Chapter 12 ~ No Heroics
"Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind? I don't care…you're here tonight. I can be your hero, baby. I can kiss away the pain. I will stand by you forever, you can take my breath away."
"Hero" by Enrique Inglesias
The festivities of Gryffindor's victory had eventually calmed down two weeks after the match. Hufflepuff looked very disturbed and threatened all who laughed and teased them. Hermione strolled down the halls with Harry and Ron at their side. They were the "heroes" at the moment – because of Hufflepuff's loss, they were out of the running against Gryffindor and nothing seemed to stand in their way. Harry and Ron got occasional cheers and claps on the back as they walked to the halls towards Potions, their last class before lunch.
"Great job, Harry!" a young Ravenclaw complimented. "I loved the Wronski Frient!"
"Thanks, thanks," Harry muttered, as Hermione pushed him along.
"You were great – can you give me flying lessons sometime?" a young Gryffindor whom Harry had never seen before asked.
"I'll have to check my schedule," Harry told him. "I may be busy with homework!"
"You're awesome!" a cute Ravenclaw gushed. "Can I have you autograph?"
"I don't have a quill – maybe later," Harry admitted.
"Come on, you famous boy; we've got to get to class!" Hermione scolded while pushing him down the stairs.
Harry protested but tripped over the stairs and landed flat on his face. Ron tried to stifle a laugh, but burst out in laughter. Hermione laughed as Harry stood up reluctantly and brushed off his robes. "Why can't I enjoy cheers, thanks, and praise?" he snapped. "Why can't I be famous for a while for performing this amazing stunt?"
"Because, it's been TWO WEEKS Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, walking ahead of Ron and Harry. "Maybe you should get your head from out of the clouds and come back to being Harry Potter – slightly famous for getting rid of Voldemort for 11 years, okay?"
Harry shrugged and said, "I guess so," and turned to Ron for his reaction. Ron just raised his eyebrows and murmured something that sounded a lot like, "Girls."
They headed into the cold and damp dungeons and swerved around crowds of people into the classroom. They found their seats and watched as Snape wrote a word on the board. "Veritaserum".
"Psst, Harry," Hermione whispered, as Snape called the class to attention. "Why would he want to teach us about Truth Potions now? It's a bit absurd, isn't it?"
"I guess so," Harry replied, shrugging uneasily. "I just hope he doesn't use it on any one of us."
"Veritaserum," Snape said smoothly, pulling back his greasy hair as he gazed around the room. "Veritaserum," he repeated again.
"Maybe he wants us to chant it or something," Ron said, as Snape continued to say the word "Veritaserum". "We could go 'Veritaserum, Veritaserum!' Either that, or he's trying to mock Professor Quirrell."
Harry and Hermione tried to stifle their laughter. "CLASS!" Snape barked, although the yell was directed towards the Gryffindors. Snape smirked a little to Malfoy, who also began to laugh. "WHO KNOWS WHAT THE POTION VERITASERUM DOES?!"
Hermione raised her hand and did the same routine whenever she was asked a question. Her feet would move up and down and she hopped merrily on the balls of her feet. She appeared as though she was jumping up and down.
Snape ignored her. He turned to Neville, who was struggling to get his Potions book open and look for "Veritaserum" in the Index. "Longbottom," Snape hissed, barely heard among the class. "There's no point in asking you…" Snape continued, as Neville began to whimper. "…You'll just whimper, turn red, and begin to cry. And that's a pitiful guess, because a Veritaserum isn't an idiot boy like you!"
Neville's bottom lip began to tremble, and his face did turn red, but no tears leaked out from his eyes. He stood quite still and waited for Snape's criticism to finish. The Slytherins cackled and snickered, but Neville tried to remain calm. "Hmm? No tears?" Snape questioned, looking around the room. "This is quite a surprise. 5 points from Gryffindor."
"For what?" Hermione blurted out.
"Miss Granger, I don't think I ASKED you to speak!" Snape barked at Hermione, who put her hand down in a huff. "10 points from Gryffindor now; 5 because of this idiot boy, and 5 because of this know-it-all."
The Slytherins erupted with laughter. Harry and Ron looked absolutely frustrated and began to turn red as Malfoy pointed at Hermione and cried, "You Mudblood!"
That was all Harry, Neville, Ron, and Hermione could take. They launched themselves at Malfoy and began to punch him, rip his hair, anything they could do. Whenever Crabbe and Goyle advanced to try and save Malfoy, Hermione would pull out her wand and say "Get back, you brutes!" Finally, Malfoy was able to get out of their reach; he took out his wand, his hand shaking uncontrollably. His nose was bleeding, his hair was ruffled, and his cheek was bruised. Still, he was able to cry "Petrificus Totalus!" to Ron, who stood rigid and fell; he did the Jelly-Legs curse to Harry; he did "Wingardium Leviosa" to Neville, who flew in the air (beginning to bawl as he flew) and falling flat on his head; and "Expelliarmus" to Hermione, disarming her.
"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Snape shouted over the cheers of Slytherins. "150 points from Gryffindor for their sudden burst of violence and detention!"
"What about Malfoy?" Hermione cried. "He just used magic, hurting three people and disarming me of my wand in the process."
"Mr Malfoy was simply doing an act called…self defense," Snape replied, his lips twisting into a mischievous smile. "He was being a hero, saving the class from you and your violent friends."
"There were no heroics, Professor Snape," Dumbledore said as he entered the room. "I was just about to speak to you about something when I caught this…little act. I heard Mr Malfoy calling Hermione a very rude word; 25 points from Slytherin for that. I saw Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Mr Longbottom, and Miss Granger began to hurt Mr Malfoy; 100 points to Gryffindor."
"100 points TO Gryffindor?" Malfoy blurted out while pocketing his wand. "But that…those…they hurt me!"
"Yes, but Professor Snape took 150 points from Gryffindor," Dumbledore reminded him. "I don't think that Gryffindor deserves that. Instead, because I gave 100 points, it's now 50 points instead."
Snape's upper lip began to curl. "Dumbledore, with all due respect-"
"They will still have detentions," Dumbledore interrupted. "As well as Mr Malfoy for using unacceptable magic on his own classmates. 50 points from Slytherin for that. So, altogether it's 50 points from Gryffindor, 75 points from Slytherin, and detention to Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Mr Longbottom, Miss Granger, AND Mr Malfoy." He added in a whisper so it was only audible to Hermione and the rest of the injured Gryffindors, "Sorry to give you detention; I know that you were only infuriated with Mr Malfoy's choice of words, but Professor Snape can get extremely angry sometimes."
Hermione nodded in agreement as the class settled down. Dumbledore conjured a spell to get rid of the curses and exited the room, not even talking to Snape about that certain "something".
"All right," Snape said, although it didn't sound all right. "What does Veritaserum do?"
Hermione rose her hand once again, but he turned to Harry. "Mr Potter – let's see if past experiences will remind you of what a Veritaserum does," Snape snarled.
Harry gulped, but looked slightly confident. "A Veritaserum is a Truth Potion. Just a few drops will make a person spill out secrets and desires," Harry announced.
Some people were astonished (although Hermione didn't really know why since he was just stating the obvious). Malfoy's jaw hung open in shock. He was at a loss for words. "Very well, correct," Snape said, looking very spiteful while speaking. And, feeling as though Dumbledore was there, said, "5 points to Gryffindor."
Ron looked as though he was about to die from shock. "Snape? Give POINTS to Gryffindor? This is a laugh!" Ron exclaimed as Snape went up to the front to instruct them.
For the rest of the class they were copying down a recipe to conjure a Veritaserum. Hermione wrote swiftly with ease (thinking about Oliver while she wrote), and sat with impatience as the rest of the class copied the recipe.
"This recipe is a novel!" Ron cried exasperatedly. "You need just about everything to make this stupid thing!"
"Exactly why it's a challenge," Snape said brightly. "This will probably be on your N.E.W.Ts."
"Then why are you giving us the recipe now?" Ron asked, not bothering to raise his hand. "It's only November! The N.E.W.Ts aren't until June!"
"Because it's PRACTICE, Mr Weasley," Snape said. "I'm sure your puny little mind needs it."
Malfoy snickered along with Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione was about to stick her tongue out, but she caught Snape's evil eye and stopped immediately.
Finally, in what seemed like ages, the class ended. Hermione practically skipped down the hall, Harry and Ron struggling behind. Oliver hadn't showed up for breakfast, and she hoped to see him during lunch.
She sat herself down at her usual spot at her usual table, but her usual friend (excluding Harry and Ron), wasn't there. She looked around the Great Hall, which was full of cheerful and laughing students. She couldn't find the one person she wanted however – and he didn't show up for the entire lunch period.
Hermione sat in Herbology, very depressed; she didn't even raise her hand once. History of Magic was boring (but then again, it always was) and she didn't even jot down one point. She sat in silence during dinner, taking a very long time to finish. And when she led the rest of the Gryffindors to the Common Room, she dragged her feet wishing that this day would end.
Harry and Ron followed closely behind, immensely worried. They saw Hermione run up to the girls' dormitories as soon as she gave the password. Ron sat down near a table containing wizard pieces; Harry did the same.
"Wanna play a game?" Ron suggested.
Harry nodded, but wanted to talk as well. "She's not a happy camper, is she?" Harry asked, while instructing a pawn to move a piece.
"What do you mean, a happy camper, Harry?" Ron asked with a quizzical look. "I mean, we're not in a camp – we don't even have tents, for goodness sake! Unless you count the beds, since their four-poster beds, but even so it's absurd just to…"
"RON!" Harry interrupted, getting wild looks from fellow Gryffindors. "It's just an expression – a figure of speech…" As soon as Harry said that though, he regretted it.
"There you go with that stupid 'figure of speech' again," Ron cried. "Can you explain to me…exactly…WHAT IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH?"
Harry could see this was leading to trouble. "…Never mind, Ron – never mind," Harry said, while peering down at the chessboard. One of Ron's bishops was severely crushing Harry's pawn. Harry frowned slightly. "We've got to help Hermione, though," Harry told Ron, who was too busy thinking of strategies for the chess game. "She seems to preoccupied with something. And I think that someone is Oliver. She always wants to hang out with him. Maybe they're just friends, but I think that she's just a fool in love."
"A fool in love?" Ron asked. Harry hoped that Ron wouldn't be puzzled again, but Ron said, "You're right, Harry. But what can we do?"
"We'll think about it," Harry said. "But, how about a practice?"
Fifteen minutes later, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team headed down to the Quidditch Pitch, broomsticks in hand.
"It's quite chilly tonight," Dean Thomas observed.
"The Quidditch Robes will keep us warm," Harry assured him. But with some doubt, added, "Hopefully."
Harry flew in the air a few minutes after his pep-talk to the team. It was an incredible feeling having his hair ruffled in the wind, and flying high where no Muggle has gone before. He felt like throwing his arms above him, flapping wildly like a bird, but remembered just in time that he wasn't a bird and that if he let go, not even his broomstick could save him (unless it was on it's special safety-precaution).
Harry caught the Golden Snitch with ease, but was still a bit worried about Hermione. She was too preoccupied with Oliver; she still had did well with schoolwork, but Harry knew that if she didn't see him, she didn't find a reason to live. "Oy! Harry!" Ron shouted, catching Harry's attention. "What's that?" Ron pointed down to the ground besides Hagrid's Hut. A large glooming figure was walking, or crawling, heading for the Forbidden Forest.
"I'll check it out," Harry mouthed to Ron, making an excuse to the team that he had to go to the washroom.
Harry swooped down towards the figure. It looked dark and gloomy and made Harry feel very frightened. Still, he was a Gryffindor, and like a brave lion, and decided to go. He turned towards the Quidditch pitch, where he heard laughs and giggles as the team practiced. He gulped, but nodded his head confidently; he headed further down to see what was going on.
The mysterious and suspicious figure was long but thin. Harry decided that it was a human; but even though he had 7 years experience, he still had his doubts. He glided along the air, the crisp wind stinging at his neck. He flew as silently as he could, so he wouldn't startle the figure, which was surprisingly fast yet very silent as well.
Harry went as close as he could to the ground, so that his feet were just skidding along the green, thick grass. Harry squinted to get a better look at the gloomy figure – but it was gone! Harry turned his Firebolt 450 so sharply that he almost fell off. He looked in all directions, but the figure had disappeared. He sighed suddenly, and turned towards the Quidditch Pitch to conclude the practice.
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The Quidditch Team had propped themselves against the squishy pillows in the Common Room. Hermione had showed up after her depression, and had busied herself in her homework, although there was no hope in trying to – the Quidditch Team was too noisy.
"I love it when you call me big papa!" Dean Thomas sang as he poured another round of Butterbeer. That term had become very popular among the team, although Hermione wasn't too positive about that. She growled huffily and continued to work.
"Where did he get that stuff?" Colin Creevey would always ask suspiciously.
"We went to Hogsmeade a few weeks ago, didn't we?" Lavender reminded him.
"But…" Colin waved his arm around, trying to think of the right words to say. "Wouldn't the Butterbeer have gone bad?"
Ron rolled his eyes as he watched and turned towards Harry, who was still looking out the window on guard.
"Give it up Harry – there's nothing there," Ron insisted. Hermione suddenly slipped beside Harry, and peered out the window as well.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, eyeing the window carefully. "Where were you a few hours ago?"
"We're in our Quidditch robes, Hermione – can't you see? Or have you gone blind?!" Ron snapped, making Hermione go furiously red.
"Guys," Harry interrupted. He turned towards Hermione and explained (in a low whisper), "During Quidditch Practice I noticed a dark figure moving across the grounds, towards the Forbidden Forest. I wanted to check it out so I followed it. It started moving towards the castle and I followed the figure slightly until BAM! it was gone."
"Maybe it went into the forests," Hermione guessed.
"I checked there; there wasn't anything," Harry replied, adjusting his glasses.
"Maybe he apparated," Ron stated, matter-of-factly.
"RON WEASLEY!" Hermione exclaimed, making Ron jump out of his chair. "I've known you for 7 years and you haven't had the decent bit of time to remember that you can't apparate in the Hogwarts Grounds?!"
Ron gulped. "What's the point? You can tell me…"
"I'm not your little dictionary you know!" Hermione continued to shriek, making some first years sink in their chairs. "I can't just give you little bits of information all the time! You can't always depend on somebody – they won't always be there for you!"
"Maybe you should take that own information into account, Hermione," Harry said, as Ron began stammering his apologies.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione snapped, putting her hair behind her ears.
"Oliver Wood," Harry said, in a whisper only audible for Hermione. Hermione flushed and gestured for Harry to come to the window.
"How did you know?" Hermione asked, looking around to see if anyone was watching. Ron was still sitting in his chair, too shocked for words or emotions to be expressed.
"It's pretty obvious, Hermione," Harry answered. "You always want to see him; maybe he's afraid of you."
"What?!" Hermione said in disbelief. "You're joking! Right?"
"Maybe I am," Harry shrugged. "He probably isn't afraid of you – but maybe you're too pushy. You always want to see him. And don't worry," Harry added, "I don't think anyone else has noticed. I just know how you feel. Maybe you're too much in love or something." Harry didn't want to tell Hermione that Ron knew about her feelings as well – she knew Hermione would be too upset if 2 people knew.
"What about you and Cho?" Hermione asked.
"Haven't you noticed? We haven't seen each other since the Hallowe'en Ball," Harry reminded her. "But I still deal with it, every single day. It's hard at first. Really hard at first – and I know you want to see Oliver all the time since you have seen him in 4 and a bit years, but you can't be that pushy. Remember – he's a professor, you're a student."
"But it doesn't feel that way," Hermione admitted. "He's just a young boy who just happens to be here at Hogwarts. And besides he's only here for-"
"One year and you only have one year left at Hogwarts," Harry finished for her. "Then maybe it's worth the wait."
"That's what I've been telling myself a couple of months ago," Hermione said. "But so far the other side is gaining votes – I want to be with him now, Harry."
"I know you do," Harry said, still gazing out the window, where bright stars shone luminously at them. "But you've got to know – if I've noticed it, others will too. And then there'll be no escaping."
"Can we just be…friends?" Hermione asked, struggling to get the last word out. She didn't really want to hear Harry's response – she was worried if it would hurt her too much. Her emotions were all messed up; she really, really liked Oliver. She…actually loved him. But then the feelings of becoming Head Witch of Hogwarts at the end of Hogwarts, and getting lots of N.E.W.Ts also stood in the way. She didn't know which path to choose.
"We'll just have to wait and see," Harry concluded for her. "Wait and see."
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I realise that this wasn't as long as the last chapter, but count yourself lucky that there's another chapter. It took me a long time to get this finished, what with writing my other stories, working on homework, seeing friends (I do have a life you know!) I promise the next chapter will be longer, but for now, what you see is what you get. But I hope that you do like it! Thanks for all my reviewers! You really inspire me and urge me to continue writing. I have a whopping 44 reviews (YIKES!) and I thank all of you who have reviewed. Here's my individual thanks:
KAOS – Don't worry, you aren't slow. That's the first time he's said "I love you" so don't worry! You thought you were reading one of the books when you were reading the Quidditch Match? Wow – that's amazing for me! I think that J.K. Rowling is still way better than me, though. I thought you're idea was great though – I'll work with it in the next chapter, although the character won't be *that old*. Thanks for the "brilliant" though!
aLi – Thanks for the compliment! It's true; there aren't a lot of Oliver/Hermione stories, but if you really want some check out DUCKY-DOLL and G*NESS's stories – their fabulous and a lot of them are about the famous Oliver and Hermione! I think you're books are really good too! (check out the reviews I left!)
allee kat – I think that Draco/Hermione's are good, but I have a hard time writing it because I don't know how to make Draco appear as a good person. But I'm glad you really like this story! I appreciate that! I will post sooner than I have lately – I just have to complete homework first!
Juvenus – It's all right that you missed 2 chapters – that means more reading! :) I'm glad you like the chapter though!
Silver Dragon Princess – "Hardball" was a really funny movie. But sad when the little dude dies (I forgot his name, and I don't want to spoil it for the people who haven't watched it and who read this). I'm glad it's really good and funny! Thanks!
LOTR&HPLver – I thought it was hilarious too (but I mean in the movie, not in the story. Or do I mean both? …Not completely sure). Thanks again!
"Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind? I don't care…you're here tonight. I can be your hero, baby. I can kiss away the pain. I will stand by you forever, you can take my breath away."
"Hero" by Enrique Inglesias
The festivities of Gryffindor's victory had eventually calmed down two weeks after the match. Hufflepuff looked very disturbed and threatened all who laughed and teased them. Hermione strolled down the halls with Harry and Ron at their side. They were the "heroes" at the moment – because of Hufflepuff's loss, they were out of the running against Gryffindor and nothing seemed to stand in their way. Harry and Ron got occasional cheers and claps on the back as they walked to the halls towards Potions, their last class before lunch.
"Great job, Harry!" a young Ravenclaw complimented. "I loved the Wronski Frient!"
"Thanks, thanks," Harry muttered, as Hermione pushed him along.
"You were great – can you give me flying lessons sometime?" a young Gryffindor whom Harry had never seen before asked.
"I'll have to check my schedule," Harry told him. "I may be busy with homework!"
"You're awesome!" a cute Ravenclaw gushed. "Can I have you autograph?"
"I don't have a quill – maybe later," Harry admitted.
"Come on, you famous boy; we've got to get to class!" Hermione scolded while pushing him down the stairs.
Harry protested but tripped over the stairs and landed flat on his face. Ron tried to stifle a laugh, but burst out in laughter. Hermione laughed as Harry stood up reluctantly and brushed off his robes. "Why can't I enjoy cheers, thanks, and praise?" he snapped. "Why can't I be famous for a while for performing this amazing stunt?"
"Because, it's been TWO WEEKS Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, walking ahead of Ron and Harry. "Maybe you should get your head from out of the clouds and come back to being Harry Potter – slightly famous for getting rid of Voldemort for 11 years, okay?"
Harry shrugged and said, "I guess so," and turned to Ron for his reaction. Ron just raised his eyebrows and murmured something that sounded a lot like, "Girls."
They headed into the cold and damp dungeons and swerved around crowds of people into the classroom. They found their seats and watched as Snape wrote a word on the board. "Veritaserum".
"Psst, Harry," Hermione whispered, as Snape called the class to attention. "Why would he want to teach us about Truth Potions now? It's a bit absurd, isn't it?"
"I guess so," Harry replied, shrugging uneasily. "I just hope he doesn't use it on any one of us."
"Veritaserum," Snape said smoothly, pulling back his greasy hair as he gazed around the room. "Veritaserum," he repeated again.
"Maybe he wants us to chant it or something," Ron said, as Snape continued to say the word "Veritaserum". "We could go 'Veritaserum, Veritaserum!' Either that, or he's trying to mock Professor Quirrell."
Harry and Hermione tried to stifle their laughter. "CLASS!" Snape barked, although the yell was directed towards the Gryffindors. Snape smirked a little to Malfoy, who also began to laugh. "WHO KNOWS WHAT THE POTION VERITASERUM DOES?!"
Hermione raised her hand and did the same routine whenever she was asked a question. Her feet would move up and down and she hopped merrily on the balls of her feet. She appeared as though she was jumping up and down.
Snape ignored her. He turned to Neville, who was struggling to get his Potions book open and look for "Veritaserum" in the Index. "Longbottom," Snape hissed, barely heard among the class. "There's no point in asking you…" Snape continued, as Neville began to whimper. "…You'll just whimper, turn red, and begin to cry. And that's a pitiful guess, because a Veritaserum isn't an idiot boy like you!"
Neville's bottom lip began to tremble, and his face did turn red, but no tears leaked out from his eyes. He stood quite still and waited for Snape's criticism to finish. The Slytherins cackled and snickered, but Neville tried to remain calm. "Hmm? No tears?" Snape questioned, looking around the room. "This is quite a surprise. 5 points from Gryffindor."
"For what?" Hermione blurted out.
"Miss Granger, I don't think I ASKED you to speak!" Snape barked at Hermione, who put her hand down in a huff. "10 points from Gryffindor now; 5 because of this idiot boy, and 5 because of this know-it-all."
The Slytherins erupted with laughter. Harry and Ron looked absolutely frustrated and began to turn red as Malfoy pointed at Hermione and cried, "You Mudblood!"
That was all Harry, Neville, Ron, and Hermione could take. They launched themselves at Malfoy and began to punch him, rip his hair, anything they could do. Whenever Crabbe and Goyle advanced to try and save Malfoy, Hermione would pull out her wand and say "Get back, you brutes!" Finally, Malfoy was able to get out of their reach; he took out his wand, his hand shaking uncontrollably. His nose was bleeding, his hair was ruffled, and his cheek was bruised. Still, he was able to cry "Petrificus Totalus!" to Ron, who stood rigid and fell; he did the Jelly-Legs curse to Harry; he did "Wingardium Leviosa" to Neville, who flew in the air (beginning to bawl as he flew) and falling flat on his head; and "Expelliarmus" to Hermione, disarming her.
"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Snape shouted over the cheers of Slytherins. "150 points from Gryffindor for their sudden burst of violence and detention!"
"What about Malfoy?" Hermione cried. "He just used magic, hurting three people and disarming me of my wand in the process."
"Mr Malfoy was simply doing an act called…self defense," Snape replied, his lips twisting into a mischievous smile. "He was being a hero, saving the class from you and your violent friends."
"There were no heroics, Professor Snape," Dumbledore said as he entered the room. "I was just about to speak to you about something when I caught this…little act. I heard Mr Malfoy calling Hermione a very rude word; 25 points from Slytherin for that. I saw Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Mr Longbottom, and Miss Granger began to hurt Mr Malfoy; 100 points to Gryffindor."
"100 points TO Gryffindor?" Malfoy blurted out while pocketing his wand. "But that…those…they hurt me!"
"Yes, but Professor Snape took 150 points from Gryffindor," Dumbledore reminded him. "I don't think that Gryffindor deserves that. Instead, because I gave 100 points, it's now 50 points instead."
Snape's upper lip began to curl. "Dumbledore, with all due respect-"
"They will still have detentions," Dumbledore interrupted. "As well as Mr Malfoy for using unacceptable magic on his own classmates. 50 points from Slytherin for that. So, altogether it's 50 points from Gryffindor, 75 points from Slytherin, and detention to Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Mr Longbottom, Miss Granger, AND Mr Malfoy." He added in a whisper so it was only audible to Hermione and the rest of the injured Gryffindors, "Sorry to give you detention; I know that you were only infuriated with Mr Malfoy's choice of words, but Professor Snape can get extremely angry sometimes."
Hermione nodded in agreement as the class settled down. Dumbledore conjured a spell to get rid of the curses and exited the room, not even talking to Snape about that certain "something".
"All right," Snape said, although it didn't sound all right. "What does Veritaserum do?"
Hermione rose her hand once again, but he turned to Harry. "Mr Potter – let's see if past experiences will remind you of what a Veritaserum does," Snape snarled.
Harry gulped, but looked slightly confident. "A Veritaserum is a Truth Potion. Just a few drops will make a person spill out secrets and desires," Harry announced.
Some people were astonished (although Hermione didn't really know why since he was just stating the obvious). Malfoy's jaw hung open in shock. He was at a loss for words. "Very well, correct," Snape said, looking very spiteful while speaking. And, feeling as though Dumbledore was there, said, "5 points to Gryffindor."
Ron looked as though he was about to die from shock. "Snape? Give POINTS to Gryffindor? This is a laugh!" Ron exclaimed as Snape went up to the front to instruct them.
For the rest of the class they were copying down a recipe to conjure a Veritaserum. Hermione wrote swiftly with ease (thinking about Oliver while she wrote), and sat with impatience as the rest of the class copied the recipe.
"This recipe is a novel!" Ron cried exasperatedly. "You need just about everything to make this stupid thing!"
"Exactly why it's a challenge," Snape said brightly. "This will probably be on your N.E.W.Ts."
"Then why are you giving us the recipe now?" Ron asked, not bothering to raise his hand. "It's only November! The N.E.W.Ts aren't until June!"
"Because it's PRACTICE, Mr Weasley," Snape said. "I'm sure your puny little mind needs it."
Malfoy snickered along with Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione was about to stick her tongue out, but she caught Snape's evil eye and stopped immediately.
Finally, in what seemed like ages, the class ended. Hermione practically skipped down the hall, Harry and Ron struggling behind. Oliver hadn't showed up for breakfast, and she hoped to see him during lunch.
She sat herself down at her usual spot at her usual table, but her usual friend (excluding Harry and Ron), wasn't there. She looked around the Great Hall, which was full of cheerful and laughing students. She couldn't find the one person she wanted however – and he didn't show up for the entire lunch period.
Hermione sat in Herbology, very depressed; she didn't even raise her hand once. History of Magic was boring (but then again, it always was) and she didn't even jot down one point. She sat in silence during dinner, taking a very long time to finish. And when she led the rest of the Gryffindors to the Common Room, she dragged her feet wishing that this day would end.
Harry and Ron followed closely behind, immensely worried. They saw Hermione run up to the girls' dormitories as soon as she gave the password. Ron sat down near a table containing wizard pieces; Harry did the same.
"Wanna play a game?" Ron suggested.
Harry nodded, but wanted to talk as well. "She's not a happy camper, is she?" Harry asked, while instructing a pawn to move a piece.
"What do you mean, a happy camper, Harry?" Ron asked with a quizzical look. "I mean, we're not in a camp – we don't even have tents, for goodness sake! Unless you count the beds, since their four-poster beds, but even so it's absurd just to…"
"RON!" Harry interrupted, getting wild looks from fellow Gryffindors. "It's just an expression – a figure of speech…" As soon as Harry said that though, he regretted it.
"There you go with that stupid 'figure of speech' again," Ron cried. "Can you explain to me…exactly…WHAT IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH?"
Harry could see this was leading to trouble. "…Never mind, Ron – never mind," Harry said, while peering down at the chessboard. One of Ron's bishops was severely crushing Harry's pawn. Harry frowned slightly. "We've got to help Hermione, though," Harry told Ron, who was too busy thinking of strategies for the chess game. "She seems to preoccupied with something. And I think that someone is Oliver. She always wants to hang out with him. Maybe they're just friends, but I think that she's just a fool in love."
"A fool in love?" Ron asked. Harry hoped that Ron wouldn't be puzzled again, but Ron said, "You're right, Harry. But what can we do?"
"We'll think about it," Harry said. "But, how about a practice?"
Fifteen minutes later, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team headed down to the Quidditch Pitch, broomsticks in hand.
"It's quite chilly tonight," Dean Thomas observed.
"The Quidditch Robes will keep us warm," Harry assured him. But with some doubt, added, "Hopefully."
Harry flew in the air a few minutes after his pep-talk to the team. It was an incredible feeling having his hair ruffled in the wind, and flying high where no Muggle has gone before. He felt like throwing his arms above him, flapping wildly like a bird, but remembered just in time that he wasn't a bird and that if he let go, not even his broomstick could save him (unless it was on it's special safety-precaution).
Harry caught the Golden Snitch with ease, but was still a bit worried about Hermione. She was too preoccupied with Oliver; she still had did well with schoolwork, but Harry knew that if she didn't see him, she didn't find a reason to live. "Oy! Harry!" Ron shouted, catching Harry's attention. "What's that?" Ron pointed down to the ground besides Hagrid's Hut. A large glooming figure was walking, or crawling, heading for the Forbidden Forest.
"I'll check it out," Harry mouthed to Ron, making an excuse to the team that he had to go to the washroom.
Harry swooped down towards the figure. It looked dark and gloomy and made Harry feel very frightened. Still, he was a Gryffindor, and like a brave lion, and decided to go. He turned towards the Quidditch pitch, where he heard laughs and giggles as the team practiced. He gulped, but nodded his head confidently; he headed further down to see what was going on.
The mysterious and suspicious figure was long but thin. Harry decided that it was a human; but even though he had 7 years experience, he still had his doubts. He glided along the air, the crisp wind stinging at his neck. He flew as silently as he could, so he wouldn't startle the figure, which was surprisingly fast yet very silent as well.
Harry went as close as he could to the ground, so that his feet were just skidding along the green, thick grass. Harry squinted to get a better look at the gloomy figure – but it was gone! Harry turned his Firebolt 450 so sharply that he almost fell off. He looked in all directions, but the figure had disappeared. He sighed suddenly, and turned towards the Quidditch Pitch to conclude the practice.
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The Quidditch Team had propped themselves against the squishy pillows in the Common Room. Hermione had showed up after her depression, and had busied herself in her homework, although there was no hope in trying to – the Quidditch Team was too noisy.
"I love it when you call me big papa!" Dean Thomas sang as he poured another round of Butterbeer. That term had become very popular among the team, although Hermione wasn't too positive about that. She growled huffily and continued to work.
"Where did he get that stuff?" Colin Creevey would always ask suspiciously.
"We went to Hogsmeade a few weeks ago, didn't we?" Lavender reminded him.
"But…" Colin waved his arm around, trying to think of the right words to say. "Wouldn't the Butterbeer have gone bad?"
Ron rolled his eyes as he watched and turned towards Harry, who was still looking out the window on guard.
"Give it up Harry – there's nothing there," Ron insisted. Hermione suddenly slipped beside Harry, and peered out the window as well.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, eyeing the window carefully. "Where were you a few hours ago?"
"We're in our Quidditch robes, Hermione – can't you see? Or have you gone blind?!" Ron snapped, making Hermione go furiously red.
"Guys," Harry interrupted. He turned towards Hermione and explained (in a low whisper), "During Quidditch Practice I noticed a dark figure moving across the grounds, towards the Forbidden Forest. I wanted to check it out so I followed it. It started moving towards the castle and I followed the figure slightly until BAM! it was gone."
"Maybe it went into the forests," Hermione guessed.
"I checked there; there wasn't anything," Harry replied, adjusting his glasses.
"Maybe he apparated," Ron stated, matter-of-factly.
"RON WEASLEY!" Hermione exclaimed, making Ron jump out of his chair. "I've known you for 7 years and you haven't had the decent bit of time to remember that you can't apparate in the Hogwarts Grounds?!"
Ron gulped. "What's the point? You can tell me…"
"I'm not your little dictionary you know!" Hermione continued to shriek, making some first years sink in their chairs. "I can't just give you little bits of information all the time! You can't always depend on somebody – they won't always be there for you!"
"Maybe you should take that own information into account, Hermione," Harry said, as Ron began stammering his apologies.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione snapped, putting her hair behind her ears.
"Oliver Wood," Harry said, in a whisper only audible for Hermione. Hermione flushed and gestured for Harry to come to the window.
"How did you know?" Hermione asked, looking around to see if anyone was watching. Ron was still sitting in his chair, too shocked for words or emotions to be expressed.
"It's pretty obvious, Hermione," Harry answered. "You always want to see him; maybe he's afraid of you."
"What?!" Hermione said in disbelief. "You're joking! Right?"
"Maybe I am," Harry shrugged. "He probably isn't afraid of you – but maybe you're too pushy. You always want to see him. And don't worry," Harry added, "I don't think anyone else has noticed. I just know how you feel. Maybe you're too much in love or something." Harry didn't want to tell Hermione that Ron knew about her feelings as well – she knew Hermione would be too upset if 2 people knew.
"What about you and Cho?" Hermione asked.
"Haven't you noticed? We haven't seen each other since the Hallowe'en Ball," Harry reminded her. "But I still deal with it, every single day. It's hard at first. Really hard at first – and I know you want to see Oliver all the time since you have seen him in 4 and a bit years, but you can't be that pushy. Remember – he's a professor, you're a student."
"But it doesn't feel that way," Hermione admitted. "He's just a young boy who just happens to be here at Hogwarts. And besides he's only here for-"
"One year and you only have one year left at Hogwarts," Harry finished for her. "Then maybe it's worth the wait."
"That's what I've been telling myself a couple of months ago," Hermione said. "But so far the other side is gaining votes – I want to be with him now, Harry."
"I know you do," Harry said, still gazing out the window, where bright stars shone luminously at them. "But you've got to know – if I've noticed it, others will too. And then there'll be no escaping."
"Can we just be…friends?" Hermione asked, struggling to get the last word out. She didn't really want to hear Harry's response – she was worried if it would hurt her too much. Her emotions were all messed up; she really, really liked Oliver. She…actually loved him. But then the feelings of becoming Head Witch of Hogwarts at the end of Hogwarts, and getting lots of N.E.W.Ts also stood in the way. She didn't know which path to choose.
"We'll just have to wait and see," Harry concluded for her. "Wait and see."
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I realise that this wasn't as long as the last chapter, but count yourself lucky that there's another chapter. It took me a long time to get this finished, what with writing my other stories, working on homework, seeing friends (I do have a life you know!) I promise the next chapter will be longer, but for now, what you see is what you get. But I hope that you do like it! Thanks for all my reviewers! You really inspire me and urge me to continue writing. I have a whopping 44 reviews (YIKES!) and I thank all of you who have reviewed. Here's my individual thanks:
KAOS – Don't worry, you aren't slow. That's the first time he's said "I love you" so don't worry! You thought you were reading one of the books when you were reading the Quidditch Match? Wow – that's amazing for me! I think that J.K. Rowling is still way better than me, though. I thought you're idea was great though – I'll work with it in the next chapter, although the character won't be *that old*. Thanks for the "brilliant" though!
aLi – Thanks for the compliment! It's true; there aren't a lot of Oliver/Hermione stories, but if you really want some check out DUCKY-DOLL and G*NESS's stories – their fabulous and a lot of them are about the famous Oliver and Hermione! I think you're books are really good too! (check out the reviews I left!)
allee kat – I think that Draco/Hermione's are good, but I have a hard time writing it because I don't know how to make Draco appear as a good person. But I'm glad you really like this story! I appreciate that! I will post sooner than I have lately – I just have to complete homework first!
Juvenus – It's all right that you missed 2 chapters – that means more reading! :) I'm glad you like the chapter though!
Silver Dragon Princess – "Hardball" was a really funny movie. But sad when the little dude dies (I forgot his name, and I don't want to spoil it for the people who haven't watched it and who read this). I'm glad it's really good and funny! Thanks!
LOTR&HPLver – I thought it was hilarious too (but I mean in the movie, not in the story. Or do I mean both? …Not completely sure). Thanks again!