Chapter 5- Protesting Too Much and Testing Potions

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Luna idly fingered her silver radish earrings, watching Blaise saunter down the stairs following the interrupted tango. Malfoy descended the steps soon after. Both students stood impassively while Madam Pince shrilled to Professor Snape that they should be punished severely. Their icy facades cracked slightly at the mention of losing Hogsmeade weekend privileges.

The Head of Slytherin House curled his lip at the indignant librarian and informed her, "Although inappropriate, my students were hardly indecent. Three nights detention ought to impress upon them the advisability of dancing someplace more suitable than the library."

Madam Pince didn't approve of such a light punishment but was silenced by one lift of Snape's brow. A jerk of his head had the guilty pair rushing to follow their professor away from Pince's ineffectual sputtering. Passing by Luna, Blaise gave a quick wink.

"Do you know her?"

Luna turned to the boy who had moved to stand beside her. "Blaise is in my Muggle Studies class. Why?"

"She winked at you."

"I wouldn't call it a wink. More like a nervous tic, really. Poor girl's going to be the talk of the school again," Luna said calmly, gauging his reaction.

Harry James Potter was the most intriguing boy. She felt the strangest...pang...every time she looked into his eyes, ever since that first meeting on the Hogwarts Express. She and Harry had unusual things in common—the ability to see Thestrals and losing their mothers. After last year's events and their conversation about the Veil in the Department of Mysteries, the pangs Luna felt had increased. She didn't even have to look in his eyes anymore to feel one. It was very interesting. She smiled slightly.

"I dunno. It looked like a wink to me," Harry disagreed with a frown.

Lips twitching, Luna tried to keep her tone artless. "Have you had so many girls wink at you? Is that why you know it was a wink instead of a tic?"

Emerald green eyes widened while pale skin flushed. "No, no, of course not...I didn't mean...not even Cho... So you really think it was a tic?" Harry's flustered speech caused one of those pangs to flare up inside Luna.

Absently rubbing the aching place on her chest, she said matter-of-factly, "Yes. The involuntary muscular kind, not the parasitical variety."

A brief burst of laughter met her dry wit. Luna speculated that a fellow Ravenclaw girl had been sorted into the wrong House. Only an idiot would give Harry Potter up. Abruptly, she became aware that he'd asked her something she hadn't heard...too busy watching his lips move, she supposed.

Harry smiled and asked again, "Luna? Have you seen Ginny? She and Hermione were supposed to do some girl thing together, and she hasn't shown up yet. This was the last place she was seen."

"I think she left awhile ago. Maybe Ginny had to help a professor, or you could always check your common room again," Luna misdirected, with a last wistful glance at the lips quirking at her.

"Yeah...I'll do that...thanks, Luna."

His smile became perplexed when she replied, "No, Harry, thank you."

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Ginny waited until just before closing time to escape the second floor of the library. She was surprised to see a girl sitting at a table watching her descent.

"You've missed dinner. Want to go to the kitchens and get something to eat?" asked Luna, when Ginny reached her table.

"How did you know I was up there, and why did you wait for me to come down?"

Madam Pince bustled over. "Please continue this conversation outside the library, ladies." She shooed the girls out with a softly muttered, "I need a drink."

"I wonder how many Hogwarts staff use student misbehaviour for an excuse to imbibe alcohol," mused Luna, watching the librarian walking away.

Ginny said incredulously, "Who cares? I want you to answer me. How did you know I was up there?"

Her ferocious expression was wasted on the impervious blonde. Blithely, Luna said over her shoulder while she headed toward the kitchen, "I couldn't say another word until I've had something to eat. I'm famished."

Bitterly counting loads more than one bloody word, Ginny trailed after the girl who had started humming, Weasley is our King.

Inside the massive kitchen, the House-Elf Dobby rose from his chair beside a fireplace and rushed past long worktables where a few elves were still at work magically cleaning the night's dishes. "Ginny, friend to Harry Potter, has come to Dobby's kitchen! How is Dobby to be serving Miss and her friend?"

'Miss' noticed the other elves giving Dobby nasty looks over the 'Dobby's kitchen' remark and tried to smooth over the elf's unfortunate choice of words. "I don't want to disturb anyone's important work, but we missed dinner and hoped that you wouldn't mind fetching us a bite to eat."

"Cleaning is not important as dinner for friends! Dobby is conjuring you dinner in no time!"

Ginny sighed. Oh well, if she heard Dobby had been tied up and locked in a cupboard by the other elves, at least she'd tried. Once he materialised the promised dinners, the girls sat down to eat. After a sizable dent had been made into the food piled high on their plates, Ginny demanded, "So?"

Blue eyes widened innocently and then looked down. Ginny's steely look told the other girl she wasn't buying her act. Contemplating shiny silverware, Luna admitted, "Blaise and Draco came by my table before their dance and asked me if I'd seen you."

"I knew it!" Grimly satisfied, Ginny said, "I knew when he looked at me that Malfoy was trying to drive me spare with jealousy. Ha! Like I care who he dances with...or touches...or rubs up against...or breathes into their ear..." She laughed harshly. "Crazed with jealousy, my arse! Do I look insane to you?"

Incredibly protuberant eyes gave the answer. Glaring defiantly, Ginny snapped, "Well, you can just tell Zabini to inform that snake Malfoy their little plan didn't work!" Jumping up and striding angrily toward the kitchen door, she paused in the doorway to wave her arms in emphasis. "It did not work!"

Weirdly, Luna smiled. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

"Dobby is methinking so too," the House-Elf agreed.

Ginny slammed the door in an immature, but gratifying, way to end the ridiculous conversation.

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Sullenly, Draco followed Professor Snape to the Dungeons, wondering whether he and Blaise would get the rack or the thumbscrews. Or worse yet...Filch...

The professor stopped at the entrance of the classroom and raised a satiric brow. Uneasily, the boy waited to hear what Snape would say. He hoped it wouldn't be a confirmation of those wandless Legilimency rumours going round the school.

With a derisive curling of his lips, the Potions Master said, "If you could be trusted to remain in a room together, I would have you both scrubbing cauldrons, performing inventory, and changing the fluid in my specimen jars. However, you two seem incapable of keeping your hands to yourselves." Lips curving higher in malicious delight over the wide-eyed apprehension on his students' faces, he pronounced, "Therefore, Mr. Malfoy, you have the honour of assisting me starting tonight. Miss Zabini, you will go along to dungeon five and assist Professor Lorelei."

Draco shook his head, envying Blaise. Why couldn't he get to help the new professor instead of hanging round Snape's dank classroom getting nauseous from revolting specimens? They hadn't even had dinner. After detention, he probably wouldn't be able to stomach food.

Realising that his Head of House was letting them off easily, Malfoy nodded his head respectfully. He told Blaise, "See you."

Blaise said her farewell and waited for Snape to turn his back before blowing the professor an impertinent kiss. The professor turned around unexpectedly. Caught, the girl's face turned beet red. She bolted for dungeon five.

Sharing a similar male smirk, the Slytherins entered the cold classroom. A plate of sandwiches and a goblet of pumpkin juice sat waiting on a table inside. Draco gave the older man a puzzled look.

Crossly, the professor ordered, "Eat. You'll do the cauldrons tonight and deal with specimens the next two detentions. I do advise, however, that you not eat anything that you wouldn't want to see again tomorrow night."

Draco ate hungrily as he watched Snape leave the dungeon to attend to matters in his office. Obviously, the professor thought it quite amusing to imagine his student losing the contents of his stomach. Taking another sandwich, the boy ate it in a quick but well-mannered fashion. He wasn't an uncouth Weasley for Merlin's sake; Malfoy's were a proper Wizarding family who placed due importance on appearance and etiquette. Unlike the Weasels who bred like...weasels...and barely subsisted in what his father said was aptly called 'The Burrow.'

Draco told himself he was glad to be a Malfoy and an only child. If he'd had a brother or sister they would probably hate each other, having competed since birth for their father's capricious attention. A Death Eater of a father, who taught his son jinxes and curses instead of how to ride a broomstick.

Shrugging off morose thoughts, the boy decided contrarily to think about even more disturbing things. Like Ginny, that dance, what had he been thinking, and how the bloody hell he was going to deal with the consequences now...and he didn't mean detention.

To be honest, he'd had a great time dancing with Blaise. Everything had gone as planned until Pince had come, and he'd seen Ginny's face.

Her face...her soft dreamy eyes and softer parted lips, her swaying body and fiery hair….

Draco knew when a girl liked what she saw and wanted him to make a move on her. He just didn't know what he wanted anymore. Was he only yanking Red's chain, waiting for Ginny to throw herself at him so he could laugh in her face? Or did he want to catch her, kiss her?

He tossed aside the now tasteless food in disgust, running fingers through his hair in frustration. Cleaning out the cauldrons by hand, Draco was ironically grateful for the menial task. The drudgery was an excellent thought inhibitor.

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Blaise knocked hesitantly on the door of dungeon five, knowing she had gotten the better of Draco on the detention detail. Just the thought of specimen jars gave her the shudders. She didn't even want to imagine what they smelt like.

Professor Lorelei's voice called for her to enter. Funny, both the Potions Master and the new assistant had dark, silky voices. Entering the classroom and catching sight of the professor at her desk, Blaise was glad for the woman's sake the teachers looked nothing alike. Both professors had black hair and eyes, but hers were much more attractive.

She would have thought Snape would be grateful to have someone else take on the chore of teaching the bothersome first through third years, but Blaise had heard rumours he had tried to get Lorelei sacked. The girl looked around the changed dungeon classroom, with its enchanted rectangular windows high in the walls and lack of specimens floating around. Maybe Snape was jealous, like some of the students said. Thinking of Draco and Ginny, she wondered if it might not be something else altogether.

Terry came out of the professor's storeroom with several flagons in his arms. "Here's the last of the potions." Placing the filled containers on a table, he smiled at Blaise's open-mouth stare. "I've got detention for hexing Parkinson. Having soap come bubbling out her mouth should stop her spreading nasty rumours about you for a while. What are you in for?"

"I...erm...caused a disturbance in the library."

"Really, in the library, how did you manage that?"

Blaise looked to Professor Lorelei for help.

"That's something you can find out tonight Mr. Boot-- testing the potions with Ms. Zabini." The professor explained, "It's a new addition to the third year curriculum. Verisimilitude Potion. A bit like Veritaserum, but it only takes a few days, not a whole moon cycle to brew. The only drawback is that the solution only works one question per spoonful." She laughed a little. "Ah well, that's all most mums need, isn't it?"

Smiling at their confused expressions, the woman confided, "My Aunt Nerys over at Siren Pharmaceuticals developed the potion for commercial use. It's just hit the market and already apothecaries can't keep it in stock. Flagons fly off the shelves...literally."

Shifting back into professorial mode, the unusual teacher said briskly, "Now, the potion is best taken on an empty stomach, so test and record your findings, and then I'll conjure something to eat. I have some first year History of Magic essays to look over- yes, I assist Binns too- so I'll be in my office if you need me." With a smile, the woman sailed out of the classroom, leaving the students alone and staring at each other.

Picking up a quill and parchment, Blaise asked brightly, "So...which one do you want to test first?"

Warm, agile fingers plucked the items from her hands. Levelly, Terry insisted, "You pick one, Blaise."

"M'kay...let's see..." She plucked the first flagon up and read, "Pickles, Dillon...who'd name their kid Dill Pickles?"

"Muggles...take a spoonful, and we'll see if the potion's done properly."

Unnerved, Blaise steadied her hands and gamely drank a sample. The tingly sensation in her stomach meant the potion was effective. Nodding her head, she waited apprehensively for Terry to ask a question.

"Did you get detention for doing something with Malfoy?"

"Yes."

They were both surprised at the immediate answer. Terry marked the parchment, picked up another potion and read, "Saunders, Jennifer." He gave another spoonful to the girl now biting her bottom lip. "What did you do with Malfoy?"

"Dance."

Sombrely, he duly noted the result and chose another flagon labelled, Lumley, Joanna, and indicated that the squirming girl should drink a sample. "What kind of dance?"

"Tango." Blaise closed her eyes at the raw look on Terry's face. Was that considered 'dodgier flirting?'

A scratch of quill against parchment was the only sound heard in the room. She looked at the carefully controlled face of the boy holding out the Felton, Tom, potion sample. "I know him...he's really nice...for a Slytherin," Blaise said too cheerfully, before downing the tingle-inspiring fluid.

"Was dancing part of your matchmaking scheme?"

"Yes!"

A nod accompanied a notation before Terry pressed the French, Dawn, flagon into his partner's reluctant hands. This time, there was no tingle.

"Did you kiss him?"

"NO...the potion didn't work, but..." Visibly upset, she asked him stormily, "Do you think I ran straight from kissing you to compare it to Draco's or something?"

Marking the negative reaction, swiping a bottle and taking a swig straight from the source, Terry replied, "No, I'm just jealous as bloody hell." Looking down at the potion, he said, "Laurie, Hugh's didn't work either," and scratched the finding onto the parchment.

"Try Coltrane, Robert's," Blaise commanded, handing over a potion. The look on his face told that it was effective, so she asked, "Why are you jealous?"

"Because I love you."

Terry looked as stunned as she felt. She'd expected him to say something about not wanting anyone else to dance with her or touch her...but love? What was she supposed to say to that?

He moved around the table to pull her up against him. They fit together perfectly. Moving into his kiss was the most thrilling Pas De Deux the girl had ever done. Sliding eager fingers through Terry's silky long hair, Blaise found everything she'd ever wanted in his embrace.

Passionately kissing until she felt boneless and he felt deliciously hard, the couple finally drew apart. Flushed, they prudently moved to opposite sides of the table.

Offering a flagon of 'Bucket, Hyacinth's' solution, Blaise's smile was wobbly. "I think we'd best stick to questions like favourite colours for the rest of this lot."

Terry swallowed the potion and took up the quill again. He smiled into her eyes and said, "Deep, dark, chocolate brown."

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A/N: Had way too much fun with the names...but hey...it's a perk, and hasn't everyone known someone with the same name as a famous person? I've known two girls named Jennifer Lopez. Poor things, one even dated a guy named Ben. :D Professor Lorelei is an OFC from another fic, where Snape gets a romance, because I heart Slytherin guys, lol. I also heart readers who review and make me whistle while I work!