Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS
A/N- Here's the next little chapter, hope you like it!
Chapter Three: Protecting You In Potions
She opened the unmarked door, cautiously, and peered inside, it was quite different from the rest of the dormitory, it was pitch black, and didn't seem to be a room, but more, a walkway, a passage. Without really thinking she stepped through the door, she didn't even think of lighting her wand, she just made her way though the darkness.
BANG! Hermione jumped, and swiveled around to see what had made the noise, she gave a small sigh of relief when she saw that the door to her room had just closed. She double-checked to make sure that it wasn't locked before turning around to explore this newfound place.
Suddenly, she walked into something, no, someone! Before she knew she was pinned against the wall by someone's hand on her shoulder. She was scared to scream, too scared to even say anything, for that matter.
"Granger?" A familiar voice asked, hesitantly, from the darkness.
"Ma…Malfoy?" Hermione asked back, uncertain.
"Yeah." Malfoy answered, slowly, still not releasing her, and sounding quite relieved. Then, hardening his tone, asked, "What the hell are you doing in here, Granger?"
"I should be asking you that!" Hermione snapped at the darkness.
Then she realized something, even though it was dark, she could tell that his face was mere inches from hers, and that wasn't all, it was, also, coming closer!
No, stop, this is bad! She thought as she brought her hands up, and tried to push him away, but he was to strong, he just kept her pinned against the wall with his body against hers, his face still coming closer.
What the bloody hell am I going to do? Hermione thought desperately, he's going to kiss me if I don't think of something, and quick! Even as she thought this she couldn't help but notice that some strange feeling, one she only vaguely remembered feeling before, was working it's way up her spine, and spreading throughout her body, but what was it, well, what ever it was she didn't want it to go away.
For a moment, her thoughts seemed to not know what to tell her to do about the current situation. Then, out of the blue, a voice from inside her head answered, who the hell cares?
I care!
No, you want him to keep going, you want him to kiss you, so just let him.
I'm not letting him do anything, and with that thought clearly etched into her mind, she, somehow, found the strength to push him away.
No, pull him back, you know you to, you know you want him! The annoying little voice in her head told her.
No way, and with that she strode down the passageway, and walked back into her room, slamming the door behind her.
Hermione leaned back against the door she had just come from, and slid down till her butt hit the floor. What was that? Hermione thought to herself, as she recalled what had just happened. Her mind lingered a while on the fact that Malfoy had almost kissed her. His arms though, they felt so…good, around me. It was the truth; there was something about the way he had held her that made her feeling so warm, so secure, and so…safe. He's Malfoy! If anything he should be making you feel afraid, not safe! He's probably only doing this to make you trust him; besides, he's probably had tons of little practice sessions hugging Pansy. A voice told her firmly, her other voice seemed to have given up.
Hermione sighed deeply she thought to herself; it still felt, oddly, good, though.
Malfoy heard her slam the door that led to her room. He walked over to it, and put his head against it, listening, and thinking. He heard her slid down the door, then, he heard her…sigh! Was it form the fact that they had almost kissed! Malfoy couldn't help but grin at the thought.
After he heard her get up, and walk away from her door. He straightened up, and headed back to his room. Once there, he changed into a pair of, dark green, Slytherin boxers, then slid under the covers, but he didn't go to sleep.
He lay awake thinking, and trying to keep his thoughts away from the fact that he had tried to kiss her, thought, why had that door appeared in the first placed? Malfoy looked over at the door that connected his room to Hermione's. Why the hell would they put a doorway into Hermione's room, in my room, are they asking me to go and have my way with her? One thing Malfoy really wanted to know was why he, Draco Malfoy, was so disappointed in the fact that Hermione had pushed him away.
Malfoy sat up, looking appalled with himself. Did I just call her Hermione? She's a mudblood; she doesn't deserve to be called by her name by me! He lay back down, and turned onto his side.
Malfoy closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, it seemed to take him hours to complete this task, but, finally, after turning over onto his other side, fell asleep.
Draco woke, early, the next morning, which happened to be a Thursday; he looked over at his clock, 6:00 that meant breakfast didn't start for another two hours!
The sun, which was just peeking out from behind the distant horizon, outside of his bedroom window, creped soundlessly into his bedroom. He heard a door open, and close, next door.
So, he thought to himself, Hermione gets up this early, dose she? Damn it, Draco, he cursed, silently, to himself, stop calling her that! She is a mudblood!
A beautiful mudblood, you mean. A voice echoed in his head.
She's not beautiful! A second voice contradicted the other.
Are you blind? Of course she is! Did you not see her ass? WOW!
The conversation going on inside Draco's mind was heading, in his opinion, a bad direction, and he, for one, did not want to follow it there.
So, standing up, he shook his head, and walked to his personal bathroom, did his business, and then, came back into his room.
Scratch! Scratch! Draco jumped at the sound of the scratching issuing from the other side of his bedroom door that led to the second floor landing, drawing his wand, he approached it, he grasped the handle, turn it, and flung it open. He pointed his wand this way, and that, while looking around for what had caused the noise. He felt something soft, brushing passed his legs, and, having his wand go first, looked down.
A cat? Draco thought, as he watched the cat weave its body around his legs, purring softly. Is it Granger's?
Draco knelt down a stroked the cat behind the ears, it purred happily. Draco smiled, he didn't know what was making him smile, but he thought it better to just let the smile stay without question.
"Your Granger's, aren't you?" Draco asked the cat in a whisper, knowing full well that it couldn't understand a word he was saying.
It purred again. Draco stood up and went back into his room, the cat followed. He sat on one of the few green armchairs that spotted his bedroom floor, the cat jumped lightly into his lap, and curled into a ball. He scratched it a little behind the ears, and leaned back into the chair as it started purring.
"Crookshanks!" A voice floated up to his room from the common room.
The cat lifted, and turned, its head slightly towards Draco open bedroom door, then closing its eyes returned to its head to its former position.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione's voice came again; this time the cat did nothing.
"Aren't you going to go to her?" Draco asked the cat in a whisper; again, knowing it couldn't understand him, and then, he added, "Crookshanks."
Crookshanks looked up at him at the sound of his name. It then bounded lightly from his lap, and made it's way out towards Hermione's voice.
Draco, after about fifteen minutes of sitting in the comfy armchair, got up and made his way out of his room to go and get a hot bath.
He saw Hermione in the kitchen, robe tied around her, hair damp, and Crookshanks at her feet eating out of a little porcelain dish. She had her back to him so she didn't see him.
Draco made his way quietly to the bathroom, when he was there he turned on the cinnamon scented water, which can out a murky, yet strong red color, then some red, and blue, non-scented bubbles. He undressed, then stepped into the bath, and instantly felt his muscles relax, the hot, cinnamon smelling water, soothed his senses.
About an hour later, he step for the bath, tied his robe around him, and made his way downstairs to his room, as he came out, onto the second floor landing he saw that Hermione was nowhere in sight. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Draco shook his head to clear his thoughts, then made his way to his room.
Five minutes later, Draco appeared, fully dressed in his school things, from his room, and walked downstairs carrying a book under his arm. He walked to the couch and sat down, opening the book he had brought with him, Advance Guide to the Dark Arts, he didn't know why he was reading this book. Contrary to popular belief, he hated the Darks Arts.
Draco scanned the page he had opened to, he gave a shudder, the page showed a picture of a dementor. Man, those things are creepy! Draco thought as he watched the witch in the same picture cast the spell that warded dementors off, the Patronus charm, the Dementor backed of as a the silvery form of an eagle emerged for the tip of the witch's wand. Draco watched as the dementor was forced back by it, damn, I was I could learn to keep those things at bay like that, Draco thought. Draco hated to admit it, but dementors freaked him out of his mind, and why wouldn't they? The dementors made Draco remember his father, and how he wanted Draco to become a Death Eater, and how his father used the Crucio on him so that he would do as his father asked.
Draco shuddered again, then turned the page to see the steps to doing the 'Patronus' charm, he lazily read though them, thinking he maybe able to teach himself how to do it, but his hopes were stamped to the ground by the very first step, think of a very happy, and very powerful, memory, Draco thought to himself, there goes my shot at even coming close to being able to do that spell!
Draco had never had an even slightly happy memory in his entire life, and all the credit goes to my loving father. Draco laughed harshly at the joke, thinking, loving father? He's everything but loving!
Fumed with anger at his father, he hurled the book into a nearby armchair, and almost jumped out of his skin when a ginger colored thing shot out from beneath it, and ran up the stairs.
"Oh, sorry, Crookshanks." Draco apologized, realizing what it was, but the cat just hissed at him, and swatted the air with one of his paws, claws visible.
Draco stood up and walked to the bottom of the staircase that Crookshanks had just gone up, and tried to softly coax the ginger cat down, "come on Crookshanks, I'm sorry."
Crookshanks didn't move he stayed where he was. Draco put one foot on the bottom step of the stairs, and continued to call, and coax, Crookshanks down. Finally, Crookshanks made his way down to Draco who petted him gently on the head, then slowly picked him up and walked back to the couch and sat down, where Crookshanks curled himself into a ball in his lap, Draco stroked the cat's fur, and soon drifted off to sleep.
Later that day Hermione made he way to potions class with Harry, and an annoyed Ron, at her side.
"Man, how do we always end up having potions with Slytherin?" Harry complained, and then added, "and it's double potions this morning, too!"
"I don't know, but at least you don't have to live with one." Hermione told him.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot that." Harry explained.
"Lucky you." Hermione huffed, then thought, why am I in such a mood? It hasn't, honestly, been that bad, living with Malfoy, so far, that is.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron, all stopped outside the dungeon that was their potions classroom. A few students were already there, Seamus Figginton, Dean Thomas from Gryffindor, and then a few Slytherins, one, Hermione, at least, noticed, was Malfoy, who was leaning against the wall beside the classroom door, talking to Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, who was latched onto Malfoy's arm who seemed to be trying to completely ignore her affection. Her gaze linger on him for a moment then when he turned his head in her direction, she snapped her head around to Harry who had taken up a conversation Ron, who was taking barely above a whisper, about Quidditch.
"That's right!" Hermione almost squealed, looking at Harry, who spun around and looked at her, completely baffled.
"What?" Harry asked her.
"You made Quidditch Captain this year!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling Harry into a congratulatory hug, when she pulled back she saw that Harry was blushing a deep red, but smiling nonetheless, Ron looked like in was in awe, Hermione smiled at this.
Snape came out and beckon the class in, the class entered silently.
Harry took a seat near the back of the classroom, like he always did, Hermione sat down on his right side, and Ron sat down on his left.
"Today," Snape announced to the class, "you will be starting to work on a potion that takes a few days to complete. It is a mind attachment potion."
There was a murmur of whispers that followed Snape's words, which were quickly silenced by a cold glare from Snape, and continued, "Can anyone tell me what a mind attachment potion does?"
Hermione, of course, raised her hand into the air.
Snape stared around the classroom then finally, seeing as there was no one else, called on Hermione to answer the question.
"It attaches your mind to that of another…" Hermione opened her mouth to continue, but Snape interrupted her.
"Without stating the obvious." Snape said to the class, who reminded silent, so he said, "pity, looks like extra homework to…"
"Please sir, I was just about to say that the mind attachment potion allows you to see, and feel, everything that someone else has, or is." Hermione said across Snape's words.
"Twenty points from Gryffindor, for interrupting a teacher," Snape declared, "and another twenty for speaking out of turn in general, Miss Granger."
Hermione glared at him, saying nothing, she could tell that today was not going to be her day.
"Twenty more for that unkind glare of yours, Miss Granger." Snape added, staring down at her. "I'd suggest that you stop acting like a two year old, pouting, and start listening, Miss Granger."
Draco watched the scene play out across the room from where he sat in Potions class, he had never really noticed it before, but Snape was exceptionally cruel to Hermione, Draco had, in the past, thought that he was that mean to all Gryffindors, but he seemed to be even crueller to Hermione. Draco could help but feel the tiniest bit sorry for her. Snape had, after all, asked a question, she knew the answer, and he had called on her, and then interrupted her halfway through her explanation.
"Stupid, know it all, mudblood!" Pansy said under her breath to Draco.
"Huh?" Draco mumbled, and then realizing what Pansy said, "Oh, yeah, I, uh, guess so."
"You guess so!" Pansy whispered in a disbelieving tone of voice.
"I mean," Draco studded, Damn Draco, pull it together, you're supposed to hate her! Hate her, Draco thought as he said to Pansy, "of course, she's always tries to be little miss prefect, and make the rest of us look bad."
Pansy, thankfully, seemed content with his comment and turned her attention to Snape who was still at the desk Hermione, Harry, and Ron, were stationed at.
"I think I will choose the partners that will work together on the mind attachment potion." Snape stated, an evil glint in his eyes, "and, I think, that I will start by putting Mister Potter with, lets see, Miss Parkinson, yes, that will do."
Pansy look terrified, she looked to Draco as though expecting him to do something, but, though he didn't let it show on his face, Draco was quite pleased to see that she was partnered with someone that wasn't him. Seeing that Draco wasn't going to do anything, Pansy stood and walked over to a spare table that Snape had directed her, and Potter, to.
When Pansy and Potter were seated, Snape turned to Ron, who looked as terrified as Pansy had been when she had heard who she had been partnered with.
"Now, Mister Weasley, would you please take a seat at that desk there," Snape gestured to a empty desk on the opposite side of the room from Harry, "and," Snape paused, looking around, "Mister Zambini, would you please join him."
Both Ron, and Blaise, groaned, but, nevertheless, did as they were told.
"And, now," Snape sneered, with a twisted smile on his face, "Miss Granger, you will be partnered with…"
Hermione stared at him, eyes narrowed, to Draco, who was watching her with the up most curiosity, thought she looked as thought she was daring Snape to do his worst.
"Mister Malfoy." Snape finished; Hermione didn't even look the least bit shocked at his words.
"Now, take that desk there." Snape pointed to the very back of the room, at a desk that sat between two stone pillars.
As Hermione stood she said, in a voice just loud enough to be heard, but quiet enough to make it seem like she had said it to herself, "Like I didn't see that one coming."
"What did you say, Miss Granger." Snape said in a deadly tone.
"Nothing, Professor." Hermione replied innocently.
Snape eyed her, knowing damn well said hadn't said 'nothing', as she made her way to the table she had been instructed to sit at.
Draco stood up slowly and followed her to the table. Damn, she loves pushing her luck with him, doesn't she? Draco asked himself, as he sat down beside Hermione, who was watching Snape with a cold glare as he went around pairing up the rest of the class. And continues to push it, Draco added.
"Now," Snape declared, walking up to the front of the class once more, he pointed his wand at the blackboard behind him and the instruction for the potion appeared, as he said, "begin!"
Draco watched as Hermione quickly jotted down the instructions, then double, and triple, checked that she had copied them down properly. She then stood up; she placed her hand written copy of the instructions on the desk, and, after running her finger over the list of ingredients, started towards the supply cupboard.
Less than five minutes later, Hermione came back to the desk, her hands full of jars that contained all first ten ingredients, she placed them down, and then, with another glance at the list of ingredients, went to get more.
This will take forever, there's, like, a hundred ingredients in this potion! Draco thought, as a groaned escape his lips. He looked over the ingredients that Hermione had already brought out, then up at the board. He stood, and assuming that Hermione had gone to get another ten ingredients, memorizes the ingredients twenty-one, to thirty.
He entered the supply cupboard, and surprisingly found that it was empty, except, of course, Hermione, who was looking through one of the many cupboards that lined the wall.
Draco walked over to a bin that contain an ingredient they needed for the potion, Hermione didn't even look around, obviously assuming that it was another student, either that, or, she hadn't heard him come in. It was evident which one it was when the door slammed close with a bang and she jumped, nearly two feet, into the air, and turned.
"Man, you really are jumpy today, aren't you Granger." Draco said, with total amusement in his voice.
"What are you doing in here?" Hermione asked him, ignoring his comment in its entirety.
"Me?" Draco asked.
"Yes, you." Hermione clarified, sounding annoyed.
"If you haven't noticed, there's at least a hundred ingredients in this potion, and seem to only be able to take ten at a time." Draco informed her.
Hermione eyed him, skeptically, but Draco just continued to move around the room collecting the ingredients they needed. So, reluctantly, Hermione turned back to the cupboard she had been going through, looking for ingredients.
Draco had been piling some bat wings into a spare jar when he heard a scream, and a crash, from behind him; he whipped around to see Hermione back up against a wall, looking at the cupboard across from her in horror. Draco looked over at the cupboard, just in time to see a rat crawl out and scurry away through a, fairly large, crack in the wall. Draco smirked, thinking, so granger is scared of rats, is she? Draco took into notice that a jar of, slimy looking, pure white liquid covered the ground beneath the cupboard the rat had been in, that Hermione had obviously dropped. Pieces of broken glass were scattered beneath the cupboard as well.
He watched as Hermione, oblivious to the mess on the floor walked towards the cupboard. Draco saw what was coming before it happened, Hermione's foot slipped on the white liquid, and fell backwards, Draco lunged forwards, catching Hermione around the waist, unfortunately, when he made to stand up his own foot slid, and slipped, on the split liquid. He, along with Hermione, came crashing down to the floor. Draco threw out his hand to break the fall, but was met with pain; his hand had landed on one of the pieces of glass from the broken jar.
"Damn!" Draco cursed, as his arm gave out due to the pain, and he landed on the floor, a few more pieces of broken glass piercing his body, as his head made contact with the hard dungeon floor, giving off a sickening THUD! Hermione landed on top of him, then screamed so loud that Draco was surprised when now came bustling into the room.
Draco, head throbbing painfully, sat up to see what was wrong, it wasn't the prettiest sight to see, Hermione's right leg had collided with the corner of one of the bins of ingredients, leaving a, rather nasty looking, long, and deep gash running along the inside of her leg.
Draco eased himself out from underneath Hermione, who was now crying due to the pain of her leg, and crawled the few feet between himself and Hermione's injured leg. He knelt beside it and drew his wand, and, pointing it at Hermione's leg, said, "Episkey!"
The wound on Hermione's leg healed slightly. Damn! Why won't this spell ever work properly for me? Draco thought as he repeated the spell, healing the cut a little more.
"Come on!" Draco urged his wand, and himself, "Episkey!"
It took three more times of repeating the spell for the gash to heal over. Hermione sat up, slowly, wiping the tears from her face. She looked at her leg, and winced. Draco looked down at it, too; it was still covered in blood.
"Oh, sorry," Draco apologized, before he knew what he was saying, then, pointing his wand at Hermione's leg once, said, "Tergeo," and the blood disappeared.
"Thanks," Hermione said weakly, feeling her leg gently, then looked up at Draco, and gave him a small smile, and, before he even realized what he was doing, he returned it.
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly, and quickly seized Draco's hand in hers, which sent a shiver down his spine.
Draco looked down, and saw that she had grabbed the hand of his that he had thrown out to, unsuccessfully, break the fall. It was covered in blood, and it still had the piece of glass wedged into it. Now that Draco was aware of it, he noticed that it was stinging with a moderate amount of pain, and his head was still throbbing.
Hermione drew her wand, then paused, and said, "There's still glass in it, and I can't heal it till the glass is removed. Oh, I know!"
Hermione whirled around so that her back was just barely brushing against Draco's chest. She placed his arm, the one that had the bleeding hand, under her arm, and held it steady with one hand. With the other hand, Hermione pointed her wand at the shards of glass that scattered the floor, and muttered, "Reparo," and the pieces of glass, including the one in Draco's hand soared together, and merged. Draco had let out a howl of pain when the piece in his hand had flown out, but he was slightly relived that it was finally out of his hand.
Hermione, without taking his arm out from under hers, pointed her wand at his hand and muttered. "Episkey," and the cut heal at once, she then did the spell Draco had done, "Tergeo," and cleaned his hand of blood.
Draco shivered once more as Hermione traced her finger over his hand, making sure it had healed properly. Draco couldn't help but close his eyes, and let his mind wander, as he took in the scent of her hair, so she used peach scented water this morning in her bath, huh?
"You can get up, now." A voice brought him from his thoughts.
Hermione was now standing up in front of him, he noticed, also, that she had clear the liquid off the floor with her wand. Draco stood up, furious with himself for been so captivated by Hermione's smell.
"Come on." Hermione said, as she picked up some jars of ingredients from the counter, "We don't need all the ingredient right, now."
"Whatever." Draco muttered.
They went back to there seats; Draco was surprised that no one, especially Snape, asked them what had taken them so long, although Pansy was now giving him a questionable look, but shook her head slightly and turned back to the cauldron in front of her.
Draco watched as Hermione added the ingredients to the cauldron in front of them. Then, she looked up and over towards Draco, she leaned towards him, and stretched out her hand.
Draco held his breathe for a split second, and then realized that Hermione was trying to reach the bottle of bat wings on the other side of him. He shook his head, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, to clear it of thoughts.
"Here." Draco said, as he picked up the bottle and handed it to Hermione.
"Oh, uh, thanks." Hermione said, taking the bat wings, and adding two to the potion in the cauldron.
Half an hour before the class was finished Draco, and Hermione had their potion at the stage where all they could do was watch it steam, and bubble. Seeing this, Snape made his way over to their table.
"Now, let's see, take a vial of the potion each, at this point, it should link your minds for only about ten, to fifteen, minutes, instead of the hour the complete potion allows, and show you the others memories. How far back the memories go depends on how well you've followed the instructions. You will see the memories together, if you find yourselves seeing a memory you do not wish to share you can try to fight the memory back, you may use any spell, or means, to fend off each other out of your respected. Now, Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, you must drink at the same time, now, proceed."
Hermione, and Draco, both did as they were told; they filled a vial each with some of the potion then, slowly she, and Draco, raised it to their lips and drank it, Hermione was looking Draco squarely in the eyes, and, surprisingly, he didn't look away.
At first, Hermione's vision clouded, and then became unnaturally clear. She was standing in a dark room, then, suddenly; Draco appeared beside her, he looked horrified at where he was. Hermione knew at once that this was a memory that he didn't want to share, but he was the only one who was allowed to fight it off.
Then, from behind them, Hermione heard a moan, she turned, and there, lying on a bed of dark green sheets, was Draco Malfoy, backed into the corner of his bed. Her stomach lurched; he had a cut down the side of his pale face that leaked blood all over the bed. His clothes were in tatters, showing off a thousand more cuts and wounds, and, Hermione couldn't believe it, he was crying, but it didn't seem he was crying from pain, that doubt was being caused by the gashes all over his body. The Draco Malfoy on the bed was looking, terrified, towards the bedroom door, Hermione turned towards it, just as someone pounded on it.
"DRACO! DRACO GET OUT HERE, NOW!" A voice bellowed through the door, the Draco on the bed shuddered immensely, and continued to sob, while the Draco standing beside Hermione gave an involuntary shudder and start to back up against the wall, once his back touched the wall he turned towards it slightly, blocking his tear strained face from view, that very moment the door blast open. Hermione looked back towards it with a jump.
Hermione gasped, there, standing in the doorway, his face livid was Lucius Malfoy. The Draco on the bed screamed, "PLEASE! FATHER! PLEASE, DON'T!"
Hermione watched helpless, knowing it was a memory, knowing that this had all ready taken-place. Lucius drew his wand, and pointed it at his son. The eyes of the Draco on the bed widen with horror at his Father next word, "Crucio!"
"OHMIGOD!" Hermione breathed, covering her ears as the Draco who had had the curse placed upon him let out a high-pitched scream.
Hermione had had enough, she ran to the Draco who was shaking against the wall behind her.
"MALFOY!" Hermione yelled, grabbing the front of his robes and shaking him, but he didn't respond, he only cringed horribly.
"MALFOY!" Hermione yelled again, in a more urgent tone of voice, he cringed again.
Then the screaming behind Hermione died down, she turned, and saw Lucius seize Dracos' his silvery blond hair and yank him from his bed.
"Now, would you care to repeat what you just said," Lucius asked his son in a deadly voice, not letting go of his hair, "about that filthy mudblood, Granger? Was it?"
No answer.
Lucius threw Draco to the floor, where he stayed there, sobbing.
Lucius looked down at him in disgust, then, for the second time pointed his wand at him, and uttered, "Crucio," and the room was, once again, filled with Draco's screams.
Hermione turned back to the Draco Malfoy who was now curled up in a ball at the base of the wall.
"MALFOY!" Hermione shouted, clutching the front of his robes once more, and kneeling beside him.
Another cringe.
Then a thought struck Hermione, she, slowly, moved closer to Malfoy, closing the gap between them, she looked up into his, down cast, face. His eyes were closed tight.
Hermione bit her lip slightly, and then opened her mouth to speak, in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Draco."
Draco's eyes snapped open and he looked at Hermione.
"Fight it." Hermione told him, softly, yet forcefully.
"I can't." Draco told her, shakily.
"Yes, you can." Hermione told him, looking intently into his, now, completely gray, eyes.
Draco just looked at her, at this Hermione added, "Now, fight it."
Draco grabbed her hands that were still clutching the front of his robes, and then closed his eyes; Hermione knew he was concentrating on forcing the memory away. At first, it seemed like Draco didn't have the strength to force it away, but the scene faded, gradually, around.
Soon. Draco, and Hermione, found them selves on the floor of their potions classroom. Hermione was clutching Draco's robes, and Draco was still clutching her hands. Hermione looked around, into the stunned, and slightly concerned faces of her peers, the Slytherins were looking at Draco, and the Gryffindors at Hermione.
Hermione looked back at Draco, who was sitting there, eye's wide, she could figure out what she saw them, exactly. They were still gray, but they seemed confused, sad, and, Hermione was certain she saw it there, fearful.
"Get up!" Came an icy hiss from above them.
Hermione, and Draco, both looked up into the dark, and angry, face of their potions master, Professor Serevus Snape.
"I said, GET UP!" Professor Snape repeated, in an even more dangerous voice.
Hermione, and Draco, did as they were told.
"I suppose, by observing your actions," Snape spoke the last word in a voice full of venom, "that the potion worked."
"Yes, professor." Hermione answered, her voice starting to break, "It worked."
Snape, however, seemed to be waiting for Draco to answer the question.
Finally, after a few moments of silence, Draco seemed to find his voice, and managed a, barely auditable, "yes, sir."
"Who's memory had it been?" Snape enquired.
Hermione was about to answer, feeling that Draco won't be up to it, when he proved her wrong and said, little louder then the last time he had spoken, "Mine."
"Yours?" Snape asked, looking slightly worried, now.
"Yes." Draco answered.
"From how far back?" Snape asked.
Draco fell silent for a moment, while Hermione thought about how young the Draco in the memory had looked, and then Draco answered, "I was eleven."
"Eleven?" Snape repeated Draco's word, looking vaguely impressed.
"Yes."
"I must say, I'm impressed, most wizards can only make the potion, at this stage, take them back only a year, or two. In any case, since you are finished, then you are dismissed." Snape informed them, then turned back to the class, and, noticing that all eyes had come to rest on Hermione, and Draco, snapped, "Get back to work!"
Everyone started to turn back to the cauldrons one their desk, when Pansy stood up, looking furious.
"Professor Snape, sir?" Pansy asked in her calmest voice.
"Yes, Miss Parkinson?" Snape replied.
"Well, you see I don't think that's fair, um," Pansy seemed to be mauling over how to phrase her next word, "Miss Granger, got to see a memory of Draco's, but Draco never got to see a memory of hers, and that's not fair!"
"Unfortunately, the potion wore off." Snape told Pansy.
Pansy was just about to retort when Snape cut across her, "You do, however, have a point."
Snape turned back towards Draco, and Hermione, who had just finished putting their books in their bags, and said, "You two, will try again."
Hermione looked at Snape as though he was mad, Draco, on the other hand, looked pale, and scared.
"Well," Snape said, sounding annoyed, "get on with it!"
"Yes, sir." Hermione answered, but Draco stayed quite, Hermione glanced over at him, I feel so sorry for him, even for Malfoy, that's a terrible thing to have happen. I hope the potion doesn't show us that memory again, I don't think he'll be able to handle it, this time.
Hermione filled a vial with some more of the potion in hers, and Draco's cauldron. After a moment, Draco did the same with another vial. They turned towards each other, Hermione looked into Draco's still gray eyes. He's still scared, Hermione thought, noticing the frighten look in Draco's eye's, I can see it. Damn, Professor Snape's a prat!
After a few seconds of just staring at each other, Hermione started to raise the vial of potion to her lips, Draco raised his, and, together, they swallowed their portion.
Again, for the second time that class, Draco's vision clouded, I'm scared. I don't want to see that, again. Draco thought to himself as his vision began to clear he cringed at the thought at what memory might be shown, then, he felt a small hand wrap itself around him right arm, he turned his head and saw Hermione looking up at him with wide, and worried eyes. Her face, why do I find such comfort in it? Draco asked, inwardly, I'm not afraid of anything, not even my father, when I looked at her face.
Draco looked forward, at the scene that had formed around them, to Draco's relief, they were outside, and he realized at once that they were back in the memories of their fourth year, during the Yule Ball.
"Um, Victor," A voice came from an opening in the hedges off to Draco's left, he recognized the voice at once; it was Hermione and she continued to talk, "Where are we going, Harry, and Ron, will start getting worried."
Draco watched as Hermione, led by Victor Krum, the Seeker of the Bulgarian Quidditch team emerged from around the corner, from the opening in the hedge. They went over to a stone bench Krum didn't answer her.
The Hermione on Draco's arm tighten her grip, and leaned her head against his arm, he could feel her whole body shaking slightly as she watched, with wide eyes, the scene before them.
"Victor!" A shocked voice yelled.
Draco turned to see that the Hermione sitting on the bench was no longer sitting. She was flat on her back, and Victor Krum was directly on top of her.
What the fuck! Draco thought as he watched Krum run his hands all over Hermione's, fourteen year old, body. I think I'm going to be sick! Draco realized, as he watched Krum violate the Hermione on the bench.
"DON''T, VICTOR, PLEASE. STOP!" sobbed the memory of Hermione trying to push Krum away, but Krum put one hand over her mouth, and the other continued its, unwelcome, exploration of Hermione's body.
Draco turned to the Hermione beside him, he wrapped the arm that she wasn't clinging to around her frightened body, and pulled her closer to him, while whispering, "Fight it."
Hermione looked up at him with watery, chocolate brown, eyes. Draco leaned towards her, touching his forehead to hers, "it's a memory, it can't do a thing to you."
Hermione didn't look completely convinced, and Draco didn't blame her, so he added, "And if it tries," Hermione's eyes widened in anticipation, and fear, "I'll protect you."
Hermione looked at him for a moment, then whispered, "but I'm afraid."
"Don't be," Draco said to her, "I'm right here."
Hermione looked as though she had only just realized the truth of the statement Draco had just made.
"You…are?" Hermione asked him, uncertain.
"Yes, can' t you see me?" Draco asked her.
Hermione closed her eyes, and buried her head into Draco's shoulder, while murmuring a small, "Yes."
"Then fight it." Draco told her.
She nodded into his shoulder, and held his arm tighter, with both her arms. Slowly, the picture around them, of Krum slipping Hermione out of her pink dress robes, faded away. A few moments later, Draco, with Hermione on his arm, saw their potions classroom come into view.
Draco looked around, the whole class, yet again, had their eyes glued to the him, and Hermione, who, Draco noticed, had still not let go of his arm. Draco looked down at her, just as she looked up at him, Draco was surprised to see that she wasn't crying, though her eyes seemed keen to change that, they were glassy looking, as tears lined them, but they didn't fall, Hermione seemed more than determined to not let that happen.
Draco looked at his potions master, Professor Snape; he looked as though he would like nothing more then to vaporize him, and Hermione, on the spot. Keeping his voice as calm as possible, which seemed to be fairly difficult, said, "Dismissed, now, get out!"
Without even answering, Hermione grabbed her bag from the desk, and ran from the classroom, Draco stood, rooted to the spot, thinking, what do I do? Then, without even waiting for his mind to answer him, Draco grabbed his own bag from the desk, and hurried after Hermione, as he opened the door of the classroom to hallway, he saw Hermione nearing the end of it. I have to catch up to her, Draco thought; I have to talk to her!
"Granger!" Draco called, and not caring that the door to the potions classroom was still wide open, he ran down the hall, "Granger, wait up!"
"I said, wait up!" Draco said, as he came up beside Hermione, he grabbed her by the arm and turned her to face him.
"What do you want?" Hermione yelled, looking him in the face, and Draco noticed that she had lost the battle with her tears; they were starting to leak from her amber eyes.
What do I do? I want to help her, Draco thought, not caring that he had just, finally, admitted, to himself, that he cared for Hermione. He began to reach out to hold Hermione, when…
"HERMIONE!"
Draco turned to see Potter, and Pansy, standing a few feet away. Potter ran forward and grabbed both Hermione's arms and pulled her towards him, and then he turned to Draco.
"What the hell did you do to her, Malfoy?" Harry shouted, furiously.
Draco stayed quiet; he looked at Hermione who was clinging lightly to Potter's arm, tears streaming down her face. She just stared back, not saying a word. Why doesn't she look away? Why does she just keep looking at me like that for? She looks, almost, …broken. Draco thought, and then he noticed that his eyes felt like they were burning, then he realized that his eyes were beginning to water. I'm crying? No! I'm not! With that, Draco furiously wiped his eyes just before the first tear fell.
"I'll ask you once more, Malfoy!" Harry said, keeping his voice steady, but at the same time full of rage, and pure venom, oblivious to the fact that Draco had almost cried, "What did you do to Hermione?"
"Don't you blame my Draco!" Pansy yelled; lunging forward and grabbing Draco by the arm, making him turn away from Hermione's tear streaked face.
"Come on, Draco," Pansy said, throwing a dark look at Hermione, and Harry, "I want to see the Heads dorm, pretty please!"
Draco took one last look at Hermione, before turning, and walking down the hallway, Pansy on his arm.
"Hermione?" Harry asked, once Draco, and Pansy, had turned the corner at the end of the hall.
Hermione looked up at him, and, in a very quiet voice, replied, "Yes?"
"What did he do to you?" Harry asked her, his voice serious.
"Nothing." Hermione answered him, in the same quiet voice.
"That's a lie, Hermione," Harry told her, "I know it is."
"It's not!" Hermione confirmed, a little more forcefully.
"Yes, it is!" Harry corrected her.
"No, it's not!" Hermione shouted, she swayed on the spot, and held a hand to her face, I can't take much more of this.
"HERMIONE!" Harry yelled sounding alarmed, reaching out and catching Hermione before she fell, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Harry." Hermione assured him, trying to steady herself.
"No your not!" Harry retorted.
"Harry, don't start that, again, please." Hermione pleaded, "why are you out of class, anyway?"
"Somehow, me, and that Pansy girl, finished, so Snape had no choice, but to dismiss us." Harry told her, and then shaking his head and looking at Hermione, said, "Stop that, Hermione. Stop changing the subject. Come on, I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing."
"Harry," Hermione begged, "please, don't, I just need to be alone right, now."
"Hermione," Harry started, but Hermione cut him off.
"Just leave me alone," Hermione told him, "I'm going back to my common room."
"But Malfoy's up there!" Harry reminded her.
"I don't care, I'll go in my room," Hermione said, and then added, "he more than likely be in his own room, anyway."
"We have Charms to get to." Harry reminded her.
"I'll make it up, Professor Flitwick knows me," Hermione said, "I've never missed a class before."
Harry stared at her for another moment, and then sighed, "Alright, fine."
"Don't worry, I just need some time alone," Hermione assured him, "I'll be in class the rest of the day."
"Alright, maybe try and get some sleep, or something." Harry suggested.
"Yeah." Hermione said, then turned, and went down the corridor Draco had led Pansy down.
"United." Hermione told the portrait, and it swung forward to admit her.
She walked into the common room to find Draco sitting on the couch with Pansy sitting on his lap. They both looked up as she entered.
"Get out!" Pansy shrieked at her, "Filthy Mudblood!"
"Shove it, Pansy!" Hermione huffed, "In truth, it's you that has no right being in here!"
"How do you figure that?" Pansy questioned her, and then added, "Mudblood!"
"Let's see, I'm Head Girl, and you're not!" Hermione said.
"So, what, Draco invited me here!" Pansy informed her, she then turned to Draco, who had been surprisingly quiet during the girls quarrel, "Didn't you, Draco?"
"…"
"DRACO!" Pansy shrieked, standing up.
"What?" Draco asked her.
Pansy just stood there, shocked. Then, she turned and headed towards the portrait hole. She walked passed Hermione, then stopped.
"Mudblood?" Pansy said, under her breath.
"What?" Hermione asked, turning slightly.
WHACK!
Pansy's hand came in pain full contact with Hermione's cheek; Hermione could even feel Pansy's long fingernails pierce her skin.
"Great!" Pansy said looking at the hand she had just slapped Hermione with, "I have to wash my hands, now, thanks to you!"
"If I were you I'd just have a bath, there's no way that your hand is the only thing that's dirty!" Hermione shot.
Pansy looked as though she might explode with anger, she took one, daring, step towards Hermione.
Hermione eyed the foot that had moved an inch, or so, forward, then looked up at Pansy, "Is that suppose to be a threat?"
"Yes, I do believe it is Mudblood." Pansy confirmed.
"Well, then," Hermione took a small step towards Pansy, "Twenty-five points from Slytherin for threatening another student."
Pansy opened her mouth to retort, but Hermione didn't give her the chance to speak, "And another Twenty-Five for that 'student' being Head Girl!"
Pansy lunged forwards, arms outstretched; she seized Hermione around the throat and knocked her to the ground. Hermione's head hit the hard marble floor, almost knocking her out. Pansy's hands tighten around her throat.
It's getting dark? Hermione thought, why is it so dark? I can't breathe! Oh God, I'm going to die! Please, someone, anyone…help me.
A/N-Cliffy! Now, how's that fora chapter! There will be more chapters of this length, so don't think this is just a once in this story thing.Please, Read&Review! Byes for now!