30minuteficlets, September 15, 2003

The Challenge: Someone in the Harry Potterverse is deliriously happy.

Someone else is furious. And is plotting to kill the happy one.

You have 30 minutes - but - also a 1,000 word limit.

Who, and why, and what happens, is up to you. Go! Write!

Title: Happiness is a Warm Curse
Rating: PG-13
Pairings (if any): HG/? No squick factor.
Author's Notes: 990 words. I rock. This has a sappy ending, but I couldn't help it.


"I got in! I got in!" Hermione was dancing around the room, causing Parvati and Lavender to shake their heads in dismay.

"There aren't any boys at that university, Hermione. You're insane," Parvati sniffed. "Prime time of our lives. Insanity."

"Of course there aren't boys, Parvati. That's the point of a girls' school. No distractions. Honestly, I thought you two would be happy for me!"

Lavender smiled knowingly, surreptitiously kicking Parvati's shins. "Congratulations, Hermione. Let's go down to the Common Room and tell everyone. It really is an honor."

After a few moments of celebration on Hermione's behalf in the Common Room among her classmates, Hermione and her best friends Ron and Harry left to go to dinner in the Great Hall. The news of Hermione's acceptance into the very exclusive Salem Witch Academy had preceded her, as several professors beamed at her from the Head Table and a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs came by to add their congratulations to the mix.

Turning around, Harry caught the look on Pansy Parkinson's ugly mug. It was scarier than usual; she was shooting daggers at Hermione with her eyes, as Harry overheard Draco saying "God, Pansy...can you imagine? The Mudblood beat you again! I suppose next we'll hear that she got more NEWTs than you, too." As angry as Pansy obviously was, the comment coming from her boyfriend stung in just the right place. Pansy stood, giving one last murderous glance towards Hermione, and ran from the room.

"Shut up, Draco," Blaise Zabini said softly. "You are such a git...can't you see that your girlfriend really wanted this? She seems to be really upset."

"Oh, get off it, Blaise," Draco said evenly. "You probably just want her for yourself. Of course she doesn't want to go to some stupid girls' school in the bloody States. She wants to stay here with me...she just is being a crybaby because she didn't want Granger beating her again. Well, I can understand that, but she needs to get a thicker skin."

Blaise regarded his housemate coldly, and turned back to his meal.

Harry looked away from the scene, and back at Hermione. Obviously, she had been unaware, as she was now chatting animatedly with Ginny Weasley about her excitement. Harry shrugged. What was it to him if that Malfoy lapdog girl didn't make the cut? Everyone knew she was fooling herself, anyway; she would be expected to join Draco in marriage, produce another Malfoy heir, yadda yadda. That's just the way it was mapped out.

After dinner, Hermione excused herself and bounded happily off to the library to get started on a paper for Potions. As she rounded a corner, she found herself face-to-face with a very calm Pansy Parkinson.

"Think you're hot shit, do you?" Pansy said conversationally.

"What?"

"Salem. You got into Salem. Congratulations, Mudblood." Pansy looked at her fingernails, humming a little tune.

"Uh...thanks, Pansy. I have to get to the library now." Hermione made to walk past Pansy, but she stopped her.

"Oh, there's just one little thing," Pansy said. Hermione was suddenly struck with fear at the look in the Slytherin's eyes.

"Yes?"

"Expelliarmus," Pansy said casually, deftly pocketing Hermione's wand. Before Hermione could react, Pansy whispered, "Burn in hell. Incendio." She raised her wand and set Hermione's robes on fire, then walked away, whistling.

Terrified, Hermione tried to roll on the stones to get the fire out - but the fire continued to burn quickly through her clothing, stubbornly clinging to her despite her best efforts. She screamed, but no one came. She was burning to death right in the halls of Hogwarts, and not even Mrs. Norris would help her. She collapsed in agony, thinking only briefly that this was an incredibly ignominious end for one of the women that had stood up to Voldemort and lived to tell the tale. She blessedly lost consciousness shortly thereafter.

Her eyes fluttered open in a dark room. She felt a hand covering hers. Slowly, she remembered the fire and the horrible pain she had felt as she burned. She couldn't see the face of the person holding her hand in the darkness. "Am I dead?" she asked weakly.

"Oh, Hermione," the male voice said. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she wasn't certain exactly who it was. "Thank Merlin you are awake. When I found you, I worried that I had made it in time. Madam Pomfrey says that your burns are healing well and that you'll be as good as new in a few days..."

"Burns..." she touched her face. "Pansy..."

"Yes, we know. She's been expelled in disgrace. Even that prat Malfoy won't have anything to do with her. She was jealous, you see, that you got accepted to Salem...she had applied as well. I think to tell the truth she had wanted to get away from her destiny with Malfoy...at any rate, she got her wish, but she's very lucky she's not in Azkaban for her attack." The voice was soothing, melodic. She now had a sneaky idea who this was, but she wanted to see his face.

"Who..."

"Oh. Lumos." the boy said, and she saw the face of Slytherin seventh-year Blaise Zabini smiling at her.

"How did you find me?"

"Somehow I knew. I don't know how, but I felt...I knew that you were hurt. I felt you calling."

This made some kind of sense to her. She had been admiring Blaise from afar for two years, but would never have dreamed of actually talking to him. He was a Slytherin, after all. But she had suspected he felt the same way about her, and there had always seemed to be an unspoken...thing...unarticulated between them. "Thank you, Blaise. Oh, God, thank you for saving my life."

Blaise blushed, and smiled shyly. "I've been accepted to university in America as well. Think we could see each other now and then?"

Hermione blushed, and squeezed his hand. "I think so."