Delusion 14
Hermione was cooling off to the best of her abilities, in her favorite calm-you-down spot. Yes, the library. Shortly after her encounter with Harry, she'd given up on finding ferret boy for the time being and snuck right back into the library when Madam Pince was yelling at some other poor soul. Kindred spirit, really.
She buried her head in her hands and contemplated banging it against the table. Why, oh why had she gotten involved in this whole thing in the first place? She was a bad girl! A horrible, horrible friend and she had been mean to countless people… that god-forsaken Draco Malfoy had rubbed off on her, and not in a good way. Just as she was deciding how to craft her suicide note (or his. She couldn't tell which one she'd prefer), someone plopped down next to her.
Hermione pursed her lips and stared at the person. Ah, Justin Finch-Fletchley. "Look, Justin," she began, "I don't have the time for whatever the hell you're on about right now. Go away."
See? She had been rude and thoughtless again! Damn Malfoy! Damn him, damn him, damn him!
"Hermione," Justin said firmly, "I'm very scared."
This caught her off-guard. "Why?" she prodded, her voice narrowed.
"Because...I've been threatened…by that evil Slytherin boy, Malfoy. Oh, Merlin, Hermione, I'm so scared! He was talking about stuff I knew nothing about and…and…it's scaring me."
"So you've mentioned," Hermione noted. "Anyhow, what in the devils was Malfoy saying to you?"
"He accused me of messing around in his social-life, something about setting him up…"
Justin's pale face suddenly turned paler. Perhaps it was because he had seen the expression on her face, Hermione mused. Although she had generally liked Justin, she suddenly felt a strong animosity towards the brat.
"It was you!" she gasped. "I cannot believe it! Oh, you are not getting away…come back here!" Grabbing him by the arm, she frantically pulled him out of the library (much to Madam Pince's horrified shock)
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"Wait, what?" Justin gasped, as he struggled to pull his arm out of Hermione's firm and uncomfortable grip. The whole world was mad, it was. Everyone was going bonkers!
"I cannot believe you are the type of sick pervert who enjoys setting people that clearly hate each other up," Hermione muttered. "And I'm not dealing with you alone. Come along now. We're off to find the ferret, that horrible creature of Slytherin!"
Justin swallowed and looked at Hermione, who clearly looked off of her rocker. "Okay, Hermione," he smiled as he took a step backward, trying to extricate himself from her, "calm down…whatever the hell is bothering you, it's okay…"
Hermione frowned at him. "Justin. You can't escape. A pity, really, that it turned out to be you, but I am appalled that you would play such a sick joke especially because this is MALFOY!"
"Hermione," Justin tried again. "Would it help if I told you it wasn't me?"
Hermione stopped and Justin counted to five. No attacks yet; maybe she was sane. He decided it was worth a try to say something else. "Look…I don't know what you're on about. I didn't know what Malfoy was on about either. I…the only reason I came to you is, because well, I trust you and I, um, value your Gryffindor bravery and everything…and…"
He didn't want to say it was because he was ready to wet his pants and Hermione was the only person he could think of strong enough to stand against Malfoy (except for Harry Potter, but Justin was forever scared and in debt of Harry; couldn't go there).
"So you came to me because you were terrified and you needed someone to save your hide," Hermione finished up for him. "Very well. I believe you."
"Really?" Justin's cowering face broke into a grin and his hammering heart slowly (very slowly, mind you) began to slow. "Wow, thanks, Hermione, I always knew that you were the greatest."
"And I'm sorry to say I didn't know until now that you were a user. Coming to me so I could protect you? I don't think so. Let's go talk to Malfoy about this together, shall we?"
Justin's relief quickly turned into horror. "Er," he began sweating profusely and his eyes darted from here to there, "I don't want to."
"Pity," Hermione repeated and dragged him through the corridors. "Speaking of Draco, do you know where he is? It would make things so much easier."
Justin was stunned. Since when was Hermione Granger, the smart, pretty Gryffindor who hung around with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, on a first-name basis with Draco Malfoy, known for his love of anything evil and his lack of conscience? Oh Merlin oh Merlin oh Merlin… they'd kill him. They'd do the deed together like the sick people they were and then they'd hide his body and laugh about it quite diabolically and no one would ever know!!
"Hey, Justin, are you alright?" Hermione was asking him concernedly.
The panic must've been visible on his face. He swallowed and nodded, feeling nauseous. "Frmf," he reassured her. "Jebr."
Hermione shot him a funny look. "Okay, so I'm guessing you don't know where Malfoy is."
Why the hell did she flip flop between first and last names? Just pick one, Justin wanted to yell, but he didn't, for fear of what was coming to him. He shook his head vigorously and shrugged. "Blrg."
"Right. You do that."
A few moments passed in silence as the two of them walked down corridor after corridor, haunt after haunt. And then, quite by accident, Justin walked headlong into a figure coming out of the dark. He stepped away, petrified, and then breathed a huge sigh of relief to see that it was only Hermione's friend Ron Weasley instead of Professor Snape or Malfoy or some other iniquitous thing.
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed in shock. And then, frostily, he added, "It's been a while."
Hermione turned apologetic. "I'm so sorry Ron… I have a number of things going on in my life right now…"
Later, when he looked back on it, Justin didn't know where the courage had come from. Didn't know he had it in him. But somehow, it was there, and it swelled up like a great balloon only to burst when he spat out his comment…
"Yeah, like being on a first name basis with Draco Sodding Malfoy!"
And as soon as the traitorous words that belied his thoughts had escaped his mouth, his face turned white with fear and he slowly began to back away from Hermione in utter, utter fear.
Ron gasped and gave Hermione a searching, puzzled look, as if to say, "Is this wanker right?"
Hermione looked like she wanted to strangle Justin right then and there but over all she kept it pretty calm and collected. "Well, what do you know," she began icily, sending Justin a glare (which somehow went over Ron's head). "Actually, Justin is only partially right. He's asked me to refer to him as Draco, but I just think of him as Malfoy…the same, awful slimy nancy boy that's been bothering us for years. I do think that Justin, however, would like to have you believe that there is a little more between Malfoy and myself than just a potions project…"
"So, Granger, I'm an awful, slimy nancy boy that's been bothering you for years?" Justin nearly wet himself when he saw just who had stepped out of the shadows.
"N-n-n-o," Justin started, even though the comment wasn't directed at him, "s-s-she m-means you are a wonderful, wonderful, happy, healthy Slytherin."
Justin instantly knew it had been the wrong thing to say, at the wrong time. In fact, nobody should ever tell a Slytherin that they looked happy and healthy. Such matters were Hufflepuffian; Slytherins wanted to look dangerous and exciting.
Suddenly he was subjected to three very murderous glowers from three very angry people. Ron was glowering at him because he had insinuated that there was more to a relationship between Malfoy and Hermione, Hermione was glowering at him because she thought he was up to something between Malfoy and herself, and Malfoy was glowering at him because Malfoy always glowered at him.
Oh God. He was scared. "Look," he began.
"What is this," Ron spoke sharply, "that you said about Malfoy and Hermione?"
"Hey!" Malfoy continued the harassment, "So I was completely spot-on! How dare you try to set me up with her?"
Ron gasped. "You tried to set them up?!?! Why I ought to just break every little bone in your body…"
"I'm going to rip you to pieces and feed your flesh to your fellow Hufflepuff freaks!" Malfoy yelled.
Both boys dove for him at exactly the same time.
Justin yelped. Hermione shouted, "STOP IT!" at the top of her lungs and came between the three of them.
"Stop it," she repeated firmly when she had warranted everyone's attention. "Just because Justin's been a bloody idiot doesn't mean that we all need to go crazy. Anyhow, I actually believe that Justin didn't try to set us up. Doesn't mean he wouldn't have tried though," she scowled fiercely.
"But someone tried to set the two of you up?" Ron cut in, still giving Justin a very mean look.
"Not that it's any of your business, Weasley, but yes, if you haven't gotten the obvious by now," Malfoy answered savagely.
"Draco and I are just trying to find out who did it," Hermione explained.
"So you are on a first-name basis with him?" Ron looked positively corrupted.
"Look, I worked with him on a potions project and someone tried to set me up with him!" Hermione pacified. "Sometimes calling him by his god-given name makes it easier for us; less animosity in the work-place and stuff."
Ron harrumphed, Malfoy grinned, and Justin wished the floor would swallow him.
"Hey," Malfoy said suddenly, turning on him, "if he didn't do it, why's he involved in this thing?"
Justin shrugged. "Hrgh," he managed to get out.
"Don't worry," came Hermione's reassurance, "he tends to do that."
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Pansy was pacing hallways as usual with crony Millicent and half-crony half-bitch Sally Anne when she suddenly decided to try something she'd wanted to try for a while. "Hey, gang," she spoke, "let's go to the library."
For a second, silence. Then—
"The library? Where is that?" Millicent asked, baffled. Sally Anne had a slightly ruder answer.
"The library? Pansy, please tell me you didn't sample some of Malcom Baddock's, ah, products."
Pansy sighed. "Muddy Granger always goes there and look at her. She's practically perfect; lucky wench. Plus she's got us trying to set her up with beautiful, beautiful Draco. What more could she possibly want? I'm just thinking we should give it a try too; see what it holds, you know?"
"Yeah, well, Granger's just a breed of her own," Sally Anne replied, this time quietly. The girls were reflecting on the genius of Hermione Granger; perhaps it was something to do with the library.
"And anyway, I think it's the one part of the school I haven't been to," Millicent suddenly said.
"Liar," Pansy grinned. "But anyway, you guys up for it?"
The girls shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Sally Anne finally answered. "Maybe if we're lucky, might find a few first-years to scare the shit out of."
"Eh, could be a bonus."
The girls traipsed down to the library quietly, making sure that their reputation was still intact. It simply wouldn't do to have Millicent spotted in the library; that would kill off any status that she had worked to build and the Slytherin stupidity that she possessed along with Crabbe and Goyle would be tarnished.
Once there, Pansy motioned for them to be quiet and entered the library. Pretty much empty. "Okay, so, let's plan the next stage of Draco and Granger," she began. "Hopefully we get some ideas in here; now we can properly plan; we've got Finch-Fletchley and Millicent's mistake properly taken care of."
Sally Anne nodded. "I think we covered that pretty well. Knowing the fiery temper that both Draco and Granger have, he'll be dead by tomorrow morning."
"Dead?" Millicent gasped. "I don't want anyone to die because of my spelling!"
"Honestly, Millicent," Pansy frowned, "you're just too soft to be a Slytherin!"
"I am not soft," Millicent growled, and Pansy gave her a scared smile (remembering, of course, that Millicent was at least fifty pounds heavier than she was and a good five and a half inches taller).
"Okay, so…how are you supposed to set people up?" Sally Anne prompted the conversation in the right direction.
Just as Pansy was about to answer, a breathless Harry Potter came up to the three Slytherins. "Pansy," he said, shooting a glare at the other two, "I have to talk to you. Right now."
Pansy was annoyed. "Not now," she seethed.
"Yes, now," Harry insisted, and Pansy sighed. It seemed that Harry was like Draco in that regard; when he made up his mind about something, he bloody did it, whether it was a stupid idea or a good one.
"Girls, I'll be right back. You continue planning," Pansy dictated, and got up and followed Harry to a secluded area in the library.
"Pansy, listen," Harry's voice was urgent, "We had Malfoy and Hermione pegged all wrong."
"How so?" Pansy looked up, surprised. This she had not expected.
"First off, they may have broken up, but they still have feelings—and not just any feelings, deep feelings—for each other. Hermione is constantly talking about him and I have a feeling that it was a lot more than…just…sleepingtogether," he coughed out, looking as if it pained him to say it.
Pansy opened and closed her mouth in distress. "You must be wrong," she finally replied. "I'm positive Draco doesn't get these deep feelings for girls. Draco is seriously just a wham, bam, thank-you ma'am type of boy. I promise."
Harry shrugged. "Fine, then," he scowled, his emerald eyes glittering, "don't believe me. But I'm right; I know I am. And therefore it is my new mission to break the two of them up for good. Make them hate each other. Make things back to the way they used to be."
Pansy was pained. She didn't know what to do. For the first time she really couldn't think of a thing to say. Finally she managed an, "Okay, do whatever you want…and as for us, we're going to put the set-up plan on hold until I check this out for myself."
Harry nodded and left the library as quickly as he came.
Pansy hurried back to her clique. "Ok, Harry's brought something to my attention," she began.
"Like how much he misses fucking you?" Sally Anne said in a bored voice.
Pansy sent her a dirty look. "Bitch. And anyhow, this surrounds our Draco-and-Granger-set-up-plan. Apparently, according to Harry—"
"So he's not even Potter anymore," Sally Anne spat. "I can't believe you, Pansy, getting chummy with a loser like him."
"I think he's nice," Pansy defended. "And that's not the point. Anyway, according to him, Draco and Granger harbor deep feelings for each other even though they're broken up. He was reluctant to say it…but I think he's talking about…the L word," she whispered.
Millicent laughed. "Like Draco even knows what that is!"
"Exactly what I told him," Pansy agreed. "I simply don't believe it."
"Well," Sally Anne supposed, quite thoughtfully, "perhaps they do harbor deep feelings. But maybe, it's not the L word. Maybe they just really still like each other. What's that word I'm thinking of…infatuation! Yeah! Like on last night's Romantic Endeavors, when Blowey kept thinking of Bismont even though they were so broken up?"
"Hmm," Pansy sighed. "We better go check this out."
"Hey, damn," Millicent suddenly noticed, "no firsties to torture."
Sally Anne scowled. "I knew this was a stupid idea!"
A/N: Hey everyone, I'm so sorry for the delay; I have no real excuse except real life. Anyway, I know this isn't the longest of chapters, or for that matter, a chapter with pivotal Draco/Hermione interaction, but hopefully you guys are reading between the lines…thank you for the reviews, by the way. Hope you keep them coming! I do have a new mailing list for the story; if you want to be added, just leave your e-mail address in a review.
A/N Added 7/15- I'm so sorry, everyone. I edited this and accidentally clicked add new chapter. So it's still chapter 14; if you got a faulty author alert, I'm so sorry. But I'm working on chapter 15 and it should be out not too far from now.