Against the Dark - A Dramione Fanfiction

T h i r t y - s e v e n

Getting back with Harry, Ron, and Ginny had done Hermione's mental state a whole lot of good. She was much cheerier throughout the week, attending her classes with them, giggling and making jokes about the teachers while they faced the blackboard, and having her meals with them, which she was honestly tired of doing alone.

She had not yet talked things through with Ron, so it was understandably a bit awkward between them, but admittedly, Hermione was not looking forward to it. What if the conversation took a wrong turn and they drifted apart again? But it was a thing that needed to be done. She had to draw some boundaries with him and tell him they couldn't just get back together, so he had to stop hinting at it at every chance because she just didn't feel that way about him anymore. Also, she had to warn him not to come between her and Draco despite his resentment for him.

Draco, on the other hand, was having a pleasant time by usual standards. He, Hermione, and his Slytherin friends hung out every day, and he was pleased to see that Theo, Blaise, and Pansy accepted Hermione into their group after a long, harsh struggle. However, he preferred to study with Hermione alone, feeling that she matched his intelligence much better than the others.

Studies had to be put on temporary hold, though, when he realized he was a Keeper short on his Quidditch team, and their next match was the Saturday after next, against Ravenclaw.

"But how?" Hermione had asked. "Weren't you done with the team earlier?"

"I was," he replied. "But Goyle caught dragonpox a few weeks ago. He had to leave for his home to prevent contagion."

"Oh," Hermione said. "Now that I think of it, I haven't seen him too, since very long ago. Do you write to him?"

"We all do. He talks quite often. Must be getting bored. One letter arrived only yesterday. Asking about what we do all the time, the next Hogsmeade weekend, if the workload has us all reeling yet."

" Hmm. He must be feeling disconnected."

"Must be," Draco shrugged. "Right now, I just need a Keeper."

And he had found one within the next two days. He was rather satisfied with his choice, but he found he missed Goyle on the field.

Draco was making his team practice hard on the grounds. He'd increased the number of team practices from two to five, Wednesdays and Sundays off. It didn't help that the weather was deteriorating over the days. On Saturday evening, it was raining so hard and cold that he and the team returned from practice dripping wet, shivering, and bringing mud into the corridors, making Filch go berserk with anger and sending in an application to McGonagall yet again to allow him to hang such dangerous criminals by their toes in his dungeon of a room.

And yet, Draco was happy about the progress his team was making, and as Hermione said, that was all that mattered, though she wouldn't herself be rooting for Slytherin, given the sworn enmity of their houses.

"So between me and Ravenclaw, you'd choose the Ravenclaws?"

"When it comes to Quidditch, yes," Hermione replied teasingly. "After all, it is still Gryffindor I want to win the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup."

"You remind me each day why I hated you."

"Good. So I know I'm not losing my touch."

"Has anyone told you you're insufferable?"

"I do tend to have that effect on people."

Draco 'hmphed' grumpily. "So, are you coming with us to Hogsmeade this weekend? Or will you go with those precious Gryffindors of yours?"

"Why not go all together?"

"Sure. Then we'll all dance naked in the middle of the Shrieking Shack with Blood-flavored lollipops in our mouths."