Disclaimer: I don't own them. Please don't sue me.
A/N: Ok guys. I am really really sorry this took so long. I didn't expect that this would take such a long time to be posted. I will offer an explanation later and let you get to the story.
Mixed Signals
When morning came, I found that I didn't very much feel like going to class, much less getting out of my bed. But I didn't want to skip class just because I had a not-so-disturbing dream that left my limbs feeling like lead. So I got up and took a cold shower, shocking my system and numbing my nerves, (which started to tingle as soon as I moved), before getting dressed and heading down to the great hall for breakfast.
Most of it was uneventful with Harry trying to complete his potions homework at the last moment and giving me pleading looks until I finally broke and gave him mine to refer to, and Ron wolfing down his bacon and eggs quickly so that he could at least start his with mine to copy from.
Normally, I would not have tolerated this at all. I would've scolded them for being irresponsible and then let them suffer. I think that they noticed this as well because all they said was "Thank you" and worked quietly in fear that I might change my mind. I think I said that they were welcome before going back to my own thoughts.
I couldn't stop thinking about the dream I had the night before. It plagued me to acknowledge that I had dreamed about Pansy Parkinson and it was not the type of dream that a Gryfindor should be having about a Slytherin Then a thought struck. What if Pansy had hexed me to dream about her in such a way, and now her and the other Slytherins were snickering to themselves to see my confusion. That's when I looked towards the Slytherin table to glare at them. But there were no snickering, no smug smiles.
I looked along the entire table to see that no one was looking at me, or paying any attention to me; no one except her. She was the only one looking in my direction, looking specifically at me. She wasn't glaring, but her gaze wasn't exactly friendly either. It was as if she were looking at me, but not quite looking at me. It was as if she was trying to figure out what made me tick.
Suddenly, I felt exposed under her gaze, and after the dream I had about her the night before, the thought alone was enough to make me blush and self-conscious. I bit my bottom lip and began to fidget as heat crept into my cheeks. This seemed to break her out of her trance because she looked into my eyes for a moment before her studying gaze turned into a glare and then looking away.
Even though she wasn't studying me anymore, I could still feel my heated blood, which she had set ablaze, rushing throughout my body, concentrating in my cheeks and I found that when I shifted in my seat, the blood was also concentrated between my legs, which made me blush even harder. This was when Ron noticed my flush and asked me what was wrong with me and I replied that nothing was wrong. He shrugged and muttered that I was acting weird. I just ignored him, but the truth was that I was acting strange. However, I wasn't the only one. Pansy was also acting a little weird, but I didn't think much of it once classes started. I didn't know then how much stranger this day would get.
Classes started off normal with Arithmacy and Charms first followed by double potions with none other then the Slytherins. Halfway through that class, Ron had added the right ingredient to his cauldron, but at the wrong time, causing his potion to bubble over. This of course sent the Slytherins into an uproar, Snape not to far behind with his snide remarks. This made the Slytherins laugh even harder.
Ron had turned red enough to match his hair by now and I went to help him. Snape said that since I felt inclined to help Ron clean up his mess, then I should also feel inclined to join Ron during lunch when he came back to make the potion over again. In fact, he insisted I come back; being my grade now depended on Ron's.
Ron groaned, I sighed, and the Slytherins continued to laugh. Malfoy muttered something under his breath, which made the other snicker. I looked over to see them smirking at me, all except for Pansy, who instead of smirking, was glaring at me as if it were me that was making fun of her. This threw me off completely, but before I could think about it anymore, Ron groaned again, drawing my attention to his still overflowing cauldron.
We managed to get everything cleaned up before it was time for double Care of Magical Creatures with none other than the Slytherins. If there's one thing worse than having class with the Slytherins, it's having two classes with them in a row. They were still snickering at Ron on our way down to Hagrids, until Neville tripped over his robes, causing them to mercilessly tease him instead. Even though Neville was our friend, Ron was relieved that Malfoy had found a new target.
Once we got to the tables outside of Hagrids hut, Hagrid happily announced that we would be working with pheromones and their affect on different magical creatures. But we had to be careful because it had a stunning effect on young wizards as it did on any other creature. It was a fairly interesting and none too dangerous class with no mishaps.
At the end of the class he thought it would be best if I collected all the vials. I was halfway through collecting the vials from the Slytherin table when I heard faint muttering and a few snickers. I didn't think much of it once I got all the vials. But as I was returning them to Hagrid, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye just as a tripping spell was muttered.
I felt my left foot slip from under me and I began to fall toward. I closed my eyes and cursed myself for not anticipating this. I should have caught on when whoever that person was moved. I hated that person most of all for letting this happen. I was on the verge of tears when I felt my body braced by another body and a pair of hands grasps my waist in an attempt to steady me.
"Watch where you're going Granger." An all too familiar voice sneered hotly into my ear before I was roughly pushed upright, the hands leaving my body as if shocked. I opened my eyes to see Pansy Parkinson standing before me with that same studying look in her eyes that was there earlier this morning.
Her eyes flashed, "I wouldn't want any filthy beasts or other creatures drooling all over me," she said while looking at Harry, Seamus, and Neville but more specifically at Ron.
She looked at me and smirked with a cold look in her eyes before returning to her seat next to Malfoy who was also smirking at me. Once the vials were safely returned to Hagrid, it was time for lunch, which meant Ron and I had to return to the dungeons to redo Ron's potion, but I couldn't help but notice how distracted Pansy looked before we left.
After lunch I was a little agitated because I couldn't help Ron with his potion and he almost made the same mistake again, so I was kind of on edge. This mood seemed to carry throughout Ancient Runes and Transfiguration because I practically expelled a first year Slytherin for hexing a second year Huffle puff in the hallway.
I was very calm as I assigned him one-month detention with Filch and 10 points from Slytherin for each tail the girl sprouted which happened to be nine. After that I felt a little better and smiled when I saw Harry and Ron waiting for me. But then Ron's happy face turned to one of surprise and I heard Harry say "Hermoine, watch out!"
I turned around to see the Slytherin boy with his wand pointed right at me, but it was too late for me to draw my own wand. He shouted another hex at the top of his lungs. Time slowed for me at that moment. He shouted the hex, this purple beam came right at me and then Pansy was standing in front of me with her wand drawn.
Her look was of cool indifference as she muttered a simple counter-curse, which sent the beam back at the boy; hitting him, square in the chest. Time sped up again as he stumbled backward with a grunt. At first it seemed that his hex was a dud as he stood at his full height (which was about 4'5), glaring at Pansy with his fists clenched. But then 1½ inch lines began to appear all over his skin as if being drawn on him.
They covered his arms, neck, and face and probably all over his body as well. And then one of the lines, which was right in the center of his forehead, began to quiver before splitting open to reveal a large purple eye. A few people gasped and another first year began to scream. As if that were some kind of cue all the lines began to quiver and split, revealing purple eyes.
Once the boy realized what was happening, he too began to scream in terror. Upon hearing all the commotion, Professor McGonagall came out of her classroom and gasped when she saw the screaming boy and the multiple eyes covering his body. "Mr. Sykes. Please calm down and come with me," she said over his screaming as she tried to guide him to the informatory. She was trying not to touch him in fear that she might hurt him.
Once his screaming calmed to whimpering, his eyes blinking periodically, Professor McGonagall turned toward us and said, "That's quite enough. All of you please get to your classes." Before guiding the boy to the informatory.
When she was out of sight, I looked at Pansy and saw a smug smile fade from her face. She turned and started walking past me but then stopped and stared into my eyes. "You should be more mindful of who you turn your back on," she said before continuing down the crowded hallway.
To be continued . . .
A/N: First of all I never thought that it would take 2 months to get this up, but I have valid excuses. 1) I had an addiction a little while after I posted chap.2. Nothing bad or anything like that. I was just addicted to a movie and the novel. It's called Fingersmith. I watched the 3hr movie about 8 times within the period of two months and read the novel once. Halfway threw my second run thru of the novel, I got sick. Real sick, I'm talking hospitalization sick, which is the second reason it took so long. Then of course there was the two weeks worth of make-up work for all of my six classes, which I have not completed yet but am about ¾s of the way done. So I want to thank all of you for being so patient with me and to Alex for the usual. Hopefully chap.4 won't take nearly as long.
