Hi everyone. I'm bored so I decided to write a one-shot. Please excuse my Grammar and vocabulary mistakes. I'm not English but I'll try to make this story without too many mistakes. Have fun. (2008)
Well it's 2011 now and my English is still not perfect but I wanted to read my fan fiction again and decided I might as well correct the mistakes I see. I tried to change only the spelling and grammar and keep the rest of the story as it was. Remember I'm still just a girl from the Netherlands trying to write English stories so it's still not perfect. Enjoy. (2011)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters I use in this story. Everything except the plot belongs to J.K. Rowling.
The part in the end about the three words and eight letters was inspired by Gossip Girl. So that doesn't belong to me either.
Summary: Draco has a secret and Hermione is determined to find out what it is. In order to follow him around she takes the animagus potion and makes herself look like a cat. Draco suspects something when he sees the black cat following his every step and sets a trap.
DM/HG one-shot
Who's the prey?
Chapter one: Payback time
"I'm not nosy" Hermione says, feeling insulted.
"Yes you are! You have been bugging me about my whereabouts for the last couple of days"
"Well I have a right to know. I'm head Girl and since you are head boy you have the same responsibilities as I do and when you don't do what you are supposed to I have a right to know why!"
"I don't care what you think. I won't tell you anything so stop bugging me or I'll hex you." He said in a calm way he knew would piss her off even more.
"You wouldn't dare." She said.
"Try me."
"I will."
"I'm not noticing anything Granger. Come on; give it your best shot."
"Aarrg you are such a..."
"A what granger? A ferret? Don't you think that's getting a bit old?"
"I wasn't going to say Ferret I was going to say," She thinks about it for a moment but nothing good comes to mind "Ferret head" she says. Right when she said it she knew it was lame.
"Very original Granger, now if you'll excuse me I have somewhere I need to be."
"Hey! Come back here I'm not done arguing with you!" She shouts at him but he is already walking away.
"Then argue with that bloody cat of yours" he answers without even looking back.
"Be glad I only have one!" He waves it off and then disappears through the door.
I will get you Draco Malfoy. They don't call me smart for nothing. I will think of something. Merlin you're so annoying. I can't believe you just left. Stupid arrogant pig!
Hermione thinks these things while walking towards the bookshelf in the back of their dormitory. Being Head Boy an Head girl they share a room together and they have the privileges of having their own bathroom, bedroom, kitchen (although it's all really tiny), research books (which only Hermione ever looks in), walk-in-closets and twin beds. Although she has to share all of this with her archenemy she loves the privileges as well as the duties. She likes having the power to punish annoying Slytherins. But she likes the title even more because it shows that as a muggleborn she is not any less of a witch than the rest of them, if not better.
Hermione's eyes scanned the books in front of her and she pulled out one on mystic creatures. There is a lot in there she couldn't use. Things Hagrid might've be interested in so she decides to lend him the book the next day. At the moment she wanted to close the book her eyes fell on a short passage on animagus. There was a potion in there and a spell. It didn't look very hard. Not to her anyway. For a couple moments Hermione thought about it but there was no use in trying to make her change her mind. She tried to think about the consequences but all that came to her mind were the things she could do in order to get back at Draco. The decision was made. Hermione would turn into an animagus. But what animal did she want to be? It would be cool to be a tiger or something, she thought. But someone ought to notice a big yellow and black cat with big teeth walking through the Hogwarts passageways. No one of the animals allowed would be better. A toad was definitely out of the question. If anybody would find out they'd torture her for life. No definitely not a good idea. That only left the owl and the cat. An owl can fly. It can also see really well. But then again so can a cat. It can't fly but it's fast, quiet and it would be easy to spy on Draco being a cat. He wouldn't think it is strange if there was a new cat in their apartment. He would think it's just one of the stray cats Hermione took home with her. It was actually a good idea. It would be best if her fur would be black because then she would blend in with the background when she went to spy on him at night. She wouldn't need a light because cat's can see very well in the dark.
The more time she spend on thinking about it the more exited she got. She ran towards the Gryffindor tower to borrow Harry's coat without asking in order to borrow some ingredients from Snape. Again without asking. This wasn't new to her. She had done it at least a million times before to practise some potions they hadn't learned in class yet.
When Hermione got back she hid everything she needed for the potion in her closet and then went to return the coat. She wanted to be back before Draco got back but when she stumbles through the portrait he is already there waiting for her.
"And where were you Miss I bug my partner about leaving this late and then vanish myself"
"That's none of your business."
"Granger?"
"What? If you won't tell then I won't either."
"That's low Granger."
"I don't care. Now, if you'll excuse me I would like to get to bed." Hermione tried to walk past him but he put his arm around her waist to hold her back and looks into her eyes trying to charm her into telling him what he wants to know. When she shot an angry look back at him he let her go and she walked towards her room leaving a confused Slytherin behind.
Chapter two: Turning
The next day was a Saturday and Hermione got up early to start on the potion. The book said it would take about a day or two and she wanted it done the same night. When Draco got up about four hours after she did she had to stop with the potion to not look suspicious. She got down and they walked together to get breakfast. They never wait for each other so Hermione hurried to eat a few pancakes and then left to run back to their dormitory the minute she could get out of the great hall. Draco hardly ever returns straight after breakfast so Hermione could easily work on the animagus potion without getting caught. She didn't need to spy on him now because he would probably be playing quidditch anyway. Little did she know that Draco had other plans for that day.
Hermione finished the potion she had been working on a little after dinner. She told Draco she wasn't feeling well and that she didn't want to be disturbed. He just nodded and didn't pay any further attention to her after that. In her big closet that every girl would be jealous of Hermione took the potion and thought about the animal she wanted to become. The black fur, the green eyes, the white whiskers and then she said the magic words. She turned without any trouble. Her eyes stayed Amber though. She looked at herself in the mirror on the wall and decided that she is a very cute little kitty. This was something she never thought she would be thinking. Ever. Then it was time to see what Draco was up to before he would be gone and she couldn't get out of the dormitory anymore. There was no way her kitty self could open the door. She was just in time and saw Draco standing in the doorway. She let out a painful kitty cry that she would definitely need to work on. It was effective anyway. He turned around and was surprised to see the black Kitten standing behind him wailing.
"Where did you come from? Aren't you supposed to be mewing at Granger like that? I don't have any food if that's what you're after." He said to the kitten. Hermione mewed ones more and then runs past him into the hall. Good I'm out of the room. She thought. Now all I need to do is follow him. She hid behind a pillar and of course Draco had to go the other way so she almost lost him. It isn't as easy as I thought it would be to work my way across the stairs. The tail isn't comfortable either. And where the hell is that bloody Malfoy? Great I lost him. Now I'll have to get back and wait for him in front of the portrait. Great. Nice job Hermione Jane Granger, nice job. She got back and her mood wasn't all that well. First she had to get downstairs which wasn't easy but now she had to climb back up which was even more like hell. She sat there in front of their Dormitory for hours knowing she wouldn't be able to transform into her normal body because she didn't have any clothes. They don't transform with you. She explicitly looked that part up. She wondered where Draco was and what he could possibly be doing. As the hours passes she got more and more angry. Angry of him for not telling her and of herself for talking herself into this stupid plan. Then she saw Draco walking towards her and she felt oddly relieved. She was starting to think she might have to sleep out there.
"Oh no not you again." He said to the kitten. "No way am I letting you in. Granger can take care of you. One cat is more than enough around here."
Oh no he's going to lock me out! No way in hell am I letting that happen! I'm a cat I'm much faster than you!
Draco opened the door and when Hermione wanted to run past him he caught her.
"I'm not stupid you know. You did it once I'm not letting you do it again." Hermione looked at him with big eyes hoping he would let his sensitive side take over but that didn't happen. He threw her back outside and closed the door after the final words: your eyes look a lot like Grangers. Shit he noticed. Shit, I'm going to have to sleep here after all! Damn you Malfoy! That's when she remembered he did not have a sensitive side as far as she knew.
Draco took a shower and brushed his teeth to make himself ready to go to bed. He hadn't heard anything of Granger since he got back so he decided to check on her. I'm not checking because I care about her of course but because I will have to do her chores as well if she is really sick. That's what he told himself. He looked into her room and noticed that her bed was empty. Her bed was fully made and the sheets looked untouched. Great she's gone. He thought for a while and then decided to let the little black kitten with Granger lookalike eyes in anyway. Wearing nothing but his boxers he opened the portrait and saw the kitten curled up in front of the portrait fast asleep. He picked her up and carried her to Hermione's room. Hermione woke up in his arms, pressed against his bare chest. She froze when she realized what was happening. She could feel his muscles move. He was so warm, she thought. Being outside for that long really made her cold. He dropped her on the bed and smirked. Hermione was looking dumb at him and Draco laughed. He had never seen a kitten look so stupid and confused before. "Goodnight kitty cat" he said and then walked away. It was a good thing Crookshanks wasn't allowed in her room. He wouldn't like having another cat there and she doubted he would notice it was her.
Chapter three: the final spying
"Good morning miss kitty cat how was your nap? Hermione probably doesn't like you sleeping on her bed. I suggest you role around a bit more so some hairs of yours will stay on her sheets before you come down for breakfast" Draco said to Hermione's cat form as he stuck his head through the doorway to see if Hermione was back yet.
Why did he call me Hermione? Since when are we on first name base? Hermione got up, put her head and tail in the air and jumped off the bed triumphantly.
"Fine, have it your way" Draco said and gives the cat a smirk. Then he was gone.
To Hermione's surprise Draco got some cat food and there were two bowls on the floor. When Hermione didn't eat it he put it in front of her. "Oh come on you'll have to eat something." Hermione didn't take a bite and decided she would go downstairs with him to eat in the great hall. And she did. Draco didn't mind having the cat follow him although he wondered why. There was one other question haunting his mind. Where was Granger? Draco took a seat next to Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson soon took the space on the other side of him. This is great. Hermione thought. Now she could hear what they were all talking about and have some fun with it. Draco and Blaise started talking about some classes and Pansy kept trying to get Draco's attention. Up close it was even more disgusting than from the Gryffindor table. Draco cut his breakfast but he was too busy talking to actually put the bits in his mouth. Hermione took advantage of that of course and ate it every time he had another piece on his fork. She couldn't eat that much. She still felt like something was missing. If there is one thing that Hermione doesn't like its milk. Now she has the strange desire to drink the entire glass. She put her thin black head into the glass and drank as much as she could. Then her tongue couldn't reach the milk anymore and she pulled away. Unfortunately the glass was stuck and came with her. Gravity kicked in and the milk was all over her face. This made it possible to get her head out of the glass but she was white all over. Draco laughed at her and he laughed even more when the kitten gave him an angry look. Hermione jumped on his lap and started to clean her face by wiping it clean using Draco's shirt. "Hey! That's one of my good shirts!" Hermione smiled to herself and curled up to him even more, covering him with milk.
"Aahw he's so cute!" Pansy said and tried to pick Hermione up. Hermione scratched and shrieked and jumped back onto Draco's lap.
"Apparently She doesn't like you" he put the emphasis on the word she. Both he and Blaise laughed at Pansy's bewildered expression.
"So Draco, how is it living with Granger?" Blaise asked.
"He thinks it's horrible don't you Drakie?" Pansy answered for him.
"Kind of yeah, she always wants to know my whereabouts and she is really getting on my nerves with all the studying and the like." Hermione found this the perfect time to test her nails and let him feel them a bit in his leg. She didn't hurt him though. Not yet anyway. He was just supposed to know what they felt like.
"She must be so dull! It's too bad you couldn't have a good-looking head girl there with you or I would know of a couple of ways to spend my time if I were you" Blaise laughed. Hermione tried out her nails on a new victim. This time Blaise was the lucky one. Hermione was really starting to enjoy being a cat.
"Damn it Malfoy what kind of a cat is this? It put its claws in my leg for no reason!" Draco pulled Hermione back to him and started to pet her on the head. He held a firm grip around her waist so she couldn't leave. "Maybe the subject is a bit too personal, its Grangers cat after all" He explained to his friends.
"You are nuts you know that?" Blaise said and looked disgustingly at the cat in his arms. "You hold that thing when it's Grangers?"
"The cat isn't so bad. But I just thought of something I need to do. I'll see you later" he got up but he didn't let Hermione go. Instead he carried her to the seventh floor. After pacing a bit in front of a wall the room of requirements showed its doors and Draco stepped inside taking Hermione with him. He put her down the minute the door closed. The room wasn't very big. It was really kind of cosy with the fireplace and the big sofa. In a corner of the room there is a screen and a chair with a dress on it.
"Well well Granger, I would never have known you would go this far to spy on me. Got a crush on me or something?" he asked the cat.
"Merlin don't be ridiculous that's just gross" Hermione mewed. But instead of hearing the cat's voice she actually heard her own voice and Draco laughed.
"You really thought I was that stupid?"
"You can hear me?"
"Yes."
"But how. All this time?"
"No just now in the room of requirement. I wished for it."
"Well thank god for that."
He didn't comment on that but he wondered what kind of things she was saying to him as a cat. "You are really low Granger" he said instead.
"I thought you suspected something but I couldn't be sure."
"I'm smarter than you think, you know"
"Whatever I'll just change back then. There is no use in staying this way when you know anyway. Besides this tail is killing me" Draco laughed and pointed at the screen in the corner and Hermione disappeared behind it. After a minute or so she called his name. "Draco?"
"Yes?"
"It's not working?"
"What do you mean it's not working?"
"I mean I can't change back. How could this happen? This is not the best time to be incapable of something."
Draco laughed "well it looks like your plan backfired."
"This is not funny!"
"It so is!"
"Do something for Merlin's sake!"
"What do you want me to do?"
"Help me!"
"How?"
"I don't know just try something."
"Okay, hokus pokus.."
"Don't you try to be funny now Draco Malfoy!"
"What? I thought it would be funny to try it the Muggle way" he smirked.
"It's not."
"Well I don't know what to do so just get back here so we can think of a plan."
Hermione hesitated a bit at first but then she walked to him anyway with her head held high. There was no reason to show him she was kind of scared now was there? She jumped on the sofa and sat herself down next to him. Changing positions a few times because the tail kept getting in the way. Draco pulled her into his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"It's cold! The fireplace is obviously a fake"
"Fine" Hermione was still tense but it didn't take long before she relaxed.
"So when did you find out it was me?" Hermione asks him.
"Honestly when you started to use your nails I knew for sure. But I suspected when I saw your eyes and when you weren't home."
"You checked up on me?" she asked.
"Maybe."
"That's sweet."
"I said maybe. Don't go getting all sorts of strange ideas in your head."
"I'm not. I promise. But what will we do about this?"
"Slow down kitty cat. I still got a question for you."
"Which is?"
"Why were you so desperate to know where I was?"
"Because…"
"Say it."
"Say what?"
"That you love me" he smirked.
"Why would I say that?"
"Because it's true."
"No it's not!"
"Are you sure?" he started to pet her again. First on her head and then on her back and her belly. Although she didn't want to Hermione started to purr. She couldn't control it and she hated it.
"See, I told you." He said.
"That doesn't prove anything let's just focus on getting me back to normal."
"Oh believe me I want you back and I know how to make it happen but you will have to say it first."
"How?"
"You seriously need to ask me that? I thought you knew how the room worked. I wish for something and it happens"
"Right. So wish me back when I'm behind the screen" Hermione tried to get of off him but he held her. Being only a kitten she couldn't do much about it.
"Not so fast. You have to say it first."
"No."
"Three words."
"No."
"Eight letters."
"No!"
"Fine, then stay a kitten" he smirked and kept on petting her.
Hermione looked very angry and it only made him laugh even more which made her look even angrier.
"Oh come on it won't be that hard." He said encouragingly.
"I Hate You."
"That's not exactly what I had in mind."
"You asked for three words with eight letters well there they are."
"You know damn well what I wanted to hear."
"I won't say it."
"Then I won't wish you back."
"Pig."
"Gosh I love having this much power over you." Draco smiled.
"Fine, I" ..Pause.. "Like you"
"Close enough" He smiled a little more and let her go. Hermione walked towards the screen and changed back without any problems this time. Then she picked up the dress and put it on.
"Hey! You forgot underwear!" she says.
"Really? How stupid of me" He smiled but Hermione couldn't see it from behind the screen. Then she looked around it to give him another one of her angry looks. He was still smiling as he and walked up to her. He stopped when he was only an inch away from her face. Looking down into her eyes he said: I like you too. And then he kissed her.
Fin
(Hokus Pocus Pilatus Pas is what we say in Holland when we do magic tricks.)