Shifting Perspectives

"Shifting Perspectives"

by Professor Mary

Chapter 7: Re-Assessment

***

Hermione heard a knock outside her bedroom door. She finished buttoning up her shirt and silently prayed that Malfoy would be fully dressed this time. The last thing she needed was to be reminded of yesterday morning's molestation. She sighed and hoped for the best.

Malfoy was indeed dressed. However, his mounds of curls were a waterlogged rat's nest.

"Er- I meant to tell you, Malfoy. Unless I really need to, I don't wash my hair everyday. It gets too frizzy," she said, pulling him inside.

"Now you tell me," he replied between yawns as he allowed himself to be guided into her room.

She sat him down on her bed and took out her brush, wand, and hair cream.

"Mmmmm..."

Hermione stifled a grin at the unselfconscious noises that were drifting out of Malfoy as she addressed his scalp. Clearly, he wasn't fully awake. She didn't think he'd ever allow himself to appear so content in front of her.

When she was finished, he seemed to be nearly awake enough to want to talk. With a wave of her wand and a spell she'd gotten from Dobby the day before, she conjured a coffee tray. This time she wasn't able to stifle her grin when she saw the look on Malfoy's face. She'd never seen him display such apparent gratitude!

"Oh!" he squealed. Hermione sniggered at his guileless delight as he reached for the coffee.

"What did you want to talk about, Malfoy?" she asked as she stirred cream and sugar into her own mug of coffee.

He blinked his sleepy brown eyes several times before answering.

"You first. Let me drink before I talk," he whined.

Hermione smirked but indulged his request.

"Fine. I agreed to help Pansy find a space to lead an aerobics class of sorts," she started. Malfoy didn't have a reaction so she assumed he was clueless as to not only the nature of aerobics but also its Muggle origins.

"What I mean is that Pansy, in an attempt to "be bigger," wants to have a space to regularly meet with other like-minded students to engage in energetic dancing in place to loud pop music- otherwise known as aerobics," she explained.

"Never heard of it," he said, breathing in his coffee. "Sounds like Pansy, though. And why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't want to approach Snape with the idea just to have him turn it down, Malfoy. It seems to mean a lot to Pansy- and I agreed to help her. So if you have any thoughts about how I can make sure that this happens for her, I'd appreciate it," she reasoned.

"Mmm," he muttered noncommittally. However, he appeared to be thinking, so Hermione kept silent.

"Speaking of Snape... actually this might be a really good time to ask him," he said, reaching for a second cup of coffee.

"What do you mean? Like right this minute- as in he's a morning person?" she asked dubiously.

"No, I mean in the next couple of days. He's not exactly in his usual frame of mind," Draco snickered.

Draco then dived into Longbottom's story about Sprout, Snape, and the Tentacled Alihotsy. To his satisfaction, Granger listened with rapt attention.

"No! They breathed in Alihotsy???? They could be permanently changed!" she shrieked.

"I know. Neville didn't know how long they'd been in there with the spores either," he haughtily confirmed.

Hermione couldn't help but recognize Malfoy's rather comfortable use of Neville's given name. Before she let herself feel smug, she realized that she had done something very similar for Pansy.

"But there's more..." Draco then told her most of what Blaise had related the evening before about Snape's confessional with the entire Slytherin House.

"Apparently, Snape was upset that he couldn't talk to Pansy or myself- so this is probably the perfect opportunity to talk with him about the arabics," he finished.

"Aerobics," she corrected.

"Whatever. You're me now- so you have to go and talk to him," he began. "But I don't want to miss whatever he might say, given his current frame of mind..." he said, clearly mulling the idea over.

"Come by tonight during my detention- then I can listen," he said, as though he'd solved the matter.

"I was going to break into Snape's storeroom tonight during your detention, Malfoy," she responded.

"Do both. What is the problem? Even if you get caught, you probably won't get into trouble. For one, you're me. And two, I really think Snape is going to be down for the count for a while," he argued.

"All right, Malfoy," she grudgingly conceded. "I'll sneak around first and then "visit" with Snape right afterwards. And 'down for the count' is a Muggle expression- did you know that?"

"So?" he returned as he passed by her mirror, smiling at his reflection and patting down his now rather tame curls.

"I make a much better you than you do, Granger," he said, as he handed her is empty coffee cup. Then he left her room.

Hermione sighed, wondering if perhaps he was right. Then she gathered her belongings and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. As she was walking along the corridors, she couldn't help but smile to herself about her current situation. In the past two days, she'd had more civil conversations with Malfoy than she'd had in more than six years of school.

When she reached the Great Hall, she joined Crabbe and Goyle, who had waved her down as soon as she walked in. She hadn't had any real contact with them in her "new form" as of yet. However, they proved to be rather quiet, only asking her to review their homework. Furthermore, they seemed to be genuinely grateful to her suggestions and comments. She was surprised that she found it nearly as gratifying as when she helped Harry, Ron, and Neville. She hoped that Malfoy was returning the favor and taking care of her boys.

About half-way through breakfast, Hermione looked up to see that Blaise Zambini- Zabini, she reminded herself- was sitting down next to her.

"Draco, I need to- uh- talk to you about something."

"Oh?"

"Something rather private," he continued.

Hermione took out Malfoy's elegant pocket watch- something she'd decidedly miss whenever she reclaimed her own body- and looked at the time. The other boy seemed to be a bit nervous about something and was not even trying to act bored or disinterested. Hermione figured that whatever he needed must be fairly important. She hoped that she, in her capacity as Draco Malfoy, could help him without blowing her cover.

"Let's go to the Library then before DADA," she answered.

"The Library?" he returned quizzically.

"It's quiet and private," she retorted.

The brown-haired boy nodded his head in agreement and the two left the Great Hall.

Without really thinking about it, Hermione led him to her own special study area in the back of the dusty stacks of Magical Theory of the Library.

"This is an out-of-the-way spot, Draco," Blaise quipped. Hermione gave him a sharp look before mentally berating herself for exposing her private study space. She thought fast.

"This is Granger's study spot- so of course it's out of the way- now what is it that you need to talk about, Blaise?"

Blaise seemed to be very surprised at what she'd said. She hoped that he would not ask her awkward questions about how she knew about the study spot.

"Actually, I want to talk to you about Granger- Hermione Granger," he started somewhat haltingly.

Hermione swallowed. Had he figured it out? She thought fleetingly about her perfect Potions average...

"I need to be honest with you, Draco. I've done something rather huge without consulting you- but really, it was mostly just spontaneous..." Blaise said nervously.

"What is it?" she asked, now feeling thoroughly confused.

"I asked Hermione Granger out last night during patrols!" he said quickly.

"What???" she said, unable to hide her shock.

"I knew you'd be mad," he muttered.

"I'm not mad, Blaise. I'm..." she tried to search for an appropriate word. "I'm astounded."

The other boy wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Perhaps you should start at the beginning, Blaise," she encouraged, thinking of Dumbledore's advice.

Blaise seemed to be concentrating very hard. After several minutes, he nodded to himself, licked his lips, and looked ready to talk.

"Hermione is the very top, Draco. The very top. You must know that. She's the Head Girl- the smartest student- a Gryffindor- and she's even Potter's best friend- she's practically a hero herself, if you listen to the younger students or some of the Professors- especially Tonks and McGonagall," he said as a rosy blush stained his cheeks.

"Really?" Hermione couldn't help but ask. She felt like she might be blushing, too.

"Yes, of course, Draco. You should listen around sometime. She's got as much hero-worship as Potter- even from the younger Slytherins, you know," he continued.

"Okay," she managed.

"Well, I know I should have consulted with you first before approaching her ... but last night, we had such a great time together- you know, I felt like I could really just talk with her- and so I went with my instincts and asked her out," he explained.

"And what did -er- she say?" Hermione wondered.

"To be honest, I thought she was going to say 'No,' at first. She was quiet- and she looked like she was really thinking it through."

"I bet she was," Hermione said as she tried to hold back a smirk.

"And then she agreed- so I'm supposed to take her out for a Butterbeer at the next Hogsmeade Saturday."

"Blaise, why are you telling me this again?"

"Last year, you made it pretty clear that Hermione Granger was untouchable. And you haven't said anything about her this year, so I didn't know whether or not the ban was still in effect."

"Ban?" Hermione said stupidly.

"Perhaps 'ban' is too harsh a word. But last year, when Theodore Nott expressed an interest in her, I remember that you clearly said, 'Granger is off-limits to any Slytherin.' You didn't give your reasons and of course, no one asked, Draco," Blaise said hesitantly.

"Interesting..." Hermione said too softly for the boy to hear. Why in the world would Malfoy make me off limits, she thought.

"Is anyone else - er--untouchable?" she asked.

Blaise merely laughed as though she'd made a joke.

"No one's said anything about Hermione this year- and Nott ended up with the Ravenclaw twin- Padma, I believe," Blaise clarified.

"Right," Hermione said slowly, remembering when Pavarti told her about her sister dating a Slytherin.

"I guess Nott likes smart girls, then?" she snickered.

Blaise returned her grin.

"He's not the only one," he said with a sigh.

"So, Draco, is Hermione still off limits?" he asked somewhat nervously.

"Why do you want to date her, Blaise?" she asked in curiosity. She took a moment to really look at the boy in front of her. She'd never noticed Blaise Zabini before now- he was rather tall, nearly as tall as she was in Malfoy's body. He was a bit heavier than Malfoy- but in a very nice solid way, Hermione thought. Without a doubt, he had incredible hair- beautiful rich dark brown curls that framed his lovely dark-skinned face. Hermione thought his dark brown eyes were quite warm and inviting, too. All in all, she thought, he was a rather nice package.

"It's like I said before. She's the very best of all the girls here, Draco. That alone is reason enough. But then, last night, we just really had a great time hanging out. And that's like icing on the cake," he said.

"Do you think she's attractive?" Hermione couldn't resist asking.

Blaise thought for a moment.

"She's attractive, sure. Perhaps not like Lavender Brown or Daphne Greengrass. But she's very cute. Obviously, she's intelligent, which is a real turn-on. And last night, I discovered that she's witty to boot."

Hermione sat there, drinking in the compliments of Blaise Zabini. She wished she had a tape-recorder so that she could play back everything she'd just heard- especially on those rather regular occasions that she was called 'Bookworm' or 'Goody-Goody Granger.'

"Draco?"

"Oh, sorry. I still don't understand why you're asking me if you can date her, Blaise. You asked her and she said yes. It really shouldn't matter what I think, should it?"

"Is this some kind of weird test, Draco?" Blaise asked, eyeing her sharply.

Hermione took a deep breath and then chose her next words very carefully.

"Blaise, I've just reconsidered the situation, that's all. Last year was different, I guess. If you want to date Hermione Granger, then go for it. May I give you just a small piece of advice, though?" she offered.

"Sure, Draco!" Blaise said excitedly.

"Take things really, really slow," she said protectively. "She's not just any girl."

"Absolutely, Draco," Blaise said with a smile.

"We'd better get to class," Hermione said as she stood up.

"So this is her study spot, eh?" Blaise asked quietly as he stood up, too.

Hermione gave the dark haired boy another long look. He really was quite attractive, she thought. And while she wasn't totally sure she liked the idea of being pursued as some kind of conquest, she found that she was more than a little bit curious about Blaise Zabini. Besides, as Head Girl, she had to promote Interhouse Unity... and she could certainly think of less pleasant ways to do so then having a Butterbeer with Blaise! Thus, she felt decidedly hopeful that she'd have her own body back before the next Hogsmeade day.

Hermione and Blaise headed to the DADA classroom. She looked longingly at where Malfoy was sitting, towards the front of the room, right next to Harry and Ron. She sighed and moved to the back and took her seat next to Pansy.

"Did you talk to Granger?" Pansy asked impatiently as soon as she sat down.

"Yeah, we talked. I'm going to approach Snape this evening," Hermione answered, thinking that she was actually kind of curious about interacting with her Potions professor, especially in light of all the current gossip!

"Have you talked to Snape at all, Draco?" Pansy asked with a grin.

"No. You?"

"He cornered me last night after I left you. I don't know what's happened to him- rumor has it that he's been testing new hallucinogenic potions or something with Sprout and McGonagall- anyway, he really kind of freaked me out."

"How do you mean? And I don't think McGonagall had anything to do with it, Pansy," Hermione said with a frown.

"Not what I heard... anyway, he told me that he's proud of me and that he thought I was, and I quote, "a lovely young woman on her way to bigger and better things" - then he gave me a hug! A hug! From Snape!"

"That's kind of scary, Pansy. But the rest sounds pretty nice," Hermione offered.

Pansy gave her a long look before answering.

"Yeah- I guess you're right," she said softly.

Hermione turned her attention to Tonks as she walked into the classroom. Before their professor could say anything, Pansy leaned in for another comment.

"Do you think he meant it?"

"Who? Snape? Yes, Pansy. I do- I think he just needed an excuse to say those things. But I do think he meant all of it," Hermione replied carefully.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pug-faced girl's face relax into a small smile. It made her own face soften into a smile, too.

********

"Hermione, we're going to go flying after class again. Want to come?" Harry asked Draco at the end of DADA class.

Draco nearly answered in the affirmative. It'd been several days now since he'd been on a broom. While he longed to feel the wind whip against his skin, he was rather unsure about trying to do so in Granger's body. He was curious about how his flying abilities might manifest now that he was in a much smaller form. However, he knew that Granger was a bad flyer- although, he'd only ever seen her try in the mandatory flying lessons that all students got during their first year. Perhaps she'd improved, he thought. But then he remembered the look of horror on her face - well, it was really his face- and he decided that flying wasn't worth the risk. He was not supposed to do anything that might result in physical damage, after all.

"No, I think I'll go to the Library," he found himself saying.

"We'll walk you there, 'Mione," Ron said, taking her book bag onto his own shoulders. "And then meet you at lunch, okay?"

Draco gave the taller red-headed boy a smile of thanks, which he was then immediately self-conscious about. After last night's inadvertent flirting with Blaise, Draco was on the alert to not flirt with anyone else. It was just too complicated... especially with Granger's calm and friendly demeanor, he thought. Again he found himself wishing that he could return to his own body so he could better make sense of his world and all the people in it.

But then you wouldn't know any different, a small voice said in his mind.

He pushed away this thought and walked closely behind Harry and Ron so he could participate in their conversation- something he wouldn't have done just days before.

The three walked back towards Granger's special study spot without words. Harry and Ron left him with a renewed confirmation about meeting for lunch.

Draco pulled out his books. He unsnapped Granger's wristwatch- something he really couldn't get used to- and laid it on the table so he could keep track of the time. He missed his pocket watch, it had been his grandfather's and had never before been out of a Malfoy's possession. Not that he was worried- he felt pretty confident that Granger would take care of his precious timepiece.

"Hermione!" a soft voice called out.

Draco stiffened as he recognized to whom the voice belonged.

Ginny Weasley.

"Hey- there you are, 'Mione!" she said as she came around the tall bookshelves.

Draco didn't say anything as he watched the younger girl place her book bag on the table and then proceed to sit down right next to him.

"Hi," he said, feeling awkward. The last time he'd seen the youngest Weasley she'd been in a lip-lock and much more with his body. He felt his cheeks begin to flush with embarrassment.

"Hermione, you're blushing," she teased.

Draco gulped and tried to control the growing heat in his face.

"It's okay. I kind of feel silly about everything, too," she said, chuckling.

Draco was still completely stumped as to what to say to the girl. He settled for giving her a nod.

"Listen, Hermione. I don't want you to worry about any of what we did. We were just curious- I don't expect anything or want anything- or feel differently, you know. So whatever is making you feel uncomfortable - just let it go," Weasley said gently.

There was something in her tone, though, that made Draco question whether or not she was being completely truthful.

Draco sat quietly for a few minutes. Though he was really struggling with how to react, he began to be aware of a rather familiar feeling- deviousness. There was no doubt that the youngest Weasley was an attractive girl. He was not attracted to her but he could put that detail aside, he mused. He was feeling curious, himself. And why should Granger have all the fun anyway?

He cleared his throat.

"Ginny?" he said, giving the girl a deliberately shy smile.

"Yes, Hermione?" she returned, a sly grin appearing on her face.

"Are you sure that you don't want to ... you know..." he said, trailing off bashfully.

"Hermione!" she giggled.

Draco turned in his chair until his body was facing the redheaded girl. He carefully inched up his skirt to facilitate the casual touching of their knees. Then he looked up into the girl's face, licked his lips, and gave her a tentative smile. He hoped that she'd take the hint.

And so she did.

With another set of giggles, Ginny Weasley leaned in and cupped Draco's face with both hands and planted a wet kiss on his lips.

Draco immediately closed his eyes. He hoped that the girl would continue to kiss him. It was quite divine!

There was nothing hard or rough about their kisses. Soft lips met soft lips. And small tongues explored small mouths.

Though Draco reveled in the girl's light touches, he couldn't help but notice that something was just off. He was certainly enjoying himself, but the arduous feelings that he'd felt when he watched Weasley with Granger before were missing. Odd, he thought, as he continued kissing the girl.

Finally the two pulled away from each other. He noticed that he was receiving a quizzical look from the girl he'd just kissed.

"That was really interesting, Hermione. But I can tell that your heart's just not into it," Weasley said, sounding a bit disappointed.

Draco immediately felt guilty and then confused about where the onslaught of guilt had come from.

"No, Ginny. That's not it at all," he tried to explain.

"Hermione, it's okay. This was all very nice but it just doesn't quite seem right. Don't tell me that you don't know what I mean," the girl said in a dejected tone.

"Ginny, I- uh- I'm sorry," Draco said genuinely. And he realized that he meant it. After all, he knew that he wasn't attracted to the girl. And he knew that his reasons for kissing her were quite different from her reasons for kissing him.

"Really, it's okay, I promise. There must have been something about being in Malfoy's body, after all..."

"You seem to be a bit upset, Ginny," Draco said concernedly.

"Yeah. It's just- well, you know how it was yesterday. It was so intense. I guess I'm just sorry that it's not that way, anyway, between us," Ginny said haltingly.

Draco knew exactly what she meant. While their kisses were enjoyable, they were nothing like what he'd observed between the two lovers yesterday.

"Is there someone else, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"Er- no," Draco answered.

"Are you sure? You kind of kissed me like maybe you were hoping I was someone else," Ginny said dolefully.

"You've got it all wrong, Ginny. I was just wishing that I was someone else," Draco said in another attempt to cheer her up. He wondered if he was lying or not. He couldn't tell.

"Do you think I'm ugly?" Ginny asked, hanging her head low.

"What? No, not at all!" Draco exclaimed. Girls are so strange, he thought. "How could you even ask that?"

"Oh, Hermione. I'm just feeling confused. Yesterday and the evening before that, we were snogging like crazy. And it was wonderful. And today, it's all wrong. It doesn't even remotely feel the same," Ginny moaned.

Draco looked at Ginny closely.

"Is this all that's bothering you, Ginny?"

She looked up at him then. "No," she whispered.

Draco raised an eyebrow and hoped that he wasn't about to get in over his head.

"You know how much I like Harry. I've tried getting over him by dating other guys, really I have. But no one else has ever been much more than a distraction... but being with you seemed like maybe it was more than that. But I guess I was wrong," she said softly.

"Oh," Draco said, now fully appreciating that he was, indeed, totally out of his depth. Though he could have never predicted it, he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he wanted to make Ginny Weasley feel better. He thought quickly about what he could say.

"Harry is a moron, Ginny," he started. "He's a complete dumbass for missing what is directly in front of him. You're right to try to move on. I can't tell you how sorry I am for being unable to help you- er- more with this. I can't explain what's changed between us, Ginny. But trust me when I say it has nothing at all to do with you," he said firmly.

"Really?" she asked with a small smile.

"Really."

"So you do think I should give up on Harry, then?" Ginny asked miserably.

"Absolutely." When the other girl looked like she was going to cry, Draco felt panicky.

"Well, at least make him wake up and take notice of you. I bet he's taking you for granted. Ginny. There's nothing like seeing your girl with another boy to bring someone to his senses," he said knowingly. "Though you've dated other boys in the past, Ginny, I think you should up the stakes. Go after someone who stands out a bit more. Get Harry's attention."

"You don't mean with Malfoy?" Ginny breathed.

"Why not? You already know you like his body," he said a bit arrogantly.

"But he's a total jerk, Hermione. Are you forgetting who we're talking about here?" she asked incredulously.

"He's not that bad, is he?" Draco countered worriedly.

"Hermione! This is the boy that has called you a - you know what- for six years! He tried to get Hagrid sacked and Buckbeak killed! He's been out for you, Harry, and Ron since the very beginning- always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and causing serious kinds of trouble. And don't even get me started on his father!" Ginny said darkly.

Draco bristled at truth of Ginny's words.

"Listen, I can honestly tell you that he's changed. Or that he's really trying to change. And I know that you, of all people, have good reason to dislike his father- but ask yourself, Ginny- is it fair to hold his father's actions against him?" Draco asked hopefully.

"Hermione, you've said all this before so many times. I bet he has no idea that you're one of his biggest advocates. It's not fair," Ginny said scathingly.

Draco just stared at her, replaying her words over and over again. Granger sticks up for me, he thought dumbly. He shelved that thought and tried to redirect his attention back to the task at hand. When he had more time, he was really going to have to think about the implications of having Granger as his supporter.

"Ginny, Malfoy is the perfect choice for this- it will get Harry's attention. He'll realize that you're more than just his best friend's little sister when he sees you with his rival," he said persuasively. "And, as I have apparently argued in the past, Malfoy has changed- he's not the petty little boy that he used to be- although, I imagine that he was misunderstood even in those days- but anyway... Give him another chance. I rather think you'll be pleasantly surprised..." he said with a smirk.

Draco bit his lip and watched the thoughts play out across Ginny's face. He was feeling extremely devious again. He told himself that he was just trying to console the girl- and to help her with her situation with Harry. But he couldn't ignore another part of him that secretly wanted to see what Granger would do if given another opportunity with Ginny.

"Hmm... well, I guess I could try," she giggled.

Draco never thought he'd live to see the day that he'd feel relieved to hear a girl giggle. Satisfied that she felt better, he turned towards his books and parchments. A glance at Granger's watch confirmed that the study break was nearly over.

"Listen, why don't you stop by the Common Room tonight? I'm supposed to do patrols with Malfoy but I have detention. So really I need extra time to do my homework. You could take my patrol and then see what happens," he said cautiously.

Ginny gave another giggle.

"All right then, Hermione. I'll patrol the dungeons with Draco Malfoy. I never thought I'd willingly do this, you know! But I'll admit that he's good-looking and you seem so convinced that he's decent now ... and if you think it might help me with Harry..."

"About Harry- that oblivious git- I'm going to work on him from my end, too," Draco promised. After all, who was he to walk away from a challenge when it concerned Potter, he thought. Plus, he figured, it's going to take a real Slytherin to get these two together.

"Shall we go to lunch, then?" he said.

"Sure," Ginny responded.

The two girls quietly packed up their belongings and went to lunch. To an outsider, both would have appeared to be deep in their own thoughts.