The weighing of the wands
A few days later.
Hermione was sitting in the library, when Harry and Ron came running in. "Hey, 'Mione, we got something to tell you." Harry shouted, getting some angry looks from some people who tried to study.
Hermione sighed in frustration. Those boys never left her side for more than an hour. Ron looked disgusted at her book. "What is it with you and thick books?" he asked, wearing a look that suggested his revulsion.
"If you're only here to condemn my books, then you might as well go back to the Quidditch pitch." she said, noticing the two were wearing their Quidditch robes. (Ron had replaced Oliver Wood)
A cry was heard when madam Pince saw the huge tracks of mud that Harry and Ron had left behind. Looking furious, she headed to the Quidditch players. "Oh, oh, run Ron!" Harry whispered.
To Hermione he said: "Here's the message. McGonagall wrote it on a paper." Harry gave her a small piece of parchment and, together with Ron, started to run for his life.
Hermione smiled when she saw madam Pinch set of in pursuit of the two boys and yelled after them: "I've recognised you, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley! Don't think you'll get away with this!
When the order was restored in the library, Hermione looked at the parchment in her hand. It said: 'Dear Miss Granger, you're expected tonight at 6.00 pm in my office. Further instructions will be given there. Professor McGonagall.'
She lifted an eyebrow and left the library for dinner.
Hermione met the boys back in the Great Hall, they were gobbling as usual. "Keep that up you guys, and you'll start to look like Crabbe and Goyle." she smirked.
"We play quiddipf, we need to eath a loth" Ron said with a mouth full of mashed potatoe. "So, did you escape madam Pinch?" she asked.
"No, we collided with Filch. He had followed our traces of mud."Harry said, "We had to clean it up with our Quidditch robes."
When they'd finished dinner, Hermione chatted a little with her friends, and she said goodbye to them when Quidditch became the subject (as usual).
She wanted to go back to the library, but when she looked at a clock, she decided it was time to go to McGonagall. She arrived too early at McGonagall's office but she knocked anyway. When no one replied she tried opening the door.
To her surprise, it wasn't locked.She went in, not wanting to wait in the corridor. A fire was burning in the fireplace and it looked like McGonagall hadn't left long ago. "Boo!" a voice shouted in her ear and Hermione jumped.
There, behind the door, stood Malfoy with a smirk on his face. "Malfoy! Stop being a bastard with your sick jokes." Hermione said through gritted teeth. "Don't tell me what to do, Mudblood." Malfoy sneered.
"Don't call me that!" Hermione shouted. She wanted to punch him in the stomach, but Malfoy was quicker. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the wall.
"Forgot my warning in the infirmary already?" he bit, "If I were you I would remember it, 'cause Scarhead and the Weasel can't keep an eye on you 24h a day." He pinched her wrists even harder, and she cried out.
Wanting to get away from him, Hermione gave him a high kick, making Malfoy flinch. Apparently his wounds weren't completely healed and the result was that he fell against her.
"Mr Malfoy! Miss Granger!" McGonagall screamed. She pulled Malfoy away from Hermione and pushed them both in a chair. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but this has got to end!" said McGonagall angrily.
"I've been away for five minutes,and this is what I see when I return." she continued furiously. "You will both go to Dumbledore, after I've explained why you're here. Is that understood?"
"Yes professor McGonagall." they said together.
Making sure the two students wouldn't fly at each other again, McGonagall went on: " As you both know, you have been selected to give a demonstration for the ministries from all around the world. Now, professor Dumbledore wants to make sure that nothing goes wrong. So next week, you will come on Wednesday evening to my office, 7.00 pm. Then professor Caerulea will take you to the Defence against the Dark Arts class to train your skills."
She observed the students and continued her speech: " Another thing : the Festival Ball. You can compare it with the Yule Ball last year. The selected students will start the opening dance.We made sure that for each lesson we selected one boy and one girl. This means that you can each choose your own partner for the rest of the evening, but you'll dance with each other during the opening dance."
Hermione and Malfoy looked at each other in horror. Had McGonagall gone crazy?
"Yes, I understand the dilemma you're in, but you have no choice." McGonagall grimly said. "I have to say one more thing, you cannot choose the clothes you'll wear. It's some silly protocol that the girls wear a plain white dress and wear their hair in a braid. The boys have to wear darkred dress robes and also have to put on...a hat."
"A hat?!?"
"Yes, Mr Malfoy, a darkred tricorn hat to be precisely." McGonagall said, with a small smile on her face that suggested the whole situation was rather funny and ridiculous. "In case you want to know, you can find those hats at 'Gladrags Wizardwear' in Hogsmeade." she added.
"Why can't we choose the colour?" Hermione asked."
"Because these are Englands colours, and our ministry is located in England." McGonagall replied, "Only one thing to do: The weighing of the wands."
She grabbed some powder from a little pot and threw it in the fireplace. "Ollivander!" she shouted. A few seconds later Ollivander came out of the fireplace.
I believe you called me for a little wandtest, Minerva?" he asked. When she nodded, he went to the young Slytherin and took his wand. "Ah yes, I remember that one," Ollivander said, "16 1/2 inches, Redheart, core of Dragon Heartstring, inflexible. Am I right?" Malfoy nodded.
"Strange, I have the feeling that this wand has released an Unforgivable Curse recently." Ollivander whispered and he looked at Malfoy with a strange expression on his face. Malfoy stared back with a plain face, not showing any emotion.
"Rictusempra." Ollivander suddenly said and he pointed Malfoy's wand at Hermione. She started to laugh uncontrollebly until Ollivander ended the spell. With a smile on his face, he muttered an excuse to Hermione and returned Malfoy's wand. Then he asked for her wand. Sticking her hand in her robes, she realized that Snape still carried her wand.
"I'm sorry, sir, but professor Snape has my wand for the moment." She saw that McGonagall understood her, and the transfiguration teacher asked Ollivander if he could return tomorrow. Ollivander nodded and disappeared in the fireplace.
"I'll escort you to Dumbledore's office, I don't want to risk another deathmatch." McGonagall said dryly and she left her office. When Hermione followed, she heard Malfoy whisper to himself: "A tricorn hat?What's next, a feather in my hair?" Hermione smiled at the remark, inwardly of course.
It was the second time this week she stood in Dumbledores office. "Another fight between the two, Minerva?" the Headmaster asked.
"I'm afraid so, Albus."
"You really don't get enough of each other, do you?" Dumbledore joked. But when he saw the angry looks on their faces, he quickly said: "Or maybe you do."
"I only see one way to solve this problem," he went further, "There's an old saying that says : keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. And that's what I'm going to let you do : put you together in one room and let you stay there for one hour. Each day, until the ministry comes or until you don't attack each other anymore."
"Albus, I don't think that's such a good idea..." McGonagall hurriedly said, but Dumbledore went on: "It's the perfect solution, Minerva!".
"The two of you come back tomorrow right after class. Minerva, you may go now.You too Miss Granger, I have something to discuss with Mr Malfoy here." The Headmaster said, this time very serious.
When the witches left, the last words they heard where: "So, Draco, do you hate those tricorn hats as much as I do?"
Authors note: Whoo, this was a long chapter for me to write! If you wonder what tricorn hats are, they are hats with three corners. You know, the ones the soldiers wore in the movie "the Patriot" (in which, by the way, the actor who plays Lucius Malfoy, has a role too. :-) ) Greetings, Ravenklauw.
A few days later.
Hermione was sitting in the library, when Harry and Ron came running in. "Hey, 'Mione, we got something to tell you." Harry shouted, getting some angry looks from some people who tried to study.
Hermione sighed in frustration. Those boys never left her side for more than an hour. Ron looked disgusted at her book. "What is it with you and thick books?" he asked, wearing a look that suggested his revulsion.
"If you're only here to condemn my books, then you might as well go back to the Quidditch pitch." she said, noticing the two were wearing their Quidditch robes. (Ron had replaced Oliver Wood)
A cry was heard when madam Pince saw the huge tracks of mud that Harry and Ron had left behind. Looking furious, she headed to the Quidditch players. "Oh, oh, run Ron!" Harry whispered.
To Hermione he said: "Here's the message. McGonagall wrote it on a paper." Harry gave her a small piece of parchment and, together with Ron, started to run for his life.
Hermione smiled when she saw madam Pinch set of in pursuit of the two boys and yelled after them: "I've recognised you, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley! Don't think you'll get away with this!
When the order was restored in the library, Hermione looked at the parchment in her hand. It said: 'Dear Miss Granger, you're expected tonight at 6.00 pm in my office. Further instructions will be given there. Professor McGonagall.'
She lifted an eyebrow and left the library for dinner.
Hermione met the boys back in the Great Hall, they were gobbling as usual. "Keep that up you guys, and you'll start to look like Crabbe and Goyle." she smirked.
"We play quiddipf, we need to eath a loth" Ron said with a mouth full of mashed potatoe. "So, did you escape madam Pinch?" she asked.
"No, we collided with Filch. He had followed our traces of mud."Harry said, "We had to clean it up with our Quidditch robes."
When they'd finished dinner, Hermione chatted a little with her friends, and she said goodbye to them when Quidditch became the subject (as usual).
She wanted to go back to the library, but when she looked at a clock, she decided it was time to go to McGonagall. She arrived too early at McGonagall's office but she knocked anyway. When no one replied she tried opening the door.
To her surprise, it wasn't locked.She went in, not wanting to wait in the corridor. A fire was burning in the fireplace and it looked like McGonagall hadn't left long ago. "Boo!" a voice shouted in her ear and Hermione jumped.
There, behind the door, stood Malfoy with a smirk on his face. "Malfoy! Stop being a bastard with your sick jokes." Hermione said through gritted teeth. "Don't tell me what to do, Mudblood." Malfoy sneered.
"Don't call me that!" Hermione shouted. She wanted to punch him in the stomach, but Malfoy was quicker. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the wall.
"Forgot my warning in the infirmary already?" he bit, "If I were you I would remember it, 'cause Scarhead and the Weasel can't keep an eye on you 24h a day." He pinched her wrists even harder, and she cried out.
Wanting to get away from him, Hermione gave him a high kick, making Malfoy flinch. Apparently his wounds weren't completely healed and the result was that he fell against her.
"Mr Malfoy! Miss Granger!" McGonagall screamed. She pulled Malfoy away from Hermione and pushed them both in a chair. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but this has got to end!" said McGonagall angrily.
"I've been away for five minutes,and this is what I see when I return." she continued furiously. "You will both go to Dumbledore, after I've explained why you're here. Is that understood?"
"Yes professor McGonagall." they said together.
Making sure the two students wouldn't fly at each other again, McGonagall went on: " As you both know, you have been selected to give a demonstration for the ministries from all around the world. Now, professor Dumbledore wants to make sure that nothing goes wrong. So next week, you will come on Wednesday evening to my office, 7.00 pm. Then professor Caerulea will take you to the Defence against the Dark Arts class to train your skills."
She observed the students and continued her speech: " Another thing : the Festival Ball. You can compare it with the Yule Ball last year. The selected students will start the opening dance.We made sure that for each lesson we selected one boy and one girl. This means that you can each choose your own partner for the rest of the evening, but you'll dance with each other during the opening dance."
Hermione and Malfoy looked at each other in horror. Had McGonagall gone crazy?
"Yes, I understand the dilemma you're in, but you have no choice." McGonagall grimly said. "I have to say one more thing, you cannot choose the clothes you'll wear. It's some silly protocol that the girls wear a plain white dress and wear their hair in a braid. The boys have to wear darkred dress robes and also have to put on...a hat."
"A hat?!?"
"Yes, Mr Malfoy, a darkred tricorn hat to be precisely." McGonagall said, with a small smile on her face that suggested the whole situation was rather funny and ridiculous. "In case you want to know, you can find those hats at 'Gladrags Wizardwear' in Hogsmeade." she added.
"Why can't we choose the colour?" Hermione asked."
"Because these are Englands colours, and our ministry is located in England." McGonagall replied, "Only one thing to do: The weighing of the wands."
She grabbed some powder from a little pot and threw it in the fireplace. "Ollivander!" she shouted. A few seconds later Ollivander came out of the fireplace.
I believe you called me for a little wandtest, Minerva?" he asked. When she nodded, he went to the young Slytherin and took his wand. "Ah yes, I remember that one," Ollivander said, "16 1/2 inches, Redheart, core of Dragon Heartstring, inflexible. Am I right?" Malfoy nodded.
"Strange, I have the feeling that this wand has released an Unforgivable Curse recently." Ollivander whispered and he looked at Malfoy with a strange expression on his face. Malfoy stared back with a plain face, not showing any emotion.
"Rictusempra." Ollivander suddenly said and he pointed Malfoy's wand at Hermione. She started to laugh uncontrollebly until Ollivander ended the spell. With a smile on his face, he muttered an excuse to Hermione and returned Malfoy's wand. Then he asked for her wand. Sticking her hand in her robes, she realized that Snape still carried her wand.
"I'm sorry, sir, but professor Snape has my wand for the moment." She saw that McGonagall understood her, and the transfiguration teacher asked Ollivander if he could return tomorrow. Ollivander nodded and disappeared in the fireplace.
"I'll escort you to Dumbledore's office, I don't want to risk another deathmatch." McGonagall said dryly and she left her office. When Hermione followed, she heard Malfoy whisper to himself: "A tricorn hat?What's next, a feather in my hair?" Hermione smiled at the remark, inwardly of course.
It was the second time this week she stood in Dumbledores office. "Another fight between the two, Minerva?" the Headmaster asked.
"I'm afraid so, Albus."
"You really don't get enough of each other, do you?" Dumbledore joked. But when he saw the angry looks on their faces, he quickly said: "Or maybe you do."
"I only see one way to solve this problem," he went further, "There's an old saying that says : keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. And that's what I'm going to let you do : put you together in one room and let you stay there for one hour. Each day, until the ministry comes or until you don't attack each other anymore."
"Albus, I don't think that's such a good idea..." McGonagall hurriedly said, but Dumbledore went on: "It's the perfect solution, Minerva!".
"The two of you come back tomorrow right after class. Minerva, you may go now.You too Miss Granger, I have something to discuss with Mr Malfoy here." The Headmaster said, this time very serious.
When the witches left, the last words they heard where: "So, Draco, do you hate those tricorn hats as much as I do?"
Authors note: Whoo, this was a long chapter for me to write! If you wonder what tricorn hats are, they are hats with three corners. You know, the ones the soldiers wore in the movie "the Patriot" (in which, by the way, the actor who plays Lucius Malfoy, has a role too. :-) ) Greetings, Ravenklauw.