Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all familiar characters do not belong to me.
A/n: Sorry for not updating sooner! It's longer than usual, but I guess that's a good thing. And now back to the show!
X
The lady in the black hood had a deep rich accent. She may have spoken only two words, but those words ran like silk.
"W-where am I?" Pansy stuttered, looking around nervously.
The lady smiled. "Think of this as my underground palace," she began "You have been searching for me, yes?"
Pansy nodded.
"Did you not see the signs?" the lady asked "The sudden change of weather? Or the clouds lurking over my part of the forest?"
Pansy shook her head.
"I was calling for you. But of course," she said smoothly "The times are changing, your generation does not recognize signs and symbols of -,"
"Yes, well, I need your help," Pansy finally said.
"I know, your heart belongs to a young man," Maiden of the Macabre spoke, "He is quite handsome, but, his soul is dark and troublesome,"
"Draco," Pansy said breathlessly.
"He is with someone, is he not?"
Pansy nodded. "He is,"
The lady looked into Pansy's eyes. "Are you sure you want to destroy this bond?" she asked.
"I do," Pansy said defiantly, "And I am the one he's supposed to be with. He just… doesn't know it yet"
"Such foolishness," the lady replied.
"What?" Pansy said as she got up and dusted herself off.
"His heart does not b-,"
"Don't finish that sentence," warned Pansy, "Are you going to help me or what?" .
"Very well," she said, "Under one condition,"
"And that is?" replied Pansy.
"I will help those who help themselves," the lady said with a smirk, "In other words, you break this bond, and I will do the rest,"
"Deal," Pansy agreed.
With a wave of the lady's hand, Pansy was back in her bed in the Slytherin Girl Dormitories.
Pansy smirked and fell onto her bed.
X
"Please stop staring at me, Harry" ordered Hermione.
Ron, Harry and Hermione were studying in the library. Naturally, Harry and Ron didn't do it willingly. They had to though; she was very scary, especially when it came to academics. Hermione was like Hitler. All she needed was the really bad hair, a moustache and speak German.
Between you and me, Ron wasn't really studying, he may look like he was reading a ridiculously large book, but he was really reading the latest edition of Quidditch.
"Sorry, it's just… never mind," Harry said discouraged.
"If it's so important that it distracts you from studying for our exams then out with it," she said simply putting her book down.
"I've been thinking," Harry began, "Well, it's about you and Malfoy,"
"Well, I just have this lurking feeling," Harry said looking at the table. Then, he looked at Hermione. "How do you know he isn't a Death Eater?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, I appreciate your concern but Draco is not like that, trust me,"
"I don't know about that Hermione," intervened Ron "Have you seen his, you know, his forearm?"
"Guys, thanks but I'm fine. We're fine," said Hermione. "Now, back to studying! There is going to be hell to pay if I get anything below an Outstanding.
Harry and Ron sent each other looks.
"I hope you're right Hermione, I really hope you're right," said Harry to himself.
X
"Gather 'round!" Hagrid said assembling the students around him. "Today we're goin' down ter the lake! It's goin' t' be a real treat. Now follow me," he said as he began to head towards the lake.
"Oh goodie, what hideous, hazardous, life-threatening creature is Hagrid going to introduce us to today?" asked Ron mock-cheerfully.
"If were lucky, we might meet a basilisk! Remember how much fun we had with one down in the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry said as he played along.
Hermione shook her head. "Honestly guys,"
"Hey, as long as I don't get mauled by another murderous creature, I'm fine," Draco said bitterly walking behind Hermione.
" 'Ere we are," he said spreading his arms over the lake.
"Whoopty-doo," said Draco sarcastically, "Dirty water,"
Hagrid took searched for something in his coat and took out an object that looked like a stick. He blew on it, and music flowed from the object. At first nothing happened, but then there were ripples in the water. Suddenly, out jumped a blue-green creature. Hagrid turned to the students and smiled.
The students took one look at the creature and took one giant step back.
Hagrid laughed lightly. "It won't hurt cha, this is a hippocampus,"
"I bet it has a even more ridiculous name, no doubt," Draco commented to the Slytherins behind him, "Something more ridiculous than stupid chicken, Buckbeak," he said with a smirk. The Slytherins laughed.
" 'er name is Hannah," Hagrid said to the students.
Hermione turned to Draco. "You were saying?" she said laughing.
Draco mock-sneered at Hermione.
Hermione turned back to the creature and studied it carefully.
It's front quarters like a horse and the back, instead of hind feet, it had a giant fish tail. Along the jaw, spine and area where the hair would be on a regular horse were fins. It neighed softly.
"Now, hippocampi are very dangerous, when threatened. They are domesticated by merpeople, but are very peaceful. They are very intelligent creatures and are omnivores. Which mean they eat meat, like small fish and plants, like seaweed," Hagrid explained turning to the students and smiling.
"That's it?" Ron asked "Um…Hagrid, what exactly are we supposed to do with it? Stand here and stare at it?" Ron asked.
"Well, I was thinkin' maybe one of yer would like t' ride it," Hagrid said innocently.
Ron turned to Harry. "He's trying to kill us, he is," he whispered.
"How can we ride it, if it's a sea creature?" asked Hermione.
"Gillyweed, o' course," Hagrid replied.
"But those effects last for an hour, tell me you don't expect us to ride t-that thing for a few minutes and go walking about with gills and webbed feet," Seamus said.
There was a feeling.A feeling thathad Hermione believing shewas being watched.
"Don't worry, this gillyweed only last fer a few minutes. There's some kinda shortening potion, that when added to any type of potion or magic it'm or plant in our case, makes the effects shortened" Hagrid explained.
He took out the slimy looking plant and put two drops of the shortening spell and replied "Now, now, step forward if you'd like to ride 'er," Hagrid said feeding Hannah some seaweed. He turned around to see no one step forward.
She turned around to Draco, but he was talking to the Slytherins.
"All right, Longbottom," Hagrid began. "Thanks fer volunteerin'"
"W-what?" Neville squeaked.
Hermione turned to Ron and Harry but they weren't even facing her direction.
Neville stepped forward slowly and took a bite of the gillyweed.
Hermione looked towards the Hogwarts castle and saw someone in a black cloak running behind a tree. She was snapped out her trance by Neville. Each time he came out of the water, he would scream like a girl and hold on to the hippocampus for dear life.
"Don't worry, yer safe!" said Hagrid chasing Neville across the lake. "Just be quiet, you might wake up the giant squid!"
"SQUID!" Neville asked when coming up from the water. "MUM!"
Hagrid quickly took out the whistle and blew on it. Hannah stopped almost immediately and swam to shore.
Neville fell like a tree when he stepped on dry land.
"He looks a bit green," someone commented.
"No that's, jus the effect of the gillyw-" Hagrid looked down to see Neville had thrown up on his shoes.
Ron chuckled and nudged Harry. "Seems like he got the white scared back in him," he said smiling.
X
Pansy snuck out of the Hogwarts. She saw someone behind a tree.
"Malum est perfectus," Pansy said.
"Perfectus est Malum," the cloaked figure replied.
"Good, now, you and I want the same thing, right?" Pansy said.
The cloaked figure nodded.
"Well, I have this plan," Pansy started, "And I need someone smart," Pansy smirked "That's where you come in,"
X
Half a month later – January 20th"Hello, I am Firenze, I will be taking the place of Professor Trelawney, who unfortunately had one of her episodes of the future and ended up jumping out of the window," he began "Luckily to say, she is still alive, and though unluckily has broken her leg, her arm and most of her ribs,"
Some students laughed.
"Today, we will be learning the art of aura reading. An aura is an energy field that is held to radiate from a living being. Now, there are two kinds of energies. Does any one know what they are?"
"Negative and Positive," Parvati stated.
"Very good," Firenze said "Those energies give out different kinds of feelings," he walked around the students, "Of course, negative give out bad feelings, and positive, good,"
As Firenze was walking past Draco and he stopped and turned towards Draco's direction.
"A great negative aura is around you," Firenze said. Draco rolled his eyes. "A great word of caution to you," Firenze warned.
And as Firenze was heading towards the front of the room, he stopped again, looked down and made a face. "Can someone fetch the pooper scooper?"
X
Hermione and Draco sat in the Head's common room doing their homework. Hermione was completing her Ancient Runes and Draco had just finished studying for his Defense of the Dark Arts exam. He sat and studied her. Maybe it was how the firelight reflected on her, but she looked prettier than he had ever seen her. Even with her hair in a messy bun with her wand in it or the way she bit her bottom lip when she was thinking, she was beautiful. He thought to himself.
"Oh. Bloody. Hell. I'm turning into those damn sappy lovesick people!" He mentally slapped himself. "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER MAN!"
Hermione looked up to see Draco staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.
"What?" she asked. "Do I have a boogie?" she said as she covered her nose. Draco came into focus and smiled.
"No," he said as he laughed quietly "Just, er… hungry I guess," he lied.
Hermione knew something was wrong, but knew not to push it and just smiled.
"Okay, I'll go down to the kitchens and get us some snacks," she said while getting up, "Want anything?"
"Surprise me," he answered with a small smile.
As he heard Hermione leave the common room, he stared into the fire. He was going to have to tell her sooner or later. It was better she heard it from him, than having to find out from someone else. The problem was, when was the right time? Between classes, homework, Pothead and Weaselbee, snogging, and other stuff, he never had the time to tell her. He heard someone coming and turned to the portrait door. It was Hermione.
"That was fast," he commented as he looked at her empty hands. He stood up. "Where are the-"
Something was different about Hermione. She was following him around the room and with a savage look on her face.
"Hermione?" he asked backing away from her. "I know you can't stand all this sexiness but you're sca- you're being odd,"
X
Hermione walked back to the Head Common Room with chocolate frogs, bottles of butterbeer, licorice wands, and pumpkin pasties. Hermione had always had sweet tooth, but she had never been able to satisfy it, until now. She turned the corner and noticed that the portrait was open. Last time, the portrait had a brush; this time the portrait had a mirror.
"How did you do that?" the portrait asked Hermione. Hermione ignored her and figured she wasn't talking about anything related to her. What Hermione saw shocked the hell out of her.
X
Hermione shoved him down onto the sofa and kissed him barbarically. Something was horribly different. Hermione's kisses were almost gentle and loving, this, this was needy and sloppy. He struggled to get her off.
When he did, he looked up to see the eyes of Pansy Parkinson. His eyes widened in shock. He jumped to from his seat and turned to the door. That is when he saw Hermione clutching her mouth in shock. She dropped her bags of food and ran.
X
"Hermione!" Draco shouted as he chased after her in the hallways. He turned the corner and saw Hermione catching her breathe leaning on a statue of a giant owl.
"Get away from me!" Hermione shouted at Draco with tears in her eyes, as she backed away.
"Hermione, I didn't know it was you," Draco explained.
"Rubbish!" Hermione shouted.
" 'Mione…"
"How could you do this!" she shouted.
"Hermione, you know me! More than anyone else in this castle," Draco said walking towards Hermione.
She backed away. "I thought I knew you too," she said quietly "Harry and Ron were right," she almost whispered.
"What in bloody hell do they have to do with any of this?" Draco shouted. Just mentioning Potter and Weasly's name was a pet peeve for him.
"Show me your arm," Hermione said sternly.
"What?" asked Draco confused.
"You heard me," Hermione said speaking a bit louder.
Draco stood there and watched her.
"Just show me your arm, Draco!" she shouted.
With his eyes still on Hermione, he roughly unbuttoned his cuff and showed Hermione the Dark Mark that contrasted with his milky skin.
She looked at it, and for the first time through this whole disaster, tears fell from her eyes.
She shook her head as she backed away from him. "You had a choice!" She finally said.
"No I didn't!" Draco shouted back "You think I want this?" Draco asked showing her the Dark Mark again.
"I don't know!" Hermione said throwing her hands in the air. "Do you?" she said crossing her arms.
"Of course not, Hermione, I had no say, no choice at all," he said once again.
Hermione looked at the Dark Mark through the tears that made her eyes blurry.
"Maybe you're right," she whispered, "Even though you act as though you had complete control over your life, you never did," she said harshly.
Draco closed his eyes. What Hermione had said however harsh, was true. It was like his life could be summed up in three words: "Dance, Monkey, Dance!"
"It was all a game to you," she said,
"No, Hermione-" Draco interrupted.
"Listen!" Hermione shouted, "You never cared, I was just some toy, some mudblood you could play with then put away," she said cruelly.
There was silence. "And to think," she said, "I loved you," she whispered loud enough for Draco to hear.
Draco eyes shot up and looked Hermione in the eyes.
"What a waste," she said. Before Draco got to say anything, she was gone.
A/N: I know, I'm evil, I would tell you everything would be okay, but I don't even know that. You may not have gotten that pooper scooper thing. Um... well, have you ever been near a horse and they poop? Well, I've always though that they had no control over their bodily functions. Lol, it was funny for me. Heh. Okay! R&R. Thanks for reading!