"Don't You Dare!" ~ A Dramione Story

Chapter 8

Hermione woke up the next morning  to the sound of an owl tapping on the window. As soon as she opened the window, the tawny owl dropped a letter before her.

"Mione,
The Cannons are great! Practice is harder than it was at Hogwarts, but that was expected. I'm glad to here you are doing okay, but watch out for Malfoy. People don't change. Harry and I have to apologize: we both have work assignments today and can't make it to Hogsmeade but will be there the next weekend. You and Ginny have a great time, and be sure to drink a butter beer for me
Love, Ron."

She felt a pang of disappointment, but glancing over at a sleeping Ginny realized she would be devastated. She was going to make the day great for her friend no matter what the cost.

She went ahead and raided Ginny's closet and found a soft, olive colored sweater, and a comfy pair of jeans and put them on. Looking in the mirror she decided to skip makeup for the day, and quickly ran a brush through her hair before going to wake Ginny.

As expected the news that the boys were occupied for the day did not go over well.

"What do they mean 'busy with work'! It is a Saturday!"

"Ginny I know it looks bad, but realistically Harry is new at an important job that requires lots of training. And Ron has a very strange work and training schedule. So they had to cancel this time? That is okay. They promised for the next one. If they break plans with us then we will be entitled to release womanly wrath."

That seemed to satisfy her.

"Miss it again, and I'll hex them into the next month. That sounds agreeable."

She was doing the denim dance as she tried to pull on a pair of burgundy skinny jeans.

"Hand me that black sweater, won't you Mione? Wait. Is that my sweater?"

"Um yes, you don't mind do you?" Hermione responded while handing her the sweater she wanted.

"Not at all! You should keep it. It looks way better on you than it ever has on me. I told mum it was a wretched color for me, but she just wouldn't listen. For once I had wished Fleur was around."

Hermione began to giggle. Ginny never had warmed up to her sister in law, but was trying her best to be pleasant. As well as Ginny could try, that is.

Ginny applied her makeup so quickly it was as if she had used magic, and then threw her hair up.

"Okay I'm ready!" Ginny jumped to her feet, and wrestled a pair of boots on.

As they walked down to the courtyard Hermione explained to Ginny what she had seen when she had reached her own common room the previous night.

"That is so gross! Pansy! I mean out of all the decent looking Slytherin girls did he have to pick the one obsessed with him? It's almost cruel. She will never get over him."

"That is kind of sad." Hermione conceded, considering what it would have been like if after their kiss in the Battle at Hogwarts, Ron had never talked to her again.

"Oh well. With how mean she is to everyone I suppose she deserves it. Now where do you want to go first? So long as we stop by at least one clothing shop I'm appeased." Ginny said.

"Honeydukes. I can't tell you how badly I've been craving a milk chocolate and toffee pretzel bag."

"You don't have to! I remember the cooking disaster at our house over the summer when you tried to make them yourself! I was washing toffee bits out of my hair for weeks!"

Hermione gave Ginny a shove as the red head laughed.

To change the subject, Hermione suggested they invite Luna to come with them.

"Luna? Don't you think she would want to spend it with Neville?"

"I don't know Gin, lately they don't seem to click anymore. Luna seems a bit distant."

"To me that seems like all the more reason to let them have some time together."

Hermione decided to just agree.
"What new clothes do you want?"

"I'm thinking some sort of sweater dress. Something really cute to wear when the boys come to see us."

"For once I think I might want to shop too. That sounds like a good idea. I also need to look for more pajamas. Now that I have to share a common room with Malfoy I need more pjs to wear. It feels weird only having my Gryffindor ones and the purple pair."

"So Honeydukes, clothes shopping, then lunch and butter beer?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

About an hour later Hermione was leaving Honeydukes with a full heart, and a fuller stomach. It was time for the portion of the day that was far from her favorite: clothing shopping. Ginny however was incredibly enthusiastic. She drug Hermione into Madame Elise's Casual Couture before she had a chance to blink.

"You go get your pjs, I'll find us cute dresses!" Ginny ordered as soon as they were through the door.

Hermione just shook her head and went to rifle through the sleep wear section. She quickly found a soft black pair of slippers and a cushy eye mask, then continued to search for cute pajamas. She had a large armful of plaid flannels when Ginny returned.

"Absolutely not. Hermione Granger you now share a dorm with an extremely attractive, yes evil, but very attractive guy. You will not be wearing plaid flannels on my watch. One pair. You may get one pair for winter. The rest I'm picking. And while I do that you are going to try on this dress."

She handed Hermione a cadet blue sweater dress with a cowl neck to try on. Reluctantly Hermione made her way into the dressing room to try it on.