Okay, first of all, I would like to thank everyone for the reviews—THANKYOU!!
Second of all, I forgot to put the recap in the last chapter, I think, so I've edited that.
Third, replies to reviews:
Siriusly-a-princess: Poor, poor Dean alright. Dating Ginny AND invoking the wrath of Hermione? Poor, poor Dean. *Shakes head sadly*
VampireSweetQueen666: Thanks. I know that too (now), but I find it quite enjoyable to guilt them into reviewing… *Cackles Evilly*
Flamegirl5500: Really? I think it was a literal, not enough description.
LoonyMoony1396: Thanks!! I couldn't update fast, so is it alright if I update long? That is, if you read the lyrics (READ THEM!!!!!), because I started typing and I couldn't stop! Seriously, my fingers had a mind of their own. Maybe it's an overdose of Easter Eggs.
Now, fourth and final, THE STORY!
RECAP:
The students filed out of the classroom, with no homework. Harry & Ron fell in beside Hermione and opened their mouths to ask, but Hermione beat them to it. "Since last year, me and Ginny have been duelling. She came to me and asked, because no one else would give her a good one. That, or they were all afraid of breaking their fragile little sister. I accepted, and we've been duelling ever since. I need a good fight sometimes" She said, shrugging at the end.
The rest of the day passed by with no incident, except for three other boys coming onto Hermione. At the last one, she exploded "I have had 5different people come onto me, and as soon as I tell them who I am, they hurry off away from me like I'm a leper! What exactly is wrong with wearing some good clothes for once in a while??", at a startled Dean Tomas.
RECAP OVER____________________________________________
After a very exhausted Hermione finally finished her classes and made an effort to ask for some alone time before staggering to the portrait of Godric Griffindor. "You look like Ol' Snakey over there started a lecture, and that's saying something" He said, pointing his thumb at the portrait of Salazar Slytherin to indicate who 'Ol' Snakey' was.
The Slytherin founder sneered "Yes, indeed, you look like you are about to collapse from lack of clean blood."
"That's weak, Saladzar" Godric said, smirking.
Hermione swayed on her feet and said the password, regretting now how long she had made it. Godric looked concerned before swinging forward to admit her.
Hermione staggered through the portrait hole before collapsing on her bed and allowing herself to a few deep breaths of Sirius's still lingering scent before getting up and forcing herself to write in her diary before having a nap and then doing her schoolwork.
Dear Diary,
I should have known. I should have bloody known! It is impossible for me to get a break from the stares and whispers, let alone these damned nightmares! I got stared at again, not because I'm one of the 'Golden Trio'. I remembered to do my makeover this time, but apparently I look 'Hot & as sexy as hell' according to several boys (including McLaggen—Ugh), and then promptly avoided like the plague as soon as I tell them who I am (except for McLaggen—Ugh).
Apart from this, stares came because we had to do a duelling match, and I was paired with Ginny. You can guess what happened. Except, Remus and Snape (By the way, did I mention, Remus is sharing the DADA position with Snape!) saw fit to make us into a spectacle for the entire class to stare at, because we were such good duellers. I know I should be happy, but Remus knows how much I hate being in the centre of attention! Snape also knows, but I bet that was the only reason he went along with it.
Ginny won, by the way. She used a kick and some muggle wrestling. Note: Must remember to research links between Muggle fighting and magic.
I'm so tired, because I didn't get much sleep last night (Nightmare!!!! But then Sirius came and I got to sleep straight away), and when I wanted to have a nap this morning (Warning: Extremely stupid comment) I could smell him on my pillow and I caught myself inhaling it like it was Amortentia! And then I just couldn't take a nap.
And, just before I started writing, I did it again. It's unbelievable! I am afraid of sleeping because some one else slept in it! Someone with dark raven hair, aristocratically angled cheek bones and very soft looking lips… And also my best friends godfather and about 20 years older than me. (I have decided to stop exclaiming and swearing every time I think about him, because I've already done it about 70 times today (that's right, I kept count), because… Well, it's true)
But I'm so tired now, I just couldn't be bothered.
Bye-bye now, I'm off to blessed sleep!
—Hermione
She put her diary back in its place and collapsed on the bed for a second time. She hugged a pillow to her chest and allowed Sirius's masculine scent invade her nostrils and send her into sleep.
She didn't have a nightmare.
She was sitting in a meadow next to a pool while a sunset fell in front of her. It was a cliché and stupid, but also beautiful. But she felt something missing as she gazed at the fiery planet as it dipped beneath the sea. She glanced next to her and saw a forest. On the other side of her there was the pond. She gazed into it and noticed a slight glow coming from it. She looked back at the forest and noticed the same glow issuing from the branches. She made her decision and stepped towards the forest, but as soon as she did, the pond expanded and swallowed her up. She was terrified, but it was calm in the darkness. She opened her mouth to scream despite it, but she smelt a heavenly scent and the sound died in her throat.
She closed her eyes and sagged against an invisible wall behind her. She felt comforted and loved, with a calming weight on her shoulder. She heard a deep voice calling her name "Hermione… Hermione…"
Hermione jerked upright and reached for her wand, casting a disarming spell before even waking properly. She opened her eyes and looked at the person who had disrupted her peaceful sleep.
It was Malfoy. She lowered her wand, but did not lift the spell. He glared at her and she lifted the spell. The comforting weight on her shoulder was the Ferret shaking her shoulder to get her to wake up.
She glared a death glare at him and he paled slightly, but stood his ground. "You should be glad that there isn't a spell to set your eyebrows on fire with a glare yet." She mumbled and glared at him one more time before demanding why he had woken her up "And Ginny & I will be inventing it very soon if you don't tell me why you woke me up".
Malfoy held his ground and sneered "Why so impatient, mudblood? Eager to get back to dreaming about me?"
Hermione stood up and had her wand at his throat so fast that Draco thought later if she had apparated. "Listen, you ferret. I have had one of the worst days of my life, because I chose to look good. For one of the first times since last summer, I have not had a nightmare. So unless you wish to spend the rest of your life with me continuously making it hell, I suggest you tell me WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT?!!" She said, pressing her wand further into his throat as her voice rose to a yell.
He choked and moved backwards. She sat down back on her bed, a glare of intense hatred on her face. Malfoy rubbed his sore throat before talking "Potter's owl has been pecking your window for half an hour and whenever I go near it, it attacks me. I could hear it in the next room." He said, nodding towards the window while still rubbing his throat.
Hermione jumped up and ran to the window, letting Hedwig in. She stroked the owl and took the letter while Draco shot dark looks at the animal. Hedwig flew out the window and Hermione shut it and read the letter, the pureblood in her room forgotten as her anger evaporated.
She squealed and took a flat container from the envelope. She turned on the computer on the desk and took a donut-shaped flat object from the case and put it in the computer. Curious, he walked by her side and looked at the letter left open on the desk.
Hermione!
I got the album! I've sent you a copy, and don't ask where I got it. I know it came out in Canada, and it's against the rules to leave the castle, so just, don't ask. It came out officially about five minutes before I wrote this.
Have to go, I'm borrowing Hedwig (obviously).
You owe me, I copied this and sent it to you before I even listened to it!
Have to go now, Harry's giving me strange looks. I guess he's slightly concerned about my sanity after I ran like a madwoman to borrow Hedwig.
Bye
—Ginny
PS: In case your brain has finally blown up from studying and you've forgotten what we've been scheming about getting, for at least a month, let me spell it out:
Celiene Dion
S'il suffisait d'aimer
Even more confused now, he looked back at Hermione as to some clue what the hell she was talking about, but she was staring intently at the screen. She clicked one button and she hopped up and started rummaging around the drawers in the desk.
He heard an unknown instrument playing.
Lonely
The path you have chosen
A restless road
No turning back
One day you
Will find your light again
Don't you know
Don't let go
Be strong
Follow you heart
Let you love lead through the darkness
Back to a place you once knew
I believe, I believe, I believe
In you
Follow your dreams
Be yourself, an angel of kindness
There's nothing that you can not do
I believe, I believe, I believe
In you.
Tout seul
Tu t'en iras tout seul
Coeur ouvert
A L'univers
Poursuis ta quete
Sans regarder derriere
N'attends pas
Que le jour
Se leve
Suis ton etoile
Va jusqu'ou ton reve t'emporte
Un jour tu le toucheras
Si tu crois si tu crois si tu crois
En toi
Suis la lumiere
N'eteins pas la flamme que tu portes
Au fonds de toi souviens-toi
Que je crois que je crois que je crois
Que je crois
En toi
Someday I'll find you
Someday you'll find me too
And when I hold you close
I'll know that is true
Follow your heart
Let you love lead through the darkness
Back to a place you once knew
I believe, I believe, I believe in you
Follow your dreams
Be yourself, an angel of kindness
There's nothing that you can not do
I believe, I believe, I believe
In you.
He finally understood. But he didn't really understand why they were so happy about it. It was only a song.
The next song started, and as the music started playing, Hermione squealed again and mouthed the words.
Une rue les gens passent, les gens comme on les voit
Juste un flux, une masse, sans visage, sans voix
Quel ?trange aujourd'hui, quelquechose, mais quoi?
D?sob?it, d?sob?it
(A street people passing by, people like we see them
Just a flow, a group, without a face, without a voice
How a strange today, something, but what?
Disobey, disobey)
Une rue comme d'autres et le temps se suspend
une tache, une faute et soudain tu comprends
Impudence inou?e, insolite, ind?cent
Zora sourit, Zora sourit, Zora sourit
(A street like others and the time is suspended
A stain, an error and suddenly you understand
Incredible carlessness, strange, indecent
Zora smiles, Zora smiles, Zora smiles)
Zora sourit, aux trottoirs, aux voitures, aux passants
Au vacarme, aux murs, au mauvais temps
? son visage nu sous le vent
? ses jambes qui dansent en marchant
? tout ce qui nous semble ?vident
Elle avance et b?nit chaque instant
Zora sourit, Zora sourit, Zora sourit
(Zora smiles, at the sidewalks, at the cars, at the people passing by
To racket, to walls, to bad weather
To her bare face under the wind
To her legs which dance while walking
To everything we take for granted
She goes on and blesses every moment)
Des phrases sur les murs, des regards de travers
Parfois quelques injures, elle en a rien ? faire
Elle distribue ses sourires, elle en re?oit autant
Zora sourit, effront?ment
Zora sourit, insolemment
(Sentences on the walls, crooked looks
Sometimes a few insults, she doesn't care
She gives smiles away, she receives just as much
Zora smiles, in a cheeky way
Zora smiles, in an insolent way)
Zora sourit pour elle, elle sourit d'?tre l?
Mais elle sourit pour celles, celles qui sont l?-bas
Pour ces femmes, ses soeurs qui ne savent plus sourire
Alors, des larmes plein le coeur, des larmes plein la vie
Zora sourit, Zora sourit, Zora sourit
(Zora smiles for herself, she smiles to be there
But she smiles for those, those who are there
For those women, her sisters who no longer know how to smile
Then, heart filled with tears, life filled with tears
Zora smiles, Zora smiles, Zora smiles)
Hermione snapped out of her reverie as the song ended, took out the desk drawer, turned it upside down and shook it, so all the contents dumped on the floor. She rifled through it and then let out a frustrated sigh.
"What in Merlin's name are you looking for?" Draco asked in amazement that Hermione Granger would create such a mess in her own room.
"My earphones" She said distractedly as the rifled through the pile, putting items back into the drawer, paying no heed as to who she was talking to.
"I don't know what they are, but I am surprised that the great Hermione Granger has forgotten that she is a witch." Draco replied scathingly. Hermione didn't seem to notice his tone, as she leaped back up and hit herself on the head, cursing her stupidity.
"Accio!" She said as Draco smirked at the display at Hermione hitting herself on the head, cursing. A cord split down the middle with round shaped things on either end came soaring towards her from a shelf on the bookshelf, right next to Hogwarts: A History. She caught it and hurried towards the computer, plugging one of the ends into it and putting the other round shaped things into her ears.
The music stopped, and Draco understood.
Hermione clicked a button on the computer and turned to the Slytherin. She seemed to realize who was in her room, judging from the expression on her face.
"Malfoy, I'm sorry for nearly putting a hole through your neck" She said, and Draco was amazed she had actually said sorry. "Even though you had it coming." Hermione added.
"How did you get in here anyway?" Hermione asked, as an afterthought. "I had wards all over the rooms, and a silencing charm to boot. I thought them wise moves after what happened yesterday" She said as an afterthought, glaring at him as she remembered that she had nearly missed a class thanks to him.
He shrugged, avoiding the glare that shot from her eyes, afraid of her earlier threat. He quite liked his eyebrows, thank you very much. "I dunno. I just opened the door." He said truthfully.
"Oh." Hermione said thoughtfully, believing him. She thought she had him sufficiently scared to tell the truth. "How come you aren't asking what the big humming box is?" Hermione said curiously.
"I took Muggle Studies for a year." He said.
Hermione laughed "At least you didn't do what Ron did. He leapt on top of it and started shooting curses. He thought it was a monster trying to hypnotise me"
"Who's Celiene Dion?" He said curiously.
"Muggle singer." She said.
"Granger, you wouldn't happen to have any idea why everyone is calling me ABF and trading pensives?" He asked offhand.
"Err… About that… I showed Harry and Ron memories of my little chase for your wand" Hermione said sheepishly.
"You are dead—wait, what about the ABF?" He asked, darkly, then curiously.
"Amazing Bouncing Ferret. But it can also be Amazing Bald Ferret" Hermione said happily. And, catching his look, she added "Hey, you nearly made me miss a class! You got off lightly!"
He still looked slightly murderous, but nodded nonetheless.
She played the music again, and though he kept talking, she ignored him. He walked up to her and looked at what she was doing. There were words on the screen:
FearMyWrath is online
Book-Loving-Brunette is online
Book-Loving-Brunette: Hi Ginny
FearMyWrath: Hermione!
Book-Loving-Brunette: btw, don't tlk bout anythn tht u don't want th abf 2 hear.
FearMyWrath: y? did he become sum sort of hacker n take ver th www? Lol.
Book-Loving-Brunette: lol. No, hes right nxt t me,readn ver my shoulder.
FearMyWrath: y exactly?
Book-Loving-Brunette: I was havn a nap wen ur owl came, n he wke me up 2 gt me 2 let Hedwig in, cuz wenever he went close, Hedwig attacked him.
FearMyWrath: cool. Bt tht stll dusnt xplain wat he's still doin in ur room. Wat, u got him chained to th wall r sumthn??
Book-Loving-Brunette: lol. Lts jst say he narrowly escaped havin a hole thru his throat.
FearMyWrath: cool.
Book-Loving-Brunette: tht rminds me, cnfrence nxt tues wt th rst of thm?
FearMyWrath: kay. Wat for?
Book-Loving-Brunette: spll t brn off eyebrows wit a glre
FearMyWrath: ah.
Book-Loving-Brunette: ky,cnwsthCHTcphr?dbtvrymchthtthBFhsvrsdchtspk,.
FearMyWrath: khprblythnksw'?
Book-Loving-Brunette: brb
FearMyWrath: k
Hermione stopped typing and took out an earphone. She turned to Draco. "No doubt you don't know what I am doing, so here's an explanation: Bugger Off!" She said, before putting the earphone back into her ear and turning back to the screen.
Draco, however, was curious, so stuck around.
Book-Loving-Brunette: mbck
FearMyWrath: k.
Book-Loving-Brunette: wll,jsttldthfrrttndqte'bggrff',:!!!!!!!!!!
FearMyWrath: WHT!!!!
Book-Loving-Brunette: KNW!!
FearMyWrath: thsscsdbythra))rnsn.
Draco, seeing that they were talking complete GIBBERISH, turned and left.
Book-Loving-Brunette: He jst left.
FearMyWrath: :)
Book-Loving-Brunette: We have a serious problem here.
FearMyWrath: Do u lke him?
Book-Loving-Brunette: He is handsome, I'll admit that, but REALLY??! It's the FERRET!
FearMyWrath: I don't believe u.
Book-Loving-Brunette: HE IS A FERRET!!! FERRET!! WHAT PART OF FERRET DON'T U UNDERSTAND???!!!
FearMyWrath: k, I'm convinced.
Book-Loving-Brunette: good.
FearMyWrath: so y aren't u fighting? U no, hating each other with a burning anger?
Book-Loving-Brunette: I don't know. But I will say this: I'm starting to think that he might actually be 1 tenth decent.
FearMyWrath: really?
Book-Loving-Brunette: yeah. I mean, he had the decency to not do something horrible to me while I was sleeping.
FearMyWrath: yeah… that u no.
Book-Loving-Brunette: yeah. Which brings me to my other point of thought: He got in.
FearMyWrath: So?
Book-Loving-Brunette: Remember the wards I put up?
FearMyWrath: Oh, yeah.
Book-Loving-Brunette: Well, I need to do some research :) :) :) :) :) :) :). Because he said that there were no wards.
FearMyWrath: & u believed him?
Book-Loving-Brunette: I believe that he wanted to keep his eyebrows.
FearMyWrath: Ah.
FearMyWrath: Hermione, can you please stop talking to Ginny on IM? It's time for Quidditch practice for the next game.
FearMyWrath: Srry. Harry got hold of the computer.
Book-Loving-Brunette: I gathered that.
FearMyWrath: ttyl?
Book-Loving-Brunette: Nope, srry. I gotta do schoolwork.
FearMyWrath: *Rolls eyes*
Book-Loving-Brunette: Bye!
FearMyWrath logged off
Book-Loving-Brunette logged off
Hermione shut down the computer and got out her History Of Magic work. She had it done in half an hour.
By dark, she had finished all of her schoolwork and was tired again. She changed, showered, brushed her teeth and got in bed.
She was asleep instantly.
Okay, I know very well that Mariah Carey: Greatest Hits comes out in 2001, but it was that or an album that released 7 years after the story takes place. Also, I have ABSOLOUTLY NO IDEA what year Hermione is supposed to be in, Okay? We okay with that? Does anyone know this valuable information?
Also, the code Hermione & Ginny used is one I invented myself. I call it the CHAT cipher, because it's based on chat speak. Take out all the spaces and vowels and there you go. Here's a translation of what they were saying:
Book-Loving-Brunette: Okay, can we use the CHAT cipher?
I doubt very much that the ABF has ever used chat speak, nor learned it. Or that he's smart enough to figure it out himself.
FearMyWrath: Okay. He probably thinks we're typing gibberish. So what do you want to talk about that you don't want the ferret to know?
Book-Loving-Brunette: BRB
FearMyWrath: Okay
Book-Loving-Brunette: I'm back
FearMyWrath: Okay.
Book-Loving-Brunette: Well, I just told the ferret to, and I quote: 'Bugger Off', but we'll probably have to talk in CHAT for a while before he gives up and leaves. Back to the reason we using the CHAT cipher in the first place: I ACTUALLY HAD A CIVILLISED CONVERSATION WITH THE FERRET!!!!!!!!!!
FearMyWrath: WHAT!!!!
Book-Loving-Brunette: I KNOW!!
FearMyWrath: This is caused by either a) Major psychological problems that have arisen due to prolonged exposure to Cornmac McLaggen Or b)You're insane.
I'm not going to translate the rest, because it's just normal chat speak.
The first song is 'Je crois toi (I believe in you)', by Celiene Dion. The second one is 'Zoya Sourit (Zora Smiles)' by Celiene Dion. I wanted to use Ke$ha's new album 'Animal', but as I said before, it's 7 years after the story takes place, and it includes some… 'unsavoury' lyrics, that I don't think Hermione would listen to. At least, not if anyone else was in the room.
A big Easter Egg to whoever figures this out first and tells me the answers. And another a big Easter Egg to who figures out the cipher AND tells me what book the code comes from.
YAALY! AL YALOALU FALIALGUALRED AL IALT OALALT! WALELALL, AL AALT LALEALAST IAL AL HALOALPE YOALU DIALD… IFAL YALOU GALOOGALLEDAL AL IALT, ALTHALENAL IAL WALILALL BALE VEALRY AALNGRALY WALITALH YALOU AL. IAL HALOPALE YALOU HALAVEAL AALN AALNALTIALDOTALE TALO DRALAUALGHALT OALF LALIVALINALG DEALATALH AALFTALER YALOU EALAT YALOUR EGALALG AL.
HAPPY EASTER!
PS: I realize that this is several days after easter, but I typed this on Easter Sunday.