the_debt_of_time

Draco rolled his eyes. "I did what you told me to do. Took her for lunch. And no I
did not suggest that she was putting on weight—again. I've still got the burn marks from
the hex she sent at me over that one," he said with a scowl. "We went to the bloody
bookshop."
"Why's she in a mood then?" Sirius asked as they moved fully into the house.
Reaching for his wand, he cast an Air Freshening Charm around his body to get rid of the
remnants of the cigarette that he had abandoned too quickly.
Before Draco could say another word, there was a loud crack of Apparition from
outside.
The front door blew violently open, and Hermione stepped foot into the house, her
mass of wild curls sparking at the ends, a look of rage and humiliation clearly painted across
her face. The second the door slammed shut behind her, the portrait of Sirius's mother
began screaming, "Blemish upon the noble House of my Father!" but before she started
spewing out more creative slurs, Sirius flicked his wand to shut the curtains.
He smiled sweetly at Hermione, approaching her carefully as though she were a wild
hippogriff, nearly going so far as to bow before her. "Afternoon, love. Everything all right?"
At the sound of the slammed door, Harry and Ron appeared over the rails of the
staircase. "What'd you do to piss her off this time, Malfoy?" Ron called down. "Are you
two finally done being friends?"
"We're not friends, Weasel," Draco sneered.
"Fine, whatever you are. Is it over? I miss the good old days when we could hex
you, and she'd punch you in the face."
"Shut up, Ron." Harry sighed in frustration. "Hermione, is everything okay?"
"No!" she screamed and immediately burst into tears, rushing past Sirius and Draco,
shoving the latter with her shoulder as she flew up the stairs in a tornado of sobs.
Sirius watched helplessly as she brushed past Harry and Ron who tried to stop her
but failed miserably. Her door banged shut and all of the men let out a collective sigh of
irritation.
Draco finally broke the silence. "Seen the Daily Prophet this morning?" He handed
the folded paper in his hands over to Sirius before turning on his heel toward the large,
formal dining room, likely raiding Sirius's secret stash of bourbon, Draco's not-so-secret
guilty pleasure.