So it was understandable that when she found herself tangled in blankets and something grabbing her ankle, her first reaction was to kick and scream.
"It's only me!" Ginny exclaimed, backing away from the bed in a hurry.
"Huh?" Hermione sat up. Recognising her friend, she blushed and batted furiously at her hair, which was clustered around her head in a pillow-flattened cloud.
"Throw something on and come downstairs," Ginny advised. "The boys are going back home, but they wanted to see you before they go."
"They're going back to the Burrow?" Hermione repeated. "Ron's doing all right, then?"
"Oh, Ron's fine," Ginny said, and raised a red eyebrow. "I'm sure you know all about that. Don't you?" The younger girl darted out of the room after that, leaving her flustered friend to try and gather her thoughts and her clothing.
Hermione pulled on her robes and stared into a small mirror, turning from side to side. Did she look normal? Could anyone tell?
Biting her lip, she had to admit that it didn't matter what she looked like. Everybody knew anyway.
She hurried downstairs to hug both Harry and Ron farewell. It was hard to look Ron in the eye with everyone watching, but the hustle of last-minute preparations was distracting enough to keep them moving. Since Madam Pomfrey had verified that Ron's condition was stable, he would be returning to his family and helping to get everything ready for tomorrow's ceremony. Then, after the wedding, the three of them would be descending upon the Dursleys, to remain through Harry's birthday. As soon as he came of age, Harry planned to visit Godric's Hollow, and from there - who could know?
And so, as she waved goodbye to her friends for the day, Hermione was very aware that this could be it - the end of her solo research time. Of course, she would still be able to slip away to the library if she needed to. But if she was supposed to be staying with Harry, she would need to tell them where and why she needed to go, which would make it more difficult to look into things he would rather she didn't.
The boys were transported magically away, and Hermione turned, distracted, to gather her notes - only to meet an unexpected obstacle. A small redhaired obstacle, brown eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Tell me everything," Ginny demanded.
"Everything about what?"
"You and Ron!" Ginny shoved at her friend's arm impatiently. "You did it, didn't you? What was it like?"
"Ginny!" Hermione gasped. "I - You can't ask me things like that! He's your brother!"
"So what?" Ginny scoffed. "I'm not asking for pictures! I just..." She sighed. "I've got lots of brothers, but I don't have an older sister. And none of my friends in my year have done anything more than I have. Everybody gossips, but nobody knows."
"Oh," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "So - this is research."
"You could say that," Ginny shrugged, flopping into one of the comfortable common room chairs - not, Hermione was relieved to see, the couch where things had begun the previous night. "So spill! Was it as amazing as people say? Did you see stars?"
"Not really," Hermione admitted. "It was all sort of confusing."
Ginny smirked. "Ron muffed it up, didn't he?"
"How would I know?" Hermione pointed out. "I don't have anything to compare it to!" She rubbed her hands together. "He didn't hurt me. He was very careful. And I suppose it was... pleasant. Mostly, it just all felt so strange!" She pondered, trying to view the experience objectively. Ginny deserved to know. "It was sort of like being under the Imperius," she said, remembering her fourth-year classes with the false Moody. "You're not entirely sure why you're doing what you're doing, but things happen and it makes you feel nice..."
"Ew!" Ginny protested, shaking her head. "Please, don't make me think of sex as evil mind control. That'll put me off for life." She paused, looking at her friend, who was now staring at her feet. "Are you all right?"
"Sorry," Hermione mumbled. "There's just... something I'm trying to think of." Suddenly her face paled. "Control. Oh, NO."
"What?" Ginny asked. "You don't honestly believe my brother put the Imperius curse on you, do you?"
"Birth control!" Hermione explained. "I don't - we didn't - I don't even know what witches use!"
Ginny's eyes widened. "But you only did it once! And it was the first time, so surely you can't..."
Hermione shook her head frantically. "No wonder your family is so big! Once is enough, if you're unlucky."
Ginny blinked a few times, shifting in her seat. "Madam Pomfrey would know," she suggested. "I could ask - I wouldn't have to tell her why I was asking."
"With how quickly you and Harry and everybody seemed to know what was going on?" Hermione sighed. "No. I'll just have to look it up. There's bound to be a potion for it. There's a potion for everything."
---
The basement laboratory had been cleaned of its earlier spills and mishaps, but a greasy smoke now hung in the confined space. Draco was not certain if the oily residue in the air were leftover from a previous experiment, or the normal state of the product now stewing in the strange, oversized cauldron in the center of the room. It was a flat-bottomed cylinder, entirely the wrong shape for a proper wizarding cauldron, and the gray metal it was made of was not silver, despite its brilliant gleam.
Severus Snape, today, appeared his old self again - the familiar Potions Master with his stringy hair and his sly smile. He handed Draco a wooden paddle, three feet long with a well-worn handle. "Counter-clockwise. Slow, steady motion. Don't hit the sides or the bottom, just keep the liquid moving."
The fluid inside the strange metal drum was a sickly dark gray, with tendrils of green weaving through it. It moved thickly, heavy against the paddle, but once he got the motion started it was easy for Draco to keep it going.
Snape, in the meantime, was carefully cutting open seed pods with a silver knife, and collecting the shimmering spheres in a glass saucer. He stood and peered into the swirling fluid. "Steady," he repeated, then began to add ingredients one at a time, alternating between the gleaming seeds and a pinch of shredded sulfur-yellow flower petals.
When his hands were empty, he turned his attention to Draco. "Sixteen circles at that speed, then slow it until you can reverse direction smoothly. Do not splash." He moved around the room, storing unused components. "Well, Draco? What am I brewing?"
He did not allow his concentration or his arm movements to falter. "Moon-barley pearls cut with silver and petals of wolfsbane? I expect it has something to do with werewolves."
"Very good," the older man said, sweeping the wolfsbane stems from the table. "Continue."
---
Compared to brewing Polyjuice Potion, the Pennyroyal Preservative was laughably simple. The recipe was not listed in any of the standard school textbooks - wouldn't want the students getting any ideas! - but it was easy to find in the library medical texts. The practise had been refined and passed from witch to witch over the centuries, resulting in a tea that even a Squib could manage.
Hermione was able to locate all of the ingredients in the empty Potions classroom without difficulty. It didn't even taste bad. Rather minty.
Once she had ingested the potion, she felt a little more relaxed. At least one impetuous decision shouldn't cause her any further harm.
Pausing beside Snape's - Slughorn's - desk, Hermione reflected that brewing an illicit substance in an unattended laboratory didn't feel the same without the fear of the Great Bat looming up out of the shadows. But then, she hadn't been afraid of him yesterday - and he had come anyway.
She spared a quick glance at the doors, just in case.
No one.
With a sigh, Hermione sank into the professorial chair.
Snape. Bloody Snape. That cold-hearted bastard.
And to think she'd actually tried to defend him!
He was a monster, plain and simple. He hadn't even given her a chance to explain. He violated her mind, he hurt her and enjoyed it, he'd removed her clothing for no reason at all... was he some kind of pervert? He had to be, didn't he? He'd been part of that dreadful attack on little Rose! Perhaps she should be counting her blessings he hadn't done anything worse!
It was ridiculous. She'd gone into that awful old house trying to help him. If he'd just taken the time to speak with her, she would have... gone along with almost anything he suggested.
Hermione frowned.
She was there to help. He had to know that - she'd managed to say that much, and he'd surely gotten proof from her mind that she meant it. She had been on his side. Why had he attacked her? Even if he was just an evil, twisted man... he could easily have sent her off on a wild goose chase, used her to lure her friends into a trap. He could have killed her. Despite what he'd said, killing Hermione wouldn't really get him into any more trouble than killing Dumbledore had.
So, once again, Snape's actions made no sense. If he was on their side, why wouldn't he talk to her? If he was on the other side, why hadn't he used her, or killed her? He'd hurt her, he'd frightened and humiliated her... just enough, as he'd said, to 'teach her a lesson'. And nothing more.
Hermione planted her elbows on the potions desk, her chin in her hands, and thought. What had Snape actually said to her? Meddler. Keep your nose out.
Everything he'd done had been intended, quite openly, to make her stop following him. To scare her badly enough that she would go away and not come back. Well, she was scared. Her first encounter with Snape had earned her a painless stunning. The second had been a lot worse. At this rate, the third time was going to leave her with permanent damage.
But why? 'Help me!' or 'Forgive me!' or 'Die!' - she could understand if he asked for these things. But 'Go away and leave me alone'? How could that be all he wanted from her? He didn't deserve to be left alone. He was far too much a part of everything. He had answers - he was, perhaps, the only one who had any answers. If he was trying to keep her away, was that just more of a clue that he knew something important?
"I'm missing something," Hermione said out loud. "I'm tired."
She stood, tidied the desk, and left the potions classroom, heading upstairs to find Ginny. But the figure rushing across the Great Hall to meet her was not the redhaired girl.
"I have to talk to you," said Draco Malfoy. "It's about Snape."
---
Author's Note: Some people were a bit displeased by the Ron/Hermione content last chapter. Hey, it's not my fault they're dating at this point in canon! Under the circumstances, it was fairly inevitable that he'd get her into bed at some point. I am not a big fan of Ron/Hermione - I don't think they're suited for the long-term. But in the short term, my Ron is a good guy. She may leave him, but not because he turns overnight into Mister Evil just to make things easier. :)
No pairing is guaranteed to remain untouched! (I am often quite tempted to pair Hermione with Remus just because I never see anyone do it well...)
