Thin Lines

08.

Over the weeks Draco had found himself growing very fond of the company of a certain ginger haired girl. Never would he have imagined that he would be this close to Ginny Weasley, but he was; and as much as it surprised him, he didn't think he would change a single thing.

Luna and Ginny had quickly become the center of his attention. Although the blonde boy didn't seem to notice until one Thursday afternoon. The weather had become a little harsher, sharp winds cutting around the group as they made their way in from a nice time by the lake.

"Draco, why don't you sit with us today."

The offer had thrown him off a little. "Sit with you?"

Luna smiled one of her smiles and Ginny nodded, replying to his question. "Yes, sit with us for dinner. It would be nice."

He frowned a little, looking down at the girls. They looked back up at him, expectant gazes not allowing him the opportunity to respond.

"So it's settled then!" Ginny grinned triumphantly, taking his moment of stunned silence as a loss on his part, equaling a win for her.

Draco didn't know what to say.

Dinner came all too quickly, and as he was exiting the public common room, he was stunned further by the presence of the two girls. "You actually meant it?"

Ginny did not look impressed by his words and as for Luna, she just smiled.

"You expect a Slytherin to sit at either the Gryffindor or Ravenclaw table? Who would allow that?" Draco asked incredulously, hand raking through his hair.

Ginny placed a hand on her hip, brown eyes forming into a glare. That was the moment he knew he had lost this battle. "Who would have thought! Draco Malfoy actually cares what other people think!" She peered up at him with frowned eyebrows and a firm set to her jaw.

Draco visibly shifted away from her gaze. "Okay, okay," he gave in easily, avoiding her eyes. He heard a twinkling ping of laughter and frowned instantly. "You played me!"

Ginny smirked. "Don't hate the player, hate the game."

Draco glared, though all three of them knew he wasn't really mad. And that was the beauty of their friendship.

Luna smiled, "shall we head to dinner? Ronald said he had something to tell me earlier." Draco nodded, allowing himself to be lead away by the two small girls.

Dinner started out fine. They got there early, meaning not many people even noticed that a Slytherin and Ravenclaw were sitting at the Gryffindor table. That, or they just didn't care. But it didn't stay like that for long.

Their small group of three soon became seven, and next thing Draco knew, he was surrounded by Gryffindors. Neville was sitting across from him, voicing his surprise with Draco for actually sitting with them, expressing how he had thought Ginny would definitely lose this argument.

Ginny interfered with a comment about how she never loses. To which Potter had laughed and thrown in an agreement.

Draco fell into a quiet meal, surrounded by the complete opposite of quiet. Hermione seemed to notice and gave Draco a small jab in his side. He jolted a little and looked to the brunette in surprise.

"Why are you so quiet?" Her brows had frowned and she regarded him curiously.

He shrugged a little. "Habit, I guess." And that it was, he was never really permitted to speak during meals. His parents liked quiet during dinner and he was always left to eat alone for the other two meals, he didn't have anyone to talk to.

Hermione giggled just a little, shooting an amused look at him. "You'd better fix that, this group doesn't quiet down during meals. And since you're surely going to be eating with us from now on, you'd better adapt."

Draco took her advise to heart and struck up a conversation. It was awkward at first, the only proper conversations Draco had ever had with Hermione Granger were insults they had thrown back and forth at each other, the one time she punched him, and that night they talked about nightmares. But he found himself slowly finding comfort in the knowledge she would spout off during her long winded rants, leaving just enough time between the paragraphs that fell from her mouth for him to throw in a small comment before she began speaking again.

She was a talker, that was one thing Draco was positive of after the dinner with the Gryffindors. And it was the craziest thing he could have imagined. She always had her face stuffed in a book, Draco had never assumed she actually talked as much, if not more, than she read. He had always taken her for a soft spoken person, from the small bits he had gathered throughout the seven previous years of knowing her. But he was wrong. He was so wrong.

So after the dinner he had experienced that night, it would have been foolish of him to assume the night would be over with that. Draco somehow ended up down by the lake for the second time that day.

This time he was with more than just Ginny and Luna though. It was much colder at night; the frigid winds racing around the group, pulling the colorful leaves from trees as it did. Hermione had managed to conjure up a fire of blue flames to keep them warm.

The small fire did very little for the group, and Draco found himself noticing that the brunette was shivering. It wasn't a thought that made him do what he did, it was instinct. He put absolutely no thought in the action, he just did it. But what could you have expected, his mother had raised him to be a proper gentleman, and proper gentlemen are to give their coats to freezing young ladies.

Without a thought, he had taken off his cloak, placing it around Hermione's shoulders. She looked up in surprise, glancing from the cloak around her to Draco and then back. She shook her head, wild curls flying everywhere, "oh no! I can't, you'll get cold." She started to pull the cloak off, set on giving it back.

Draco held up a hand, "keep it, Granger. I insist."

She quieted, nodding softly. Slowly pulling it tighter around her shoulders, locking in the warmth Draco had provided to her.

The pair did not speak again for a while.

It was finally Neville who suggested they go back. "Come on, you know you'll wake with a cold tomorrow if we stay out any longer," he spoke when Ginny tried to argue.

Harry laughed, "and we all know how you get when you're sick." Ginny frowned but complied, taking the hand Harry offered.

Draco stood as well, helping Hermione up. And they began the slow trek back to the castle in the dead of the night.

"Hey look," Hermione nudged him. Draco turned, looking down at her, only to find her staring upward. "It's Draco."

Draco followed her eyes up into the stars, to find that she was correct. He gave a small nod. "You know, Draco is one of the handful of constellations that can be seen all year." She gave a hum in agreement and he found himself continuing although he need not. "My mother used to tell me when I was younger that she chose Draco because she knew I was going to be the most important thing in her life. She said that she wanted to name me after a star that would never leave, that way, when she was lonely or sad or whatever, she could always look up into the sky and I'd be with her."

Hermione simply looked up at him and Draco looked down at her. Draco was unsure as to why he was so honest with her, but it was refreshing nevertheless.

Hermione, Neville, and Draco made their way into the main common room and then up one more level. Harry had gone off with Ginny and Ron had taken Luna to her common room. Neville soon headed for his room, leaving Draco and Hermione alone in the private common room.

"Thank you for your coat," Hermione had pulled it off by then, draping it over the back of the couch as she sat. She looked at Draco expectantly.

Draco felt he was being convinced to sit with her. So he did. "You're welcome," he responded as he fell into the space next to her.

They were silent for a moment, just staring at the fire. And it wasn't long before they were both yawning and droopy eyed.