Chapter 35: Bubblegum
"Lavender! Parvati! What are you two doing here?" Hermione asked.
"Well, we um. Lavender?" Parvati turned to her friend.
"Oh, um we wanted to find you to ask about the dance, but we can see that you are busy. We'll be going now" Lavender rushed to end, trying to think.
'What we need is a way for them to be unable to leave the room. Like chewed bubble gum on the floor' Hermione thought, concentrating hard.
Suddenly chewed bubble gum appeared underneath Lavender and Parvati's feet.
"Guys, this is very important, how much did you hear?" Hermione asked in a calm voice.
"Nothing. I swear" Laventer claimed.
"Wait a minute. Lavender, what are your thoughts on a cheerleading team uniforms for quiditch? I was thinking micro-mini flared skirts with the underpants thing and sportsbra-like tops with gold sleeves. Ginny liked the idea but she thought that we should rethink the underpants thing. She said that we don't need it" Hermione asked.
"Oh hell no! She can wear baggy pants and a sweatshirt t-oh that's low Hermione" Lavender blurted.
"RON YOU LITTLE-"
"Weasley, that is low. Lower than even I would go." Draco said, his hand over Hermione's mouth, his other holding her wrists behind her back.
"What do you mean?" Parvati asked.
"And Parvati, what are you planning to wear to the dance, THE ONE THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT?" Hermione asked after she bit Draco's finger, causing him to remove it from her mouth.
"Ron told me." She said innocently. In fact, Harry is with Lavender right n-oops"
"RONALD WEASLEY! I'M GONNA-" Draco put his hand over her mouth again.
"Hermione, let's talk about this rationally. Otherwise information that they do not know might slip. Now Weasley, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU HEAR?" Draco said
"Why the hell should I tell you Malfoy?" Ron said.
"Because Hermione knows secrets about you that can get you expelled. And also because you're stuck in bubble-gum and we're not" Draco said with a wide smile.
"We heard that you know that Harry and I have been suspicious." Ron sadly turned to Hermione "I'm sorry Hermione. We know that we can trust you with anything in the world, but with him, we don't know what to think. So lately we've been arguing about weather we should trust you, or not trust him." Ron looked at Hermione's betrayed face. It was so full of fury.
Draco slowly let go of Hermione's mouth, but didn't trust her to let go of her hands, knowing that she was her father's daughter and not knowing what to expect her to do.
"Ron," she began slowly "I'm sorry that you feel this way, but why did you not come to talk to me about this? How could you and Harry not trust me? Y-"
"We do trust you 'Mione" Ron said with pleading eyes.
"But you don't trust my company, which is just like not trusting me. I might as well let your suspicions come true and turn you over to my father." Hermoine said, not seriously though
"Hermione!" Ron's eyes widened. "NO! PLEASE! I-"
"Ron, I wasn't being serious, but you didn't know that. I have to go. So much has been going on." Hermione turned her head to face Draco. "I'll see you later. Can you please let go of me so that I can leave?"
Draco made a small smile and let go of her, trying hard not to kiss her.
"If you do anything to them I'll have to kill you." With that Hermione walked out of the room.
The bubblegum disappeared.
"Parvati, please leave the room. I must speak with Malfoy" Parvati looked at the two boys and quickly left the room.
"Well obviously you have something to say Weasley" Malfoy said, breaking a long silence.
Hermione walked to the Gryffindor tower.
"Rose, do you know if Harry is in the tower?" Hermione asked when she got to the portrait.
She looked up, but saw no one in the frame. A muffled noise came from behind the canvas.
"Rose? Are you there?" Hermione brushed the frame with the tips of her fingers. She looked up and placed her hand on the painting.
She was then pulled somewhere. The canvas was a portkey!
"Hermione!" Rose yelled as the canvas in front of her's disappeared. "HELP! SOMEONE! PLEASE!"
"What is going on?" She heard as she was thrown open.
"Hello? Is anyone out there?"
"Close the door! Close the door!" Rose called out.
The person closed the entrance and revealed that most of the people who were in the tower were standing in front of her.
"GO GET DUMBLEDORE! AND THE MALFOY BOY! AND RONALD WEASLEY!" Rose told a Virginia Weasley. "Harry, come here. Everyone else please go help find Draco, Dumbledore and Ron!"
Everyone looked at her confused, but did as told.
"Excuse me, ma'am" Harry said to the portrait "but what is going on?"
"Hermione has been kidnapped!" Rose blurted out. "When everyone comes here I shall explain."
"Oh dear," Harry turned around and saw Dumbledore.
"Sir, the portrait claims that Hermione has been kidnapped." Harry told the older man. "She refuses to give any info-"
"I heard mister Potter. Do not fret, I swear that she shall be brought back"
"I can't find Ron or Malfoy" Ginny said as she ran to the three, erm, people.
"I'll be back in a second" Harry said as he rushed upstairs.
"What is he doing?" Ginny asked Dumbledore
"Searching" Dumbledore said simply.
"They are in the Room of Requirement Ginny" Harry said as he rushed out of the common room, accidentally slamming Rose open.
"UMPH!" she said as her face slammed into the wall for the second time today
"Sorry, Ginny please get them quickly so that we can find out what is going on!" Harry urged.
Ginny rushed off, wondering how Harry knew where the two boys were and why they were together.
"RON! MALFOY! HERMIONE! DUMBLEDORE! THE PORTRAIT!" Ginny panted out when she got to the room of requirement. "HURRY!"
"Ginny, calmly this time" Ron said.
"Hermione! Something's happened! Got to the portrait of the Fat Lady! HURRY!" She then took in the situation that she saw.
"What are you two doing in the same room? At the same time? Not bloody or injured or anything?" She asked
"No time! Weasley, where is the portrait!" Draco yelled as he ran out of the room
"This way" Ron said. The two rushed to the Gryffindor tower.
"Ah, here you two are" Dumbledore greeted them "Now Rose, please tell us what happened."
"Well, here I was minding my own business when some man walked up to my portrait and covered it with a canvas. I heard him say a spell, I think he said 'portus' or something. A few minutes later I heard footsteps. It was Hermione, and I know because she called out my name. I yelled, telling her not to touch the canvas, but she only heard mumbles, and automatically tried to find out what was going on and touched the canvas. It then disappeared with her. It was then that I yelled for help." Rose said quickly.
"Well, is that all that happened?" Dumbledore asked, pondering what he had just heard.
"No," Rose said thinking "The man said something about the beautiful princess, and something being his. He also mentioned a little wrench ruining the plans and pushing her off a broomstick not working"
"THE KING!" Malfoy yelled out.
Everyone turned to him, confused about the outburst.
"Hermione told me about when she was little. The king pushed her off of a broom, but she pulled him down with her and landed on him" He slowly explained.
"But that was supposed to have been erased whe-oops" Dumbledore said.
"YOU KNEW!?" Draco yelled at the older man
"I was sworn to secrecy. Wizard's oath" Dumbledore explained. "But now, what are we to do? We must get Hermione back"
Dumbledore's eyes were hard as he went into deep thought.
"In a few days he mother shall be arriving. Until then I want no mention of this. She is in the infirmary, ill. We shall go back to the potion story. I want absolutely no word of this to reach the ministry. Do not worry boys, she shall be found." He said.
"Profesor, what am I to do about her father? He said to watch her or else." Draco said. "And I swear that if anything happens to her I shall-"
"Shove it Malfoy. Professor, who is her mother?" Harry asked.
"She is a woman by many a name. You shall find out soon enough." Dumbledore said mystically.
"So is this like that book she made me read? Wicked. 'A child of both worlds'" Draco asked the old man.
"Yes Mister Malfoy" he proudly responded. "But do not worry, she shall be found."
"What are we going to do sir?" Harry piped in.
"Do not worry. I assure you that we shall find her in an orderly fashion." He said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Dumbledore, shall I inform the other paintings?" Rose asked.
"No Rose. That will not be necessary. Everyone, please-" Dumbledore began.
"ROSE!" A voice from behind Rose called. A woman wearing a Violet dress with long, blond hair and green eyes came running to Rose. This woman had a similar body build as Rose.
"VIOLET? What is wrong?" Rose asked.
"News in the paintings! I heard from Sir Edward who heard from Girl with Bucket that there is a girl in the royal family painting. A real girl." Violet told her friend.
"Which portrait?" Dumbledore asked in a severe tone.
"The one in the guest room! Oh my. I hear that the poor dear is in such a fright. No one can get to her though because a spell has been placed over the room." Violet told the anxious group.
"Then how do you know?" Ron questioned the woman.
"The mirror! The spell was reflected off of her, go figure, and she called out and that whiny ghost girl, Nyrtle or something-"
"Myrtle" Harry corrected.
"Oh so it is. Well she told the Girl with Bucket who told Sir Edward. It's all over the school by now."
"Ronald and Harry please get Professor McGonagall and tell her of the occurrences. Tell her that I shall be taking leave until the ball." Dumbledore turned to Draco. "Miser Malfoy, please come with me."
The two groups walked away, leaving the two women in the portrait.