Amare et Odium
'Detention is best served
cold'
Told
you the chapters would get bigger. This is the longest chapter yet, [seeing how
there's only 3…] but more will come soon. I actually aim to finish this, and I
will!
Disclaimers:
See other chapters.
Distribution
[just in case]: Just ask, and ye shall receive.
Just
as Professor McGonagall ordered, Draco and Hermione were in the Great Hall
promptly at seven, waiting for Mr. Filtch. They were both thinking back on the
events of the day, and what had happened since breakfast…
Hermione
had spent the whole day basking in the attention of her fellow Gryffindors.
They hadn't minded that she had lost 50 points, it was only a small dent in
their hourglass and they were still in lead anyways. All day long students from
other houses stopped to congratulate her about what had happened at breakfast,
laughing at the image of Malfoy with 20 arms, 10 heads and 8 legs. Hermione
pretended to laugh along with them, but inside she was a bit worried. She was
going to be alone with him tonight, would he try something? Hermione patted her
pocket reassuringly, to make sure for the umpteenth time that her wand was
there, just in case she needed it to cast a counter curse or something.
Malfoy,
on the other hand, was fuming. All day long he had to endure taunts from
Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, but the worst of all was the Gryffindors. "I guess you
really prove that 10 heads are better then one Malfoy." "You should have kept
the extra heads, you need the extra brainpower" He was going to get that
mudblood back, even if it was the last thing he ever did. Not even all the
pranks Potter and Weasly had pulled on him could compare to this. There was
just one little hitch. He had no idea how. Oh well, when the opportunity presented
itself he would know how. That was his philosophy in life. Just take it as it
comes and get them back later when possible. And that philosophy had proven
useful time and time again. His father had taught him it. His father had taught
him a lot of things. Most people thought he was a cruel and heartless bastard,
and that Draco must live in a loveless and abusive home, but it wasn't true.
Sure, his father's punishments might seem unconventional to some, but
Draco knew that whatever happened, his father loved him, and only wanted the
best for his son. Thinking back on all the times he sat on his father's lap as
a child, his father reading out fantastic stories of old, with hero's and
monsters and great fantastic battles, always ending with the young handsome
pureblood wizard defeating the wicked mudblood and rescuing the damsel in
distress who was being held against her will to marry an ugly old bastard.
Draco would go to bed, dreaming of being that young handsome pureblood, with
someone to love, to cherish, and to protect against the evils of the muggle
world, and his father and mother would come in and kiss him goodnight, tucking
him in. A small smile crept onto his face as he thought of the happy days gone
by, before he came to Hogwarts, before he had to concern himself with matters
such as these. He didn't notice Mr. Filtch there until Mrs. Norris rubbed up
against his legs.
"So…"
Mr. Filtch said, bringing his face close to Draco and Hermione's, his eyes
going over their faces, inspecting every inch.
"So
what?" Malfoy said. He had never really liked Mr. Filtch and wasn't afraid to
show it.
"Don't
talk that way to me you little delinquent! You're here because you screwed up
royally, and now you have to pay the piper. Hold out your wands." He demanded. Hermione
and Draco brought out their wands, unsure of what to expect. Mr. Filtch looked
at them, and then the wands, and then snatched the wands right out of their
hands!
"What
the-! Give me back my wand!" said Malfoy. He was enraged. The nerve of this simple
servant, taking his wand from him.
"I'll give you back yer wands when you two have
finished cleaning Professor Snape's classroom! Without magic! I'm sure you both
were there when the 'little' accident happened earlier on today?" They both
nodded. Nelville had blown up the classroom [yet again] and everything was
covered in goop and god knows what else. "Well, I want that classroom clean,
even if it takes you all night! Now come on, follow me, I'll take yeh there
myself. Don't want either of you two running off…" He looked at them
suspiciously, as he leaded them to the dungeons.
Back
in the Gryffindor classroom, Fred and George were resting comfortably, bored
out of their minds. It had been a relatively slow week for them. Only minor
havoc was wrecked, and anything they had done was overshadowed by Hermione's
curse on Malfoy…not that that wasn't funny. It was. It's just when you have a
reputation to protect, you have to beat the competition. And that little stunt
by far beat anything they had ever done.
"So,
what are we going to do now Fred?" George asked. "We don't have anything in
stock that could come up with a reaction like the Multiple Body Parts curse.
And now, people are proably are going to be going to Hermione for curses and hexes
and such, instead of coming to us for jokes and gags." He sat up and rested his
elbows on his legs, and his head on his hands.
"Don't
be silly Georgie Porgie, that'll never happen." Fred sat back, putting his
hands behind his head. "Hermione may be smart, but we're the ones with a sense
of humor."
"Ya?
You think it's just as easy as that? That Weasly's Wizard Wheezes is
secure? I overheard Rose Burrette, you know, the girl who ordered 50 Canary
Creams and 20 Ton-Tongue toffee's telling Colin Creevy that she was going to
pull back her order and just ask Hermione for some curses! People are going to
take her idea, we'll be out of business before we even started!" George was
frantic with worry, his eyes wide with the fear of losing their business.
"Hmm…that
is a problem Porgie… we don't want people doing that." Fred struck a
thoughtful pose, then snapped his fingers. "I've got it."
"What?"
"You
see George, the problem is, that before, we were the one's who made all the
pranks. We were the ones who pulled the outrageous –and hilarious I
might add- stunts. But Hermione exceeded anything prank we have ever pulled
when she put that curse on Malfoy. And the only way to solve that is-"
"To
create a better prank!" George whispered loudly, finally catching on.
"Yes,
to build a better mousetrap so to speak. What we need to do is to create a
prank never before seen in
Hogwarts, one so outrageous, so creative and original, it surpasses anything
that anyone- even the legendary Marauders, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs-
has ever come up with." Said Fred, leaning forward.
"Is
that even possible?" George whispered, his face alight with the sheer
brilliance of the idea.
"I
never said it was easy, but I believe it can be done." Fred pulled George in
close, putting his arm around George's shoulder. "Just imagine what would
happen if we pulled it off! We'll be legends! We'll go down in Hogwarts
history! We, will have surpassed anything else ever done here, and be
remembered for it. Think about it, students in the future, looking up to us as
we look up to the Marauders" George's eyes really widened at this. To be
compared to the greats…that was too much. It would never happen. Fred, seeing the doubt in his twin brother's
eyes twisted him so George faced him. "Trust. Me. It'll work."
"So,
let me get this straight. You're suggesting that we come up with something more
wild, more spectacular, more creative then the Marauders? And not get
expelled." George's face was doubtful.
"Exactly."
George pondered this for a moment, and then a wicked
smile crept across his face. "So, when do we start?"
Right
from the start Hermione knew this was going to be a long detention session. As
soon as Mr. Filtch left Malfoy stated that he wouldn't touch any of 'that green
muck' and Hermione may very well clean it up herself, and then tried to leave.
He had reverted back to his normal self, the anger she had seen that morning
must have at least cooled off a bit, so Hermione wasn't so scared of him
anymore. She had time to think about that for a while, and came to the
conclusion that he was just full of hot air. And besides, if he ever did try
anything, she could defend herself. Not only with wands and spells, but with
fists and feet too. She had taken plenty of defense classes at her local
community center, and if it came right down to it, she probably could fight
better then Malfoy. Smiling, she picked up another handful of goop and threw it
into the center of the class.
After he had tried to leave Hermione caught him
by the arm and told him that if he left, she would not only tell Filtch, but
Professor McGonagall too. Draco, obviously realizing the consequences would be
worse for him if the old teacher found out he had skipped out on detention he
stayed and grudgingly helped. They had decided to get all the solids in the
middle of the class, and then clean up the residue. Both worked silently for
the better part of three hours, scraping the goop from every crack and corner,
making sure not to leave any behind. Draco had a scowl on his face the entire
time; he wasn't accustomed to cleaning other people's messes.
Hermione
however, didn't really mind. She had to do similar things when she was at home,
like the time when she was eight and tried to make a cake with her then best
friend Jennie. It ended up with the both of them yelling at each other,
throwing flour, eggs and cake ingredients all over the kitchen. When her mother
had come home Jennie bolted out the back door for home, leaving Hermione to
take the blame. She had to clean every inch of that kitchen, including behind
the refrigerator, which is how she found her mother's wedding ring, which Mrs.
Granger had lost months before, and a dead mouse. Bringing her mind back to
present, she threw another handful of goop onto the pile. Something hit her in
the back of her head. She turned her head only to be hit in the face by a
handful of goop by Draco.
"Oops,"
He sneered "guess I missed."
"What
the bloody hell was that for!" screeched Hermione.
"I
aimed for the pile and missed." Malfoy said, taking another handful of goop,
and actually throwing it to the center where all the other goop was.
"The
pile is all the way over there, and I am here! How could you miss! Your closer
then I am!"
"I
have bad aim."
"You
did that on purpose!"
"So
what if I did, not like there's any way you can prove it." Malfoy said
non-chalantly, stopping work and sitting on a goop free desk, smirking at
Hermione. That smile just infuriated her more it got on her nerves. "My my my,
you should calm down mudblood. See, that's your problem. You're too uptight.
You walk around like you have a stick up your arse." He said smugly.
"I
do not!" Hermione was even more outraged. The nerve of this little….
"Yes
you do. You take everything so seriously. Honestly, everybody knows about how
you freaked out because you weren't good at Divination and quit. You quit if
you're not automatically good at it." Malfoy just stared at her, smiling that
little annoying smile of his.
"So
what if I take things a little seriously?"
"Simple,
you have no fun in life. All you do is study. And you have the occasional
tete-a-tete with those friends of yours, but I'm willing to bet that every day
you just go back to the same corner you probably always sit in, spread your
books out in front of you and study. Every day, day in, day out."
"I
do other things in my life other then studying!" said Hermione angrily.
"Sure,
you probably do. But you more then likely spend a good portion of your activities
on academic pursuits. I'm right, aren't I?"
Hermione
turned back to the goop, throwing more on the pile. "See, I am right. You're
ignoring me, trying to block out my words, because they tell the truth. Admit
it. Your nothing but a stick in the mud."
"And
so what if you are? So what if I study a lot? It's not like I'm a hermit or
anything. I still socialize, I maintain a healthy balance between my social
life and my academic one. I'm happy." Hermione said as she scooped more goop
onto the pile.
"No,
you're content, but not happy."
"There's
not much of a difference."
"Actually,
there is. Happy is when your fulfilled. You don't need anything. But when
you're content, there's something missing. That one tiny thing that prevents
you from achieving happiness. You feel like there's something missing. And I'm
willing to bet that whatever it is, it eats you up inside. Tears you apart,
because something's missing and you don't know the answer. So you bury yourself
in books, trying to find out what it is. But you never do." He slid off the
table and got back to work. "Funny."
"What?"
Hermione snapped.
"Looks
to me that the girl who appears to have everything – friends who care, a loving
family, good grades …really has nothing."
They
were both silent after that. Hermione was thinking about Malfoy's words, and
how much they made sense. For a while now, she had been discontented, although
she didn't know why. Now she realized something was missing from her life. The
thought made her very sad, she thought she had everything she needed. Seeing
that all the goop was gone, she worked on cleaning up the residue.
Draco
looked over at Hermione, and upon seeing her sad face, silently rejoiced. He
had told her he would get her back, and looks like he did. The best thing you
could ever do to a person was to attack them from the inside, that affected
them more then any hex or curse. He went back to his work, cleaning up residue,
silently cheering inside.
It
was midnight when they finally finished. Mr. Filtch came, and when seeing that
the entire classroom was clean, told them gruffly to get to their dorms, he
didn't want any students out after hours if there was no point. He saw to it
that they left in the appropriate direction, mumbling about mischievous
students messing up his precious hallways. After seeing that they weren't
likely to deviate and go directly to their dorms, he left them be. Hermione
walked slowly, dragging her feet on the ground. She reached the Fat Lady,
saying the password [maelstrom], and entered the Gryffindor common room, where
Ron and Harry were waiting to hear all about her detention.
Draco
walked around, but in the dim light of the dungeons, he wasn't able to find his
way to the trapdoor that would let him into the Slytherin common room. He could
have sworn he saw it a minute ago…oh well. He was still rejoicing over his
victory earlier on Hermione. Ha ha ha, that really was a good one. Now she was
depressed, and would proably be unable to concentrate on anything, accept on
what he told her. He was even surprised at the words that had flew out of his
mouth, he just made them up as he went along, making it sound real. But he felt
a quick twang of regret over making her feel that way. He really shouldn't
have…no, wait. What the hell was he saying? Of course he should have! She made
a bloody fool out of him! She deserved whatever she felt.
So
caught up in his self righteous thoughts, he didn't notice Hermione and crashed
into her.
"What
the…what are you doing here?" he asked, picking himself up.
"I
couldn't sleep. So I decided to take a walk."
"In
the dungeons?"
"Yes,
in the dungeons, what's wrong with that?" Hermione challenged him.
"Nothing.
Just never thought I'd find you here at night." Draco said. Hermione turned to walk
away when Draco stopped her.
"Where
do you think you're going?" he demanded.
"I'm
walking, like I said I was doing." Hermione looked at Draco strangly.
"What?"
He didn't like her staring at him like that.
"Nothing."
An even stranger look from her. Ooo, she was really making him mad.
"Don't
look at me like that!"
"I'm
not looking at you in any particular way that I have never looked at you
before." Now she was just confusing him…
"Stop
that!"
"Stop
what?"
"Confusing
me!"
"Not
my fault if I confuse you Draco…" she smirked.
"You're
being indignant!"
"Ooo,
big word from a small mind."
"I
do not have a small mind!"
"Yes
you do."
"Do
not!"
"Do
too!"
"Do
not!"
"Do too!"
"Do
not!"
"Do
too!"
At this
point they were standing close, Draco looking down at the only slightly shorter
Hermione, both of them trying to get in the other's face, to intimidate. Then,
all of a sudden, they both grabbed each other, kissing, exploring each other's
mouth with their tongues. Draco was losing himself in Hermione, her sensuous
touch, the taste of her mouth, the smell and feel of her hair. Hermione let out
a small moan of pleasure as they moved to the floor…
Then
Draco awoke, covered in sweat. Crabbe and Goyle were sleeping in the beds next
to him. He remembered his dream, and what had happened in it, and realized what
this meant.
"Oh
dear God no."
WOW!
Who expected that to happen! Well, I willing to bet some people were, but
still. I have to make this quick, because I have to be somewhere soon, so I'll
get right to it.
Many
many many thanks go to my beta's, Starrysign and Caitlin Allana. Nothing would
be possible without their unconditional support and motivation! ::::giant
squabit hugs to you both::: And my mother. This wouldn't be possible without
her either, because without her, I wouldn't be here! Words cannot express
enough how much I thank you all. I also thank Matti and Kim, just cause.
As
always, if you have read this chapter, please kindly review, flame or whatever
it. It's allll appreciated. You might even get a mention! [hehehe,
bribes….always with the bribes…]