I'm sorry for the late-ness. My doc decided to repeatedly save nothing, and then get screwey. *bashes head against computer desk* UGGGGGGGH!
Disclaimer: *winks*
"A dragon? Hagrid has a dragon?" James gasped. "What, Fluffy isn't enough for him?"
Hermione shrugged, flicking through her piles of notes and books on Flamel and co. "Ronald's in the Hospital Wing because it nipped his hand. Thank God Harry and I still have the chance to convince him to get rid of the thing."
"Yeah. Has Minnie been teaching you in her ballet room?"
"Nope. Mirror is. It's very interesting how complex of an animation charm was cast on it. I don't think I'd try it until third year - or later... What's this?"
Lily floated over. "The Tri-Wizard Tournament? How'd you come across this?"
Hermione hefted up her volume - Much Ado About Immortality and Glory: Staffs to Stones, Tournaments to Taunts - and quickly let it return to the table. "I was looking for the page that mentioned the Sorcerer's Stone. I think this Tri-Wizard-mingling idea is marvelous, but highly idiotic. Contestants are practically begging to be maimed. Remind me to study up on it later, 'kay?"
"Of course, honey. After all this Stone stuff."
"Thanks. Now..." Hermione glanced at her watch, and jumped out of her chair. "Class is staring in five. James, any shortcuts to Snape's Dungeons?"
She barely arrived on time, and was 'unwillingly' put with a 'hostile' Draco in penance. Snape's smug smirk turned befuddled when there was an almost... Dare he say it?... Amicable feeling in the air about the pair as they went about making their potion.
Snape felt the color drain from her face at how well he could relate. He and Lily'd had the same bubble-like friendship subtly fan out around them when they worked with one another. At first, it was like Lily was his sister - someone to protect that could read his mind with but a look. Then their relationship had changed. For Draco's sake, Snape hoped that one would fall for the other.
But Snape saw his hopes crumble a little when Draco handed Miss Granger a knife without a word exchanged. He had been the same way with Lily.
The poor boy didn't know what he was charging into, falling for a Gryff. Especially one that Potter oh-so-obviously clung to at every opportunity. It was Lily and him all over again.
As expected, the Slytherin/Gryffindor duo were the first to finish, and with a perfect potion to boot.
Snape scowled, looking bat-like and man-eating, when Potter melodramatically ordered Draco to stay away from 'his friend'. What rubbish was that? His friend? The girl was not a piece of property, Potter, so get used to the interactions she'll inevitably have. The boy was an exact replica of James Potter; mooning over the first intelligent girl to cross his path.
Not if Snape had anything to do with it. Dumbledore be damned, Harry Potter was not going to have the charmed life his good-for-nothing father had. No. Oh no.
"Mimi?"
Hermione blinked and dropped out of an arabesque. "Yes?"
"You need a break." Draco crossed his arms, preparing for the small war that wold probably stem from this comment. "You're working yourself too hard. At this rate, that bush of yours will go grey by second year."
"My hair isn't that bad."
"Ms. Granger, it is that bad," the Malfoy Mirror (MM, for short) piped up. "Why don't you let Master Draco's mother clean you up? Beauty charms were her specialty..."
"No."
Draco stepped forward. "Please, take a day off from ballet."
"But I wanna dance."
"I'll teach you ballroom dance if you stop for today."
A sigh. "Fine. What kind of shoes will I need?"
Two hours later, Hermione had the waltz, and was moving swiftly through the Foxtrot. MM would make the occasional note or instruction, but mostly stayed silent and watchful.
Their session ended with the agreement that they would take one day a week out to ballroom dance, the rest were to be dedicated to traditional ballet.
Harry was comfortably sunk deep into one of the good armchairs by the fire, since everyone else retired to their rooms about three hours ago. He was rather worried - Hermione hadn't come into the common room yet tonight, and curfew had come and passed nigh on three hours ago.
The portrait opened with a creak. Soft footsteps padded in.
"Hermione?"
She jumped and squeaked, clutching the satchel she was toting. "Harry?"
"It's past curfew."
"Yeah..." He watched as she glanced around a bit, as she tended to do now, before coming to perch lightly on the arm of his chair. "You should get some sleep."
"Too worried. Seamus had commented on how you weren't back yet, and words like 'Fluffy' and 'Filch' came to the front of my brain."
"Ah..." She tipped her head to the side, staring at him for a long minute. "You were serious about the cuddling, weren't you?"
He blushed and ducked his head. To his chest, he mumbled, "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon aren't exactly huggy..."
Harry jumped when she slid down to tuck herself into his side. Then, grabbing his arm, she brought it around her waist to end with his hand in hers on her lap. "This is cuddling."
It felt... Nice. Comfortable. Like he was guarding her, which was about as absurd as the thought of a man without a nose stepping out of a cauldron.
She sighed and moved so that her other arm was around his back.
They sat there like that for a long while, Harry feeling more and more like this was something he should get to do on a more regular basis.
A day late. Total filler chappie. More fluff than a bucket of cotton candy. I know, I know. Quite sorry. At least I made it much longer than I thought I would. Be happy, please.
Love ya'll, 'specially Kyna!