Laws Of Love: Chapter 19:
Parvati's wand flared, telling her that Lavender's plan was finished. She lifted the curse from the curtains and pulled them opened, to find a sobbing Hermione.
Parvati felt slightly sympathetic, but knew it was better not to say anything. She didn't want to get on the bad side of Lavender, who knew all of Parvati's secrets, so she kept her mouth shut and prodded Hermione with her own wand.
"I'm going, here's your wand." Parvati said coldly when Hermione looked up.
Hermione didn't move for a while, what just happened? She got locked up in Ron's bed by Parvati, and then she just left? Hermione got up and dragged herself to the stairs, and heard strange noises coming down from the common room. People cheering and wolf howling.
Hermione ran down stairs and burst into the common room and scanned it, then her spirit fell down to the floor along with her jaw. Tears sprang from her eyes and her heart ached at the sight.
Ron and Lavender stood in the middle of the common room, snogging the life out of each other. Lavender even tugged at his belt and Ron's hands were wondering eagerly around her body.
Hermione gasped and stuttered, but no one noticed her.
The portrait door flung open and Harry and Ginny came into the room, their laughs froze at the sight that met them.
Hermione stood rooted onto the spot, her grieve mingling with rage as it all started to make sense. She saw the empty glass on the table next to Ron, and remembered the words from Parvati. Ron was poisoned, darn right poisoned!
Hermione whipped out her wand and bellowed, "Expelliarmus!"
Lavender soared over the common room and bashed into a book case, leaving a slightly confused Ron behind.
Every one turned around to look at the seething Hermione with a tear stained face.
Harry, Ginny and Neville all ran over to her, Neville saying loudly, "It was a love potion I'm sure Hermione, don't worry!"
Hermione ignored them and marched forward to the crumpled heap that was Lavender, "You are going to get expelled for this, Brown, mark my words, you will!" Hermione screeched, pointing her wand again at Lavender, shooting small jets of light at her, making Lavender occasionally jolt and whimper.
Parvati flung herself at Hermione and knocked her to the floor, giving time for Lavender to regain her posture and whip out her wand.
Hermione pushed Parvati away forcefully and scrambled up to meet the cold grey eyes that belonged to Lavender.
She stepped forward, muttering the words to an incantation.
Lavender didn't flinch; instead she formed a sort of bubble around her.
Hermione finished the last words, and an orb of bright scarlet light was slowly starting to circle around Lavender, getting stronger by the second.
Nothing seemed to be happening to Lavender, but soon you could notice what was happening. While the orb grew bigger and brighter, Lavender grew weaker.
The orb was now the size of a table, and it was at that point that Lavender collapsed to the floor.
"Hermione no!" Fred and George yelled, the only ones who were familiar with the spell, and the only ones that knew that if you continued the spell to long you'd suck the life out of the target. "Hermione, she's not worth it!" Fred bellowed leaping up and running through the crowd.
Colin Creevey had a vague idea of what would happen if he let Hermione continue, so he leaped in to the air and onto of Hermione, pinning her to the ground and knocking her wand out of her hand. Immediately the light started shrinking again.
Hermione struggled hard against Colin, so that they both rolled over the floor in a silent battle. But Colin was stronger then he looked and eventually Hermione stopped.
She stared blankly at Colin, then broke out into panic-stricken and miserable sobs.
Harry, Ginny and Neville made a sprint towards her while Colin backed away to help Parvati help Lavender. Fred and George told every one to go up to their own dormitories or else. So within a minute it was only, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Neville, Parvati, Lavender, Seamus, Colin, Fred, George and a very blank Ron left in the common room.
Harry wrapped his arms comfortingly around her and allowed her to sob in chest.
"Harry- I almost killed a person, I almost killed a person. I didn't mean to I was just so upset about Ron I was, oh I……oh Ron! Is he ever going to be the same again? Will the potion wear off? Oh Harry!"
Harry patted her on the back and said soothingly, "It will be okay, shush…"
"Not it won't!" Hermione wailed.
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Hermione, Ron and Lavender were all tucked into beds in the hospital wing with the others as their company. Dean and Luna who had heard the news immediately hurried up there to meet the rest.
Madam Pomfrey had just given Lavender a potion that would give her some energy when Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape burst into the room.
Every one back away into a corner except Harry. Ginny, Fred and George who stayed by Hermione and Ron, staring defiantly at Dumbledore.
"Will some one tell me what happened?" Dumbledore said in a calm voice.
Immediately Parvati jumped up and said, "Hermione almost killed Lavender!"
"Oh shut up Patil," Harry snapped, earning raised eyebrows from McGonagall and Snape who had never heard house members talk to each other like that.
"That's not how it happened!" Neville mumbled softly.
Dumbledore turned to him with an expectant look.
"Well," said Neville hesitantly, "Ron, Seamus and Dean were working in the common room. Dean had just left to visit his father when Lavender came with two glasses of some red liquid. Katie said it looked a lot like Blizzard Whiskey, but anyways. Ron took a sip from it, first carefully but then he drank it all really excitedly. When he was done he jumped up and started, uhm, kissing Lavender….a lot."
"That's not all of it though." Parvati remarked angrily.
"Yeah," Colin agreed, "While kissing Lavender backed away for a second and casted a signaling charm. About 2 minutes later Parvati arrived from the guy's dormitory. At the moment Ron and Lavender were making out so passionately that every one thought they were going to do it right then and there. Some of the older students got excited and started cheering them on. At this point Hermione came down. She was really shocked, and by her expression really hurt."
"And then." Ginny started, "Harry and me came in. We saw Hermione crying and Ron snogging Lavender. We knew it couldn't be quite right but we didn't know what to do about it."
"By now Hermione had regained her senses, and casted the Expelliarmus spell on Lavender, sending her off into a book case." Fred said, "It was bloody excellent."
"Oh and then," Seamus added, "Hermione marched over there and started shooting these little zaps at Lavender. Parvati knocked Hermione down, but Hermione pushed her away. Then Hermione casted a really strange spell on Lavender. It caused a little red orb to circle her, and within time the orb grew bigger and bigger. "
McGonagall exchanged worried glances with Dumbledore, but he urged Seamus to go on.
"Well anyways. Lavender fainted, but Hermione kept on going. Then Fred and George threw a hissy fit about Lavender not being worth it. Fred made a sprint to stop Hermione, but Colin got there first. He pinned Hermione to the floor and fought her. This lasted for some time, and then Hermione just gave up and started crying and sobbing."
It was silent for a while, then Dumbledore turned to Hermione, "And what happened when you were in the guy's dormitory."
Hermione brushed some tears out of her eyes and told the story. At the end of it Dumbledore rounded on Parvati with a hard expression, "Now why did you help Ms. Brown do such a terrible thing?"
Parvati shrugged, and said softly, "She threatened me; she said she'll tell people all my secrets so I did what I was told."
"Very well." Dumbledore said quietly, "100 points from Gryffindor because Hermione casted an illegal curse on Lavender. 150 points from Lavender for using about 30 different love and obsession potions on one person, 10 of which are illegal. 10 points from Parvati for showing no sign of back bone. 50 points each for Colin Creevey, Fred Weasley and George Weasley for showing such bravery and another 50 points each towards Fred and George for handling the situation so well and getting rid of eager house mates."
Harry smiled; that ended up not being too bad. After all the gained points they ended up not losing too much, something that Hermione could make better within 3 minutes of a normal lesson.
"Also, a week of detention for Hermione Granger, a 3 weeks of detention for Lavender Brown and 2 nights of Detentions for Parvati Patil. Now off you go and leave these 3 to rest."
Every one filed out, leaving only Dumbledore with Hermione, Lavender and Ron.
Ron was currently under the effect of a sleeping potion so he had no desire to jump up and snog Lavender.
Dumbledore sat down on the edge of Hermione bed and sighed, "Now, where did you learn such dark magic?"
Hermione hesitated and then said what every one expected, "From a book."
"Ah, of course," Dumbledore smiled, "And why did you learn it."
"So that in the final battle I can protect Ron." Hermione said.
"Oh Hermione, you are so young. Why, you shouldn't be worrying about things like that. Enjoy your youth while it lasts."
Hermione nodded with a small smile which faded quickly, "Oh, but what about Ron!"
"Ron will be under the effect of this drink for at least a month. In the time being we must severely drug him to keep him restrained. I'm sorry to say but he's going to be in this very bed until Christmas."
A tear fell from Hermione's eyes and rolled down her cheek, Dumbledore reached out and brushed it away, "He still loves you Hermione. Still, these were really powerful potions. He couldn't and can't help his actions. Forgive him."
