Dramione Collaboration

Seeker Fit

She started to turn away, then froze, and her cheeks grew hot as she gripped a little velvet bag in her hand. Without letting herself pause to reconsider, she plunged her hand in and pulled out the amulet, holding it towards Malfoy without looking at him.

"Take this," she said, staring determinedly away and feeling as though her face might burst into flames. "The runestone is enchanted to protect the wearer from harm and misfortune. You should wear it today because—because if you die without finishing any of last week's reports, I will hunt you down in the afterlife and drag you back."

There was a pause, and she thought she might die of embarrassment. Then she felt a quick pulse of magic in her nerves as Malfoy's hand closed around the amulet.

The air shifted. Her breath caught nervously in her throat, and she tensed as she felt him step closer.

"I'll see you at the match then, Granger."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The halls were quiet and largely empty that evening as Hermione did rounds. Everyone was either celebrating or mourning after the day's quidditch game. It had been pouring rain and windy, and the game had been miserable and barely exciting at all aside from a few minutes when the Seekers had gone after the snitch.

Hermione's robes had been dripping by the time she returned to the castle. She'd changed, stayed in the Gryffindor common room long enough to be politely sympathetic, and then headed out for rounds.

Malfoy had failed to appear.

Hermione hadn't been surprised. The moment she saw him zipping upwards, the snitch triumphantly gripped in his left hand, she'd assumed he'd probably skip rounds in favour of celebrating.

She'd waited for a minute outside the Prefect office and then proceeded on alone.

It was probably for the best. If Slytherin had lost the game and he'd shown up, he would have been in an unbearably foul mood.

Hermione intended to get the route over as quickly as possible.

She picked her way carefully through one of the damaged hallways past the old Arithmancy classroom. There were parts of the castle that were still being repaired, they were supposed to be off-limits, but that detail only seemed to attract students.

Hermione held her lit wand aloft, trying not to disturb any of the damaged walls as she checked all the abandoned classrooms and closets.

The hallways were eerily quiet. She hadn't realised it when on rounds with a partner, usually there were two sets of footsteps and some idle conversation to while away the time or, when it was Malfoy that she was paired with, an oppressively heavy silence punctuated by stilted and awkward commentary.

Honestly. It was a relief to just do rounds alone and be spared having to deal with him.

She hadn't been disappointed in the slightest that he hadn't bothered to show up, or hurt that he didn't have the basic sense of courtesy to at least send a message.

He was probably sitting around the Slytherin Common Room gloating like an absolute tosser.

He'd better be.

If she caught him out after curfew having a celebratory snog or shag with some tarty Slytherin girl, Hermione was going to do considerably more than deduct points.