Disclaimer: I don't think Ms Rowling will be willing to sacrifice her storyline for a Draco/Hermione relationship, so I believe she won't want to hold claim to my story, and neither I to hers.
A/N: Plot's getting thicker! Please do review!
blueeyedchibi: Why, thanks so much for the review! Whether Hermione eventually believes Draco or not, here's the next chapter to enlighten you further...
queenofthelameos: My faithful reviewer! Thanks so much...hope you enjoy this chapter!
Harry sat by Ron's bed, looking at his best friend intently, silently hoping that there would be a miraculous sign of movement from him. His mind was bogged down by a lot of terrible problems; he was afraid that Ron would never move again from his Stunned state, he was afraid that Hermione would be manipulated by Draco Malfoy, he was afraid that Ginny would be killed…
"Harry Potter! Ooh…just the person I wanted to talk to!"
The voice was very familiar. Harry stood up and looked surprised as Professor Sprout came bumbling into the room. "Yes, Professor?"
"I wanted to tell you something really important," said Professor Sprout, earnestly. Then her eyebrows furrowed together. "You see, our potion isn't going very well…"
Harry took a while to process this. "You mean the potion to cure Stunned patients?"
Professor Sprout nodded. "Something's not right. We've followed all instructions; the potion is similar to the one we made for all the Petrified students when the Chamber of Secrets was opened, you remember?"
Harry nodded, a tinge of suspicion creeping into his mind.
"Yet the potion is just not right! We…I mean all the staff members have been trying our best to figure out the problem, but it is not showing itself," muttered Professor Sprout, huffily. "So…I'm really afraid Mr Weasley might have to wait quite a while longer."
Harry's heart sank. That just compounded his misery even further.
"I'm sorry, Mr Potter, but we are really getting no headway in this so far." Professor Sprout patted Harry's shoulders awkwardly, before she turned and left, leaving the room much colder than it was before.
---
Hermione held onto her books tightly as she made her way to Defence Against the Dark Arts class in a hurry. Harry had gone to see Ron at the hospital wing, and would have made his own way there already. Lavender and Parvati had gone to find Padma to talk to earlier on, so they would be there already. Seamus and Dean had to settle some questions with Professor McGonagall with regards to their Careers so they were going to be late. Neville was…oh bother! Why am I worrying so much about the fact that none of the Gryffindors are around me?
"Granger!" A loud hiss sounded just before she entered the class.
Hermione stepped back, her heart beating even faster than ever. Before she could say something sarcastic, he had pulled her round the corner.
"What do you want?" Hermione glared at him.
"Look, Granger, I'm trying to be civil so just quit being angry for the moment," growled Draco, though he was returning her glare even more icily. "I need your help."
"Why does the great high-and-mighty Draco Malfoy, termed Slytherin prince, need a mudblood's help?" spat Hermione, remembering the exact term he had used to describe her before.
Draco Malfoy suddenly looked a little desperate, eyeing his surroundings to make sure no Slytherin or any other student who would find their "meeting" a little suspicious. "Look here, you don't want Ginny Weasley to die, do you?"
Hermione snapped back into serious mode. "You'll let her off?"
"Don't be a fool, Granger!" He glared at her again. "You know the Dark Lord will kill me if I did!"
"Which means you're still going to kill her! I'll tell Dumbledore!" Hermione hissed.
"Don't be childish, Granger, you're a bloody idiot!" Draco retorted, in despair. "Would you just listen to me! I need your help in devising a plan to fool the Dark Lord into thinking I've completed his task!"
"Draco, you've got to be joking," whispered Hermione, her voice suddenly filled with terror. "You…you can't fool Voldemort!"
"I…I give up, Granger," his voice took a strange twist; clearly laced with fear. "I don't want to work for him. But…but I can't. I've to go on. And…and I don't want to die." He looked at her, and for the first time Hermione Granger wished she could pull him into a hug and comfort him. "I've got to complete the task…the Dark Lord…" he hesitated, hoping that she would not access the dreams that were pulverising his mind madly since the night before. "He wants it done as soon as possible.
"Draco…" Hermione bit her lip as she looked down at her watch. There was still three more minutes. "Who hexed Ron?"
For a moment, Draco nearly said something spiteful back, but he didn't feel like saying anything that sounded remotely hurtful to Hermione at the moment. "I thought you were bent on me having committed the crime."
"You didn't…did you?"
Draco Malfoy looked around furtively, then back at Hermione. "It was Pansy."
Not sure whether to feel relief or just compounded hurt that Ron was still unconscious, Hermione gazed into Draco's eyes. "Draco, you don't have to be doing all these things if you don't wish to do them. Don't be a murderer, please! You're only sixteen! I mean, you're one of the best wizards in our level…you can't just give up a bright future to serve Voldemort!"
Draco was trying to fight this strange desire to hug Hermione, as well as impulsively feeling rather repulsed that he was actually confiding in somebody whom he had hated ever since he knew her. Yet, he felt not one shred of hatred in him as he looked back into her shining brown eyes that were pleading with him. Pleading with him not to fall into an abyss of darkness; pleading with him not to go on the journey of no return. In his mind, he could still hear the Dark Lord's voice calling out sinisterly. Three…three more days, Draco…and you will report to me… Finding no other way to express himself, he could only continue glaring at her.
"Hermione!"
Both Hermione and Draco turned to see Harry come round the corner.
Harry's eyes travelled from Hermione to Draco and darkened.
"Stop looking at me Potter, you don't have to be jealous of anything," remarked Draco, smirking as he pushed past Harry and into the classroom. Harry looked back at Hermione, who was breathing hard. "What'd he do now?"
Hermione shook her head.
Harry knew better than to question her further, so he just briefly told her about what Professor Sprout had said. Hermione's heart sank even further, and Harry, sensing her misery, pulled her into a one-arm hug as she closed her eyes, resting her chin on his shoulder.
From inside the classroom, a pair of grey eyes watched, almost turning green.
---
"So, class, can anyone tell me what is the incantation for the Mind Erasure jinx?"
Professor Nell's hearty voice failed to wake up the class, of which almost all were in deep slumber. Except for three people, who were wide awake, but their thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
"Mr Finnigan?"
Seamus nearly leapt out of his seat, gripping the side of his chair, wide-eyed. "Yes, sir!"
"Incantation for Mind Erasure jinx?"
"Err…uhh…I…"
"Mr Zabini?"
Blaise Zabini seemed to have a sudden interest in twirling his quill round very rapidly as he shifted on his chair uneasily.
"Miss Patil?"
Parvati gasped softly, and the whole class giggled.
Professor Nell made a sound of dissatisfaction. Then he closed the book he was holding and leant rather informally against the desk. "Are you all that bored by my lesson?"
Everyone tried to sit up straight and brush down their robes. "No sir," they chorused. Some Slytherins chose to lean back against their chairs and eyeball their Professor; one of which was Draco, who could not help expressing a sneer at the innocent act of being attentive that the Gryffindors were showcasing.
Professor Nell ran a hand through his silvery hair. "You lot really cannot deny that your NEWTs are quite around the corner; the fact that you are in my NEWT class means I expect a lot more focus than you gave your previous Professors, really."
"Yeah, when one died, one went insane, one resigned, one got locked up, one got carried away by centaurs…"
Hermione didn't even realise she was saying all this, in a very sarcastic tone, till he felt a rather hot sensation enshrouding her; everyone was looking at her in a very queer way.
Professor Nell had this rather queer look on his face too.
"Who knows what'll happen next!" came a rather lazy voice. Hermione turned, and saw Draco leaning back against his chair with his legs on the table. She concentrated, and a mental thought popped into her mind. She's insane, antagonising him!
You're insane yourself! retorted Hermione, as she tried to hide the flush spreading up her neck.
What! Oh…bloody hell you read my thoughts! Draco's laid-back look seemed a bit annoyed.
"Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy, would you please stay back after this lesson? And as for homework, everyone, please write me an essay on the Mind Erasure jinx, no less than four pages please."
There was a collective groan, but Professor Nell ignored it, choosing to continue staring at Hermione and Draco. A sense of uneasiness was creeping up both of them, including Harry, though he didn't know why. He trusted Professor Nell to say something sensible to them, yet he couldn't exactly place this nagging suspicion that something was not right. He gave Hermione a look of sympathy, before leaving the classroom.
Draco and Hermione exchanged looks of puzzlement before they moved in front of Professor Nell. He swung himself onto the desk in a rather strange manner, quite like an athletic youth despite the silvery strands of hair that framed his bony face structure. Draco's eyes narrowed; Hermione felt edgy.
"Something's come over the both of you today, quite surprisingly," mused Professor Nell, taking off his glasses and wiping them with a swish of his wand. "I really didn't expect that of you in particular, Miss Granger," he added, looking at Hermione inquiringly.
"I…"
"I added the connotation, sir," interrupted Draco, looking straight at Professor Nell with a curled lip. "And I don't see what is so controversial about my remark when I am quite sure it has factual evidence to support it."
Hermione let out an involuntary gasp, while Professor Nell remained stoid. "You could care to explain, Mr Malfoy?"
"Needs no explanation," said Draco, flatly. "Clear for all to see what happens to those who take up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Probably why my house master Professor Snape is rated much more highly than you are, sir, because he is aware of such a curse on the post."
Hermione glared at Draco. What are you doing!
He didn't answer, merely glaring at Professor Nell.
"I see there's some misunderstanding between the both of us, Mr Malfoy," said Professor Nell, slowly. "Surely…nothing to do with your…induction…"
"You have no right to talk about it!" hissed Draco, staring piercingly at Professor Nell.
Professor Nell suddenly laughed. "No right? No right? Perhaps, Mr Malfoy, you might want to reconsider your statement which I have taken to be said out of childish impulse. I'm quite sure, that some times, you tend to break out of being an independent learner…"
Hermione could not understand why Draco was almost shaking with rage as he heard that; his hand was nearly to his pocket which clearly contained his wand. He glared at Professor Nell with so much ferocity that if looks could kill, the professor would have dropped dead on the ground instantly.
"You don't have the right," repeated Draco, seething with anger. "As long as I get the job done…"
"What job?" asked Professor Nell, surprised, but Draco merely snorted and stormed out of the classroom. Professor Nell then turned to Hermione, who was in a state of mild bewilderment because at the moment, she was unable to access Draco's thoughts, feelings, nor get his replies for all the questions she was bombarding him with.
"Miss Granger?"
"Uh?" She shook out of her trance.
"Is there something wrong…I mean, you're out of sorts lately…"
"It's Ron…" She forced a weak smile.
Professor Nell nodded understandingly. "If you and Mr Potter are feeling rather down or anything, feel free to come and talk to me. I'll be glad to lift you all out of your low spirits."
"Thanks, Professor," she smiled, a little more genuinely.
She could have sworn he was one of the nicest teachers she had met; somebody who actually cared about what she was thinking at the moment, how she was feeling, being concerned for her.
Until she heard the message in her head.
He's a vile liar. A fraud.
He's from the Dark side.