"What the...why was this door locked?" a voice asked, which Hermoine recognized to be Professor McGonnagal.
"Professor!" Malfoy said, shocked.
"What are you doing in here?" the Professor asked.
"We were err…exchanging notes." Blaise said.
"Why was the door locked?" Professor McGonnagal asked.
"We don't know…we just came in here and closed the door."
"Why are you exchanging notes at 11:00 at night?" she asked.
"We wanted to do it before astronomy." Blaise told her.
"Very well." McGonnagal said.
"Uh…professor? If you don't mind my asking, why are you here? This is the History of Magic classroom." Malfoy asked.
"There was a meeting today, and it was held here. I forgot some of my papers." She told him. She then walked up to the front of the classroom and grabbed a stack of papers.
"Oh."
"Yes, now hurry up." She told them and walked briskly out of the room.
"Hermoine, cooperate, else we'll hurt those friends of yours, the Weasley's and Potter." Malfoy whispered as soon as Professor McGonagalls footsteps died away.
"You wouldn't! Fine. Fine. Fine!" Hermoine said. She never wanted to help them but she didn't want her friends to get hurt. After all, it was just a potion, what could happen?
"Good. It is a potion that we need to make for Slughorn. We are the most gifted in his class, besides you, and he told us to make him a potion."
"Whatever." Hermoine said.
"You're going to have to break up with Weasel, though." Blaise said.
"I won't!" Hermoine cried stubbornly.
"Fine then. We might have to hex her, won't we Blaise?" Malfoy said turning to Blaise.
"I guess so." Blaise replied getting out his wand. "Maybe the crucio? On her and her friends?"
"NO! Fine. I'll break up with him." Hermoine said.
"Good girl." Blaise told her, putting his wand away.
"We'll start tomorrow. After classes, in the Potions classroom." Malfoy told her.
"Whatever." Hermoine said, turning to leave.
"One more thing." Blaise said.
"You can't tell Weasley." Malfoy told her.
"Slughorn says it's important to keep this potion a secret." Blaise continued.
"A reward for one of his classes." Malfoy ended.
"Whatever." Hermoine spun on her heel and walked away.
The next day, Hermoine went to her classes and once they were all over she went to the Dungeons.
"Let's get this over with." Hermoine told Draco and Blaise.
"It will only take a week to make." Draco said.
"Wait, did you break up with Weasley, yet?" Blaise asked. When Hermoine didn't answer him Blaise and Draco reached for their wands.
"Fine! I'll do it tonight. Please, can we just get this over with?" Hermoine panicked.
"You better." was Draco's response. They got a cauldron and scales out of Slughorn's office. Hermoine looked at the piece of paper that Malfoy scribbled the ingredients and directions on.
"Why don't we have a book?" Hermoine asked.
"Because…it's not in our book, you idiot." Malfoy sneered.
"Whatever." Hermoine started to chop valerian roots. She added them to the cauldron and then started cutting a sophorous bean while Malfoy was smashing a lilac peddle. Blaise was stirring. Hermoine and Malfoy added their ingredients and Blaise started to stir the other way. It turned baby blue, which was the half-way mark. Hermoine then began to add belladonna and stirred again twice clockwise and then three times counter-clockwise. The potion became a clearish color. Hermoine looked at the list of ingredients. It said that once it became that clearish color you had to leave it brew for four days. Hermoine began walking towards the door to leave.
"Don't forget to break up with that weasel!" Malfoy called after her. Hermoine didn't bother to reply. She made her way back to the Gryffindor Tower. She saw Ron and Harry sitting by the fire in the comfy arm chairs. They were the only ones in the common room. The others were probably outside Hermoine reasoned.
"Ron, can you leave, for 5 minutes?" Hermoine asked. He gave her a quizzical look and got up to go to the dorms. She waited until his footsteps to die away.
"Harry, I'm telling you this, because I can't tell Ron…" Hermoine began to tell Harry everything about Malfoy and Blaise and how she needed to break up with Ron and if she didn't help them they would hurt the Weasley's and Harry. "I'm telling you this so you can tell Ron why I'm breaking up with him, because I know he won't listen to me after I break up with him." Hermoine ended.
"They're up to something." Harry said. "Why don't you ask Slughorn if they are really supposed to make this potion?"
"He's gone for two weeks! He never came back after Christmas break. Remember McGonnagal telling us that he went to Australia for two weeks after spending Christmas with his family?" Hermoine told him.
"Weird." Was all Harry said.
"Well, go up to the dorms and send Ron down, and once he goes storming up there, tell him why. Malfoy and Blaise said I couldn't tell Ron. They never said I couldn't tell you." Hermoine said and Harry got up to get Ron. It only took a little bit for Ron to be sitting next to her on the couch.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked.
"Listen, Ron, I really like you but I think we should…I want to get back together sometime…but I think we should take a break from each other. That means for a couple weeks. I really, really like you though." Hermoine said. Ron got up and…
Cliffhanger!! Sorry for the delay…really sorry. How will Ron take it? Hope you liked this chapter! Review! Tell me what I could do better at!
