Love-princess1 : As always it's brilliant? Cool thank you so much, and I
know you want the romance between Draco and Hermione, I hope this chapter
helps settle that craving for the time being.
Tahiri Veila : Interesting to say the least. . . that's good, right? And what I was trying to go for was that she couldn't get to floor C because the evil people had made it so she couldn't.
Mudpie : I WISH it could be published, only one small problem. . .I'd probably lose more money than I earned because J.K. would sue my sorry buttocks. (hehe, that's a funny word. . . ahem.) DA DA DI DUM! Here it is!!
ILUVRONWEASLEY : I don't know, what have I done with her? You tell me? HA! The story is confusing? (I like to say confuzzling) Yes, I know I am evil. Everyone knows I'm evil. . .MWAHAHA*cough* Dontcha worry, I have no intention of stopping until I am done with the story. Or I die.
Cloudy Crystals : lol. Why do you think Hermione is OCC? (Not trying to be defensive or rude, I just want to know why you think that) Is it because she isn't completely school-work driven and she's not happy all the time?
~The Simon Cowell of Fanfiction.net~ : Hey, don't worry, loose ends are about to be tied up. In the chapter after this some things are going to make sense in order to make room for new information.
ShadowRogue : Ohh! You LOVE it? YESYESYES!
Lady Scarlett1: I only restored your sanity temporarily? Wah! Here's s'more sanity for you~
Artemis MoonClaw : Ohh, very curious? Neato.
Cheryplum11 : So many questions. . . answers will come in time, be patient (HA).
Darkmoon of Shadows : Because, it makes people come back, that's why. 100? That's cooool! You shall NOOOT shrivel up and die, you need to stay plump and alive.
Willowfairy : Hmm, dumbfounded? Wow?
Purple Spotted Hedwig : Yes, GO HERMIONE! Of course, it's a cliffhanger.
Angel25302 : Thanks, and here's the next part!
M.J. Kobayashi : In what way is it scary? Cool is good though. Here's the update!
Lynseyax Heparedds : Horror? Agony? NOO! Save your head!!! No faults? WOWIE! Thanks! You shall no longer wait!
Angel Liz : Here's more!! Thanks for the luck!
--
Alrighty, so it will take loooonger than normal (3-4 days) for me to update, because I have to go somewhere that is miles and miles and miles (etc) away. Or the equivalent to 6 hours.
Chapter 23
Her head was throbbing, her temples seemed ready to burst, her hands felt like they were on fire, and she didn't even want to think about the pain that was in her chest, burning every time she took a breath of air. It burnt enough that she thought about not breathing to limit the pain.
People were talking in hushed voices, and Hermione suppressed a sigh. Why did they always talk in front of the injured person as though they couldn't hear? Even in the books the plan is always spoken of in front of the hero and the hero saves the world because the morons told the plan in front of the hero.
Hermione wondered if this happened to Harry very often when he was in the hospital wing, but didn't think about it for very long as she concentrated on listening to the voices that were speaking.
It was hard for her to listen because the voices seemed to be echoing in her head, but she could still understand most of what she was hearing.
"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked in a worried voice, and Hermione could tell that she had been trying to tend to Hermione all night without stopping, and although she was grateful, that woman needed to take a second to rest in between working on patients.
"I am unsure, but I thoroughly instructed Severus not to leave Miss Granger alone in that hospital. I knew that something would be wrong once she got there, I just did not know how wrong." Dumbledore said, and Hermione could sense unease in his voice as he spoke.
How had someone tricked Dumbledore? That was pretty near impossible, not that she was denying it, but it was as close to impossible as something could get. What had really happened? Did Dumbledore KNOW about the Italian spies? Should she say something? Should she keep quiet?
Questions were flooding her mind and it just made her head hurt worse to think. All she really wanted to know was what the heck had happened last night, or maybe it was longer ago? She didn't know, all she knew was that her leg was beginning to ache something fierce and she was hungry.
"-why would he leave her if he knew you told him not to?" Hermione caught the last part of the question, and was jolted back to reality. She decided that it would do some good if she listened more carefully and worried about food later.
"For this I have theories, Poppy, and I believe that the most realistic of them all is that Severus's life was in danger-" Dumbledore was cut short by angry words that now issued from Madam Pomfrey.
"HE PUT A STUDENT IN DANGER TO SAVE HIS OWN LIFE-"
"And the only way to protect-"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU LET HIM CALL HIMSELF A HOGWARTS TEACHER-"
"Poppy, I will have to ask you to calm yourself." Dumbledore said, and Hermione heard Madam Pomfrey taking several, deep, angry breaths, but she spoke no more.
"As I was saying, I believe that the only way to protect-" Again, Dumbledore's explanation was cut short, and Hermione began to feel very frustrated. She just wanted to know what the heck he was trying to say.
Footsteps alerted her brain to turn on again and she heard the familiar click of Professor McGonagall's feet, and by the disdainful snort that issued from Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape was with her.
"Minerva," Madam Pomfrey said, and her voice became hard and sharp as she addressed Professor Snape. "Snape." She said in a rude fashion and Hermione heard her stride over and she felt the blankets rustle over her and Madam Pomfrey pulled them over her head.
The second the blankets were over her head, she realized that they had a silencing charm on them and she couldn't hear any of the conversation through the blankets, so, without thinking, Hermione pretended to roll over in her sleep and in the process managed to shove the blankets off of her head, and succeeded in securing a visual of the conversation, which was better.
"-DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING, LEAVING A STUDENT - A FIFTH YEAR NO LESS - ALONE WHEN YOU *KNEW* THAT THERE WERE DANGEROUS HAPPENINGS GOING ON AT THE HOSPITAL AND AROUND THE WORLD. HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF-"
"My train of thought," Professor Snape said to Madam Pomfrey, who appeared to be shaking with rage, and his voice suggested that she had better not press the matter any further. Madam Pomfrey, however, seemed to have a quite different approach to the situation.
"I GET A STUDENT IN HERE, AT 2 AM AND I FIND OUT THAT SOMEONE HAS TRIED TO HEAL HER, AND HAS HEALED HER *ARM* TOGETHER WITH HER SPLEEN, AND YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM MYSELF AND NOT THINK ABOUT THE RATIONALE OF YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT? YOU ARE CLEARLY MISTAKEN, SNAPE, BECAUSE I HAVE LOST ALL RESPEC-"
"Poppy, it is also at my request that you remain calm," Professor Dumbledore said, a hint of amusement in his eye, and Hermione couldn't figure out what was amusing about her arm being healed into her spleen, but it better be damn funny.
"CALM? CALM?! I'LL GIVE YOU CALM AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR-"
"Ooookay!" Professor McGonagall said quickly, interrupting Madam Pomfrey before she said something that she would come to regret later.
"Answer this question for me, Headmaster." Snape said coolly, and Hermione was drawn to listen immediately. When Snape asked a question, it was usually a GOOD question.
"Yes, Severus?" Dumbledore asked inquisitively, and Hermione got the feeling that he already knew what Snape was going to ask before he could open his mouth, btu he waited as though he were completely clueless.
"How was it, that a - a - "
"Muggleborn." Dumbledore filled in for Snape, and Hermione felt a surge of anger toward Snape. Was he going to call her a mudblood as well? She got enough of that crap from Malfoy, and she didn't need her teachers and respectable professors calling her insulting names as well.
"Yes that, as well as a 15-year-old witch, manage to use ancient magic that seems to be drawn from other galaxies?" Snape finished, and Hermione's anger lay forgotten. From other galaxies? Okay, something was too cliché about this.
"Not other galaxies, Severus, definitely not other galaxies." Dumbledore said, and Hermione watched as Professor McGonagall whispered something to Madam Pomfrey, who 'humph'ed and strode over to her office, and Hermione could have sworn that Professor McGongall winked at her, which sent a shiver down her spine. Did she KNOW that Hermione was listening?
"Then from where did the magic come from?" Snape asked, and it became obvious that his curiosity was getting the better of him. Dumbledore seemed to regard him with interest for a few moments before he even began to speak.
Dumbledore paused much longer than Hermione had expected, and she could barely stand the silence. She lay there, trying to pretend that she was asleep, but she was sure that with each movement someone would notice that she was awake and halt the conversation.
"Severus, I am ashamed to say that I myself cannot trace it, but, I believe, as you would notice, that was a spell of Salazar Slytherin."
Complete silence ensued, and Hermione lay, frozen as stiff as she could possibly be. Salazar SLYTHERIN? She had used a Slytherin spell?
'Woah, woah, woah.' Hermione thought suddenly. 'How is it possible for me to have cast a spell without knowing that I did?'
The worst part, was that she didn't know the answer, and this was one of those things that couldn't be looked up in a book. Her life was getting more confusing at every turn.
"I will actually need Miss Granger's account of the story to be remotely sure of anything." Dumbledore said, noticing the questioning glance that Professor McGonagall gave him, and Hermione was sure that she had not imagine her looking directly at her, and her eyes seemed to tell Hermione to make her presence known.
Hermione sighed and pretended to just wake up, and she thought that she did a quite accurate job, and even Professor McGonagall seemed to be smiling slightly, which set her nerves at ease.
"Ah, Miss Granger, I see you're up." Dumbledore said, and nowhere in his tone did it sound as though he had thought, in any way, shape or form, that she had been asleep, but she decided it would be useless to keep up the charade.
"Miss Granger, could you give us a recount of what happened at the hospital?" Dumbledore asked, and Hermione was about to answer when Madam Pomfrey had decided to make her presence known.
"ALBUS! Do you think this WISE?" she asked in an unusually shrill voice, and Hermione had to suppress a shudder. Only Professor Dumbledore could seem to keep his body still as he looked at her, his look seeming to pierce her.
"Poppy," he said warningly, and she shuffled backward in a very disrespectful manner, yes, but she shuffled back all the same.
"Oh, well, Professor," Hermione began and she swung her legs around the bed and made to get up when she found herself slamming back into the pillows. Apparently Madam Pomfrey had decided to take out her anger on her patients/victims.
"Oomph!" Was all Hermione could muster before she was smothered by a blanket.
"POPPY!" all three of the professors said at the same time, and Hermione jumped. They could make a loud racket.
Hermione began explaining everything that had happened, and as she said it out loud, she began to realize how stupid she seemed to have been. She had just 'assumed' that the hospital employees and builders would have left out a button to the C floor, and that it would 'mysteriously vanish'?
"And then I watched his hand drip and I figured he was ice." Hermione stopped speaking and the professors looked at her expectantly.
The truth was, Hermione didn't remember anything that happened after that. Her memories stopped and picked up again at, you guessed it, the hospital wing. She was annoyed that she was here again, because she seemed to have a habit of turning up in the hospital wing for reasons that she could not recall.
Her frustration bubbled inside of her and she slammed her fist into the pillow, which, to her immense dissatisfaction, simply puffed itself back to place once she moved her fist. It was supposed to, in the very least, stay smashed, that way she could tell that it had been given a blow, but there was no indention to be spoken of, and it left Hermione angrier than she had been before.
She had completely forgotten the professors that were in front of her, and she glanced over at them and froze. She stared at them for a minute, and she thought that Professor McGonagall's eyes were going to pop out and that Professor Dumbledore was not going to be able to suppress his laughter.
"Perhaps we should speak another time." Professor McGonagall said, and Hermione sighed and watched them walk out while she glared at their backs.
She lay down more out of spite than anything else and stared at the ceiling. Why did it have to be her life that was so damn confusing? Couldn't she live the life of a brainless ditz like Parvati or Lavender? Or why couldn't she live a 'normal' life as a muggle? Why did she have to be involved with the more moronic people in the world, and why did they have to know magic?
~+~
Hermione's mine was reeling and she couldn't stand it. She wanted to go back to innocence, she wanted to be clueless, she wanted to be a kid, but she couldn't. She felt like she needed to go back in her life and try to relive her childhood, because this wasn't working well for her.
How was everyone expecting her to cope with the fact that she had power to dystroy the universe? How could she now cope with ultimate and dangerous power, a dead father, a hurt mother, zero friends, and, to top it all off, ADVANCED TRANSFIGURATION?
Hermione wished she could just stop being advanced and challenged, and she wanted to be average. No, less than average. She couldn't handle the stress. If she didn't do something soon, she was sure that she was going to crack. She was going to go insane with the power and responsibilities that had been given to her.
And the worst part was, she didn't have anyone to talk to about the whole situation, which probably increased the stress on her.
She sighed and fell back on her pillow on the couch when an idea hit her.
Grinning evilly, Hermione stood, or more accurately, crouched, around the corner from Draco's bedchambers, and waited for him to come out of them. Her scarlet pillow held in her hands, ready to hit its target.
Its blonde haired, grey-eyed target.
Malfoy stumbled out, as she watched him unceremoniously trip over his robes. He righted himself and turned the corner -
WHAM!
With considerable amounts of satisfaction, Hermione realized that he had obviously not been expecting anything of the sort, which added to her pleasure. She had seriously enjoyed the look of shock on his face, and she didn't know why she was doing something so childish.
Maybe it was because she needed to loosen up and be herself for a little while before she had to take on the role of 'Super Hermione'.
Malfoy stared blankly at her, and she froze for a second. Did he not know what a pillow fight was? Did he not ever have a pillow fight in his lifetime? Hermione felt instantly sorry for him, and decided to continue bashing him with her pillow.
"GRANGER? What the?"
She grinned evilly, conjured his pillow, and hit him with her pillow again. He stared at her, stunned by the blow, and then he smiled.
No, she thought, he smirked.
He drew his arms back, and before he could hit Hermione, she pounded his face with her scarlet pillow and he jumped backward, an evil grin now spreading across his face as well.
She swung again, he ducked and smacked her head on, and it dazed her for a few seconds. She blinked, trying to regain movement in her arms, and he had already pummeled her with his emerald pillow three more times.
Hermione somersaulted forward and smacked him when she stood up in front of him, and she could have sworn that he laughed.
The pillow fight lasted for ten minutes, by which both pillows were depleted of all of their pillows, and were now everywhere else. The chairs, couches, carpets, people and many other items were covered in green and red feathers, and when Hermione looked at Malfoy, she burst out laughing.
He gave her a questioning look and she shook her head, laughing still. With the silvery blonde hair and the feathers, he looked like a Christmas ornament or decoration, and the sight was funny.
Both of them were sitting, side-by-side, breathing heavily, but Hermione couldn't have been happier. She had just had the time of her life, having a pillow fight with her mortal enemy.
Hermione glanced at the clock and felt a jolt in her stomach. It was late so fast, and she realized that she was tired, something she hadn't been willing to admit when she was pillow fighting.
"Malfoy," she said, and then she corrected herself. "Draco," she said, and she saw him, inadvertently, stiffen as though surprised.
"G'night." She said, and she kissed him on the cheek, got up, and left without looking back, because she was afraid of what she would see.
'Why did I do that?' she whined to herself. 'Why, why, why, why, why?'
She closed the door to her room silently and slid down the door as she leaned against it. She had just been friendly, that was all.
'Yes,' she thought. 'Friendly.'
~+~
Alright, so just to clarify, it will take loooonger than normal for me to update, because I have to go somewhere that is away from home.
I will update ASAP.
--Saquoia--
Tahiri Veila : Interesting to say the least. . . that's good, right? And what I was trying to go for was that she couldn't get to floor C because the evil people had made it so she couldn't.
Mudpie : I WISH it could be published, only one small problem. . .I'd probably lose more money than I earned because J.K. would sue my sorry buttocks. (hehe, that's a funny word. . . ahem.) DA DA DI DUM! Here it is!!
ILUVRONWEASLEY : I don't know, what have I done with her? You tell me? HA! The story is confusing? (I like to say confuzzling) Yes, I know I am evil. Everyone knows I'm evil. . .MWAHAHA*cough* Dontcha worry, I have no intention of stopping until I am done with the story. Or I die.
Cloudy Crystals : lol. Why do you think Hermione is OCC? (Not trying to be defensive or rude, I just want to know why you think that) Is it because she isn't completely school-work driven and she's not happy all the time?
~The Simon Cowell of Fanfiction.net~ : Hey, don't worry, loose ends are about to be tied up. In the chapter after this some things are going to make sense in order to make room for new information.
ShadowRogue : Ohh! You LOVE it? YESYESYES!
Lady Scarlett1: I only restored your sanity temporarily? Wah! Here's s'more sanity for you~
Artemis MoonClaw : Ohh, very curious? Neato.
Cheryplum11 : So many questions. . . answers will come in time, be patient (HA).
Darkmoon of Shadows : Because, it makes people come back, that's why. 100? That's cooool! You shall NOOOT shrivel up and die, you need to stay plump and alive.
Willowfairy : Hmm, dumbfounded? Wow?
Purple Spotted Hedwig : Yes, GO HERMIONE! Of course, it's a cliffhanger.
Angel25302 : Thanks, and here's the next part!
M.J. Kobayashi : In what way is it scary? Cool is good though. Here's the update!
Lynseyax Heparedds : Horror? Agony? NOO! Save your head!!! No faults? WOWIE! Thanks! You shall no longer wait!
Angel Liz : Here's more!! Thanks for the luck!
--
Alrighty, so it will take loooonger than normal (3-4 days) for me to update, because I have to go somewhere that is miles and miles and miles (etc) away. Or the equivalent to 6 hours.
Chapter 23
Her head was throbbing, her temples seemed ready to burst, her hands felt like they were on fire, and she didn't even want to think about the pain that was in her chest, burning every time she took a breath of air. It burnt enough that she thought about not breathing to limit the pain.
People were talking in hushed voices, and Hermione suppressed a sigh. Why did they always talk in front of the injured person as though they couldn't hear? Even in the books the plan is always spoken of in front of the hero and the hero saves the world because the morons told the plan in front of the hero.
Hermione wondered if this happened to Harry very often when he was in the hospital wing, but didn't think about it for very long as she concentrated on listening to the voices that were speaking.
It was hard for her to listen because the voices seemed to be echoing in her head, but she could still understand most of what she was hearing.
"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked in a worried voice, and Hermione could tell that she had been trying to tend to Hermione all night without stopping, and although she was grateful, that woman needed to take a second to rest in between working on patients.
"I am unsure, but I thoroughly instructed Severus not to leave Miss Granger alone in that hospital. I knew that something would be wrong once she got there, I just did not know how wrong." Dumbledore said, and Hermione could sense unease in his voice as he spoke.
How had someone tricked Dumbledore? That was pretty near impossible, not that she was denying it, but it was as close to impossible as something could get. What had really happened? Did Dumbledore KNOW about the Italian spies? Should she say something? Should she keep quiet?
Questions were flooding her mind and it just made her head hurt worse to think. All she really wanted to know was what the heck had happened last night, or maybe it was longer ago? She didn't know, all she knew was that her leg was beginning to ache something fierce and she was hungry.
"-why would he leave her if he knew you told him not to?" Hermione caught the last part of the question, and was jolted back to reality. She decided that it would do some good if she listened more carefully and worried about food later.
"For this I have theories, Poppy, and I believe that the most realistic of them all is that Severus's life was in danger-" Dumbledore was cut short by angry words that now issued from Madam Pomfrey.
"HE PUT A STUDENT IN DANGER TO SAVE HIS OWN LIFE-"
"And the only way to protect-"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU LET HIM CALL HIMSELF A HOGWARTS TEACHER-"
"Poppy, I will have to ask you to calm yourself." Dumbledore said, and Hermione heard Madam Pomfrey taking several, deep, angry breaths, but she spoke no more.
"As I was saying, I believe that the only way to protect-" Again, Dumbledore's explanation was cut short, and Hermione began to feel very frustrated. She just wanted to know what the heck he was trying to say.
Footsteps alerted her brain to turn on again and she heard the familiar click of Professor McGonagall's feet, and by the disdainful snort that issued from Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape was with her.
"Minerva," Madam Pomfrey said, and her voice became hard and sharp as she addressed Professor Snape. "Snape." She said in a rude fashion and Hermione heard her stride over and she felt the blankets rustle over her and Madam Pomfrey pulled them over her head.
The second the blankets were over her head, she realized that they had a silencing charm on them and she couldn't hear any of the conversation through the blankets, so, without thinking, Hermione pretended to roll over in her sleep and in the process managed to shove the blankets off of her head, and succeeded in securing a visual of the conversation, which was better.
"-DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING, LEAVING A STUDENT - A FIFTH YEAR NO LESS - ALONE WHEN YOU *KNEW* THAT THERE WERE DANGEROUS HAPPENINGS GOING ON AT THE HOSPITAL AND AROUND THE WORLD. HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF-"
"My train of thought," Professor Snape said to Madam Pomfrey, who appeared to be shaking with rage, and his voice suggested that she had better not press the matter any further. Madam Pomfrey, however, seemed to have a quite different approach to the situation.
"I GET A STUDENT IN HERE, AT 2 AM AND I FIND OUT THAT SOMEONE HAS TRIED TO HEAL HER, AND HAS HEALED HER *ARM* TOGETHER WITH HER SPLEEN, AND YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM MYSELF AND NOT THINK ABOUT THE RATIONALE OF YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT? YOU ARE CLEARLY MISTAKEN, SNAPE, BECAUSE I HAVE LOST ALL RESPEC-"
"Poppy, it is also at my request that you remain calm," Professor Dumbledore said, a hint of amusement in his eye, and Hermione couldn't figure out what was amusing about her arm being healed into her spleen, but it better be damn funny.
"CALM? CALM?! I'LL GIVE YOU CALM AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR-"
"Ooookay!" Professor McGonagall said quickly, interrupting Madam Pomfrey before she said something that she would come to regret later.
"Answer this question for me, Headmaster." Snape said coolly, and Hermione was drawn to listen immediately. When Snape asked a question, it was usually a GOOD question.
"Yes, Severus?" Dumbledore asked inquisitively, and Hermione got the feeling that he already knew what Snape was going to ask before he could open his mouth, btu he waited as though he were completely clueless.
"How was it, that a - a - "
"Muggleborn." Dumbledore filled in for Snape, and Hermione felt a surge of anger toward Snape. Was he going to call her a mudblood as well? She got enough of that crap from Malfoy, and she didn't need her teachers and respectable professors calling her insulting names as well.
"Yes that, as well as a 15-year-old witch, manage to use ancient magic that seems to be drawn from other galaxies?" Snape finished, and Hermione's anger lay forgotten. From other galaxies? Okay, something was too cliché about this.
"Not other galaxies, Severus, definitely not other galaxies." Dumbledore said, and Hermione watched as Professor McGonagall whispered something to Madam Pomfrey, who 'humph'ed and strode over to her office, and Hermione could have sworn that Professor McGongall winked at her, which sent a shiver down her spine. Did she KNOW that Hermione was listening?
"Then from where did the magic come from?" Snape asked, and it became obvious that his curiosity was getting the better of him. Dumbledore seemed to regard him with interest for a few moments before he even began to speak.
Dumbledore paused much longer than Hermione had expected, and she could barely stand the silence. She lay there, trying to pretend that she was asleep, but she was sure that with each movement someone would notice that she was awake and halt the conversation.
"Severus, I am ashamed to say that I myself cannot trace it, but, I believe, as you would notice, that was a spell of Salazar Slytherin."
Complete silence ensued, and Hermione lay, frozen as stiff as she could possibly be. Salazar SLYTHERIN? She had used a Slytherin spell?
'Woah, woah, woah.' Hermione thought suddenly. 'How is it possible for me to have cast a spell without knowing that I did?'
The worst part, was that she didn't know the answer, and this was one of those things that couldn't be looked up in a book. Her life was getting more confusing at every turn.
"I will actually need Miss Granger's account of the story to be remotely sure of anything." Dumbledore said, noticing the questioning glance that Professor McGonagall gave him, and Hermione was sure that she had not imagine her looking directly at her, and her eyes seemed to tell Hermione to make her presence known.
Hermione sighed and pretended to just wake up, and she thought that she did a quite accurate job, and even Professor McGonagall seemed to be smiling slightly, which set her nerves at ease.
"Ah, Miss Granger, I see you're up." Dumbledore said, and nowhere in his tone did it sound as though he had thought, in any way, shape or form, that she had been asleep, but she decided it would be useless to keep up the charade.
"Miss Granger, could you give us a recount of what happened at the hospital?" Dumbledore asked, and Hermione was about to answer when Madam Pomfrey had decided to make her presence known.
"ALBUS! Do you think this WISE?" she asked in an unusually shrill voice, and Hermione had to suppress a shudder. Only Professor Dumbledore could seem to keep his body still as he looked at her, his look seeming to pierce her.
"Poppy," he said warningly, and she shuffled backward in a very disrespectful manner, yes, but she shuffled back all the same.
"Oh, well, Professor," Hermione began and she swung her legs around the bed and made to get up when she found herself slamming back into the pillows. Apparently Madam Pomfrey had decided to take out her anger on her patients/victims.
"Oomph!" Was all Hermione could muster before she was smothered by a blanket.
"POPPY!" all three of the professors said at the same time, and Hermione jumped. They could make a loud racket.
Hermione began explaining everything that had happened, and as she said it out loud, she began to realize how stupid she seemed to have been. She had just 'assumed' that the hospital employees and builders would have left out a button to the C floor, and that it would 'mysteriously vanish'?
"And then I watched his hand drip and I figured he was ice." Hermione stopped speaking and the professors looked at her expectantly.
The truth was, Hermione didn't remember anything that happened after that. Her memories stopped and picked up again at, you guessed it, the hospital wing. She was annoyed that she was here again, because she seemed to have a habit of turning up in the hospital wing for reasons that she could not recall.
Her frustration bubbled inside of her and she slammed her fist into the pillow, which, to her immense dissatisfaction, simply puffed itself back to place once she moved her fist. It was supposed to, in the very least, stay smashed, that way she could tell that it had been given a blow, but there was no indention to be spoken of, and it left Hermione angrier than she had been before.
She had completely forgotten the professors that were in front of her, and she glanced over at them and froze. She stared at them for a minute, and she thought that Professor McGonagall's eyes were going to pop out and that Professor Dumbledore was not going to be able to suppress his laughter.
"Perhaps we should speak another time." Professor McGonagall said, and Hermione sighed and watched them walk out while she glared at their backs.
She lay down more out of spite than anything else and stared at the ceiling. Why did it have to be her life that was so damn confusing? Couldn't she live the life of a brainless ditz like Parvati or Lavender? Or why couldn't she live a 'normal' life as a muggle? Why did she have to be involved with the more moronic people in the world, and why did they have to know magic?
~+~
Hermione's mine was reeling and she couldn't stand it. She wanted to go back to innocence, she wanted to be clueless, she wanted to be a kid, but she couldn't. She felt like she needed to go back in her life and try to relive her childhood, because this wasn't working well for her.
How was everyone expecting her to cope with the fact that she had power to dystroy the universe? How could she now cope with ultimate and dangerous power, a dead father, a hurt mother, zero friends, and, to top it all off, ADVANCED TRANSFIGURATION?
Hermione wished she could just stop being advanced and challenged, and she wanted to be average. No, less than average. She couldn't handle the stress. If she didn't do something soon, she was sure that she was going to crack. She was going to go insane with the power and responsibilities that had been given to her.
And the worst part was, she didn't have anyone to talk to about the whole situation, which probably increased the stress on her.
She sighed and fell back on her pillow on the couch when an idea hit her.
Grinning evilly, Hermione stood, or more accurately, crouched, around the corner from Draco's bedchambers, and waited for him to come out of them. Her scarlet pillow held in her hands, ready to hit its target.
Its blonde haired, grey-eyed target.
Malfoy stumbled out, as she watched him unceremoniously trip over his robes. He righted himself and turned the corner -
WHAM!
With considerable amounts of satisfaction, Hermione realized that he had obviously not been expecting anything of the sort, which added to her pleasure. She had seriously enjoyed the look of shock on his face, and she didn't know why she was doing something so childish.
Maybe it was because she needed to loosen up and be herself for a little while before she had to take on the role of 'Super Hermione'.
Malfoy stared blankly at her, and she froze for a second. Did he not know what a pillow fight was? Did he not ever have a pillow fight in his lifetime? Hermione felt instantly sorry for him, and decided to continue bashing him with her pillow.
"GRANGER? What the?"
She grinned evilly, conjured his pillow, and hit him with her pillow again. He stared at her, stunned by the blow, and then he smiled.
No, she thought, he smirked.
He drew his arms back, and before he could hit Hermione, she pounded his face with her scarlet pillow and he jumped backward, an evil grin now spreading across his face as well.
She swung again, he ducked and smacked her head on, and it dazed her for a few seconds. She blinked, trying to regain movement in her arms, and he had already pummeled her with his emerald pillow three more times.
Hermione somersaulted forward and smacked him when she stood up in front of him, and she could have sworn that he laughed.
The pillow fight lasted for ten minutes, by which both pillows were depleted of all of their pillows, and were now everywhere else. The chairs, couches, carpets, people and many other items were covered in green and red feathers, and when Hermione looked at Malfoy, she burst out laughing.
He gave her a questioning look and she shook her head, laughing still. With the silvery blonde hair and the feathers, he looked like a Christmas ornament or decoration, and the sight was funny.
Both of them were sitting, side-by-side, breathing heavily, but Hermione couldn't have been happier. She had just had the time of her life, having a pillow fight with her mortal enemy.
Hermione glanced at the clock and felt a jolt in her stomach. It was late so fast, and she realized that she was tired, something she hadn't been willing to admit when she was pillow fighting.
"Malfoy," she said, and then she corrected herself. "Draco," she said, and she saw him, inadvertently, stiffen as though surprised.
"G'night." She said, and she kissed him on the cheek, got up, and left without looking back, because she was afraid of what she would see.
'Why did I do that?' she whined to herself. 'Why, why, why, why, why?'
She closed the door to her room silently and slid down the door as she leaned against it. She had just been friendly, that was all.
'Yes,' she thought. 'Friendly.'
~+~
Alright, so just to clarify, it will take loooonger than normal for me to update, because I have to go somewhere that is away from home.
I will update ASAP.
--Saquoia--