Ginny stared at Hermione bewildered.
Hermione on the other hand started to smile, seeing her friend so shocked. She'd probably ask the same thing if she wasn't there when it happened.
"Quire serious." she replied to Ginny's question. "He broke through my wards, stunned my cat and shook the living daylight out of me until I woke up."
Ginny's eyes went even wider with shock. Her eyebrows were so high up on her forehead that you could barely see them.
"Oh, do tell! What else did he do?" Ginny asked with vivid curiosity in both her eyes, and her voice.
"I think that's quite enough, don't you think?!" Hermione said, outraged.
"It's Draco Malfoy we're talking about. For him nothing is ever enough."
Hermione rolled her eyes seeing Ginny's expression sparkle with enthusiasm and glee.
"Well, I think that was enough." Hermione said firmly.
"That's because you're a prude." Ginny told her, frowning and waving a hand dismissively. "Seriously Hermione, you should learn how to have fun and enjoy the life you fought so hard to save. What good is being alive if you don't enjoy it?"
The subject was then changed, and they spent the rest of their time together discussing more lighthearted things, like dress robes, hairdos for parties, books and Quidditch.
Hermione was on her way back to the flat.
She decided to Apparate near the building and walk, in order to think some more about the conversation she'd just had.
She had wanted to tell Ginny about what Draco had said that night but was afraid she would take it the wrong way. Knowing Ginny, she might read too much into it and make a story out of it. Look at what she'd done with the simple fact that Draco had woken her up from a nightmare.
But was it a simple fact? Thinking about it more made her have small doubts creep inside her mind. It must have been difficult to get past all those enchantments and then having to actually wake her up, the things he'd said... Hermione let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head.
'I could do with a pensive right about now', she thought tiredly.
Hermione rubbed her temples gently, looking around. She was close to the entrance of the library. The lights were off, and the street seemed deserted. Looking up at the windows of their flat she could see light coming from the common room.
'I see he's finally decided to crawl out of that hole of his.'
Just then, movement in a narrow corner of the street attracted her attention.
She spun around just in time to see a tall cloaked figure, dressed in dark robes, running towards her, holding up a wand.
Everything happened in an instant: a white flash burst from the stranger's wand, the same time a red one shot from Hermione's. Hermione managed to block the curse and was preparing to Apparate away when the figure reached her. He grabbed a hold on her and was raising his wand again, when Hermione, fighting with all her might against the stranger's strength, managed to land a hit with her elbow right in the middle of the man's torso.
The man stumbled back slightly, letting out a muffled groan. That allowed Hermione to release one of her arms and she sent a stunning spell above her shoulders. The spell hit the cloaked man in the arm, and he let go of Hermione.
The next moment, she turned on the spot and disappeared, just as he raised his wand and shot another curse at her.
***
Draco went out onto the balcony and released his eagle owl into the night. The bird soared into the dark blue sky and disappeared from view, carrying away a letter to Draco's mother.
With a deep breath, Draco took in the late Autumn cool air. It felt refreshing and it made him miss flying.
'Maybe I'll take out my broom one of these days. I miss how the cool air brushes against the skin when I am flying. The thrill and excitement of searching the sky for the golden snitch…'
He closed his eyes and images of him at Hogwarts, practicing for Quidditch matches flashed behind his eyelids. With a longing sigh, he opened his eyes again and was about to get back into the common room, when his ear caught a sound coming from the alley next to the corner of the building.
Frowning, Draco leaned against the edge of the balcony and scrutinized the dark surroundings. Both the alley and the street were quiet and in all appearance they looked deserted.
'I am sure I heard a rustling noise. Or did I imagine it? Perhaps my imagination was so strong that it even conjured sounds to go with the images.'
Finally deciding it was his mind playing tricks on him, Draco entered the common room and looked around. The flat was quiet. He'd been alone ever since Hermione had left.
'What should I do now?' He wondered, pacing around the room. 'I still have a few minutes before she comes back.'
When he reached the couch, he circled it and stopped in front of the TV.
'What in Salazar's name is this bloody thing?'
He probed the TV with his wand, looking at it apprehensively. He could see a blurry reflection of himself on its screen but other than that the thing seemed quite useless to him. He frowned.
'Is it a broken mirror of some sort? Or is it supposed to be like this?'
Draco raised his wand and was about to try a spell when a loud crack came from behind him.
He whirled around, wand still raised, and saw Hermione appearing near the entrance door.
She stumbled forward and dropped on the nearest armchair, her entire body shaking. She was breathing heavily, clutching her wand with one hand, the other one lying limply on her lap.