Chapter 18: The Burrow's Banquet

                                    

                                          
Hermione falls onto the couch beside Draco and just sits there for a few minutes. Who would have thought visiting a few family members would be so tiring? She glances at her watch. It's only half three. She suddenly sits up, making Draco jump slightly as he watches her rummage around in her bag for a few seconds.
                          
"Sit up, Draco." She tells him and with a sigh and a few groans he sits up. "Now, you didn't exactly give me much notice..." She flashes him a pointed look. "But I can't let your birthday go by without giving you anything."
                          
"Hermione!" He sighs. "I told you, you didn't need-"
                          
"I know, and I told you that you're my friend now and friends get friends present for their birthday." She interrupts him. "By the way, mine's the nineteenth of September." She adds.
                          
"Here." She holds out the book she had retrieved from her bookshelf in her bedroom at her parent's house.
                          
He stares at the book for a few moments before carefully taking the book out of hands and looking at the cover.
                          
"Dracula?" He asks looking up at her.
                          
"It's a muggle story about a vampire named Count Dracula. I thought it would be interesting for you to read about how muggles portray vampires." She explains.
                          
"Thank you, Hermione." He tells her sincerely, making eye contact, before turning the book over in his hands to read the blurb.
                          
Hermione watches as Draco goes back to lounging on the couch as he begins to read the book. They sit in comfortable silence for a while until four o'clock when Hermione stands up, announcing that she's going to visit Ron and will be back for dinner at half six. Draco mumbles confirmation that he heard her but doesn't glance up from the book.
                          
Hermione's not entirely sure which house Ron's is but she knows it'll be in Epsilon Street since he's a Weasley. She hazards a guess at the fifth house from the end of the street and knocks on the door, however, George answers.
                          
"Hermione?" He asks confused.
                          
"Hi, George, sorry to intrude but I'm trying to find Ron." She explains.
                          
"Oh, he's two doors that way. I'd be careful if I were you, he's not quite himself at the moment." George warns her.
                          
"I know, it's why I'm trying to find him." She tells him before bidding him goodbye and walking two doors away.
                          
She knocks on the door, hoping that Ron answers the door and not Pansy, thankfully Ron, who's looking very bleary-eyed, does open the door, still dressed in his pyjama bottoms and vest. He stares at her for a moment before opening the door wider and letting her in.
                          
"Is Pansy not in?" She asks glancing around the living room, where there are multiple bottles lying around.
                          
"No." He grunts as he flops down onto the couch, motioning for her to sit in the armchair.
                          
"How are you doing, Ron?" She asks him as she perches on the edge of the armchair, which has a liquid stain on it.
                          
He turns to glare at her. "How'd'ya fink am doin'?" He asks, leaning over to grab a nearly empty bottle of firewhiskey.
                          
"I think you need to stop drinking, Ron," Hermione tells him snatching the bottle out of his hand.
                          
"Hey, I need that." He calls after her as she walks towards the kitchen to pour it down the sink.
                          
"No you don't, you just think you do." She shouts back to him.
                          
"I can't even look at her without that, let alone fuck her." He spits at her when she re-enters the room.