A Rather Fortunate Tragedy

Chapter 1

Hermione

Ugh. Potions. My least favourite lesson. I knew that this repeat year would be difficult, but the thought of N.E.W.T.'s was driving me over the edge. Hurrying, I rounded the corner and descended the stairs into the dimly lit dungeons. Professor Snape awaited me.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for talking. Ten points for pointing your wand at me, Weasley. Ten points from Gryffindor…" Snape seemed to go on and on. Couldn't he just teach the damn lesson already? Hermione grumbled in her head. Standing at her desk, she waited for the oily-haired Professor to get going. Snape proceeded to unroll a battered piece of parchment and sneered at the class. "I've decided to mix things up this year. Yes, that's right. All you snivelling Gryffindors will have to move places, how sad." he smirked, maliciousness all over his face. The Gryffindors stared at each other, their shock blatant on their features. This could NOT be happening. Ginny grasped Hermione's arm, her horror plain to see. "He can't do this to us! He's just doing it out of spite!" she whispered furiously.

"I know! He's horrible." Hermione whispered back.

"Something to say, Miss Granger?" Snape asked menacingly, his words curdling the atmosphere into silence. Hermione blanched and then blushed bright red. "I thought not. Now be quiet and listen to what I have to say, Gryffindor." The way he said Gryffindor made it sound like an insult. Meanwhile, the Slytherins were cackling in glee, overjoyed to see blood traitors and Muggle Borns ridiculed into silence. A certain blonde-haired boy smirked to himself. I suppose the fun was only just beginning in his eyes, thought Hermione angrily. Grumpily, she sat still and awaited his words.

"Weasley and…Crabbe

Bulstrode and…Thomas

Parkinson and…Finnegan"

Slowly but surely, Snape made his way through all the students, making the most annoying, horrible and nastiest pairings he could. Hermione waited in suspense as, one by one, all her friends were paired off. Ginny made a face when she was paired with Crabbe, and moved to sit with him. His face clouded over when he realised that he had to sit with a Blood Traitor. Grimly, they both tried not to look at each other and sat as far apart from the other as they could. All the while, Hermione was getting more and more worried. Why hadn't he read her name out yet? And then, he said her pair. The worst for last.

"Granger and…Malfoy."

Oh, for Pete's sake. That would most definitely wipe the smile off his face. I glanced over at him. Malfoy's eyes seemed to be glistening, but his mouth was a cold, hard line, slashed across his chiseled face. He's probably dreaming up new was to torture me, I thought miserably. It almost made me wish I had not returned to repeat the year.

I dragged my bag morosely towards where Malfoy sat, dreading what was to come. I was surprised, however, when a small smile tugged at the edge of his mouth, threatening to soften his usually rigid features. I stood there a moment, stunned, until a crash brought me back to my senses. Seamus had chucked his bag onto his desk beside Pansy in a rage, and, as a result, one of the legs had snapped off, toppling the desks around it. Typical Seamus, I thought, smiling to myself. Trust him to not keep everything intact for the afternoon at least.

"50 POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR, FINNEGAN!" A cold voice rang clear around the dungeon, making me jump once again.

"50?! Really?" Ginny was agape. I agreed with her; it was definitely a harsh punishment, but, then again, Snape was well known to be that way towards Gryffindors.

"Hermione…anyone in there? Is Malfoy really that interesting?" Ginny was waving her hand in front of my face. It turned out I'd been staring into space in the direction of Malfoy, who had gone over to his Slytherin friends to snigger while Seamus tried to hastily put his desk back together.

"N-no, I was just…uh, just…" I tried to find a reason for why I'd been staring at Malfoy, but failed magnificently. Ginny laughed heartedly.

"Don't worry, 'Mione, I was just kidding."

I turned back to my cauldron, and tuned back into what Snape was saying: "Today we will be making a Draught of Peace. A difficult potion, but it will be worth it if you combine it correctly. We have done this before; make sure you remember it, otherwise it will be 10 points from your house. Do you understand me?" Snape said, as though he had somewhere else to be, and would have give anything to have been there in that moment. What if he really did have somewhere else to be? What was so important?

After completing a perfect potion, Ginny and I left the classroom as swiftly as possible, as to avoid Snape's accusatory tones that he was inflicting upon poor Seamus and Neville, who had succeeded in blowing up his cauldron, and making Malcolm Baddock fall off his stool in a dead faint after taking a whiff of it. Malfoy had, of course, messed his up completely, but had come away without even one point being taken! Ginny was furious as they strode down the corridor, but I was desperately trying to keep my head; I had Divination next.

What a tragedy!

A/N

curly here: lol this is too fun hope you enjoy its gonna be one heck of a ride