A/N: This chapter was written for one of my three dearest friends, Lacie, and she also helped me put it into it's finished phase and a new character is based on her. (Say it with me readers: .1…2…3! "Go Lacie!!" XD) (Oh, and some of you may be a bit miffed with the Transfig lesson here, well y'know what? Too freaking bad.)
In Double Herbology, they got to "meet and greet" with some Gnarly Gnarlumms, a favorite of Professor Sprout, though nobody could see why. The damn things trashed around like mad, and when you tried to clip it's branches as you were supposed to, it showed you the meaning for the "Gnarly" half of its name and got it's ugly knotted branches stuck in your hair.
Apparently, they would be grappling with these ugly things for their N.E.W.T.S. For homework, they were to do a labeled drawing of the Gnarly Gnarlumms, and a roll and a half of parchment on its distinguishing properties.
Then, as they walked into Double Transfiguration, many of them missing great chunks of their hair and having scratches on their cheeks, Professor McGonagall tersely informed them that everything covered in the class today, and every day since throughout the year, would very much be appearing on their N.E.W.T.S.
After the stony-faced lecture, they were each given a rabid cat (now they had scratches on their arms too, not just cheeks, how lovely…), and told to make it into a fur hat which was immensely difficult as one had to from nowhere conjure the fabric on which the fur lies, and get rid of all inner organs bones, fluids and such, and make sure the fur didn't fall off of the fabric, all at the same time.
By the end of the lesson, only Hermione had made much progress, and though she indeed had a hat with no internal body parts and the fur stayed, the hat had a tail that swished pathetically.
Mortified, and feeling just a tad sick at the sight, Hermione quickly excused herself to the bathroom, just in time to hear McGonagall say that for homework, they were to figure out what went wrong with their spells, and write three rolls of parchment, in small handwriting, thoroughly explaining it and how to fix it.
Once she got inside the bathroom, she leaned against the sink breathing deeply and splashing cold water on her face at regular intervals.
RING-A-DING-A-DING-A-DINGDING!
Double Transfiguration was over.
Feeling slightly better, Hermione slowly traipsed back to the classroom, hoping that everyone would be gone by the time she got there so that she could get her bag in peace.
Transfig was her last class of today as she had dropped Divination in her third year, and Professor Vector of her Arithmacy class was out sick for at least the next two weeks.
No such luck.
Smirking, and leaning casually against the wall, Draco Malfoy stood next to the doorway into McGonagall's classroom. She would have just pointedly ignored him, were it not for the unfortunate fact that he was holding her bag loosely in his hands. His hands. She couldn't stop staring at them; they were big and powerful looking; yet they looked like they could be so precise, so gentle, and so soft.
'What the heck are you thinking girl?!' thought Hermione frantically, mentally kicking herself. 'This is ferret-boy, Draco bloody Malfoy, the slimy, evil git and Slytherin prince!!' 'Yet his hands, they look so safe, so gentle. I want him to hold me close…' thought a very small, ok, maybe not that small part of Hermione's mind.
But she would have none of it.
"Malfoy." She snapped, as he looked like he was dozing off on the wall.
"Huh?" he started, rising halfway away from the wall, but apparently forgetting he was leaning on a wall, and promptly fell on his buttocks. She snickered, then giggled, then looked at him splayed out on the floor with that darling "oh." expression on his face, that she erupted into hysterical laughter.
Seeing her laughing must have brought him back to what was happening, and she should have noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes as a warning to stop laughing, but he had just looked so funny she couldn't stop.
Without warning, he lunged at her, bringing her down to the floor with her own little "oh!" of surprise, then pinning her arms down with one hand, and letting his fingers run over the sides of her ribs.
She squirmed so much he thought it a wonder his arms weren't torn off, but he held on and only tickled her more, until she was barely breathing and getting purple in the face. Grinning he let go of her, but he apparently didn't know our dear Hermione too well, because when he stood up, she swiped her foot out against his ankles in mid-step, and he promptly fell on his buttocks, again, thanks to her, again.
Giggling, but using her element of surprise, as she knew she was no match for him in strength, Hermione quickly pushed his arms down with her knees, balancing on them (feeling his hard biceps and triceps through her robes, might I add) and ran her own fingers lightly over his ribs. "Why you-" he started to say, but the rest was cut off as he burst out laughing.
Hermione almost fell off of his arms. His laughter was rich and musical and enticing, not like the squeaking, rubber-ducky sounds Ron made when tickled, or the hilarious snort and "hee-haws" combinations Harry made. It made her think of beautiful scales on the piano she had always wish she'd learned to play, and she was suddenly struck by the fact that she wanted to hear this laugh often. 'Weird... Pretty laugh though.'
Unfortunately, the spell cast by his laughter made Hermione quite unawares to the fact that Draco had stopped laughing and was slinking his arms slowly out from under her knees, and she was gazing into space.
Draco smirked. He didn't know what made her go into La-La-Land like that out of nowhere, but whatever it was, he was gonna use it to get some revenge on his witch.
'Whoa, whoa, what did I just say?? MY witch?? She's not mine, she's a mudblood!!' Draco thought, panicked, but really, this thought was more reflex than true cause of worry anymore.
As he hated his bastard of a father anyway, there was no way he was following in his footsteps, be they good or bad, he'd go opposite just out of spite.
He supposed, as he gazed at her, she could maybe, someday, be his… 'No. She would never want me,' thought Draco dispiritedly. 'Dispiritedly? HA. More like crestfallenly…' said the little voice. 'You shut up!' Draco thought heatedly. '…But it's right. The thought of never seeing her again after this year… hurts a little.'
Pushing these thoughts away for now, as he was quite sure the feelings were not mutual, Draco cleared his throat, snapping Hermione out of her trance.
She blushed wondering how long she had been gazing at air like a starved puppy at Christmas Feast.
Draco twitched. He happened to know some Japanese, and at the moment his thoughts were saying: 'Waga okashii mahoutsukai.' (My strange/ridiculous witch).
However, people were gonna come down this corridor again at any minute. So far there had been none because there was a 10 minute break in between classes now every day for students to jot down and compare any notes they missed, to make sure they got the "most" out of their classes.
Well, that's what the time was supposed to be for, but some, like a certain 7th year Weasley, merely used it to catch up on snooze time.
Most were now rushing to their last class of the day, but as Fate would have it, neither Hermione nor Draco had another class next, as Draco also took Arithmacy with Hermione and lots of Ravenclaws, a fact that she'd never really mentioned to Ron and Harry, and the Ravenclaws, being the smartest house, wisely kept their mouths shut.
Draco was not only taking the class, but he was rather nice in it when not surrounded by other Slytherins, if a bit aloof.
Recalling what she had originally traipsed here for, Draco knelt down and picked up Hermione's bag that had landed a few feet away when he first fell. He almost winced when he thought of it, heck it had hurt, but old habits die hard and so on. Straightening up, his face void of emotions once again, and his thoughts jumbled and confused, he went to autopilot and placed a cold sneer on his face, tossed the bag at her feet, and strolled away from Hermione without a second glance back.
She blinked, a little confused. 'Why is it whenever I see him by myself, I always end up feeling like it's topsy-turvy day..' "Ugh, stupid ferret."
'Well then,' thought Hermione hefting her bag, 'if that's how he'll be then let him. I don't want a thing more to do with him. AND YOU SHUT UP!' she roared in her head before the little voice could offer it's two cents.
Silence for a few moments, and then a soft 'meep' was all the voice decided was safe to offer.
Smiling a bit…well, frighteningly, at least to First Years, Hermione strolled down the corridor and marched up the marble stairs before reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady. It was there that her confidence and smile waned a bit, as she realized that she had no clue what the password was.
Just then, the portrait opened and closed, though it didn't seem like anyone had walked out of it, and before she knew it, Hermione was flat on her back with Harry's and half of Ron's heads floating above her.
Rolling her eyes, Hermione shoved herself a bit away from them, and then stood up, brushing the back of her robes. "Hi guys." She said sarcastically. "Nice to see you too. Didn't know we were playing Tackle." She grumbled, picking up her bag that had, yet again, been flung unceremoniously to the floor.
"Um, we're sorry Hermione, we didn't see you…" began Ron timidly, as Hermione seemed to be on the edge of eruption, and having witnessed it before, he knew if he saw it again he'd be making his peace with God very soon.
Scoffing, Hermione looked at him. "And yet it's you two who were under the Invisibility Cloak, and I knew you were there perfectly well." Frowning softly now, she said, "Where were you two going anyway, it's not after hours yet, in fact it's not even dark." Looking out the window, she failed to see the abashed look that passed between Ron and Harry.
Knowing Ron had no clue as to what to say, Harry tried "Oh, nowhere really, just fancied a stroll-"
"That's bullshit Harry and we all know it," said Hermione quietly without even turning from the window. "I'd sooner believe you fancy a troll than just a simple little stroll."
Gulping, Harry looked at Ronald with eyes pleading for help, but Ron just shrugged like "What are you looking at me for, I don't know what to do!"
Hermione sighed; this was useless. "Whatever boys just stay out of trouble, I don't wanna be blamed for not stopping you."
Amazed at their good fortune, Harry and Ron watched Hermione retreat, until they couldn't see her anymore. "Let's go," said Ron. Harry nodded in agreement, and covered them both in the cloak again, the two disappearing off to adventures not yet known.
Meanwhile, Hermione went to her old dormitory, wanting some conversation to distract her. It was completely empty, as all the other girls had classes. She had forgotten. 'Speaking of, why weren't Harry and Ron in their classes? Did I just let them get away with skipping?' She sighed, and decided to take a nap on one of the beds so that, for a short while at least, she could forget about it all.
Sleep had come suprisingly easily and deeply. If anyone had seen her sleeping there, they had let her sleep, for Hermione didn't wake up until the Dinner Bell echoed through the stone castle.
Jolting up, she realized what time it was and, covering a yawn, made her way to the Great Hall.
Not really looking ahead of hereslf, she was just about to reach the opening into the Great Hall, which at the moment only held Dumbledore, a few teachers, and a scattering of students, when she felt a sharp pain at her side as something thumped against it, and then fell away.
Looking down, she saw that for the third time today, she had caused Mister Draco Malfoy to land on his arse.
He groaned, "Jesus, onna no ko, you have to make me get hurt every time I see you…"
"Onna no ko?" Hermione questioned, knowing full well it meant "girl" in Japanese.
He colored a bit, but merely stood up, gave her grinning face one glance, and then walked off to his green and silver clad table refusing to admit anything.
Smirking herself a bit, she walked to her scarlet and gold table, feeling suddenly ravenous and completely overlooking the absence of Harry and Ron.
But instead of dinner just appearing, the Headmaster stood.
"What? A speech?!"
"It's not the feast!"
"WE'RE HUNGRY!"
"No speeches, no speeches!" (A/N: Think of the way Hound said "No nukes, no nukes!" in Armageddon).
The grumbles and shouts ran their way around the Great Hall. Had she not been Head Girl, Hermione would have very much joined in them, but she resigned herself to the fate of setting a proper example for Hogwarts.
Smiling softly at the protests, Dumbledore quieted them with a single wave of his hand. "I know you are very anxious to eat your most delicious dinners, but I have two announcements to make. First of all, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Depp!"
When the new teacher stood up, every single female in the room stared practically drooling. He was gorgeous.
"Johnny? Johnny Depp? I thought he was just a muggle actor!" Hermione whispered fiercely. "Guess not," Katie shrugged, " maybe he just has a job as a muggle actor but is really a wizard, and some people really do that you know."
"Yes I know," said Hermione distractedly.
The Headmaster continued after the incredible applause (mainly from the girls) for the new professor died down. "Though none of you may remember this happening before, it is not the first time of its occasion. We have a transfer student, in her seventh year, from the Salem Institute of Witchcraft. She shall be sorted tonight, after which you may eat and get to know her. Come forward."
These last two words he directed to a shape standing in the shadows, hidden in a deep purple cloak with the hood drawn over its head.
Beckoned forward by Dumbledore, she stood in front of the Teachers' Table, sitting on the rickety stool. McGonagall came over with the hat, but paused when the figure had its hood still drawn. Obviously sensing the matter, the girl raised herself in her seat a bit and threw back the hood.
You could hear the crickets outside. She was very…well, not traditionally beautiful, but captivating, a quality that currently had 95 percent of Hogwart's male population staring with mouths agape. "O'Malley, Rhea!" McGonagall called, before settling the hat on Rhea's dirty blonde head. Strangely, when hearing her name, the new DADA professor sat forward, a small smile upon his lips as he stared at the back of the purple-clad girl.
The hat sat contemplating for a minute or two, its wearer sitting cool as a cucumber, with some fleeting impatience.
Hermione grinned. 'This girl must be as itching to get to the food as much as I am' she thought. 'I wonder if she'll be sorted into Griffyndor…'
"GriffynClaw!" shouted the hat.
Everyone stared.
"Well," said the rather taken aback, though still cheerful Headmaster, "it would seem the hat is offering you the choice of the Griffyndor house, where bravery and courage is prized, or the Ravenclaw house, where brains and knowledge are the gold."
Many people held their breath, staring anxiously at the girl, therefore none of them noticing that Professor Depp was also staring at her, but while others stared with anticipation and bated breaths, he stared at her with something else glistening in his chocolate brown eyes.
Leaning her head to the side a bit, Rhea suddenly grinned a grin that had more than a few people get worried, before...
A/N: MWAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAAAA!!!!! I left you with a cliffy/Dodges rotten vegetables/ well, what do you think Rhea will pick? Is she mainly brave or mainly smart? Hehheh, I want at least 4 reviewers to tell me which they think she'll pick before I write the next chappie. Oh, and yeah, this was long, but the Draco x Hermione thing was going great, but I had to fit it in the end with the new teacher (drool) and the new student (yay!). Oh, and speaking of which, how will Draco react to this new, interesting captivating beauty? Hmm? Lol, tell me what you think.
♥Nika♥