Weeeelll - i have now finished my exams, so updates should be a little more regular...having said that...anyways - this chapter is wayyy long that any of the others. Warning: 1) Draco is out of character so dont beat me up about that please & 2)This whole fanfic is going to be epic by my standards and is not just concerned with the RHr pairing but also with other characters - it is not, how shall i say, RonHermione exclusive, but they are the main storyline...
enough with my babbling...please read and enjoy :) and feel free to review hint hint
Disclaimer: If you think I own Harry Potter and co. then why on earth would I still have to do GCSEs? sob
"Dearie me!" tutted Madame Pomfrey, "I wish you'd come to me sooner – honestly, this bruise is so big, I think I'll have to use Thrymheim ointment." She bustled off to the ointment cupboard.
"Thrimhime?" asked Ron
"Thrymheim, thrymheim…where have I heard that before…something in Ancient Runes I think…oh. Oh no…" said Hermione, a look of horror creeping over her face.
"Hermione? What's wrong?"
"Thrymheim, dwelling hall of the rune Isa, meaning 'home of noise'...I have a terrible feeling that this is going to be painful…"
At that moment, Madame Pomfrey returned, clutching a jar that contained an ominous-looking yellow substance and a pair of earplugs. Noting the worried looks on their faces, she assured them, "Nothing to be anxious about – hahaha no, the effects only last a few seconds and then she'll be as right as rain."
She turned to Hermione, who looked understandably apprehensive, said, "Brace yourself dear," and proceeded to open the lid. Dipping her fingers in the jar, she smeared the ointment liberally over the bruise – ignoring Hermione's winces – jammed an earplug in each ear and stood back.
15 seconds later, Hermione's screams were still ringing though the wards, but her bruise had gone. Madame Pomfrey removed her earplugs, tossed them in the bin and ushered the patient and friends outside.
"Wow Hermione, that was...impressive," said Harry, a little too loudly.
"Yeah thanks, when I next need earwax removing I'll come straight to you," grinned Ron, rubbing his ears.
"Was I really that loud?" asked Hermione, worried, "Where's Ginny going?"
"Gonna be late to Transfiguration," shouted Ginny.
"Oh yeah," said Harry, smacking his head, "Aren't we meant to be in DADA right now?"
"Come onnn," urged Hermione, "Let's go!". She grabbed their wrists and hauled them down the corridor to their classroom.
Defence against the Dark Arts was a lot nicer than Potions for Hermione. The teasing had died down quite a bit, and after the lesson she was surprised at the number of people who came up to congratulate her for instilling fear into the heart of the Slytherins.
After the lesson, Ginny ambled over to the trio, who were now making their way across the courtyard. She and her friend, Marguerite Rodriguez looked happy and relaxed, but Ginny had a strange glint in her eye that made Hermione and Ron wonder as to what she was up to. Harry, on the other hand, was oblivious to all life outside of the Quidditch broom catalogue that he and Oliver Wood were now drooling over. They resembled two middle-aged women cooing over a newborn baby. Except for the small difference that nobody says a baby is 'streamlined' and 'cuts through the air like a knife'.
While Harry was being diverted, Ginny passed a package of parchment to Hermione. Hermione took it quickly and stuffed it into her bag. Ron eyed the two girls suspiciously and looked about to open his mouth and say something stupid when Hermione butted in a little tersely (but still politely) to tell him out of the corner of her mouth to "Shut it."
"But I was only asking…" he stopped as Ginny walked up to him, took him by his cloak collar and shook him roughly.
"You never saw nuffin', don't know nuffin' and if he…" she jerked her head in Harry's direction, "asks, you tuned out coz it was a girlie conversation. Goddit?"
Ron nodded vigorously, but all colour had drained from his face. Hermione gently touched his arm.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, just peachy."
"I should never have let her watch those gangster movies when she stayed with me that weekend."
"Gangster movies?"
"Yeah," said Hermione
"You mean like this…" Ron bobbed up and down and shouted, "Ahm gonna pop a cap in yo' ass" while doing wild hand gestures and grabbing his groin sporadically.
"Errrr…no…" smiled Hermione. "You done yet Harry?"
"Yup – coming…"
Ginny's stomach grumbled impatiently, "Oh hurry uppppp Harry, I'm going to die of starvation…"
"Alright, keep your hair on! You really like your food don't you? Five meals a day and all that..."
"Ah shaddap – I'm a growing girl. Come on people, or Fred and George will have eaten everything!"
After lunch – and a double period of Transfiguration, Hermione left Harry and Ron heading for Divination, to go to her Ancient Runes 2 class. The afternoon passed quickly for all three students and soon the bell marking the end of lessons was ringing out across the school.
Hermione was the last out of the class, as usual, before she remembered that Harry and Ron were waiting for her in the courtyard. She started picking up her pace and had just turned the corner on the last flight of stairs, when she heard someone's footfalls struggling to catch up with her. Naturally, her curiosity got the better of her and she turned to see a flushed Malfoy leaning against a wall, out of breath somewhat.
"You don't half walk fast for a know-it-all," he panted
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Well I figured the combined weight of half the library in your arms and an enormous brain would hinder you slightly."
Hermione stared at Draco. As insults went, his had always been cruel and barbed, but that one almost sounded like a compliment.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Err no as it happens," said Draco, "That's the reason why I ran after you."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. This was certainly turning into an interesting day.
"Um what exactly is the problem Malfoy?"
"I'm in love," he replied simply.
Whatever Hermione had been expecting, it definitely had not been that.
"With Ron" he smiled – noticing Hermione's face, he continued, "Nah – I jest. With Ginny."
Hermione's face remained in the same expression – slack jaw, wide eyes – the Universal face of 'SHOCK HORROR'.
"OK, OK, please don't look at me like that. I'm not in love. I repeat, not in love. At least I don't think I am, because that would be pretty bad for me – what would it doooooo to my sick, bitter, twisted, burnt little heart."
"Draco"
"Mmhmmm?"
"Then what IS the matter?"
"Oh…the matter…yes. Well you know Pansy Parkinson sorta gave you the Evil Eye this morning at breakfast? Well I heard from Blaise, who heard from Crabbe. Who heard from Goyle, but who told Crabbe not to tell Blaise because then he would get killed by Flint who told him, but Flint was told by Millicent who overheard Snape, who was talking about how he had heard Theo Nott saying that Pansy Parkinson was planning something involving Love potions to make you fart constantly, give you warts and chest hair and stubble."
Hermione was looking at him with an amused expression.
"You sounded just like Ron then."
Malfoy looked horrified and clutched his chest as though in agony.
"That was cruel, oh how that pains meeee," he moaned.
Hermione laughed.
"So what made you come and tell me? Normally wouldn't you just wait and watch the show?"
Draco looked puzzled. "I'm not all that sure really. I mean I have been having a strange time recently, what with my parents divorcing-" Hermione looked at him quizzically. Draco ploughed on, "My mother, she's um pregnant, and my father didn't want anymore children. So he filed for divorce. And he doesn't understand how lonely it is without any siblings coz he's always out somewhere 'working' and Mum's always asleep or visiting her sister and…" he looked embarrassed, "…all I do is sit around in an empty house and they don't care," he looked up from staring at the floor, "So now I cant live at home because I cant stand the arguing and shouting, but luckily Blaise is letting me stay at his house. But you see – I never realized he's got such a big family and it made me think that maybe…" he paused, blushing slightly, "There might be…" he blushed even darker, "more to people who I thought I hated. Like maybe being a lonely, only, spoilt heir to the Malfoy name is, well, a bit rubbish."
A Slytherin prefect stormed past and Draco ducked behind a pillar. After the prefect had gone he emerged warily, "Got to be a bit careful though." He bit his lip, "still got to keep up my reputation and all that."
Hermione looked at him, "I find it hard to believe that your parent's divorce would change you so dramatically – it's still really freaky hearing nice things coming from your mouth. Are you sure no-one dropped something in your pumpkin juice while your back was turned?"
The blonde haired boy scratched his head thinking," Hmmmm...oh wait! Yeh there was! After breakfast I was walking back to the Common Room when suddenly those Weasley twins jumped out from behind a statue and grabbed me. I think they tied me up coz I couldn't move. Then I'm not really sure what happened because I was awake, but I hadn't been asleep…"
He frowned, "...and they released me and they were saying something like 'we're gonna beat some sense into you – Malfoy scum' – and then it went black. When I woke up I was lying in the corridor, aching all over and I had this feeling – well – I don't know what exactly. Just a feeling that something had changed. Maybe they really did beat some sense into me!"
He grinned - the first proper smile to grace his face that Hermione had ever seen.
"Well thanks for warning me about Parkinson,"
A movement in her peripheral vision seemed familiar –
"Isn't the Zabini over there?" she asked.
"Where?"
"Over by that knight."
"Ah, so it is…bye Hermione!"
Hermione gave a little wave and watched the Slytherin boy disappear after his friend until his shouts of "OI! Blaise! Hey! Slow down you long-legged freak!" faded into the distance.
Hermione looked slightly dazed as she walked the last few metres to the courtyard. In her experience, Slytherins were people to be avoided unless you absolutely had no choice but to grunt something at them. It was funny that the Weasley twins had had a hand in reforming Draco's character. She supposed they must have used Veritaserum on him – which would explain his feeling of being awake but not having slept, and of course it would explain why Fred had shouted "Now I truly understand the phrase 'to piss your pants with fear'" (A/N chapter 4)
The sky was blue and clear, and the sun was beating down onto the square of grass where she found Harry and Ron waiting for her.
"You took your time," said Harry. He had discarded his tie and heavy cloak, and had unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. Ron was similarly undressed, and both were lying back against the grass, watching her with amused smiles. She plomped herself down in front of them, forming a rough triangle, and wrenched off her own cloak.
"You know something," she said, pulling a the blades of grass between her fingers, "I can't wait for tomorrow – first day of summer uniforms"
"Hell yeah," agreed Ron, "It's going to be one hot summer huh?"
His cheeks had a pink tinge to them and Hermione noticed his freckles were already a lot darker than normal. Ron noticed her gaze and looked up from the pebble that he had been playing with. She quickly looked away, a flipping sensation in her stomach making itself known, not knowing why she felt like she shouldn't be staring at her friend. Ron looked slightly disappointed that she had turned her head so quickly.
Harry sat up a bit and asked, "Do you think old Trelawney would mind if we skipped all our lessons from now on?"
Ron nodded, "Well I think she would if she actually knew who I was, but as for you, it wouldn't work. She predicts your death practically every lesson, so yes – she'd mind alright."
"Yeah - if she was really good at divination you'd think she'd know where Harry was and hunt him down," added Hermione.
"Purlease –
she can't even see past her own nose. It's a wonder she even manages to find
her way to class every morning, let alone be able to find where Harry would be
hiding."
"Hmph"
"What was it she did today Harry?"
"Oh yeah. Strides up ranting "Seamus m'boy, I foresee death! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh the death, the pestilence, your veins are runneth through with the icy chill of Dooooooom, the Grim Reaper…oh!.. he is calling you name…Alas poor child do not cry – he will come for us all one daaaaay…"
"It would have been pretty scary you know – she was doing her trembling hands and rolling eyes…"
"Yeah would've been terrifying…"
"…if she hadn't been talking to a pillar..heeheeee"
All three laughed hysterically as Harry did some uncannily good impressions of the Divinations Professor. Ron caught Hermione staring at him again but this time she held his gaze causing him to blush a deep red, before proceeding to cross his eyes at her.
"So what were you talking to Malfoy about Hermione?" asked Harry innocently.
"Ron! Ron!" exclaimed Hermione, shaking the boy's shoulders, "He's gone all psychic on us!"
"Nah"
"Whaddya mean 'nah'?"
"We saw you talking to him before we came here…" The two boys stuck out their tongues at her.
"You little sneaks!" said Hermione indignantly, "You really expect me to tell you now that I know you were spying on me the whole time?"
"Oh pweeeease Hermi-oh-neeee…pwetty pwease with a cherry on top? And pwetty dancing men? Pwetty naked dancing men?"
Ron hit Harry at that remark.
"What?" grinned Harry, knowing full well what 'what' was.
"Oh alright, now you put it like that," relented Hermione, "He was warning me about something Pansy Parkinson's planning to do to me."
"Planning to do to you?"
"Uh-huh"
"You didn't set fire to her again…did you?"
"Of course not! Like I would do such a thing!"
"Whatever"
"As a matter of fact she was jealous of me getting Draco's full attention this morning"
"You're not serious"
"No really. She's planning to give me a love potion with a difference – a fart-inducer, wart-grower, testosterone-booster sort of thing"
"…and?"
"What are you insinuating!"
"That it won't make much of difference…"
"RON!"
"Argh! You know I'm kidding…no please! Not the book! Please 'Mione! Ouch! Don't just stand there Harry…STOP HER!"
"I'd rather snog Professor Snape"
"You wot! Bloody Hell Hermione, I TAKE IT BACK! I TAKE IT BACK!"
I request only your patience, your time, your attention and your reviews (adoring or otherwise)
