A/N: I am so sorry. I haven't updated in like 4 months but I have been lazy. I know I have. Sometimes I don't even know if people like this story so I just stopped writing and just about gave up but reading more Hr/D stories has inspired me to carry on so I hope that people aren't too mad.
Disclaimer: Everyone knows that nothing Harry Potter belongs to me. Let's put a twist into this story shall we?!
Chapter 12; What Side Does He Choose
Throughout the day, Hermione kept looking at the ring. She was so sure that it shone when there was no light on it and that the eyes kept glinting. It didn't bother her though; this was the magical world after all.
Snape was talking as usual and Hermione avidly believed that most of the time, it was because he just loved to hear himself speak, that and bullying the Gryffindor's. He just loved to snark at them. Hermione had written all that she was going to in this lesson. She was a month ahead of her studies and thus meant that she was entitled to a few minutes of ignoring the idiot talk about potions she had known about since before she had started Hogwarts.
Hermione focused her attention on the grubby floor which she doubted had ever seen the clean side of a mop. Her eyes wandered over to a burn right where Neville Longbottom stood. It was obviously from when he had melted one of his or Seamus' cauldrons. Neville was too accident prone but at least his memory had improved. Although this did not mean that he was any the more brave in Severus Snape's company.
Hermione heard Snape throw a question to Harry in which Harry immediately answered and to Snape's surprise, the answer was correct. Harry really was doing well in class. She saw Draco throw Harry a smirk and frowned.
"Miss Granger." Snape snarled (yes, he is now a feline). "How long does it take to make a Polygenic Potion?"
Wow, Hermione thought He must be going loopy; we already did this in year 5.
She cleared her throat and answered clearly. "One month sir."
Snape gave her a dirty look and turned around to write on the blackboard. "Now you may all be wondering why I am asking you all these questions when they have already been covered. The answer is that your NEWTs do not just involve the potions that you have learnt this year; they involve an intense knowledge of absolutely every potion that has ever been made under this ceiling by you," At this he turned and smirked at Neville who cowered in return. "and some that haven't."
Absolutely everyone in the class sat up straight at this new bout of information, everyone except Hermione that is.
Snape was still talking about resources that would be essential if they intended to pass their Potions NEWT and suddenly, the class understood why they were called Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests.
The class ended half an hour later with all the students feeling as if they had taken a test, it was that draining and Hermione was already starting to feel the effects of nausea that plagued her before she ever took a test or exam. Nobody knew this and she was careful to hide it for everyone.
* * * * *
Someone grabbed Hermione from behind and on reflex, she jumped and squealed. She panicked before all rational thought could overtake.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to scare you." Ginny cried, distraught that she could have hurt her friends to wounds that weren't completely healed, no matter how good a show she put on.
Hermione shook her head a little and smiled and her friend. Feeling her heart rate return to normal, she allowed herself to speak. "Don't worry about it Gin. I guess that I'm still a little jumpy. Did you want something?"
Ginny mock scowled. "Do I need permission to talk to my best friend? Because if I do, I could go and get a little slip with a stamp."
Hermione cringed. "I'm sorry Gin, am I being snappish?"
Ginny smiled and shook her head. "I was just messing with you."
The littlest Weasley caught sight of the glint on Hermione's finger and grabbed her hand. "Wow, pretty with just a slight touch of SLYTHERIN don't you think?"
Hermione snatched her hand back and shrugged, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "Just something that Julie gave me for my birthday."
Ginny cocked an eyebrow at her best friend, clearly not believing a word that was uttered from between those lips. "Right, and when you have little Malfoy's running around your feet, I'll tell them that you got their father mixed up with a girl."
Hermione crossed her arms across her chest, a reflex action that she had had since childhood. As if to protect herself. "And you instantly jump to Draco because?"
Ginny was grinning mischeviously, leaning against the brick wall while copying Hermione's actions. "Because I already know that Julie got you a gorgeous set of dress robes, girls got great taste, and that Draco" She knowingly stretched the name "is probably the only Slytherin that would give that to you. A Gryffindor would never give you a snake. Oh, and I have also seen him wearing a similar ring. Aren't I clever?"
Hermione groaned. "You wouldn't be a prefect otherwise. Do you think I should take it off?"
Ginny took a deep unneeded breath, "The Slytherin's are way too dumb to realize that you are wearing their mascot, the only Slytherin that would have noticed is Draco and he gave it to you so no need to worry there. Us Gryffindor girls don't mind because he's hot (don't tell Harry I said that) and the boys won't mind because you're alive. I've said my piece and now I believe that there is a Sheppard's Pie with my name on it in the Great Hall. Well maybe Ron's name but I can steal it."
Ginny gave a huge grin and departed, waving.
Hermione rather wanted to go back to Gryffindor Tower and grab a couple of winks in her old bed which was still hers if she wanted use of it. She walked down the hallways that she knew so well after 6 years in this school and sighed, she loved this place and only hoped that she would be able to come back and visit it again after she left. She knew the stone walls off by heart and it couldn't trick her anymore. She was one corridor away from her haven when she bumped into the obvious gang of Slytherin's with Draco Malfoy within their midst. She saw that he was there so she could care less what the others had to say and she carried on walking.
She had just walked past their gang when she felt her head yanked back hard. It was so vicious that she bent far back and she was watching the scene upside-down. "You think that you can call me cheap and easy, then stun me and get away with it. Try all of us now! I dare you!" Pansy screeched.
Hermione was having trouble breathing and she could feel the blood pounding in her ears and rushing to her brain. She couldn't take much more of this manhandling that people had in their minds to reek upon her. First Voldemort, then Pansy and now the entire Slytherin house. What was worst was that Draco was part of it and he was obviously doing nothing to prevent it. His face was devoid of all emotion while he stood there and did nothing.
Hermione elbowed Pansy in the side, causing Pansy to let go in shock and pain. Still the Slytherin's stood around with dumb expressions on their faces. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at all of them, including Malfoy. "You know, Slytherin House shouldn't be named for housing students who are Cunning and Ambitious because all of you are a load of idiots who don't have two brains cells to rub together. And incase any of you are thinking of taking me on, just try it and believe me, they don't call me the cleverest witch at Hogwarts for nothing!"
When none of them made a move to reciprocate, Hermione glowered at them and used the fingers of her right hand to remove the ring Malfoy had given her for her birthday off of her middle right finger while still keeping a firm grip on her wand in the left. When she finally managed to get the ring off, she threw it at Malfoy's feet where it fell with one note of finality. The she turned and stalked off to Gryffindor Tower while promising herself that she would not step foot inside the Head and Prefect room for anything other than meetings and to sleep. She would not socialize with anymore Slytherin's ever again. She had learnt her lesson. Well at least now my question's answered. When push comes to shove, he'll stick with evil.
* * * * *
Hermione stormed through the portrait hole, ignoring Harry's inquiring look and headed straight for her old room. She fell onto her bed, spent and upset. It was no use. She was asleep within seconds.
Thought Hermione was asleep for only half an hour, it would have been longer if Ginny hadn't come in and woken her up. It was obvious from the look on her face that she did know what had happened. It actually took Hermione a while to remember because of the fact that her middle right finger felt naked. Ginny was smiling but she had a slight look of worry behind her eyes.
"Harry came and found me, said that you didn't look yourself and that you might need someone to talk to. He would have come himself but after Ron's experience in your 5th year, I think he's learnt his lesson. Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny looked genuinely worried.
Hermione lifted her head defiantly if not a little quickly, fighting away the head rush at lifting her head too fast. "There's nothing to say. I just wanted to sleep here for once and I guess that I didn't see Harry on my way up. He didn't call for me or anything."
Ginny tried a different tact. "He said that you looked upset and if I may say so myself, it shows." She pointedly looked at Hermione's right hand "no ring Hermione. What did he do?"
Hermione answered truthfully. "Nothing." The answer was flat, no feeling or emotion behind it. The walls came up. "Ginny, I'm staying here for a little while. I'll be by to pick my toothbrush and nightie later and if you love me at all, you'll call for me when everyone else is asleep or better yet, you can bring it down and leave it for me on the Gryffindor sofa." Hermione had a look of pure pleading in her eyes which Ginny couldn't refuse. She picked at Hermione's comforter and sighed heavily.
Ginny stood up while still facing Hermione. "Okay. Of course I'll do it and I understand if you don't want to talk about it right now. At least this way I can't tell a lie if I don't know anything right? I'll leave your things for you on the sofa and make sure that everyone's asleep. You probably don't want to go up your own stairs because Malfoy shares the same hallway right?"
Ginny took Hermione's blink for assent.
"Confrontations are bad when wounds are raw. Things get said and done. Your things will be waiting. I really am sorry Hermione. For whatever happened."
Ginny turned to leave but turned back. "If you don't mind me asking, you don't want to got to your room but you will come to the common room. Why?"
Hermione smiled, slightly and sadly, but it was still a smile. "I'm not going to be branded a coward by anyone. This way, I'm only a halfway coward. Just don't let anyone see that you're bringing my things down."
Ginny nodded. "If they don't see it, how will they know that you're not a coward?"
"I'll know, and that's enough for me." Hermione lay back down on her bed and closed her eyes. Ginny took this as a sign to leave and did just that.
* * * * *
Ginny got to the bottom of the stairs only to be bombarded with questions by her boyfriend and brother. She gave them a pitying look and shook her head slowly. "Guys, some space please."
Harry and Ron backed off, allowing her to join them on the long, red, velvet couch. "So how is she?" Harry asked.
"Asleep." Ginny answered truthfully. Before her brother or boyfriend could ask her the obvious question she said. "Hermione didn't tell me anything and that's the truth. She'll speak in her own time but until then. Just be friends, not German dictators please, for me Harry…Ron?"
Both boys frowned but nodded in agreement. Ginny patted both boys on the head and left through the passageway into her quarters. They called after her. "We're not dog's you know!" They heard her laughing as the door closed behind the tapestry.
* * * * *
Hermione woke up at 11pm to the voices of Parvati and Lavender in their vocal quest for boys of any age and type. She sighed in relief to know that they were not taking about her, but then, she doubted that many people knew what had happened earlier that day. She sat up in bed and looked at the girls, Hermione hadn't bothered to draw the hangings before she had drifted off to never never land.
"Hey Hermione. Harry and Ron are downstairs, playing Chess again." Lavender said.
Hermione nodded. "Don't you want to go down and watch you're boyfriend beat the crap out of Harry's pieces?"
Lavender shook her head. "Nope, seen it too many times. I bet that even I could beat Harry at that game and it gets old very fast.-"
Hermione nodded, knowing exactly what Lavender meant.
"-and besides, I'm helping Parvati look for a guy. It can be very upsetting when your twin sister has a boyfriend and you don't."
Hermione didn't much feel like talking about boys so she nodded, gave her two cents, "I'm sure you won't have to look far Parvati. Dean and Seamus like you." And saying goodbye; left them to it.
* * * * *
Harry and Ron were indeed playing chess which should have been renamed 'The Most Boring Game in the History of Games (60+ yrs)' and Harry was indeed losing. It was over pretty quickly, with Hermione prodding and poking Harry's pieces into the wrong direction. "I would have lost anyway" Harry shrugged.
"You did lose mate." Ron advised.
Harry scowled and turned to his other best friend. "How are you?"
"Dandy and refreshed." She stated simply.
"Want to talk?" Ron asked distractedly.
"Nope." She knew that they wouldn't understand, they would just want to kill every Slytherin within reach, starting with Malfoy. She figured the assurance of Harry's job was safer without this little bit of knowledge. "I'm going to go and collect some of my things from my common room okay? See you in a bit."
"Hold on!" Harry said as Hermione reached the tapestry. "You're not staying there? You're going to leave my girlfriend in the company of two Slytherin's?"
Hermione sighed exasperatedly. Turning she said "Plus one Ravenclaw and one Hufflepuff. Ginny is friends with Julie of Slytherin and Malfoy is in a totally different hallway to her so keep your wayward hair on. She's just one corridor away."
"One corridor in which any student who isn't a Prefect or Head, can't enter. (Or professor)" Ron added as a afterthought.
"Exactly!" Hermione said. Leaving a confused Weasley behind.
When Hermione reached the common room, her toothbrush and nightie were there, just like Ginny had promised and there was also no one downstairs. She made haste to get to her things and grabbed them. Turning quickly, she headed straight for the door but unfortunately, luck was not in her favor. Touching the doorknob, she stopped as she heard her name.
"Hermione?!"
She turned around to face Draco Malfoy.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
I am really so sorry that it took so long to post this. I haven't even gotten around to updating my other Hr/D fic yet.
Dina
Sorry again.
