October 1996
"I think we can call it a night."
Nearly two weeks into October and Hermione noticed that Malfoy seemed on edge during their study session—his leg kept bouncing and instead of working on the assignment, she'd caught him staring off into the fire, as if lost in his thoughts.
He jumped slightly at her words, coming back into the present.
"Great." He began packing up his things.
"Are you and your friends going into Hogsmeade this weekend?"
Malfoy stopped his movements as he frowned at her. "Why?"
Hermione shrugged. "No reason, just making conversation."
"Well, don't," he said as he slung his bag on his shoulder. "We're not friends, Granger. This little arrangement is for our assignment only."
She crossed her arms in defense. "I know we're not friends, Malfoy. I just thought it would be nice to have a normal conversation for once that didn't involve translations or an argument. Guess I was wrong."
Malfoy stalked over to the door before glancing over his shoulder. "Yes, you were."
The cursing of Katie Bell had everyone on edge. Hermione nearly canceled her meeting with Malfoy, but she couldn't find him beforehand to let him know. She didn't want to be rude and just not show up—though she had no doubt he'd do just that if the roles were reversed.
When she made it to the 7th floor, she was surprised to see that he had created the room already. She slipped inside and found him sitting on the couch, staring into the fire, with a glass of Firewhiskey in his hand.
"What do you think you are doing?" she hissed as she walked over to him. "If any of the professors found out you brought Firewhiskey onto the school grounds, you'd get in serious trouble."
"Oh, loosen up, Granger," he said with annoyance. "I've had a shit few days and this helps take the edge off."
Hermione perched on the opposite end of the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. "We've all had a few shit days, Malfoy, but you don't see anyone else drinking."
He chuckled as he took another sip. "Not that you know of, anyway."
She rolled her eyes and stood. "Whatever. I'm going to work on our assignment."
"Fuck the assignment," he said, downing the last of his drink. He rested his head against the back of the couch cushion. "I'm too damn tired. Let's just skive off for tonight."
Hermione sighed and sat back down, too tired to argue. "Fine."
Malfoy's brows raised in surprise as he turned to look at her. "Fine?"
"That's what I said. We've all had a shit week. I was actually going to cancel our meeting tonight but I couldn't find you beforehand to let you know."
Malfoy regarded her for a moment before conjuring another tumbler and poured whiskey into it as well as his own.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"What does it look like?" He handed her the second glass, then raised his own.
"Cheers," he said, and took a sip.
Hermione sighed and muttered "Cheers" before taking a small sip of her own.
She coughed as the liquid burned down her throat. "Ugh, that stuff is foul!" She wiped her mouth with her jumper's sleeve. "How can you drink this?"
Malfoy shrugged. "It gets easier the more you do it." As if to prove his point, he took another sip.
Hermione frowned into the tumbler and took another tentative drink from it. She coughed again, and she still thought it tasted foul, but she couldn't deny the warmth she felt after she drank it felt rather nice.
They sat there, each nursing their drinks for a few moments until Malfoy spoke.
"Blaise mentioned that the Slug Club—" he sneered at the word as if it insulted him personally, "—is having a Christmas party."
Hermione looked over at him curiously, surprised by his willingness to actually engage in small-talk. "Yes, that's correct."
"I still don't understand why I haven't been invited to the join," he said sourly.
"Probably because he has enough purebloods in the club as it is," she stated, taking another, larger, sip of her whiskey.
Malfoy scowled and downed the rest of his before pouring himself another fingerful.
"Look, if you want to go to the party, then have Blaise or someone else take you. We're each allowed a guest."
Malfoy seemed to ponder that information for a moment. "I just might." He glanced at her sideways. "You'll be taking Weasley then?"
Hermione blamed the blush that crept upon her face due to the alcohol. "I still need to ask him, but yes, I plan to."
"Well, don't dawdle," he said. "Otherwise someone else might ask him." He took a hearty sip, "And this time, there's no Bulgarian Quidditch star to save you."
Hermione glared at him over the rim of her tumbler and took another sip. "At least I was invited to be in the group," she muttered, loud enough for him to hear.
"Oh fuck you, Granger," he said. He stood, a little wobbly from what Hermione saw, and started his way towards the door.
She should just let the prat go—let him get caught being drunk in the halls.
She groaned inwardly. "Malfoy, wait," she called out with a sigh.
He turned, nearly falling in the process. "What?" he bit out.
"You should probably wait to go back. I don't think you'll make it back to the dungeons without falling down a flight of stairs, resulting in your untimely death."
Malfoy huffed. "As if you care."
"I do," she said in earnest, walking over to him.
He leaned against the wall to steady himself. "Why?"
"Because, if you kill yourself—or worse, get expelled—then I'll have to finish this Runes project on my own and I'd rather not."
As she walked over to the tea station, she swore she heard Malfoy snort.
"Only you would think that getting expelled is worse than getting killed," he said as he made his way back to the couch, snatching up his whiskey in the process.
Hermione wondered why she even bothered making tea as she walked to where he sat. She took the tumbler from his hand and traded it for the cuppa.
"Drink that," she said, pointing to the tea.
He looked at the tea skeptically.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I didn't poison it, you arse."
"It's not that. I'm just particular on how I take my tea," he said as he sniffed the contents of his cup.
"Two sugars, right?"
He frowned. "Yes. How did you know?"
"It's not that hard to remember," she said with a shrug. "You've made it the same way every time we've studied for nearly a month. You probably even know how I take my tea, as well. Am I right?"
He scowled, then took a sip. He didn't complain, which Hermione took as a sign that she'd done an all right job.
She made herself one before settling back on the couch.
"Where'd you even get the whiskey anyway?" she asked. "The room doesn't provide that sort of thing."
"Tried it before, have you?"
"No."
He raised a skeptical brow
"Ron might have tried once or twice."
"Of course it would be Weasley," he said, taking another sip. "To answer your question, Gryffindors aren't the only ones who keep their own stock of liquor in their dorm rooms."
"Gryffindor's don't—" She stopped when he gave her a look. She thought of her fellow housemates. "Oh…I suppose you might have a point."
"Just because you're a goody-goody doesn't mean everyone else is."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously. And I'm not a goody-goody."
"Yeah? Prove it." He sat back. Hermione noted that he seemed almost… relaxed.
"Let's see," she said, sitting back as well. She held up one finger. "In first year, I set Professor Snape's robes on fire during a Quidditch match."
Malfoy's eyes popped open. "That was you?"
"I thought he was cursing Harry's broom," she defended. She held up a second finger. "I've snuck out of the dorms after hours many times."
"Who hasn't?" he said, bored.
She ignored him and continued. "I've snuck into the Restricted section of the library." A fourth finger. "I trapped Rita Skeeter in a jar for a few months to teach her a lesson." Finally, she raised the smallest finger on her hand. "I left school on a Thestral and went to the Department of Myst—"
She stopped there, remembering that his father was one of the people she dueled.
"No, keep going. Tell me how you fought a bunch of Death Eaters and put them in Azkaban," he said sourly. "Not like I was affected by that or anything."
Hermione bit her lip. "Look, I'm not going to say I'm sorry your father's in prison, but I am sorry how much it affects you—that can't be easy." She was about to say something about how actions have consequences but the look on Malfoy's face told her he knew and didn't need reminding.
"Yeah, well, sometimes we don't have a choice in the matter."
"What do you mean—"
"I think I'm good to head back now," he said, standing. He walked over to the door once more and stopped. "Thanks, by the way, for the cuppa."
He left before she could respond.
Hermione had finally done it! She asked Ron to Slughorn's Christmas party!
Of course, it all started because of an argument due to Ron's jealousy, but she was happy it had ended the way it did.
She smiled all the way to the seventh floor to meet up with Malfoy. Nothing could make her good mood go away, not even him.
Since she was there first, she made the room, adding more personal touches than usual to express her happiness.
Setting her things on the table, she got to work just as Malfoy walked in.
"What's with all the flowers?" he asked as he set his stuff down.
Hermione glanced up and looked around. There were vases, pots, and hanging planters full of dark purple flowers everywhere.
"Oh, well, purple is my favorite color and I like flowers, so," she shrugged. "I thought the room could use a bit of color."
He wrinkled his nose "Alright." He sat down and pulled out his work to start on his list of runes.
"So what's your favorite?" Hermione asked, looking back at her parchment.
"My favorite what?" he asked distractedly.
"Your favorite color," she clarified. "Don't tell me it's green."
Malfoy looked up at her. "It's not, actually. It's blue."
"Light blue or dark blue?"
"I don't know Granger, just blue," he said with a touch of irritation. "Now, if you're done with your interrogation, I'm trying to get some of this project done."
"Fine." She waved him off.
They worked for a little while until Malfoy glanced up at her, looking more irritated than before.
"What?"
"Your humming is distracting."
"Oh, I wasn't even aware I was doing it," she chuckled. "Sorry."
His eyes narrowed. "Why are you so chipper anyway?"
"No reason.".
Malfoy drummed his fingers on the table as he stared at her. Suddenly, he stopped. "You finally asked out Weasley," he stated.
"Yes, well, sort of." she said, flustered. "I asked if he'd go with me to Slughorn's Christmas party."
"Ah, well, congratulations," he said before returning to his work.
"Did you ask Blaise if he could take you?" she asked.
"No, and I'm not going to. I have other things to focus on."
"Oh? Like what?"
"That's none of your business," he retorted.
"No need to get snippy, I was just asking a simple question."
"Well, stop. I told you before—we're not friends."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to have a conversation."
"Can we just work on our project? In silence?" he asked as he glared at her.
She glared back. "Fine."
They worked in his requested silence for nearly ten minutes before Malfoy said quietly, "Dark blue, by the way."
Hermione kept her head down as she continued to work, but a smile formed on her face, for she had finally learned something new about her Slytherin partner.
Hermione's friends always told her she was too ambitious. On top of her normal studies, she always gave herself personal challenges each year.
In First year, she'd hoped to make friends, something she struggled with all her life.
The following year, her main goal had been to keep Harry and Ron from getting killed, or worse, expelled, which had been more challenging than expected
In Third year, she'd wanted to take all the Elective classes available, though this plan had been a little too ambitious.
In Fourth Year, she'd created S.P.E.W. and used nearly all of her free time making clothes for the house elves of Hogwarts on top of helping Harry with the Triwizard Tournament.
Last year, she'd wanted to get as many O.W.L.s as she could—the ten she received was more than she anticipated and she couldn't have been happier.
For some reason, she hadn't yet set a goal for this year. But maybe she'd stumbled upon one anyway. Maybe this year her challenge might be the most difficult one she'd attempted – to try and get to know Draco Malfoy.
While it seemed a daunting task, maybe all she had to do was learn something new about the Slytherin each week. She had already learned how he made his tea and that his favorite color was dark blue. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
And as her father always said, every journey started with a single step.
A/N: This week has been a very busy week for me and my family! My kids ended their school year on Thursday, then on Friday we started our drive from North Dakota to Missouri. We stopped at Sioux Falls first, then off to Omaha. We saw The Amazing Spider in IMAX yesterday, then today we went to the Omaha Zoo before driving the rest of the way to our new base in Missouri.
As promised, here is this weeks update! A little late in the day, but still on Sunday! Hope you're all enjoying these flashbacks and I'll see you next week! xoxoHufflepuffMommy