Title: Helping Her
Genre: Humor/Romance
Category: Harry Potter
Summary: Draco Malfoy is always the center of attention, not the attention giver. When he and Ron Weasley accidentally turn Hermione into a five-year-old, Draco will have to give all the attention he has to the small girl.
Crys: Psh, before we get started I'd like to tell you about my new spell grammar. Spells that are being fired are bolded. Spells that aren't being fired but described will be italicized, and spells that have affected something are in single quotes.
My forgiveness! I realized that 'Doloroso' does not mean pain, 'Dolore' is pain. 'Doloroso' means painful. And, um, as always, thanking Dani for her wonderful beta-ness and general awesome-ness in the world of grammar. She's silkyblackboxers, you have got to read her stories! If you liked this, check out hers!
I've been reading some good fanfiction and thought I should share it with you all...
Dare or Dare by Angelo Del Ghiaccio: A funny dare story in which the gang, similar to my Helping Her gang(aka Draco, Hermione, Pansy, Blaise, Ron, and Ginny) play pranks in class. Very funny!
Peppermints and Peaches by silkyblackboxers: A wonderful DracoHermione patrol story, it captured my heart long before Dani betad for me. Read it!
If This Isn't Good: I love your story! It's awesome! Your writing technique is one of the best that I've ever read! I hope you are going on after chapter 18. You should! (KiKi for Chapter 18)
Chapter 19: Cattivo
Outside were piles of body that weren't moving or were trying to but failing. Taking a bit of time, Ginny tried to remember all of the healing spells she could and cast them on the people that were immobile to get them up, before she and Blaise left to go to the other half of the wing, first in search of Pansy and Ron.
Stepping onto the fifth floor, the pair met Harry battling in the center of eight Death Eaters, fairing well as curses were fired at him.
"Colligere!" Blaise cried, watching as two Death Eaters that were facing each other were instantaneously glued together by their faces. They stumbled around, unable to use their wands seeing as their lips were fused together. Holding his wand in the middle of one of their head, Blaise exclaimed, "Diffindo!"
The two faces of the Death Eaters were unrecognizable as the severing charm cut off any features that could tell them from another as they collapsed to the ground.
"Potter, how are you doing?" Harry smiled at Blaise and Ginny.
"A hell of a lot better now that you showed up!" He said, easily knocking a Death Eater unconscious by blasting him back against the wall. Ginny pulled out her wand and exclaimed, "Accio wands!" Instinctively, Blaise clasped his wand tightly, as the four remaining Death Eaters became unarmed. "Evanesco!" She exclaimed, watching in expectation as the four wands disappeared and the Death Eaters fled.
Sighing, Harry leaned over to catch his breath. "Thanks-- there were about a good ten Death Eaters over here and boy, they got me." Ginny smiled.
"Yeah, but you did well yourself." Harry held up his wand hand, as it dangled limply.
"Just broke it. Slammed it against the wall from a nice Expelliarmus." He chided, glaring at the broken limb. "I'll surely defeat the Dark Lord even if my wand hand is basically maimed; I'll use my love of not dying to save me." Ginny smiled wryly.
"I can help you if you stop babbling, Harry. Consider it as a forgiveness token." Pointing her wand to his hand, she said, "Episkey." Harry felt his hand roll back into a working position. He smiled.
"Thanks, Ginny." He said, grabbing hold of his wand and rolling his wrist.
"We were looking for Ron and Pansy." Blaise told Harry, while the three walked down the next flight of stairs.
"I just saw him a while ago--Avada'd Nott, you know." Ginny froze in her tracks and turned to look at Harry. Blaise stopped as well. "Nott was going to kill me, and Ron walked in and just--killed him." Ginny shook her head in disbelief and finally regained movement.
On the fourth floor, an excited Pansy hugged Ginny from behind. "Ginny! Ginny, Draco and Hermione are in the Hospital Wing! Are you and Blaise all right? You were both in the Wing when the attack started, right?" Ginny laughed and placed her hands on Pansy's shoulders.
"Calm down, Pansy. So Draco and Hermione are back? We'll be up there. Blaise and I weren't there, we were at St. Mungo's -- I'll explain later-- and came back seconds before the place collapsed. Where's my brother, Pansy?" The girl pushed a black strand of hair behind her ear and felt tears fill her eyes.
"He's--"
"Ginny!" A small voice cried out. The voice belonged to only one person. And that person latched their small arms around Ginny Weasley's legs.
"Hermione!" The redheaded girl exclaimed, picking up the five-year-old and hugging her tightly. "Are you all right?" From behind her, Draco walked up and was quietly chatting with Blaise.
"So, Draco, what happened?" Ginny asked. The boy sighed. They both looked slightly tired, Hermione moreover because of her previous injuries that Draco seemed to half heal.
"Well, it was horrible. I remember every bit of it. I was just standing there after she left and I lay on her pillow and then, I was gone. The next thing I knew I was looking at this tall, dark house and Hermione was standing there, afraid..."
Hermione looked up at the house. It was tall and dark, standing against the light of the moon, shutters rattling in the winds and various things making the floorboards creak from inside.
"Draco, what are we going to do?" Draco looked at the scared girl and took her hand.
"We're going to have to go in and get this over with. But first--" He pointed his wand at the large wound in her stomach and a blue glow fell out, causing her stomach to stitch up and her bones to reconstruct. Picking her up from her twisted foot, how she managed to walk was beyond him; he carried her into the house.
At once, a loud cry of "Incarcerous!" was heard and Draco dropped Hermione immediately. The girl let out a piercing scream, wondering why he dropped her, but to realize that he was now bound with heavy ropes and... she wasn't. "Impervius," someone cried out, making the ropes unaffected by magic, possibly, until she was safe.
"My wand is in my pocket..." He whispered to her, as she grabbed it. "You can spell Hermione. Just remember the evil ones..." The girl nodded, afraid. Turning back to the group that was emerging from the shadows, she immediately recognized the middleman, his long, blonde hair falling over his shoulder.
"Mudblood!" He cried, pointing his wand at her. Draco instructed her. "Say Crucio, Hermione. Just shout and shout it at my father--now!" Shocked into an automatic state of obedience, Hermione cried out without any objection.
"Crucio!" No matter how bad her language was marred, the curse hit its target and Lucius crumpled to the ground, trying in vain to regain his stature.
"The fire charm, Hermione." He insisted, obviously meaning the simple one, but she didn't recognize it. Drawing a circle with her wand, she exclaimed, "Relashio! Incendio!" The ring of fire jumped up over Lucius, shielding him from view. The two men on the side stepped away from the fire as the next one was revealed.
"Dad!" She exclaimed, immediately recognizing the man. He stood innocently, watching his daughter suffer.
"Hermione, you have to--" Draco started, but the girl wasn't listening.
"Dad, please! Please help me--take me away from this place!" He simply shook his head and closed his eyes.
"Hermione, you have to kill him--it's the only way out." She shook her head, choking back tears. "Hermione! If you don't kill him, give me my wand." Turning slowly to her father, she pointed Draco's wand.
"A--A--Avada Kedavra." The man fell forward, allowing himself to be consumed by flames.
"That's the point of this, Hermione. You have to get rid of them to prove that you can do this--you can get over this." Hermione glanced at the last person to step from behind the shadows. It was her very best friend, Ronald Weasley. He glared quietly at her, his blue eyes filled with hatred.
She turned to Draco. "I can't hurt him--not Ron. " She said quietly, but Draco shook his head and made her face him. Pointing the wand, she muttered "Fidelis," before counteracting with "Crucio!" Tearfully, she turned around to Draco and burned away his ropes, which could now be removed. They felt as if they were as light as a feather, before fading away.
"And we both woke up in the Hospital Wing." Draco ended, turning to the both of them. Suddenly, a loud cry was heard and the rumbling of the foundation was started. Blaise clasped Ginny in fear of losing her, and Hermione hugged herself to Pansy and Draco, who were next to each other. Harry braced himself against the wall. The shaking lasted for a few minutes in which it was unsafe to move, and then there was silence.
"We did it!" Someone exclaimed loudly, running through the hallways. "The Death Eaters are gone! We've stormed them all out of here!" The excited person yelled joyously, helping people up and exclaiming the good news. Everyone was excitedly hugging each other, and Ginny turned to Pansy again.
"Where's Ron?" She asked over, through all of the group's yelling. Pansy turned away from the redheaded girl and said, "I can't find him." Ginny felt faint. Stumbling backwards, Blaise caught her before she lost consciousness.
"What happened, Pansy, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly as the dark haired girl began to cry. Turning to Blaise, she sniffed and wiped her eyes. Draco walked over and encased her in a hug, rubbing her back.
"Ron--Ron's gone--I can't find him anywhere--" She said again, her voice trembling. Blaise inhaled deeply. Ron had saved his life and Harry's life and Pansy's life as well. How could he not be found? Blaise's thoughts were interrupted at the sound of a loud, projected voice throughout the castle.
"Congratulations Hogwarts for a splendorous display of learning and applying! We have faired off quite well against the Death Eaters and I ask of all of you who know anyone unconscious or hurt to take them to the Hufflepuff Common Room, which is below ground. As of now, the only safe Common Room is the Ravenclaw's Common Room, thankfully spacious.
"I ask that the Head Boy and Head Girl report to by office immediately for instruction to whom to allow in your Common Room. Tomorrow morning, we will inform you of a few people whom we are certain have left us and a list will be provided for each house of the people still in attendance to help your search, if for anyone. Thank you again, and we ask you all to report to the Ravenclaw Common Room."
Draco reluctantly let go of Pansy and took Hermione's hand and led her to the Headmaster's office.
--
Professor Dumbledore looked up as the two walked in. "Draco, Hermione, sit down." Gathering himself, he spoke.
"After this meeting is closed, I ask graciously to rack young Hermione's memory for the second form of the Potion. If you weren't sure, Hermione is quite a lucky case, because many who have taken this potion suffered the side effect of death."
"Well, as we are aware, your Common Room is very well spacious and safe, seeing as you and Hermione can bunk together. So, I will be rooming you all with the Gryffindors and Slytherins. It's your duty to fetch them all and get them to divide evenly into Hermione's room and elsewhere. Since they are currently there, the rest of the staff will set out on putting things back to normal, which shouldn't take but a few hours." Draco nodded.
--
After Professor Dumbledore had gotten the memory, Hermione turned to Draco. "I've got to get Snuffles from my room, he doesn't like strangers. So you can go get everyone." She smiled, before skipping happily down the hallway. Sighing, he reported to the Ravenclaw Common Room.
Pushing the portrait open, he noted that it was quite roomy. Clearing his throat and gathering as much attention as possible, Draco spoke. "Gryffindors and Slytherins! Please follow me to a separate living quarters! As for the rest of you, see you in the morning!" There was combined movement as many gathered up belongings and dragged them out of the common room down the hallway.
Opening his Common Room, he directed them to Hermione's room, which was cleverly cleared out, as well as the Common Room itself. Walking into his own room, he could see Hermione sitting cross-legged across his bed with Snuffles' basket on the floor. She smiled.
"I cleared everything up and put it in a bag, it'll go back as soon as everyone leaves." She said triumphantly, climbing in the bed beside Draco and wrapping an arm halfway around him.
"Goodnight Draco." She said, as he flicked the light off. "Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite."
"Goodnight Hermione, sweet dreams." The blonde said with a smile, hugging the small girl to him. But yet did Draco know these were the last words he would be saying to her. Separation can be quite the evil thing.
Chapter 19: Cattivo
Quick Note: Yes, the spells are all real. Two might have question. Impervius is like the word, but it only affects objects in water. In this case, I proved it to work for objects in magic. And the word 'Colligere' is Latin for 'to stick together,' a part of the prefix to the 'Colloportus' spell which closes doors (portus).
Points to anyone who figures out what the 'Fidelis' charm that Hermione cast did to Ron! And this world isn't any different from the real world, expect to see something.
Cattivo means evil in Italian, the (attiv) of the Dolattivone Potion.
