The Internal Devices

Chapter 14

Hermione watched Malfoy stumble out of the Slytherin common room in a mixture of pity and vexation. Before she could storm after him, Theo tugged on her arm and shook his head sadly.

"Let him go, Hermione. Speaking to Draco about anything remotely personal often feels like approaching a wild animal. It's our job to wait until he feels safe enough to share."

She barely held back an eye roll. "What, so we just let him push us away constantly?"

Theo smiled softly. "I love your Gryffindor heart, Hermione, I really do. But with Draco, there are some hurts you simply don't know about. He has waited on me, over and over. Exhausting though it may be, I'll do the same for him."

Hermione gripped his arm tightly. "He's being ridiculous. We could help him."

"I know. Come, let's try to enjoy the party for a while before we go after him."

She didn't have it in her to argue so she shrugged and followed him back into the mob of partying Slytherins. Someone had charmed the overhead lights to strobe, and the effect was almost nauseating.

"Oi! Granger!" A feminine voice shrieked from the far end of the common room. Pansy tilted as she walked over, dragging a giggling blond behind her. "Meet my sister, Tori."

The younger girl pinched Pansy in the side and stuck out a manicured hand for Hermione to shake. "Hello, Hermione dear. I've seen you around, but we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Astoria Greengrass."

Hermione tilted her head to the side to consider the beautiful witch. Her delicate cheekbones and brown eyes were so familiar. It took a moment, but the image of a dark-haired girl flitted into her mind. Daphne. Of course. This must be Daphne's younger sister. The older version of the witch in front of her had been a force of a woman. They had only shared a few classes over the years, but the most memorable was transfiguration, fourth year.

Mcgonagall explained the day's lesson–to take a strand of your hair and transfigure it into a miniature replica of yourself, such as a toy doll. Hermione frowned and glanced at Harry and Ron, who were no help, obviously, and then looked around the room to see what the other students were doing. It wasn't that the activity was difficult, it was that the instructions were too vague. Hermione liked to work in exacts. What size did Professor want the doll to be? Were they to animate it, or leave it unmoving? Was it to look the same age as she was now, or take on the usual face of a young child that dolls often had? The uncertainty was maddening. Then Daphne Greengrass caught her eye. For a moment, Hermione thought the slim girl hadn't heard Mcgonagall's instructions, as she didn't take her eyes off of a young Slytherin boy one desk over. The glare she was shooting him was absolutely withering, and he appeared nervous. Hermione had chuckled at the scene. What had that poor boy done to upset her? It was so like the way she often found herself glaring at Ron that it was incredibly amusing. She kept watching.

Daphne's nostrils had flared. With one hand, she yanked her wand out of her pocket, and with the other, she ripped out a tuft of her own hair. In a few deft movements of her wrist, she transfigured her hair into a miniature Daphne.

Hermione choked on a giggle, quickly covering her mouth to hide it. The bite-sized Daphne was red-cheeked, fist-shaking, and yelling expletives before charging at the Slytherin boy. He hardly had time to blink before the doll attacked him, nipping at his shirt and biting his fingers. It took Mcgonagall five full minutes of chasing around the room to stop the demon doll, and Daphne simply watched from her seat, looking smug. When Professor had finally rescued the boy, Daphne had rolled her eyes and flipped him off, now in a much better mood. Hermione tore her gaze from the other girl and resumed her own transfiguration. This time, it wasn't difficult at all to imagine what her own doll would look like.