Venom and Velvet

Realization

4. Realization

When the train was about an hour from the Hogsmeade station, Hermione looked around the compartment once more. Neville, who had returned an hour or so ago after his meeting with the head girl, Hannah Abbot, was rather tired and decided to try to sleep as well. Ginny, whose exhaustion had caught up with her after her late night with Harry, was snoring gently on Hermione's shoulder. This left Hermione free to read ahead in A Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7.

Admittedly, Hermione had slacked off the past week. Usually, she would have read through the whole of her spell book for the year before term started. She had been shocked into this realization that morning when she saw Malfoy reading. It had never occurred to her that Malfoy was serious about his studies, but it made sense. She couldn't recall him every doing poorly in any of the classes they'd had together, with the exception of Care of Magical Creatures. But even then, he'd done just fine when it was being taught by Professor Grubbly-Plank.

Never mind that, though. She'd gotten a third of the way through the spell book and was feeling much better. Checking her watch, she decided she probably needed to change into her school robes. Shrugging gently, Hermione woke Ginny.

"We need to go change into our school robes," she said.

Milo stirred at the sound of Hermione's voice. He stood and walked gingerly up Draco's chest, then sat right on his face. Draco spluttered awake, flailing madly, which woke Neville with such a start that he fell off the seat onto the floor of the compartment. Milo, frightened by the sudden motion, jumped over to the seat across from his companion, looking highly offended at having been so displaced.

The girls, who had witnessed this spectacle with delight, burst into a fit of laughter.

"That was fanstastic," Ginny choked out between giggles. After a moment, the boys stopped looking panicked and started to chuckle. Soon all four of them were laughing wildly. Passersby would certainly think they were all mental, which, perhaps they were.

"Way to go, Milo," laughed Hermione, reaching out to pet him.

When the laughter finally died down, Hermione and Ginny went to change in the restroom.

"Your cat really seems to like Malfoy," Ginny said, grinning.

"I noticed," said Hermione.

Indeed, Milo had stayed on Draco's lap for the entire duration of the train ride. Honestly, Hermione thought it was really cute.

"Cats are supposed to be good judges of character. I heard that somewhere."

"He does seem different, doesn't he?" Hermione thought aloud. "He hasn't said anything cruel, hasn't sent us any snide looks."

"A lot of people have changed a lot in the last year. You know, Malfoy really helped Harry in the... at the end of the Battle." It was still hard for all of them to mention the Battle of Hogwarts. Even though they had won, the losses had been innumerable. Ginny had lost her own brother, and she'd thought she'd lost Harry, too.

"You're right, but could anyone change that much? Think of everything he did," Hermione said.

"Think of everything Dumbledore did," Ginny said, shrugging on her cloak and heading for the door. "Ready?"

In the corridor, they bumped into Luna, already wearing her school robes, but with purple and orange sneakers.

"Oh, hello," she said in her dreamy voice. "I wondered where you both were."

"I'm sorry, Luna," said Hermione. "We've been in the last compartment. I thought you must have been with some of your other friends or I would've come to find you."

"I was," Luna mused. "I was just wondering about you while I was with some of the others." She smiled politely, then glided on toward the front of the train.

Ginny and Hermione walked back toward their compartment, right as Neville was sticking his head out the door to see what was taking so long. As soon as they got back, Draco walked out with his robes to go and change without saying anything. Hermione looked after him questioningly but didn't say anything. Neville noticed this and spoke up.

"That's my fault. I asked him what he did over the summer," he cringed.

"I wasn't aware that was an offensive question," Ginny raised an eyebrow.

Neville hung his head. "It is if you spent two months in Azkaban," he said, lowering his voice. Hermione felt the familiar plunging feeling of her heart. This explained so much. No wonder his eyes had been downcast. No wonder he seemed so much less outspoken.

"Oh," Ginny said quietly, no doubt also pondering the implications of this new information.

Neville looked at them for a moment, wearing the same expression of pity Hermione felt on her own face. Then, he too left the compartment to don his school uniform.

When Draco returned, he sat in silence, looking at his shoes, until they pulled into Hogsmeade station and the train gave a great whistle.

When they got into the carriages, many of the older students, Hermione and Ginny included, were studying the thestrals because they hadn't been able to see them before this year. Draco, Luna, and Neville rode up to the castle with them and a few other Hufflepuffs who looked to be about their age, but the only one talking was Luna, and she didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular.

"My father is working on starting the Quibbler up again. It should be printing next month. We managed to get an interview from someone who hunts Crumple-Horned Snorkacks professionally. We're also going to be doing a piece on the aftermath of the War and its effects on the local mystical creature population, there's been a dreadful downturn in the number of nargles in England. They were smart enough to flee, I suppose."

Luna kept talking, but Hermione wasn't listening anymore. Instead, she was looking intently at the pale blonde boy in front of her. She could see it now, the effects of his time in the prison. His cheeks were hollow, and he had dark circles under his storm grey eyes which had just then looked up at her. She did not look away.