"So," Ginny said as Hermione walked through the door coming back from dinner. "Spill."
"Spill what?" Hermione replied feigning ignorance as she dumped her bag on the couch next to Ginny in their small common room. Then she sat down opposite Ginny and fiddled with the nails. It was a nasty habit and she wished she could give it up.
"You know very well what Hermione Jean Granger! I want to know absolutely everything that happened since I left you this morning. Plus, I want to know why Malfoy has started being civil," Ginny almost shrieked with exasperation.
Hermione smiled to herself, "Fine," she stated. "On one condition, you tell me something of my own." Her eyes flashed with cunning.
"Deal," Ginny grinned.
"Who looks better topless? Zabini or Harry?" asked Hermione.
"Zabini. Your turn, why is Malfoy being nice?" she said without hesitation.
"Whoa! Hold up! You didn't even have to think about that!" Hermione replied, her eyes widening at Ginny's statement.
"Of course not! Harry plays Quidditch, but Zabini has had hours of sex with Parkinson to tone his body up...in all areas!" She winked.
Hermione blushed. How does she know that?! "Hang on! How do you know about all his areas?"
"That's two questions, and we agreed on one." Ginny replied mischievously. "So why is Malfoy being nice?"
"We called a truce. Simple." Hermione said shrugging.
"It can't be as simple as that. What happened to make you call truce?"
"Okay, Fine. Malfoy used Legilimency against me, reading my thoughts, when I was thinking about how he looked when he got out of the shower that morning."
"How did he look?" Ginny quizzed, her blatant curiosity made Hermione laugh.
"Extremely good, can I continue please?" Ginny inclined her head to invite her to carry on her story.
"Anyway, I was thinking about how he looked when he got out the shower, and he started laughing to himself, just as I got my potion right, so it made me suspicious. That was when I realised what he was doing, so I told him to stop invading my privacy and get out my mind. He refused and told me to make him. So, I thought of 3rd year, when I punched him because he was trying to spy on Buckbeak's execution," Hermione paused to breathe.
Ginny took advantage of the pause, "Well that would have pissed me off! Not made me want to call a truce with you."
"Hush up! I haven't finished." Hermione snapped, "Anyway, I thought of that and he told me it was low, but he still wasn't leaving. So, after much trouble, I thought of Malfoy Manor, last April, when his father told him to come and identify Harry, and also I remember seeing him and Narcissa when I was being tortured by that madwoman."
Ginny's mouth dropped open, "Malfoy was there?! Merlin, Hermione you never said that!"
Hermione winced and said breezily, "Really? You never asked. Well, getting back to the story, after showing him that memory he went all quiet apologised and turned back to his potion and didn't do anything for the rest of the lesson."
Ginny blinked, "Okay...So when does truce come back into this?"
Hermione laughed.
"Well, during PRC he was being like he always was. So after asking him what his problem was he told me it was me and that 'his father would freak if he found out he has to marry me.' So I told him that his father couldn't do anything and that he may hate my blood but he will have to live with it, and all of a sudden he got real defensive and asked why I assume he is like he always was. Then he said that showing him the memory had hurt him."
