I'm soooooo sorry for the long wait. I've been having computer issues. It also made me unable to answer most of your reviews. I'm VERY sorry about that. Please keep reviewing though. The next chapter will come soon, I promise... well you've waited long enough!
I dont own HP.
She couldn't stop thinking about that day. She'd been avoiding Draco and Blaise everywhere but in her dreams. It was hard… she sent Blaise strictly professional letters via an owl, and not caving into the emotional letters he sent her in return was hard, but the reminder that all his flowery words were insincere were enough to keep her away from him. She had been staying in Ginny's dorm. Ginny roughly knew what happened, though she had no idea about Draco's involvement. Hermione had spilled about Blaise leaving out that particular detail.
The hardest time to ignore them was during Defense Against the Dark Arts. Blaise's eyes were almost always fixated on her head, and Draco's notes pestered her non-stop. Brushing away one of the offensive cranes, she kept her concentration on what Valski was saying. He was talking about venoms, and just maybe he would let something slip about the location of some basilisk venom.
Her task had kept her going. She searched high and low for rituals that could constitute as an act of love and a way to get her hands on basilisk venom. However, she still hadn't heard anything from Harry and Ron, and that worried her. A satisfied gleam entered her eye when Valski began discussing basilisk venom. She wrote down his words meticulously, making sure that not one word was wrong or out of place.
He did not say anything about where to get basilisk venom, but he let it slip that he had collected it before. He knew how to get basilisk venom and Hermione would find out. Once the lesson was finished she stayed behind, resisting the urge to gag when she noticed that Lavender and Parvati were also there and shamelessly flirting with the professor who seemed to be looking for a way out of the uncomfortable situation. She silently hoped she would not be put on Lavender and Parvati's level as she approached the frazzled teacher who was admirably fending off Parvati and Lavender's advances.
"Excuse me, Professor Valski? I have a couple of questions regarding basilisk venom." He looked at her seemingly grateful for a reason to dismiss Lavender and Parvati.
"What do you wish to know Miss Granger?" He said after gently prompting Lavender and Parvati out of the classroom.
"I was wondering if there needed to be any conditions for basilisk venom to be collected."
Professor Valski raised an eyebrow.
"And why, may I ask are you so interested in basilisk venom Miss Granger?"
"I was petrified by a basilisk in second year. I was wondering if the basilisk venom could still be collected even though it has been dead for five years." He smiled.
"Basilisk venom must be collected within a year of the death of a basilisk, however the basilisk you refer to has already been made use of. I helped with the collection of its venom." Hermione nodded. She had been contemplating going down to the chamber and seeing if the basilisk was still there… it would have been a quick solution. She knew that asking Valski much more would be suspicious, but she had a hunch that he knew more about such things than he was letting on. But before she would pry Valski, she thought it much smarter to see what she could wring out of dear old Slughorn.
Checking over her calculations once more she rolled up her arithmacy homework and put it into her bag. Using her pass to the Restricted Section she looked for the book she needed, carefully sliding it off the shelf and not disturbing any of the other texts. Opening it she quickly read and jotted down the information she would need in her confrontation with Slughorn. Placing the book back on the shelf she left the restricted section and headed toward the dungeons. Entering the potions classroom, she composed herself and knocked on the door to Slughorn's office.
"Enter." Hermione opened the door and Slughorn looked up from his papers, his fat rosy cheeks lifting with delight.
"Hermione! Good to see you my girl! I'm afraid we missed your present at our last little meeting." Hermione forced a sweet smile to her face.
"I'm dreadfully sorry, that evening I was scheduled for patrol, and had to get my work completed earlier than usual. I did regret not being able to attend." She lied. In truth she hadn't wanted to come into such close contact with Blaise. She was having a hard enough time avoiding him as it was. Slughorn beamed at her response though.
"It's quite all right. May I ask what brings you to my office?"
"I came to inquire about some of the properties of basilisk venom in potions." Slughorn's face darkened.
"Basilisk venom is a very unstable ingredient in potions. As you must already know it is a very dangerous poison. Why do you have an interest in it?"
"I was researching some of its properties and I realized that in conjunction with monkshood it might have a paralyzing effect. I was wondering if refined enough it could be used to paralyze nerve ends and then with a variety of other ingredients be used to heal those affected but the Cruciatus curse." Hermione said pulling out the parchment she had been putting calculations and ideas on for the past few weeks. Just maybe Slughorn coul get her some basilisk venom…. And some of it would be used of course for the potion, but then some to destroy the horcruxes as well. It would benefit them in the short term and the long.
Slughorn looked over her parchment, his face lighting up with glee as he took in the benefits of helping her develop such a potion.
"I think your ideas are enchanting Miss Granger. How did you come to such conclusions?"
"We were discussing venoms in Defense, sir, and Professor Valski mentioned that a victim would go numb before death, so I did more research." Slughorn looked at her appraisingly with his beady eyes.
"I suggest you talk with Professor Valski more on this idea. He has had much experience with this particular beast. Feel free to come to me for any help with your admirable endeavor." Hermione nodded. So, her hunch was correct.
She exited Slughorn's office satisfied.
The next day she approached Professor Valski with her idea. He responded that she would have to narrow her list down to ingredients and a theoretical process before he could show it to anyone, but that her ideas were tangible, if not applicable in reality, and that she should do more research.
It was her night to patrol, so she changed into more comfortable clothes before meeting Hannah Abbot at the entrance of the Great Hall. She made sure that she was patrolling the upper half of the castle, she would not chance any sort of meeting with the two Slytherins she had been attempting to erase from her mind the past few weeks.
Walking down the hallways contentedly, she wondered when she would be able to tell Harry and Ron her news. Hermione turned another corner and froze.
"Why have you been avoiding us?" Blaise asked walking toward her. She stood her ground and hardened her expression.
"I do not want to be in a relationship with either of you, and seeing as you do not respect my wishes, I have no choice." Blaise chuckled.
"If it really was your wish, we'd leave you alone." Hermione glared.
"Blaise, I am not interested in any sort of relationship with you and Draco. I have other things to deal with and I am not the casual type of girl. I would appreciate it if you left me alone." Responded sternly before walking away.
She wouldn't let them distract her from what was important, and she wouldn't let them toy with her emotions.
Hermione Granger was a force to be reckoned with.
Did you like it? I promise there will be more action between the three of them but Hermione is very peeved with them at the momment. REVIEW!!!!