Meddling With Dragons
Chapter 2 - Detention
Disclaimer - I don't own any of these characters.
Last Chapter - Hermione find out Harry has been cheating on her. What will she do to get revenge?
~*~*~*~*~
Hermione woke with a start the next morning. She was still in the Common Room on the sofa in front of the fire, which was now only a few burning coals, surrounded by ash. Looking around wildly, she saw that there was no one else in the Common Room with her. She sighed with relief. It wasn't too late. No one was even up yet. She quickly stood up.
Suddenly, images began flashing before her eyes. She staggered. The images, though slightly blurred, showed her a woman clutching a bundle of white blankets. She was running. Deep into the woods, a look of horror and urgency on her face. Something black streaked across her. The woman screamed-
Hermione's eyes suddenly shot open. She was no longer standing. Sprawled out on the floor near the couch, Hermione felt tears spring into her eyes. She didn't know why she felt like crying. The woman. She didn't't even know her. So why...?
Hermione looked around the Common Room, and was glad to find it still empty. She didn't't want anyone knowing about this. She got up slowly, steadying herself by using the wall for support. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Then opening them, she walked across the Common Room and up the staircase to her dormitory. Glaring at Parvati's sleeping figure in her bed, Hermione walked into the bathroom and had a long shower.
~*~ At Breakfast ~*~
'So Harry, have you seen Hermione lately? I didn't't see her at all yesterday, or this morning,' Ron said to Harry, whilst stuffing some toast in his mouth. Harry hesitated for a moment.
'Ah, no. I haven't seen her either,' Harry lied, not looking Ron in the eye. Ron didn't't notice anything.
'Oh well. She's probably been making that potions essay two rolls of parchment longer than it should be!' Ron laughed, drinking the orange juice that was in his goblet.
'Yes, probably,' Harry said, nibbling on the side of his toast nervously. Ron looked down at his watch.
'Blimey Harry, classes are about to start! C'mon, we got potions!' Ron said, grabbing his bag and standing up. Harry dropped the piece of toast he was eating and quickly followed Ron out of the Great Hall. They walked as fast as they could to the dungeons to find the rest of the class waiting outside. They sighed in relief and slowed their pace. When they reached the rest of the class, they put their bags on the ground and slumped against the wall. Looking around, Ron couldn't't see Hermione anywhere.
'Where could she be?' Ron asked Harry urgently, searching through the class once more to see if she was there.
'Huh? Who?' Harry asked dumbly.
'Hermione, who else?' Ron asked.
'Oh yeah. I don't know,' Harry said. Ron sighed.
'Well she better get to class soon, otherwise Snape-'
'If it isn't Potty and Weasel!' Malfoy sneered, walking over to them, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle.
'Looks like your missing someone from your little group! Where's that little Mudblood Granger?' Malfoy had to duck as Ron aimed a punch at his head. Harry quickly grabbed the back of Ron's robes and pulled him back.
'Oh come on Harry! Let me go! Did you hear what he just said?' Ron yelled.
'Yes Ron, I heard it. But he isn't going to get into any trouble from Snape by saying it. But if you start a fight, Snape will do anything to try and get you suspended!' Harry said logically. Ron stopped resisting. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle stalked off, glaring at Ron and Harry as they went.
'Come in!' They heard Snape's voice yell from inside the classroom. Slowly the class began to walk inside and take their regular seats in the classroom. Hermione was still no where to be seen.
~*~ Back in the Dormitory ~*~
By the time Hermione had gotten out of the shower, everyone was up and out of the dormitory. Checking the clock on her wall, Hermione saw that if she hurried, she would still be able to make it for a quick breakfast.Hermione quickly got changed, and then looked for her cloak. It wasn't't anywhere in her dormitory. Then she remembered.
'Oh yeah! I left it in the library!' Hermione thought, and quickly hurried out of her dormitory and to the library. When she reached the library she found her cloak still hanging off the back of the chair where she had been sitting yesterday. She grabbed it and put it on. She checked her watch and gasped. Classes were about to start any minute now, and she hadn't even gotten her books. She had potions.
She ran all the way back to Gryffindor Tower, shoved her potion books in her bag and ran to the dungeons.
'Please don't have started yet! Please don't have started yet!' Hermione chanted in her head as she ran down the staircase and into the dungeons. Turning the corner she found that the door was already closed, and no one was outside.
'Oh crap!' Hermione said under her breath. For one fleeting moment, Hermione thought of turning back and running back to the Gryffindor Common Room and tell them that she was feeling sick. But Hermione being, well, Hermione, forced herself to walk forward, turn the door knob and walk into the class room.
Total silence. Every single person in the room was staring at her. Some of the Slytherin's sniggered, and the Gryffindor's were looking at Hermione with sympathy. They all knew she was about to get in A LOT of trouble.
'Ah, Miss Granger. You FINALLY decided to arrive. How nice of you,' Snape sneered, in his cold voice, staring at her with unblinking eyes.
'S-Sorry, Professor Snape. I was-' Hermione stammered.
'Silence! Did I ask you to speak?' Snape asked
'No, I-'
'Shut it Miss Granger! Seeming you are ten minutes late, I will take ten points off Gryffindor, plus another five for answering back!' Snape sneered, then turned back around to the blackboard, where he had been explaining how to do a potion. Hermione quickly walked over to a seat in the back row, alone. She shoved her bag on the ground and looked up at the board.
'Now as I was saying before Miss Granger rudely interrupted,' Snape said, glaring at Hermione before tuning hid attention back to the class again, 'This potion, if made wrong, can be deadly. We will only be testing them on spiders today. If the spiders live after drinking your potion, you will pass,' Snape said, his eyes flashing. He waved his wand at the board. 'Begin!' Everyone got out their cauldrons, and began to collect all their ingredients. Everyone except Hermione, who lay with her head resting on the table, eyes half shut.
More images flashed in front of her eyes, this time a lot clearer. Though the woman'ss face was still blurred, Hermione saw that she had long brown flowing hair. She was still running. Running through the trees. The dark shape darted across in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks. She turned around to run in the opposite direction, but found her path barred by another dark shape. Hermione saw that these dark shapes were more than that. They were people, dressed in long black cloaks. Their faces were covered by white masks. The woman let out a cry, and held the bundle of sheets closer. A baby-
'Miss Granger! It was bad enough you coming late to class, but now you feel that you must sleep during it? Is my class that boring for you Miss Granger?' Snape asked, in his usual cold voice. Hermione longed to tell him that she found his class among one of the most boring she had ever taken, but wisely kept he mouth shut. Snape continued.
'Detention Miss Granger. Stay behind after class so we can decide on a time.' Snape turned around with a swish of his cloak, and began walked around the classroom, breathing down the necks of his Gryffindor students, making them as nervous as he could, as usual. Hermione glared at his back. She couldn't't see how someone so arrogant, so cruel, could get a job as a teacher. She could barely see how someone like him existed. She slowly began setting up all her equipment and ingredients, and began absentmindedly throwing the ingredients in, every now and then glancing up at the instructions on the board. She wasn't't paying much attention to her potion. Her mind was full of thoughts of other things. The visions. Why was she having them? What did they mean? Suddenly the bell went and everyone in the class began packing up their stuff. The class began filing out the door.
'Malfoy!' Snape yelled. Draco froze at the doorway and turned around to meet Snape's eyes. Draco looked at him in confusion. It was unlike the Potions Master to call him after class, but he still walked over to his favourite teacher, as he was told. No use annoying him.
Hermione looked up at them from where she was, packing up her books at her table. She saw Snape say something to Draco so softly that Hermione couldn't't hear what they were saying. Whatever Snape said didn't't please Draco very much. He raised his eyebrows and frowned, then said something back. Snape frowned this time, and whispered something else. Draco still looked unpleased, but nodded his head. Giving Hermione a glare, he swung his bag over his shoulder and stalked out of the classroom. Hermione looked up at Snape in confusion. She got up out of her chair and walked over to his desk.
'Tonight. Seven pm. Don't be late,' Snape said, without looking up from what he was doing; putting his books back in the drawers in his desk. Hermione frowned. That was a lot of study time gone. Hopefully she wouldn't have to be serving this detention for to long.
She threw her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door. Just before she reached for the handle, Snape called her back.
'Oh and Miss Granger? Mister Malfoy will be supervising the detention as I have a previous engagement that I must attend to immediately.' Hermione froze. Malfoy? Detention with Snape was bad, but Malfoy...? It was going to be hell. Hermione grabbed the handle and threw the door open.
'And if I hear that you have done anything to displease Mister Malfoy, I will be happy to give you another detention,' Snape said, with a smirk. Hermione walked out the door, slamming it behind her, not trusting herself to speak. She was shaking with anger.
'Malfoy? Why Malfoy? Of all people he could have chosen, he just HAD to choose him!' Hermione thought, shaking her head. She walked quickly through the dungeons. The whole place was giving her the creeps. The hairs of the back of her neck prickled, as though she were being watched. Hermione span around, but no one was there. Hermione hurried down the corridor, glancing around nervously, her ears straining for any noise, apart from her light footsteps and quick, uneven breaths.
When she had finally gotten out of the dungeons, she breathed a sigh of relief. She hurried up the staircase and to the Common Room. Everyone in the Common Room turned to her as she entered through the portrait hole. Ron and Harry looked up from the game of chess they were playing and rushed over to her.
'Hermione! What happened? What did Snape say to you?' Ron asked quickly. Harry looked at her nervously, and then quickly down at his feet.
'Just gave me my detention,' Hermione said in a dull voice. With that, she brushed past them, without looking at Harry at all, and walked up to her dormitory.
'So Harry hasn't told Ron yet,' Hermione thought. When she opened the dormitory door, she found Parvati and Lavender giggling on Lavenders bed. They looked up at Hermione when she entered, and Hermione glared at them. Well, Parvati actually. Lavender look up at Hermione with a confused look. It looked as thought Parvati hadn't had the guts to spill to Lavender about her and Harry either.
'Weak,' Hermione thought before jumping into her bed. She grabbed a book off her bedside table, and then closed the curtains on her four poster tightly, so that no one could see through. She then leaned up against the backing on her bed, and opened the book. She read for a while, and then went down for dinner at around five thirty.
The Great Hall was packed full of students, as it usually was at meal- times. She slipped through the crowd and sat down at the Gryffindor Table, and began putting some food on her plate. She fiddled around with it for a bit, and ate very little. She glanced over at the Slytherin Table, and found Malfoy looking at her. She glared at him, and he did the same, before turning away and finishing eating. When Hermione had finished, she quickly slipped back through the hall, and back to Gryffindor Tower. She had about an hour until she had to go to the dungeons, so she decided she would try and finish the book she had been reading last night. Laying on her bed, she got lost in the book, and lost track of time. When she looked at her Muggle clock (which had been bewitched to work at Hogwarts) on her table, she saw, to her horror, that it was five minutes to seven. She would never make it in time. It usually took her ten minutes to walk from Gryffindor Tower to the dungeons. Hermione quickly grabbed her wand and shoved it in her robes, before running out of her dormitory, through the Common Room, and out into the corridor. She hurried through the corridors, rushed down the staircase, and practically ran through the dungeons until she reached Snape's classroom. She wrenched the door open, and ran inside, closing the door behind her.
She found Malfoy sitting on Snape's chair, his feet on the desk. He smirked when he saw her.
'Your three minutes late Granger!' Draco snapped, taking his feet off the desk, and resting his elbows on it instead.
'Sorry, I lost track of time,' Hermione answered, her face flushed from running. Draco smirked.
'Well get used to it. You'll lose track of time after the first cupboard you finish cleaning. It's going to be a long night for you Granger!' Draco laughed.
'Well if you're here to supervise it then its going to be a long night for you too Malfoy!' Hermione snapped, wiping the smile of Draco's face.
'I could always get you another detention Granger. One that I wont be supervising,' Draco replied.
'What exactly does this detention entail Malfoy?' Hermione snapped impatiently, choosing to ignore Draco's last comment.
'Professor Snape kindly informed me that you are to have this room spotless before you leave,' Draco said flatly. Hermione shrugged.
'Easy,' Hermione thought. She reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out of wand.
'Ah, ah, Granger. No wands.' Hermione's jaw dropped.
'This whole room? Without magic? You have got to be kidding me!' Hermione burst out.
'No Granger, I am not "kidding" you. You had better get started now though. And hurry up. I don't want to be stuck here all night!' Draco snapped at her. Hermione glared at him. She put her wand back in her pocket, and took off her robes, revealing a pair of Muggle blue jeans, and a plain black t- shirt. She threw her robe onto one of the tables and looked back at Draco.
'And what exactly am I supposed to clean with?' Hermione asked him. He looked at her for a moment, then opened a drawer in Snape's desk, pulling out a cloth and a bottle full of bright blue liquid. Hermione walked over to the desk and snatched them from his hands.
'Manners Granger. Don't your Mudblood parents teach you anything?' Draco smirked.
'One more word about my family Malfoy and I'll-'
'You'll what, Granger? Throw that rag at me?' Draco sneered.
'The sooner this is over, the better,' Hermione said. Draco ignored this comment, and went back to staring into space. Hermione rolled her eyes, and walked over to a cupboard full of bottles of assorted potions. She pulled out the tiny bottles, placing them on the nearest desk, and then began scrubbing the muck off the inside of the cupboard.
'So what is this "previous engagement" of Professor Snape's that he so conveniently had to be at tonight?' Hermione asked, not looking up from cleaning out the disgusting cupboard.
'How should I know?' Draco asked.
'He treats you like his son Malfoy. He's like your father.' Draco winced at this last word, but it was gone so quickly Hermione wasn't sure whether it had been her imagination.
'He doesn't tell me everything Granger,' Draco said lazily. Hermione rolled her eyes, and continued to clean the cupboard. When she was finally finished, she put all the tiny bottles back on the shelves, and being the organized person she was, put them all in alphabetical order. She scolded herself mentally for doing so when she looked around the room to see that there was a lot more to be done. She sighed and begun on the next cupboard.
'Hurry up Granger, would you? I would actually like to be asleep before morning!' Draco told Hermione. Hermione looked out from the cupboard and turned to Draco.
'Would you like to help me then?' Hermione asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
'No Granger, I will not help you do your detention,' Draco said.
'Well then let me do it by magic! Then we can both go back to our common rooms and go to sleep!' Hermione suggested angrily.
'No, I'd prefer to see you suffer,' Draco said, closing his eyes and tilting backwards on his chair.
'You shouldn't tilt back on your chair like that, you might-' what Hermione's last word would have been is quite obvious, because a second before she could say it, Draco fell backwards off his chair and was sent crashing to the floor. Hermione abandoned the cupboard and walked over to where Draco laid sprawled on the dungeons dirty floor.
'Hate to say I told you so...' Hermione trailed off, eyebrows raised. Draco looked up at her, eyes flashing with fury.
'Then don't!' Draco snapped. Hermione drew back, as Draco stood up, brushed the dirt off his robes and sat back down on the chair, being careful not to tilt it.
'Get back to work Granger!' Draco barked, his cheeks tinged with pink.
'Are you alri-'
'Back - To - Work - Now!' Draco said, each word full of loathing. Hermione quickly walked back over to the cupboard and began to clean it again. A while later after Hermione had done all the cupboards (in complete silence) she began to mop the floor. She screwed up her face in disgust at the mouldy floor. Draco's soft snore echoed quietly around the dungeon. Hermione looked up at him. His usually gelled up hair, was now sprawled all over his head. He looked very peaceful. Not at all like the person he was when he was awake...
Hermione shook her head, and began to mop the floor yet again. After a moment or so, she froze. Looking back at Draco, she saw that he was still asleep. She leant the mop up against the nearest wall. Then she shoved her hand in her robes and pulled out her wand. Taking one last look at Malfoy to confirm he was asleep, she raised her wand and-
The woman's horrified face drifted in front of her eyes, even more clearer than before. Hermione could hear her feet pounding on the forest floor, the branches skim her clothing and the slight breeze. She knew what was coming next. And right on cue, the dark shape flew across in front of her, forcing her to stop. The woman retreated back the way she came, but stopped again finding it blocked by another black shape. Death Eaters. They surrounded the woman on all sides, and laughed as she clutched the baby closer to her.
'Stay back scum!' The woman screamed, holding a wand out in front of her and pointing it at the closest Death Eater. He laughed.
'Or what? What are you going to do about it, traitor?' The woman glared at him, but realising defeat, she looked down at the ground.
'Please, before you kill me, let me do one more thing,' the woman pleaded. The Death Eaters frowned at her.
'You aren't the ones who should be making deals with us, traitor!' One of the Death Eaters said. The woman looked around the circle, and saw that they all agreed with the Death Eater that spoke. She pulled her wand back and put its tip to the baby in the bundle of white sheets and began muttering something Hermione could not make out. The Death Eaters laughed at her.
'You cannot save your child, traitor. She will die here, like you!' Another Death Eater said. They all roared with laughter. But the woman ignored them. She had her eyes closed, and was muttering something under her breath. The Death Eaters, seeing that she wasn't't paying any attention to them stopped laughing. The closest Death Eater opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a blinding white light, coming from the bundle of blankets. The woman smiled in joy, and then the baby disappeared.
'Hey! Where's the kid?' A Death Eater demanded.
'It's disappeared!' Another added. The closest one walked over to the woman, who had sunk to her knees on the leaf-covered ground.
'Where's your kid, traitor? Where is she?' One of the Death Eaters demanded. When the woman didn't't reply, the Death Eater grabbed the front of her robes and hauled her up off the ground.
'Where, traitor?' The Death Eater asked, more forcefully this time. The woman just smiled, but said nothing.
'Well if your not going to co-operate for us, I'm sure you will for Lord Voldemort!' The Death Eater threatened. For a brief moment, fear filled the woman's eyes, but it was so quick that it was hardly noticeable. She smiled up at them again.
'Have it your way then,' the Death Eater said, throwing her over his shoulder. Then turning to his fellow Death Eaters he said, 'Come on. Lord Voldemort will be expecting us soon.' Then with a pop, they were gone.
Hermione woke up coughing. She was lying on the dungeon floor and Malfoy was kneeling next to her. She looked up at him with a dazed expression on her face. He was looking down at her, looking concerned.
'What happened?' Draco asked. Hermione blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the light, or, lack of. Tears were streaming down her face but she did not wipe them away.
'Nothing,' Hermione said, sitting up, but only managed to lift herself slightly off the ground before she collapsed again. She landed on something. Putting her hand under her back Hermione pulled out the object she had landed on. Her wand! She shoved it quickly in her robes. She didn't't want to lose it.
'Yeah right! What happened to you? You just fell, and then started screaming and shaking!' Draco exclaimed, placing a hand on one of her arms. She shook him off and tried to get up again, but failed.
'Its nothing!' Hermione yelled. She tried once more to lift herself up, but couldn't't. It was too painful. Her head ached really bad. She must have hit her head on the ground when she fell. She moved her arm up to the back of her head and felt a large lump there. She groaned.
'Can you walk?' Draco asked.
'Does it look like I can walk? I cant even sit up, and your asking me if I can walk!' Hermione snapped at him. Draco cheeks reddened a bit.
'Sorry,' Draco mumbled. Hermione frowned. It was unlike Malfoy to apologize... but she didn't't have time for that.
'Can you take me to the hospital wing?' Hermione asked him. Draco raised his eyebrows.
'You want me to carry you to the hospital wing?' Draco asked stupidly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
'Well it doesn't look like I'm going to be getting out of here any other way soon,' Hermione snapped. Draco frowned.
'What? You don't want to get your precious "pure-blood" hands on a Mudblood?' Hermione teased. Draco didn't't say anything.
'Well if your not strong enough-'
'You know damn well that I'm strong enough to carry you out of here!' Draco snapped.
'How would I know how strong you are Malfoy? For all I know, you could be a weak little-'
'Alright, alright!' Draco yelled before she could finish her sentence, giving in at last. Hermione smiled. Her plan had worked like a charm. With a small grimace, Draco scooped up Hermione, as easy as he would a child, and hurried out of the dungeons, surprising Hermione with how strong he actually was. He walked quickly through the dark corridors of the cold dungeons until they reached the Entrance Hall.
The normally brightly lit Entrance Hall was now dimmed and only a few candles were alit, the corners of the room shrouded in darkness. Draco could feel strains in his arms from carrying Hermione weight. But he didn't't want her to think he was weak so he didn't't complain.
'She's just a Mudblood! Why should I care what she thinks?' Draco argued silently with himself, but still kept walking. Walking up a few flights of stairs was tough with Hermione in his arms. But he kept walking without complaint, until they reached the Hospital Wing. He had to kick the door open, as his arms were full, and it crashed into the wall behind it.
'Did you have to make so much noise?' Hermione asked as Draco walked over to the closest bed and dumped her down onto it. She winced in pain.
'Ouch! Why the hell did you do that?' Hermione demanded, rubbing her back painfully.
'Stop complaining! Would you have preferred me to have left you down in the dungeons and let you find your own way up here?' Draco asked. Hermione was about to tell him that she would have much preferred it, when Madam Pomfrey came bursting through her office door. Her wand was raised, her hair was all over her head and she looked like she had been sleeping just a short while ago.
'What is it? What's wrong?' Madam Pomfrey demanded with a scowl on her face.
'Granger fainted,' Draco said simply, turning away and heading for the door. Madam Pomfrey's expression changed instantly.
'Oh you poor dear! Here let me get something for you,' Madam Pomfrey said, digging into her cupboard and pulling out a small bottle filled with a purple liquid.
'What's th-' Hermione had started to say but was cut off as Madam Pomfrey shoved the bottle to her lips. The vile, thick purple liquid burned Hermione's throat and tasted very old, as though it hadn't been used for a while. Hermione coughed and spluttered. When she looked back up, Draco was gone.
'W-What was that?' Hermione choked, sitting up.
'It will make you feel better. Now lay back down,' Madam Pomfrey snapped, pushing Hermione back down on the bed.
'Now rest,' Madam Pomfrey told Hermione softly, before retreating back to her office. Hermione was about to complain but decided against it. She felt a shiver down her spine and her whole body tingle, particularly in the places she was bruised or hurt.
'The potion,' Hermione thought sleepily. She laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes, suddenly drowsy. She fell asleep almost instantly. Her last thought before she fell asleep was
'That's odd. Usually that kind of potion doesn't make you drowsy...'
Chapter 2 - Detention
Disclaimer - I don't own any of these characters.
Last Chapter - Hermione find out Harry has been cheating on her. What will she do to get revenge?
~*~*~*~*~
Hermione woke with a start the next morning. She was still in the Common Room on the sofa in front of the fire, which was now only a few burning coals, surrounded by ash. Looking around wildly, she saw that there was no one else in the Common Room with her. She sighed with relief. It wasn't too late. No one was even up yet. She quickly stood up.
Suddenly, images began flashing before her eyes. She staggered. The images, though slightly blurred, showed her a woman clutching a bundle of white blankets. She was running. Deep into the woods, a look of horror and urgency on her face. Something black streaked across her. The woman screamed-
Hermione's eyes suddenly shot open. She was no longer standing. Sprawled out on the floor near the couch, Hermione felt tears spring into her eyes. She didn't know why she felt like crying. The woman. She didn't't even know her. So why...?
Hermione looked around the Common Room, and was glad to find it still empty. She didn't't want anyone knowing about this. She got up slowly, steadying herself by using the wall for support. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Then opening them, she walked across the Common Room and up the staircase to her dormitory. Glaring at Parvati's sleeping figure in her bed, Hermione walked into the bathroom and had a long shower.
~*~ At Breakfast ~*~
'So Harry, have you seen Hermione lately? I didn't't see her at all yesterday, or this morning,' Ron said to Harry, whilst stuffing some toast in his mouth. Harry hesitated for a moment.
'Ah, no. I haven't seen her either,' Harry lied, not looking Ron in the eye. Ron didn't't notice anything.
'Oh well. She's probably been making that potions essay two rolls of parchment longer than it should be!' Ron laughed, drinking the orange juice that was in his goblet.
'Yes, probably,' Harry said, nibbling on the side of his toast nervously. Ron looked down at his watch.
'Blimey Harry, classes are about to start! C'mon, we got potions!' Ron said, grabbing his bag and standing up. Harry dropped the piece of toast he was eating and quickly followed Ron out of the Great Hall. They walked as fast as they could to the dungeons to find the rest of the class waiting outside. They sighed in relief and slowed their pace. When they reached the rest of the class, they put their bags on the ground and slumped against the wall. Looking around, Ron couldn't't see Hermione anywhere.
'Where could she be?' Ron asked Harry urgently, searching through the class once more to see if she was there.
'Huh? Who?' Harry asked dumbly.
'Hermione, who else?' Ron asked.
'Oh yeah. I don't know,' Harry said. Ron sighed.
'Well she better get to class soon, otherwise Snape-'
'If it isn't Potty and Weasel!' Malfoy sneered, walking over to them, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle.
'Looks like your missing someone from your little group! Where's that little Mudblood Granger?' Malfoy had to duck as Ron aimed a punch at his head. Harry quickly grabbed the back of Ron's robes and pulled him back.
'Oh come on Harry! Let me go! Did you hear what he just said?' Ron yelled.
'Yes Ron, I heard it. But he isn't going to get into any trouble from Snape by saying it. But if you start a fight, Snape will do anything to try and get you suspended!' Harry said logically. Ron stopped resisting. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle stalked off, glaring at Ron and Harry as they went.
'Come in!' They heard Snape's voice yell from inside the classroom. Slowly the class began to walk inside and take their regular seats in the classroom. Hermione was still no where to be seen.
~*~ Back in the Dormitory ~*~
By the time Hermione had gotten out of the shower, everyone was up and out of the dormitory. Checking the clock on her wall, Hermione saw that if she hurried, she would still be able to make it for a quick breakfast.Hermione quickly got changed, and then looked for her cloak. It wasn't't anywhere in her dormitory. Then she remembered.
'Oh yeah! I left it in the library!' Hermione thought, and quickly hurried out of her dormitory and to the library. When she reached the library she found her cloak still hanging off the back of the chair where she had been sitting yesterday. She grabbed it and put it on. She checked her watch and gasped. Classes were about to start any minute now, and she hadn't even gotten her books. She had potions.
She ran all the way back to Gryffindor Tower, shoved her potion books in her bag and ran to the dungeons.
'Please don't have started yet! Please don't have started yet!' Hermione chanted in her head as she ran down the staircase and into the dungeons. Turning the corner she found that the door was already closed, and no one was outside.
'Oh crap!' Hermione said under her breath. For one fleeting moment, Hermione thought of turning back and running back to the Gryffindor Common Room and tell them that she was feeling sick. But Hermione being, well, Hermione, forced herself to walk forward, turn the door knob and walk into the class room.
Total silence. Every single person in the room was staring at her. Some of the Slytherin's sniggered, and the Gryffindor's were looking at Hermione with sympathy. They all knew she was about to get in A LOT of trouble.
'Ah, Miss Granger. You FINALLY decided to arrive. How nice of you,' Snape sneered, in his cold voice, staring at her with unblinking eyes.
'S-Sorry, Professor Snape. I was-' Hermione stammered.
'Silence! Did I ask you to speak?' Snape asked
'No, I-'
'Shut it Miss Granger! Seeming you are ten minutes late, I will take ten points off Gryffindor, plus another five for answering back!' Snape sneered, then turned back around to the blackboard, where he had been explaining how to do a potion. Hermione quickly walked over to a seat in the back row, alone. She shoved her bag on the ground and looked up at the board.
'Now as I was saying before Miss Granger rudely interrupted,' Snape said, glaring at Hermione before tuning hid attention back to the class again, 'This potion, if made wrong, can be deadly. We will only be testing them on spiders today. If the spiders live after drinking your potion, you will pass,' Snape said, his eyes flashing. He waved his wand at the board. 'Begin!' Everyone got out their cauldrons, and began to collect all their ingredients. Everyone except Hermione, who lay with her head resting on the table, eyes half shut.
More images flashed in front of her eyes, this time a lot clearer. Though the woman'ss face was still blurred, Hermione saw that she had long brown flowing hair. She was still running. Running through the trees. The dark shape darted across in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks. She turned around to run in the opposite direction, but found her path barred by another dark shape. Hermione saw that these dark shapes were more than that. They were people, dressed in long black cloaks. Their faces were covered by white masks. The woman let out a cry, and held the bundle of sheets closer. A baby-
'Miss Granger! It was bad enough you coming late to class, but now you feel that you must sleep during it? Is my class that boring for you Miss Granger?' Snape asked, in his usual cold voice. Hermione longed to tell him that she found his class among one of the most boring she had ever taken, but wisely kept he mouth shut. Snape continued.
'Detention Miss Granger. Stay behind after class so we can decide on a time.' Snape turned around with a swish of his cloak, and began walked around the classroom, breathing down the necks of his Gryffindor students, making them as nervous as he could, as usual. Hermione glared at his back. She couldn't't see how someone so arrogant, so cruel, could get a job as a teacher. She could barely see how someone like him existed. She slowly began setting up all her equipment and ingredients, and began absentmindedly throwing the ingredients in, every now and then glancing up at the instructions on the board. She wasn't't paying much attention to her potion. Her mind was full of thoughts of other things. The visions. Why was she having them? What did they mean? Suddenly the bell went and everyone in the class began packing up their stuff. The class began filing out the door.
'Malfoy!' Snape yelled. Draco froze at the doorway and turned around to meet Snape's eyes. Draco looked at him in confusion. It was unlike the Potions Master to call him after class, but he still walked over to his favourite teacher, as he was told. No use annoying him.
Hermione looked up at them from where she was, packing up her books at her table. She saw Snape say something to Draco so softly that Hermione couldn't't hear what they were saying. Whatever Snape said didn't't please Draco very much. He raised his eyebrows and frowned, then said something back. Snape frowned this time, and whispered something else. Draco still looked unpleased, but nodded his head. Giving Hermione a glare, he swung his bag over his shoulder and stalked out of the classroom. Hermione looked up at Snape in confusion. She got up out of her chair and walked over to his desk.
'Tonight. Seven pm. Don't be late,' Snape said, without looking up from what he was doing; putting his books back in the drawers in his desk. Hermione frowned. That was a lot of study time gone. Hopefully she wouldn't have to be serving this detention for to long.
She threw her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door. Just before she reached for the handle, Snape called her back.
'Oh and Miss Granger? Mister Malfoy will be supervising the detention as I have a previous engagement that I must attend to immediately.' Hermione froze. Malfoy? Detention with Snape was bad, but Malfoy...? It was going to be hell. Hermione grabbed the handle and threw the door open.
'And if I hear that you have done anything to displease Mister Malfoy, I will be happy to give you another detention,' Snape said, with a smirk. Hermione walked out the door, slamming it behind her, not trusting herself to speak. She was shaking with anger.
'Malfoy? Why Malfoy? Of all people he could have chosen, he just HAD to choose him!' Hermione thought, shaking her head. She walked quickly through the dungeons. The whole place was giving her the creeps. The hairs of the back of her neck prickled, as though she were being watched. Hermione span around, but no one was there. Hermione hurried down the corridor, glancing around nervously, her ears straining for any noise, apart from her light footsteps and quick, uneven breaths.
When she had finally gotten out of the dungeons, she breathed a sigh of relief. She hurried up the staircase and to the Common Room. Everyone in the Common Room turned to her as she entered through the portrait hole. Ron and Harry looked up from the game of chess they were playing and rushed over to her.
'Hermione! What happened? What did Snape say to you?' Ron asked quickly. Harry looked at her nervously, and then quickly down at his feet.
'Just gave me my detention,' Hermione said in a dull voice. With that, she brushed past them, without looking at Harry at all, and walked up to her dormitory.
'So Harry hasn't told Ron yet,' Hermione thought. When she opened the dormitory door, she found Parvati and Lavender giggling on Lavenders bed. They looked up at Hermione when she entered, and Hermione glared at them. Well, Parvati actually. Lavender look up at Hermione with a confused look. It looked as thought Parvati hadn't had the guts to spill to Lavender about her and Harry either.
'Weak,' Hermione thought before jumping into her bed. She grabbed a book off her bedside table, and then closed the curtains on her four poster tightly, so that no one could see through. She then leaned up against the backing on her bed, and opened the book. She read for a while, and then went down for dinner at around five thirty.
The Great Hall was packed full of students, as it usually was at meal- times. She slipped through the crowd and sat down at the Gryffindor Table, and began putting some food on her plate. She fiddled around with it for a bit, and ate very little. She glanced over at the Slytherin Table, and found Malfoy looking at her. She glared at him, and he did the same, before turning away and finishing eating. When Hermione had finished, she quickly slipped back through the hall, and back to Gryffindor Tower. She had about an hour until she had to go to the dungeons, so she decided she would try and finish the book she had been reading last night. Laying on her bed, she got lost in the book, and lost track of time. When she looked at her Muggle clock (which had been bewitched to work at Hogwarts) on her table, she saw, to her horror, that it was five minutes to seven. She would never make it in time. It usually took her ten minutes to walk from Gryffindor Tower to the dungeons. Hermione quickly grabbed her wand and shoved it in her robes, before running out of her dormitory, through the Common Room, and out into the corridor. She hurried through the corridors, rushed down the staircase, and practically ran through the dungeons until she reached Snape's classroom. She wrenched the door open, and ran inside, closing the door behind her.
She found Malfoy sitting on Snape's chair, his feet on the desk. He smirked when he saw her.
'Your three minutes late Granger!' Draco snapped, taking his feet off the desk, and resting his elbows on it instead.
'Sorry, I lost track of time,' Hermione answered, her face flushed from running. Draco smirked.
'Well get used to it. You'll lose track of time after the first cupboard you finish cleaning. It's going to be a long night for you Granger!' Draco laughed.
'Well if you're here to supervise it then its going to be a long night for you too Malfoy!' Hermione snapped, wiping the smile of Draco's face.
'I could always get you another detention Granger. One that I wont be supervising,' Draco replied.
'What exactly does this detention entail Malfoy?' Hermione snapped impatiently, choosing to ignore Draco's last comment.
'Professor Snape kindly informed me that you are to have this room spotless before you leave,' Draco said flatly. Hermione shrugged.
'Easy,' Hermione thought. She reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out of wand.
'Ah, ah, Granger. No wands.' Hermione's jaw dropped.
'This whole room? Without magic? You have got to be kidding me!' Hermione burst out.
'No Granger, I am not "kidding" you. You had better get started now though. And hurry up. I don't want to be stuck here all night!' Draco snapped at her. Hermione glared at him. She put her wand back in her pocket, and took off her robes, revealing a pair of Muggle blue jeans, and a plain black t- shirt. She threw her robe onto one of the tables and looked back at Draco.
'And what exactly am I supposed to clean with?' Hermione asked him. He looked at her for a moment, then opened a drawer in Snape's desk, pulling out a cloth and a bottle full of bright blue liquid. Hermione walked over to the desk and snatched them from his hands.
'Manners Granger. Don't your Mudblood parents teach you anything?' Draco smirked.
'One more word about my family Malfoy and I'll-'
'You'll what, Granger? Throw that rag at me?' Draco sneered.
'The sooner this is over, the better,' Hermione said. Draco ignored this comment, and went back to staring into space. Hermione rolled her eyes, and walked over to a cupboard full of bottles of assorted potions. She pulled out the tiny bottles, placing them on the nearest desk, and then began scrubbing the muck off the inside of the cupboard.
'So what is this "previous engagement" of Professor Snape's that he so conveniently had to be at tonight?' Hermione asked, not looking up from cleaning out the disgusting cupboard.
'How should I know?' Draco asked.
'He treats you like his son Malfoy. He's like your father.' Draco winced at this last word, but it was gone so quickly Hermione wasn't sure whether it had been her imagination.
'He doesn't tell me everything Granger,' Draco said lazily. Hermione rolled her eyes, and continued to clean the cupboard. When she was finally finished, she put all the tiny bottles back on the shelves, and being the organized person she was, put them all in alphabetical order. She scolded herself mentally for doing so when she looked around the room to see that there was a lot more to be done. She sighed and begun on the next cupboard.
'Hurry up Granger, would you? I would actually like to be asleep before morning!' Draco told Hermione. Hermione looked out from the cupboard and turned to Draco.
'Would you like to help me then?' Hermione asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
'No Granger, I will not help you do your detention,' Draco said.
'Well then let me do it by magic! Then we can both go back to our common rooms and go to sleep!' Hermione suggested angrily.
'No, I'd prefer to see you suffer,' Draco said, closing his eyes and tilting backwards on his chair.
'You shouldn't tilt back on your chair like that, you might-' what Hermione's last word would have been is quite obvious, because a second before she could say it, Draco fell backwards off his chair and was sent crashing to the floor. Hermione abandoned the cupboard and walked over to where Draco laid sprawled on the dungeons dirty floor.
'Hate to say I told you so...' Hermione trailed off, eyebrows raised. Draco looked up at her, eyes flashing with fury.
'Then don't!' Draco snapped. Hermione drew back, as Draco stood up, brushed the dirt off his robes and sat back down on the chair, being careful not to tilt it.
'Get back to work Granger!' Draco barked, his cheeks tinged with pink.
'Are you alri-'
'Back - To - Work - Now!' Draco said, each word full of loathing. Hermione quickly walked back over to the cupboard and began to clean it again. A while later after Hermione had done all the cupboards (in complete silence) she began to mop the floor. She screwed up her face in disgust at the mouldy floor. Draco's soft snore echoed quietly around the dungeon. Hermione looked up at him. His usually gelled up hair, was now sprawled all over his head. He looked very peaceful. Not at all like the person he was when he was awake...
Hermione shook her head, and began to mop the floor yet again. After a moment or so, she froze. Looking back at Draco, she saw that he was still asleep. She leant the mop up against the nearest wall. Then she shoved her hand in her robes and pulled out her wand. Taking one last look at Malfoy to confirm he was asleep, she raised her wand and-
The woman's horrified face drifted in front of her eyes, even more clearer than before. Hermione could hear her feet pounding on the forest floor, the branches skim her clothing and the slight breeze. She knew what was coming next. And right on cue, the dark shape flew across in front of her, forcing her to stop. The woman retreated back the way she came, but stopped again finding it blocked by another black shape. Death Eaters. They surrounded the woman on all sides, and laughed as she clutched the baby closer to her.
'Stay back scum!' The woman screamed, holding a wand out in front of her and pointing it at the closest Death Eater. He laughed.
'Or what? What are you going to do about it, traitor?' The woman glared at him, but realising defeat, she looked down at the ground.
'Please, before you kill me, let me do one more thing,' the woman pleaded. The Death Eaters frowned at her.
'You aren't the ones who should be making deals with us, traitor!' One of the Death Eaters said. The woman looked around the circle, and saw that they all agreed with the Death Eater that spoke. She pulled her wand back and put its tip to the baby in the bundle of white sheets and began muttering something Hermione could not make out. The Death Eaters laughed at her.
'You cannot save your child, traitor. She will die here, like you!' Another Death Eater said. They all roared with laughter. But the woman ignored them. She had her eyes closed, and was muttering something under her breath. The Death Eaters, seeing that she wasn't't paying any attention to them stopped laughing. The closest Death Eater opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a blinding white light, coming from the bundle of blankets. The woman smiled in joy, and then the baby disappeared.
'Hey! Where's the kid?' A Death Eater demanded.
'It's disappeared!' Another added. The closest one walked over to the woman, who had sunk to her knees on the leaf-covered ground.
'Where's your kid, traitor? Where is she?' One of the Death Eaters demanded. When the woman didn't't reply, the Death Eater grabbed the front of her robes and hauled her up off the ground.
'Where, traitor?' The Death Eater asked, more forcefully this time. The woman just smiled, but said nothing.
'Well if your not going to co-operate for us, I'm sure you will for Lord Voldemort!' The Death Eater threatened. For a brief moment, fear filled the woman's eyes, but it was so quick that it was hardly noticeable. She smiled up at them again.
'Have it your way then,' the Death Eater said, throwing her over his shoulder. Then turning to his fellow Death Eaters he said, 'Come on. Lord Voldemort will be expecting us soon.' Then with a pop, they were gone.
Hermione woke up coughing. She was lying on the dungeon floor and Malfoy was kneeling next to her. She looked up at him with a dazed expression on her face. He was looking down at her, looking concerned.
'What happened?' Draco asked. Hermione blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the light, or, lack of. Tears were streaming down her face but she did not wipe them away.
'Nothing,' Hermione said, sitting up, but only managed to lift herself slightly off the ground before she collapsed again. She landed on something. Putting her hand under her back Hermione pulled out the object she had landed on. Her wand! She shoved it quickly in her robes. She didn't't want to lose it.
'Yeah right! What happened to you? You just fell, and then started screaming and shaking!' Draco exclaimed, placing a hand on one of her arms. She shook him off and tried to get up again, but failed.
'Its nothing!' Hermione yelled. She tried once more to lift herself up, but couldn't't. It was too painful. Her head ached really bad. She must have hit her head on the ground when she fell. She moved her arm up to the back of her head and felt a large lump there. She groaned.
'Can you walk?' Draco asked.
'Does it look like I can walk? I cant even sit up, and your asking me if I can walk!' Hermione snapped at him. Draco cheeks reddened a bit.
'Sorry,' Draco mumbled. Hermione frowned. It was unlike Malfoy to apologize... but she didn't't have time for that.
'Can you take me to the hospital wing?' Hermione asked him. Draco raised his eyebrows.
'You want me to carry you to the hospital wing?' Draco asked stupidly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
'Well it doesn't look like I'm going to be getting out of here any other way soon,' Hermione snapped. Draco frowned.
'What? You don't want to get your precious "pure-blood" hands on a Mudblood?' Hermione teased. Draco didn't't say anything.
'Well if your not strong enough-'
'You know damn well that I'm strong enough to carry you out of here!' Draco snapped.
'How would I know how strong you are Malfoy? For all I know, you could be a weak little-'
'Alright, alright!' Draco yelled before she could finish her sentence, giving in at last. Hermione smiled. Her plan had worked like a charm. With a small grimace, Draco scooped up Hermione, as easy as he would a child, and hurried out of the dungeons, surprising Hermione with how strong he actually was. He walked quickly through the dark corridors of the cold dungeons until they reached the Entrance Hall.
The normally brightly lit Entrance Hall was now dimmed and only a few candles were alit, the corners of the room shrouded in darkness. Draco could feel strains in his arms from carrying Hermione weight. But he didn't't want her to think he was weak so he didn't't complain.
'She's just a Mudblood! Why should I care what she thinks?' Draco argued silently with himself, but still kept walking. Walking up a few flights of stairs was tough with Hermione in his arms. But he kept walking without complaint, until they reached the Hospital Wing. He had to kick the door open, as his arms were full, and it crashed into the wall behind it.
'Did you have to make so much noise?' Hermione asked as Draco walked over to the closest bed and dumped her down onto it. She winced in pain.
'Ouch! Why the hell did you do that?' Hermione demanded, rubbing her back painfully.
'Stop complaining! Would you have preferred me to have left you down in the dungeons and let you find your own way up here?' Draco asked. Hermione was about to tell him that she would have much preferred it, when Madam Pomfrey came bursting through her office door. Her wand was raised, her hair was all over her head and she looked like she had been sleeping just a short while ago.
'What is it? What's wrong?' Madam Pomfrey demanded with a scowl on her face.
'Granger fainted,' Draco said simply, turning away and heading for the door. Madam Pomfrey's expression changed instantly.
'Oh you poor dear! Here let me get something for you,' Madam Pomfrey said, digging into her cupboard and pulling out a small bottle filled with a purple liquid.
'What's th-' Hermione had started to say but was cut off as Madam Pomfrey shoved the bottle to her lips. The vile, thick purple liquid burned Hermione's throat and tasted very old, as though it hadn't been used for a while. Hermione coughed and spluttered. When she looked back up, Draco was gone.
'W-What was that?' Hermione choked, sitting up.
'It will make you feel better. Now lay back down,' Madam Pomfrey snapped, pushing Hermione back down on the bed.
'Now rest,' Madam Pomfrey told Hermione softly, before retreating back to her office. Hermione was about to complain but decided against it. She felt a shiver down her spine and her whole body tingle, particularly in the places she was bruised or hurt.
'The potion,' Hermione thought sleepily. She laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes, suddenly drowsy. She fell asleep almost instantly. Her last thought before she fell asleep was
'That's odd. Usually that kind of potion doesn't make you drowsy...'