Harry only shrugged in response to Hermione, though he knew she only aimed to make him feel better. He knew that the way he had been avoiding talking about the more important parts of school was not sensible, especially considering how he seemed to be suffering a bit of guilt for the lack of substance in his letters to Ron anyway. Honestly, the main issue he was having was just that he was too tired to for any kind of confrontation, whether it be one that resulted from Ron's irrational anger or understandable sadness. As it stood, the result was that Harry simply tried to keep from mentioning any aspect that was important or even just familiar about Hogwarts. Harry didn't worry too much about it, if only because it was ridiculous enough that he wouldn't be able to keep it up regardless.
He was glad that Hermione ended up coming clean about the fact that everything was not alright between her and Ron, because she had started off so unconvincingly that Harry would not have been able to let it pass without calling her out for it. She listened to her explain a bit of how she was struggling with her feelings for Ron, and he didn't ask her for more even though he could tell there was still something she wasn't bringing up. When she finished, Harry nodded, chewing his food and using the pumpkin juice to help swallow down what he had in his mouth before speaking. It came to his attention that what he was describing reminded him very much of how he was feeling about Ginny lately, only Ginny was realistically never more than 30 minutes' walk away from him.
"Well, I won't pretend to be an expert on relationship problems and all that because we both know I'm basically the opposite except maybe when it comes to causing the problems," Harry tried to lighten Hermione's spirits with the little self-deprecating joke. "But... Well, to be completely honest with you, what you're saying sounds a lot like how I feel about it - as in, how someone would feel knowing they wouldn't get to see their close friend for a while. It doesn't really sound like how someone would feel being away from their boyfriend or girlfriend, you know? And now I guess that you’ve noticed the difference on some level and it’s making you wonder what's happening to your feelings for him."
"If I were you, I'd still write to him as soon as you can manage," Harry added, shrugging his shoulders a little. He wanted to make her feel better by taking a little of the responsibility she might be feeling off of her shoulders. “I mean, don’t strain yourself trying to be all romantic if you’re worried about it; he’ll be plenty happy to hear from you no matter what you say or how you say it. Just keep it simple and then you’ll at least stop feeling bad about not contacting him back yet. Then maybe you’ll just naturally have it all figured out by the next time you see him.”
Luna gave him a bright smile that showed how happy she was that her idea seemed acceptable to him. This meant that she could have a viable solution to the cost issue already available when she told Hermione about the printing presses. Plus, she preferred this route over the way that Draco had assumed that the paper would require financial contribution from him, or that Luna and the others would want that from him regardless. If the idea really did take off, then it would be a win-win because it would help produce the paper as well as show Draco that there were people who were capable of seeing him for more than the benefits that most would assume that were attached to the Malfoy name, and might possibly even feel entitled to partake in since the entire Malfoy family was on the losing side of the war.
His ideas pleased Luna, and she had more to say in response. She stopped herself from saying any more to him, though, when she saw him start to pack up his belongings, assuming right away that he was finished with the conversation and either had no more to say or wanted to hear no more from her. The thought didn’t necessarily bother or upset her, but she was a little disappointed in thinking that the little talk was over so soon, which is why she was pleasantly surprised when he invited her to come sneak a little food with him. Nodding, she stood and grabbed her own belongings, which she never actually started using and so were still assembled neatly enough for her to just grab.
Following him out the door, Luna noticed, although she tried not to, that a couple of witches standing outside of the library doors gave them looks when the two of them walked out together. She was used to it, and she figured Malfoy was as well in the weeks since the start of term. That certainly didn’t mean that they should like it. Of course, she ignored them like always, and continued the pleasant conversation they were having. "Giving them some copies of the papers is a great idea. What would you say in the letters?"
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Ok, cool
Sounds good!
Haha, cool.The wolf picture is pretty awesome.
Phew! I hope that it turned out okay because that was the third try.
Harry grimaced when Hermoine mentioned the still passionate Voldemort supporters in Slytherin. If they at least were aware that the war was over and were simply bitter rather than even more fired up, Harry would have truly been unable to care less about them. However, most of them were from rich pureblood families and so seemed to believe that it was their duty to step up in the war while their relatives were being sent off to Azkaban by the shipload. They seemed to see the Battle of Hogwarts as a tragic loss, but not the Final Battle that everyone else viewed it as. That level of delusional would be sad if it weren't so potentially dangerous.
"Picking a side would only result in a complete mess even if we weren't who we are," Harry agreed after a moment of thinking it over. There was a small part of him that was simultaneously anticipating and hating the day when those same Slytherin's did something big enough that it would catch press attention and have them swarming around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade like vultures. When that happened, Harry would be pressured into avoiding them until it was impossible, but eventually one of them would get him to blurt out something that would put him in a role in the subject that he wouldn't want, even if it painted him in a positive light with the press. He was already sure of it. "This whole school has enough to worry about as it is."
He walked alongside Hermoine into the Great Hall, nodding back to some of the Ministry Officials standing guard by the door and around the room. His eyes scanned the Gryffindor table as they approached it, and he smiled at the greetings that some people gave them as they sat down. He noticed that Ginny wasn't at the table, and that he hadn't seen her even in passing the entire day. Harry felt bad for the fact that he just didn't know what to do with Ginny lately, and even worse for reacting to this by avoiding her even though she had done nothing wrong and that it was clearly pissing her off. His thoughts were redirected when Hermoine's mention of Ron set multiple feelings rolling around in his gut.
"We sent a few back and forth earlier in the term, but it's been weeks since I've replied to one. We've been so busy," Harry answered. "To be honest, it was like we were talking but not saying anything too. I kept wanting to mention everything, but then feeling like it would be selfish to bring up anything that matters." He wasn't sure how Ron would feel if Harry brought up parts of Hogwarts that Ron might miss, but he knew that Ron tended to present sadness as passive aggression. While that used to make Harry respond in anger, which result in some kind of unnecessary fight, Harry thought that it would now just make him feel the most unpleasant mixture of guilty and tired, which Harry wanted to avoid at all costs.
He was surprised to hear that Hermoine hadn't contacted Ron back yet at all. He barely thought about it because it made him uncomfortable to think of the two of them together, but the last time he had checked, the two of them had been approaching couple’s status. At least, they had been something more than just friends, and Ron had seemed fairly certain in the months in between the final battle and the start of term that even more would develop. Of course, he had never asked Hermoine what her own expectations and plans were, and that was probably a mistake. “How are things between the two of you right now?”
Luna took notice of Draco’s initial tone, but she was unsure if he was annoyed that he had interrupted his peace, simply uninterested in anything she could have to say, or both. Then again, she also thought that he was just being Malfoy, and none of the above would have to apply for him to talk to her like that. Therefore, she didn’t let it become an issue, and was careful to make sure that she didn’t act as if there was one either. She always took a smile through it approach, and even if that method seemed to make people more confused by her, it seemed to allow them to eventually become accustomed to her presence.
It still probably showed when she was thrown off by his offer of monetary contribution. She wasn’t surprised necessarily by his offer to help so much as taken off guard at the mention of money. Since her father owned the presses, the cost of printing them was eliminated, but she realized now that however he got the paper itself, that was most likely at a cost to him. It couldn’t be cheap, either, but it would be just like her father not to mention the cost, or forget it all together. “I didn’t even think about the cost. How silly,” Luna contemplatively said aloud. “Well then, perhaps a little fundraising is in order.”
She thought about it for a moment. There were a lot of ways they could do it, but they also needed something that could happen in time for the first issue, or at least not long after it came out. “Well, maybe we could sell advertising space to some of the businesses in Hogsmeade, or at least ask for donations. The bigger ones would be happy to help, I think, and the smaller ones might like the chance to get their names out to students,” suggested Luna. For that idea, Draco obviously would not be able to talk to the shop owners face-to-face, or even use his real name in a letter, but Luna thought he could still help, especially if he had picked up any “businessman” skills from his father before the return of Voldemort. “What do you think? Any ideas?”
"Picking a side would only result in a complete mess even if we weren't who we are," Harry agreed after a moment of thinking it over. There was a small part of him that was simultaneously anticipating and hating the day when those same Slytherin's did something big enough that it would catch press attention and have them swarming around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade like vultures. When that happened, Harry would be pressured into avoiding them until it was impossible, but eventually one of them would get him to blurt out something that would put him in a role in the subject that he wouldn't want, even if it painted him in a positive light with the press. He was already sure of it. "This whole school has enough to worry about as it is."
He walked alongside Hermoine into the Great Hall, nodding back to some of the Ministry Officials standing guard by the door and around the room. His eyes scanned the Gryffindor table as they approached it, and he smiled at the greetings that some people gave them as they sat down. He noticed that Ginny wasn't at the table, and that he hadn't seen her even in passing the entire day. Harry felt bad for the fact that he just didn't know what to do with Ginny lately, and even worse for reacting to this by avoiding her even though she had done nothing wrong and that it was clearly pissing her off. His thoughts were redirected when Hermoine's mention of Ron set multiple feelings rolling around in his gut.
"We sent a few back and forth earlier in the term, but it's been weeks since I've replied to one. We've been so busy," Harry answered. "To be honest, it was like we were talking but not saying anything too. I kept wanting to mention everything, but then feeling like it would be selfish to bring up anything that matters." He wasn't sure how Ron would feel if Harry brought up parts of Hogwarts that Ron might miss, but he knew that Ron tended to present sadness as passive aggression. While that used to make Harry respond in anger, which result in some kind of unnecessary fight, Harry thought that it would now just make him feel the most unpleasant mixture of guilty and tired, which Harry wanted to avoid at all costs.
He was surprised to hear that Hermoine hadn't contacted Ron back yet at all. He barely thought about it because it made him uncomfortable to think of the two of them together, but the last time he had checked, the two of them had been approaching couple’s status. At least, they had been something more than just friends, and Ron had seemed fairly certain in the months in between the final battle and the start of term that even more would develop. Of course, he had never asked Hermoine what her own expectations and plans were, and that was probably a mistake. “How are things between the two of you right now?”
Luna took notice of Draco’s initial tone, but she was unsure if he was annoyed that he had interrupted his peace, simply uninterested in anything she could have to say, or both. Then again, she also thought that he was just being Malfoy, and none of the above would have to apply for him to talk to her like that. Therefore, she didn’t let it become an issue, and was careful to make sure that she didn’t act as if there was one either. She always took a smile through it approach, and even if that method seemed to make people more confused by her, it seemed to allow them to eventually become accustomed to her presence.
It still probably showed when she was thrown off by his offer of monetary contribution. She wasn’t surprised necessarily by his offer to help so much as taken off guard at the mention of money. Since her father owned the presses, the cost of printing them was eliminated, but she realized now that however he got the paper itself, that was most likely at a cost to him. It couldn’t be cheap, either, but it would be just like her father not to mention the cost, or forget it all together. “I didn’t even think about the cost. How silly,” Luna contemplatively said aloud. “Well then, perhaps a little fundraising is in order.”
She thought about it for a moment. There were a lot of ways they could do it, but they also needed something that could happen in time for the first issue, or at least not long after it came out. “Well, maybe we could sell advertising space to some of the businesses in Hogsmeade, or at least ask for donations. The bigger ones would be happy to help, I think, and the smaller ones might like the chance to get their names out to students,” suggested Luna. For that idea, Draco obviously would not be able to talk to the shop owners face-to-face, or even use his real name in a letter, but Luna thought he could still help, especially if he had picked up any “businessman” skills from his father before the return of Voldemort. “What do you think? Any ideas?”
Sounds good.
Alright. I just have to finish up a post to another one and then I'll start!
Oh, I know all about how finals absorb everything else, so don't even worry about it. I can start, but how do you think we should start it? I mean, just at the start of any arbitrary school day, or first day, or what?
That's a relief to know, then! Thanks, I did enjoy it overall. I'm starting an IC post now.
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