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Chapter 11
Hermione waved to Ginny and Luna as they made their way through the great hall towards her.
"Hey guys how are you this morning?" she asked
"Good" replied Luna dreamily
"Ok" replied Ginny "except that one of the girls in my dorm has a cold and she was snoring all night. How are you Hermione? Are you exited about your Birthday tomorrow?"
"Defiantly" Hermione replied enthusiastically.
"I wonder if you'll get anything extra special from your admirer." Ginny said excitedly
"Quiet," hushed Hermione pulling Ginny closer so that they didn't talk as loud. "I don't want anyone to know yet."
"Know what?" ask Harry who had come up behind them.
"None of your business" said Hermione
"Oh come on tell me, aren't we supposed to be best friends or something." He pleaded
"We can tell you if you want Harry" said Ginny smiling sweetly "though I didn't know you were so interested in why girls get so bitchy every month..."
"NO" cried Harry cutting her off, and turning a little red, "I'm just going to sit over here and eat until it's safe to come back."
As he edged away all three of them broke out laughing.
"Did you see his face." Laughed Ginny
"Note to self" said Hermione "use of Malfoy when Ferret becomes to annoying."
This only made them all laugh harder and it was some time before they had settled down enough to eat breakfast and get ready for class.
*#*#*#
The dungeon door slammed open and the rabble of conversation died away as Professor Snape entered the classroom.
"Today we are making a euphoria draft, ingredients are in the cupboard to your left and instructions are on page 262 of you textbooks." The class began to move when Snapes low voice stopped them. "Also the teachers have been informed to encourage interhouse unity amongst the students and thus for this lesson you must partner with a member of the opposite house. Begin now!"
Most of the class remained frozen, obviously not wanting to comply with the instruction, but after a moment Hermione glanced and harry and hey both walked to neighbouring tables and each sat on the right side of the desk. The rest of Gryffindor followed their example while the Slytherins remained near the back of the class, many protesting to Snap about the new working arrangement.
Then without a word Malfoy stepped from the group towards the front of the class and placed his bag on the table next to Hermione.
"Move over Granger, I need my space." He said pulling his book from his bag. "I'll get the ingredients you set up the kit the sooner this potion is done the sooner we go back to normal."
Hermione could see that his last words were directed to the rest of his house mate who soon saw the logic to his plan and moved grumbling to sit beside the Gryffindors.
As Malfoy came back with the ingredients Hermione noticed that there was no snide comment when he sat down, he simply started measuring out the first component. Then without some much as looking in her direction he spoke softly. "Are we going to extend our truce to class were we have to work together." Hermione could tell he spoke to her but anyone watching them would think that he was ignoring her as he added the ingredient to the pot.
"I think that would be wise otherwise we'll end up like Parkinson and Lavender." She replied Malfoy half turned his head until he could see their table and sure enough their potion was not the vibrant blue that the text book described, instead it was a sickly yellow and was beginning to overflow.
"Parkinson, Brown" Snaps voice cut though the class room you added two cups of powdered oak instead of one, start again" he commanded vanishing their potion.
"Also I think it best if we don't let our friends catch on to our cooperation," he said as Hermione added the next ingredient while Malfoy prepared the next.
"why don't want to spoil your image?" asked Hermione
"Well there's that, but also if we suddenly stop fighting both our houses are going to think we drugged each other, that or the weasels going to make a fuss." He replied and Hermione had to agree with him on both points and she really didn't want a fight with Ron.
"The school gossip is that we already are drugging each other because we're both still alive," Hermione said checking the textbook "though I see your point, can you hand me the bronze knife."
They spent the rest of the class working in a productive silence which was broken only by requests for items or relaying of instructions. A few time they shared amused glances as they observed their class mates errors that came almost solely from lack of communication. Blaise and Harry were doing okay except for the occasional spillage but groups like Crabbe and Ron were failing miserably as they both seemed to be trying to make separated potions in the same cauldron and the resulting explosion melted their cauldron and burnt the desk.
It was actually a rather simple potion provided you could work with your partner and Hermione and Malfoy had theirs finished half an hour ahead of the rest of the class.
While the others struggled with their potions and their partners Hermione silently opened up her book and began to read while Malfoy began to sketch something in the back of his book.
By the time the bell rang only three groups had successively made their potion, Hermione and Malfoy were the first followed by Blaise and Harry and the third was Parvati and her partner, a brown hair girl called Cassandra Rosethorne, who finished just before the bell rang.
"That was horrible" complained Ron as they made their way to the next class "at least you guys had partners with brains while I got stuck with one of Malfoy's pet gorillas."
"Yeah I know Ron we almost screwed up ours a few times because we didn't realise that the other person had put stuff in." said Harry "what about you Hermione"
"Yeah," added Ron "yours turned out good did the git sit back and let you do it all yourself."
"No" said Hermione 'It's just that I've gotten used to working with him because of head duties now, so used to him that we can argued and insult each other and still get the work done."
The rest of the conversation was forgotten as they reached the DADA classroom to find that the desks had been removed and replaced with large cushions.
"Welcome class" called Professor Whistler "now it's the third week of turn and we are moving on from amulet wards to stronger personal wards. Now I'm sure most of you know how to cast basic shield charms but now we're going to build on that. First up today I'm going to partner you all up and you're going to refresh you knowledge of the shield charm using nonverbal magic." as he said this most of the class began to drift towards their preferred partners.
"Oh no" said the Professor motioning for them to stop, "you may have become aware of it your other classes, but if not, you should know that for the rest of this week and next all the teachers have been told that we are to mix up you house groups for the sake of interhouse unity." The students groaned especially the ones who had just come from potions and witnessed the problems with the interhouse partnering. "Now can I have the head Boy and Girl up the front to demonstrate." He motioned Hermione and Malfoy to the front and began to demonstrate the spell, it looked like her and Malfoy where going to be partners in this class to.
#*#*#*
Later that night Hermione made her way back to her common room with Ginny and Luna.
"I'll see you guys in the morning okay" Hermione said sleepily
"okay but its Saturday tomorrow so when your awake come up to Gryffindor common room and well celebrate your birthday.' Said Ginny
Hermione nodded and said goodbye to her friends as she walked through the doorway, past the empty common room to her bed looking forward to sleep and her special day tomorrow.
*#*#*#
Hermione awoke the next morning to a pile of presents at the foot of her bed. She hurredly got you and through on her dressing gown and began to open her gifts. She put aside the gifts from those she would see later, preferring to open them with them and opened her other gifts. There was a large selection of sweets from Mr and Mrs Weasley, French perfume from Bill and Fleur, a book from Charlie on Dragons of Europe, Fred and George had sent her a large hamper of goods from their store along with a note reading For when the Ferret gets annoying. She also revived a potions kit from Lupin and Tonks.
By now Hermione was reaching the end of her present pile and as she lifted up the large lumpy package from Ginny, which was likely the dress she had promised, and put it aside to open when she saw her friends, under it she noticed two small presents that had been hidden from view. One was wrapped in silver and the other in a deep green, she smiled as she realised who the silver one was probably from. She lifted it and sure enough, inscribed on the bottom of the gift was an intertwined SR, her Silver Romeo. Hermione opened the box to find an engraved silver pendant of a fine silver chain; the pendant was shaped like half a heart. On one side the pendant was engraved with a rearing lion whose paws were clasping the taloned hands of another beast, she couldn't tell what the other beast was because the image ended at the broken edge of the heart, obviously this pendant was half of a whole and the image would continue on the other persons pendant. The opposite side was inscribed with the word 'Forever', Hermione smiled as she remembered the sign off he always used "Forever, For You" the words "for you" had to be on his half. Hermione lifted the necklace clear of the box and saw that there was a small note folded at the bottom.
Happy Birthday my dear Lioness
I hope you enjoy your special day.
The necklace is part of a pair,
(Though I'm certain the Brightest Witch in the Year doesn't need me to tell them that)
I have the other half and I would be honoured if you would wear it.
I have also charmed the necklace so that it plays music. Just hum or sing the start of a song and the pendant will play the song. You said you liked to sing so I thought you might like backing music.
Enjoy your Birthday
Forever For You
SR
PS. The necklace also contains a clue to my identity
A clue? Thought Hermione, what kind of Clue did the necklace hold? She examined it turning it in the light, suddenly she got it. If the lion was supposed to represent her, then the beast it was grasping would be a representation of him. She look at the inscription, all she could tell about it was that it had long curved claws. That hardly narrowed it down, though it could be the talons of an eagle, A Ravenclaw perhaps. Hermione hummed a few lines of "Beauty and the Beast" and to her delight the song began to play.
Hermione shifted her weight and was roused from her distraction as her foot brushed the green wrapped gift. She placed the necklace back in its box and picked up the mystery gift, it was larger than the necklace box and oddly shaped, carefully she unwrapped it. It contained two rectangular shapes wrapped in green tissue paper. The first delighted her when she opened it and found two exquisite quills one was gold decorated with ruby stars, the other emerald with a spiralling silver design. She looked for any form of note but found none, Who gave her these? She opened the second rectangle hoping for some kind of clue. To her surprise it was a DVD, "Lion King 2", who could have given...suddenly she realised, Malfoy! The gifts must be from Malfoy. Of course, she remembered him asking about it.
"Wow" she thought I can't believe he actually got me something, we've been getting on ok, but I didn't think he'd even remember, let alone get me something." She looked at the gifts and she realised that not only were they expensive, which probably was nothing to Malfoy, they were also difficult to get, custom quills had to be ordered and the DVD. Hermione stopped, realising, to get it he would have had to contact a Muggle store and buy it with Muggle money. Realising this, her appreciation of the gift rose even higher. She rushed out of her room into the common room. She thought he would be up and she wasn't disappointed, Malfoy was standing by the bookshelf searching through the texts. He turned when he heard her.
"What's got you so happy? Is today special or something?" he drawled
Hermione was thrown for half a second before she realised he was joking, or she realised, acting in case she hadn't worked it out, she decided to play his game.
"It's my Birthday, Malfoy" she retorted "I thought you claimed to know everything?"
"Why would I remember your Birthday, Granger" he sneered "I have more import..."
He was cut off as Hermione through her arms around him, the shock was evident on his face.
"Thank you" she whispered "I love them"
XXXX
Malfoy was in shock, he couldn't believe she had hugged him. When she had come out of her room he had thought she hadn't worked out the gift was from him, but now it was obvious that she had, and she had liked it. He started to smile, then got a hold of himself, this was Granger. He quickly hid his smile behind his Slytherin mask.
XXXX
After a few seconds Hermione stepped back, she looked up into his face and could have sworn she saw a something in his eyes before it was replaced with his usual expression.
"Glad you liked them" he said before stepping away "You better get going before Weasel and Potter come to find you"
Hermione started to go back to her room before she was stopped by Malfoy's voice.
"And Granger, I don't do hugs."
She turned and replied softly "It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from or what you've been through, everyone needs a hug from someone." She paused for a second unsure "and I get the impression that there's no one else to do that for you, so I guess it's left to me."
Hermione didn't look back to see how he took the words but after a long stretch of silence his voice responded softly from the other side of the room.
"You're so kind," he whispered "even to those who don't deserve it."
Before Hermione could respond to this she heard the door out of the common room swing shut as Malfoy left.
Turning back to her gifts she packed them into a bag and headed to Gryffindor tower, still pondering Malfoy's words.
This Chapters a bit longer than the last ones, hope you like it
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Storm