The Invisible Wars

Chapter 17

"How did she say yes? Was it a solemn kind of yes or a happy kind of yes?" Ron spurred on.

Feeling exasperated, Harry put down his fork on his pile of eggs and ham to face Ron. "I told you for the umpteenth time, she didn't say anything—just walk forward and joined him."

"Yeah but—you didn't tell me what her face looked like." Ron went on. "Did she looked forced or—"

Sitting across the breakfast table and chatting with Luna, Ginny paused to throw a piece of bread at her brother. She jerked her head to the side, signaling to the topic of their conversation that had just entered. In her arms was a pile of large books she was obviously struggling to steady, and in her face the tiniest hint of strain. With a heavy thud, she laid them all on top of the table before flopping herself on the seat next to Ron.

"Uh, 'Mione—is there an upcoming test we don't know about?" Harry asked, eyeing the towering books.

Hermione side-glared at him and poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice. "There's just—something odd that has happened to me recently and I'm trying to find an explanation for it."

"Well a lot of odd things have been happening lately." said Ron, his tone hinting contempt at the end.

"What d'you mean?" asked Hermione.

"How was your ride home with Malfoy last night?"

"It was alright." Though she was a bit flustered, Hermione tried very hard to appear calm.

"That's it? It's alright? That's all you will have to say about it?" said Ron incredulously.

Choosing to ignore his remark, Hermione did not reply, she merely looked at him like he has a few loose screws, shook her head, and began to leaf through the pages.

"Did he threaten you?" Ron pushed on, inching his face closer.

"Godric, Ron! No! Now please excuse me as I have more pressing matters to deal with at this moment."

"That's even worse, you're fraternizing with the enemy."

"The enemy?! He saved Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed.

"—Once. Are we going to forget everything else he has done?"

"Can you two stop arguing, please? I wasn't able to properly sleep last night and your voices are drilling right here." Harry interjected, pressing his index finger in his temple.

"Sorry, Harry." Hermione murmured and then she turned to Ron adding, "Someone won't stop being an insufferable git."

"Good morning!" All heads spun as Arthur Weasley strode in, still in his night robes and bed room slippers. "Where's our guest? Did he eat already?"

"Ask Hermione, she's getting quite close to him." Ron answered with spite—spite in the fact of doubt by the way Malfoy has been behaving lately rather than the usual animosity he was feeling towards him.

While Hermione is not oblivious to this, she was beginning to think Draco deserve another chance. She saw him in a state of extreme vulnerability more than once despite him thinking he was doing very well hiding his emotions, and even though he may appear indifferent and sometimes distant, she only found a a sense of sadness, of something unresolved, and not the unpleasant manner he shows up front.

"It stopped snowing." Luna suddenly said without looking up from the back-issue of The Quibbler the Weasleys happen to keep. True enough, it was not snowing now, it was a beautiful day with a clear sky above and sun beams sank peacefully through the glass.