Disclaimer: I really didn't realize that there was no disclaimer in here. Whoops. Well, I obviously don't own Harry Potter, or anybody from the books for that matter.
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Hermione stared at Draco from across the Great Hall, her chin rested on the palm of her hand. She couldn't understand why she felt so content staring at him, but her eyes wouldn't let her look away. A part of her wanted to stand from where she was and walk over to the Slytherin table, but she didn't want to drag anybody's unwanted attention. There was something different about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it…
Hermione watched Draco turn and look over his shoulder. They quickly locked eyes, and he raised an eyebrow once he saw her staring back. He saw the instant blush on her face and smirked, a look of mischief sparkling in his eyes.
Hermione quickly glanced away. What am I doing? Why would I ever look at Draco like that? She frowned at her thoughts and tried to focus her attention on her friends.
Ron and Harry were in a heated discussion about something that Hermione couldn't quite hear, for they were talking in hushed whispers. Every so often they would glance over at her, making her feel unnerved. Meanwhile, Ginny was sitting across from Hermione and was staring at her, as if sympathetically.
"What?" Hermione asked nervously.
Ginny bit her lower lip. "I really wish I could tell you," she said, full of anxiety, "but I don't think it'd be the best idea to let you know."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Ginny, whatever are you talking about?" she asked, smiling unsettlingly. "It's me. You can tell me anything. What's wrong?"
"Well, there isn't anything wrong with me…," Ginny began to say, her eyes ascending to the ceiling. Hermione glanced up, confused, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She placed a hand over Ginny's and looked at her pleadingly.
"Fine." Ginny blurted out quickly, "It'saboutDraco."
Hermione quickly withdrew her hand, her eyes widening. "What?" she asked, reddening. By then, Harry and Ron were listening in on the conversation. She glanced over at them, feeling even more embarrassed, and stood up from her seat. She gestured for Ginny to follow her as she exited the Great Hall.
"What, exactly, does Draco have anything to do with this?" Hermione whispered, avoiding eye contact.
"It's a long story, really," Ginny tried to explain. "You… You don't remember anything, do you?"
"Would I be asking you if I did?" Hermione barked. She sighed, "Ginny, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."
"It's alright," Ginny said, smiling sorrowfully. "When you find out, you have a right to scream all you want." She inhaled deeply, preparing herself, and cupped her hands over her mouth. She leaned in and whispered into Hermione's ear what had happened the day before. When it was over, Hermione stepped back, shocked and full of anger, her mouth agape.
"That vile little-!" She clenched her fists. "So that's why I was staring at Malfoy!" She calmed herself, blushing yet again. "Or at least I think that's why…"
Ginny's eyes widened, and Hermione clamped her hands over her mouth. "No, that has to be the absolute only reason why I'd ever stare at Malfoy," she said. "It's just the spell that's doing the actions." Her face fell. "Does he know?"
"We all know," Ginny said wretchedly.
"Who's 'we'?" Hermione cried.
"Me, Harry, Ron, Draco…and Pansy Parkinson, of course."
"I cannot believe this!" Hermione said miserably. "I mean, I know this spell, I studied it in a class I had before. Every time I see Malfoy, it's like my mind will suddenly blank out and the spell will just completely takeover! What am I to do now?"
"Oh, quit whining," Pansy said, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
Hermione whipped her head around, a frown immediately taking its place at the sound of Pansy's voice. She took out her wand and began to point it at her. "You!"
Pansy stepped back, her eyes wide at the sight of Hermione's fury. "Are you mad?!"
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Hermione snapped angrily. She said under her breath so no other students could hear, "Why would you make me fall in love with Malfoy? It's not as if you're never around him enough already!"
Pansy sneered at her. "It was a mistake, get over it!"
"You mean a stupid mistake!"
Pansy rolled her eyes. "I thought you were smart. Why don't you just figure out a way to reverse it? I always thought you liked Draco, anyway. I mean, I was there when he caught you in the library, you know." With that, she gave Hermione a wink and turned on her heel, a group of giggling girls following behind her.
"That little prat better watch herself," Hermione said through clenched teeth. She looked over at Ginny, feeling as if she was ready to explode with anger. "Me? Liking Malfoy? Why would anybody ever think such a thing?!"
"She's just jealous," Ginny mumbled. "And plus, the whole group-of-dumb-minions thing is getting awfully tiring."
"Merlin, Granger, you really do know how to put on a show," a familiar voice said from the doorway of the Great Hall.
Hermione's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no.
A part of her, somewhere deep inside, had the urge to walk away. She ended up turning around to face Draco instead. From his spot on the wall, he walked towards her, smirking as usual. Hermione felt Ginny's hand on her arm, warning her to leave, but her feet were planted firmly on the ground, a smile on her face that she was completely unaware of. She planted a solid hand on her hip.
"So, Mudblood, finally releasing all that hatred for Parkinson?" Draco asked.
"Why?" Hermione asked huskily. "You scared, Malfoy?"
Draco saw Blaise shoot back slightly from the corner of his eye. "Wait a minute," he whispered, "did Granger just-" Draco elbowed him in the stomach.
"Are you challenging me, Granger?" Draco asked, amused.
Hermione stepped forward and clutched onto the front of Draco's shirt, to the shock of Ginny, Draco, Blaise, and everybody else in the hallway who was watching. She gently pulled on it, and he didn't resist. "Trust me," she said, her face very close to his. Draco's eyes lingered on her lips, entertained at her bravery. "If I was challenging you, you'd know it."
Hermione's eyes remained locked with Draco's. She suddenly released his shirt, walking away and throwing a smile over her shoulder at him.
To her satisfaction, and Ginny's surprise, he was still standing where she had left him, a look of desire in his eyes.
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Hermione's face completely fell as she stared at Ginny. "I wish you stopped me in the middle of all that," she said glumly.
"I'm sorry, honestly," Ginny apologized. "I wanted to, but…he was so into it and I just thought-"
"Wait, what?" Hermione asked. "He didn't seem that interested to me." She frowned, puzzled. "Or at least that's what I recall."
Ginny grinned girlishly, biting her lip for a moment. "He was all over you."
Hermione scoffed, but to her surprise she blushed. "Malfoy was just looking for an excuse to later make fun of me."
Ginny smiled to herself. "I really do wish that you remembered everything that happened clearly. I honestly have never seen him publicly flirt so much, even with Pansy."
"Oh, this is devastating," Hermione said, covering her face with her hands. "I need to find the cure to this spell or I'm afraid I'm going to…" She swallowed as her imagination took its course. She quickly shook it off and looked at Ginny pleadingly. "Will you come and help me?"
Ginny nodded. "Of course."
"Okay, I know just where to look," Hermione said.
Once they had reached the library, Hermione looked around at all of the bookshelves inside. "Where to start…," she muttered to herself.
"I thought you said you had studied this spell in a class before?" Ginny asked, raising a brow at her.
"I did," Hermione replied. "We never went over the reverse spells for any of the things we learned, though." She rolled her eyes. "And my professor thought that they weren't important to know…"
Ginny looked at all the books and exhaled deeply. "I guess we'd better get to work, then."
Hermione nodded wearily. "I guess we should." The first thing she did was go to the woman at the front desk, asking if she knew where the book that contained information on the spell was.
"Oh, yes, of course," she said, standing from her chair. "Follow me."
"Gladly," Hermione whispered under her breath, grinning. The thought of ridding this spell came with a spectacular feeling. She followed the woman into a deep maze of what seemed like endless books, until she stopped and looked for the title.
"I'm sorry," the woman said, looking over Hermione. She shrugged. "I'm afraid somebody's already checked the book out."
Hermione's eyes widened. "What? By who?!"
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Draco lay in his bed, flipping through the pages. He lazily sighed, using his finger as a guide to skim for the spell. Once he finally spotted it, he propped himself on his elbows and read intently.
Lovititcus…didn't that Weasley girl say that it had something to do with Confundo? Draco frowned. What kind of spell was Pansy thinking of? The idiot.
He continued to read. Apparently the spell made whoever it was cast on fall in love with the first person they saw. It would completely overtake their personal thoughts and the victim would not clearly remember the events that occur because of the enchantment. Figures. Draco rolled his eyes and skipped the history, not interested in it at all. Then something quickly caught his eye.
'CURE'
Draco read what it had to say. He frowned at the text and growled, "Are you bloody joking me?"
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A/N: Please read and review; I really want to hear your opinions! And in the next chapter is the start of all the good stuff… wink