Summary: After being separated into groups, the entire 8th year class must take a randomized exam which will gauge their general logic. However, the tests are out of the ordinary. After being put together to pass a Potions exam being held on a secluded Caribbean island, Draco, Harry and Hermione are tested far more than they thought they'd be.
A/N: This is part one of my "The Exam Game" series.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 1. Potions (Part 1)
Wednesday, September 9th, 1998 - 7:50 a.m. GMT(-4)/(12:50 p.m. GMT(+0))
-1 hour to go
Potion Status: Complete
She was having a come apart to say the least.
If I could actually say anything, that is.
Harry had set a defense shield up around him and I so as to guard us from the projectiles Hermione's magic was throwing around the tent in her silent shrieking. I was sure that, if she could make noise at the present moment, her howling would drown out that of the storm that raged outside.
I couldn't really blame her, though. If she hadn't started in on the raving and uncontrollable magic, I would have.
The three of us were now completely confused, because our Portkey had not only failed to glow when we'd drank our potion, but it failed to do so again at 7 a.m. like we'd hoped. We'd stood there, staring at it for near a half an hour, waiting for it show us that we had passed our test, and that we could to go back to Hogwarts, but nothing had come of it. And now, almost an hour later, Hermione Granger was giving Harry and I one hell of a showing of power.
I looked over to Harry, who I would say was totally recovered from the Lethifold attack and was now able to, thank fucking Merlin, wear clothes, and gave him a look of concern. He shrugged at me as a candle hit the barrier, almost bringing it down in the man's distraction. We looked back over to the witch, and I shook my head in aggravation as I thought back to what had gotten us in this mess to begin with…
(*)
Monday, September 7th, 1998 - 8:15 a.m. (GMT+0)/3:15 a.m. (GMT-4)
Hours?
Potion Status: Meditative
"As most of you know, and for those who were present during last school year, the Department of Education has deemed that the curriculum set forth, and pertaining to, Muggle Studies and Dark Arts, and with the negation of Defense Against the Dark Arts, your seventh year educations are incomplete, and these courses must be retaken before you are able to graduate."
McGonagall's voice rang throughout the Great Hall, which contained the 36 students who would have graduated the year prior: the currently deemed "8th Years". The Headmistress stood next to a short, white, cylindrical pedestal that sat at the top of the stairs before the high table, and an open black box sat atop it. There was also a pile of different styled and different colored bags that lie behind her to her left.
"I know that not all of you had planned to be here this year," McGonagall went on. "I'm positive that some of you had more important ventures, so the Minister for Magic and I had a very long talk about a week ago that led to our agreeing to give you all the opportunity to participate in only one of the two terms this year."
A whisper ripped through the Great Hall, and I could not help but join them, turning to Blaise to ask, "What the actual fuck?"
He shrugged at me, and we continued to listen as the Headmistress went on,
"If you pass our test, you will be awarded a very early summer holiday, starting the second that Christmas Holiday begins. Those who fail will be required to stay until final exams in June.
"Those of you who do not wish to participate in the test- which is not a written exam before you go asking, Mr. Weasley- may stay put. Those of you who wish to forgo the opportunity I am presenting are free to leave now."
Three students turned and walked out the door; a Hufflepuff, Roger Malone, and two Ravenclaws, Stephen Cornfoot and Sue Li.
"Is that it?" The Headmistress asked as she looked around. "No one else?"
The rest of us who stayed, the 33 curious students that remained, looked about, noticed that no one else was taking the opportunity to leave, and then turned back to listen to McGonagall as she began to explain what I would later learn to be the hardest test I'd ever taken.
"It would seem that that's that," McGonagall toned before she became more serious to say, "We shall begin immediately. I will be performing a spell that will randomly choose groups of four. There may be a group or two with three. When those groups have been established, I want you to stand together, and then I will inform you of the next step. And, Mr. Weasley, before you ask, yes, you must work with your group throughout the entire exam, and no, you cannot trade spots with another student to be on a different team."
Weasley sulked with a deep frown as a few of those around us tittered or laughed at the specific attention he was receiving, and I smirked at him. McGonagall knew he'd complain about something faster than Hermione could even ask a question.
"Now," McGonagall said, clearing her throat, "Without further ado…" She raised her wand and said, "Constituo Humanus."
A ball of the light formed at the tip of her wand, and it grew in size and brightness until the Headmistress lowered her hand. The ball of light then split into 33 smaller balls of light of varying colors, which began to fly about the room, choosing a student and floating just above of their heads.
I looked up to mine as the others did, noting its white glow, and looked among the sea of purple, green, blue, pink, red, orange, black, and yellow ones to locate my team members. Finnigan tried to grab his orb instead of looking for his teammates, not that that mattered much considering he was practically standing hand in hand with one of them; the one and only Dean Thomas, who also had a blue orb of his own. I also got momentarily distracted by Brocklehurst attempting to move hers by blowing gusts of air at it.
I first noticed Hermione's white orb, the witch standing beside the purple orbed Weasley, and she gave a look of annoyance that pulled her full lips into a tight frown as she began to walk towards me. I could not deny that I was worried at her expression, but it brightened into a wide grin as Harry, who'd been out of sight standing beside the taller, broader form of Ron, fell into step beside her as they walked from one end of the room to the other in my direction.
For a moment I regretted taking pleasure in the Weasley man's reaction to not being able to trade with another student, because I would have traded with him in a heartbeat as the two Gryffindors stopped a meter from me, wearing matching looks of displeasure and determination as Harry said, "It looks like it's just the three of us."
I looked about the room one last time for stragglers, and when I realized that there were no other students with a white orb, I turned back and nodded with a sigh, saying, "It would seem so." Then I asked offhandedly, and mostly as an excuse to look away from them as I asked, "What could we possibly be doing that there would be a need for teams?" My eyes scanned McGonagall once more, as well as the box and packs.
Harry shrugged, and Hermione, with her frown still in place, answered, "I have no idea, Malfoy. But you'd better help us." Her tone was hostile, and I could swear I heard an intoned, "this time".
I looked back at her with a tightened jaw, but said nothing, only for my attention to be drawn away once more when McGonagall yelled over the chatter, "Are there any groups of three?"
Hermione's hand was the first to go up, naturally, while her eyes were still glued to mine and glaring. Then Padma Patil, AKA The Blue Patil, who stood between Oliver Rivers and Sophie Roper, from the black team, raised her hand. Then Daphne Greengrass, who stood between Neville Longbottom and Michael Corner, from the red team, did as well.
"Wonderful," McGonagall said pleasantly as she looked between the three teams, before settling on us. "Come up here, Miss Granger. Mr. Potter. Mr. Malfoy. Your team first."
We did as we were told, and I readily ignored the glare that Weasley gave me at the sight of me being grouped with his besties. He shouldn't have been so mad, though. He was on a team with Megan Jones, Lisa Turpin and Pansy, and last I'd checked they'd all scored higher than him in everything. It was likely they would pass their test on the three women's knowledge alone.
And, if the rumors were true, he was still single, so he was bound to have fun with the estrogen heavy team. Except for with Pansy, because, well… That should just be obvious.
"Here we have a box of Portkeys." The Headmistress began as she motioned to the box to which the three of us had just drawn near. "There are nine of them. Seven represent the seven core subjects: History of Magic, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Potions, Transfiguration, and Herbology. The other two represent two random extracurriculars, which were pulled from a hat, and are Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies.
"Upon a team member choosing one of these Portkeys, your group will be assigned a subject. You will be given a piece of parchment with instructions for your task inside of a pack," she motioned to the pile of packs, "which will also contain all you will need for your journey. Keep your Portkey in your pack, and keep your pack safe, for you will need your Portkey to return home once your test is complete.
"The Portkey is spelled to sense when you've finished and will then begin to glow. It will transport you back here once all of you have come in contact with it. If you fail to complete your test, the Portkey will glow when your time is up. If you apparate home before the test is complete, you forfeit your early holiday. If you can apparate home, that is… Any questions?"
33 hands went up into the air.
The Headmistress gave a loud, hearty laugh that stunned us all into wide-eyed stares of fear, before that fear cemented itself in our hearts as she said, "I was only joking. You're all on your own. Your instructions will tell you all you need to know.
"Now, Miss Granger. Go ahead and choose a Portkey."
Hermione looked up at our Headmistress in shock, before looking to first Harry, then over at me, and then peered into the box of Portkeys as we all did. We inspected them all without touching them- a shoe, a menu from Madam Puddifoot's, a necklace, a birdhouse, a canteen, a thermometer, a snow globe depicting Big Ben, a teddy bear, and a vinyl record- and I heard the witch beside me gulp audibly as she reached into the box and pulled out the thermometer.
I would have chosen the snow globe.
We looked at the thermometer- a long instrument made of mostly metal and glass, and half a meter long- before turning our gazes to McGonagall, who smiled as she said, "You have chosen the thermometer. Your subject is Potions." I gave a loud sigh of relief, which made Harry and Hermione glance at me with raised brows, and the Headmistress went on, "Your pack is the yellow duffel bag." She motioned to the pile of packs, and I made to pick up the yellow bag as I was closest. It was obviously empty, for it was deflated, but as I lifted it, it felt like it weighed a tonne.
"Within it are your instructions," McGonagall stated. "Now. Take hold of the Portkey, all of you. And good luck."
"This bag is heavy," I stated to the Headmistress, nodding to the duffel in my hand.
"Good luck to you, Mr. Malfoy," was all the wizened witch said, giving me a raised brow as she motioned with her eyes to the thermometer.
Harry sighed heavily before grabbing the opposite end of the thermometer from Hermione, and I pursed my lips as I slowly reached to set my hand between theirs. But my look of unease disappeared as I did, the hook of the Portkey taking the back of my neck and pulling me into the nothing, only to spit me out into a location that was muggy, hot, and cloaked in the darkness of night.
Harry and Hermione had appeared safely beside me, the three of us in a circle around the Portkey, and in seconds we all had our wands out, and turned to be back-to-back-to-back as we went on guard in our dark surroundings. We all immediately chorused, "Lumos."
The jungle around us became more visible as the three lights came to life, showing us the thick foliage and tall trees that blocked out a large majority of the moon light. The sounds of birds could be heard, as well as the rustle and shaking of the leaves as an ocean breeze flew through the branches, its smell distinct by the salt in the air.
"What in the bloody hell?" Harry asked, turning about as he looked up and down and all around. "Where are we?"
"Judging by the darkness and the morning birds-" Hermione began as she reached over for the duffel and pulled it from my grip with not so much as a please or thank you. I frowned at her in the Lumos light, but she ignored me as she went on, "- I'd say somewhere south-west of England. It's early, early morning."
She set the duffle at her feet, for she too had difficulty holding it for too long, and opened the deflated, tonne-weighing bag to expose a single piece of rolled parchment lying at the bottom. She reached down to pull it out, unsealed and unrolled it, and began to read it aloud,
"Miss Granger,
"I must say I am pleased by your choice in subjects, and I eagerly await to find out how you, Mr. Malfoy, and Mr. Potter fare in the test to come.
"The three of you are on a small island north-east of the Caribbean island Anguilla, which is owned by the British Ministry of Magic, is unplottable, and goes by the name Rayella (Pronounced ray-yay-ya). It is four miles long and two miles wide. It is uninhabited, as it is used for research purposes only, so you should be undisturbed and able to focus on your test, which is to brew the potion on the back of this parchment."
Hermione stopped reading to turn the parchment over, and noted that the back of the letter was still empty before she said, "What..? It's not here."
She shook her head in confusion and kept reading.
"Unlike the majority of your classmates, you are not scheduled to return to Hogwarts until two days from now-"
"What?!" I nearly yelled, surprised, angry and confused.
Why would McG do me so dirty; to stick me with the Wonder Twins for two days on a secluded island?
She must really hate me…
"- or 51 hours to be exact-"
"That's not two days!" Harry interjected.
I momentarily wanted to throttle him for unnecessarily stating the obvious.
"- which should give you enough time to find the ingredients that either live or grow on the island, or have been placed, and brew your potion as long as knowledge and camaraderie allow."
"Pff!" I gave a gust of air through my lips, because "camaraderie" was not likely. Hermione was still glaring.
"And, unlike your classmates," the grouchy woman went on, "your test will have an extra element of difficulty, seeing as I am sure that the three of you would have mostly found the original version of this test quite boring. Your seven ingredients will appear on this parchment, but only one at a time, and only after you have located the last ingredient listed will the next appear, and only when you've found them all will your instructions appear.
"Keep in mind that your potion will take 22 hours to brew.
"The same goes for the map of the island as far as divulgence goes. You will now find the map in your pack, which will reveal itself as you explore your surroundings.
"Also inside of your pack is a tent, complete with a brewing station and food you may prepare for yourselves, and water. I suggest you set up camp so that you can brew your potion once you've found all of your ingredients. When your potion is complete, the three of you must drink the proper dose before your Portkey will consider bringing you back.
"We expect to see you back here in two days, by lunch at 12 p.m. GMT on the 9th of September. And, once again, I wish you all good luck. Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall.
"P.S. Do know that Summoning or Conjuring ingredients for this potion will be counted as cheating and the penalty for cheating means the forfeiture of your early holiday."
Hermione looked up to us as she finished reading, and Harry scoffed as he said, "That sounds lovely. What if there's an emergency?"
"I thought our whole lives were emergencies," I said, rolling my eyes at the hell I found myself in.
"You can say that again," Harry grumbled.
"Our whole lives are emergencies," I repeated.
He gave me a one-sided smile, which I was surprised to see but returned nonetheless, and Hermione turned to Harry to say, "First things first. We need to find somewhere safe to pitch that tent, because we have 29 hours to find our ingredients and have enough time to brew the potion. The first ingredient is, of course, 3.8 liters of water boiled to 205 degrees Celsius, so let's set up the tent and get started since there's water in it."
"I will admit," I interjected before she could go any further, turning to face the both of them, my annoyance triggering at watching Hermione Granger act like her same old bossy self, "that out of the two of you, you, Granger, are the obvious choice for leadership." They both glared at me, the expressions almost eerie in the bright blue-white of the wands. "But with me here, we shou-"
"Malfoy. It is obvious to everyone that you are not fit to make decisions, so, therefore, I am the obvious choice to do so. No offense, Harry." The wizard shrugged, saying nothing. She went on, her frown still in place. "You can do the brewing, though, for I must admit that you are the obvious choice for that part of the test."
Harry and I both blinked at her for a second, wherein she continued to glare at me, before I asked, "Did you just insult and compliment me at the same time?"
"Take it or leave it, Malfoy. Now," she turned to Harry, her expression changing instantly to one of pleasantry and determination, "What do you think of camping by the beach? I'd be too worried to sleep deep in the trees."
"I agree. No more forest camping. Beach camping only," Harry said, then cast a Nox before casting a Point Me. He followed his wand 180 degrees, the tip pointing between the witch and me, and without wasting another second, The Man Who Lived took off towards the east.
"Where are you going?" I asked his back, reaching to grab the duffel from the witch who had tried to pick it up, ignoring what it felt like to touch her hand in my doing so.
"The island is only two miles wide. I'm heading east," he answered. "Eventually we'll find the ocean."
Hermione moved past me to follow him, and I took up the rear, looking about with my Lumos at every rustle or crackling of a twig, listening for many minutes as Hermione rambled.
"Why in the hell won't she tell us what the potion is, at least? …And why would we need to come here to brew it? Why send us to the Caribbean for this test? Why not just put us all in rooms and not let us out until we were done, or something? This seclusion is dangerous… McGonagall probably feels we can handle this Harry, but what if another group had gotten this test? Not many would be able to do this without first losing their heads.
"Do you think this was intentional? Do you think she planned all of this? Well, except maybe the Malfoy part?" She gasped loudly as I frowned at her back, then she asked Harry, "What if this is some ruse?" She gasped again, then exclaimed, "This is a test! A test of how well we can work together!"
"Well done, Granger. You've figured it out," I drawled, already tired of listening to her read too far into things. "McGonagall convinced Kingsley to extend an inconceivable amount of money, resources, and favors so that she could send forty eighth-years on field trips for friendship. Get a hold of yourself!"
"He's got a point, Hermione," Harry admitted, though slightly begrudgingly.
I ignored his tone and said, "Thank you. It's good to know that one of the two of you are smart, and not just paranoid and book smart."
Hermione looked like she was quelling an urge to kill me, which I endeavored to stay stoic through despite being slightly scared- as well as annoyed with myself for not being able to stop harassing her- Harry held up a hand at me as if to say, "Be cool with the insults,", before going on, "What could possibly come from forcing us to work together, only to let us out into the world without each other four months later?"
"Right?" I agreed, moving to walk alongside him through the bushes, as well as avoiding the witch's burning stare. "If all of the other subjects are this elaborate, you have to take into account how much it costs to expedite the processing of international Portkeys. And then you add that she planned this a week ago. It takes almost a month to get a Portkey to the Caribbean. Believe me, I know."
"Then the food, the packs full of God knows what," Harry threw in. "She's our Headmistress, not some mischievous aunt playing pranks."
"Yeah," I said, then added, "She's also a Gryffindor. Gryffindors do weird shite. She isn't a Hufflepuff, out to make us hold hands and skip through the daisies. This is undoubtedly just a fair way to test our skills and general knowledge of all subjects. If I-"
Harry and I both stopped walking, turning around to see that Hermione wasn't behind us anymore, but we could still see her Lumos some meters back, growing closer, though slowly. When she broke through the leaves, she gave us both a serious look as she said, "It's nice to see you two are already proving me right... I love being right."
She then moved to walk between us, pushing past us both with her shoulders knocking into ours, before quietly beginning to take the lead herself. Harry and I looked at one another for a moment, and Harry waited for the witch to walk a few more paces before saying in a low voice, "She's usually right, you know."
"Oh," I said with a nod. "I know. But it just seems highly unlikely to me."
"It does to me, too," he agreed. "But either way, whatever the reason, we still have to pitch a tent and brew a potion."
(*)
Monday, September 7th, 1998 – 5:45 a.m. (GMT-4)/10:45 a.m. (GMT+0)
50 hours to go
Potion Status: Pending (28 hours until brewing must begin)
Setting the tent up had taken Harry and Hermione only a few seconds, the two long familiar with one another and the chore. The Gryffindors quickly got accustomed to the fact that we all had to live together in a small space, the two picking the bunk beds before Harry began to unpack the duffel. Hermione made herself a snack from the fridge.
I sat on my single cot that sat a meter away from their bunk bed as I watched them, learning as they did, but vicariously.
By the time that Harry pulled the cauldron from the duffel, I was on him, grabbing the pewter object from his hands as I moved to the stovetop. I set the cauldron atop the burner and moved to grab a jug of water from where Hermione had located it in one of the cupboards by the doorway.
"53 ITs of powdered Ghost Crab shell." The witch had picked up the letter and looked at the back. She must have noticed the next ingredient appear once I grabbed the water jug. She set the letter down with a sigh, adding, "Well. I'm glad we chose to walk to the ocean. My guess is that the Ghost Crabs are out there."
She pointed out the open door of the tent that flapped in the light breeze.
"On it!" Harry exclaimed, kicking off his shoes before dashing out the door.
I watched him go with my jaw slackened, before tightening it and turning to the witch to ask, "He's having fun with this, isn't he?"
She gave me a small glare as she said with a harsh tone, "Yes. Yes he is."
"Does that bother you?" I asked, wondering why her face and voice would be so sour at watching Harry Potter be happy.
"No," she answered, her glare deepening.
It took me a moment to realize that I was what was bothering her, which I shouldn't have been surprised about, and when it hit me I glared back as I asked, "Is my presence vexing you?"
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked in a voice so unamused Severus would have been proud.
The urge to argue was there. Oh, Merlin, did I want to reply with a jibe or an insult, but I had sworn some months ago that, if ever given the chance, I would do my best not to fight her or Harry. I hadn't come to grips with reality enough to stop berating Ron, but, baby steps… and I took those baby steps right out the door to find Harry splashing in the waves like some child, leaving Hermione to scowl and glare in the tent like some bitter old bat.
Harry's Lumos flashed and danced as he bounded back and forth in the water, peering down as he looked for the Ghost Crabs. He had a smile on his face, and I watched him for a few moments as I marveled at how carefree he looked. I'd never seen him behave so. Life had been so cruel for so long, I was sure there had never been a time that I could have witnessed him in such a state of simple bliss.
I almost didn't want to disturb him, but he noticed me standing at my place by the tent, and he waved me over to join him. I faltered at first, before finally deciding to kick off my baby seal loafers and roll them up in my robe before walking over to him, asking,
"Find one?"
"No," he answered. "Help me, yeah?"
"'Course," I said, grabbing my wand from my pocket and casting a Lumos, joining him in his search.
It wasn't as strange as I thought it would be. We didn't talk much, and though it was kind of weird to be working with him, it was almost peaceful. The last time he and I had seen each other, besides at the welcome dinner the night before, was during my sentencing. We'd all been present at my hearing, but it had taken the jury a week to decide before calling me back from Azkaban to tell me I was to be acquitted due to my age and other such circumstances. However, I was on a probationary period that would last five years.
I absently wondered if McGonagall told my PO that I was leaving the country.
I shrugged it off.
Harry seemed to accept my punishment as fair, and Ron had looked pretty pissed. Hermione had been in between. Her face hadn't been red like the Weasel's, but she hadn't given me a nod of semi-pleasant acknowledgement like the man who stood a few meters away from me had.
That was when I'd decided I wouldn't give Harry hell. Hermione fell in because she deserved some respect for working so hard to free everyone from the hell we'd found ourselves in.
But that Ron Weasley, man…
I hoped he wasn't being too much of a prick to Pansy. He really was such a dick sometimes. I have my moments, this is true, but the youngest Weasley man had a temper that had seemed to grate on many. His outbursts were ludicrous.
I supposed it could have been worse. He could have been in the group with us.
"I think we're going to have to dive, Malfoy," Harry eventually called to me. "I haven't seen anything. They're Ghost Crabs. Don't you think they'd be out at night?"
I rolled my eyes as sense hit me, and I cast a Nox before saying, "Turn your light out, Potter."
He did and he walked over to me, doing his best to look into the water with the dim light of the stars, asking, "Do you think we scared them with the light?"
"I don't know," I said as we walked up onto the sandy beach. "I've never gone Ghost Crab hunting before."
"Done much hunting?" Harry asked me, seeming rather genuine in his asking.
"No. I can't say that I have," I admitted. "I've done plenty of Crup coursing, though."
"Crup coursing?" He asked with a smile, to which I nodded. "I have to see that shite…" he mused. He then looked back to the ground, saying, "I wish we could just summon a damn crab."
"That would be nice," I agreed.
"But too easy," he added with a sigh as he sat down beside me. I remained standing, and I glanced back at the tent that Hermione had yet to emerge from.
I sighed this time, stating, "Granger is avoiding me, I think."
"Let her," Harry answered. "She'll come around. She's no fan of you, but she knows that we'll need all the potions help we can get."
"And if she doesn't?" I asked. "Come around, that is?"
He shrugged. "She's pretty forgiving. You can thank Ron for that." He paused, then added, "But you'd do best not to piss her off. She can be quite scary."
"I've noticed." I really had. "What do you think she's doing in there?"
Out of all of the years I'd been graced with Hermione Granger's presence, I had never known her to sit out and watch others pass a test for her. It was usually the opposite, actually.
"If it is one thing Hermione hates it's not knowing something. She's probably conjuring every Potions book she knows of, trying to find all of the potions that include Ghost Crab."
"Wouldn't- that- be cheating?" I asked, looking down at him with furrowed brows as I crossed my arms.
"Ha! Yeah. But the rules didn't say anything against it."
I stared down at him in disbelief for many seconds before finally asking, "Are you serious?"
"We play to win, Malfoy," was his easy answer.
I scoffed, because I shouldn't have been surprised. How many times had they bent the rules and I felt it was just so like them to do so?
At least fifty.
But I played it off by drawling, "That was an all too Slytherin answer."
"Meh… Slytherin. Gryffindor. Huff. Rave… It's all the same. We're just people. Really- really messed up people."
"You can say that again."
"Really- really… Wait." He stopped, eyes still straight ahead, his hand slowly rising to point at something as he said, "Do you see that?"
Just as he asked this, I did see it. Something that was hardly visible against the sand moved slowly to our left some three meters ahead at the edge of the water, and before I could decide what it was, Harry had his wand out, casting, "Stupefy."
We ran to the immobilized, sand-colored Ghost Crab, and Harry picked it up by a limp claw as he said with a smile, "Bingo."
"You know I don't want to say this, but good eye, Potter."
He gave me a small laugh, then asked, "Was that hard to say?"
I held my chest, over my heart, and jokingly replied, "I think my heart tried to seize."
He laughed again as he began to walk to the tent, me trailing him, the both of us now avoiding the other Ghost Crabs that had decided to emerge from the darkness, and he called out to Hermione as we entered, "Honey! I brought breakfast!"
"Splendid," Hermione monotoned from behind her book, pointing to the stove where a pot of boiling water was on the burner beside the cauldron. "Drop it in there."
Harry moved to do so, and I walked to the table that was now covered in some ten different potions books, looking at and reading all of the bindings I could. I stopped behind her, saying, "You hit it on the nose, Potter. She's looking the potion up."
"Yep," the Gryffindor man said as he poked at the crab with a fork.
"Here, Granger," I said as I moved to her left, using my wand to conjure three books from my library at home. "These are from the Manor's library. They're mine, once my great-grandfather's, so do be nice to them. Also. They aren't cursed, so don't ask."
She looked up at me at this, then to the books, setting the one in her hand down as she said, "Thank you, Malfoy," before looking at the new books' bindings.
"My pleasure," I said, grabbing the one from the bottom of the stack and sitting in the chair beside her, opening the cover as I joined her in her task.
"It's already changing color," Harry said.
"Give it another minute," I answered.
He nodded and kept watching.
(*)
Monday, Sept 7th, 1998 – 3:45 p.m (GMT-4)/8:45 p.m. (GMT+0)
40 hours to go
Potion Status: Pending
Once the Ghost Crab had been boiled and cooked, I used the stone and mortar to crush the shell into powder. The second I finished, the next ingredient had appeared: Six Dittany leaves at least 25 mm in length.
Hermione had packed lunch, and I had packed the books into the duffel before we left the tent and began our early morning journey back into the jungle as the sun rose behind us.
I found the Dittany only a 100 paces from our tent, which had been anticlimactic to say the least. However, our next ingredient, four Axolotl legs, had proven more difficult, and far more dramatic.
Once Hermione had gone searching through the duffel in hopes of it giving her a specific tome, and then having it supply it, the witch was not happy. The book had many a picture of Axolotls; creatures I found to be interesting, not so interesting to Harry, and "absolutely adorable" to Hermione.
When she'd seen the first picture of pale pink, four-legged fish, she went, "Aaaaaaaawwe! They're absolutely adorable!" Then she paused before her face soured, and her tone deepened as she growled, "We have to cut their legs off?!"
Harry seemed a little worried at this, which I deduced was from fear of based on knowledge; how we ALL knew how Hermione detested the mistreatment/mutilation of any creature besides Voldemort. I asked for the book, which she gave to me, and after reading about them for only a few minutes I was able to tell her that Axolotls regenerate their limbs.
"Does that really matter?" she asked, bewildered.
I'd sighed in frustration before saying, "It does, Granger, but we have no choice. It's the next ingredient. If it makes you feel any better, I will handle collecting the legs, and you don't even have to be around."
She'd blinked at me, still embittered, but nodded stiffly.
After spending quite some time tromping through some shallow creeks, Harry and I were able to catch four of the unfortunate creates, deciding taking one leg from four different ones was obviously less cruel than taking four from one.
Hermione sat far down the river, out of sight around the next bend while Harry held the walking fish, and I did what I promised the witch I'd do.
The next ingredient Hermione found, only some time after our 3pm "dinner", and thank fucking Merlin it didn't include mutilating a creature to attain it.
We were on high ground at this point, having taken to hiking up the tall hill at the very northern point of the mountain. A small vial of squid ink, and numbing agent when used in potions, had been wrapped in a bit of purple cloth, placed atop a rock, plain for all to see.
Harry and I had been miffed, because he and I had been looking at far less conspicuous places.
By the time we found the vial of squid ink, it was already pushing 4 p.m. We were exhausted from running around the island all day. With five of the seven ingredients found, and 18 hours until we had to start the potion, we decided to take a break.
Hermione dissaparated from the hilltop, and Harry and I followed her, landing in the tent.
As we landed, Harry said to the witch, "This is sooooo much easier than hunting Horcruxes."
"Soooooo much!" the witch agreed enthusiastically.
"I almost feel like suggesting a nap instead of sleeping, so that we can take on the last two. Stay ahead of schedule."
"In the dark?" Hermione asked.
"Do you hear yourself?" Harry asked, a smile creeping along his face. "In the dark?" he asked in a sissy voice that sounded too much like his whiney mate Ron for me not to smile a short second.
"Oh, come off it. You know what I mean," the witch answered with a roll of her eyes at Harry's growing grin.
"No. I don't think I do. You've faced scarier things than the dark."
"I know. Including living alone in a tent with you for a month! It's a good thing we'll only be here a couple of days."
"That's still not as frightening as your mushroom soup," he countered with a sly grin.
"Let's not mention that ever again," she said in, mostly, mock seriousness.
"Yes, ma'am," Harry answered, giving her a military salute. She still grinned at this, and it lit up the tent as she pushed Harry lightly on the shoulder.
A part of me saw to me turning away from the two friends. I felt left out, which was to be expected, but another part of me was intrigued by the things they were saying, and I didn't really want to butt in and stop the conversation. I knew little about their time spent on the run, and here they were, giving me more clues to a section in their lives I was highly curious about.
I moved quietly from the door to my cot, setting down the pack as I sat beside it, the two continuing on.
"The next ingredient is a vial of Muddled Moss..." Hermione said. "If you were a vial of Muddled Moss," she began to ask, her eyes on Harry, "where would you be?"
"In the potions stores at Hogwarts," he answered with a sly grin.
I have to admit that I liked the expression on him all too much.
"Shut your gob!" she exclaimed. "We're not going to chance it."
"We chance everything."
"Not this time. McGonagall will know. So… Perhaps buried? Stashed in a cave? Sunk to the bottom of the ocean?" She jumped up to sit on the countertop, then wordlessly and wandlessly Summoned a bright green apple from the fruit bowl at the center of the table and took a bite.
I titled my head at her curiously.
Harry joined her on the countertop, saying, "Any of those sound good to me." He took her apple and stole a bite before handing it back, musing as he chewed, "We found the Dittany on the forest floor, the Axolotls in that creek… The vial of squid ink on the top of the hill…"
The map suddenly flew from the table and into the dark-haired wizard's hand, without him saying a thing. He opened it, and the witch leaned in close to him to join in him in studying the parchment, while I studied them.
For a moment I had to look back and forth between them in shock. They'd obviously been practicing wandless wordless magic, something I thought only 50+ year old witches and wizards could accomplish. Though I was surprised by this, I wasn't all that effected. If anyone could achieve that before their time, it would be Harry and Hermione.
They were both highly skilled, and, not to mention, as I sat staring at them, quite attractive.
They both had good facial features, Hermione with her heart-shaped face, and full lips, and golden eyes that seemed to hold the answers to everything; and Harry with eyes as green as the jungle that surrounded us, a squared jaw, and lips that seemed to smile impishly whenever he wasn't in harm's way.
Their physiques were just as appealing, for Harry had filled out, not nearly the scrawny waif he had once been. His half buttoned shirt with its rolled up sleeves showed a strong muscled chest, and forearms that had been toned and tanned. His trousers helped nil in my avoiding how they fit rather tight over his muscular thighs. And the woman? Well, there was no doubt that she was just that. Her uniforms used to hang on her like a bag, her body once so flat it was sad. But now the garments mostly served as a way to allude to her femininity, especially since she'd removed her oxford and was wearing only a tank top, flashing great expanses of gold and cocoa skin that clashed against the stark white of the fabric.
It had been hot as hell running around the jungle, and I can't say that I didn't allow my eyes to wander to the bits of skin they both showed off. Climbing up a hill behind either of them had been an eye-catching mistake I made all too often.
Well… It was kind of a mistake.
"Hey, Draco," Harry said suddenly, eyes still downcast on the map.
"Yes?" I answered. "For a moment I thought you had both forgotten I was here." Hermione looked up to frown at my words, her lips wrapped around the apple mid-bite, and in a suggestive way that caused my mind to wander. She tilted her head as she lifted a brow.
"Nonsense," Harry answered.
Hermione popped her lips from the apple to say, "I did."
"Shush," Harry lightly scolded her, before looking up to me to ask, "Do you see the pattern?" He held the map out, and I rolled my eyes at Hermione- out of habit, really- as I stood to walk closer, grabbing the map and standing only a foot away from the two on the counter.
I gave Hermione a glance, noticing she still glared at me, and I looked back at the map with irritation, only for the expression to change as I saw what Harry had seen. In the places we had walked, where the map had seen fit to reveal itself, the pattern was obvious.
The ingredients were in an almost perfect circle, where I was sure the last two were hidden on the far western side of the island where the map was still blank.
I wandlessly accio'd the ink and quill from the table, something that was easy for me as long as I spoke, and set the map down on the counter between their hips. Harry slid down the counter a bit to give me enough space to work as I began to mark the locations of our ingredients, and though the map was blank in one area, I put the marks where I believed the last two could possibly be, which completed the circle.
"I'm not going to be able to sleep now," Hermione said as she jumped down from the counter to stand with her chest barely resting against my arm as she looked around me and to my handiwork.
The feeling of her so close to me started a reaction that I did not want to think about. I glanced to Harry's leg, which rested against my hip as he leaned over for a better look at the map as well, and, suddenly, I was boxed in. Or, I felt that way at least.
With a heat rising up my chest I glanced to Harry, then turned a bit to look at Hermione, both of their faces but inches from mine. I then looked back to Harry, only to find his eyes waiting for me. He lifted a black brow at me as we began to study each other's faces- much like we'd done back at Easter- before the both of us turned to look at Hermione.
For a second her eyes were downcast to the map, but then she must have felt our gazes, because her golden- brown orbs snapped up to look between us as she blinked… then her wheels must have turned far enough, because she backed away from me, and at being freed I backed away from both of them.
There was stretch of silence where we all looked at each other in turn, before the witch said, "Never mind. I think I need to sleep."
"Yeah," Harry began as he jumped off of the counter, but had to clear his throat before continuing, "I think that's a good idea."
I said nothing as I turned from them, sure to hide the flush I just knew was there, and I moved to my cot where I kicked off my shoes. I then sat at the end and began to unbutton my shirt. I'd earlier thought of removing it as we'd been running around the forest, but instead settled for rolling up my sleeves and unbuttoning the top few buttons of my oxford, for I was sure no sun blocking charm would work on the paleness of my skin.
I was accustomed to standing in the heat and humidity as I brewed, so the mugginess of the jungle had had little effect on me. But the sun? No way. I'd lived in a dungeon for a while, and had grown to love not being burned to a crisp.
But there was something else I was accustomed to, and that was sleeping starkers.
As I thought on what to do about this, the lights in the tent went out, but, in the light of the day that stilled blared into the tent through the crack of the door, I could see all too well as the other two began strip to their skivvies; Harry wearing only his dark blue, possibly black, boxer shorts, and Hermione wore nothing but a pair of white knickers and her see-through white tank top. She was working on removing her bra the Muggle way, and when she was finished I noticed her dark nipples through the fabric.
So many a thing crossed my mind at that moment that I couldn't help but stare at them as my mind reeled; 'Wow. They seem comfortable. Don't they know I'm here? They obviously don't care. They also seem not to care about seeing each other this way. Strange… Where the hell did Granger get those thighs? And Potter? Where did you get that arse? Whoa! Granger! Where did you get that arse?!'
My eyes were stuck on them when they both turned to look at me. They must have noticed that I'd gone still, and felt that I'd been staring, all wide-eyed and daft. Harry adopted his usual look of mischief, with an added brow lift, while Hermione looked at me with slight curiosity, before she grew a haughty expression and turned from me with a "humph". My eyes then darted back to Harry, and I noticed his look of pure, slightly mocking, amusement.
I averted my eyes quickly here, down to my socked feet, and quietly took a deep breath through my nose to stop myself from having to strong a physical reaction, and for a few seconds I had an internal battle… one of many to come.
My first initial reaction was to pretend I hadn't seen a thing and I lie under my covers before spelling my clothes to lie at the end of my bed. You know, try and convince myself I hadn't completely embarrassed myself enough not to sleep. But, of course, there was a second option that came to me, one that I found to be far more fun, and far less humiliating, considering Harry's look of enjoyment at my expense.
Without much of a thought, except "Three can play that game", I stood once more and began to strip the Muggle way as well, keeping my eyes on the floor as I said, "I think I'll shower first, actually." I threw my shirt on the bed, and dropped my trousers. I then tore off my socks and set them by my other clothes before spelling the garments clean. When I turned back to them, it was to find that the other two were giving me looks I assumed were similar to those I'd worn only a minute before.
Hermione, after my catching her staring, quickly rolled over in her top bunk to settle in. I didn't fail to miss her slightly widened eyes as they'd torn themselves from my backside. Harry, however, didn't do anything to cover up the fact that he was staring. He simply gave a tilt of his head, and a slight nod of appreciation, before lying back onto his bed atop the covers.
His eyes were closed as I passed him on my way to the loo, my mind trying not to think too long on the situation at hand, but I swear I could feel the green orbs on my back as I shut the door.
A/N: What did ya' think? Yay? Nay?
I have three more parts to this Potions exam, but do keep in mind that each subject has its own chapter or set of chapters, which will be posted as separate fics as part of the "The Exam Game" series. This four-parter will be, mostly, from Draco's first person POV. None of the others are like that, though. And that's only because I love writing for Draco the most. I don't know… Whatevs.