The Beneficial Future...by Yours Truly
"Today," Snape hovered about the classroom, exuding malevolence, "you will be brewing a complex potion known as a Future-Scrying Formula. It is, as I've said, exceedingly difficult, but seeing as you are my N.E.W.T. class, you should be more than capable of brewing this concoction without any injured parties. Instructions are on the board, along with illustrations for the benefit of those of you who cannot read. Begin!"
Everyone immediately partnered up. There were really only ten of them in the class, six of whom were Ravenclaws (who all paired off with one another), two of whom were in Hufflepuff (who did likewise), and only one of which were from Gryffindor or Slytherin (who were, as of yet, unpaired). Laconically
Thus, Hermione Granger, the brilliant Pride of Gryffindor, was left with no one to work with but none other than Draco Malfoy, the enigmatic Prince of Slytherin. She, seeing everyone else already in groups, glanced over to where he was sitting in the far corner of the room. Meeting her gaze, he raised his eyebrows. She looked at him beseechingly, hating the situation in which she found herself. Much to her surprise, he nodded, if a little unwillingly. She beamed. He rolled his eyes sardonically.
Grabbing her books, Hermione headed over to his table. She got right down to business. "So, do you want to go get the ingredients or brew the potion? I don't care either way, as long as it comes out right."
This shocked him a bit. Granger was known for being a perfectionist, and this was oddly out of character. Not that he cared. "I'll get the ingredients." He procured the necessary items listed on the board and brought them back to the table wordlessly.
Similarly quiet, Hermione began the potion, chopping Mandrake roots and extracting juice from the Valerian berries. Once the potion was started and needed no further tending, she produced a small book from her bag and began reading. The cover pronounced it to be titled "The Da Vinci Code". A few page-turns later, the cauldron began to bubble furiously, causing her to put the book down and go check on it.
While she was occupied with the Formula, Malfoy picked up the book and read the back cover and prologue. It seemed mildly entertaining, so he read further. After he'd read a page or two, he was startled by a tap on the shoulder. Hermione, now sitting beside him, looked slightly puzzled.
"Interesting, Malfoy?" she asked dryly.
Startled, he replied, "Yes, actually," before he had a chance to think.
She laughed. "Honestly?" At his hesitant nod, she said, "You can borrow it, if you want. I've already read it about thirty times since I bought it last summer."
"You have too much time on your hands, Granger."
"Not really. I just like that book in particular."
He wavered a moment. "Er, how did you get this? It's a muggle book. They don't sell them in Diagon Alley."
She replied, "No, but they do sell them in muggle stores. You forget where I was born, raised, etc."
"Oh. That makes sense..." He was a little embarassed.
Finally, the potion was done brewing. Professor Snape said, " If you've done everything right, you potions should be done. CAREFULLY gather a flagon of it, and leave it on my desk. We will test it tomorrow. Be sure not to let any of it directly touch any part of your body or the results will be disastrous."
Hermione stood up and filled the container. Malfoy was still blissfully engrossed in her book. Therefore, it wasn't much of a surprise when Hermione, unaware of her partner's feet splayed across the floor in front of her, tripped and fell. The bottle lay broken on the floor, silvery liquid pooling on the ground. Malfoy, snapped out of his Dan Brown-induced reverie, instinctively reached down to help Hermione up. Somewhere in between the potion spilling and Malfoy reaching down, both of the students came into direct contact with the silver liquid.
Professor Snape was proved right. The results were disastrous. The entire class was forced to acknowledge this as they witnessed their classmates succumb to unconsciousness on the dungeon floor as the Future-Scrying Formula, via their pores and veins, entered their blood streams.