Forge: You get to plunge deeper into the minds of our protagonists. Whee! I'm having the characters grow slowly into what they will be in the end, so if they seem out of character, they will go back to normal soon enough. (This is the second draft. Now with decent spelling & grammar.)
The Wrath of Neptune
Draco Malfoy, September 2nd 1997
"Hey, how did she get here... before me? I just saw her outside." I pulled Blaise to sit next to me. He automatically pulled Granger with him and had himself in the middle between us. How symbolic. Snape had begun explaining the Friendship potion; it was a mild version of a Love Potion, which was of course banned here, only the Friendship potion created friends, and not a bond as thick and powerful as love.
Despite the good intentions of this potion, the contents of this heavenly smelling liquid were vile. Things like rat's tongue, dragon's blood, and fluxweed were used to create a thin bond between two people, and I nearly vommitted when Snape dropped a rat's head -- only it's head, in front of each of us. I took the head by one of its ears and grabbed a knife cautiously with intentions to cut out its tongue. Apparently you have to cut off the tongue of this puny beast immediately before using it for a potion, or all of its magical powers will drain. Granger's eyes were watching my fingers and I slowly and with precision cut off the tongue. I felt her wince and close her eyes.
"Professor?" She raised her hand not too long after, now noticing that everyone was glaring at her. Advanced potions had been the 'Slytherin' class, rarely were there people from other houses -- let alone Gryffindor House, and when before we could converse about anything relevant in our lives (which would make a Gryffindor shrivel in fear), we had to shut our mouths to accommodate the innocent mudblood. "Professor." She was waving her hand a bit now, and Snape sighed and realized that he could no longer ignore her. "Were these rats murdered? Or did they die naturally?"
"They died naturally," he paused, "well, as naturally as Filch could manage. Get back to your work," he smirked coldly, her face horrified and enraged. She stood up, pushing her stool backwards with a loud scrape to the stone floor.
"But Sir!" Blaise and I cut in before she could continue.
"Granger!" I whispered harshly.
"Hermione..." Blaise's way was gentler. "The rats vary from natural death down to...murder." He said that with a large grin, almost as if he wanted to resist laughing. Don't let her see you Blaise, she might not let you in her pants.
"Listen," I cut in, "You're for animal rights, right? You care about animals, don't you?" She nodded hesitantly, falling back into her seat, not knowing what my intentions were. "And yet you stuff your plate with beef and bacon, and chicken and any other meat. You know that they didn't die naturally, right? If they did," I whispered for dramatic effect, "they wouldn't taste that great."
Hermione Granger, September 2nd 1997
"I can't understand how anyone can like Draco Malfoy!" I said in fury, "He's stupid, he's mean, and he's close-minded! Why on earth..."
"Hermione, calm down, he isn't that bad. I mean, if he likes you. If he dislikes you, which it isn't a secret that he does, then he will be mean, and cruel, and stupid. But if he's friends with you, he can be really great. Just give him a chance, and I'll tell him to lay off, okay?" Blaise and I were walking in a rather speedy pace to try to get to Muggle Studies. His thick black hair was being thrown around by the wind that was hitting our faces as we struggled to get our books to stay put while we power-walked all the way to class. I think I'm beginning to like him. He's very nice, and he's not too close-minded for my taste. He seems to be worth befriending, unlike some overly-dramatic, pompous blond arsehole. I frowned in discontent. "Just, forget him Hermione, I'm not asking you to be friends with him, all I'm saying is you give him a chance."
"Give him a chance? Give him a chance? Do you have any idea what he's done to us over the years? That boy is bad, and not because he is naturally evil. He's not very good at it, but he tries to make an effort, and when he makes an effort -- with other people's power, mind you -- it's bad."
"I understand, Hermione," Blaise said sympathetically and held the door to our classroom open for me, I mumbled a thank you as he lowered his voice, "but I want to be your friend, and I've been Draco's friend for over a year," he said.
"What happened anyway? With Crabbe and Goyle? Why did Malfoy abandon his oldest bodyguards?" Blaise looked uncomfortable and he made eye contact. I could tell he didn't want to tell me, but he opened his mouth.
"Well, I really shouldn't tell you, but...apparently Malfoy decided to try to avoid any contact that lead to You-Know-Who, and I happen to be the only Slytherin without any Death Eater background. But don't ask me why he doesn't want to be friends with heirs of Death Eaters anymore, he hasn't given me any legitimate reason." What? I thought Malfoy was the Ultimate Death Eater. Before I could reply, the bell rang and our entertaining class began.
Draco Malfoy, September 2nd 1997
It has been an extremely long day, mainly because I have had a class with Granger, and will have another class with her soon. One down, one to go. This one, however, is unfortunate. I have it with Blaise, yes, but apparently Potter, Weasley and Granger will be there. Right now, I am laying down on the sofa, it is several hours after lunch and a few hours after my fourth class. I'm laying in front of the fireplace, with a book in one hand, and my other arm laying lazily on my forehead. I was reading Lauman's Theory of the Dark Arts -- and it was quite boring to say the least. I bet Granger would enjoy this book. It goes in-depth into a Slytherin's mind (Slytherin because they are the broad area in which Dark Wizards/Witches are created), and it would be of some use to the Ministry's CDWWP -- Capturing Dark Wizards/Witches with the use of Psychology -- or Jr. Aurors. These are the ones that track down the criminals, and the actual aurors capture them.
Granger is writing frivolously at the parchment in front of her. I can hear the quills scratch the thick yellow paper. She looks so innocent, so... corruptible. She's very lucky in avoiding rape. Her kind doesn't last very long in our world, not today at least. The innocent, naïve type -- she isn't gullible, no, but she is naïve and innocent. Along with her intense purity, she is dirty -- contaminated, and that is why I hate her. She believes it is her right to be here, to coincide in a magical community when she is not a part of us, but she is gravely mistaken. A mutt does not belong at the dinner table. The wizarding world is for those who are born into magic -- you cannot convert.
Why am I thinking about Granger? Think, Draco, think. What can I think about? Pansy! Pansy naked. Yes. Well, after all, that's all that she's good for. She has no brain power whatsoever, though she is pretty. Unnatural, artificial beauty, I've never seen her without her cosmetic jinxes. Her hair is fake, dark, and in a bob, and her body is the work of cosmetic physmagicians and her skin is a fake dark tone that you could never find in these parts of the country.
"Did you hear that?" Granger said, interrupting my thoughts.
"What?" Then I heard it, someone yelling at the portrait. I got up lazily, and opened the portrait for Blaise, who stood there pale and quivering. He climbed into the Head common room and pulled me by the elbow to my room, muttering a soft but gentle 'H'llo Hermione.' she stared in confusion, her eyes following us until I snapped my door closed. He locked it, his fingers fumbling while I jumped onto the bed. He pulled a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket.
"Here, read this," he said, shoving the sheet to my fingers, lowering himself to sit across from me on the armchair.
'To Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini,
JDE Meeting.
Purpose: To carry through the planned operation.'
I met Blaise's eyes, and I could see his fear.
"But you aren't even a Death Eater to-be. You don't even have any relatives that were Death Eaters!" My mind was racing, but unlike Blaise, I could keep cool. Though it was rather frightening, did they know I left Crabbe and Goyle for Blaise? Because I wanted to get away from the Death Eater scene? Mentally, I have the mindset of a Death Eater, but when your father dies in prison after being Voldemort's right hand man, your perspectives change, to say the least.
"I didn't do anything," Blaise said with shallow breaths as I crawled off the bed, "and I can't be a Death Eater!"
"Calm down, Blaise, I'll go to the Slytherin common room soon, and I'll find out what this means, okay? But if we don't go to Astronomy now, we'll be late." He nodded and I squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. He breathed deeply and smiled.
Hermione Granger, September 2nd 1997
"I can't wait until Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Ron exclaimed as I looked into the telescope and jotted down different observations about the planet Neptune.
"When do you have it?" Asked Blaise nicely, leaning against the very short gate that prevented him from fall a few thousand feet.
"Thursday," Harry answered for Ron, because all Ron could do was glare. "Third period." That's what I loved about Harry, he was much calmer about inter-blood communication. Ron was pure-blood, and learned that we should be as open minded as possible to muggleborns, but what about other pure-bloods? Harry understood both sides, his father was pure-blood, his mother was muggle-born. Perfect mix, I believe, to create a child who is aware of both worlds.
"Don't we have it then too, Draco?" Blaise asked curiously as Malfoy looked through the telescope next to ours. I feel sorry for him, though I know I shouldn't. He's being forced with people he does not want to be with. Now that I think about it, we don't want him either, I should feel sorry for us. Draco Malfoy gave the deadliest glare to Blaise, as Blaise smiled brightly at me.
"You look great at night, Hermione. The moon's light just makes your skin glisten," I blushed, and bit my lip. Did people honestly say things like that? It didn't help it that Ron stared at me like I just married a pelican with seven legs and no eyes. What happened next seemed almost scripted: both Ron and Malfoy made noises of mock vomiting and when they realized it, they looked dumbfounded. This caught Blaise in a fit of laughter, and me an Harry looking at each other in awkward silence, our faces contorted to try not to smile or laugh, though it was near impossible.
When the class was over and we turned in the Neptune sheets, Ron and Harry pulled me aside, away from Blaise, even though we were all going in the same direction - to the Heads Room.
"Listen, Hermione," Harry said, his eyebrows tied together as if trying to remember lines to a play, "we wanted to let you know that, this... er, this whole, Blaise thing, er, it's..."
"It's getting annoying!" Ron yelled. "It's getting awkward, stupid, and annoying!" I looked from Ron to Harry back to Ron.
"I understand that you dislike Slytherings, but can't we just step away from that for a second? I don't dislike Blaise, I like him actually, but I don't enjoy Malfoy having to hang around him all the time either," I said, "but, I understand that if I want to hang out with Blaise, Malfoy is coming along too! And if Malfoy is coming along, you two won't. So, I suppose I'll have to hang out with you two separately, and Blaise and Malfoy separately -- or just Blaise. God, please, just Blaise." Ron laughed, then stopped abruptly and looked confused.
I sighed. "Alright then, I'll go talk to Blaise about it."
And, of course, like always, they followed.
"Yeah, I understand completely, Herm," Blaise told me as I tried to explain the situation while we were in my bedroom, speaking in low tones.
"I mean, you know how odd it's been, how awkward, and I'm not going to tell you off because you're a Slytherin, actually, I think a friendship like this may be what Hogwarts needs right now, a bond between... well, two very different links." He nodded in understanding.
"Actually, Draco would be quite pleased in learning that I won't have to have him hang out with Ron and Harry. He threatened my life a few minutes ago." Blaise chuckled, and then his face turned serious suddenly as he looked at me, "but I have to ask you of something," he said as I nodded, "don't be cruel to Draco, he's... trying? I can't say very much, because if he found out, he actually would kill me, but he is changing, alright?"
"No offense, Blaise," I said softly and trying as gently as I can, "but I can't care less about Malfoy." Blaise nodded expressionlessly and opened the door for me.
Outside, we saw Harry and Ron on one side, their backs turned away from a Draco Malfoy, who was also facing away from them. Blaise and I looked at each other, then to our symbolic friends, and then back to each other. Then we laughed.
Forge: This chapter was awkward! GAH! I put myself in a mess! But the plot is starting -- and that letter has a lot to do with the plot. And...
Keeping Draco and Hermy completely in character and build a HG/DM story is difficult, so it might get a TAD bit OOC at some point. Cause duh. They're gonna be together, right?
By the way, review please. The more reviews I get, the more incentive I have to actually continue, if I don't get any, or very few, I assume people don't really care or want it and stop writing. So please, for my sake, review. It's the drug to my addiction. And this drug isn't necessarily illegal? Let's call this drug caffeine. You're my caffeinated fix. REVIEW, damnit! Please?