Terrifié

Chapter Two [Poisonous Potion: Cat and Mouse]

Last Time:

The rain poured down on Hogwarts, beating on her window as she climbed into her bed. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the scared face of a small girl, and the clap of thunder accentuated the bang the bed's scarlet curtain made when it flew along it's rail and smacked into the golden post of the Gryffindor bed.

Hermione lay down, pulling the scarlet and gold sheets and duvet over her and shivering as she fell asleep, looking around the bed when it was brightened with scarlet light every time the lightning came, as thought she expected to see him there. He was everywhere, he was infallible, wasn't he?

______________________________________________________________________________

Hermione woke an hour before her roommates and showered, applying her healthy dose of concealer. By the time Parvati and Lavender stumbled out of bed, Hermione was sitting on hers, dressed in her uniform with her hair up in her bun, bright-eyed and doing homework that hadn't yet been assigned.

"Hermione! How can you be doing homework? This is the first day of school!" Lavender complained.

"I asked McGonagall for some extra homework for the summer, Lavi." Hermione said quietly, staring at the page she was writing in. Parvati groaned and threw a pillow at her.

"Back to her old self, it seems." She whispered to Lavender. They smiled at each other and started getting ready.

______________________________________________________________________________

Hermione walked down the stairs and looked around the common room. Harry and Ron were waiting for her and playing a game of chess.

"Guys! We'll be late for breakfast! Come on!" Hermione said, exasperated.

"But Mione, we've got to finish this game! You go on ahead!" Ron whined in reply.

Hermione glanced apprehensively over to the portrait hole, where a group of seventh year boys were standing.

"But, Ron…" She said, nodding her head towards the group. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Hermione, you're so shy! What do you think they're going to do? Eat you? Roast you over a fire like a crowd of barbarians? They are Gryffindors!" He said, making Ron snicker.

Hermione simply stood there, and Ron sighed.

"OY! You boys over there! Let Hermione get through to the portrait, will you?" He yelled. Hermione looked devastated and shook her head frantically, looking over at the playful boys who were now laughing and mock bowing to her.

Ron groaned, grabbed Harry by the arm, and walked Hermione through the crowd and down to the Great Hall. She smiled thankfully when the boys sat down on either side of her.

"Hermione, you are going to have get over that shyness!" Harry exclaimed. Hermione smiled slightly and ate her food, staring at her plate like she always did. Harry rolled his eyes and decided to let it drop.

The post owls flew through only minutes later and everyone but Hermione looked up. Therefore, Hermione was more surprised than any one when two letters dropped into her lap, courtesy of an unrecognizable barn owl. She opened a bright red one, since it attracted her attention with it's vibrant color.

Dear Hermione,

How is Hogwarts? Have you been enjoying yourself with Harry and Ron? I hope so. Your Father and I are going on an anniversary trip to Majorca, I'm very excited. It seems very exotic for a pair of dentists, doesn't it? Don will have the house to himself, I'm sure he'll enjoy that!

I wish I could write a longer letter, but I have a patient coming in to get their wisdom teeth removed and we're low on novocaine… best get to the suppliers soon…

Love,

Mum

P.S. Dad says to have an extra apple day, new research shows that it really does help your teeth better than we had previously thought!

Hermione smiled slightly. Her parent's letters were always short, but they cheered her to no end. She picked up her next letter, a white one with a little red rose on the back flap.

"Ooh, Hermione's got a love letter!" Ron teased, smiling. Hermione blushed and shook her head.

"It isn't, it isn't!" Was all she managed to mumble. She stuffed the letter under her leg and went back to eating. She'd open it later.

In Potions, when she had finished taking down her notes and was waiting for the others to do the same, she discreetly pulled out the letter and opened it eagerly. She hoped it was from her parents again, maybe an after note; or from her penpal in Switzerland, Stina Olskie. But as she pulled out the letter and saw the black-ink heading at the top, her blood ran cold. It was from him…

Malfoy sat idly, having finished his notes, and looked around the room with bored disinterest. He felt too lazy this soon after his luxurious summer to stir up his usual mischief among the Gryffindors, or even to use Snape's favoritism to his advantage. Instead he sat, watching the Slytherins and Gryffindors interact with mild amusement. They were so hostile to each other, all over a bloody house! 'Ooh, you're wearing green, you must be evil and plotting to kill me!' Or, 'Ooh, you're wearing scarlet, you must be a goody-two-shoes with a rod stuck up your arse!' He'd never really fallen prey to the illusion that people of separate houses were so very different, but all the same, it was a good an excuse as any to make his contempt of others known. If only there was such an easy outlet for his dislike of the Slytherins, he mused. He really hated everybody. They were all the same to him, blurry faces not worthy of his time, only his scorn. Sniveling, small-minded, prejudiced children, so naïve, so gullible, without even knowing it!

His eyes fell on Hermione, and he felt slightly foolish, looking upon her features, the epitome of painful experience. She had seen some of the big bad world… not much, but a little. Maybe she was the exception to his assessment. As he watched her, wondering what particular little bit of the big bad world she had seen, she discreetly pulled an envelope out of her robe pocket, watching to make sure nobody saw her. She pulled the letter out slowly, and only the top was in view when her fingers froze, and her face flashed in horror. His interest was peaked. All she could see was the letter heading, and she was cringing in fear? Maybe it said, 'Voldemort and Company' or something. Malfoy chuckled softly to himself as she slowly slid the letter out and read it, watching the play of emotions that flew over her expressive face. What could she be reading? He felt possessed by a sudden urge to find out. What made the bold Gryffindor so afraid?

Hermione put the letter away with shaking hands, fumbling and cutting her finger on the sharp edge of the crisp paper. She sucked at it as she stared at her Potions notes dully, not noticing her name being called until someone rapped sharply on her desk.

"Ms. Granger? Kindly answer the question." Snape said silkily, his drawled syllables whipping through Hermione's ears like chilly winds. Hermione paled as she looked up at the malicious expression on Snape's face.

"Uh-uh… I… Professor…" She stuttered.

"It would cause the potion to ferment, and become highly poisonous to humans." Said a cool voice from across the room.

Everyone, even Hermione, swiveled to look at the speaker. Snape glared at him for ruining his fun, as did Harry and Ron. For the speaker was none other than Draco Malfoy. The other students turned back to their notes, since it was Malfoy, and he was unpredictable. Who knew what he was up to? Only Hermione and he stayed facing each other, gazes locked over the heads of their peers. Draco raised a brow questioningly and Hermione looked down, unable to look into his penetrating grey eyes… she felt like they would strip off all her barriers, strip away the façade, and leave only the raw, wounded little girl inside standing naked for the world to mock. She turned back to her notes, mumbling something to herself briefly before copying down in her neat, precise hand writing what Snape's wand wrote on the board. She took solace in the way the black filled up the blank, white, pristine pages, slowly yet quickly at the same time, surely. All of her concentration went into the work and the class was over the next time she dared look away from her little notebook. Ron tugged on her arm.

"C'mon, Hermione, we'll be late for lunch!" He said eagerly, anticipating a large meal of good food. After all, Snape made one hungry (or nauseated, but in this case, hungry).

Hermione nodded, smiling slightly in reassurance, and followed the boys out the door. They were only a few steps away when she realized she'd forgotten her quill.

"Guys! I left my quill in the classroom!" She exclaimed, turning halfway to look at the offending classroom, then turning back to Harry and Ron. They looked hungry.

"Hermioneeeeeeee! I really, really need to eat!" Ron whined, slumping his shoulders and sticking out his lower lip.

"Yeah, me too." Harry agreed, also pouting. Hermione looked back at the Potions door, back at them, back at the potions door.

"But… well… Ok. Don't trip over your bottom lips!" She said, half playfully, half grumpily. Harry and Ron smiled and walked off. Hermione looked at the Potions door again. It's not like there's anyone in there, Hermione! Even Snape is gone to lunch! She chided herself, walking determinedly toward the open door, her eyes darting in and out of the shadows. She poked her head into the classroom, scanning it before she stepped in, still looking around. Where was her quill? Hadn't she left it on that desk over there…? She took a step backward as she saw Draco Malfoy, sitting in his usual place, smirking at her calmly. How had she missed him?

She would have run out right then, but he held out his pale hand and in it she could see her quill, resting there, inviting her to come get it. She simply stared at it for a silent moment, then looked up at Malfoy. Something unknown glinted in his icy eyes and she shivered a little. What did he want with her? She took a step forward and saw his smirk widen. Cat and Mouse, Cat and Mouse… Was all that kept running through her head as she stood an arm-lengths away from him and slowly reached out, never looking up at his face, concentrating on the quill as she took it into her fingers and attempted to withdraw her hand, but the cat wrapped his hand around hers quicker than she could blink, and then the mouse was trapped.

Hermione's eyes widened as she tried in vain to pull her hand away from his, still staring at her small peach hand held securely in his larger, pale one. She looked up at him, watched as his smirk widened into a grin, his white teeth glinting in all their charmed perfection. Like they were taunting her…

"Let go…" She said, her voice that was supposed to be commanding coming out in a small, broken whisper of terror. Every muscle in her body was tense, ready to bolt as soon as he let go.

"What was in that letter?" He asked, unable to wipe the grin of triumph off his face though his tone was serious. He had caught the mouse.

"It was nothing." It sounded like a lie even to her. His grin didn't look triumphant any more, it looked carnivorous.

"Who sent it to you?" He asked, smelling his eventual victory. He knew she would answer, even if reluctantly.

"No one important." Hermione's voice shook slightly and she forced herself to take deep breaths.

"Who?" He accentuated his question by drawing her closer to him, watching her wild eyes as they flinched and she struggled again. His grip was firm.

"My… U-uncle D-Don." Hermione stuttered, unable to fathom trying to lie to this man who held her captive with his hand and his eyes. He would know, he would see. Couldn't he see all?

"Are you afraid of your Uncle Don?" Malfoy asked softly, as she tore her eyes away from his and looked down at the floor. She slowly regained some of her sense.

"No." She whispered, still looking at the floor.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked, smiling again, he knew she was lying, but also that he wouldn't get much more out of her… today. Her eyes collided with his once more, the fear there unmistakable to anyone.

"No…yes." She replied, becoming once more captivated with his eyes that seemed so powerful to her, in all her vulnerability. He smiled slightly, almost wanly, and his hand released hers almost as quickly as before, maybe even quicker. Hermione's reaction came a little late, she stood simply staring at him for a few minutes before she realized he had let go. Her hand closed around the quill and she looked down at it in shock, before looking up at him again, totally bewildered. Who knew the rules to this game? She took a step backwards and stumbled over her robes, before turning, with only once last glance at him. Her awe and confusion transformed into fear and she ran out of the room, dropping her quill and not caring. His laughter followed her, mocking her as it rang over and over in her head, painfully clear.

He heard her running through the halls, running away from him. All he had done was hold her hand for a moment and ask her about a letter. He couldn't help it, he laughed. He laughed long as he bent and picked up the fallen quill, twirling it in his fingers like he wanted to twirl his little Mudblood. A new plaything.

Playing cat and mouse with little Hermione Granger might prove to be more interesting than he had already thought…

TBC

______________________________________________________________________________