Dares, Discoveries and Detentions
The Yule Ball was fast approaching. That did not give much comfort to the solitary figure in blood red robes who sat morosely flicking stones into the murky waters of the lake. He still hadn't told Hermione and the others of the threat that had been made regarding his speaking to them. He still hadn't asked Hermione to the Yule Ball, something he thoroughly intended to do. It all combined to a pit of galling frustration that now seethed inside his chest. He badly needed to hit something but was forced into this mindless activity so as not to arouse questions.
Somewhere in the distance a skrewt let of a blast with a huge bang that echoed like a cannon around the grounds. He jumped so violently his head connected with the tree branch violently. He swore profusely and put up a hand to feel the lump that was forming. Unfortunately the tree he had chosen to hit was extremely thorny and had cut his scalp quite badly. His hand came back dripping with blood. He was mildly alarmed but tried to keep calm. "Cuts to the scalp always bleed this much" he told himself and set off to find help. Hagrids hut was near here, he had visited it before with Harry and Hermione. With a few more obscenities issued along the way he arrived finally at the big mans door.
"Hiya Draco..... what the? What 'ave yer done ter yerself now?"
"I had a fight with a tree," Draco said smiling only slightly. "It's not serious but I could do with some help cleaning it up."
"Course I will. Just hang on while I find me bandages....."
Hagrid rummaged around his cabin for a few seconds and then pulled out a clean towel and a bandage.
"Here we are," he beamed, "now you just sit still and when I've cleaned you off we can send you up to Madame Pomfrey."
Draco sat silently as Hagrid mopped the worst of the blood away. Wincing every now and again when the cold water stung the exposed flesh.
"So why were yer out this early?"
"No reason" muttered Draco going red.
"Things on yer mind then?"
"Could say that." Draco felt bad being so short with the kind man but he was to embarrassed to say anything.
"Yer got a date for the ball yet?" Hagrid wasn't going to stop trying.
"No"
"Well are yer going ta ask her or not?"
"What!".... "No, I mean Yes I mean...how did you know?" Draco had started in surprise at that comment and water had sloshed into his eyes. He rubbed the towel over his face vigorously and opened his eyes only to see Hagrid smile in triumph.
"I was almos' sure but not quite. Now I know."
Draco now went even redder. Finally he was persuaded into telling Hagrid about how much he liked Hermione. The gentle giant listened carefully and sympathetically giving an understanding nod every now and again. Draco felt utter relief at being able to set out his fears to someone other than his own conscience. When he had talked himself into silence it was nearly seven thirty. The school would be gathering for breakfast soon. Hagrid stared into the merrily crackling fire for a few seconds and then got to his feet.
"Come on young Draco let's get that head seen to before breakfast."
The walk back up to the school took about twenty minutes and Hagrid decided this would be an excellent opportunity to give Draco some private advice.
"Now I know this ain't exactly what yer may want ta hear but I think that yer should tell Hermione about all this"
"But...I can't she'll hate me if she thinks I speak to them"
"Don't talk such rubbish, I know Hermione and she is bright as anything, if she ain't got you figured out now shame on her."
Draco didn't reply he just mumbled and went red again. They walked in silence until they reached Madame Pomfrey's wing. Just before she ushered him inside Draco threw Hagrid a very grateful smile. The matter of mending his head only took a few seconds and in no time Draco had hurried along to the breakfast table.
He slipped into his usual seat between Hermione and Seamus reached for a piece of buttered toast and joined in the usual breakfast chatter. Ron was glowering at him from above his bowl of cereal giving Harry's vain attempts at conversation monosyllabic answers.
"Looking forward to our coursework marks in Arithmancy?" Said Hermione swallowing a mammoth sized slice of Blackcurrant toast.
"Bet I beat you..." Draco's eyes glinted mischievously and he stared straight into her eyes, daring her to respond.
"Really....want to lay something on that?" Hermione looked equally shifty and she grinned playfully while idly buttering her second slice of toast.
"You're on.....If I win you have to enchant one of Snape's possessions so that it mucks up potions."
Hermione didn't look worried she thought for a few seconds. "But if I win then....you have to go around with a bright pink Afro all day, no matter what the staff say." She got the giggles just thinking about it.
They shook on it. Draco was rather hoping that he had won now. He would hate to have to explain to Kakaroff why he had luminescent hair. What was more he wanted to see what Hermione could come up with. All of his troubles were pushed to one side in anticipation of the outcome on their bet. Breakfast came to an end and Draco gathered up his belongings. The others wandered out of the hall and up to the fourth staircase along. This was where Harry and Ron left them for Divination.
Draco was chatting to Hermione amiably but somewhere a knot of anxiety returned and he suddenly fell quiet.
"Are you alright?"
"Hmm, what? Oh sorry....I was thinking."
She looked as if she was about to enquire further but they were cut short by their arrival. They sat down at a desk and waited for the others to arrive. Professor Vector entered with a brisk "Good Morning" to them both and dumped a large stack of parchment rolls on the desk.
Over the next few minutes the rest of the class filtered in and took out their things. Eventually seventeen pairs of eyes were turned towards the stack of Parchment. This was the first serious piece of O.W.L Coursework and everyone was anxious to do well. Finally the Professor decided it was time to hand out the results. Two rolls were casually tossed in Draco and Hermione's direction.
"I can't open it" Hermione threw her head back melodramatically. "The tension is to much."
"Alright you open mine and I'll open yours."
"This is silly, Okay on the count of three, one....two...three!"
There was a rustle of opening parchment and Draco's eyes slid towards the bottom of the paper where the percentage and mark were awarded. It was there in red and Yellowy/Brown, 90% A* he could see the Afro already. He looked up to see Hermione's reaction. She to looked glum.
"Come on then what did I get......." He needed to know.
Hermione swallowed, "ummm 90%"
"Hey you did too...now who's won?"
"We'll leave it to Harry, and Ron if he can be bothered."
That small decision was going to cause some repercussions. Harry, it seemed, was very power mad in a typically teenage boy manner. He had sniggered an awful lot and drove the two of them almost to distraction with impossible bets. Eventually he had settled on a truth or dare. That would have been fine, except for one thing. He was picking the dares.
After a particularly hard afternoon in potions the four of them agreed to meet in a deserted classroom for the completion of the dare game. Harry faced Hermione and Draco across the desk while Ron stood off sullenly to one side.
"Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger. Are you ready for the time of your lives, peril, danger and hidden truths......."
"Harry!"
"Okay, Okay right I have thought long and hard. I have decided that...........
you will each be under a truth spell, which I risked my neck to get. It will last for about three hours and it is extremely sensitive......."
"It's not Veritaserum?" Hermione piped up worriedly.
"No I wouldn't get that, it's a spell, Visus Versus, and it means that you have to tell the truth. No matter what, so I saved it for after lessons for understandable reasons."
Draco and Hermione stepped forward nervously. Harry waved his wand and said the words of the spell.
"Has it worked?"
"Yes" they both said at the exact same moment.
"Okay then," Harry said grinning broadly and cracking his knuckles. Three hours and counting."
He and Ron exchanged looks. Hermione only realised what they were about to do at the last moment.
........Slam. The door was shut, she and Draco on one side. Harry and Ron on the other. Both of them began to pound on the door, aiming spells, charms and hexes in an attempt to open it.
"Harry let us out NOW!" Hermione bellowed through the keyhole. All that came back were whispers, sniggers and pattering footsteps. Then there was a long silence. Hermione turned back round and shrugged. Draco unfolded his long limbs and strolled over.
"Aperto!"
"It's not going to work, we're stuck. Could be for hours."
"Not bad then......" Immediately after saying that Draco began to wish that the ground would swallow him up.
"No, I suppose not." Hermione was smiling, maybe it wasn't so terrible.
Finally Draco decided he would take the plunge, he knew that in current circumstances he wouldn't omit anything and this was probably the best chance he'd have to explain things to her. He swallowed hard and pushed his hair out of his eyes.
"I....want to ask you something"
The pause was horrible as he tried to come up with the words. "Will you go to the ball with me?"
Oh wow he'd said it! Then came the aftershock, the disbelief at the unbelievable risk he'd just taken. He found himself staring earnestly into her eyes, waiting.
"I like you Draco, why would I say no." It was Hermione's turn to blush now. "I didn't think you returned it so I....didn't say anything."
"I like you to." Draco grinned broadly. "You still haven't answered."
"Yes"
They moved closer. Draco's heart hammered in his chest; he could smell the perfume on her neck.
"Nyahahahahahahaha" The high-pitched giggle ricochted of the stone walls. Both of them leapt back in shock and looked wildly around. Hovering a few feet in the air was Peeves. He had a wicked expression on his poisonous little face and when they spotted him he whooped with delight and swished through the lock and out of the room.
The door suddenly opened. They muttered mutinously as they descended the stairs.
"Do you umm wanna, y'know....."
"Later, after it's worn off, it'll be better, I'll meet you at nine."
"Hey, I'm not going yet, let me walk you to the common room."
They walked quietly, the odd word exchanged every now and again. In his blissful state Draco had forgotten about the truth spell. That is until......
"Mr Malfoy!" Snape's oily tones radiated along the corridor.
"Professor?"
"Where is that essay on Muggles and Potions that you promised me first thing this morning?"
Draco cringed; he'd forgotten to finish it with all the chaos of the day.
"It's not done Professor."
"Why not?"
What followed was not pretty. Draco, powerless against the spell told Snape exactly what he thought of him and his potions. Any other place and time it would have been funny but for Draco and Hermione at that point in time it was the most unfunny thing in the world to see Snape's face when Draco came out with gems such as;
"Bacon fat head."
"Pinocchio nose."
And best of all describing his lesson as " An hour and a half in damp smelly cave with a teacher who seems to have permanent PMS."
Draco was dragged off to Dumbledore's office by Snape who was almost apoplectic with rage. The wise headmaster questioned the horrified and apologetic fifth year for less than three minutes before summoning Hermione, Harry and Snape into his office.
"Now then Harry, take a seat and explain." Dumbledore did have a small smile twitching at his lips but nonetheless he sounded serious.
"It was a dare Professor, we did it for a joke, we never meant to.....I am so sorry Draco."
Dumbledore sighed. "So you are saying that what you believed to be harmless rule-breaking has, through some bizarre co-incidences, become completely out of hand."
"Yes Sir" All three voices chorused at once. Dumbledore paused once more and studied the three carefully. He seemingly reached a conclusion and lifted his wand.
"Recurcio!"
Both Draco and Hermione pitched forward. "I think that has done the trick. Now, onto other matters. Harry, Miss Granger your actions were against school policy and I am therefore going to have to give you both a detention and twenty points of Gryffindor. I trust that satisfies you Serverus."
Snape seemed to have turned into a statue and merely nodded mechanically. Dumbledore nodded and Harry and Hermione got up gratefully.
"Potter, Granger I want you both to report to potions on Saturday evening for that detention," barked Snape as they slid thankfully out of sight.
Hermione felt awful leaving Draco but something told her that he'd emerge unscathed. Dumbledore hadn't seemed too angry. She was silent all the way until they emerged into a corridor near the Fat Lady.
"So.." Harry tried to break the silence. "What did you and Draco get up to?" As he said this his eyebrows almost disappeared under his fringe and a knowing grin was plastered onto his face.
"Harry don't be so dirty minded it doesn't suit you."
"Oh come on tell me!"
"Never you mind."
Later that evening as sunset approached Draco made his way over to the Gardens. He had a knot of anxiety that Hermione was angry with him and wouldn't be there. As he drew near he could see her waiting.
"Hey." He smiled shyly.
"Let's walk."
Author's note: Hmm not v.good I know but if u think different lemme know. The Yule Ball WILL be in the next chapter, infact it will probably be the next chapter. Please review cause it makes my day, all you author ppl know what I mean rite???
Kimoon
The Yule Ball was fast approaching. That did not give much comfort to the solitary figure in blood red robes who sat morosely flicking stones into the murky waters of the lake. He still hadn't told Hermione and the others of the threat that had been made regarding his speaking to them. He still hadn't asked Hermione to the Yule Ball, something he thoroughly intended to do. It all combined to a pit of galling frustration that now seethed inside his chest. He badly needed to hit something but was forced into this mindless activity so as not to arouse questions.
Somewhere in the distance a skrewt let of a blast with a huge bang that echoed like a cannon around the grounds. He jumped so violently his head connected with the tree branch violently. He swore profusely and put up a hand to feel the lump that was forming. Unfortunately the tree he had chosen to hit was extremely thorny and had cut his scalp quite badly. His hand came back dripping with blood. He was mildly alarmed but tried to keep calm. "Cuts to the scalp always bleed this much" he told himself and set off to find help. Hagrids hut was near here, he had visited it before with Harry and Hermione. With a few more obscenities issued along the way he arrived finally at the big mans door.
"Hiya Draco..... what the? What 'ave yer done ter yerself now?"
"I had a fight with a tree," Draco said smiling only slightly. "It's not serious but I could do with some help cleaning it up."
"Course I will. Just hang on while I find me bandages....."
Hagrid rummaged around his cabin for a few seconds and then pulled out a clean towel and a bandage.
"Here we are," he beamed, "now you just sit still and when I've cleaned you off we can send you up to Madame Pomfrey."
Draco sat silently as Hagrid mopped the worst of the blood away. Wincing every now and again when the cold water stung the exposed flesh.
"So why were yer out this early?"
"No reason" muttered Draco going red.
"Things on yer mind then?"
"Could say that." Draco felt bad being so short with the kind man but he was to embarrassed to say anything.
"Yer got a date for the ball yet?" Hagrid wasn't going to stop trying.
"No"
"Well are yer going ta ask her or not?"
"What!".... "No, I mean Yes I mean...how did you know?" Draco had started in surprise at that comment and water had sloshed into his eyes. He rubbed the towel over his face vigorously and opened his eyes only to see Hagrid smile in triumph.
"I was almos' sure but not quite. Now I know."
Draco now went even redder. Finally he was persuaded into telling Hagrid about how much he liked Hermione. The gentle giant listened carefully and sympathetically giving an understanding nod every now and again. Draco felt utter relief at being able to set out his fears to someone other than his own conscience. When he had talked himself into silence it was nearly seven thirty. The school would be gathering for breakfast soon. Hagrid stared into the merrily crackling fire for a few seconds and then got to his feet.
"Come on young Draco let's get that head seen to before breakfast."
The walk back up to the school took about twenty minutes and Hagrid decided this would be an excellent opportunity to give Draco some private advice.
"Now I know this ain't exactly what yer may want ta hear but I think that yer should tell Hermione about all this"
"But...I can't she'll hate me if she thinks I speak to them"
"Don't talk such rubbish, I know Hermione and she is bright as anything, if she ain't got you figured out now shame on her."
Draco didn't reply he just mumbled and went red again. They walked in silence until they reached Madame Pomfrey's wing. Just before she ushered him inside Draco threw Hagrid a very grateful smile. The matter of mending his head only took a few seconds and in no time Draco had hurried along to the breakfast table.
He slipped into his usual seat between Hermione and Seamus reached for a piece of buttered toast and joined in the usual breakfast chatter. Ron was glowering at him from above his bowl of cereal giving Harry's vain attempts at conversation monosyllabic answers.
"Looking forward to our coursework marks in Arithmancy?" Said Hermione swallowing a mammoth sized slice of Blackcurrant toast.
"Bet I beat you..." Draco's eyes glinted mischievously and he stared straight into her eyes, daring her to respond.
"Really....want to lay something on that?" Hermione looked equally shifty and she grinned playfully while idly buttering her second slice of toast.
"You're on.....If I win you have to enchant one of Snape's possessions so that it mucks up potions."
Hermione didn't look worried she thought for a few seconds. "But if I win then....you have to go around with a bright pink Afro all day, no matter what the staff say." She got the giggles just thinking about it.
They shook on it. Draco was rather hoping that he had won now. He would hate to have to explain to Kakaroff why he had luminescent hair. What was more he wanted to see what Hermione could come up with. All of his troubles were pushed to one side in anticipation of the outcome on their bet. Breakfast came to an end and Draco gathered up his belongings. The others wandered out of the hall and up to the fourth staircase along. This was where Harry and Ron left them for Divination.
Draco was chatting to Hermione amiably but somewhere a knot of anxiety returned and he suddenly fell quiet.
"Are you alright?"
"Hmm, what? Oh sorry....I was thinking."
She looked as if she was about to enquire further but they were cut short by their arrival. They sat down at a desk and waited for the others to arrive. Professor Vector entered with a brisk "Good Morning" to them both and dumped a large stack of parchment rolls on the desk.
Over the next few minutes the rest of the class filtered in and took out their things. Eventually seventeen pairs of eyes were turned towards the stack of Parchment. This was the first serious piece of O.W.L Coursework and everyone was anxious to do well. Finally the Professor decided it was time to hand out the results. Two rolls were casually tossed in Draco and Hermione's direction.
"I can't open it" Hermione threw her head back melodramatically. "The tension is to much."
"Alright you open mine and I'll open yours."
"This is silly, Okay on the count of three, one....two...three!"
There was a rustle of opening parchment and Draco's eyes slid towards the bottom of the paper where the percentage and mark were awarded. It was there in red and Yellowy/Brown, 90% A* he could see the Afro already. He looked up to see Hermione's reaction. She to looked glum.
"Come on then what did I get......." He needed to know.
Hermione swallowed, "ummm 90%"
"Hey you did too...now who's won?"
"We'll leave it to Harry, and Ron if he can be bothered."
That small decision was going to cause some repercussions. Harry, it seemed, was very power mad in a typically teenage boy manner. He had sniggered an awful lot and drove the two of them almost to distraction with impossible bets. Eventually he had settled on a truth or dare. That would have been fine, except for one thing. He was picking the dares.
After a particularly hard afternoon in potions the four of them agreed to meet in a deserted classroom for the completion of the dare game. Harry faced Hermione and Draco across the desk while Ron stood off sullenly to one side.
"Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger. Are you ready for the time of your lives, peril, danger and hidden truths......."
"Harry!"
"Okay, Okay right I have thought long and hard. I have decided that...........
you will each be under a truth spell, which I risked my neck to get. It will last for about three hours and it is extremely sensitive......."
"It's not Veritaserum?" Hermione piped up worriedly.
"No I wouldn't get that, it's a spell, Visus Versus, and it means that you have to tell the truth. No matter what, so I saved it for after lessons for understandable reasons."
Draco and Hermione stepped forward nervously. Harry waved his wand and said the words of the spell.
"Has it worked?"
"Yes" they both said at the exact same moment.
"Okay then," Harry said grinning broadly and cracking his knuckles. Three hours and counting."
He and Ron exchanged looks. Hermione only realised what they were about to do at the last moment.
........Slam. The door was shut, she and Draco on one side. Harry and Ron on the other. Both of them began to pound on the door, aiming spells, charms and hexes in an attempt to open it.
"Harry let us out NOW!" Hermione bellowed through the keyhole. All that came back were whispers, sniggers and pattering footsteps. Then there was a long silence. Hermione turned back round and shrugged. Draco unfolded his long limbs and strolled over.
"Aperto!"
"It's not going to work, we're stuck. Could be for hours."
"Not bad then......" Immediately after saying that Draco began to wish that the ground would swallow him up.
"No, I suppose not." Hermione was smiling, maybe it wasn't so terrible.
Finally Draco decided he would take the plunge, he knew that in current circumstances he wouldn't omit anything and this was probably the best chance he'd have to explain things to her. He swallowed hard and pushed his hair out of his eyes.
"I....want to ask you something"
The pause was horrible as he tried to come up with the words. "Will you go to the ball with me?"
Oh wow he'd said it! Then came the aftershock, the disbelief at the unbelievable risk he'd just taken. He found himself staring earnestly into her eyes, waiting.
"I like you Draco, why would I say no." It was Hermione's turn to blush now. "I didn't think you returned it so I....didn't say anything."
"I like you to." Draco grinned broadly. "You still haven't answered."
"Yes"
They moved closer. Draco's heart hammered in his chest; he could smell the perfume on her neck.
"Nyahahahahahahaha" The high-pitched giggle ricochted of the stone walls. Both of them leapt back in shock and looked wildly around. Hovering a few feet in the air was Peeves. He had a wicked expression on his poisonous little face and when they spotted him he whooped with delight and swished through the lock and out of the room.
The door suddenly opened. They muttered mutinously as they descended the stairs.
"Do you umm wanna, y'know....."
"Later, after it's worn off, it'll be better, I'll meet you at nine."
"Hey, I'm not going yet, let me walk you to the common room."
They walked quietly, the odd word exchanged every now and again. In his blissful state Draco had forgotten about the truth spell. That is until......
"Mr Malfoy!" Snape's oily tones radiated along the corridor.
"Professor?"
"Where is that essay on Muggles and Potions that you promised me first thing this morning?"
Draco cringed; he'd forgotten to finish it with all the chaos of the day.
"It's not done Professor."
"Why not?"
What followed was not pretty. Draco, powerless against the spell told Snape exactly what he thought of him and his potions. Any other place and time it would have been funny but for Draco and Hermione at that point in time it was the most unfunny thing in the world to see Snape's face when Draco came out with gems such as;
"Bacon fat head."
"Pinocchio nose."
And best of all describing his lesson as " An hour and a half in damp smelly cave with a teacher who seems to have permanent PMS."
Draco was dragged off to Dumbledore's office by Snape who was almost apoplectic with rage. The wise headmaster questioned the horrified and apologetic fifth year for less than three minutes before summoning Hermione, Harry and Snape into his office.
"Now then Harry, take a seat and explain." Dumbledore did have a small smile twitching at his lips but nonetheless he sounded serious.
"It was a dare Professor, we did it for a joke, we never meant to.....I am so sorry Draco."
Dumbledore sighed. "So you are saying that what you believed to be harmless rule-breaking has, through some bizarre co-incidences, become completely out of hand."
"Yes Sir" All three voices chorused at once. Dumbledore paused once more and studied the three carefully. He seemingly reached a conclusion and lifted his wand.
"Recurcio!"
Both Draco and Hermione pitched forward. "I think that has done the trick. Now, onto other matters. Harry, Miss Granger your actions were against school policy and I am therefore going to have to give you both a detention and twenty points of Gryffindor. I trust that satisfies you Serverus."
Snape seemed to have turned into a statue and merely nodded mechanically. Dumbledore nodded and Harry and Hermione got up gratefully.
"Potter, Granger I want you both to report to potions on Saturday evening for that detention," barked Snape as they slid thankfully out of sight.
Hermione felt awful leaving Draco but something told her that he'd emerge unscathed. Dumbledore hadn't seemed too angry. She was silent all the way until they emerged into a corridor near the Fat Lady.
"So.." Harry tried to break the silence. "What did you and Draco get up to?" As he said this his eyebrows almost disappeared under his fringe and a knowing grin was plastered onto his face.
"Harry don't be so dirty minded it doesn't suit you."
"Oh come on tell me!"
"Never you mind."
Later that evening as sunset approached Draco made his way over to the Gardens. He had a knot of anxiety that Hermione was angry with him and wouldn't be there. As he drew near he could see her waiting.
"Hey." He smiled shyly.
"Let's walk."
Author's note: Hmm not v.good I know but if u think different lemme know. The Yule Ball WILL be in the next chapter, infact it will probably be the next chapter. Please review cause it makes my day, all you author ppl know what I mean rite???
Kimoon
