"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Hermione sighed as she read the first line from Pride and Prejudice. She did not really want to be reading this novel—after all, there were so many more useful books in the Hogwarts library. Yet, at the same time, she knew why she had to read it for Muggle Studies. Not only was Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen's most famous work, it had captivated Muggles for centuries, men and women alike. Smiling slightly, she contemptuously thought of the Hogwarts teacher. Having memorized Hogwarts: A History, she knew that the teachers received quite a decent salary, yet many of them were single. Nevertheless, she could not say whether any of them wanted wives.
How ridiculous am I? she thought. This is just some silly Muggle story. It's not as if it actually applies to the Wizarding world.
Glancing at her watch she realized that it was nearly time for Potions. Harry and Ron, of course, had always relied on her to get to the class on time, and so they were still in the midst of a game of Exploding Snap. Hermione stalked over to them and reminded them that they had barely enough time to get to Potions.
Ron had been concentrating so hard that when Hermione spoke he jumped, knocking the cards over. After the smoke cleared Ron reappeared, coughing, a lingering odor of singed hair sizzling off his body.
"Oi, Hermione, why'd you have to go and scare me like that?" Ron whined.
"Well, if you paid attention to the time instead of your game you would realize that we have exactly 4 minutes to get to the dungeons, " she replied peevishly.
"You know that we always rely on you. Besides, why did you give us so little time?"
"For your information, Ronald, I was busily reading a complex Muggle novel. Since you seem to have nothing better to do, maybe you should be the one reminding me of the time." Hermione tried to hide the fact that her thoughts had wandered from her schoolwork.
"Hermione? Ron? You can bicker all you want later, but now we only have 3 minutes. We're going to have to take the short cut behind the portrait of the Earl of Derbyshire and just hope that Peeves has something better to do today than pick on late Potions students." Harry, for once, sounded reasonable.
"Fine. C'mon. We're done here anyway." Hermione grabbed her bookbag and Harry's arm and pulled him out of the portrait hole, leaving Ron scrambling to gather his books and catch up to them.
Sliding into their seats at the last minute, Harry, Hermione, and Ron panted slightly. They had had to run all the way down to the dungeons, dodging a particularly mischievous Peeves.
"I'm glad to see that Potter, Granger, and Weasley decided to show up for class today. Still, being prepared for class entails being ready to begin on time. You three appear to need a few moments to catch your breath. 15 points from Gryffindor." Snape sneered at the trio before turning back to the class. "Today you will attempt to brew the Unnamed Potion. Can anyone tell me why it is called the Unnamed Potion?" Snape glanced around the room, staring directly at Hermione, while her hand stood high in the air. "Malevich."
A brusque voice from the back of the room spoke. "The Unnamed Potion is so named, ironically, because it causes the drinker to forget who they are. It is a potion that takes effect rather slowly, so a person must drink it over a continued period of time. It is unknown exactly how long a person must drink the potion because it depends on a variety of factors, not excepting height, weight, and gender. When the drinker has consumed enough potion, he or she will forget his or her name, having finally lost their memory and identity. Muggles often confuse the effect of this potion with a disease they call Alzheimer's. However, unlike the Muggle disease, the identity can be replaced with another if the drinker takes an Identity Potion."
"Very good, Malevich. 5 points to Slytherin." Murmurs of confusion and resentment began to boil in the room, as Hermione whipped around to see who could possibly give an answer so complete.
Snape's low, poisonous voice cut though the whispers. "Ah, I see some of you do not pay attention outside of class either. Slytherin has begun an exchange program with Durmstrang. Aleksei Malevich will be joining us for this semester, while Draco Malfoy will be studying at Durmstrang."
"So that's where Malfoy has been all this time. Too bad we seem to have gotten another git to replace him, and one that's smarter too, " Harry muttered.
Beginning to work on this devilishly tricky potion, Hermione could not help ridiculing herself a little more for thinking that Snape could be anything like the famous Darcy. Banishing the thought from her mind, she focused on her potion, determined to make it perfect. She would not let any book, any teacher, any Durmstrang student distract her from her academics.
At dinner that night all anyone could talk about was Malevich, or in Ron's case, his burned eyebrows.
Finger the scorched red hairs, Ron shot a dirty look towards the teacher's table. "I wish we could play Exploding Snape instead of Exploding Snap. Then we wouldn't have to listen to that slimy git anymore." Unlike Hermione's sinisterly glimmering silver potion, Ron's potion had black and had exuded fumes that did not mix well with the smell of burned hair.
"Never mind that Ron. I want to know more about Malevich." Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table, searching for Malevich's dark hair and deep-set eyes. Finding him sitting at one end, she was startled to find his eyes fixed on her. "Why is he staring at me?" she asked.
"It's obvious, Hermione, he's sizing up the competition. Everyone knows that you're the best student here. He wants to prove that Durmstrang is better than Hogwarts by out-performing the smartest girl here," Harry responded. "I'd watch out if I were you."
"What do you suppose Malfoy's learning up at Durmstrang? Some Dark Arts, probably, so that he can help You-Know-Who," Ron whispered conspiratorially.
"Oh don't be stupid Ron. Not all Durmstrang students are in league with Him. Victor was a perfect gentleman." Hermione was exasperated with Ron's slow-witted comments. Ron, on the other hand, became moody and silent at the mention of Krum's name.
"But it's Malfoy. What else do you think he could be up to?" asked Harry.
"Oh, so you too? Do you honestly think Dumbledore would allow it to happen if it would help You-Know-Who?" Hermione abruptly stood up. "I have reading to do," she stated and left the Great Hall.