Chapter 10: Hermione's Revenge
A whole month past by and still Hermione hadn't done her revenge. True to Felicity's word, her green hair had gotten lighter a month later and wasn't as dark anymore. The brown was distinctly starting to show but the green still remained. Everyday they all asked Hermione every day what her revenge on Malfoy would be and when she would be doing it - and every day she would give them a vague answer, refusing to tell them what she was going to do.
"She may not even have a plan at all," Ron voiced at breakfast on Halloween morning, after Hermione had rushed off to the library to 'look up something'. "Maybe she just said that so we wouldn't knock Malfoy out."
"I'm sure she does have one," Felicity replied confidently, pouring sugar liberally onto her porridge. "Maybe she wants it to be a surprise. I bet you anything Malfoy didn't tell the Slytherins what he was doing because they looked shocked for a spilt second then laughed."
"Flick's right. She wouldn't let Malfoy get away with it," said Harry, nodding at Felicity.
"I mean, maybe she was saving it for today," Felicity suggested, after finishing a mouthful. "Come on, it's Halloween, scary things happen, perfect day for revenge," she reasoned, noticing the looks on the boys' faces. "And if I was her, I would do it today and make sure he doesn't get away with it." She then remembered something and a big smile formed on her face. "Actually she better do it today."
"Why today?" asked Ron, looking up from his breakfast.
"Today's my birthday. I'm seventeen," she explained, her smile growing bigger. "Don't you remember? You've known me for four years."
"Happy birthday," both boys said in unison, hugging her at the same time as she was sitting between them.
"Thanks guys, don't all say it at once though," she smirked. "I know you two love me!"
"Oh I don't know about that," Ron mumbled, taking a side glance at Harry. He laughed in response. Felicity just frowned at both of them and punched Ron lightly on the shoulder.
"Remember the pillow," she growled, turning back to her breakfast. Ron cringed, hoping she would never wack him like she did on Hermione's birthday ever again. Lucky for him, he was saved from commenting on it as his sister arrived in the hall, holding a small package in her arms.
"Happy birthday, Flick," she said, sitting down opposite Harry. "You have a lot of presents in the dormitory by the way but I wanted you to open mine now." She held it out for her best friend to take.
"Really? Gee, thanks!" Felicity took the package and unwrapped it eagerly, tearing the paper apart. "Oh Merlin, Ginny, you are simply the best friend any girl can have!" She jumped up and raced around the table so she could go and hug Ginny.
"What did you get her?" Ron asked his sister curiously.
"A semi-invisible walkman. So she can listen to music during a boring class and the teacher wouldn't see it at all or hear it. That's not the only present, Flick," she added, as Felicity pulled her into a tight hug.
"Oh, I hope you didn't get me too much! But thank you anyway!"
"I'm surprised the Weaselette can afford something," a familiar voice sneered. The four Gryffindors looked up to see no other than Malfoy stalked past their table. "What is it, Higgins? Your birthday or something? You turned three yet?"
"Oh shut up, Ferret Boy! I'm the same age as you are."
"How would you know that?" he sneered, flitching slightly as she called him 'Ferret Boy.' She noticed and she smirked smugly.
He glared at her. "You don't even know when my birthday is."
"Yeah, but you weren't old enough to take the Apparition test in April last term so I bet your birthday is sometime between then and June. We're born in the same year so, therefore, I am as old as you."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He gave her a one fingered salute and started to walk away.
Felicity frowned at him darkly and yelled "Do you really think you could ruin my birthday just like you ruined Hermione's?"
"Thanks for the idea, Higgins, I'll waste my time figuring out how," he half-shouted, still walking with his back to her.
"I wouldn't look so cocky today, Malfoy! I'd watch my back if I were you!"
"What's that suppose to mean, Higgins?" he snarled, and whipped round to face her.
Felicity merely smirked at him.
"Just wait and see, Malfoy, wait and see. You'll be sorry you ever crossed a Gryffindor!"
He glared at her and walked off. Felicity made the same rude gesture at him as he left the Great Hall.
"What the hell was that for, Felicity? What were you talking about?" asked Ginny, frowning.
"Oh I thought I would warn him just in case Hermione does something to him today," Felicity replied non-chantey. "Besides he was pissing me off. I wanted to say something threatening but not too threatening as it's my birthday."
Ginny shook her head in amusement, amazed that Felicity even had the guts stand up against him in the first place. Then again, Felicity was a tough girl and some people were afraid to stand up against her. Before she could respond though, a bell rang in the distance.
"Come on peoples, we got to get to class," Felicity announced, leading the way out of the Great Hall. "See you at the feast tonight!"
"See you, Flick, Gin. Have a good day," Ron farewelled Felicity and Ginny as they disappeared. "Do you think Hermione will be out of the library?" he asked Harry, as they walked up the staircase.
"Should be. Why?"
"I didn't finish my Defence Against the Dark Arts essay on Inferi."
"Course you didn't," Harry replied, rolling his eyes as they began to climb the stairs towards the third floor.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, Hermione didn't go to the library when she said she would. In fact, she returned to her quarters as she had conveniently 'forgotten' her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook. She entered her room and started searching all over the room for it.
After a while, she heard the portrait open and knew it was Malfoy, of course. Smirking to herself, she took out her wand and pointed it at her stereo system, lifting the jinx that Malfoy had placed upon it. She had found out what jinx he had used to turn it off completely so it didn't take her long to work out the counter-charm to lift it. The stereo system clicked to life and with another wave of her wand, it began to play, playing the CD that was still left in it.
"MUDBLOOD!"
It sounded like Malfoy had entered the room, not to mention he sounded very angry. Hermione continued to look for her textbook while the music played and because it was at its loudest volume once again, she didn't hear him come in – or at least she pretended not to hear him come in.
"Can't you hear me, Grangrass? Are you deaf or something?"
She then felt something collide with the side of her head, knocking her over onto the ground. She rubbed her head as she sat up and looked down to see her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook on the ground.
"What's the matter, Malfoy?" Hermione asked sweetly over the music, ignoring the book and continued to 'pretend' looking for it. She heard the stereo click again.
"Your filthy Muggle music is what," Malfoy replied as he tucked his wand away. "I thought I jinxed that ages ago!"
"Yeah, well you do forget that I am the smartest student in the year. I was bound to work out what the jinx was and find how to lift it in no time." She raised her own wand and with another click, the jinx was lifted again.
"I would appreciate it if you don't touch my things in future, Malfoy, it would make my life a whole lot easier," she added curtly, as she tucked her wand away in the pocket of her robes. She looked around wearily, still looking for her textbook. "Hmm, I can't seem to find my Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook. Doesn't seem to be in here. Maybe it's in the common room … excuse me."
She pushed past Malfoy and walked out to the common room in pursuit of her lost textbook.
Draco stood in the doorway for a few seconds and then swung round to face her. "Hey, I'm not finished with you yet! And your book is in here, by the way," he added, indicating her room. "I threw it at you!"
"No, I'm sure I saw it in here," she muttered, looking under the couch.
"Didn't you hear what I said? I'm still not finished with you!"
"Go ahead, Malfoy. Say what you want to say and I'll listen if I want, though I can't say I'll promise that I will."
Draco growled, fists curled in anger. She was really annoying him now … well she always annoyed him, but right now on a scale of one to one hundred of him being annoyed with Granger it was in the millions.
"Why do you feel the need to listen to your music every single minute of the day so loudly?" he demanded, folding his arms.
"For your information, Malfoy, I don't have it on all day long –"
"Yeah, but for once can you consider the fact that you share quarters with someone else!" Draco yelled, his pale face bright red. "You don't own the place, you know, and I hate that racket! If you turn it on one more time, I swear I'll chuck it out the window and then throw the debris in the lake –"
"I can easily summon the debris from the lake and repair it with magic you know," Granger interrupted as she searched on the table in front of the fireplace. "Plus I can cast Wingardium Leviosa before it hits the ground –"
"SHUT UP!" Draco bent low, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself. "Do you always have to be a smart arse all the time, Mudblood?" he sneered, looking up at Granger properly for the first time this morning.
She stood with her back to the fireplace, holding a stack of parchment in her arms which she had gathered from the table. Her green hair was curly rather than bushy and held back behind her shoulders with a plain black headband. Her face had a look of amusement and he could see happiness in her eyes. The sunlight seemed to stream through the windows on either side of the fireplace, making her hair glow. It gave Draco the impression of her looking like an angel (some make-believe Muggle creature he had read about in a book once).
He felt frozen on the spot, lost for words as he stared at her. She really is nice to look at, she is definitely better looking than Pansy … actually she may be the best looking girl there is at the school. Or at least one of them
She smirked at him and put down the stack of parchment on the coffee table, folding her arms. "Malfoy, is there something else wrong with you?"
Draco blinked out of his trance and smacked his head. What on earth is wrong with me? Why was I thinking that she is nice to look at? She's not!
He shook his head and snarled at her. "Of course not. There's something wrong with you, though."
"What?" she snapped, her expression turning into annoyance.
"You think it's okay to boss other people around, especially me and you won't –"
"I boss you around! Yeah right, give me an example of how I 'boss' you around?"
"Ok then, you pull me out of bed very early in the morning as if I can't wake myself up," he replied, putting up a finger as he started listing examples. "You tell me not to threaten students when they misbehave in the corridors and make me walk with you during patrols. You make a fuss on the state of my room when it is really none of your business and you correct my homework!"
"I've never corrected your homework," Granger protested, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"Ah, yes you do," Draco insisted. "When you think I'm not looking. Your writing was on a couple of my assignments!" He growled angrily. "It's really annoying! I can take care of myself without you ordering me around every single second."
Granger glared at him. "Ugh, newsflash, Malfoy: you can't 'take care of yourself'. For starters, your room is a pigsty. You can't ever see the floor for all the clothes everywhere. That's what a wardrobe is for, dumb-arse."
Draco sneered at her for calling him a dumb-arse, but she wasn't finished yet.
"Secondly, your way of threatening students is slamming them against the wall and beating the crap out of them when we're supposed to threaten the fact that points will be taken and they'll get detention. You're supposed to walk with me because the corridors aren't safe at night and Dumbledore told us both that, in case you don't remember," she added.
"And as for getting up in the morning – if I let you sleep in and wake up whenever you please, you'll end up missing the first two lessons of the day. Unless you can set your own alarm clock, I'll continue to drag you out of bed every morning."
"Merlin, Granger, who do you think you are? My mother?" Draco snapped at her, but instantly regretted saying that.
How dare he say Granger was acting like his mother? Well, she wasn't exactly his mother; she was just acting like one. But still, he was upset he had mentioned the word 'mother'.
He was still upset about his mother's death but never showed it. At the moment however, he could feel tears starting to burn in his eyes and he turned away from Granger, not wanting her to see that he was upset. She, though, would figure something was wrong anyway.
"Ohh have I touched a nerve?" she drawled, starting to snigger in glee.
Oh Merlin she has. Anger boiled rapidly inside of Draco and he curled his fists threateningly. "THAT'S IT!" he bellowed, throwing up his arms.
Before Hermione knew what was happening, Malfoy stormed into her room briefly and came back out with her textbook in hand.
"HERE'S YOUR BLOODY TEXTBOOK!" he yelled. He threw it across the room, aiming for her head. She ducked and it fell into the fireplace, bursting into flames.
Hermione gaped at the burning book in shock and turned back around to face him. "That's it! You'll pay for this, Malfoy! You'll pay for burning my textbook, jinxing my stereo system and dying my hair green!" She reached into her pocket and drew out her wand.
"Smaltasera!"
A jet of blue light blasted from Granger's wand and Draco felt it hit right in his chest. Before he could grasp the pain it had given him, he felt as if he was rapidly shrinking down to the ground.
"What the hell?" he muttered, feeling light-headed and dizzy. As soon as it had begun, it stopped and he collapsed onto the ground.
Taking a few deep breaths, he quickly recovered and stood up, on the impulse of walking up to Granger and slapping her in the face, but bashed into what seemed to be the leg of the coffee table.
Puzzled, he turned left and continued walking but soon bumped into something big and black. He looked up to see the black couch towering several metres above him.
He felt extremely confused at what was happening, wondering why the couch and the table were so big. He turned around and suddenly came face-to-face with Crookshanks, Granger's big ugly cat. He certainly was big now … no wait he was huge compared to Draco.
Draco noticed he was as tall as the cat's legs and backed away as the cat looked at him with its beady eyes, a hungry expression on his squashed face.
He screamed and ran away smacking into the couch again. He fell over on the ground, holding his sore head in his hands. Damn it, he was going to get a bruise there now! He looked around and noticed that everything else seemed to be at least a hundred times bigger than him!
What the hell is going on here? Why is everything suddenly bigger than me … hang on a minute. He finally realised what had happened, Granger had turned him into a mouse! Now he felt really angry.
"Mudblood! Come here and put me back this instant!" he called, looking around for her. Whoa, everything looks so weird from down here.
A huge shadow fell over him as Granger kneeled down and peered at him through her brown eyes. "What was that, Malfoy?"
"I said put me back this instant!" Draco repeated, covering his ears. Her voice was at the same volume as the stereo system and he was starting to get a headache.
"I'm sorry, Malfoy, but you're gonna have to speak up. You're voice is so squeaky and tiny I can hardly hear you!"
Draco growled and cupped his hands over his mouth as if he was holding a megaphone. "I SAID PUT ME BACK THIS INSTANT MUBLOOD! YOU HAVE TURNED ME INTO A BLOODY MOUSE AND I DO NOT LIKE IT AT ALL!"
Granger smirked at him. "No, not until you learn to co-operate and learn how to 'take care of yourself' properly. And I haven't turned you into a mouse, but to the size of one."
"And why the hell have you done this to me?" he yelled back.
"I would have thought it was obvious, this is my revenge for you turning my hair green," Granger replied, her smirking widening. "I'm doing this for good reason though. I'll put you back to normal when you truthfully admit that you're sorry for being a mean slimy git, and when you agree to act civil towards me and co-operate."
"You'll never get me to agree to that!" Draco snapped, now folding his arms. "No way, no way in hell. Where's my wand? Give it to me now!"
"It's in my room and there's no way I'm shrinking it for you to make yourself grow." She started to get up from her kneeling position and turned to leave.
"Wait! What do you expect me to do now? I can't obviously go along with my day as a mouse. And I don't want to be stuck here with your cat!" He glanced nervously at Crookshanks who was still staring at him hungrily.
"Well I guess I'll have to carry you around with me in my pocket," Granger answered, bending back down and scoping Draco up in one hand. "You can think about what you have done while you're there. But don't you dare try anything!" She unzipped her skirt pocket and dropped him inside.
He fell to the bottom with an, "oomph!" and stood up, feeling the walls of soft fabric. Darkness then surrounded him as he heard Granger do up the zipper on the skirt. He then felt his lungs start to close up.
"HEY! I NEED TO BREATH YOU KNOW!" he shouted, but Granger didn't respond. He growled angrily and hammered his fists against the fabric.
"Oh, I forgot about that," he heard Granger's voice say and the sound of the zipper being pulled down again. "There, you have a bit of light and air, but not enough so that you can climb out and cause chaos."
Draco then suddenly fell flat on his behind, Granger had started walking, obviously heading for class. "Wait, you destroyed my book so I have no material to look at in class."
Good, you can get into trouble for once, see what becomes of Miss Organised now, Draco thought wickedly, rubbing his hands together. He wished he was big enough so he could see Granger get into trouble.
"On second thought," continued Granger, her voice dripping in sarcasm and stopping in her tracks. "There's always Plan B, borrowing your textbook!"
Draco's eyes widened at the thought. "HELL NO!" he bellowed, mainly so she would be able to hear his … slight displeasure at the idea.
"What's that I hear? Oh nothing, just a mouse squeak. Yes, I think I will use Malfoy's book, he's just too small to carry a big heavy thing like a book. Malfoy, where's your textbook?"
She sounded like she was talking to herself. "I'm not telling you that," Draco muttered, but more to himself.
"Hmm, I can't hear him again … it must be in his bag." He heard her open his bag and searched through it. "Aha, just as I thought and it's in perfect condition!" There was a pause. "Damn it, I'm really late thanks to Malfoy. Oh well, it was worth it, I've turned him into a pathetic miniature human. Who's above me now, Malfoy? Certainly not you!"
Draco stood up and threw his fist at the fabric again, hoping to strike Granger's leg and cause her pain. "You do know all I feel is a slight little nudge against my thigh? Punching me isn't going work!"
"Yeah, but I can still pinch you," he snarled, and instantly did so.
"Ow! Quit it!"
Draco was again off his feet as Granger swung her satchel bag over her shoulder and walked out of the common room.
"Hermione, you're late!" This was Harry's way of greeting his best friend as she entered the room and sat at the desk in front of him and Ron. "You're lucky Lupin isn't here yet."
"I'm sorry, but my trip to the library took longer than expected," Hermione lied, getting her workbook and Malfoy's textbook out of her bag. "You know what it's like, so many shelves, and most of the books are out of place. Plus Madam Prince wasn't making my job any easier."
"I know what you mean, Hermione," Ron said seriously. "Personally, I don't see how you can stand it being in there for over an hour and a half."
Harry slightly frowned, not convinced by Hermione's excuse. She was up to something. "What were you doing all this time?" he asked, leaning over his desk so he could study Hermione's face easier. He wished he could do Legilimency so he would know exactly what she was up to.
Hermione swallowed, fully aware that Malfoy was thrashing around a bit in her pocket. She tapped her hand against the bump and she felt a soft nudge as he dropped down and was still. She froze, hoping both that she didn't knock him out and that he was okay.
Stop it Hermione! Why do you care if he's hurt? He's a pathetic slimy git. He wouldn't care if you got hurt.
Another voice sounded in her head, trying to argue the point. But you made him small enough for you to hurt him and therefore made him vulnerable. You should feel a little sorry for him at least –
No.
"Are you alright, Hermione? You seem deep in thought," Harry observed, reaching his hand out to stroke her cheek. She moved away and turned to the front instead. She heard Harry sigh and move back.
"I don't know what's got into her Ron," he muttered to the red head. "Do you have any clue?"
Hermione sighed and was about to turn back around to explain what had really happened when Professor Lupin entered the classroom. She up straight immediately, ready to take notes at command.
"Good morning class. I'm sorry for being late; I had to sort out some fourth years. Now then, I'll take the roll." He stood at the front of the room and waved his wand, and absently caught the piece of parchment. "Abbott , Hannah!"
"Present Professor."
"Bones, Susan."
"Present Professor."
"Boot, Terry!"
"I'm in the room, Sir."
"Boot, how many times do I have to tell you to say "Present Professor" when I call your name?"
"Sorry, Professor."
Hermione's stomach lunged uncomfortably. How was she going to explain Malfoy's absence? She couldn't well say he slept in really late because Lupin would have seen him at breakfast and it was Hermione's duty to drag him out of bed, after all.
She could say he was sick, but then she would have to say he was in the hospital wing and surely Pansy would race over to be by his bedside once she heard. Hermione wouldn't be surprised if Pansy did that, she was practically Malfoy's cheerleader and she did go to the hospital wing when Buckbeak hurt his arm in third year.
No, she couldn't say hospital wing. She had to think of something though…
"Granger, Hermione!"
"Present, Professor!"
Any moment he's going to call Malfoy's name …
"Malfoy, Draco!" Lupin looked up, expecting to see him sitting in the front row with his usual cold, cranky expression but found that his seat empty. He raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "Miss Granger, do you know where Mr Malfoy is this morning?"
Hermione gulped silently, feeling Malfoy banging against her pocket again. She could distantly hear small squeaks coming from her pocket and prayed to Merlin that Lupin couldn't hear him. "Malfoy is sick, Professor," she answered, ignoring the squeaks from her pocket. "He isn't feeling very well."
"I thought I saw him at breakfast," said Lupin, frowning thoughtfully.
"It was something he ate," Hermione quickly elaborated. "He came back to the common room holding his stomach and then he –"
"Alright, we don't need the details. I would suggest he should go to the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey has chosen this week to go on a conference. Please check on him at lunchtime and tell him to stay in bed. And look after him, Miss Granger, he'll be grateful for it." He smiled at her and promptly returned to marking the roll.
Wow, I can't believe that, he brought my story! And Madam Pomfrey is away for the week? That's perfect!
"Of course, Professor Lupin," Hermione replied to herself, patting her pocket. She could feel him sitting there and knew he was probably bored out of his mind. She smirked to herself and started to complete the work set on the board.
Draco was bored out of his mind. He sat in Granger's pocket while she sat in her lessons during the day. He listened to her recount her pathetic lie about him being sick to every single professor throughout the day, but a small part of him thought it was a clever story, especially since Madam Pomfrey wasn't even here.
He listened to his classes throughout the day, feeling very cranky that he wasn't sitting in the actual room to hear properly. Just because Granger had opened her pocket slightly didn't mean the sound was clear to him. Everyone had a loud booming voice that seemed to make his head throb.
He groaned in fake agony, hoping Granger would hear him and possibly take him out of her pocket and turn him back to normal. He was sick of having this headache, his throat was sore from having to yell at Granger to be heard and he was most sick of being knocked around every time she moved even slightly.
He was especially sick of her patting her pocket. The first time she did that, she had once again knocked him off his feet and had been out for about five minutes. She must have realised she hurt him a bit because she was a bit more careful after that.
He could also hear various conversations happening around him as she moved between classes, sat with her friends at break, lunch and before classes start. His favourite part of lunchtime was when he heard Pansy approach Granger and demanded to know where Draco really was.
He dissolved into a fit of laughter as he listened to Granger throw snide remarks at her and try to shoo her away. In the end, Higgins and little Weasley had come to Granger's rescue. Higgins had commented on Pansy having oily hair that needed a desperate wash and said she wondered why the hell "a slightly good-looking guy like Malfoy would be with someone who had filthy hair all the time."
He didn't want to admit it, but Higgins had made a fairly good point.
All the time he was in her pocket, he didn't think about how mean or rude he had been towards Granger, like she had told him to do. Heck, what was wrong with her? He had acted like this for six years and she had never complained except throw back a few insults, a couple of small jinxes and, a punch.
Now, she was acting completely mental in Draco's opinion. What was turning him to the size of mouse going to do? He didn't do much to her, only dyed her hair green. It wasn't like she was going to have the colour in her hair forever; it would go away in a couple of months.
Now that she turned him into a mouse, Draco wouldn't be able to keep track of his father's whereabouts and finding out if he really did poison Narcissa. He knew he should have been concentrating on that instead of thinking of other ways to annoy Granger and he was certainly paying the price. Some git could have gotten to Lucius and murder him before Draco would even get the chance by the time he was back to normal …
He sighed and leaned back against the fabric wall. It was going to be a long day and night ahead.
"Say Hermione, where is Malfoy today?" Ginny asked Hermione, after Felicity had shooed Pansy off on her way.
"What do you mean?"
"Well Ron said he hasn't been in classes, he isn't at the Slytherin table eating lunch and Pansy can't find him to latch her arm on his. What's going on?"
"And don't say he died during the night because we saw him at breakfast and he said he was thinking of spoiling my birthday," Felicity spoke up, eyes begging Hermione to tell all.
"I can't talk about it now, I'll tell you at dinner."
"Oh, but-"
"Oh, what you look at the time? I've got to go to Charms. See you at the feast, girls!" Hermione hurried away from the girls and turned into the next corridor, leaving them utterly confused.
"What in the world?" Ginny muttered. "Why did she rush off like that?" There was no reply from her friend. "Felicity, are you listening to me?"
Felicity didn't answer and instead hummed a tune to herself.
Ginny rolled her eyes; it seemed to be that she was the only one who was wondering what was up with Hermione. Or maybe Felicity didn't hear her. She tried again. "Flick, why do you think she ran off like that just now?"
"We all came out to montreux
On the lake geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didnt have much –"
"Flick, can you even hear me?" snapped Ginny, frustrated.
"Burned the place to the ground.
Smoke on the water
Fire in the sky.
Smoke on the wat-"
"FELICITY SABRINA HIGGINS! PAY ATTENTION!"
"Huh?" Felicity cast a confused expression at Ginny. "Did you say something?"
Ginny rolled her eyes again. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past two minutes! Are you listening to your new walkman?"
"Yes, I am. Thanks for asking!"
I probably shouldn't have brought her that if she's gonna tune out of conversations frequently, Ginny thought irritably. She sighed and shook her head. "Why do you think Hermione ran off like that?" she asked for the third time, hoping to get a proper answer.
Felicity turned off her walkman promptly and tucked it away in the pockets of her robes. "Because she was late for class?" she guessed, shrugging.
"I don't think so. Class doesn't start for another fifteen minutes."
"Well maybe she's going to check up on Malfoy," Felicity suggested. "I don't know where she would be, Ginny. Why did you ask?"
"Because I don't think Malfoy is very sick at all, he seemed perfectly fine this morning –"
"People can get sick in an instant when you least expect it, Ginny," Felicity pointed out.
"My point is I think Hermione is up to something and I think it involves Malfoy," Ginny said, folding her arms.
Felicity laughed. "Hermione is up to something? Oh come on, I know she is working up something against Malfoy for dying her hair but –" she stopped, thinking hard. "Do you think she got her revenge today?" she asked, looking hopeful.
Ginny shrugged. "Maybe. It could be getting him to feel really sick, but that wouldn't sound like something Hermione would do. That's too easy and obvious for her."
"What do you think she did then?" asked Felicity, curiously. "I wanna know now!"
"I do too, but I don't know what she could have done. But whatever it is, it would be hard for him to stop her from doing it and maybe it would somehow teach him a lesson."
Hermione ran through the corridors, looking for a classroom that was empty and was near where her Charms class would be taking place. She found one and slipped inside, locking the door before unzipping her skirt pocket.
"You okay in there?" she asked, pulling Malfoy out by his robes and dangling him in front of her eyes.
"No, I wasn't okay!" Malfoy replied, scrunching up his face. "It's dark and cold in there, I'm bored out of my mind and I'm starving!" His voice was still merely a squeak to her ears, like someone on helium.
"Hold your horses, I've gotten you something." She put him down on a desk and reached into her bag for her wand and a bread roll she nicked during lunch. She tapped on the roll, shrinking it. "Here you go, that's all you're getting for lunch."
"Gee, I didn't think the Giant was going to give me anything," Malfoy squealed, grabbing the roll and shoving it in his mouth hungrily. "I 'ould 'ay tanks 'ut you 'on't ursve it."
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Hermione snapped, poking him and knocking him over again. "It's disgusting!"
"Will you cut that out?" he snapped, after swallowing his mouthful and getting up. "You don't know how much that hurts when you're tiny. Now I know how ants feel."
"Well since you figured out that little realisation, maybe you can get to the big one and tell me that you're sorry for being an arrogant prick," said Hermione, having a small hope he had done that by now.
"No way! I'm not saying sorry!" he squeaked.
Hermione sighed and waited until he had finished eating. "Well then you're gonna be stuck like that for awhile I'm afraid," she said, put him back in her pocket and zipped it up three quarters of the way. He really was very stubborn when he wanted to be.
Malfoy didn't bang against her pocket during Charms or the last class of the day, Herbology. Hermione was lucky that they didn't have Potions today, but she had to face Snape and the rest of the Slytherins sometime. She hoped Malfoy would come to his realisation soon though so she could avoid facing Snape about his 'absence'. Based on his attitude right now, she doubt that would happen.
She dropped her bag off at the Heads quarters after the bell rang at the end of class and headed down to the Halloween feast.
"What did you just say?" Ron asked, after he stopped laughing. "Hermione is up to something? Yeah right, Hermione is too perfect!"
Ginny frowned at her brother. "She's not exactly perfect, she admits that herself." She turned to Harry. "Have you noticed she's been acting odd all day?"
Harry didn't have to think about it for a second. "Yes, she has. She keeps patting her pocket every time a teacher asks about Malfoy's absence and rushes off before we can talk to her. She was away the whole lunch hour … well after Pansy confronted her. I'm not sure she even went to the library this morning," he added, scratching his head in thought.
"You see? I was right, she is up to something," Ginny said, and leant back in her seat at the Gryffindor table. She looked around for the bushy haired girl. "Where is she by the way?"
"She's just entered the hall," answered Felicity, pointing to the doors.
Ginny and the boys whipped around to see Hermione walk in and scan the hall frantically. She spotted them, mentioned them to come over to her then walked out.
"Geez, what was that about?" Ron asked, looking very confused.
"Let's go and see what she wants," Harry said as he got up. It didn't take a genius to know that she wanted to tell them something in private. "Come on guys."
Harry, Ron, Ginny and Felicity left their seats and ran out into the Entrance Hall to meet Hermione. She wasn't there.
"Now where is she?" Ron wondered out loud.
"Hey guys! Over here!" Hermione poked her head out of a hallway which led to the kitchens. The Gryffindors looked at each other and ran over to her. She stood back to allow them into the corridor, checking that no one else was following them.
"Hermione, talk to us," Felicity pleaded, once Hermione closed the door behind them.
"You've been acting odd all day," Harry added.
"You stole a bread roll from the table, the one I was going to eat!" Ron cried out.
Ginny threw a look of disapproval at him. "Trust you to think about food first," she scowled at him. She then turned back to Hermione. "We're supposed to be your best friends," she pouted, emphasising the word 'best' and adapting her puppy dog eyes. It always seemed to work on everyone every single time. Hermione gave in.
"Ok I'll tell you," she answered and took a deep breath. "It's about Malfoy."
"Oh Merlin, do you do it today?" Felicity asked, getting excited. "I knew you were waiting for the perfect day to do this!" She clapped her hands excitedly.
"What did you do to him?" asked Ron, grinning broadly.
Hermione smiled widely. "It wasn't easy but I did it," she whispered. "I used a spell called Smaltasera."
There was a short silence after her words as the four Gryffindors took in what she said. They all looked at each other, extremely confused. "I don't understand, how is that part of your revenge?" Ginny asked, as the others nodded in agreement.
"Oh Merlin, I can't believe you haven't heard of that spell!" Hermione cried out and shook her head. "At least Harry and Ron should have known what it was. Professor Flitwick has mentioned the spell in class this year!"
"He has?" both boys asked in unison, still not grasping what the spell did.
"Smaltasera is a spell that makes people shrink. How much they shrink by depends on how much the caster wants them to shrink by."
"Oh no, don't tell me," Felicity grinned wickedly, as she realised exactly what Hermione had done.
"Yes, Flick. For those of you who don't get what I'm on about, Malfoy is now the size of a mouse."
They all began to laugh uncontrollably, imaging Malfoy as a small, pathetic human and congratulated Hermione on her brilliant spell-work. Hermione smiled in satisfaction, but then suddenly gasped in pain.
"You alright?" Ron asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I am," Hermione replied, rubbing her thigh. Malfoy had pinched her again.
"So where is Malfoy the mouse?" asked Felicity, jumping in excitement.
"He's right here," Hermione answered, unzipping her pocket and reaching her hand into it. "Meet Malfoy, the human mouse," she said, daggling Malfoy by the robes for all of them to see.
Felicity leaned forward to take a good look at him and burst into laughter again. "HAHAHA! Look at yourself now, you slimy faced git! You can't possibly ruin my birthday because you've made it ten times better already! HAHAHA!"
"Oh shut up, Higgins!" Malfoy squeaked, and tried to wriggle out of Hermione's grip.
"If you do that you'll fall hundreds of centimetres to the ground from this height," Hermione warned him, tightening her hold on his robes.
"Gee, his voice is mighty tiny isn't it?" asked Ginny, peering at him.
"Oh, he's so cute as a little human!" Felicity squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Can I hold him?"
Hermione frowned, but handed him over. "Be careful with him."
"Don't give me to her!" Malfoy yelled, and tried to kick someone, but ended up kicking thin air.
"He still acts like a git though," Ron said, sniggering at the sight of the tiny Slytherin 'Prince'.
Felicity laid him out on her hand and observed him. "He would make a good pet, maybe I'll keep him for you, Hermione." She started to tickle him on his stomach but there was a slight cracking sound as Malfoy bit the bone of her finger.
"OW! Scratch that, he would not make a good pet, he bites." She held him in front of her eyes. "Do you like being a miniature human, Draco?"
"No, I don't and you have no right to call me by my first name!"
"Fine then. What will my revenge be for you making me waste my time finding out what you did to Hermione's hair? Oh I know! Squash you!"
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Malfoy bellowed, now trying to punch Felicity in the eye. She easily dodged the small fist and made her grip slightly weaker. "HIGGINS, I'M WARNING YOU!"
"Felicity, maybe you should give him back to me," Hermione said calmly and held out her hand.
"No! I want to teach him a lesson! What's the point of turning him into the size of a mouse when you can't show him what happens when he crosses the wrong path?"
"I have no idea what you're on about, but I know that squashing him isn't going to solve any problems. I know you're all angry at him but killing him isn't the answer, and it'll blow my cover for him being sick."
"Fine." Felicity silkily dropped Malfoy in Hermione's palm and folded her arms moodily across her chest.
"How long is he going to be like this?" asked Harry.
"Just until he admits he was being an arrogant git and that he'll at least co-operate with me," Hermione said. "Which you will eventually will you?" she asked, dangling Malfoy in front of her eyes again.
"NEVER!" Malfoy squeaked, scowling up at her.
"As I thought." She dropped him back into her pocket and zipped it up. "Don't breathe a word about this guys, I'm not suppose to be doing this."
"Then why are you doing this?" asked Ginny.
"Because this is the only way that will make Malfoy understand that he is not above me and that his job is all about team work. With him doing nothing while in my pocket, it gives him time to really think about it."
"Do you think he'll eventually admit it?" asked Ron as Hermione headed to the door.
"I think so."
"And why did you leave it until now to do your 'revenge'?" Felicity asked curiously.
"Well, I had to look up the theory of the spell and make sure I wasn't going to do anything dangerous before I attempted the spell. I then had to practice it for ages and then wait for the right moment to do it. Now, lets go and enjoy the feast, I think it's about to start."
They all walked out of the hallway and headed to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. "Thanks for such a great present, Hermione," Felicity said, once she sat down at the table.
"Oh the earrings, I'm glad you like them," said Hermione, helping herself to some chicken.
"No, not the earrings," said Felicity, though fiddled with the dangling gold guitar earrings Hermione had given her. "For making Malfoy a mini human. That's the best present."
Hermione smiled slightly as she sneakily took another four pieces of chicken and shrunk them so Malfoy could have some dinner later. She hoped she wouldn't have to leave him like this for long and he would come to the realisation she was waiting for.
Author's note: Song Flick was singing was "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple. I made up the spell 'Smaltasera'. Hope you liked this! Please review.