Title: What's Love Got To Do With It
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Severus Snape.
Summary: When the students of Hogwarts lost interest in Valentine's Day over-night, Hermione was relieved. Until she realised that something far more sinister was going on.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5775
Spoilers: Not HBP compatible.
Author's Note: Thanks to my beta, shagmedraco for everything - from naming the OFHE (Original Female House-Elf) to pointing out my mistakes and keeping me writing; thank you. Also, I've never researched another story even half as much as I have this one. Woe.
Distribution: Link only please.
Written: January 2007 - For derryere for the dmhgficexchange (at LiveJournal) Brew A Love Potion For Draco And Hermione Fic Exchange. Her request is at the end.
What's Love Got To Do With It (1/1)
Hermione tried not to roll her eyes as she found her path blocked by a group of girls, giggling and whispering over something she was sure was Valentine's Day related. The actual Valentine's Day wasn't for another five days, and yet, seemingly everyone had been wrapped up in the holiday that wasn't even a real holiday for three days already. It wasn't even that Hermione hated Valentine's Day. She just didn't feel that there was a real need for there being such a big deal over the day.
People shouldn't need a specific day that had no real significance to them or the people in their lives, in which they told the people that they loved that they loved them, simply because it was expected. And for some reason, this year it was everywhere. Much worse than when Lockhart had been in charge of the celebrating of the Very Special Valentine's Day back in her second year. Because at least that had only lasted for a day. This year it was Valentine's Week.
And despite what Lavender and Parvati thought, Hermione's dislike for everything Valentine had nothing to do with the fact that she was the only one without someone to truly share the day with. Well, Hermione was sure she wasn't the only one who'd be spending the day alone, but it seemed as if everyone who was old enough to be interested in coupling up, had already done so. Not that she'd want to share it with just anyone just because she didn't want to be alone.
To Hermione, Valentine's Day was just another day of the week. A very red day full of hearts and cupids and couples making out just around every corner, yes, but still just a regular day.
Nothing special about it.
At all.
"I think I'm going to get her the roses when I first pick her up, and then the chocolate once we've reached the lake and settled down for our picnic," Harry told Ron as they walked towards their next class, their pace slow and unhurried.
Hermione groaned as she heard them. Even they were taking Valentine's Day to the next level, now that they both had a girlfriend to share it with. Hermione caught up to her two best friends, coughing to catch their attention before they started in on yet another discussion on the pink rose versus the red.
"Did you guys do your homework?" she asked, not knowing what else to say, even though she knew very well that their homework was complete, as she'd helped them with it.
Harry and Ron nodded in unison. They walked the rest of the way in silence, and Hermione did her best to ignore the pink hearts adorning the corridor walls.
Whoever put those up should really be ashamed of themselves, Hermione thought, as the trio walked down the stairs that took them to Snape's classroom. Thankfully, down in 'the dungeons' the only thing colourful in sight were the ties worn by herself and her fellow N.E.W.T.s Potion classmates. While Hermione was quite relieved for the lack of tacky Valentine's Day decorations, after having spent the past two days being bombarded with colour from all directions, stepping down into the gloom that was the Potion's corridor caused an involuntary shiver to run down her spine.
They entered the classroom and took their usual seats, as did the rest of the small class. Snape entered a second later, and Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that he'd timed it, just so that he could deduct points for people being "late" if they weren't seated by the time he came into the room.
He was evil like that.
"All right class. Settle down."
Hermione almost rolled her eyes. As Snape turned his back towards them to write up ingredients on the blackboard, in the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Malfoy rolling his eyes, obviously feeling no need to hide his reaction from Snape.
Of course, he had waited until Snape's back was turned.
--
As Hermione sat down next to Ginny - who was completely oblivious to Hermione's presence as she was too busy telling all her girlfriends about the newest pre-pre-Valentine's Gift Harry had gotten her - for dinner, she almost wished she was back in Snape's classroom.
While it was Snape - who, while happier now that he, ugh, shagged regularly, was still Snape - almost anything was better than the constant pink hearts and the happy couples breathing down her neck.
Not that Hermione wasn't happy for them all, even the ones she didn't know. But there was only so much a girl should have to put up with, and she'd reached her level of put-up-ness during the first day of Valentine's Week from Hell.
But all around her, people just kept on driving her mad with their cute pink couple stuff.
Well. Almost everyone.
Hermione frowned as her gaze fell onto Malfoy. He seemed to be as alone as she was, though, not from apparent lack of trying from numerous girls. Hermione didn't want to dwell on the reason as to why he wasn't with anyone - maybe he took what the girls all too willingly offered after which he no longer wanted anything to do with them? And the girls of the school had finally caught on to his wicked ways and stayed away. Maybe he was gay, - but there it was.
She and Malfoy, in the same loveless boat.
Hermione shook her head, angry at herself and her thoughts. She and Malfoy nothing together.
Period. End of discussion.
Hermione sneaked another peak over at Malfoy, who obliviously kept on eating.
--
Two more days to go to the 'big day' and though Hermione had thought it impossible, clear in front of her was proof that people were able to take the celebration even one step further.
If she'd been a religious girl, Hermione would've prayed that it was all just a nightmare. But she wasn't, so she couldn't. Not that it would've helped anyway, she was sure.
All the lunch food was coloured either red or pink. Even the pumpkin juice was scarlet red. Hermione pushed it away, glancing around the hall as she watched just about everyone else happily drinking it down.
She realised that after everything that'd happened with Voldemort and the war and the people who'd died protecting what was still good in their world, those who survived would feel the need to celebrate even more, on even the smallest occasions. To feel alive, and to make sure that the darkness that'd plagued the Wizarding World for too long now only existed in the past.
But really. Pink food? Two days before Valentine's Day?
That was taking it too far.
At the moment, there was few things Hermione wanted more than for all the Valentine's Day nonsense to be over with. Done. Finished.
The next morning she got her wish.
--
When Hermione woke up the thirteenth, she laid in bed an extra ten minutes, just preparing herself for what the day would bring. All the couples and all the uber cute things they would give each other, and the most likely matching pre-Valentine's Day dinner.
By the time she finally exited her dorm room, leaving Lavender and Parvati to snore the morning away as they'd done while she showered, dressed and packed her book bag, she was ready for the onslaught of pink. She was ready for the hearts and the presents littering the Common Room. She was ready for it all. As their Common Room was naturally red, it wasn't too much to get used to, once you got over the hearts and flowers.
Which was why she felt so stumped and almost let down when she came down the stairs and found nothing.
The Common Room looked like it always did, not including Christmas and other celebratory occasions such as when they won the Quidditch and House Cup.
Not a flower or balloon in sight.
Having fully expected at least something to signify the now almost here Valentine's Day, Hermione could do nothing but blink stupidly at the new turn of events.
Someone had even taken down the banner Ginny and Lavender had persuaded their boyfriends to put up.
Then she smiled. Maybe her house mates had finally regained their senses and realised they'd gone too far this year.
--
Hermione realised something was wrong approximately fifty-six minutes later, when, in addition to there being no Valentine's Day decorations anywhere, couples who only yesterday looked as though they couldn't stand to be separated from each other even for just a minute, were not barely even glancing at each other, as they sat with their friends.
Something was not right. It didn't take a brilliant mind like Hermione's to see that.
But apparently, no one else thought anything was wrong. When she'd asked Ginny what'd happened with her and Harry, the younger girl had simply shrugged and said that it hadn't worked out.
Years of pining hero worship that'd grown into mature, true and reciprocated love, had now ended with a shrug and a casual it didn't work out over breakfast.
Hermione shook her head as she glanced around the hall. The only one smiling was Snape for Merlin's sake.
Something was seriously not right at Hogwarts.
Hermione looked at Harry who, like Ginny, seemed unconcerned about the turn the relationship they had bought fought so hard to have had taken, and vowed to go to the bottom of it.
Like he would do for her.
--
While most of her classmates suffered through class, Hermione went to the library.
They'd had an unexpected cancellation of Advanced Runes, and Hermione figured she should take the advantage of her free period to start looking into whatever had happened to the rest of the student body.
And the teachers.
It was her duty as Head Girl, and as someone who wasn't affected to fix whatever it was that was wrong.
She turned a corner, hoping to evade Madam Pince who was after her thanks to Harry and Ron and their lack of proper book care - books loaned in her name - when she happened upon Pansy and Daphne.
Hermione stopped short, about to turn around, figuring that whatever Madam Pince wanted to say to her couldn't be half as bad as whatever the two Slytherins would say, when she realised that they'd both already spotted her.
No point in turning back now, Hermione thought, steeling herself for their harsh words. While she was fully capable of taking care of herself and she gave as good as she got, she wasn't in the mood. And though they had all thought together in the War, it'd been easy to slip back into their old habits once it was all over, especially for Pansy and Daphne, who didn't let a day go by without saying something negative about her bloodline, upbringing, hair, lack of dates or Gryffindor. The list went on.
She met Pansy's eyes head on, prepared for the worst, but to her utter surprise, the girl merely looked back down at her book. Hermione's eyes slid over to Daphne, and found that her attention was already focused on her book. Or was it still? Hermione couldn't be sure.
They'd barely acknowledged her presence. Hermione frowned. If that was some kind of new torture they figured would hurt her greatly, well... then they really were as stupid as Hermione often told them they were.
"Odd, isn't it?"
Hermione turned around and found Draco leaning casually against a book case. "What is?" she asked suspiciously.
"The way everyone is acting. Yesterday, Blaise was ready to ask Pansy to marry him, and today he doesn't seem to even know who she is."
Hermione nodded. "I've noticed."
"You've paid attention to the Zabini-Parkinson relationship?" he asked, amusement shining brightly in his eyes. "I never would've pegged you for a voyeur. But, I guess it's always the ones you least expect."
Hermione glared. "No. That people are acting oddly." She motioned to where Pansy and Daphne sat. "I can't figure out what happened."
"My guess, it's some kind of spell." Draco walked closer, his voice lowering as a third year student walked past, his eyes blank.
"Why didn't it affect us?" Hermione asked, feeling her spine stiffen at his closeness.
"A localised spell?" Draco suggested.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "That affected everyone but us?" she pointed out, sounding doubtful.
"Then I've got nothing," Draco admitted. "Unless it was something they ate," he joked, smiling.
A moment passed before the Galleon dropped.
"Or drank," Hermione mused.
"I didn't touch the pumpkin juice," Draco said, nodding excitedly.
"Me neither," Hermione replied.
"To the kitchen then?"
Hermione smiled and nodded. "To the kitchen."
--
Hermione couldn't help but glance over at Draco as they walked down the stairs to the Entrance Hall. She tried to be stealthy about it, only looking at him from the corner of her eye as they walked in silence.
While if whatever it was that'd turned Hogwarts residence into zombies had in fact been a potion put in the pumpkin juice, and he didn't drink it, it did make sense that he wasn't affected. But where as Hermione wanted to find out what'd happened so that she could reverse it and make sure her friends were able to be with the people they loved, she couldn't quite figure out why he was helping.
True, he wasn't completely cold hearted, as proved during the war. But that had been war. He'd wanted to live.
There was nothing really that he would gain from helping her solve the mystery, but the satisfaction of having helped people on his own free will.
Of course, maybe he was doing it for the same reason as her. Maybe he too wanted his friends to be happy with their loved ones.
Yeah. That made sense.
Or maybe he had nothing better to do.
Draco suddenly stopped in front of her, bringing her out of her thoughts as she looked up at him questioningly.
Without a word or a look in her direction, Draco held up the door which would take them down to the kitchen corridor for her. Hermione stepped through, folding her arms across her chest to contain her body heat. She knew it was futile, but it made her feel slightly better.
Draco followed, and after closing the door behind them, they resumed their silent trek for the truth. They reached the painting in no time and Draco did the pear tickling honour.
"I wonder why they have a bowl of fruit instead of a person to open the door?" Draco mused out loud as the door handle appeared. He pulled the door open for her and allowed her to step through before him.
As she did, Hermione couldn't help but point out that it was because students weren't suppose to find and visit the kitchen.
She thought she saw a glimmer of a smile before her focus was directed on the house-elves who's excitement over their arrival was quite a big change from how the other student and the teachers now acted. However, it'd probably just been the lights playing tricks on her.
"Miss Hermownie!"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the small creature known as Dobby came hurtling towards her, his huge green eyes blinking happily up at her. "Dobby is so happy to see Harry Potter's friend," he continued.
Hermione couldn't help but smile down at him, glad to see that the shirt she'd given him for Christmas had been put to good use. "Harry isn't with me this time," she admitted, and watched as Dobby faltered for a moment.
Then he smiled. "Harry Potter was here another day," he told her. "I is knowing Harry Potter has important things to do."
Just then, Draco sailed up behind her. He and Dobby stared at each other for a few moments before Draco looked away, to the other side of the large room to where a group of house-elves were preparing what looked like pie, and Dobby turned his attention back to Hermione.
"I is making food for Miss and- and friend." His eyes flickered briefly to Draco before he turned to get them something to eat.
"No, wait, Dobby," Hermione called, taking a step after him. "We didn't come here for food. We came to ask you something."
"What was Miss and friend wanting to know?"
"We were wondering if someone came in here yesterday," Hermione asked.
"It would've been around lunch or dinner," Draco added.
Dobby shook his head, making his ears flap slightly. "I is saw nothing Master," he said, wringing his hands as he bowed his head.
Hermione glared back at Draco over her shoulder, only to find him looking very uncomfortable at Dobby's words.
She decided to drop it. For now. After all, there were more important things to do now, but when this was all over, she was going to have a talk with Harry and make sure he made it clear to Dobby that he didn't have to call the Malfoy's Master any more. Or anyone else for that matter.
She turned back to Dobby. "Are you sure?"
"Dobby was cleaning Miss," he admitted. "I was seeing no one."
"Maybe someone else did?" Draco asked.
"Dobby is finding out now Mas-" he stopped himself, his huge eyes widening as he stared at Draco. Then, he turned abruptly and left them in search of a house-elf who might've seen something.
Hermione felt eyes on her, and she looked up to find Draco watching her, most likely gauging her reaction to Dobby's slip. After all, it was common knowledge that she was the founder - and only true member - of S.P.E.W.
"What?" she asked, when his silent staring became too much for her. Maybe there was something on her face?
"Nothing," he lied.
But he did look away, and Hermione was saved from questioning him further by the arrival of Dobby and an even smaller, most likely female, house-elf, who trailed behind Dobby like a lost puppy.
"Dobby has found you Ditzy," he said proudly, pushing her to stand in front of him, almost on display for Draco and Hermione.
"Nice to meet you Ditzy," Hermione said politely.
Ditzy merely bowed her head timidly. Draco and Hermione shared a look.
"Can you tell us if you saw someone in here yesterday? Someone who usually doesn't visit the kitchen?" Draco asked.
"I is sawing the Professor Snape," Ditzy answered quietly, a frightened look in her eyes.
"Professor Snape?" Hermione asked. "Are you sure?"
Ditzy nodded, her huge brown eyes meeting Hermione's for the first time. "I is sawing him at the pumperkin juice."
Hermione drew in a breath.
"But why?" Draco asked, looking at Hermione.
"I is not knowing of that sir," Ditzy answered.
"Oh, of course not," Hermione told her, smiling kindly down at the elf. "Thank you for your help."
Ditzy glanced at Dobby before she turned and hurried back the way she'd come.
"Thank you Dobby," Hermione said. "We'll be going now."
Dobby looked horrified. "Miss must stay to eat!" he said. "Harry Potter must be very cross if Dobby does not feed his Hermownie."
Hermione smiled. "It's all right Dobby. But thank you."
Dobby blinked up at her. Hermione resisted the urge to sigh. "But maybe you could give us something to eat on the way?" she suggested, relieved when Dobby's mood lifted. He hurried off and Hermione turned to Draco and shrugged. "It's easier to just give in," she said.
Draco nodded. "I remember."
--
After accepting the small heap of food Dobby insisted they couldn't live without, Draco and Hermione stepped out of the kitchen. As they made their way towards the Entrance Hall, they bumped into Susan Bones, quite literally in Hermione's case.
"Hello," Hermione greeted her, but the other girl simply walked past them on her way to the Hufflepuff Common Room, showing no sign of having heard her. Or seen them. Or noticed that Hermione had almost stepped on her foot.
Hermione frowned. "It's getting worse."
Draco nodded in agreement. "I wonder what kind of potion it was."
"Whatever it is, it's not good." Hermione took one last look at Susan's retreating back before she followed Draco up the stairs.
Once again, Draco held the door open for her. It seemed so natural that Hermione doubted he was even aware of what he was doing. The Entrance Hall was eerily quiet for being filled with as many students as it was, and after sharing a look, the two unlikely partners in anti-crime ascended the marble staircase together.
No one looked twice as they saw them together, mostly because no one really looked. Everyone seemed lost in their own world, just going through the motions of their class schedule, and Hermione shuddered as Padma Patil walked past, ignoring them the same way Susan had just moments before.
It was like a nightmare she used to have when she was younger, in which she was in a room full of her family and friends and people she knew from school, but they couldn't see her. And no mater how loudly she screamed, no one heard her. She used to wake up in cold sweat after one of those dreams, and be unable to fall back asleep.
"We need to fix this," Hermione told Draco's back as he walked ahead of her. "Fast."
Draco simply nodded as he weaved through th student's walked from one class to the other. Suddenly, he stopped and Hermione, who'd been following him closely, almost walked straight into him. He turned, and Hermione took a step back when she realised just how close she was standing.
"I have Transfiguration in ten minutes," he said, obviously just realising the school day wasn't over yet.
"And I have Charms," Hermione remembered.
They stood in silence for a few minutes.
"Why don't we meet up after dinner somewhere? To talk this over?" Draco suggested.
"Better yet, why don't we meet before dinner?" Hermione countered. "Just after class."
"Why before?"
"Because Snape will most likely be at dinner, and we can use the time to go through his office," Hermione answered.
Draco smirked. "Could be dangerous. If he catches us..."
"That's why I'm bringing you," Hermione joked.
Draco snorted. "What makes you think I'm not the one bringing you?"
Hermione shrugged. "Have it your way." She turned and began walking back to the stairs. "I can't wait till this is all over so I can tell Harry and Ron that big bad Malfoy needed little old me to protect him from Snape."
She laughed as she heard Draco's outraged cry at her words, but didn't stop as she found the right staircase to take her up to the third floor.
"Watch out for the pumpkin juice," Draco called behind her.
Hermione turned and smiled at him before disappearing around the corner.
The smile didn't leave her face until she stepped into the Charms classroom and found a sea of blank faces staring ahead.
--
There was only one word to sum up what was going on. Creepy.
Hermione had spent her entire Charms class hiding behind her book while everyone else simply sat in silence, staring ahead at nothing. She doubted Professor Flitwick would notice if she slipped away, but though she wanted to get away, it did give her an ample opportunity to study the affects of the potion Snape had poisoned them with. Maybe it'd help her in trying to figure out what it was.
It must be something non-lethal, she figured. Because even though Snape barely tolerated even the other teachers, he wouldn't commit mass murder. If he'd wanted them dead, he wouldn't have fought on their side in the war and he wouldn't have saved so many of them.
This morning, everyone had seemed like themselves, except for the part where no one treated the person they were in love with - or, in lust with - like they meant anything to them. Like, that feeling had been taken away. Or simply suppressed. Now they all were like drones.
Maybe he, like Hermione, had gotten sick of Valentine's Day. But instead of just thinking bad thoughts and waiting it out, he'd taken action.
Of course, Hermione hoped something had gone wrong. For evil to the students he was, Snape wouldn't turn them into zombies who did nothing but walk around - or sit around - and stare at nothing.
At least she was pretty sure of that.
Nothing else made sense.
All right. So something had gone wrong. The real question was, could it be fixed?
Hermione hoped so.
For Snape's sake.
--
When class finally ended, Hermione was the first person out the door. As she and Draco had never decided on a meeting place, she figured she'd just catch up with him outside the Transfiguration classroom.
As it turned out, Draco had had the same thought, but about meeting her outside her classroom. They met on a staircase between second and first floor, Hermione almost passing him by as she stuffed her Charms book into her bag. Draco had to touch her arm before she noticed him.
When she looked up and met his eyes, the relief was clear on his face. "For a moment there I thought you'd gone over to the dark side," he said, trying to make joke of the situation.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to drink pumpkin juice again," Hermione admitted.
Draco hummed in agreement. "Shall we?" he then asked, turning to walk back down the same way he'd come.
Hermione followed. "How will we know when Snape isn't in his office?"
"Leave that to me. I know a place."
Hermione could hear the smirk in his voice.
--
"'Leave that to me' he says," Hermione hissed as she moved her right foot slightly to the left, desperately hoping it wouldn't fall asleep. "'I know a place.'"
"Would you be quiet?" Draco hissed back, turning his head slightly. He couldn't turn around completely, pressed together in the cramped space of an alcove located just to the left of Snape's office. From it, they had a clear view of the door to his private office and the Potion's class room. The shadows gave them plenty of coverage, and if it weren't for the fact that they'd been stuck there for almost forty minutes and there was barely room enough to breathe, it would've been a wonderful hiding place.
And they couldn't leave either, just in case Snape chose that exact moment to walk into the corridor. In which case he'd notice they weren't affected and all would be lost.
Frankly, if she didn't get out of there soon, Hermione would gladly risk it.
Just then, Snape finally exited his office. Hermione almost sighed in relief, but she kept it in because she'd be damned if she blew it now by expressing her happiness that she'd be able to breathe like a normal person soon, without worrying she'd inhale Draco's coconut scented hair in the process. Really, what guy had hair that smelled like coconuts anyway?
Snape was actually whistling as he calmly walked down the corridor, not a care in the world.
Bastard, Hermione thought.
Draco waited five more minutes after Snape had walked out of sight before he stepped out of their hiding place. Hermione was finally able to sigh in relief as she followed. Draco glanced back at her briefly as he walked towards the door leading into Snape's private office. He ran his wand over the lock, frowning in concentration as he tried to remember how Snape had locked it.
Hermione was surprised. She would've thought that all Slytherin's knew how to get into his office. Of course, times were different now and if it had really been Snape who'd poisoned the school - and who else could it be? - then it stood to reason he'd lock his door, just in case.
Hermione kept a look out while Draco worked on the door. After all, even though they might not care at the moment if someone happened upon Draco and the Gryffindor Head Girl breaking into Snape's private office, the Slytherin Common Room as just around the corner. And who knew when Snape would come back? Dinner wouldn't begun for another half an hour.
A small click could be heard as the lock slid open, and Draco turned to her with a triumphant smile as he opened the door wide.
"Nice," Hermione said as she walked past him into the room.
It was dark inside, which wasn't a surprise for Hermione as Snape was hardly the kind of man who kept a light burning when he'd left the room. When Draco shut the door behind them, it was almost pitch black.
"Lumos," Draco whispered next to her.
The light from Draco's wand provided him with enough light to search Snape's desk, while Hermione walked across the room to where Snape kept his private potions ingredients. She took her wand out of her robe and lit it before pulling open the cupboard doors. Inside, rows upon rows of glass jars stood, some filled with a gooey substance, some containing leaves or dead animal parts. None of the jars were labelled, but fortunately for Hermione, she paid attention in class.
"Nothing," Draco told Hermione, his voice low as if everyone would hear him otherwise.
He'd come up behind her as she tried to identify the green leaves in a half filled jar, and when he spoke, so close to her ear she felt his breath on her neck, Hermione had almost jumped in fright. "Don't do that," she hissed, her hand gripping the jar a little too tightly. She could almost hear Draco rolling his eyes, he was that close.
"I couldn't find anything. His desk is clean and the drawers have some kind of spell on them that I can't figure out," he said. "And knowing Snape, he's got some alarm on them or something."
"Why would he do that?" Hermione asked.
Draco shrugged, his shoulder brushing up against hers. "Why does Snape do anything? Also, I think he keeps exams in there."
Hermione nodded. That made sense.
"Have you found anything?" Draco asked, holding his wand up high to get a better look at the jars on the top shelf.
Hermione sighed. "Depends on how you look at it. Many of these ingredients can be put in a lot of different potions. It's all a matter of what he's doing with them really." She held up a jar filled with black beetles. "So far I haven't found anything that isn't normal to find in a Potion Master's ingredients cupboard."
"That's because I have more than one cupboard for my ingredients."
Hermione and Draco turned around. When she saw Snape standing in the doorway, Hermione almost dropped the glass jar in her hand. She heard Draco curse under his breath and she couldn't help but agree.
Bloody fucking buggering hell, indeed.
"And what do we have here?" he asked, his voice to utterly Snape that Hermione shivered. "Hogwarts top students, sneaking about, breaking into teachers private and very much locked office?"
He closed the door behind him, the click it made as he locked it ringing in Hermione's ears.
Draco raised his wand, and took a tep forward, partly hiding Hermione behind him. What a time to realise what a gentleman Draco was, Hermione thought.
"How could you do this?" Draco asked, "Turning the students into mindless shells?"
"It's not much harder than making a Love Potion," Snape said. "They're quite similar in fact."
Draco frowned. "If it's not much harder, how come something went wrong?" Draco asked. "Unless this result was what you were after all along."
Snape glared at him. "If you must know, the Ashwinder eggs had apparently been left out too long unfrozen, and the concentration of valerian root was much higher than they were suppose to be."
"Valerian root?" Hermione asked. "I thought that was only used in Draught of Living Death."
"Mainly, yes. But, as I've just proven, not just."
"I can't imagine it being very legal," Draco said.
"What the Ministry doesn't know won't hurt them."
"Wasn't that Voldemorts slogan?" Hermione asked, pretending she didn't notice the slight shiver that coursed through Draco at the name.
Snape smiled, a sinister look that twisted his face.
Hermione wanted to take a step back, and would have, if it hadn't been for the cupboard shelves already digging into her back.
"So what are you doing exactly?" Hermione asked. "If the potion wasn't suppose to make people into zombies, then what was it suppose to do?"
Snape looked at her, long and hard. "I'm surprised you of all people haven't figured it out by now."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Draco asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder.
"It means, that he thinks that I get what he was trying to do, ruin Valentine's Day, because I don't have a special someone to share it with and thus the day must just be plain torture for me."
Snape nodded.
"I don't understand. I thought you, uh, had a special someone?" Draco asked, looking at Snape.
"That is none of your business," Snape barked out.
Draco and Hermione shared a look. "She dumped you, huh?" Hermione asked, not really expecting an answer.
"Maybe I dumped her!"
"That's probably what happened," Hermione agreed.
Snape's eyes narrowed as he stared them down. After a few moments, he turned his back on them, his robes swishing around his ankles. "The antidote is almost finished. By tomorrow everything should be back to normal."
"And no lasting affects?" Hermione asked.
"They won't even remember today."
Hermione nodded. "Good."
"Neither will you."
Hermione looked up at Snape, flinching as he raised his wand at them. Her hand automatically rose, her own wand clutched in her hand, and in front of her, she felt Draco do the same.
But they were too late.
"Obliviate!"
--
Hermione resisted the urge to sigh as the heart shaped confetti flowed down from the ceiling, a'la Lockhart. Valentine's Day was under way, and she was the only one spending it alone.
A particularly loud noise across the Hall caught her attention, and though it hadn't been him who'd made the sound, Hermione's eyes immediately settled on Draco.
Well, maybe not the only one, she thought, and smiled hesitantly at him as his eyes met hers.
Draco smiled back, albeit briefly, before they both looked away.
The End.
End Note: The plan was never to make Snape crazy. The story just took a wrong turn and I had no choice but to follow. As such, the story became much darker than I'd originally intended and the comical story I'd planned was lost somewhere in the cobwebbed space known as my brain.
The Ashwinder eggs are considered to be a likely Love Potion ingredients. The valerian root is used in Draught of Living Death.
Additional Disclaimer: Draco and Hermione shared a look. "She dumped you, huh?" Hermione asked, not really expecting an answer. -- "Maybe I dumped her!"
Is borrowed from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Episode 4x03 - "In The Harsh Light Of Day". Buffy: What's the matter Spike? Dru dump you again. -- She throws a punch, then another, both of which he blocks. Then she hits him dead on in the face. -- Spike: Maybe I left her.
STORY REQUEST
Describe your ideal valentine in as few words as possible: Finding yourself a part of a most unexpected adventure with a most unexpected person.
Dealbreakers (absolute no-no's): "Been sikritly in wub with you since 3rd year and have been covering it with nasty remarks about your pedigree SOWEEE :'("