Chapter Three Hermione crouched over her notebad. Her fingures were sore from how tightly she held the quill. They allmost seamed to throb. She could feal Draco's eyes on her. She slouched her shoulders and whished she could hide under the compftering folds of Harry's invisibility cloak. She knew something was up, could feal as surely as a bird feals the coming storm. She'd always hated Draco on Harry's part, but would she have to start hateing him on her own? Her thoughts were interupted when a sharp jab in her side turned out to be Harry's bony elbow. "sppt! What are you writing?" he hissed. "Snape stopped talking, you know."
"I...er..." Hermione started, then stopped. What WAS she writing? She realized she'd been scribbling madly just to hide and distract herself and she had no idea WHAT! Slowly, Hermione corrected her posture, sliding her sheltering arm from the page, fealing almost afraid. The page was a labrynth of ink lines and splotches. Relief flooded Hermiones whole. Harry looked disapointed. He shrugged, then grinned an elvish grin. His emrald eyes sparkled as they sought out hers, and he seamed freindly and very very clueless. His black hair stuck up at random angles, and his glasses seamed more crooked then normal. "For once YOU'RE the one who isn't working!" Harry joked.
Hermione smiled and Harry turned her back to her. She was beginning to notice what Harry hadn't. AT the middle of the page, the scribbles lost the arbitraryness that defined them and took on the guise of a single word, a single name:
Draco.
Hermione looked around swiftly, one arm firmly planted over the page. She had been so preocupied, so worried about the blonde slytherin....surely her nerves had spelt out her anxietys for her? It couldn't be anything else, could it? As she glanced about, she seamed fidgetty and fretfull as a squirrle scouting for potential thefts of a nut hoard. She turned and found herself locked in Draco's Icy blue gaze.
Draco smirked. His eyes were hazy, almost misty like the sea cloaked by a mourning fog. As though Draco was currently residing inside the depths of Draco. In a daydream.
It was hard for Hermione to imagine what Draco would have to daydream about.
She quickly looked away. But not before she caught a flicker of something confusing in Draco's gaze. Regrette? Surprise?Guilt?It could mean almost anything, that sharp blue glint.
"The notes you are takeing must be very thorough, Hermione Granger. Would you care to explain to anyone who's notes are not how precisely to go about adding ingrediants to the NightVision Elixer?" Hermiones amber eyes bulged. What was she supposed to say? A lot of scribbles and Draco? Hell, her notes made less sense than snow in July!
Discretely, Harry elbowed his paper into her veiw. If she shifted in her seat....mabye Snape wouldn't notice.
too late to worry, Hermione started to read:"Simmer the Owl talons untill the claws start to peel. Then add the Moon Flower, petal by petal." she looked up and met Snapes challenging stare. She made a guess and said:"It won't work if you add them whole." Snape looked passive. Hermione drew a shuddering breath and glanced back to the paper, taking advantage of the moment to read the next ingrediant."and then the...."but it ended there. There was more!! That Harry hadn't written! Hermione panicked.
Pointedly, Snape raised an eyebrow.
Hermione looked franticly to Harry, who was no help at all. She turned slightly, as though she thought the answer might materialize before her. Draco looked amused and irritated. Hermione felt frozen.
and then the gimwart. He mouthed. But he hadn't bothered to turn towards Crab and Goyle. Was it a trap? Or had he simply been saying the right answer to himself,hopeing she wouldn't notice?
She had to take the chance.
"...and lastly, the gimwart."Hermiones voice quavered.
Snape stared her down for a long moment. Hermione recoiled, fealing like a flower wilting under the heat of a magnifying glass held to the sun. Then he nodded abruptly and turned back to his desk.
Square shouldered back to the class, he said:"You may begin."
Hermione smiled and Harry turned her back to her. She was beginning to notice what Harry hadn't. AT the middle of the page, the scribbles lost the arbitraryness that defined them and took on the guise of a single word, a single name:
Draco.
Hermione looked around swiftly, one arm firmly planted over the page. She had been so preocupied, so worried about the blonde slytherin....surely her nerves had spelt out her anxietys for her? It couldn't be anything else, could it? As she glanced about, she seamed fidgetty and fretfull as a squirrle scouting for potential thefts of a nut hoard. She turned and found herself locked in Draco's Icy blue gaze.
Draco smirked. His eyes were hazy, almost misty like the sea cloaked by a mourning fog. As though Draco was currently residing inside the depths of Draco. In a daydream.
It was hard for Hermione to imagine what Draco would have to daydream about.
She quickly looked away. But not before she caught a flicker of something confusing in Draco's gaze. Regrette? Surprise?Guilt?It could mean almost anything, that sharp blue glint.
"The notes you are takeing must be very thorough, Hermione Granger. Would you care to explain to anyone who's notes are not how precisely to go about adding ingrediants to the NightVision Elixer?" Hermiones amber eyes bulged. What was she supposed to say? A lot of scribbles and Draco? Hell, her notes made less sense than snow in July!
Discretely, Harry elbowed his paper into her veiw. If she shifted in her seat....mabye Snape wouldn't notice.
too late to worry, Hermione started to read:"Simmer the Owl talons untill the claws start to peel. Then add the Moon Flower, petal by petal." she looked up and met Snapes challenging stare. She made a guess and said:"It won't work if you add them whole." Snape looked passive. Hermione drew a shuddering breath and glanced back to the paper, taking advantage of the moment to read the next ingrediant."and then the...."but it ended there. There was more!! That Harry hadn't written! Hermione panicked.
Pointedly, Snape raised an eyebrow.
Hermione looked franticly to Harry, who was no help at all. She turned slightly, as though she thought the answer might materialize before her. Draco looked amused and irritated. Hermione felt frozen.
and then the gimwart. He mouthed. But he hadn't bothered to turn towards Crab and Goyle. Was it a trap? Or had he simply been saying the right answer to himself,hopeing she wouldn't notice?
She had to take the chance.
"...and lastly, the gimwart."Hermiones voice quavered.
Snape stared her down for a long moment. Hermione recoiled, fealing like a flower wilting under the heat of a magnifying glass held to the sun. Then he nodded abruptly and turned back to his desk.
Square shouldered back to the class, he said:"You may begin."