AN: Hey! This was a quick update, wasn't it? :D Thanks to the marvelous "bcain17", who helped me out with corrections. She is also a writer, so please go check her awesome work!
I'm not having as many reviews as I used to when I started posting this story in spanish, so I can just hope you are enjoying this as much as I am :)
Chapter 4: Inconveniences.
Hermione's hands trembled slightly on the table just thinking about what she was about to do. Parkinson was the one to tell her how and when to take the wand from her friend, and she was now waiting for her in Myrtle's bathroom despite it being late at night. The girl had made it clear to her that she would wait as long as it took, but that she would not tolerate her failure. This was the best plan the Gryffindor had ever had and she wasn't going to let it spoil everything for her lack of audacity… although neither of them had counted on Hermione to come up with a little redheaded inconvenience. Ron had long since picked up his books and gone to bed, but there was no way his sister would leave them alone that night.
They were the only people left in the common room, and no matter how many minutes passed, it didn't seem like Ginny was going to say goodbye to them at any time. Harry sat between the two of them in the round table, deep in reading on some Divination topic. Hermione kept her eyes on her Alchemy one, though she could see out of the corner of her eye how Ginny was subjecting her to almost unprecedented scrutiny. Would she suspect something? It was clear that she mistrusted her, but... could she know that she was up to something so that the boy of her dreams fell at the feet of a snake? Be that as it may, she knew that once Harry decided to go to bed she would have missed the chance to get his wand with the Slytherin-style Pansy had taught her earlier. With Ginny there, there was no way Pansy's idea would come out right, because while slipping her hand inside her friend's robe to give him a goodnight hug wasn't uncommon for Hermione, she was sure Ginny wouldn't take her eyes away from her and would notice her move. No, she had to come up with another plan, and she had to do it quickly.
Harry had already started to stretch in his chair when Hermione decided to break that heavy silence for the first time.
"Do you still think Divination is a completely reliable art?" She asked nonchalantly, almost mockingly.
Her friend and Ginny looked her in the eye at the same time.
"Well, I've always believed that the future is predictable, you know that," said Harry.
"And you like to be forewarned, don't you?"
Harry nodded before leaning back a little in the chair.
"Especially since Professor Trelawney pointed her bony finger at me in the last class and said that someone very close was conspiring around me."
Hermione suddenly became very tense, though she tried to control her emotions by remembering that Ginny was still there, watching her with those piercing blue eyes that fixed on her like curses.
"That woman is a bit crazy," she managed to say after clearing her throat and turning a page in her book.
"Not that she's very sane, but the vast majority of her predictions end up coming true."
"I must disagree..."
"Well, it hasn't been a long time since she predicted that someone was going to have a terrible accident leaving class."
"Oh, come on. Neville is clumsy, everyone knows that." She said, rolling her eyes. They had talked about it a lot of times, and their friends still thought that this phony Trelawney had brilliantly predicted the future. "I already told you that he had surely been convinced by the professor that something was going to happen."
"Neville doesn't take two steps without hitting the ground, that's true, but he had never fallen headfirst down the stairwell. He almost killed himself, I think that can be considered "a terrible accident"."
Harry was calm. She had long since stopped trying to convince her friend that Divination was not a trustable art. She knew she couldn't change his mind, and while he was fascinated by the subject, he wasn't going to convince her she was wrong, either.
"Okay," Hermione watched as Harry took off his robe and placed it on the back of his seat. "And what other predictions has that woman made? Apart from that the sun will rise in the morning and will hide at night, of course."
Harry chuckled as he rolled up the sleeves of the sweater Mrs. Weasley had given him for Christmas.
"She also said that someone from our class will be poisoned very soon." Ginny sniffled her lip as she stared at his bare forearms. Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Fortunately, she did not point me or anyone."
"That's a relief," the girl replied sarcastically.
"Yes, it's too bad that someone is up to something against me." He gave his friend a beaming smile as he got up and Ginny was dying of envy. "I think I'm going to bed, the last thing I need is for Snape to punish me for being late tomorrow."
Hermione's heart was pounding as she closed her books on the table. Soon he would pick up his robe and enter the only room where magic forbade her access: the boys' room. Realizing that she didn't have much time to think, she did the first thing that crossed her mind. She snatched up her own wand and put it between her legs so that it was under the table and no one could see how she moved it with a flick of the wrist. Everything went so fast that she wasn't entirely sure what the result would be until a thud was heard in the room. All three were startled and looked where the sound was coming from.
"What was that?" The concern in Ginny's voice sounded somewhat feigned. She had put a hand on Harry's arm and was squeezing it quite theatrically now.
"It must have been Neville's toad." Harry said quietly, walking away from the table and heading to the other side of the common room. "Since Neville is in the infirmary, he only jumps from one side to the other and pushing over everything in his path."
Without releasing his arm for a moment, Ginevra jumped up from her chair.
"I'm going with you, Harry."
Hermione waited for the two of them to turn around to jump into her friend's robes and rummage through its pockets. She did so without taking her eyes off them, who from time to time seemed about to turn toward her. Or at least that was her impression. Her hands had begun to shake considerably, she felt the skin burn under her clothes and her heart was pumping blood so fast that it was making her slightly dizzy. She was suddenly hysterical at the prospect of being discovered, her almost feverish cheeks burning inside and momentarily forgetting that she must continue to breathe. She reached into the last pocket and searched in it knowing she was on the verge of a panic attack. If the wand was not there she would have completely failed. Harry had already bent down to pick something up from the ground, in a couple of seconds they would both turn and discover her red-handed.
At that point Hermione was so convinced that she had messed everything up that when her fingers ran into an elongated, rough object she couldn't help but open her eyes wide in surprise. She pulled it out with such momentum that it almost slipped from her sweaty hands. It took her a thousandth of a second to put the stolen item between her legs, and another to regain her composure before Harry and Ginny suddenly turned.
"First-year herbology." The boy commented as he held the book in one hand. "Trevor must have hidden after throwing it away because I can't find that toad anywhere."
"Ah." Was the only thing Hermione could articulate. She was still catching her breath when Harry approached her and put a hand on her forehead.
"Are you okay? You look flushed."
"Yes, yes." Hermione leaned forward a little and closed her legs to keep him from seeing what she had just stolen from him. "I guess I got a little scared."
Harry shrugged, put the book on the table and grabbed his robe from the back of the chair.
"Well, I'm going to bed."
"I'm going with you." Ginny said quickly. "I mean... I'm going to sleep too."
If Hermione hadn't been on the verge of an anxiety attack she would have rolled her eyes again, this time much more tightly.
"I'm going to stay a while longer."
"What subject is keeping you so busy?" Harry asked.
"Well..." Hermione ran her eyes over the table to find something that could serve as an excuse. "Charms." She said, taking the book and opening it in half. "I want to start researching to turn in the volunteer work that Flitwick talked about the other day."
Harry put a hand to his forehead.
"That's true! I had completely forgotten about that job... Do you want us to go to the library in the free time tomorrow?"
Hermione watched as Ginny clenched her fists at her sides. Then she gave his friend the most sincere smile she could.
"Of course."
Pansy was moving from one side of the bathroom to the other with a clear nervousness etched into her face.
"Finally!" She exclaimed when she saw the Gryffindor enter the door. "I thought I'd have to go do the dirty work myself... Because you have the wand, right?"
Hermione nodded as she pulled it from inside of her robe and approached the slytherin.
"Ronald's sister made it a little more difficult than expected." She excused herself.
"Was that Weasley vixen who made you late?"
"Didn't leave me alone with Harry for a minute."
When Hermione got close enough, Pansy took the wand out of her hands so quickly that the Gryffindor didn't see it coming.
"That girl is a real snake." Parkinson said as she twirled her fingers and frowned. "I sensed it from the first moment I saw her. I knew that at some point she would end up giving me trouble. Do you think she suspects something?"
Hermione crossed her arms as Myrtle levitated between them with evident phantasmagorical emotion.
"The change of look of the other day was already strange, but my debut as a Quidditch player really was something surprising. I don't think that all this leads her to deduce that I have a plan for Harry to notice you, rather I think that she remains obsessed that everything I do is to conquer him."
"How ridiculous." Pansy scoffed, smirking in an almost arrogant way. "If I were her, the last person I'd worry about would be you. It is so obvious that neither one of you feels a romantic attraction for the other.
"Thanks." Hermione said, nodding vigorously. It really felt like a compliment.
"But what about a sexual one?"
"Parkinson!"
Hermione had grimaced and the Slytherin had laughed out loud before sticking her tongue out at her.
"I know, I know. I was just kidding."
Hermione watched her turn her back and head towards the sinks. Pansy crouched down in front of one and fitted Harry's wand into the pipes behind it. Then both girls looked at Myrtle, who nodded with an expression of loyalty etched on the translucent face.
"I will guard the wand as long as it takes. You only have to worry about carrying out the established plan.
Hermione pursed her lips a little in response. She knew that no one ever entered that bathroom, but deep down she was a little scared to leave his friend's wand there, all alone. And entrusting it to a ghost was not reassuring at all. But Pansy had grabbed her arm and was now dragging her out of the room. She wasn't going to give her time to regret it. Well, she could actually regret it if she wanted, but she couldn't go back inside and get that wand from where it was. Under no circumstances Pansy would allow her to jeopardize the plan, her perfect and wonderful plan.
Hermione got up the next day with her body stiff. She had slept horribly due to the tremendous sense of regret that flooded her and now took its toll. She stretched a little and dressed almost slowly. Occasionally she wondered if she was doing well selling out her best friend to get the attention of someone who hated her. She sat on the bed and looked at her bare feet for a moment. That idiot Malfoy and his stupid beliefs about blood purity. He had never made the slightest effort to meet her and had never given her a single chance to prove anything to him. And all thanks to those closed and archaic convictions.
She bit her lip. She didn't know at what point she had become obsessed with him, but sometimes she thought it had been brought on by her natural inclination for challenges. He was seen by someone so unreachable that she had fallen madly in love with him, with his arrogance and all. She used to fantasize about a fight between the two of them starting in the hallways and ending in his bed. Because, yes, she was well aware that if Parkinson got Malfoy to start seeing her as a sexual and attractive being, the two of them would want to kill each other most of the times... but maybe that was exactly what she needed in her monotonous and boring life: someone to provoke her and take her to the extreme of her sanity to ending up losing it between the sheets, someone who made her tremble, either with rage or orgasms.
Hermione came back to reality when she realized that she had begun to spread her legs over the edge of the bed. Lavender had given her a puzzled look before shuddering and walking out the door. She knew that no one in the castle believed that she could have such thoughts, but she was as human as the rest. She had physical needs and sexual desire most of the time, although sometimes it seemed that she was trying to make them believe otherwise. But yeah, even though more than one would put their hands to their heads at Hermione's strange likes, Draco Malfoy was the only one who managed to excite her body under the covers on her fantasy nights.
Still trying to convince herself that it was not so bad to exchange her friend for Malfoy, she went downstairs to meet a sleepy Ron and a more than nervous Harry.
"Good morning." She greeted after plucking up her courage.
"Have you seen my wand?" Asked Harry, who was now jumping under one of the tables to search over the floor.
"Your wand?"
"Yes, I left it in my robe last night and now it's not there."
"Well... won't it be in your room?"
"I've already looked everywhere and still can't find it!"
"That's bad, but you should hurry up if you don't want to be late for class."
Harry, who was on all fours under the table, turned his head to look at her disapprovingly.
"I'll find it faster then, thanks for the advice."
Hermione bit her lip and grabbed Ron by the sleeve of the robe.
"Let's go."
"Aren't you going to help me search?"
His words gave the girl a mini heart attack at that time. She hadn't thought about the possibility of Harry asking for help. It hadn't even crossed her mind.
"We'll be late." She managed to say.
"I'll help you already." Ron said before yawning. The common room was already empty and breakfast would be over in about fifteen minutes.
"But…"
"Thanks Hermione, you can go if you want." Harry sounded annoyed, although he couldn't be taken very seriously considering the way he was still crawling on the ground.
Hermione parted her lips to say something else, but closed her mouth again when she realized that the words were dying in her throat. She took one last look at his friends and turned to leave across the portrait. She had to warn Pansy to abort the mission, but she was not in the corridors, nor did she find her in the large dining room. Hermione was so upset that she was unable to eat anything. Now all she had left was the hope that Ronald's obsession with food would be stronger than his friendship with Harry and would appear through the doors of the great dining room at any moment.
Pansy cocked her head a little to let the drops of that expensive perfume fall on her neck. She had made a few ripples in her hair with a beauty spell and had put a very subtle gloss on her thin lips. Her cheeks didn't need any additional makeup because they were pink enough already, and her long lashes that day seemed naturally infinite. Somehow her body knew that this was the day, that she had to be great for when the time came. She had even had the hottest, hottest dream of her life, and she and Potter were the protagonists.
She hadn't gone up to breakfast to be late for Potions on purpose. She had calculated about ten minutes after class started and left her common room feeling like a true goddess. Hopefully she would meet Potter on the way and be able to insinuate herself into the hallway. It had always made her sick to take advantage of the solitude of the runners to seduce a man and she never had done it. Yes, that was definitely her intention that day, to seduce Potter before arriving to class.
Pansy was so engrossed in imagining all the things she would do to the Gryffindor that she collided with something around the corner. The blow was so strong that he knocked her to the ground on her back. Her books and notes spread out in all directions and her good humor became anger. She was about to start ranting when she realized that Potter was suddenly crouched beside her.
"Are you ok?" Said the boy, staying a little cautious. "I was late to class and didn't look where I was going."
Pansy's sore ass stopped throbbing the moment her sex started to turn on.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." The Slytherin said with a hint of seduction in her voice poorly concealed. "I was also late for class."
Pansy froze as the boy reached out to help her up. For Merlin and Morgana, was this really happening? Moving hers with exquisite delicacy she placed her fingers in his palm and felt Potter tighten his fingers around hers and pull her up off the ground. That movement made them so close that the girl would have thrown herself at his neck had it not been for a third person who was watching them a few steps further with an absent-minded expression.
"No!" Pansy cried inwardly when she saw him. "No, no, no!"
Poor Ronald Weasley was so oblivious that he wouldn't realize he was getting in the way even if it were said to his face. But why the hell had Granger let him stay with him instead of dragging him by the ears to Potions class?
"Parkinson."
Potter's voice made her stop seeing the redhead as if she wanted to pierce his insides with a fork. Her expression changed in a second to look at him.
"Yes?"
"Here you go."
Potter had picked up her books from the floor and was now gently extending them to her. Pansy caught them, intentionally brushing her fingers in the process.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The boy gave her a somewhat strange look that she couldn't decipher. Was it suspicious? Distrust? No, there was something in his eyes that didn't come to that... was it surprise, covert admiration? Anyway, the Gryffindors had already started to address the class and she had lagged behind. She hurried to position to Harry's other side.
"Are you going to risk being punished?"
"What other option is there?"
Pansy glanced at the redhead, who seemed to be thinking about shrews.
"I don't know... go to the Three Brooms?"
Hopefully Weasley would take the suggestion.
"I think skipping class without a credible excuse is worse than being late and punished."
Pansy sighed covertly. It was the first time she had crossed more than a handful of words with the man of her dreams and the excitement was clouding her reason. Well, it was actually the second time she did it, but the first time being herself. She was feeling weird, she had the impression that she was breaking certain unwritten rules about Slytherins and Gryffindors, betraying the principles she was supposed to have... but deep down she liked to go against the current.
When Harry opened the door, the creaking of the hinges caused everyone present to turn to face them three. Professor Snape lifted his lip almost imperceptibly, but the expression on his face became disgusted enough to sense that the punishment they were about to receive would be epic.
"But what have we here..." Snape's voice was firm and hoarse. "Are you being swayed by these two now, Miss Parkinson?"
"No, sir." Pansy answered confidently. Her lips tightened when she spotted Granger out of the corner of her eye. She was sitting in the front rows and seemed to give her an apologetic look.
"I'm glad..." Snape was dragging the words in an almost desperate way. "But the punishment will be the same for you all. Seventy points from each of you. Go straight to my office. Now."
Pansy gestured not too kindly to Draco before turning around and walking next to Potter towards Snape's office. He still held a grudge for the incident with Hagrid, so anything that might harm her was a good reason for him to smile maliciously at her. Pansy knew that at that moment he was wishing that the punishment was as cruel and mean as it could be. Perhaps he would begin to forgive her betrayal when he saw her half dead and crawling on the ground like a cockroach. Maybe she should start choosing her friends better.
"Are we supposed to wait outside?" Weasley asked when they arrived.
"Get inside now." The guys were startled to hear that voice behind them.
Snape stepped between them and opened the door of his office with his wand. Then he turned and extended his fine, long hand before them. Without needing to say a single word, Pansy and Ron pulled out their wands and handed them to the man.
"I don't have mine." Harry said without hesitation. "That's why we were late, we were looking for it."
The teacher narrowed his eyes a lot and looked at the girl with intensity.
"And what was one of my students doing in the Gryffindor common room?" He asked.
"No, professor, I meant Ron and I." Harry said quickly. "We found Parkinson in the hallway."
"I see... And how could you possibly lose your wand just like that, Mr. Potter?"
"I don't know." The boy confessed. "I could have sworn I left it in a pocket of my robe, but this morning it was nowhere to be found."
Snape looked back at Pansy in a way that seemed like he could read her mind. He frowned a little before snapping his fingers and causing three garish pink dusters to appear out of nowhere that hung in midair, one in front of each student. Then he passed between Harry and Pansy and stood on the doorstep for a few seconds.
"I want by the time class is over there won't be a speck of dust left on the bookshelves." He growled. Ron snorted loudly and the professor raised an eyebrow. "Does that seem excessive to you, Weasley? Surely counting bezoars on Sunday morning keeps them more entertained."
The door slammed shut and the dusters fell to the ground.
"Great, Weasley." Pansy complained.
"What?"
"Forget it."
Cleaning up that place alone with Potter could have been… interesting. But having to share the air with the jerk of his friend was almost unbearable. And now it would be not only that day, but also Sunday.
Pansy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to be nice, she couldn't make him swallow the feather in front of Potter or stick it in his darkest part. She had to remain calm and pretend that everything was fine, that she didn't feel a terrible desire to strangle his freckled neck and kick him out of the room so that he wouldn't bother again. No, it was imperative that she remain minimally courteous.
The boys picked up those tacky feather dusters from the floor and began cleaning all those shelves in silence. Most of the time passed without incident, problems appeared when they realized that the shelves reached the ceiling.
"How are we going to get up there?" Asked the redhead.
Pansy rolled her eyes and, without saying a word, pulled the desk chair closer to one of the shelves and carefully climbed up.
"I hold it for you." Harry said, putting his hands on the backrest and pinning it to the floor.
The girl stood on tiptoe and ran the feather duster over the last shelf. The dust in that area was much denser and more abundant, so she had to close her eyes and cough a few times.
"You okay?" Harry wanted to know.
"Great."
While cleaning here and there, she sometimes forgot about Weasley's presence and allowed herself to fantasize about how that plan might have been if she had turned out the way she wanted. Occasionally she considered faking a fall simply to find herself in Potter's arms, but she dismissed the idea as soon as she remembered that she was not a lady in distress. She didn't need anyone to save her from anything. Well, maybe she was going to need someone to lend her a hand to get the fool Weasley off his back.
Hermione quickly gathered everything on her table. She knew that the plan had gone wrong and that she would surely suffer Parkinson's fury later, but right now what worried her most was something else. A wand was something so delicate and personal that she couldn't help but feel guilty for taking it from his friend for a few hours. She was going to run to where he was and was going to return it to him as soon as she was in front of him. She couldn't leave Harry with uncertainty any longer. He didn't usually show many of his emotions, but she could swear that deep down he was suffering for not finding it.
She was the first to leave class and run through the halls like there was no tomorrow. These were still relatively empty, so she could perfectly hear the sound of footsteps behind her. At first she did not worry about that, but she changed her mind when that person suddenly stepped on her heels. She decided to turn around when she was able to feel that person's breathing behind her ear. She didn't know who it was, but he or she didn't seem willing to give her time to react. Her arm was grabbed with brutal force and yanked off the side into a darker hallway. Hermione felt her breath catch as Draco Malfoy jabbed the tip of his wand into her neck. Neither said anything over the course of a few seconds that seemed to last forever, but Hermione remembered all the advice Parkinson had given her to start making Malfoy notice her. She had to be firm and self-assured, almost with a touch of cynicism. Draco Malfoy didn't like submissive, but women who knew how to war.
"Where are your manners?" The girl managed to say. She had tried to look as much like Pansy as possible, but she was sure her attempt had been rather poor.
"Listen to me." He said hoarsely as he dipped the wand a little deeper into her skin. "I know you are up to something. You can fool all those naive people in the castle, they are so impressionable that they would stare for hours at a garden gnome, but with me you will not have that luck. I don't swallow that you are now the best Quidditch player without ever having ridden on a broom in your entire live." Malfoy pursed his lips in a grimace that showed his contempt for her. He wrinkled his nose before moving closer to her face. "I want a rematch, and in front of everyone."
That spot on her neck stopped hurting as the boy pulled the wand away from her skin. He gave her a penetrating look of disdain before beginning to move away from her. Hermione knew that everything would be doomed if she didn't act fast.
"No." She said, trying to keep her composure when Draco turned to face her again.
"No?" He wasn't that far, but he still took a step in her direction.
"I don't want to humiliate you in the air again. If you want me to teach you another lesson, let it be with our feet on the ground." She replied. Her heart was pounding at what she was about to say. "I challenge you to a duel, Malfoy. And yes, let it be in front of everyone."
A sinister smile appeared on the boy's face.
"Sunday." He said before turning the corner.
Pansy was opening the door to Myrtle's bathroom when she spotted Granger down the hall. She came running, like she wanted to deal with her after letting her plan go to waste. She entered and leaned against a column while waiting for her with her arms crossed. Hermione pushed open the door with her non-book hand and took a deep breath.
"It happened." She said, almost breathless.
"What do you mean?"
"What you said would happen."
Hermione knew there was not much consistency in what she was saying, but she couldn't think more clearly anyway. Pansy sighed.
"Draco?"
Hermione nodded vigorously. Her lungs burned and she could barely breathe due to anxiety.
"I…" She swallowed hard to try to undo the lump in his throat. "I have challenged him to a duel."
Pansy's mouth widened in surprise.
"You did what? ARE YOU MAD? Draco knows everything when it comes to a duel."
"I don't know, it's the first thing that came to my mind." She excused herself. "He wanted a rematch in Quidditch and there I really don't have a chance."
Pansy ran her hands over her face. It wasn't going to be easy to get her to win a duel against Draco.
"Okay, we'll think of something." Said the Slytherin. "But now you listen to me. Your plan has been a complete failure. What are you going to do about it?"
Hermione bit her lip. She had completely forgotten about Harry with that encounter with Malfoy. Without looking Pansy in the eye, she walked past her, crouched in front of the sink and reached behind. She could touch the pipes, but nothing other than that.
"Where did you put the wand?" She asked.
"Right there."
"I can't find it."
Pansy snorted before crouching down beside her. She was sure she had put it there, tangled in the pipes... but no, it wasn't there.
"It's not here." She said, frowning a little. "MYRTLE? WHERE ARE YOU LITTLE FOOL OF A GHOST? WHERE HAVE YOU PUT THE DAMN WAND?"
Hermione rose from the ground and turned on herself as she searched for the ghost too.
The minutes passed, and although they searched everywhere, neither the ghost nor the wand appeared. Hermione was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but they both decided to leave that bathroom to head to their respective classes. Pansy promised her that they would come back later and continue the search. Myrtle definitely had to explain them what had happened and give them an answer but what they both found when they got out of there left them pinned to the spot.
Professor Snape looked at them from above with a weary expression. Her oily hair clung to his face and his bony fingers held what looked like a wand. Hermione couldn't confirm it was Harry's, her sight had just blurred due to nerves.
"Both of you to my office." He said in a deep voice. "Now."
Reviews? :)
Cristy.
