DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THIS STORY EXCEPT THE PLOT!
Italicized words are the characters thoughts unless it is being used in a letter or to emphasize a word!
Chapter 9: The Dark Arts
Hermione missed dinner. It was already 9 o'clock and Draco was back in his room. He was extremely tired, but couldn't fall asleep. Even though she wasn't wailing, Draco could still hear her sobbing from her dormitory. It kept him up. He knew she was crying because of what the chilomar had discovered-Hermione was depressed.
Hermione was sick of crying. Her room was stuffy, and she needed some fresh air and she needed to see the chilomar again- she could prove she wasn't depressed. No one was allowed out of the castle after 6, and she didn't have a window in her dormitory either. Her only option was to climb out of the balcony in the common room. She opened her door very quietly making sure Draco wasn't in the common room. He might not have feelings about me anymore, but he still wouldn't let me go out. It was all clear, so Hermione made her way through the dark room. She bumped into a table and swore loudly.
Draco heard someone swear and figured it was Hermione, but why was she out of her room?
Hermione opened the door leading to the balcony and stepped out. Mmm… it's so peaceful out. Hermione made her way over to the railing and climbed over it, but she froze when a strong hand held onto her wrist tightly. She looked up into the steel blue eyes of Draco Malfoy.
"What the heck do you think you are doing Her-Granger?" Draco said. He thought she was going to take her life. "Suicide isn't the only way out, you know."
"Ha! You thought I was going to jump?" Hermione exclaimed laughing.
"That's what it looked like, until you said that," Draco frowned.
"I only wanted to go see the chilomar again. I am not depressed, and I am going to prove it," there was a pregnant pause before Hermione continued, "to myself. Trust me Malfoy, my life is much more important than my feelings for you."
Draco smirked. "You wish Granger."
"Can you let go of me now?" Hermione said. Draco had completely forgot that he was holding on to her- it felt so natural, like something he did everyday. Something I used to do everyday. He pulled his hand away quickly, causing Hermione to lose her balance and wobble on the railing. Draco noticed and grabbed her again.
"Thanks," she mumbled, Draco was the last person on Earth she wanted to say thanks to.
"Sure. You can't be out here this late. Come on, I'm not going to let you go," Draco said.
"Excuse me? Since when can you tell me what to do? Never. Now, get off of me!" Hermione in a voice that Draco remembered from years ago.
Draco didn't listen to her; instead he pulled her back over and set her down inside the common room.
"What the hell is your problem Malfoy?!? What I do should be none of your concern!" Hermione yelled losing her temper.
"You are my concern because if anything happens to you, who will be the first person everybody blames? ME! Everybody knows now what happened at the Three Broomsticks," Draco yelled noticing how Hermione's expression changed when he mentioned the Three Broomsticks.
Hermione regained control of her expression, and put on an annoyed look. "From now on Draco Malfoy I'll be at you beck and call. How's that sound? If there's something I want to do, I'll ask you first. Just so your sickening Malfoy reputation won't get ruined!" Hermione slammed her dormitory door, and fell asleep. No tears came this time; she was too mad at Draco to think about anything else.
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Hermione awoke to the obnoxious sound of her muggle alarm clock.
"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!" it screamed at her to get up.
She flung her arm and smacked it. It stopped beeping. Hermione got up and ran to the shower, wanting to take one before Draco came.
Too late. Draco was getting in the shower right when she walked in.
"Ahh!" Hermione put her hands on her face and shook her head.
"What?!?" Draco yelled.
"Nothing," she said and went back to her dormitory. She decided that washing her face, deodorant and a hair tie were going to take place of her shower. She shoved her robe over her head and headed down for breakfast.
She was the first one from Gryfindor there, so she was very vulnerable to rude Slytherin comments. Pansy Parkinson walked up to Hermione.
"Aww, poor Mudblood. Draco left you for me. How sad. I guess he doesn't want some pond scum like you to trash his reputation," Pansy said in her squeaky voice.
"Gosh, Pansy. Can you even shut up? Your as obnoxious to listen to as my alarm clock going off after 2 hours of sleep," Hermione said, opening a book. Her comment seemed to slap Pansy in the face because she sulked over to Draco.
Hermione heard Pansy complain to Draco, "Drakie! That Mudblood over there just said I was obnoxious!"
"And she wasn't lying either," Draco replied nonchalantly.
Hermione laughed for what seemed like the first time in ages. Pansy hasn't changed much. Just then a whole crowd of Gryfindor's came running into the hall.
"Hermione, are you feeling okay? I wanted to come check on you last night but Ron wouldn't let me; he said you needed to be alone for a while." Ginny yelled.
"I'm feeling a tad better, but I'm still really upset. Little things get to me, the simplest things like a knot in a shoelace. I really don't want to go to Madam Pomfrey for help though," Hermione sighed. Curse Draco! All this was because of him.
"Hermione, if there is anything I can do. Let me know, okay?" Ginny said.
"I will Ginny, I will."
Ron and Harry walked over. "Hey Mione!" they chimed.
"Hey," Hermione said.
"Oh look!" Neville Longbottom shouted from across the table, "our progress reports are coming!"
"Oh no," Hermione groaned. Normally she would look forward to this type of stuff, but she knew she was not going to be happy with this one.
An owl dropped Hermione's report onto her plate. She picked it up and read it:
Hermione E. Granger
7th Year Hogwarts Student
Head Girl
History of Magic: D-
Transfiguration: D+
Care of Magical Creatures: B+
Potions: F
Arithmacy: C-
D.A.D.A.: A+
Oh my goodness! My parents will kill me when they get a hold of this! A+ in Defense against the Dark Arts? Wow, at least I'm not flunking in every subject. Hagrid only gave me the B+ because he likes me, not because I deserve it. Hermione tapped her wand against the paper and it folded up into a neat square.
"We have a 2 and ½ hour free period today right?" Hermione asked no one in particular.
"Yes we do," Ron answered.
"Good, because I need to go to Hogsmeade," Hermione replied.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Ginny asked.
"No, I only need a few things. It would be a waste of your time," Hermione answered.
"I'm going to head to the library, see you guys later," Hermione said as she walked to the library.
"She seems to be a lot happier," Harry remarked once Hermione was out of hearing distance.
"Yeah, she does," Ron replied.
"I think she's hiding it. She doesn't want us to worry. I think she is depressed; she mentioned how little things upset her, that's not normal for Hermione," Ginny said.
"Should we go to Madam Pomfrey about it?" Ron asked.
"No. I think we should see how she handles it first," Ginny replied. (A/N: Little did Ginny know HOW Hermione would handle it… hehehe!)
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When Hermione got to the library, she checked out every book on the Dark Arts that she could find. Every since her break up with Draco, the Dark Arts began to fascinate her. She could only find books on the history of Dark Arts, none on how to perform them, obviously. And no teacher would give her permission to check out something from the restricted section on that subject. So she decided that in Hogsmeade, she would try to find some spell books.
The warning bell rang, and Hermione rushed off to her first class- D.A.D.A., her new favorite class.
"Good morning class," Professor Ziggeroff said, "Today we will be learning a little about You-Know-Who."
Hermione looked over and noticed Draco staring blankly at the teacher.
"First off, I would like to talk about Death Eaters," as soon as Ziggeroff said that, Draco raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" Ziggeroff asked.
"I'm sure that the ministry does not approve of you talking about Death Eaters in class," Draco said.
"I am very well aware of that, Mr. Malfoy, but I happened to talk to Mr. Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and he agreed with me on this subject. I am only going to tell you what he approved."
Draco stuck up his nose. He didn't like being talked back to.
"As I was saying, we will begin by talking about the ceremony to become a Death Eater, or as You-Know-Who would call it, the Becoming of Evil Ceremony."
The class shivered, but Ziggeroff ignored them.
"To be chosen to be a Death Eater, You-Know-Who must first recognize your ability with the Dark Arts. He is able to sense when you are becoming powerful at them. You-Know-Who will give signs to them usually though dreams, or nightmares. They are of him speaking in a different language. In later dreams, he gives the person direction on how to get to him."
Draco looked over at Hermione. Her mouth was slightly parted and she was staring intently at Prof. Ziggeroff; she looked in awe at what Prof. Ziggeroff was telling them.
"Once you are at the Becoming of Evil ceremony, there is no turning back. By going there, it has the same effect as signing a contract," Ziggeroff finally seemed to notice all the blank faces in the class, "Does anybody have any questions about this before I continue?"
The only person who raised their hand was Hermione.
"Hermione?" Ziggeroff asked.
"I was wondering Professor, is there any book I can get that will tell me about this ceremony and what happens in it. I find myself extremely interested in this topic," Hermione said.
"Actually there is, Hermione. I have a copy of it right here. Would you like to borrow it?"
"Oooooo! Yes please!" Hermione said, getting very excited.
Ziggeroff handed her a tattered black leather book with gold writing on the front. The class watched as Hermione flipped though the pages. There were pictures of the cruelest things Hermione could imagine inside.
"Oh my goodness, Professor. Are you sure I am allowed to read this?" Hermione asked.
"Yes Hermione, it is fine. It is a book you would find in the restricted section of the library, but you have my permission to read it," Ziggeroff told her.
"Thank you," Hermione said.
Ziggeroff continued with his lesson, "At the ceremony, You-Know-Who who carves the Dark Mark into you right upper arm using a knife called the Marachikada knife which is dipped into henna ink before the mark is engraved in the skin."
The bell rung and all the students filed out of the classroom.
"Thank you for the book," Hermione yelled as she exited the room. She had free period next, and she couldn't wait to go to Hogsmeade.
She found a carriage taxi, and got to Hogsmeade quickly. She looked around. All of the shops looked familiar. There was Zonko's Joke Shop, The Weasley twins joke shop, the Three Broomsticks and so many more. Wait what about Diagon Ally? Hagrid has always told Harry and me that it was dangerous- dangerous because of Dark Magic! Hermione sprinted down the dirt path to Diagon Ally. She found a creepy looking bookshop and went inside.
"May I help you?" a mean looking witch asked from behind the counter.
"Yes, I was looking for a book on the Dark Arts," Hermione began, "a spell book."
"A girl your age shouldn't be interested in the Dark Arts. Much too dangerous." The witch said.
"Oh, but I really am," Hermione pleaded with the witch.
"Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you," the witch said as she led Hermione to a dusty old bookshelf. She looked over the shelves, and when she found the one she wanted, she blowed on the cover to get the dust off.
"The Darkest of the Dark" Hermione read. "By Abba Kazoo"
"You really shouldn't be reading this stuff," the witch said, "it will pollute a young mind like yours."
"Right…" Hermione said as she took the book from the old witch's hands, "How much is it?"
"15 galleons," the witch said. (A/N: I wasn't really sure how much a book like this would cost, so I'm guessing it would be like $50.00 if you bought it in the United States.)
"Wow! That's kind of expensive, but here you go," Hermione paid and left the store to go find a taxi carriage to get back to Hogwarts.
On the taxi ride home, Hermione flipped though her new book. It was filled with the most gruesome spells someone could think of, like how to make someone's eyeball pop out of their head. She closed the book and looked out the window. Why am I so interested in the Dark Arts lately? It's kind of like 'poof' and I am interested in it.
Hermione got back to school, and had an hour left of her free period, so she headed back to her dormitory. Instead of sitting in her room, she went into the common room because Draco's free period started in an hour. She would be all alone. She fluffed the pillows behind her and sat down
on the couch and began to read the book Prof. Ziggeroff gave her. She found it so fascinating to read about the rise of Voldermort and his Death Eaters. The book talked mainly about the Becoming of Evil ceremony.
Hermione finished the book quickly because it wasn't that thick. She got out her journal and began to write in it. She heard a bell ring, and set all of her books, journal and report card down on the table and headed to class, forgetting that she left them in a place where Draco could look at them.
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Thank goodness, Draco thought as he heard the bell ring. He finally had a free period. He needed to study for a test he had later that day, so he headed up to his dormitory. Hermione's not here, so I can study in the common room. Draco went inside the common room and saw a pile of books and papers on the coffee table. Must be Hermione's. He looked closer, and saw that one of the books was the book Prof. Ziggeroff gave her. Curiosity got the better of Draco, so he went over and sifted through her stuff. He found her report card and opened it up.
Hermione E. Granger
7th Year Hogwarts Student
Head Girl
History of Magic: D-
Transfiguration: D+
Care of Magical Creatures: B+
Potions: F
Arithmacy: C-
D.A.D.A.: A+
Jeez, Hermione. You really are doing horrible- except in Defense against the Dark Arts. Draco folded the report card up, and went back to sifting through her stuff. A journal? Draco looked at the book more closely. It definitely was a diary of some sort. He opened it up and found Hermione's super neat handwriting. He turned and began to read some passages in it.
…Draco told me he loved me. I couldn't believe it. But he said it kind of funny like over and over as if he were saying good bye. Ah, I guess he was saying goodbye because I saw him making out with Pansy at the Three Broomsticks. I made a complete fool of myself and cried in front of him. I miss the way he touched me- I shelter myself when I see him, but I hide it and act like I did a year ago towards him. I long for his touch. If I could turn back time, I would never have let myself fall for Draco, and I definitely wouldn't have slept with him if I knew I would get myself into this mess.
Yours truly,
A broken-hearted Hermione
Draco noticed how some of the words were blurred because of tears. He wished he could turn back time too so he would never have broken her heart. He flipped the page and noticed the ink was still a bit wet. She must have written it right before I came in.
… The book Professor Ziggeroff gave me is so interesting. Its also really scaring me-badly. Remember when I told you about that dream, actually it was more of a nightmare, which I had when I fainted? I think I understand it better. I think Lord Voldermort was talking to me. I can't remember what he said in the dream though; it was in some other language. Latin perhaps? Professor Ziggeroff said that people who have that dream, would have it again. I'm scared, I don't want to have it again, but there is something comforting about the fact that someone as powerful as Voldermort wants me. Will I faint again? I don't know. I'll have to reread the book or maybe I should talk to Professor. Anywho, I got a new book today at a bookshop in Diagon Ally. The witch who sold it to me said I was too young to be practicing Dark Magic spells- but what would she know? I have to go find some spiders later so I can practice a few spells on them…
Hermione
What is Hermione getting herself into? Draco wondered. He looked at the other book on the table. It was called "The Darkest of the Dark". He opened it up and gasped. How could his Hermione be into this type of stuff? Gosh, if she weren't a muggle-born, Lucius would love her.
"What are you doing looking though my stuff, Malfoy?" he heard a voice yell from behind him. He turned around. It was Hermione with her hands on her hips looking extremely angry with him.
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A/N: Hey guys. This chapter wasn't the greatest- I know. The one part that might be a little confusing is: Hermione is still very depressed in this chapter; she's just hiding it b/c she doesn't want people to worry about her. I hope to have the next chap up soon. Thank to the following for reviewing chapter 8: carshaa. Oh and I know this will kind of sound stupid, but what does OOC mean… I'm not sure what all of this lingo means yet.
Much Love,
Jenn