"Double Potions with Slytherin! And in the morning of our first day back!"
Ron groaned and slouched against the desk. The dungeon was rather humid,
the September air not quite cooling off yet.
"I'll be surprised if we don't bake in here. It'll be worse once we light the fires for our cauldrons." Harry wiped the sweat out of his eyes, absentmindedly elbowing Hermione, who dropped her books and quills. She and Ron both bent down to get them, but having a little trouble as they stared at each other.
"Y-You.uh, you got everything?" Ron stuttered, piling the books and scattered papers into Hermione's arms.
Hermione quickly averted her eyes. "Oh yeah, yeah I have it all." She cracked a grin. "Suppose I was just lucky the inkbottle didn't drop."
A loud 'SLAM!' reverberated in the room, quaking the desks, and Hermione's inkbottle tottered to the floor. Professor Snape swifted down on her. His greasy hair was worse with all the heat.
"Having trouble holding on to your things, Miss Granger? Perhaps you'll learn how to in detention, tonight 5:30 sharp. And 10 points off from Gryffindor." Snape straightened at Harry's astonished face, glowering at him as he explained to Hermione. "You've ruined my floor, Granger."
He pivoted and walked to his desk, where he began to explain the day's lesson. Draco and the other Slytherins turned around and smiled at them.
Harry leaned over to the two others. "Detention!? For an accident!?"
Ron nodded. "Excessive. But don't worry, Hermione, it won't be too bad." He patted her hand, and she looked up to him. They held their gaze for a second too long.
"Ronald Weasley! I'd ask that you refrain from your romantic interests while you are in my class. Or must I take another few points from Gryffindor?" Snape said icily. Ron quickly shifted in his seat.
*So it is true!* Draco thought to himself. *This plan may be easier to work out than I thought.*
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"And when you're washing those, do try not to drop any. I don't want to be missing any when I return." Snape warned. He walked briskly out of the dungeon classroom to the faculty meeting Dumbledore was holding.
Hermione sighed to herself. Her first night back and here she was scrubbing crusted Temacula Tentacles out of potion jars. Her fingers burned in the scalding water. She reached for the bar of soap and held it in her hands. A clearing throat startled her, her hand squeezing the soap bar so that it flew in the air.
"Really now, Granger, you're turning out to be quite the klutz." A harsh voice said behind her.
Hermione turned around, spotting Pansy. She sighed and picked up the soap. This was not her night! "What do you want, Parkinson?"
She smirked. "First time you've seen me since last year, and this is how you say hello? I'm surprised, honestly, that one could be such a bitch. Must be mudblood manners." She shrugged, and walked over to where Hermione was working. "So, what has been happening with you and Weasel."
"Weasley! It's Ron Weasley!" Hermione's brow knotted.
"Weasley." Pansy conceded. "Do tell, are you a couple?"
"I.I.We're not dating." Hermione said shaken.
"Could have fooled me. We all saw how you were ogling at each other."
"We weren't."
"Yes, you were. Don't deny it."
"Okay! So maybe we did stare a bit. Is that what you want to hear?" This was beginning to annoy Hermione.
"Perhaps.have you kissed him yet?"
"No!"
"But you want to. In fact, I'll bet you let him do some other dirty little things to you instead. Perhaps a little 'over the shirt action'?" Pansy was baiting her.
Hermione threw down her sponge and turned angrily on Pansy "That is absolutely none of your business!"
"Is it now?" Pansy looked surprised, but felt confident that she was getting somewhere.
"Well, it's not! And who cares if Ron and I have a.a.a."
"A fling?" Pansy suggested slyly.
"Yes, a fling! Or not a fling.a crush.oh, who would care about that? And what difference would it make to you?" Hermione raged.
Pansy smiled languidly. "Poor little Grangey! Don't you see? It makes no difference to me. But it makes quite a difference to you." Hermione eyed her suspiciously. "After all, we don't want any rumors flying around, now do we? Heavens forbid you should look like a slut." Pansy leaned in to Hermione's face, grinning sardonically. She slowly reached into the sink, grabbed a jar, and nonchalantly dropped it on the floor. It shattered around her feet. "Oops!" She muttered, pseudo-innocently.
"Miss Granger, did I just hear a jar break?" Snape entered the room. "Miss Parkinson, is there some reason why you're in the classroom so late?"
"Oh yes, Professor Snape." Pansy grinned wildly. "You see, sir, I was walking by to get to the Slytherin common room when I heard a crash. I stopped to see if something was wrong, and Hermione pulled me in, trying to talk me into taking the blame!" She smiled sweetly at Hermione. "Isn't that just dreadful?"
Snape's eyes squinted. "So I see. Granger, another detention tomorrow, for not following orders. Perhaps more time here will teach you to be a little less clumsy. Miss Parkinson, please return to your dormitory."
Pansy walked out of the classroom quietly, and once in the hall, broke out into a run. She whispered the password to the picture of a sunken-faced witch, and rushed into the common room. Searching for a blond head, she hurried to the doors of the boys' dormitory. Suddenly, she felt an arm pull her into a dark corner.
"Did you get the information I wanted?" A languidly lush voice whispered in her ear.
Pansy's disgusting face smiled. "Of course. Anything for you, Draco."
"I'll be surprised if we don't bake in here. It'll be worse once we light the fires for our cauldrons." Harry wiped the sweat out of his eyes, absentmindedly elbowing Hermione, who dropped her books and quills. She and Ron both bent down to get them, but having a little trouble as they stared at each other.
"Y-You.uh, you got everything?" Ron stuttered, piling the books and scattered papers into Hermione's arms.
Hermione quickly averted her eyes. "Oh yeah, yeah I have it all." She cracked a grin. "Suppose I was just lucky the inkbottle didn't drop."
A loud 'SLAM!' reverberated in the room, quaking the desks, and Hermione's inkbottle tottered to the floor. Professor Snape swifted down on her. His greasy hair was worse with all the heat.
"Having trouble holding on to your things, Miss Granger? Perhaps you'll learn how to in detention, tonight 5:30 sharp. And 10 points off from Gryffindor." Snape straightened at Harry's astonished face, glowering at him as he explained to Hermione. "You've ruined my floor, Granger."
He pivoted and walked to his desk, where he began to explain the day's lesson. Draco and the other Slytherins turned around and smiled at them.
Harry leaned over to the two others. "Detention!? For an accident!?"
Ron nodded. "Excessive. But don't worry, Hermione, it won't be too bad." He patted her hand, and she looked up to him. They held their gaze for a second too long.
"Ronald Weasley! I'd ask that you refrain from your romantic interests while you are in my class. Or must I take another few points from Gryffindor?" Snape said icily. Ron quickly shifted in his seat.
*So it is true!* Draco thought to himself. *This plan may be easier to work out than I thought.*
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"And when you're washing those, do try not to drop any. I don't want to be missing any when I return." Snape warned. He walked briskly out of the dungeon classroom to the faculty meeting Dumbledore was holding.
Hermione sighed to herself. Her first night back and here she was scrubbing crusted Temacula Tentacles out of potion jars. Her fingers burned in the scalding water. She reached for the bar of soap and held it in her hands. A clearing throat startled her, her hand squeezing the soap bar so that it flew in the air.
"Really now, Granger, you're turning out to be quite the klutz." A harsh voice said behind her.
Hermione turned around, spotting Pansy. She sighed and picked up the soap. This was not her night! "What do you want, Parkinson?"
She smirked. "First time you've seen me since last year, and this is how you say hello? I'm surprised, honestly, that one could be such a bitch. Must be mudblood manners." She shrugged, and walked over to where Hermione was working. "So, what has been happening with you and Weasel."
"Weasley! It's Ron Weasley!" Hermione's brow knotted.
"Weasley." Pansy conceded. "Do tell, are you a couple?"
"I.I.We're not dating." Hermione said shaken.
"Could have fooled me. We all saw how you were ogling at each other."
"We weren't."
"Yes, you were. Don't deny it."
"Okay! So maybe we did stare a bit. Is that what you want to hear?" This was beginning to annoy Hermione.
"Perhaps.have you kissed him yet?"
"No!"
"But you want to. In fact, I'll bet you let him do some other dirty little things to you instead. Perhaps a little 'over the shirt action'?" Pansy was baiting her.
Hermione threw down her sponge and turned angrily on Pansy "That is absolutely none of your business!"
"Is it now?" Pansy looked surprised, but felt confident that she was getting somewhere.
"Well, it's not! And who cares if Ron and I have a.a.a."
"A fling?" Pansy suggested slyly.
"Yes, a fling! Or not a fling.a crush.oh, who would care about that? And what difference would it make to you?" Hermione raged.
Pansy smiled languidly. "Poor little Grangey! Don't you see? It makes no difference to me. But it makes quite a difference to you." Hermione eyed her suspiciously. "After all, we don't want any rumors flying around, now do we? Heavens forbid you should look like a slut." Pansy leaned in to Hermione's face, grinning sardonically. She slowly reached into the sink, grabbed a jar, and nonchalantly dropped it on the floor. It shattered around her feet. "Oops!" She muttered, pseudo-innocently.
"Miss Granger, did I just hear a jar break?" Snape entered the room. "Miss Parkinson, is there some reason why you're in the classroom so late?"
"Oh yes, Professor Snape." Pansy grinned wildly. "You see, sir, I was walking by to get to the Slytherin common room when I heard a crash. I stopped to see if something was wrong, and Hermione pulled me in, trying to talk me into taking the blame!" She smiled sweetly at Hermione. "Isn't that just dreadful?"
Snape's eyes squinted. "So I see. Granger, another detention tomorrow, for not following orders. Perhaps more time here will teach you to be a little less clumsy. Miss Parkinson, please return to your dormitory."
Pansy walked out of the classroom quietly, and once in the hall, broke out into a run. She whispered the password to the picture of a sunken-faced witch, and rushed into the common room. Searching for a blond head, she hurried to the doors of the boys' dormitory. Suddenly, she felt an arm pull her into a dark corner.
"Did you get the information I wanted?" A languidly lush voice whispered in her ear.
Pansy's disgusting face smiled. "Of course. Anything for you, Draco."