't know better I would have thought that he's interested or something,' he added with a laugh. 'Not that this would be a comforting thought.'
'About that,' she started uncertainly.
'You know, we haven't won against Gryffindor since Potter became the Seeker,' he continued as though she hadn't spoken. 'That means of course that I don't remember the times when we did, but the guys in the older years were always complaining. The seventh years are ecstatic now, you know. They're the ones throwing the parties,' he paused to put a book on the shelf it belonged to. Hermione was impressed. He was obviously trying to steer her away from what she wanted to talk about, yet his words sounded causal and not rushed or desperate at all.
'You weren't even at the game,' she accused, remembering Safu's disappointment. He glanced at her with surprise and then grinned. 'You talk now like you cared about the damned game and you weren't even there,' she added, making him giggle.
'Five points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger,' he said, trying and failing to mimic Kruspe's accent. 'We went to visit Lizzy,' he explained in his normal voice. There was something he wasn't telling her and she was itching to ask. He seemed to ignore her as he put the second last book on the shelf, but she thought suddenly that he really wanted her to ask about that and she remembered what she wanted to ask him in the first place.
'I wanted to ask you,' she started in a rush and saw him freeze momentarily. She realised that he knew what she wanted to ask and wished she wouldn't, but Hermione knew she would never get the courage to ask if they weren't alone. 'I couldn't help to think about it after the lecture on Defence against the Dark Arts,' she said and paused awkwardly when he glared at her with those unnatural, violet eyes. It wasn't really the glare that stopped her from talking, but the colour and the implications of her own words, her little white lie.
'Ciel said you have it all figured, so spit it out,' he said in a cold tone, shocking her. Ciel told him? 'Ask what you want to know,' he added, not sounding so angry anymore, but still looking at her unblinkingly. She had to look away.
'So it was an entrance curse,' she stated more than asked. He nodded curtly and she swallowed, for the first time not feeling triumphal to have figured out a mystery. She was about to say something more when another voice cut into their conversation and she froze in panic.
'So it was an entrance curse,' Malfoy sneered, emerging from behind the bookshelf, Crabbe and Goyle in tow as usual. Hermione could see Shion freeze momentarily, before relaxing again and raising his chin slightly as he faced Malfoy with a glare. 'That's almost disappointing to know,' he added, reaching out to grab Shion. He pushed his hand away.
'Don't touch me Malfoy. You're so filthy I might start to rot,' he said in a cold tone, surprising Malfoy and shocking Hermione. She turned to Malfoy, watching for his reaction, wondering if he was going to ignore her.
'For a mudblood to say that,' Malfoy laughed, but Shion seemed completely unimpressed by the insult. 'Tell me what happened then. Did you stumble upon Deatheater Phantomhive's secrets?' he asked. Hermione gasped at the insinuation and Malfoy spared her a condescending glance before turning back to Shion who simply smirked mockingly and turned to put the last book away.
'Don't turn your back on me mudblood,' Malfoy growled and nodded at Crabbe and Goyle. His two goons grabbed Shion by the arms, forced him to face Malfoy and pinned him to the bookshelf behind, making him wince as his head hit the books and the book he was holding fell. All that happened in the time Hermione had to gasp and reach out in a silly attempt to stop Malfoy. To her surprise, Shion looked almost bored.
'Really Malfoy,' he sneered. 'Aren't you able to do anything on your own at all? Do they dress you up in your awesome underwear as well?' he asked mockingly. Wide-eyed, Hermione wondered if he was trying to provoke Malfoy, because it was working brilliantly. With a sneer, Malfoy slapped him with such a force that his head turned to the side from the blow.
'Stop it Malfoy,' Hermione gasped and went up to them, but Malfoy pushed her away, not even looking at her, telling her to run crying to Potter if she wanted. He grabbed Shion by the collar of his shirt.
'I know it was Phantomhive, I'm not stupid,' he hissed. 'I'll make him pay and you know what? I've been preparing for this. I know that your bodyguards will not pop up here in a moment so I think I might start by rearranging your face,' he added and punched Shion hard in the stomach, making him gasp in pain. Hermione was surprised he didn't scream because, judging from the motion of Malfoy's arm, he would have probably doubled up in pain, if Crabbe and Goyle were not holding him.
'Stop it Malfoy,' Hermione repeated, this time with a shrill scream, reaching out for her wand. Malfoy turned to her with a glare.
'I told you to leave, mudblood,' he hissed. 'Or would you-'
'That will be ten points from Slytherin for the use of foul language,' said a cold, accented voice and they all turned to see Professor Kruspe standing on the other end of the bookshelf. He didn't seem impressed as he made his way towards them. 'And I imagine a weekend-full of detention for the three of you for attacking another student,' he added with a pleasant smile that didn't quite reach his cold, blue eyes.
Malfoy was smart enough to not reply although he didn't really seem to be that worried about being caught or given a detention. Professor Kruspe glared at Crabbe and Goyle and they let Shion go so fast that it looked like he had suddenly burned them. The white-haired boy leaned against the bookshelf, holding his stomach.
'And by "weekend-full" I mean Saturday and Sunday, from dawn till dusk,' the teacher amended and Malfoy paled a bit. 'Hagrid has asked me to help him with some new, magical creatures that he ordered for your lessons, because he thinks that he cannot handle them on his own. I think you will make for good help,' he added. Hermione was gleeful at the panic on Malfoy's face and she thought that Shion was as well.
'Report to me at dawn on Saturday or it will be a detention till the end of the year,' Kruspe growled. 'Now get lost,' he added and turned to Shion. 'Are you alright?'
'Yes, thank you sir,' Shion replied and picked up the book. He had a red imprint of Malfoy's hand on his cheek and Hermione was sure that they teacher didn't miss it, but he just looked at him carefully and nodded.
'Off to dinner, both of you,' he said and magicked the book, out of Shion's hand, onto the bookshelf. Afterwards he turned and left the library and Hermione turned to look at her friend, wondering if he had lied to the teacher.
'Are you sure you're alright?' she asked with worry. 'That punch was-'
'I'll be fine, Hermione,' he assured her. 'It takes more than a punch to make me wish to go to the Hospital Wing,' he added drily. Almost before she realised what she was doing, she extended her hand to his cheek, but he turned away, saying that they should go or they would be late for the dinner.
Biting her lip, Hermione followed him out of the library, almost having to run to catch up with his fast steps. He didn't say anything and she had no idea what she could say to him, so she didn't say anything. It crossed her mind that she would have to tell Professor Kruspe that if Hagrid didn't think he could manage the magical creatures on his own then maybe they should evacuate the castle, just in case.
'Hey, we turn here,' she said when Shion missed the staircase that led down to the Great Hall. He stopped and looked at her, almost seeming surprised to see her there.
'Oh, I need to get something from my dormitory before,' he said after a short pause and only then did she realise that he was trembling. She frowned and made a step towards him, but he shrank back. 'I'll come down for dinner in a moment,' he added, turned around and left, not waiting for her reply.
She watched him go, for a moment, before deciding to go and tell Safu that she should check in on him. Having decided that, she went to the Great Hall and, only when she reached the bottom of the stairs, did she realise that the Ravenclaw tower was the opposite direction from the way Shion took. Worried anew, she found Safu, sitting together with Lizzy, Ciel and Nezumi at the Slytherin table. With a small wince, she went to join them.
'Hey there,' Lizzy, being the first one to notice her, greeted her with a wide smile. Lizzy was almost always smiling, Hermione realised, as she smiled back and greeted everybody before sitting down next to Safu.
'I thought you refused to sit at the Slytherin table,' the Ravenclaw girl commented lightly, passing the meat pie to Hermione. 'It's your favourite,' she added as Hermione accepted the dish and wondered how to say what she needed to say.
'I usually try to avoid Malfoy to not be called names when I'm eating,' she admitted truthfully, stalling. Lizzy agreed that it was indeed unpleasant, while Safu pointed out that Malfoy usually ignored them.
'And today he's ignoring just about everybody,' Ciel pointed out, nodding towards where Malfoy was, sulking and occasionally snapping and Pansy Parkinson, when the girl tried to talk to him. Hermione swallowed. She couldn't have hoped for a better opening.
'That's because he got a detention with Kruspe and Hagrid,' she said, watching how the eyes of the twins sparkled with curiosity and amusement. Wait till I tell you for what, she thought and continued before they could ask. 'For attacking Shion in the library,' she finished her sentence. Like she predicted, the amusement and curiosity were gone, replaced by glares in a matter of seconds. Lizzy gasped and Safu asked where Shion was.
'He said he needed to pick something up from the dormitory,' Hermione replied and, before she managed to say that he didn't seem to be going to the dormitory, Safu was up and leaving. 'But he's,' she started.
'Not going to the Ravenclaw tower?' Ciel finished for her, almost sounding like he was mocking her. With a glare for the mocking, she nodded. 'I'm sure Safu knows that,' he informed her calmly. 'So tell us: what happened in the library? I mean, Malfoy's an asshole, but he hardly goes attacking people just like that.'
Having no choice, Hermione told them about her conversation with Shion and that Malfoy heard her ask about the entrance curses and that he knew now. She omitted the part about the "Deatheater Phantomhive", not wanting to remember that their mother was locked away in Azbakan. This was one of those things she tried to not think about.
'So Malfoy is spying on us,' Nezumi commented when she finished. He seemed surprisingly calm for the situation, Hermione thought. 'That's a pain,' he added and Hermione thought back to what Malfoy said.
'Did you vanish his trousers?' she asked, looking Ciel right in the eyes. He seemed momentarily surprised by the question, but then he smirked slightly.
'I wish I could take credit for that,' he said lightly and she breathed a sigh of relief. The teachers failed to find the culprit, but Snape had suspected Harry and would not listen to reason, when Harry's wand was verified. Hermione didn't want to find out that it was another of her friends who put Harry in trouble.
'Why does he think it was you?' she asked as the thought occurred to her. Ciel shrugged and told her that the conflict between him and Malfoy goes back three generations at least. Shaking her head at the idea, she went about eating the dinner. Obviously the rest thought that Safu could handle the situation with Shion. She hoped Safu would. And maybe, just maybe, something would start between the two Ravenclaws, she thought with a smile, knowing that Safu wished for that. Hermione, in the meantime, should absolutely tell Harry and Ron about Malfoy's detention. They were going to love that.