Hermione's Curse

I'm sorry! I know I should be working on the MST's but this popped out and after all, it is my series and I can do whatever I want so there! *sheepish grin* Sorry.

In the reviews of my Hermy/Draco fic I had a complaint about the lack of leather pants. I figured I'd better remedy that. Leather pants rock!

*****

It was an unseasonably hot spring day, a Friday afternoon. Most of the student body was on the grounds, enjoying the fine weather. Hermione was sitting under a tree reading. Malfoy, Harry and Ron were nearby, fighting about one thing or another.

She watched them with interest. She had wanted to try an experimental spell she had invented, and Malfoy would be the perfect subject. She measured the possible results. Either it would work, or...well, that wouldn't be too bad of a fate, for Malfoy, and if it *did* work...well, at least all of the female students would have an enjoyable experience.

She picked up her wand, playfully aiming at Malfoy's butt. "inducto tergus," she whispered under her breath. For a moment nothing happened at all. Then there was a blinding yellow light as the force of the spell backfired, washing over Hermione and throwing her against a tree trunk.

"Ow," she muttered, pulling herself up. She rubbed a shoulder, where a bruise was already forming. Instead of touching the cotton of her tank top however, her hand came in contact with leather. She looked down at her clothing. "Oops."

The spell had worked--all too well. All over the lawn students were picking themselves off the ground, only to find that all of their clothing had turned into leather. Hermione found herself in a black leather top and dark blue leather pants. Her robe, abandoned in the grass, was black leather.

Harry's shirt was red and white leather stripes, Ron's now leather pants looked very old and worn-the same condition his jeans had been in a few moments earlier. And Malfoy...the black slacks he had been wearing were now black leather, and had mysteriously become tighter as well, a side effect that had only seemed to work on him.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh as she walked over to the boys, who had stopped fighting, staring awestruck at their clothes. "Something wrong, guys?" she asked as evenly as possible.

Ron saw her first. "What hap--wow." His eyes scanned over Hermione quickly. "I mean--"

"It's okay, Ron. Little bit of a spell mistake..."

"What kind of spell?!" Malfoy asked angrily.

Hermione blushed. "Inducto Tergus. It's er, it's a leather pants spell." The tree boys all stared at her. "What?"

"Exactly where did you get a leather pants spell?" Harry asked.

"More importantly, why would you want such a thing?" Malfoy looked at her, eyebrows raised.

"I wrote it myself, and none of your business. I guess I'm still working out a few bugs. It's only supposed to work on one article of clothing at a time..."

"Fix it," Ron said, annoyed. "These things are already starting to chafe..."

"I--I don't know how..."

Malfoy's eyes darkened. "What do you mean you don't know how?"

Harry looked at Ron. "This is bad."

"No kidding."

"Look guys," Hermione said. "Let's just go back to the castle and get some new clothes. The spell couldn't have affected a very large radius."

"Wanna bet?" Malfoy asked with a sneer, looking over her shoulder. Professor Snape had just come around the bend, his robes unmistakably leather.

He approached them. He was slightly red in the face and spoke loudly and harshly. "I should have known," he muttered to himself. "Okay you four. The spell was traced to this general area. Which one of you did it?"

"Don't know, Professor," Harry said quickly.

"Didn't see a thing," Ron agreed.

"Granger did it, Professor," Malfoy said arrogantly.

"Ten points each," Snape said to Harry and Ron before turning to Hermione. "As for you, Miss Granger, I suggest you reverse this spell now. Then we can discuss your punishment."

"I can't reverse the spell," Hermione said meekly. "I hadn't figured that part out yet. It was my first attempt at writing my own spell, and it should have worked...it did work, only not the way it was supposed too, and it's not like it's some horrible thing...boy it's hot out here, huh?"

"Could it be because we are all wearing leather trousers, as is every other resident of this castle?"

"Oh dear."

"Let's go see the headmaster." Snape marched Hermione away, leaving Harry and Ron gaping, Malfoy laughing.

*****

Snape left Hermione to Dumbledore's mercy. The headmaster was wearing long robes of purple leather. "Interesting little spell," her remarked sternly, but his eyes were dancing.

"I'm really sorry, Professor," she said. "I didn't know it would do that."

"We're getting a little advanced, aren't we, Miss Granger? But...were we supposed to end up in leather?"

"Well...no." She ducked her head. "Only Malfoy's pants."

"I see." He smiled.

"No, no. It's not like that! I had to try it out on someone, and if I made a mistake, I didn't want to turn Ron into a cow or anything." Dumbledore smiled. "It could have happened!" she said when she saw his face. "Or, like, I could have displaced the clothes altogether...not that it would be a bad thing on Ron or Malfoy...er...so I didn't work out all the details. Please tell me you can fix it." She moved around in her seat. "This outfit is kinda' uncomfortable."

"Go on, Hermione. I'll figure it out. But, you will have to be punished. We'll work that out later though."

"Yes professor," she said, standing up.

"And Miss Granger?"

"Yes Professor?"

"Once you've got that spell perfected, I'm sure you could sell it to Witch Weekly."

She smiled. "Thanks Professor."

*****

For the rest of the afternoon the entire student body and faculty went about uncomfortably in leather. Malfoy got used to it incredibly quickly however, as the Slytherin girls had already gotten into the habit of walking behind him at a distance, watching his arse.

"I'm really sorry, you guys," Hermione said to Harry and Ron. She had changed into a skirt for comfort. The boys however were not as comfortable, far from keen on the idea of going nude under their robes.

"I don't know, Hermione," Ron said, looking in a full-length mirror. "I think I look pretty good in leather trousers. Think when you've got that spell perfected you could make me a pair? *A* pair." He stressed the word.

Hermione grinned. "I suppose so. Come on. It's time for dinner." She got up from her seat and fixed the leather that was sticking to the backs of her legs. "I hope the headmaster figures this out soon."

*****

Dinner was a subdued event, many people so preoccupied with un-sticking their shirts from the their backs in the heat that they paid little attention to their food. Finally the Headmaster stood up. "Attention, students. Professor Flitwick and I have spent the last few hours coming up with a way to fix our little dilemma. But before we do, I think it's time for you all to meet the author of this fun little spell. Hermione Granger, please stand up."

"Cruel and unusual punishment," Hermione muttered as she rose slowly in her seat. She spoke to the rest of the school. "Um, I'm sorry?" The students' replies were to start throwing food at the Gryffindor table. "Peachy." She sank back down in her seat as the headmaster called the room to order.

"Do we want to stay in leather 'till morning?" Dumbledore asked. He was answered with a chorus of 'no's.' "Well then." He waved his wand, and in a moment the students were again in their normal clothes.

*****

"I'm glad that's over with," Hermione remarked as they headed back up to Gryffindor tower.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "The leather trousers were one thing, but the leather underwear?"