Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling.

A/N: Thank you to thatharrpottergeekychick16, K-435, dutch potterfan, Grovek26 and LadiePhoenix007 for your reviews! Thanks also to the guest reviewer!

Chapter IX

"Welcome Mr and Mrs Malfoy." Severus Snape stood from his seat behind his desk as he gestured for the young couple to sit in the two armchairs across from his office desk.

"Occlumency and Leglimency are two vital skills that the pair of you must master in order to fulfil your destiny. You will be faced with numerous challenges and we are sure that you will find yourselves in difficult situations. Do not underestimate the value of such abilities." He explained, leaning against his desk with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Do you understand?"

Hermione leant forward with eagerness. "Professor, there are two levels of Occlumency, right? Shutting someone out of your thoughts and actually fabricating events for the Leglimens to see."

Draco couldn't prevent the familiar scoff from escaping his lips, earning a deep glare from his wife. "We're not in class, Mrs Malfoy." Snape drawled, raising an eyebrow at the girl. Though he would most definitely never admit it, he had always been impressed with her intelligence and appreciated her enthusiasm to her studies.

Hermione had the decency to blush at his words, throwing another frown at her blonde companion as he snickered again.

"As you said, there are two levels. Only those who are truly skilled in Occlumens are able to produce false thoughts. We will begin with the skill of voiding your mind of all thoughts, which will take multiple sessions for you to master. We'll start with you, Mr Malfoy."

Hermione struggled to empty her mind of her emotions and thoughts, a weak groan escaping her lips. Her body was quivering as she tried in vain from allowing Snape to enter her mind. The idea of him seeing and experiencing her personal thoughts revolted her.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could feel him infiltrating her mind. Her body shuddered, though she couldn't quite determine if it was due to exhaustion or her aversion to his presence within her spirit.

They hadn't left the office for a few hours. Taking it in turns, Snape had invaded their souls time and time again as they purposely tried to resist him. Covered in perspiration, they had long discarded their school robes in attempt to alleviate the humidity in the room.

As desperately exhausted as she was, she was determined to succeed. She couldn't help but be irked by how effortless Draco had made the whole process seem. Granted he hadn't been able to completely prevent Snape from entering his thoughts but he had made it seem a lot less demanding than it was. He was no stranger to compartmentalising his emotions and thoughts, to maintaining a controlled façade. And Hermione would be damned if she allowed him to best her.

She drew in a deep raspy breath as she felt him leave her mind and slumped backwards in her chair. A cool wave of comfort flooded her as she met Draco's concerned gaze.

"Granger! You need to clear your mind! Allowing your emotions to take over like that will be your downfall!"

"Her name is Malfoy, Severus." Draco snarled at his godfather, placing a protective hand on Hermione's wearied shoulder. Hermione was still slumped in the chair, panting with exhaustion.

Draco met the man's angry stare with defiance. Having grown up with the greasy-haired man, he was rather immune to his intimidating nature. "You are dismissed." He hissed before exiting the room in a billow of black robes.

Sighing with frustration, Draco helped Hermione to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist. The fatigued girl let him take her weight as they made their way to their Commons in silence.

It was nearing midnight when they left the office. The hallways were eerily desolate, their tired footsteps reverberating off the walls. Hermione let out a soft laugh. "I don't think I've ever been this tired…and it's only the first session."

Draco let out a short bark of laughter as he pulled her closer to him. "Don't remind me."

Harry and Ginny couldn't help but stare at Hermione as she flopped down onto the bench across from them at the Gryffindor table. Her hair was haphazardly pulled into an unruly bun at the back of her head, her robes had been pulled on rather hastily and her eyes spoke of her grogginess. It most definitely was not like the Head Girl to look so…well, so dishevelled. Not to mention, they only had fifteen minutes until classes were to start.

"You okay, Mione? You look like hell." Ginny enquired, watching curiously as the girl piled found onto her plate.

"Gee, thanks." Hermione replied, sending the girl a smile. "Was up late last night with Head duties. Barely slept." She explained between mouthfuls.

"Ah, that sucks." Harry placed a friendly hand on her back, watching in amusement as she ate in quite a Weasley-like manner. "Just so you know…I'd avoid Ron for a little bit."

Hermione's head shot up from her plate at that, meeting Harry's eyes in confusion. "What? Because I said no? You've got to be kidding me."

"Mione, you know us Weasleys aren't exactly known for our understanding." Ginny supplied, flashing her friend a lopsided smile. "He's been ranting about how you've betrayed him and all that nonsense. Just give him some time to calm down."

Hermione couldn't help but throw her fork down in frustration. "Betrayed him? Oh I'm sorry – I didn't realise I wasn't allowed to have feelings for whoever I want and make decisions for myself. Whoops!"

If she hadn't been so upset in that moment, Hermione would have seen a spark alight in Ginny's eyes. "You like someone? Oh Merlin, you have to tell me everything!"

Hermione groaned ungracefully as the younger girl started excitedly rambling and shared a glance with Harry. "Right, well we've got Potions. Bye Gin!" She exclaimed, jumping up from the table and dragging Harry along with her.

They linked arms as they made their way down to the dungeons, much to Draco's chagrin. "So Mione...you never did answer Ginny." Harry teased, earning an elbow in his ribs from the girl. "Ow! I'm kidding. No need to assault me!"

Hermione felt the comfort of their friendship flood her as they milled towards the classroom. "Go to Ron. I'll find someone else to pair up with." She offered, smiling up at her dear friend

Harry leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. "Thanks." He whispered before joining Ron on the other side of the gloomy hallway.

The doors to the classroom flew open in the usual ominous manner. A familiar uneasy feeling flooded her as the heavy doors clanged against the room's stone walls. The Potions classroom had always been a miserable, foreboding place.

She watched awkwardly as the students milled in and seated themselves with their partners. She usually paired with Ron or Harry, always preferring to work with people she knew deeply and trusted. Lowering herself into a seat behind an empty desk as far away from Ron and Harry as possible, she felt a wave of relief as Draco seated himself beside her.

"Malfoy." She greeted her as she shot him a grateful smile.

"Granger." He answered cordially, leaning back in the chair in his usual languid manner with his arms folded in front of him. She couldn't help but notice just how charming he was with his constant unperturbed attitude.

"Quiet." Snape appeared in the room, looking just as shadowy as always. It had always impressed her that he was able to silence a room with his mere presence. It was something that most professors struggled with.

"Your task for today will be to brew the Nuntius Draught. As we discussed yesterday, it was historically used as a means of interrogation, publicising the taker's thoughts to all around him or her. It is a complex potion and so I will remind you all to be particularly careful. And for added incentive, whoever makes the greatest blunder will have to sample the best-made potion. Begin." He concluded, his eyes falling on a rather nervous Neville Longbottom.

With ingredients neatly placed on their desk, Hermione and Draco began to diligently prepare the components. "You know, Weasley is staring daggers at us." Draco whispered, carefully slicing the scurvy-grass.

"Don't be ridiculous, Draco." Hermione chastised as she stirred the warming concoction in front of them.

"I'm being completely serious." He said, dropping a carefully measured amount of peppermint powder into the bubbling cauldron. "Any second now I'll be covered in boiling liquid."

On the other side of the classroom, Ron was haphazardly stabbing at the valerian root in front of him. But his eyes were most definitely not focussed on the knife in his hand or the table in front of him. No, his attention was completely focussed on the pair near the front of the room.

They were standing far too close to each other for his liking. A growl bubbled in his throat as the blonde leaned across Hermione to reach for a bowl of tree sap, his arm brushing against her back.

"Bloody scumbag, piece of rubbish," He muttered rather loudly, earning a few curious glances from the students around him. "Thinks he's a bloody god."

"Ron…" Harry warned, warily eying his redheaded friend.

Ron continued to stab at the table in front of him. "Rich bastard. Bloody Death Eater piece of shit." He continued, accentuating each word with a jab at the ingredients in front of him.

"Ron…careful…"

Hermione giggled at something Draco had whispered to her. "La-dee-da. Thinks he's so bloody wonderful. Bloody arsehole. Bloody ferret-faced jackass."

"RON!" But Harry's warnings reached his ears a little too late. Time seemed to freeze as the tip of his knife hit the Erumpent horn sitting on the side of the table. The moment that the knife made contact, the horn cracked open and the watery liquid started to seep out.

Hermione gasped as a loud explosion grabbed her attention from the cauldron in front of her. A fit of coughs and screams erupted in the room as billows of smoke rose from the opposite end.

"Clarus!"

The smoke seemed to be vacuumed by the tip of Snape's wand from his position at the front of the classroom. As the haze cleared, concern coursed through her body at the site in front of her.

Ron and Harry were standing in the middle of an ashen void, the table in front of them reduced to mere rubble. Pieces of the cauldron that had been in front of them were strewn around the classroom and poor Neville was clutching at the back of his throbbing head.

As for the two Gryffindor boys, they were in a state of clear dishevelment. They were covered in a layer of dull ash and their robes hung off their lanky bodies in tatters. The ends of their hair were singed and Harry was glaring furiously at Ron, who had the decency to look remorseful.

"Mr Weasley! What in Merlin's name were you doing?" Snape spat, stalking up to where a desk had previously stood. "Looks like you'll be the idiot who will be sampling the potion today. Go sit near the wall where you can't possibly destroy anything else with Mr Potter."

Nearly a half hour had passed before Hermione let out a delighted shriek. The potion in front of the pair had turned into a deep maroon colour, the scent of peppermint wafting from the cauldron. "Congratulations, Hermione, Mr Malfoy. This looks exactly as it should." Snape commended, pouring a small amount of the liquid into a vial.

Surprised whispers scattered through the room at his statement. Snape was complimenting Hermione…and he actually called her Hermione! Well that was certainly out of character.

Coming to a stop in front of Ron, Snape elegantly arched his eyebrow at the boy as he held out the vial. The entire class watched with bated breath as Ron shakily grasped the vial and tipped the contents down his throat.

A moment of silence ensued before all hell broke loose.

'BLOODY GREASY-HAIRED BASTARD THINKS HE'S FUNNY.' What sounded like Ron's voice echoed against the stone walls, earning a few gasps from his classmates and a deep groan from both Harry and Hermione.

'OH SHIT… DAMN SLIMY SLYTHERINS.' The voice boomed, drawing growls of ire from the Slytherins in the room. 'BLOODY MALFOY WALKING AROUND LIKE HE OWNS THE DAMN PLACE. BULLSHIT – THAT'S WHAT IT IS.'

Ron's face gave away just how horrified he was as his thoughts were broadcasted for all to hear. 'OH CRAP. CAN THEY ALL HEAR IT TOO?'

The mixture of anger and amusement that was reverberating through the room was answer enough for him. The poor redheaded boy raced from the room, his panicked contemplations trailing behind him.

An outraged shriek reverberated around the room as his last audible thoughts trailed into the room. 'WOW THAT BULSTRODE GIRL IS REALLY STACKING ON THE POUNDS.'

To say that lunch had been an awkward affair was perhaps the understatement of the year. Having avoided his morning classes, Ron had ventured down for a quick meal. After all if there was one thing that Ronald Weasley could never deny, it was his stomach.

He had sheepishly placed himself at the Gryffindor table beside his closest mate. 'OH DEAR MERLIN THIS IS AWKWARD. HURRY UP AND EAT. OOH PUMPKIN PIE. OH MY – ROAST BEEF! MERLIN I LOVE ROAST BEEF. ROAST POTATOES?! BLOODY AWESOME!'

Ginny couldn't stifle the giggle that escaped her lips. She had always assumed that Ron became consumed by the food he had in front of him at any meals and here was the proof. Sharing an amused glance with Harry, she turned as she noticed Hermione nearing the table.

'BLOODY HELL HERMIONE IS SMOKING HOT.'

A pregnant silence flooded the large hall as Ron's eyes widened in horror. 'OH MERLIN…' His face was slowly turning a deep beet red. 'OH WOW, SHE SMELLS GOOD.'

Hermione stared awkwardly at the boy in front of her as giggles erupted throughout the hall. 'OH HELL. GET OUT OF HERE RONALD!'

By the time night came, Ron was ready to tear his hair out. He could feel that the potion was slowly wearing off; a little too late if you asked him. In the span of the day, a barrage of embarrassing thoughts had been shared with all those around him. He pinched the bridge of his nose as the most horrifying of his publicised musings flooded back to him.

'DAMN. LAVENDER'S ASS LOOKS FINE.' She hadn't been bothered by that one in the least.

'JEEZ. DOES PARVATI WANT TO LOOK ANY MORE TRASHY?' Now she had not appreciated that in the slightest.

'HOW DID I NEVER NOTICE THAT SEAMUS LOOKS LIKE HE WAS HIT IN THE FACE WITH A PAN AS A KID?!' That had earned him a split lip.

'UGH MCGONAGALL NEEDS TO GET THAT STICK OUT OF HER ARSE.' He received a night of detention for that.

'HAHA SNIVELLUS SNAPE. SNIVELLY SNIVELLUS.' Make that a month.

A/N: I'm a little mean to Ron. He's never been my favourite…and I sort of like to make him the object of my amusement!

ALSO I can't, for the life of me, figure out why the little symbols that I put in to indicate a time lapse or change in the scenario keep disappearing when I upload the chapters to the docmanager. Help anyone?

Please read and review!