Dramione - Battle of the Pranks

Chapter 4 - Compass

Chapter 4

Draco marched down to breakfast that morning, roughly barging past anyone who stood in his way. He became aware of how they looked at him, disgusted, repulsed. Many scattered out of his way, keen to avoid any contact. Draco held his head high, a sneer on his lips as he made his way over to his table.

"Sleep well?" Blaise asked, feigning innocence. Astoria glanced up from her food, looking between the two with peaked curiosity.

"What?" Draco snapped, buttering his toast roughly; scattering crumbs onto his plate.

"Who knew Draco Malfoy was a midnight reader?" Blaise chuckled, shoving his friend teasingly. Draco sat there rigidly, turning slowly to face Blaise with a glare.

"It's the reason why I am far more intelligent than you." Draco raised an eyebrow, meeting Blaise's dark brown eyes with his own light ones.

"That's a new one; you used to blame intelligence on genetics." Theodore Nott scoffed as he slid into place beside Astoria, not noticing the deep flush on her cheeks as he did so. The Slytherin ran his fingers through his tangled curls, fixing Draco with a cheesy grin before piling food onto his plate. Draco moodily ate his toast, stubbornly ignoring the chatter around him.

"Why is the frizz ball staring at us?" Blaise inquired, nodding in the direction of the Gryffindor table. Draco was snapped out of his sulk as Hermione's shrill voice met his ears. He glanced up, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice and watching Hermione over the top of his goblet. The Gryffindor was watching him, her eyes narrowed as she gave him a pointed look. Draco felt the book resting uncomfortably into his hip, weighing on him like a guilty conscience.

"No Ginny, I was not abandoning you intentionally. Nor was I purposefully sabotaging the team." Hermione said through clenched teeth, looking away from Draco for just a moment to turn her attention to her fuming best friend.

"Oh really? Enlighten me, where were you? What is more important than our team?" Ginny spat, feeling a sense of satisfaction as Hermione wriggled uncomfortably under her piercing gaze.

"I don't see why Weaslette cares so much about Granger's whereabouts; you don't see us yelling at you for running off in the middle of the night." Blaise muttered, a small smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

"They're Gryffindors. Obviously, they need to prove their worth constantly and competition is the way to do that. It's all to make themselves feel valid."

"Preach it Theo." Blaise mumbled, his irritation with his friend dwindling as the morning dragged on.

"Here we go." Astoria smirked, watching Hermione splutter helplessly; her eyes darting across the hall in search for an excuse.

"I was reading in the library, I lost track of time." Hermione sighed, looking Draco in the eye once more. Her expression was determined as she attempted to clear her name to Ginny, apologies spilling from her lips faster than Ginny could oppose them.

"Well at least that's partly true." Draco mused, staring back at Granger with the same intensity. Astoria's eyes flickered between the two, hiding a knowing smile behind her hand as her thoughts connected the dots scattered across the scene.

"Oh, so where is your all important book now? I suppose it had already replaced us as it has been joining us for every meal this year! Where is it Hermione? Did it abandon you like you did to us?" Ginny slapped the table, the sound echoing across the hall.

"Gin, breathe." Harry whispered, reaching out to place a soothing hand upon her shoulder. He weakly smiled at those who turned in their seats to see what all the commotion was about; ignoring any questions hurled their way. "You're making a scene, let's go for a walk." He hissed, gripping her arm tighter before sharply yanking her to her feet. Ginny reluctantly followed him out of the hall; ears flushed red with anger as she glared at Hermione.