Once Upon a Hogwarts – Chapter Fourteen
By Lily in a Pond
Disclaimer: Another year has passed since the arrival of HBP and I am still not JK Rowling………
0o0
The next day was a frightful blur for Draco Malfoy. Charms was horrible, History of Magic was unbearable, and Transfiguration was agonizing. What was the reason for all his woes in these classes he normally exceeded in?
It was Hermione Granger. Of course, he was tempted to call her, simply, "Granger," but that was rude, not including somebody's first name in writing. However, she didn't really deserve that politeness, so "Granger" would probably do just fine.
"My head hurts," Draco whined. Theodore Nott stared at him, and passed the chocolate milk to him.
Thinking "Granger" sent little shockwaves to his brain every time he thought it...
Ever since he woke up this morning, Draco couldn't seem to get Hermione - sorry, Granger - out of his head.
Maybe it was the kiss that the Weaslette had forced them to share, or maybe it was her personality, or maybe it was the fact she had a really great body. Whatever the reason was, regardless of whether or not it was perverted, Draco couldn't get it out of his head. And now Potions was coming up. The class he was forced to be partners with Hermione – no – Granger with. Also in this class was his ex-girlfriend, Daphne. This was sure going to be awkward.
It also didn't help that Hermione - damn, Granger - had innocently smiled at him during Arithmancy. Neither did the fact that he bumped into her (literally) on his way to Transfiguration, dropped three rolls of parchment and all the books he was carrying, smashed an ink pot and broke a quill, and she had helped him pick up everything, even if it made them late to Transfiguration.
Mentioning that their hands had touched while she handed him his Arithmancy chart, and even complimented him on it, was probably useless at this point.
As Draco entered the Potions classroom, he couldn't help but feel slightly feel nervous about sitting in such close proximity to Granger.
And there she was, the subject haunting all his thoughts, the actual vision of light, Hermione Granger. Wait, no. Scratch that. Hermione Granger couldn't be the vision of light.
...Could she?
……….Was she?
Draco brushed the thought from his mind. It was a useless thought. How was he going to find out anyways?
"So………..Granger…………did you…uh………study?" Draco couldn't believe his own ears when he heard this come out of his traitorous mouth. Now she was going to think he was stupid!
Hermione looked at him strangely. "I always study."
Draco blushed. "Right, I knew that. I was trying to psych you out for NEWT's." Good comeback, Draco! he congratulated himself. You are the smartest person in the world!
"NEWT's aren't until May, Malfoy."
Draco mentally kicked himself. "Well………I knew that also."
Hermione smiled. "Sure you did."
She has nice teeth, Draco thought. They're so neat and white and all lined up and sparkly. Then he snapped back to reality. No! he yelled at himself. You are not going to start liking Hermione Granger again! You already know what your father did to you when he found about your crush on her in second year. Now, stop blushing and start smirking!
"What potion are we going to make today, Professor?" Ernie Macmillan asked Professor Slughorn, who had just arrived in the room. "Is it the Draught of Living Death?"
"Is it a weaker love potion?" Pansy Parkinson asked.
"Is it Felix Felicis again?" Ron Weasley shouted.
"Is it – " Blaise started to say, but he got cut off by Slughorn.
"No, that's potentially lethal and extremely dangerous; no, Miss Parkinson, those are illegal; no, the only one who needs luck in this classroom is me; and no, Mr. Zabini, I would not be interested to hear what potion you would like to make," Slughorn said in one breath. "We aren't making any potion today because I have to leave soon and therefore will not be teaching a lesson. There will be no teacher replacing me, either. No questions, you must all stay in here. Do not leave. I repeat, do not leave. I'll be locking the doors and windows magically. Stay in here and don't leave, if you don't want to get hurt. I'll be back in no more than three hours. Stay where you are."
As he swept out of the classroom with a swish, the class broke out into whispers.
Harry looked startled. "The Order's going to fight," he whispered to Ron.
"I know," Ron whispered back. "We have to help the Order. How can we get out of here?"
"I don't know," said Harry. "That's the hateful part of this situation. We're safe, but innocent people may be dying right now."
"Innocent people die everyday," Ron pointed out tactlessly.
Harry chose not to hear this. "I've got to find a way to fight," Harry said, this time louder, and with a more determined look in his eyes.
Over at the table where the Slytherins and Ravenclaws had all bunched up………
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Mandy Brocklehurst asked Blaise.
"Depends. Are you thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking?"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking I'm thinking?"
"Are you thinking what – "
"Oh, shut up already!" interrupted Theo. "This is no time to be playing fickle word games!"
"This is the second time I've been interrupted today," Blaise hissed darkly. "I'm not happy."
"Can't you guys try to act like adults for a change?" Theo continued loudly. "I am so tired of you guys acting like the whole world revolves around you and only you! If you ever took a look around you, you'll find that your little fantasy world isn't what it seems. People are dying on the battlefield right now, and all you're thinking of what the other is thinking of! God, can't you just grow up already!"
"We were thinking of what you were thinking of," Mandy said timidly after Theo had finished his little tirade.
Theo was momentarily speechless.
"We were trying to think of some way we can get out of here," Blaise volunteered.
"Oh." Theo looked extremely embarrassed. "I guess I was wrong then."
"Apology accepted," Mandy immediately said.
"I never said an apology!" Theo shouted.
"But you implied it. Closest we'll ever get to an apology from Theodore Edmund Nott," Blaise joined in.
Theo held up his hand. "Okay, first of all, I did not apologize. And second of all, how does everyone know my middle name?"
"Your mum wrote, 'Property of Theodore Edmund Nott, Love, Mummy' on all your robes," Mandy giggled.
"Ah."
0o0
Daphne Greengrass was sprinting across the hallways, racing past portraits that kept on saying to her, "Go back to your classroom, you shouldn't be here!"
How did she get out of the Potions classroom? Simple. Daphne merely projected a copy of herself outside the classroom, and unlocked the classroom door once the projected Daphne was outside. Slughorn should've checked the spell, she sneered mentally. Solid things can't pass through, but projections sure can. Projections can then be turned solid. I guess he never was a true Slytherin after all; the faithful Slytherins follow in the Dark Lord's footsteps.
"Daphne!"
It was her little snake of a half-sister, Diana. She had somehow managed to get out of her classroom as well.
"Stupefy!" Daphne quickly tossed in Diana's direction. What she expected was Diana falling to the floor, effectively stunned. What she didn't expect was Diana conjuring up a shield so quickly Daphne didn't even have time to blink and shooting her spell right back at her.
"Protego!"
"Haven't even mastered nonverbal spells yet, huh, Daphne?" Diana sneered. "And you call yourself a Death Eater."
Daphne froze. "How do you know?"
Diana twirled her wand between her fingers. "I have my ways. Sectumsempra!" The spell shot at Daphne so fast, she barely had time to duck.
"You are going to regret the day you ever tried to mess with Daphne Olivia Greengrass, you little bitch! You are going to re – " Daphne suddenly collapsed as a jet of red light hit her straight in the chest, effectively paralyzing her.
"Regret what, Daphne? Your little sister finally proving her true colors? Or is it losing to her? Or worse, being found out and sent to Azkaban by that same sister? Yes, Daphne," Diana hissed. "I won't stop fighting until I send all you Death Eaters to Azkaban. I won't stop until I capture you all. The fighting between you and me is over. What's now there is hate and betrayal. I'll see you someday in the news, behind bars," Diana sneered as she started walking away. "Though we're related by blood, I'll never forget the day when your little crew of Voldemort-supporters tortured and killed my father. You may not have killed him, but now, you're one of them. I'm going to make you regret you ever joined in the first place. I'll make you regret all the lives you took. All the families you destroyed. All the pain you caused. Oh yes, I'm going to make you regret every single bit of it."
0o0
"Harry, is that really necessary?" Hermione asked, feeling extremely irked. "You've been chucking textbooks at the windows for ten minutes now.
"Slughorn's mortal. He may have made a mistake and forgot to charm one of the windows," retorted Ron.
"With only two windows in this room, Ronald, I sincerely doubt it."
A cry of, "Reducto!" was heard along with the thump of the book. The shattering sound of breaking glass then caught Hermione's ears.
"Gotcha!" Harry yelled.
Hermione was momentarily stunned.
"I won't say, 'I told you so," Ron sing-songed. "I told you so!"
"Oh, grow up already!"
"Hem, hem." Malfoy cleared his throat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione immediately whirled around, looking wildly around for Umbridge. "I couldn't help hearing that you broke the window, Potter," he continued.
"You were eavesdropping, Malfoy," Ron sneered. "Not hearing."
"Yes, yes, the window's broken, now we really must be going somewhere, bye-bye Malfoy," Hermione rushed out without taking a breath.
"Wait!" Malfoy called. Hermione turned around from levitating the boys. Harry and Ron yelped in surprise in the air - their bodies had been flipped to the side and upside down.
"What do you want now?"
Malfoy looked down. "Well...I...I wanted to say...you...I...never mind," he mumbled, turning away and sitting down again.
Hermione shrugged and floated Harry and Ron safely out of the window. She gasped when she turned around; Malfoy was right next to her.
"I'm coming with you."
Hermione was rendered momentarily speechless. "What?"
"I'm coming with you," he repeated. Hermione blinked twice and nodded slowly.
"Hermione!" Ernie Macmillan called out. "If Malfoy's going to go, I'm going as well! The Macmillans are loyal to the end."
Cries of, "Me too!" and, "Let's go!" echoed around the classroom.
Pansy stood up and slammed her palm into the table. "To hell with my Death Eater parents, I'm going, too! Let them rot in Azkaban for all I care!"
As the entire class started queuing up near the window that Harry had broken, Hermione turned to Malfoy again.
"Are you sure about this? I mean, what with your father being a Death Eater - ah, supposed Death Eater."
He nodded. "That's why I'm going. I need to give the old patriarch a true taste of adolescent rebellion."
Hermione smiled. "Maybe you don't need to settle matters with wands. You could just walk into four spells of Avada Kedavras at once. It might actually kill him emotionally, that."
"Hmm………a double death. I'm flattered that you like to use the concept of killing two Malfoys with one idea."
Hermione smiled and inclined her head. "C'mon, let's go. And keep on remembering – " she turned around again. " – I still don't like you, Malfoy. You'll always be the ferret."
"Putting all animal comments aside, I'm flattered that you would take the time to remind yourself, out loud, I might add, that you have no feelings for me. Now that I think of it, this sounds familiar. Oh my, what a scandal! Hermione Granger is harboring secret affections for the great and powerful Draco Malfoy!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, but two spots of pink appeared on her cheeks. "Are you coming or not, ferret?" she asked briskly, and in one motion, levivated to the top, scaled the pane, and landed in the sewer.
The sewer?
Ewwww……….
Well, it made sense because their classroom was in the dungeons, but seriously, the sewer?
Ewwww………
0o0
Harry stopped in front of a large pine tree. "I think we're out of Hogwarts boundaries now."
"Everyone know how to Apparate?" Hermione asked.
Everyone nodded, some more shakily than others.
"Alright, let's go. Keep this in mind, 'The meeting place of the Order of the Phoenix is at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, in London. Our destination is 'Entrance Hall of number twelve, Grimmauld Place," Harry dictated, and passed around a piece of paper with some familiar writing on it. "Concentrate on what's been written on this piece of paper."
"Where's that?" Mandy asked. "And what's the Order of the Phoenix?"
"A meeting place," Hermione replied shortly. They had no time to explain.
"Ready?" Ron asked. "Okay, go!"
0o0
Pop. Harry landed shakily on the stairs in Sirius's house, nearly falling down. All around him, people were Apparating.
Pop. Ron Apparated neatly next to Blaise, who had somehow managed to Apparate in the same place as Mandy, as in on her head.
Pop. Hermione landed perfectly in the center of the hall, brushing some invisible lint off her clothes.
Pop. Malfoy had, along with the Slytherins, landed next to the stuffed house-elf heads. How suitable, Harry thought wryly.
"Who's there?" a familiar voice shouted, leaping out from behind a door, slightly scaring some people. It was Professor de Vellofides, their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
"Professor de Vellofides? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I was supposed to guard this house, make sure nobody tried to attack it, and to make sure nobody got in," de Vellofides said forcefully. "How'd you all know where the meeting place is?"
"We didn't," Mandy said suddenly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we need to know where this Order of the Phoenix is fighting."
Porfessor de Vellofides sighed. "No."
"WHAT?" Harry yelled. "How can you not let us go? There are people dying out there at this very moment and for once, we can actually go and do something about it!"
de Vellofides sighed again. "Harry, children aren't supposed to fight in a war – "
" – I don't care! People are dying this very moment, and if you're not going to tell us – " Harry's wand suddenly jabbed de Vellofides in the chin. " – We'll make you."
And as if right from a war scene from a movie, one by one, everyone drew out their wands and gathered behind Harry.
"Now, tell us where the Order is."
0o0
A/N-Whoa, that was REALLY long! But I did get something important, as well as the first step to my twisted Cinderella plot in. Next chapter: The battle between the Light and Dark side, though not the Final Battle (that's coming later), some strange confessions, and most exciting of all, a second kiss!
I know some of you are wondering about the 'how can the other students get into Grimmauld Place if Dumbledore's dead', so I'll elaborate here. That piece of paper, as many of you have figured out, was the same piece of paper that Harry read before coming into the house. That was the piece of paper that Dumbledore wrote. In passing around the note again to other students, the others are able to know the location of the Order of the Phoenix because Dumbledore, who was Secret-Keeper, had told them directly in writing.
Anyways, the long-awaited answers to my reviews!
amythestpony – I tried to make Diana and Melody like their relatives and added a little something to them that the relative didn't have, so they wouldn't seem like ultimate clones to Daphne and Mandy. For Melody, I guess it was seriousness. For Diana, swearing and way more power. For the catfight, well, I guess it turned out to be more of a wandfight. Diana really kicked Daphne's ass! And yes, I saw the Fourth of July fireworks. I managed to get an okay photo of them, but then my friend emailed an absolutely perfect picture she took a few days later, and I practically ripped mine up in jealously.
me – Hmm……..let's just say that Daphne is a wonder of wonders……SHE'S TRANSEXUAL! OMG and the crowd goes wild!
White-Pink-Fluffy-Strawberriez – What a coincidence there were events leading up to the battle in this chapter! And relax, the good people won't die in this battle, though some will die in the Final Battle.
Zagreb-girl – Diana and Melody are going to sell Daphne's secret to the highest bidder………only figuratively!
chaotic.flying.kitten – Michael Corner indeed now has a scar just like Harry's, except everyone will ridicule him instead of treating him as a hero.
Dom-Basher CHAMPION – Whoa, now there's a person running around screaming like a chicken with it's head cut off! Quick, somebody call a mental institution!
Additional thanks to Setsuna-chan09, Harmonic Melody, DA4life, pinkicing101, Sweet Essence, dragoneyes5000, Sam's Firefly, iMnOtReAlLYcRaZy, and MBL!
See you all next week!
-Lily in a Pond
2/23/07 - Changed a scene in the Potions classroom, and added some extras.