Chapter 15 ~ No More Pretending
"Why do you do what you do to me baby,
You're shaking my confidence driving me crazy,
You know if I could I'd do anything for you.
Please don't ignore me 'cause you know I adore you.
Can't you just pretend to be nice, if you could just pretend to be nice,
If you could at least pretend to be nice, then everything in my life would be all right!"
-"Pretend to Be Nice" by Josie and the Pussycats
December had arrived, and it arrived with harsh weather and a substantial amount of snow. Students were running to their Common Rooms during break, trying to get to the blazing and kindle fire that assured them warmth.
Herbology, Broomstick Practice, and Care of Magical Creatures were cancelled because of the weather conditions, meaning Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the Gryffindors who took those three subjects were now in the comfort of the Common Room, away from the harsh halls and corridors, which were dark and cold, and away from the even harsher outdoors.
One day, in the second week of December, Hermione, Ron, and Harry, sat around the fire. Harry was writing another letter to Cho (although there were doubts that the letter would even reach Cho in this weather); Ron was pondering Chess moves as he played a game with Neville (who was losing dramatically); Hermione was starting her revision notes for the N.E.W.Ts.
"Hermione!" Ron cried, when he heard what Hermione was doing. "What's the point in doing it now? The N.E.W.Ts are in June! Has the cold weather affected your hearing? Because if it has, I'll gladly remind you – it's DECEMBER! It's not even the year of N.E.W.Ts – in January, it'll be the year 2002, Hermione, okay? Not now. Right now it's the year 2001."
Hermione ignored all this, and simply replied, "Practice makes perfect." Ron grumbled as he moved his bishop around the chessboard. "Yeah," he said. "But not practice in December, all right?"
Because of December's arrival, that also meant that Christmas was arriving soon. And that called for one main event – The Yule Ball. Hermione was eager for this event to start as soon as possible. This wasn't like her of course – she was all books and homework. But somehow, for some absurd reason, she seemed delighted by the fact of The Yule Ball, and she couldn't wait for it to come.
On December 15th, during breakfast, Professor McGonagull had come around asking who would be staying during Christmas break. Hermione, Harry, and Ron put down their names as once; most of the 7th years did, except for poor Neville, who decided that he wasn't up to another ball.
"Now the only problem is," Harry sighed, "is who's going to be going with us to The Yule Ball." Hermione had automatically thought of Oliver, but knew that some people might of thought that was suspicious. Ron looked dreamily up at the enchanted ceiling, which was barely visible because of all the fluffy snow that was in it. He breathed, "I'll be going with Lavender, no doubt."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "What about you, Harry?" she asked. "Do you have an idea who you're taking?"
"Who else?" he responded. "Cho…I just hope that we're allowed guests again."
Ron looked at Hermione and smiled. "How about you, Hermione?"
Hermione gulped. He had asked that dreadful question. Hermione smiled back and replied, "Not too sure."
Ron opened his mouth and closed it again, as though not knowing what to say. Harry spoke for him. "Come on, Herms!" Harry exclaimed. "Who's the lucky man? You can tell us!"
Ron put his two hands in front of them, stopping Hermione's response. "Wait, wait, I know!" Ron said. Hermione gulped again. "Does he really know that it's Oliver?" Hermione thought. But instead, Ron said, "It's Victor Krum, right? That's what it was in 4th year and 5th year."
"Yeah, but that's when I liked him," Hermione confronted. "Now he probably doesn't know that I exist." The owls had suddenly flown in, although there was only about 5 because of the weather. Hermione got her issue of Daily Prophet and threw it aside while she ate her breakfast.
"Then who else can it be?" Harry asked. "Ron took you last Yule Ball, who is it this time?"
"Me," said a voice behind them. Hermione turned around, expecting it to be Oliver. But who it actually was stunned her.
"Malfoy?" Ron asked quizzically. Malfoy smiled mischievously, with Crabbe and Goyle at his sides. "Yes, Weasley, you stupid git," Draco replied, still smiling. "Who else would take her?"
"Anybody else on this planet," Hermione said coolly, making Draco turn red.
Hermione thought he would back of at this point – he always had before. But instead, he came closer and whispered in her ear, "Well, save me one dance, all right? Save me a dance."
Hermione looked petrified, but nodded slightly. Harry and Ron looked at her oddly (the whisper was not audible to them). Draco turned on his heel and walked away to the Slytherin table.
"What did ferret say?" Ron asked curiously.
Hermione shook her head. "Nothing, nothing," she insisted.
"He obviously said something," Harry told her. "Otherwise he wouldn't have leaned in and whispered something, and you wouldn't have nodded."
"Oh it was nothing important," Hermione lied, trying to think of something. "He said…he said…that there probably isn't much of a selection, since both of you are probably taken, and if there wasn't anyone else to go to, then I could choose him. And I just nodded." Hermione shrugged, hoping that they would believe her excuse.
"Ahh," Harry reacted. "I see. Well, I don't think you should go with him, Hermione. He's bad news."
"Just like the articles in this issue," Hermione said, picking up the issue of Daily Prophet.
"What does it say?" Ron asked suspiciously. "Anything important?"
Hermione handed the paper to Ron, who's jaw fell open automatically, as if on cue. "What the-" he began, handing the paper to Harry, who read out loud:
"Hogwarts has always been known as a brilliant school, but with devastating secrets, writes Kylie Skeeter. While taking a tour around Hogwarts Castle, I noticed an astonishing amount of young wizards and witches in the infirmary, which holds all of the injured students."
"What else would it hold," Hermione interrupted, "pigs? Maybe a hag or two? An infirmary is a hospital, for goodness sake!"
Nobody chuckled at her joke. She closed her mouth and Harry continued to read.
"I asked Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, why there were so many injured students nowadays. She responds, 'Headmaster Dumbledore never means to hurt anyone, but accidents happen. Neville Longbottom constantly gets into accidents, as well as many other students. It's because of the magic. These young students are not professionals. They do make mistakes.' But as I looked around, I noticed many of them who had bruises, and seemed terrified of me. I asked them why, and they replied, though in whispered and frightened voices, 'The danger, miss. We don't like the danger.' When I asked why kind of danger, however, they went into a dead faint."
"Of course they fainted!" Hermione interrupted again. "Looking at her face would scare anybody!" She chuckled, but stopped almost immediately when she realised that nobody was laughing with her. Neville Longbottom was reading his own copy of Daily Prophet and hid under the table (probably crying) when he read his name. Harry continued again.
"I questioned Madam Pomfrey about these frightened students. She had no comment except for, 'I've got to take care of my patients. Go away!' Is something bad happening here besides a few accidents? Is Neville Longbottom the cause of this? Are his 'accidents' really 'accidents'? Or is he a Dark Wizard, just waiting to be unleashed? Are his 'accidents' really 'mistakes' or 'plots to kill somebody'? Who knows, but parents may want to reconsider bringing their children to Hogwarts. Placing one foot on Platform 9 and 3 quarters could very may mean placing on foot on a terror ride. Kylie Skeeter, Daily Prophet News."
"This is ridiculous!" Ron cried exasperatedly. "Neville Longbottom – a Dark Wizard? The day he becomes a Dark Wizard is the day that I win 1 000, 000 galleons!"
Oliver had suddenly came in between Ron and Hermione, asking to sit in between them. He grabbed a piece of toast. "I'm starving," he explained thickly, through a mouthful of toast and milk. After swallowing his food he asked, "Anything in the news today?"
"Not anything fascinating," Hermione lied. Oliver however, thrusted the paper into his hands. He dropped it only after 2 seconds of holding it, stunned as much as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were.
"What are you talking about – this isn't fascinating?" Oliver asked. "But I guess you're right – I should've asked 'Anything in the news today that's catastrophic' because this would've been the answer."
Ron chuckled, even though he knew that this wasn't the time for laughter. Oliver finished reading the article, and very wisely, didn't make any comments. "What class do you have next?" he questioned.
"We have first class off," Hermione replied. "Herbology is cancelled because of the weather. After that we have-" she glanced down at her timetable, "-Potions."
Ron groaned. "It's the worst in the dungeons!" Ron complained. "It's damp, freezing, absolutely terrible."
"How about some tea in my office first?" Oliver suggested. "It's quite warm in my office. I have a cozy fireplace."
Hermione smiled and nodded with Harry and Ron. They walked with Oliver in the cold halls up to the 9th floor to his office. "Welcome to my humble abode," he joked. Hermione laughed, although it hurt her cold and pale cheeks.
"How have you been doing?" Oliver asked, pouring them a steaming cup of tea.
"Good," Hermione replied. "How are you doing?"
"Well, since Broomstick Practices are cancelled I'm all alone with nothing to do," Oliver cried. "What about you Ron?"
Ron blew on his tea, cooling it down. "Same as always," he answered. "The only problem is – we're freezing!"
Oliver chuckled. "Hey! It's not so bad!" he told them. "Remember – it's your last year! You won't ever experience this cold in the castle again!"
"Is that a bad thing or a good thing?" Harry asked, sipping some of his tea. He immediately felt warmth.
Oliver sat in thought for a moment. "That's up for you to decide," Oliver replied.
"I think it's a bad thing," Hermione said softly. "I know we're cold and all, but this is our last year in this castle that we call a home. Or a second home. And we've got to treat his home like any other home – with respect. Because once it's gone, it's gone forever, unless one of us comes back here as a professor."
"I doubt that," Ron laughed. "I'm going to be a master of Chess when I'm older. Or something to that extent."
"I want to be a professional Quidditch player," Harry shared.
Oliver smiled. "I've already got that wish come true."
Hermione thought in silence. "I'm not too sure what I want to be. There's too many choices."
"And all of them are open to a student like you, Hermione," Oliver told her.
"That's exactly the problem," Hermione sighed. "So many opportunities – I don't know which one I should pick."
"Pick the one that appeals the most to you," Harry said.
"That's another problem," Hermione responded. "There are a lot of things that appeal to me."
"Like what?" Ron asked.
"Like writing for instance," Hermione answered. "I love writing. But I also love reading. Although I doubt there's a career in that. I also love to teach, to observe…I love to do a lot of things."
"Maybe there's a job that combines all of those things," Oliver thought aloud. "Maybe you'll find it."
"Perhaps," Hermione replied, although with doubt. "Perhaps."
Harry glanced at his watch. "Well, we've got 10 minutes to head down to the dungeons, and it's quite a walk to get there."
"Do you want me to escort you?" Oliver asked. When they looked at his oddly, he explained, "You know, so you don't get attacked. Who knows where that attacker may be lurking?"
"I think we'll be all right," Ron insisted. "Besides there's three of us. One of us will pin them down – that'll probably be me. Then Harry will punch him in the face and Hermione will put a curse or some sort of spell on him."
Oliver chuckled. "I suppose," he said, glancing out the window, where large snowflakes fell outside. "You three be careful though, all right?"
"All right," they promised, heading out the office door.
When they reached the dungeons, they regretted going inside. It was misty, chilly, and bitter. Everyone was struggling to get near the cauldrons, trying to keep warm. Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat themselves down at their usual table.
"Today we'll learn the basics of Veritaserum," Snape hissed, cold breath coming out of his mouth as he spoke. "I'll be putting you in partners, but I need to speak to Mr Potter, Mr Longbottom, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley…and Mr Malfoy first." He said Draco's name regretfully, as though feeling that his favourite student should not be punished.
Hermione stood up wondering what it was for, then remembered that they had detentions. She had almost forgot about it. The group walked up together, Draco doing the usual sneer to the Gryffindors – except Hermione. He smiled casually at her, leaving Hermione stunned yet again. "What is he doing?" she thought. "Why is he smiling and asking for dances?"
"You five all have Care of Magical Creatures next, correct?" Snape asked through his usual snarl. The five nodded. "Well, as you can tell, it's cancelled because of the weather. Therefore, you will spend detention hear in the dungeons with me after class."
Hermione shivered, and was longing to blurt out a complaint. Ron was glad to do it for her. "But it's freezing down here, Professor Snape!" Ron whined. "It's as cold down here as it is outside. I'd take Care of Magical Creatures in the winding snow and cold any day!"
"Then why don't you step outside Mr Weasley?" Professor Snape hissed.
Ron stood rooted to the spot, however. Snape's lips twisted into a smile. "You may return to your seats, and I'll expect you to stay seated after the class has ended," he said. Hermione and the rest turned to their seats. Neville occasionally whimpered, murmuring that this would be the worst Potions ever, especially since of the bonus detention added to it.
Snape was not kind, as usual, during the pairing. He made Harry go with Crabbe, Ron go with Pansy Parkinson, who was Malfoy's admirer, and Neville go with Goyle. He advanced on Hermione. "Miss Granger you will go with-" Hermione looked at the remaining Slytherins as Snape thought. Zabini Blaise, a nasty Slytherin, was sneering at her. Millicent Bulstrode was also left and then there was – "Draco Malfoy. Miss Granger, go over to Mr Malfoy's empty spot beside him." Hermione penitently moved her stool and sat herself down beside Draco. She looked at his face, expecting the usual greeting – the same cold, gray eyes; the same sneer; and the same greeting, which was always, "Hello, Mudblood." This time, however, it was quite different; his eyes no longer seemed cold, and he was smiling kindly.
"Hey Granger," Draco greeted. Hermione was shocked, but was glad he hadn't said anything further. She knew that if he had greeted "Hey Hermione" she would have died from shock. Why was he being so kind to her anyway?
"Hi," she stammered eventually, taking out her notes about Veritaserum.
"I wonder why we're learning about Veritaserum now," Draco said, measuring some beetle eyes as he spoke. "It's pretty unnecessary."
"Not quite," Hermione disagreed, reading through the steps. She had decided not to make eye contact with Malfoy – she was scared of how he'd react.
"Why do you mean by 'not quite'?" Draco asked.
"Well, what I mean is," Hermione began, reading the notes for a second time (she still didn't want to look at Malfoy). "Learning the truth is important in any case. It can bring people to justice…or injustice," she added, remembering Mr Crouch's son confess his desire to join Lord Voldemort's side. "It makes people confess their deepest, darkest secrets. Veritaserum enables all that."
Malfoy didn't speak for a while as he poured the correct amount of dragon's blood into the cauldron. "I see," Malfoy said eventually. "I understand."
They worked in silence for a while, completing their tasks. Hermione was tempted often to look into Draco's cold eyes, but went against the temptation.
Finally, the battle was over, yet the war began. For detention they had to scrub all of the cauldrons clean without using magic.
"Argh!" Ron cried half-an-hour into the cleaning. "My back is killing me!"
"At least it's not as bad as going into the Forbidden Forest," Harry reminded him.
"Imagine going there at this time of year?" Ron chuckled. "All of the werewolves must be hibernating. It'd probably look a joy."
"I doubt that," Hermione said. "It probably looks even more eerie. All the leaves on the trees are gone…the snow is gently falling, making it look empty and full of mystery." She shivered. "I'd rather be in here than out there."
"Me too," Draco agreed. The three eyed him carefully, wondering why he wasn't making rude remarks or why he wasn't showing his usual sneer. Neville was sobbing into a cauldron, complaining and whining.
"Hey, do you think that-" Harry began.
"10 points from Gryffindor," Snape interrupted. "Absolutely no talking during detention."
Harry groaned and they worked in silence for the remainder of the detention except for the occasional sobs from Neville, who was clearly very upset.
The group of five walked towards the Great Hall for lunch after detention, but were distracted by a large sign. Neville sniffed and stood on his tiptoes to get a better look at the sign (he was still amazingly short for his age).
"Hogsmeade visit this weekend," he announced. "This is your chance to do your Christmas shopping! Also – 4th years and up, remember the Yule Ball on Christmas Eve."
"Hogsmeade trip – this weekend?" Ron asked in mistrust. "How are we supposed to get around? We won't be able to see a bloody thing!"
"Well…" Hermione said, "We could shop for a little and then amuse ourselves in some Butterbeers."
"That's a great suggestion," Harry smiled. "But I need some lunch first! I'm starving! And cold!"
"Ditto that," Ron said.
After a warm lunch full with different types of pancakes, eggs, meat, and other foods, they headed towards Transfiguration. Malfoy parted with the Gryffindors to head towards History of Magic, so then there were four.
After a slightly exciting Transfiguration class (which involved changing a chair into a large cat and then back again) the group headed towards Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws.
The next few days were slightly uneventful until Saturday morning, where everybody gathered all of their money and headed towards the Great Hall for a hearty breakfast.
"How much money do you have with you?" Seamus Finnigan asked after he yelled at some 2nd years who were discussing what make-up to wear that day in shrilled voices.
Harry glanced into his leather bag. "Hmm…" he said as he counted the coins. "20 galleons, 19 sickles, and 49 knuts."
"In other words, a fortune," Ron chuckled.
"What about you, Weasley?" Seamus asked through a mouthful of porridge.
Ron turned a brilliant shade of magenta. "I'm not good with counting," he fibbed. For the remainder of breakfast, he seemed more concentrated on asking Dobby for refills than their conversation.
They walked towards the entrance hall, meeting Ginny along the way. They made sure that their cloaks wrapped tightly around them, and that their scarves were so secure that they looked as though they were strangled.
"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, hello," Professor McGonagull recited, checking the names off the list. "Have a pleasant time at Hogsmeade."
"More like a freezing time!" Ron joked as they walked extremely slowly towards the gate.
"Brr…" Ginny said through chattering teeth. "…I'm…I'm…I'm so cold."
"It'll…it'll be better once we get there," Harry assured her, though he sounded doubtful.
At long last they reached the gate and entered the village of Hogsmeade. It was covered with a beautiful light sheet of snow, that looked like a sparkly blanket. Hermione gasped as she walked in the village, her boots making small footprints in the fluffy snow.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ginny asked, taking Hermione's thoughts away. They all nodded.
They walked along the shops, trying to find the ones they wanted to go to. Finally, they decided on "Fred & George Weasley's Joke Shop".
The bell clanged as they opened the door. "Shut the door!" someone hollered. "You're bringing in the snow!"
Hermione shut the door, but several more people opened it as they exited, their hands full of sweets and wands that clucked and changed into roosters and chickens.
Hermione and the group shuffled their way through the small crowd of students who were peering over strange things such as Juggling Jellybeans ("Churn in your stomach!") and Humorous Chocolate Frogs ("Get wizards that pick their nose!").
"Hullo Fred! Hullo George!" Ron greeted as he moved up to the front desk.
"Ron!" Fred exclaimed. "Long time no see! Oh! Harry! Hermione! Ginny!"
"How come you haven't written to me?" Ginny asked sternly. "I've sent you about 5 owls!"
"Oh, we're so sorry Ginny," George apologized. "We were too busy making these quills. Want one?" He grabbed a quill from inside a drawer and handed it towards Ginny. Ginny grasped it, but as soon as she did, the quill set off with a loud BANG! which made the whole store shake and next second, the quill had turned into a snake. Ginny shrieked and dropped the snake in alarm, which slithered out of the shop when someone opened the door.
"GEORGE!" Ginny shrieked, turning around in a huff. "I thought you'd be a bit more kinder and sincere!" She walked through the crowd again and walked out the door, the bell on the door clanging loudly as she slammed it behind her.
"Ginny!" George called after her. "We didn't mean it!" He sighed, shrugged uneasily, and looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "So…what have you chaps been up to?"
"Not too much," Harry answered. "The Yule Ball's coming up, though."
Fred winked. "Who are you all taking?"
"Lavender," Ron replied, with sparkles in his eyes.
"Have you asked her?" Fred asked suspiciously.
Ron smacked his head. "Whoops! I've forgotten! I'll…I'll ask her when we get back."
"Sure, sure," George said. "We believe you completely. What else have you been up to? Is Quidditch still awesome?"
Harry nodded and reached for a curious looking mirror. He picked it up and glanced at it. "Argh!" he cried in astonishment. His whole face was distorted, and now looked amazingly like a troll.
"Ugly mirror," Fred explained. "3 sickles each."
"I'll take three!" Ron cried. He reached into his bag, which was very light. "They'll be your Christmas presents, all right?" he asked to Harry and Hermione. They nodded, knowing that they wouldn't be able to get that much from Ron. Still, they appreciated it all the while.
When they exited the joke shop, they were once again introduced to the stifling cold. They covered their mouths with their scarves, so nothing was audible amongst them except for occasional shivers. However, they could hear the big yell from Harry, which was, "CHO!" as he ran through the snow.
Ron and Hermione ran after him as he headed towards Cho, who was barely visible. She was wearing a pearly-white cloak and a crystal-coloured scarf. The only way Harry would have recognized her was because of her black hair, which was full of glistening snowflakes.
They shared a small peck, and afterwards, Cho was smiling. "Harry!" she cried. "Long time no see…"
Ron and Hermione turned away. "We'll see you in The Three Broomsticks," they said in unison, getting the idea that Harry and Cho wanted to be alone.
"All right," Harry said, shrugging uneasily. He turned towards Cho and gave her a longer kiss. "I've missed you," he confessed. "So much."
"Me too," she replied, putting her hair over her ears in an attempt to make herself warmer. "How's school?"
"Uh…hard," Harry answered. "As usual. Potions…ugh. I don't even want to talk about it. But, there is an event that I'm looking forward to."
"Really?" she asked. "What is it?"
"The Yule Ball," he told her. "Do you want to go with me?"
"Of course," she answered. Then she bit her lip nervously. "No! I have a Quidditch match on that day!"
"What?!" Harry cried loudly, stopping some students on the street. "It's winter! For goodness sake, it's Christmas Eve on that day!"
Cho chuckled. "I'm just joking," she laughed. "Just wanted to test your reaction. Come on! Let's go get a Butterbeer."
When they walked into the Three Broomsticks they felt immediate warmth. They untied the strangling scarves around their neck and shuffled around the people and tables to where Hermione and Ron were.
"Hello," Hermione smiled, as Madam Rosmerta walked over with four steaming mugs of Butterbeer. Hermione handed over some sickles and handed a Butterbeer each to Harry and Cho.
"Thanks," Cho said, sitting down.
"Here Ron," Hermione said, handing it to Ron. But he wasn't paying attention – he was looking at the tables with a wild look on his face; his brow was moving up and down as though he was searching.
"What are you looking for Ron?" Harry asked as he sipped the delicious Butterbeer.
"Lavender," Ron replied. "I've got to ask her to go to the Yule Ball with me!"
"I think she's near the doors," Cho told him. Ron looked over and, sure enough, Lavender sat with Parvati and a few other girls, chuckling.
"Oy! Lavender!" Ron called.
It was very loud in the store, but since Lavender always listened to gossip, her ears had grown adjusted and now were able to hear anything. She swung around to face Ron.
"Do you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?" Ron asked in a loud voice.
Lavender nodded. "All right then!" she giggled. She turned back to laugh with her friends.
"Yes!" Ron hollered in a triumphant voice. "Now all we need is for Hermione to go on a date."
"You haven't gotten a date yet Hermione?" Cho asked suspiciously. "I'm surprised! I thought any guy would want to go with you!"
Hermione chuckled nervously. "Not quite," she admitted.
"What about Malfoy?" Harry asked. "He asked you earlier."
"I hope you're joking," Hermione said harshly. "Otherwise I'm going to have to curse you."
The table laughed. "But seriously, Hermione," Cho pushed on. "Who do you want to go with you?"
"I'm not too sure," she said, not wanting to tell them about Oliver just yet.
"Oh," Cho said in disappointment. "Well, if you're still stuck, there's some pretty handsome guys on the Chudley Cannons team. Whoo!"
Harry looked at her. "You're not with one of these pretty handsome guys, are you?" Harry questioned.
"No, of course not dear!" Cho exclaimed. "No one stands will come between me and you," she gushed.
After they finished their Butterbeers and finished their chat, the group split into two; Hermione went with Cho and Harry went with Ron. They were once again emerged into the snow and the cold, and then were once again emerged into the warmth as they entered shops. Hermione bought all of her presents with Cho by her said, who was pestering her and begging Hermione to tell Cho who she likes. Hermione always denied that she liked someone.
After their constant shopping, they decided to go back to The Three Broomsticks to check if Harry and Ron were finished their shopping too. They stopped mid-way, however, when an owl suddenly flew atop of Hermione's head!
Hermione shrieked and flapped her arms, almost like she did when Ron told her that the Golden Snitch was above her head. The owl hooted as though he was annoyed and stuck out his right leg, which contained a rather long piece of parchment. Hermione took the letter off the owl, who flew away the instant that she did. He ruffled his wings to get the snow off, and blended perfectly with the snow except for the few brown specks on his wings.
"Ooh! Who's it from?" Cho pushed as they began to walk again. Hermione sighed, sounding almost as annoyed as the owl. She unrolled the parchment and glanced at the bottom of the note for a second.
"It's from…him," she said breathlessly, in a tone unlike her own.
"Who's him?" Cho asked.
"Just a friend," Hermione lied. She tied the parchment back up and reluctantly shoved it into her cloak; she didn't want someone glancing over her shoulder as she read.
Cho looked at her crossly. "Well, then, let's go into The Three Broomsticks," she sighed.
They walked in, and, sure enough, Harry and Ron sat at the same table as before, except surrounded by a group of people. They had begun to play a game of Wizard Chess, and Harry was beating Ron by quite a bit. Ginny, Fred and George (who Hermione presumed that they went on a break), and a few other students including Lavender and Parvati who sitting on Ron's side, clapping his back and telling him where to go. On Harry's side was a much larger crowd. The rest of the Gryffindors, including Dean and Neville were standing around him, as well as Harry's fan club. Many of the 7th year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff assembled themselves around Harry. Cho stood near Harry and Hermione went to Ron's side.
"How are you doing?" Hermione asked, putting all of her bags on another table. "Who's winning?"
"Harry is," Ron groaned. "By a lot. I don't know how I let him do this. He's got me cornered."
"How?" Hermione asked.
"Hermione, maybe you should learn how to play Wizard Chess," Ron told her, tugging at his hair in frustration.
"Ron, maybe you should learn how to do your homework and stop pestering me to help you," Hermione confronted as she grinned.
"Checkmate," Harry breathed through his sparkly teeth.
Everyone cheered for Harry as Ron searched through his bag. "What are you looking for?" Hermione asked.
"Why are you so nosy?" Ron snapped. He sighed. "Sorry…I've never lost this much before. I have to give Harry my Agrippa card."
"What?!" Hermione cried in amazement. "But you've been looking for that for- "
"For over 8 years," Ron finished for her. "I know…I know." He flipped through card after card, past Bertie Botts who was amusing himself by picking earwax and Dumbledore, who was unsticking Lemon Drops. He finally got to Agrippa, who wasn't in the picture at that time. He looked at the card one last time and put it on the other end of the table. Harry picked it up.
"Great game," Harry said, acknowledging the card with great interest. "Thanks for the card."
"Yeah, great game," Ron replied through gritted teeth.
"Harry!" Hermione cried in disbelief. "How could you do something like that to Ron? You don't even collect cards!"
"I honestly thought he would beat me!" Harry told her. "But I don't really want this, Ron. Here – take it back."
"No, no," Ron answered, raising his hands in defeat. "You won; I lost. It's just a game, right?"
"Ron," Harry began. "But this is your card that you've been looking up for- "
"For over 8 years," Ron repeated. "I know! But who cares right? Merry Christmas Harry!" He picked up his bags in frustration and exited the shop.
Harry stood up as the crowd dispersed. "Great game, Harry," Cho congratulated, kissing him.
"I don't feel like it is anymore," Harry said, stepping back. Hermione noticed that he had a very depressing look on his face. "I feel like I've just lost my best friend."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione finally unrolled the piece of parchment that was stuck in her cloaks all day. The parchment was cold and wet, but since Hermione was as well it didn't really matter. Hermione sighed as she let her thoughts concentrate on the words that Oliver had written her.
"Dear Hermione,
I don't think that I should ask you face-to-face, because people might get strange ideas. But…would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me? I'd be honored if you would accept this request. I know that people will probably get strange ideas if they see us dancing around together, but maybe…I don't know, maybe if we alternated once in a while it'd be all right, you know? The Hallowe'en Ball was nothing, because I'm sure you thought it was Dean Thomas. I made sure that I got the same mask as him, by the way. I never got the nerve to tell you that. I wanted to make sure you got me. I'm glad you did.
You're a fantastic person, love. I hope you come with me.
Love, Oliver"
Hermione took out a spare piece of parchment and wrote down with a fine quill that she accepted his request. She rolled it up and ran downstairs, where Ron and Harry were having a heated argument.
"I don't want it anymore!" Ron hollered. "You won it! So take it and shut up!"
"I'll give it back all right," Harry told him. "I'll give you that Agrippa card and shove it up your-"
"HARRY! RON!" Hermione cried. "Stop it! You're acting like a bunch of fools!"
"He started it!" Harry and Ron both said simultaneously. Then they began to laugh.
"Sorry Harry," Ron apologized.
"No need," Harry said. "You want your Agrippa card back?" Ron nodded in agreement.
"Good," Hermione observed. "Now that all this silliness has ended I have a very important question to ask Harry."
"Yes?" Harry was all ears.
"Can I borrow Hedwig?" Hermione asked.
"What for?" Harry asked back.
"To eat her," Hermione joked. "To send a letter Harry! What would you think?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. How long is the journey?"
"Not that long," Hermione replied. "She'll probably be back by the end of the day."
"Okay then!" Harry told her. "She's all yours!"
"Really?" Hermione exclaimed. "Now I have 2 pets! Crookshanks and Hedwig! I don't think I'll have enough money to provide for them both, though!"
Harry looked at her, his eyes wide open. "I didn't mean you could-"
"I was only joking," Hermione insisted.
"I thought I was the one who did that kind of stuff!" Ron exclaimed. "Not you Hermione!"
"Well, the holidays have begun," she reminded him. She approached the portrait door, which swung open immediately. "See you later!"
Hermione ran over to the owlery, which contained the school owls and the students' owls. She ran over the many rows of owls, who were either resting or eating.
"What are you looking for?" a voice asked.
Hermione rested her eyes upon a familiar person that she hadn't noticed in the owlery. "Hello, Malfoy," she greeted, though her tone of voice wasn't very polite. "I'm looking for Hedwig to send a letter. What about you?"
"I'm sending a letter to my mother," Draco replied. "Well…her Christmas present as well. I think Hedwig is up there with the rest of the snowy owls," he pointed out.
Hermione called for Hedwig, who swooped right down. Hermione tied the piece of parchment onto Hedwig's leg, stroked her back for a few seconds, and let her fly through one of the many windows.
"What are you sending?" Draco asked.
"Um…it's sort of private," she said, feeling a little guilty.
"Oh, that's fine by me," he smiled. He walked towards the exit. "Pleasure to see you again, Granger."
Hermione smiled weakly, still immensely confused by Malfoy's kindness. "What's the matter with him? What's the matter with me?" she wondered. "Is he just pretending to be nice? Or has Draco Malfoy…changed?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Hermione jumped inside the Gryffindor Common Room, she found that Harry and Ron were talking. She knew that they were probably conversing about Quidditch, but the first few words that she heard startled her.
"It's probably Malfoy that's attacking them-"
"-Or Voldemort like it was with the Chamber of Secrets-"
"-But you never know, it could be somebody else, someone whom we least expect-"
"-Like who? Neville Longbottom?"
Hermione rushed over, eager to hear the rest of their conversation. "Hello," she smiled. "What are you talking about?"
"The attacks," Ron explained in a hushed voice. He looked around to see if anybody was listening and continued. "I bet you anything that after the two Ravenclaws, there's going to be two Hufflepuffs attacked and two Gryffindors – Slytherins will be left untouched, once again. Don't you find that a little ironic or strange?"
"I suppose so," Hermione said slowly. "What? You think the 'Heir of Slytherin' stuff has showed up again? 'The Chamber of Secrets' and all that?"
"Not the Chamber of Secrets," Ron replied impatiently. "I just mean that whoever is attacking these innocent people for no apparent reason must be a Slytherin!"
"Do you think it's Malfoy again?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Harry answered. "I mean, he just seems the type, doesn't he? Attacking all these innocent people. Laughing and calling people Mudbloods and all that."
"But he's been nice the past couple of days," Hermione told him. "Maybe he's, you know…changed."
"Or perhaps…perhaps it's all an act!" Ron conjured. "You know…he's trying to be all nice and all that so we think…" He put on a high, girly voice as he said, "'Oh, Malfoy, he's the man! He's so cute and nice. He used to be mean, but now he's so nice, and he's got such nice hair' and…"
"Ron?" Harry asked.
"Hmm?" Ron said.
"Stop it," Harry pleaded. "You're scaring me."
"Oh, sorry," Ron apologized, waving a hand. "But still, he could be pretending to be nice."
"Maybe," Hermione shrugged with some doubt. "What do you think we should do?"
"Is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom available?" Harry asked.
"You don't…you don't mean the Polyjuice Potion, do you?" Hermione inquired. "Why don't we just ask him, straight up?"
"Oh, yes why don't we do that?" Ron said. "Let's just go right up to him and ask, 'Malfoy, you're very suspicious and we were just wondering if you're attacking all these people and giving the Dark Mark?' I'm sure he'll tell the truth. I'm so sure, Hermione."
Hermione shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Sorry," she said. "It's…it's just that I'm a little hesitant to try out the Polyjuice Potion again."
"Well, it's not our fault that you couldn't tell a cat hair from Millicent Bulstrode's hair," Ron told her. "You own a cat, but you know, I'm sure it's not your fault either. I'm sure you couldn't tell a fish from a dog, so you know, it's all right."
Hermione grunted exasperatedly. "Stop it Ron," she demanded. "And, anyways, I don't think it'd be Draco. I don't think he'd know the spell to make the Dark Mark."
"Since when are we using him on a first-name basis?" Ron asked. "Have you gone crazy, Hermione?"
"And besides," Harry interrupted, "I bet it's passed down. Lucius Malfoy is probably Voldemort's right-hand man. Or…left-hand man. Lucius Malfoy is really suspicious. He probably taught Malfoy all about Voldemort's work and everything…maybe."
"Look, I'm telling you, it's not him," Hermione insisted.
"Look, I'm telling you, it IS him," Ron argued.
"Look, why don't we go to sleep?" Harry suggested. "The Yule Ball is tomorrow evening. We got to have some sleep. We don't want bags underneath our eyes, do we?"
"Nothing a little make-up can't fix," Hermione smiled as she stifled a small yawn.
"I don't wear make-up!" Ron cried. "And I'm not even going to try."
They laughed for a while and eventually headed towards their dormitories. As Hermione rested her head upon the pillow, she wished that Malfoy had indeed changed, and that no attack would occur the following evening.
************************************
I'm sorry; this chapter is FAR too long! I couldn't include the Yule Ball, because that would take up another 10 pages, and I don't want a chapter to be that long. So, you're gonna have to stick with these 17 pages for now. *lol* I know it's taken me quite a while to get it up, but that's because my computer went down. I thought my stories went down with it (which would be sad) but I managed to get all my precious stories on a disk (well, actually 2 disks). Thank goodness, or otherwise I'd have to do this chapter all over again! And it would take probably even longer! Here's the thanks for my reviewers. I would like to thank you all because without you I wouldn't have my inspiration – you really help me!
Juvenus – I guess the flu does do it! *lol* Have you gotten any luck with the flu yet? Thanks for all the nice reviews!
Kaeprella – I was laughing really hard about the "epic" thing. I don't really know if I expect it to be an "epic" or not. I agree with you, Oliver is a very cute boy! Too cute!
Oliver Lover – I really did like the Professor Trewlaney thing! I wish Oliver would take me out on a date too! That'd be awesome!
Kaeprella (again!) – I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post Chapter 15. I'll try to have Chapter 16 out by this Sunday, I promise!
hunny – I like how you took my story and put it into your review! I just noticed that! Thanks!
KAOS – You know I didn't mean it that way. I just thought that you kept saying "brilliant" because you didn't like it or you were being sarcastic, that's all. I love it when you say "brilliant", really! :)
Angel's Gurl – Sorry about the lyrical typo. I'll fix that up when I have the chance. I'm glad you really like the story besides that, though! Thanks!
Tawny63 – I will write more! Don't you worry!
Katie King – Thanks for telling everybody about it! I'm sure my little story that I wrote doesn't deserve that much praise or anything, but I thank you all the same! Thanks so much for your compliments! I really appreciate them! I got the e-mail too, and I've written back! Thanks again!
CHAPTER 16 will probably be up by next Sunday. And Monday, Tuesday, AND Wednesday I'll have loads of time to write since of the end-of-the-year trip to Ottawa. I'm not going since I've been there loads of time, so a lot of chapters will be up soon!
"Why do you do what you do to me baby,
You're shaking my confidence driving me crazy,
You know if I could I'd do anything for you.
Please don't ignore me 'cause you know I adore you.
Can't you just pretend to be nice, if you could just pretend to be nice,
If you could at least pretend to be nice, then everything in my life would be all right!"
-"Pretend to Be Nice" by Josie and the Pussycats
December had arrived, and it arrived with harsh weather and a substantial amount of snow. Students were running to their Common Rooms during break, trying to get to the blazing and kindle fire that assured them warmth.
Herbology, Broomstick Practice, and Care of Magical Creatures were cancelled because of the weather conditions, meaning Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the Gryffindors who took those three subjects were now in the comfort of the Common Room, away from the harsh halls and corridors, which were dark and cold, and away from the even harsher outdoors.
One day, in the second week of December, Hermione, Ron, and Harry, sat around the fire. Harry was writing another letter to Cho (although there were doubts that the letter would even reach Cho in this weather); Ron was pondering Chess moves as he played a game with Neville (who was losing dramatically); Hermione was starting her revision notes for the N.E.W.Ts.
"Hermione!" Ron cried, when he heard what Hermione was doing. "What's the point in doing it now? The N.E.W.Ts are in June! Has the cold weather affected your hearing? Because if it has, I'll gladly remind you – it's DECEMBER! It's not even the year of N.E.W.Ts – in January, it'll be the year 2002, Hermione, okay? Not now. Right now it's the year 2001."
Hermione ignored all this, and simply replied, "Practice makes perfect." Ron grumbled as he moved his bishop around the chessboard. "Yeah," he said. "But not practice in December, all right?"
Because of December's arrival, that also meant that Christmas was arriving soon. And that called for one main event – The Yule Ball. Hermione was eager for this event to start as soon as possible. This wasn't like her of course – she was all books and homework. But somehow, for some absurd reason, she seemed delighted by the fact of The Yule Ball, and she couldn't wait for it to come.
On December 15th, during breakfast, Professor McGonagull had come around asking who would be staying during Christmas break. Hermione, Harry, and Ron put down their names as once; most of the 7th years did, except for poor Neville, who decided that he wasn't up to another ball.
"Now the only problem is," Harry sighed, "is who's going to be going with us to The Yule Ball." Hermione had automatically thought of Oliver, but knew that some people might of thought that was suspicious. Ron looked dreamily up at the enchanted ceiling, which was barely visible because of all the fluffy snow that was in it. He breathed, "I'll be going with Lavender, no doubt."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "What about you, Harry?" she asked. "Do you have an idea who you're taking?"
"Who else?" he responded. "Cho…I just hope that we're allowed guests again."
Ron looked at Hermione and smiled. "How about you, Hermione?"
Hermione gulped. He had asked that dreadful question. Hermione smiled back and replied, "Not too sure."
Ron opened his mouth and closed it again, as though not knowing what to say. Harry spoke for him. "Come on, Herms!" Harry exclaimed. "Who's the lucky man? You can tell us!"
Ron put his two hands in front of them, stopping Hermione's response. "Wait, wait, I know!" Ron said. Hermione gulped again. "Does he really know that it's Oliver?" Hermione thought. But instead, Ron said, "It's Victor Krum, right? That's what it was in 4th year and 5th year."
"Yeah, but that's when I liked him," Hermione confronted. "Now he probably doesn't know that I exist." The owls had suddenly flown in, although there was only about 5 because of the weather. Hermione got her issue of Daily Prophet and threw it aside while she ate her breakfast.
"Then who else can it be?" Harry asked. "Ron took you last Yule Ball, who is it this time?"
"Me," said a voice behind them. Hermione turned around, expecting it to be Oliver. But who it actually was stunned her.
"Malfoy?" Ron asked quizzically. Malfoy smiled mischievously, with Crabbe and Goyle at his sides. "Yes, Weasley, you stupid git," Draco replied, still smiling. "Who else would take her?"
"Anybody else on this planet," Hermione said coolly, making Draco turn red.
Hermione thought he would back of at this point – he always had before. But instead, he came closer and whispered in her ear, "Well, save me one dance, all right? Save me a dance."
Hermione looked petrified, but nodded slightly. Harry and Ron looked at her oddly (the whisper was not audible to them). Draco turned on his heel and walked away to the Slytherin table.
"What did ferret say?" Ron asked curiously.
Hermione shook her head. "Nothing, nothing," she insisted.
"He obviously said something," Harry told her. "Otherwise he wouldn't have leaned in and whispered something, and you wouldn't have nodded."
"Oh it was nothing important," Hermione lied, trying to think of something. "He said…he said…that there probably isn't much of a selection, since both of you are probably taken, and if there wasn't anyone else to go to, then I could choose him. And I just nodded." Hermione shrugged, hoping that they would believe her excuse.
"Ahh," Harry reacted. "I see. Well, I don't think you should go with him, Hermione. He's bad news."
"Just like the articles in this issue," Hermione said, picking up the issue of Daily Prophet.
"What does it say?" Ron asked suspiciously. "Anything important?"
Hermione handed the paper to Ron, who's jaw fell open automatically, as if on cue. "What the-" he began, handing the paper to Harry, who read out loud:
"Hogwarts has always been known as a brilliant school, but with devastating secrets, writes Kylie Skeeter. While taking a tour around Hogwarts Castle, I noticed an astonishing amount of young wizards and witches in the infirmary, which holds all of the injured students."
"What else would it hold," Hermione interrupted, "pigs? Maybe a hag or two? An infirmary is a hospital, for goodness sake!"
Nobody chuckled at her joke. She closed her mouth and Harry continued to read.
"I asked Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, why there were so many injured students nowadays. She responds, 'Headmaster Dumbledore never means to hurt anyone, but accidents happen. Neville Longbottom constantly gets into accidents, as well as many other students. It's because of the magic. These young students are not professionals. They do make mistakes.' But as I looked around, I noticed many of them who had bruises, and seemed terrified of me. I asked them why, and they replied, though in whispered and frightened voices, 'The danger, miss. We don't like the danger.' When I asked why kind of danger, however, they went into a dead faint."
"Of course they fainted!" Hermione interrupted again. "Looking at her face would scare anybody!" She chuckled, but stopped almost immediately when she realised that nobody was laughing with her. Neville Longbottom was reading his own copy of Daily Prophet and hid under the table (probably crying) when he read his name. Harry continued again.
"I questioned Madam Pomfrey about these frightened students. She had no comment except for, 'I've got to take care of my patients. Go away!' Is something bad happening here besides a few accidents? Is Neville Longbottom the cause of this? Are his 'accidents' really 'accidents'? Or is he a Dark Wizard, just waiting to be unleashed? Are his 'accidents' really 'mistakes' or 'plots to kill somebody'? Who knows, but parents may want to reconsider bringing their children to Hogwarts. Placing one foot on Platform 9 and 3 quarters could very may mean placing on foot on a terror ride. Kylie Skeeter, Daily Prophet News."
"This is ridiculous!" Ron cried exasperatedly. "Neville Longbottom – a Dark Wizard? The day he becomes a Dark Wizard is the day that I win 1 000, 000 galleons!"
Oliver had suddenly came in between Ron and Hermione, asking to sit in between them. He grabbed a piece of toast. "I'm starving," he explained thickly, through a mouthful of toast and milk. After swallowing his food he asked, "Anything in the news today?"
"Not anything fascinating," Hermione lied. Oliver however, thrusted the paper into his hands. He dropped it only after 2 seconds of holding it, stunned as much as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were.
"What are you talking about – this isn't fascinating?" Oliver asked. "But I guess you're right – I should've asked 'Anything in the news today that's catastrophic' because this would've been the answer."
Ron chuckled, even though he knew that this wasn't the time for laughter. Oliver finished reading the article, and very wisely, didn't make any comments. "What class do you have next?" he questioned.
"We have first class off," Hermione replied. "Herbology is cancelled because of the weather. After that we have-" she glanced down at her timetable, "-Potions."
Ron groaned. "It's the worst in the dungeons!" Ron complained. "It's damp, freezing, absolutely terrible."
"How about some tea in my office first?" Oliver suggested. "It's quite warm in my office. I have a cozy fireplace."
Hermione smiled and nodded with Harry and Ron. They walked with Oliver in the cold halls up to the 9th floor to his office. "Welcome to my humble abode," he joked. Hermione laughed, although it hurt her cold and pale cheeks.
"How have you been doing?" Oliver asked, pouring them a steaming cup of tea.
"Good," Hermione replied. "How are you doing?"
"Well, since Broomstick Practices are cancelled I'm all alone with nothing to do," Oliver cried. "What about you Ron?"
Ron blew on his tea, cooling it down. "Same as always," he answered. "The only problem is – we're freezing!"
Oliver chuckled. "Hey! It's not so bad!" he told them. "Remember – it's your last year! You won't ever experience this cold in the castle again!"
"Is that a bad thing or a good thing?" Harry asked, sipping some of his tea. He immediately felt warmth.
Oliver sat in thought for a moment. "That's up for you to decide," Oliver replied.
"I think it's a bad thing," Hermione said softly. "I know we're cold and all, but this is our last year in this castle that we call a home. Or a second home. And we've got to treat his home like any other home – with respect. Because once it's gone, it's gone forever, unless one of us comes back here as a professor."
"I doubt that," Ron laughed. "I'm going to be a master of Chess when I'm older. Or something to that extent."
"I want to be a professional Quidditch player," Harry shared.
Oliver smiled. "I've already got that wish come true."
Hermione thought in silence. "I'm not too sure what I want to be. There's too many choices."
"And all of them are open to a student like you, Hermione," Oliver told her.
"That's exactly the problem," Hermione sighed. "So many opportunities – I don't know which one I should pick."
"Pick the one that appeals the most to you," Harry said.
"That's another problem," Hermione responded. "There are a lot of things that appeal to me."
"Like what?" Ron asked.
"Like writing for instance," Hermione answered. "I love writing. But I also love reading. Although I doubt there's a career in that. I also love to teach, to observe…I love to do a lot of things."
"Maybe there's a job that combines all of those things," Oliver thought aloud. "Maybe you'll find it."
"Perhaps," Hermione replied, although with doubt. "Perhaps."
Harry glanced at his watch. "Well, we've got 10 minutes to head down to the dungeons, and it's quite a walk to get there."
"Do you want me to escort you?" Oliver asked. When they looked at his oddly, he explained, "You know, so you don't get attacked. Who knows where that attacker may be lurking?"
"I think we'll be all right," Ron insisted. "Besides there's three of us. One of us will pin them down – that'll probably be me. Then Harry will punch him in the face and Hermione will put a curse or some sort of spell on him."
Oliver chuckled. "I suppose," he said, glancing out the window, where large snowflakes fell outside. "You three be careful though, all right?"
"All right," they promised, heading out the office door.
When they reached the dungeons, they regretted going inside. It was misty, chilly, and bitter. Everyone was struggling to get near the cauldrons, trying to keep warm. Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat themselves down at their usual table.
"Today we'll learn the basics of Veritaserum," Snape hissed, cold breath coming out of his mouth as he spoke. "I'll be putting you in partners, but I need to speak to Mr Potter, Mr Longbottom, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley…and Mr Malfoy first." He said Draco's name regretfully, as though feeling that his favourite student should not be punished.
Hermione stood up wondering what it was for, then remembered that they had detentions. She had almost forgot about it. The group walked up together, Draco doing the usual sneer to the Gryffindors – except Hermione. He smiled casually at her, leaving Hermione stunned yet again. "What is he doing?" she thought. "Why is he smiling and asking for dances?"
"You five all have Care of Magical Creatures next, correct?" Snape asked through his usual snarl. The five nodded. "Well, as you can tell, it's cancelled because of the weather. Therefore, you will spend detention hear in the dungeons with me after class."
Hermione shivered, and was longing to blurt out a complaint. Ron was glad to do it for her. "But it's freezing down here, Professor Snape!" Ron whined. "It's as cold down here as it is outside. I'd take Care of Magical Creatures in the winding snow and cold any day!"
"Then why don't you step outside Mr Weasley?" Professor Snape hissed.
Ron stood rooted to the spot, however. Snape's lips twisted into a smile. "You may return to your seats, and I'll expect you to stay seated after the class has ended," he said. Hermione and the rest turned to their seats. Neville occasionally whimpered, murmuring that this would be the worst Potions ever, especially since of the bonus detention added to it.
Snape was not kind, as usual, during the pairing. He made Harry go with Crabbe, Ron go with Pansy Parkinson, who was Malfoy's admirer, and Neville go with Goyle. He advanced on Hermione. "Miss Granger you will go with-" Hermione looked at the remaining Slytherins as Snape thought. Zabini Blaise, a nasty Slytherin, was sneering at her. Millicent Bulstrode was also left and then there was – "Draco Malfoy. Miss Granger, go over to Mr Malfoy's empty spot beside him." Hermione penitently moved her stool and sat herself down beside Draco. She looked at his face, expecting the usual greeting – the same cold, gray eyes; the same sneer; and the same greeting, which was always, "Hello, Mudblood." This time, however, it was quite different; his eyes no longer seemed cold, and he was smiling kindly.
"Hey Granger," Draco greeted. Hermione was shocked, but was glad he hadn't said anything further. She knew that if he had greeted "Hey Hermione" she would have died from shock. Why was he being so kind to her anyway?
"Hi," she stammered eventually, taking out her notes about Veritaserum.
"I wonder why we're learning about Veritaserum now," Draco said, measuring some beetle eyes as he spoke. "It's pretty unnecessary."
"Not quite," Hermione disagreed, reading through the steps. She had decided not to make eye contact with Malfoy – she was scared of how he'd react.
"Why do you mean by 'not quite'?" Draco asked.
"Well, what I mean is," Hermione began, reading the notes for a second time (she still didn't want to look at Malfoy). "Learning the truth is important in any case. It can bring people to justice…or injustice," she added, remembering Mr Crouch's son confess his desire to join Lord Voldemort's side. "It makes people confess their deepest, darkest secrets. Veritaserum enables all that."
Malfoy didn't speak for a while as he poured the correct amount of dragon's blood into the cauldron. "I see," Malfoy said eventually. "I understand."
They worked in silence for a while, completing their tasks. Hermione was tempted often to look into Draco's cold eyes, but went against the temptation.
Finally, the battle was over, yet the war began. For detention they had to scrub all of the cauldrons clean without using magic.
"Argh!" Ron cried half-an-hour into the cleaning. "My back is killing me!"
"At least it's not as bad as going into the Forbidden Forest," Harry reminded him.
"Imagine going there at this time of year?" Ron chuckled. "All of the werewolves must be hibernating. It'd probably look a joy."
"I doubt that," Hermione said. "It probably looks even more eerie. All the leaves on the trees are gone…the snow is gently falling, making it look empty and full of mystery." She shivered. "I'd rather be in here than out there."
"Me too," Draco agreed. The three eyed him carefully, wondering why he wasn't making rude remarks or why he wasn't showing his usual sneer. Neville was sobbing into a cauldron, complaining and whining.
"Hey, do you think that-" Harry began.
"10 points from Gryffindor," Snape interrupted. "Absolutely no talking during detention."
Harry groaned and they worked in silence for the remainder of the detention except for the occasional sobs from Neville, who was clearly very upset.
The group of five walked towards the Great Hall for lunch after detention, but were distracted by a large sign. Neville sniffed and stood on his tiptoes to get a better look at the sign (he was still amazingly short for his age).
"Hogsmeade visit this weekend," he announced. "This is your chance to do your Christmas shopping! Also – 4th years and up, remember the Yule Ball on Christmas Eve."
"Hogsmeade trip – this weekend?" Ron asked in mistrust. "How are we supposed to get around? We won't be able to see a bloody thing!"
"Well…" Hermione said, "We could shop for a little and then amuse ourselves in some Butterbeers."
"That's a great suggestion," Harry smiled. "But I need some lunch first! I'm starving! And cold!"
"Ditto that," Ron said.
After a warm lunch full with different types of pancakes, eggs, meat, and other foods, they headed towards Transfiguration. Malfoy parted with the Gryffindors to head towards History of Magic, so then there were four.
After a slightly exciting Transfiguration class (which involved changing a chair into a large cat and then back again) the group headed towards Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws.
The next few days were slightly uneventful until Saturday morning, where everybody gathered all of their money and headed towards the Great Hall for a hearty breakfast.
"How much money do you have with you?" Seamus Finnigan asked after he yelled at some 2nd years who were discussing what make-up to wear that day in shrilled voices.
Harry glanced into his leather bag. "Hmm…" he said as he counted the coins. "20 galleons, 19 sickles, and 49 knuts."
"In other words, a fortune," Ron chuckled.
"What about you, Weasley?" Seamus asked through a mouthful of porridge.
Ron turned a brilliant shade of magenta. "I'm not good with counting," he fibbed. For the remainder of breakfast, he seemed more concentrated on asking Dobby for refills than their conversation.
They walked towards the entrance hall, meeting Ginny along the way. They made sure that their cloaks wrapped tightly around them, and that their scarves were so secure that they looked as though they were strangled.
"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, hello," Professor McGonagull recited, checking the names off the list. "Have a pleasant time at Hogsmeade."
"More like a freezing time!" Ron joked as they walked extremely slowly towards the gate.
"Brr…" Ginny said through chattering teeth. "…I'm…I'm…I'm so cold."
"It'll…it'll be better once we get there," Harry assured her, though he sounded doubtful.
At long last they reached the gate and entered the village of Hogsmeade. It was covered with a beautiful light sheet of snow, that looked like a sparkly blanket. Hermione gasped as she walked in the village, her boots making small footprints in the fluffy snow.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ginny asked, taking Hermione's thoughts away. They all nodded.
They walked along the shops, trying to find the ones they wanted to go to. Finally, they decided on "Fred & George Weasley's Joke Shop".
The bell clanged as they opened the door. "Shut the door!" someone hollered. "You're bringing in the snow!"
Hermione shut the door, but several more people opened it as they exited, their hands full of sweets and wands that clucked and changed into roosters and chickens.
Hermione and the group shuffled their way through the small crowd of students who were peering over strange things such as Juggling Jellybeans ("Churn in your stomach!") and Humorous Chocolate Frogs ("Get wizards that pick their nose!").
"Hullo Fred! Hullo George!" Ron greeted as he moved up to the front desk.
"Ron!" Fred exclaimed. "Long time no see! Oh! Harry! Hermione! Ginny!"
"How come you haven't written to me?" Ginny asked sternly. "I've sent you about 5 owls!"
"Oh, we're so sorry Ginny," George apologized. "We were too busy making these quills. Want one?" He grabbed a quill from inside a drawer and handed it towards Ginny. Ginny grasped it, but as soon as she did, the quill set off with a loud BANG! which made the whole store shake and next second, the quill had turned into a snake. Ginny shrieked and dropped the snake in alarm, which slithered out of the shop when someone opened the door.
"GEORGE!" Ginny shrieked, turning around in a huff. "I thought you'd be a bit more kinder and sincere!" She walked through the crowd again and walked out the door, the bell on the door clanging loudly as she slammed it behind her.
"Ginny!" George called after her. "We didn't mean it!" He sighed, shrugged uneasily, and looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "So…what have you chaps been up to?"
"Not too much," Harry answered. "The Yule Ball's coming up, though."
Fred winked. "Who are you all taking?"
"Lavender," Ron replied, with sparkles in his eyes.
"Have you asked her?" Fred asked suspiciously.
Ron smacked his head. "Whoops! I've forgotten! I'll…I'll ask her when we get back."
"Sure, sure," George said. "We believe you completely. What else have you been up to? Is Quidditch still awesome?"
Harry nodded and reached for a curious looking mirror. He picked it up and glanced at it. "Argh!" he cried in astonishment. His whole face was distorted, and now looked amazingly like a troll.
"Ugly mirror," Fred explained. "3 sickles each."
"I'll take three!" Ron cried. He reached into his bag, which was very light. "They'll be your Christmas presents, all right?" he asked to Harry and Hermione. They nodded, knowing that they wouldn't be able to get that much from Ron. Still, they appreciated it all the while.
When they exited the joke shop, they were once again introduced to the stifling cold. They covered their mouths with their scarves, so nothing was audible amongst them except for occasional shivers. However, they could hear the big yell from Harry, which was, "CHO!" as he ran through the snow.
Ron and Hermione ran after him as he headed towards Cho, who was barely visible. She was wearing a pearly-white cloak and a crystal-coloured scarf. The only way Harry would have recognized her was because of her black hair, which was full of glistening snowflakes.
They shared a small peck, and afterwards, Cho was smiling. "Harry!" she cried. "Long time no see…"
Ron and Hermione turned away. "We'll see you in The Three Broomsticks," they said in unison, getting the idea that Harry and Cho wanted to be alone.
"All right," Harry said, shrugging uneasily. He turned towards Cho and gave her a longer kiss. "I've missed you," he confessed. "So much."
"Me too," she replied, putting her hair over her ears in an attempt to make herself warmer. "How's school?"
"Uh…hard," Harry answered. "As usual. Potions…ugh. I don't even want to talk about it. But, there is an event that I'm looking forward to."
"Really?" she asked. "What is it?"
"The Yule Ball," he told her. "Do you want to go with me?"
"Of course," she answered. Then she bit her lip nervously. "No! I have a Quidditch match on that day!"
"What?!" Harry cried loudly, stopping some students on the street. "It's winter! For goodness sake, it's Christmas Eve on that day!"
Cho chuckled. "I'm just joking," she laughed. "Just wanted to test your reaction. Come on! Let's go get a Butterbeer."
When they walked into the Three Broomsticks they felt immediate warmth. They untied the strangling scarves around their neck and shuffled around the people and tables to where Hermione and Ron were.
"Hello," Hermione smiled, as Madam Rosmerta walked over with four steaming mugs of Butterbeer. Hermione handed over some sickles and handed a Butterbeer each to Harry and Cho.
"Thanks," Cho said, sitting down.
"Here Ron," Hermione said, handing it to Ron. But he wasn't paying attention – he was looking at the tables with a wild look on his face; his brow was moving up and down as though he was searching.
"What are you looking for Ron?" Harry asked as he sipped the delicious Butterbeer.
"Lavender," Ron replied. "I've got to ask her to go to the Yule Ball with me!"
"I think she's near the doors," Cho told him. Ron looked over and, sure enough, Lavender sat with Parvati and a few other girls, chuckling.
"Oy! Lavender!" Ron called.
It was very loud in the store, but since Lavender always listened to gossip, her ears had grown adjusted and now were able to hear anything. She swung around to face Ron.
"Do you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?" Ron asked in a loud voice.
Lavender nodded. "All right then!" she giggled. She turned back to laugh with her friends.
"Yes!" Ron hollered in a triumphant voice. "Now all we need is for Hermione to go on a date."
"You haven't gotten a date yet Hermione?" Cho asked suspiciously. "I'm surprised! I thought any guy would want to go with you!"
Hermione chuckled nervously. "Not quite," she admitted.
"What about Malfoy?" Harry asked. "He asked you earlier."
"I hope you're joking," Hermione said harshly. "Otherwise I'm going to have to curse you."
The table laughed. "But seriously, Hermione," Cho pushed on. "Who do you want to go with you?"
"I'm not too sure," she said, not wanting to tell them about Oliver just yet.
"Oh," Cho said in disappointment. "Well, if you're still stuck, there's some pretty handsome guys on the Chudley Cannons team. Whoo!"
Harry looked at her. "You're not with one of these pretty handsome guys, are you?" Harry questioned.
"No, of course not dear!" Cho exclaimed. "No one stands will come between me and you," she gushed.
After they finished their Butterbeers and finished their chat, the group split into two; Hermione went with Cho and Harry went with Ron. They were once again emerged into the snow and the cold, and then were once again emerged into the warmth as they entered shops. Hermione bought all of her presents with Cho by her said, who was pestering her and begging Hermione to tell Cho who she likes. Hermione always denied that she liked someone.
After their constant shopping, they decided to go back to The Three Broomsticks to check if Harry and Ron were finished their shopping too. They stopped mid-way, however, when an owl suddenly flew atop of Hermione's head!
Hermione shrieked and flapped her arms, almost like she did when Ron told her that the Golden Snitch was above her head. The owl hooted as though he was annoyed and stuck out his right leg, which contained a rather long piece of parchment. Hermione took the letter off the owl, who flew away the instant that she did. He ruffled his wings to get the snow off, and blended perfectly with the snow except for the few brown specks on his wings.
"Ooh! Who's it from?" Cho pushed as they began to walk again. Hermione sighed, sounding almost as annoyed as the owl. She unrolled the parchment and glanced at the bottom of the note for a second.
"It's from…him," she said breathlessly, in a tone unlike her own.
"Who's him?" Cho asked.
"Just a friend," Hermione lied. She tied the parchment back up and reluctantly shoved it into her cloak; she didn't want someone glancing over her shoulder as she read.
Cho looked at her crossly. "Well, then, let's go into The Three Broomsticks," she sighed.
They walked in, and, sure enough, Harry and Ron sat at the same table as before, except surrounded by a group of people. They had begun to play a game of Wizard Chess, and Harry was beating Ron by quite a bit. Ginny, Fred and George (who Hermione presumed that they went on a break), and a few other students including Lavender and Parvati who sitting on Ron's side, clapping his back and telling him where to go. On Harry's side was a much larger crowd. The rest of the Gryffindors, including Dean and Neville were standing around him, as well as Harry's fan club. Many of the 7th year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff assembled themselves around Harry. Cho stood near Harry and Hermione went to Ron's side.
"How are you doing?" Hermione asked, putting all of her bags on another table. "Who's winning?"
"Harry is," Ron groaned. "By a lot. I don't know how I let him do this. He's got me cornered."
"How?" Hermione asked.
"Hermione, maybe you should learn how to play Wizard Chess," Ron told her, tugging at his hair in frustration.
"Ron, maybe you should learn how to do your homework and stop pestering me to help you," Hermione confronted as she grinned.
"Checkmate," Harry breathed through his sparkly teeth.
Everyone cheered for Harry as Ron searched through his bag. "What are you looking for?" Hermione asked.
"Why are you so nosy?" Ron snapped. He sighed. "Sorry…I've never lost this much before. I have to give Harry my Agrippa card."
"What?!" Hermione cried in amazement. "But you've been looking for that for- "
"For over 8 years," Ron finished for her. "I know…I know." He flipped through card after card, past Bertie Botts who was amusing himself by picking earwax and Dumbledore, who was unsticking Lemon Drops. He finally got to Agrippa, who wasn't in the picture at that time. He looked at the card one last time and put it on the other end of the table. Harry picked it up.
"Great game," Harry said, acknowledging the card with great interest. "Thanks for the card."
"Yeah, great game," Ron replied through gritted teeth.
"Harry!" Hermione cried in disbelief. "How could you do something like that to Ron? You don't even collect cards!"
"I honestly thought he would beat me!" Harry told her. "But I don't really want this, Ron. Here – take it back."
"No, no," Ron answered, raising his hands in defeat. "You won; I lost. It's just a game, right?"
"Ron," Harry began. "But this is your card that you've been looking up for- "
"For over 8 years," Ron repeated. "I know! But who cares right? Merry Christmas Harry!" He picked up his bags in frustration and exited the shop.
Harry stood up as the crowd dispersed. "Great game, Harry," Cho congratulated, kissing him.
"I don't feel like it is anymore," Harry said, stepping back. Hermione noticed that he had a very depressing look on his face. "I feel like I've just lost my best friend."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione finally unrolled the piece of parchment that was stuck in her cloaks all day. The parchment was cold and wet, but since Hermione was as well it didn't really matter. Hermione sighed as she let her thoughts concentrate on the words that Oliver had written her.
"Dear Hermione,
I don't think that I should ask you face-to-face, because people might get strange ideas. But…would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me? I'd be honored if you would accept this request. I know that people will probably get strange ideas if they see us dancing around together, but maybe…I don't know, maybe if we alternated once in a while it'd be all right, you know? The Hallowe'en Ball was nothing, because I'm sure you thought it was Dean Thomas. I made sure that I got the same mask as him, by the way. I never got the nerve to tell you that. I wanted to make sure you got me. I'm glad you did.
You're a fantastic person, love. I hope you come with me.
Love, Oliver"
Hermione took out a spare piece of parchment and wrote down with a fine quill that she accepted his request. She rolled it up and ran downstairs, where Ron and Harry were having a heated argument.
"I don't want it anymore!" Ron hollered. "You won it! So take it and shut up!"
"I'll give it back all right," Harry told him. "I'll give you that Agrippa card and shove it up your-"
"HARRY! RON!" Hermione cried. "Stop it! You're acting like a bunch of fools!"
"He started it!" Harry and Ron both said simultaneously. Then they began to laugh.
"Sorry Harry," Ron apologized.
"No need," Harry said. "You want your Agrippa card back?" Ron nodded in agreement.
"Good," Hermione observed. "Now that all this silliness has ended I have a very important question to ask Harry."
"Yes?" Harry was all ears.
"Can I borrow Hedwig?" Hermione asked.
"What for?" Harry asked back.
"To eat her," Hermione joked. "To send a letter Harry! What would you think?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. How long is the journey?"
"Not that long," Hermione replied. "She'll probably be back by the end of the day."
"Okay then!" Harry told her. "She's all yours!"
"Really?" Hermione exclaimed. "Now I have 2 pets! Crookshanks and Hedwig! I don't think I'll have enough money to provide for them both, though!"
Harry looked at her, his eyes wide open. "I didn't mean you could-"
"I was only joking," Hermione insisted.
"I thought I was the one who did that kind of stuff!" Ron exclaimed. "Not you Hermione!"
"Well, the holidays have begun," she reminded him. She approached the portrait door, which swung open immediately. "See you later!"
Hermione ran over to the owlery, which contained the school owls and the students' owls. She ran over the many rows of owls, who were either resting or eating.
"What are you looking for?" a voice asked.
Hermione rested her eyes upon a familiar person that she hadn't noticed in the owlery. "Hello, Malfoy," she greeted, though her tone of voice wasn't very polite. "I'm looking for Hedwig to send a letter. What about you?"
"I'm sending a letter to my mother," Draco replied. "Well…her Christmas present as well. I think Hedwig is up there with the rest of the snowy owls," he pointed out.
Hermione called for Hedwig, who swooped right down. Hermione tied the piece of parchment onto Hedwig's leg, stroked her back for a few seconds, and let her fly through one of the many windows.
"What are you sending?" Draco asked.
"Um…it's sort of private," she said, feeling a little guilty.
"Oh, that's fine by me," he smiled. He walked towards the exit. "Pleasure to see you again, Granger."
Hermione smiled weakly, still immensely confused by Malfoy's kindness. "What's the matter with him? What's the matter with me?" she wondered. "Is he just pretending to be nice? Or has Draco Malfoy…changed?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Hermione jumped inside the Gryffindor Common Room, she found that Harry and Ron were talking. She knew that they were probably conversing about Quidditch, but the first few words that she heard startled her.
"It's probably Malfoy that's attacking them-"
"-Or Voldemort like it was with the Chamber of Secrets-"
"-But you never know, it could be somebody else, someone whom we least expect-"
"-Like who? Neville Longbottom?"
Hermione rushed over, eager to hear the rest of their conversation. "Hello," she smiled. "What are you talking about?"
"The attacks," Ron explained in a hushed voice. He looked around to see if anybody was listening and continued. "I bet you anything that after the two Ravenclaws, there's going to be two Hufflepuffs attacked and two Gryffindors – Slytherins will be left untouched, once again. Don't you find that a little ironic or strange?"
"I suppose so," Hermione said slowly. "What? You think the 'Heir of Slytherin' stuff has showed up again? 'The Chamber of Secrets' and all that?"
"Not the Chamber of Secrets," Ron replied impatiently. "I just mean that whoever is attacking these innocent people for no apparent reason must be a Slytherin!"
"Do you think it's Malfoy again?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Harry answered. "I mean, he just seems the type, doesn't he? Attacking all these innocent people. Laughing and calling people Mudbloods and all that."
"But he's been nice the past couple of days," Hermione told him. "Maybe he's, you know…changed."
"Or perhaps…perhaps it's all an act!" Ron conjured. "You know…he's trying to be all nice and all that so we think…" He put on a high, girly voice as he said, "'Oh, Malfoy, he's the man! He's so cute and nice. He used to be mean, but now he's so nice, and he's got such nice hair' and…"
"Ron?" Harry asked.
"Hmm?" Ron said.
"Stop it," Harry pleaded. "You're scaring me."
"Oh, sorry," Ron apologized, waving a hand. "But still, he could be pretending to be nice."
"Maybe," Hermione shrugged with some doubt. "What do you think we should do?"
"Is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom available?" Harry asked.
"You don't…you don't mean the Polyjuice Potion, do you?" Hermione inquired. "Why don't we just ask him, straight up?"
"Oh, yes why don't we do that?" Ron said. "Let's just go right up to him and ask, 'Malfoy, you're very suspicious and we were just wondering if you're attacking all these people and giving the Dark Mark?' I'm sure he'll tell the truth. I'm so sure, Hermione."
Hermione shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Sorry," she said. "It's…it's just that I'm a little hesitant to try out the Polyjuice Potion again."
"Well, it's not our fault that you couldn't tell a cat hair from Millicent Bulstrode's hair," Ron told her. "You own a cat, but you know, I'm sure it's not your fault either. I'm sure you couldn't tell a fish from a dog, so you know, it's all right."
Hermione grunted exasperatedly. "Stop it Ron," she demanded. "And, anyways, I don't think it'd be Draco. I don't think he'd know the spell to make the Dark Mark."
"Since when are we using him on a first-name basis?" Ron asked. "Have you gone crazy, Hermione?"
"And besides," Harry interrupted, "I bet it's passed down. Lucius Malfoy is probably Voldemort's right-hand man. Or…left-hand man. Lucius Malfoy is really suspicious. He probably taught Malfoy all about Voldemort's work and everything…maybe."
"Look, I'm telling you, it's not him," Hermione insisted.
"Look, I'm telling you, it IS him," Ron argued.
"Look, why don't we go to sleep?" Harry suggested. "The Yule Ball is tomorrow evening. We got to have some sleep. We don't want bags underneath our eyes, do we?"
"Nothing a little make-up can't fix," Hermione smiled as she stifled a small yawn.
"I don't wear make-up!" Ron cried. "And I'm not even going to try."
They laughed for a while and eventually headed towards their dormitories. As Hermione rested her head upon the pillow, she wished that Malfoy had indeed changed, and that no attack would occur the following evening.
************************************
I'm sorry; this chapter is FAR too long! I couldn't include the Yule Ball, because that would take up another 10 pages, and I don't want a chapter to be that long. So, you're gonna have to stick with these 17 pages for now. *lol* I know it's taken me quite a while to get it up, but that's because my computer went down. I thought my stories went down with it (which would be sad) but I managed to get all my precious stories on a disk (well, actually 2 disks). Thank goodness, or otherwise I'd have to do this chapter all over again! And it would take probably even longer! Here's the thanks for my reviewers. I would like to thank you all because without you I wouldn't have my inspiration – you really help me!
Juvenus – I guess the flu does do it! *lol* Have you gotten any luck with the flu yet? Thanks for all the nice reviews!
Kaeprella – I was laughing really hard about the "epic" thing. I don't really know if I expect it to be an "epic" or not. I agree with you, Oliver is a very cute boy! Too cute!
Oliver Lover – I really did like the Professor Trewlaney thing! I wish Oliver would take me out on a date too! That'd be awesome!
Kaeprella (again!) – I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post Chapter 15. I'll try to have Chapter 16 out by this Sunday, I promise!
hunny – I like how you took my story and put it into your review! I just noticed that! Thanks!
KAOS – You know I didn't mean it that way. I just thought that you kept saying "brilliant" because you didn't like it or you were being sarcastic, that's all. I love it when you say "brilliant", really! :)
Angel's Gurl – Sorry about the lyrical typo. I'll fix that up when I have the chance. I'm glad you really like the story besides that, though! Thanks!
Tawny63 – I will write more! Don't you worry!
Katie King – Thanks for telling everybody about it! I'm sure my little story that I wrote doesn't deserve that much praise or anything, but I thank you all the same! Thanks so much for your compliments! I really appreciate them! I got the e-mail too, and I've written back! Thanks again!
CHAPTER 16 will probably be up by next Sunday. And Monday, Tuesday, AND Wednesday I'll have loads of time to write since of the end-of-the-year trip to Ottawa. I'm not going since I've been there loads of time, so a lot of chapters will be up soon!