A/N: Now I begin the long process of weaving everything together into a story that makes sense.
Thanks to Glace de Slytherin, who always has good suggestions, Wyvern and Bellerophon (More Addictive than Pringles? Really? I'm honored. Major Brownie points if you can tell me why.)Cat Samwise, Lelio (Kerr, you changed names on me! I like, though.), Krissy, Gia, Tinuviel182, Raggona, Mimi, Prongs, Moondragon, Becks, Mystica
***
Part Twenty
Breakfast the next morning was very quiet. Harry was practically dead on his feet. Hermione looked miserable. Ron was truly pitiable. If you combined the looks of both Harry and Hermione and added an unhealthy dose of troubled thoughts, you'd get Ron's expression. Neville kept to himself as usual. Seamus was grinning like a fool instead of speaking since Dean was within arm's reach.
Harry was desperate to talk to Ron and Hermione about everything. He jabbed at a piece of bacon with his fork and kept wondering why he was still nervous about Dean and Seamus knowing, despite numerous promises extracted from both of them. Oh, yeah- Seamus had a big mouth. Frustrated and worried, Harry got up and walked out of the Great Hall.
Hermione followed him with her eyes. She looked away and met the glance of Draco, also rising from his table. His eyes glittered with pure hatred. She could almost hear him hiss and see the bared claws. She rose to the occasion and glared just as poisonously. Draco's lips twisted into a wicked grin before he followed Harry out of the hall. Ron put his head down on the table. Hermione followed his example.
Over the course of the day, Hermione forgot her Charms homework, tore the hem of her robe, and got-horror of horrors! - a B on Proffessor Binns's history exam. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she remembered she had Potions with the Slytherins.
Their assignment for today was to figure out what poison Snape had concocted and brew an antidote. They'd be working in pairs. They would drink the poison and then take their partner's antidote. Luckily for Hermione, her partner was Catwoman himself.
He gave her a patented Draco smirk. "Granger."
"Don't talk to me."
"What's wrong?" he asked with mock sympathy. "No good dreams last night?"
"Leave me alone, Malfoy," she warned. Her hand lingered over the mandrake root. It would be so easy to poison him. She didn't even have to poison him. She could just brew an ineffective antidote, but Snape would know-
*Hold on! I'm thinking about killing him!* She glanced over at his bowed head, blonde hair falling over his face like a curtain. She could tell by the ingredients he had laid out that he was brewing the correct antidote. She felt a wave of guilt. She sighed and went back to her antidote.
Snape came around with the poison. Hermione stared at it. It was a deep red but not blood red. It was the red of Snow White's apple, distinctly beautiful and quite deadly. *If Malfoy fails, at least Harry and Ron will never know,* she consoled herself. With a nod from Snape, she drained the contents of the little cup.
She shivered. It was like ice running through her. It tasted sweet on her lips. Its effect was immediate. Her vision clouded. Hand shaking, she passed her antidote to Malfoy. He tossed it back in one shot. "How did you know it wasn't poison?" she asked him.
"You're a Gryffindor. You're incapable of such things," he replied.
"The antidote should tingle a bit," Snape informed them. Hermione drank Malfoy's potion. She gasped. Instead of tingling it felt like her entire body was on fire. She fell to the floor, pain so intense she couldn't see or think. Every breath brought a fresh stab of pain. Thankfully, she passed out.
She woke up in the hospital wing with Harry and Ron on either side of her bed. "What happened?" she asked.
"Malfoy 'forgot' to put in the crocodile's tears to take the edge of," Ron said bitterly. Professor McGonagall came in to check on Hermione. Pleased to see her favorite student alive and well, she turned to Madame Pomfrey.
"Poppy, what about Serverus?"
"He'll be fine. Just a little shock," Madame Pomfrey replied.
"What happened to Snape?" Hermione inquired.
"Neville finally got a potion right, and Snape nearly died from surprise," Harry chuckled.
"With Bulstrode as his partner, what else could Neville do?" Ron asked.
"Good for Neville," Hermione laughed.
"Indeed. We had better get going," Ron said, checking the clock.
"See ya later, Hermione," said Harry.
"Bye, guys," she called softly.
Hermione had one more visitor. She should have expected him, but it still startled her when she turned around and he was right behind her. She gave a start. He looked crestfallen.
"What's wrong Malfoy? Disappointed you didn't kill me?"
"Disappointed you're such a wimp. I was hoping you hold out at least five minutes."
"I'll try harder next time."
" Hope for your own sake that there won't be a next time. That was a warning, Granger, and a reminder I like the way things are. Harry belongs to me, and you *will not* screw that up."
"Harry *belongs* to no one."
"That was his problem, wasn't it? But I've got him now- heart, body, and soul. Never forget that, Granger. Unpleasant side effects may occur." His eyes narrowed at her for a moment and he slipped out as quietly as he came in. Despite her best efforts, Hermione cried.
***
^.^I know, I know. Too much crying, and for some, too much Hermione. Stay with me folks. Possible Harry/Draco action in the next chapter. Will Harry and Ron have that talk? Review, darlings!
Luv ya!
J. Silver
Thanks to Glace de Slytherin, who always has good suggestions, Wyvern and Bellerophon (More Addictive than Pringles? Really? I'm honored. Major Brownie points if you can tell me why.)Cat Samwise, Lelio (Kerr, you changed names on me! I like, though.), Krissy, Gia, Tinuviel182, Raggona, Mimi, Prongs, Moondragon, Becks, Mystica
***
Part Twenty
Breakfast the next morning was very quiet. Harry was practically dead on his feet. Hermione looked miserable. Ron was truly pitiable. If you combined the looks of both Harry and Hermione and added an unhealthy dose of troubled thoughts, you'd get Ron's expression. Neville kept to himself as usual. Seamus was grinning like a fool instead of speaking since Dean was within arm's reach.
Harry was desperate to talk to Ron and Hermione about everything. He jabbed at a piece of bacon with his fork and kept wondering why he was still nervous about Dean and Seamus knowing, despite numerous promises extracted from both of them. Oh, yeah- Seamus had a big mouth. Frustrated and worried, Harry got up and walked out of the Great Hall.
Hermione followed him with her eyes. She looked away and met the glance of Draco, also rising from his table. His eyes glittered with pure hatred. She could almost hear him hiss and see the bared claws. She rose to the occasion and glared just as poisonously. Draco's lips twisted into a wicked grin before he followed Harry out of the hall. Ron put his head down on the table. Hermione followed his example.
Over the course of the day, Hermione forgot her Charms homework, tore the hem of her robe, and got-horror of horrors! - a B on Proffessor Binns's history exam. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she remembered she had Potions with the Slytherins.
Their assignment for today was to figure out what poison Snape had concocted and brew an antidote. They'd be working in pairs. They would drink the poison and then take their partner's antidote. Luckily for Hermione, her partner was Catwoman himself.
He gave her a patented Draco smirk. "Granger."
"Don't talk to me."
"What's wrong?" he asked with mock sympathy. "No good dreams last night?"
"Leave me alone, Malfoy," she warned. Her hand lingered over the mandrake root. It would be so easy to poison him. She didn't even have to poison him. She could just brew an ineffective antidote, but Snape would know-
*Hold on! I'm thinking about killing him!* She glanced over at his bowed head, blonde hair falling over his face like a curtain. She could tell by the ingredients he had laid out that he was brewing the correct antidote. She felt a wave of guilt. She sighed and went back to her antidote.
Snape came around with the poison. Hermione stared at it. It was a deep red but not blood red. It was the red of Snow White's apple, distinctly beautiful and quite deadly. *If Malfoy fails, at least Harry and Ron will never know,* she consoled herself. With a nod from Snape, she drained the contents of the little cup.
She shivered. It was like ice running through her. It tasted sweet on her lips. Its effect was immediate. Her vision clouded. Hand shaking, she passed her antidote to Malfoy. He tossed it back in one shot. "How did you know it wasn't poison?" she asked him.
"You're a Gryffindor. You're incapable of such things," he replied.
"The antidote should tingle a bit," Snape informed them. Hermione drank Malfoy's potion. She gasped. Instead of tingling it felt like her entire body was on fire. She fell to the floor, pain so intense she couldn't see or think. Every breath brought a fresh stab of pain. Thankfully, she passed out.
She woke up in the hospital wing with Harry and Ron on either side of her bed. "What happened?" she asked.
"Malfoy 'forgot' to put in the crocodile's tears to take the edge of," Ron said bitterly. Professor McGonagall came in to check on Hermione. Pleased to see her favorite student alive and well, she turned to Madame Pomfrey.
"Poppy, what about Serverus?"
"He'll be fine. Just a little shock," Madame Pomfrey replied.
"What happened to Snape?" Hermione inquired.
"Neville finally got a potion right, and Snape nearly died from surprise," Harry chuckled.
"With Bulstrode as his partner, what else could Neville do?" Ron asked.
"Good for Neville," Hermione laughed.
"Indeed. We had better get going," Ron said, checking the clock.
"See ya later, Hermione," said Harry.
"Bye, guys," she called softly.
Hermione had one more visitor. She should have expected him, but it still startled her when she turned around and he was right behind her. She gave a start. He looked crestfallen.
"What's wrong Malfoy? Disappointed you didn't kill me?"
"Disappointed you're such a wimp. I was hoping you hold out at least five minutes."
"I'll try harder next time."
" Hope for your own sake that there won't be a next time. That was a warning, Granger, and a reminder I like the way things are. Harry belongs to me, and you *will not* screw that up."
"Harry *belongs* to no one."
"That was his problem, wasn't it? But I've got him now- heart, body, and soul. Never forget that, Granger. Unpleasant side effects may occur." His eyes narrowed at her for a moment and he slipped out as quietly as he came in. Despite her best efforts, Hermione cried.
***
^.^I know, I know. Too much crying, and for some, too much Hermione. Stay with me folks. Possible Harry/Draco action in the next chapter. Will Harry and Ron have that talk? Review, darlings!
Luv ya!
J. Silver