DISCLAIMER:

Not mine … all J.K's

Thank you all for reading and reviewing.
I've been a bit busy now that college started again, so I appologize for the delay.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Hermione, what are you doing here? Why aren't you moving?"

Hermione moved her eyes fiercely left to right, hoping that it made clear that moving her eyes from side to side was the only thing that she could still do. She felt herself being picked up and carried towards the castle. Silently thanking Tarys, Hermione closed her eyes, relieved that she could return to the castle and that she could move at least one of her body parts again, the first sign that the spell was wearing off.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she was lying in the infirmary, and had the ability to move her whole body again. She sat up in her bed when she noticed someone by the door.

"Hagrid!" Hermione exclaimed, "Thank you so much, I wouldn't know what I would have done without you."

Hagrid's black eyes were worried as he looked at the Head Girl.

"Professor Dumbledore is on his way," he told her. "He wants to see if you're alright."

Hermione thanked Hagrid, who looked uncomfortable in her presence, right before the Headmaster walked into the infirmary.

After Professor Dumbledore had greeted Hermione and Hagrid, he asked Hagrid to go to his office. When there was nobody left in the room, the Headmaster began to question Hermione about what had happened. She told him that the last thing she remembered were the strange sounds in the Trophy Room, before waking up in the Forbidden Forest.

"And one of the centaurs picked me up and brought me to Hagrid's hut," she said, concluding her story.

"Professor McGonagall has informed Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley that you are in the infirmary because you fainted while you had detention," Dumbledore explained. "Before we have further information about what happened, I think it's best not to tell them what really happened."

Hermione nodded in silence. Dumbledore also told the Head Girl that she probably didn't remember anything because she had hit her head on the floor when she fell. Hermione doubted that and suspected that someone had hexed her. Probably with a memory charm, or something similar.

"Well, I think it's best if I would let you rest now. Madam Pomfrey will have my head if I don't let you rest enough," the Headmaster announced. "Unless there is anything else you would like to tell me."

Hermione suddenly remembered the decision she had made that evening. "Actually there is," she began, "I kissed Professor Snape that night. It wasn't his fault; nothing else has happened." There was a short silence. "I just wanted you to know that."

This time it was the Headmaster's turn to nod in silence.

Dumbledore left, leaving Hermione under Madam Pomfrey's care, who insisted that the Head Girl would stay in the infirmary a few days for observation. With the help of a Dreamless Sleep Potion Hermione slept like a baby that night.

When Hermione woke again, she realized that it was almost time for lunch. She tried to get out of bed, but was stopped by Madame Pomfrey, who insisted that she stayed in bed for at least another day.

"I'm going to put you in another room if you don't mind," Madam Pomfrey told Hermione. She brought Hermione to a room where at least ten other girls were lying. Most of them were asleep.

"I never knew the infirmary was so crowded this time of the year. Is it always this crowded when Christmas is coming?" Hermione asked Madame Pomfrey.

"It's not!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "They are all in here because they had a Potions accident."

Hermione's mouth fell open in amazement. "You mean all of them?" she asked. The medi-witch nodded.

Right after she had eaten some chocolate, Ron and Harry came to visit her. Their classes for that day had ended.

"McGonagall told us what happened," Ron told her. "You're working too hard, 'Mione."

"I think you're right Ron," Hermione lied.

"We've brought you your wand back," Harry told her, "You must have dropped it when you fell." He handed her the wand.

"Thanks," she said weakly.

"I'm going to see if Ginny is awake," Ron said.

"Ginny had an accident in potions," Harry explained when he saw the confused look on Hermione's face. Apparently Colin Creevy had added the dragon blood too early in his potion, which caused it to explode. Ginny, who was working on her headache potion next to Colin, was hit in the head by a piece of the cauldron.

"Pretty ironic, getting hit in the head while making a headache potion," Ron said. Ginny was still asleep thanks to the Dreamless Sleep Potion Madame Pomfrey had given her.

"How could Colin add it too early?" Hermione wanted to know. "Why didn't Professor Price stop him?"

"From what I've heard, he wasn't in the classroom," Harry told her.

Hermione's eyes widened. "He left his students unsupervised while they were working with dragon blood?"

She couldn't believe that their new professor had done that. Dragon blood was one of the most dangerous ingredients used in potions, even first years knew that.

The next day, right after she had eaten breakfast, Hermione was released from the hospital wing.

"Miss Granger, would you please pick up a few Dreamless Sleep Potions for me?" Madam Pomfrey asked her, "I just don't have enough time with so many students to take care of. I asked Professor Harper if she would make them for me."

"Why didn't you ask Professor Price?" Hermione asked curiously.

The medi-witch snorted and muttered something the Head Girl couldn't hear.

After reaching the dungeons, Hermione knocked on the door to the D.A.D.A. classroom and, after waiting about ten minutes for an answer, she pushed it open, feeling a chill as she entered . Professor Harper was standing in front of her desk, her back to Hermione. The hood of her cape was pulled over her head.

"Professor Harper?" Hermione asked softly, but Harper didn't respond.

Slowly Hermione walked towards the D.A.D.A. teacher.

"Professor?" she asked again.

When Harper still didn't respond, Hermione walked to the other side of the desk. But the figure standing there wasn't Professor Harper. The hood was lowered a little bit and Hermione could see the its face. She couldn't tell whether it was a man or woman. The face was white. Not pale, but white. The grey eyes made them look more like a cadaver then a human, if it was one.

"I'm sorry," Hermione muttered, "I was just looking for Professor Harper."

Suddenly, the room seemed even colder then it already was. The figure put the hood back up so that its face was covered once again and walked into Professor Harper's office.

About a minute later Professor Harper walked out of her office. She was surprised to see Hermione in her classroom.

"How can I help you, Miss Granger?" she asked.

"I'm just here to pick up the potions for Madame Pomfrey," Hermione answered quickly.

"I'll get them for you, just a minute," Harper said before disappearing in her office again.

She returned with a large crate filled with potion bottles. As quickly as possible, Hermione left and brought them to Madam Pomfrey.

Christmas was coming closer and closer, and Hermione couldn't wait until the next visit to Hogsmeade. She still had presents to buy for her friends and her parents. On the Tuesday before the Hogsmeade weekend they had another Potions class.

"Today we will brew Veritaserum," Professor Price started his lesson, "Veritaserum needs to mature for a full moon-cycle, so we will have it ready in about a month." He spent the rest of the class explaining which ingredients were used and how the potion was prepared. "For next week I want an essay from each of you about the uses and ingredients used in Veritaserum," the new professor concluded his lesson.

Immediately after Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione went to the library. She had a lot of research to do. For once though, she wasn't going to research her homework, like she normally did. This time she went to research memory charms.

She searched for about an hour, but was unable to find any counter curses. Probably logical, Hermione thought, remembering Gilderoy Lockheart, who had never been restored from that backfired memory charm. To get her mind off of memory charms, Hermione started her essay for Potions. Suddenly, she noticed that the library was completely empty. Hermione looked at her watch and noticed that it was time for dinner.

Harry and Ron were already sitting at the Gryffindor table, ready for dinner, when Hermione returned from the library. Ron sighed after she told her two best friends that she had already finished their essay for Potions.

"I haven't even started it yet," Harry told her; somehow Hermione was not surprised.

"Don't you think it's bloody brilliant that Price is letting us make Veritaserum?" Ron exclaimed right before he took a bite out of his potato.

"It's weird," Harry said bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Ron wanted to know.

"It's just that the use of Veritaserum is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines," Harry told him. "So why would they allow it to be brewed in Hogwarts?"

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked surprised, wondering how Harry could know this when he hadn't done his homework yet.

Before Harry could answer, Sharon Archer, one of the beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, complaining about how Harry was making them practice twice a day, interrupted them.

--

In GoF Snape tells Harry that the use of Veritaserum is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines before he threatens to slip it into his pumpkin juice.
In OotP it's mentioned that Veritaserum needs to mature for a full moon-cycle.

Larthawyn:

What was it that confused you???
And well … now you know who it was.

Armor:

Really?? I wonder who is your prime suspect!

Althea Grey:

Thank you for your review, well now at least one of your questions is answered.

Anarane Anwamane:

Nope it's not … sorry to dissapoint you :-p

Lana Manckir:

Sorry for the cliffy last time. But this one doesn't have one :-)

LOL, I'm curious to your guesses!

Amsev:

Thanks for reading and reviewing. Sorry that it took me so long.