Harry Potter - foresight reawakened - ch5: Granger's terms
foresight reawakened: (5) Granger’s terms
*
Winter hols were over. It was depressing being back at school, but then, it had been horrid being home. While Mummy was as wonderful as usual, she seemed worried when she was alone, and father wasn’t home. The two went to visit him in Azkaban for Christmas, which was miserable in itself. Father had looked so pale….
Best not to think about it, Draco resolved, striding down the corridor. It was time for dinner. The last things he wanted to think about were his father, wasting away in that awful place, and-
The two not-yets were huddled into a broom closet when Draco saw them snogging. They had been laughing together, the not-Potter and not-Draco, and then suddenly they were kissing. Speak of the devils. Draco resolved to never set foot in that section of the school again, even if it meant starving to death or even missing class and losing House points. Pansy was the one who finally dragged him to the Great Hall. “I don’t know what you’re so afraid of,” she said. “It’s just a corridor.” Pansy didn’t know about these particular not-yets, or his own future self’s appalling taste, and of course he couldn’t tell her the real reason he couldn’t just walk to the Great Hall like anyone else. When Draco had walked the mazes at home, he’d seen Potter wearing the Malfoy ring!
Nevertheless, Draco went to dinner (it was delicious) and was glad of it, for there he spoke loudly of things that, across the hall, made Harry Potter hunch his back and stare deeply into his food.
Ah. It was good to be back.
*
Granger was looking especially smug, staring at Draco during Potions once again. He knew she’d figured out his curse. Draco, for his part, had looked through every book on the table that day of the ill-fated library visit-starting, of course, with the books Granger hadn’t gone through yet, because Merlin knew the girl could find a needle in a haystack so long as both were written down in a book somewhere. His search yielded nothing, however, and Draco found himself back where he started, but for a head full of interesting uses for Crucio and a jaw aching from teeth perpetually ground in frustration.
“Out with it, Granger,” Draco said immediately after class, slamming his hand down on the book she had yet to put into her bag.
“Out with what?” she asked innocently, sharing a look with Potter over Draco’s shoulder. As if he couldn’t see it, the cow.
“You know exactly what I mean. You’ve found something. You’ve been dying for me to ask you all period and now I am: out with it.”
Granger grinned. “I believe you refused my help, Malfoy. Find it on your own.”
Draco blinked as she whipped the book from under his hand and swept out of the classroom, Potter and Weasley struggling to keep up. Draco’s cheeks turned red. He grabbed his satchel and strode out after her.
“Granger,” he yelled down the busy hallway, “Tell me what you found!” Draco’s voice wavered as it came out; he was being bumped and shoved by people going the opposite direction, some smaller and some much larger than he was. Where were Crabbe and Goyle when you needed them? “Crabbe? Goyle?” Suddenly there was no one bumping into him any longer. Draco smiled. “Catch Granger for me.”
It was beautiful. In a turn-off of the hallway, a dead end but for the single classroom through the only door in the stone walls, Granger was trapped between the two burly Slytherins. Potter and Weasley were unsuccessfully trying to use words (at Granger’s behest, no doubt) to get them to move. They wouldn’t, of course. The Gryffindor boys were getting angry.
Draco stepped in. “Granger, you had something to tell me.”
She glared at Crabbe and Goyle. They looked to Draco, who tilted his head sharply. The large Slytherins moved to stand behind him. “What was that about?” Granger asked. “I have a class.”
“You have information,” Draco said, “that doesn’t belong to you.”
“Oh, it’s yours, is it?”
“How else did you find out about it if you weren’t sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
None of the trio spoke. Figured, they had been up to something.
“That’s none of your business,” Granger said. “And if you want to know what I’ve found, you have to do something for me first.” It seemed a stretch for her to say it, as if she hadn’t planned to do it in the first place.
“What?” Weasley said. “’Mione, don’t let him bully you-”
“I’m not bullying anyone-”
“I can take care of myself, Ronald Weasley-”
Draco grinned. “Lover’s quarrel?”
Granger almost left, but stopped when she saw Crabbe and Goyle step forward. She huffed. “Fine. I’ll tell you what I’ve found out…but later. I have class now.”
“No you won’t. You won’t tell me unless I make you do it now.”
“You’re not making me do anything, Malfoy. And you can trust my word.”
“Where, then?”
Granger frowned. Please don’t say the Astronomy Tower, Draco thought, I’ll never live it down. “Outside the Room of Requirement,” she said finally.
“What?” Draco asked.
“Hermione!”
“That’s the name of the room we held DA meetings last year,” Granger said over Weasley’s protest. Useful information, Draco thought, filing it away for later use.
“After supper,” Draco nodded and turned to go.
“Wait.”
“Don’t you have a class, Granger?” Draco stood with his arms crossed, foot tapping on the stone floor. The tapping echoed in the enclosed space. Potter and Weasley were standing behind Granger now, talking in audible whispers. Draco listened in with some amusement.
Granger shushed them. “You have to do something for me first. That was the agreement.”
“I didn’t agree to that,” Draco protested.
“Well then, don’t find out what’s wrong with you.”
Crabbe and Goyle stirred behind him. They didn’t know. “Draco?” Crabbe asked hesitantly.
“Hush, Crabbe.” Draco waved a hand behind him and re-crossed it over his chest. “Fine,” he said to Granger, “What do you want?”
She smiled. “Harry really is sorry about what happened. He wants to apologize. I want you to accept his apology.”
“What?!” Draco’s protest was joined by those of Potter and Weasley who, it seemed, also knew nothing of Granger’s little plan.
“I’m not accepting his apology.” “You told him?” “You are.” “Why would you want to apologize to that smarmy little ferret?”
It was pandemonium in the little hallway for a stretch, until Granger shouted “QUIET!” and everyone did. “Now. We do it my way, or we don’t do it at all,” she said.
“I say we don’t do it-”
“RON!”
It was easy to see who wore the pants in that relationship. Not that there had been any doubt.
“Anyway, you don’t have to do it now. But you will accept his apology, and you will-” she crooked a finger at Potter, “apologize. Before supper tonight. Now if you’ll all excuse me-” the witch slipped past Draco and out of the little hallway, managing even to squeeze between the considerable bulks of Crabbe and Goyle, “I have class.”
*
Winter hols were over. It was depressing being back at school, but then, it had been horrid being home. While Mummy was as wonderful as usual, she seemed worried when she was alone, and father wasn’t home. The two went to visit him in Azkaban for Christmas, which was miserable in itself. Father had looked so pale….
Best not to think about it, Draco resolved, striding down the corridor. It was time for dinner. The last things he wanted to think about were his father, wasting away in that awful place, and-
The two not-yets were huddled into a broom closet when Draco saw them snogging. They had been laughing together, the not-Potter and not-Draco, and then suddenly they were kissing. Speak of the devils. Draco resolved to never set foot in that section of the school again, even if it meant starving to death or even missing class and losing House points. Pansy was the one who finally dragged him to the Great Hall. “I don’t know what you’re so afraid of,” she said. “It’s just a corridor.” Pansy didn’t know about these particular not-yets, or his own future self’s appalling taste, and of course he couldn’t tell her the real reason he couldn’t just walk to the Great Hall like anyone else. When Draco had walked the mazes at home, he’d seen Potter wearing the Malfoy ring!
Nevertheless, Draco went to dinner (it was delicious) and was glad of it, for there he spoke loudly of things that, across the hall, made Harry Potter hunch his back and stare deeply into his food.
Ah. It was good to be back.
*
Granger was looking especially smug, staring at Draco during Potions once again. He knew she’d figured out his curse. Draco, for his part, had looked through every book on the table that day of the ill-fated library visit-starting, of course, with the books Granger hadn’t gone through yet, because Merlin knew the girl could find a needle in a haystack so long as both were written down in a book somewhere. His search yielded nothing, however, and Draco found himself back where he started, but for a head full of interesting uses for Crucio and a jaw aching from teeth perpetually ground in frustration.
“Out with it, Granger,” Draco said immediately after class, slamming his hand down on the book she had yet to put into her bag.
“Out with what?” she asked innocently, sharing a look with Potter over Draco’s shoulder. As if he couldn’t see it, the cow.
“You know exactly what I mean. You’ve found something. You’ve been dying for me to ask you all period and now I am: out with it.”
Granger grinned. “I believe you refused my help, Malfoy. Find it on your own.”
Draco blinked as she whipped the book from under his hand and swept out of the classroom, Potter and Weasley struggling to keep up. Draco’s cheeks turned red. He grabbed his satchel and strode out after her.
“Granger,” he yelled down the busy hallway, “Tell me what you found!” Draco’s voice wavered as it came out; he was being bumped and shoved by people going the opposite direction, some smaller and some much larger than he was. Where were Crabbe and Goyle when you needed them? “Crabbe? Goyle?” Suddenly there was no one bumping into him any longer. Draco smiled. “Catch Granger for me.”
It was beautiful. In a turn-off of the hallway, a dead end but for the single classroom through the only door in the stone walls, Granger was trapped between the two burly Slytherins. Potter and Weasley were unsuccessfully trying to use words (at Granger’s behest, no doubt) to get them to move. They wouldn’t, of course. The Gryffindor boys were getting angry.
Draco stepped in. “Granger, you had something to tell me.”
She glared at Crabbe and Goyle. They looked to Draco, who tilted his head sharply. The large Slytherins moved to stand behind him. “What was that about?” Granger asked. “I have a class.”
“You have information,” Draco said, “that doesn’t belong to you.”
“Oh, it’s yours, is it?”
“How else did you find out about it if you weren’t sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
None of the trio spoke. Figured, they had been up to something.
“That’s none of your business,” Granger said. “And if you want to know what I’ve found, you have to do something for me first.” It seemed a stretch for her to say it, as if she hadn’t planned to do it in the first place.
“What?” Weasley said. “’Mione, don’t let him bully you-”
“I’m not bullying anyone-”
“I can take care of myself, Ronald Weasley-”
Draco grinned. “Lover’s quarrel?”
Granger almost left, but stopped when she saw Crabbe and Goyle step forward. She huffed. “Fine. I’ll tell you what I’ve found out…but later. I have class now.”
“No you won’t. You won’t tell me unless I make you do it now.”
“You’re not making me do anything, Malfoy. And you can trust my word.”
“Where, then?”
Granger frowned. Please don’t say the Astronomy Tower, Draco thought, I’ll never live it down. “Outside the Room of Requirement,” she said finally.
“What?” Draco asked.
“Hermione!”
“That’s the name of the room we held DA meetings last year,” Granger said over Weasley’s protest. Useful information, Draco thought, filing it away for later use.
“After supper,” Draco nodded and turned to go.
“Wait.”
“Don’t you have a class, Granger?” Draco stood with his arms crossed, foot tapping on the stone floor. The tapping echoed in the enclosed space. Potter and Weasley were standing behind Granger now, talking in audible whispers. Draco listened in with some amusement.
Granger shushed them. “You have to do something for me first. That was the agreement.”
“I didn’t agree to that,” Draco protested.
“Well then, don’t find out what’s wrong with you.”
Crabbe and Goyle stirred behind him. They didn’t know. “Draco?” Crabbe asked hesitantly.
“Hush, Crabbe.” Draco waved a hand behind him and re-crossed it over his chest. “Fine,” he said to Granger, “What do you want?”
She smiled. “Harry really is sorry about what happened. He wants to apologize. I want you to accept his apology.”
“What?!” Draco’s protest was joined by those of Potter and Weasley who, it seemed, also knew nothing of Granger’s little plan.
“I’m not accepting his apology.” “You told him?” “You are.” “Why would you want to apologize to that smarmy little ferret?”
It was pandemonium in the little hallway for a stretch, until Granger shouted “QUIET!” and everyone did. “Now. We do it my way, or we don’t do it at all,” she said.
“I say we don’t do it-”
“RON!”
It was easy to see who wore the pants in that relationship. Not that there had been any doubt.
“Anyway, you don’t have to do it now. But you will accept his apology, and you will-” she crooked a finger at Potter, “apologize. Before supper tonight. Now if you’ll all excuse me-” the witch slipped past Draco and out of the little hallway, managing even to squeeze between the considerable bulks of Crabbe and Goyle, “I have class.”