Chapter 42- The Empathy Solution
After adding the kneazle skin, Hermione stirred the potion five times counter clockwise and set the stirrer aside.
Draco entered and sniffed the air. "Are you making a stew for lunch?"
"No," she smiled. "It's an Empathy Solution."
"What, the one we read about in Potions?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"Were you going to tell me that you were making it?"
"When it was done."
"That's not giving me much choice in the matter, now is it?"
"Well, your choice would have been to take it anyway, I just cut out the long conversation we would have had before I made it."
"Is it done yet?" Draco sighed.
"Almost. It needs another…seventeen seconds."
Seventeen seconds later, Hermione removed the cauldron from the heat of the fire. She sniffed cautiously at the potion to be met with the heady scent of a lilac bush. She had not been aware kneazle skin did that.
Picking the two engraved cups off the mantle, Draco wondered, "So what does this do again?"
"Weren't you paying attention when we read it?"
"Well, I believe I was thinking about you that day. It was just following me proclaiming my undying love for you to Parkinson, and I was a bit distracted at the moment."
Hermione sighed, but smiled at the thought. "It was a good day. The Empathy Solution allows the drinkers to send thoughts to each other at times of heightened emotion. Of course, it is not completely fool-proof, and sometimes the whole thought is not received, or it can be read wrong. It has proven very useful, however, to some wizards in the past."
As she said this, she had ladled some of the fragrant liquid into each of the cups Draco was holding. She gave him one, saying, "Here, drink up."
He linked his arm with hers, and inclined his cup, saying, "Cheers." They both tipped their heads back and drank. Draco made a face. "It's like drinking perfume." But he downed the remaining contents without another complaint.
"It's not so bad," Hermione said. She could not remember ever tasting lilacs, and so had no idea as to their flavor. Now that she did, she did not mind it in the least.
"Where did you get these cups?" Draco asked, eyeing the one in his hand.
"In Hogsmeade. They were hand-engraved one thousand years ago. I got them at a marvelous bargain."
"Why didn't you just buy something useful, like a green Snitch?"
"How is a green Snitch useful?"
"I don't know. I was just wondered what's the point of buying engraved cups when unengraved cups serve the same purpose just as well."
"You have no sense of taste, Draco."
"Of course I do. Mine is just more logical and less *female*."
"I love your style, honey-bubble."
"Of course, when it comes to pet names, I beat you out for style, love."
"What do you mean?"
"I do not respond well to being called *honey-bubble*. Why don't you just call me a normal pet name for once? That I would not mind."
"Oh, but where is the fun in that?"
Draco shook his head, and Hermione smiled. She loved to tease him.
"Do you want to test the potion?" Draco asked.
"How do you mean?" Hermione got the feeling that it was not something she would agree to. Sure enough, Draco waggled his eyebrows and drew her closer.
After sharing a kiss, Hermione pulled away. "I have homework."
"No, you don't. There are two days left of break. You finished your homework before you came back on Christmas Eve, or you did not just call me honey-bubble within the last two minutes."
Hermione smiled at the floor. He knew her too well. She had, in fact, put the finishing touches on her homework her second day at the Burrow.
"What is wrong, then?" Draco's face became serious and concerned.
"You do know what we would have to do to put the Empathy Solution into effect, right? The first time, you need a sudden jolt of emotion, to activate it. The only way we could do that would be…you know."
"So what's wrong with that?"
Hermione shoved him lightly. "You know I want to wait, Draco. I can't have a distraction like that while I'm in school. You shouldn't be wishing for one, either." She turned away, walking to the mantle. "I want to…I don't know. I don't want to find out what would happen if we…this soon."
Draco had put his arms around her from behind. "It's all right, calm down, sweetie. You know I respect your wishes, always. Do you think that has changed?"
"Of course not. You're a wonderful boyfriend."
"Only because you make me wonderful."
Hermione almost cried her happiness aloud. When had she deserved to be loved this much? When she was being teased for her hair and her teeth in Muggle primary school? When she was being teased for her hair and her teeth here, in her earlier years? When she was being a bossy know-it-all, and knew it, but loved to feel smarter than everyone else? She did not think so. "When, then?" She had not meant to ask this aloud, but Fate had another agenda.
"When you befriended me, and stayed friends when you found out that I was your best friends' worst enemy…Hermione, was I yours?"
She was silent. "I don't think so. I don't know if I ever considered you an enemy, really…just a nemesis."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"No, not at all. A nemesis is a rival whom you cannot beat."
"You think you cannot beat me?"
"Well, there's just that nagging annoyance that you always seem to have the upper hand, no matter the circumstance. You always come out on top, you always have some important advantage."
"Is that true?" Draco stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, yes." Hermione extracted herself from his embrace. "I have something I have to take care of, Draco. Excuse me." She quickly made her way to her bathroom, where she turned on the shower.
For a while she scrubbed at her body with a bar of soap, all of a sudden feeling as though she had a repulsive gaze on her, that tainted her skin. The gaze left abruptly, leaving no proof that she had not imagined the entire thing.
She was surprised when a pair of slit-like red eyes seemed to stare at her from the mirror.
************************************************************************
When Hermione left, Draco was bored immediately. He decided that he would wait on the couch for her, honestly having nothing better to do.
Suddenly, he felt dirty, as though he had just been covered in slimy mud. The urge to wash himself thoroughly caused him to rise from where he sat, and he began to make his way to the bathroom.
As suddenly as the feeling had come, it was gone. Draco had been about to turn on the shower. He stared into the mirror for a while, wondering what had been the cause of the intrusion.
He was startled when a pair of slit-like red eyes seemed to stare back at him from the mirror.
End Chapter 42
Honestly, don't even ask me what this is about. I don't really know. The Empathy Solution comes in handy later, though.
Since so many people asked about the rings, of course I will give you a hint. On the inside of the rings are a bunch of random *letters*. What happened in the first four chapters of the story? (excluding the prologue).
Review for green snitch confetti!!!
After adding the kneazle skin, Hermione stirred the potion five times counter clockwise and set the stirrer aside.
Draco entered and sniffed the air. "Are you making a stew for lunch?"
"No," she smiled. "It's an Empathy Solution."
"What, the one we read about in Potions?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"Were you going to tell me that you were making it?"
"When it was done."
"That's not giving me much choice in the matter, now is it?"
"Well, your choice would have been to take it anyway, I just cut out the long conversation we would have had before I made it."
"Is it done yet?" Draco sighed.
"Almost. It needs another…seventeen seconds."
Seventeen seconds later, Hermione removed the cauldron from the heat of the fire. She sniffed cautiously at the potion to be met with the heady scent of a lilac bush. She had not been aware kneazle skin did that.
Picking the two engraved cups off the mantle, Draco wondered, "So what does this do again?"
"Weren't you paying attention when we read it?"
"Well, I believe I was thinking about you that day. It was just following me proclaiming my undying love for you to Parkinson, and I was a bit distracted at the moment."
Hermione sighed, but smiled at the thought. "It was a good day. The Empathy Solution allows the drinkers to send thoughts to each other at times of heightened emotion. Of course, it is not completely fool-proof, and sometimes the whole thought is not received, or it can be read wrong. It has proven very useful, however, to some wizards in the past."
As she said this, she had ladled some of the fragrant liquid into each of the cups Draco was holding. She gave him one, saying, "Here, drink up."
He linked his arm with hers, and inclined his cup, saying, "Cheers." They both tipped their heads back and drank. Draco made a face. "It's like drinking perfume." But he downed the remaining contents without another complaint.
"It's not so bad," Hermione said. She could not remember ever tasting lilacs, and so had no idea as to their flavor. Now that she did, she did not mind it in the least.
"Where did you get these cups?" Draco asked, eyeing the one in his hand.
"In Hogsmeade. They were hand-engraved one thousand years ago. I got them at a marvelous bargain."
"Why didn't you just buy something useful, like a green Snitch?"
"How is a green Snitch useful?"
"I don't know. I was just wondered what's the point of buying engraved cups when unengraved cups serve the same purpose just as well."
"You have no sense of taste, Draco."
"Of course I do. Mine is just more logical and less *female*."
"I love your style, honey-bubble."
"Of course, when it comes to pet names, I beat you out for style, love."
"What do you mean?"
"I do not respond well to being called *honey-bubble*. Why don't you just call me a normal pet name for once? That I would not mind."
"Oh, but where is the fun in that?"
Draco shook his head, and Hermione smiled. She loved to tease him.
"Do you want to test the potion?" Draco asked.
"How do you mean?" Hermione got the feeling that it was not something she would agree to. Sure enough, Draco waggled his eyebrows and drew her closer.
After sharing a kiss, Hermione pulled away. "I have homework."
"No, you don't. There are two days left of break. You finished your homework before you came back on Christmas Eve, or you did not just call me honey-bubble within the last two minutes."
Hermione smiled at the floor. He knew her too well. She had, in fact, put the finishing touches on her homework her second day at the Burrow.
"What is wrong, then?" Draco's face became serious and concerned.
"You do know what we would have to do to put the Empathy Solution into effect, right? The first time, you need a sudden jolt of emotion, to activate it. The only way we could do that would be…you know."
"So what's wrong with that?"
Hermione shoved him lightly. "You know I want to wait, Draco. I can't have a distraction like that while I'm in school. You shouldn't be wishing for one, either." She turned away, walking to the mantle. "I want to…I don't know. I don't want to find out what would happen if we…this soon."
Draco had put his arms around her from behind. "It's all right, calm down, sweetie. You know I respect your wishes, always. Do you think that has changed?"
"Of course not. You're a wonderful boyfriend."
"Only because you make me wonderful."
Hermione almost cried her happiness aloud. When had she deserved to be loved this much? When she was being teased for her hair and her teeth in Muggle primary school? When she was being teased for her hair and her teeth here, in her earlier years? When she was being a bossy know-it-all, and knew it, but loved to feel smarter than everyone else? She did not think so. "When, then?" She had not meant to ask this aloud, but Fate had another agenda.
"When you befriended me, and stayed friends when you found out that I was your best friends' worst enemy…Hermione, was I yours?"
She was silent. "I don't think so. I don't know if I ever considered you an enemy, really…just a nemesis."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"No, not at all. A nemesis is a rival whom you cannot beat."
"You think you cannot beat me?"
"Well, there's just that nagging annoyance that you always seem to have the upper hand, no matter the circumstance. You always come out on top, you always have some important advantage."
"Is that true?" Draco stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, yes." Hermione extracted herself from his embrace. "I have something I have to take care of, Draco. Excuse me." She quickly made her way to her bathroom, where she turned on the shower.
For a while she scrubbed at her body with a bar of soap, all of a sudden feeling as though she had a repulsive gaze on her, that tainted her skin. The gaze left abruptly, leaving no proof that she had not imagined the entire thing.
She was surprised when a pair of slit-like red eyes seemed to stare at her from the mirror.
************************************************************************
When Hermione left, Draco was bored immediately. He decided that he would wait on the couch for her, honestly having nothing better to do.
Suddenly, he felt dirty, as though he had just been covered in slimy mud. The urge to wash himself thoroughly caused him to rise from where he sat, and he began to make his way to the bathroom.
As suddenly as the feeling had come, it was gone. Draco had been about to turn on the shower. He stared into the mirror for a while, wondering what had been the cause of the intrusion.
He was startled when a pair of slit-like red eyes seemed to stare back at him from the mirror.
End Chapter 42
Honestly, don't even ask me what this is about. I don't really know. The Empathy Solution comes in handy later, though.
Since so many people asked about the rings, of course I will give you a hint. On the inside of the rings are a bunch of random *letters*. What happened in the first four chapters of the story? (excluding the prologue).
Review for green snitch confetti!!!