Hermione had holed herself up in her room. She pretty much had the place to herself these days since Parvati spent most of her time with her twin sister, Padma. McGonagall allowed her to stay over in Ravenclaw Tower, recognising how distressing Lavender’s death had been for Parvati. Hermione had never been more grateful for the silence than she was now.
A knock on her door pulled her out from under the pillow she’d buried her mortified face in.
A redhead poked around the door. “Mind if I come in?” Ginny asked.
Hermione shook her head. At least Ginny might be able to offer her some perspective on how upside-down her life was at the moment.
Ginny sat down on the bed and faced her. “So Malfoy,” she said conversationally.
“It’s not how it looks,” Hermione defended.
Ginny held her hands up. “I think you’re confusing me with Ron. I didn’t say it looked like anything, and even if it did, you are free to date whomever you like.”
She looked at Ginny in shock. “But it’s Malfoy. You know, ferret boy. Mr Pure-blood. The teenage Death Eater,” she spluttered.
“He’s fit, and if he actually does want to date you rather than just wind Ron up, then I think he’s over any blood supremacy that he had,” her friend analysed.
“You wouldn’t hate me if that happened?” she asked, surprised.
“No, there’s no point in holding grudges. All that will do is get us into another war a few years down the line. If he’s changed, and he’s into you, then I say go for it.”
“Don’t I have to be into him too?”
Ginny shot her a knowing look. “You don’t fool me, Hermione Granger. You are blatantly into him. Your reaction today in the Great Hall gave you away.”
She flung herself back into the bed. “What am I going to do? He flirts with me, and it makes me go all gooey.”
“Doll yourself up on Saturday, let him take you out and see where it leads.”
“What about Ron?”
“I love Ron, but he blew his chance with you. Also, I’m not Harry who was desperately rooting for the pair of you. I could see that there are things that make you deeply incompatible. You may have limped along for a couple of years, but the pair of you were never going to work out,” Ginny commented.
“But it’s what everyone expected,” she remonstrated.
“So? Are you going to build a relationship on other people’s expectations, Hermione? Because if you are, then kiss goodbye any happiness for you,” the redhead said shrewdly.
“Harry wouldn’t forgive me if - and this is a big hypothetical if - if Malfoy and I got together.”
Ginny smiled. “Harry would be perturbed and a little put out, but he’d forgive you anything. You don’t go through a brutal war with the one friend who stuck by you through thick and thin only to hate her for who she dates.”
“But it’s Malfoy. Harry hates Malfoy,” she pointed out.
“But it’s you. Harry loves you,” Ginny countered.
“You don’t think I’m weird for finding Malfoy attractive?”
“Nope, the boy looks good. Besides I’d rather you dated him than Michael Corner, who, frankly, is a creep,” Ginny said, disgusted.
Hermione looked at her friend inquiringly. “He came up to me today and asked if I would set the pair of you up. That’s just grim. I’m his ex-girlfriend and your ex-boyfriend’s sister.” Ginny all but vomited.
She stifled her laughter. “No disrespect, but Michael Corner doesn’t do anything for me.”
“Ugh, he slobbers all over you when he kisses, too. I’d much rather kiss Malfoy. He looks like he knows how to use his mouth,” Ginny said lecherously.
Hermione giggled, blushed red, and threw her pillow at Ginny.
