Disclaimer: Any of the characters in the following text that is recognized as J.K. Rowling's work belongs to her. Any bits of the plot that is recognized from the film, "A Month with 15 Girls" belongs to the play writer of the mentioned movie. I only own the characters that I've made up and bits of the plot not recognized from, "A Month with 15 Girls".
A.N.: Thank you for all your reviews! sorry it took so long to update... o.O ...2067 words!! all time high!
Chapter 9: The Animal of My Dreams
"Ugler."
"Ye-e-es?" stuttered the kneeling man.
"You have failed me. Once again." The squat figure on the dilapidated setee stated it blandly, without emotion. It was a fact, not a figure of speech.
"So-o-ry Master... It was all that blundering fool Malfoy's fault...!" The other man was near to tears, clinging on to the trouser legs of the superior. He was snivelling slightly, and whimpering pathetically. "Yes," he spoke, gaining confidence, "The girl and her friend were already unconscious, without wands! Then Malfoy-! He rescued them!"
"THEN KILL HIM! I DON'T CARE! ELIMINATE ALL LIABILITIES IF YOU HAVE TO!"
"Ye-es, master." Ugler simpered, bowing his head ridiculously low. A few seconds of silence followed, punctuated at regular intervals by the drip-drip of the dank walls.
"Do not fail me again." He waved the other man away resignedly, sighed, stood up and retreated to his inner lairs...
Hermione opened her eyes tentatively, stretching. It was yet another crystal clear morning with-
"ARGHHH!! MALFOY! YOU RUIN ALL MY MORNINGS! CAN'T YOU GET A SHIRT ON?" Hermione screamed, took one last look at Malfoy's chiseled but not ripped chest and retreated, although hesitantly, back under the duvets, yet again.
To her fury Malfoy chuckled (and Hermione could swear he was smirking) saying, "Well, someone's not a morning person."
That did it. She so was a morning person, and proud! "FOR YOUR INFORMATION MALFOY, I WAS A MORNING PERSON, UNTIL I HAD TO SHARE A DORM WITH YOU!" Hermione screeched, bolting upright under the duvets, looking not unlike a three year old with a temper tantrum. Where was Ginny when she needed back up? He simply must stop being so agonizingly yum—Where was Ginny?!
Ginny had actually been asleep, that was, before Hermione's hissy fit. She groaned awake and stalked to the bathroom mumbling, "Stupid Malfoy, doing it on purpose, I swear he loves it and…ARGHHH!! ZABINI!! You know, even though I do find you hot, IT IS UTTERLY ATROCIOUS NOT LOCKING THE BATHROOM DOOR WHEN YOU'RE SHOWERING!" Ginny huffed, pouted and threw herself on her bed amid protesting creaks and groans. Hermione cackled maniacally under the duvets. Oh fudge it all! Another wonderful day ahead--
Knock. Knock.
"Come in"
A snub-nosed house elf absurdly dressed like a waiter poked his/her (it really is impossible to determine in the case of house elves, especially this one) nose in and said in a high-pitched voice, "Ms. Eve Ritchers would like to remind you, residents of Room (he/she paused to look at the number plate on the door) Zabini-Serpent (courtesy of the Zabini and Malfoy of course), that (here he/she produced a wad of pink notepaper from…nowhere) 'Some people are actually sleeping 7:00 in the morning believe it or not. Stop screaming your lungs out or I will file a lawsuit against you. And I happen to have a very good lawyer. Goodbye and Goodnight.'" Complimented by a slam of the door.
--Or not such a wonderful day afterall.
"I SWEAR THAT RICHTER PERSON!"
"Dracoooooo, she's meaaannnn…"
"That utter excuse of a woman deserves a beating!"
"Ew, since when have I become a resident of Room Zabini-Serpent?"
After a light breakfast (consisting only of milk and mouldy cereal because 'Brreeakfassting hourrrrs arre ovverr"), a 'DeathWar for the Bathroom' and a much deserved shower, the four roommates of Room Zabini-Serpent huddled together in a secluded part of the upper deck. The four were utterly absorbed in a "beneficial plan" which really was more of a conspiracy against one notorious Richter. After said plan had been drafted, peer-reviewed and all members sworn to secrecy, the quadruple moved on to more practical matters.
"Well, first of all, we have to change the plaque. There's no way I'm being in Room Zabini-Dragon." Ginny said.
"She's right Drake (Hermione burst into giggles but was silenced by a Level 5 Death Glare from Malfoy), I told you it should be Zabini. Just Zabini." Blaise gesticulated with his fingers.
Completely ignoring Blaise, Malfoy said "What about Dragons? Dragons is good right?"
After lengthy bickering and arguing the four finally agreed on "House of Dragons" as their number plate. They had even assigned Dragon Names for each member (that was Zabini's idea, grudgingly complied by the rest because of his constant whining and threatening on setting his fan-girls on them). Hermione was FireyMane (because Malfoy pointed out Dragons don't have curls, they have mane), Ginny was StarGazer, Malfoy was DragonHeart (Hermione said it was cliché but Draco evidently had fluff stuck in his ear) and Zabini's was…Honcho.
To this little escapade all Hermione had to say was "Immaturity." Touched off by a delicate sniff. This was closely followed by a whine from Zabini, and Malfoy's "Prude!"
They also had decided to set up a transparent shield charm between the boy's bunks and the girl's ("to protect us from the barbarians"), which could only be opened if a boy and a girl agreed. It worked because once you entered the door, it would instantly channel you towards one side. There was one dead-end however, and that was the much fought for bathroom. Since there was only one, bathing hours were regulated. Zabini would have the first shift (consisting of two hours, because he claimed he had 'special needs'), followed by Ginny and then Draco, leaving Hermione for last, because as Draco quipped smartly "She was not a morning person". He quickly found himself immersed in a dozen hexes.
"Draccccoooo... Do I reeeaaallly have to do it?" Zabini whined, tugging at Malfoy's shirt whimsically.
Blaise, accompanied by Malfoy, arrived on the upper-quarters of the deck. Bob, the shipmate eyed them curiously, he could swear they were staring at Ms. Eve Richter... and little did he know, he was dead right about that. Ms. Eve Richter, glorified by a neon pink bikini, a white boa slung casually around her shoulders and a pair of golden mesh sunglasses perched on her nose, was sunbathing. She sat on a gleamingly white beach chair surrounded by doting 'home-brought' house elves caring for her every whim.
"Stop being so melodramatic Blaise, you've seduced worse." Malfoy smirked knowingly.
Damn that smirk! "Yes, but be reasonable man! She's a bitch and a witch!"
"Hermione and Ginny are witches too. And even better at hexes than her." Malfoy fingered the still burning skin on his limbs gingerly; they were smarting up nicely from the generous dole of hexes Hermione had endowed on them. "I know from experience." Malfoy muttered under his breath.
After a few more hushed exchanges and a push, Blaise glanced guiltily around himself before tottering towards Eve's direction. Draco parted with him and stalked (for it was truly first class stalking) daintily ('Like a white crested heron' , Ginny later observed) towards the mini-bar adjacent to Eve's spot and took a seat next to the giggling Hermione and Ginny.
"Why Eve dear, do you look pre-tty in pink!" Blaise announced gallantly.
Eve was about to snap impatiently when she saw it was Blaise. She was here to win the competition after all. "Why thank you Blaise, dear. A glass of chilled cognac? Only the best." Eve motioned towards an elf with pallid skin and the ice cask she/he/it was holding. The elf hastened to obey and decanted the viscous liquid into two crystal goblets. Blaise could only smile demurely at this piece of good luck. With an obscure flick of his wand, which Eve interpreted as a playful gesture, he charmed a discreet piece of dissolvable candy into one of the goblets, raising the other to his lips with what he thought was a seductive smirk. "To us."
"To us." Eve chanted, clinking glasses, and downing all the contents, to the glee of Blaise and company.
Blaise smirked, not unlike Draco, "Eve, have I ever told you that the Animal of my dreams is a talking donkey?"
Eve raised a delicate eyebrow wondering why the hell that was supposed to interest her. She was just about to make a suave comment when her elves let out an uproar and smashed whatever they were holding (Deliberately? No one knows for sure.). For her ears were shooting straight up, and her nose and mouth had lengthened considerably. Her body began to swell bulbously, and promptly burst the tight bikini. Blaise was turned away in disgust.
Unaware of her transformations, Eve snapped at her elves in a wheezy voice, "What's the matter with you lot? I shall let you know that wine cost me 500 gal--Eeee-OOhhhrrr!" And in one magnificent WHOOSH! Her whole body sprouted soft grey fur, with a pretty swinging tail to match.
By this time the whole deck and crew (save Bob, who was left to steer the wheel and man the deck) were clustered around Eve. Draco, Ginny and Hermione subsided into hysterical giggles once they set their eyes on Eve. Of the crowd that had gathered, some were worried, others gleeful and a few...just plain bored.
"WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE!! DO SOMETHING!! MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!!... I SHALL SUE YOU ALL!!" Eve screeched, her Southern drawl mixing with her wheezy ass (pardon the pun)-voice.
The Captain looked helplessly on and shouted for Bob to bring the medi-witches. Upon glancing at Eve, the worthy healers quickly assessed that it was one of 'those abominable tricksters Fred and George" 's confectionary products that had caused the mayhem. They explained that it was a "Animal of My Dreams" dissolvable bon-bon that would turn the victim into any animal the prankster wished. No potion or spell could reverse it. However, the charm would disintegrate after 2 hours. Smirking smugly the witches announced, "We're sorry madam, but nothing can be done. You shall just have to wait it out, I'm afraid."
"ZAAAABIINIIIIII!! I WIIIIILLLL KIIIIIILLL YOOOUUU!!"
Said dashing debonair was nowhere to be seen.
After Eve had retired to her chambers for the day, Hermione and Draco busied themselves with the door-charm. It was a complicated piece of magic, and for efficiency Draco had pitched in to help. Ginny, claiming that she had recieved a T for Troll in Charms at Hogwarts was not present, and Zabini, of course, was nowhere to be seen. Hermione had a shrewd idea that they were together. The atmosphere in the cabin was quite stifling and neither quite knew what to say. Both wanted to maintain their dignity while not offending the other.
"Did you--" Draco began.
"Eve was--" Hermione started. Both laughed lightly. A few seconds of awkward silence followed.
"Did you see Eve's face? She was fit to burst!" Draco chuckled softly.
"Yeah, that was funny." Hermione admitted shyly, while silently cursing herself for such a lame response.
Another bout of silence followed, in which Hermione continued working on the spells to hide her embarrassment. Her head was bowed to save herself from looking at Malfoy, therefore she did not notice the conflicting expression on Malfoy's face. After what seemed to be an inner struggle, Malfoy cleared his throat, and declared in a bussiness like tone, "Of course, you know, this doesn't mean we're friends."
Hermione's head shot up, disbelief written on her features. Why that filthy, no good, ungrateful, little...ferret! "Of course." Hermione stated coldly, "I wouldn't expect anything less from a Malfoy." She spat out the last words with vehemence and stormed out the room, leaving a shocked Malfoy behind.
"...but we could be." Malfoy uttered softly.
A.N.: Hehee... a prank for Eve... her just deserves. Not much on plot though... so i added the first and last paragraphs...just a lil' bit of fun... XD Tell me what you think! Review, review, rreeeviiiewww!! XD