Groggily, Hermione opened her eyes to her familiar surroundings. She put
her hand to her head, hoping this would some how make the throbbing go
away.
"She's awake!" Ron screamed a little too loud for Hermione's comfort, but she managed a slight smile anyway. She looked over and saw Lupin's head nodding against his chest and noted Harry's presence curled up on the foot of her bed, evidently snuggling with an unpetrified Crookshanks. Oh god, there came reality again- it hit her like a bullet in the chest. "I'm so sorry."
Lupin stood up and looked down at her, "We're just glad you're alive, Hermione."
"Yeah," Ron added, "looks like Snape isn't that bad after all. He must have ran to the dungeons because he was back with an antidote in no time." Hermione looked anxiously at her two friends and then at her Professor who seemed to know more than he let on.
"Boys, let me have a moment with Hermione, will you?"
Harry didn't say anything, but obligingly walked out behind Ron, rubbing his sore neck.
"Looked like you were getting pretty comfy with the cat, mate."
Hermione could see Harry nudge Ron, "Maybe I just like redheads."
"Hey, stay away from my sister."
"I meant you," he responded, making kissing noises.
Lupin walked over, closed the entrance, and sat on the bed by Hermione.
"What's going on with the Duplexplicis?" he asked seriously.
She felt like hiding under the covers and leaving a note saying she
would be back later, but when she looked at him, she couldn't even
think.
"What do you mean?" She asked, then felt like she should hit herself for saying such a stupid thing. "I don't know."
"You could have killed yourself, you know that?" Lupin sighed and looked up at the ceiling as if he were asking the gods for an explanation. "What were you thinking Hermione?"
"I don't know," Hermione meekly replied.
"Where did you get it?" He asked causing Hermione's eyes to dart away from his.
"I made it."
He gave her a disbelieving look, "What is the main ingredient?"
"Unicorn hair," Hermione spat out, relying on her knowledge of the color.
"Wrong," Lupin sighed. "You can tell me, Hermione. We've already decided not to mention it to Dumbledore, but gods, knowing him, he already knows. I just need to know who gave it to you," his features hinted at having an idea, "no matter who it is."
"You're not going to tell Dumbledore?" she asked.
Lupin shook his head, "I don't believe it would be in your best interest at this time, but don't test me." He warned, "Now who gave you the Duplexplicis?"
Hermione rolled over. "I told you, I made it," she protested. She felt like a child, but what was she supposed to do? Explain that she'd been sucking off her Potions Professor for a quick fix here and there as if it were no big deal?
Lupin sighed again, "Alright, Hermione." He patted her on the back as he stood up, "Just know that if you, er, need someone, you know where to find me."
With that, the werewolf left. Hermione's emotions were going haywire. Embarassment, a dab of guilt, a pinch of utter humiliation, a bit of anxiety and hatred for self. Stir, and you have a bushy haired Head Girl recovering from a drug overdose.
She looked over at the clock and saw the hand pointed at "Lunch." Well, at least it was convenient enough for her to decide to overdose on the weekend. As she stood up and walked toward the bathroom, her mind registered a hint of brown glass against the stone floors tucked behind the leg of her armoire. Hermione bent down anxiously, only to find an empty bottle that had contained her almost cause of death at one point. She wanted to scream. Look at all she had been through, and the one thing she wanted was just a little bit of the magical blue powder.
By the time she managed to bathe and get down to the Great Hall, most of the students had parted for Hogsmeade, but Hermione had a newfound hunger that had evaded her for a large portion of the semester. She filled her plate with two servings of chicken, four slices of bread and even a Shepard's pie that she usually despised.
"Trying to gain some weight there, Granger?" a voice asked. She felt a breath on the back of her neck and saw a strand of blonde, almost-white, hair in the corner of her eye. She swallowed the food in her mouth and spun around.
"Malfoy, go fiddle with your broomstick," she said looking, behind him "Or have Pansy do it for you; she's looking a bit jealous at the moment."
Draco non-chalantly turned his head and took a look at his admirer at the Slytherin table before directing his attention back to Hermione.
"Why don't you shine it for me?" he grinned. Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at his chest.
He looked down and grinned, "Not very Head Girlish of you, now is it? Doesn't matter though, you'll have your badge taken away from you soon enough, Granger."
Hermione sighed; she had been playing these games with him since she got on the Hogwart's Express. "What are you talking about, Malfoy?"
Malfoy put a finger to the side of his nose and inhaled deeply before walking away and quietly laughing to himself.
Hermione turned back to her butterbeer. How did he know? He couldn't. How would he? She tried to calm her nerves by telling herself he was just toying with her and happened to get lucky. Bastard.
After she had gotten her fill of chicken and left behind second years playing exploding snap with debris flying and threatening her much needed eyesight, she decided she should probably study for NEWTS.
While walking down the corridor, she saw peeves tormenting Meghan Rovers.
"Give me back my quills, you stupid ghost!" she squeaked.
"Potty mouth, Potty mouth!" Peeves squealed in his usual delight that came along with tormenting the younger students.
"Peeves," Hermione said threateningly with her wand out and pointed, "Give those back, or I'll show you what I've learned this year." She smiled dangerously.
Peeves dropped the quills as he floated backwards down the corridor, still taunting the younger Gryffindor. "Potty mouth!"
"Argh," Meghan sighed, "I hate when he does that," she said more to herself than Hermione. After picking up her stuff, she looked at Hermione somewhat warily, "Thank you, Miss Granger."
Hermione recalled their last interaction, "No problem." She went to follow Meghan across the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower, but found they decided to change before she got the change. She sighed and stuffed her wand back in her pocket, walking down the corridor toward another set of stairs.
A firm grip landed on Hermione's shoulder. Surprised, she turned around only to have her face meet that of Snape's.
"Glad to see you're feeling better, Miss Granger," he snarled.
Hermione wasn't really sure of what to say, and she remembered how he thrived off uncomfortable silences.
"Got yourself into a bit of a situation, did you?"
Hermione summoned up what little bit of courage was left in her body when she was around Snape and replied with a simple, "I suppose."
"You didn't happen to," he ran a finger across the nape of her neck, sending chills up her spine, "discuss our little agreement with anyone, now did you?"
"No. I didn't tell him you gave it to me."
Snape gave an approving nod, "Good." He turned on his heels to stalk back down to his dungeons, missing the glare she sent his way. "You know where to find me, my dear."
"She's awake!" Ron screamed a little too loud for Hermione's comfort, but she managed a slight smile anyway. She looked over and saw Lupin's head nodding against his chest and noted Harry's presence curled up on the foot of her bed, evidently snuggling with an unpetrified Crookshanks. Oh god, there came reality again- it hit her like a bullet in the chest. "I'm so sorry."
Lupin stood up and looked down at her, "We're just glad you're alive, Hermione."
"Yeah," Ron added, "looks like Snape isn't that bad after all. He must have ran to the dungeons because he was back with an antidote in no time." Hermione looked anxiously at her two friends and then at her Professor who seemed to know more than he let on.
"Boys, let me have a moment with Hermione, will you?"
Harry didn't say anything, but obligingly walked out behind Ron, rubbing his sore neck.
"Looked like you were getting pretty comfy with the cat, mate."
Hermione could see Harry nudge Ron, "Maybe I just like redheads."
"Hey, stay away from my sister."
"I meant you," he responded, making kissing noises.
Lupin walked over, closed the entrance, and sat on the bed by Hermione.
"What's going on with the Duplexplicis?" he asked seriously.
She felt like hiding under the covers and leaving a note saying she
would be back later, but when she looked at him, she couldn't even
think.
"What do you mean?" She asked, then felt like she should hit herself for saying such a stupid thing. "I don't know."
"You could have killed yourself, you know that?" Lupin sighed and looked up at the ceiling as if he were asking the gods for an explanation. "What were you thinking Hermione?"
"I don't know," Hermione meekly replied.
"Where did you get it?" He asked causing Hermione's eyes to dart away from his.
"I made it."
He gave her a disbelieving look, "What is the main ingredient?"
"Unicorn hair," Hermione spat out, relying on her knowledge of the color.
"Wrong," Lupin sighed. "You can tell me, Hermione. We've already decided not to mention it to Dumbledore, but gods, knowing him, he already knows. I just need to know who gave it to you," his features hinted at having an idea, "no matter who it is."
"You're not going to tell Dumbledore?" she asked.
Lupin shook his head, "I don't believe it would be in your best interest at this time, but don't test me." He warned, "Now who gave you the Duplexplicis?"
Hermione rolled over. "I told you, I made it," she protested. She felt like a child, but what was she supposed to do? Explain that she'd been sucking off her Potions Professor for a quick fix here and there as if it were no big deal?
Lupin sighed again, "Alright, Hermione." He patted her on the back as he stood up, "Just know that if you, er, need someone, you know where to find me."
With that, the werewolf left. Hermione's emotions were going haywire. Embarassment, a dab of guilt, a pinch of utter humiliation, a bit of anxiety and hatred for self. Stir, and you have a bushy haired Head Girl recovering from a drug overdose.
She looked over at the clock and saw the hand pointed at "Lunch." Well, at least it was convenient enough for her to decide to overdose on the weekend. As she stood up and walked toward the bathroom, her mind registered a hint of brown glass against the stone floors tucked behind the leg of her armoire. Hermione bent down anxiously, only to find an empty bottle that had contained her almost cause of death at one point. She wanted to scream. Look at all she had been through, and the one thing she wanted was just a little bit of the magical blue powder.
By the time she managed to bathe and get down to the Great Hall, most of the students had parted for Hogsmeade, but Hermione had a newfound hunger that had evaded her for a large portion of the semester. She filled her plate with two servings of chicken, four slices of bread and even a Shepard's pie that she usually despised.
"Trying to gain some weight there, Granger?" a voice asked. She felt a breath on the back of her neck and saw a strand of blonde, almost-white, hair in the corner of her eye. She swallowed the food in her mouth and spun around.
"Malfoy, go fiddle with your broomstick," she said looking, behind him "Or have Pansy do it for you; she's looking a bit jealous at the moment."
Draco non-chalantly turned his head and took a look at his admirer at the Slytherin table before directing his attention back to Hermione.
"Why don't you shine it for me?" he grinned. Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at his chest.
He looked down and grinned, "Not very Head Girlish of you, now is it? Doesn't matter though, you'll have your badge taken away from you soon enough, Granger."
Hermione sighed; she had been playing these games with him since she got on the Hogwart's Express. "What are you talking about, Malfoy?"
Malfoy put a finger to the side of his nose and inhaled deeply before walking away and quietly laughing to himself.
Hermione turned back to her butterbeer. How did he know? He couldn't. How would he? She tried to calm her nerves by telling herself he was just toying with her and happened to get lucky. Bastard.
After she had gotten her fill of chicken and left behind second years playing exploding snap with debris flying and threatening her much needed eyesight, she decided she should probably study for NEWTS.
While walking down the corridor, she saw peeves tormenting Meghan Rovers.
"Give me back my quills, you stupid ghost!" she squeaked.
"Potty mouth, Potty mouth!" Peeves squealed in his usual delight that came along with tormenting the younger students.
"Peeves," Hermione said threateningly with her wand out and pointed, "Give those back, or I'll show you what I've learned this year." She smiled dangerously.
Peeves dropped the quills as he floated backwards down the corridor, still taunting the younger Gryffindor. "Potty mouth!"
"Argh," Meghan sighed, "I hate when he does that," she said more to herself than Hermione. After picking up her stuff, she looked at Hermione somewhat warily, "Thank you, Miss Granger."
Hermione recalled their last interaction, "No problem." She went to follow Meghan across the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower, but found they decided to change before she got the change. She sighed and stuffed her wand back in her pocket, walking down the corridor toward another set of stairs.
A firm grip landed on Hermione's shoulder. Surprised, she turned around only to have her face meet that of Snape's.
"Glad to see you're feeling better, Miss Granger," he snarled.
Hermione wasn't really sure of what to say, and she remembered how he thrived off uncomfortable silences.
"Got yourself into a bit of a situation, did you?"
Hermione summoned up what little bit of courage was left in her body when she was around Snape and replied with a simple, "I suppose."
"You didn't happen to," he ran a finger across the nape of her neck, sending chills up her spine, "discuss our little agreement with anyone, now did you?"
"No. I didn't tell him you gave it to me."
Snape gave an approving nod, "Good." He turned on his heels to stalk back down to his dungeons, missing the glare she sent his way. "You know where to find me, my dear."