Snakeskin
o1. before it fades
Where do you go when everything you know is wrong
If you know anything at all?
Blaise,
You should get your hands on todays issue of the Prophet. You should be able to get it, even in wherever you said you were going until the proposed Malfoy visit. In case you can't, I've attached the first part of the article. It's about Malfoy and Hermione again, believe it or not. I wonder where this Braithwaite woman gets her information.
That said, please tell me you've finished your Transfiguration essay. This particular report on transubstantial Transfiguration is rather vital to the lesson plan Professor McGonagall has arranged for second year.
Padma
GRANGER TO MOVE IN WITH MALFOY ALREADY?
Written by Betty Braithwaite
Most of you readers should recall the post-Christmas article about the publics new favourite couple.
For those of you who are unaware, the Ministry approves certain matches between pure-blooded
and muggle-born or half-blood witches and wizards. The idea is that the matches will get rid of any
lingering superiority sentiments, the like of which allowed the rise of You-Know-Who over a decade ago. Another war should be an impossibility.
Hermione Granger, muggle-born child of two dentists and the best student of her year at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is paired with Draco Malfoy, son of suspected Death Eater Lucius
Malfoy. They are the most famous pair, because the young Malfoy chose Miss Granger over every
other non-pure-blood in his age group.
Reports say that the children already get along as well as many newlywed couples, with only a few
harmless arguments between the two. Indeed, their friends from Hogwarts have already stated that
the two seem to be deeply in love with one another!
Perhaps, then, this explains why Miss Granger is already moving in to Malfoy Manor?
Reportedly, the students return from Hogwarts was met eagerly by each set of parents. Narcissa
Malfoy, former heiress to the Black family fortune, was seen to greet Mrs Granger with open arms
just outside the platform with a publicly seen hug. The two women have been seen to be getting
along brilliantly, meeting up regularly as any old friends would.
Even as young Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy were greeting their parents, Mrs Malfoy was
finalising the plans for their summer. The Grangers would keep their daughter at hand for the first
two months of the break, and at the start of August, the girl will come to stay at Malfoy Manor until
the school term resumes. The Grangers were seen to welcome the suggestion, especially after the
young Mr Malfoy acknowledged his own feelings regarding the matter.
Should we take this as an indication that Miss Hermione Granger will be a Malfoy by name before
she completes her education? This reporter believes that it is a very real possibility.
Interview of witness, Mrs Prudence Parkinson, can be found on page 11.
You could've told me you were in the paper again, Draco. You trying to keep things from me? And here I thought we were friends of some sort.
Blaise Zabini
Theo,
For Merlin's sake, I didn't know I was in the bloody paper, alright? Quit being so snappy about it. I'm not keeping 'valuable gossip' or whatever you were calling it from you. This Braithwaite woman is out of her tree if she thinks Hermione's moving in, though – father would never allow it. Neither would she, actually. But she is coming to stay in August. Same time as you, Runcorn, Blaise and Patil. And maybe Neville and that Bones person, too, if they ever actually let me know if they agree or not. Apparently Neville's grandmother is bloody controlling and doesn't trust Malfoys at all. Something about a war and a Lestrange and an Unforgiveable Curse. Bloody figures that the nicest guy in our year has a completely hideous old bat for the woman he lives with.
DM
Suze,
Hey, Drake just told me about Neville's parents. It was them that his aunt tortured into insanity? Was it really? Wow. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?
Theodore
Dear Padma,
It's ironic, isn't it? That the king of jokes and nicknames doesn't even like using his own nickname. Honestly, Theo should just get over himself.
He should stop being so nosy, too. Auntie Amanda always said that the boy who put his nose where it doesn't belong ought to have it cut off before someone else does it for him. I can't very well just tell him that Mr and Mrs Longbottom have been in hospital since Neville was a year old, can I? I certainly cannot tell him why they're in there. Especially on the permanent ward. Neville's grandmother Augusta took me and him to see them – something about a family ritual. His mum gave him a lolly wrapper, just of Drooble's gum. He pocketed it like it was the most valuable thing he's ever owned. They're all in a drawer beside his bed, too, full to the brim – she can't remember why he's important, but she knows he is, and she gives him these wrappers as gifts to show him that.
I hope one day he'll do something like this with something I give him. I can't imagine what I would do if he doesn't – surely that would mean he doesn't care for me? But if we have to marry, then we have to be together forever, and then he has to like me. If he doesn't, then what do I do? I'll be sad, he'll be sad, everyone who knows us will be sad. It'll be one huge party of sadness.
Sorry for dumping all of this on you, but Hermione is just so frightening to talk to and I certainly can't tell any of the boys. Not to mention Cassie just seems so sweet, I can't imagine dumping all of this on her. But you're strong. You can take it. Right?
Thanks so much,
Susan
Longbottom,
Would you do me a favour and have a good conversation with your Susan? She's terrified that you don't like her and she keeps talking to me about it, and frankly I don't have the time to deal with it. I have my own problems – but don't tell her I told you that, I'm happy just giving purposefully vague replies to the things she says to me, or forwarding them to Hermione for feedback.
Can you also tell her that the reason Nott doesn't call himself 'Theo' is that he feels nicknames should be gifted by others and not enforced by the person it belongs to? It's to do with not wanting to seem too controlling or obsessive. It's his way of avoiding being like his father, if you will.
Additionally, I'd appreciate it if you and others stopped sending me updates on what is in the Daily Prophet. That paper doesn't get any real news anymore, just boring gossip to entertain drooling simple-minded fools. If Hermione and Malfoy decide anything important, they'll let us know.
Besides, it's bad enough that Padma goes on about it. You people are supposed to be my friends, for want of a better word. Surely that means you should consider writing things that I actually want to read, and not just the babbling of Braithwaighte and Skeeter and the rest.
Yours sincerely,
Padma Patil
Hermione,
Did you get a letter from Padma about not talking about the article in the paper? Because I'm just trying to make sure that I'm not the only one who got it. I don't want her to hate me. I don't want Susan to hate me either. I don't really want anyone to hate me. How do I make it so nobody hates me?
But that's not why I'm writing. I'm trying to write the essay on water-related charms. I can't remember if I'm meant to pick three sub-categories – like surviving, talking and creating – or one main category with three example spells. Which is it?
Sorry for bothering you, but I'm not sure Draco and Theo and Blaise wouldn't just lie to me, and Padma's been in a bad mood and Cassie and Susan get different assignments or aren't sure, I forget which.
Thanks,
Neville
To Draco,
It was your birthday in June, was it not? I have bought you a present, don't worry, I didn't forget you. And more than just the pity-travel gift, which I got for each of the others as well. Key rings. I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know they're from muggle Prague and not 'boring old' muggle London.
Prague was amazing, by the way, thanks for asking. The cathedrals would have to be my favourite part – not quite as good as the Basilica and the Chapels in Venice, but much better than the ones around London, the dreadfully bland ones. Nothing on Hogwarts, of course, unless you count the stained glass as being of note, in which case, they were amazing. Thank you for recommending them.
I haven't been sleeping well since we got back from the vacation. It's not jet lag, it's nightmares: now that I'm somewhere familiar, the dreams I mentioned expecting after what we did with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley keep waking me up. I've barely had seven hours sleep in the past week.
It changes day to day, of course, as these things tend to: sometimes I'm trapped by creeping vines, sometimes I'm screaming as I burn alive, sometimes I'm being chased by a three headed beast and sometimes I'm smashed into pieces by faceless chess pieces. I'm always the last one alive in these dreams, and I can't see the faces of others but I can hear their screams as they are killed. There's you, always, and it's usually chasing you that leads to me falling into a pit of murderous plants or tripping into a bonfire. I imagine the other screams are a combination of those of our friends: Neville, yelling for help, Padma screaming wordlessly, Theo cursing and Blaise yelling incoherent curses, trying to magic his way out.
He's the only one who ever comes close to escaping, but still he doesn't. He always stops to try to help someone, usually Padma or you, and then all I can hear is footsteps thundering closer and closer to me, but when I turn there's nothing but blood or a foot being dragged around the corner and out of sight.
But enough about me. How was your birthday? Did you get that broomstick you've been talking about? Did your mum arrange anything special, one of those awful parties or maybe a trip somewhere nice? Have you been in touch with the others? I've been receiving regular letters from Neville, Blaise and a girl named Cassie. I'm not sure who she is, but she seems lovely. Is she in one of our classes?
Yours,
Hermione
Theo,
I know you have some aunt or uncle who happens to be a nut for things like this. So, what's it mean when someone keeps having a nightmare about they themselves dying? Like the dreamer of the dream keeps dying.
DM
Drake,
Oh, is there some problem I don't know about? Is wee little Drakey having bad dreams about all sorts of awful things? My neighbour, thank you very much, Belle, is the dream-reader. She translates little things. I think she might have been a little weak in the magic department, or she'd probably just do things to mess with peoples dreams instead of offering to translate. But it depends on the source what it means. Generally a dream about dying refers to a coming period of change, or to the actual feeling that change is coming. If you dream you're dead and you're watching other people act pathetic, then it's either a way for you to think about why you feel lonely or useless or worthless while awake, or whether or not you're in control. Faking your death means you want to start over again. If you die it means you're already starting to change in a good way, usually, and the past you is dead. Almost dying means doing something stupid all over again, like drugs or a fight or something or it means you need to try again. Could show that you don't like yourself or someone else and whatever you do to cause your death says that you're focusing on something bad or doing something you shouldn't be. Merlin, Drake, next time ask me what the dream definition of a freaking carrot is. My bloody hand is cramping!
Theodore
Theo,
Not me, you idiot. Hermione's been having nightmares about what me and her and Potter and Weasel did last term. So basically she keeps dying and it's keeping her up at night.
DM
Cass,
So turns out I was wrong and it isn't Drake dreaming this garbage, it's the lion. Isn't that just typical? So do us a favour and don't ask him how the dreams are going. I read it wrong and it'll just piss him off, probably. Thanks and all.
Theodore
To Hermione,
Hello again! Listen, I know it's really none of my business, but Theo keeps bringing it up and Draco seems distracted and I'm starting to worry. So are you okay? And don't just say yes, because I happen to already know that that's a lie. You've been having nightmares about what you had to do at school, haven't you? Hermione, you need to talk to someone about this, even if it is just Draco. You can't keep pretending you're okay when you're not, because that just makes you sick. I should know, the same thing happened to my sister.
Thanks,
Cassie
"Hello, Draco. How's your summer been?"
"Pretty good, thanks, Mrs Granger."
"I've told you before, call me Monica."
"Ah, he's not allowed to address those who are older than him by their first names. I apologise, Monica, but I must insist that he continue to refer to you as 'Mrs Granger'." Narcissa was adjusting her grip on the coat draped over her arm, looking up after a moment to smile at the muggle woman, whose frown quickly smoothed into a smile in return.
"I suppose that will have to do, then," the dentist sighed. "Come in, Narcissa, I've just put on some tea if you'd like some."
"Tea would be lovely, thank you."
"Where's Hermione?"
Monica nodded towards the stairs. "Just listen for the throwing and yelling, you'll be able to find her room with no trouble."
The boy nodded and headed for the screams, and he should have known that she would never understate her daughters tantrum. They can't have been common, after all - Hermione, he had learned in the past year, was an incredibly well put-together girl, especially for a Gryffindor. She did not lose her temper, even when Ron Weasley had been his usual idiotic self around her and bullied her pretty much every time they ran into each other.
So why was it that he had to duck to avoid the potential nose-breaking collision of a binder with his face?
"Hermione! Watch where you're aiming!"
"I'm not aiming," she snapped, whirling around with another shoe in hand. She faltered when she identified that it was, in fact, Draco Malfoy in her doorway, and not whoever she'd rather attack. She looked as hectic as ever, her hair a mess and her eyes gleaming in the overhead light. The bookshelves and cluttered desk prevented sunlight from filtering in through her window, so the extra light source was certainly useful if one wanted to see anything that wasn't on the desk.
Actually, nothing was on the desk. Even the lamp was on the floor by his feet - she had ripped it out of the socket and thrown it at the door before he'd arrived. "Are you packed yet?"
"Packed?"
"Yes. For the next three weeks. You're staying -"
"Of course I'm packed! I'm not an idiot, Draco, in fact I'm quite organised. I packed yesterday."
"Then why are you throwing things around your room?"
"Because you made a mistake, thank you very much!"
"I did?"
She threw the paper at him next, glaring at him in its wake. "That was told in confidence!"
"In what?" He was unfolding the page,
"It means only you were meant to know about it. And you told Theo. Theo! Who told Cassie Runcorn, whoever that is -"
"Theo's Ministry-arranged match. She's to him what you are to me. More or less."
"Oh, so that's who I've been writing to all summer? She seems quite clever."
"Does that mean I'm forgiven?"
"Not at all. But it does mean my trunk is still beside you."
He glanced down. Her trunk was, indeed, immediately to her left. Apart from her vast collection of books, it was the only thing in her room that had not been thrown around the room. "So?"
"So, grab it and bring it downstairs."
"What? No way! I'm not a house elf!"
"Yes, obviously. Why did you think I'm asking you to do that and not take my notes?" She swung her leather satchel, the same bag she had used last year but lacking the sheen of new leather, up over her shoulder.
"Your notes? For what? You don't have your books yet."
"Actually, your mum sent me the Lockhart books and now I have everything I need for this year except for new potions ingredients. But they're not notes on that. They're notes on polydimensional communication systems."
"On what?"
"Letters are dual-dimensional communication systems, more or less - one person writes them, one person reads them, and it lets two people communicate if the second person writes back. Same with telephones and the two-way mirrors we learned about in charms last year. Anyway, in theory it should be possible to make a poly-dimensional communication system, one that lets more than two people see the letter at once and keep up with the conversation. If we want something to be private, we write a normal letter, but group chat would be on this. Like a kind of modification of the protean charm."
"The what?"
"We'll be doing the theory this year. Anyway." She gave him an awkward one armed hug in the doorway before slipping past him. "It's good to see you, Draco."
"You, too, Hermione." He was still confused, that was something her touch could not eliminate. He shook his head and turned to face her.
"And don't forget to grab my trunk!"
He groaned and kicked the thing, but all that did was hurt his foot. She laughed as he cursed the thing.
Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Neville Longbotom, Padma Patil,Cassie Runcorn, Susan Bones, Monica Granger, Narcissa Malfoy.
Song used: Rough Draft (the Explanation by Killing the Dream
Word count: 3,104
A/N: This is part 2 of the series Priceless, sequel to Diamonds. It is a marriage law AU (see Diamonds for the explanation) and Dramione-centric. This particular story is set during the canonical events of Chamber of Secrets.
Updates should occur each week, perhaps twice if I have time. I'm back at uni now and can't really afford to focus too much on anything else.
