A/n- What's there to say - 2nd chapter. Please review and tell me what ya
think by clickin on the little box at the bottom of the page, k?
Disclaimer: Duh. It's all J.K.Rowlings ('cept 4 the plot, that would be mine.) If you haven't figured that out yet, then ya must have had a long stay on Mars.
1 The Bet
Hermione continued to stir her potion with big sloppy movements. The green liquid that was the Clearing Potion splashed over the sides of her caldron.
" Granger! Kindly watch what you're doing! I do not appreciate having stains on my dungeon floors. Five points off of Gryffindor." Snape barked.
" Sorry Professor." Hermione replied. She hadn't meant for the potion to go all over his dungeon floors, but it was really hard to pay attention when someone you've known for four years suddenly starts staring at you in "That Way." It had been two days since the Yule Ball announcement and two days since Hermione had started getting some unexpected attention. She was not very focused.
" Herm, are you ok? You've been kind of weird ever since Monday." Harry said.
" Yeah, Harry's right. You've been avoiding the Common Room too." Ron chimed in.
" I'm fine guys. It's just." Hermione trailed off.
" It's just what?"
" Well, you know Seamus Finnigan?"
" Yes, Hermione. We know Seamus Finnigan. We've known him the whole time we've been at Hogwarts.," said Ron slowly. " Harry, I think she hit her head or something." he whispered silently to his friend. Harry nodded.
" I did not hit my head! But Seamus Finnigan. Has he been acting weird lately? Maybe?"
" Weird how?" asked Harry.
" Weird like how he's been looking at me for the past hour and then whispering to Dean?"
" Huh?!" Ron spun around to look at Seamus and Dean, who were all the way in the back of the room. Seamus was indeed staring at Hermione, but looked down guiltily when he saw Ron. " But why would he be interested in you?"
" Ron. Do we need to go over this again like last year? Some people have noticed that I'm a girl. And since the subject of the Yule Ball has come up, I thought that maybe he's interested in "That Way".
" Herm. We've known Seamus for four years. It's always Lavender that's caught his attention (Ron said this part rather bitterly, as we all know that his eyes glaze over when he looks at Lavender). Errol would fly as fast as a CleanSweep 7 before Seamus asked you to the ball.
" Oh, yeah?" Hermione said, a little hurt. Not that she cared if Seamus ever asked her out, it's just that Ron still didn't think that a guy could like her like that. Oh, she would show him.
" Actually, I think he has been looking at Hermione more for the past few days." Harry said.
" Told you Ron."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
On the other side of the dungeons, a group of Slytherins were in a huddle. They were also discussing Hermione's, er, personal life, and her new attention from Seamus.
" Look at him. He's practically drooling." Pansy Parkinson said. " It's disgusting."
" I think it's rather funny." another Slytherin girl replied.
" Who would have ever thought someone would be interested in the Mudblood? She'll probably jump with joy when he comes asking her out." Pansy replied.
" You think?" asked Draco Malfoy. " Granger's probably still missing Krum. She won't want to go to the bloody Yule Ball with anyone. She'll probably just spend time in the library. I bet, that if Seamus Finnigan asks Granger to the ball, she'll say no. I bet she'll say no to anybody that asks her."
" Oh you bet do you?" asked Pansy slyly.
" Yeah, I bet. I bet you ten gallons she won't go to the ball with anyone." Draco replied.
" No no Draco dear. We're not betting money. That's for kids. Here's the bet: You have to ask Granger to the ball."
" What?!" Draco interrupted. " Where did that come from? I said I bet that she wouldn't go to the ball with anyone. I never said anything about asking her out!"
" This is my bet. You either take it or leave it. I suggest you take it though, if you don't want everyone in the whole school to know about - Mr. Twinkles (Draco's stuffed Penguin,that he sleeps with every night)." Pansy said in a mocking tone.
" Who?" the nearby Slytherins asked.
" Nobody!" Draco replied quickly. " Go on Pansy."
" Good. Now as I was saying, here's the bet: You have to ask Granger to the ball." Draco grimaced. " If she says yes, and you last all the way through the ball with her, then you win. If she says no, goes with someone else, or leaves you at the ball, then you loose. Deal?"
" Wait. What do I get if I win?"
" I'm getting there. If you win, then I promise not to hang all over you for the rest of the year."
" Really?!" Draco said, a little to eagerly.
" Yes." Pansy said, narrowing her eyes. " But, if you loose, then you get to become my servant for a week, and Mr. Twinkles gets out. Agreed?"
Draco thought it over. If he said no, the rest the Slytherins would know he was a coward. They might even send a letter to his father, saying that Draco had turned down a bet. His father would be very pissed off that his son had turned down a bet. But he hated Granger - and going to the Yule Ball with her would be hell. Not to mention the fact that if he lost, he was Pansy's slave for a week. But if he won, then she was off his back for the rest of the year. That would be bliss. The rest of the Slytherins stared at him expectantly. Here goes nothing. He thought.
" Agreed." said Draco. " Just wait and see. Granger is going to drool when she finds out that I'm going to take her to the ball." he said, overconfidence spilling out of his mouth. But he knew, deep down, Hermione Granger would rather go to the ball with one of the school owls, then with him.
Disclaimer: Duh. It's all J.K.Rowlings ('cept 4 the plot, that would be mine.) If you haven't figured that out yet, then ya must have had a long stay on Mars.
1 The Bet
Hermione continued to stir her potion with big sloppy movements. The green liquid that was the Clearing Potion splashed over the sides of her caldron.
" Granger! Kindly watch what you're doing! I do not appreciate having stains on my dungeon floors. Five points off of Gryffindor." Snape barked.
" Sorry Professor." Hermione replied. She hadn't meant for the potion to go all over his dungeon floors, but it was really hard to pay attention when someone you've known for four years suddenly starts staring at you in "That Way." It had been two days since the Yule Ball announcement and two days since Hermione had started getting some unexpected attention. She was not very focused.
" Herm, are you ok? You've been kind of weird ever since Monday." Harry said.
" Yeah, Harry's right. You've been avoiding the Common Room too." Ron chimed in.
" I'm fine guys. It's just." Hermione trailed off.
" It's just what?"
" Well, you know Seamus Finnigan?"
" Yes, Hermione. We know Seamus Finnigan. We've known him the whole time we've been at Hogwarts.," said Ron slowly. " Harry, I think she hit her head or something." he whispered silently to his friend. Harry nodded.
" I did not hit my head! But Seamus Finnigan. Has he been acting weird lately? Maybe?"
" Weird how?" asked Harry.
" Weird like how he's been looking at me for the past hour and then whispering to Dean?"
" Huh?!" Ron spun around to look at Seamus and Dean, who were all the way in the back of the room. Seamus was indeed staring at Hermione, but looked down guiltily when he saw Ron. " But why would he be interested in you?"
" Ron. Do we need to go over this again like last year? Some people have noticed that I'm a girl. And since the subject of the Yule Ball has come up, I thought that maybe he's interested in "That Way".
" Herm. We've known Seamus for four years. It's always Lavender that's caught his attention (Ron said this part rather bitterly, as we all know that his eyes glaze over when he looks at Lavender). Errol would fly as fast as a CleanSweep 7 before Seamus asked you to the ball.
" Oh, yeah?" Hermione said, a little hurt. Not that she cared if Seamus ever asked her out, it's just that Ron still didn't think that a guy could like her like that. Oh, she would show him.
" Actually, I think he has been looking at Hermione more for the past few days." Harry said.
" Told you Ron."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
On the other side of the dungeons, a group of Slytherins were in a huddle. They were also discussing Hermione's, er, personal life, and her new attention from Seamus.
" Look at him. He's practically drooling." Pansy Parkinson said. " It's disgusting."
" I think it's rather funny." another Slytherin girl replied.
" Who would have ever thought someone would be interested in the Mudblood? She'll probably jump with joy when he comes asking her out." Pansy replied.
" You think?" asked Draco Malfoy. " Granger's probably still missing Krum. She won't want to go to the bloody Yule Ball with anyone. She'll probably just spend time in the library. I bet, that if Seamus Finnigan asks Granger to the ball, she'll say no. I bet she'll say no to anybody that asks her."
" Oh you bet do you?" asked Pansy slyly.
" Yeah, I bet. I bet you ten gallons she won't go to the ball with anyone." Draco replied.
" No no Draco dear. We're not betting money. That's for kids. Here's the bet: You have to ask Granger to the ball."
" What?!" Draco interrupted. " Where did that come from? I said I bet that she wouldn't go to the ball with anyone. I never said anything about asking her out!"
" This is my bet. You either take it or leave it. I suggest you take it though, if you don't want everyone in the whole school to know about - Mr. Twinkles (Draco's stuffed Penguin,that he sleeps with every night)." Pansy said in a mocking tone.
" Who?" the nearby Slytherins asked.
" Nobody!" Draco replied quickly. " Go on Pansy."
" Good. Now as I was saying, here's the bet: You have to ask Granger to the ball." Draco grimaced. " If she says yes, and you last all the way through the ball with her, then you win. If she says no, goes with someone else, or leaves you at the ball, then you loose. Deal?"
" Wait. What do I get if I win?"
" I'm getting there. If you win, then I promise not to hang all over you for the rest of the year."
" Really?!" Draco said, a little to eagerly.
" Yes." Pansy said, narrowing her eyes. " But, if you loose, then you get to become my servant for a week, and Mr. Twinkles gets out. Agreed?"
Draco thought it over. If he said no, the rest the Slytherins would know he was a coward. They might even send a letter to his father, saying that Draco had turned down a bet. His father would be very pissed off that his son had turned down a bet. But he hated Granger - and going to the Yule Ball with her would be hell. Not to mention the fact that if he lost, he was Pansy's slave for a week. But if he won, then she was off his back for the rest of the year. That would be bliss. The rest of the Slytherins stared at him expectantly. Here goes nothing. He thought.
" Agreed." said Draco. " Just wait and see. Granger is going to drool when she finds out that I'm going to take her to the ball." he said, overconfidence spilling out of his mouth. But he knew, deep down, Hermione Granger would rather go to the ball with one of the school owls, then with him.
