Of Wings in the Night

7

---

Draco was, frankly, worried. The Patil girl hadn't been at Hogsmeade, and he had been reduced to asking her twin where she was. He still couldn't believe he'd stooped so low. But she'd said something about sleeping in and indicated general ignorance, and Draco had stormed off, cloak swirling behind him. He cringed now to think of what she and her friend, the redhead--what was her name again? One of the Weasels, at any rate--must think of Slytherins in general and him in particular. He'd make up some lie later.

Right now he was in his cat form, pacing up and down. Mala had been so utterly stupid! What was she thinking, jumping like that from the highest tower? But it's your fault too, you know. The thought sprang very, very unbidden to his mind. You're the one who led her up there. Ooh, Mala, aren't you coming? "I did not say 'Ooh!' And I just wanted to...I just...I...I'm being stupid now. Talking to myself. Why do I have to explain anything to anyone?" And, for reasons unknown to the universe, Draco shifted to human form and punched the wall, then collapsed against it.

"What are you doing here, Ferret Boy?"

Draco blinked his eyes against the unexpected sun filling the hall. A female figure was there, silhouetted against the window. "Ugh...too bright..."

"It's a half-hour before breakfast. Of course it's bright!"

Wearily, Draco tried to fit various pieces floating around in his consciousness together. "Wha...who are you?"

Sighing impatiently, the girl snapped, "Ginny Weasley. I think you know me more than either of us would like. And understand, I am not talking to you because I care in any way about your well-being, but because the reasons leading up to it might explain a few things that I'd like to know. So--

"1) Why are you sitting in front of the Gryffindor common room?

"2) Why does your hand have dried blood on it?

"3) Why do you look like you just woke up?"

It was amazing. She could make him see the list in his head. Or maybe he was just sleepy. At any rate, he wasn't functioning well enough to come up with a decent lie.

"One, I was wandering around late at night for reasons that don't concern you. Two, I--that doesn't concern you either. Three, I did just wake up."

"With the exception of number three, which I half-guessed anyway, you haven't given me any answers."

"I did answer you!"

"Yes, but you haven't given me any answers."

"Oh, go to hell, weaselette."

With that, Draco left a very annoyed Ginny standing in the corridor just outside the Gryffindor common room.

.

"Hermione, it's official. Draco Malfoy is the world's biggest s.o.b." Ginny slammed the portrait after her.

A sleepy Hermione was practically wrapped around her coffee mug on a red-gold couch in the Gryffindor common room. "Why, what'd he do now?" the brunette yawned.

"Oh, he was just being his oh-so-lovable self. I think he spent the night outside the portrait, if you can believe it. Of course I was curious and asked him--civilly, mind you--about it, and he brushed me off."

"Totally Slytherin, huh?"

Ginny sighed. "Yeah. Look up 'Slytherin' in the dictionary, and you'll find his picture underneath."

As Hermione stretched sleepily, Ginny added, "breakfast is in what--twenty minutes? We should get there early...you know what it's like."

With a slight pout, Hermione protested, "Yeah...but the doors don't open until five minutes before eight on a Sunday."

"We might as well get down there. Hey, maybe Padma will be there and we can talk."

"Unlikely," Hermione said weakly.

"We'll never know until we try! Hermione, you're just lazy."

"All right, I'm lazy."

With a sigh, Ginny disappeared into the nearest bathroom. Moments later, a redheaded blur streaked over to Hermione and dumped a basin of water over the latter's head. Hermione jumped up, shrieking.

"GINNY, YOU LITTLE WEASEL!"

Ginny giggled. "Careful, Hermione--you're starting to sound like Malfoy."

"You're going to look like Malfoy when I'm done with you!"

Ginny darted through the portrait hole towards the Great Hall, Hermione in hot pursuit. Panting, Ginny collapsed against the giant double doors as Hermione rounded the corner and started tickling the younger girl. "Hermione...ugh...off...stoppit..."

Finally, Hermione sank to the floor, laughing almost as hard as Ginny. "Well, cold water in the early morning is evil. You got what you deserved."

"Maybe so, but it got you out here, didn't it?"

Hermione leaned back against the doors, closing her eyes and smiling. "Damn morning people..."

"Tell me about it. Hmm...did perfect prefect Granger just say 'damn'?"

The voice wasn't Ginny's. Hermione's eyes flew open to see the boy christened by Ginny as 'the world's biggest s.o.b.' standing over them.