Chapter 21
Scents
By the time Hermione reached the Fat Lady, she just wanted to go to bed, close the hangings and never emerge again. She had spent the walk back from the dungeons trying to figure out how to selectively Obliviate herself without turning into a vegetable. Then again, being a vegetable didn't sound all that bad at the moment.
"Psst."
Hermione jumped, then spun around.
Dean got up from where he'd been sitting in a little alcove and hurried over. "I was wondering when Snape would finally let you go."
"What?" Hermione asked, a bit thrown by his sudden, unexpected presence.
"Your detention. They don't usually run this long. Does he have you doing something really wretched?"
"Oh... um... no, not really. Inventory." Not that she'd actually done any of the inventory yet, but it sounded a whole lot better than 'snogging Snape, playing music to demons and taking a nap'.
"Ah. Well, you lucked out then I guess. Sounds boring, but at least it doesn't involve handling entrails or anything."
She flashed him a little smile and a nod. "You've been waiting out here this whole time?" She asked, looking over into the alcove he'd emerged from. There were a couple of books laying about on the floor along with a quill resting in an ink bottle and a scroll of parchment that looked to be a half completed assignment for one of his classes. Had he really been camped out in that alcove for a couple of hours waiting for her?
He followed her gaze, then shifted between her and the alcove, fidgeting a bit uneasily with embarrassment, "Ya, well I had homework and it was noisy in the common room anyway. So... um... well?"
"Hmm?" Then Hermione blushed, finally making the connection. She'd never actually answered him when they had been interrupted the last time. She was embarrassed, but at the same time couldn't help but feel pleased that the offer still stood. "Oh. That. Um... ok. My detention is early tomorrow. Before dinner." She didn't say that she'd asked for the change. It would be slightly embarrassing to admit that she'd changed her schedule just for him... and she didn't want to explain why such a change would have been allowed by Snape!
He broke into a brilliant smile. "Ace. Oh... um..." His smile slipped a bit as he looked self conscious, "Could we meet somewhere or something? Cause... um..." He nodded a bit towards the portrait hole. "Not that I don't want anyone to know or anything!" He said quickly, "I mean I think you're... um..." He smiled a bit timidly, his cheeks getting a definite shade darker, "But... I'd just rather certain people not know..."
"Definitely." Hermione said, nodding. If Lavender and Parvati found out... she didn't even want to think about it.
"You didn't tell them I asked you, did you?" He asked a bit worriedly.
Why would she have told...? She blinked in surprise, suddenly realizing he meant Harry and Ron! Well, thinking about it, they might get a bit protective of her sometimes, so she supposed he might not be keen on them knowing. "You kidding? They'd take the Mickey out of me mercilessly if they found out I was hanging around another boy." She said with a little smile.
"Ya... and well... I mean I still remember how Ron reacted the last time another boy showed an interest in you. He was in a right foul snit for the whole second half of the year, and he was completely in love with Krum and he was still that mad? I mean me and him are on ok terms, but we're not exactly best mates, so he'd probably be twice as bad... and with Fred and George more than willing to send him new things to try out, I really don't want to get on his bad side..."
She grinned. That was a definite concern. "I won't say anything."
"Great. Tomorrow night then."
"So... where were you wanting to meet after dinner?"
"Oh, well actually I was wondering if you'd want to meet before. I was thinking I could get a basket from the kitchen. It's supposed to start right around dusk. Unless of course you'd rather wait." He added quickly.
"No, that sounds fine."
"Ok... Astronomy tower at dinner time then?"
She blushed and nodded. It felt really strange making plans to meet a boy for a 'date' so soon after... she quickly veered her thoughts away from Snape. "I better get to bed..." She said, starting towards the portrait hole.
"Oh!" Dean said, quickly circling around and getting between her and the entrance. "Not a good idea."
"Huh?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Lavender's on the war path." Dean said, rolling his eyes.
Hermione groaned in exasperation.
A mischievous grin spread over his lips. "That whatever it was you slipped her doesn't wear off too fast, even with Pomfrey's help. You might also want to write to the twins and tell them to put a 'keep away from open flames' warning on the packaging..." Dean said, trying hard not to snicker.
Hermione's eyes went round. "What happened?"
"She wandered too close to the common room fire and lit one off... literally! She lost about four inches off the back of her hair and the dress was a complete shambles."
"Oh that's terrible..." Hermione said, trying to sound sincere. She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a snort of laughter that escaped her.
Dean nodded with a grave look on his face. "Oh, and in case you're interested, thanks to Colin's nice new camera, there are seventeen action photos of the incident to choose from at only five sickles apiece..."
Hermione had her hands clamped over her mouth, tears trickling from her eyes from her restrained mirth. She certainly didn't want Lavender hearing and coming to investigate! After a minute she was able to pull herself together. "I'll have to check my pocket change." She replied with a little dignified nod.
"Thought you might."
She took a deep breath and sighed it out, "Well, I suppose I should make myself scarce until she has a chance to get to sleep then."
He nodded, "I'll try to get Parvati to talk her into taking a Dreamless Sleep potion. I'm sure Seamus will back her. He was getting a mite fed up with her ranting as well last time I checked."
"Brilliant. Thanks." Hermione said gratefully.
"Any time." He said, going over and gathering up his things.
Hermione hurried down the corridor, acutely aware that he was now standing there watching her. She didn't hear him waking up the Fat Lady and giving her the password until she was around the corner. Now that she wasn't being watched, she slowed. That had been awkward and embarrassing... and overall perfectly normal for teenaged interaction. The normalcy of it felt almost strange.
She sighed as she contemplated her predicament. Well this was great! She was stuck out of the dorms at night with nothing to do. There was only one place she could think of to go.
She made her way slowly down to the kitchen, grateful to find it empty when she got there. She didn't really want to have to explain herself to anyone right now. She set her bag down on the floor in front of the fire, then sat next to it and took a deep breath, trying to let the heat of the fire soothe her.
Her school bag fell over, several books sliding out onto the floor. Hermione sighed. She didn't even have to look to know one of them was Diana. She had an amazing knack for letting you know when she wanted to chat, despite being trapped in the form of a book.
Hermione studiously ignored her for several minutes, not really wanting to face the grilling she was sure to get once she acknowledged her. She knew she had been bang out of order messing about with Snape like that, but she was doing an admirable job of chastising herself, and didn't really feel the necessity to have anyone else's input on the subject at the moment. She sighed, catching the movement of words forming on the cover of the journal out of the corner of her eye. As much as she wanted to avoid confrontation, she felt a twinge of guilt at the rudeness of not looking when Diana was so handicapped.
She braced herself, then picked the journal up, bringing it over into her lap.
Surprisingly, "Want to talk about it?" was all it said. Hermione reached for her bag, then stopped, remembering having dropped her ink bottle in the corridor on the way to lunch.
"No ink." She sighed in false sadness, "Oh well."
Oh come off it, Diana wrote as she started to return the book to the bag, I'm mute, not deaf!
Hermione blinked in surprise. "You can hear me?"
Did you see Albus use a quill when he talked to me? Besides which, you wouldn't be this reluctant if you truly thought that I was oblivious to my surroundings, now would you? Now will you open me up already? I'm not fond of writing on my cover. It's harder.
Hermione blushed again. It had been daft of her not to realize that before. If she could 'look' out, why not hear as well? "Sorry. I just..." She trailed off in embarrassment, opening up the book.
Hermione waited tensely for her scolding to begin.
And waited.
"Well?" Hermione finally asked, unnerved by her 'silence'.
Well what?
"Aren't you going to give me what for?"
Why would I do that? It was a good try. Certainly nothing wrong with your technique. Like I said, he's a tough nut to crack.
Hermione's jaw dropped a bit.
Next time you might not want to make your move with people in the very next room though. A bit chancy, that.
"Next time? What ever makes you think there's going to be a next time?"
Oh please. I never would have taken you for a girl that would give up so easily!
"Give up? You sound as if this were just some normal boy! He's a professor!"
Thus why I suggested a bit more prudence in location next time. You don't want him to get the boot, do you?
"You don't find something terribly wrong in this? With me and him...?" Hermione asked, flabbergasted.
Not unless you're daft enough to get caught. Like I told you before, I think Snape's a wonderful person, and I think he's in desperate need of some companionship. And of course I also already told you I think you two would be perfect for each other.
"You said IF we had been the same age we would have been perfect for each other! This is ridiculous! He's a grown man. Besides... he pushed me away, now didn't he? I'm not about to try anything further when he's obviously not interested." She said stubbornly, carefully hiding the slight hurt his rejection had stirred in her.
Yes, well I think the amount of time it took him to push you away says a lot more about his feelings. He kissed you back of his own free will, now didn't he? That looked absolutely brilliant, by the way! He's such an intense person I knew he'd be a passionate one, but bloody Hell!
Hermione blushed brightly, trying hard not to remember it.
He's fighting it, but it's pretty easy to tell he wants you as well.
Hermione sighed, "But he..."
Pushed you away, yes we covered that! He's been the model of propriety his entire career. You can't expect him to break that track record without a qualm. There's a whole lot more at stake for him than there is for you. For you there would be talk and maybe a bit of teasing, then they would get over it and forget. Just a little scandal. You've been through those before, now haven't you? For HIM to be caught in such a relationship would cost him his position and possibly a great deal more. He could go to Azkaban for messing about with an underage witch! At the very least he would probably never be able to teach again, and I think that would be like death to him. Teaching is his life.
"Then why would you ever do anything other than warn me off?"
Because a life without love is half a life at best. He's alive. He's flesh and blood. There's no earthly reason why he should have to live in this self-imposed solitude he's surrounded himself with for so very long. He shouldn't have to live like I do. No one should.
Hermione stared at the words on the page silently for a long moment. She'd never fully contemplated what a lonely life Diana must lead. What must it be like, being surrounded by people you could never touch? She found her eyes stinging a bit as she imagined it.
"Have you... I mean before this happened... did you ever even get a chance to...?" Hermione blushed again, words failing her.
Are you asking me if I'm a virgin?
Hermione's cheeks glowed, her ears feeling like they were on fire she was so embarrassed. It sounded like such a rude, nosey question when it came down to it. Still, she couldn't deny she was horribly curious as to the answer. "Ya." She finally managed in a small voice.
No. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a tart or anything. Only ever been with one person, and I was only with him three times. Just three amazing nights. Well, at least they WERE amazing, cause they've had to hold me for a while now. Still, that's not something I would have admitted back then of course. In those days you were a virgin on your wedding night. Period. Nothing less was acceptable in polite society.
Hermione nodded, remembering the old books she'd read. Society had sounded quite a bit more strictly 'moral' in their relations back then. "So... did you love him?" She asked tentatively, hoping she wasn't touching on a sore subject.
There was a long pause before her reply appeared.
Yes. I suppose I do. Probably always will. He's moved on though. I gave him to another. They are both such gentle, loving souls... they deserve each other. I think they'll make each other happy.
Hermione furrowed her brow. "He's still alive then?"
Oh he'll probably outlive us all.
"How could that be? Even wizards only live to be perhaps two hundred, and he'd have to be getting close to that by now..." Hermione asked, perplexed.
I never said he was a wizard.
Hermione blinked. "Oh... well Muggles have even shorter life spans. I mean he would have..."
Never said he was a Muggle either. In fact, I never said he was HUMAN.
Hermione realized that she had made that assumption. "But... I mean what species could be compatible with humans, and have life spans that much longer than us?" Surely she wouldn't have been shagging a vampire or something like that!
Actually, there are a number of such species, though you'll be hard pressed to find solid documentation on most of them.
"Well... which species is he from?"
Why don't you ask Gregory that question you wanted to ask him?
"What? Are you trying to brush me off?" Hermione asked, surprised by the abrupt change in subject.
I just thought it would be a good time to ask him.
"Why?"
Try turning around.
Hermione turned, then started, spotting Goyle. He was draped across the table, his head resting on his folded arms on the edge no more than two feet behind her. "Bloody Hell!" Hermione gasped, clutching her chest.
"Sorry. You seemed so intent on your conversation I didn't want to interrupt you." He said with a little smirk.
"Do you live in here or what?" Hermione demanded, feeling a little embarrassed at having let a boy his size sneak up on her unnoticed (in a completely silent room no less!).
"No. Just came to see if you wanted to talk. I thought maybe that's why you came. Wishful thinking I guess."
"Just how often do you check for me?"
"Only when you're here." He said with a mischievous smirk.
"And how would you know I was here without checking first? You can't have just 'happened' to run into me three times in a row by chance.
"No. The first time was chance. After that it was magic."
She furrowed her brow again. What was that supposed to mean?
He shifted himself off the table and came around, settling down on the floor beside her. He held out his wrist and showed her his watch, then flipped it around. On the back there were a number of gems set perfectly flush with the casing. The one on the top was glowing a soft citron color. He flipped the watch back properly. "A little Slytherin trick. Just a sensor spell. You can set them up to sense whatever you like. That one's set to tell me when you enter the kitchen. I was dead bored anyway. Crabbe was telling me about his summer. Again. Fourth time now. Dunno why. He didn't do anything this summer. He just likes to talk to hear himself talk sometimes I reckon. Don't ever interrupt him though. Half the time he forgets where he was and starts all over again!"
Hermione had to smile at that. "So... Crabbe really is that thick?"
"Na. Not nearly as thick as he acts. Pretty close to average I'd say. He could probably swing Acceptables in his classes if he were allowed to try. Rather socially inept though. Gets flustered easy. Keeps to himself when he's around most people. They're the lucky ones!" He said with a chuckle, "But he's a good mate really. Heart's in the right place. We've been around each other so long it's like we're brothers. In fact, up until I was about five, I thought he was my brother. When you're that young, you just don't think about odd things like the fact that we were only about four months apart in age and had different last names... We were always together, whether at my place, his or Draco's. It was a bit of a rude shock to find out we weren't even related. Of course neither of us ever had any illusions about being related to Draco. His father made sure we knew our place right from the off."
"Was Lucius Malfoy always that bad?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Always. For a long while after Crabbe's mum told us about that Muggle Christianity, we were convinced he was Satan. Lucius, Lucifer. Close enough. You know, I'm not sure we were wrong on that count..." He said musingly.
Hermione let out a little snicker.
"What were you wanting to ask me anyway?"
"Hmm? Oh!" Hermione said, having to remember what they had been talking about. "Well, Diana said she was with you for a bit, and said she helps people with problems, and I asked her what problem she helped you with. She wouldn't really say much. She said to ask you if I wanted to know."
"Ah." He said. The lighting wasn't great, but she could have sworn he blushed slightly. He cleared his throat a bit uneasily, obviously searching about for where to begin. "Well... we all have our own unique problems to face when we hit puberty... and as you can imagine, I was no exception. I always knew I was a bit... um... bigger than average, but I didn't realize what an issue it would be until the first time I got interested in a girl. Don't ask who she was, because I don't believe in discussing such matters."
"I won't ask." Hermione quickly agreed. Actually, she was very curious as to who it had been, but she was even more curious about his answer to her question, so she could live without that particular detail.
Goyle sighed and leaned back against the table leg behind him, starting to pick at his nail a bit uneasily. "Well... we ended up in the sack together. She saw how big I was, but she wasn't much more experienced than I was, and everyone always made such a big deal about size that it just intrigued her. Bigger is better, right?" He gave a derisive snort, "I tried to be gentle... but I mean it's pretty hard to control yourself proper when you're shagging. I stopped after a minute when she started crying. She'd been trying to just be quiet and bear it, but I guess it hurt her pretty bad. When I got off of her, I saw that she was bleeding... and she wasn't even a virgin."
Hermione remained silent, but couldn't help but slip her hand over his. He looked so haunted, even now. Now that she knew how gentle he really was by nature, she could only imagine how traumatic that must have been for him. Especially since it happened his very first time!
He took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Never could look that girl in the eye again. She told me it was ok and that it wasn't my fault... but it was as far as I was concerned. I swore off ever having sex again. A bit of a dramatic decision for a fourteen year old, I know... but... well anyway, it wasn't more than a couple of weeks before Diana wandered into my possession. I was a bit leery obviously, but I talked to Snape and he told me to give her a try, so I did. She was very comforting. I don't really remember my mum, and Crabbe's mum isn't exactly the soft and cuddly type... but the way Diana talked to me... it seemed like how a mum would talk." A smile slipped over his lips, "Well, until I got over my funk enough of course. The advice she gave after that was not exactly the maternal type. She may be a book, but she's certainly done her homework!"
Hermione grinned. From his tone of voice, she easily guessed what type of advice that was!
"By the end of the year she had me a lot more comfortable with the subject... but it's not really the same when you're just mucking about. You don't get the same kind of connection... and I don't mean that just in the literal sense!" He added when she smirked. "I've still only ever come across four girls that can handle me proper. But that's ok now. Whether I have sex or just play a bit, I'm fine with it. I don't feel the need to search for that connection any more."
"Why not?"
He smiled over at her softly, "Because I already found it."
"Um... you did?" She asked, starting to feel a bit uneasy.
He nodded, then leaned his head back against the table, gazing into the fire with a far off look. "Yep. I'm hopelessly smitten. In fact... it may sound sappy, but there's no two ways about it... I'm in love."
"Oh..." Hermione said, blushing brightly and slowly shifting her hand away from his, "Um... Goyle... I mean Gregory... Listen, I think you're a really wonderful boy and all..."
He looked over at her, then let out a bark of laughter so loud there was a slight echo in the large room. He quickly reigned in his reaction, but couldn't help but grin widely, "Not with you, Granger!"
"Of course not." Hermione said very quickly, her cheeks crimson as she stared studiously at the fire, trying to pretend she hadn't been thinking anything of the sort.
"Don't get me wrong... what you and I did was great fun, and the offer for more still stands." He said with a grin.
"But... you said you were in love with someone else!"
"I am. Have been for quite some time now. That doesn't mean I can't play with the girls here. We have a very open relationship, which is good since we only get to see each other maybe once a fortnight. Still, those visits are more than worth the wait, believe me!"
"Is she from a different House or something?"
Goyle gave a little snort. "Not a student here. Besides which, just being from another House wouldn't keep me away! We could still shag on the weekends at the very least. Not as if I have to spend much time on my homework or anything since I'm not supposed to do well in my classes anyway."
"Um... it's not a..." She started tentatively.
He chuckled, "Not a teacher either. You do like to jump to conclusions, don't you?"
She blushed a bit at the well deserved chastisement... and the little glint in his eyes. She quickly dismissed it as paranoia. Why would he suspect anything? Surely Diana would have warned her much sooner if he'd been there before the subject veered away from Snape. "So... are you going to play twenty questions with me or are you going to tell me about her?"
"Thought Diana already did."
"No. I told you she wouldn't tell me much about it."
"Oh. Looked like you were talking about it when I got here." He said with a slight shrug.
She suddenly made the connection. "You're the one she gave her boyfriend to?"
He smirked. "In a manner of speaking."
Hermione shifted uneasily. "Are all Slytherins so... um... open minded about who they shag?"
He snickered mirthfully, "I'm not gay. Not even Bi. Well, ok, admittedly I did let Blaise go down on me, but just once. I mean come on... with a reputation like that how could I resist giving him a try? Mostly we just share Pansy on occasion. He loves that. See she isn't overly fond of taking it up the arse. Says it makes her stomach feel gimpy. She'll only let him if they're with a straight guy who won't let Blaise play with him. He's absolutely bloody brilliant at giving head though! Puts all the girls I've tried to shame. Pity he's a boy." He said contemplatively.
Hermione was blushing brilliantly by this point. That was far more information than she really needed on Blaise and Pansy's sex life! She wasn't sure how to take that, and didn't particularly want to dwell on such topics anyway so she chose to shy from that particular line of questioning for now. "So... um... How can you be in love with a man and not be gay?"
"Never said I was in love with a man."
Hermione blinked in surprise, then furrowed her brow, thinking hard. "But I'm sure she referred to him as a male."
"There you go assuming again. She may have used masculine references, but Freya isn't a man." He was grinning at her mischievously, enjoying watching her trying to puzzle that out. When she opened her mouth to reply, he quickly added, "Not a woman either."
"Yeah sure, pull the other one!" Hermione said irritably, folding her arms over her chest.
"I'm not ribbing you."
"How can someone be neither a male nor a female?" She demanded.
"Easy. She's neuter. I think of her as female and Diana thinks of her as male because we're both straight and those are the genders we are attracted to."
"What is she, a hermaphrodite?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"No. That would indicate that the individual was both male and female at the same time. Freya is neither. Her species has three genders. Male, female and neuter."
Hermione eyed him, obviously trying to judge his sincerity. "What species might that be?"
"She's a demon." He said with a negligent shrug.
Her eyes went round, her jaw dropping.
"Don't look at me like that! She'd a good little demon."
"But... a demon?" She said, struggling with the concept. Accepting the spider demons was one thing... but to have sex with and even fall in love with a demon? It was just so mind boggling! "I mean what kind of demon could even have any kind of relationship with a human, even if they were so inclined? The ones I've read about weren't exactly appealing..."
"You've never heard of Incubi? Succubi?" Goyle asked, obviously surprised.
"Oh..." Hermione said, trying to remember what she'd read about those creatures. She knew she'd seen them mentioned in passing before, but only in Muggle books, so she hadn't been sure they were real. "Don't they... molest humans in their sleep?" She asked, trying to phrase it as politely as possible.
Goyle rolled his eyes. "That's just a bunch of prudes who didn't want to admit they were gagging for a good piece of tail that started that tripe! They can come to you in your sleep if they chose, but Freya's more into the physical plane." He said with a wicked smirk. "And she's never once forced anything on me!"
Well, much of history was probably heavily biased by those who wrote it down, and since most of the mentions were by members of the clergy, that probably had been a big influence in how they were painted. "So... which is she? I mean is she an incubus or a succuba?"
"Neither. We don't really have a name for what she is. Humans don't really get the three sex thing, so they don't even consider it as a possible explanation for the habits of creatures they don't yet understand. They just lump them into familiar groups and leave it at that, even if that makes their observations and theories conflict."
"Um... ok... so what's the purpose of having a neuter sex then? I mean they have to be there for a reason."
"Oh they are. It's pretty interesting actually. I like talking with her about stuff like that. Learn a lot of things I'd probably never find in human books. See, the species as a whole are only corporeal when they want to be, and they can change their appearance to whatever their lover desires, even changing their apparent sex. Their preferences are pretty commonly bisexual when it comes to choosing human playmates... but as far as reproduction goes, their roles are set. That's why not all such visitations result in pregnancies. The males can impregnate human females, but can't get pregnant. The females can get pregnant by human males, but can't get a human female pregnant. Neuter can't get pregnant, but they also can't get any females, human or demon, pregnant without a male as well. Some Muggles actually picked up on what neuter's do, but didn't know quite how to understand it. See they have sex with a male, then carry his seed and use that to impregnate females. They are just a conduit of sorts. The seed gets imbued with demonic magic while in them, so their children will have the powers, but probably not the appearance of a demon. Merlin's 'father', for example, was almost certainly a neuter. Where it got the seed in the first place is anyone's guess."
She digested that for a minute, "But why would such a division arise in the first place?"
"Because they can't produce pure demons without all three sexes. Not sure why, but a male and a female demon can shag all they like, but unless there's a neuter in the mix they won't get anything but a bit of fun out of it."
"But that doesn't make sense. If they can breed with humans without a neuter, why not with each other?"
Goyle shrugged, "Maybe they need a certain level of demonic power to create a purely demonic offspring. Dunno really. Magic isn't always logical in a scientific sense."
"That's true." Hermione murmured thoughtfully. It was just so hard to wrap her mind around. She looked over at Goyle, "So... this 'Freya'..."
"You like the name? I picked it. Some Norse goddess of love. I thought it was fitting, and I just liked the sound of it."
"Hold up... you named her?" She said, riling a bit at the presumptuousness of it, "Wasn't her own name good enough for you?"
He smirked. "They don't have names. They just know each other, so names are really more of a human concept. They generally let their lovers name them if they like. Doesn't matter what we call them, they pick up which of them we're referring to from our thoughts. Sometimes one will keep a name if they really like it, but that's rare."
"Oh." Hermione said contritely. "So... is 'she' spreading your seed about then?"
He chuckled and lifted his hand, showing her a thick golden band on his finger. "Not likely. Contraceptive charm. These work if the male wears them. They can't get viable seed out of us if we don't produce it in the first place." He lowered his hand and sighed. "Not that she hasn't asked. The reproductive drive is pretty strong with her kind. I'm just not near ready to become a father, let alone of children I might not even get to meet! We've got a bit of an agreement though. I've promised her I'll take the ring off some day... but only well after I've graduated and then only if she'll only use it on a girl we agree on. I want to be a part of any of my kids' lives."
"Isn't he so paternal? That's so bloody hot..." A voice whispered softly in Hermione's ear.
Hermione looked around for the source of the voice, but there was no one else there. She looked over in alarm as a thick layer of some fog-like substance flowed out from underneath the table. A brilliant smile lit over Goyle's face as it swirled around him, then coalesced into a naked young woman with long black tresses who sat astride his lap and immediately started snogging him passionately. He groaned, kissing her back just as ardently.
Hermione shifted away, feeling decidedly awkward.
After a minute, Goyle was able to break it off, though he looked more than reluctant to do so. "I wasn't expecting you so soon. Not that I mind." He added with a smirk.
"How could I stay away when you were discussing me? You've never told anyone about me before." She looked over at Hermione appraisingly. "She must be special... is she a new playmate?" She asked, looking back over at Goyle hopefully.
He chuckled, "No. This is Hermione Granger. She's just a friend. I don't know many people I'd feel comfortable discussing us with... but I think she can be trusted."
"Really?" She asked, eyeing Hermione again.
Hermione couldn't help but look her over, her natural curiosity winning over her acute embarrassment at the woman's nakedness. She looked almost human... though upon closer inspection, some of the little details were off. Her eyebrows looked more like just correctly shaped patches of darker skin, and her eyes were black rimmed, without apparent eyelashes... but at a distance she would probably look perfectly normal. Even as Hermione thought this, the strange woman spread a pair of jet black, bat-like wings and snaked a long, thin tail over Goyle's thigh.
"You sure?" Freya asked a bit petulantly, eyeing Hermione in an entirely indecent manner.
He chuckled. "Not that I'd mind, but I somehow doubt she'd be interested. The whole demon thing is still a bit new to her."
"Really? Funny... she positively reeks of demon. I can feel a number of them in this castle. Are you starting up a collection?" She asked, turning back to smirk at Goyle, who was just looking puzzled.
Hermione blushed. She had no idea the spider demons would leave some kind of 'scent' on her! Especially not from inside that heavily warded container! "Yes... well those are different."
"You have been around other demons?" Goyle asked incredulously.
"I just... well... I mean Snape may have a couple... but they aren't going to hurt anyone! Not all demons are bad..." She said quickly.
Freya smirked, "Well said." She seemed to almost flow over and Hermione suddenly found her very close, "Just be very careful, youngling. My kind are pacifists... we're lovers, not fighters... but we are a rarity. Most demons are very crafty, very dangerous creatures... and few of them are 'nice' deep down."
Hermione shifted back, nodding.
"Sure you don't want to play?" Freya asked seductively, "I could show you things beyond your mortal imagination... I can fulfill any desire that possesses you..."
Hermione let out a little gasp as the demon's appearance suddenly shifted like smoke, reforming into Harry. Try as she might, she couldn't keep her eyes from darting down. She dragged her eyes back up, blushing brightly... and wondering if that was accurate despite herself. She'd also noted in passing that the creature was oddly without a navel. There was a slight dimple in the correct spot, but it was only cosmetic. Just how were demons born?
'He' reached out, brushing his fingers down her cheek. "Any desire whatsoever." Another shift and Ron sat beside her.
Hermione cursed her bloody eyes as they darted down again... and stayed. "Bloody Hell!" She muttered, stunned.
"Who'd have thought?" Goyle said with an amused snicker.
'Ron' looked over at Goyle with a mischievous grin, "He has nothing on you, love."
Goyle snorted, "Well no, but he's got a lot more in his trousers than I'd have given him credit for."
'Ron' looked back over at Hermione. He grinned in that oh-so-familiar way, shifting forward until his face was so close their skin nearly brushed and she could see little more than his eyes. Ron's eyes. "I can be anyone you want..." He whispered, his voice sending a shiver through her as he shifted form again, reforming into a semblance of Dean. She clamped her eyes shut. She wasn't sure if it was fear or desire that was making her heart beat so fast, but she just wanted this creature to go away!
"Even your deepest, darkest desires..."
She trembled. His voice had changed again... and it was an all too familiar one now. She couldn't help but open her eyes.
Piercing black eyes stared back at her. She let out a little inarticulate sound.
"I could sate your every desire... and a few I doubt you even know you have..." He purred seductively.
Hermione felt frozen to the spot as he moved closer still. She clamped her eyes shut again. She felt his warm tongue gently brush her lower lip and her loins gave a vicious twinge. His lips claimed hers and it made her entire body tingle. His tongue slipped between lips she didn't even remember parting. It touched hers and her back arched as a wild rush of pleasure shot through her. She cried out against those amazing lips as a mind boggling peak raged through her body, leaving her limp and panting.
After a minute, she was able to open her eyes. She was laying on her back (though she couldn't remember how she got there), and he was there above her, smiling down at her softly. She could feel his body against her, the warmth of it seeping through her clothing seductively, little aftershocks of pleasure still rippling through her.
"Changed your mind yet?" he whispered softly.
Hermione had to force herself to shake her head.
He just smiled. "Hopelessly optimistic, aren't you? Well, if he won't have you, just speak my name and desire me to be there and I will know of your change of heart. I may not come right away... time runs a bit differently for us... but don't worry... I will make it up to you when I arrive..."
"Ok, now let her go." Goyle said with definite amusement. "Besides, I'm finding your appearance more than a little disturbing right now."
The demon looked over at him and chuckled. He started to ease back away from her... and then his eyes fell on the journal that lay beside her. The mischievous smirk slipped off his face and his shape shifted again, becoming that of a reasonably attractive young man with shaggy brown, shoulder length hair and the softest blue-green eyes Hermione had ever seen. He looked no more than perhaps seventeen, his wings losing most of their color, now the color of lightly tanned flesh.
Any fear she had harbored in her heart for this strange creature fled the instant she saw the look on his face. He looked so very young and vulnerable... and there was a pain about him that was almost palpable.
He reached over, gently picking up the book. He shifted back, sitting on the floor and staring down as the sketch of Diana's face tentatively appeared. They stared at each other in silence for a long moment. The demon touched the page with his fingertips, the look on his face making Hermione feel a sharp pang of sympathy. Diana's sketched hand appeared, and he pressed his flat against hers.
Hermione saw black streaks starting from Diana's eyes, but then the sketch turned, disappearing from the page. The demon let out a sad little aching sigh, slowly closing the journal. He hugged it to his chest for a minute, then lifted it, gently kissing the worn leather of its cover before gingerly setting it down. He vanished into a cloud of mist the moment it left his hands. The fog flowed up against Goyle.
"I'll wait in your room." A soft, feminine voice whispered, then the mist flitted away, vanishing under the kitchen door.
Goyle sighed sadly.
"He really loves her, doesn't he?" Hermione asked softly.
Goyle nodded.
"Is it odd? I mean loving someone who's still in love with someone else?"
Goyle gave her a grim smile, "She loves me as well. Yet another thing you come to understand with time. Her kind... once they fall in love, they love for life. But that doesn't mean they can't love someone else as well. Usually they only have one love at a time. They still spread themselves around sexually of course, but just little one night visitations and the like. A given demon usually only frequents one lover at a time, not bonding to another until they recover enough from the death of the first. Sometimes that can take years... on occasion much longer. This has been especially hard on Freya since she's so young. She's barely Diana's age, which is very young for a demon. She hasn't learned to properly deal with loss yet. It must be torture for her... having someone she loves still alive, but being unable to touch her... It tears me up seeing that pain in her. In them both..." He sighed and got up. "Well, I'm going to go and try to cheer her up. See you later, Granger."
Hermione nodded. She picked up Diana, noting a few oddly silvery spatters on her cover. After a moment, she realized they were teardrops. Demons can cry?
"You should head back to your Tower. It's getting late."
Hermione looked up and blushed. "Oh... I can't. Lavender's in a right snit right now, and if I go back there there's bound to be trouble."
"Ah." He said with a nod and a faint smile. "Well, the kitchen isn't a proper place to spend the night." He reached over, flipping his watch over and checking the back again, "The Room of Requirement is free at the moment. If you're hiding out, you might as well be comfortable!"
"Oh... ok. Thanks." She said distractedly as he left. She'd never even thought about going there. Of course that might be because any mention of it brought to mind what had happened the last time she'd been in there. Still, it was a logical place to spend the night.
She looked down at the journal in her hands. She wondered if perhaps she should try to say something. "Diana?" She asked tentatively.
No response.
She tried to open the journal, but it acted as if the pages had all been glued together. She sighed, slipping it back into her schoolbag with the other books. Maybe later.
> > > > > > >
Hermione's dreams were indistinct, but decidedly 'friendly'. There was a glimpse of dark eyes here, the brush of a lips there. The feel of Snape's hand on her breast kept teasing her, making her tingle, yet flitting away before she could fully enjoy it. It was pleasant drifting through this fog of desire and temptation... but at the same time, vaguely frustrating.
She felt his hand brushing her shoulder and curled around him, willing him to stay and stop teasing her so mercilessly.
"Um... Hermione?" A tentative voice said from somewhere in the haze. "Hermione?"
The hand was on her shoulder again, and she realized it was gently shaking her. Why would he shake her? She blinked her eyes open, but all she could see was the crisp white cotton of a shirt. She pulled back a bit and blinked up.
She let out an embarrassed squeak and quickly scrambled away as she saw Harry and realized it was him she'd curled around. Her cheeks blushed brightly. He was sitting on the side of her bed, and she'd been half draped across his lap and nuzzling up to his stomach! She looked around dazedly. She was in her own bedroom. What the bloody Hell was Harry doing at her Muggle home? How had he even gotten past her parents? Surely they would never allow a boy in her room, especially when she was sleeping! But that made no sense... summer was over... wasn't it? She let out a little groan, wanting to smack herself as she remembered that it was really the Room of Requirement. She hated it when she woke so suddenly it disoriented her. Then again, her surroundings hadn't helped.
"Um..." Harry cleared his throat, his cheeks a bit flush, "Just came to find you. We were worried when Shandra said she hadn't seen you all night." He said, trying not to sound embarrassed.
"Sorry... I just heard about Lavender and thought it'd be best if I made myself scarce."
Harry nodded, then looked around, "This your room?"
"Um... ya..." Hermione said, her blush darkening slightly as he got up and started wandering around. She'd never had a boy in her room before. Not that it was really her room, but still.
Harry looked over the awards on her wall and sprinkled around on her bookcases (there were three large ones, and a short one near her desk, all packed to capacity with books). She quickly got up, pulling her shoes and robe back on, glad she'd decided to sleep in her clothes. She checked her watch, relieved to see breakfast had only just started. She should have plenty of time to nip back to the Tower, quickly get ready and still make it to the tail end of breakfast.
"How did you find me anyway?" She asked curiously (and hoping to distract him before he got around to the rather embarrassing photos of her with her parents when she was a little girl!).
He pulled out the Marauder's map and held it up where she could see it, still looking over her various spelling bee awards.
Hermione suddenly realized a potentially disastrous oversight in her plan to sneak off to meet Dean without anyone knowing... If she went missing again with Lavender in the state she was in, Harry was sure to get worried again... and one glance at that map would ruin everything! He might even come to see what they were up to, and that could be absolutely mortifying! She couldn't just depend on him to be too tired from practice not to notice she was gone, especially if she was going to miss dinner.
She thought furiously, trying to work out how to avoid the problem, then an idea came to her. She cleared her throat, trying to hide her nervousness. "Um... Harry?"
He looked over, "Ya?"
"I was just wondering... could I maybe borrow your map tonight?"
"Why?"
"I'm trying to research something, but with these detentions I don't have much time... so I thought I could sneak back into the library after it closed. I should have done it last night, but I was so done in I didn't even think about it."
"You're a prefect. You're allowed to be out past curfew, so why would you need it?" He asked, sounding mildly curious.
"Yes, well I know I'm technically allowed to be, but they would probably take a dim view of my abusing the fact quite so flagrantly. I'm supposed to be setting a 'good example' and all. McGonagall laid into me rather hard after that little incident at dinner last night..." She said, cringing as she remembered it.
Harry grinned, "Ron told me about that. Wish I'd been there! At least I got the chance to see the second act! It was brilliant!" He said with a wicked grin, obviously referring to the incident Dean had told her about.
She flashed him a little smile, then went on, "Anyway... I'd rather no one knew I was out, especially when I really shouldn't be. I'd rather be able to keep an eye out for Filch and the other professors so McGonagall doesn't find out about it. Not to mention, with Lavender in such a snit, I'd like to keep an eye out for her as well..."
Harry nodded, "That's a definite worry. She looked about ready to have a conniption fit last night!" He shrugged, "Sure. I wouldn't want you getting in trouble... or cursed while your back is turned or something for that matter." He said, going over and holding out the aged parchment.
She smiled and took it, feeling slightly guilty for deceiving him. "Thanks, Harry."
"No problem." He said, heading for the door. He opened it, then paused, looking back, "And by the way... happy birthday."
> > > > > > >
Parvati sighed as she started making her way tiredly up the spiral staircase to the dorm room. Why did Gryffindor have to be so very high up? It felt like she'd walked up fifty staircases already, she was going to miss half of lunch, and all because she forgot her bloody book! It didn't help that she was all worn out from being up all night listening to Lavender rant. At least she'd finally stopped. Well, stopped being so vocal at any rate.
Then again, the silence was worrying her a lot more than the ranting had. She didn't like it. Lavender was a grudge holder. She'd seen her fume for an entire bloody month over a single unintentional slight! She would never let something as bad as that little gaseous prank go so easily.
She opened the door and stopped dead, catching a sudden furtive movement. Lavender turned quickly, the lid to Litty's trunk thumping shut behind her. Lavender's tense stance seemed to ease as she saw who it was. She strolled over to her bed, going through her school bag casually without so much as a word.
"What were you doing in Litty's trunk?" Parvati asked warily.
"I wasn't doing anything to her trunk." Lavender said indifferently.
"Ah. I see. Then why were you standing over there next to it, and why did I just hear it shut?"
Lavender looked over at her, her eyes narrowing a bit. "The hem of my skirt caught on the lid while I was passing. I just pulled it free when you walked in."
Parvati looked from the trunk to Lavender's skirt. There was no way that got caught in the trunk lid unless she was doing some interesting acrobatics in an area that was far from the path required to get her to her bed. "Ah. I see." She said skeptically.
Lavender ignored the tone, stuffing her books into her bag.
Parvati tossed her bag on her bed and went over, sitting on Lavender's bed. "Lav... this little vendetta thing is getting a bit old, don't you think?"
"What vendetta?" Lavender asked, faking puzzlement.
Parvati rolled her eyes, "Listen, I'm your best friend, and even I am getting tired of it! You're just..."
"I'm not doing anything!" Lavender spat, glaring at her. "So my bag tripped the clumsy cow! So bloody what? You can't tell me she just 'accidentally' poisoned my bloody desert!"
"She never poisoned you!" Parvati said, shocked that she would use such a strong term, "It was a gag! They sell them in joke shops! They're perfectly legal, if a bit crude. How many times have you gotten a good chuckle out of watching someone else be on the receiving end of something like that? It was just innocent fun, and the way you've been acting..."
Lavender glared her into silence. "So. You think I've been acting badly?"
"I... I didn't say that..." Parvati said, feeling a bit uneasy with the anger in Lavender's eyes. "I'm just saying that you need to drop this already. Hermione's a really strong witch, and even you've said she's far stronger than you... sooner or later you're going to push her too far, and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you. Either of you for that matter. Besides, even if she manages to keep her temper, McGonagall is getting pretty fed up with you. She's liable to chuck you into detention, or worse yet, give you the boot entirely if you don't cut it out."
Lavender took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Fine."
Parvati blinked. "Fine what?" She asked warily.
"It's over. I wash my hands of that hopeless muggleborn. She's not worth the aggravation."
"Really?" Parvati asked, not sure if she could possibly be serious. "You'd do that? Just like that?"
Lavender shrugged and heaved her bag over her shoulder. "Why not? Everyone's starting to call me a bitch behind my back, and Seamus has been starting to get irritated as well... She's not worth my reputation, and she's certainly not worth losing Seamus! She's on her bloody own. Besides, she's got a date with Dean tonight, so she just might get lucky anyway."
"How do you know she has a date with Dean?" Parvati asked, surprised. She certainly hadn't heard anything about it.
Lavender shrugged. "Seamus may have mentioned it."
Somehow, Parvati doubted he volunteered the information. They had all been very carefully not giving her any 'ammunition' for her little obsession. If she had indeed gotten the information from Seamus, it was either somehow coerced out of him or he hadn't been talking to her. Parvati had noticed her wandering around 'aimlessly' and covertly listening in on conversations a couple of time in the last few days.
"So... you're going to let her try her 'luck' without your help...?" Parvati asked shrewdly.
"Oh please! If she can't score with Dean, she might as well clap on the iron knickers and join a bloody convent! If Ron hadn't thrown a wobbler in fourth year when she finally showed she had some hormones Dean would have probably nailed her by the end of that year. He'd been plucking up the courage to ask her to the Yule ball himself, but he heard she already had a date before he got around to it. I'm surprised he's willing to give it another go to be honest. She certainly doesn't seem to warrant it." Lavender snorted derisively, then walked off.
Once she was gone, Parvati looked over at Litty's trunk. Lavender's professions of giving up were somewhat less than convincing considering her track record. Parvati listened carefully for anyone coming up the stairs, then hurried over to the trunk. She lifted the lid carefully, half expecting something to go off or spring at her...
But there was nothing.
She straightened, looking down into the trunk, but nothing looked out of place. "Huh..." She said curiously. She lowered the lid and went over, getting her book, wondering what Lavender was up to.
> > > > > > >
Potions hadn't been nearly as awkward as Hermione had feared it would be. True, Snape seemed to be avoiding walking past her table, and stood directly across from Draco on the few occasions when he couldn't avoid it, but it hadn't been too bad overall. She did notice that Snape seemed rather more subdued than usual. She didn't get the impression it had anything to do with what had happened between them... it was more like he wasn't feeling particularly well. It wasn't anything obvious, but there were lots of little indication if you were looking for them. The way he straightened up a bit slower than usual after bending over to check a potion, the way he walked without his usual crisp demeanor, and even when he sat he seemed to do so somewhat gingerly. In fact, it was rare for him to sit during class at all, but he'd been sitting over half the time today.
Draco appeared to have been picking up on this as well. She saw him cast a number of worried looks at Snape, but he didn't comment on it. Well, not during class at least. He'd stayed after when class let out, but what they talked about she didn't know. She'd been shunted into the bloody closet before they spoke, and with Theo right there in the closet with her, it wasn't as if she could listen at the door. Not that she would...
Her eyes focused as she heard a sharp snapping sound and she saw a open hand waving before her eyes. She blinked, looking up at Theo, who was standing on top of the opposite counter.
"Welcome back." He said with a smirk. "As I was saying, five hundred and fourteen rat spleens." He said, hefting the jar full of disgusting little bits back into its place.
She shook herself, quickly writing the number beside its entry in the inventory book. "Sorry." She muttered.
"Sure." He said, pulling down the next jar and tapping it with his wand. The current information scrawled itself across the lid, "Seven and a half ounces dried Billywig stings." He read off, setting it back in its place.
She nodded, writing it down. Her handwriting looked odd next to Snape's. They both wrote neatly, their letters and numbers so evenly spaced and perfect they could have been made by a computer, but hers were a bit bigger and more... well relaxed. His writing was as tightly controlled and ordered as he usually kept himself. She wondered what a Muggle handwriting expert would say it told about his personality? Probably just exactly what she saw in it. Militant efficiency and...
"I'm sure he's fine."
Hermione's eyes darted up again and she blushed as she realized she had probably been spacing off again. "Huh?"
"Snape. I'm assuming that's why your head is so far away today. I'm sure he's fine. I think he just stopped taking his medicine."
Her blush darkened. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, quickly going to make the next entry, but then realizing she couldn't remember what he'd said for the quantity. "Um... what medicine?" She asked so she didn't have to admit how very little attention she'd been paying.
"Draco made up something to help him out with the aftereffects of that poison. Watching Snape in class today, he's acting like I felt when my own medicine was nullified by Colin. I think he's stopped taking his."
Hermione blinked up at him, "Why would he do that?" Then she furrowed her brow as another thought occurred. "Hold up... for that matter, you weren't hit, so why would you be taking the same medicine in the first place?"
It was Theo's turn to blush a bit. "No one's ever survived that many of those needles, so there was no proper medicine for such a situation. The medicine we had could only take care of so much of the poison without becoming poisonous itself. Draco made something that would help with the excess, so hopefully Snape wouldn't suffer permanent damage from it..."
"Was that a real possibility?" Hermione asked in alarm.
"Well ya. I mean it goes after your heart... and he went off and somehow put a serious strain on his heart that same night, so Pomfrey was afraid he would have permanent damage from it. Draco's medicine has been helping. With time, the damage might actually heal itself. Don't know why he would have stopped taking it. I certainly have no plans of going off it until I'm absolutely sure that all of the residual poison is gone."
"And you need it why?" Hermione prompted since he appeared to be hedging the subject.
Theo sighed and hunkered down onto the counter, dropping his long legs over the edge and looking at her. "Snape wouldn't have taken an untested potion, so I tested it for him. A bunch of those needles got in the pockets of Goyle's robe while he was holding it up, so..."
"You poisoned yourself?"
Theo had a definite blush now. "Don't make it sound so dramatic. I just injected some of the poison into my system while in the Hospital wing with Pomfrey right there. There was no real danger."
"Unless Draco's potion didn't work!"
Theo snorted. "Draco's potions always work. He probably hasn't screwed one up since he was like seven."
"He's been making potions since he was seven?" She asked, surprised.
"Oh much longer than that. You don't really come into your full powers before about nine or ten, so until he could use a wand proper he found something else to do. He'd always liked Snape, and since potion making was a respectable enough pastime to appease his father, he buried himself in it quite completely as soon as he could. Growing ingredients, reading about them, brewing potions, experimenting with their preparation. Snape was more than happy to give him books on the subject, and his mother had a full sized greenhouse built for his plants."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "She gave him a whole greenhouse just because he showed an interest?" How spoiled could a boy get?
Theo smirked, "Not without good reason. He had stuck some of his plants in one of her greenhouses so they could survive the winter... and one of them crossbred with her begonias... the resultant plants were pretty, but if you got too close they tried to strangle you. She didn't much care for that."
Hermione chuckled. "So that's why he's so much better at potions..." she said, feeling a bit better about being bested by him in that category. How could she compete with literally years of extra practice with unlimited resources?
Theo nodded. "Hell, I'd have given potions a try if it worked as well for me. Unfortunately, I doubt my father would care if I was doing something productive with my time or not. He'd still manage to find something to be pissed off about."
"You don't get along with your father I take it?" She asked softly, remembering what Goyle had said about most of his Housemates' fathers.
He gave a little humorless laugh, "Not exactly. The less time I spent around him the better. Too bad my mother was so bloody gullible! She kept letting him talk her into coming back to him. He'd play nice for a couple of weeks... maybe even a month or two... then went right back to..." He trailed off, shifting uneasily, then sighed and looked up at her, "Death Eaters don't make that great of husbands, let alone fathers."
Hermione got the definite impression that Theo's father had done a bit more than just argue with him. The uneasy silence that followed seemed to draw itself out. In the end, it was Theo who broke it.
"Well," He said, glancing at his watch, "As fun as this has been, I'm afraid I have to be going. I have to drop off my books and try to find someone to sit next to me before dinner... Blaise has been latching onto me a lot of late. Not that he isn't entertaining to talk to, but..." He shrugged and gave her a little smile as he slid off the counter. He grabbed up the stack of cages he'd had to move in order to reach the shelves, putting them back in their place on the counter.
"Oh! I didn't teach you that spell yet!" She said as she closed the inventory book.
"Maybe tomorrow. I'd say it's going to take another three or four detentions to get through all this anyway. Plenty of time."
"Ok. Next time then."
He nodded, grabbing up his school bag and leaving.
She sighed and turned to the spider demons. She felt terribly guilty. She'd probably only gotten a couple of songs played before she got too distracted. "Sorry I didn't get to play to you more, but I have to go."
They made little sad sounds, looking up at her with those adorable little pleading faces. Her heart ached, but she knew she had to get back if she was to have time to get ready. She sighed, reaching out and brushing her hand down the side of the container, the wards tingling slightly against her fingertips. "I can't stay..." She said achingly. "A boy asked me out... we're to watch a meteor shower together... it's only the second time anyone's ever asked me out... I can't just stand him up!"
They were looking at each other oddly and she realized they probably had no clue what she was talking about. "Oh. Sorry... going out... that's a human custom. It's when someone of the opposite sex asks you to spend time with them, usually talking and sharing a meal or attending an event or something. It's what we do to see if we like one another. If we enjoy our time together we go on more dates. Eventually, if we... um.. if the two humans that is, find that they are compatible enough they might marry and start a family."
The spider demons weren't looking like this was helping, but Hermione didn't know which part was confusing them. "We usually only have one mate at a time. We pair up; one male, one female. Well usually anyway." Hermione stopped talking, wondering why she had felt the need to mention that. She just had a feeling they wanted to know.
She suddenly got the feeling they were curious about Snape. She furrowed her brow, concentrating on that idea and where it had come from. Her eyes widened as she felt a slight tickling in the back of her mind. Could they be telepathic? Well, she didn't know how else Theo could understand them. The sounds they made seemed to be more emotive than communication.
The 'feeling' that they wanted to know about Snape occurred again as the largest one cocked its head to the side a bit curiously.
"Oh... um... Snape... I mean professor Snape... what happened... um..." How the bloody Hell was she supposed to explain it to them when she didn't even fully understand it herself? "Well... that was just..." She sighed, "I don't know what that was, but what happened... it wasn't normal behavior for humans. I mean he's nearly twice my age, and we tend towards people who are much closer to our own ages... and I mean I really prefer a bit more.. um... gentle interaction with males..." She said, remembering Theo's comment about how they viewed what had happened, then quickly added, "And besides, he's my teacher... so that wasn't exactly appropriate..."
The harder she concentrated, the more defined the 'voice' in her head became. It wasn't really words precisely... more like concepts. The next one surprised her. She got the definite feeling that they felt Snape liked her very much... and Snape was a strong male, she was a strong female... so they wondered why a difference in age was so important when they were both obviously fertile and interested in breeding.
She blushed again. "I have no intention of 'breeding' with my teacher!" She replied in a horribly embarrassed whisper. "Besides, I'm sure he has no interest in such things with a student!"
Her eyes widened slightly as she recalled a vague memory of her on the counter with Snape pressed up against her, both in deep liplock. Not that unusual a thing for her to remember... except it was somewhat blurry... and from the vantage point of the demons' container! Bloody Hell! That really had looked rather intense!
She shifted uneasily, her loins giving a vague twinge. "Yes, well just because he kissed me back doesn't mean he wants a relationship or anything. He's a male. Even the most educated and civilized of men would probably give in to their baser instincts in such a situation. In my experience, they don't appear to have much control over their libidos. He probably would have reacted the same if any half way attractive female had kissed him."
"I rather doubt that my 'baser instincts' were the issue..."
Hermione spun around, going beet red to the tips of her ears. Snape was standing there, leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest. She opened her mouth, but was so embarrassed she could muster no words.
"I saw Mr. Nott take his leave. You might as well go as well. It's nearly dinner time."
"I... I was just try to explain to the spider demons..." Hermione muttered lamely, eyes affixed to the floor.
"That's easy enough. You were overwrought and obviously a bit hormonal... I was overly medicated. It was a fluke, nothing more. And for your information, violence is not high on my list of turnons either, and might I remind you that you are the one who struck me?"
"I'm sorry about that. I don't know why I did that."
"Yes, well it's over and I'm willing to forget that little breach in etiquette, not to mention school rules, and just put the whole incident behind us. Just don't think you can get away with doing it again."
He meant the hitting part she chastised herself quickly as her mind went other places. She gave a little nod. Well, he seemed to be over his embarrassment over the situation quite completely. She hadn't realized how much his attitude towards her had eased over the past week or so until she was abruptly faced with how he had been before. If anything, his demeanor was even a bit more on the cold side now... but she couldn't help but notice that, though he generally stood within a scant few feet of people when talking to them to increase the effect of his imposing presence, he was carefully not entering the closet.
She just gave a demure nod, moving over and slipping past him. She was quite irritated with herself when she caught herself breathing deep as she brushed past, letting his scent fill her lungs. He always smelled so wonderful. He didn't wear a cologne, but always seemed to have the smell of his craft about him. Nameless herbs, spices and earthy scents blending together into a slightly musky odor that seemed to entice her to breath deeper. Though she was sure he worked with different ingredients all the time, he had smelled exactly the same since the first time she met him. She'd always loved the smell, even back when she still thought he was a cruel, spiteful man. Perhaps he wore something he made up himself...
"Problem, Miss Granger?"
She blushed, looking up at him and realizing she'd paused. She quickly shook her head.
"Run along then." He said, pulling the closet door closed and starting back towards the front of the classroom where he had a cauldron steaming away on his desk. "Wouldn't want you to be late for your date." He called back over his shoulder without turning, the old familiar coldly sarcastic voice firmly in place once again.
> > > > > > >
"Maybe the blue shirt would be better. A button up shirt might look too dressy. I mean it's just kind of a causal date, right?"
"Oh buck up man!" Seamus moaned in exasperation, "You've already changed shirts three times. It's going to be dark! Why should she care what shirt you're wearing?"
"You're probably right." Dean muttered, though he still looked over the blue shirt he'd tossed on his bed contemplatively.
"You'd look hot in anything."
They both looked over, spotting Lavender coming in the door. Dean shifted uneasily, glancing at Seamus to see if he had told, but Seamus just shook his head slightly when he caught the inquiring look.
"Just thought I'd stop by and see if you boys wanted to watch the meteor shower and muck about... but it looks like Seamus and I will be on our own tonight. Not that I mind of course." Lavender added quickly in Seamus' direction.
"Ya... well... um... I was just..." Dean stammered, trying to think up a quick excuse to take his leave. He didn't want her knowing any more than he wanted Harry and Ron knowing!
Lavender held up her hand. "Say no more. None of my business. I like messing about with you, but Seamus is my boyfriend. You don't owe me any explanations. Go find yourself your own bit of tail."
"Um... ok..." Dean said, definitely embarrassed. He wasn't even entirely sure how their whole little threesome began, and he wasn't really all that comfortable talking about it. Sure it felt great, and Seamus was his best mate and in a way he kind of liked sharing something so intimate with him (in a straight way of course!), but it wasn't really anything he ever thought he would do.
"You know, the house elves could probably make you up a special dessert or something. I would suggest something with chocolate. I don't know a single girl that doesn't love chocolate!"
Dean just nodded a bit noncommittally.
"I wouldn't suggest bringing liquor though. You whip out a bottle and the girl will automatically think you're trying to get her liquored up so she'll be easy to nail. Unless you have a girl who doesn't mind that kind of thing, she'll probably be a bit put off by it. As a general rule, we don't like to feel that you think we're 'easy'."
"No. I wouldn't think so." Dean muttered, trying to pretend he didn't remember that liquor happened to have played a big role in how he wound up in bed with her the first time!
"You look nice. All shined up." She said, stepping up to him and straightening his collar. She grinned, "Forgot your cologne though." She said, going over and plucking up the small bottle of cologne he'd left on his bedside table.
"I wasn't going to put any more on. I mean there's still a bit from this morning, and I didn't want to overdo it."
"Just a tiny bit to freshen it up then." Lavender said, carefully tipping a few drops out onto her palm. She set down the bottle, then rubbed it between her hands as she went back over to him. She reached up, stroking her damp fingers behind his ears and down the sides of his neck, then ran her hands on down his chest before standing up on tiptoe and giving him a little peck on the lips. "There you go. Perfect. Now you're ready. Go out there and get her, tiger. Good luck. Not that you need it. Looking like that, I have the feeling you're going to get lucky tonight!"
He cleared his throat uneasily, his cheeks going a shade darker. "I should go..." He said, edging towards the door.
Lavender just beamed at him, which made him a bit nervous. He turned and hurried out.
"What was that about?" Seamus asked curiously once he was gone.
"What? He's a sweet boy. He deserves to find himself his own girl. I mean, like I said, he's fun to play with, but to be honest I'd like you to myself now and then as well." She said coyly.
Seamus grinned. "You seem to be in a good mood tonight."
"You bet your adorable arse I am. A meteor shower, a wonderful boyfriend and a night all to ourselves... why shouldn't I be happy? Let me freshen up a bit and I'll show you just how good my mood is..." She said suggestively, sauntering off into their bathroom.
She was grinning like a cheshire cat as she gently pushed the door shut behind her with her foot, carefully looking around to make sure the bathroom was free of any of their other roommates as she strolled up to the sink. She lifted her hands, gently blowing on her wrists. A layer of clear film so thin it was virtually invisible peeled up at the edges, rolling up. She kept blowing until the ultra fine gloves dropped off her hands into the sink, looking like no more than odd little wads of gum. She pulled out her wand and flicked it at them and they crumpled to fine powder. She hummed to herself happily as she turned on the water, flushing the residue down the drain, then washing her hands.
She checked her hair in the mirror, her smile fading a bit at the shorter style she now had, but the smile returned quickly enough as she contemplated how Dean's date was going to go tonight. Everything was taken care of now. All she had to do was wait. Even if her second phase didn't go as planned, success was now practically guaranteed!
> > > > > > >
A/N - And thus the night begins.
I put this up without quite as much editing as usual. I'm tired and it's been sitting here mostly done for too long. I'll fix it later if need be.