Old Wounds: Chapter One
Summary: (DM-HG-SS triangle.) She's had her troubles, she got them. But when Hermione stumbles across a forbidden potion, all hell will break loose. And who will be there to save her? Draco or Severus? But what does Severus and Draco have to do with this potion to begin with?
Disclaimer: All characters, places and things in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Well, at least most of them.
Chapter One: Stirring Trouble.
Hermione slumped against her Potions' bench. One hundred and seventy-three, one hundred and seventy-four, one hundred and seventy-five; 'Only twenty five more stirs to go,' she thought to herself, attempting to ignore the pain which was throbbing through her arm.
"No, you're doing it too fast," the Potions Master commented.
Hermione sighed; he hadn't said a nice thing to her all night. "If I go any slower I may as well just stop," she shot at him, irritably. Snape rolled his eyes and crossed the room. He swiftly placed his hand over hers and began to slow her stirring.
Hermione's breath caught in her throat as Professor Snape's long fingers enclosed around hers. She allowed his strong, yet gentle, hands to take over the stirring; though didn't remove her hand.
'Is it normal for a man over thirty to have hands this soft?' Hermione's mind queried as she stared up at her Potions Master.
"Blink, Miss. Granger," Snape muttered, waving his hand in front of her face. "Sorry?" Hermione blinked, shaking her head.
Snape had removed his hand from her own and was now sitting next to her. "You've done some good work tonight," he told her. This was the first compliment he had given her in the past week. "You'll need to be back here at lunch tomorrow."
At this point, Snape stood and crossed the room; picking up a thick pile of parchment from his desk.
"Why lunch?" Hermione wondered aloud.
"I need your help with preparing some difficult ingredients for my sixth years," he told her, crossing the room. He passed her the thick pile. "This is a few notes on the potion you asked about in class yesterday."
Hermione took the notes, her eyes skimming the front page. It was about the memory potion she was reading about. She'd spent the last month studying it; she hadn't thought Snape would have thought twice about her question.
The potion was designed to help those who suffered from amnesia to remember things they had forgotten. Though the potion had never been finished. The famous Potions Master who had been working on it had mysteriously disappeared ten years ago; now the potion only lasted temporarily and even then the drinker would only remember droplets of information.
"Thank you, sir. I... I don't know what to say."
"A thank you is quite enough," Snape said, dismissing her thanks.
Hermione smiled broadly and tucked the notes into her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow at lunch then," Hermione said, swinging her heavy book-bag onto her back. She crossed to the door, but turned back as her hand laid onto the doorknob. "Sweet dreams, sir."
"Sweet dreams, Miss Granger," Snape said back, though Hermione knew he was now too focused on his potion to even notice what he had said.
This happened often. No-one ever seemed to notice how passionate he was about his art. Hermione had first saw this passion in the first week upon becoming Snape's assistant. They had been brewing a complicated potion and the way he became so captured in it; it was beautiful.
'No-one will ever see know how much passion it must take to drive this man,' she thought before closing the door softly behind herself.
Hermione casually walked into the library and sat at her usual table without even noticing someone was even sitting there. She had the notes Professor Snape had given her on her potion in front of her face.
"Hmm... Hmm..." someone fake coughed across the table at her. She looked up, surprised.
"Oh, Malfoy. It's just you."
"Well that's nice, Granger. Now, would you mind moving? I was in the middle of something."
"Yes, I would mind," Hermione commented, going back to her notes.
Malfoy ground his teeth. "Move!" he hissed at her.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Just because you're Head Boy doesn't mean you can tell me what to do, Malfoy."
"And you think just because you're Head Girl you can sit wherever you want?"
"In fact, I do," Hermione said smartly and went back to reading.
"Look, Granger, I'll say this nicely. I spend enough time with you in the day, can't you just let me study in peace?"
"You're the one talking. I'm going to sit here, at my usual table, and read," was all Hermione said, before she blocked out his voice completely.
An hour passed before Malfoy grunted in frustration, throwing down his quill.
"Problem?" Hermione asked, she had been taking her own notes at this point.
"Yes, but I don't need your help," Malfoy snapped at her.
"Well someone's having a grumpy day," Hermione teased.
"I thought you were going to be quiet?" Malfoy asked angrily.
"I thought you were going to be too."
"I was."
"Until now."
"Don't mess with my head," Malfoy shot, snapping his book shut.
"Geez, go have a cry," Hermione shot back, looking back at her notes.
Malfoy angrily pushed his things into his book bag and stomped out of the library, as he usually ended up doing. Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to her notes.
Draco slammed the door to the Head Common Room, cursing Hermione Granger. It wasn't fair. It wasn't. She was the smartest, the nicest, the most liked, the one with most friends, and the most beautiful. It wasn't fair. She hated him, it was his fault, but he couldn't help it. He was jealous. She was better. He knew it, she knew it, and everyone knew it. And especially Snape.
He saw the way Snape would look at her during classes, when he thought no-one was looking. It wasn't fair either. That was the only reason she got to be his assistant. He hadn't even wanted an assistant before she asked.
She made him so mad, yet his heart flopped whenever she was near.
This was so stupid, why couldn't he have just shut his mouth and enjoyed her presence. He had to go and open his mouth. She would have been perfectly nice if he hadn't.
He was such a , he couldn't stand himself any longer.
Quickly, he entered his room, slamming the door. He stepped into his bathroom, slashing water onto his face. He reached for his towel, only to clasp onto a pair of dark robes. He found his towel and dried his face, stood back and looked up at his father.
"You know, Father, if Granger sees you in here, she'll freak out."
"I know," Lucius walked back into his son's room.
"So, what are you doing here?"
"I have a request."
"Which is?" Draco asked impatiently, laying down on his four-poster.
"Don't speak like that to me, boy!" Lucius roared.
Draco sat up, his hand gripping his wand. "What was that, Father?" Draco challenged. His father knew his son was more powerful than himself.
Lucius backed down.
"I'm here on behalf of the Dark Lord. He requests your help."
"And what does he wish?" Draco asked, lying back down.
"He needs you to destroy certain information from two certain people."
"And these people are?"
"Severus Snape and Hermione Granger."
"What? Why?" Draco reacted before he could control himself.
"Do you have a problem with this task, Draco?" His father asked suspiciously.
Draco shook his head quickly. "No, Father. It's fine. I'll do it. What is the information I shall retrieve?"
"You can't take it yet, it isn't finished. I'll find you when it is. Your task at the moment is to get close to the mudblood."
Draco's blood boiled as the last word came out of his father's mouth. Sure, he had called her it himself, but that was different. "And?"
"Earn her trust; it is important to the task."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll be in touch," Lucius told him before striding out of the room, the door closing swiftly behind him. Draco threw his pillow at it the moment his father's steps were no longer heard.
"Bastard," Draco muttered, looking up at the canopy of his bed.
He had to get close to her that would be a problem. Though it would be an excellent excuse to get to know her a little better. He knew his infatuation was a little too physical, when there was so much more to her than just her body.
At that moment, he heard Granger enter the Common Room.
"Malfoy!"
A smile played along his lips as he got off his bed.
The triangle and all will be better explained in future chapters, I promise. So, tell me what you though for this chapter. The faster you review the faster I'll update. Oh, and I don't like reviews that just say: "Oh, update please." They're so pointless. Seriously give me your views on what you think good or bad. Flames are welcome.
Until next chapter.