Disclaimer: None of these characters or places are mine. If they were, I'd be vactioning in Egypt, eating sweet, sweet limes instead of talking to you :D

Chapter 6: Sweet, Sweet Lime

Hermione and Ron collided, mid-temper tantrum stomp.

Ron was less upset than he was confused. He had been Harry's best friend ever since they started at Hogwarts and it seemed as though a very long, and quite satisfying chapter in his life was coming to a not-so-satisfying end. Then there was Hermione who, even though he defended her decisions, had changed in his eyes. It wasn't just the fact that she had started hanging out with Malfoy, it was the fact that the old Hermione, the one he knew and even loved at one point, seemed to be dissipating by the day. Ron wondered, in this upturned world, if his friends were going to start paying attention to i his /i life. i He /i had changed too!

Hermione, however, was past shock and confusion at this point. After pacing the halls, wringing her hands, and even pulling out a bit of her hair, she was furious. i How /i could Blaise do this to her? She should have listened to Harry. All these goddamn Slytherins were going to hell after all!

Hermione and Ron both stumbled, seemingly surprised that any one dare enter their bubbles. Hermione looked up and saw her freckly faced best friend of six years and her anger fell away like a dead leaf in autumn. She threw her arms abruptly around him, tears that were fighting for air all day finally burst free and streamed down her face onto Ron's robe. Far from being a bit scared of the angry and confused little witch in front of him, Ron held her like he had nothing else left to hold and it was a while until either of them let go of the only security they had left.

"I'm sorry," Hermione muttered shyly now that she had composed herself.

"No, Hermione, I should be sorry," said Ron as he tried to get her to move off to the window sill so that the other students could get by. "I haven't been as good to you as I should have. I just let you go off and hang out with Malfoy and Zabini without even asking what happened or comforting you if you needed it. I should have also been more supportive."

Hermione started crying again.

"What is it," Ron asked, horrified that he had upset her again.

"It's Blaise! He's--he's-- oh Ron, I can't even say it," Hermione whined.

i Oh god /i , Ron thought, i please tell me he didn't find out about me and Harry! That was a one time thing! A /i one time i thing! /i

"Ron, he-- Blaise has joined the Dark Lord!"

"WHAT!"

"I w--wanted to have lunch with him--but that bitch was there--with her bitchy good clothes--and that god damn ring! I HATE the way she walks, she's so-- well anyway, he came up to me and said-- he said he was with Mold--Voldemort and-- /i I don't know what to do! /i "

"Oh Hermione," Ron said softly, her bushy hair under his hands. "And here I am trying to be more lenient about them! I knew I should have sided with Harry! I thought they had changed--I really did," Ron said.

"I know, I thought so too. I'm so utterly i stupid /i ," Hermione said as she rammed her head repeatedly into the stone wall.

"Hey," Ron said as he dragged her away from her self-mutilation instrument and ushered her down the corridor, hoping that perhaps they could find a secluded classroom. Ron did NOT fancy going back up to the common room as Harry was there and Harry, with his outrageous behavior coupled with a distraught Hermione was a time-bomb.

Hermione was struggling now, smacking every inch of Ron as he half-dragged, half-carried her up the stone steps, smiling weakly at the flabbergasted onlookers. "Limb-Jerking Solution," he said as Hermione aimed another kick at Ron's crotch.

As they reached the library, Hermione finally calmed down a bit. That is, if you can consider taking out random books and beginning to talk to them calm. Ron had once had an uncle who went into shock when his Jeweled Tortoise of fifty years died; he never spoke English again.

"So, Mr. i Quidditch Through the Ages /i , I think I'm going to take you out again," Hermione was saying to a vibrant green book the size of a lynx, as Ron walked up to her cautiously. "Or maybe not. After all, I i did /i end up falling off of my broom in the end even after seven hours of reading..." without a more word spoken, Hermione flung the book as far away from her as possible, finally landing with a splash in Madame Pince's aquarium.

"OUT," was all they heard before both were ricocheted into the nearest wall from a well placed levitating charm and ran as fast as they could from the vicinity. Hermione giggled all the way.

"Hermione," Ron panted, as they found themselves on the landing in front of the hump-backed witch,"are you i drunk /i ?"

Hermione hiccuped loudly and said "How--hic--dare you make that accusation?" before bursting into another fit of giggles. That's when Ginny came by.

"I'm sick of you pretending that Draco is your son, old man! He will do as I say! Your job is to teach your students--"

"Along with giving them advice on what is right and" Dumbledore's light-blue eyes flashed "keeping other students safe."

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had shown up at a quarter past nine and, in Lucius's case, had been badgering the Headmaster about the whereabouts of his son for the past hour and a half. Lucius had a face gone scarlet in rage but Narcissa seemed unperturbed by the goings on around her. Her eyes, once so alive at the height of her youth, seemed gaunt and dead, her clammy skin accenting the picture perfectly.

"At least tell me where he is! He's my god damn son and i you /i won't keep me away from him," Lucius shouted, a bit of spittle dirtying the portrait of poor Armando Dippet.

"That is where you are wrong, Lucius. If I feel one of my students is in danger, I shall protect him or her at all costs," Dumbledore said in whisper that could have knocked down a grown man. However, Lucius was not to be made a fool. He took out his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore's heart.

"Don't play games with me," Lucius said icily.

Dumbledore sighed idly. "You," he said "like your master, fail to realize that killing me will not help you in the slightest."

"Fine then! Avada Kedav--" The wand was knocked from the blonde man's fingers in mid-spell. Narcissa Malfoy, notorious Death Eater for Lord Voldemort for thirty years, pointed her own wand at her husband who fell to the floor in a wave of red light.

Face as red as her hair, Ginny stepped in front of them, eyes on her feet.

"Er--," Ginny said to the couple "Could I have a word with you, Hermione?"

"I don't think now is the greatest time to be talking to her, Gin. She's a little--" Ron ducked as Hermione tried hitting him with a handbag she had snatched from a passerby. "--out of it."

"Oh, well, I can come back later--"

"No," Hermione said firmly. She was sure he knew what this was about and if it wasn't handled quickly, Ginny might go on living in confusion pointlessly.

"Ron, you can let me go now! I told you, I'm not drunk," she giggled again "I just want i you /i

to stop acting like you can take me wherever you please! Besides, Ginny and I need to discuss some things" Hermione said.

"Okay," Ron said weakly, a bit shocked at Hermione's abrupt change in behavior. As Ginny and Hermione walked down the corridor and up the stairs, it hit him.

i Uh oh /i , Ron thought. i This is about that 'thing'. Hermione's out of it and Ginny thinks that--! /i Ron sprinted after them in the hopes that he would not walk in on anything too hot--. i Well actually /i , Ron thought, i But no! Your sister's involved! /i

As soon Hermione and Ginny walked up the stone steps leading to the Gryffindor Common Room, the red-haired girl pounced and Hermione was beneath her on the cold floor, a hot tongue pervading her mouth and small hands roaming her body. Hermione struggled and was finally able to push Ginny off of her. Unfortunately, at that very moment, Draco Malfoy came by.

"Get away from me," Hermione shouted at Draco, dusting of her skirt and forgetting about Ginny entirely. Draco looked taken aback as he stared at them both. Regaining himself however, he seemed to reexamine the situation.

"Granger, I had no idea that you went for pussy as well. This could turn out to be i very /i interesting," Draco said, eyeing her mussed appearance.

Ignoring his comment, Hermione said "I told you to leave me alone, you filthy traitor! And you're the reason Ginny did this, you know!" Hermione looked down at the scared little red-head in front of her as invisible tears fell down her face. "It was Draco that put an Arousal Spell on me and made me come and join you and Harry. I'm sorry, Gin, but I don't like you like that, nor Harry. I made a stupid decision and it made me betray my friends and now it seems as if I'm caught in that bind again. I should have listened to Harry," Hermione said, directing this last comment at Draco.

"At first I thought you'd just had a bit much to drink, Hermione. I saw you heading towards the kitchens so I followed you and one of the elves told me that you had downed two whole bottles of fire whiskey and then snuck back up. Now however, I'm wondering how on Earth alcohol could possibly make you hate me again so naturally I have to ask, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Stumbling a bit, partly due to intoxication, partly due to Draco's shouting, Hermione said "You know perfectly well what's going on! You heard that Voldemort's kicked it up a notch so you and Blaise think it fit to forget all of your promises and go right back to where you left off! I thought you had changed," Hermione sobbed as Ginny lay a comforting arm around her.

"Hermione," Draco said soothingly as he walked closer.

"Stay away from her," Ginny shouted as she fumbled for her wand. Draco stayed his ground.

"Just listen, Hermione," he said.

"Why should she? You've ruined her life," Ginny said as Hermione continued to sob into Ginny's shoulder.

"She can speak for herself, Weasley."

"Does it look like it, Malfoy? She's a mess!"

"Maybe I could comfort her if you wouldn't threaten to hex me every time I get close!"

"She doesn't need comfort from i you /i !"

"She doesn't know the whole truth!"

"I think she knows it better than you do!"

"Weasley!"

"Malfoy!"

"SHUT UP," came a shaking voice, "Both of you!" Hermione lifted her moist head from Ginny's shoulder and took a step forward.

"I don't want to hear i anything /i you've got to say to me. I'm tired of trusting people, I'm tired of trusting i myself /i ! I'm not going to let you do this to me again," Hermione said as she walked away.

Ginny sneered at him and followed Hermione down the corridor.

"Well, I suppose it can't get any worse," Draco muttered.

Dumbledore sped from his seat to examine Lucius.

"It was just a Knock-Out spell, Dumbledore, nothing serious," Narcissa said.

"I am in your debt, Narcissa. But as for right now, we need to be a bit more careful. Would you mind stowing him away into a cupboard, he won't be out for long."

"Of course, Professor. Also, that dreadful woman, Zabini has this pendant--"

"What sort of pendant," Dumbledore asked urgently as Narcissa stowed Lucius's limp form away.

"It looks like a piece of Gody old jewelry. She said it was a family heirloom; it looked so cheap, I wouldn't have doubted it. Anyway, it sort of goes off when anything happens to Lucius, Blaise, or Draco. I think they boys have them as well though I've never seen them."

Dumbledore trudged into the room Narcissa had just stored Lucius in and came back with a black and heavy-looking dragon pendant in his hand that was buzzing slightly.

"It looks as though it's already signaled. We'll have to move quickly. We have no time to round up the D.A., we'll have to go alone. If Voldemort has one of these pieces too, he'll already be on his way, carrying out his threat on the school much earlier than planned. We'll have to flee, bringing this pendant with us. Take his wand and lock that door will you? It should hold him off long enough,"

Dumbledore said.

Taking all this in without a flinch, Narcissa scooped up her husband's wand, slipped it into her robes and magically locked the cupboard that Lucius lay in. In seconds, they had both disapparated with a pop.

Ginny and Hermione, after having discussed the entire situation with the Arousal Spell and how Draco and Blaise had tricked her yet again, everything felt okay again. Ginny had admitted she had been experimenting with girls but was not bisexual and that she only kissed Hermione to try to make her feel better, not having the faintest clue why she had left the dorm that day. They both appologized and were now merrily walking down the hall to the common room, a few hours later.

They had made it to the Fat Lady's corridor when they ran into Ron who was dressed as a bright green alien, antenna and all.

"I was looking for you two," he said. "Did you--er, you know--sort everything out," he asked Hermione anxiously.

"Yes, I suppose. But, um, i what /i are you wearing," Hermione asked.

"It's my costume! For the dance in the library, remember? It starts in just fifteen minutes!"

"Oh God," said Hermione, wringing her hands. "Is it that time already? I haven't even got a costume!"

"Nor have I," said Ginny.

"Well, Madame Malkin's is selling them by mail order and it usually arrives about five minutes after you order but you'd better hurry," Ron said.

"Do you, by chance, have an order form," said Hermione lamely. She did not really want to attend Dumbledore's little 'Morale-Booster' but as Head Girl, she was to supervise the event.

"Yeah," said Ron, pulling a 'Quibbler' magazine from his back pocket.

Ginny looked at him questioningly but all he said was "I'll see you. I've got to go meet L-- my date!" and with that he sprinted down the corridor.

"His i date /i ," Ginny said, eyes wide.

Hermione didn't comment. She was much too preoccupied with the idea of having to meet Blaise or Draco at the dance.

After sending in their orders, Hermione and Ginny made their way to the library. With the lack of time, they'd have to change in the bathroom.

When Hermione reached the library, Ginny went off to find Harry and Hermione was left to sit on the benches with all the other people who didn't have dates. She dimly noticed that the library had been decorated in a sort of jungle theme with vines crawling up each book shelf, birds flying around the extended canopy-ceiling. There was also a sort of Congo music playing that was beginning to make Hermione's head pound.

Just then, she saw her Tawny Owl, Einstein, peck at a window next to her. She opened the latch as the bird flew in and shook himself dry of the cold rain water outside. In his beak was a heavy looking package that she unwrapped, hoping to God they had gotten her size right. Einstein was still there so she fed him a bit of cookie she still had in her pocket and he flew off back out into the storm.

When she finished opening her package she realized that there must have been some terrible mistake. She had ordered a sensible librarian's outfit, figuring it would go with the theme of being in a library. However, what she saw in front of her was anything but sensible. It was definitely a librarian's outfit but the ruffled skirt couldn't have been more than three inches, the peasant style shirt would surely show her midriff, and Hermione doubted whether she ever saw a librarian wearing six inch pumps. However, people were beginning to stare at her without a costume so she made her way into the bathroom to change.

When she came back out, she felt terribly exposed even with the half circle spectacles and lovely bun to accentuate her outfit. People were still staring at her, but in a different way. She was sure she had seem Eric Abercrombie wink at her and she'd bet her copy of i Hogwarts, A History /i that Justin Finch-Fletchly had jerked his head in the direction of his common room, mouthing the words 'Fuck me'. Unlike some girls, she did not enjoy this attention. She kept trying to pull down her shirt that was fully exposing her belly which only exposed her breasts more and she tried tugging down her shirt to cover her legs but that just exposed more of her midriff! i What /i had Madame Malkin been thinking?

Then on top of her wardrobe malfunction, Draco Malfoy, who was dressed as a vampire, fangs and all, seemed to be tailing her. No matter how fast she tried to walk in these damnable shoes, he was always right behind her. Blaise was there too but he seemed to be too preoccupied with the bint, Parvati (dressed in a matching Roman goddess costume) to notice her. She was about to confront him when she ran into Ginny whose Native American princess outfit seemed to be almost as skimpy as hers was.

"Madame Malkin aquired some taste this year, eh," Ginny said. Then she noticed Hermione trying futilely to cover herself. "Come on, Herm, you look great! Besides, a lot of other girls are wearing way less than that. See," Ginny pointed over to Pansy Parkinson (dressed in nothing but a skin colored bikini) who was grinding with Theo Nott.

"I guess you're right," Hermione said. "I just can't help but wonder what Dumbledore would say if he saw his Head Girl now. He already owled my parents once."

"Well, it doesn't look like Dumbledore's anywhere near here, so just have some fun, take your mind off of Draco," Ginny said.

This made Hermione look behind her. Unsurprisingly, Draco was there, admiring her assets from behind. Hermione then ushered Ginny so that they could go talk somewhere else.

"Speaking of gorgeous guys, have you seen Harry," Ginny asked.

"What do you mean, speaking of--"

"Oh, I know that he's an evil prat that will most likely be the end of us all but you have to admit, he's pretty damn good-looking," Ginny said, startling Hermione out of her wits.

"Ginny! Draco is a Death Eater!"

"A delicious one," Hermione gasped "Anyway, back to what I was saying, have you seen Harry at all?"

"No," Hermione said.

"What about Ron? I wanted to see who this supposed 'date' is. I swear if he's gotten Harry to dress up as a girl again--"

Just then, Ron walked up to them, grinning like mad, holding the hand of a very pretty girl, wearing a female version of Ron's alien suit. It Hermione didn't know any better, she'd have to say that was--

"Luna," Ginny screeched as she hugged her friend, coming back with a bit of Green paint on her nose.

"So you and Ron are together now," Hermione asked, dazed. If there were two people with any more different personalities, she didn't know them. I Well /i , that annoying voice in Hermione's head said, i there are you and Draco. /i

"Yeah," said Ron happily and Luna giggled loudly. "I had detention, cleaning off the school carriages last week and Luna was sitting there, talking to the Thestrals."

"We just got to talking and we realized that we have a lot in common," Luna finished for him.

"Well, that's great," said Ginny, hugging them both again and becoming even greener.

"Yes, it is," Hermione agreed, glad that i someone /i was enjoying themselves in light of the dark times. However, Hermione was still puzzling how on earth someone like Luna Lovegood could make Ron more mature.

As Ron and Luna headed towards the punch table, Ginny decided to go dance with Dean "since Harry's being such a prat."

Again, Hermione was left to mingle. She decided that the music really was getting to be too much and no one looked like they needed her assistance, so she went off to the ladies room. As she splashed a bit of water over her pink cheeks, Hermione saw something very disturbing in the mirror. Right next to her reflection, she could have sworn she saw something move. She shook herself a bit figuring that the great deal of alcohol she had consumed earlier was still in her system. Then she saw it again.

She splashed more water onto her face to clear her mind when finally, the mirror turned black and she felt a warm body on the back of hers. She tried to scream but there was already a hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream," a drawling voice whispered into her ear. This made her panic even more. She struggled with all her might but he was simply stronger than she was.

"Hermione, I'm not going to hurt you," Draco whispered "I just want to know why you're mad at me." At this, she kicked him in the shin with the heel of her foot and he finally let her go. She ran as fast as she could to the door but it was locked. She put her wand to the door and said "Alohomora" but nothing happened. She slowly turned around to see Draco smirking at her.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid," he asked, fangs glinting menacingly in the dim light of the lavatory.

"Well, actually--," Hermione tried.

"Granger, I have top grades in this school next to you, don't pretend for one second that I'm an insolent dunce. If I were, I wouldn't have been able to curse you ever so discreetly," he said as he inched nearer.

Hermione was panicking now. If she reached for her wand, he would see her and her reflexes weren't that great. She thought of throwing something at him but the only object in sight seemed to be a bar of soap on the sink and she was sure that that would not keep him at bay for long. She was trapped.

"Stop looking so scared, i Hermione /i , I told you that I'm not going to hurt you."

"If you're not going to hurt me, then what do you want," she said, a tremor in her voice.

"Right about now, I want a lot of things," he said eyeing her skimpily clad body. But most of all, I just want to know why you hate me all of a sudden."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "If you want to prove to me that you're not stupid, you're doing a hell of a bad job at it."

"What are you talking about? How the hell am I supposed to know why you're treating me like this," Draco said and Hermione was startled to hear a bit of confusion meshed with his anger.

"You-- you know exactly what I mean," she said, not so sure anymore.

"Look, Granger, if you don't tell me what the hell you're on about--"

"Wouldn't i you /i be upset if someone that had just told you they loved you and you had put all of your trust in threw it all away and went over to the dark side? Oh wait, I forgot, you don't have any trust to put in anyone and if someone dumped you, you'd just move on to the next, big-headed bimbo," Hermione shouted.

"What," Draco whispered.

"You heard m--,"

Draco practically sprinted over to her as he hugged her to him. Hermione pushed him away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Hermione asked, voice trembling.

"Hermione, I would never leave you! I told you that I don't want anything to do with all of that shit! Where on earth did you get the idea that just because that red-eyed mother fucker put a threat on the school, I'd go lolly-gagging right on after him? I love you!"

"Hu," Hermione said, confusedly.

" i Who /i told you that I was fighting for Voldemort, Hermione," Draco asked, silvery eyes fixated on hers, clearer than she'd ever seen them before.

"No one," Hermione said, feeling incredibly stupid. "Blaise told me that he was going over so I just assumed that--"

"Never assume anything, Hermione! You're the smartest witch in this school and anytime you're given a fact, you never just accept it and move on! You research it, you find out all you can about it until you're satisfied! Blaise and I might be brothers-in-law soon and we might be Slytherins and we might even be best friends but we will i never /i be the same person! Blaise is a god damn idiot for doing whatever the fuck his mummy tells him to. I would i never /i leave you, Hermione," Draco finished.

Then Hermione began to cry.

He held her again. "It's okay," he whispered into her ear "It's an easy mistake to make considering how awful I've been to you all these years. I should have come straight to you when Dumbledore made the announcement. Please don't hate me," he said in a small voice that Hermione had never heard him use before.

Hermione lifted her head. "I don't hate you," Hermione said "I haven't been thinking straight what with everything going on. i You /i should be the one hating i me /i ," Hermione said.

"Shh," Draco said "Never have I hated you; even when you thought I did. And you know what? I never will."

Hermione almost cried again. His embrace was so soft and warm and she could feel his breath on hers. All of a sudden, his lips were against hers for the second time that day and she found that she didn't mind in the slightest. She even let him continue when she felt his hands at her peasant shirt. The door was locked, no one would miss them, and Hermione was the happiest she had felt in a very long time. She had no reservations about doing something wrong and it surprised her. Maybe it was because this wasn't wrong. Maybe it was inexplicably right?

His hands fluttered over the buttons on her top and his hips pushed on hers until she was backed up onto the sink. When he finally managed to get her top undone, he immediately went for her bra as though in desperate need to see her bare flesh. When the lacy covering had been thrown to the ground, his pale fingers brushed gently over her nipples and Hermione was in heaven. No one had i ever /i made her feel like this before.

Next, he removed his fingers from Hermione's hard, pink nubs as she moaned from the loss. Instead, he lowered his mouth onto one and Hermione had to put her hand over her mouth to stop from screaming. He looked up at her and said "No need to stop yourself, dear, I've already put a silencing spell up."

Hermione laughed. "So confident you were that I'd want this after my realization, eh?"

"Well, I i am /i a Slytherin," Draco said with a smug smile as he continued to lick her chest.

Soon, he was kissing his way down her stomach as he stopped to swirl his tongue in her bellybutton. Hermione giggled.

"Damn, you taste good," Draco said in a husky voice and Hermione knew that he was getting turned on. She realized at that moment that Draco had way too many clothes on. She reached to undo the buttons on his shirt and was soon lifting his vampire cape off of his shoulders.

After both of them were complete stripped from the uppers, Draco seemed to get an idea. He bit her neck--hard. There was no blood but Hermione was sure it would leave a mark. She liked it all the same and asked him to do it again. Draco seemed surprised at her reaction and continued to gently bite her with his realistic vampire fangs all over her body until she was writhing for more contact.

Draco then slipped a hand under Hermione's skirt and, without touching her, pulled her knickers right off, her pumps hitting the floor right along with them. Then he sat Hermione up on the sink and bent down to look at her. She spread her legs so as to ride up her librarian skirt and he smelled her deeply, just like he had last Halloween and said "You smell just as I remember you."

"And how's that?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Like sweet, sweet lime," Draco said. "I've never wanted to taste something so much in my life."

"Taste it then," Hermione said, surprised to hear herself have such a needy voice.

Then, Draco did just that. He lowered his entire face onto Hermione's pulsing snatch and began licking her in earnest. Hermione's fingers went white on the edges of the sink. She thought that is she would let go, she's simply float up into oblivion and never come back down. The blonde head, enjoying himself as he went up and down on her increased the pleasure tenfold. Unfortunately, before Hermione could come, there was a knock on the door.

Hermione quickly jumped off of the sink and reapplied her clothing.

"Come on, Hermione, we can just tell them to go away," Draco said pleadingly.

"No," Hermione said firmly. "I'm the Head Girl and I need to be patrolling outside anyway," she said. She saw the lonely look on the handsome boy's face so she said "But I'm free anytime tomorrow," with a wink.

Draco raised his pale eyebrows at her in challenge. "How's the Head Dorm," Draco asked.

"Hmm, how convenient that we share quarters, I'd almost forgotten," Hermione said smirking. "But not tonight." Draco's face fell. "I promised Ginny I'd stay over with her because I haven't spent time with her in ages but, tomorrow, I promise."

"Okay," Draco said resignedly.

He gave her a quick kiss in which his tongue somehow managed to slide into her mouth for less than a second. Then, making sure his hair looked all right in the mirror, he strode directly out of the girls bathroom for all to see while Hermione stayed in her stall, not wanting to look suspicious. The third year Ravenclaw who had been knocking looked terrified of Draco and ran the other way. Just in case, Hermione waited an extra fifteen minutes before leaving. When she did, the dance was almost over, only Theodore and Pansy left dancing.

A brilliant smile on her face, Hermione walked off towards Gryffindor Tower where she met Ginny. She decided not to tell the girl about everything right now. She was too caught up in how good she felt to bother explaining things.

"Where've you been," Ginny asked, knowingly.

"Draining my sorrows," Hermione said much too happily.

Ginny giggled as they made their way up the steps.

They then walked into the common room to find it a ruin. Their first clue was the portrait of the Fat Lady; instead of being ripped to shreds as it had the night Sirius Black had pervaded the enclosure, it had been burned. A huge black and sizzling hole had spread throughout the middle of the canvas and, sadly, the Fat Lady had not had time to flee before pink paint dripped to the floor. Hermione had called out for help but there was no one around. She knew that whoever had done this could be injuring students at this very moment. Her and Ginny were forced to take out their wands and enter.

The common room was empty and had also been destroyed beyond recognition. The once brilliantly scarlet sofas and chairs had been burned a livid black that smoked and depressed the room with a sickening fume; the portraits on the gold emblazoned wall paper had been thrown randomly off the walls, some having made it into the fire that was still crackling eerily, others just sitting there, the occupants groaning in pain; the tables and bookshelves had been splintered and toppled; and the books---

"No," Hermione cried as she went to examine the old tomes that he become like her friends over the years. They had been mutilated worse than anything. Each page of every book had been carefully torn and burned; the covers ripped from the bindings, smeared with red ink and one even looked bitten into. Whoever had done this, Hermione knew, must have been trying to hurt her above anyone else. Why else would they have taken valuable time to decapitate her precious books?

She looked 'round and saw that Ginny had made her way up the girls stairs which were crumbling slightly at her feet.

"Be careful, Ginny!"

Hermione saw Ginny walk into the room carefully, trying not to set thew staircase off. She made it safely inside. Then Hermione heard a scream.

She jetted up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her, not caring about the crumbling steps and made her way into her old dorm room. She saw Ginny standing there, unmoving, eyes fixed on a spot slightly above the floor.

"Ginny," Hermione said cautiously, feeling her awareness come back to her even through the fire whiskey. Ginny didn't move. She just stood there, mouth hanging open slightly. Hermione moved nearer, careful not to startle Ginny. If she had gone into shock, any sudden movements could cause severe damage. As Hermione walked up next to her, she saw what the red-head had been staring at. She bent down low to see a navy-blue box perking out from under Parvati's bed. The box read "Deadly Love Potions". Interested, Hermione inched closer to read the inscription. It said:

i This rare set of love potions will cause the drinker to fall in love with the one cared about most by another. He/she will become extremely protective of this new person and will not cease to love them until they die. If they are unable to have intercourse with their beloved within seven days of consumption, the drinker and the beloved will die.

WARNING: MAY CAUSE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR FROM DRINKER IN SOME CASES KILLING ALL THOSE HE/SHE COMES INTO CONTACT WITH. /i

Hermione opened the box cautiously and saw something that almost made her faint. There was a vial of liquid as blue as the box but it was halfway empty. However, that was not what frightened her. Next to the vial and enclosed in a small plastic bag was a small lock of bushy, brown hair.

Hermione couldn't look at it anymore. So, someone had been given a potion to love her and if they didn't have sex with her, him and her would die! Hermione knew that Parvati was a bitch but this was just unthinkable! She stood up from her crouching position and looked at Ginny who still had not come to herself. Hermione ushered her out of the room, assuring her that they would go straight to the headmaster and sort everything out.

As they both climbed out of the ruin, they heard a noise coming from the boys' dormitories. Ginny was still too terrified to do anything, so urging Ginny to stay where she was, Hermione slowly and silently, pushed open the tarred door. There was Harry, eyes alight in a dark blue glow, clothing torn and burned as the common room, wand in his hand as he finished setting fire to Seamus's bed.

Hermione tried to think rationally but there was nothing for it! Parvati had given the potion to Harry! No wonder he had been especially protective of her the last few days! She stood still as Harry began manically cutting the drapery on his own bed with his wand. She wondered, astounded, what kind of sick person could do something like this. That's when he saw her. Harry looked directly at her with his once-green eyes and flew--as though in a muggle movie--directly at her.

Hermione felt fingers around her throat and her skirt and knickers being ripped to pieces with sharp nails. She felt warm blood trickle slowly down her pelvis. She struggled to get away and even to scream but no air was making it to her lungs. Then all of a sudden, as soon as the whole thing started, it stopped.

Harry looked down at her and Hermione saw that his eyes were green again and that his too-long nails had shrunken to the bitten ones she had always remembered. It was just Harry, hair disheveled and clothes smoking. He sat there motionless and all that could be heard was his breathing on top of hers. She felt hot tears touch her face and she realized that Harry was crying!

She finally sat up and was brave enough to hold him. She had never seen anyone look so pathetic and lonely before. She wanted to keep him here forever, in her arms. He needed her so much, she could feel it in the way he clung back. Then Hermione found that she was crying too.

She heard footsteps come from outside and Hermione remembered that Ginny was still there. Untangling herself from Harry, who let out a wounded moan at the loss of affection, Hermione met Ginny at the threshold of the doorway. Ginny was still looking startled as she watched her boyfriend cry like a small wounded animal on the wrecked floor.

"It's him, isn't it," Ginny whispered.

"Yes," Hermione whispered back, more tears running down her face at the look of horror and realization in Ginny's pale blue eyes.

Wiping her tears from her face hurriedly and trying to stop sniffing, Hermione said "We've got to get someone. We can't leave the common room like this."

Still looking at Harry with utmost sympathy and-- was that love?-- Ginny said "Yes, I'll go." And with that, one of Hermione's only friends walked back down the steps quietly, leaving her first crush and her best friend alone to try and work out how their lives had gotten so screwed up in such a short period of time.

TBC

A/N: Yes, I know I said this one would be up much sooner, but that's life for you. I know I also promised a revalation about Blaise but the stuff with Harry seemed a little more important. I swear I'll get to Blaise next chapter. Wow, I am SUCH a disappointing author. Perhaps I should stop promising things? And I do hope you enjoyed it, PLEASE keep leaving those reviews, they are my Elixir of Life.

To users: I'm terribly sorry about the HTML thing. Just so you don't get confused, when a word or phrase has i before it and /i after it, it is meant to be italicized. Also, the site will not allow me to add question marks, sorry. I do hope I can figure this out.

Disappointing Author of Doom,

HZ