Vacivitas

Chapter Forty-One

"You look broody," Ginny says. "Why do you look broody?"

"I'm annoyed with that man," Hermione says automatically. "Where is he?"

Everyone's quiet.

"You mean, Malfoy?" Neville asks.

"Yes! He's so frustrating. He always leaves when I..." Hermione trails off, pausing in her knitting. Her heart pounds faster as she realizes how close she's just come to admitting a little something-something that she shouldn't be admitting. "I mean, he's just an arse sometimes."

"No, you think?" Ginny giggles. "Maybe he's off torturing someone."

"He probably is," Tillian says. "Check."

"Oh, no you don't," Ron growls, peering closely at the board. "And honestly, who knows what Malfoy does for the Dark Lord? He never tells us anything. He just shows up randomly to tell us you're fine, talk to Lupin and Kingsley, and then he leaves again."

Hermione doesn't say anything to that.

Because unfortunately, that's exactly what his job is.

"I can't believe you've been here with him," Harry says. "Faye, has he been rude to you at all?"

"Not at all," Faye says, shooting Hermione a quick look. She seems to understand that Hermione doesn't want them to know too much. "I like Malfoy. He's really nice to me."

"Yeah, but no one can be rude to you, darling," Tillian says.

"You guys just wanna pick on him," Faye says.

Even Hermione has to laugh at that one.

"Faye, if anyone's well-versed in picking on people, it's him," Harry says.

"I know that," Faye says with an exasperated eye-roll. "I mean now. He's really nice to me and I don't hate him. I'm not going to act like I'm not grateful to him, either. He saved Tillian and I. That counts for something."

Harry pulls a face. "I can't get used to it. Malfoy the Saviour."

"Malfoy the Knight," Ron says.

"Malfoy the Chivalrous."

"Malfoy the Lugubrious."

"The what?"

"Lugubrious," Hermione says matter-of-factly. "Having a sad countenance. Nice choice of vocabulary, Ronald."

Ron and Harry stare at each other before nodding.

"Yep, sounds like him."

"He's not that bad, guys!" Faye says. "He may not smile often, but he's not lugubrious."

"He's a bit lugubrious," Hermione says. "But that's okay because we lo—look for that in him."

Faye and Tillian look at Hermione.

"Can you imagine Malfoy on a white horse, coming to rescue a princess from a tower?" Neville says, plopping down on his chair again. "Ron, you're the princess."

"Yeah," Harry's grin is malicious. "Malfoy's coming to save you, Ron. Don't forget to reward him with a kiss."

"Eurgh, don't make me sick."

"How did he find you guys?" Ginny asks.

The question is innocent. It's a simple question, really. But none of them can answer it because if they do, they'll have to explain what the Oubliette is. They'll have to tell them that Draco paid for them. And they'll have to tell them the truth: that Hermione was in the Oubliette with them and that in the beginning, she was paid for to be Draco's food.