A/N: I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, so I apologise for it in advance. Writers block struck and I almost died from it, but I fought back and survived to write another chapter.
Harry and Ron recovered slowly after what had just occurred, glancing at Hermione and each other every few minutes as they prepared to make the Veritaserum potion.
Hermione threw herself into her work, using it as an escape from the questioning glances that were thrown in her direction. She didn't want to think about what had just happened. She just wanted to make this potion and get the heck out of there so she could flee to the safety of her dorm room and hide for all eternity on her four poster bed with the curtains forever drawn.
But before she confined herself to a life of solitude in her bed, she chanced a glance up at Malfoy through the curtain of her hair as she stooped to start cutting up the ingredients.
His cheeks were flushed and he looked just as determined to use the art of potion making to escape his woes as she was.
Snape, meanwhile, was still looking thoughtfully and a little suspiciously at the two. He observed Malfoy keeping his eyes firmly on his ingredients, looking flushed and somewhat irritated. He was chopping his ingredients up savagely…the serpent tongues didn't stand a chance. Suddenly, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes glaring at anyone who dared look at him. His eyes stopped on Granger for a moment. She must have known this, as she glanced up through her hair again. As soon as their eyes met, Granger ducked her head and snapped her eyes down to her work again, her cheeks flushing, and Malfoy turned back around so fast he almost overbalanced onto his flobberworm testicles, and manically started hacking them to bits.
Snape frowned again, pondering the two's actions. Surely it couldn't be what he thought it was. Surely not! It would be so wrong! Lucius would burst a blood vessel and Narcissa would surely die of heart failure should Draco be found to… he couldn't even bring himself to even think it!
Suddenly, a hand went in the air, distracting Snape from his troubled thoughts.
"Yes what is it Miss Brown?" he snapped.
"Please Professor Snape, I think I may have made a mistake!" Lavender sqeaked as she looked down at her potion that was now a violent shade of purple and bubbling over onto her desk.
Beside her, Neville was looking horrified, and moved his cauldron as far away from Lavender's as possible. His potion had been going well, and he didn't want any of her purple stuff getting into his cauldron and messing his potion up!
Snape grunted in frustration and swept over to Lavender and stood over her glaring down his nose. "What did you do?" he demanded, looking at the potion that was now spitting.
Lavender looked forlornly at her ingredients and then at her cauldron, shaking her head.
"I…I-" she stammered.
"WHAT DID YOU DO GIRL?" Snape barked, causing everyone to flinch.
"I don't know!" Lavender cried hysterically. "I put all the ingredients in, and it just started doing this!"
"Did you put in the ingredients in the right order?" Snape demanded.
"I…think so," Lavender said slowly, looking stupidly at the irate potion.
Snape looked livid. "You think so?" he seethed "Either you did or you didn't!"
Lavender shook her head. "I don't know for sure!" she said, looking frightened as Snape began to clench and unclench his fists and started grinding his teeth.
"Perhaps if you hadn't been so busy staring at Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger, instead of paying close attention to what you were doing with your ingredients, this wouldn't have happened!" Snape snapped.
At the mention of their names, Malfoy and Hermione both looked up enquiringly.
Lavender flushed a deep crimson and hung her head. "I…I'm sorry!" she said meekly.
"Sorry won't save Gryffindor from losing 30 points!" Snape growled, waving his wand making the potion vanish. "Now start again, and pay attention this time!" he said before sweeping off to investigate everyone else's potions.
Harry and Ron cast Lavender sympathetic looks, and returned to their work.
Hermione put up her hand. "Professor Snape?"
"Yes Miss Granger?" Snape replied.
"I've run out of crushed unicorn horn, may I please fetch some from the store cupboard?" Hermione asked politely.
Snape sighed, as though it bothered him greatly, which it did, but he really wanted her to know that. "Very well, if you must."
"Thank you Professor." Hermione said, getting up and walking over to the store cupboard, her head down and avoiding everyone's gaze. What she couldn't avoid however, were the whispers as she passed.
"Look! Her knees are still trembling!"
"Her lips look bruised! Wow, what a kisser Malfoy must be!"
"I'm going to have to ask him to give me lessons!"
"She's so lucky!"
Hermione firmly ignored them, she reached the cupboard, pulled the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
Once inside the cupboard, she took a moment to compose herself before looking for the ingredient she was in there for.
Her fingers ran across the bottles and jars of ingredients as she searched for the crushed unicorn horn, her lips silently wording them as she passed, but she couldn't concentrate. Malfoy kept popping into her mind.
Shaking her head to clear it, she resumed her search, but once again, her thoughts drifted.
"Oh for goodness sake girl, it wasn't that good of a kiss anyway!" she scolded herself in frustration.
Finally she found the thing she was looking for and grabbed it.
She emerged from the store cupboard and returned to her cauldron where she added the missing ingredient that would complete her work.
"Mione." Ron whispered. "Mione!"
"What?" Hermione replied, frustrated at the interruption of her potion making.
"Are you alright?" Harry whispered.
"Of course I'm alright!" She hissed. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you just didn't seem alright after…you know." Ron answered.
"We'll talk about it later, right now, I just want to get this potion done!" Hermione whispered, turning back to her potion. In front of her desk, she saw the familiar black robes of Professor Snape, who was now standing over her, arms folded, looking as sour as ever, he gave her a glare before leaning over and peering into her cauldron.
"Ladle." He said quietly, holding out his hand.
Hermione handed him her glass ladle and he scooped up some of the crystal clear potion, holding it up at eye level so he could see better.
Apparantly he could find no fault with it, as he handed the ladle over to her, still full of potion and stood smirking.
This unnerved Hermione. Why was he smirking like that. Snape never smirked!
She stared back at him questioningly.
Then, Snape pointed on slender finger over her shoulder. She turned and saw that he was pointing at Harry. Turning back to face Snape, she once again looked at him questioningly.
"Mr Potter will test your potion for us, Miss Granger." Snape elaborated.
Harry scowled. He was always being picked on by Snape, but at least he didn't have to try Ron's potion, or worse, Neville's, at least Hermione always got her potion's right, so he wasn't worried.
Hermione sighed and looked apologetically at Harry as she carried the ladle to him and held it up to his lips.
Harry drank the potion without hesitation, not really having anything he could think of that would hurt or offend anyone that he would blurt out.
Satisfied, Snape made Harry walk to the front of the classroom and stand there.
"I will now ask Mr Potter a few questions. Pay close attention when I ask the more difficult questions, the potion will force him to answer truthfully." He told the class, still smirking evilly.
The class's attention was riveted on Harry.
"Mr Potter, what do you think of my nose?" Snape asked.
"I think it's the biggest nose I've ever seen, and that's saying something, because I've seen some big noses in my time, Uncle Vernon's is pretty big but yours really takes the gold medal for huge noses Professor!" Harry answered.
The class gasped, the Gryffindor's were trying not to laugh out loud, and the Slytherins were looking rather amused themselves.
Inwardly, Snape said "Crap!" he hadn't banked on Harry's answer being so long.
Outwardly he appeared smug and cool as he moved on to the next question.
"And what do you think of Mr Malfoy?" Snape asked.
Harry paused. "Which one? Elder or Junior?" he asked.
"Junior." Snape answered.
"I don't like him." Harry answered. "He's a nasty, stuck up ferret. Ron and I were just discussing the other day how overbearing he can be, strutting around the school ordering people around. Of course, it's not really his fault is it?"
"What do you mean?" Snape asked curiously. He was curious as to why Harry didn't really blame Draco for being the way he was.
Malfoy who was scowling before, now practically had one eye popping out of it's socket from sheer surprise. His eyebrows were out of alignment too. One was still scowling, the other had almost disappeared into his hair.
"Well I mean that his father has to be to blame for the way he treats people. I'm secretly suspicious that his father is cruel to him at home, and Malfoy treats other people that way to feel like he has some power, as he feels powerless at home. It's all just a bully mentality that he has going on. I sort of have those suspicions about you too Professor. Were you abused as a child or are you this way naturally?" Harry babbled.
"No, I wasn't." Snape sniffed. "Moving on to the next two questions, then we'll have some questions from the rest of the class."
Harry shrugged. "Sure, why not."
"What do you think of this new Mr Goldwater?" Snape asked, smirking evilly. Perhaps he would get some answers from Potter.
At the sound of his name, Hermione smiled and felt fuzzy and warm.
"Well, to be honest, and let's face it I don't really have an option to be anything but honest, I think there's something weird about him! I can't quite tell you what it is exactly, but I can try…it's sort of like he's put Hermione under some sort of spell or something. I don't know how else to explain it." Harry said. "She acts all weird around him, it's almost like she's in another world…or in some sort of hypnotic-"
"Trance." Snape and Malfoy said together.
"Yes that's it!" Harry said excitedly. "I'm so glad you can see it too. I thought I was the only one!"
Snape and Malfoy exchanged glances. It all made sense now! That had to be it! That's how Goldwater had managed to get Granger fawning all over him from day one! Now all they had to do was figure out why.
"Any ideas on why he'd want to do that?" Snape asked hopefully.
"Nope. I have no idea." Harry replied frowning in frustration "But dash it all I want to know!"
"Join the club Potter." Malfoy muttered.
"Okay, other questions from the class before the potion wears off?" Snape said turning and addressing the class.
Hands shot up everywhere, many of his classmates had been waiting for this moment for six years.
"Miss Parkinson." Snape said choosing the first one.
"Potter, is it true that you once talked about Draco rather romantically in your sleep and that it's the best kept Gryffindor secret ever to exist because your roommates heard you?"
Harry looked affronted. "No it is not true!" he snapped.
Pansy looked let down.
"Interesting, next!" Snape barked "Mr Zabini!"
"Potter, do you fancy Cho Chang anymore?" Blaise asked.
"No, she cries too much and frankly I can't tell you what I was when I did fancy her!" Harry replied.
"Cool, then you don't mind if I ask her out then?" Blaise checked. "You won't hex me or something?"
"Nope, feel free." Harry answered.
Blaise grinned happily.
"Miss Brown." Snape said.
"How would you feel if I said that I want to have your babies?" Lavender breathed dreamily.
Harry winced. "I'd say I'd rather you didn't if it's all the same to you. You aren't a girl whom I'd consider anything more than a friend." Harry replied.
Lavender pouted, and Parvati patted her on the arm comfortingly.
"There's always Draco." She said soothingly.
"Ha! Fat chance!" Malfoy snorted in disgust.
"Miss Patil?" Snape said, getting the class back on track.
"Oh, right you are Professor!" Parvati said, taken by surprise to be chosen next. "Umm, Harry, if you could choose whom you would be caught under the mistletoe with, who would it be?"
There was sudden extreme interest and a few "ooh's" from the girls in the class was to be heard.
Harry looked thoughtful. "Do you mean from this school, or just anyone in general?"
"From this school." Parvati answered.
"I'm going to regret ever answering this, but I don't have any choice in the matter…" Harry said resignedly looking at Ron apologetically.
"Answer the question Potter!" Snape snapped impatiently. He wanted to move on to the next pupil!
"Ginny Weasley!" Harry said.
"Oh this is too good!" Malfoy said grinning and turning around to see Ron's reaction.
"WHAT!" Ron squawked "You want to kiss my sister?"
"Yes. I have for ages. I just didn't want to say or do anything in case it made you mad!" Harry said calmly. "Sorry you had to find out this way Ron."
Ron spluttered for a few moments, when suddenly his expression relaxed. "Well I suppose it's alright really, I mean, it's better than that last bloke she was with! Mum will be pleased too, she really likes you."
Malfoy looked disappointed that Ron was taking it so well.
"So we're alright?" Harry asked Ron.
"Yeah, course we are!" Ron said smiling.
"I hate to break up this warm and tender moment, but I'd really like to get on with this class!" Snape barked.
"Oh, yeah, right." Harry said, cheerfully going back to his seat.
"Miss Granger." Snape said, pouring some of her potion into a vial.
When he heard no response from her, he looked up.
She was daydreaming again, her eyes soft and a smile on her face.
"Miss Granger!" He said a little more forcefully.
Still no response.
Losing what little patience he possessed, Snape marched over to her and grabbed her roughly by the arm and hauled her to her feet.
"OUCH! What the…" Hermione cried in fright, then she realized that she hadn't been paying attention. "Professor?"
"Pay attention girl! And ten points from Gryffindor for daydreaming in my class!" Snape snarled as he drug her up to the front of the class and pushed her roughly onto a stool, then he shoved the vial into her hands.
"Drink it." He ordered.
Hermione did as he requested and drank the vial of veretaserum.
As the potion took effect, she felt relaxed and serene.
"Now, Miss Granger, I have a few questions for you." Snape said importantly.
"Yes Professor?" Hermione asked cheerfully. It was truly a wonderful feeling not having to care anymore!
"What is it that you feel towards this Mr Goldwater?" Snape said straightaway.
Hermione hesitated. Suddenly she did care that Snape wanted to know her private thoughts, especially the ones about Lucas.
Snape frowned. The potion should be forcing her to talk, yet somehow, she was able to hesitate!
"Miss Granger?" Snape prompted.
"I….I…why do you want to know?" She squeaked. It was apparently taking great effort to resist the potion.
Snape's frown deepened "Something isn't right here." He murmered.
"Class is over! Class dismissed!" Snape barked.
"What about Mione!" Ron demanded.
"I shall deal with Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, now go!" Snape snapped.
The class filed out, but Malfoy, Blaise and Pansy remained behind.
Hermione was shaking from the exhortation it was taking to resist the potion. She didn't know why she was resisting it, it just seemed as though she really had to, like it was really important that she didn't answer that question.
Snape paced back and forth "This shouldn't be happening." He said in frustration. "The potion works fine, we tested it on Potter!"
"Professor?" Malfoy asked, frowning in concern. "What's happening? Why is the potion not working?"
"I don't know!" Snape murmered. "We have to snap her out of it." He decided suddenly.
He didn't want to have to do this in front of the class again, but they didn't remember the first time he had done it, he had wiped their memories of the last time, but he didn't want to have to do it again, so he dismissed them. Dumbledore was going to want to speak with him afterwards, but it was the only way to get Granger to stop fighting the potion. Break her concentration. But he had to move quickly.
Hermione hadn't seen anything as her eyes were still tightly shut in concentration of not answering the question and so didn't know that the class had gone.
Snape, aware that three of his students remained, addressed them.
"I apologize to all three of you in advance for what I am about to do. I will explain to you why I had to do it as soon as Miss Granger is well again." He informed them.
With that said, he suddenly spun around and slapped Hermione soundly across the face.
The force of the impact of his hand was such that Hermione cried out in pain and was sent sprawling from her stool, landing on the floor dazed and shaken.
Malfoy leapt to his feet, pale and shaking, not believing what just happened.
Snape shook his stinging hand before reaching down to help the trembling girl to her feet. "Come on now, stand up." He said quietly, grabbing her arm and urging her up. "You are quite alright Miss Granger."
"You struck her!" Malfoy squawked hysterically "I can't believe you just did that!"
"It had to be done Draco!" Snape said calmly, sitting Hermione back on her stool again.
Hermione was holding a pale shaking hand to her cheek, where a good sized bruise was forming, her eyes glazed and blank.
"What do you care Draco?" Pansy said suddenly from behind him, remnants of a satisfied smirk still lingering on her face. "She deserves it anyway. Saves me having to do it!"
Something in Malfoy snapped. He whirled around and before Pansy only had time to let her smirk fall from her face before… SLAP. The force knocked her into Blaise who fell to the floor with her, then lay looking horrified up at Malfoy.
Malfoy stared at his shaking hand in fear and confusion. What had he just done? He had struck a woman. Sure, it was Pansy and she could use a good slap now and then, but he never thought he'd be the one to do it!
'Father would be so proud.' He thought bitterly.
At the sound of the Slap, Snape had spun around, shocked to the core to see that Draco had delivered the blow to Pansy. He sighed and stepped over to Draco.
Malfoy was still staring down at his hand, horrified, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Looking up, he saw Snape standing there, looking pitying.
"Go and tend to Miss Granger, Draco. I shall see to Miss Parkinson. We shall talk about this later" Snape said softly.
Malfoy swallowed and nodded, staggering over to Hermione who was still holding her bruised and throbbing cheek. The potion was still in effect, but judging by the blank expression on her face, she had given up fighting it.
"Granger?" Malfoy said quietly, in a shaking voice. "Help me."
Hermione was still staring into nothing, but she answered him.
"What is it Malfoy?" she asked softly.
"I just slapped Pansy. I struck a girl!" Malfoy whispered in a panicking tone.
"What should I do?"
"Say you're sorry." Hermione replied, still gazing into space. "Say you didn't mean it."
Malfoy searched her face. "But…if I'm honest…I did sort of mean it!" he whispered.
"Then what are you so upset about Malfoy?" Hermione asked softly, turning her eyes to him.
"I…can't…I hate myself for it!" he replied in anguish. "My father hits my mother, and I swore I would never be like him!"
"Then don't be." Hermione told him, her voice still soft.
Knowing she was under Veretaserum, Malfoy decided to ask her a few questions.
"Granger, do you think I am like my father?"
Hermione was quiet for a moment. Malfoy almost thought she was resisting the potion again, but she answered suddenly, in that same soft voice.
"No. I don't think you are. I did once. I thought you'd end up just like him. But for some reason, I believe in you. I believe you can be who you want to be." Hermione said in a whispering voice.
Malfoy felt relief sweep through him. Someone believed he could be different from his father. Someone believed he could be himself, and not just any someone, Hermione Granger!
"Granger, what is it with you and Goldwater?" Malfoy asked next.
"I hate it." Was her sudden whispered reply.
"What?" Malfoy asked, looking at her in surprise.
"I hate it." She repeated. "it frightens me."
"What does?" Malfoy asked
"The feeling." She answered "Make it stop." She said begging him with her eyes.
Malfoy was getting worried. "Professor!" he called suddenly, not taking his eyes off of Hermione.
Snape instructed Blaise to hold the ice pack to Pansy's face.
"Yes Mr Malfoy?" he asked.
"I think you'd better come hear this. She isn't making much sense." Malfoy replied.
Snape hurried over to the two and stood in front of Hermione.
"Miss Granger? What is it? Tell us more." Snape spoke softly.
"I don't like it." She said sorrowfully. "It's frightening."
"What is?" Snape asked, frowning in confusion.
"The feeling." She repeated.
"What feeling?" Malfoy asked.
"I don't know." Hermione whimpered.
She wasn't making much sense at all.
"What did you ask her?" Snape asked Malfoy.
"I asked what it was going on with her and Goldwater, and she started saying this stuff!" Malfoy replied.
"Make it stop Professor! I don't want it anymore." Hermione whimpered.
"Make what stop?" Snape demanded.
"I don't know!" Hermione said in frustration.
"How can I help if you don't know what you are talking about!" Snape snapped, exasperated.
They fell silent, Hermione staring blankly ahead, Malfoy and Snape trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about.
Finally they agreed that they should just give up.
Snape supplied Hermione with and antidote to the Veretaserum, which she gladly took.
"I have plenty of the stuff now, I shall find a way to interregate the boy." Snape told Malfoy.
"Okay, let me know what you find out." Malfoy said, feeling a little depressed.
He mooched over to Pansy and Blaise.
They glared at him.
"Look what you did to my beautiful face Draco!" Pansy hissed at him, taking the ice pack away to reveal a bruise to rival Hermione's.
"Yes, about that….I'm sorry." Malfoy said guiltily. "I didn't mean to, I just got so angry."
"Yes, but why? You don't normally get angry about stuff like that, you normally cheer along when Granger get's what's coming to her!" Blaise pointed out.
"I know, it's just that….I don't know! I just didn't think it would affect me seeing Professor Snape strike her like that. It reminded me of my mother and father." Malfoy said, hanging his head.
Pansy put an hand on his arm. "It's okay Drakie, I understand." She said quietly. "I forgive you. I know you didn't mean to harm me."
Malfoy smiled weakly. "Thanks Pans."
Blaise thumped him on the back. "Okay, lets blow this joint and head to the Common room. We still don't have dates for the ball, and it's only a few days away."
"Oh No!" Malfoy gasped slapping a hand to his head. "I forgot all about it! Listen, you two go ahead, I'll meet you in the common room."
Blaise and Pansy nodded and left.
Malfoy dashed over to Snape, who was trying to make a very reproachful Hermione's bruise disappear.
Malfoy pushed Snape's wand away and got out his own. He muttered a quick spell and the bruise vanished.
"How did you…" Snape said said incredulously.
"I overheard my mother use it all the time." Malfoy said waving his hand carelessly.
"If you don't mind, I should like to leave now." Hermione huffed. "And what's more, you shan't be seeing me tomorrow in class Professor."
"Why is that Miss Granger." Snape asked wearily.
"After the day I've had, I'm going to take a day to relax and try and forget everything that happened!" Hermione sniffed, getting down from the stool.
"Oh yes, that reminds me…" Snape said raising his wand again "Obliviate."
Hermione went stiff for a second, then relaxed.
"Oh hello Professor." She greeted. "Is class over already?"
"Yes, Miss Granger, you are dismissed." Snape replied.
"Thank you Professor." Hermione replied before leaving, a little unsteady on her feet.
As soon as she had gone, Malfoy turned to Snape. "Will you stop doing that! How do you know that doesn't permanently damage her brain or something?"
Snape waved his hand around "Oh please, do you think they'd make it a legal spell if it did permanent damage?"
"Good point. Now, I came over here again to remind you about the ball that's in a few days time." Malfoy said anxiously.
"And you are worried why?" Snape asked in a bored tone.
"Don't you see? He'll ask her to go with him, and who knows what will happen! He could be planning something!"
"Good thinking Draco." Snape said thoughtfully. "Well, we cannot stop the inevitable, but we can intervene. We must try and keep them apart as much as possible. Tail her Draco, don't let her out of your site." Snape said importantly. "That way he cannot try anything. Meanwhile, I am going to try and find out what he is up to."
"Okay, laters Professor!" Malfoy said before leaving.
