A/N: More reviews please? Thanks for the ones I got, too.
Chapter 6: The Chains
Disclaimer: I don't own HP, because if I did, my name would be J.K Rowling, and it isn't.
"Meet us near Merlin's tapestry in the west wing, please bring your things." Dumbledore had said. Hermione sat in front of the tapestry waiting for Dumbledore. A few minutes later Malfoy arrived, his trunk floating behind him. He pointed his wand at the floor a few feet from where Hermione was sitting, and the trunk was set down on the floor.
"Great," Hermione said, "an entire year with a bouncing ferret"
"Shut up"
"I can't believe you got us into this"
"Well—"
"Please, keep quiet"
Dumbledore appeared with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. Hermione stood up, and she had started to mutter a spell that would make the trunk float but Dumbledore raised his hand and Hermione fell quiet. Draco sniggered.
"That would be enough Draco", Snape said coldly, "You have caused enough trouble already"
Dumbledore pointed his wand at the tapestry and it was replaced by a doorway with a brass handle that had some writing on it.
"Only the worthy have the power to pass", Hermione read.
"Precisely", Dumbledore said, smiling, "Only some teachers, you and Mr. Malfoy here could enter this room"
They entered the room and Hermione and Draco realized that this was the Alwedian Militates wing Dumbledore had been talking about. There were two plush couches in the left side of the room, a crackling fire beside them, a bookshelf at the fire right, and a desk near it and a small drawer beside the desk. It was smaller than their common room, but it looked twice as comfortable. Near the bookshelf, there were two doors.
Dumbledore raised his wand again, and two identical chairs appeared at the middle of the room. "Sit", he said, and the two sat down.
He pulled out some things from his cloak. Hermione saw that they were two gold chains with a pendant at the end. Draco noticed that they were almost identical, except for the writing encrypted on the gold pendants. "Hatred" and "Love". Dumbledore held them out. He gave Malfoy "Hate", and Hermione "Love".
Hermione took hers and examined it. It had a small ruby embedded in it above the word "Love". It was beautiful.
Draco held his in his hand, looking at it closely. It had a small diamond embedded in it just below the word "Hate". It looked beautiful.
"Those are the Chains of Callixtus", Dumbledore said, "put them on"
Hermione put hers on. The lock disappeared once it was clamped around her neck. The same happened to Draco.
"You see, you cannot easily remove it. No magic could, except for a powerful spell Alwedian himself taught me. Otherwise, only pure emotion could break the chains"
Hermione groaned, Draco slumped back in his chair.
"In that case, it would be impossible—"
"I believe it won't"
"I guess so", Draco said quietly.
"In this room, you would be able to move freely, but outside, you will have to be within half a meter from each other, and if your hatred for each other will grow even deeper, that one half meter will become a mere inch"
Hermione and Draco were left in the room thinking about their cruel fate. Hermione tugged on her chain, knowing it would never break and Draco stared blankly out the small window of the common room.
Later, Draco and Hermione walked closely beside each other to DADA. People were starting to stare, but the two of them were thinking of other things.
Hermione just wanted to get to class, and Draco just didn't give a damn.
"Hermione, Draco, settle in, settle in", Tonks called, "sit where you want, no partner activities today"
They took their seats at the middle row. Harry, Ron and Blaise were staring at them.
"They heard what Tonks said right?" Ron asked Harry.
"Yeah, "Harry said, just as confused, "I saw Hermione nod"
"They couldn't be together, could they?"
Both of them looked over at Hermione and Draco. Hermione was scowling and Draco was frowning. Hermione caught their eye. She gave them a small smile and looked down, frowning at her piece of parchment.
"Nah"
"Yeah, she hates his guts"
"—and vice versa"
"Wotcher"
Draco looked up, and pulled his hands through his blonde hair. Hermione had seen that, and she looked away, smiling. The front Hermione's robes weren't tied together properly and it revealed her white tank top. Draco tapped her on the back and said, "dress code"
"Oh yeah," she smiled, "thanks"
Draco couldn't help but smile at the way that Hermione smiled at him. It was the first time she did.
They didn't speak or move that much while Tonks lectured about advanced DADA, because they were daydreaming about the other.
Hermione pretended to be listening as she gripped her pendant tightly. She was surprised to see that the ruby was emitting a faint light. She smiled at Tonks and groped under the seat for Draco's hand. She touched it lightly, and he looked at her with raised eyebrows. She pulled out her pendant again, and he saw the light.
He checked his. He was startled to see that the diamond looked duller than it did when he first put it on. He showed this to Hermione, and she looked as surprised as he did.
Hermione scribbled on a small piece of parchment.
"I know what this means"
"They monitor our love and hate", Hermione explained, "the more we hate each other, the more your pendant glows and the more we—"
"Love?" Draco said skeptically. He was beginning to hate this more and more.
"Well, yes", Hermione said sourly, "the more we...like each other... the more my pendant glows"
"Whatever, how much help is that? We're still stuck toge—"
Draco had walked a little farther away from Hermione. An invisible forced suddenly pulled him back to her, making her stumble a bit.
Hermione stood up with her arms crossed. Draco looked down at his pendant. It glowed.
"Please focus on the half meter thing" said Hermione.
"I will, I will, quit nagging"
"Fine"
Hermione's pendant was no longer glowing.
Draco must've noticed it because he quickly said "Sorry"
Hermione nodded and they both walked to the common room under Merlin's tapestry.
They were going to have to learn to live with each other. They liked this idea less and less.