I'm ashamed to say that when I posted chapter 1, I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of the story -- not even what happened in Transfiguration class. I never write a fic without knowing where I'm going with the upcoming chapters, but this fic was originally supposed to just be a one-parter. But the more I wrote, the more I realized that Hermione was too complex a character and too intelligent to come about this the easy way. Ergo, I decided to write yet another ambitious chapter fic. Good luck to me.
Oh, and for those of you who were concerned about the pairings, I'm a huge Ron/Hermione fan -- the only fic I've read that has made Harry/Hermione seem even remotely possible is Cassandra Claire's series, and she's the rare exception. So no worries!
Love, Logic, and Hermione
by: Star Bunny (bunny28@hehe.com)
Chapter 2
My father loves Chemistry. For those of you who are unaware, Chemistry is a Muggle science much like Potions, but mixed with a dreadful concentration of Math and formulae. And my father is crazy for it. His undergraduate degree at his Muggle university was Chemistry/Pre-Med, and while he loves his dentistry practice, his first love has always been Chemistry. I remember as a child seeing a sign in his office that read, "Love begins with physical chemistry." Always the inquisitive child, I had to know what exactly was the correlation between love (the least academic of all sciences) and Physical Chemistry (aka P-Chem, Thermodynamics, I'll never get out of this class alive - to quote my mother). He would never tell me, saying that I would understand when I was older. I now spend most of my time in the wizarding world, and might never fully comprehend this mystery. But perhaps I had just come one step closer.
Professor McGonagall was in the middle of a lecture on size approximation when transfiguring large objects - very important to know for the N.E.W.T.s. But for once, I was not paying attention. I'm berating myself even as I write this, for I can just imagine the outcome if I were to form a habit of daydreaming through class. I had only read the material through twice before, and I was sure to have missed something very important. As it was, I spent the next three weeks doing extra Transfiguration homework to make up for my lazy attitude.
But at this moment, my mind was far from size approximations. In fact, I was thinking about Potions. Love Potions, to be exact. Chemistry is a bit like Potions, if you will remember, and I had just had the idea that perhaps -- if love truly did begin with Physical Chemistry -- the same could be said about Love Potions. Of course, I didn't want to brew a Love Potion - that was against Hogwarts rules - but I was certain that there were properties of Love Potions that could explain what made people fall in love. Yet again, I congratulated myself on my brilliance. Well done, Hermione! I would have a boyfriend by the end of the month, for certain.
Unfortuantely, McGonagall chose that moment to ask me a question.
"... the result be? Miss Granger?"
I jerked my head around to face her, a blush creeping up my cheeks. "Erm… would you mind repeating the question, Professor?" I whispered, horrified to have been caught daydreaming. Through my humiliation, I could hear soft gasps and a few snickers from my classmates as they realized what I had just said. Professor McGonagall gave me a stern look, and then faced the rest of the class.
"Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger, for not paying attention. Perhaps one of your classmates would be able to help you. Mr. Thomas?"
Dean answered correctly, prompting McGonagall to give back the five points, but I was still mortified. Never, in all my years at Hogwarts, have I missed a question. And I have certainly never lost any points for Gryffindor for being anything other than a model student in class. I inwardly cursed the hormones which were making me act like a foolish adolescent. It was quite obviously their fault; I was certainly not to blame.
After class, I quickly headed to the library, intent on avoiding Harry and Ron at all costs. I had undoubtedly given them all the bait they needed to tease me for the next eleven years. Safe in the library, where Ron especially wouldn't think of setting a foot, was the only place I wanted to be.
I had soon surrounded myself with a pile of books on Love Potions (L'amour Brille Au-dessus du Feu*, A Concise History of Love Potions, The Magic of Love: 10 famous love potions, The Life and Works of St. Valentine, etc) and was completely engrossed. I loved old books. I would get lost in the language: words like hitherto, animadvert, triturate - it was no wonder that Harry and Ron thought I was nothing more than a brain. I enjoyed looking for words I didn't know. In fact, it was sort of like a treasure hunt. The more I read, the fewer words I didn't understand, and the more I would have to read to find new ones.
Ten minutes into my studies, I had already learned that there were several key ingredients in any love potion: billywig stingers (usually ranging from ¼ to 1 ½ stingers, so as to promote the giddy feeling but not enough for full levitation), phoenix tears (to heal broken hearts), baby unicorn horn (for an honest devotion), and dragon blood (for courage). There were many other ingredients, but these four were common to all.
Let's see... what have we learned? Falling in love produces a giddy feeling, but requires honest devotion, courage, and the laying aside of hurts. Some of the potions included a piece of the person that the drinker would fall in love with (much like a Polyjuice Potion), but a surprising number relied on dormant feelings within the individual to choose with whom they fell in love. This was all very fascinating, and I was quite anxious to begin analyzing the data so that I might soon formulate results. I was just opening the last book, when...
"Love Potions?!" snorted a voice behind me. I turned around to see Harry and Ron sporting identical expressions of ill-concealed amusement. Harry was the first to laugh.
"Was this why were weren't paying attention in McGonagall's class? You were thinking about Love Potions?"
"Now Hermione," Ron snickered, "I thought you would know better than to brew an illegal Love Potion. We've been rubbing off on her, mate," he whispered sotto voce, but I knew that he meant for me to overhear him.
"Very funny, Ron." I rolled my eyes for effect. "You know that I wouldn't actually brew a Love Potion. I'm just doing research. For a project."
"If I had known Snape was giving out projects like that, I might try a little harder at Potions!" Harry winked at me, fully anticipating the blush of righteous indignation that sprang to my cheeks.
Well, honestly! The two of them were practically rolling on the floor in laughter, and all at my expense.
"Oh, Hermione!" Ron cried dramatically, clutching his hand to his heart and falling to one knee. "It must be the Potion you snuck in my pumpkin juice this morning. I'm madly in love with you!"
"Well, then," I replied frostily. "I must have tampered with the wrong goblet."
I instantly regretted staying this, as the grin on Ron's face flickered to be replaced with a hurt expression. This lasted only for a second, though, before the confident look came back.
"What's that Muggle expression you're always using, Hermione? Floyd Slip, or something like that?"
"Freudian Slip," I replied automatically, before the full implication hit me. "Ron! For the last time, I am not brewing Love Potions. But were I actually to brew them, you can be assured that I would know exactly which goblet I slipped it to."
Ron looked like he really wanted to reply to that, but Madame Pince had had just about enough of our outbursts and was striding towards us purposefully.
"Out! This instant! Students are trying to study!" Her eyes narrowed as she noticed my reading material, and gathered the books up to her arms in a huff. We filed out of the library silently at being chastised, but I was especially glad for the interruption. Perhaps this would give me the time I needed to sort out this mess.
~~~
* - Love shines above the fire
Fifteen house points to those of you who noticed either my two very vague allusions in this chapter! One of Hermione's books (the french one) was adapted from the french version of The Lion King (L'amour Brilles Sous Les Etoiles -- love shines under the stars, or Can You Feel the Love Tonight). The second was a quote adapted from You've Got Mail ("I get lost in the language: words like thither, mischance, felicity..."). They belong to their respective creators, and not to me.
Thanks for taking the time to read and review! Constructive criticism is highly coveted, as it makes my story better.
Bunny ^_~