Debriefs and Discoveries
After the field trip, things in Hogwarts started to change. The 7th year Slytherin students were not the only ones making new friends. The next day, the 6th, and 7th year students took it upon themselves to sit with their friends, regardless of their house table. Students were still leery about sitting with the Slytherins, but some of the Slytherin's took it upon themselves to sit at other tables during lunch.
The 7th years at the Slytherin table were perfectly happy sitting on their own. The group of 5 still felt they had much to discuss after yesterday's outing.
They all kept beating around the bush, not wanting to be the first one to bring up the subject. "So are we going to talk about yesterday?"
"What part of the day Daph? It was all rather normal and mundane. Wasn't it?" Blaise replied sarcastically.
Daphne glared, and shook her head.
"Hmm, do we want to start with how Hermione saved our house from embarrassment? Or maybe we can start with how much fun we had at a muggle establishment." Blaise started.
"There's also the fact we spent the day with Hermione, free of her goons, and enjoyed her company. Maybe we could discuss that everything our parents told us was a lie." Theo continued.
"To finish up, we can talk about how Draco is absolutely smitten with Hermione, and she's completely fucking oblivious to that fact." Pansy quipped.
Draco immediately started to protest
They all started laughing, and poking fun at Draco. except for Draco who was pouting.
"Come on guys." Draco drawled.
"Nope, you're not getting out of this one Malfoy,"
"Fuck you, Pansy."
"So how long have you liked her?"
"Are we really doing this Pansy?"
"Yup!"
With an exasperated sigh, Draco answered Pansy's question. "Since she punched me in the face in our third year."
"Hah! l was right when I said that on the train here!" Blaise exclaimed.
"Why don't you ask her out?"
"Theo, the only time I saw her last year was when she was being crucio'd by my crazy aunt, in the drawing room of my house. Throw in, I'm a convicted death eater, and I have no chance with the Golden Girl."
"That is a valid point." Daphne agreed.
"You didn't see how comfortable she looked around you." Pansy said kindly.
"Guy's I already said it's not happening. She deserves someone smart, kind, and whose family isn't tainted with hatred. Now, we are done with this conversation." Draco said with an air of formality.
His four friends recognized they were not going to get any further with this topic today. No one brought it up again, as there were plenty of other things they could discuss.
"So… Before theme parks had been discussed in class, had any of you heard of them before?" Theo asked, changing the subject to placate Draco.
"I hadn't. My parents are pretty neutral on the muggle thing, but they don't venture into the muggle world unless they need something." Daphne said.
"My mum thinks muggles are only worth fucking, and leaving. So, no I have never heard about anything more than my mum's one night stands." Blaise added.
"I think I can speak for Draco, Theo, and myself when I say our parents told us muggles were worth nothing, and they contributed nothing to the world."
Draco, and Theo agreed with Pansy.
"I think it's safe to say our parents were very wrong. There's a whole world out there they were wrong about."
"That's for Sure." Pansy agreed.
"Also, can we talk about how much fun the Golden Girl was to have around." Daphne laughed.
"She really was! Her style with the clothes she helped transfigure was amazing, and she was so confident walking around the theme park with us." Pansy remembered.
"She's so different without Potter, and Weasley." Blaise added.
"The way she yelled at Weasley was amazing. She humiliated the shit out of him."
"Theo, your humiliation kink is showing. Although it was impressive how level headed she remained" Draco said.
"Hey man, I like what I like." Theo laughed, quickly joined by the rest of his friends.
When the laughter died down, their curiosity continued. Pansy, who was normally the well behaved, prim, and proper pure blood seemed to be the most intrigued by the muggle world. Or at least, the most interested in talking about it.
"If that was just one location, what else do you think the muggle world holds?"
" I have no clue, but I have a feeling we will find out this year."
Gryffindor Table
"So what did you all think of the theme park?" Hermione asked Ginny, and Neville.
"I had a lot of fun. There's really nothing that can compare to that in our world."
"I agree with Ginny. That place had so much. Food, shopping, adventure, and the rides were a lot of fun!"
"Did you enjoy any of the big roller coasters?"
"Absolutely!" Ginny exclaimed. " It was like flying but having someone else being fully in charge."
"You might not have seen Susan, and I, but we actually weren't that far behind you and the Slytherins at that Wicker Man one. I figured if the Slytherin's were going to give it a try then I could too." The headboy proclaimed.
The group of three couldn't help but laugh. Hermione was still impressed the Slytherins were willing to try the muggle rides. Honestly, she was impressed with how many of the purebloods, across all houses, seemed to have enjoyed themselves.
"How did you end up with a group of Slytherin's Hermione?" Her best friend asked.
"It's not that crazy of a story." She started. "I got off the bus straight behind Harry, and Ron. I turned to look at something, and when I turned back you had all disappeared."
"Sorry I didn't wait for you, or check on you Hermione. I have gotten so used to you always being with Harry, and Ron that I didn't think they would just leave you alone." Neville was hanging his head as he finished his statement.
"Honestly Hermione, same for me. I thought there was no way they would just leave you behind. Neither of them even asked where you were until nearly an hour later."
"Unfortunately Gin, that doesn't surprise me."
Neville, and Ginny looked at Hermione confused, unsure of What they were about to hear next.
"It's not the first time they've done something like that. They, moreso Ron than Harry, have a habit of only keeping me around if they want or need something. In the past, once they had what they wanted, they would just leave me alone in the library. lt made me feel as though that's all I was good for. Then it turned into everyone expecting me to be the bushy haired bookworm…" Hermione said in a somber tone.
"To be honest the library became my safe place. The place where I didn't have to hear Ron's snide remarks about how insufferable I was, or others remarks about blood status." She trailed off, looking upset.
"Excuse me for a moment you two." Hermione got up from the table, and headed out of the Great Hall.
Neville, and Ginny took a moment to think about What Hermione said. Neville felt bad for Hermione after hearing her statement. He had no clue she felt that way. Any time he had asked Ron, or Harry where Hermione was over the years, they always answered the library. Ron was usually the one to add a smartass remark like, where else would she be, or Hermione likes books more than people.
Ginny, on the other hand, was furious. The more she learned about Hermione, the more it became clear Ron was more of a bully than a friend. She had always been intimidated by how smart Hermione was, her drive to learn, and excel at new things. To learn that was a persona her friend was forced into, and not how she wanted to be seen, made Ginny's heart hurt.
"Did you have any idea?" Nevill asked Ginny.
"That Ron was a complete asshat to her? No, or at least I didn't know it was at that level."
"I wish She would've said something. She's such a wonderful friend, always having everyone's backs. Now I'm worried no one ever had hers."
"You're right. She helped everyone with their school work, and she helped me prepare for my apparition exam as well."
Ginny scrunched up her face in frustration, and confusion. "This is making me wonder if we even really know Hermione at all. She made a few comments this summer once the Ministry announced we all had to come back that are starting to make a lot more sense now."
"Like what?"
"Well, for one, she was absolutely furious when she read the Ministry mandate about Hogwarts." Ginny explained to Neville who looked concerned, and confused.
"I believe her exact words were; I started to make plans for my life outside of the magical world, and I thought I was going to be free to start making my own choices. I remember because it seemed so out of character for her, but now though, I'm not so sure."
"Holy shit. Did she ever mention what her plans were?"
"No, no one ever asks her about her life outside the magical world, So she doesn't talk about it."
"Merlin and Morganna." Neville said, shaking his head.
"She also wrote a strongly worded letter to Kingsley…"
"She confronted the Minister?" Neville was flabbergasted.
"Oh yeah she did. I don't think she knew I was around when it happened. I overheard some of it. The gist of it was she feels like the ministry is holding you all captive. She said she had enough being held captive when she was held prisoner during the war, and that she didn't think he would be the next one to hold her captive."
"Holy shit. I think I'm in love with her." He joked. "It truly does feel like we are being held against our will. I was ready to start an apprenticeship, but obviously had to defer. I'm still annoyed about that."
Ginny had been watching the Great Hall entrance to see when Hermione came back in.
"There She comes." Ginny said quickly.
Hermione came back over to her friends, looking significantly less chuffed than when she left.
"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Hermione asked, oblivious to the conversation that happened earlier.
For the rest of lunch the group made small talk about their plans, before heading their separate ways for the day.