Against All Odds

Chapter Seven

Koneko-chan says!

Stefani: Hi again!

Nanashi: …

Stefani: *shoves elbow in Muse's side*

Nanashi: Hello.

Stefani: *smiles* Better. *side whisper* I need to work on his people skills.

Nanashi: …

Stefani: *sigh* Anyway, this is the next chapter! Hopefully something will come out of it! *glares pointedly at Nanashi*

Nanashi: *reads off a small cue card* *blandly* And now on with the show.

Stefani: *sighs again* I pity whoever dates Trowa Barton.

Nanashi: …

Stefani: And another piece of news. Angel has refused to do the lemon a few of the people who emailed me requested for. She says I should do it myself. Then she goes and sends me several of her more… exotic fics. Wow… the girl's the same age as me (15), and she's never had sex. And still she manages to write a lemon. Well, I have to admit since she usually thrusts my head against the computer screen and makes me read it… Don't get her.

Nanashi: You went close enough to one in 'Vampiric Sacrifice'.

Stefani: *thoughtfully* True… what do you guys think? Review and tell me!

Nanashi: *blandly* You forgot about the language.

Stefani: *blankly* Huh?

Nanashi: The language in this chapter?

Stefani: *lightbulb* Ohhh! Yeah, about that… er, um, just to assure you, I do not normally go around calling people a ho. This is all for the sake of realism.

Chibi-Relena: How realistic can it be if they're waving around magic wands?

Heero: *picking her up and carrying her out of the room* We're not up yet, remember?

Stefani: *sweatdrop* Um, well, now that that's all settled and done, continue reading! *walks out grumbling*

~*~*~*~

Draco couldn't sleep. He had originally opted to go and look for Nagini and watch whatever was going on between Potter and the girl, but she'd appeared back into the dormitory for awhile, left and come back. When she'd found that they were finished with working on the Yule Ball for the day, she'd nodded gravely, apologized for being absent, and took refuge in her room.

And he had been left with nothing to do. So he'd retired to his room as well, seeing as he could do nothing else. And he tried to sleep for lack of anything else to do. Going down to the Slytherin common room did not sound at all appealing and he wanted nothing more than to sleep and completely forget.

Finally, with a groan, he sat up and running a hand through his rumpled white-blond hair he headed for Hermione's room. Might as well explain to her that that kiss had meant nothing. She would not be expecting candlelight dinners, or roses, or… or any of the things Muggles or whatever do.

Without knocking he barged in. He never was one for the politeness thing. He found that she had shed the Hogwarts cloak and was dressed in sweats and a tank, lying on the bed, sideways, and a paperback still held limply in one hand. She was asleep, the lamplight shining on her hair that made it that glinting copper color again. He stopped dead in his tracks when she moaned and rolled over slightly, the book finally falling from her grasp and landing with a soft sound on the carpeted floor.

Sighing in relief, Draco came forward a few steps again and looked down at her face. She looked so… vulnerable. It was hard to believe this was the same girl who had, just a few hours ago interrupted his own sleep and had… he turned red again just thinking about it.

"Mmm," the soft fluttery moan from the girl's mouth brought him from his reverie. That tiny sound had the effect a bucket of cold water thrown at him. Suddenly it hit him, where he was, who was in front of him… and he turned to go. "Mmm… don't go…" a sleepy murmur and a soft grasp on his hand stopped him in his tracks again as he turned back to look at the still-sleeping girl.

A small smile flitted once on his lips and he bent down. Pressing a soft butterfly kiss to the back of the hand he held in his own, he placed it back on the bed, and tried, as best to his ability without waking her, to place the blankets on her. The lamp he blew out and he exited the room.

Re-entering his, he wondered what was wrong with him, once again. She was not the type of girl for him! She was the type that would date steady and dependable. He was anything but. Only then did he see the cat lying on his bed, watching his every move. Daisy's cat. Crookshanks, his name was. "What are you doing here?" he asked the cat. He wasn't expecting an answer, and he received none. He sat down on his bed, beside the cat. The cat shuffled over a tiny bit, but continued to stare unblinkingly at Draco Malfoy. It made him uncomfortable. "What?" he asked. A small "meow" made its way out of Crookshanks' mouth as it licked a paw, continuing to watch the young man.

Draco held out a tentative hand towards the cat. It immediately rubbed its head against his hand, the fur amazingly soft to the touch, despite the coarse look of it at first glance. "You're lucky. You can go wherever you want to without being accused of 'fraternizing with the enemy' like Goyle managed to copy from Weasley told me yesterday. You don't have to worry about why the hell you kissed a Muggle girl, and a Gryffindor at that."

The cat flicked an ear. It was listening.

"You're a smart cat."

"It's not a normal cat." He whirled to face Nagini standing at the door, dark hair rather mussed. She looked like she'd been to hell and back. "What're talking about?"

"I said it's not a normal cat… it's one of the most intelligent cats I've ever seen." She knelt down and held out a hand to the cat. It jumped down from the bed and walked slowly towards the girl, eyes suspicious. When it came only a meter away, it stopped and hissed, baring its canines. Nagini narrowed her eyes, and hissed back at him, her more pointed canines showing. The cat leapt back before gave its grudging acceptance and allowed her to stroke him. "He knows I'm a… friend of Hermione's." Draco looked rather confused at the girl, "What was that… thing you just did?" he didn't notice how ridiculous that had sounded until it had come out of his mouth. When he did realize it, it was already too late.

"Thing?"

"The hissing." Nagini straightened. "So you still don't know, Dragon-boy?" And for a split-second, he saw an entity that was thousands of years old, not a normal seventeen-year-old girl. She wasn't all that she seemed.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Nagini shook her head, her arms full of cat as she stroked it. "If you're lucky, you won't ever find out."

With that, she left, feet sliding gracefully out the door. The cat disappeared with her into her room. From the doorway of her room, he heard her voice float through his doorway, "Oh, and don't let her being a Muggle stop you from showing your true colors… people want to truth, Draco."

Draco was left more confused than ever. "Oh bother this!" he muttered, gesturing with his wand towards the door, and it closed with a slam. He then flopped backwards onto his bed and blew out the lamp. He'd fall asleep if it killed him. He then stripped down to his boxers (in case Daisy decided to barge in again) and he crawled into bed. And he dreamed…

Slim white hands raked through his perfectly combed hair, mussing it slightly, as he sucked the sensitive skin at her throat gently, his tongue came out to massage the skin further, and he felt a shiver run through her as he pressed her harder against the cold stone wall. Her white school blouse was unbuttoned low enough to tantalize him with just a hint of her cleavage and her short gray skirt was hiked up higher than was decent. He let his hands wander down from the sides of her waist to her ass, his hands tightening as he did so. He switched his attentions from her throat to giving her bruising kisses on her lips, crushing his to hers, his tongue entering hers, claiming it as his own. A soft moan managed to escape from her and he smiled against her lips.

Her hands had wandered to his chest now, and by touch alone, her fingers undid the buttons on his shirt. She began pulling it off his arms, and he complied for the few seconds it took to let the white cotton cloth flutter to the ground before his hands had resumed wandering on her. Hers were now sliding up and down his hard hairless chest. It didn't take much longer for the rest of their clothes to disappear from their bodies and to join the abandoned shirt. And it wasn't much longer before the lamplight lit the sweat gleaming on their bodies and the sounds of their moans could be heard…

Hermione turned over in her bed, hands reaching for the shock of white-blond hair that was appearing in her dreams so frequently nowadays. She uttered another small moan as she rolled over again, lost in her dreams.

The feel of his hair through her fingers was wonderful. She'd always loved his hair… there was always such an irresistible urge to run her hands through it. His hands elicited such wonderful shivers from her body as she felt his hands wandering. His kisses were intoxicating, they made her forget everything else...

It wasn't long before their breathing became ragged and uneven, and she felt her heartbeat quicken, as well as his against her chest. And it wasn't long before…

Her eyes snapped open before she could dream up anything else… and she'd awoken to, firstly, a familiar pulsing in the nether regions of her body, and secondly… she wasn't in her bed. The last reason almost made her scream, she was face to face with a still-sleeping Draco Malfoy!

Just as in her dream, her heartbeat raced as she fought frantically to remember how on earth she'd managed to be sleeping next to a guy that had once been her worst enemy, on a couch in their common room. And it was only a few seconds later that his eyes opened wide and there they were, about several centimeters from each other's faces with their arms around each other on a common room couch.

For a second or two, all they could do was stare at each other. Draco had a shocked look on his face before he regained his composure and his said, in his usual drawl, "Daisy, if you wanted to sleep with me, all you had to do was ask."

Hermione felt a flash of irritation and she snapped back, "It's not like you're not enjoying it."

"Daisy, you'll realize that with a body like yours, you'd turn any red-blooded male on." A confession rarely made by men in general. But this was Draco, he was as sexy as hell, knew it, and knew whoever else was made of the same caliber. He was also on the little outspoken side as well. Hermione blinked before a small smile crept onto her face, irritation evaporating. "Are you saying I turn you on?" Draco snorted, he was truthful, she had to give him that much credit over the years. "Daisy, you're the kind of girl any guy would fantasize about. I figure you knew that."

All of a sudden, Hermione's face looked rather tired of it all. "If you'd seen me this summer, you would've laughed. There weren't only guys hanging around the front yard, there were a few girls out there too." Draco laughed, "You? A lesbian?"

"I'm NOT!"

"I know." Hermione stopped, "Huh?"

"You were pretty damn responding to that kiss on the floor a while ago." Hermione looked away, just enough to notice something she hadn't noticed before. She had never noticed their were hugging each other. She let him go quickly, but as she did so, she found herself falling off the edge of the couch and only his arms still around kept her from falling completely. He gently set her on the carpet and smiled wryly, "I know I'm going to regret this in the morning but…"

He kissed her. Hermione's eyes flew open in shock, but soon enough, they felt so extremely heavy it was a herculean effort to even look at the face of the boy she was kissing. Apparently kisses and keeping your eyelids open do not work. So she closed them, letting her hands rake through his hair as they had in her dream, his locks silky smooth as his tongue explored her mouth again, intertwining with her own. Finally, when they pulled away from each other, gasping for air as they stared at each other, breathing hard.

"Damn you're a good kisser!" she exclaimed sitting up, before turning red to the roots, "Er… forget I said that." Draco had that 'I'm-bloody-well-sexy-and-I-know-it' smile on his face, "When you have as much practice as I've had…" For some reason, both of them felt loose and free and she mock-frowned at him, slapping his shoulder lightly, "Don't remind me… Draco-baby."

He raised an eyebrow, "For some reason, you sound sexier when you say it than Pansy ever could manage." It was then Hermione's turn to raise an eyebrow, "Maybe because I actually wear clothes."

"Muggle clothes."

"Your point? I see you don't go stark underneath that cloak of yours, do you?"

"Point well taken."

After that, a conversation that continued with them talking about this or that, until they soon fell asleep leaning against the couch and each other, while sitting on the thickly carpeted floor.

~*~*~*~

And during all this time…

"M-Master? You c-called?" stuttered poor Wormtail, as he stood in the door of his master's sitting room, trembling. "Wormtail. Is Nagini still stationed at Hogwarts?" the words were silky, but there was an undercurrent of raw anger.

"Y-Yes Master."

"Has she reported anything so far?"

"O-Only for the first day or two…"

A muttered curse was uttered before he snapped, "Bring me my wand." The little man raced down the hall before reappearing in the doorway again, gasping. "H-here," he said, holding it out to the man sitting in the chair. Lord Voldemort snatched it out of his grasp, pulling up a sleeve of his black robe. "Serpentia Rulius." he hissed, touching the tip of the wand to the black snake tattoo on his forearm. "Now let's she if she answers." He said, eyes glittering.

~*~*~*~

Nagini shuddered in bed as she rubbed her forearm again. The tattoo of a black snake burned into her flesh and not even her visit to the Chamber of Secrets had allowed the fiery brand to cool. Slowly, she withdrew her wand slowly, strangely dreading what she was going to do. This was wrong. Long had she served Lord Voldemort without fear, served faithfully so, and she was guaranteed a perfect place in his Inner Circle. Why then was she this unwilling to reveal information about the castle?

Tightening her lips, she turned to Crookshanks, who was still sitting on her bed, watching her carefully. "You, little kitty are going to be silent about this all right?" she asked in serpent-tongue knowing full well that it would understand her. All animals could understand each other.

The voice of the cat, masked as a purr to any outsiders sounded, "Who are you? You are not Animal, nor are you People."

"I am a little of both. Now, you shall have to be ever silent about what I shall do, or else my master will have you turned inside out while you are still alive." It was a warning, not a threat that she told the cat, and the animal knew it full well. Being around magic users all its life had taught him many things. "Very well. I will not interfere." She smiled, "You're a good cat, Mr. Crookshanks, Hermione must love you."

The cat was silent as it watched her. She rubbed her arm once more before muttering a spell word and pointing her wand towards the open fireplace. Then, she tossed a glittering powder into the flames, "My Lord, I am here."

The visage of Lord Voldemort's face appeared in the now green flames. "Why have you not reported back to me yet? What has been happening at that school?"

"Harry Potter is constantly surrounded. I have had very little ability to get close to him. I was chosen to be in Slytherin, which I expected to be placed in, but he is in Gryffindor. A common hatred exists between those of the two houses, though the Headmaster wants to change this."

"There has always been enmity between the two houses. Dumbledore is a fool."

"I believe he suspects. I believe he has told the Potter boy." she revealed to him. To her amazement, a small smile appeared on his sallow lips. "I expected as much. Professor Dumbledore always was a busybody. Very well, attempt to make his knowledge of your secret to your advantage. I have faith you know how."

"Yes, Lord Voldemort."

"That is all. And this time Nagini, do not wait for me to call on you before you give me more information." The flames disappeared with a soft "fwoom". Nagini dropped to her knees as she continued to stare at the fireplace. The ginger-colored cat padded over to her side and climbed into her lap, its fluffy tail brushing against her cheek. "You are confused." He meowed to her, watching her through large golden eyes. "You do not want to harm anyone."

"I don't know why… one half of me longs to rip his throat out, glory in the blood dripping between my fangs… and the other half abhors it."

The cat wrinkled its nose at the description, but finally said slowly, "You ask advice of the wrong cat. I love these children, they have been kind to me, especially the girl. I do not want you to harm Harry Potter, but this Voldemort that you speak of is feared by all of Wizardkind. If you choose to face against him… do you have to strength, or the power, to do so?"

"My choice has too much impact on the future to take light, Cat."

"Then I suggest you think long and hard about it. And talk with Harry Potter some more. He makes up a large part of your choice." He did not speak again and Nagini sighed, "You're right, Cat. I shall sleep on it and see… for now."

She lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling in the darkness. She rolled over onto her side and stared at the dim outlines of the bureau next to her bed. She flopped back onto her back. She sighed, flinging the covers off her and pulling on her dressing gown. Crookshanks sat up from his position at her feet, blinking his eyes sleepily. "Cannot sleep?"

"No. I'm going."

"Where?"

"I'll find out when I get there." A purr that sounded suspiciously like a cat-like version of a laugh came from the cat as she went for the bathroom to change. No reason to go out in a dressing gown. She was out in a flash wearing a camisole Hermione had lent her and a pair of drawstring pants. She walked out silently past the sleeping Head Boy and Girl, laughing softly to herself, and exited the portrait.

"Leaving at this time of night? That's against the rules, you know." said Sirius winking at her. She raised an eyebrow in a calculated teasing way, "Are you going to tell on me?"

James interrupted whatever Sirius was going to say, "Have fun! But we won't be back for a long while."

"Neither will I hopefully. Thank you." she replied, walking off.

~*~*~*~

Harry lay awake, staring out the window at the shred of moon still in the sky. It did not produce much light so most of the room was in shadow. He didn't really care. He was also the only one awake in the entire dormitory. Even Ron was fast asleep, and snoring, half falling off his bed. Harry sighed, turned on his side and stared at the alarm clock that Hermione had charmed to work in Hogwarts for him. A few more hours until sunrise… he thought, groaning in his head and turning back around to face away from the glowing red numbers. Dammit, why couldn't he just go to sleep? It would be so much easier to accomplish not thinking.

"Can you not sleep either?"

He barely kept himself from yelling out loud, as he was startled half out of his wits by a looming shadowed figure over his bed. He grabbed his glasses and put them on, peering at the figure. "N-Nagini? Is that you?" he asked, recognizing her voice.

"Yes."

"You're not supposed to be in here!" he hissed in a whisper.

"You're going to tell the professors that I'm here?" she asked with a wry smile sitting on the edge of his bed. Plainly she wasn't going to leave very soon. He sat up, a pillow behind his back. Her eyes flicked towards his bare torso, his slightly muscled arms, before returning her gaze back onto his face. "You are a Parseltongue." It was a statement, not a question.

"Er, yeah, we established that fact a while ago."

"How does that make you feel?" Harry had the disconcerting feeling of being questioned by Rita Skeeter all over again, especially with Nagini's exceptionally bright and inquisitive eyes in the darkness. "Why?"

"Because… the only Parseltongue I know is…" she paused before continuing, "is the Dark Lord."

Harry looked rather pained, "That's about the thousandth time I've heard that one." Nagini smiled rather distantly, thinking. She had never been good at conversation, and for once, she felt nervous. All things she might have said seemed to simply drain out of her head. "Are you thinking about why I'm here?" she asked all of a sudden, noticing a familiar expression on her face.

"Well… er… a little, yeah." It wasn't every day—night, that a girl simply walked into the boys' dormitory and sat down on the side of your bed.

"Because… as silly as it might sound to you, Hermione Granger's cat told me to."

Harry blinked. "I'm sorry… 'Mione's cat?"

"Yes… think of it in this way. You are a Parseltongue. You can speak to snakes. I however, am a snake, and in that aspect, I can communicate with other animals. I have a… broader range of understanding and communicating."

Harry's eyebrows rose, "I see."

Nagini shrugged, "And Hermione and Draco are currently… um, sleeping, in the common room so I decided to follow Crookshanks's advice."

"What do you mean sleeping in the common room… oh no, did 'Mione fall for Draco?" asked Harry, holding back a groan. It wasn't that he had a crush on her, far from it actually. But he'd always suspected there was a little something going on between them, even if they themselves hadn't noticed it. He'd dreaded finally finding this out.

"You could say that."

"Did he… you know…" he asked, horrified that he was blushing and her serpentine eyes could see it as clear as day.

"If you mean if he's had sex with her yet, that would be a no. However, they have kissed." Harry looked interested and shifted closer, "Did they?" he asked, eyes glinting in anticipation. It might give him leverage in an argument (which he knew would come up soon enough) if he knew what was going on beforehand.

"Yes. Is there a reason why you are so interested?"

"Mm… probably because 'Mione's one of my best friends in this entire world, and I need to make sure that Draco isn't the self-important bastard we've all known he's been." He told her, after thinking it over thoroughly. It was true to say the least, Hermione wasn't going to be screwed over and embarrassed like some cheap ho.

It was definitely time for a change of subject. "So… you can become a snake right? Sounds cool."

"'Cool'?" she asked, mildly confused with the more current Muggle vernacular. "Er… that sounds like… fun?" he finished weakly, not knowing any other way to put it.

"Fun… well, I must say there are a few things I can do with the lack of limbs than I can now."

"Does being a… lamia, make you walk like that?"

"Like what?"

Harry shrugged, "Like you're gliding over ice."

She cocked her head, licking her canines thoughtfully, "I suppose so… I cannot see how you can walk like… you do. Clumping around like you've got steel-shod boots clamped to your feet…" Harry grinned rather wryly, bringing a hand through his tousled black hair that continually fell messily into his eyes. "Well… some of us are not gifted with the same grace as you… if I tried to walk like that, I'd probably fall down flat on my face." Nagini laughed, before shushing immediately as Ron, in his own bed, mumbled something in his sleep before continuing to snore.

"So… were you born a lamia? A woman who can change into a snake?"

"Actually, it's the other way around with me. I'm a snake that can take the form of a woman. And no, I was born a serpent and only the power of a great wizard gave me the power of becoming… human."

"Ah…"

And so the conversation wore on into the late hours of the night.

~*~*~*~

"Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, please relieve yourself of your compromising position and listen to me." Professor Severus Snape's voice was the first thing that two of the three Head Students heard when they woke up in their common room. Hermione looked up first into the cool eyes of their doom. "Er… Professor Snape…" she sputtered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and focusing on him. "Er… we uh…"

Draco was more… refined. "We were talking last night… I suppose we fell asleep. I never expected the conversation to last so long…"

"I'm sure. Both of you at my office after your first classes… Now, about the reason I'm here. Where is Nagini Whetlyn?"

Hermione looked confused, "Isn't she in her room?"

"I knocked on the door and no one answered, I opened the door and no one was there except for your cat, Miss Granger." The girl frowned, looking towards the girl in question's room. "I… honestly have no idea then, Professor. She was there last night…"

The next sound they heard was the soft creak of the portrait when it swung open, and Nagini scrambled in, looking rather sleepy. She stopped short when she noticed the professor standing in the middle of their common room. "Was there… something I missed?" she asked, looking from one face to another.

"I was told to take you to see Professor Dumbledore, he told me he had something to discuss with you." He eyed her coolly. "And I suggest you not mention to him that a Head Girl was wandering the halls last night… it would set a very bad example of the Head Students' discipline." He swept out of their common room without another word.

Nagini blinked, before staring after the man, a look that resembled almost fear in her eyes. Hermione stood up, coming closer, "Hey, you okay?" she asked, "You don't look so good."

Draco was being scrupulously ignored as he found himself caught in a girls-only conversation. Standing, he made his way to his own room. How did I know I would regret this in the morning? he thought to himself tiredly, that was beyond embarrassing… damn that Snape, always there when I don't want him to be. He found his face turning pink as he remembered waking up back there… he leaned back against the door, sighing. This year was going to be hell and a half if anyone, especially Pansy found out. His blood froze at the thought of it. Not only would she be jealous (something he could handle), but she would also run crying to his father… who was in league with You-Know-Who.

Never in all her many years had she expected to ever confide in a Mudblood. But Hermione Granger was a new girl, of a sort she'd never met. Perhaps that was the reason… she never really had much interaction with the Muggles that were dragged into Lord Voldemort's stronghold to be tortured and executed, she'd watched and observed, bringing news to her master when she could. But now, she found herself revealing her secret, that she was a lamia, to this Muggle girl. And instead of looking as horrified as some who had found the truth of Harry Potter being a Parseltongue, which was what Nagini had expected, Hermione watched and listened with a more and more keen interest. "A lamia!" she exclaimed excitedly, "Oh that is so exciting! How on earth did you manage it?"

"A… wizard helped me… gave me power…" she said hesitantly. This was the dangerous part of her story, she couldn't allow anyone to know who the wizard was. Hermione shrugged, figuring from Nagini's expression that she had a secret. Hermione was perfectly accepting of secrets kept from her… usually.

"Well then, you'd better get to Dumbledore and find out what's the matter. He's a good Headmaster… a little eccentric, but a good wizard. You probably don't have to worry too much."

Nagini nodded, before a rather sly smile (that doubly did it's intended job from her being a serpent) appeared on her face. "Then, while I whisk myself off to the great unknown that is my doom, I expect you have some… talking to do with Mister Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin sex god."

"Slytherin sex god? Where did that come from?" asked Hermione, between giggles at Nagini's suddenly acquired pompous flare.

Nagini shrugged, "Pansy Parkinson and others of Draco Malfoy's fan club. I was in the Slytherin common room yesterday."

"Oh."

"Then I shall take my leave." She gracefully glided out of the Head Students' common room. Hermione stared after Nagini in envy of her smooth walk before entering her room, flopping on her bed with a sigh. What had she been thinking last night? Just because of a dream, she'd suddenly just seemed to lose all common sense. And the strange thing was… she'd enjoyed kissing the bloody bastard!

When she exited the portrait hole however, a few corridors down, a hand grabbed her shoulder, slamming her into the wall. "Hey!" she cried out as her shoulder connected bruisingly against the wall. "Shut up Mudblood." Hermione groaned. Only a Slytherin would use that epithet so freely. And she knew only one who was this pissed off with her. "What do you want, Parkinson?" she asked, frowning at the hard-faced, but still pretty Slytherin seventh-year. "Listen up Mudblood, don't mess with my Draco, you hear?"

"Since when was he your Draco?" Hermione asked snidely, straightening the front of her robes as she did so. Pansy smiled, "Because I've already got the ring." She lifted her hand to Hermione's face, the diamond flashing in the light from the torches in the brackets on the wall. Hermione raised an eyebrow, outwardly unperturbed. "Already? Damn, and I thought you might even have a hope of screwing someone outside of Hogwarts." Pansy's eyes narrowed as she shoved Hermione's head back against the wall using the palm of her hand, her nails digging into the other girl's flesh. "Listen up, Mudblood. Draco's marrying me… I've known for a long time now, and it's all been perfectly arranged…"

Hermione winced as she felt her hand come away from the back of her head slick with wet blood, she groaned. The way things were going, she was going to lose a few more million brain cells than she wanted. "You bitch…" she hissed at Pansy's self-satisfied look on her face. She then proceeded to lunge at Pansy, bringing them both to the ground, as she landed a solid blow to the side of Pansy's face with the side of her hand.

Pansy kicked her off, slamming her into the opposing wall, whipping out her wand. Hermione followed suit, casting the first spell, forgetting entirely the rules of no magic in the corridors, "Reflejo!" she yelled, uttering the words of a spell she'd learned in one of her textbooks.

Pansy glared at her, a slightly triumphant look on her face, as she threw her own spell, "Crucio!"

Hermione's eyes widened at Pansy's words, but as Pansy's triumphant smile appeared on her face, a mirror-like surface appeared in front of Hermione, and the gray flash of her own spell rebounded. Her mouth opened in shock… she knew what was coming…

"Finite Incantium!" yelled a voice, cutting off both spells. Hermione was leaning heavily against the wall, gasping for breath, her eyes still on Pansy. She'd knew whatever the girl threw at her wouldn't be pleasant… but she'd hadn't thought that she'd throw an Unforgivable at her!

"Stupefy!" yelled the voice again, wand pointed at Pansy. Hermione's eyes widened even more as she recognized the voice… "Professor Snape!" she cried, sliding down the wall behind her to a crouched position next to the crumpled form of Pansy.

"Yes, Miss Granger. I hope that you have enough mobility in you to get out of the way… I shall need to bring Miss Parkinson to the Hospital Wing." Hermione nodded slowly, her brain suddenly sluggish as she got to her feet slowly, making her way towards the professor.

"Daisy? You all right?" asked the person who caught her when she tripped on her own feet. Her vision was blurring despite her best attempts to keep the blackness lapping at the edges of her vision at bay, the name he called her gave her a clue. And the strange thing was, he actually sounded concerned. "I'm fine…" she muttered, trying to struggle out of his grasp in order to walk on her own feet.

"Mister Malfoy, if she cannot walk without falling over her own two feet, would you mind very much to help her?" asked Snape's rather dry voice as he conjured up a stretcher with a flick of his wand. "We go to the Hospital Wing now, the Headmaster will have to be called and Miss Granger…" Hermione barely lifted her head to hear whatever he might say to her. "…Though, it was clever to use a reflection spell, you should know it drains the user of considerable strength and should be used only near the end of the battle when the spells are becoming dangerous… though I must say… I never expected…" he fell silent as Hermione nodded briefly, slumping half against Draco, half against the wall, unconscious.

Snape swore under his breath and conjured up another stretcher on which Draco placed the brunette. "Follow me then, Malfoy." The blond boy obeyed… and he would have died before he'd admit it, but he was actually nervous. Pansy hadn't hesitated to throw an Unforgivable at a girl she only disliked. What would she do if she was ordered to?

The procession that appeared in the Hospital Wing, along with the story along with it raised an uproar amongst the teachers, and despite their dislike of the Minister of Magic, Fudge was summoned. The students in the school were beside themselves with curiosity, not much had been said. But Hermione was still lying unconscious for reasons unknown, Draco was staying as well away from his old crowd as he could, and Pansy was facing Azkaban.

Harry and Ron, as well as Nagini on occasion, were at the Hospital Wing as much as possible in the continuing week, and there was wonderment on what else had happened. A reflection spell was not supposed to put a girl into a coma. Nagini seemed especially interested in Pansy's part of the story, and had asked permission of Professor Dumbledore to seem her, in order to "question her on her actions". She was given permission, only under the conditions that her wand be temporarily withheld, as well as her robes searched before she entered.

And with that, the Dark Lord's right hand snake entered the room in which Pansy sat on the rumpled bed, eyes gazing firmly on the floor. In a flat voice, she spoke, "I don't have anything to say with you, Professor."

"I am no professor, nor should you address me as one." replied Nagini, as she went to the chair opposite the bed on which Pansy Parkinson sat. The girl looked up, and Nagini had to hold herself from recoiling in disgust at the girl's dark circles around her eyes, the protruding cheekbones…

"You… you're the new girl."

"How dare you let your anger take control over you than even orders given to you from the Dark Lord?" snapped Nagini, in no mood for small talk.

Pansy's eyes widened, "What are you… what are you talking about?"

"It's obvious, is it not? You were stationed here personally by the Dark Lord, in order to keep a close watch on his heir."

"His heir?" her eyes widened, "How did you know?"

"I put two and two together, Pansy. Also, I have a close guess that that very same heir is Draco Malfoy."

Pansy closed her mouth into a tight line, "But you can't do anything now…" continued Nagini, eyes cold and glittering, "because you're going to Azkaban… a life sentence, I assure you. And you are no help to anyone, on either side."

"What are you here for then?!" screamed Pansy, glaring at her. "Why the hell do you give a fuck about what's going to happen to me?!" Nagini raised an eyebrow at the other girl's outburst, "I don't. You are expendable because you have let your anger take control of you. Neither the Dark Lord, nor those who oppose him have need of you. I came to tell you just what you have done."

"So you came to gloat, right? You came to laugh at me… just like that Mudblood Granger, both of you are after my fiancé!"

The other girl laughed, long and cold, "I?" she asked, "If I had wanted Draco Malfoy, I would have taken him long before now… he is a Head Student as am I. I came to give you one last way to turn to."

She smiled, a feral smile, nothing human about it, displaying her true nature to the terrified girl in front of her. The large serpent coiled itself slowly around Pansy in languid circles, who was too afraid, and too shocked to move or even make a sound. Still using human speech, Nagini's head came ever closer to Pansy's ear, her tongue flicking out, once unintentionally catching Pansy's ear, causing her to shudder involuntarily, with fear. "This is my secret, Pansy Parkinson, among many others." Her tail came up to her mouth, coiling itself around an elongated fang and with a serpentine grimace and with a wrench, the fang was free.

Suddenly the snake was no longer there, only the girl standing before her as she had been doing before, the fang held in her hand. "This is my last gift to you, Pansy, because unlike anyone else, I have a slight pity for you. I give you a choice that no one else will. A choice between a life in Azkaban surrounded by Dementors without a single happy thought, or a peaceful death."

She placed the fang in Pansy's lap. "You can use it once, before it disintegrates from lack of the poison. It has enough magic to cast an Unforgivable… on yourself if you desire. I leave it up to you."

She turned, and glided for the door, leaving Pansy, clutching the fang in her pale hands, as she stared after the girl. She's a… she's a snake… She vaguely remembered her father, one of Voldemort's followers, had told her of Voldemort's right-hand serpent, a large snake that followed his orders better than any of the Death Eaters ever. Was she the same snake? If I told… she thought suddenly, desperately, if I told, then I might not have to go to Azkaban at all! My father might still be able to save me!

She was desperate now, panicked more than ever before at the coming decision, now that she had a decision. But who would believe me? Memory hit her as she remembered the potion she'd administered on that uppity little Mudblood Granger. The little bitch had been so sure of herself, and she had had Draco even being civil to her, while he commenced in being such a bastard to herself! So she, Pansy Parkinson, had brewed a potion with stolen ingredients from Professor Snape had slipped it into her pumpkin juice not too long ago. It had taken some time, but the effect should have worked by now, she would be unconscious, seemingly forever. Unless she decided to brew the antidote with her own hands or if she died. Neither was palatable, she found. It would be like giving in to that filthy Mudblood and she would not lose to her. Ever.

But the thought of Azkaban…

Nagini Whetlyn was not surprised when, three days later, a horrified shriek came through the hallways as Professor Sa Lai, more visibly shaken than any time they'd ever seen her came rushing through the halls towards the teacher's lounge. "Dear Lord, Pansy's dead!" she cried, as soon as she reached the door and flung it open. The only occupants were McGonagall, Hooch, and Snape.

Professor McGonagall stood, still severe, in even shock. "What is the meaning of this? How could a student be killed in a confined room?"

"I don't know! I went in to check on her and she was lying flat out on the floor. I checked her pulse… her touch was colder than mine."

McGonagall immediately went for the door, followed by the other two, on the feet in an instant. "Madame Hooch, please notify Madame Pomfrey immediately. Let's go see about this rumpus." By this time, students of varying years were clustering around the door, straining to hear what was being said. The frigid glares of the Potions Master were enough to send them scuttling out of their way as, in a flurry of different-colored robes, the three remaining professors made for the same room where Pansy was.

It was exactly as Professor Sa Lai had said, there she was, the dark hair of the Slytherin beauty spilled all over the floor, her hard-faced features softening as she lay as if in sleep, but with no drawing of breath, nor was her chest rising and falling. McGonagall went to her knees in front of her, checking her pulse, first in her wrist, then straight to her jugular at her neck. Nothing, not even a flutter of a heartbeat.

"Dear God, what happened to her?" exclaimed the teacher as she searched for any sign of what had happened. It was like it what it had been all those years before, when the Chamber of Secrets had first been opened and they'd found that girl, Myrtle, lying dead. Was it another one? Could it have anything to do with the Chamber of Secrets? But she was thinking irrational thoughts, nothing of the sort could have happened. A spell? A potion?

"Professor Snape, do you think a potion could have been used on her?"

The black-haired man came over, examining her features closely, opening her closed eyelids to examine her pupils. "It's too difficult to tell… anything could have happened."

"Professors! What has happened?!" It was Madame Pomfrey at the door, as she bustled forward towards the prone form lying there on the ground. "She's dead, Poppy. And we need to find out how."

"How? I'm afraid I think I know, Minerva dear. I've seen enough of this during the Dark War… this is the look of the Unforgivable." Professor Sa Lai, standing in the door felt her already pale complexion pale even further. "You're not saying… Avada Kedavra?"

Snape paled, his face as white as Professor Sa Lai's. "So you're saying, someone can simply Apparate into Hogwarts, cast an Unforgivable on a Slytherin girl bound for Azkaban and Disapparates right back out? In a building that you can not do either in?!"

"She must have done it herself then."

"She was strictly forbidden to touch anything with charm work in it, and we have confiscated her wand. There was no way…" Professor McGonagall said, looking her over again, her lips tight as she tried to think what could have happened.

"And all students that have visited have been searched?"

"Of course! They handed in their wands when they went in, and they came back out and they were returned."

Madame Hooch soon returned, now with the Headmaster, who was looking extremely grave. "Oh dear…" he said softly as he came closer, among the throng of teachers in the already crowded and small room. "What could have happened…" he paused, a shrewd look in his eyes as he became even more grave, "Tell me, Minerva, has Nagini Whetlyn frolm Slytherin come to visit her?"

"Why, a matter of days ago, yes."

"I see…" Dumbledore knelt down beside Pansy's lifeless body and he said, "Professor McGonagall, please go and find Nagini Whetlyn, and bring her here."

If Professor McGonagall found this order strange, she said nothing and exited with a flurry of robes. Professor Snape, please bring me a vial of your strongest Veritassium and Professor Sa Lai… well, I believe Miss Parkinson's folks will be wishing to know what has happened to their daughter."

Madame Pomfrey knew her place at times like these and she slipped out of the room, waiting in the hall near the door, medical supplies at the ready, just in case. Of what, she did not quite know.

Nagini appeared with Professor McGonagall, silently following the more flustered professor. "You asked for me, Headmaster?"

"Yes, Miss Whetlyn, did you have any prior knowledge of these happenings?" he asked finally, after a long silence. Nagini looked at him silently, green eyes searching his grim face, "Headmaster, you know my secret, you know of whom I received the power to become human from. Why did you not say anything to the Ministry of Magic? Why did you not watch my every move?"

"Because, I thought that perhaps you might prove trustworthy, just a thought mind you. I know very well how much of a threat you present to this school, but I believed that you, perhaps slightly more untainted than the rest of the human Death Eaters might understand and let go of Voldemort's discrimination of the Muggle and Muggle-born community." The Headmaster shook his head, "But why on Earth would you choose a full-blooded Slytherin girl who was already reported to be helping your side all along?"

Nagini sighed, "Headmaster, you knew very well what was in store for her after her trial. You know very well what they would do to her… sending her to Azkaban. They would break her. I gave her one of my fangs, Professor, so that she might make a choice."

The old man's bright blue eyes widened, "The fangs of a Basilisk child… I had forgotten the magical powers invested in them…"

She nodded, "She chose… as I knew she would."

"But you knew very well I suspected you to do such a thing, that I could expose you to everyone in the wizarding world. Why did you take such a risk?"

"There was… another reason…" she said slowly, biting her lip gently with the tip of one sharp canine. "My lord would be horrified at me and kill me on sight if he knew…" she looked up, from where she'd been watching a cockroach scuttle around the floor. "Pansy was acting strangely that day she and Hermione had that duel in the halls. I was watching her… at lunch… Pansy had looked as satisfied as a cat that'd just eaten a canary. She slipped something into Hermione's pumpkin juice. I managed to get a hold of some of it at the last moment, and I was able to analyze it…" she then continued to tell the details of the analyzing and the potion that it had turned out to be.

"Hermione wouldn't be able to come out of her coma unless Pansy brewed the antidote herself, or she died. And… Pansy is… not the type to give up when it comes to Draco Malfoy." She paused, looking almost bewildered, a strange expression on that coolly silent face. "I, trying to help a Muggle…" Dumbledore hid an amused smile, she really was blunt. "So you found it up to yourself to kill her."

"Would you have done so, Professor Dumbledore? Or would you have asked her ever so politely to mix that draught to restore Hermione Granger? Do you believe she would have if she was already faced with a charge to go to Azkaban?" Dumbledore watched the student in front of him carefully, his eyes sad. "No… no, I don't believe she would have."

He drew himself up, "This is a very serious business, Miss Whetlyn, but I will tell you. I believe your intentions were noble, and I believe they were for the greater good, no matter how much Miss Parkinson's parents will think. For this, I will order you to be under strict observation, but you may continue to remain at this school as well as continue in your classes. I still have hopes for you, Miss Whetlyn, and though I know I am playing with fire, I believe you might come through."

Nagini left in a strange state of confusion, wondering what the Headmaster had meant.

She wasn't surprised, three days later when the truth came out… Pansy Parkinson had been found lying dead in the middle of the floor, found by Professor Sa Lai. On that same day, Hermione Granger, in her hospital bed woke up.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Nagini's face, calmly watching her. Rubbing her eyes she sat up slowly, wrinkling her nose at the smells of the hospital wing before looking back at Nagini. "How long was I asleep?"

"Two weeks." Hermione sat bolt upright, "What?!" she exclaimed, throwing back the covers before Nagini's cool hand stopped her. "Wait for Madame Pomfrey," she advised, "You've been in something of a coma for the past two weeks and she'll have to look you over. I'll go get her… and your friends are here." She added, nodding her head towards Harry and Ron, who had caught sight of the shiny brown hair and were running over.

"'Mione!" yelled Ron first, and Hermione wondered wryly why Madame Pomfrey didn't come running, complaining of the noise, and about them upsetting her other patients. She slowly made her way back to the Hospital Wing, which was still in a state of panic. Whispers were heard as students who had been present in the hallway were now informing those sitting up in the white hospital beds.

"…her face was all white you know? She just ran screaming down the hall…"

"…Snape had to bring in the Veritassium, I heard…"

"…didn't have to use it, I heard…"

Nagini ignored these whisperings, making straight for Hermione Granger's bed. The brunette was sitting up now, softly wailing about her studies, ("However am I going to catch up?") and both Harry and Ron were both terribly relieved for her to be back to normal. Hermione stopped short when Nagini entered the room, and she had a strangely quizzical look on her face as she cocked her head, looking at her. "Hermione?" asked Nagini, rather confused about what was wrong.

"I have this strange idea that you helped me come back… I don't even know why…" Nagini shrugged, as nonchalantly as she could, showing just how much training Hermione had given her in being casual. Hermione nodded slowly, before pulling off the blankets and sheets on top of her as she began to climb, wobbly it must be said, off the bed. Madame Pomfrey came running over tut-tutting and wringing her hands over the delicacy of those who had weak stomachs and weak limbs, and all numbers of illnesses. This went on until Hermione was certain that if she had even a quarter of what Madame Pomfrey had listed, she would have to have been carted around in a wheelbarrow from the moment she was born.

When finally, they escaped that very same hospital wing, it was two hallways away, when Hermione, leading the way, smacked right into someone around the corner, making her stumble backwards, falling on top of Nagini with a shriek. "OW!" she yelled, as both of them fell in a heap, as the two boys they'd been walking with stared dumbfounded at them for a moment, uncomprehending for that moment.

"Shit! Wait… Daisy, is that you?"

Hermione, in a blaze of pain, thought the name had given her a very good clue who it was. Somewhere along the way in their mutual dive to stone floor, she had cracked her head upon Nagini's and was currently watching supernovas explode before her eyes. She felt herself be hauled upwards, by hands not entirely ungentle, which help regain and support her balance.

A muffled groan behind her served to remind her that Nagini had indeed been sprawled on the cold stone floor. Also, she noticed the same hardness that had been pressing into her side from the small object in the pocket of her school robes. She pulled away from Draco Malfoy with a groan, and was about to reach down and pull up Nagini, (with many apologies of course), when Harry was there, helping her to her feet, making sure she hadn't cracked her skull open on the very hard, very cold stone floor.

Draco watched her silently for a moment before saying, rather quietly, "I'm glad you're all right, Daisy."

~*~*~*~

End Chapter. Awww. How sweet. So not a cliffhanger. I'm sleepy. Good night.