I sit picking through my dinner between Ron and Harry. Neither are talking to me we're just eating. "Hey Hermione," I turn to see Lavendar. She clears her throat, "how are things?"
"Good," I nod.
"You should eat and drink, it's not good for you," she gives me a small smile.
"Thanks for the help," I say.
"See you later," she says blushing as her boyfriend wraps his hands around her waist from behind. She pulls him away.
"Hermione," Lockhart says as he approaches from behind the couple. "Glad to see you're feeling better."
"Thank you," I say blushing and Ron and Harry roll their eyes at me. I wasn't sure what my blush was from this time. I really didn't want him near me but I almost always seemed to blush around him.
"Please stop by my room this evening so you can catch up on what you missed. It is afterall the last day before everyone heads off home. So let's say around eight? Does that work for you?" I nod. "Excellent. See you later Harry," he says clapping him on the back before walking up to the staff table. I can't sit there any longer so I get up and hurry off to go to the Polyjuice Potion.
I can't concentrate on the potion though so when eight o'clock nears I get up and force myself to go to Lockhart's room. It doesn't seem to take long one moment I'm going in and the next thing I know, I'm walking out of his office and he's patting me on the back. "Excellent lesson," he says closing the door between us. I blink at it and then reach up touching my head. I have no idea what he just taught me. I turn away and go up to the common room. People are talking and laughing about their holiday plans.
"Hey, come here," Ron motions me over. "How'd your extra lesson go?"
"Fine, I'm tired I'm going to bed."
"Whoa Hermione, are you sad that we won't be having classes for a week?"
"No," I say annoyed. I walk away from the two of them. I get ready for bed and climb into it. Laying there letting out a sigh, I realize Ron's right. No classes for a week; means I don't have to see Lockhart. With that comforting thought, I drift off into an easy dream free sleep.
I rise the next morning after everyone has left for home except Harry, Ron and the other Weasleys and I actually hang out with them. I feel refreshed and happy. The holiday wears on bringing us closer and closer to Christmas and though I check the Polyjuice Potion multiple times a day I spend most of my time hanging out with the others playing Exploding Snap, and practicing our dueling.
I'm not the only one enjoying the reprieve from everything. I notice Harry is visibly relaxed as well. I knew that the entire school being afraid of him was bothering him, but I hadn't thought that it really got to him that much. Either way everyone of us was enjoying our break from everything.
I go see the Polyjuice Potion before everyone else is awake on Christmas morning, pleased to see it's ready. I add in some more Lacewigs, and then hurry back to my dorm. I grab my presents for Ron and Harry and march into their dorm. "Wake up!" I say pulling the curtains back at the windows. They both blink at me in the light putting hands up to block it.
"Hermione you're not supposed to be in here."
"Good morning," I say tossing my present for him on his bed, and Harry's his. "I've been up for about an hour now, the Polyjuice Potion is ready."
Harry sat up, "are you sure?"
"Positive," I move Scabbers out of the way so I can sit down on Ron's bed. "I say we do it tonight."
Hedwig comes in and Harry talks to her while they open the rest of their presents. We mess around for the rest of the day and finally make our way down to the Christmas feast, mirroring each other's faces of excitement and fear over the potion later. As we walked in we nearly forgot it all seeing the snow covered trees, the mistletoe and streamers, and the snow falling that never seemed to reach us.
"This is amazing," Ron says taking it all in. We move to take our place at the table and start eating. We sing along with Dumbledore grinning like idiots as Hagrid gets ever louder and more and more off key as he keeps knocking the eggnog back. Harry elbows me and nods to Percy's Prefect Badge that reads "Pinhead". I can't help the grin that breaks out.
"What?" Percy asks looking around.
"Oh nothing," I say glancing away and seeing Lockhart. He winks at me. It's as if a stone dropped into my stomach, and I immediately feel the urge to vomit again. "C'mon," I say grabbing Ron and Harry and pull them after me. They grumble about wanting to eat more. "We have to get some of whoever you're changing into. You should get some of Crabbe and Goyle, of course they can't be walking in on us. That's what these are for. They have a simple sleeping draught in them," I say holding up two chocolate cupcakes. "They'll eat them you'll take their hairs and put them in the broom closet. Without it the potion won't work," I say seeing their faces.
"Fine who's hair are you ripping out?"
"I've already got mine. Millicent Bullstrode," I hold up a vial. "She left it on me when we wrestled at the Dueling Club. I'll just tell the Slytherins I decided to come back."
"What if it's not hers?" Ron asks.
"Why wouldn't it be?" he shrugs. "Good luck," I say leaving them to it.
It doesn't take them long to come back, and they both have hairs gripped triumphantly in their hands. "I'll go first," I say putting Millicent Bullstrodes in. It turns yellow, they put theirs in one turning the color of booger and the other turning a dark brown color.
"Separate stalls?" Ron says taking his and leaving.
Harry joins him in leaving and then he calls "ready?"
"Ready," Ron and I say.
"One… two… three.." I bring it to my lips and drink. I immediately start gagging and have to force myself to drink it. I bend over gasping as I feel like I'm on fire and like there are ants crawling over my skin. I watch the skin on my hands as it darkens rapidly until it becomes that of a black person.
I push the stall open and rush to the mirror. Blaise Zabini is blinking back at me.
A/N: I never liked how Hermione turned into a cat, I feel like that would look really suspicious. However, this is Harry Potter where no one ever seemed to notice anything... Anyway I changed it a little.