The feel of Malfoy's wand, his magic, his hands, his heat, his lips; it preoccupied her for days. She'd never noticed how often their paths crossed, perhaps because she previously resolutely ignored his every move. Now he seemed to be everywhere and in each moment that she caught sight of him, her heart sprang an unexpected jolting rhythm.

She began to dread the classes he was in. If he sat in front of her, her attention drew to him more often than not. If he sat behind her, she anxiously wondered whether he was watching her. It annoyed her to no end. Mostly though, she felt annoyed at herself. What had she been thinking? Kissing Malfoy…preposterous.

At times, she wondered if it was a horrible dream she'd had, but then she'd catch him watching her in return. That was the flame that would burn her stomach with knots. Those mercury eyes petrified her. The sharp focus of his gaze bit into her skin, causing a flush that prickled and burned with its haste.

Fear of a repeat performance was strong. Being with him again would only lead to trouble, a host of related complications, and a crushing guilt. Yet, somehow she still longed for it in a sickeningly desperate way.

After a month, the stress of it seemed to fade with the normality of her daily studies. Ignoring his presence became easier, as it ought to. She thought that the event was something she could throw into the recesses of her mind; hide it in a dark mental closet perhaps. She could lock the memory away and intentionally lose the key. Hermione thought it was a secure way to ignore it all, even if the intoxicating way he made her feel still surged in her belly.

She was late for Potions due to an unexpected meeting with Professor McGonagall. Being late always made her anxious.

"Ah, Miss Granger, better late than never. Come in, come in," Professor Slughorn roared cheerfully as she entered.

Hermione quickly dropped her satchel by her favorite potions work-station. The other students were assembled around the potion master's station. There was a potion bubbling softly in a small cauldron, likely under a stasis charm. The students were standing rather close together, so Hermione had to shoulder her way in to stand with Ron and Harry. They both gave her a quick smile.

Professor Slughorn began talking about the potion's ingredients and the brewing techniques. Hermione let out a quiet sigh; she needed to clear her head. The longer she stood there, the more she felt a strange itchiness. An urge to do something, but she didn't know what exactly.

Ron was scratching the crown of his head beside her, his face muddled with a bit of confusion as he leaned closer to the potion. Hermione lowered her eyes to the cauldron, half listening to the professor as he whirred on about ingredient variations. She stared on the swirling mist in front of her. The mixture had a pale sparkling effect in a mother-of-pearl luster. Amortentia, she realized. She glanced around the huddled students. Everyone was leaning in slightly, faces glowing and rosy. Harry's hair was getting wilder in the presence of the potion before them. Of course that meant that hers would be growing larger and frizzier by the minute. Hermione bent forward, staring at the bubbling brew with a mixture of nervousness and interest realizing that it was likely the thing that was causing the odd feelings within her.

"Everything alright?" Harry asked in a whisper, interrupting her mental catalogue of Amortentia characteristics.

"Yes, just had a quick discussion with McGonagall on Prefect duties," she assured him, turning back to the potion quickly.

"Who can tell us the properties and effects of the Amortentia potion?" Professor Slughorn asked gleefully as he addressed the group.

Hermione's hand shut up nearly before she registered the question. The potions master nodded to her with an eager smile. She quickly answered, "Amortentia has swirling spirals of steam, a mother-of-pearl sheen, and smells differently to each person according to what we find attractive. When brewed and given to an unsuspecting person it can cause a potent obsession or infatuation with the individual who brewed it. It is dangerous and powerful."

"Correct! 10 points to Gryffindor for an excellent explanation and you are correct to call it dangerous, obsessive love can cause a person to do truly horrific things. In some cases brewing Amortentia can not only cause obsession in the person who drinks it, but also in the person who brews it," Slughorn said, his voice filled with a false gravity that barely concealed his glee on the subject. Some of the Slytherins snickered at his facial expression.

He clapped his hands together and rolled back on the balls of his feet, "Now, I'd like to have you all describe the scents that are revealed to you. We're going to make a tally to find similarities and differences. You see, this potion not only provides the scents of potential people that attract us, but things that attract us. That can be a useful tool for determining interests and strengths."

He pointed his wand at the chalkboard behind him which wiped itself clean in preparation for his list. He stepped back from the cauldron and clapped his hands once more. He smiled broadly as he said, "Form a line and we'll get started. Mr. Potter you're up first!"

Hermione found herself in the middle of the line behind Padma Patil and in front of Terry Boot. Padma was fidgeting, shifting from one foot to the other as she chewed at her bottom lip. Hermione felt she understood the other girl's apprehension, the task seemed rather invasive. Everyone would know your deepest passions if you were honest with what you smelled. The growing list of descriptions included things like flowers, foods, and an array of random items. Most things seemed typical and harmless.

"I'm a bit scared," Padma whispered.

Hermione lent forward to whisper back, "Me too." She tried to give her a hesitant smile, but felt her lips quiver slightly. The longer they stood in the room, the more pressure Hermione was feeling on her chest.

Padma looked a bit relieved with her affirmative response but pushed forward with her worries, "What if we smell something totally squelchy. Are you going to be honest?" Padma's thick dark brows were pinched together as she frowned at her own words.

"I think I will be honest. It's in the name of scientific assessment, I suppose. The statistics will be rather fascinating when we see the whole group's results," Hermione responded quietly. Padma's anxiousness was causing Hermione's own stomach to tense nervously. There were only two more people ahead of them in line.

"You'll both probably smell books or parchment," Terry joked behind them. Hermione mock glared at him, putting her hands on her hips as if to scold him.

"As long as I don't smell you Terry, I'll be fine," Padma said teasingly.

"Oh come off it, I'm a catch. It should be me worrying about you Patil, I won't know if it's you or your sister I am smelling," he crowed. Padma gave an exaggerated look of mock offense. Ron, who was standing behind Terry, barked out a laugh.

"Boot, stop while you're ahead mate," Ron advised seemed to relieve some of the tension as both girls let out small laughs. Padma rolled her eyes good-naturedly, sharing a lopsided smile with Hermione.

Hermione passed a gentle smile to Ron. He nodded at her as if to say, you'll be alright. Sometimes when he wasn't being a right git, he had his uses as a supportive friend. She turned back around as Padma hesitantly approached the cauldron, her hands balled into fists.

"Miss Patil?" Professor Slughorn inquired, holding his wand at the ready to jot down her responses. Padma inhaled deeply. The tension in her shoulders seemed to release as she exhaled.

"Freshly mown grass, ambrosia," Padma paused a moment, her brows furrowing. She inhaled deeply again then nodded, "Leather." She opened her eyes and turned to Hermione a look of utter relief on her face as Slughorn quickly made marks on the list. Leather and grass were both already included, but Padma's third scent was an original one.

"Sounds lovely," Hermione told the girl as she passed. Padma had often been her potions partner over the year as Ron and Harry always worked together. In previous years Neville had always been her partner, but he didn't get an OWL in the subject to reach the requirement for the course.

Padma nodded as a soft smile curved her lips. She glanced surreptitiously at Ron as she passed. Hermione's eyes widened as she realized that Ron often smelled of grass and leather after Quidditch practices. Her heart clenched, but she didn't know why. It felt like a slight loss had been dealt to her as though this only confirmed her best friend was meant to stay as such, a friend.

"Are you ready Miss Granger?" The professor smiled expectantly.

Hermione swallowed around the hard lump in her throat, nerves quivering as she stepped forward. She was immediately overcome by a multitude of scents. It felt as though her heart was suddenly hammering out of her chest. Her skin flushed immediately and she gasped. It was almost painful to feel so flustered. She swayed with the dizziness of it.

"Aha!" Slughorn cheered. "Do you feel overwhelmed by the scents?" He asked enthusiastically. "Dizziness, heart racing, feeling hot and jittery?" Hermione nodded at his questions as her body continued to over-react.

"Turn around dear girl! Let everyone see the way the potion can affect the mind and body. This is truly fascinating stuff!" Hermione shivered as she felt herself being rotated toward her peers. If she wasn't already flushed she was sure that she would be glowing with mortification.

"The scents you have encountered are specific to one person only. Everyone can have a variety that attracts them. You may smell rose petals and lavender and that could apply to many potential suitors, but few people encounter a specific concoction meant for one person only," the professor explained to her and then turned to address the other students who were looking on with intrigue and excitement.

"Being in the same room as the individual that you smell in Amortentia can often overwhelm the senses as you receive input from the potion and the person's natural aroma. It's rather uncomfortable as it can throw your body into a heightened awareness that feels like a fight or flight response. It is however a foolproof way of finding the person you're attracted to most," the professor explained, laughing good-naturedly as if this wasn't the most humiliating experience of Hermione's life.

"If you wouldn't mind, please describe the way you feel and what you smell."

Hermione took a steadying breath, followed by two deep ones as she tried to parse out the scents engulfing her and the feelings that were rapidly overwhelming her. "Well, I feel…overcome. It's as though I'm under water, heavy with a sort of longing. My heart is hammering and I can't seem to slow it down. I feel warm, but almost painfully so. I'm dizzy, but in contrast things also seem sharp…"

"Fascinating! And the smell Miss Granger?" Slughorn implored.

She tried to calm her racing heart and heavy breathing, but it was to no avail. She inhaled deeply and felt the familiar static of her magic jumping anxiously at her fingertips. Her hands were balled into tight fists. She unfurled them when the static-buzz felt as though it were penetrating through her. Several of the students gasped as a jolt of magical discharge escaped from her extended fingers. She moaned at the harsh feel of it, painful and somehow pleasurable.

"What do you smell? Describe it for us."

She closed her eyes and inhaled once more. It felt like ecstasy and she was certain that the facial expression was probably clearly written on her face. Her insides felt as though she just leapt off an exhilarating high cliff into deep dark water. On each exhale the names of the scents seemed to seep out of her like devoted praises.

"Angelica," she softly sighed. The scent was woody but lenient, well rounded and somehow homey. She felt comforted and inhaled once more.

She honed in on a new scent and shivered as she released a heady reverent whisper, "Tea Tree". The fragrance seemed to caress against her skin with a mix of sharpness and smooth undertones.

She bit her lip, "Fresh broom polish." It was mixed with an aroma tangy, strong, and masculine. It was a man's sweat, fresh off the Quidditch pitch.

She felt warmth in her abdomen that began to seep lower as it pulsed. Her thighs were quivering with each inhale and exhale. The muscles in her limbs were shaking with tension. It was like the precipice between the rise and fall of an orgasm. She felt her hands betraying her as they gripped wantonly on the tabletop. She knew she must look horribly uninhibited, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

"Dragon-hide leather. New…expensive," she gasped. She wanted to lay herself down in front of the man that smelled this way. Give her body unto him, whoever he was.

She whimpered, feeling her skin pebble with goose-flesh as the magic radiated off from her. She was going to drown, she was sure of it. She threw her head back and felt the magic burst through her fingers again. The pressure was growing greater within. Her body sunk onto the Professor's work-station, "Mint."

She moaned loudly and her eyes shot open piercing across the room with a driving heat. Her gaze connected with the molten mercury in Draco Malfoy's eyes. His normally marble tinted face was covered in a beautiful pale pink flush, lips red and parted, pupils dilated. His expression was filled with a sort of longing.

All at once she knew the object of her deepest passionate desires. He was affecting her beyond a doubt and he was staring back at her hungrily. A knowing smirk seemed to spread across his face as realization bloomed in his eyes.

"Okay, that's quite enough Miss Granger," the professor coughed nervously and then forcibly pulled her back, away from the Amortentia, away from the intoxicating high of Draco Malfoy.

Professor Slughorn released her, but she swayed on her feet and fell backward into the wall, gasping for breath. Tears sprung to her eyes as the reality of her mortal embarrassment seeped over her. She placed both palms against the wall to brace herself as she continued to shake. Humiliation covered her every pore and the tears fell sudden and rapid. She felt unhinged as her emotions suddenly hit her full force. She sobbed once and pushed her palms against her eyes.

"It's alright. It's alright, there, there," Professor Slughorn patted her head as he awkwardly addressed her, "Some say that removing yourself from the grips of Amortentia is akin to madness. It's a bit normal to feel emotional. It's normal to get a bit carried away with the carnal desires as well. Sorry Miss Granger, we were all a little enraptured with your apt descriptions. I should have pulled you away sooner. Any other notes to add?"

Hermione melted down to the floor, pressing her covered face toward the wall as she wept and quivered with residual energy. She tried to nod at his apologies, but couldn't quite manage it. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked out toward the class. Most were staring at her with wide eyes. A few looked shocked, the majority looked captivated. Harry and Ron were both gaping at her. She couldn't look at Draco, so she resolutely stared at the floor.

She wanted to run as far away as possible, but found her body betraying her once more as she confessed, "It was like my body was heightened to the point of pure ecstasy on the verge of a stimulating explosion…pulling away felt like being plunged into eternal darkness. Suddenly all the emotions came crashing down. I feel like I nearly drowned."

"We surely all learned a great deal about Amortentia today. Ah, look at the time, I think we are just about ready for class to be dismissed," Professor Slughorn inelegantly noted, looking at his magical pocket watch with false cheer.

"Miss Granger, 100 points to Gryffindor for your honesty and dedication." The class suddenly jolted into life as everyone began chatting rapidly and collecting their things.

Padma, Harry, and Ron all rushed to Hermione's side as the Potions Master made himself scarce and promptly marched into his office without another word. Harry brought Hermione's satchel to her, handing it over nervously. She quietly thanked him, not quite able to look him in the eye.

"Blimey 'Mione, you alright?" Ron inquired with concern in his unsteady voice.

She was still quivering as he helped her fully stand. "I think I will be when the feelings of mortification leave me," she muttered back. Ron and Harry released short laughs.

"Just be grateful Fred and George weren't around for that. We'd never hear the end of it. All the sex jokes would drive us mental. I mean, blimey…" Ron released his words without finishing. Hermione looked up and saw the intense red on his ears and cheeks. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with one hand.

"Oh my word, I'd say that was the hottest thing I ever saw if I wasn't feeling second-hand shame on your behalf," Padma breathed shakily.

"Oh God, don't say that," Hermione begged, pressing a hand across her forehead. Her body temperature was beginning to lower to its normal state.

She looked up and caught Harry's eye. He smirked. "You have to admit Hermione. That was probably the most educational thing you have ever done for the male species." She gasped and hit him hard in the chest.

"Harry Potter!" she scolded.

Ron began to laugh alongside Harry, "Gosh we're never going to be able to look at her the same way again, are we? Here she's always been our best friend, like a sister to us Harry…now she's going to scar us for life when we dream about her."

Hermione moaned in horror, "Stop right there Ronald Weasley! Not another word from either of you."

Padma hit them both for good measure. Hermione found herself laughing at the absurdity of what had happened to her and the strange emotional trip between fear, lust, emptiness, and humor.

"At least we've made you laugh again," Padma assured.

The four of them exited the classroom and began to travel down the hallway toward the Great Hall. Hermione didn't know if she had the stomach for lunch, but she would at least try. Maybe it would help with some of the nervous energy that was still running through her veins.

Ahead of them a group of Slytherin boys were laughing raucously as Blaise Zabini affected an imitation of Professor Slughorn's voice, "100 points to Gryffindor, for providing us with enough material for all our naughty future wet-dreams!"

Just as Harry and Ron were angrily drawing their wands, Hermione took one look at Draco Malfoy. He was off to the side of the group, not saying anything. Instead he seemed to be in a daze. He looked much how she thought she must look.

Her heart clenched.

He knew.

He knew that he was her desire.