Hermoine sat on the cot patiently, holding her throbbing, swollen arm as Harry was looked over by a concerned Madame Pomfrey.
"A potion of this sort is quite hard to cure. I'm going for a Professor, lets see what they can do." clucked the nurse, looking at them through suspicious eyes, almost as though they had planned causing her all this trouble.
"You two wait here while I get them," she gave them a reprimanding look, "and you best behave."
She swept out of the room.
Harry regained his focus on the floor.
"Harry, are we ever going to talk again?" Hermoine demanded, "I can't stand how you're avoiding me!"
He looked up at her, "I know, but it's just that...well...it's weird, you know?"
"Yea, I guess," she replied, biting her bottom lip.
"Do you think, maybe, we should tell Ron?" he hazarded.
They both instantly shook their heads.
"No!"
There was an awkward pause.
"Maybe we'd be better off, you know, just as friends?" he asked, his voice barely audible.
Hermoine sighed in relief.
"I was thinking the same thing...maybe that would be best," she replied, "I like you a lot, Harry, I just..."
He nodded, understanding. They both smiled for the first time in days at one another. She held her slightly bloated hand out.
"Friends?" she asked.
"Friends," he shook it gently, seeing that both their hands were nearly twice their usual size.
Just then, Madame Pomfrey returned with Professor Snape looming over like some horrible bat. Their smiles vanished. Snape? Snape was going to treat them?
"These are the two." Madame Pomfrey pointed at them, "I think it was a plant engorgement potion," she reported briskly.
Snape's eyes sparkled with a dangerous glee.
"Well, well, well...look who we have here, the famous Harry Potter and Ms. Granger."
He bared a smile so greasy, Hermoine felt as though they had both sank into an oil slick.
He held up Harry's arm, pressing hard. Harry closed his eyes and winced, forcing himself to stand strong to Snape's lure. He wasn't getting a cry out of him.
Snape nodded, made some concerned noises and gave an emphatic, "Mmm...tsk, tsk..." as a grand finale. Finally, he spoke.
"Well, I must say that this boy needs some reversal potion and should get some bed rest until I've completed it."
Madame Pomfrey nodded happily, she loved giving children bed rest, but Harry stood quickly. That did not sound like good news at all.
"Wait, Professor, how long will it take?" he asked anxiously.
Snape replayed his slick smile, "Oh, about 'until the end of today."
"But I'm the team captain (yes, I realize that in being the moron I am, I haven't said anything about that teeny little aspect yet) and I've got a Quidditch match!" he cried, realizing that was exactly what Snape was aiming to stop him from doing.
"Now, now, Potter, I'm very busy..." he said, barely able to keep the joy out of his voice. Then he added with an air one faux innocence, "And you should lay down, one with your condition should not be up."
"But Professor, couldn't Ms. Lambert make it? She is the Potions instructor." Hermoine piped in.
He gave her a nasty look.
"Such a reversal potion is at a much to..er, high level for someone of her...mediocrity" he lied. The two glared.
He turned to exit when Hermoine spoke up again.
"Wait, Professor, what about me?" she asked.
He looked back or his shoulder at her.
"Oh yes," he glanced quickly at her arm, then pulled out his wand, mumbled a few words and her arm shrank back down to size, "You may return to class, Ms. Granger, and continue to know it all." Hermoine flushed.
"Why can't you do that to me?" demanded Harry, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Yes, I got more of the potion on my arm then he did." Hermoine added.
The flashing danger in Snape's eyes made them both shrink back.
"Do not question me, Potter, or you, Granger. Any further conduct of the sort and I will regrettably be forced to take points from your house," he hissed, voice just a notch about a whisper.
The, with a final rustle of his robes, he exited the room.
"Well, now, you get into bed," instructed Madame Pomfrey, pointing at Harry, "And you, get back to class."
Hermoine nodded. But as Madame Pomfrey exited to get some castor oil for Harry, she turned and kneeled down by his bed.
"Listen, I don't know the spell Snape did, and it's probably very advanced, so I promise I'll look up the reversal potion and bring it to you before your match."
He looked at her in disbelief, "You'd do that?"
"Of course. I'll be here in 1/2 an hour."
He nodded, "Thanks, and try to be careful, okay?
She smiled and nodded.
***
Hermoine felt terribly guilty for skipping Hagrid's lesson in Care for Magical Creatures, but she knew that she had to do it.
"Um, Hagrid, I think I'm going to be sick!" she called out as he walked around, helping people care for their baby Kungis. The Kungis were tiny balls of fuzz that hummed a soothing, bittersweet melody and sometimes, if you weren't cautious, would bite your fingers with their sharp fangs, injecting a mild sedative. Neville had squeezed one a little too hard and was draped awkwardly over a chair in a deep sleep.
"Okay then, you can go down ter the nurse." Hagrid replied, appearing anxious for her health.
"You need someone to help you?"
Before she could answer, he called over Ron. Her heart leapt for joy, she hadn't had time to explain the whole predicament to him, by the time she'd gotten to class, it had started, but now she'd have his aid.
"Okay..." she said, carefully keeping her ill face.
As they exited, she noticed with a touch of nervousness that Malfoy was staring at them with a suspicious look on his pale face.
***
Hermoine quickly explained the situation to Ron who gasped in all the right spots and finally cried,
"That dirty-" the let out a string of coarse curses.
"Shh!" Hermoine quickly pulled him into the Potions dungeon. Now, help me. She pulled out a thick, promising looking book from a shelf.
"Plant engorgement potions...here it is!" she said, after quickly scanning through the pages.
"Okay, I need lacewings, caterpillar heads-ew!-beetle eyes, shaved toenails of a griffin-interesting-spider legs (here Ron winced), dragon scales, a leaf of any plant other than wolfsbane and finally, unicorn hair."
He quickly tossed down the needed materials on the counter in front of her.
"That it" he asked.
"Should be."she said, hastily taking a spare cauldron (usually used for when Neville melted his or someone else's) out of a cabinet and carefully following the instructions and mixing together the potion slowly.
"Okay, lastly, what kind of plant is this?" she held it up.
"Um, I got it off that Ciccus plant by the window."
"Good." She tossed the leaves in, checked the potion for consistency and color then nodded. Then suddenly, she took Ron's finger and dipped it into a cauldron sitting in the sink, still half full of the orange plant engorgement potion.
"ARGH!" he yanked his hand away and gaped at her as his finger began to swell.
"What the hell did you do that for?!" he demanded.
"Keep it down and give me your hand." She hissed, taking it and pouring some of the remedy she'd just made onto the swollen areas. They made a slight sighing noise and returned to normal size.
"There. It works," she said with verve.
"You could've asked me." he grumbled, not sharing her cheer.
She ladled most of the potion into a small glass bottle, corked it and cleaned up the area.
"Come on, we've only got 10 minutes." she said, hurrying down the hall. He followed close behind.
"Then pray Madame Pomfrey isn't there. She'll interrogate us for 10 minutes." he said.
It seemed as though they hadn't prayed quite hard enough because as they crept into the hospital wing, the nurse stepped out, instantly drawn to the presence of a well student.
Hermoine quickly tucked the potion into her robes.
"What are you two doing here?" she demanded.
"Errrrr....we came to visit Harry." Ron ventured.
"In the middle of class?" she made a face as though the lame response was enough to make her sick.
"Well,...Hagrid wanted us to say hello for him." Hermoine said, crossing her fingers behind her back.
"Very well. 5 minutes." She snapped and let them into Harry's curtained off section.
He sat upright quickly. As soon as Madame Pomfrey was out of earshot, he turned to them.
"Do you have it? We've only got 2 minutes left! The team was in here just a while ago, they're going crazy!"
"We have it!" Hermoine swiftly pulled out the potion and swabbed it onto his arm gently, using a the corner of a pillow.
"Thanks." He said, watching, fascinated as the swelling went down.
"Come on, let's get ready!" urged Ron, practically shoving him out of bed and up the stairs toward the Gryffidor tower.
As they turned the corner, for the second time, they nearly ran into...
"Professor Snape!" they all squeaked.
"Potter! What on earth are you doing out of bed?!" he demanded, "I told you, I didn't have enough time to complete your potion..." he quickly hid a salami sub and rubberband ball behind him.
"Well, er, Professor, it seems that my arm's all well..." Harry quickly flashed his arm out, "So we'll be going er....now!" he and Ron dashed away, a babbling Hermoine in tow, leaving Snape speechless.
By the time Ron and Hermoine and located and clambered into half decent seats at the Quidditch match, both teams were lined up on the field. The Hufflepuff's canary yellow robes were almost glinting from the sun rays on the unusually warm October afternoon.
"Come on Gryffidor!" hollered Ron, getting up and stamping his feet on the bleachers. Seamus and Dean were making cat calls in front of them.
"Ron! Stop, Professor Snape might see us!" hissed Hermoine, trying to duck low.
Ron immediately hunched his shoulders and pulled his robes high, making them look even shorter than they were in the first place.
Hermoine sighed and rolled her eyes, "Honestly, Ron, your jokes aren't helping," she said.
"I'm not joking! Last time I got detention from that bloody *******, I had to scrub the hospital bedpans without magic!" he exclaimed.
Hermoine was on the verge of a "well, it served you right" but bit it back, then forgot all about it as Gryffidor made a goal.
She and Ron stood with the rest to holler and cheer at the top of their lungs.
Harry made a couple quick loops and turns to get rid of some anxiety, then continued on his quest for the gold Snitch and called out shouts of encouragement to his team.
"That Firebolt's sure looking good...they say even compared to the new Nimbus 2002, it's still one of the top..." Ron commented enviously, "Blimey, what I wouldn't do to own one of those..."
"And there's Harry Potter, still riding atop his sleek and magnificent Firebolt, several years, he's had that piece of beauty now, eh Harry?" Lee Jordan called out in the announcer's booth as Professor McGonagall yelled at him to shut up and focus on the game.
Harry waved, and though he was too far away to see clearly, Hermoine was sure he grinned.
Suddenly, at the far corner of the field, there was the Snitch, shining bright in the sun.
Harry saw it and raced toward it instantly.
Unfortunately, the new Hufflepuff seeker was about as small and nearly as fast as
Harry. He had nearly caught up to him by the time they reached the center on the field.
Both team's houses were on their feet screaming for their seeker.
"Come on Harry, you can make it, you're faster than he is!" hollered Ron boisterously.
"Come on Harry..." breathed Hermoine.
"He's slower than ever! I could beat him easily." Drawled the familiar voice of Draco Malfoy behind them.
"You shut up!" hollered Ron as Harry and the other seeker were in a duel of complicated moves and turns as the Snitch nimbly darted away.
"Couldn't catch it...not even in his mouth this time," Malfoy gloated.
Ron leapt at him, but was neatly caught and twisted rather like a pretzel by Crabbe and Goyle who seemed to have somehow grown even larger over break.
"Ron!" cried Hermoine, just noticing his jammed under their seats long after his attackers had left the scene, "What on earth are you doing down there? And have you been fighting?"
Ron glared at her.
Suddenly, Lee Jordan was hopping up and down with excitement.
"Harry Potter and Bert Bennett's are neck to neck and Harry leans in...and yes! He has the Snitch! Gryffidor wins the match!"
The cheer from the crowd was deafening, but even through the roar, Hermoine could hear her voice, louder than anyone else's and she smiled.
***
Everyone was looking quite full (and tired) after the feast in the great hall.
Night had fallen and the enchanted ceiling was a beautiful, clear and serene velvet blue splashed with diamond-like stars.
Hermoine leaned back in her seat and smiled as she surveyed the table.
She felt, really, as though these people were her family.
Dumbledore rose, shaking everyone from their stupor, "And finally," he said, holding a jewel encrusted goblet up in one hand, "One last announcement...For those of you in your third year or older, we have a special treat...you have all been invited to the first ever annual Hogsmeade ball!"
There was a murmur that rippled through the crowd instantly. Some of the talk was excited, some worried.
Hermoine herself felt the latter. A ball? It sounded formal.
"Now, I don't want you to worry or fret and what not...you need no escorts, they simple wish to have some young people from our school there..." he said comfortingly, "That is all. Good night and since we have no bed bugs here, I assure you that they will not bite!"
There was gentle laughter this time, like a bubbling stream.
As Hermoine and the other Gryffidor girls settled into bed, the quiet talk turned to the ball.
"Are you guys going with anyone?" Lavender asked, burrowing beneath her sheets and patting her hair gently, which was up in golden (and magical-Hermoine suspected) curlers.
Parvati shrugged, a smile on her face, "I don't know...both Dean and Seamus asked me, but I'm not sure what to do..."
Hermoine looked up from the fat book covering her lap, "Why don't you go by yourself, then save them both a dance?" she suggested.
Parvati's face lit up, "Good idea. I think that's what I'll do...what about you, Hermoine, are you going with anyone? I think Harry Potter likes you and this year, he's got permission to visit Hogsmeade..." she smiled.
"No. No, he doesn't, I mean, like me..." Hermoine said a little too quickly and loudly, "I mean, uh, I don't think so."
Lavender suddenly gushed out, "Ron Weasley asked me!"
Hermoine's head snapped back, "Ron?" she laughed, "Really?"
"Yea! Right after dinner!" Lavender squealed.
"That's great." Hermoine said enthusiastically.
"You're going, right Hermoine?" asked Parvarti.
"Er...well, um, I don't have anything to wear..." Hermoine finally volunteered meekly.
"Oh come on, Hermoine, think it over, okay?" Parvati asked.
She nodded.
The lights clicked off and they all drifted to sleep. Hermoine was last to doze off.
***
The next day rushed by quickly. Hermoine tried to study in the common room, but talk of the dance was there. She moved to the library, but discovered peeking at love-potion spell books in every corner. Finally, she agreed to play Ron in wizard chess, but after being beat 6 consecutive times stopped.
Harry was at Quidditch practice so she couldn't talk to him either.
As the evening set, the houses were alive with talk and preparation.
Hermoine reluctantly withdrew to her bedroom. The round room was filled with eager, nervous girls all putting on dresses and doing hair, some with wands. She dumped her books on her bed and was about to follow them when Parvati called her over.
"Yes,?" she asked.
"I thought you told me you didn't have anything to wear!" Parvati accused.
"I don't." She replied.
"Then what's that?" Parvati demanded pointing a wardrobe. Hanging on the door was the most beautiful dress Hermoine had ever seen. It looked as though taken from a fairy tale: Long, crimson and silk with belled sleeves that were trimmed with gold ribbon like the square neck and sweeping bottom. The bodice was also tied with gold. There was a tiny, clear bag on the hanger as well, containing ruby and gold earrings and a necklace.
"It's not mine," Hermoine said with a reluctant laugh, "remember, I come from a Muggle family?"
"But it's not anyone else's either." Parvati said, confused, "I asked everyone. Plus, in case you didn't notice, every one besides you is dressed up already."
Hermoine stared at the dress a second longer, then shrugged, "It's beautiful, but again, it's not mine."
"A pity. We're all heading to use the powder room, there's a line outside and I don't want to be last, you take care, okay?"
Hermoine smiled and nodded, "I'm studying. That's not very dangerous."
Parvati nodded and left.
"Well, it's just me and you, dress," Hermoine said. There was an irritated meow from her cat, "And you, too, Crookshanks." she smiled, looking at the dress again.
"I wonder..." she walked over and discovered a gold tag that had been hidden inside the dress.
"Hermoine~ See you at the ball, Ron asked Lavender to help me pick out the dress last time we were at Hogsmeade, hope you like it ~Harry." she read, eyes glowing. Quickly, she slipped into the dress and standing in front of the mirror, she saw it fit perfectly. She put on the jewelry and smiled, waving her wand to pull her hair up in a French twist.
She'd always described her hair as mousy brown, but dressed up like that, she thought of it as chestnut.
***