Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thanks to those who have reviewed the story thus far. I know more of you have read it, but have obviously not bothered to review ;). I'd be ever so grateful if you were to just say a few lines of what you like, what you don't like, and I will get back to you! Unfortunately, this will be the last chapter for quite a few days, as I'm going to visit a friend for the weekend as well as my full time job starts on Monday, so my chapters may not come as often. But if you were to review…I'd have more confidence and I'd work faster and more efficiently! So please…review! Thank you and enjoy!

Chapter 3: When He Lost Control

Sitting in the staff lounge after seeing Malfoy and Hermione outside the Potions classroom, the two twins both seemed to look as though they finally felt guilty for the first time in their lives.

"Obviously Harry figured it out," George said, looking slightly upset. Fred goggled at him for a moment before shaking his head in dismay.

"Who cares if Harry knows? That's not the problem, George. The issue we have on our hands is that Malfoy really thinks Hermione is interested in him. AND Ron. My god, we could have a crisis on our hands. Hm…I wonder if Hermione's tried her charms at Harry then…" Fred said, already pacing around the room.

George's hands clenched. Fred looked at him sympathetically.

"Oy, George, about this whole thing with—" Fred was cut off by George's threatening glare. "Alright, I'm sorry, it's just…you're not really yourself anymore. And you're a teacher, George—"

"Apprentice," George cut in icily. Fred sighed.

"We need to make sure Hermione drinks wine tonight at dinner. If we let that lipstick do anymore damage…"

"If she has touched Harry, I'll—"

"GEORGE!"

That afternoon, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had Muggle Studies, and their teacher, Professor Tundletoft, was now instructing them on the use of telephones.

"They are run by electricity, which is what we discussed last week. Muggles use them to communicate with other Muggles, across long distances, or even short ones—"

"You mean you can see each other through these little holes?" asked Seamus, picking up the phone in front of him, pointing at the mouthpiece of the phone.

Professor Tundletoft sighed. "Mr. Finnegan, I've explained to you that those holes transfer a person's voice, through a wire, which is connected to a network, that allows a person to talk to someone in let's say…France, and hear what the other person has to say as well, as though they were standing right next to them."

"Blimey," remarked Seamus, staring at the phone in front of him in amazement.

The Professor smiled. "Yes, Mr. Finnegan, I quite agree."

Sitting next to Hermione, Harry felt slightly amused at the recent addition to their course load. All 7th Years were required to take General Muggle Studies, which covered everything from Muggle History, to Muggle Entertainment. There were actually quite a few Muggles in the class, so Harry wouldn't be surprised if most of them completed the course with "O"s.

Harry wouldn't have minded to pay attention, because he found the whole thing to be rather entertaining, especially the reactions from some of the Purebloods in the room. Yet Hermione was proving to be quite a distraction as she tore his concentration level in two. She kept radiating waves of heat and it was making Harry entirely uncomfortable.

Ron was on the other side of him and he looked entirely more uncomfortable than Harry. The three of them sat at a wooden desk on a wooden bench, squished fairly close together. Harry marveled that for a drafty old castle, the room they now occupied was incredibly stifling. Though Harry supposed that had to do more with Hermione than anything else.

"Now, if all of you would like to work in groups, you may read your textbooks about the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell."

There were noises of shuffling papers, the scrape of benches across the floor, and then afterwards a low murmur of excited voices discussing the invention in front of them.

Harry opened his textbook and elbowed Ron to move closer so he could read. Hermione followed suit although he had not asked her.

"Oy, Harry, it's too hot in this room," Ron said, his hair a mess and his face flushed. Harry noticed a bead of sweat slide down his cheek and shook his own head, hoping his hair didn't look as messy.

"Nothing to do about it, I suppose," Harry murmured, turning the page. He then almost jumped out of his seat when he felt Hermione's hand squeeze his thigh.

"Harry, I wasn't finished reading," Hermione said quietly, her voice pouring over him like hot liquid.

"S-sure, sorry." He turned the page back and sat there, staring unseeingly at the book in front of him.

He noticed from the corner of his eye that Ron was falling asleep, and Hermione actually seemed to be absorbed in the book. Harry took the time to think about what he was going to say to Fred and George.

It's got to be their doing. I don't know how else Hermione suddenly ended up craving a casual snog.

She was really close to him and her hand, as it had before, was inching its way up his thigh, and caused him to shift slightly on the bench. His movement seemed to knock Ron slightly. But instead of waking him up, he ended up leaning onto Harry's shoulder.

Oh that's just great thought Harry, marveling at how he managed to get himself into these situations.

"Harry." Hermione had whispered softly into his ear, grabbing his attention. He stilled and waited for her to speak again.

"I need your help with Malfoy."

"What the hell do you want with Malfoy?"

"Something you've already had."

Harry sucked in a sharp breath and pretended that he had not heard her. She was just…under some spell. That's all it was.

"Don't think you can fool me, Harry. I know. And I need your help."

"I don't know what you're on about, Hermione. But I think you should start reading again before Professor Tundletoft comes over here."

Hermione's head lowered to the book in front of them once more as the Professor walked by their desks, nodding at them in approval, walking away.

"Harry." His nerves were shot now, the frustration inside him twisting sharply, as though it too wanted to escape her voice.

"Look Hermione," Harry whispered furiously at her from the corner of his mouth, "I don't care about Malfoy. I never have and I never will. If you're interested in him, you've got to be out of your bloody mind. And you'd do better to stay away from him."

She was silent for a while longer, and Harry turned the page, knowing that neither of them were actually reading.

"Why does it bother you so much? You're not interested in me, or Malfoy."

"Yes I know but…well, the thing is…Ron! Yes, Ron. He likes you, are has your newfound insanity made you lose your common sense as well?" Harry's voice was getting louder and he quickly took a deep breath, letting it out very slowly.

"Oh of course…well, I do like Ron. He's very nice."

"Yes. Nice," Harry gritted out, feeling his temper rise to the surface as it pounded against his skull.

"But about Malfoy…"

"No, Hermione. I refuse to help you when it comes to Malfoy. If you want to crash and burn, be my guest. Let me know when you get your sanity back."

Harry had never been so grateful to get the hell away from both Hermione and Ron when class ended soon after.

He had grabbed his bag and bolted for the door, running as fast as possible back to Gryffindor tower. When he got there, Fred and George were sitting on the couches, and they both got up immediately and rushed over to him.

"I know, look, I'm not mad, but Hermione's going to kill you once she gets her senses back. And Ron…" Harry looked pained then.

Fred looked at George but George's face remained blank.

"It'll be fine Harry, we promise." George patted Harry's shoulder, smiling reassuringly. Harry smiled weakly.

"Listen Harry, it's really not that big of a deal. She just needs to drink wine."

Harry looked at Fred incredulously.

"You want to get her drunk?"

"What! NO! Here, let me explain. Wine reverses the effects of the lipstick, so she'll be back to normal within minutes."

"You gave her lipstick? And she accepted it? From you?" Harry sounded floored.

Fred crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yah, she had that reaction too when we gave it to her as a present."

"Well, she bloody well had a right to be. Someone could seriously get hurt."

"But you haven't…have you, Harry?"

Harry looked at George curiously. "No, of course not…she just kissed me, it wasn't as if she tried to hex my balls off or anything," Harry said, with a half grin.

George suddenly looked ill.

"Oy George! What's wrong? I'm serious, she didn't hurt me. Look, it was just a prank, and I'm sure she'll forgive you. Except, if she ends up doing anything with Malfoy, I doubt you'll live to see another day…and Ron'll kill you for sure."

"Leave that to us, Mr. Potter! George and I will take care of everything."

The twins made their way to the Portrait hole. Fred scurried out ahead of George. George turned back to Harry.

"What is it, George?" Harry asked, looking at him with a serious expression. "Is there something else?"

"It's just…" George started, looking like Ron when he struggled to find the right words. "When she kissed you…"

"Oh! That. Yah, that stuff is pretty powerful. But there's no way I like women." Harry grinned and gave him the thumbs up. "Might have turned a weaker man, but not me."

George gave him a half smile. "No…not you." He turned and left, leaving Harry wondering if he had missed something.

The Great Hall was abuzz that evening with stories from the day's events. The students had grinned thankfully at Fred and George when they entered the hall. Everyone had figured out what they had done, and, just like they promised, no one had gotten a detention. But they all had one hell of a time doing whatever they wanted right under the teacher's noses.

It seemed as though Dumbledore knew what had happened when the twins sat down at the Staff table and he congratulated them on giving everyone a "day like no other". Then he had said, despite the protests of the other teachers, that he would ask them not to give the students another dose of their magic dust again.

The twins had grinned in reply.

At the Slytherin table, Draco was listening to his companions talk about their day. Or actually, he was half listening. The rest of his attention was devoted to stealing glances at the Gryffindor table, where Granger, Potter and Weasley sat.

To his left, Pansy sat very still and silent, and Draco had finally realized that she had been momentarily thrown by his interest in the mudblood. Well, so much the better. Now he could live his life in peace. Crabbe and Goyle were grunting about the unfairness of Professor Sprout and Zabbini was attempting to draw Pansy into conversation about his home in Italy.

He watched Granger bat her long eyelashes at Weasley as he blushed at her avid attention. He noticed Potter eating his food silently but looking up every once in a while at the staff table in the direction of the Weasley twins. Draco saw one of them wink at Harry, and Harry smiled back at him.

Well, that's very interesting.

It certainly made Draco wonder about how everything turned out the way it had this year. Maybe he had been kept in the dark about certain things after all…

Draco choked on his drink when he saw Hermione slide closer to Weasley and flick her tongue against his ear. At least, that's what it looked like she was doing. It was hard to see through the mass of students in the Great Hall, but the way Weasley kept getting redder and kept squirming around in his seat, it could only mean that he was incredibly aroused by Granger and her sexual advances.

Can't anyone else see what's going on? Draco was starting to get angry.

----------

At the Gryffindor table, Hermione was fully aware that Malfoy was watching her every move. Throughout dinner, she had noticed how his eyes continued to flick towards her despite his attempt to remain uninterested and uncaring. Now, she could see his anger and his failing attempt to control it. She smiled as she nuzzled Ron's neck affectionately, not surprised that no one else seemed to be looking, as everyone had expected Hermione and Ron to get together eventually.

She decided then, since Harry refused to cooperate with her, that she would take matters into her own hands.

Her hand slipped underneath the table and it lightly fell into Ron's lap. Ron's body stiffened and he immediately sat up straighter, slowly moving his body so that his lap was better covered by the table. No one else in the room had seen it happen.

Except Harry.

Ron's hand was shaking as he tried to lift his fork to his mouth, but found it rather difficult as his entire being was focused on the hand now wrapped tightly around his crotch. His breathing became irregular and his face was redder than ever. Hermione's fingers brushed up and down his length teasingly, the pad of her thumb rubbing back and forth over his tip, making him gasp sharply. But it was unheard over the noise in the hall and even the people around him were too busy shoveling food into their mouths or were deep in conversation with their tablemates.

Hermione knew that Malfoy was aware of what she was doing and she raised her eyes to look at him. He was staring directly at her, his eyes narrowed dangerously as though he would curse her from across the hall. She didn't know what would happen, but she knew that at the moment, she was winning whatever game she and Malfoy were playing, and she would not rest until she had won.

Draco found himself unable to break away from her stare and he felt the familiar tug that almost slammed him forward against the table but his arms immediately shot forward and braced themselves against the table. Thank god for his lightening fast reflexes.

"Malfoy, what the hell are you doing?" asked Zabbini, looking at Draco with a raised eyebrow.

"Stretching my arms, Zabbini. What difference does it make to you?"

Blaise rolled his eyes and went back to his dinner, smirking at Malfoy's pissy attitude that evening.

Draco turned his attention back to the Gryffindor table, watching Weasley make a feeble attempt not to get caught, while Granger looked highly amused.

Suddenly, it seemed as if the entire hall was empty, all noise stopped. Draco looked around and could see the mouths of every student still moving, but he heard no noise. His vision began to blur around him, yet he still could see the outline of Hermione perfectly. Their eyes were locked across the hall and Draco felt as though the entire hall were going around in circles, making everything blend and melt together, like a Monet painting. Plus the dizziness.

By the time the room stopped spinning, Draco realized that he was gripping onto the table as though his life depended on it, and after he took a deep breath and his vision returned to normal, he realized that Hermione had broken their gaze and returned her attention to Ron.

That was when Draco felt his insides explode with fire.

------

At the staff table, Fred and George were whispering to each other quietly.

"Look, it's a simple charm, just point it, carefully, at Hermione's glass, and I'm positive it will—"

"Are you KIDDING? What if I miss? And I need the wand movement! Dumbledore might think I've cursed one of his students!"

"They're technically our students too, you know."

"I don't think that's the point, FRED!"

"Alright," said Fred, rolling up his robe sleeves. "Let a pro show you how it's done."

And with that, he conjured a miniature telescope that surreptitiously attached itself to his eye and he altered it so that it located Hermione's goblet at the Gryffindor table.

As it scanned the table, Fred lifted his goblet to his mouth to take a sip of pumpkin juice and moments later choked on it, dribbling down his chin. George looked at him in surprise, trying to see what Fred spotted.

"What is it?"

"Oh my GOD!" whispered Fred, his voice shrill with excitement. "Hermione's TOTALLY giving Ron a hand job!"

"WHAT!"

Fred took off the telescope and handed it to George, making sure no one was watching them. George peered through the small device and located what his brother had discovered.

"Eugh," was all George managed, his nose scrunching in disgust. "It's hilarious alright, but that's our brother she's touching…"

"Yah, but that's what makes it so hilarious," Fred said knowingly, reaching for the device.

Before he did, the telescope shifted to Harry and George saw him looking at Hermione and Ron, then look away, with a look of anger, humiliation, and frustration on his face.

I got to make it up to him thought George as he handed the device to Fred, still looking at Harry at the Gryffindor table.

"Alright, here goes."

Lifting his wand carefully, he flicked his wrist twice and muttered under his breath,

"Alterogerilevo bois."

"Did it work?" asked George, sitting up in his seat, as though he could possibly see the alteration of her drink into wine.

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Fred, but he was grinning from ear to ear.

--------

"Hermione, I've been—OH—um, meaning to…uh…ask you, oh Merlin…" Ron stuttered quietly, under his breath, his head turned towards Hermione, his mouth near her ear, so only she could hear him.

"Yes, Ron?" she replied, tightening her fingers around him, moving her hand over him faster.

"Uhng," was all he managed.

"Now Ron," Hermione said, her voice taking on a demanding tone, "I want you to come for me."

Ron was too shocked to question her, make a sound, or even give a sign that he heard.

Other than the fact that he came almost immediately after she had said it.

With her other hand, Hermione whispered a quiet cleaning spell, as Ron slumped heavily in his seat from his release, his hair a mess yet again, his eyes dilated in pleasure.

Raising her eyes to Malfoy's again, Hermione raised the hand that had been stroking Ron to her mouth and tasted his seed. She watched Malfoy's figure stiffen in anger, his face crumpling into an about-to-explode-rage. She made a show of running her tongue over her fingers. Neville had turned from Ginny at the very moment and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh, Neville! I need to ask your opinion about a plant that I read about in our Herbology textbook!" Ron said quickly, having broken away from the sight of Hermione and realizing that Neville had now noticed her movements. Neville's attention turned to Ron immediately, smiling with an eagerness that only came when he discussed his favourite subject.

After Hermione had finished, she flicked her wand again and her left hand was cleaned. She sat perfectly still, staring at Draco, as though waiting for him to respond.

Draco's knuckled were clenched so tightly that his hands had turned red, and his entire body was shaking.

Hermione cocked her head as though in deep thought.

Then without warning, she grabbed the back of Ron's robes and tugged him towards her ("Hey, I was talking to him Hermione!") and placed her hands on both sides of his face and captured his lips with hers, kissing him deeply and passionately. Ron's eyes were as wide as saucers as she kissed him, but he quickly melted into her touch and his face turned bright red. He felt as though his entire body had shot up 100 degrees.

Sitting beside this display, hearing all of the whispers that started after Hermione had done what she did, Harry continued to stare stubbornly down at his plate. He knew that Ginny was sitting across the table from him, looking at him with that usual sympathetic glance.

God was he getting tired of it.

He looked up without thinking and found himself looking at Dumbledore. Who winked.

Oh Dumbledore…if you only knew what she had done before this. I doubt you'd be laughing.

"I highly doubt it's as bad as all that Harry." Harry jumped about half an inch off the bench in surprise.

"Sir, without disrespecting you, but I really wish you wouldn't do that."

"I apologize. You just looked very upset. You know, something tells me that those Weasley twins have something to do with this. But I'm sure you know that already."

Harry broke his gaze from Dumbledore and looked at Fred and George who were sitting a few seats down from Dumbledore. They seemed to be ignoring Hermione's display and were magically shooting pieces of food over each other's fingers as their fingers were shaped as American football posts.

Thanks a lot guys. Harry sighed and wondered why he even bothered to wake up in the morning.

--------------

Draco was about twenty seconds away from throwing the Avada Kedevra curse at Weasley while instantaneously casting the summoning charm at Granger. Both felt like the right thing to do, but Draco felt that if he had cursed Weasley, and then summoned Granger, he'd have about 5 seconds to enjoy the feel of her in his arms before she whipped out her own wand and killed him as well.

Decisions, decisions…

But his rationality was losing out to the overwhelming heat that was coursing through his veins as he glared hatefully across the room at Granger kissing Weasley. His control had probably snapped in two since he was obviously mentally picturing Weasley dead as a door nail…committing murder right under Dumbledore's nose was probably the last thing he'd ever live to do. His father would kill him.

Damn father. Damn them all!

Draco shot from his seat, slamming his fists onto the table, double-handedly gaining the attention of everyone in the Great Hall, including the staff table.

"Enjoying yourself, Granger?" His voice carried across the room and his tone caused some of the younger children to sit further down in their seats, as though the blond Slytherin would start casting killing curses any second.

"Actually, I am." A half but teasing smile. He sneered in obvious distaste.

"It looked as though Weasel there was enjoying it more than you. But I'm not surprised. The poor fool couldn't do any better than a…" Draco's lips twisted into a mocking smile that rallied Snape's, "dirty muggleborn such as yourself." The words were vicious across the silence of the Great Hall. McGonagall looked as though she were about to get up and lecture Malfoy, but Dumbledore silenced her with a reassuring hand.

Nothing flickered in Hermione's expression or countenance after she had heard Malfoy's stinging remark. Only a slight tilt of her head revealed that she had heard him.

"Jealous, Malfoy?"

All eyes swiveled to the blond, as though expecting him to be ready with an automatic comeback.

But he offered none. He looked thrown. And ready to kill.

In an instant, he marched away from the Slytherin table and stormed out of the Great Hall. Whispers broke out amongst the students, everyone trying to get a good look at Hermione who still remained seated. She slowly picked up the goblet in front of her, hooking the stem of it through her middle and ring finger and raised the cup to her mouth.

"Victory," she breathed, sipping the drink, her smile obvious around the rim of the goblet.

All eyes watched her movement. But only three sets of eyes knew the consequences.

Please review!

Madi Black