Standard:
Hufflepuff 2nd year 750-1500 words. final 1179
Worth up to 15 points.
[Object] Cracked cauldron
Dramione Dark!Hermione
September
When the two Gryffindor latecomers reached into the dusty cupboard, Harry turned around triumphantly holding a crisp copy of Advanced Potion Making. His comrade in arms, Ron Weasley, walked glumly to the workbench and tossed the rather tattered book with such a flourish it looked as though it would fall apart on impact.
"Ron, here, take mine. This is my second copy for working on in class. I have another in my room for making notes." Hermione pushed her own copy of the NEWT level potions book in front of Ron and snatched the old book away.
"Hermione, don't worry about it. I can get a new book. I'll just need to send for one in the post." Ron's face turned from the slightly flushed pink of disappointment, to the red of embarrassment at Hermione's insistence on taking the battered book from him.
"I know you can, Ronald. However, in the meantime just use this one. I have half the potions memorized by now anyway; like I said, this one is just so I follow along during class." Not leaving room for argument she turned her attention to the new Potions Master, Professor Slughorn.
"Fine, but I'm giving it back once my new one shows up." Hermione didn't even hear him mutter under his breath, her attention was firmly fixed on the cauldron in the front of the class which smelled oddly of broom polish, mixed with a soft floral scent Ron couldn't quite place.
When the students were sent to work on their own version of a Draught of Living Death, the new professor took it upon himself to pair the students up according to their aptitude to potions making. Hermione was paired up with Draco, much to her dismay. No one questioned when she was the only student to properly brew the potion. After all, if it wasn't Hermione, it would have been Draco. They were the two brightest stars in their year.
"It must be refreshing, Granger, to be paired with someone who insist on doing their own work. I can't imagine Weaslby ever took it upon himself to read the ingredients list, let alone brew his own potion."
October
"Did you see him! He totally flaked. Oh, hey Hermione. I didn't see you there." Turning back to Lavender, Ron continued to regale her with the heroic story of him making the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"You wouldn't, would you?" Hermione muttered under her breath. Thinking to herself that maybe Malfoy was right. Maybe the redhead only wanted her around to do his homework for him.
November
"You want Dean to be the backup? He didn't make the team for a reason, Harry. Plus, with everything going on. He's a half-blood for Godric's sake. He's going to be singled out against Slytherin." Ron whispered under his breath to Harry as they were sitting in the common room after dinner one night enjoying a game of wizarding chess.
"You're just worried he'll spend the entire game focused on you sister, and not the Quaffle." Harry was taking his time, considering the moves on the board two in advance, as Ron had taught him.
"How are your Legilimency lessons going anyway?" Hermione piped in from her spot on the couch. Crookshanks curled over her feet. To any casual observer she appeared to be flipping through the Advanced Potions textbook. However, Hermione was studying the notes scribbled in the margins of the old book. Trying to figure out the method behind some of the augmented potions.
"Stop harping, Hermione. I can't concentrate with you constantly in my head." Ron glarred at her over the chess board. The book forgotten, Hermione looked at Ron and thought about what a pity it was that he was falling victim to the prejudice just as everyone else was.
December
"Madam Pince said you checked out the last copy of Silas Viperski's book of Poisons and Potions. I need that to finish up an essay for Slughorn." The sneer he normally would have sent down to whither the witch was lost the moment he saw her eyes swing up at him. The normal fire that burned seemed to have been dulled. Due to the stress of the year, or the constant bickering he saw her and her friends he wasn't sure.
"Yes, as do I," she mumbled after looking back down to her parchment quickly. Her hands
"It doesn't look like you are using it now. Mind if I sit here and use it while you are working on your Transfiguration essay? You can borrow my notes from class; McGonagall was whipping through everything so fast, and I saw you, um, talking with Potter during some of her presentation." Malfoy sat his bag down next to her table and set a few scrolls in front of her. She, in turn, handed him the last remaining copy of Viperski's book and the pair worked at the table together in silence for over an hour.
"Well, I have to head back to the common room. Thanks for letting me use your notes," she told him quietly while packing her bag.
"I know how it is to have people depending on you to take care of them. Just don't forget to take care of yourself first." Hermione whipped her head up, unsure of what she heard from the pureblood wizards mouth. When he looked up at her, however, from his own essay she took in the dark circles under his eyes, his shirt that was buttoned askew, and the tie that was normally knotted in double-Windsor perfection hanging around too thin shoulders.
"You take care of yourself, Malfoy. See you after Christmas." Hermione walked slowly out of the Library trying to remember the last time she saw Malfoy so quite.
January
"Draco, the book said ground not powdered! Now we will have to start all over again. Where's your head at?" Hermione glared at her partner over the cracked cauldron spilling ruined Draught of Peace potion over the bench between them.
"Don't blame me! I was following the directions in the textbook, not your chicken scratched diary." Draco sneered down his sharp nose at the little swot he was paired with again this term.
"It is not a diary, Malfoy. It is a textbook. One that must have belonged to a Potions Master in the making." Hermione glared back at him. Her hair crackling and straining to relieve itself from the knot she had forced it into before this extra credit session.
The two oddly, yet perfectly, matched students began cleaning up the spill.
"Why don't you go to the stores and gather replacement ingredients. I will see if I can salvage any of this mess," Hermione looked down at the cauldron. The crack started at the top, thankfully, so with a little pewter filament she had laying around she was able to cast a thorough 'Reparo' and salvage at least that from the mess.
Worse than the wasted ingredients, though, was the time that had been wasted with their preparation of something they both clearly needed.