The days leading up to Halloween were exactly what Draco expected they'd be...slow and painful. He'd tried several times to speak with Hermione, but she'd seamlessly employed her 'avoid Draco' tactics that she'd employed so effectively over the summer. So when Halloween came that Thursday, Draco was feeling a bit irritated.
Therese hadn't taken the hint of his waning interest either and Draco was beginning to wonder if he'd created a bit more trouble than he'd initially thought. The witch was beautiful, but beyond that the only thing they had in common was Quidditch.
She was as vapid and boring as she'd been the previous year.
When he entered Potions, Draco noticed Theo sitting with Potter and Hermione and he nodded to his fellow Slytherin, who surprisingly returned the gesture.
So Prewett hadn't mentioned anything to Theo then?
That was odd.
Taking his usual spot at the same table as Blaise and Pansy—Draco waited for Slughorn to enter...which he did after a few moments.
"Good day, class! And welcome to another exciting lesson." Draco smirked inwardly and how unlike Severus, Horace Slughorn was. "Today, we will be brewing Amortentia, which if you remember from our first day of class is a terribly tricky potion to get right and disastrous should you get it wrong. Can anyone tell me the the ingredients of the potion...yes Miss Prewett?"
Hermione cleared her throat primly before saying, "Peppermint flower heads and leaves, powdered moonstone, ashwinder eggs and rose thorns."
"Very good, Miss Prewett...take 10 points for Gryffindor!" Slughorn clapped his hands together and rubbed them in glee. "Now as we know this potion when done correctly takes nine days to brew and you will need to come in once a day to attend to it. Since this is rather a tricky potion, I will be breaking you up into pairs, which you can see on the board. Please remember that you will be judged on the level of pearlescent sheen to the potion as well as the final effects. We will not be including the blood or hair of any one individual...but if done correctly at the end of the assignment a single whiff should net the proper results! Please find you partner and begin brewing!"
Hermione glanced over Slughorn's shoulder and her expression fell as she noticed just whom her potions partner for this assignment was to be.
Did the fates truly hate her guts?
When she turned to Theo, he just smiled crookedly at her and she wished more than anything she'd confided to either him or Harry what had happened Sunday evening.
Grabbing her things, she reluctantly made her way towards Malfoy's table as Blaise walked past her with a wink as he headed towards Katie Bell.
Theo was working with Romilda Vane and Harry with Faye Dunbar.
Pansy was with Neville and Lavender Brown was working with Seamus.
"Prewett." Malfoy drawled as he bowed his head at her, but she just nodded as she placed her book on the table and her book bag on the floor near the wall.
"How do you want to do this?" Malfoy asked and Hermione shrugged, unsure how to engage with the blonde, who's expression was neutral.
After a few moments of silence, Malfoy huffed and left the table to go into the storage cabinet so Hermione figured she could get the gold cauldron and set it up over the low flame while getting the potion water they needed measured for the assignment.
Once the 24 fl. oz. we're measured exactly, Hermione placed in into the cauldron just as a Malfoy returned with the moonstone, rose thorns and peppermint.
The rest of the prep time was met with silence as she and Malfoy worked together in harmony. Malfoy bruised the peppermint heads with the mortar and pestle perfectly while Hermione measured the moonstone out and set it aside. The twelve peppermint leaves were placed on a separate clean stone slab and the rose thorns were placed in a glass jar.
At each step, Hermione could see Draco eyeing their ingredients and mouthing silently to himself as she noticed him making a few small minor adjustments to the brewing. Intrigued, she watched him work...instinctively knowing that whatever it was that he was doing was most likely the correct steps since he was brewing with Professor Snape in his spare time.
When they got to the final step of adding the rose thorns into the still moving potion after they'd done the anti-clockwise stirs...Hermione watched Malfoy count out exactly 18 rose thorns before he sprinkled them perfectly into the potion—leaving it to rest for the remainder of the class period.
"Why eighteen?" She whispered lowly, and Malfoy lifted up his head and cocked an eyebrow at her.
He'd guessed correctly that Hermione's curiosity would get the better of her at some point.
"The text recipe calls for a handful, correct?"
Hermione nodded and watched a bit warily as Draco held out his hand and then gently nudged his chin at her's, before saying softly, "A handful means different things depending on who's brewing the potion, wouldn't you agree?"
Hermione's eyes widened as she nodded again, impressed.
"Then how?"
"Did I figure out the exact number of rose thorns?"
Hermione bit her lip and nodded a third time causing Draco to smirk at how adorable and eager she was to learn something new.
"That's the thing about potion making Prewett, and one they don't necessarily teach in school—is that there are variations to everything. This is one example, but I'm sure you can think of a few others too?"
"Yes." She blurted out, now painfully intrigued.
"So if you were researching something of this nature...how would you go about determining what the correct amount ought to be?"
Thinking about it, she looked into the cauldron and then smiled.
"It doesn't make a difference because it's based on the proportional amounts of the ingredients. Every ingredient is measured in the power of three. Three tablespoons of moonstone, six peppermint flower heads, twelve peppermint flower leaves, twenty-four ounces of potion water, three ashwinder eggs." She finished breathlessly and watched as Malfoy's face broke out into a genuine pleased smile.
"Still the Brightest Witch." He winked as he went to grab a silk cloth to cover the potion after the hour was up.
When Malfoy came back over, he set the silk cloth over a golden hanger next to his brewing station and watched the timer as the hour ran its course.
When they had about ten minutes left, he looked over at her and sighed.
"I owe you another apology Prewett."
Hermione's head whipped to him and she stared at him wide eyed in surprise before her expression closed off.
"Don't Malfoy." She whispered angrily, but Draco just shook his head—his expression pleading.
"I spoke with Severus, or should I say he spoke with me and told me a few things. It never even occurred to me that I might've given you permission to take the memory as I'm not one to ever allow anyone into my mind willingly...other than my godfather. I had no reason to suspect otherwise and yes, perhaps I should've asked you but can you honestly tell me if I had...you'd have been forthcoming?"
Hermione blushed and bit her lip hard as she stared into grey eyes that were watching her closely.
Draco wasn't wrong...persay. It was likely she'd not have been exactly agreeable to having that discussion.
"That doesn't excuse why you were so hateful." Her voice was pained, even if her expression was stoic.
"Doesn't it?" He challenged back. "Look at it from my point of view for a moment? Our history being what it's been, if the roles were reversed? What conclusion would you have automatically come to?"
As much as she wanted to, Hermione couldn't deny the truth. She would've thought Malfoy had done something untoward against her will. But before she could speak, he did so.
"Severus mentioned that perhaps when I locked the memory away, I might've somehow locked away certain emotions with it if I'd felt pressured or coerced. Not that I'm accusing you..." he was quick to point out, "I'm just hypothesizing based on how I've felt this past month."
"Which has been?"
"Off, I guess." He watched as the timer ended and placed the silk cloth over the gold cauldron before setting it aside in the designated area for the next nine days. "We need to decide who's going to come a stir this on each day." Casting a tempus, Hermione watched Draco write down the exact time and then handed her a copy of it on a piece of parchment. "Exactly twenty four hours from now each day we need to come in and stir it. I can take tomorrow, but I have my first Quidditch match Saturday."
"I can do it." Hermione offered and felt her stomach swoop when Malfoy gave her a smile of thanks. "I can do Monday and Wednesday next week too. The potion will be ready next Saturday, which is a Hogsmeade weekend. We will need to bottle it, and I'm happy to come in and do it."
Draco shook his head. "I'll be here next Saturday brewing with Severus, so I can do it, but we'll need to smell it first before handing it in to make sure it's brewed appropriately."
"Oh," Hermione bit her lip again as she nodded, watching him from underneath her lashes as he grabbed his things. "What will you be brewing?"
Draco quirked an eyebrow, but replied easily, "Polyjuice. I'll be starting it anyway."
Hermione's expression brightened. "Oh, that's fascinating and it's quite complex too."
"And how would you know that?"
The blush that stole over her cheeks outed her, as she saw Malfoy grinning at her.
"Why you diabolical wicked witch!" He breathed out huskily. "When?"
Her blue eyes caught grey ones that were heated and she replied softly, "Second Year."
If there was a moment Hermione was certain she'd remember for the rest of her life, it was the second her words registered with Malfoy. His expression went from playful to gobsmacked as his mouth dropped open in shock.
It was a good look.
Moving over, she used her finger and placed it under his chin to close his mouth—her giggles muffled as she was desperately digging her teeth into her lower lip.
"Seriously?" His eyes widened, as his eyes darted around the room to see if anyone was paying them any attention. Thankfully everyone else was busy cleaning up their work stations.
"Yes."
Her eyes dropped as she couldn't maintain his intense stare but then she felt Malfoy's fingers gently cup her chin and lift her face up, so he could read her expression.
"Why?"
"Do we have to do this here and now?"
He nodded, his face resolute and Hermione sighed.
"Fine!" She whispered fiercely, "Harry thought you were the Heir of Slytherin. I brewed Polyjuice so Harry and Ron could sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and prove Harry right."
Draco's gaze narrowed, and Hermione could see the wheels turning in his mind before he threw his head back and laughed—causing everyone in the classroom to stare at both of them in shock. When he was a bit calmer, his face broke out into the widest grin Hermione had ever seen on the ferret's face and the effect was...
Heart stopping.
In that moment Hermione literally felt her heart stop.
And then she shook her head, all the while inwardly chanting, 'No, no, no! I do not think Draco Malfoy is fit. I do not think Draco Malfoy is fit.'
But when her eyes locked back onto his, Hermione just pursed her lips together and sighed in defeat.
Draco Malfoy was most definitely fit and he was smiling at her like he meant it.
"What's so funny, sister mine?" Harry came over breaking up the moment, his expression both wary and curious.
Hermione glanced over quickly at her brother, who's attention was solely fixated on Malfoy.
"Prewett here, told me that she brewed Polyjuice second year."
Harry's expression faltered as he side-eyed Hermione in surprise. Did she really tell Malfoy about second year?"
Apparently, by her subtle nod—she had.
"She did." Harry confirmed after a moment of silence, seeing Theo's expression of awe and Blaise's look of stunned disbelief.
"Successfully?" Theo inquired and Harry nodded.
"We'd thought Malfoy here, was the Heir to Slytherin. After he'd wished Hermione dead, we felt compelled to do something." (Harry didn't miss the way Malfoy glowered at the not-so-subtle dig about his hateful words second year).
"Who did you turn into?" Blaise asked and Harry smirked, replying smugly, "Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione brewed a sleeping draught and placed it in some cauldron cakes. They went out like a light and Ron and I took a couple hairs and infiltrated the Slytherin Common Room."
Draco scoffed and shook his head while Blaise and Theo chuckled. "You two are a right menace."
"Back at you Malfoy." Harry quipped sarcastically and grinned when Draco's eyes narrowed at him.
"We should get going sister mine," Harry gestured for Hermione to leave with him. "We need to get to class."
"Okay." She went to grab her book bag and stopped cold when Malfoy took it for her and placed it over his shoulder. "That's not necessary, Malfoy."
"We aren't done with our conversation Prewett."
"So you intend to hold my book bag hostage until I agree to what? Forgive you for being a prat?"
"Something like that."
Hermione huffed but didn't reply as she followed Malfoy, Blaise, Theo and Harry out into the hallway.
"I don't think so." She half-whispered as they walked together with the other three slightly ahead of them.
Draco stared at Potter's back for a moment and sighed. "You didn't tell either of them, did you?"
Hermione hesitated but shook her head in the negative, which caused Draco to quirk his lips upward in a half smirk.
"How about a compromise?" He murmured lowly, just enough that she could hear him but not so loud the three nosy wizard's in front of them could do so.
"What kind of compromise?"
"Come brew with me next Saturday. We can talk more then. It'll give you over a week to obsess and overthink everything to your heart's content."
Hermione's head turned sharply as she leveled Malfoy with her most stern glare.
"That's not nice."
"But true." He replied glibly. "You can decide between now and then if you feel I deserve to have my memory restored and I will take whatever vow you need me to if that makes the decision easier to make."
Hermione's confusion was palpable.
"How is that even possible, Malfoy? You're not of age so you can't enter into a vow, can you?"
Draco's face registered surprise and then he sighed.
How did he not see this?
"Prewett, I'm the heir to an ancient House so of course I can swear a vow on my family magic at any time. A wizard's vow or an unbreakable vow, you'd be right in assuming I couldn't enter into one of those vows before I'm of age. Family magic however, is a much different story."
Draco watched as Hermione's face fell in horror, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes and he felt an even bigger dolt. Now he understood why she'd chosen to obliviate him. How had she not known this and why didn't they teach this stuff in school?
"Oh." Her voice was small and unsure, and Draco just shook his head.
"Oh." Was all he replied with however, their eyes locked for a brief moment before Hermione looked down in shame, biting her lip in worry.
"I'll think about it?"
Draco just nodded and opened the door to their Charms class, noticing that they'd fallen behind their friends a bit. When he'd entered, he bowed his head in parting, handing her back her book bag and went to sit next to Blaise. He'd done his part and now the rest was up to Hermione. By next Saturday he'd know whether or not she would be willing and capable of giving him another chance.