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Chapter 3 - Darkness Falls
Dark days were coming to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sybill Trelawney glanced over the Great Hall and saw psychic noise. Sometimes it was absolutely unbearable. She spent four years at Hogwarts with Delphina Adelaide and six years in Romania studying under Madame Esmilka two of the most powerful seers to date, but it was all to no end. The problem was never with Sybill's powers, far from it. Sybill Trelawney easily had more psychic ability in her pinky finger than any of her contemporaries combined. Her countless years of further tutelage still failed to afford Sybill the control necessary to skillfully wield her powers. Sure she could do basic probes and scans on specific people, but even these simple tasks were avoided. The shift from psychic potential to psychic energy was often incomplete or a complete disaster when she tried to go beyond the basics. Killing someone accidentally with her mind was an all too real possibility for Sybill. No witch should ever be forced to absorb the perpetual influx of kinetic thoughts that Sybill dealt with daily.
Sybill knew what everyone including the faculty thought of her. She honestly could not find a single point in her defense. The things she spouted off in class and around the campus were pure poppycock. She spoke of death, tragedy and brimstone because she used to believe everyone expected it of her. By the time she realized nothing of the sort had been true, well it really was expected of her. While she was the butt of many jokes, she knew no one dared to fault her teaching abilities. Divination was a skill that only worked where psychic potential existed. Anyone could learn the theory involved, but only a seer could practice the methodology. Less than one percent of the wizarding population consisted of seers, empaths and telepaths. Sybill Trelawney was cursed with all three powers. She was a rare find indeed. Not even Albus Dumbledore understood her plight, but he certainly sympathized. More importantly, he feared her ending up in the Dark Lord's clutches, which is why he found a position for her at the school.
Her current sixth year students were a rare bunch indeed. In their first year, it had been seven years since her last true seer, but this class was blessed with three. Even though they were silly twits, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown both possessed the gift. Pansy Parkinson also accompanied them. The twits would probably end married pregnant and totally wasting their abilities, which they viewed as novelties by the summer after commencement. It was rumored that Parkinson was already acting as a seer for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Outside of her class a lone sixth year seer wandered the halls. Oddly enough it was Hermione Granger who was also a seer, but Sybill doubted the girl would ever know. Normally she would insist to Albus that someone with the gift remain under instruction, but Hermione was in no danger of psychic suppression. Ms. Granger excelled at Arithmancy due in part to her psychic aptitude. Her gift allowed her to narrow down all the possibilities to and handful of perfect possible futures. Professor Vector came from a long line of seers and while she did not have the gift, she certainly knew how to instruct arithmancers who possessed it.
Sybill often wondered what outcomes Hermione divined from her equations. Did her equations come to her like visions or were they something else entirely? Trelawney had only ever been able to focus her power enough for concentrated visions twice in her life. Both times the chaos in her head had been silenced and a lone thread had taken hold until she fell into a trance and prophesied. Both times the Boy Who Lived had almost died.
Sybill continued to survey the Great Hall until her eyes fell onto Draco Malfoy. For an instant she dropped the dreamy eyed act and focused on the boy with all her might. She had long since gleaned that he was not all he seemed to be. His deceptions ran deep into the core of his house. The only other time she had gotten a reading like that off of someone was with the illustrious Severus Snape. She liked Snape because even though she saw his innate darkness, he never transmitted his noise. Sybill found this to be a blessing for if he ever revealed himself to her the sound would be her undoing. Malfoy used to be silence as well, but now he emitted a feral growl in her symphony.
Sybill caught Malfoy's gray stare lasering in on Hermione Granger. In previous years his disdain for the girl had been genuine and hissed in Sybill's mind like a venomous predator. Now however, she heard a different note in his thoughts. It was overwhelming and primal. He was...he was looking at his...mate? No, that did not seem right. It wasn't that simple. As Sybill tried to concentrate on Malfoy's thoughts a psychic force knocked into her and Sybill nearly passed out from the blow. The pain in her mind burned like acid, but she forced herself to go through her extensive training and attempt to find her attacker. When her mind refocused her gaze was wrenched towards Hermione Granger. The look in the girl's eyes was clear. It was predatory and clearly told Sybill to keep out of Draco Malfoy's head.
Sybill could not contain her shock. Hermione had just manipulated her powers on an advanced level. Not only had she sensed Sybill's probe, she had obviously established some sort of link with Draco Malfoy and was able to attack on a psychic level. Tentatively Sybill sent out a psychic thread to Hermione, but before her intentions could be stated Sybill felt searing pain in her mind. Through the pain a small part of her deteriorating mind wondered why she couldn't ever keep her nose where it belonged or just have a nice little vision about Hufflepuff winning the House Cup. Everyone in the hall turned at the sound of the Divinations professor's keening cry as she collapsed on the floor in a dead faint.
All at once the Great Hall was filled with murmuring students. Quite a few stood on benches to gawk at the spectacle at the head table. Madame Pomphrey rushed over to the seer's side and began examining her. Professor Sprout gasped and turned into Hagrid's massive chest when she saw blood begin to leak out of Trelawney's nose and mouth.
Headmaster Dumbledore inhaled deeply before turning his back to the grim scene. When he faced the students his voice resonated in the room.
"SILENCE. Prefects please direct all housemates to your common rooms. There is to be no talking in the hallways. Any student who chooses to do otherwise will find a severe decrease in house points. When you have all reached your common rooms you will remain there until your head of house arrives to tell you otherwise. If anyone is found loitering or wandering in the halls they will receive a minimum of two weeks detention. Our Head Boy Mr. Boot and Head Girl Ms. Chang will patrol the halls to ensure these rules are strictly enforced."
There was no twinkle in his eyes only a steely gaze that brooked no argument. After Dumbledore turned his back the mass exodus began. Not a single sound was made as the students headed towards their common rooms. Slytherin and Gryffindor walked out side by side. Hermione and Draco led their respective houses away. Professor Snape's obsidian eyes honed in on the two and narrowed when their shoulders brushed before they diverged over the threshold.
Much later on, after everyone had settled in for the night and Sybill Trelawney was safely ensconced in the Hospital Wing, Snape glided into the Headmaster's office. For the first time ever, Albus did not offer him some sickeningly sweet confection as he took a seat. Albus sat back in contemplative repose. His hands were folded atop his slight midsection and his snowy beard fell on either side. His lips were pursed and he gazed at several lone sugar granules on his cluttered desk. Severus sat patiently and waited for the Headmaster to collect his thoughts. When Dumbledore finally looked up, it was to pin the young professor with an intense blue gaze.
"You will be pleased to know that Sybill will be fine. Poppy has decided to keep her overnight, but assures me she will be ready to teach her first class."
Severus raised a raven eyebrow at the Headmaster's assumption that he cared for the other professor's well being. Before he could comment on this he was cut off by the Headmaster's weary voice.
"It would seem that Professor Trelawney's injuries were sustained via a severe psychic blow. Poppy's preliminary scans show that something temporarily stunned Sybill's third eye. As it stands Sybill does not remember what she was doing before she collapsed so we cannot know for certain who inflicted these wounds or what provoked him or her to attack. Scans indicate that the extraneous psychic residue in Sybill's body is indicative of a trained diviner."
"Well I suppose that rules out the hopeless Hufflepuff cursing herself in the foot so to speak." Severus rolled his eyes at Albus' frown. " Come now Albus, it would not be the first time she accidentally stunned herself. Considering the evidence it would seem that Mademoiselles Brown, Patil and Parkinson are the immediate suspects. They are the most advanced divination students at this time. On the other hand Ms. Granger may not be classically trained, but the obnoxious twit does seem intent upon memorizing every book in the library. I would not be surprised if she knew more about divination at least in theory than that fruit Trelawney. It is not outside the realm of reason that she might be responsible for Sybill Trelawney's injuries."
Albus eased out of his chair and walked towards a large enchanted window. The window was similar to a muggle security camera system. It allowed the Headmaster to view all known portions of the castle. It was also the reason why the Dumbledore seemed omniscient at times.well that plus the fact that he was a bit of a seer. He watched the scenes flashing before him intently. Slowly he turned and afforded Severus a profile view of his face.
"My boy, how has Pansy Parkinson's behavior been lately? She has always had a strong personality and you have said that in the past she has done minor psychic exercises for Voldemort. I should think she is a suspect you should seriously look into as well."
The silence following Dumbledore's words was deafening. Severus was ashen faced, more so then usual when he stood up stiffly and stalked over to the Headmaster's side. In deceptively soft tones the Potions Master spoke to his superior.
"There times Albus, when I forget that you are nothing more than a man. Your greatness clouds my memories of your follies, which is rather ironic when you consider the fact that I am your greatest folly. It may not be obvious to all, but the dynamic of Granger and Draco's relationship has changed. I did not wish to believe, but now I know we have reason to worry. You initially told me to watch them because you saw a dangerous union forming." Slowly Snape stepped back from the Headmaster and headed toward the spiral stairway.
Just then the Headmaster refocused his eyes on the window. An image of Hermione Granger exiting the Gryffindor portrait hole was quickly followed by one of Draco Malfoy stealthily walking away from the Serpents Den. Albus' shoulders slumped and in that instant he shrank in stature and was molded into the form of a tired old man. His voice was reed thin when he called out Severus' name.
"It would seem that we have two students out of bed after they were expressly informed to remain in their houses until morning. Will you please handle the situation?"
Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. The Fat Lady was rustling about and if the old cow woke up and spotted her, she would cause nothing but trouble. The sturdy brunette reached carefully for her wand and pointed it at the portrait hole before murmuring a spell that would keep the painting slumbering until she chose to reverse it. Once she was sure the spell had worked, Hermione turned determinedly towards her destination.
Malfoy had better be on time, she thought grimly. Hermione did not fancy loitering in the hallway. That could only lead to an undesirable encounter with Filch or Snape or worse still both. If she had been able to plan this tryst a bit better, she would have remembered to snatch Harry's cloak. But she hadn't been thinking clearly. Her thoughts were jumbled and confused.
A line had been crossed today and all Hermione could think to do was find the git that got her into this mess.
"Malfoy." she hissed in a loud whisper from just inside the library doors.
Draco Malfoy reclined against a wall underneath a large stained glass window in the large library. His aquiline features were bathed in colored slats of moonlight and a secret part of Hermione's spirit thrilled at the sight of him. As he turned to face her, the young Gryffindor's body went haywire. She hated the wretched way her nipples tightened and the blood underneath her skin rushed up and made her feel super-sensitive. It was a betrayal of the worst kind. Intellectually Hermione knew her reaction was instinctive and did not reflect her true feelings towards Malfoy. Yet she found little comfort in this explanation. Each day it became just it little more difficult to resist the stranger inside and cling to the real Hermione.
She feared the day she would cease to call him Malfoy. Conceding his name would seal her fate in this dangerous game they had started. The experience would be unbearable were it not for the fact she knew the insufferable prick was fighting similar demons.
As the shapely brunette approached, Malfoy languidly moved from his position of repose and rose to his full height of 6 feet 3 inches. He carefully placed his elegant hands with beautifully tapered fingers into the pockets of his equally elegant tailored slacks. He looked at the statuesque form of Hermione Granger with an artfully arched brow. His eyes were unblinking and Draco Malfoy looked relaxed and in control of his surroundings.
Upon closer inspection Hermione found tell tale signs of his discomfort. His jaw looked painfully tense and a pulse point in his right temple pulsed clearly. His whole body was held tightly and his breaths were accompanied by a tell tale flaring of his nostrils. These physical cues gave Hermione all the comfort she needed. And because she could not bear to stand so close to him without some type of contact, she humbled herself and reached out to touch his face. Both expelled an audible sigh of relief. For a perfect instant their skin stopped burning, their nerve endings stopped jangling and they were at peace.
Then the mood shifted as Hermione eased her hand up the side of his face to gently cup his ear. There was an odd hitch in Draco's breathing which quickly became a hiss of pain as the muggle-born witch twisted his right ear. The action served the purpose of maintaining contact while satisfying the part of Hermione that still hated Malfoy.
"Malfoy, I don't like this. I don't like losing control. I'm sorry if it irritates you that I wasn't born with your Slytherin implacability, but I just can't hide the need as well as you can. Now you need to meet me half way on this. We knew from the start that I would have less tolerance as time wears on. I trusted you to be there for me, but I am sick of having to beg for you. We can't risk another incident like we had in potions. I will not be."
The girl's words were halted by a pale hand over her mouth. With his free hand Draco reached up and removed the painful grip on his ear, before dragging the girl's frame into his embrace. At first, Hermione was too stunned to move and then she began to struggle with all her might. Years of quidditch had given Draco a deceptive strength. He held fast to the spunky Gryffindor and leaned his face in until his mouth brushed against her ear. In a gravelly voice he spoke quietly into her ear.
"Why are you fighting? Isn't this what you need? To be touched by me? To be close to me?" Draco chuckled as the spunky girl fought with even more vigor. "Granger I don't like this either. I relish my personal space and I certainly never wished to have it contaminated by a little mudblood, but we rarely get what we want in this life. Now I promised to take care of you and I do. It's not my fault you are weak and can't resist your impulses. Lucky for you, it does not suit my purposes to have you draw further attention to us and I need that mind of yours fully functioning. That being said I have a proposal for you. How would you like this night and every other in bed with me?"
Now it was Hermione's turn for her breath to hitch. A shiver worked its way up Hermione's spine and she dropped her head to Draco's chest to avoid the smirk that was sure to be on his face. Not for the first time, Hermione cursed her body for its weakness and betrayal.
"Be reasonable mudblood," Hermione's hackles automatically went up at the term and her back stiffened with indignation when Draco rubbed her back as if she were a recalcitrant child. "You can't go around partnering up with me in potions and attacking teachers or anyone else for that matter. You obviously can't sustain yourself on the few touches we managed in the halls when this all began. Your appetite has become too great. Perhaps if you have eight hours of constant contact with me each night, you will be able to act normally during the day. Now be a good girl and do as Draco says."
Hermione's brown gaze crackled with pent up fury and for an instant not even Draco's imbedded prejudice could stop his hormonal reaction to the brilliantly upset female in his arms.
"Fuck you Malfoy."
Hermione carefully enunciated each word and hoped that her words and her eyes conveyed her complete distaste for the boy.
With a seductive smile Draco delicately disentangled himself from their embrace.
"If it comes to that Granger. But for now I think sleeping will suffice."
"Let the record show I still hate you, you albino ferret. You had better be covered from head to foot too, you pervy git."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Really where did you get those manners? It is my room and I shall sleep as I always have. Completely nak."
"Shhh! Do you sense that?" Hermione's head was tilted slightly and she was delicately sniffing the air. "Someone is coming. Leave the door to your room open and I will be there shortly. "
"Granger you don't know the way to Slytherin Dorms much less my own chambers."
With an exasperated sigh, Hermione shook her head.
"Don't worry, I will find you. I'll see you in an hour, maybe less. Now just go."
Just as Draco's figure became totally obscured in shadows Hermione turned to face the library one last time and checked for any signs of their visit. Satisfied with what she saw, Hermione turned around and stepped out the doors. With her back to the hall she quickly cast a locking spell. When she finished the incantation a look of resignation fell on her face. Without even turning around the young witch stated a meek "Good evening Professor Snape."
"It is morning Ms. Granger. Now please face me and explain why you are out when you have received strict orders to remain in your house," Snape commanded in a low purr.
Languidly the girl turned to face her professor. When she finally faced him, her back was flush with the doors and he was disconcertingly close to her person. He wore his usual severely cut midnight robes. The only pieces of flesh left visible and exposed were his battered face and his equally battered hands. Even at 5 feet 8 inches, Hermione had to crane her neck back to meet her professor's ebony eyes.
"Would you believe I was sleep studying? I do it all the time. Harry and Ron usually catch me before I get this far, but I guess all the excitement made them forget to keep an eye out. Well, so sorry for the inconvenience I'll be sure to let Madame Pomphrey know and have her whip up a cure. See you at breakfast."
Hermione moved to her right, but found black wool cotton on either side of her head. She wisely chose to keep her eyes focused on the jet button just between the potions master's lean pectorals. When he leaned in to speak directly into her ear, Hermione vaguely thought to herself that all Slytherin men must receive lessons on how to evoke shivers every time they use the signature move.
"Ms. Granger you have always been an insolent little know-it-all, but you have remained shrouded under the protective wings of your Gryffindor mentors. I think it is safe to say that this time you will not escape from the pit you have dug yourself into. I am almost certain you were not.sleep- studying unaccompanied, but I will leave the third degree to Professor McGonagall. You have crossed some very definite lines today Ms. Granger and I am sure that by the end of this night you will find that mine are not the only watchful eyes at Hogwarts."
At his last comment, Hermione's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed upon the raven-haired man's face. She saw the satisfaction spread across the greasy bastard's face and wanted to claw it with all her might. Something in her eyes must have spoken of suppressed violence. Snape slowly shook his head as if to warn her against any rash actions. She was vexed because Snape was enjoying drawing out her misery.
While I am sure that your head of house will take her own pound of flesh out of you along with stripping you of your prefecting duties, I believe I shall take a round 100 points from Gryffindor for your untruthfulness and attempt to escape punishment. Now if you will follow me."
Over one hour later, Hermione lay on her bed like a condemned woman. McGonagall had seen fit to take another 100 points from Gryffindor for far too many infractions to count. She had not yet been stripped of her prefect powers. Hermione assumed it was because McGonagall was at heart deeply sentimental and could not simply rip away such an important post considering this was really only her second major indiscretion. The only satisfying part of the whole ordeal was that she had been sentenced to a month of detentions with Snape. It gave her an excuse to be in the dungeons near Draco. The part of Hermione that was still a well-behaved Gryffindor truly lamented the trouble she was in. It weighed heavily on her heart to have Snape imply that at the very least McGonagall and Dumbledore did not trust her. At the heart of it all she was alarmed by the fact that her charade was no longer fooling the people that mattered most. A new plan of action would have to be employed for her plan to work. With a resigned sigh Hermione prepared to break yet another rule.
Harry Potter could not sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, images of Hermione assailed him. She was in trouble, but it was up to her to come to them. He knew Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape all secretly thought she had turned dark, but Harry knew better. Maya was too strong for that. For the life of him Harry could not figure out what could possibly connect Maya to Malfoy. At first he thought Malfoy was blackmailing her, but that idea was tossed quickly. Maya obviously wanted to be with the prat. If it were as simple as an affair, he and Ron would have found some way to deal with it. Their bond obviously went deeper than sex. Harry cringed a bit at the last thought. As far as he was concerned Hermione and sex should never be in the same sentence EVER.
Ron's personal theory was that she was under a dark spell. After surreptitiously testing her, they found that no traces of spells manipulating her free will. Harry's new theory seemed to be the most viable. A month and a half into the beginning of sixth year, there had been a surge in the magical energy surrounding Hogwarts. The surge had happened on the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. One minute the students were gallivanting about and the next the sky was overcast and all hell broke loose. Something reversed the polarity of their powers and none of the students could control their abilities. It took the work of Rosmerta, the Weasley twins and a few teachers who happened to be on hand to herd all of the students together and suppress their haywire magic. For some reason, the surge had only affected the students. An impromptu three- day weekend was given since many students were recovering well into Monday. Maya, Malfoy and a handful of other students opted to skip the trip to Hogsmeade. Both Hermione and Malfoy claimed they slept through the disturbance. About a month after that day, Harry noticed an odd interchange between the unlikely couple. Harry was certain that the surge had something to do with Maya's change. If he could figure out the source of the surge, then maybe he could glean a way to get Hermione back; hence all the research he and Ron were doing. Harry could not help but think a bit wryly that the surge theory would have occurred to Hermione immediately. Losing the brain in their trio was a real pain in the ass.
Harry sighed deeply and reflected on the events that transpired today. He hated to believe it, but he was certain Maya and Malfoy had something to do with Trelawney's episode. The Headmaster made rounds to all the houses to ensure that all the students were settled. Dumbledore had spoken to him briefly during the lock down tonight. He reminded Harry to let him know if Hermione came to him for help. Harry muttered the obligatory assurances, but he had been lying through his teeth. The fact of the matter was that if Maya asked for help, he would give it unconditionally. His loyalty was to her first and foremost. Ron was in complete agreement.
Just as Harry closed his eyes to make another attempt at sleep, he felt the bed dip underneath him. The only two people who ever sneaked into his bed were Ginny and Hermione. When he turned his head, he saw a wealth of tight spiral curls a voluptuous woman.
"You came," he exhaled in a relieved breath.
"Harry, help me."
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but I have finals coming up and several major deadlines at work to deal with. I know this has been a very vague story to date. If anyone is still interested and reading this, I swear I will explain what is going on with Hermione and Draco in the next chapter. Once again I don't have a beta so if the grammar and spelling becomes unbearable let me know. I'm just now starting to truly flesh out this story. To be quite honest I doubt I will be able to do it justice. Still I'll give it a whirl and see how I manage.
Let me say this again. I do not want to be one those fanfiction writers that make you cringe when you read their work. I have a pretty thick skin so I can deal with strong criticism. If anyone wants to flame they should feel free to do so. Notoriety is so much interesting than fame anyway. That's about all she wrote folks.
Big warm thanks to my reviewers:
Florence Blanche Dubois LadyBrannon Caraena Amiella Rogue Rosmerta Psycho-Kitty-Purra
Chapter 3 - Darkness Falls
Dark days were coming to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sybill Trelawney glanced over the Great Hall and saw psychic noise. Sometimes it was absolutely unbearable. She spent four years at Hogwarts with Delphina Adelaide and six years in Romania studying under Madame Esmilka two of the most powerful seers to date, but it was all to no end. The problem was never with Sybill's powers, far from it. Sybill Trelawney easily had more psychic ability in her pinky finger than any of her contemporaries combined. Her countless years of further tutelage still failed to afford Sybill the control necessary to skillfully wield her powers. Sure she could do basic probes and scans on specific people, but even these simple tasks were avoided. The shift from psychic potential to psychic energy was often incomplete or a complete disaster when she tried to go beyond the basics. Killing someone accidentally with her mind was an all too real possibility for Sybill. No witch should ever be forced to absorb the perpetual influx of kinetic thoughts that Sybill dealt with daily.
Sybill knew what everyone including the faculty thought of her. She honestly could not find a single point in her defense. The things she spouted off in class and around the campus were pure poppycock. She spoke of death, tragedy and brimstone because she used to believe everyone expected it of her. By the time she realized nothing of the sort had been true, well it really was expected of her. While she was the butt of many jokes, she knew no one dared to fault her teaching abilities. Divination was a skill that only worked where psychic potential existed. Anyone could learn the theory involved, but only a seer could practice the methodology. Less than one percent of the wizarding population consisted of seers, empaths and telepaths. Sybill Trelawney was cursed with all three powers. She was a rare find indeed. Not even Albus Dumbledore understood her plight, but he certainly sympathized. More importantly, he feared her ending up in the Dark Lord's clutches, which is why he found a position for her at the school.
Her current sixth year students were a rare bunch indeed. In their first year, it had been seven years since her last true seer, but this class was blessed with three. Even though they were silly twits, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown both possessed the gift. Pansy Parkinson also accompanied them. The twits would probably end married pregnant and totally wasting their abilities, which they viewed as novelties by the summer after commencement. It was rumored that Parkinson was already acting as a seer for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Outside of her class a lone sixth year seer wandered the halls. Oddly enough it was Hermione Granger who was also a seer, but Sybill doubted the girl would ever know. Normally she would insist to Albus that someone with the gift remain under instruction, but Hermione was in no danger of psychic suppression. Ms. Granger excelled at Arithmancy due in part to her psychic aptitude. Her gift allowed her to narrow down all the possibilities to and handful of perfect possible futures. Professor Vector came from a long line of seers and while she did not have the gift, she certainly knew how to instruct arithmancers who possessed it.
Sybill often wondered what outcomes Hermione divined from her equations. Did her equations come to her like visions or were they something else entirely? Trelawney had only ever been able to focus her power enough for concentrated visions twice in her life. Both times the chaos in her head had been silenced and a lone thread had taken hold until she fell into a trance and prophesied. Both times the Boy Who Lived had almost died.
Sybill continued to survey the Great Hall until her eyes fell onto Draco Malfoy. For an instant she dropped the dreamy eyed act and focused on the boy with all her might. She had long since gleaned that he was not all he seemed to be. His deceptions ran deep into the core of his house. The only other time she had gotten a reading like that off of someone was with the illustrious Severus Snape. She liked Snape because even though she saw his innate darkness, he never transmitted his noise. Sybill found this to be a blessing for if he ever revealed himself to her the sound would be her undoing. Malfoy used to be silence as well, but now he emitted a feral growl in her symphony.
Sybill caught Malfoy's gray stare lasering in on Hermione Granger. In previous years his disdain for the girl had been genuine and hissed in Sybill's mind like a venomous predator. Now however, she heard a different note in his thoughts. It was overwhelming and primal. He was...he was looking at his...mate? No, that did not seem right. It wasn't that simple. As Sybill tried to concentrate on Malfoy's thoughts a psychic force knocked into her and Sybill nearly passed out from the blow. The pain in her mind burned like acid, but she forced herself to go through her extensive training and attempt to find her attacker. When her mind refocused her gaze was wrenched towards Hermione Granger. The look in the girl's eyes was clear. It was predatory and clearly told Sybill to keep out of Draco Malfoy's head.
Sybill could not contain her shock. Hermione had just manipulated her powers on an advanced level. Not only had she sensed Sybill's probe, she had obviously established some sort of link with Draco Malfoy and was able to attack on a psychic level. Tentatively Sybill sent out a psychic thread to Hermione, but before her intentions could be stated Sybill felt searing pain in her mind. Through the pain a small part of her deteriorating mind wondered why she couldn't ever keep her nose where it belonged or just have a nice little vision about Hufflepuff winning the House Cup. Everyone in the hall turned at the sound of the Divinations professor's keening cry as she collapsed on the floor in a dead faint.
All at once the Great Hall was filled with murmuring students. Quite a few stood on benches to gawk at the spectacle at the head table. Madame Pomphrey rushed over to the seer's side and began examining her. Professor Sprout gasped and turned into Hagrid's massive chest when she saw blood begin to leak out of Trelawney's nose and mouth.
Headmaster Dumbledore inhaled deeply before turning his back to the grim scene. When he faced the students his voice resonated in the room.
"SILENCE. Prefects please direct all housemates to your common rooms. There is to be no talking in the hallways. Any student who chooses to do otherwise will find a severe decrease in house points. When you have all reached your common rooms you will remain there until your head of house arrives to tell you otherwise. If anyone is found loitering or wandering in the halls they will receive a minimum of two weeks detention. Our Head Boy Mr. Boot and Head Girl Ms. Chang will patrol the halls to ensure these rules are strictly enforced."
There was no twinkle in his eyes only a steely gaze that brooked no argument. After Dumbledore turned his back the mass exodus began. Not a single sound was made as the students headed towards their common rooms. Slytherin and Gryffindor walked out side by side. Hermione and Draco led their respective houses away. Professor Snape's obsidian eyes honed in on the two and narrowed when their shoulders brushed before they diverged over the threshold.
Much later on, after everyone had settled in for the night and Sybill Trelawney was safely ensconced in the Hospital Wing, Snape glided into the Headmaster's office. For the first time ever, Albus did not offer him some sickeningly sweet confection as he took a seat. Albus sat back in contemplative repose. His hands were folded atop his slight midsection and his snowy beard fell on either side. His lips were pursed and he gazed at several lone sugar granules on his cluttered desk. Severus sat patiently and waited for the Headmaster to collect his thoughts. When Dumbledore finally looked up, it was to pin the young professor with an intense blue gaze.
"You will be pleased to know that Sybill will be fine. Poppy has decided to keep her overnight, but assures me she will be ready to teach her first class."
Severus raised a raven eyebrow at the Headmaster's assumption that he cared for the other professor's well being. Before he could comment on this he was cut off by the Headmaster's weary voice.
"It would seem that Professor Trelawney's injuries were sustained via a severe psychic blow. Poppy's preliminary scans show that something temporarily stunned Sybill's third eye. As it stands Sybill does not remember what she was doing before she collapsed so we cannot know for certain who inflicted these wounds or what provoked him or her to attack. Scans indicate that the extraneous psychic residue in Sybill's body is indicative of a trained diviner."
"Well I suppose that rules out the hopeless Hufflepuff cursing herself in the foot so to speak." Severus rolled his eyes at Albus' frown. " Come now Albus, it would not be the first time she accidentally stunned herself. Considering the evidence it would seem that Mademoiselles Brown, Patil and Parkinson are the immediate suspects. They are the most advanced divination students at this time. On the other hand Ms. Granger may not be classically trained, but the obnoxious twit does seem intent upon memorizing every book in the library. I would not be surprised if she knew more about divination at least in theory than that fruit Trelawney. It is not outside the realm of reason that she might be responsible for Sybill Trelawney's injuries."
Albus eased out of his chair and walked towards a large enchanted window. The window was similar to a muggle security camera system. It allowed the Headmaster to view all known portions of the castle. It was also the reason why the Dumbledore seemed omniscient at times.well that plus the fact that he was a bit of a seer. He watched the scenes flashing before him intently. Slowly he turned and afforded Severus a profile view of his face.
"My boy, how has Pansy Parkinson's behavior been lately? She has always had a strong personality and you have said that in the past she has done minor psychic exercises for Voldemort. I should think she is a suspect you should seriously look into as well."
The silence following Dumbledore's words was deafening. Severus was ashen faced, more so then usual when he stood up stiffly and stalked over to the Headmaster's side. In deceptively soft tones the Potions Master spoke to his superior.
"There times Albus, when I forget that you are nothing more than a man. Your greatness clouds my memories of your follies, which is rather ironic when you consider the fact that I am your greatest folly. It may not be obvious to all, but the dynamic of Granger and Draco's relationship has changed. I did not wish to believe, but now I know we have reason to worry. You initially told me to watch them because you saw a dangerous union forming." Slowly Snape stepped back from the Headmaster and headed toward the spiral stairway.
Just then the Headmaster refocused his eyes on the window. An image of Hermione Granger exiting the Gryffindor portrait hole was quickly followed by one of Draco Malfoy stealthily walking away from the Serpents Den. Albus' shoulders slumped and in that instant he shrank in stature and was molded into the form of a tired old man. His voice was reed thin when he called out Severus' name.
"It would seem that we have two students out of bed after they were expressly informed to remain in their houses until morning. Will you please handle the situation?"
Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. The Fat Lady was rustling about and if the old cow woke up and spotted her, she would cause nothing but trouble. The sturdy brunette reached carefully for her wand and pointed it at the portrait hole before murmuring a spell that would keep the painting slumbering until she chose to reverse it. Once she was sure the spell had worked, Hermione turned determinedly towards her destination.
Malfoy had better be on time, she thought grimly. Hermione did not fancy loitering in the hallway. That could only lead to an undesirable encounter with Filch or Snape or worse still both. If she had been able to plan this tryst a bit better, she would have remembered to snatch Harry's cloak. But she hadn't been thinking clearly. Her thoughts were jumbled and confused.
A line had been crossed today and all Hermione could think to do was find the git that got her into this mess.
"Malfoy." she hissed in a loud whisper from just inside the library doors.
Draco Malfoy reclined against a wall underneath a large stained glass window in the large library. His aquiline features were bathed in colored slats of moonlight and a secret part of Hermione's spirit thrilled at the sight of him. As he turned to face her, the young Gryffindor's body went haywire. She hated the wretched way her nipples tightened and the blood underneath her skin rushed up and made her feel super-sensitive. It was a betrayal of the worst kind. Intellectually Hermione knew her reaction was instinctive and did not reflect her true feelings towards Malfoy. Yet she found little comfort in this explanation. Each day it became just it little more difficult to resist the stranger inside and cling to the real Hermione.
She feared the day she would cease to call him Malfoy. Conceding his name would seal her fate in this dangerous game they had started. The experience would be unbearable were it not for the fact she knew the insufferable prick was fighting similar demons.
As the shapely brunette approached, Malfoy languidly moved from his position of repose and rose to his full height of 6 feet 3 inches. He carefully placed his elegant hands with beautifully tapered fingers into the pockets of his equally elegant tailored slacks. He looked at the statuesque form of Hermione Granger with an artfully arched brow. His eyes were unblinking and Draco Malfoy looked relaxed and in control of his surroundings.
Upon closer inspection Hermione found tell tale signs of his discomfort. His jaw looked painfully tense and a pulse point in his right temple pulsed clearly. His whole body was held tightly and his breaths were accompanied by a tell tale flaring of his nostrils. These physical cues gave Hermione all the comfort she needed. And because she could not bear to stand so close to him without some type of contact, she humbled herself and reached out to touch his face. Both expelled an audible sigh of relief. For a perfect instant their skin stopped burning, their nerve endings stopped jangling and they were at peace.
Then the mood shifted as Hermione eased her hand up the side of his face to gently cup his ear. There was an odd hitch in Draco's breathing which quickly became a hiss of pain as the muggle-born witch twisted his right ear. The action served the purpose of maintaining contact while satisfying the part of Hermione that still hated Malfoy.
"Malfoy, I don't like this. I don't like losing control. I'm sorry if it irritates you that I wasn't born with your Slytherin implacability, but I just can't hide the need as well as you can. Now you need to meet me half way on this. We knew from the start that I would have less tolerance as time wears on. I trusted you to be there for me, but I am sick of having to beg for you. We can't risk another incident like we had in potions. I will not be."
The girl's words were halted by a pale hand over her mouth. With his free hand Draco reached up and removed the painful grip on his ear, before dragging the girl's frame into his embrace. At first, Hermione was too stunned to move and then she began to struggle with all her might. Years of quidditch had given Draco a deceptive strength. He held fast to the spunky Gryffindor and leaned his face in until his mouth brushed against her ear. In a gravelly voice he spoke quietly into her ear.
"Why are you fighting? Isn't this what you need? To be touched by me? To be close to me?" Draco chuckled as the spunky girl fought with even more vigor. "Granger I don't like this either. I relish my personal space and I certainly never wished to have it contaminated by a little mudblood, but we rarely get what we want in this life. Now I promised to take care of you and I do. It's not my fault you are weak and can't resist your impulses. Lucky for you, it does not suit my purposes to have you draw further attention to us and I need that mind of yours fully functioning. That being said I have a proposal for you. How would you like this night and every other in bed with me?"
Now it was Hermione's turn for her breath to hitch. A shiver worked its way up Hermione's spine and she dropped her head to Draco's chest to avoid the smirk that was sure to be on his face. Not for the first time, Hermione cursed her body for its weakness and betrayal.
"Be reasonable mudblood," Hermione's hackles automatically went up at the term and her back stiffened with indignation when Draco rubbed her back as if she were a recalcitrant child. "You can't go around partnering up with me in potions and attacking teachers or anyone else for that matter. You obviously can't sustain yourself on the few touches we managed in the halls when this all began. Your appetite has become too great. Perhaps if you have eight hours of constant contact with me each night, you will be able to act normally during the day. Now be a good girl and do as Draco says."
Hermione's brown gaze crackled with pent up fury and for an instant not even Draco's imbedded prejudice could stop his hormonal reaction to the brilliantly upset female in his arms.
"Fuck you Malfoy."
Hermione carefully enunciated each word and hoped that her words and her eyes conveyed her complete distaste for the boy.
With a seductive smile Draco delicately disentangled himself from their embrace.
"If it comes to that Granger. But for now I think sleeping will suffice."
"Let the record show I still hate you, you albino ferret. You had better be covered from head to foot too, you pervy git."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Really where did you get those manners? It is my room and I shall sleep as I always have. Completely nak."
"Shhh! Do you sense that?" Hermione's head was tilted slightly and she was delicately sniffing the air. "Someone is coming. Leave the door to your room open and I will be there shortly. "
"Granger you don't know the way to Slytherin Dorms much less my own chambers."
With an exasperated sigh, Hermione shook her head.
"Don't worry, I will find you. I'll see you in an hour, maybe less. Now just go."
Just as Draco's figure became totally obscured in shadows Hermione turned to face the library one last time and checked for any signs of their visit. Satisfied with what she saw, Hermione turned around and stepped out the doors. With her back to the hall she quickly cast a locking spell. When she finished the incantation a look of resignation fell on her face. Without even turning around the young witch stated a meek "Good evening Professor Snape."
"It is morning Ms. Granger. Now please face me and explain why you are out when you have received strict orders to remain in your house," Snape commanded in a low purr.
Languidly the girl turned to face her professor. When she finally faced him, her back was flush with the doors and he was disconcertingly close to her person. He wore his usual severely cut midnight robes. The only pieces of flesh left visible and exposed were his battered face and his equally battered hands. Even at 5 feet 8 inches, Hermione had to crane her neck back to meet her professor's ebony eyes.
"Would you believe I was sleep studying? I do it all the time. Harry and Ron usually catch me before I get this far, but I guess all the excitement made them forget to keep an eye out. Well, so sorry for the inconvenience I'll be sure to let Madame Pomphrey know and have her whip up a cure. See you at breakfast."
Hermione moved to her right, but found black wool cotton on either side of her head. She wisely chose to keep her eyes focused on the jet button just between the potions master's lean pectorals. When he leaned in to speak directly into her ear, Hermione vaguely thought to herself that all Slytherin men must receive lessons on how to evoke shivers every time they use the signature move.
"Ms. Granger you have always been an insolent little know-it-all, but you have remained shrouded under the protective wings of your Gryffindor mentors. I think it is safe to say that this time you will not escape from the pit you have dug yourself into. I am almost certain you were not.sleep- studying unaccompanied, but I will leave the third degree to Professor McGonagall. You have crossed some very definite lines today Ms. Granger and I am sure that by the end of this night you will find that mine are not the only watchful eyes at Hogwarts."
At his last comment, Hermione's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed upon the raven-haired man's face. She saw the satisfaction spread across the greasy bastard's face and wanted to claw it with all her might. Something in her eyes must have spoken of suppressed violence. Snape slowly shook his head as if to warn her against any rash actions. She was vexed because Snape was enjoying drawing out her misery.
While I am sure that your head of house will take her own pound of flesh out of you along with stripping you of your prefecting duties, I believe I shall take a round 100 points from Gryffindor for your untruthfulness and attempt to escape punishment. Now if you will follow me."
Over one hour later, Hermione lay on her bed like a condemned woman. McGonagall had seen fit to take another 100 points from Gryffindor for far too many infractions to count. She had not yet been stripped of her prefect powers. Hermione assumed it was because McGonagall was at heart deeply sentimental and could not simply rip away such an important post considering this was really only her second major indiscretion. The only satisfying part of the whole ordeal was that she had been sentenced to a month of detentions with Snape. It gave her an excuse to be in the dungeons near Draco. The part of Hermione that was still a well-behaved Gryffindor truly lamented the trouble she was in. It weighed heavily on her heart to have Snape imply that at the very least McGonagall and Dumbledore did not trust her. At the heart of it all she was alarmed by the fact that her charade was no longer fooling the people that mattered most. A new plan of action would have to be employed for her plan to work. With a resigned sigh Hermione prepared to break yet another rule.
Harry Potter could not sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, images of Hermione assailed him. She was in trouble, but it was up to her to come to them. He knew Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape all secretly thought she had turned dark, but Harry knew better. Maya was too strong for that. For the life of him Harry could not figure out what could possibly connect Maya to Malfoy. At first he thought Malfoy was blackmailing her, but that idea was tossed quickly. Maya obviously wanted to be with the prat. If it were as simple as an affair, he and Ron would have found some way to deal with it. Their bond obviously went deeper than sex. Harry cringed a bit at the last thought. As far as he was concerned Hermione and sex should never be in the same sentence EVER.
Ron's personal theory was that she was under a dark spell. After surreptitiously testing her, they found that no traces of spells manipulating her free will. Harry's new theory seemed to be the most viable. A month and a half into the beginning of sixth year, there had been a surge in the magical energy surrounding Hogwarts. The surge had happened on the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. One minute the students were gallivanting about and the next the sky was overcast and all hell broke loose. Something reversed the polarity of their powers and none of the students could control their abilities. It took the work of Rosmerta, the Weasley twins and a few teachers who happened to be on hand to herd all of the students together and suppress their haywire magic. For some reason, the surge had only affected the students. An impromptu three- day weekend was given since many students were recovering well into Monday. Maya, Malfoy and a handful of other students opted to skip the trip to Hogsmeade. Both Hermione and Malfoy claimed they slept through the disturbance. About a month after that day, Harry noticed an odd interchange between the unlikely couple. Harry was certain that the surge had something to do with Maya's change. If he could figure out the source of the surge, then maybe he could glean a way to get Hermione back; hence all the research he and Ron were doing. Harry could not help but think a bit wryly that the surge theory would have occurred to Hermione immediately. Losing the brain in their trio was a real pain in the ass.
Harry sighed deeply and reflected on the events that transpired today. He hated to believe it, but he was certain Maya and Malfoy had something to do with Trelawney's episode. The Headmaster made rounds to all the houses to ensure that all the students were settled. Dumbledore had spoken to him briefly during the lock down tonight. He reminded Harry to let him know if Hermione came to him for help. Harry muttered the obligatory assurances, but he had been lying through his teeth. The fact of the matter was that if Maya asked for help, he would give it unconditionally. His loyalty was to her first and foremost. Ron was in complete agreement.
Just as Harry closed his eyes to make another attempt at sleep, he felt the bed dip underneath him. The only two people who ever sneaked into his bed were Ginny and Hermione. When he turned his head, he saw a wealth of tight spiral curls a voluptuous woman.
"You came," he exhaled in a relieved breath.
"Harry, help me."
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but I have finals coming up and several major deadlines at work to deal with. I know this has been a very vague story to date. If anyone is still interested and reading this, I swear I will explain what is going on with Hermione and Draco in the next chapter. Once again I don't have a beta so if the grammar and spelling becomes unbearable let me know. I'm just now starting to truly flesh out this story. To be quite honest I doubt I will be able to do it justice. Still I'll give it a whirl and see how I manage.
Let me say this again. I do not want to be one those fanfiction writers that make you cringe when you read their work. I have a pretty thick skin so I can deal with strong criticism. If anyone wants to flame they should feel free to do so. Notoriety is so much interesting than fame anyway. That's about all she wrote folks.
Big warm thanks to my reviewers:
Florence Blanche Dubois LadyBrannon Caraena Amiella Rogue Rosmerta Psycho-Kitty-Purra