Struggling Through New Beginnings

Chapter 9

From the previous chapter…

Draco was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the conversation continue or the group leave the room. When the silence descended he quickly turned and followed them out only to see the back of Greg as they entered the Heads’ library. He knew it would contain walls and walls of books when he heard both Pansy and Hermione let out twin squeals of joy. He rolled his eyes, stuck his hands in his pockets and started across the room, but his progress was halted by a shout from above.

“Dammit, Weaslette! I will not have your friends gathering in MY rooms! And, stop that infernal screaming!”

Draco looked up when he heard a door slam above and smiled a bit at his friend’s anger.

“This is NOT a Gryffindork hang out and you will take you and your friends’ sorry asses out of…”

He stopped dead with one foot on the top step as he stared down at a smirking Draco. “What? How? I heard…”

“Hello to you, too,” Draco laughed softly. “I should kick your ass for calling me a Gryffindor.”

“Where is she?” Blaise asked, still confused by Draco being in the room alone.

Just then the library door opened and Ginny walked out laughing, followed by Pansy, Hermione, and then Greg, who had held the door for them. If the first two hadn’t shocked him silent, the last two sure did. They were all laughing like old friends and Blaise’s jaw dropped open when Greg teased both Pansy and Hermione.

“With all those books no one will ever see either of you again. But, at least everyone will know where to find you.”

No one noticed the silent Draco and Blaise as they moved to the sofas and Pansy asked, “Would you really study with me, Hermione?”

“Sure,” Hermione answered with a nod, “as long as you help me with Arithmancy, even though you aren’t taking it anymore.”

“Like you need help with anything,” Pansy smiled.

Ginny laughed, “Oh you’d be surprised. She’s brilliant, of course, but even the Great Hermione Granger gets test anxiety.”

Greg turned toward her on the sofa they shared, “Really? You never show it.”

Blaise looked down to see Draco staring at all of them with a thoughtful look on his face and finally had enough.

“What the hell is going on here?!” he demanded loudly from his position on the stairs. When everyone just turned to stare at him he started down the steps toward Draco. “Someone want to tell me when I stepped into the freakin’ Twilight Zone?”

Greg tilted his head, “What’s that?” just as Pansy looked to Ginny, “What zone?”

Hermione shook her head at them, “It’s a muggle thing. How he knows about it, I have no idea.”

Then she stood up and walked toward Blaise with a bright smile, “Hello again, Zabini. We were all just admiring your new rooms. Pansy and I want dibs on the library and Greg wants the kitchen. Ginny says she gets to keep her bedroom and bathroom, and Malfoy hasn’t yet expressed his favorite place. How are you enjoying all the new changes?”

Draco didn’t miss the fact that she referred to him by his last name and stamped down the flash of irritation he felt. Instead he turned to face Blaise as the darker man simply stared at her.

With a smirk he said, “Well, Blaise, I think the VP here just asked you a question.”

“Draco!” Pansy admonished at his slur on Hermione. Ginny sneered and let out a growl at him. But, it was the flash of hurt in Hermione’s eyes, before the unconcerned look fell back over her features, that almost made him blurt out an apology.