Chapter 39- Acquiring Ingredients
Hermione left her trunk in the common room, running back to reassure herself that she had everything. When she returned, Draco was standing forlornly by her things.
"Do you have to leave?"
"Yes. It's only for a few days, I'll be back before you know it. Besides, you'll have Crookshanks to keep you company." They both turned to see the cat trot from her corridor.
Hermione thought she heard Draco mutter something about a bow-legged little- "What was that?"
"Nothing. Let me carry your trunk." He concentrated, and the trunk rose into the air. Hermione glared enviously at the levitating luggage as they left their dormitory.
"I do miss the Burrow a little," Hermione said as they walked. "The Weasleys are wonderfully generous, and Mrs. Weasley is such an excellent cook. She really knows how to make food- oh, Ginny!"
They had reached the front entrance, and Hermione caught sight of the youngest Weasley's hair. The streaks, which had been black for the past few months, were now decidedly pink.
"What do you think, Hermione?"
"It's certainly different." She stepped up to Ginny and took a closer look at the streaks. "I like it. It's such a pretty color, as well."
"Come on, let's get our stuff loaded onto the train," Harry urged. He probably wanted to return to the burrow more than any of them.
Hermione walked the short distance to Draco's side. "I'll be back very soon, Draco. I'll miss you, though."
He put his hands on the small of her back, holding her tenderly. "I'll miss you more." He kissed her softly.
Off to the side, Ron snorted and rolled his eyes. Harry elbowed him and began to drag his trunk out. Draco glared after them. "Supportive friends you have there."
"It's just Ron," Hermione said defensively. "I guess he still needs time to get used to us."
"He's had months. I think he should get over himself."
"Goodbye, honey-bubble."
As she turned, she heard Draco try to suppress a groan. She smiled slightly. Taking her wand from her pocket, she lifted her trunk and floated it along.
Hermione liked taking the train during the year. It was not as crowded as the first or last day of school. When they had all settled in, and the train was well on its way, Hermione and Ginny found an empty compartment, leaving Harry and Ron alone.
"So tell me, have you and Draco…?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Hermione giggled. "No! He wants to, though. Just yesterday he hinted conspicuously."
"Do you want to?"
Hermione blushed, turning her face away. "I don't know."
Ginny was grinning when she looked back. "That's a yes. So why don't you?"
Hermione cleared her throat. "So what about you? Have you and Seamus…you know?"
"Not yet," Ginny said, flashing a seductive half-smile. "But if I have my way that will not be the way of it for long."
"Ginny!" Hermione gasped. "You don't mean it."
"Oh, but I do. I really want to do this. I love Seamus, and I know he loves me."
"You really can't wait until you leave school?"
"By that time, he will have been gone for a year. I want to get as close to him as I can while I still have a chance. I can't let him go becoming enamored with some haughty French girl or something, can I?"
Hermione smiled. "I suppose not. You really think that sex will make the difference?"
"Oh, trust me. Sex makes *all* the difference."
The girls giggled for a few minutes. They were both preoccupied at the idea of making love to their prospective boyfriends.
"Do you think Harry and Ron have…?" Hermione wondered.
"Oh Hermione, I do NOT want to think about that. Come on. This is my BROTHER!" Ginny pretended to gag. They both dissolved into giggles again. "It's official, Hermione. Being unavailable has melted your brain."
"What do you mean?" Hermione was slightly insulted.
"You never used to giggle. Ever. Now you can't stop. What has happened to the stern, McGonagall-worshipping Hermione we all know and love?"
"Ginny," Hermione admonished, swatting at her. Then she giggled again, and sighed, giving up. "I suppose you're right. My mind is gone since I've given my heart away."
Ginny sobered at once, and made a sound akin to that Hermione made when she saw puppies. "That is so sweet!" she sighed dreamily. "I wish I could think of things like that. It's so romantic. Merlin, I wish I was you, Hermione."
"You wouldn't if you were."
"Well, I am jealous. Seamus is sweet, but he's not remotely romantic. I need some of that…some romance."
"Maybe you should ask for it for Christmas," Hermione joked.
A slow smile spread across her face. "Maybe I will…"
"Ginny, what are you thinking?"
"Oh, nothing serious. I know someone who could discreetly suggest to Seamus that he should be romantic. Girls like that. Okay, it's his mother."
"Ginny, she was just let out of the hospital! You shouldn't-"
"Oh, Hermione. It's not bothering her. She sent me an owl saying she can't stand to be pampered, especially when nothing is wrong. She was kept there for observation, but aside from the fluctuations in her appetite, she's her old self. She'd love it if I asked for her help, honestly."
Hermione relented. "Well, all right. I suppose it couldn't hurt. And it is marvelous to have all that romance."
"Oh, shut up, Hermione. Now you're just taunting me."
"Of course I'm not!"
Ginny raised an eyebrow at her.
"Okay, maybe a little," Hermione giggled.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "If there were any pillows here, I'd throw them at you."
"As long as we remember, we can have a pillow fight when we get to the Burrow."
The younger girl smiled. "What has gotten into you, Hermione?"
The older sighed. "Love."
************************************************************************
Draco braced himself for the sneering before he knocked on Snape's door. "Yes!" He turned the knob and stepped in. His back was straight, and he kept his gaze directly on his Head of House.
"Sir, would you happen to have any of these ingredients?"
Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Snape scanned the parchment. "What is this for?"
"A potion. I have express permission from Professor Dumbledore to make it, and he suggested that you might have some of these things."
Snape stood, scowling, and went to his private stores. "I have the nightshade, dragon's blood, and powdered chimera eggshell- yes, Malfoy, chimera do lay eggs," Snape said as he handed the ingredients to Draco.
"I think I also have the star pixie eyelashes…yes, here they are. This is a big favor, I'm almost out. Here you go. I believe Professor Sprout has some malfatona leaves."
"Thank you, Professor," Draco nodded, gathering up the ingredients.
He next went to Professor Sprout's office. "Professor, I need some malfatona leaves. Do you have any?"
"Dried or fresh?" the woman asked jovially, wandering to a cabinet on the wall.
Draco checked the list. "Fresh." She gave him the leaves, and cheerfully saw him on his way.
After depositing the ingredients in his room, he looked over the instructions again.
*I guess I can get the loverswort at Diagon Alley. It will only take a few minutes for that…but where on earth am I going to find the heart of a fire-breathing lion?*
He pondered this for the entire night, and again the next day when he left to shop for the loverswort. It took him all of twenty minutes and twelve sickles to get it, but he still could not come up with an answer for the heart.
"Fire-breathing lion…how can I get a fire-breathing lion's heart by tomorrow night? I want to have everything by the time Hermione comes back… It's no use. I should just forget about the whole thing."
"Oh no you don't!"
Draco turned quickly. "Who said that?"
"I did!" He scoured the walls with his eyes, but could not see any pictures that could be talking to him.
"Behind the curtain, genius!"
Draco walked to the window, pulling back the curtain. He found that it was snowing outside, and that what should have been his reflection was instead a young boy, with brown hair and dancing brown eyes, dressed in untidy but expensive clothes. Draco blinked, rubbing his eyes. "Now you're getting it."
"Who are you?"
"Well, that depends on how you look at it. Some call me Eros, others go for the more popular, infamous name-"
"Cupid," Draco supplied.
"That's right! Well, you do know something. Look at that."
Draco crossed his arms defiantly. "Did you want something?"
"You can't just not do it. This was going to be one of the deepest declarations of love I've seen for years, and now you think you're backing out, just because of one lousy ingredient? I don't think so."
"Well, if you can get me a fire-breathing lion heart, I'll gladly go along with it."
"Hey, I'm not going to make it that easy for you, buster. But if you want to do it, I know how you can get one."
"How?" Draco leaned forward attentively.
"Do I have your attention?" Draco nodded. The reflection lifted a hand and made a flicking motion. At the same time, something hit Draco's nose.
"Hey!" He pulled back, refusing to rub the spot that had been hit as Eros laughed at his trick.
"Sorry. Well, no I'm not, but let's get back to our business. Now. Fire-breathing lions aren't too common around here. In fact, I doubt you could get what you're looking for on the black market in less than three months, if you paid handsomely. They're incredibly rare. But it so happens I have one."
"Great! So let's have it."
"Hold on there, bud. I can't just hand it to you. I have to make sure you're *worthy*."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Just hold on a minute." The reflection tapped his chin in thought. "Okay, I've got it. First, I need to ask you. If she said she was leaving you, what would you do?"
"I'd fight to keep her, with every breath in my body," Draco replied truthfully. No matter what, he could not just let her go.
"Good." The reflection nodded approval. "Okay. I've put the heart somewhere in the castle for you. You have to find it."
"How will I do that?"
"I'll give you a clue. Here, be sure to write it down."
A half an hour later, Draco sat in the common room, trying to figure out the riddle Eros had given him.
~*Where love has been strong,
And stars are always clear,
Where lessons are learned,
You will find me here.
You'll be high at the top
When at last I'm revealed.
You could not reach this place
If the doorway was concealed.
Search throughout the hallways,
Your seeking is unyielding
For I am in a place
Far beyond this mundane feeling.
Cold stone surrounds me
Though I will be warm,
Do not lose me out the window,
Lest I come to harm.
When at last you've found
This special gift,
You will understand my meaning,
Your *heart* will lift. *~
"What the hell does that mean?" Draco had asked Eros.
"Ah, that's for you to find out." Without another word, he was gone.
"Okay. I can do this." Stone…the whole castle is stone, the twit. Obviously it's on a high level of the castle- probably one of the towers. Don't drop out the window, high at the top. It's not in a hallway. Okay, that narrows it down a lot. Beyond mundane…does that mean the doorway *is* sometimes concealed? Love is strong…probably means somewhere a lot of couples go…wait…lessons learned…stars clear…no way.
"No way. The Astronomy Tower?" He tucked the paper with the riddle into his pocket, his pace quickening with every step he took. *This is ridiculous. Why would someone put a heart in the Astronomy Tower?*
He reached his destination sooner than he might have expected. His heart was racing as he put his hand to the door handle. It was from both his speed and excitement, he thought. If it truly was there, he would have the last ingredient necessary…well, aside from their hairs.
The tower was empty. Draco's heart sank. He was about to leave again when he heard a voice. "Hey, you! Where are you going?" It was Eros, shaking his head. "I was just messing with you. Good job, you solved it! Well, here you go! Good luck, Venus bless your love!" And the new reflection was gone in a flash.
Suddenly, in Draco's hand, was something very warm and somewhat slippery. He looked down to see what was unmistakably a heart. His own soared, elated that he would be able to do what he intended when Hermione returned.
Their love would last forever. He was sure of it.
End Chapter 39
Ah, that Cupid. Such a trouble maker. Finally you see the many faces of Love. Anyway, review for loverswort confetti. You will be pleased…I mean it. Yeah.
Hermione left her trunk in the common room, running back to reassure herself that she had everything. When she returned, Draco was standing forlornly by her things.
"Do you have to leave?"
"Yes. It's only for a few days, I'll be back before you know it. Besides, you'll have Crookshanks to keep you company." They both turned to see the cat trot from her corridor.
Hermione thought she heard Draco mutter something about a bow-legged little- "What was that?"
"Nothing. Let me carry your trunk." He concentrated, and the trunk rose into the air. Hermione glared enviously at the levitating luggage as they left their dormitory.
"I do miss the Burrow a little," Hermione said as they walked. "The Weasleys are wonderfully generous, and Mrs. Weasley is such an excellent cook. She really knows how to make food- oh, Ginny!"
They had reached the front entrance, and Hermione caught sight of the youngest Weasley's hair. The streaks, which had been black for the past few months, were now decidedly pink.
"What do you think, Hermione?"
"It's certainly different." She stepped up to Ginny and took a closer look at the streaks. "I like it. It's such a pretty color, as well."
"Come on, let's get our stuff loaded onto the train," Harry urged. He probably wanted to return to the burrow more than any of them.
Hermione walked the short distance to Draco's side. "I'll be back very soon, Draco. I'll miss you, though."
He put his hands on the small of her back, holding her tenderly. "I'll miss you more." He kissed her softly.
Off to the side, Ron snorted and rolled his eyes. Harry elbowed him and began to drag his trunk out. Draco glared after them. "Supportive friends you have there."
"It's just Ron," Hermione said defensively. "I guess he still needs time to get used to us."
"He's had months. I think he should get over himself."
"Goodbye, honey-bubble."
As she turned, she heard Draco try to suppress a groan. She smiled slightly. Taking her wand from her pocket, she lifted her trunk and floated it along.
Hermione liked taking the train during the year. It was not as crowded as the first or last day of school. When they had all settled in, and the train was well on its way, Hermione and Ginny found an empty compartment, leaving Harry and Ron alone.
"So tell me, have you and Draco…?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Hermione giggled. "No! He wants to, though. Just yesterday he hinted conspicuously."
"Do you want to?"
Hermione blushed, turning her face away. "I don't know."
Ginny was grinning when she looked back. "That's a yes. So why don't you?"
Hermione cleared her throat. "So what about you? Have you and Seamus…you know?"
"Not yet," Ginny said, flashing a seductive half-smile. "But if I have my way that will not be the way of it for long."
"Ginny!" Hermione gasped. "You don't mean it."
"Oh, but I do. I really want to do this. I love Seamus, and I know he loves me."
"You really can't wait until you leave school?"
"By that time, he will have been gone for a year. I want to get as close to him as I can while I still have a chance. I can't let him go becoming enamored with some haughty French girl or something, can I?"
Hermione smiled. "I suppose not. You really think that sex will make the difference?"
"Oh, trust me. Sex makes *all* the difference."
The girls giggled for a few minutes. They were both preoccupied at the idea of making love to their prospective boyfriends.
"Do you think Harry and Ron have…?" Hermione wondered.
"Oh Hermione, I do NOT want to think about that. Come on. This is my BROTHER!" Ginny pretended to gag. They both dissolved into giggles again. "It's official, Hermione. Being unavailable has melted your brain."
"What do you mean?" Hermione was slightly insulted.
"You never used to giggle. Ever. Now you can't stop. What has happened to the stern, McGonagall-worshipping Hermione we all know and love?"
"Ginny," Hermione admonished, swatting at her. Then she giggled again, and sighed, giving up. "I suppose you're right. My mind is gone since I've given my heart away."
Ginny sobered at once, and made a sound akin to that Hermione made when she saw puppies. "That is so sweet!" she sighed dreamily. "I wish I could think of things like that. It's so romantic. Merlin, I wish I was you, Hermione."
"You wouldn't if you were."
"Well, I am jealous. Seamus is sweet, but he's not remotely romantic. I need some of that…some romance."
"Maybe you should ask for it for Christmas," Hermione joked.
A slow smile spread across her face. "Maybe I will…"
"Ginny, what are you thinking?"
"Oh, nothing serious. I know someone who could discreetly suggest to Seamus that he should be romantic. Girls like that. Okay, it's his mother."
"Ginny, she was just let out of the hospital! You shouldn't-"
"Oh, Hermione. It's not bothering her. She sent me an owl saying she can't stand to be pampered, especially when nothing is wrong. She was kept there for observation, but aside from the fluctuations in her appetite, she's her old self. She'd love it if I asked for her help, honestly."
Hermione relented. "Well, all right. I suppose it couldn't hurt. And it is marvelous to have all that romance."
"Oh, shut up, Hermione. Now you're just taunting me."
"Of course I'm not!"
Ginny raised an eyebrow at her.
"Okay, maybe a little," Hermione giggled.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "If there were any pillows here, I'd throw them at you."
"As long as we remember, we can have a pillow fight when we get to the Burrow."
The younger girl smiled. "What has gotten into you, Hermione?"
The older sighed. "Love."
************************************************************************
Draco braced himself for the sneering before he knocked on Snape's door. "Yes!" He turned the knob and stepped in. His back was straight, and he kept his gaze directly on his Head of House.
"Sir, would you happen to have any of these ingredients?"
Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Snape scanned the parchment. "What is this for?"
"A potion. I have express permission from Professor Dumbledore to make it, and he suggested that you might have some of these things."
Snape stood, scowling, and went to his private stores. "I have the nightshade, dragon's blood, and powdered chimera eggshell- yes, Malfoy, chimera do lay eggs," Snape said as he handed the ingredients to Draco.
"I think I also have the star pixie eyelashes…yes, here they are. This is a big favor, I'm almost out. Here you go. I believe Professor Sprout has some malfatona leaves."
"Thank you, Professor," Draco nodded, gathering up the ingredients.
He next went to Professor Sprout's office. "Professor, I need some malfatona leaves. Do you have any?"
"Dried or fresh?" the woman asked jovially, wandering to a cabinet on the wall.
Draco checked the list. "Fresh." She gave him the leaves, and cheerfully saw him on his way.
After depositing the ingredients in his room, he looked over the instructions again.
*I guess I can get the loverswort at Diagon Alley. It will only take a few minutes for that…but where on earth am I going to find the heart of a fire-breathing lion?*
He pondered this for the entire night, and again the next day when he left to shop for the loverswort. It took him all of twenty minutes and twelve sickles to get it, but he still could not come up with an answer for the heart.
"Fire-breathing lion…how can I get a fire-breathing lion's heart by tomorrow night? I want to have everything by the time Hermione comes back… It's no use. I should just forget about the whole thing."
"Oh no you don't!"
Draco turned quickly. "Who said that?"
"I did!" He scoured the walls with his eyes, but could not see any pictures that could be talking to him.
"Behind the curtain, genius!"
Draco walked to the window, pulling back the curtain. He found that it was snowing outside, and that what should have been his reflection was instead a young boy, with brown hair and dancing brown eyes, dressed in untidy but expensive clothes. Draco blinked, rubbing his eyes. "Now you're getting it."
"Who are you?"
"Well, that depends on how you look at it. Some call me Eros, others go for the more popular, infamous name-"
"Cupid," Draco supplied.
"That's right! Well, you do know something. Look at that."
Draco crossed his arms defiantly. "Did you want something?"
"You can't just not do it. This was going to be one of the deepest declarations of love I've seen for years, and now you think you're backing out, just because of one lousy ingredient? I don't think so."
"Well, if you can get me a fire-breathing lion heart, I'll gladly go along with it."
"Hey, I'm not going to make it that easy for you, buster. But if you want to do it, I know how you can get one."
"How?" Draco leaned forward attentively.
"Do I have your attention?" Draco nodded. The reflection lifted a hand and made a flicking motion. At the same time, something hit Draco's nose.
"Hey!" He pulled back, refusing to rub the spot that had been hit as Eros laughed at his trick.
"Sorry. Well, no I'm not, but let's get back to our business. Now. Fire-breathing lions aren't too common around here. In fact, I doubt you could get what you're looking for on the black market in less than three months, if you paid handsomely. They're incredibly rare. But it so happens I have one."
"Great! So let's have it."
"Hold on there, bud. I can't just hand it to you. I have to make sure you're *worthy*."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Just hold on a minute." The reflection tapped his chin in thought. "Okay, I've got it. First, I need to ask you. If she said she was leaving you, what would you do?"
"I'd fight to keep her, with every breath in my body," Draco replied truthfully. No matter what, he could not just let her go.
"Good." The reflection nodded approval. "Okay. I've put the heart somewhere in the castle for you. You have to find it."
"How will I do that?"
"I'll give you a clue. Here, be sure to write it down."
A half an hour later, Draco sat in the common room, trying to figure out the riddle Eros had given him.
~*Where love has been strong,
And stars are always clear,
Where lessons are learned,
You will find me here.
You'll be high at the top
When at last I'm revealed.
You could not reach this place
If the doorway was concealed.
Search throughout the hallways,
Your seeking is unyielding
For I am in a place
Far beyond this mundane feeling.
Cold stone surrounds me
Though I will be warm,
Do not lose me out the window,
Lest I come to harm.
When at last you've found
This special gift,
You will understand my meaning,
Your *heart* will lift. *~
"What the hell does that mean?" Draco had asked Eros.
"Ah, that's for you to find out." Without another word, he was gone.
"Okay. I can do this." Stone…the whole castle is stone, the twit. Obviously it's on a high level of the castle- probably one of the towers. Don't drop out the window, high at the top. It's not in a hallway. Okay, that narrows it down a lot. Beyond mundane…does that mean the doorway *is* sometimes concealed? Love is strong…probably means somewhere a lot of couples go…wait…lessons learned…stars clear…no way.
"No way. The Astronomy Tower?" He tucked the paper with the riddle into his pocket, his pace quickening with every step he took. *This is ridiculous. Why would someone put a heart in the Astronomy Tower?*
He reached his destination sooner than he might have expected. His heart was racing as he put his hand to the door handle. It was from both his speed and excitement, he thought. If it truly was there, he would have the last ingredient necessary…well, aside from their hairs.
The tower was empty. Draco's heart sank. He was about to leave again when he heard a voice. "Hey, you! Where are you going?" It was Eros, shaking his head. "I was just messing with you. Good job, you solved it! Well, here you go! Good luck, Venus bless your love!" And the new reflection was gone in a flash.
Suddenly, in Draco's hand, was something very warm and somewhat slippery. He looked down to see what was unmistakably a heart. His own soared, elated that he would be able to do what he intended when Hermione returned.
Their love would last forever. He was sure of it.
End Chapter 39
Ah, that Cupid. Such a trouble maker. Finally you see the many faces of Love. Anyway, review for loverswort confetti. You will be pleased…I mean it. Yeah.