Disclaimer: Officially, all these characters and stuff belong to Warner Brothers but I prefer to attribute them to J.K, cuz she's the genius that came up with it.
A/N: Okay, I know it has been way too long, but I had a major case of post-OotP writer's block. Basically I was having plausibility issues, but I'm over that now. My story is a complete alternate universe to J.K's Year 5 at Hogwarts. Big claps to Elbereth, who with her update whoring, inspired me to actually finish this chapter. So, yeah, I'm on holidays now so hopefully updates will be more frequent J
Thanks heaps reviewers, less sappy this chapter, and the Harry/Ron confrontation is coming up soon. Thanks Randy Candy, especially, for your two reviews – although I maintain that you guys only see Harry as sexy cuz you want to. On with the show!
I let out a little squeal and hugged him furiously.
"So, what does it say?" I asked eagerly.
"He's in Hogsmeade. He wants to see me" Harry whispered with a smile. My hand went to my mouth.
"Harry, that's really dangerous" I whispered back.
"Don't worry Hermione, he's using the 'lovable-stray' routine"
"Even so, who knows how many people are aware by now that he's an Animagus?"
"I've got to risk it. I need to know what my godfather's been doing. This letter-" he waved it around my face "-is useless, apart from telling me where he is".
"I want to come with you" I said quickly.
"No, uh-uh. We'd both have to go under the Invisibility Cloak" he said, like it was a valid reason. I quirked an eyebrow at him (such a useful talent, don't know how some people survive without it…). Harry smiled.
"No. We'd never make it to Hogsmeade".
I turned up the pout. He frowned at me.
"Stop that. It won't work. Didn't I tell you that I didn't want to pit you in any more danger than necessary?"
"You think I'll be a hindrance?" I asked, hurt.
"No! Well, maybe. Please just let me do this on my own. Maybe while I'm gone you can … spend some time with Ron?" he said hopefully. I shook my head.
"You're leading the crusade with that one, buster, not me. When does he want you to go?"
"Tomorrow night" he replied, looking at his lap.
"Harry! You only got in trouble last night, and you're risking it again that soon?" I hissed heatedly. The boy was well down the road to being expelled.
"Hermy, please don't try and block me on this, you know how much it means to me".
I clutched his hand under the table.
"I know. I'm not going to stand in your way. I want to know what's going on almost as much as you do. But be careful".
The following days brought me to the full realisation of what a disgusting pair Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson made. They never dated (even though she was a pure-blood, I think she was always too ugly for Draco's father to allow a relationship), but looking back, they must have been sleeping together from at least 5th Year onwards. Urgh, why? She couldn't, but he could definitely do better.
Anyway, it seemed that they had been watching the 'Harry and Hermione Show' at breakfast, had come to the realisation that we were dating (hmm, seemed the portrait gossip of our snogging in the corridors hadn't reached the Slytherin common rooms. Even the portraits don't like Slytherins) and decided to torture the living heck out of us. Finally everything they'd read in the Daily Prophet last year was coming true (although about 6 months too late for Viktor). I felt extremely happy I'd put Rita Skeeter out of commission, or else she would've had a field day.
Care of Magical Creatures was punctuated by sniggers and slurping noises from the Slytherins, although they couldn't do any more, attempting to control some particularly frenzied fairies. I could see Ron, with Dean and Seamus, conscientiously ignoring them.
After CoMC, I headed off to Arithmancy, one of my favourite subjects – not only is it interesting, but an extremely disloyal side of me liked having a lesson without Harry and Ron as distractions. No wonder I did so well in it.
Following Arithmancy was the dreaded Potions. Most of the Slytherins and Gryffindors were inside, so I went in and sat next to Harry. Looking around, Snape didn't appear to be in the classroom, and Malfoy took the opportunity to swagger over, followed by a bunch of Slytherins, including a tittering Pansy.
"Hmm, so you chose the mudblood then, Potter?"
"Who's Weasel gonna get some off now?" Pansy asked with a snicker.
"Even Cho Chang won't touch him now" Malfoy added, sneering in Ron's direction two tables away. Before Harry (or Ron) could open their mouths to hex him (really, 'mudblood' was starting to lose it's effect) I cleared my throat.
"Well, Draco, you've obviously chosen a 'pureblood' for your girlfriend' I said, nodding at Pansy, who blushed, "you can see a century's worth of inbreeding on her face".
The Gryffindors laughed but Harry spoke before Malfoy could retort.
"Tell me, Malfoy, do you ever feel like you're kissing a pug with particularly bad breath?"
Quick as a flash, Draco stopped glaring and gave us a vindictive smile.
"I wouldn't know. Tell me, Potter, do you ever feel like you're kissing a fat, frizzy-haired rabbit that talks to much? And to think, you could have had Fleur Delacour…" he shook his head mock-forlornly, and Snape strode in.
"Please return to your seat, Mr Malfoy. WE will be working on the Petrification Potion this lesson" he said and turned to write the ingredients on the board. Malfoy used the opportunity to throw a smug smile at us. I had to hand it to him, he knew how to hurt a girl: go for the looks, then remind her of someone much more attractive than her. It made me all the more eager to know what he'd been doing in Snape's dungeon the night before.
A/N And hopefully she'll find out, huh? Okay, hopefully the next chapter will be up faster than this last one. You know what I find really inspires me to write? That's right, reviews ;)