A little pre-note from me: Well this is chapter 4 then! Thanks to all my reviewers! And lovely foe, I think the reason its not on d/h R stuff is because I didn't pick specific characters because I wasn't sure how this would work out and didn't want to constrict my options! Sorry! But I'm glad you love my story and the only way I can think to make it easier for you to find it is if you do an author search and I think so far I am the only mystical with a small 'm'. Hope I could help! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you all like this one too!

A Little Remnant

            Hermione held up the bottle. Polyjuice Potion. She had secretly saved a few drops of the potion when Harry, Ron and she had first made it in second year. Before the boys had joined her in Myrtle's bathroom, she had bottled it so that the final hair was still to be added. There was just enough left for one person. If she took this, she could easily slip down into the Slytherin common room and ask Draco about his feelings. Granted, she'd have to work out a more subtle approach but it would all run like clockwork if it worked out right. If. After all, she had turned into a cat last year – an experience she'd prefer not to repeat. But she would be more careful this time. Snape had recently taught them how to make a potion to determine whether or not a hair was animal or human. Freaky coincidence, but one she was now very grateful of.

            She would take the potion tonight. But first she'd need to get a hair…where the hell is she going to get a Slytherin hair at this time? Then she got a brainwave – she was prone to them, after all. It was obvious really. She'd go down to the Great Hall and look for a hair among the Slytherin table – Draco and his cronies always sat in the same places so she could take Crabbe or Goyle's hair. Well, only one of them had hair, but she could never remember their names. Those cakes with the sleeping potion were easy to brew up so she'd just fool them with that again. Unfortunately for them, the years had not been kind to them in the knowledge department. They were still gormless idiots, but for once that was an advantage. To her, anyhow.

            She packed the potion away under her bed again and went down to the Great Hall, still complimenting herself on how genius her plan was. She started humming a muggle song as she walked quietly over to the Slytherin table. When she got to where Draco usually sits she bent down to search for any hairs. She found a few long silvery blonde ones, presumably Malfoy's, so she knew she was looking in the right area. She smiled as she found one greasy hair that looked like it matched one of his 'bodyguards'. Perfect.

Hermione stood up happily and started walking away, humming that song again.

"Miss Granger?" said a cold voice from behind her.

She spun round quickly to see Professor Snape standing at the teacher's platform at the front of the room. Shit – of all people!

She put on what she hoped was an innocent looking smile.

"Professor Snape! What a surprise!" she called, a little too enthusiastically.

"What are you doing here?" he drawled.

"Oh I thought I left a book down here." She explained in an off-hand voice. He looked at her empty hands questioningly.

"But I didn't." she concluded. Well duh Hermione, we all figured that one out ages ago!

"I see." Snape said. Oh my God was he actually buying this? She was a better liar than she gave herself credit for!

"And you were under the table because…." He started. Damn, it was all a ploy – he wasn't buying any of it! She was a really bad liar who didn't even know when other people are lying.

"Because…" she stalled. "Because I dropped an earring!"

Crap I hope he doesn't notice my ears aren't pierced.

"Oh." He said completely uninterested. Not like Snape to miss up an opportunity to make me feel small. Maybe he was just tired.

"10 points from Gryffindor for loitering and lying Miss Granger." He added before leaving.

Hermione looked at him. What had he said?

"Lying, Professor?" she asked nonchalantly.

"You don't have pierced ears Miss Granger." He stated, matter-of-factly. Hermione's hands darted to her ears immediately. Damn.

"However, I am not going to persist in such trivial matters." He paused before giving her a look of disgust and showing his trade mark upper lip snarl. "God only knows what goes through that head of yours."

With that he swept out the door he had just come through. What the hell was that last comment about?

Hermione smiled. She had what she had come for. Now she could get started.

*~*~*~*~*

          Hermione stirred the potion carefully. She couldn't afford to let any spill over the cauldron, seeing as she had so little.  She added the hair and stirred some more, a smug smile spreading on her face.  After a few more minutes stirring, she leaned in closer to smell it.  Grotesque - most probably a good sign.  She took a deep breath. Then another, just for good measure. She looked at her watch.  7.45 pm. If she took it now, she'd make sure she was back for 8.40, to give her enough time to change back.  She was using Myrtle's bathroom again and had told Harry and Ron she was going on a walk – she knew that way they wouldn't follow her.

            Pouring the potion into the glass carefully, she thought what she would say. Nothing came to mind.

"Aw crap! What the hell am I going to say?" she said. Or at least she thought it was her. Hermione looked in the mirror.

"Jesus!" the thing looking back at her in the mirror was not small and graceful Hermione Granger. It was a big, lumbering, ugly thing. At least the potion had worked, but she was still taken aback by her reflection of Crabbe. Or Goyle. Which one was it? Damnit, I should have found out she thought.  But it would work out somehow. Hopefully.

*~*~*~*~*

            Several minutes later, Hermione found herself walking down the steps to the Slytherin dungeons. Then it struck her she didn't actually know the password. It was then Millicent Bulstrode walked past her. Hermione yelled over.

            "Hey! Millicent, what's the new password again?" she asked in a low drawl. She'd never actually heard whoever the hell's voice this was so the outcome was still surprising her.

            "It hasn't changed yet Goyle." She sighed impatiently. So I'm Goyle then, with bristly hair. Right, remember that. "It's still the same."

            Hermione/Goyle looked at her stupidly, hoping she'd tell them the password. She sighed another drama-queen style sigh.

            "How could you forget it? It's the best one we've ever had! It's 'Potter is a bastard'."  She said.

            "Excuse me?" Hermione asked incredulously. Then she remembered who she was. "Oh yeah, 'course. Thanks." She said. Millicent sighed and walked away. Damn that girl liked to sigh.

Hermione staggered over to the entrance and muttered the password, then stepped inside.

"Goyle!" a deep growl came from the left. She turned round to see Crabbe running towards her. What was he doing here?

"Fuck! I forgot to do the sleeping cake!" she whispered to herself. Crabbe came over.

"Did Madame Pomfrey let you out already? She said you had to stay in for at least two days after that spell Draco put on you." He said. 'So I'm in the hospital wing' Hermione thought. Luck was finally being nice to her.

"She, um, let me out for…" she looked at her watch "45 minutes."

"Oh ok. But that spell Draco put on you, that'll mean you won't remember this will you?" Crabbe asked hopefully. More luck!

"Sure why not!" she said smiling. "I mean, yeah."

"Good." Crabbe grabbed her arm and pulled her into a corner and they sat down. Oh oh, this wasn't supposed to happen. Damn you luck!

"Draco is really annoying me." He started. Hermione, intrigued, perked up. "He treats me like a gormless henchman, and my father says I have to obey him because his father is a very powerful Deatheater even though Draco has been refused into the Deatheather association. But Draco thinks he's brilliant and doesn't ever give me any chance to express my feelings. And he's making us do badly in classes. He's confiscated all my Oscar Wilde books because he was a muggle. It's not my fault I appreciate good writing. And he's been worse since both Pansy and Millicent refused to go out with him. He doesn't understand anything, and for someone who acts all smart, he is never willing to discuss interesting topics that I am engrossed by, such as literature, philosophy, politics and psychology. Don't you feel the same way too?" he said at an abnormally fast speed.

Hermione was baffled. She had never heard him string so many sentences together in one go, and she wasn't sure he had even taken a breath in that entire rant. This was too much to take in. All this information on Draco and Crabbe. Wow.

"Huh?" she asked, still dumbfounded. If Crabbe could work properly in class, he could easily rival her in grades. And that was something she didn't like admitting.

Crabbe smiled. "You don't remember what I just said do you?" he asked. Hermione shook her head in agreement.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to repeat this to him. I just needed to get it off my chest."

"'k" Hermione said, looking into space, still trying to come to terms with what he had said.

Crabbe stood up and slapped her on the back, making her fall slightly forward.

"Thanks Goyle. Too bad about that spell – it looked painful." He gave a sympathetic smile and walked off, scowling at people on the way to feed their lowly view of him. Hermione nodded in agreement, even though he was gone. She looked at her watch. 35 minutes left. She scanned the room quickly for Draco and found him sitting alone beside the fire. She sauntered over to him.

He looked up. "You're back then." He stated. Hermione nodded and started to sit down.

"Did I give you permission to sit?" he asked. Hermione looked at him. He really was a slave driver. He sighed. "Sit."

She sat down and looked at him. Did she need permission to talk?

He looked up from the roaring fire he had been looking into. "Did you want something?" he asked.

"Um…" she started. How would she do this then? She looked at her watch. 30 minutes. Better cut to the chase.

"So um, what were you doing with me – I mean, Granger today?" she asked.

"What?" he asked, his voice nervous now.

"I um, saw you talking to her earlier." She said.

"Oh. When I was talking Granger." He said. "Hermione." He smiled.

"Thought you didn't like her." She stated.

"Never said that. I don't like her company – Potter and that lot. Never really talked to her." He resumed staring into the fire.

"Well, you were today." She said, then added "Actually, you were standing pretty close."

He smiled. "Yeah I was, wasn't I?" he laughed inwardly.

"Um, yeah." She said. "Why?" Hermione hoped she didn't sound too blunt.

"Well…" Draco looked around him, summing up who was there. He seemed happy enough that only a few first years were in another corner talking. "Goyle, can you keep a secret?" he whispered.

Hermione felt her stomach churn. "Uh huh."

"Well, I think I love Hermione Granger."