Hey, everyone! I knew my frog would talk me into this, I just didn't know how long it would take. So here ya go!
It was an ordinary day for Draco Malfoy. Nothing amazing was supposed to happen today. But then, all days can take a twist you don't expect.
"Mr. Malfoy, you are partners with Miss Granger. And no arguments!" Professor Snape snapped as he walked by them. He continued down the line.
"And this was such a good day." Draco muttered under his breath. He heard Granger sigh as she picked up her things and moved over to the desk next to Draco's.
"Hey, mud-blood." Draco greeted. Granger turned to face Draco, no sign of anger on her face.
"Hello, Draco." She smiled, winking ever so slightly as she turned to face the front of the classroom.
Draco did his best to keep his jaw connected firmly to the rest of his head. Was Granger under a love potion or something? He shook his head and Professor Snape finished putting pairs together and began talking to the class.
"Today, class, we will be making a potion. I am not going to tell you what it is. You, with your partner, are going to follow the instructions Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are handing out. If you figure out what the potion is, don't say a word! When you are sure you are done, the boy in the partnership will drink a glassful of it and then I will tell you girls what to do next. Any questions?" Professor Snape gazed around the room.
"Yes, Mr. Longbottom?" Snape asked coldly.
"What if we don't get the potion correct, sir? Will anything happen to us?" Neville asked worriedly.
"It is a fairly easy potion, Mr. Longbottom. You shouldn't mess it up." Professor Snape assured Neville as kindly as possible for him.
Neville nodded, looking faintly relieved.
"Now begin!" Snape ordered. He turned to his desk, leaving the class to start the project. Draco straightened in his seat.
"I'll get the ingredients, Draco." Granger stood, smiled at him once more and left. Draco took his time getting the cauldron and then began to look around the room.
Every Slytherin boy was paired with a Gryffindor girl and every Gryffindor boy was paired with a Slytherin girl. Potter with Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini with Parvati Patil. And the list went on. How had Snape known it would work so perfectly?
"Let's get started, Draco!" Granger folded perfectly into her chair, setting the ingredients on both of the desks.
"Fine, Granger." Draco looked at the list.
"You know, Draco, you can call me Hermione. I won't mind." Granger offered.
"Why would I want to do that?" Draco asked coldly.
Granger shrugged. "The offer will remain standing." She said, putting in the first ingredient. Draco put in the second and so it went until the potion was done.
Professor Snape appeared by their desks. "Drink up, Draco. It won't kill you." He said before moving to the back of the classroom.
Granger pulled a cup from her big bag of supplies and Draco resisted the urge to say anything rude. She poured him a glass full.
"Here, Draco. Good luck." She handed him the glass.
Draco looked up at Granger. "Thanks, I guess." He sipped it at first, but then drained the glass. Almost immediately, his skin felt too tight. "Help, Granger!" he called, his voice sounding strange to his ears. He started to get worried. Granger was staring at him with a shocked face.
'What's wrong with me?' Draco wondered to himself, trying to look at his hands. His hand moved up and rubbed his eye, making in close. He missed seeing his hand. He couldn't really bend his neck for some reason. He jumped when Snape began talking.
"Each of the boys have turned into some character from a fairy tale. It is up to the girl partner to figure out which fairy tale and how to get her partner back to his regular form. Class dismissed! Take your partner with you!" Snape finished.
Draco felt someone pick him up and figured Granger was doing the job. What was wrong with him? And how on earth did he, of all people, fit in the palm of Granger's hand?
"Come on, Draco." He heard Granger say. "And don't squirm! You'll fall out of my hand and then I'll never know which shoe your on the bottom of!"
Draco immediately stopped moving and willed himself to stay calm. Granger took him to the Gryffindor Tower and up into the Girls' Dormitory.
"It's a good thing you're a frog." He heard her mutter. He obviously wasn't supposed to hear that. She plopped herself down on a bed. "Can you talk?" She asked louder.
"Uh, I don't know. Can you hear me?" Draco tried to say.
"Every other word I can understand." Granger said. "So, Draco, I think your lucky to get me for a partner because one, I'm a muggle born and I've read every single fairy tale there is and two, I know what I have to do to change you back." Granger frowned as she finished telling him this.
"Oh," said Draco, coming up with a way for Granger to understand him. "And-and what-what might-might that-that be-be?"
To Hermione, it sounded like this: "Oh? Croak-and croak-what croak-might croak-that croak-be?"
"I have to kiss you so you can turn into my Prince Charming." Granger said simply.
If Draco's eyes weren't already bugging out the top of his head, they would've been working overtime.
"Kiss-kiss me-me?" He was actually stuttering.
"Is that so wrong, Malfoy?" Granger snapped, angry enough to forget to call him by his first name.
"Well-well," Draco said, considering. "My-my father-father wouldn't-wouldn't be-be too-too happy-happy."
"Who cares about your father!" Granger yelled. "I think he would rather have me kiss you than have a frog as a son!"
Draco realized she had a point. His father wouldn't be too happy with a frog. He could imagine it: Hermione handed Lucius Malfoy a frog. 'Here's your son, Mr. Malfoy. He wouldn't dare let a mud-blood like me kiss him to turn him back.'
The image disappeared as Granger leaned forward to look Draco in the eye.
"So what do you say?" she asked, now quite calm.
"I…I guess-guess so-so." Draco sighed, or tried to. It was a bit difficult as a frog.
Suddenly Granger wrinkled her nose. "I don't know if I want to kiss a frog." She said doubtfully.
"Granger!" Draco cried. "You-you can't-can't back-back down-down now-now!"
Granger laughed. "I was teasing!" She leaned closer and whispered. "I kissed a frog right after reading "The Frog Princess". Unfortunately, it didn't turn into a prince." She sighed pitifully.
Draco had nothing to say. This girl was like no other. "Well-well, Granger, let's-let's go-go some-some-"
"Place where no one will see us." Granger finished. She reached out a hand for Draco to climb on. "Let's hurry." She said. Draco leaped into Granger's hand and she carefully placed her other on top of him.
Draco couldn't see much through Granger's hands and every time he would try to move, she would tell him to stop squirming. Five minutes later, Granger moved her hand and Draco was greeted by fresh air. He moved carefully out of Granger's hand and onto the soft grass that was beside a small pond.
"Harry and I found this in third year. But don't worry, he never comes here." Granger told him.
"Good, let's-let's get-get this-this done-done with-with." Draco said, turning back to face Granger.
Granger looked down at him. "I'll only do it if you never call me 'Granger' again." She said.
"Fine-fine, Hermione! Just-just do-do it-it!" Draco said, quite exasperated.
Hermione reached down her hand, gently brought Draco up, closer to her mouth. She closed her eyes and Draco managed to squeeze his shut.
He was surprised at how soft her lips were. It was short and sweet and Draco didn't feel any different.
"It didn't work." He whispered. Hermione's eyes filled with amusement.
"Let's do it again then." She leaned forward again. This kiss was only a bit longer and just as sweet as the last.
"Did it work?" Draco asked, his eyes still closed tightly.
"What do you think, Draco, that it didn't work the first time?" Hermione giggled.
Draco's eyes shot open. "I didn't feel anything!" he exclaimed.
"You weren't sitting in the palm of my hand either." Hermione pointed out.
Draco fell back, his shock of what just happened getting in control, and he stumbled back into the pond, slipping and going underwater.
He splashed back up, gasping for air. Hermione was staring at him mouth opened, not sure whether to laugh or worry.
"Are you all right?" She finally managed to ask.
"Next time," said Draco, stepping out of the pond. "You get to be the frog and I get to trick you into kissing me more than once."
Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't!" she gasped.
"That's for me to know," Said Draco, moving closer to Hermione. "And you to find out." He caught one of her hands and pulled her close to him. "Besides, you wouldn't want to go home as a frog now, would you?" he smirked down at her.
She stared up at him. "No, no, I guess my parents wouldn't be too happy about that." She said. "They probably wouldn't let me come back."
"That wouldn't be good." Said Draco. "I wouldn't get to have fun with you anymore."
Hermione pulled back a bit. "You have fun with me? When?" She asked surprised, yet curious.
"Oh, come now, Hermione. What would life be like if we didn't know each other?" Draco asked.
Hermione cocked her head to one side and thought for a few minutes. If she didn't know Draco, there would be no one to compete against in school, no one to practice hexes on, no one to yell at, and no one to vent her anger on. If there wasn't a Draco Malfoy, what fun would Hogwarts be?
"Good point." She finally said.
Draco nodded and started to pull her away from the pond. "Now, take me back to the castle, I'll get into some dry clothes, then we'll go tell Professor Snape that you changed me back, snitch some of the left over potion of ours and then turn you into a frog."
Hermione laughed. "Draco, I don't think there's a fairy tale when the princess turns into a frog and the prince kisses her to change her back."
"Right. You write the story while I go change." Draco said. They both laughed and started back to the castle.
The ending ain't so great. But please leave a review. On paper, this story was ten pages long, but I added and cut a few things and so you got the finished product.
"The Frog Princess" is E.D. Baker, I think. Really good book!
There could be another one-shot sequel if you want. Review if you want more!
Until next time,
Cherish and Bryt