Love and Hate

By Tennisplaya278

Remus – Remus, your heart, it belongs here, stay with me Remus.

- Gary Oldman; Sirius Black -

- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban-

-Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own Harry Potter and neither do you. Bananas are yellow, tomatoes are red, stop reading this and read my story instead!-

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE! (So important, it needs to be read first!): In the last chapter, I put that the paper had Potion of Fate written at the top. That is not correct! It is supposed to be The Final Potion! I've changed it as well. Sorry for the confusion!

The minutes ticked away quickly for Hermione. Everyone was hard at work, learning new spells and curses to protect and defend themselves. Everyone, Hermione noticed, but the infamous Draco Malfoy. He was casually leaning against the wall, occasionally stunning a fly as it zoomed by. In other words, he was bored beyond belief.

Tonight, the professors had decided to teach them some basic things like the disarming spell, stunning spells and reductor spells, all of which they had learned in DA back in fifth year. They didn't continue it last year because their DADA was such a good class, they didn't need extra practice. This year's professor was Kingsley Shacklebolt, and he was doing a terrific job.

So now, seeing that everyone had mastered the basics, they had moved onto Patronuses. Of course Harry and herself had produced one, so they were helping the others. Ginny got it in a few minutes as well and was helping Luna and Neville. Draco too had gotten it, his was a shape of a ferret. As Snape and McGonnagall tried to help everyone else, (particularly Neville and Dean), he sat back and watched.

In the beginning of the lesson, both professors produced their own Patronuses. McGonnagall's was a falcon and Snape's was a coyote. They would fly and prowl around the room as the professors explained the theory behind them and how to produce one. Hermione didn't pay attention, well not as much attention as she normally would. She knew all this already.

Now, she was watching as her otter paced around the room and saw it head toward Draco. Hermione decided to use this as an excuse to get away from Dean, saying that she wanted to observe her Patronus. She slipped away and walked over to Draco. He didn't see her come nearer to him, not even when she was a foot away. Hermione smiled and whispered, "Boo," in his ear. He jumped about a foot off the floor and she began to laugh.

"I didn't know Malfoy's were scared so easily." She remarked.

"We aren't. You didn't scare me, I simply wanted to get away from that disgusting floor for a few seconds, that's all." He said in a very calm voice. If she didn't know any better, she would've believed him.

"Sure."

Harry had seen the whole thing and laughed nervously. He had recently noticed that those two spent a lot of time together. They even went to Hogsmede together! Not only that, but there was a rumor that Hermione had kissed him but Harry didn't believe that one. The Hermione he knew wouldn't let the likes of Malfoy come close to her.

But was going on now? There they were, teasing each other like they were friends. Now Harry really had to laugh. Hermione and Draco friends? They had been enemies since first year. They wouldn't change in just a few days. Or could they? Sure, and Dudley would become a super model.

So, Hermione and Draco talked like good friends do. 'Good friends' being Hermione's term for their relationship. Truthfully, she had now idea what they were. After all, these last few weeks had been confusing, even for Hermione.

Pretty soon, the class was over. Most of the people were able to produce a Patronus except for Ron. He did manage to make some silver mist come out of his wand but other than that, he couldn't create one. McGonnagall and Snape told him to practice for next time. He groaned and Draco laughed. It was good knowing that he was better than Ron.

&&&

It was Monday, which meant a double class of Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins. At least it wasn't, as Ron says, a double class of bloody potions with the Slytherin gits. They had something to look forward to today though. Professor Shacklebolt had told them to expect a very interesting lesson.

Hermione headed down the Great Hall for some breakfast and found Ron stuffing his face and Harry laughing at him. She rolled her eyes. Those two would never change. Not that she wanted them to. They were her best friends.

"Ron, it's not like we're going to run out of food you know!" Harry laughed. "Honestly! Hermione's elves are going to be working mad because of all the food they have to make for you!"

Hermione sat down in front of them and helped herself to some toast. Ron looked at her in disbelief. "That's all you are going to eat!?"

"Yes Ron. I, unlike you, have a capacity in my stomach."

"Besides," Harry interrupted, "class starts in a few minutes. We'd better get going."

The trio headed to class, where they met a large crowd. It dispersed when Shacklebolt came through, a small smile on his face. He opened the door and allowed the class to wander in, shocked at what he had done to the classroom.

What was normally a bland room, was now filled with dark detectors. Corners that used to have spider webs and such were now filled with foe glasses. The sound was unbearable. About 20 sneakoscopes were howling. There were other strange contraptions in the center of the room, apparently the main focus of their lesson.

The class crowded around the contraptions, whispering excitedly to each other.

Shacklebolt cleared his throat and the room fell silent. Except for those sneakoscopes. He waved his wand and they fell silent. "Class, today we will begin our study on dark objects. In front of you are two very common but lethal things. Can anyone tell me what this one is?" He pointed to a small, rounded bottle. Inside was a clear liquid and it went almost unnoticed. Next to it was what seemed to be a pump.

Hermione raised her hand. "That is an Elchanter. The liquid inside of it can be used to enchant people into doing something. However, you need to make sure you use the correct amount or they could end up going mad and destroy you too."

"Correct. 5 points to Gryffindor. Yes this is an Elchanter, and you'll be surprised to know how many people actually have one. A while back, these were not illegal and many people owned one. They used them to make bargains, favors or deals. However, an Elchanter in the wrong hands could end in a disaster. The wizarding world found that one out just a couple years ago. When you were one or two. Now, who can tell me what this contraption is?" The next item was much different than the Elchanter. It was made out of what seemed like steel and it was long and flat.

This time Draco raised his hand. "It's a Jantex. A Jantex looks like a sheet of metal but it is as flexible as rubber. People used them as whips. An extra bonus allowed the person to add a potion inside that would be released when it meet someone's skin. It came in many different sizes so they were hard to keep track of."

"Excellent. Take 5 points to Slytherin. Jantexes have always been banned from usage. However, because of the simplicity of it, many people could make one instead of risking the chance of buying an already made one. They were mostly used to torture muggles. Now, I wasn't sure if we would have enough time for this but because we have two very bright students, I might as well show you this one. Who can guess what it is?"

He had went to his desk and pulled out what seemed to be a rock. Only, it was too perfect to be considered a natural rock. It was black and was glossy. It was shaped into a rough triangle. From far away, it looked like it was a piece of obsidian.

Shacklebolt smiled. "Anybody at all?"

No one raised their hands. All the Gryffindors looked at Hermione while all the Slytherins looked at Draco. When neither of them answered, Shacklebolt told them. "This, class, is perhaps one of the most deadly weapons ever discovered. This is Hell's Ice. It is not man made, but can be found deep within an active volcano when it is erupting. There is only one in there and it was very hard to get. If you do ever get your hands on it, you would be feared by all. This rock is indestructible and is sharp enough to slice through diamonds, the second hardest substance known to wizards. If you knock on it, you can see that it is hollow. It is said to hold enough energy within it to destroy the world.

"No one has ever gotten one until very recently when a muggle daredevil went into lava. He came out full of burns but found this rock. He threw it away, where a wizard by the name of Griffin Working found it. He immediately turned it into the Ministry of Magic and they gave the rock to the Unspeakables. This rock I have is not true Hell's Ice but a very close replica."

"This brings me to your assignment for today. You will be split into pairs and will research one of the three items you see in front of you. The more information you have, the more points you will earn. This assignment is worth very little in your grade but do a good job on it, and you can bring your grade up. Now, you and your partner will write out an essay, detailing any interesting or important information on this. Some things to look for are uses, discoveries, ban dates and so on. You will have the entire lesson to work on it today but this is all the time I will be giving you in class. I expect this essay to be in class this Friday. Now, find a partner. If you can't find one, come here and I'll find you one."

In a matter of seconds, chaos ensued as students frantically searched for a partner. Predictably, Harry and Ron became partners so Hermione had to run all over class to find one. Frustrated, she made her way over to Shacklebolt where he had just made Neville and Pansy partners.

"How about some inter-house unity? Neville, why don't you work with Pansy? Now we'll need to find you a partner Draco!" Hermione walked over. "Wonderful. You and Miss Granger can be partners. You best get started. Oh, before you go, a word with you Hermione?" She nodded and watched Draco walk away. Confused, she looked at her professor.

He lowered his voice so much that Hermione had to strain to listen to hear what he was saying. "The Order has had some interesting information about Death Eater attacks. Keep an eye on Harry and make sure he doesn't wander off." She nodded, showing that she understood when really, she was confused. What were the Death Eater's plans?

She walked back to Draco who had already gotten plenty of books. At the sight of them, Hermione wanted to pick one up and read it but refrained herself from doing it. Instead, she asked Draco, "What do you want to do our essay on?"

Draco turned the book he was reading around and she saw a picture of the same rock that was in the center of the room. It was going to be the toughest one to do but neither of them minded. For the rest of class, the pair worked silently together. Hermione noticed that Draco would send her strange glances, like he wanted to tell her something. She would look again and see that he was just reading and she was sure it was just her imagination.

It wasn't until sunset that she knew she wasn't imagining things.

&&&

They were both in the common room, one on one side, the other on the other side. They were avoiding each other but they didn't know why. These were confusing times.

Draco was fighting with himself. He really should tell somebody about that paper, of course, he would never go to Dumbledore. So, should he perhaps tell Hermione? Would she just laugh at him and think of him as a liar? On the other hand, she could believe him and they could figure out a way to stop Voldermort.

Hermione was trying to figure out things too. What did Kinglsey mean when he was talking about death eaters? Did it mean they were going to attack? But where? Surely they weren't stupid enough to attack Hogwarts, would they? After all, within were aurors, Order members and of course, Dumbledore. The castle itself had protection up all around it. There was no way they could get in.

Yet, Hogwarts was very old. If the charms around the school weren't put on again, maybe certain areas were weaker then others. Voldermort would've figured that out and used it to his advantage. Did Dumbledore know? That man knew everything that was going on, but maybe this one slipped his mind. Maybe he even wanted them to come. She remembered back to her first year where they were sure that Dumbledore wanted to give Harry a chance to fight Voldermort and discover the Sorcerer's stone. Was this the same thing?

There were so many questions she had, but none of them had any answers. It drove her crazy. She thought about going to the library to work on her DADA essay but decided against it. It was much too late and she already had enough research for it.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a shuffling of papers, squeaky shoes and someone sitting down in front of her. She looked up and saw a confused face as well.

"Hermione, can I show you something?"

Now this confused her. "Um…sure."

He reached into his pocket and pulled a piece of parchment. On it, bore the letters The Final Potion. He handed it to her and she read it. She finished quickly and looked up. There was a grim expression on her face.

"Have you shown this to Dumbledore yet?"

He cringed. He should've known that those were going to be the first words out of his mouth. "Well, not exactly."

"Draco! This is really important! It could be what Voldermort's been after all along! Come on, we are going to visit the headmaster." She made an attempt to drag him out of the common room but he was much too strong for her. "Come on!"

He gave in. He stood up and followed her out the door. Whether it was because he wanted her to stop pestering him, he wanted to show her that he cared or because he knew it was the right thing to do, he didn't know. For some reason, his legs weren't listening to his mind at the time.

So they walked to Dumbledore's office. Hermione said the password, "Canary Creams" and they were in. They weren't the only people to visit Dumbledore tonight. Inside, loud voices could be heard. They were arguing. Draco recognized two of the voices. One was the very loud and pompous Cornelius Fudge, the other was Arthur Weasley, the new Minister of Magic. Then, another voice joined in, this time a female one. It was the voice of Professor McGonnagall.

"You are not the Minister anymore Cornelius!" McGonnagall yelled.

"My dear woman, you surely aren't going to allow our new Minister here to go searching for heliopaths and what not? That's preposterous! There's no such thing!" It was Fudge's voice this time.

There was the sound of a drawer opening and closing. Then Arthur Weasley's voice said calmly, "If you won't believe us, perhaps you will believe your own eyes. It certainly worked last time. Can't you see it? Those aren't any normal flames Cornelius and anybody could see that. These are flames made by heliopaths, proving their existence!"

Chairs were being knocked over and they could her glass breaking. "No, that's utterly impossible. Merlin, you can't be serious!" The door opened rapidly and out came a flustered Fudge who was running away. Hermione and Draco looked back into the room to see Arthur Weasley and Minerva McGonnagall looking at them strangely. They smiled weakly before walking into his office.

"Minerva, if you could please pull up two more chairs for Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger?" McGonnagall waved her wand and two straight back chairs appeared. They sat down. "Now, what is this all about?"

There was an awkward silence where Draco was trying to figure out if this was the right thing to do. On one side, he didn't want to sell his father out, no matter how bad his was. On the other hand, something like this would make Hermione really happy.

As the silence grew longer, Hermione began shooting glances at him, and nudging him. Draco sighed and reached into his pocket, expecting to feel the paper in his hands. But it wasn't there. He put his hand in his other pocket and tried to find it but it wasn't there either. He stood up and reached into his back pockets and his pant's pockets and any where else it could've been but the paper was no where in sight. With a panic stricken look on his face he turned to look at Hermione.

"It's gone."

-Author's Notes-

Whew! We're already at chapter 15? Wow, time flies when your having fun writing!

Oh my. I had a total of 26 reviews this time around, mostly because of Croaker who went back and reviewed every single chapter!

If you wanna skip this entire thanking my reviewers thing, go to the bottom!

Merci to:

KittyOfWonder: Ok, this isn't really two chapters, but more of a really long chapter. How's Mexico? Tell me all about it! Thanks for reviewing!

Croaker: Wow, wow, wow, wow! Why aren't you allowed to read Harry Potter? Anyways, thank you so much! Are you a devoted reviewer? HECK YEAH! Thanks a bunch! How can I repay you for reviewing my story so much? Here's a giant cookie like you asked for! And I'll definatly do something special for you next time around. Sheesh, all the reviews. Whoa baby! Actually, a thought. How about a sneak preview of the next chapter? If you give me your email address, I'll send you the first couple of paragraphs! Thanks for every 14 reviews!

CCBChunks: Mysterious things are really hard for me to write. It might have to do with that face that I just come out and say things in real life anyways. Anyways, Snape is 'trying' to be nice to Dean. He's a really nice guy actually. Well, that's how I want him to be. Thanks for the review!

Jbanana: No problema. You guys are the only reason I keep writing! Thanks for the review!

CassandraTheEvil: Yep. You figured it out…well, maybe. Part of it anyways. So, thanks for the review! Hope you had fun with your homework!

Hyper-Gurll: Wow. You were hyper when you wrote my review! Gee thanks for all the compliments! Thanks for reviewing!

Emily and Jessica: Your ideas are going under consideration. I really don't know how I'm going to end this yet. So, just keep reading and maybe you'll find out! Thanks for the review!

Stardrops: How's it feel to be 16? Yes, Tom and Dan… Emma is pretty too. And that werewolf DID look like a monkey. Anyways, hope this was good! Thanks for the review!

Horsemaster1: Haha. I hope you did win, right? Anyways, thanks for the review!

WeluweKR: He did! He did! Thanks for reviewing!

Michelle: Thanks for the review!

Regina-Terrae: Thanks for reviewing!

Potts: Thanks for reviewing!

Ok, something fun I thought I'd try with this chapter.

Poll: Who is the hottest guy in the HP movies?

Sean Biggerstaff

Tom Felton

Rupert Grint

Daniel Radcliffe

So, in your review, simply state the name of who you think should win the hottest guy award! Results coming soon!