Amare et Odium
'Multiple Problems'
Why
hello again.
This,
as you may see, is the second chapter. Not much to say about it that won't give
it away, so I'll be quiet now. I apologize again for the length of the chapter,
they will get longer, I swear.
Disclaimer:
I have to say this, because I don't want FF.N to get the idea that a certain
line [yes Granger, from my own house] is mine. Just a precautionary. I
figured that would really go in well there so put it in. But I got the it
from the books, can't remember which one though. Anything in here isn't
mine, except for the headache potion. And squabits. Wellll…those actually
belong to Matti, but he said I could borrow them, just as long as they're in by
dinner. I'll let you read now.
The next day Hermione woke
up with a splitting headache. As the memory of yesterday's events - the
Quidditch game, Malfoy crashing into her to get the snitch - she groaned, and
forced herself out of bed. Looking around, Hermione found herself in the
infirmary. She vaguely remembered Ron and Harry carrying her, but it all seemed
so vague... Shaking her head she started getting dressed. As soon as her robe
was over her eyes, Madame Pomfry came into sight.
"So, are you finally up?" Madame Pomfry said, slightly miffed for
some reason.
"Yes, how long have I been out for?" Hermione said, clutching her
head. It was throbbing with pain, wincing, she sat back down.
"Well, when your friends brought you in after last night's Quidditch
game, you were only semi conscious. You fell asleep soon after that." Madame
Pomfry made a sort of clicking noise "Honestly, it's such a dangerous
sport. After every game there's always students coming in and out with cuts and
scrapes and bruises," she said while preparing a potion " It's much too
dangerous a game for students to be playing… do you know I've had more people
come in here because of Quidditch-related injuries then anything else! It's
mad! Utterly, utterly mad!" The potion appeared to be ready, whatever it was.
Madame Pomfry poured it into a goblet and handed it to Hermione to drink.
"Umm, what exactly is this anyways?" Hermione asked, looking down at
the purple swirling contents of the cup.
"It's a Headache Potion. For goodness sake, hasn't Severus taught
you magical remedies yet?" Hermione shook her head, Madame Pomfry looked as if
she was going to hunt down that greasy haired Head of Slytherin herself.
"You're a fifth year right? Well then, I'll give you a tip. He'll be teaching
it this year…or at least he should be. Personally, I think he should have done
it sooner. It's never too early to learn magical remedies. Now drink it up."
Madame Pomfry motioned to
the goblet that was still in Hermione's hands, full to the brim. Hermione
brought it up to her lips, taking a sniff. It smelled a bit like jasmine, the
flowery scent alleviating her pain a bit. Tilting the goblet back, she drank the potion.
Contrary to its scent, it
had a rich, nutty taste. The liquid was thin, and slid down her throat easily.
As she drank it back, her headache faded away, until it was gone completely.
"Did you drink it all?" Madame Pomfry asked, looking into the
goblet. "Good. Now run off to breakfast, I don't see any reason to keep you
here." She shooed Hermione out of the infirmary and went to look at a first
year who had tripped on an invisible stair coming down. Her stomach protesting
the lack of food in it, she hurried off to breakfast.
Upon
her arrival, Harry and Ron saw her and waved at her to come over. They had
saved her a seat and some food. A croissant, Pumpkin juice and pancakes awaited
her arrival when she sat down. Saying a brief 'hello' to everyone, she dug in.
The potion made her feel very hungry.
"Hello
Hermione." Harry said. "How are ya' feeling? You were really out of it
yesterday."
"I'm
fine. Madame Pomfry treated me and gave me a potion for my headache, so I have
nothing to complain about." Hermione said, taking a breather between bites.
"Are
you sure? Malfoy hit you pretty hard. You kept muttering about 'squabits' and
stars and stuff."
"Yeah,
which reminds me Hermione," Ron said, who was in the middle of a long debate
with Dean why football was so boring. "What exactly are squabits
anyways?"
"Hmmm…"
Hermione paused to think. "I don't remember. I'll look it up in one of my
books. Why do you ask?"
"Well,
I'm just worried that its some poisonous fanged thing and that you overheard
Hagrid talking about using it in class." Ron shuddered. "Don't get me wrong,
Hagrid's the best. It's just that his taste in animals is a bit…"
"Peculiar?"
Hermione offered.
"Strange?"
added Harry.
"Well,
I was thinking more along the lines of that he should be institutionalized in
St. Mungos for that reason but yeah, those work too." Ron and everybody
laughed. They all knew he was just joking, that he didn't mean it. However, a
voice behind them cut through the laughter.
"So,
you Gryffindors actually have some common sense in you." It was Malfoy, flanked
by his two silent henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle. "I'm glad you see that that
pitful excuse for a teacher and a human being – no, wait, I forgot he's nothing
but a savage giant." He said the last word as if Hagrid was nothing more
then a flea to be swatted, hardly worth living. Anyone who had heard him at the
Gryffindor table swivled their heads to see what was going on. Ron, Harry and
Hermione stood up.
"What
did you just say? Harry said in a low, dangerous tone that mothers use on
children who misbehave.
"You
heard me, Potter. Your…friend is nothing but a savage, wild,
uncivilized beast that should have been left in Azkaban where he, and others of
his kind belong!" Ron and Harry whipped out their wands to curse, only to be
beaten to it by Hermione.
" EXTRIMIDIUS
MULTIPLICUS!" she roared just at the same time Malfoy yelled a curse. He
was hit full force by Hermione's curse, his head, arms, legs and fingers
multiplying. Harry was hit by Malfoy's curse, turning his hair orange and his
skin green.
Professor
McGonagall, who had seen the whole thing, marched right over and grabbed
Hermione by the shoulder and one of Malfoy's many arms and led them out into
the hall. Once there she turned them both to face her and talked in the same
low, dangerous tone Harry was using only a minute ago.
"I
cannot believe what I just saw. Mister Malfoy, this kind of behavior I
have come to expect from you, but you Miss Granger…you…I am severely
disappointed in your behavior. I have come to expect more from you. You two are
both fifth years for heavens sake! You're supposed to set an example for the
rest of the school! Though you may not know it sometimes, but the younger
students actually look up to you! And what are they going to see now? A couple
of hooligans?" Hermione hung her head low in shame, Malfoy and his many heads
just looked away from the icy glare of the professor. Father wasn't going to be
happy about this…his main head, the original one, turned back to McGonagall and
paid attention to what she was saying.
"Fifty
points from each of your houses, and yes Granger, from my own house, and you
both have detention. Come back to the Great Hall tonight at seven. Mr. Filtch
will serve your detentions. Now go. And Mister Malfoy, head up to the infirmary
to have those extra heads and such removed…its …unnerving having all those eyes
staring at me…"
Professor
McGonagall walked off in the general direction of her office. Once he made sure
she was gone, out of sight, Malfoy grabbed Hermione, and with his 20 hands
holding on to her, she couldn't get away.
"Let
go of me!" she said, twisting, trying to escape his grasp. He just pulled her
in tight, so she could hear what he had to say.
"Listen,
you little mudblood, and that's all you are. A mudblood. You. Are. Beneath.
Me." He said slowly, as if speaking to a little child. "You have no idea of the
power me and my family wield. You made me look like a fool in front of
everyone, and I will make sure you regret that. I will not forget that. And one
way or another, I will have my revenge. So go on. Go back to your little
Gryffindor friends. Strut around. Laugh at the image of the big, bad Draco Liam
Malfoy with about a dozen arms and heads and legs while you can. Cause I have a
few surprises up my sleeve. And when you're alone, when your least expecting
it, when your little friends aren't around to protect and watch over you, when
the teachers have their back turned and there's nowhere to go…I'll be there.
And that is when you'll get it. Just remember Hermione Granger, you have made
an even worse enemy of me now. I'll be watching."
He let her go and roughly pushed her aside against the wall, and
walked off casually, towards the infirmary.
Hermione was shook up, she
had never seen that kind of behavior from Malfoy. His face was deadpan the
entire time - except for his eyes. They flashed a cold anger that she had never
seen before, and hoped never to see again. His ice blue eyes had chilled her to
the very core, and the coldness in them just made it worse. Watching Malfoy
saunter down the hall, she found that she was a bit afraid of him.
Malfoy was a hothead, the
anger he had always displayed before was like a fire, hot and all consuming,
desiring to burn everything in its path. But right now, he showed her another
side she had never seen before: the cold, cruel calculating anger. He now
unpredictable, she didn't know what he would do…and it scared her.
Oooo, a side of him we have
never seen before! What will happen next!
I would like to thank my
wonderful wonderful wonderful beta's, Caitlin Allana and Starrysign. Both
phenomenal. And my mother. She's harder on me with the beta'ing, so she's like
my third beta and deserves recognition. Also Kim [my best friend] and her
boyfriend Matti, for allowing me the use of squabits, or at least coming up
with them. We use them all the time.
Like before, I ask that if
you've read this, could you review the story too? I welcome anything, flames
included. They all make my day…so get to it! ;)