they were just kids [draco malfoy]

Year 5 - 94

"Are you entirely sure?"

Hermione Granger was sat by the Gryffindor table at breakfast time. She, Harry and Ron had been peacefully eating when they had seen Astrid Nionomae waltz into the Great Hall. They watched her sit down, pull out her wand and for no reason whatsoever make ten grapes fly through the air and all smack into Malfoy's face as if shot out by a gun.

The girl laughed loudly while the platinum blonde smacked his hands against the table, exclaiming something certainly insulting. Her mouth fell open in shock and in no time she was firing insults right back.

"Affirmative," Hermione nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the girl who now appeared to be having a small kicking battle going on under the table.

"I'm having a hard time believing that," Ron spoke, his words a little muffled because of the pancake he had stuffed into his mouth.

"I think I could see it happening," Harry threw out his guess, his nose turnt up in slight disgust and disapproval as he watched Ninomae glaring down at her food and eating while Malfoy kept his glare trained on her.

"At first I thought her messy hair was a style preference but now I'm thinking maybe she just doesn't bother putting it back in place after all her rendezvous."

"Hermione," Ron gasped earning an annoyed glance from the girl.

"What..."

Hermione Granger had never been able to figure out the mystery that was Astrid Ninomae. 

And, yes, she had come to like the girl during the Yule Ball night they had spent together and she hadn't minded the few times they had run across one another in the library.  Ninomae got distracted easily and didn't get much work done but she had been entertaining. Yes, Hermione had taken a liking to the girl then, but now times had changed.

Now Hermione's image of much talked about Slytherin had turned sour. Because now all she had seen was her dismissing Voldemort being alive. She had seen her kicking George during the fight after the quidditch game. She had heard of how she had bullied Harry. Now, not only had she seen Ninomae flirting with Malfoy when they had gone to investigate if the two knew anything on the daughter matter, but she had also seen the two teens sneaking off into an abandoned bathroom together to do things she didn't want to imagine.

Astrid Ninomae was a mystery alright, though instead of being sweet and intriguing, it had turned somewhat bitter and unpleasant.

"It's ridiculous how good they are at pretending," Harry spoke up.

That much was true. No matter how many years had passed, how many classes had Hermione watched them interact in, after that day the previous week when she had spotted them walk into that bathroom, it never became clear what relationship the two held. It was nearly impossible to tell they were hooking up. Especially by the way they were berating one another at the given moment.

"Suppose that's not the only things she's pretending at not being."

At that Hermione sighed. As much as she had grown to dislike the girl, she had never envisioned her as being actually evil.

"Harry, you have to let it go."

"But Mione it makes sense-"

"Quit it!"

She looked back over at the Slytherin table and shivered slightly when she noticed the cold, calculating eyes of Draco Malfoy being trained straight at her. She looked away awkwardly, sensing from her side the way Harry had shifted too. Ron had been too engrossed in his breakfast to even notice.