CHAPTER SEVEN

She could tell that something was different, almost amiss, when she walked into the Slytherin Common Room following breakfast on Tuesday the twelfth of October. There was an excited and anticipatory air about the room and its inhabitants were buzzing about, speaking in low voices while huddled together in small groups. It didn't take long before she found out what all the fuss was about.

'First Hogsmeade visit is this weekend!' exclaimed Andromeda. Then, as if she suddenly remembered who she was speaking to, she went into more detail. 'The local Wizarding village is called Hogsmeade. I know that you're aware of the basics, but this is a huge break for us. I can't wait to show you around! I'll even buy us lunch at the Three Broomsticks. They have the best fish and chips this side of London!'

Hermione readily agreed, looking forward to a venture into Hogsmeade if only to escape the castle and its constant memories. She was excited to see the village as it was before she would come to know it. A thought fluttered through her mind of a possible bookshop… She had a little money saved and knew that if she asked, the Hogwarts Special Care Fund would provide her with more, but she didn't want to be greedy. She would only ask for more if she ran out.

The week went by faster than most. As the days passed from one into the next, the palpable excitement in the castle grew to a fever pitch. By the time Saturday rolled around, the students were whipped almost to a frenzy. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she'd entered the common room to such a commotion. Upon further thought, even during her time the Gryffindor's were a bit lazy on Hogsmeade days. She couldn't figure out why the Slytherin's were so different. Maybe she was over thinking it.

Hermione sat on a chair close to the fireplace and waited for Andromeda to emerge from the loo. Using the time she knew she had, she observed the groups that had quickly formed around the room. The first and second years were not surprisingly missing from the scene. The third years were all a flutter with excitement over their first trip to the nearby Wizarding village. Fourth and fifth year students were also excited, but were trying to act calm about it. Apparently it didn't do to seem too keen on doing something as routine as going to Hogsmeade. What struck Hermione the most was the group of sixth and seventh year boys who were speaking in low tones in a far-off corner of the common room. She thought it odd that each time someone would wander close to the group, they would go quiet. Before she could think too much on it, though, Andromeda was at her side, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the main common room door.

'He'll be along,' Andromeda said.

Hermione looked at her, confused. 'Who?'

'Lucius, of course.' There was a teasing tone in her voice. 'Look. I know he and my sister are to be married, but there's nothing stopping you from having a bit of fun with him.'

'Oh! No! You've misunderstood something. I'm not interested in Lucius.' When Andromeda raised a disbelieving eyebrow, Hermione pressed on in an even more forceful voice. 'I'm not! I was just wondering what they're all talking about over there.'

'Oh, you know. Probably the Cause,' she speculated while rolling her eyes. 'But that's not what's important right now! I can't wait to show you Hogsmeade! While it's just a quaint little village, there's still some decent shopping. Plus there's no beating Honeydukes for sweets, or The Three Broomsticks for a bit of a kip, if you know what I mean.'

The air was cold and the low-lying clouds threatened rain. A few times on the path away from the school, Hermione was certain she felt a few drops of cold autumn rain upon her face, but Andromeda assured her that it wasn't going to start raining until they got to Hogsmeade. She was wrong, though. Just as the pair passed the Quidditch Pitch and the gates to the castle grounds came into view, the skies opened up. Both girls shrieked and started running toward their destination. They had only taken a few steps before arms were thrown around them. Hermione struggled a bit before the calming tones of Lucius Malfoy filled her ears.

'Hermione, relax,' he said. 'It's just me.'

She calmed instantly and was immediately struck by the irony of the situation. Here she was being calmed by the fact that she was in the arms of Lucius Malfoy, when in her past and his future, she knew that was a very dangerous place to be. In this time, in this place, this man was as much a threat to her as her own shadow. That thought alone was enough to force a chuckle from her. Lucius looked at her and shook his head at her mirth. Then he removed his jacket and transfigured it into an umbrella large enough for the two of them.

Hermione was in a bit of a stupor over the surprising gesture. Had she been with Ron, he no doubt would have made a joke about her being a witch. Not Lucius. He never said a word, only created the umbrella and offered silently to share it with her. A few feet away, though, a scuffle was heard. When Hermione had been grabbed by Lucius, Andromeda had found herself in the arms of Walden Macnair. Hermione and Lucius both watched in amusement as the witch did everything in her power to lose her would be husband, but the man would not take the hint. Andromeda barely spared Hermione a glance as she ran down the path and away from her pursuer, who followed rather close behind her.

The walk to Hogsmeade was quiet and slightly awkward for Hermione. While it had been almost a month since the night she had begun to confess and then ran out on him, this was the first time they'd really been alone enough to discuss it. She'd done it that way on purpose. She'd been so nervous about how close she'd come to blowing everything that she'd been avoiding him. They'd talked in class and in passing in the common room, but she'd managed to keep it strictly school related. Hermione doubted she'd be so lucky today.

It was Lucius who first broke through the silence that was hanging around them. She'd made a few noises as if to start speaking, but found that she was unable to do so. Something about the way she would catch him glancing at her had kept any words she may have wanted to say stuck in her throat. He, apparently, was not suffering the same affliction.

'How are you enjoying Hogwarts so far?' he'd asked. It seemed an innocent question, but Hermione could tell from the look in his eyes that there was more to this inquiry than a simple conversation starter.

'It's different,' she responded, being completely honest for a rare occasion. 'I feel as if I've been attending school here for years, but at the same time there is so much new for me to experience.' She knew that he was fishing for a compliment in that purely Malfoy way, but she was unwilling to go down that road. It would only lead to trouble, and so she avoided it.

He seemed to notice that she wasn't going to be forthcoming with the answers he sought. She could tell the exact moment when his mind went into that cold and calculating place that she knew he had inside of him because his eyes narrowed slightly, and the color shifted from a cool blue to almost a slate color. Hermione shuddered. It was a bit jarring to realize that she was coming to know him so well when she was blatantly trying to stay away from him…for both their sakes.

'Hogsmeade really is a quaint little hamlet if ever there was one,' Lucius stated. 'You'll find a lot of interesting shops there. Is there anything in particular you're looking to purchase today?'

'Books,' she answered without a moment's hesitation. 'There are a few I've been unable to find back in my-'

She'd been close to saying 'in my time' before she'd thought about what she was saying. This was another moment for her where she realized she'd be better off taking a vow of silence. It seemed that every time she got into a real conversation with the man to her left she came perilously close to revealing her true past. Hermione knew that she needed to explain her sudden silence, but also accepted that she needed to keep it brief, lest she trip up on the details of her farce later.

'The bookshop where I'm from doesn't stock a lot of texts I'm interested in.'

There. It wasn't a lie, as the bookshop near her parent's home was a quaint little children's book store. Hermione had stopped reading far off tales and children's stories many years ago. Now she longed for magical texts that she couldn't find in her own time due to the nature of the topics or simply just something going out of print.

Just as she'd thought about picking up any rare-for-her books, the real quagmire hit her. If she purchased anything she wanted to have later, where would she keep it? Sure for now she could just place anything she had in her school truck, but that trunk wouldn't be hers forever. Eventually she would return to her rightful time and then what? What would become of her belongings? What would happen to any mementoes of her time in 1971?

Lucius and Hermione continued on into Hogsmeade Village in a semi-companionable silence. Lucius would make conversation with her and while she would answer and engage him as well, her mind was elsewhere. The circle kept going around and around inside of her head as to what she would do with her things when the time came to return to her time, to her friends. Just as Lucius and Hermione arrived in front of the first building on High Street, the thought came to her like a beacon of light at the end of a tunnel.

'The Room of Requirement!' Hermione was so happy that she'd reached a plausible conclusion to her problem that she didn't stop to think of her surroundings. She had her face raised to the sky as if that was where the answer had been written so she didn't see the huge puddle at her feet. When her right foot fell into the small hole, her arms flailed out for purchase and grasped onto the only thing nearby: Lucius Malfoy. Her momentum took her down and brought him with her. They landed in a heap, him on top of her, and their eyes met for a full two or three seconds before reality came back to her. She tried to move from under him, but he held his position for a heartbeat longer before standing and helping her to her feet.

'The room of what?' Lucius asked.

She thought quickly, trying to remember what she had said before she landed her on her back, on the ground. Under him. 'The Room of Requirement. It's also known as the Come and Go Room. I'd overheard a few of the Hogwarts elves talking about it the other day and it if their conversation is to be believed, it could be the answer to a problem of mine.'

'Oh?'

'Yes!' she exclaimed as the lies fell easily from her lips. 'It's become increasingly difficult for me to revise in the Common Room or the designated study areas, and the Library is always busy. If this room is where I think it is, then I can just will a quiet study area into existence and have peace while I do my revision!'

'So you think you know where this room is?' he asked, the disbelief clear in his tone.

'I believe I do! The other day I was up on the seventh floor and I really needed the loo. Obviously there isn't one around there, but when I passed the tapestry of trolls learning ballet, I noticed a door that wasn't there before. Turned out to be a loo! Then a few days later when I was up there again, I looked for it, but it was gone. That has to be it!'

Of course, Hermione knew where the room was, as they had used it for Dumbledore's Army during her fifth year. The story of the bathroom was only a partial fabrication. She had heard Dumbledore tell a similar story to Igor Karkaroff during fourth year. The thoughts of the Durmstrang headmaster and Dumbledore's Army had reminded her of exactly who she was with: a Death Eater. Before she could think on it too much, he spoke.

'This room, this loo you say? How would that help you revise?'

'If the elves are to be believed, then the room will take the form of your needs. Hence why it's called the Room of Requirement. The room becomes what you require of it.'

Hermione noticed the mischievous glint in Lucius Malfoy's eyes and immediately wondered if she'd given him too much information. As her mind worked furiously on the implications of their conversation, he opened the door to the first store, a bookstore, and ushered them both inside.