The Winterscapes

The Winterscapes - Chapter Twelve

Draco and Hermione were laughing and talking in the library, and trying to squeeze in as many practice questions for the Astronomy N.E.W.T. as they could before they library closed and Madam Pince sent them back to their dormitories.

"Your turn--what are the two brightest stars in Perseus?" Hermione asked.

Draco leaned forward until his face was practically touching hers. "What?" she whispered.

"You've got an ink smudge on your cheek," he answered as he rubbed it off with his thumb.

She shivered at the touch. Does he do that on purpose? "Um. I think it's almost time for the library to close." She had to get out so she could think.

"Yeah, let's go." He started packing up his books.

They met Ron as they walked down the almost empty hallway from the library. Hermione sighed inwardly. He must've come looking for me again.

"Oh, there you are," Ron said to Hermione, completely ignoring Draco. "How's the studying going?"

"Good," Hermione said.

"Studying?" Draco asked, shocked. "Did she tell you we were studying? No, no. We haven't been studying; we've been shagging like rabbits in an empty broom closet."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You know, I don't think you're very funny, Malfoy," said Ron, turning red.

"No? You don't? That's such a tragedy. But we all know Weasleys can't afford humor."

Ron stepped forward and shoved Draco. Hermione jumped. "Stop it, you two. It was just a joke."

"You just don't see what a bastard he is," Ron insisted.

Draco swung and punched Ron in the face. When Ron reached up and felt the blood trickling down his cheek, he lunged forward and knocked Draco over onto the ground. They rolled around in a flurry of elbows, fists, and knees, each trying to beat the other into the stone floor. The few students still straggling through that particular hall on the way to their common rooms stopped to watch the fight.

Draco dragged Ron to his feet, held him up against the wall with his shoulder, and hit him with his other closed fist. "Please, put him down!" Hermione pleaded.

Ron squirmed and tried to roll himself and Draco over so that Draco's back was to the stone wall, but he couldn't get any leverage. Reaching behind Draco, Ron grabbed a fistful of Draco's rucksack and pulled hard. Draco's bag tore and several quills, rolls of parchment, and other objects clattered to the floor. A bottle of ink fell and bounced, but did not shatter due to the standard unbreakable charms Wizarding supply shops placed on such bottles.

Hermione and the small crowd of students all drew in a tense breath. "Weasley, you idiot," Draco said. "Fix it or you'll be in detentions for the rest of the year!"

Ron kicked the pile of Draco's stuff. Then he reached down and picked up the book closest to him and waved it around. "You going to make me? Come on, come and get it," he taunted.

"Give it back, Weasley," Draco said softly.

"No."

"Give it back!" This time he shouted.

"My, my," Ron said. "It's just a book; what's the big deal?" Ron looked down to inspect the book, and he opened the light blue front cover.

"RON!" His name burst from Hermione's lips before she had a chance to think about it. "That's mine. Can I have it back, please?" Draco's journal. He said he didn't use it!

Ron eyed her suspiciously.

"Remember at the beginning of the year? The first Hogsmeade visit? I showed it to you after I bought it. I've been looking for it for days. I thought it was just lost, but I guess he," she said, gesturing to Draco, "stole it out of my bag in Potions."

Ron shrugged and handed it to her. "See, I told you he was a bastard."

"Yeah, I guess so," Hermione mumbled. "Come on, let's go before any of the professors show up." She felt Draco's eyes on her back as she dragged Ron to Gryffindor Tower.

Her hands were shaking by the time she left Ron in the common room bragging about how he started a fight with Draco Malfoy and made her way up to her room. Hermione was in possession of Draco Malfoy's journal. It was possible that he didn't use it, but why else would he carry it around? Something like this had never happened to her before. But she couldn't read it. No. That would be invasion of privacy and--and....

It might say how he really felt about things. Like his little fifth year ex-girlfriend and what it's like to be pureblood and Harry. And her.

Oh God.

She set the journal on her night table and stared at it. If he had had her journal, he wouldn't hesitate to read it, she was sure.

But I'm not him.

This is ridiculous. He didn't even have to know she read it. And she wouldn't actually read it! She'd just flip through it really fast and see if her name was mentioned. If it was in there, she'd notice it, even flipping through it really fast, and she wouldn't have to read the whole thing. She picked it up and flicked through page after page of writing, but she couldn't pick out her name. Okay, so she'd just flip a bit slower.

And slower.

Oh God.

Her hands were shaking even harder as she dropped the book and sank into her bed.

<><><><><>

In Potions the next morning Draco passed Hermione a note.

Thanks for getting it away from Weasley and everything, but give it back now.

I don't have it with me. she wrote back.

What?

I forgot it in my room. I'll bring it to Apparation. Find me after class.

He crumpled the parchment and looked away.

<><><><><>

Apparation class met in Hogsmeade. The class had to Apparate, one by one, from just outside the Shrieking Shack to the signpost where the high street turned into the road that led to the mountain. Once there, they had to take a hamster from the cage that Madam Hooch had placed beneath the signpost and Apparate back. If anyone's hamster died during the Apparation, he failed the exercise. Madam Hooch took volunteers to go first. Hermione's hand was the first in the air.

She Apparated to the start of the mountain road, kneeled down, and looked into the crowded hamster cage. "Poor things," she said. "Maybe Hooch'll let you go free when this is over. I hope nobody splinches you, at least." She selected a fat brown one and Apparated back. Thankfully the hamster was still alive and still sniffing around in her hand. Madam Hooch took it from her and put it in an empty cage.

"Well done, Miss Granger. You may walk back to Hogwarts now, or you may stay and watch the others," Madam Hooch said.

"I think I'll go back now," said Hermione.

"Very well. Who's next?" Draco was next, of course; Hermione knew he would volunteer right away so he could catch up with her on the way back to Hogwarts. She put her rucksack over her shoulder and hurried down the dirt path. Before she reached the outer edge of the Hogwarts grounds, she heard Draco's feet thudding down the path behind her. "Hermione!" he shouted. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.

"Do you have it?" he asked breathlessly.

"Er, yes. But we need to talk before I give it back," she said nervously.

"We need to talk?" he echoed. She nodded.

"You read it, didn't you?" his voice was flat. "How could you?"

"I wasn't going to--I only wanted to see if you mentioned me," she said.

"How could you? Gryffindors are supposed to be honorable! Give it back right now, or I'll take it from you. And I never, ever want to see you again." His voice was filled with vitriol.

She glanced down the path. "No, I won't give it back until you hear what I have to say. But the others are going to be coming this way soon." She started running as fast as she could for one of the empty greenhouses.

He ran after her, and they stopped behind Greenhouse Number Two. She sank down to the ground and gestured for him to sit in front of her. "I did read it. I wasn't going to, but I thought I saw something about Death Eaters and I had to. Don't be mad at me, Draco." He just glared at her. "I know you don't really want to be a Death Eater. You just think you have to because your parents want you to be one, don't you?"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

She pleaded softly, "Go to Dumbledore. He'll let you stay at Hogwarts. You'll be safe there, and you won't have to be a Death Eater."

"What makes you think I don't want to be a Death Eater?"

"You don't support You-Know-Who! You don't hate Muggle-borns or Muggles or squibs or--"

"It's not about hate."

"Of course it is," she said matter-of-factly.

"Granger, shut up before you say something you'll regret. Give me back me journal, and pretend this never happened, or I promise I'll make you sorry."

"I'm a Muggle-born and you don't hate me. How could you possibly want to be a Death Eater? You'd have to kill people like me. Think, Draco. What about Dagmar? I know you think he's the best Defense teacher we've ever had, you said so yourself. Guess what? He's a squib. Could you kill him just because of that?"

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked.

"Haven't you noticed how we haven't done any magic in his class? Have you ever even seen him with a wand? When we were putting up streamers for the Halloween festival, he was using spellotape. And since he seems to know a lot about magic and the Wizarding world, he can't possibly be a Muggle, so I figured out that he must be a--"

"Well he shouldn't be!" Draco shouted. He grew impatient, wrenched Hermione's rucksack out of her grasp, and went through it for his journal. When he found it he dropped the bag and stormed off. "Leave me alone!"

She started sobbing.

A/N: For the Hermiones among you, the two brightest stars in Perseus are Algenib and Algol.