Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Hermione trudged down the hall, footsteps echoing across the stone walls. She was heading to Potions, possibly her least favourite class. Not that she was bad at it, but because she despised the teacher. Something Hermione thought was not quite possible.
Other students were rushing quickly to classes, but Hermione was taking her time, idling along. Harry and Ron were skipping Potions today, they'd asked her to come and bask in the sun by the lakeside, but Hermione had icily disagreed.
Slowly the golden sunlight edged away, long strips of light stretching along the floor like fingers reaching for something. Replacing it was orange crackling firelight.
The air was turning frosty and sour, leaving behind the scent of flowers and grass of the outside world.
Hermione had arrived at the dungeons. She stopped at the metal doorway, fingers tracing black steel rimmed with silver.
She caught her breath, awaiting her punishment she knew would be waiting for her. Pushed open the heavy door, averting her eyes. Her eyes instead skirted along the floor, occasionally catching a black beetle scuttling from eyesight under the desks.
"Miss Granger." Snape paused, letting his cool voice slide over her, chilling. "Late, I see."
Hermione peered uncertainly into the room, the iciness was cascading over her in waves of horror.
She stuttered, desperately attempting to make excuses, but in a swift motion he silenced her, raising his hand.
"Detention, see me after class." Hermione groaned and peeked around the classroom, Draco was smirking cruelly, as were many others.
"What you did miss this morning, we are beginning to conduct up a series of potions, the first of many. Each very complicated. For this I've put you in to pairs."
Snape pulled out a roll of parchment, briefly flicking through it. "You will be paired with Mr Malfoy." Snape leered, before turning back to his desk. Horror shone on Draco's face. Hermione felt sure her own matched his. Draco was no longer slouched lazily on the desk, tracing his long fingers in the swirls in the wood, he was now standing upright, face stormy.
Hermione groaned slightly, anyone but him.
Alas she knew complaining would not persuade Snape off his cruel decision, regrettably she lugged her heavy book bag to his desk.
Slytherin students parted ways, as if she were Moses and they were the red sea or as though she were some contagious disease.
She flicked looks at her friends, whom were all sending longing glances towards friends on opposite sides of the room. Draco was edging ever so slightly further and further away from her as she made her self comfortable, unpacking her potions books and the odd necessary piece of equipment.
"Did he already tell you the potion?" She asked him.
Draco nodded, hair falling out of place and pointed at his book. She opened her own and flipped to the page, in large bold writing, Veritaserum. She slid her eyes down the page, reading the complicated instructions and ingredients.
The name comes from the latin veritas, meaning "truth," and the Latin serum which means "fluid" or "liquid."
Veritaserum is clear, colourless, and odourless and is almost indistinguishable from water. The potion must mature for a full lunar phase, and is quite difficult to produce. It can be mixed with any drink, and three drops are a sufficient dose to make the drinker "spill out his innermost secrets". Thus, the potion forces the drinker to tell the complete truth to any question put to him/her, according to what the drinker perceives as true.
Hermione was intrigued. She sneaked a glance at Draco, his grey eyes staring deeply at the book, clearly evident something else was on his mind. His eyes flicked up to hers and she looked back down.
Potions class had moved drearily slow, how she wished that she had accepted Harry and Ron's offer. She longed to be immersed in the sweet sunlight, bathing in the lush grass on the skirts of the forbidden forest. She could even admit, dodging between trees avoiding teachers would be better than this.
Draco and herself had been bantering back and forth for almost the entire lesson. All modesty abandoned they argued about everything possible, he would purposefully send her insults until she would snap and retaliate.
While Draco was dutifully attempting to disrupt her, and while she was attempting to make Veritaserum, Snape was poised at the head of the class smirking. Turning a blind eye to every cruel thing Draco threw at her.
Which only angered her more, sending her into a rage to try to defend herself.
Her Gryffindor friends had sent her worried looks, or asking if she wanted a hand. She would simply shrug and send them off, if she can handle maintaining her A-grade studies, then she could handle Draco Malfoy.
Hermione was ticking off the minutes to when they would be able to leave, to freedom.
5 minutes.
Draco took a piece of her long hair in between his fingers, rubbing it softly.
"Nice hair Granger, but isn't it a little early for halloween?"
His friends snickered in the distance, she shot him a harsh glare.
4 minutes.
"How can you be the brightest witch in the year, if you can't even get a simple recipe right?"
He had sneered when she had accidentally smushed 3 beetles instead of 2.
3 minutes.
Hermione recited the recipe in her head to try and calm herself.
2 minutes.
Draco was no longer making snide commentary, but instead was perched upon a stool. Admiring his work, while he sat and stared holes into her as she desperately tried to finish the potion before handing it in.
1 minute.
Snape spook up,"I expect you all to be finished now, and in precisely 1 month we will be able to tell if you have made it correctly or not." His eyes lingered over Hermione's work, she nervously tapped her foot on the ground. Anxious to escape.
As they packed up their items Snape continued, "For homework this week you will be completing a two page essay about the effects that Veritaserum had with helping bring in You-know-who's followers."
The tired students groaned, slinging bags over their shoulders, slumping out of the classroom towards the main hall for lunch.
As the classroom cleared out, the only two remaining were Draco and herself.
She packed up as quickly as she could, Draco slung his bag over his shoulder and before exiting swept the remaining books off the table and walked out of the room. Peering back at Hermione, frantically piling them into her own bag.
"Miss Granger." Snape called out as she attempted her break at escape.
She groaned.
Draco was waiting for her outside, his broad shoulders slumped lazily against the wall. White hair brushed carelessly, hanging in front of his stormy eyes.
She rolled her eyes, pushing past him. He caught up to her, "Hey Granger."
She barely flicked him a look, "What do you want Malfoy?"
She was irritated, she had to much on her mind.
"I want to talk about History.. I-Im having some trouble.." He sounded almost pained to say it, his voice stuttering.
Hermione stopped in her tracks, he did as well. Turning around and searching her face, a look filled with aspiration.
She held up her hands, "Hold on, hold on. Are you asking me for help?"
He averted her eyes, slightly nodding.
She shook her head, unbelieving and continued walking.
Draco reached out, long slender fingers wrapping around her arm.
"Come on, I need your help. Please." His eyes pleading.
She placed her hands on her hips, "Why would I help you anyway? You've done nothing but torment me, basically for 5 years."
He gave her a cocky smile, tilting his head, shrugging, "Because your a good person."
"Hmm not good enough." She turned to walk away.
His hands grabbed hers, pulling her to a halt. She looked at his hand, and he let go. "Ok, ok. How about, I will stop tormenting you for the rest of the year? Is that enough."
"How about forever?" She mocked.
"Come on, humour me. I cant just stop being me."
She sighed, desperately wanting to say no. But alas she couldn't disagree to his charm or his sweet begging eyes.
"Fine."
Draco smiled with relief, she shrugged. "We can start on Wednesday, after school, in the library."
He nodded, glad that she agreed.
They walked together in silence up to lunch, Hermione only slightly liked his company, smiling slightly as he said goodbye.
