The Day After Tomorrow

SNAKES, LADDERS AND LIONS

18 - SNAKES, LADDERS AND LIONS

THE Slytherin common room hadn't seen so many Gryffindors in its entire existence and Hermione worried not for the first time if this was a bad idea.

Harry, Ron and her had meant to head off to have dinner when they'd arrived back from Hagrids but she couldn't bring herself to sit through a meal with them yet so had shrugged them on with a smile.

She was getting better at them, the smiles that said I'm fine and yes I'm okay and it was almost upsetting how effectively they worked because the two boys had left her.

Harry had given her his billion watt grin and a reassuring squeeze and only Ron had turned at the last minute and given her a loaded look and she knew that he knew that she wasn't alright but he'd pretend that she was for her sake.

It was a startlingly comforting thought that did more to unwind that knot of unease than the entire conversation had been.

Now in the chill of the Slytherin common room was the feeling returning. She'd only known the location of the place from her countless readings of Hogwarts a History, and now in the room it was more dramatic than the book had given credit for.

The stone walls were awash with the green glow from the lake and heavy emerald velvet was draped across the walls to give the illusion of tall windows. There in the back of the room was a massive fireplace, and unlike the Gryffindor common room which possessed a mix match of soft pudgy sofas, the Slytherin fireplace was hugged by expensive leather couches.

Across the room stood tall bookshelves and the insignia of a stone snake was weaved into every piece of furniture. Curling from the wooden legs of the study desks to being carved into the fireplace and stitched into the cushions. "I'm looking for Malfoy." She said into the soft chatter of the room and several heads snapped up from around the room, all cautious and curious.

She recognised a few, there was Blaise Zabini beside the leaping flames looking surprised, the bright licks of fire casting orange glow across his dark cheekbones, and there was Daphne Greengrass whispering, curled against a wizard with dark hair and an unsettling crooked grin, Hermione didn't recognise and Pansy Parkinson looking indignant but not unwelcoming, wrapped in an expensive silk dressing gown. Hermione wondered if this had been a mistake, if she'd misread whatever had happened in the library.

"All we need is that Ginger kid next and we'd have had the whole Golden Trio in here." The boy beside Daphne said dryly and the room snickered. It was Marcus Flint, she realised unsurprised, he had tried to break Oliver Wood's fingers at the last Quidditch game before the war, and it seemed that if given the chance he would have liked to break more.

"I'm just looking for Malfoy." Hermione repeated feeling nervous and then immediately straightening up because why was she nervous.

Except that was silly because there were a million reasons she should be nervous. She was standing in the middle of Slytherin common room, surrounded by who knows how many pureblood fanatics.

She had climbed down, willingly into the den of snakes. Merlin she'd truly lost her mind. She vaguely remembered Ron saying that if the sorting hat ever put him in Slytherin he'd hop right back on the train home.

"What's he done now?" Blaise said from the fireplace and he struggled to keep his voice casual and mocking because his heart was constricting just a little because here she was again, Hermione Granger in all her beauty looking for Draco. Blaise noticed she still spoke with the same authority, but the haughty tone was gone. She merely sounded curious, inquisitive even.

He didn't know if it was jealously or not keeping him from smiling because he knew with some gut wrenching hunch that Draco spent most of his time thinking about the Gryffindor Princess, but he'd never thought she would think of him so had never worried about her much before.