Hermione left her room to locate Harry. She knew he was in the Snake Den, because his room was still empty. Upon entering, the first thing that Hermione felt was a sense of home, at least from the noise. The room was boisterous, filled to overflowing with a cacophony that she was surprised didn't wake the dead.
There were wizard chess tables, gobstone tables, exploding snap tables, and from what she could tell a rather cunning game of wizard's poker at another table as she walked by. They had billiard tables, and snooker tables where she saw quite a few students shooting the brightly colored balls into the holes. Those were all along the right side of the room. To the left side, Hermione just stopped and stared. There were booths lined up with what looked like old carnival games that clearly had been redesigned to be magical. In the center of the room was some type of shop, just a small one, but she could see different assortments of action figures, candies, and different types of small amusement games. It also had a self serving small ice-cream bar. It only allotted one per week from the sign she saw.
She saw Pansy wave at her to come over from a platform. Hermione went over to her as she climbed up the small set of stairs. Draco was leaning on the railing looking down.
"He's going to be the person to beat now." Draco said. "Professor Snape finally might get beat. Damn he is good."
Pansy pointed downward, with a bright smile on her face. "Take a look."
Hermione looked over the railing and gasped. Harry was running around firing spells at different magical monsters. It was like a three dimensional life size wizard arcade game. Hermione could tell Harry wasn't angry anymore. There were times that Hermione saw him tackling on three or four at a time all the while keeping a shield up in place.
"How is he keeping his shield up at the same time?" Hermione asked. They had never been taught how to do that in class.
"Once you reach a certain level, new spells are taught, then you get a practice session before you go back into the actual game. It starts off with just regular wizards dueling." Pansy explained. "It advances from there. I've never even gotten this high before. Draco has, but Harry's to the point to pass this level. This has been the level Draco can't get past."
All of sudden, Hermione heard a loud shrilling as the room strobe lights started to flash.
"What the hell is that?" Hermione asked.
Draco was laughing. "It'll go away. It does it after a level is completed." Draco pointed to the wall, and Hermione saw the board that kept track of the players and the levels. Harry was on level twenty, and she noticed Professor Snape's name had the same level. Hermione watched Harry for thirty more minutes as he moved and raced all over that room, diving behind things, casting spells, all the while Harry was clearly happy for doing this. Then he beat that level and flopped onto his back, breathing for all he was worth. Nothing else was coming at him. The game had shut down.
"Hot damn. It'll be betting time tomorrow." Draco said. "Hey Potter, you know you just issued the challenge. Come on, time to go to dinner."
Hermione watched as Harry jumped up and then disappeared through a door, moments later he was coming out another one that stood out on the back of the landing.
"Hermione, you have got to try this one. It is so much fun. Your heart is racing continually, the adrenaline and the rush of it all." Harry told her and he bounced beside her with excitement.
Hermione grinned at him. He clearly looked like he was a little boy in a candy shop and told he could have anything he wanted. "Maybe later."
"Come on Hermione. Take one go at it." Harry beamed at her.
Hermione watched as Pansy put her hands on her hips. "Mr. Potter, there is not enough time. Miss Granger is correct. Be a good boy and let's go to dinner now."
Covering her mouth as quickly as possible; Hermione wanted to laugh at the expression on Harry's face. He had just been scolded and chastised. Clearly, Pansy was picking up things quickly around Harry. She watched as Harry instantly straightened up and followed Pansy like a little puppy, lapping it all up. Hermione snickered at seeing Harry like that. Draco was shaking his head.
"How did you two keep all that hidden for so long in Gryffindor?" Draco asked her.
"It wasn't easy. We played some things off like it was some brilliant joke." Hermione said.
Draco gave her a soft smile. "I imagine you would have too. That is one thing you won't have to do here. In Slytherin, be yourself. The common room is the safe zone, Miss Granger. It is outside the common room where you have to pay attention. After you, Miss Granger."
Hermione watched as Draco extended his hand like a gentleman toward the stairs. and down she went with him at her side as they trailed after Pansy and Harry.
Dinner wasn't exactly what she had expected it to be. There were stares, whispering from the other table, looks, but that was about it. The Slytherins had given the rest of the school icy glares that had most students turning away quickly. Harry sat beside her and when he went to order her to eat. She stopped him before he could ever do it.
"Don't. I need to do this on my own now. Everything, Harry. I mean it." Hermione told him.
Harry arched an eyebrow at her. "When did all this determination come flooding back?"
Hermione leaned over and then whispered in his ear so no one else could hear. "He put me in a room that is pretty, pretty princess. A little child's room."
Harry rolled his head back and roared with laughter. Hermione crossed her arms and glared at him.
"It's not funny." Hermione told him.
Hermione could see the tears rolling down Harry's cheeks he was laughing so hard. She couldn't help but snicker at it a little bit. It was sadistic of Severus to have done that. Clearly, Harry found the amusement in it all. He finally calmed down and wiped his eyes and turned back to her grinning with a wicked grin. Then he pulled her head over to him to whisper in her ear.
"It fits, in a twisted way. Maybe if you are a naughty little girl enough, you can get Professor Snape to discipline you. A spanking across your rump and how wet you'd be from that. Because you need it." Harry hissed in her ear.
Hermione felt the heat of embarrassment not to mention the rush of images that flooded through her mind. Then she hissed back at him, "Are you insane? I am a student. He is a teacher. The ramifications from that. The rules being broken."
Harry scoffed at her. "Oh please. You stopped caring about the rules a long time ago. Don't go there with me. Look at all the life threatening danger we got into breaking rules every year."
"That is completely different and you know it." Hermione said.
Hermione wasn't even aware that a few Slytherins around them could actually hear what was being said she was so focused on Harry, and they kept watching the both of them. Pansy and Draco were silently laughing at the two of them.
"It is not and you know it. The thrill of the danger. It is that hint of danger that is so invigorating. You feed off of that just as much as I do. You have to have it, just as much as I do. Look at how many rules we've already broke this year alone while we've been running around at night. Getting away from everyone in the common room. Creating those spells we did together. Some of those are really dangerous if used incorrectly. And now, you want to pretend to be little miss goody too-shoes, because you're afraid. You fear it. You fear it so much right now. Because you know you need it. It is not a want Hermione. It is a need."
Damn it. I hate when he gets this way. I know I need it. And yes I am afraid of what I feel. I am afraid I am going to get hurt very badly.
Hermione looked up then and saw Pansy and Draco snickering. Oh shite. She looked around the table only maybe two or three others heard. How much she wasn't sure. She knew they had heard Harry at least, who was now eating like nothing at all had happened. Hermione started eating even though food still tasted bland. She knew she had to get back up on her own two feet.
Talk then turned around the Snake Den and Harry beating the level. She looked to the head table and saw Professor Snape eating with a wicked grin on his face, as if he himself had heard everything they had talked about. Hermione went flush when his gaze settled upon her, and she felt the burning increase again with a slow aching pain that settled into her nether regions.