Rating: R
Disclaimer: Nothing HP is mine, at all. Not even Oliver Wood, and that makes me sad.
A/N: Ahh I know you all must hate me... I'm very sorry for the insane delay. You know the weird thing? I wrote this chapter in, like, August and didn't like it, and a few days ago I finally gave up trying and reread this and didn't think it was that bad. Basically school just sucks ass and I couldn't really think of anything better than this, so I hope you enjoy. And huge thank yous to everyone who sent me encouraging stuff, you guys are all awesome times ten!
And btw, what the hell is up with this ban on NC-17 stories? Not to sound freaky, but they was always pretty amusing. How sad. If I knew where to send it, they'd be getting a pretty pissed-off sounding e-mail from me.
~
Hermione rolled over in bed Sunday morning.
To see Chuck standing by her bedside.
"Aaaaahhhhh!" she screamed and sat up quickly. "Chuck, what are you doing here? Again." she added as an afterthought.
"I can't do it, Mione." He said.
"Can't do what, act like a decent human?"
"Hey, what's with the attitude? I thought we patched things up last night."
"No, things will never be patched. I was only being civil for Anna's sake." She said, running a hand through her messy hair. "What do you want?"
"I can't do it. I can't wait that long. Anna wanted us to have sex last night, and I told her I couldn't."
"Well, good."
"No, not good. Bad. She thinks I don't love her anymore."
"Do you love her, Chuck?"
"Weather or not you believe me, yes, I do. And I didn't want to hurt her, but I had to last night."
"Well, you'd hurt her even more by sleeping with her before telling her what we did."
"Mione, it's not what we did. It's what I did, and you paid the price for. She'll be able to forgive you, I know. It's me she'll never talk to again."
"Chuck, get over it. Your life revolves solely around sex."
"And?"
"If you and Anna have the connection you claim, then this shouldn't even be a problem. In the long run when you had sex isn't going to matter nearly as much as why."
"Come on. Not everything has to be interpreted so profoundly. Not everyone's life amounts to great, wonderful, awe-inspiring things."
"And if you want your life to amount to anything you have to step back and realize that what you're feeling right now is going to be forgotten as soon as something better comes along. As soon as you have sex with her, all this stuff isn't going to matter. It'll be over. You'll have a new perspective on life. The connection you feel is going to make you want to forget anything you ever thought before."
They were silent for a minute.
"I want it to be something." Chuck said after a minute.
"Then go and talk to her." Hermione said, desperate to get Chuck gone, but desperate to help at the same time. "Turn it into something."
"Okay. You're right. I've got to make it important to both of us. It has to be life-changing."
"Chuck, it's not going to be life changing. Believe me, I would know. But it definitely can be life... altering. You get it?"
He nodded. "So... breakfast?"
She rolled her eyes. "Let me get dressed."
~
"So, Chuck, you're from."
"Manhattan. It's part of New York."
"And what brings you here?"
"Well, I graduated from school last year, and I came down to visit Mione for fun. We're. old friends."
"That's great." Harry looked at the strange guy sitting across from him. "I guess I'll have to get Mione to fill me in on the details later."
"Right, sure. I will. Chuck's not staying for too long."
"Yeah. Gotta get back to my, uh, job. And stuff." He shoved the food into his mouth. "Hey, Mione? What exactly is this I'm eating?" She rolled her eyes.
"Chuck already got hit on by Parvati and Lavender, so there's not much else for him to do today." Hermione said to Harry, leaning back in her chair.
"Hey." Chuck said suddenly. "Where's that guy you were with last night?" Hermione paused mid-chew.
"W-what guy? I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." Her toast suddenly felt too dry against her tongue.
"You know, the one with the blond ha-"
"Chuck, I wasn't with anybody last night." Harry looked at her inquisitively.
"What's he talking about, Mione?"
"I really have no idea." She said, glaring at Chuck to get her message across.
"Oh, there he is!" Chuck said, pointing at Malfoy, who was walking past them towards his table.
Harry choked on his food. "Malfoy? What could you have possibly been doing with him?"
"N-no, I wasn't w-, I mean, we weren't-"
"Yes you were." Chuck said obliviously. "You were in that classroom and he had his hands-"
"OH THAT!" Hermione bellowed, causing a few heads to turn. "Oh, um, Malfoy was trying to steal my bookbag, and we were having a particularly heated argument when Chuck showed up."
It appeared she'd finally gotten through to him.
"Yep. That's it." Chuck quickly returned to his food.
Hermione looked across the room to where Malfoy was sitting and breathed out a sigh of relief.
"So, Chuck." She said. "Tell us how you learned how to apparate onto Hogwarts grounds."
"Ah, if I told you that, I'd have to kill you." He said. Hermione laughed weakly. Across the Great Hall she noticed Malfoy getting up to leave.
"Well, guys, I gotta go." She said.
"To where?" Harry seemed a bit desperate to not be left alone with Chuck.
"Just the library, I'll be back in ten minutes, promise."
She quickly got up and followed Malfoy, who had since wandered into the hallway. As soon as Hermione knew she was out of sight, she yelled after him.
"Hey, Malfoy!"
He turned around, and smirked at the sight of her.
"What do you want?"
"Just to apologize for last night."
"Don't bother, Granger."
"No, but I want to." She looked up at him.
"The thing is, I still want to, you know, learn from you. I'm sorry because I know we promised never to confront each other like that. And I still hate you but-" she looked at his eyes. "But you, well, you're certainly the right person to learn from."
He was silent for a moment. "Then I guess I'll be seeing you Saturday," he said, his tone distinctly of the you-need-me-so-I-suppose-I'll-comply-for- you variety.
"Yeah." Hermione smiled. "Saturday." She looked at him for two seconds too long, and then quickly turned to leave.
"Oh, wait a minute, Granger." He said. She turned around.
"I got you a little something." He said, digging through his bag and pulling out a brown paper sack. "Here."
She smiled, extremely surprised. "You didn't have to do tha-" she stopped upon looking in the bag.
"What is this supposed to be?" Hermione pulled out a tiny, lacy pink bra with matching panties. Miniscule panties.
"Oh come on, Granger." He stepped closer to her. "It's for your up-and- coming night with Weasley." He leaned into her to whisper in her ear. "And you and I both know that pink is your color." He tugged gently on the hem of her skirt and let one finger brush her leg gently.
With a final smirk he was off, leaving Hermione standing there, smiling like a schoolgirl. Oh, wait...
She tucked the package into her bag and returned to the Great Hall. So he remembered what they had- almost- done. And obviously it hadn't meant anything to him. That was okay. She was over it. Sort of.
~
"Mione, I need that weird green liquid you've been smiling dopily at for the past fifteen minutes."
"Oh." She said. "Here." They were making some sort of antidote in Potions.
"What is wrong with you?" asked Harry.
"I don't know." Hermione said.
"Where's that guy you were with before?"
"Chuck? He went back to America." Hermione said vacantly.
"How did you know him?"
"We were just friends. I went to visit my cousin Anna there and I met him."
"And that's it?"
"Yeah."
"It really seems like you guys have certainly had some past together." Harry said.
"No we haven't." Hermione was shocked from her mysterious high. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. it's just."
"Just what?"
"After you left we got to talking, sort of, and the just the way he would get when the conversation was about you was..." Harry trailed off.
"Are you a virgin?" Harry asked suddenly. Hermione's vial slipped through her fingers and smashed onto the floor.
"Well, clean it up!" Snape barked. She bent down and began to clear the mess. Harry crouched down to further pursue the conversation.
"Where did that question come from?" she hissed.
"Nowhere. I'm just curious."
"You're never just curious, Harry. Are you asking for Ron?'
"No!"
"Do you think that I slept with Chuck?" she asked.
"Honestly, yeah, I sort of do."
"What? Just because he was my friend once you assume I've slept with him? Do I seem like that kind of girl, Harry, my best friend of seven years? Don't you think I would've told you?"
Hermione felt terrible lying. The truth would have to come out someday. But she knew that if she admitted her actions, Ron would know of them in two seconds flat.
"No, there was just something between you two. Like you aren't really good friends anymore because you slept with him."
"You're crazy." She stood up, and winced as one of the glass pieces sliced into her hand.
"Shit."
"You okay?"
"Fine." She said, trying to apply pressure to the cut. "Professor Snape? Can I go to the hospital wing?"
"Miss Granger, I'll ask you to not disrupt my entire class every time you receive a minor wound."
"But can I-"
"NO!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and wrapped one of her handkerchiefs around it. She was afraid to use a healing spell with Snape watching over her. "Pain is life," He would say, and deduct points from her.
"So?" Harry said.
"So what?"
"Are you?"
"Harry, let it go." She said. "You jump to conclusions so easily."
"Just answer me."
"No, this is unfair. And I'm not refusing to answer because I'm not a virgin, so don't think that. It's an unjustifiable question that doesn't deserve an answer. You just want to know for Ron and you're using Chuck as a 'valid' excuse for questioning. Don't make someone you don't know do your dirty work. "
"Come on. I was just wondering. Honestly."
"Have you and Ginny had sex?" She asked.
"No! We're just friends." Harry said, blushing. It was common knowledge that Harry wanted to be "more than friends" with Ginny.
"So? According to you, that question is completely fair. I have a suspicion that you guys have had sex, and I think it's perfectly normal for me to ask you out of the blue just like that."
"Fine. Discussion over." Harry said.
"Good." Hermione replied. "And don't go scampering off to report this to Ron, either."
"Fine." Harry said again. They were silent for a few moments. "Not that I was asking for him or anything."
"Oh, shit." Hermione said again, as blood seeped through her handkerchief and onto her robes. "Great." She was just about to ask Snape to go to the hospital wing again when she felt a strong heat surging through her hand. It soon gave way to a slight tingling sensation, and then it was over.
"What." Hermione looked down to examine her injured hand, hoping she hadn't gotten some poison or something in the wound.
She blinked upon noticing all the blood was gone off her handkerchief. She pulled the cloth off her hand to notice the wound was gone. What was going on here? Why was all the blood gone?
Hermione glanced around the room, only to notice Ron holding his wand. She met his eyes, until he half-smiled and gave his wand a slight twirl. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, meeting his eyes as if a reason for his actions was about to scroll across his forehead in bright neon letters.
"Mione!" Harry said, trying to get her attention. She was so surprised that she bumped the table, and another beaker crashed to the floor.
"MISS GRANGER!" Snape cried. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, RUINING ALL OF MY EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT? SEE ME AFTER CLASS AND TEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!"
Hermione sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. She managed to finish the potion just before the bell rang.
"See ya." Harry said, quickly ducking out of the classroom.
"Bye." She said, working to clean up her part of the mess.
"Miss Granger, I need to speak with you." Snape called.
"Yes sir, just a moment." She finished at the table and walked up to his desk. He was busy writing something and she stood expectantly.
Suddenly she felt a voice in her ear.
"Can we talk?"
"What, now?" She said sarcastically.
"Miss Granger, due to your destructive behavior, you will be serving detention with me this Friday night." Snape said.
"Of course. I understand, Professor." She answered methodically, not listening.
"I'll see you at eight o'clock."
"Of course."
"You're dismissed, Miss Granger." He eyed her suspiciously. "And try not to break anything else on your way out." She smiled and made a beeline for the door.
"Mione! Wait up."
Sigh. " What do you want?"
"Did you like my healing spell?"
"It was a life shattering experience."
"I was just
"No."
"What's going on with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just in general. You've been acting so weird."
"How would you know? You haven't been around me lately."
"Look-"
"I knew you were having Harry report back on my actions. Come on, Ron. Get a life, please. You have new a woman to worry about now, okay?"
"Mione, what's wrong with you?" Ron asked. "You seem so. detached"
"I. just have some new things to occupy my time lately. I haven't been quite so obsessed with you anymore."
"Mione-"
"But I have to go, okay? See you around. And say hi to Sara for me." She turned around. Confrontations were never her strong point. "And thanks for the hand."
"What are you doing with Malfoy?" Ron suddenly called out. She turned to face him.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"I-I'm not doing anything with Malfoy."
"I think you are. Harry told me about what happened at breakfast, where that guy said that you had been with Malfoy the night before."
"He tried to steal my bag! We were just having an argument when Chuck showed up."
"Right. Mione, you've always been a terrible liar."
"Ron, you don't have the right to interfere in my life anymore. Last time I checked, we weren't really close friends anymore."
"So? If you're doing something with Malfoy, it could be dangerous."
"Ron? SHUT UP!" she yelled. Ron blinked a few times.
"What?"
"You sound like my mother or something." She said. "And maybe I am doing 'something' with Malfoy. It's not like I'd tell you."
"Don't do this to me. Come on."
"What? Are you jealous or something?" she asked.
"Jealous of what? A relationship you've obviously fabricated in your mind?" his face was calm, but his eyes were nervous. "How could you want to go near him after everything he's ever done to you? To Harry? To me, even?"
"You know, maybe I should go for Malfoy." Hermione said noncommittally. "I'm sure he'd be really good in bed, at any rate."
"Mione!"
"What?"
"How can you even mention, you know, doing that with someone like Malfoy?"
"It's easy."
"You don't want your first time to be with him."
"No. I don't." she said.
"So then."
"Look. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the bookish little girl I used to be. I'm different. And I don't want to graduate and go into the world knowing nothing about sex. And that's that."
"Stay away from him, Mione. I don't know what's wrong with you, but you're just going to get hurt. And since when were you so anxious to jump into bed with guys who would never care about you?"
"Um, let me think. Maybe since the night I realized that loving and caring about guys gets you absolutely nowhere?"
"Are you going to blame me for that your whole life?" he asked.
"IT WAS YOUR FAULT!" she cried, frustrated.
"I freaked out. It just wasn't meant to be, okay? It know that that hurts y-"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." She said. "Someday that's going to be one of the bigger mistakes of your life, Ron. But in the meantime, you've got someone new, and... I do too."
"Mione."
"What?"
"You don't know him. Whoever he is. Malfoy especially."
"You don't either. Whoever he is. Malfoy especially," she repeated mockingly.
"So you're just going to go off traipsing through bed linens with a total stranger?"
"I never said I was going to sleep with the guy." She said.
"But-"
"I just strongly hinted at it, that's all."
"Are you trying to make me jealous?"
"No, but seeing as you are, I'm certainly enjoying it."
"I'm just concerned is all," he said, swallowing hard.
"Come on, Ron. I wanted to have sex with you, remember? But now. there's something about a fresh new start with a new guy. No past, no future. Just the promise of an extremely pleasure-filled present. And if it happens to be with Malfoy, then so be it. I'm ready, and I'm sure he'd be willing to help me out." She reached over and touched his arm. "You can have Sara all you want. Don't hold yourself back because of me."
"I-I. it's not like that with us." He said.
"Now that I think of it, the idea of Malfoy is sounding better and better. He's attractive, experienced, and certainly fervent about the subject at hand."
"The thought of you with him is just so-"
"Arousing, if you ask me. The ultimate bad-boy fantasy, right? Sure, we've had a bit of a clashing in the past, but I think it would just provide a fuel for an extremely passion-filled night. Or two. Or three. Or more."
"Ek-" Ron said. "J-just."
"Don't worry, though. It was just a silly idea. Malfoy would never agree to something like that with someone like me. Although I'm sure I could find some way to persuade him."
"Mione." He said.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Um. You shouldn't-, I mean, you can't, no, t-this is just a, you know, not good. Bad. Bad idea."
"Hmm, maybe you've got a point. I should probably focus my attentions on someone else, right?"
He breathed out heavily. "Yeah. Right. That's what I meant."
"I just want to make sure that whatever time I have with this guy is scintillatingly erotic and stimulating, you know? It has to be all that I imagine. I don't mean to come off as slutty, but don't you think it's time I finally did all that stuff that normal teenagers do?"
"Um..." Ron didn't seem too interested in spluttering something else out.
"Well." She smiled. "You seem pretty satisfied. But I gotta go now." She leaned into his ear. "Just remember, now is definitely not the time to hold back anything. And I mean that for both you and I."
"Huh. Right." he said, too ambivalent on the situation for further conversation.
"Oh, and Ron?"
"Yeah?"
"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone about this? I mean, not too many people really know about my sex life, and I don't necessarily want it to get around. Wouldn't want to attract the wrong sort of crowd, you know?"
"S-sure."
"Thanks." She gave a little wave, and was off.
~
Okay, great. Mission accomplished. So why didn't she feel like she'd actually gotten somewhere?
Maybe because she'd manipulated one of her best friends? Even if they weren't really speaking, she still had six other years of friendship to fall back on.
Yes, she was interested in sex. But with him, not someone else, right? Hopefully, he'd have a long hard talk with himself about the whole thing, and when she finally made her move on him it would be a welcome one.
Then they'd have a night of great sex, and he'd be so impressed by her newfound skills that he'd fall in love with her all over again and they'd live happily ever after.
It was a slightly warped way of approaching things though, wasn't it? Hermione hadn't known herself capable of concocting a plan like this, never mind carrying it out.
Sure, if all went well she'd get her classic Cinderella-style ending, but wouldn't the whole purpose be defeated if it hadn't been accomplished honestly? Fairy tales weren't supposed to happen this way.
Was all the deceit really worth it? Hermione leaned against a wall and breathed out heavily.
More than that, was Ron worth it?
~
Hopefully the next chapter will not take so long. I probably won't have one out before then, so everyone have a good time at the 2nd HP movie, which I know you'll all go see the day it comes out. (November 15th here, probably where you are too, hopefully they'll have more scenes with Oliver this time ~_^)
Thanks to...
Claudia, boregirl, sassy, sk8ter gurl, Mandy, Danielle, angel_faerie32, lovely me, LadyJenn, daniel's love, TFG, Alanna Roseguard, bri, katarina, dragoness666, RainDancer, snufflemuffle, Kay, fanatical-goddess, j.j. alan, lizzie-star08, joyce, emma, Melanie, ice-heart04, SophieBabe, Lizzie, IvoryClover, dracosrockstar, KatarinaEvanla, Julie, chloe, Kathie, alex, Natasha, slia-chan, Nysa, sakura1287, Alexa Pryne, pookie bear, Georgia- peach007, goldenstar555, Herbie, Fire Belle, Nicole, Anna, Rebecca, Alannah- pearl, Chikita, roray126, Willangel 101, Lady Jade, Snufalufagus (he was my favorite ~_^), sunshine, mimi, potter reader, Glossy, michee, Kitten, zee, scythefire, Liesel, angelmonkey, novasenshi, anna, Cassondra, Rosebud, Rina, Draco's one and only, Guineve 126@aol.com (I suppose I'm not failing English for nothing), Fiery Slut, harrypottermagic32, February Dreams, Oceana Black, MiaMaria, nicki-day, Kathy, tree, arto (you probably don't remember what you wrote, but your review was great), Linteloteiel the Elf Slut, Jenn, Desha, Holly, Chanel, bumblebee, ~KC~ , and Luna. And a few people who left no name.
I hope I got you all, and sorry if anyone's name is wrong. Also if you didn't get an update and wanted one, I'm sorry. If you could e-mail me that would be great, and if you did and didn't get one then I must be more scatterbrained than I thought.
Disclaimer: Nothing HP is mine, at all. Not even Oliver Wood, and that makes me sad.
A/N: Ahh I know you all must hate me... I'm very sorry for the insane delay. You know the weird thing? I wrote this chapter in, like, August and didn't like it, and a few days ago I finally gave up trying and reread this and didn't think it was that bad. Basically school just sucks ass and I couldn't really think of anything better than this, so I hope you enjoy. And huge thank yous to everyone who sent me encouraging stuff, you guys are all awesome times ten!
And btw, what the hell is up with this ban on NC-17 stories? Not to sound freaky, but they was always pretty amusing. How sad. If I knew where to send it, they'd be getting a pretty pissed-off sounding e-mail from me.
~
Hermione rolled over in bed Sunday morning.
To see Chuck standing by her bedside.
"Aaaaahhhhh!" she screamed and sat up quickly. "Chuck, what are you doing here? Again." she added as an afterthought.
"I can't do it, Mione." He said.
"Can't do what, act like a decent human?"
"Hey, what's with the attitude? I thought we patched things up last night."
"No, things will never be patched. I was only being civil for Anna's sake." She said, running a hand through her messy hair. "What do you want?"
"I can't do it. I can't wait that long. Anna wanted us to have sex last night, and I told her I couldn't."
"Well, good."
"No, not good. Bad. She thinks I don't love her anymore."
"Do you love her, Chuck?"
"Weather or not you believe me, yes, I do. And I didn't want to hurt her, but I had to last night."
"Well, you'd hurt her even more by sleeping with her before telling her what we did."
"Mione, it's not what we did. It's what I did, and you paid the price for. She'll be able to forgive you, I know. It's me she'll never talk to again."
"Chuck, get over it. Your life revolves solely around sex."
"And?"
"If you and Anna have the connection you claim, then this shouldn't even be a problem. In the long run when you had sex isn't going to matter nearly as much as why."
"Come on. Not everything has to be interpreted so profoundly. Not everyone's life amounts to great, wonderful, awe-inspiring things."
"And if you want your life to amount to anything you have to step back and realize that what you're feeling right now is going to be forgotten as soon as something better comes along. As soon as you have sex with her, all this stuff isn't going to matter. It'll be over. You'll have a new perspective on life. The connection you feel is going to make you want to forget anything you ever thought before."
They were silent for a minute.
"I want it to be something." Chuck said after a minute.
"Then go and talk to her." Hermione said, desperate to get Chuck gone, but desperate to help at the same time. "Turn it into something."
"Okay. You're right. I've got to make it important to both of us. It has to be life-changing."
"Chuck, it's not going to be life changing. Believe me, I would know. But it definitely can be life... altering. You get it?"
He nodded. "So... breakfast?"
She rolled her eyes. "Let me get dressed."
~
"So, Chuck, you're from."
"Manhattan. It's part of New York."
"And what brings you here?"
"Well, I graduated from school last year, and I came down to visit Mione for fun. We're. old friends."
"That's great." Harry looked at the strange guy sitting across from him. "I guess I'll have to get Mione to fill me in on the details later."
"Right, sure. I will. Chuck's not staying for too long."
"Yeah. Gotta get back to my, uh, job. And stuff." He shoved the food into his mouth. "Hey, Mione? What exactly is this I'm eating?" She rolled her eyes.
"Chuck already got hit on by Parvati and Lavender, so there's not much else for him to do today." Hermione said to Harry, leaning back in her chair.
"Hey." Chuck said suddenly. "Where's that guy you were with last night?" Hermione paused mid-chew.
"W-what guy? I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." Her toast suddenly felt too dry against her tongue.
"You know, the one with the blond ha-"
"Chuck, I wasn't with anybody last night." Harry looked at her inquisitively.
"What's he talking about, Mione?"
"I really have no idea." She said, glaring at Chuck to get her message across.
"Oh, there he is!" Chuck said, pointing at Malfoy, who was walking past them towards his table.
Harry choked on his food. "Malfoy? What could you have possibly been doing with him?"
"N-no, I wasn't w-, I mean, we weren't-"
"Yes you were." Chuck said obliviously. "You were in that classroom and he had his hands-"
"OH THAT!" Hermione bellowed, causing a few heads to turn. "Oh, um, Malfoy was trying to steal my bookbag, and we were having a particularly heated argument when Chuck showed up."
It appeared she'd finally gotten through to him.
"Yep. That's it." Chuck quickly returned to his food.
Hermione looked across the room to where Malfoy was sitting and breathed out a sigh of relief.
"So, Chuck." She said. "Tell us how you learned how to apparate onto Hogwarts grounds."
"Ah, if I told you that, I'd have to kill you." He said. Hermione laughed weakly. Across the Great Hall she noticed Malfoy getting up to leave.
"Well, guys, I gotta go." She said.
"To where?" Harry seemed a bit desperate to not be left alone with Chuck.
"Just the library, I'll be back in ten minutes, promise."
She quickly got up and followed Malfoy, who had since wandered into the hallway. As soon as Hermione knew she was out of sight, she yelled after him.
"Hey, Malfoy!"
He turned around, and smirked at the sight of her.
"What do you want?"
"Just to apologize for last night."
"Don't bother, Granger."
"No, but I want to." She looked up at him.
"The thing is, I still want to, you know, learn from you. I'm sorry because I know we promised never to confront each other like that. And I still hate you but-" she looked at his eyes. "But you, well, you're certainly the right person to learn from."
He was silent for a moment. "Then I guess I'll be seeing you Saturday," he said, his tone distinctly of the you-need-me-so-I-suppose-I'll-comply-for- you variety.
"Yeah." Hermione smiled. "Saturday." She looked at him for two seconds too long, and then quickly turned to leave.
"Oh, wait a minute, Granger." He said. She turned around.
"I got you a little something." He said, digging through his bag and pulling out a brown paper sack. "Here."
She smiled, extremely surprised. "You didn't have to do tha-" she stopped upon looking in the bag.
"What is this supposed to be?" Hermione pulled out a tiny, lacy pink bra with matching panties. Miniscule panties.
"Oh come on, Granger." He stepped closer to her. "It's for your up-and- coming night with Weasley." He leaned into her to whisper in her ear. "And you and I both know that pink is your color." He tugged gently on the hem of her skirt and let one finger brush her leg gently.
With a final smirk he was off, leaving Hermione standing there, smiling like a schoolgirl. Oh, wait...
She tucked the package into her bag and returned to the Great Hall. So he remembered what they had- almost- done. And obviously it hadn't meant anything to him. That was okay. She was over it. Sort of.
~
"Mione, I need that weird green liquid you've been smiling dopily at for the past fifteen minutes."
"Oh." She said. "Here." They were making some sort of antidote in Potions.
"What is wrong with you?" asked Harry.
"I don't know." Hermione said.
"Where's that guy you were with before?"
"Chuck? He went back to America." Hermione said vacantly.
"How did you know him?"
"We were just friends. I went to visit my cousin Anna there and I met him."
"And that's it?"
"Yeah."
"It really seems like you guys have certainly had some past together." Harry said.
"No we haven't." Hermione was shocked from her mysterious high. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. it's just."
"Just what?"
"After you left we got to talking, sort of, and the just the way he would get when the conversation was about you was..." Harry trailed off.
"Are you a virgin?" Harry asked suddenly. Hermione's vial slipped through her fingers and smashed onto the floor.
"Well, clean it up!" Snape barked. She bent down and began to clear the mess. Harry crouched down to further pursue the conversation.
"Where did that question come from?" she hissed.
"Nowhere. I'm just curious."
"You're never just curious, Harry. Are you asking for Ron?'
"No!"
"Do you think that I slept with Chuck?" she asked.
"Honestly, yeah, I sort of do."
"What? Just because he was my friend once you assume I've slept with him? Do I seem like that kind of girl, Harry, my best friend of seven years? Don't you think I would've told you?"
Hermione felt terrible lying. The truth would have to come out someday. But she knew that if she admitted her actions, Ron would know of them in two seconds flat.
"No, there was just something between you two. Like you aren't really good friends anymore because you slept with him."
"You're crazy." She stood up, and winced as one of the glass pieces sliced into her hand.
"Shit."
"You okay?"
"Fine." She said, trying to apply pressure to the cut. "Professor Snape? Can I go to the hospital wing?"
"Miss Granger, I'll ask you to not disrupt my entire class every time you receive a minor wound."
"But can I-"
"NO!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and wrapped one of her handkerchiefs around it. She was afraid to use a healing spell with Snape watching over her. "Pain is life," He would say, and deduct points from her.
"So?" Harry said.
"So what?"
"Are you?"
"Harry, let it go." She said. "You jump to conclusions so easily."
"Just answer me."
"No, this is unfair. And I'm not refusing to answer because I'm not a virgin, so don't think that. It's an unjustifiable question that doesn't deserve an answer. You just want to know for Ron and you're using Chuck as a 'valid' excuse for questioning. Don't make someone you don't know do your dirty work. "
"Come on. I was just wondering. Honestly."
"Have you and Ginny had sex?" She asked.
"No! We're just friends." Harry said, blushing. It was common knowledge that Harry wanted to be "more than friends" with Ginny.
"So? According to you, that question is completely fair. I have a suspicion that you guys have had sex, and I think it's perfectly normal for me to ask you out of the blue just like that."
"Fine. Discussion over." Harry said.
"Good." Hermione replied. "And don't go scampering off to report this to Ron, either."
"Fine." Harry said again. They were silent for a few moments. "Not that I was asking for him or anything."
"Oh, shit." Hermione said again, as blood seeped through her handkerchief and onto her robes. "Great." She was just about to ask Snape to go to the hospital wing again when she felt a strong heat surging through her hand. It soon gave way to a slight tingling sensation, and then it was over.
"What." Hermione looked down to examine her injured hand, hoping she hadn't gotten some poison or something in the wound.
She blinked upon noticing all the blood was gone off her handkerchief. She pulled the cloth off her hand to notice the wound was gone. What was going on here? Why was all the blood gone?
Hermione glanced around the room, only to notice Ron holding his wand. She met his eyes, until he half-smiled and gave his wand a slight twirl. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, meeting his eyes as if a reason for his actions was about to scroll across his forehead in bright neon letters.
"Mione!" Harry said, trying to get her attention. She was so surprised that she bumped the table, and another beaker crashed to the floor.
"MISS GRANGER!" Snape cried. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, RUINING ALL OF MY EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT? SEE ME AFTER CLASS AND TEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!"
Hermione sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. She managed to finish the potion just before the bell rang.
"See ya." Harry said, quickly ducking out of the classroom.
"Bye." She said, working to clean up her part of the mess.
"Miss Granger, I need to speak with you." Snape called.
"Yes sir, just a moment." She finished at the table and walked up to his desk. He was busy writing something and she stood expectantly.
Suddenly she felt a voice in her ear.
"Can we talk?"
"What, now?" She said sarcastically.
"Miss Granger, due to your destructive behavior, you will be serving detention with me this Friday night." Snape said.
"Of course. I understand, Professor." She answered methodically, not listening.
"I'll see you at eight o'clock."
"Of course."
"You're dismissed, Miss Granger." He eyed her suspiciously. "And try not to break anything else on your way out." She smiled and made a beeline for the door.
"Mione! Wait up."
Sigh. " What do you want?"
"Did you like my healing spell?"
"It was a life shattering experience."
"I was just
"No."
"What's going on with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just in general. You've been acting so weird."
"How would you know? You haven't been around me lately."
"Look-"
"I knew you were having Harry report back on my actions. Come on, Ron. Get a life, please. You have new a woman to worry about now, okay?"
"Mione, what's wrong with you?" Ron asked. "You seem so. detached"
"I. just have some new things to occupy my time lately. I haven't been quite so obsessed with you anymore."
"Mione-"
"But I have to go, okay? See you around. And say hi to Sara for me." She turned around. Confrontations were never her strong point. "And thanks for the hand."
"What are you doing with Malfoy?" Ron suddenly called out. She turned to face him.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"I-I'm not doing anything with Malfoy."
"I think you are. Harry told me about what happened at breakfast, where that guy said that you had been with Malfoy the night before."
"He tried to steal my bag! We were just having an argument when Chuck showed up."
"Right. Mione, you've always been a terrible liar."
"Ron, you don't have the right to interfere in my life anymore. Last time I checked, we weren't really close friends anymore."
"So? If you're doing something with Malfoy, it could be dangerous."
"Ron? SHUT UP!" she yelled. Ron blinked a few times.
"What?"
"You sound like my mother or something." She said. "And maybe I am doing 'something' with Malfoy. It's not like I'd tell you."
"Don't do this to me. Come on."
"What? Are you jealous or something?" she asked.
"Jealous of what? A relationship you've obviously fabricated in your mind?" his face was calm, but his eyes were nervous. "How could you want to go near him after everything he's ever done to you? To Harry? To me, even?"
"You know, maybe I should go for Malfoy." Hermione said noncommittally. "I'm sure he'd be really good in bed, at any rate."
"Mione!"
"What?"
"How can you even mention, you know, doing that with someone like Malfoy?"
"It's easy."
"You don't want your first time to be with him."
"No. I don't." she said.
"So then."
"Look. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the bookish little girl I used to be. I'm different. And I don't want to graduate and go into the world knowing nothing about sex. And that's that."
"Stay away from him, Mione. I don't know what's wrong with you, but you're just going to get hurt. And since when were you so anxious to jump into bed with guys who would never care about you?"
"Um, let me think. Maybe since the night I realized that loving and caring about guys gets you absolutely nowhere?"
"Are you going to blame me for that your whole life?" he asked.
"IT WAS YOUR FAULT!" she cried, frustrated.
"I freaked out. It just wasn't meant to be, okay? It know that that hurts y-"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." She said. "Someday that's going to be one of the bigger mistakes of your life, Ron. But in the meantime, you've got someone new, and... I do too."
"Mione."
"What?"
"You don't know him. Whoever he is. Malfoy especially."
"You don't either. Whoever he is. Malfoy especially," she repeated mockingly.
"So you're just going to go off traipsing through bed linens with a total stranger?"
"I never said I was going to sleep with the guy." She said.
"But-"
"I just strongly hinted at it, that's all."
"Are you trying to make me jealous?"
"No, but seeing as you are, I'm certainly enjoying it."
"I'm just concerned is all," he said, swallowing hard.
"Come on, Ron. I wanted to have sex with you, remember? But now. there's something about a fresh new start with a new guy. No past, no future. Just the promise of an extremely pleasure-filled present. And if it happens to be with Malfoy, then so be it. I'm ready, and I'm sure he'd be willing to help me out." She reached over and touched his arm. "You can have Sara all you want. Don't hold yourself back because of me."
"I-I. it's not like that with us." He said.
"Now that I think of it, the idea of Malfoy is sounding better and better. He's attractive, experienced, and certainly fervent about the subject at hand."
"The thought of you with him is just so-"
"Arousing, if you ask me. The ultimate bad-boy fantasy, right? Sure, we've had a bit of a clashing in the past, but I think it would just provide a fuel for an extremely passion-filled night. Or two. Or three. Or more."
"Ek-" Ron said. "J-just."
"Don't worry, though. It was just a silly idea. Malfoy would never agree to something like that with someone like me. Although I'm sure I could find some way to persuade him."
"Mione." He said.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Um. You shouldn't-, I mean, you can't, no, t-this is just a, you know, not good. Bad. Bad idea."
"Hmm, maybe you've got a point. I should probably focus my attentions on someone else, right?"
He breathed out heavily. "Yeah. Right. That's what I meant."
"I just want to make sure that whatever time I have with this guy is scintillatingly erotic and stimulating, you know? It has to be all that I imagine. I don't mean to come off as slutty, but don't you think it's time I finally did all that stuff that normal teenagers do?"
"Um..." Ron didn't seem too interested in spluttering something else out.
"Well." She smiled. "You seem pretty satisfied. But I gotta go now." She leaned into his ear. "Just remember, now is definitely not the time to hold back anything. And I mean that for both you and I."
"Huh. Right." he said, too ambivalent on the situation for further conversation.
"Oh, and Ron?"
"Yeah?"
"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone about this? I mean, not too many people really know about my sex life, and I don't necessarily want it to get around. Wouldn't want to attract the wrong sort of crowd, you know?"
"S-sure."
"Thanks." She gave a little wave, and was off.
~
Okay, great. Mission accomplished. So why didn't she feel like she'd actually gotten somewhere?
Maybe because she'd manipulated one of her best friends? Even if they weren't really speaking, she still had six other years of friendship to fall back on.
Yes, she was interested in sex. But with him, not someone else, right? Hopefully, he'd have a long hard talk with himself about the whole thing, and when she finally made her move on him it would be a welcome one.
Then they'd have a night of great sex, and he'd be so impressed by her newfound skills that he'd fall in love with her all over again and they'd live happily ever after.
It was a slightly warped way of approaching things though, wasn't it? Hermione hadn't known herself capable of concocting a plan like this, never mind carrying it out.
Sure, if all went well she'd get her classic Cinderella-style ending, but wouldn't the whole purpose be defeated if it hadn't been accomplished honestly? Fairy tales weren't supposed to happen this way.
Was all the deceit really worth it? Hermione leaned against a wall and breathed out heavily.
More than that, was Ron worth it?
~
Hopefully the next chapter will not take so long. I probably won't have one out before then, so everyone have a good time at the 2nd HP movie, which I know you'll all go see the day it comes out. (November 15th here, probably where you are too, hopefully they'll have more scenes with Oliver this time ~_^)
Thanks to...
Claudia, boregirl, sassy, sk8ter gurl, Mandy, Danielle, angel_faerie32, lovely me, LadyJenn, daniel's love, TFG, Alanna Roseguard, bri, katarina, dragoness666, RainDancer, snufflemuffle, Kay, fanatical-goddess, j.j. alan, lizzie-star08, joyce, emma, Melanie, ice-heart04, SophieBabe, Lizzie, IvoryClover, dracosrockstar, KatarinaEvanla, Julie, chloe, Kathie, alex, Natasha, slia-chan, Nysa, sakura1287, Alexa Pryne, pookie bear, Georgia- peach007, goldenstar555, Herbie, Fire Belle, Nicole, Anna, Rebecca, Alannah- pearl, Chikita, roray126, Willangel 101, Lady Jade, Snufalufagus (he was my favorite ~_^), sunshine, mimi, potter reader, Glossy, michee, Kitten, zee, scythefire, Liesel, angelmonkey, novasenshi, anna, Cassondra, Rosebud, Rina, Draco's one and only, Guineve 126@aol.com (I suppose I'm not failing English for nothing), Fiery Slut, harrypottermagic32, February Dreams, Oceana Black, MiaMaria, nicki-day, Kathy, tree, arto (you probably don't remember what you wrote, but your review was great), Linteloteiel the Elf Slut, Jenn, Desha, Holly, Chanel, bumblebee, ~KC~ , and Luna. And a few people who left no name.
I hope I got you all, and sorry if anyone's name is wrong. Also if you didn't get an update and wanted one, I'm sorry. If you could e-mail me that would be great, and if you did and didn't get one then I must be more scatterbrained than I thought.