Despite Hermione's initial hesitation over Pansy's change of heart, she soon decided the other witch was genuine in her attempt to start fresh. From the moment Pansy made the offer she was a different person. All her sneering and dirty looks vanished, and she made a genuine effort to get to know Hermione. Of course, Hermione knew they would never be as close as her and Daphne, but she still hoped that given time she and Pansy could be good friends. Within a week of Pansy's change of heart, Hermione decided they'd just gotten off on the wrong foot and that really the raven haired witch wasn't all that bad.
For three weeks leading up to the Hogsmeade trip, the friendship between the two former rivals continued to grow. All the other Slytherins were quite surprised at the turn of events, but at the same time they were all relieved. They'd all been gearing themselves up pick a side when things finally exploded between Hermione and Pansy, but luckily it now seemed as though that wasn't going to happen, which caused relief all around. While Hermione was new to their group, they all really liked her, plus she was the daughter of The Dark Lord and not to be crossed, but Pansy was a long-time friend of the group and abandoning her just wasn't something they were happy about possibly having to do. Luckily, Pansy's change of heart had averted disaster and the Slytherins were looking forward to the first Hogsmeade trip of the New Year as one they would embark on together.
On the morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Hermione was up bright and early. She was always the first of the girls up, and as usual she'd had her morning shower and was getting dressed before anyone began to stir. When Pansy pushed the covers back on her bed, Hermione opened her mouth to say hello, but before she got a chance to speak, Pansy had bolted from the bed and went flying into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Even from across the room, Hermione heard the retching coming from the bathroom, and she crossed the room in concern.
"Pansy," she called, knocking on the door when everything had gone quiet. "Are you okay?"
Pansy muttered something she didn't hear, but Hermione then heard the taps in the sink running and the toilet flushing. A few minutes later a pale Pansy opened the door.
"You look terrible," Hermione said sympathetically.
"I feel it," Pansy muttered.
"You need to get back to bed and rest," Hermione ordered.
"But it's our Hogsmeade trip," Pansy protested feebly. "This is supposed to be our chance to really bond."
Putting her arm around Pansy, Hermione led the other witch back over to her bed. "That's not important, Pansy. We've already started to get along and build a friendship. Besides, there'll be other trips to Hogsmeade. You get some rest today, and we can all go to Hogsmeade the next time."
"I don't want to spoil the trip for anyone," Pansy said as she crawled back into bed. "You lot still go and have a good time. Hopefully by the time you get back this afternoon, I'll feel better."
"Are you sure you don't want someone to stay with you?" Hermione checked. "Or I could go and get Madam Pomfrey."
Pansy shook her head and gave Hermione a weak smile. "I just need some rest. I'll go up to the hospital wing if I'm still feeling queasy later, but right now I think I want to just go back to sleep."
"Okay." Hermione nodded. "Get some rest, Pansy, and we'll see you later."
As Hermione turned round to finish getting ready she missed the smirk on Pansy's face as she rolled over and buried her head in her pillow. While Pansy pretended to have fallen back to sleep, she heard Hermione telling the other girls about what had happened when they woke up. Quietly the other girls got ready, and left the room trying their best to make sure they didn't disturb Pansy. When she was alone, Pansy sat up and contemplated what she would do until the news of Hermione's poisoning reached the castle.
While Pansy was upstairs looking forward to her evil plot coming to fruition, Hermione was in the common room filling the boys in on why she wasn't with them.
"So does this mean the trips off?" Theo asked. Glancing at Hermione and Draco he wondered if they would take the opportunity to sneak off on their own.
"No, we're still going to go," Hermione replied. "Pansy wants us to have fun and enjoy ourselves."
"We can always bring her something back to cheer her up," Daphne suggested with a bright smile.
"We can buy her a box of Honeydukes chocolates," Greg suggested as they left the common room and headed for the Great Hall.
"You know Pansy doesn't eat chocolates," Draco laughed. "She's far too concerned with her figure to eat sweets."
"Concerned with her figure?" Hermione frowned. Pansy was tiny, far smaller than her, and Hermione did not consider herself to be overweight in the slightest.
"Don't worry, Hermione, she doesn't go overboard," Tracey said, spotting the worry on Hermione's face. "She eats sweets and chocolates on special occasions, but only one or two. I think she's worried if she gets a taste for them she might not be able to stop and then she'll end up gaining weight."
"As long as she's not doing anything stupid to remain slim," Hermione said thoughtfully.
Tracey reassured her Pansy was perfectly healthy as they settled down to eat breakfast. Hermione wondered about Pansy throughout the meal, but by the time they were finished and ready to go down to Hogsmeade, her mind was back on the upcoming trip. Leaving thoughts of Pansy back up at the castle, Hermione took hold of Draco's hand and vowed to enjoy her day in Hogsmeade.
The first couple of hours of the trip ran fairly smoothly, as the group visited various shops. However, as they were coming out of Honeydukes they ran directly into Harry, Ron and Ginny. As they always did, the Gryffindors couldn't help but glare at Hermione and shoot a few nasty words her way.
"Damn, they're annoying," Blaise grouched as they watched the Gryffindors disappear into the sweet shop.
"When is your father planning on getting rid of them?" Theo asked.
"Not yet, I'm afraid," Hermione replied with a chuckle. "As you know, he's keeping a low profile until I've finished school. He doesn't want anyone to target me in retaliation of something he's done."
"Don't get me wrong, Hermione, I don't want you to be hurt, but that sucks," Theo said. "We have to put up with those blasted Gryffindors for another two and a half years."
"Think yourself lucky, Theo. You see them now and again and share a few lessons with them, I had to live with them for four years," Hermione replied as she led the way away from the sweet shop.
"I still can't believe you spent four years in the lion's den," Blaise said with a dramatic shiver. "It must have been torture."
"It's wasn't always easy," Hermione conceded. To be honest there were times she wanted nothing more than to break free of her good girl act and show everyone who she truly was. It had been the hardest thing she'd ever done, hiding her true identity, but at least that was all behind her and she was now able to be herself.
"Look on the bright side, you're in the snake pit now," Theo said with a grin. "Snakes are better than lions any day of the week."
"They're certainly more fun," Hermione said with a chuckle. "Now let's forget about the Gryffindors and just enjoy our day."
However, it was easier said than done to ignore Hermione's former friends. It seemed everywhere they went, Harry, Ron and Ginny would then turn up. Hermione was especially sick of the trio as it seemed whenever they turned up, they always physically bumped into her. Twice Ron had knocked the drink she was carrying out of her hand, and Harry had almost made her drop a small bar of chocolate she was eating.
"That is enough," Hermione snarled when Harry bumped into her yet again just outside of The Three Broomsticks. Pulling out her wand, she pointed it directly at Harry. "If any of you bump into me again today, you'll regret it."
"And look who's showing their claws," Ron sneered.
"I'll show you more than claws if you do this again," Hermione snapped, turning her attention to Ron. "I mean it. I'm getting sick of you losers. Leave me alone, or you'll regret it."
Turning on her heel, Hermione stalked into the pub with Draco at her side and the other Slytherins behind her.
"That was fun," Draco purred in Hermione's ear as the others chuckled behind them. "I always love to see your feisty side."
"Let's just hope it keeps them away," Hermione grumbled as they settled down in a corner booth.
"I wouldn't count on that," Blaise remarked, gesturing back to the doorway when Harry, Ron and Ginny were entering the pub wearing massive smirks.
"Don't," Draco cautioned, putting a calming hand on Hermione's arm as she began to get to her feet. "This is what they want. They want a reaction, don't give them the satisfaction."
Hermione nodded as she settled back down next to Draco. Shooting evil looks in the direction of her former friends, Hermione picked what she wanted to eat and drink and passed the order on to Blaise and Theo who had volunteered to place the order.
"They just can't leave it, can they?" Hermione muttered as Harry went up to the bar to place their order at exactly the same time as Blaise and Theo.
"Blaise and Theo can handle whatever Potter has to say," Draco said. "Let's face it, he's hardly a great wit."
"True," Hermione chuckled. She'd always admired the Slytherins sharp wits and snappy comebacks, and the way they could run rings around Harry and Ron when it came to trading insults.
When Blaise and Theo returned with the drinks, Hermione took one final glance at Harry, who looked to be chatting up a barmaid, before re-focusing on her friends. Because she'd turned her attention away from her former friends, she didn't notice Ron disappear and return moments before their food arrived fresh from the kitchen.
"Here's to a Gryffindor free afternoon," Blaise said, raising his glass in a toast.
"I'll drink to that," Hermione said, before she dug into her lunch.
Over lunch, the Slytherins made an effort to ignore the Gryffindors. Luckily as they got into their lunch, they forgot about the trio over the other side of the pub. Even though they went well over an hour without thinking about the other group, all the Slytherins noticed the Gryffindors were still present when they got up to leave.
"Losers," Hermione spat as she got to her feet. No sooner had she gotten to her feet, then she felt a wave of dizziness overcome her and she almost went stumbling into Draco.
"Whoa, anyone would think you've been drinking," Draco chuckled as he stopped Hermione falling flat on her face.
"Sorry," Hermione said, her speech slurring slightly as she weaved on her feet.
"Hermione." Draco's voice took on a panicked tone at his girlfriend's slurred speech.
"Don't feel well," Hermione muttered, before she suddenly collapsed into Draco's arms in a dead faint.
"Shit," Draco cried, struggling to keep Hermione from falling to the floor. Luckily Blaise and Theo were at his side instantly and they managed to get Hermione sat back down in her seat.
"We need to get her back up to Hogwarts," Daphne declared. Hermione looked to be sleeping, but every now and again she would moan in pain.
Pulling out his wand, Draco cast a lightweight charm on Hermione, before scooping her up in his arms. With Blaise and Theo leading the way, the Slytherins burst out of the pub. Once outside they turned in the direction of the castle and took off as fast as they could with Hermione. Since Draco was carrying Hermione, he couldn't move as fast as the others, so Vince and Greg volunteered to run on ahead and alert the staff what was happening.
By the time they reached the castle, Snape, McGonagall, Shackelbolt and Dumbledore were running out to see what the fuss was all about. Snape took one look at Hermione, before taking her off Draco and hurrying her up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was all prepared and there was a bed waiting for Snape to place Hermione directly on.
"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she began to check Hermione over.
"I don't know," Draco muttered, running a frustrated hand through his platinum blond hair. "One minute she was fine, then she stood up and stumbled as though she was drunk. She started to slur her words, and then she collapsed into my arms."
"Has she been drinking?" Dumbledore asked from behind Draco.
Draco turned round to find the headmaster watching events with disdain written all over his face. Clearly because of who Hermione was, his concern over what had happened was non-existent.
"No, she has not been drinking," Draco spat, before he turned back around to focus on Hermione. As he did so, Hermione began to convulse and foam at the mouth.
"Do something," Daphne cried as the Slytherins looked on in shock.
"I think she's ingested something," Madam Pomfrey declared as she ordered Snape to try and stop Hermione from hurting herself as her body continued to convulse. "I want everyone out. Until we know what happened, Miss Granger is under quarantine."
"Quarantine?" Theo asked. "What exactly is wrong with her?"
"Out. Now," Madam Pomfrey snapped. "This could be contagious. Minerva, settle them all in one room and when I can, I'll check them over."
McGonagall began ushering the Slytherins out of the hospital wing, but Draco remained rooted to the foot of Hermione's bed, staring at the girl he was falling for. He could hardly believe that less than half an hour ago, they were laughing and joking in the pub. And now here they were back up at school and Hermione was lying in the hospital wing looking not at all well.
"Mr Malfoy, you as well," McGonagall called as she gently placed her hand on the blond's shoulder.
When Snape gave him a nod, Draco let McGonagall lead him away from Hermione. As they reached the doors to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey suddenly let out a cry of anguish.
"We're losing her," she called frantically. "I need help, now."
McGonagall quickly pointed Draco to the classroom she'd settled his friends in before hurrying over to Hermione's bedside. The last thing Draco saw was Snape's worried face, before Dumbledore drew the curtains around the bed and he lost sight of what was happening. The headmaster must have also cast a silencing charm around the bed, because Draco also couldn't hear Madam Pomfrey's frantic issuing of orders. Taking one last look at the now hidden bed, Draco turned and made his way to where his friends were waiting. It looked like all they could do now was wait, and pray that Hermione pulled through.