Elise smiled. She pondered for a moment if the other girl was condescending to her. Cocking her head to the side, she kept her smile perfectly in place. “Zhat iz very kind of you.” When she added the last bit, Elise decided that she hadn’t been. Which was a good thing for her. “Tres bien,” Elise said in French. “Mione.” She nodded resolutely.
“You normally enjoy being paired with us?” Elise inquired with a grin. Somehow, she really doubted that Hermione had ever had the experience before and that it was enjoyable from what little she’d heard from the Slytherins about her. She shrugged in a blasé fashion. “Zhere are fools everywhere,” she replied as if agreeing.
Elise let a blush color her cheeks. “Merci. You are too kind.”
Pretending to glance over at Hermione’s things, Elise shifted her chair a little closer. Lightly, her knee brushed Hermione’s before she leaned away just a little. “Are you an animagus?” she inquired. “Zhat would make it easier to write the essay,” Elise added with a girlish giggle.
Elise could tell Hermione was the bossy type. That suited her right down to the ground because it would make other things a lot more fun. So confident and bossy and bookish usually meant a girl would be completely flabbergasted when confronted with more enjoyable things…
“Non, non,” she assured her. “I do not think zhat, Mione. Since zhis is a goo subject for you, I would be ‘appy to let you pick.” Elise turned, her knee lightly resting against Hermione’s as she smiled at her.