Ack, do you people not know the meaning of 'review'? Grr. Review this chapter then, and I may think about writing the next chapter *grin*.
Disclaimer - None of the following characters are mine and I'm not making any money from this etc.
Proving Yourself
The last dregs of sleep were shaken from Hermione as she sat up and got out of bed. She shivered with cold. Wrapping a deep red fluffy terry robe around her Hermione opened the door to the bathroom and switched on a few of the taps. While the bath was filling up she brushed her teeth and tried to bring some order to her hair.
Having not cut her hair since before her First Year the brown tresses were of considerable length. The light from the candles picked out twisting and curling strands of a deep mahogany. Shorter wisps of hair framed her heart shaped face. Well-defined cheekbones lay beneath large almond shaped eyes of a deep, chocolate brown with flecks of black liberally sprinkled all over. Extravagant eyelashes cast shadows on the pale creamy skin.
Once the bath was full Hermione had a hurried bath. Jumping out of the tub the size of a pool, Hermione swathed herself in the robe and kicked open the door to the main room. She hastily put the correct books and notebooks for the day's lessons onto her desk and went back into her room to get her satchel. Returning to the pile of books Hermione tossed them into the bag and popped in a few extra quills. After making sure all of the notebooks and books were in her bag, Hermione performed a quick drying charm on both her hair and her still damp body.
The robe no longer sticking to her flesh, Hermione hurriedly got dressed and pinned half of her hair up into a tight bun and let the remaining locks to fall down her back. Picking up her bag as she passed Hermione stepped through the opening and into the hallway. As everyone had already gone downstairs to eat breakfast, the hallways were empty as Hermione walked down to the Great Hall.
Deliberately Hermione sat at the very end of the Gryffindor table, when she reached the hall. She ate a hurried breakfast of sausage, bacon, mushrooms and some fried bread and then left to go down to the dungeons to wait for her first lesson: Potions.
***
A slight sigh escaped from the thin lips of Professor Snape. No matter how many times Snape protested, Dumbledore always put the Gryffindors and the Slytherins together for potions. Hoping for a quiet lesson where he could rest his weary eyes and possibly catch some sleep in his office, Snape had assigned the class to make a Silence potion. A potion that did in fact need silence to be brewed correctly. Talking upset it immensely and would cause it to explode, so, thankfully, no one could talk. The class seemed, however, to make up for the lack of talk and whispers in an incredible amount of noise made by stirring cauldrons or moving stools.
Rubbing the smooth skin at the side of his eyes Snape looked around his classroom. Varying degrees of despair showed on the seventh years. Longbottom looked as though he was ready to explode from frustration. Everyone else's potion was grey; his was an intense red. Well everyone's except Granger's. Her potion was the steely grey of a finished Silence Potion.
Granger. Now there was one who had perplexed and confounded him since her First Year. She had all of the brains for a Ravenclaw. She had all of the ambition and cunning to be an exemplary Slytherin. And yet the Sorting Hat had insisted on putting her in Gryffindor. In the house where she was most likely to become an outcast from her 'friends'.
She was rather like him in that respect. During his early years at Hogwarts he had been anything but a Slytherin, but he eventually realised that he would have to act like one to be accepted. However Granger had not yet started the pretence of the Gryffindor she was meant to be. She carried on showing those, ever increasingly obvious, traits of the other houses. Slowly the Gryffindors would reject her for being too Slytherin, or too Ravenclaw. And then the other houses would not accept her for actually being in Gryffindor.
A shame really. That exact same process had caused Snape to become a Death Eater. He just hoped that Granger wouldn't turn to that particular 'solace' also. Such a mind as hers could very easily sway the war in favour of Voldemort. And after being found out as a spy a year earlier, that would not be the healthiest of events for Snape
***
Strumming her fingers lightly on the grained wood, Hermione fixed her gaze at a candle someway above the Hufflepuff table. The entire table was talking about her. Talking about how she had changed, about how sorry they were for Ron and Harry. Despite the topic of their conversation sitting just meters away from them, they carried on unabashed. While thinking of all the nasty hexes and curses she knew Hermione ground her teeth, hoping that she wouldn't end up killing Lavender who was prattling on about how Hermione never even moisturised, and had no beauty routine apart from washing, showers and brushing her teeth.
Slowly, so that all eyes were trained on her, Hermione got to her feet and turned to the clump of Gryffindors.
"I feel nothing but sympathy if the most gripping of conversations you can conduct is on the lack of my beauty routine," Lavender didn't even have the decency to blush, "Perhaps you would like some more juicy gossip. Like how I once actually went for three days without a shower. You people are so sad." Not once did Hermione raise her voice higher than a whisper, but all the Gryffindors heard her.
Hermione glared at one Ravenclaw who was staring wide-mouthed at her and strode back to her rooms, glad that there were no more lessons for the day or week.
***
All too slowly for Hermione, the twelfth approached and with it a large amount of anticipation on Hermione's side. The actually day was remarkably boring. McGonnagal gave Seamus a detention for turning her into a pencil sharpener. Flitwick fell of his books. Again. And Snape... well Snape was Snape.
It was just an hour till seven o'clock and Hermione had no idea how she was to get to Malfoy Manor. Every time the Floo network was used it was recorded, so Dumbledore would find out if she used that way. And she had no idea how to make a portkey. At precisely six forty five a grey fluffy owl flew threw Hermione's window and nearly set itself on fire as it veered far too close to a candle.
Slightly amused at its antics Hermione caught the package as the owl gave dropped it and flew out of the window again. Inside the parcel were a platinum ring and a small note written in a different hand to her first letter delivered by the grey owl.
Miss Granger,
The ring is a portkey. Make sure you are wearing it at 7.00pm. It is charmed with a One-Size charm. If at any other time you wish to visit the Manor, say clearly while wearing the ring 'Malfoy Manor.'
Lucius Malfoy.
Hermione could almost sense the revulsion of sending a letter to a Mudblood in the letter. Hermione slipped the ring onto her left middle finger. The ring instantly shrunk to fit snugly around Hermione's slender finger.
Realising she only had quarter of an hour to get ready Hermione leapt into action. Sprinting towards her wardrobe Hermione drew out a simple long blood red robe. Black embroidery followed the hems around the cuff and the neckline. The actual dress was a clear cut garment but accentuated the curvy figure of the seventh year and with its long slits on either sides her long muscled legs were shown to their advantage. After quickly changing into it, Hermione brought out a long black outer robe with a large hood and placed it carefully, so as not to crease it, onto the bed.
Next was the bathroom. Hermione smirked as she thought of Lavender's comments. A pale foundation powder was brushed onto her face and her neck down to the neckline of the robe. Black kohl eyeliner was applied liberally. The points extended to give Hermione an almost Egyptian look. A thick coat of sparkly lip-gloss was smeared onto Hermione's already red lips.
With a simple colour charm Hermione painted her nails the exact shade of red that her dress was and changed a pair of black sandals to red also. Not really bothering that it should look immaculate Hermione put half of her hair into a pony tail and left a few shorter hairs to frame her face. The sandals were slipped on and laced up, they were then charmed to feel as comfortable as any pair of trainers.
The school clock was just striking seven as Hermione put on her outer robe, slipped her wand up her sleeve and disappeared.
*********
Review the chapter!! PLEASE!!!! Ack enough with the pleading. Next chapter: the DE meeting... dan dan daaan!
Remember.... REVIEW!
Ky,
Disclaimer - None of the following characters are mine and I'm not making any money from this etc.
Proving Yourself
The last dregs of sleep were shaken from Hermione as she sat up and got out of bed. She shivered with cold. Wrapping a deep red fluffy terry robe around her Hermione opened the door to the bathroom and switched on a few of the taps. While the bath was filling up she brushed her teeth and tried to bring some order to her hair.
Having not cut her hair since before her First Year the brown tresses were of considerable length. The light from the candles picked out twisting and curling strands of a deep mahogany. Shorter wisps of hair framed her heart shaped face. Well-defined cheekbones lay beneath large almond shaped eyes of a deep, chocolate brown with flecks of black liberally sprinkled all over. Extravagant eyelashes cast shadows on the pale creamy skin.
Once the bath was full Hermione had a hurried bath. Jumping out of the tub the size of a pool, Hermione swathed herself in the robe and kicked open the door to the main room. She hastily put the correct books and notebooks for the day's lessons onto her desk and went back into her room to get her satchel. Returning to the pile of books Hermione tossed them into the bag and popped in a few extra quills. After making sure all of the notebooks and books were in her bag, Hermione performed a quick drying charm on both her hair and her still damp body.
The robe no longer sticking to her flesh, Hermione hurriedly got dressed and pinned half of her hair up into a tight bun and let the remaining locks to fall down her back. Picking up her bag as she passed Hermione stepped through the opening and into the hallway. As everyone had already gone downstairs to eat breakfast, the hallways were empty as Hermione walked down to the Great Hall.
Deliberately Hermione sat at the very end of the Gryffindor table, when she reached the hall. She ate a hurried breakfast of sausage, bacon, mushrooms and some fried bread and then left to go down to the dungeons to wait for her first lesson: Potions.
***
A slight sigh escaped from the thin lips of Professor Snape. No matter how many times Snape protested, Dumbledore always put the Gryffindors and the Slytherins together for potions. Hoping for a quiet lesson where he could rest his weary eyes and possibly catch some sleep in his office, Snape had assigned the class to make a Silence potion. A potion that did in fact need silence to be brewed correctly. Talking upset it immensely and would cause it to explode, so, thankfully, no one could talk. The class seemed, however, to make up for the lack of talk and whispers in an incredible amount of noise made by stirring cauldrons or moving stools.
Rubbing the smooth skin at the side of his eyes Snape looked around his classroom. Varying degrees of despair showed on the seventh years. Longbottom looked as though he was ready to explode from frustration. Everyone else's potion was grey; his was an intense red. Well everyone's except Granger's. Her potion was the steely grey of a finished Silence Potion.
Granger. Now there was one who had perplexed and confounded him since her First Year. She had all of the brains for a Ravenclaw. She had all of the ambition and cunning to be an exemplary Slytherin. And yet the Sorting Hat had insisted on putting her in Gryffindor. In the house where she was most likely to become an outcast from her 'friends'.
She was rather like him in that respect. During his early years at Hogwarts he had been anything but a Slytherin, but he eventually realised that he would have to act like one to be accepted. However Granger had not yet started the pretence of the Gryffindor she was meant to be. She carried on showing those, ever increasingly obvious, traits of the other houses. Slowly the Gryffindors would reject her for being too Slytherin, or too Ravenclaw. And then the other houses would not accept her for actually being in Gryffindor.
A shame really. That exact same process had caused Snape to become a Death Eater. He just hoped that Granger wouldn't turn to that particular 'solace' also. Such a mind as hers could very easily sway the war in favour of Voldemort. And after being found out as a spy a year earlier, that would not be the healthiest of events for Snape
***
Strumming her fingers lightly on the grained wood, Hermione fixed her gaze at a candle someway above the Hufflepuff table. The entire table was talking about her. Talking about how she had changed, about how sorry they were for Ron and Harry. Despite the topic of their conversation sitting just meters away from them, they carried on unabashed. While thinking of all the nasty hexes and curses she knew Hermione ground her teeth, hoping that she wouldn't end up killing Lavender who was prattling on about how Hermione never even moisturised, and had no beauty routine apart from washing, showers and brushing her teeth.
Slowly, so that all eyes were trained on her, Hermione got to her feet and turned to the clump of Gryffindors.
"I feel nothing but sympathy if the most gripping of conversations you can conduct is on the lack of my beauty routine," Lavender didn't even have the decency to blush, "Perhaps you would like some more juicy gossip. Like how I once actually went for three days without a shower. You people are so sad." Not once did Hermione raise her voice higher than a whisper, but all the Gryffindors heard her.
Hermione glared at one Ravenclaw who was staring wide-mouthed at her and strode back to her rooms, glad that there were no more lessons for the day or week.
***
All too slowly for Hermione, the twelfth approached and with it a large amount of anticipation on Hermione's side. The actually day was remarkably boring. McGonnagal gave Seamus a detention for turning her into a pencil sharpener. Flitwick fell of his books. Again. And Snape... well Snape was Snape.
It was just an hour till seven o'clock and Hermione had no idea how she was to get to Malfoy Manor. Every time the Floo network was used it was recorded, so Dumbledore would find out if she used that way. And she had no idea how to make a portkey. At precisely six forty five a grey fluffy owl flew threw Hermione's window and nearly set itself on fire as it veered far too close to a candle.
Slightly amused at its antics Hermione caught the package as the owl gave dropped it and flew out of the window again. Inside the parcel were a platinum ring and a small note written in a different hand to her first letter delivered by the grey owl.
Miss Granger,
The ring is a portkey. Make sure you are wearing it at 7.00pm. It is charmed with a One-Size charm. If at any other time you wish to visit the Manor, say clearly while wearing the ring 'Malfoy Manor.'
Lucius Malfoy.
Hermione could almost sense the revulsion of sending a letter to a Mudblood in the letter. Hermione slipped the ring onto her left middle finger. The ring instantly shrunk to fit snugly around Hermione's slender finger.
Realising she only had quarter of an hour to get ready Hermione leapt into action. Sprinting towards her wardrobe Hermione drew out a simple long blood red robe. Black embroidery followed the hems around the cuff and the neckline. The actual dress was a clear cut garment but accentuated the curvy figure of the seventh year and with its long slits on either sides her long muscled legs were shown to their advantage. After quickly changing into it, Hermione brought out a long black outer robe with a large hood and placed it carefully, so as not to crease it, onto the bed.
Next was the bathroom. Hermione smirked as she thought of Lavender's comments. A pale foundation powder was brushed onto her face and her neck down to the neckline of the robe. Black kohl eyeliner was applied liberally. The points extended to give Hermione an almost Egyptian look. A thick coat of sparkly lip-gloss was smeared onto Hermione's already red lips.
With a simple colour charm Hermione painted her nails the exact shade of red that her dress was and changed a pair of black sandals to red also. Not really bothering that it should look immaculate Hermione put half of her hair into a pony tail and left a few shorter hairs to frame her face. The sandals were slipped on and laced up, they were then charmed to feel as comfortable as any pair of trainers.
The school clock was just striking seven as Hermione put on her outer robe, slipped her wand up her sleeve and disappeared.
*********
Review the chapter!! PLEASE!!!! Ack enough with the pleading. Next chapter: the DE meeting... dan dan daaan!
Remember.... REVIEW!
Ky,
