Carpathian

Monday, 9:07 pm

The Dennfyre was crowded with patrons downstairs, but it was quiet in Hermione's room. Books laid spread out around her on the bed as a quill and parchment levitated in the air. Each time she found a piece of interesting information, all Hermione had to do was dictate the note and the quill would scribe it.

Once the excitement of the Quidditch match passed, a cloud of sorrow and speculation loomed over the sanctuary. By dinner, every person on the grounds knew exactly what had happened to Norberta and her missing egg. Whispers and furtive glances flooded the mess hall. No one knew whether the culprit was among them.

Hermione and company's conversation at dinner had felt forced. Charlie hadn't sat with them, and throughout the meal, Julia kept glaring at where he dined with Doru and Llewellyn. Draco had reverted to the contemplative silence he had exhibited in the immediate aftermath of Norberta's rampage. The tableware rattled as his leg bounced underneath the table, and Hermione had to place a hand on his thigh to calm him. He was anxious for the meal to end so he and Hermione could meet in her room as planned. She knew because she felt similarly.

Now, she was waiting for Draco to arrive. They had agreed for him to wait twenty minutes after dinner as to not stir suspicion, yet that had been half an hour ago.

Finally, there was a knock on her door. Hermione swished her wand to open it, and Draco stepped inside with a stack of two small boxes levitated in front of him. He landed them side by side on the desk and flicked the tops open to reveal a selection of desserts.

"Couldn't make it past Marjorie without her handing me these." Draco selected one of the Cauldron Cakes then waved a hand over the boxes. "Something sweet before we begin?"

Still warm apple pie and generous portions of treacle fudge tempted her taste buds, but Hermione opted for the mini custard tart. She took one bite of the flaky pastry and closed her eyes to savour the taste. The treats were worth the minor delay, especially since they seemed to have eased Draco's previous anxieties.

Draco chewed his Cauldron Cake while his gaze cast over her array of books.

"Let me guess," he said after a swallow. "You spent the time before dinner picking up books at Prints and Parchment?"

"I didn't want to waste any more time after Doru returned," Hermione explained, trying not to fixate too much on the fact that Draco correctly guessed her actions. She snatched her floating piece of parchment and handed it to Draco. "It's not much, but it gets us started."

Draco scanned the two-foot scroll covered in notes and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so it's a tad more than 'not much,'" she surrendered, feeling the tips of her ears go pink.

He released a short snort, then placed the parchment on the desk next to the desserts. "What did you learn from Doru and Charlie's little secret chat?"

"I haven't read it yet," Hermione said to Draco's apparent surprise. She summoned the shrunken parchment that contained the transcribed conversation and returned it to full size. "I thought I'd wait until you got here." She tilted her head and offered him a small smile. "As you said, we're a team now."

The green ribbon still hung in a bow at the bottom of Hermione's plait.

Draco grinned. "Right you are."

Hermione repositioned herself to the edge of the bed, but she startled when she felt the mattress continue to shift. The books that had been closest to her were no longer there, replaced by Draco sitting directly next to her. He shifted closer, presumably to get a better view of the parchment, and their thighs brushed against one another.

An instant flood of tingled warmth coursed through her veins. At even the brief contact, her head whipped to him in fluttering shock.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, stare locked with hers.