Hermione had so little sleep last night that she hardly even cared that half the Slytherin table was looking at her, the girl who had arrived during the middle of the night and gone straight to bed. She recognised their expressions, that look which comes only from being in the wealthiest pureblood families, which all the Slytherins from her time wore oh so well. A familiar scent rose up from in front of her, it was comforting to see that Hogwarts was still serving the same breakfast after all these years, the same glistening plates of eggs, sausages, bacon and an oddly matte plate of toast. Glancing up from her food Hermione scanned over the Great Hall, making eye contact with Dumbledore, who gave her a friendly smile and a nod. A gesture which was keenly observed by Narcissa Black, who was sitting a few places up from her, with a group of intolerably arrogant Slytherins. "Right," Hermione thought to herself, "I'll just have to make the most of it. No point wishing into my breakfast to g-" Suddenly she became embarrassingly aware that someone had been sitting next to her for some moments, while she muttered quietly to herself. Glancing to her right Hermione locked with the blue eyes which had narrowed themselves at her soliloquy.
"Are you alright?" A surprisingly soothing voice wrapped itself around her ears and for a moment Hermione heard nothing else.
"Oh um.. Y-Yes, thank you." She had stuttered. Hermione Jean Granger never stutters, least of all in the face of a Slytherin, no matter how polite and … startlingly attractive she was.
"So, what's your name?"
"Uh.. It's um, H.. Um, Jean Granger." Curse that Slytherin for making her stutter. Twice.
"Jean, it's nice to meet you. I'm Narcissa Black." Hermione swallowed hard. Her heart sank in her chest and the gravity of the situation suddenly hit her.
In front of her sat the future Narcissa Malfoy. Sister of Bellatrix Lestrange. Wife of Lucius Malfoy. Mother of Draco Malfoy, the most revolting little boy she'd met in her life. Strange enough Hermione's thoughts wandered from hideous Draco to the girl who sat in front of her now, she was also in her 5th year, and many degrees more attractive than her future son. This girl sat in front of her with blue eyes, blonde hair and a small dimple on one side of her mouth when she smiled. Hermione found herself lingering a little too long on Narcissa's facial details.
Meanwhile, as Hermione had a look of sheer terror across her face, Narcissa sat patiently, waiting for this strange, and rather fetching, girl to snap out of what ever day dream she'd gotten lost into.
"What class do you have next?" Narcissa tried to keep the conversation on track.
"Oh um..," Hermione cleared her throat, refusing to stutter again in front of Narcissa. "Transfiguration, and you?" She tried to inject some much needed dignity into her speech by raising an eyebrow.
"The same." Narcissa smiled friendlily at her, and Hermione found it hard herself to suppress a grin. Perhaps she was wrong about Slytherins, this one seemed friendly enough.
"Now students we have a new student joining us today, her name is Jean Granger and I'd like you all to make her feel very welcome." Minerva McGonagall chirped to her class, most of whom were preoccupied with the birds on their desks. "Now class," she said, taping on her desk, "for today's class I'd like you to pair up and each of you shall attempt to turn these quails into goblets with the spell 'Fera Verto,' which, as some of you may be aware, we have been studying for the past week. You may begin."
"Want to work together?" Narcissa asked Hermione, she'd followed her from the Great Hall, or, walked with her, rather. Hermione didn't mind it terribly, really. She found Narcissa quite pleasant to be around, she wasn't arrogant like the other Slytherins, seemed well mannered, though, what else could she expect from a member of the Black family.
"Sure, have you used this spell before?" Now the conversation was a little more academic Hermione was entirely within her element.
"No, but I have read about it." Hermione began to think that her time here was perhaps not going to be as bad as she had first thought.
First, Hermione pulled her wand out of her robes, cleared her throat and raised her hands, focusing her gaze on the tiny quail perched on the desk between her and Narcissa, who was watching the ritual intently.
"Fera Verto." She stated confidently. The quail on the desk's feathers grew more grey, and right before Narcissa's eyes the little terrified quail turned into a beautiful silver goblet, with blue sapphires around it's rim. Hermione blushed at the gem stones on her newly transfigured goblet, she'd not been focusing entirely on the feat and instead was thinking about Narcissa Black's beautiful eyes, which were now securely focused on the tip of her wand. She reached out and picked up the oddly warm goblet and tossed it in her hand a few times.
"Not bad Jean, I find your technique…" Narcissa paused, looking down Hermione's body, letting her eyes drift slowly over the ruffles of her robes until they found stocking wrapped legs and then made their way back toward Hermione's face. "Most pleasing." Narcissa gently placed the now feathered goblet back onto the desk, with a very slight smirk on her lips when she saw Hermione blush again.
"Oh.. Uh, thank you. It's your turn." Hermione said quickly, wanting to take the focus of her reddening cheeks.
This time Narcissa picked up her wand, raised an eyebrow in her true Black manor, and flicked her wand. "Fera Verto." The quail this time chirped once or twice as it's legs became incredibly shiny and then before their eyes it turned into a goblet, not unlike Hermione's attempt, though without gems and was also a strange brown colour and appeared to have small patches of scales here and there. Narcissa cleared her throat and looked nervously around the room, it was the first time Hermione had seen her as anything but totally composed.
"That was very close Ms. Black , why don't you get Ms. Granger to help you and try again?" McGonagall trumpeted from the other side of the class room.
Hermione giggled nervously and Narcissa's eyes moved from McGonagall back to Hermione.
"So how shall I approach it this time Ms. Granger?" Narcissa said playfully.
"Well, uh…" Hermione motioned for Narcissa to pick up her wand, when she had Hermione took a gentle hold of her wrist and poised her hands, having to reach around the back of Narcissa so she could reach both of her hands, her face ending up alarmingly close to Narcissa's hair, which smelt like violets, something she had never expected when she'd thought of Draco's mother in the past.. Err.. Future.
"Like this, you see?" Hermione gently waved Narcissa's wand hand, feeling a crackling warmth as Narcissa's wand responded to her own touch, something she'd only read about in books.
"Yes, I believe I have it this time." Narcissa couldn't have been unaware of what was happening with Hermione's touch and her wand, a witch being able to successfully use another witches wand without blowing something up, something she'd only read about in books.
Hermione released her grip on the blonde girl in front of her, suddenly exhaling the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. Narcissa's eyes were fixed on the quail, she had a score to settle with this bird, and a new friend to impress. She held her wand steadily, squinting at the tawny bird on the desk, breathed in steadily and stated as firmly as Hermione had done, "Fera Verto."
Both girls watched as the quail once again chirped, and began, like last time, to turn remarkably shiny until it appeared to be a bird made from chrome, at which point it morphed and shifted into a goblet, with an ivory and wood spiralled neck. Narcissa made a noise of delight, which set off in Hermione's lower stomach an unfamiliar feeling, as if a wave of sensation had made it's way from her belly button all the way down to her toes where it swelled and crashed like waves before it returned to her stomach.
"Thank you Jean, you are quite talented you know." Narcissa smiled broadly at her again and Hermione found herself staring unintentionally at Narcissa's bottom lip. At which point Hermione came upon a stern realisation, which was only physically signified by a rapid pursing of her lips.
