Disclaimer-- JK Rowling owns everything: I only own my CD player (the CDs
in it are burned so they're not really mine either), my cat, my notebiiks,
a couple pens, well you get the idea.
Enjoy this chapter and please review me on my work. If ya gotta flame me at least make it constructive critism-- that's all I ask.
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She stood and left the Great Hall. it took less time than average to reach Professor Vector's classroom; Hermione sat down in her regular spot in the front right-hand corner and took out the small gold box.
Hermione set it on her desk and stared at it for a moment. Who on earth sent it? No one except her parents sent her anything by owl post and Victor hadn't been in touch for over a year. Anyone at school would hand it to her rather than using an owl. She bit her lip. The last unmarked items sent to her was hate mail over Rita Sketter's article in the fourth year. Could it be any worse than the Bubotuber Pus? She highly doubted that anyone would send hate mail in such a nice package.
Hermione cautiously undid the sapphire blue ribbon and lifted the box lid. Inside, resting in a velvet bag was a ring. It wasn't some cheap ring that you got at a dollar store; This one wouldn't have been out of place in Borshimes. It was silver with a black diamond in the middle and a crystal diamond on either side. At least she thought they were diamonds. The ring in itself was painstakingly beautiful. It was obvious that someone spent a lot of money on it, but there was no note. Why would anyone spend that much money on her and not say that they were the one giving it? The only people she knew that had enough money to go buy a ring like that were Harry and Draco. Harry would have said that he gave it ... leaving Draco.
Draco. Draco Malfoy. The boy that had everything. The past five years of Hogwarts had proved to Hermione that Malfoy despised and detested every inch of her. Why would he blow an extraordinary amount of galleons on her? The girl he hated beyond reasonable measurement. The girl standing between him and being the top student in the year. The girl who had spent hours undoing his doings.
Hermione slid the ring onto her right index finger where it fit perfectly. The class was beginning to file in, and Hermione began to take off the ring but left it there on second thought. No one would notice. She put the box in her bag and pulled out her notes and book.
The bell rang, Professor Vector started class, and Hermione fell back into her good schoolgirl mode and began to take notes. Five minutes after class began, Draco Malfoy sauntered in.
Since they were in a small classroom, there were just enough double desks to accommodate everyone. The other side of Hermione's desk was empty... and it was the only seat left in the room.
"Mr. Malfoy, you are late again," Professor Vector said looking over the tops of her half-moon glasses.
"Sorry, Professor," Malfoy said without the slightest amount of regret in his voice. "It wouldn't happen again."
"That's what you promised me yesterday, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Vector said with a sigh. "Now go sit down; you've disturbed the class enough already."
Malfoy gave her an infamous smirk and sat down next to Hermione. As he bent to take out his books, Hermione saw his eye catch on the ring. He turned away and with a suppressed smile, he turned to face Professor Vector and take notes.
As Hermione bent to jot down a note, she chanced a side long glance at Malfoy. With grey-blue eyes, long lashes and silvery-blond hair slicked all the way back, Draco was easily one of the most attractive boys in the sixth year. Too bad that face was a total and complete facade. The past five years had been enough to teach Hermione that if Draco was as good a person as he looked, he would have been ordained a saint before his fourth birthday.
Hermione made herself forget about Draco and let herself be sucked into the complex world of Arimancy. When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Hermione shoved her books into her bag and darted from the classroom, presenting no chance what so ever to try and make conversation.
She arrived at Hagrid's hut five minutes before the bell to begin classes would ring. She sat, leaning against the hut and soaked up the afternoon sun, examining the ring. It was even more beautiful in the natural light, the diamonds sparkling in the sun.
Hermione saw Harry and Ron coming across the lawn, jabbed the ring back onto her finger and walked across the lawn to greet them.
"So, Hermione," Ron called, "who's the lucky guy?"
"I beg your pardon?" Hermione asked reaching them.
"Obviously you're getting married because I haven't seen that nice a ring used for anything else except for marriage," Ron joked grabbing her hand and examining the ring. "Who gave it to you and are those real diamonds?"
"I think they are," Harry said also leaning in close to get a better view.
"Okay this just feels weird," Hermione said taking off the ring and handing it to Harry. "You're making me feel like this really is an engagement ring."
"Hermione, this ring is amazing." Harry kept turning it in the sun. "This diamond in the middle is at least 20 carats."
"And how do you know that?"
"I've spent many an afternoon polishing Aunt Petunia's jewelry," Harry said dryly.
"They don't trust you to leave the yard, but they'll leave you alone with valuable jewelry," Ron said taking the ring from Harry. "Why does that not make sense?"
"I also had Uncle Vernon standing over my shoulder the entire time telling me what was in each piece and what he was going to do to me if I damaged any of it."
"Lovely family," Ron commented. "Hermione, who gave this to you?"
"I don't know. There wasn't a name on the box. Hermione reclaimed the ring from Ron and put it back on her finger.
"Hermione, I don't think you should do that," Harry said. "It could be hexed."
"And this is coming from the guy who said I was paranoid when I thought the Firebolt was jinxed," Hermione retorted sardonically. "Besides, I've been wearing it all morning and nothing's happened."
Their conversation was cut short by the start of Care of Magical Creatures.
"Everyone, c'mon," Hagrid said leading them towards the Forbidden Forest. "Yer goin' to want the whole time today."
"I wonder what that great oaf has in store for us today," a drawling voice said behind Hermione. "Two galleons that it's some illegal beast."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to turn around.
"Malfoy, you would think that since we've been studying centaurs for the past week, we'd probably be doing the same thing today. Even Neville could figure that out."
"God Granger. I was only joking, no need to go all brainiac on us."
"Shut it Malfoy," Harry said stepping into the conversation.
"Who is the famous Harry Potter defending today?" Draco asked sarcastically turning to face Harry. "That bloody oaf Hagrid or the mudblood Granger? Either of them seem to be able to fend for themselves."
"I'm warning you Malfoy." Harry's face was turning red and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. "Crabbe and Goyle aren't here to save you neck this time."
Both boys had been in the hospital wing for at least a week. They had stumbled across a copy of the Polyjuice Potion and decided to switch bodies for an hour. Predictably they had done something wrong and were stuck halfway between their body and the other's.
"What makes you think that I need them to beat you to a pulp?" Malfoy said, his blue-gray eyes boring into Harry's.
This statement surprised Hermione, who never thought of Malfoy being capable of holding his own in a fight. But a second later, it made sense-- he had four years of Quidditch training under his belt after all.
"Malfoy! Harry! Break it up yeh ter!" Hagrid's voice boomed before quieting to give instructions to the class. "Since we've been studying centaurs for the past week, yer going to put what yeh've learned to the test. Ronan has kindly agreed to hide in the forest. There are clues about his whereabouts hidden among things that we associate with centaurs."
"We're going into the forest?" Draco asked, his voice rising several octaves. The last time Hermione heard his voice that shrill was when Filtch announced that they were going into the forest for a detention. It seemed that Draco's trepidation of the forest hadn't decreasedover the years.
"Yeh'll be in no danger," Hagrid continued. "Yer only goin' to be in a small area on the edge. Ronan an' I combed the place this mornin'. There's nuthin' dangerous in there."
"We have differing opinions of dangerous." Malfoy muttered, his voice still several pitches above it's normal tone.
"Not so brave now, are you Malfoy?" Harry said with a touch of taunting in his voice. "Still haven't gotten over your cold feet? Well, maybe not cold. Downright frigid is more like it."
"Shut up Harry. When you ask girls out, your feet make mine look like hot tamales."
"Malfoy, you say one more word..."
"I heard that not only did Cho turn you down for the Yule Ball two years ago, but she also turned you down at last year's Christmas and Valentine's Day dances."
"Think we should intervene?" Ron whispered to Hermione.
"Nah. One of them would bit of our heads if we tried. Besides, this is getting interesting."
"And then you asked Parvati, and after the Yule Ball incident she wouldn't go with you either. So you 'came down with the "flu" on the day of both the dances."
"I had influenza!" Harry yelled at Malfoy. "And at least I have taste in girls. Not going is better than being seen in public with Pansy Parkinson."
"Excuse me?" Pansy's pug-like face appeared over Draco's shoulder.
"And it gets more interesting," Ron commented to Hermione. "Who would have guessed that Care of Magical Creatures could be this fun?"
Unfortunately for Hermione and Ron, the morning's entertainment was cut short by Hagrid coming over to separate the two boys.
"Alright, now that that's settled, please pair up so we can get started. Fang an' I will be patrolin' the perimeter of our game area to make sure none of yer go too far into the forest. After yer get paired up, yer can start on in. Good luck."
Around Hermione, everyone began pairing up. Harry and Ron. Dean and Seamus. Pansy and Blaize. A moment later, she and Draco were the only ones partnerless.
Everyone was starting into the forest when a still seething Slytherin turned to Hermione. "I guess that puts us together then."
Hermione sighed. "I guess so." She started towards the forest, but Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
"You know Hermione, we don't have to go into the forest. We could just stay out here and tell everyone that we gave up."
"Oh my God, Malfoy. Harry was right-- you are a wimp."
She had pressed the right button, and Draco reluctantly followed her into the depths of the forest. Even the bright autumn sun didn't penetrate the thick canopy.
"Where do you think we should look?" Hermione asked Draco who stopped poking a suspicious shrub to answer.
"How about a wild grape vine since they're usually drinking wine."
"Or an open meadow; they're into astronomy," Hermione added.
"Shall we then?" Draco held out his arm as if to escort Hermione into a dance.
"Whatever Malfoy," Hermione said ignoring the arm and taking a path through the bushes.
"Or maybe not," Draco muttered following her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What will happen in the Forbidden Forest? You find out a lot sooner if you just hit that little review button down there. Please, that's all I ask-- some good reviewing.
Special sneak preview-- Draco saves Hermione's life!!
Kudos! lana-la-banana
Enjoy this chapter and please review me on my work. If ya gotta flame me at least make it constructive critism-- that's all I ask.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She stood and left the Great Hall. it took less time than average to reach Professor Vector's classroom; Hermione sat down in her regular spot in the front right-hand corner and took out the small gold box.
Hermione set it on her desk and stared at it for a moment. Who on earth sent it? No one except her parents sent her anything by owl post and Victor hadn't been in touch for over a year. Anyone at school would hand it to her rather than using an owl. She bit her lip. The last unmarked items sent to her was hate mail over Rita Sketter's article in the fourth year. Could it be any worse than the Bubotuber Pus? She highly doubted that anyone would send hate mail in such a nice package.
Hermione cautiously undid the sapphire blue ribbon and lifted the box lid. Inside, resting in a velvet bag was a ring. It wasn't some cheap ring that you got at a dollar store; This one wouldn't have been out of place in Borshimes. It was silver with a black diamond in the middle and a crystal diamond on either side. At least she thought they were diamonds. The ring in itself was painstakingly beautiful. It was obvious that someone spent a lot of money on it, but there was no note. Why would anyone spend that much money on her and not say that they were the one giving it? The only people she knew that had enough money to go buy a ring like that were Harry and Draco. Harry would have said that he gave it ... leaving Draco.
Draco. Draco Malfoy. The boy that had everything. The past five years of Hogwarts had proved to Hermione that Malfoy despised and detested every inch of her. Why would he blow an extraordinary amount of galleons on her? The girl he hated beyond reasonable measurement. The girl standing between him and being the top student in the year. The girl who had spent hours undoing his doings.
Hermione slid the ring onto her right index finger where it fit perfectly. The class was beginning to file in, and Hermione began to take off the ring but left it there on second thought. No one would notice. She put the box in her bag and pulled out her notes and book.
The bell rang, Professor Vector started class, and Hermione fell back into her good schoolgirl mode and began to take notes. Five minutes after class began, Draco Malfoy sauntered in.
Since they were in a small classroom, there were just enough double desks to accommodate everyone. The other side of Hermione's desk was empty... and it was the only seat left in the room.
"Mr. Malfoy, you are late again," Professor Vector said looking over the tops of her half-moon glasses.
"Sorry, Professor," Malfoy said without the slightest amount of regret in his voice. "It wouldn't happen again."
"That's what you promised me yesterday, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Vector said with a sigh. "Now go sit down; you've disturbed the class enough already."
Malfoy gave her an infamous smirk and sat down next to Hermione. As he bent to take out his books, Hermione saw his eye catch on the ring. He turned away and with a suppressed smile, he turned to face Professor Vector and take notes.
As Hermione bent to jot down a note, she chanced a side long glance at Malfoy. With grey-blue eyes, long lashes and silvery-blond hair slicked all the way back, Draco was easily one of the most attractive boys in the sixth year. Too bad that face was a total and complete facade. The past five years had been enough to teach Hermione that if Draco was as good a person as he looked, he would have been ordained a saint before his fourth birthday.
Hermione made herself forget about Draco and let herself be sucked into the complex world of Arimancy. When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Hermione shoved her books into her bag and darted from the classroom, presenting no chance what so ever to try and make conversation.
She arrived at Hagrid's hut five minutes before the bell to begin classes would ring. She sat, leaning against the hut and soaked up the afternoon sun, examining the ring. It was even more beautiful in the natural light, the diamonds sparkling in the sun.
Hermione saw Harry and Ron coming across the lawn, jabbed the ring back onto her finger and walked across the lawn to greet them.
"So, Hermione," Ron called, "who's the lucky guy?"
"I beg your pardon?" Hermione asked reaching them.
"Obviously you're getting married because I haven't seen that nice a ring used for anything else except for marriage," Ron joked grabbing her hand and examining the ring. "Who gave it to you and are those real diamonds?"
"I think they are," Harry said also leaning in close to get a better view.
"Okay this just feels weird," Hermione said taking off the ring and handing it to Harry. "You're making me feel like this really is an engagement ring."
"Hermione, this ring is amazing." Harry kept turning it in the sun. "This diamond in the middle is at least 20 carats."
"And how do you know that?"
"I've spent many an afternoon polishing Aunt Petunia's jewelry," Harry said dryly.
"They don't trust you to leave the yard, but they'll leave you alone with valuable jewelry," Ron said taking the ring from Harry. "Why does that not make sense?"
"I also had Uncle Vernon standing over my shoulder the entire time telling me what was in each piece and what he was going to do to me if I damaged any of it."
"Lovely family," Ron commented. "Hermione, who gave this to you?"
"I don't know. There wasn't a name on the box. Hermione reclaimed the ring from Ron and put it back on her finger.
"Hermione, I don't think you should do that," Harry said. "It could be hexed."
"And this is coming from the guy who said I was paranoid when I thought the Firebolt was jinxed," Hermione retorted sardonically. "Besides, I've been wearing it all morning and nothing's happened."
Their conversation was cut short by the start of Care of Magical Creatures.
"Everyone, c'mon," Hagrid said leading them towards the Forbidden Forest. "Yer goin' to want the whole time today."
"I wonder what that great oaf has in store for us today," a drawling voice said behind Hermione. "Two galleons that it's some illegal beast."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to turn around.
"Malfoy, you would think that since we've been studying centaurs for the past week, we'd probably be doing the same thing today. Even Neville could figure that out."
"God Granger. I was only joking, no need to go all brainiac on us."
"Shut it Malfoy," Harry said stepping into the conversation.
"Who is the famous Harry Potter defending today?" Draco asked sarcastically turning to face Harry. "That bloody oaf Hagrid or the mudblood Granger? Either of them seem to be able to fend for themselves."
"I'm warning you Malfoy." Harry's face was turning red and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. "Crabbe and Goyle aren't here to save you neck this time."
Both boys had been in the hospital wing for at least a week. They had stumbled across a copy of the Polyjuice Potion and decided to switch bodies for an hour. Predictably they had done something wrong and were stuck halfway between their body and the other's.
"What makes you think that I need them to beat you to a pulp?" Malfoy said, his blue-gray eyes boring into Harry's.
This statement surprised Hermione, who never thought of Malfoy being capable of holding his own in a fight. But a second later, it made sense-- he had four years of Quidditch training under his belt after all.
"Malfoy! Harry! Break it up yeh ter!" Hagrid's voice boomed before quieting to give instructions to the class. "Since we've been studying centaurs for the past week, yer going to put what yeh've learned to the test. Ronan has kindly agreed to hide in the forest. There are clues about his whereabouts hidden among things that we associate with centaurs."
"We're going into the forest?" Draco asked, his voice rising several octaves. The last time Hermione heard his voice that shrill was when Filtch announced that they were going into the forest for a detention. It seemed that Draco's trepidation of the forest hadn't decreasedover the years.
"Yeh'll be in no danger," Hagrid continued. "Yer only goin' to be in a small area on the edge. Ronan an' I combed the place this mornin'. There's nuthin' dangerous in there."
"We have differing opinions of dangerous." Malfoy muttered, his voice still several pitches above it's normal tone.
"Not so brave now, are you Malfoy?" Harry said with a touch of taunting in his voice. "Still haven't gotten over your cold feet? Well, maybe not cold. Downright frigid is more like it."
"Shut up Harry. When you ask girls out, your feet make mine look like hot tamales."
"Malfoy, you say one more word..."
"I heard that not only did Cho turn you down for the Yule Ball two years ago, but she also turned you down at last year's Christmas and Valentine's Day dances."
"Think we should intervene?" Ron whispered to Hermione.
"Nah. One of them would bit of our heads if we tried. Besides, this is getting interesting."
"And then you asked Parvati, and after the Yule Ball incident she wouldn't go with you either. So you 'came down with the "flu" on the day of both the dances."
"I had influenza!" Harry yelled at Malfoy. "And at least I have taste in girls. Not going is better than being seen in public with Pansy Parkinson."
"Excuse me?" Pansy's pug-like face appeared over Draco's shoulder.
"And it gets more interesting," Ron commented to Hermione. "Who would have guessed that Care of Magical Creatures could be this fun?"
Unfortunately for Hermione and Ron, the morning's entertainment was cut short by Hagrid coming over to separate the two boys.
"Alright, now that that's settled, please pair up so we can get started. Fang an' I will be patrolin' the perimeter of our game area to make sure none of yer go too far into the forest. After yer get paired up, yer can start on in. Good luck."
Around Hermione, everyone began pairing up. Harry and Ron. Dean and Seamus. Pansy and Blaize. A moment later, she and Draco were the only ones partnerless.
Everyone was starting into the forest when a still seething Slytherin turned to Hermione. "I guess that puts us together then."
Hermione sighed. "I guess so." She started towards the forest, but Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
"You know Hermione, we don't have to go into the forest. We could just stay out here and tell everyone that we gave up."
"Oh my God, Malfoy. Harry was right-- you are a wimp."
She had pressed the right button, and Draco reluctantly followed her into the depths of the forest. Even the bright autumn sun didn't penetrate the thick canopy.
"Where do you think we should look?" Hermione asked Draco who stopped poking a suspicious shrub to answer.
"How about a wild grape vine since they're usually drinking wine."
"Or an open meadow; they're into astronomy," Hermione added.
"Shall we then?" Draco held out his arm as if to escort Hermione into a dance.
"Whatever Malfoy," Hermione said ignoring the arm and taking a path through the bushes.
"Or maybe not," Draco muttered following her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What will happen in the Forbidden Forest? You find out a lot sooner if you just hit that little review button down there. Please, that's all I ask-- some good reviewing.
Special sneak preview-- Draco saves Hermione's life!!
Kudos! lana-la-banana