Disclaimer: Eep, still not mine :D
A/N: Yay! Another chapter of Only a Pretense *wink* I think this is the longest chapter of the whole story. I'm not that sure, but, oh well XD
Anyway, I'll make this brief. Good god, it's still the second week of my senior year and things had been busy already. So, I can't afford to dilly-dally here.
A brief shout-out to my awesome Beta-Reader, OnErrantry! And yes, I've actually managed to "accept" all of the track changes now, so there's no need to be wary of the grammar here in this chapter.
So, without further ado, Chapter Thirty-Two!
Chapter Thirty-Two: Secret Mission
Dumbledore's head perked up as he heard laughing voices outside his office. They were followed by a loud shush, which had shut up the approaching Slytherins.
The Headmaster smiled, thinking fondly that these particular Slytherins had changed drastically since the start of the school-year. They were from the oldest and most powerful Pureblood families in the Wizarding World, those who believed that they were far superior to the other magical beings in the world, especially the Muggle-borns. It had not surprised him when he received reports from teachers and prefects that these three were bigoted, prejudiced Purebloods who would insult the poor people they deemed insignificant.
Hermione, being Muggle-born, was mostly on the receiving end of their insults. But this dear Gryffindor student of his was absolutely outstanding, being able to excel and even called the brightest witch of her year, surpassing all of the other students in the school.
The day the four of them came to him, Hermione's secret finally revealed, had made his heart swell with happiness. He had been adamant in telling his students to have unity, and to put prejudices and differences aside. And to see three Slytherins (the most bigoted, prejudiced ones of their year) and a once-Gryffindor, Muggle-born and best friend of Harry Potter, together and obviously caring for each other had proved that even the most different people in the world could care for each other as long as they put some effort into it.
Who knew Miss Granger's task would have such a profound effect on the people he had hoped to change the most? Dumbledore had fervently wished that these students of his would one day realize that having such ideologies could someday cause their downfall. And to see them finally awakened had pleased the old wizard.
"Headmaster Dumbledore?"
Hermione's head popped inside the room, a large smile on her face. The old wizard noticed that her cheeks were flushed with a lovely shade of red and her eyes were lit with happiness.
"Quit it, Draco!" He heard the Nott heir hiss, which earned him some shushing from the brunette.
Dumbledore's lips quirked up in an amused smile when he saw that Teddy merely gave her a boyish grin.
"Do come in, my dear students. Come in," he ushered. Hermione, trailed by her three Slytherin roommates, walked over the threshold and was soon inside the room.
"You called for us?" she inquired, plopping down on the chair across from the headmaster. She thought absentmindedly that she had seated herself on this chair countless times before, which made her smile.
Dumbledore waited for the three young men to sit down on their own chairs before starting. He wove his fingers together and leaned a little closer, his electric blue eyes twinkling in delight. "How are you?" he asked.
Her eyebrow shot up in surprise and she shot her Housemates a glance. The Headmaster saw how a small frown marred the Malfoy heir's face, how Blaise Zabini looked at him thoughtfully, and how young Mister Nott pouted at his question.
"Umm… we're fine, I guess," the brunette answered for the four of them, curious about Dumbledore's agenda.
"Good, good," the old wizard nonchalantly.
Silence settled in the room and the headmaster grew amused at how his four students fidgeted on their seats, obviously discomforted by his twinkling blue eyes and the mysterious smile on his face that screamed 'suspicious'.
"You may be wondering why I called the four of you here, in my office," he started. Draco rolled his eyes and pointedly stared at Hermione, who glared back at him in return, telling him to shut up with her toffee-colored eyes. "My dearest new spies," he said. This time, to the surprise of the four students, his usual serene smile broke into a huge, excited grin. "What do you think of a secret mission?"
Theodore Nott, the one he usually heard was addressed as 'Teddy', dropped his jaw in surprise. Hermione's eyes widened while the Zabini heir looked highly amused and curious at the same time. Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, knitted his eyebrows together.
"A secret mission, sir?" he inquired aloud.
Dumbledore nodded and leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving his students. "Indeed, Mister Malfoy," he said in reply. "A secret mission."
Out of the corner of his eye, the old wizard saw an excited grin stretch across Theo's face.
"A secret mission!" he exclaimed, seeming thrilled. "It sounds exciting…"
"… and dangerous," Hermione interjected, a frown appearing on her face.
Draco snorted on his seat. "Define 'dangerous' for us, Granger," he said. "I am sure you're well-acquainted with the concept, since you always encounter it."
"Draco," she growled threateningly under her breath.
"Now, now, Hermione, calm down," Blaise said, placing his right hand on top of hers, calming her.
Oh, how dangerously Draco's eyes flashed. Dumbledore noticed it, and felt all the more excited for this secret mission.
"All secret missions are dangerous, Miss Granger," the Headmaster said, breaking in to ease the tension between two of his best students. "Although, since there are four of you, the danger of this mission will be lessened somewhat, of course."
He brandished his wand and summoned an aged parchment lying a few feet away from them. Hermione, who was the closest, inspected the parchment and was able to make out some names and buildings – a hand-drawn map. She recognized a few establishments and gasped in surprise.
"Muggle London, professor?" she cried.
"What?" Draco cried while Teddy gasped in horror.
Dumbledore smiled and placed the parchment in Hermione's hand. "Yes, your secret mission will take place in Muggle London," he continued. Teddy's face paled. "According to another spy of the Order, there is an abandoned shack somewhere near the heart of London from which Death Eaters emerge to attack nearby Muggles." He grew pensive. "Alarming, indeed. The other Order members are supposed to be investigating today, but something came up, and they could not. And so I suggested the four of you, and they all agreed."
Hermione was watching Dumbledore carefully and noticed how his eyes landed on the other three Slytherins, an indescribable expression in them. The brunette thoughtfully looked at her roommates (who were reduced to silence) and mused about whether it took the headmaster a long time to convince the other members of the Order that the two new spies were on their side now and were not working to aid Voldemort.
"But Muggle London sir!" Draco cried, breaking Hermione away from her musings.
"Yes, that's what I said, Mister Malfoy," the old wizard said, smiling slightly.
"Professor," the Italian piped in, "Maybe it slipped your mind that we are Purebloods. And you are certainly aware that our parents support You-Know-Who's ideology. But maybe you didn't know, or are forgetting, that we are actually forbidden to mingle with Muggles."
The smile on his face never disappeared. "And, Mister Zabini, you are quite forgetting that you are to be accompanied by a Muggle-born," he said, gesturing at the brunette. All eyes landed on Hermione and she, not knowing what to do, only smiled.
"I'm quite familiar with Muggle London, like most of the Muggles," she offered, giving them one of her smiles. Dumbledore noted how her smile seemed to have a calming effect on the other three.
"And thus," he continued, "I appoint Miss Granger here as your team leader." Her face practically lit the whole room. "You are to follow her orders no matter what happens. I trust that she will be a remarkable leader, and if you follow her, your mission will be undoubtedly accomplished."
"Granger's dream job," Draco whispered for Blaise to hear, but still audibly to the others. This earned him a smirk from the Italian, a small chuckle from Teddy, and a defiant glare from Hermione.
"Now," Dumbledore continued, clasping his hands together, "as Miss Granger here said a little while ago, this mission of yours is quite dangerous. We do not know whether Death Eaters will be lurking in that abandoned shack. Additionally, there are quite a lot of magical beings roaming around, undetected, in Muggle London. Hence, for safety reasons, I am requiring you to wear a disguise. Miss Granger, you can remove your male disguise and wear your bewitched spectacles. I trust your team leader to teach the rest of you how to enchant eyeglasses so that they could work like hers."
"Disguises?" Teddy mused aloud, an adorable expression on his face. "This mission of ours gets more and more exciting."
"Professor?" Hermione said, diverting the Headmaster's attention back to her. "What are we to do after we discover the shack?"
"Ah," he said, "I trust that you know how to conjure your Patronus, since young Mister Potter taught you during your fifth year." Hermione smiled, remembering Dumbledore's Army and their hidden training sessions right under Umbridge's nose.
'Good times, good times,' she reflected, and reckoned that the old wizard across from her was probably reminiscing too.
Dumbledore pushed his half-moon spectacles up the bridge of his nose and leaned slightly closer. "Please do send me your Patronus as soon as you proved that the abandoned shack is the one being used by the Death Eaters."
Hermione nodded, understanding. "Yes, professor," she said, offering him a small smile.
"Good," he said, now standing up from his seat. He clasped his hands and looked from one student to another. "I believe that each and every one of you is capable enough to defend yourself if danger arises. Each of the four of you are one of my best students… yes, Mister Nott, even you." He smiled, seeing the humbled look on Teddy's face, his cheeks coloring slightly. "Do remember to be careful. This shack is, after all, surrounded by dark magic."
"Now," he continued, walking over to Fawkes' perch and fondly petting his phoenix, "off you go. You are to be excused in your classes for the whole day. And if you finished your mission earlier than expected" – here, his eyes twinkled – "you can have the rest of your time as a break. Merlin knows how much you need it."
A chorus of "thank you"s emitted from the Slytherins' mouths as they stood up from their seats. They bid the old wizard goodbye before finally walking out of the Headmaster's Office.
"Nervous?" Hermione asked, mirth shining in her eyes, as they finally stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron. Car honks and bustling footsteps were distinctly audible from where they were standing.
Draco, who was the nearest to her, scowled and threw her a glare. "Shut up, nuisance," he growled.
Merry laughter bubbled out of her mouth and she started to walk out of the empty alley, her three roommates tagging along.
They had finally arrived in Muggle London and the journey from Hogwarts to the Leaky Cauldron was almost hilarious. Her friends seemed anxious. They could not really be blamed. After all, they had confessed that it was their very first time to step in Muggle London.
As Dumbledore had suggested, she had removed her disguise and donned her bewitched spectacles. She was wearing a white skirt up to her knees and a blue blouse under a jumper. She had transfigured the high-heeled shoes Harry had given to her into ballet flats after finding out how to in the library. Her hair was half-clipped-up, her bangs held firmly by her butterfly hairclip.
The teenaged boys behind her were wearing Muggle clothes Dumbledore was gracious enough to provide them with. Being rich spoiled Pureblood brats, all they had in their wardrobes were expensive, brand-name robes. So she'd had to do a double-take when all of them emerged from their room, looking as Muggle as anyone she had seen.
Hermione found it extremely unfair that her three friends could look dashing in any clothes that they wear. She had an inkling that they would be able to make a pillowcase decent if they were to don one.
Like her, they were also wearing bewitched glasses so that if they happened to encounter passing magical people, they would only think that the four of them looked familiar, but would not put any thought into it.
"Give me the map, Granger," Draco suddenly piped up. When Hermione looked back at him, he was brooding slightly, pushing his spectacles absentmindedly up the bridge of his nose. The brunette would never have voiced it to the other three, in fear of being misinterpreted, but good Godric, Draco Malfoy looked… presentable wearing glasses.
'Biggest understatement in your whole life, Hermione Granger,' a voice inside her head mocked her as she absentmindedly fished out the hand-drawn map in her pocket and gave it to the blond. 'Merlin's beard, the bloke is handsome.'
Her cheeks colored in a lovely shade of red and she turned around, not wanting them to see her face.
"Are we there yet?" Teddy whined, his hands buried in his front pockets. "I'm hungry."
"We just had lunch, Theo," Blaise pointed out, looking over Draco's shoulder to also gaze at the map. "And besides, we can eat after this mission."
Draco looked up from the map and gazed around the busy Muggle street, his nose scrunching up in unconcealed disgust. "Is this how they work everyday?"
Hermione sighed tiredly, cheeks now slightly cooler, and slowed her walk. She fell into step beside the blond and looked pointedly at him. "If you are not going to say anything good, Draco Malfoy, I think it is best if you shut up," she threatened. "Leave the poor Muggles alone." She rolled her eyes and absentmindedly swung her arms.
The brunette looked all over the place and felt refreshed. It had been a while since she visited this place. Usually, during Christmas, her parents would bring her to this area and they would have a lovely dinner, visit one of the bookstores, and just talk about nonsensical things.
Her nostalgia continued all throughout their little journey. Despite the sudden longing she felt, she noticed the looks that they were receiving, mostly from girls, of course. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked at her oblivious roommates. Goodness, even in the Muggle world they attracted a lot of attention. She did wonder if they noticed or they just chose to ignore them.
Almost an hour passed and they still hadn't found the abandon shack. Teddy was growing restless, "bored to tears," he said. Draco was growing annoyed with the carefree Slytherin's constant whining. Blaise had to restrain him from hexing the blue-eyed bloke.
Hermione was growing tired herself. She had not been prepared to be a babysitter for the three Purebloods. When they said that they were "forbidden" in this place, they meant it. There were constant questions from the other three, mostly from Draco, and she was growing slightly annoyed answering them.
Teddy was a real pain-in-the-arse, although she did not comment on it aloud, not wanting to offend the adorable Slytherin. Hermione had to keep a firm grip on his arm, afraid that he'd run off and get trampled on by a hurtling car. He was almost hit by a cab and she had to restrain him from hexing the foul-mouthed driver.
"He's not looking at where he's going!" he protested and the brunette had to stop herself from saying that he was the one who was not looking at where he was going.
The brunette got tempted to enter a pet shop and buy him a leash, which she later on thought was plain silly. Teddy was just being his usual self… carefree… childish.
"You okay?" Blaise asked, noticing how her cheeks flared up in frustration. Her nerves calmed down upon seeing his charming smile.
"I guess," she said, offering a smile of her own in return.
The Italian spared a glance at his other best friends, who were once again bickering. He sighed and looked back at the brunette. "I'm sorry," he said. "I think we're giving you a hard time."
She chuckled. "Oh, you have no idea," she said.
The smile never left his face. "We're not really used to going here in Muggle London," he said, gesturing at the hustling and bustling people. "I think being around Muggles who had no idea that we possess magic in our bloods somehow… made them uneasy. Do you understand?"
Hermione sighed, glaring slightly at Draco and Teddy. "Yeah," she said. "But Merlin!" Her eyes almost popped out in exasperation.
"I know, I know," Blaise commented, grinning widely. The brunette couldn't help but smile once again.
"Good lord, I do not know how you can handle those two," she continued, jutting a thumb in their direction. "If I were to come here with them, alone, with no Blaise Zabini, I might have hexed them right there and then, Muggles be damned."
Blaise merely chuckled. "Hermione, I've finally mastered the art of ignorance, remember?" he said.
"Oh, right," she said, grinning back. "The art of ignorance. Maybe I should research about it, too."
"I can help you," he offered, his eyes shining with mirth. "I think I have a book or two inside my trunk."
"Minnie!" Teddy whined, suddenly butting in. He grabbed her arm and tried to envelop her in his arms. "Draco's being a bloody bastard."
The blond glowered, the green monster inside him flaring into life, as he grabbed the carefree Slytherin's collar and forcefully pulled him away from her. "Keep your hands to yourself, Nott," he barked out. "If I didn't know better, I'd have said you were taking advantage of the nuisance!"
Teddy looked affronted. "I am not!" he cried out, his cheeks flaming darkly.
Hermione rolled her eyes again at the two immature Slytherins. She could not believe that Draco Malfoy was being one. She expected so much from him. The brunette did wonder why there was a sudden change in the two's relationship. Before, Teddy looked up at Draco like an apprentice to his master but now, he seemed to be defying his every order.
'What caused the change?' she asked, missing the times when she would see Draco acting like a big brother to Teddy.
"Draco, Theo, really," Blaise said, suddenly halting in his steps. "You're attracting attention." He looked from left to right, then down to the hand-drawn map, before looking up again. "Shut up, we're here."
That stopped the other two's bickering. Both of them and Hermione looked in the direction that Blaise was looking, and as he'd said, they had finally arrived.
Hermione found herself staring at a shack, almost ruined by time. It looked as abandoned as the Shrieking Shack she'd seen in Hogsmeade. Although, unlike the Shrieking Shack, this abandoned place was reeking with dark magic.
"Can you feel it?" she asked, almost breathless.
"Yeah." It was Teddy who answered. The carefree Slytherin, growing pensive, stepped forward until he was a few meters away from the front door. He was about to reach for the door, but Hermione stopped him with a cry. "What?" he asked, looking behind him to stare at the brunette.
Hermione wordlessly bent down and picked up a rock. She gestured to Teddy to step away from the door, which he did. Then, to his surprise, Hermione threw the stone into the door. A force field seemed to stop the stone from hitting the door. Instead, it fell on the ground, sizzling, and half of it was burned into smithereens.
The brunette looked up and met Teddy's horrified eyes. "Th-thanks," he squeaked out.
She offered him a small smile, then looked at Draco. "Help me remove the barrier?" she asked. The blond, surprised she asked him, only nodded and wordlessly walked up beside her. "On the count of three," she said, brandishing her wand. The blond followed her and took out his wand from his front pocket. "One, two, three!"
They waved their wands in unison. A muffled crackle was heard and soon, it was gone.
Hermione stepped forward, switching into leader mode, then gestured them inside. "Follow me," she said. "And don't touch anything until I say so."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a bossy bint, Granger," he said. "We know what to do."
"She's the leader," Blaise said, coming to her rescue. "Dumbledore told us we should follow her no matter what."
The brunette gave Draco a triumphant smile, in answer to which he merely sighed.
"Lead the way, team leader," he said sarcastically, gesturing to the door.
Hermione rolled her eyes but stepped inside nonetheless. Her nose instantly scrunched up. She backpedaled, her back slightly hitting Draco's chest. The dark magic was worse inside than outside.
"Oh goodness, how long did they use this?" she asked, suddenly feeling sick.
"I think it's best if we separate ways," Draco suggested, absentmindedly clutching her elbow as he gently forced her to look at him. "Let's get this over with as soon as possible, don't you think?"
"I…" she started, but quickly changed her mind. It was an extremely suspicious shack, and there would be a huge possibility that there would be hidden traps. But, like what Draco had said, she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. And the best way to do that was to investigate individually.
"Just be careful," she warned seriously, eyes narrowed at her friends. And then, they started perusing the whole shack.
Their investigation, simply put, was fruitful. They had discovered some random objects which had once been used as portkeys. There was Floo Powder residue inside the unlit hearth. They even detected the Unforgivables. Hermione had been pale all through their search, being able to count that almost a hundred Muggles were killed inside this shack, there were seventy-three who'd had the Cruciatus Curse used on them, and if she was not mistaken, almost half a hundred were placed under the Imperius Curse in this abandoned shack.
Hermione had sent her otter Patronus to Dumbledore, telling him what they had found.
Before they left, Blaise had set up an alarm, which would be triggered if Death Eaters suddenly apparated. This alarm would be connected to Dumbledore's office, and if it was activated, he would report it to the Order so that they would be able to raid the abandoned shack.
They were outside now, roaming around Muggle London. Their investigation had only taken two hours; hence, when they walked outside, the sun was still shining brightly, and the Muggles were oblivious that the four teenagers had discovered something that could probably cause their deaths.
"How horrible," Hermione had murmured, face still pale.
"I had no idea about it," Draco said, a frown marring his face.
The brunette looked at him and smiled weakly. "I'm not blaming you," she said.
The blond looked affronted, although he did not say anything anymore.
"What are we going to do now?" Teddy asked.
Hermione sighed and shrugged. "I'm not really in the mood to roam around now. I actually want to go back." She gave them a sideway glance. "Is that all right with you?"
They did not object, being pretty dead tired themselves. "I think I'll have a nice, long nap," Draco nonchalantly commented, releasing a huge yawn of his own.
The brunette looked up at him and smiled. "I guess this is a new first for you, huh?" she asked. "Wow, imagine how the people will react. 'Draco Malfoy, heir of the Malfoy fortune, fraternizing with Muggles!' Ooh, I can already imagine how Harry will react."
Draco rolled his eyes. "It's not… exactly that bad," he said. He spared a glance at his other best friends and smirked. "We've imagined worse."
"Worse?" she asked, intrigued. "Like how?"
"Dropping dead after contracting their Muggle germs," Teddy piped in.
"Or, being burned at the stake as soon as we stepped outside," Blaise said, chuckling good-humoredly. "We always thought that they'd detect our magical powers as soon as possible, haul out their pitchforks, and tie us to a burning stake."
Hermione laughed. "That's ridiculous," she commented.
"Pfft," Draco said. "We, Purebloods had this idea that Muggles are dangerous. It's kind of like how they think that we, magical beings, will curse them to death."
She sighed. "Too true," she commented, swinging her arms in a carefree fashion. Her eyes were trained on her other three roommates and this time, flashed them a genuine smile. "But I'm glad I'm able to accompany the three of you in facing one of your… dislikes, I think. I'd always deemed the three of you… narrow-minded. You once were, no offense, but now…" Her smile practically lit her whole face. "I think you've changed. And I like that."
Her words were simple but the effect on the three of them was profound. Hearing those words, from the object of their affection, no less, held such great meaning. She had no idea how their hearts raced just looking at her gorgeous smile and hearing the words that came out of her mouth.
"Oomph!" she cried, snapping them out from their reveries. What they beheld was Hermione trapped in the arms of an unknown man.
The brunette gasped and looked at the face of the stranger. She immediately pulled away, embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she cried, cheeks reddening. "I wasn't looking at where I was going."
The man was looking at her strangely. Hermione noticed that he was rather good-looking, probably in his early twenties. She fidgeted under his scrutinizing gaze.
Suddenly, he broke into the most humongous smile she had ever seen. "Clara!" he cried. "I've finally found her!"
"Excuse me?" she asked, taking a step back. She bumped against Teddy's chest and when she looked up, his eyes were narrowed dangerously.
"Clara, make haste!" the strange man continued, calling excitedly. "I've found her! Oh goodness, I've found her!"
A pretty girl, probably the same age as the man came striding towards him, a huge scowl marring her beautiful face. "Gino, really," she said in exasperation. "You could have called me more subtly, you idiot."
"I've found her, Clara!" the stranger, Gino, cried, unfazed by her scowl. "She's perfect." He pointed at Hermione's direction and Clara followed his finger.
When her eyes landed on Hermione, she grew thoughtful, and, as the strange man had done, she looked at her from head to toe before breaking into a smile. "That's it," she said, walking closer to Hermione. "That's her."
She was finally in front of Hermione and she stretched out her hand, her smile still present on her face. "Hi, my name is Clara Applegate, a college student majoring in fashion designing."
Hermione, uncertain, grasped her hand and slowly shook it. "Hi, I'm… Minnie," she said.
"Minnie, a pleasure to meet you," Gino replied, pushing Clara off to the side. He grasped Hermione's still raised hand and shook it a bit enthusiastically. "The name's Gino Bowersox, a college student majoring in photography and for your information, I am single and very available."
He was audacious enough to give her a wink and she, surprised, merely blushed.
To Gino's surprise, a hand suddenly yanked her arm back. He looked up and met the mercurial eyes of a handsome young man, a large frown on his face.
"We're going home," the blond man said, tightly clasping her hand with his own. "A pleasure to meet you." He spat the last word as if it was poison.
"Now, now, Blondie, no need to be cheeky," Clara butted in.
Draco's cheeks flared. "Blondie?" he asked in disbelief.
The college female ignored the blond and for the first time noticed the other two blokes behind the brunette. "Gino, what if we included the other three blokes?" she asked. "They're not pretty bad-looking either. I can already imagine the output and I have this feeling it'll be epic."
"Yeah, yeah," Gino said. "You're the boss. Who am I to oppose you?"
Clara brightly smiled and looked at the other four. "I'm sorry, I think we are confusing you," she said, laughing melodiously. "As we said, we are a bunch of college students, looking for prospective models for our major project, and we happened to stumble on you, dearies. Please, will you pose for us? This will be real quick, I swear. Although, don't expect money. We're broke, so we are only looking for willing models who will do it for free."
"No," Draco said.
"Okay, only Minnie then," Clara deadpanned as she continued to gaze at the brunette. "You three blokes go home if you're all going to be spoilsports."
"Umm…" Hermione butted in, "we actually have to… go back now."
Gino came into the scene and practically knelt on the ground. "Please, please agree," he beseeched, holding both of Hermione's hand. "We've been looking around for ages and you've been the best one so far." A look of horror graced his features. "Blimey, I don't want to fail now! What will my poor mother say…"
Her resolve was breaking and they all knew it. Hermione always had this soft spot when it came to people who were afraid of failing, seeing as she hated it too.
"Nuisance, no," Draco said, glaring darkly.
"They promised to do it real quick, Draco," she said, peering at him through her long lashes. "Let's help them. Come on."
"No," he said through gritted teeth, hating her for looking so damn endearing now.
She harrumphed. "Fine, go back now if you're going to be a spoilsport," she spat, earning her a proud smirk from Clara.
"You heard the lovely lady, Blondie," she said. "Go home, you little bugger."
"Wait!" Teddy cried. "I want to come with her, too."
Hermione's face lit up in joy.
"And me," Blaise said. "I want to come, too."
Gino clapped excitedly. "Good, good!" he cried. "Oh, Clara, I can already imagine an A plus!"
Draco slapped his forehead. "Fine," he hissed. "I'm going back now, and nobody can stop me."
"What were you saying a while ago?" Hermione asked, a proud smile on her face as Gino and Clara, together with their other college groupmates, led them into a small studio somewhere in the heart of Muggle London.
"Shut up if you don't want me to hex you, Muggles be damned," Draco growled, cheeks colored darkly because of mixed embarrassment and anger.
"Aww, Draco, no need to be so huffy," Teddy cried, swinging an arm over his shoulder. "We're only going to pose for their project. It's not bad. Besides, you've posed countless times for The Witch Weekly and you did not protest."
Draco rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "That's different," he hissed. "This is different. Posing for Muggles! Oh Salazar, kill me now."
"Being melodramatic will get you nowhere now, mate," Blaise said, a charming smile on his face.
The blond harrumphed and rolled his eyes. He had been determined a while ago to leave the other three. After all, Hermione was accompanied by his best friends, and he trusted them to take care of her. But Draco forgot one thing – he had no idea how to get back to the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione had the map and he was too proud to ask for it in front of the two Muggles, especially that bastard Gino. He had another option, which was to hail the Knight Bus, but he'd rather eat a thousand piles of hippogriff dung than ride on that blasted bus once again.
And so he had no choice but to tag along. So far, the other three were thrilled to help. Clara, the feisty lady, was enjoying Blaise's company. Apparently, the feisty lady was a bookworm, too, and they ended up having a conversation about Shakespeare's famous tragedy, 'Macbeth'. Gino, on the other hand, was blatantly interested in Hermione. But as usual, the brunette was absolutely clueless about it. Thank Merlin Teddy was beside her, interjecting once in a while when he thought that the photographer was being a bit too… comfortable.
"Okay, dearies, attention please," Clara said, clapping her hands to get her attention. The seventeen-year-olds looked at the older woman and, satisfied, she continued, "Now, first, I am to dress up Minnie darling here and you blokes wait here for a while. She will pose for us first."
Before Hermione could protest, she was dragged off by Clara into a dressing room.
"Blimey, Applegate's taking a long time again," Gino whined, hugging his camera into his chest. He was seated on a table beside the three Slytherins. "I tell you, she's a bloody perfectionist. I bet your lady will be more beautiful than before."
He directed his eyes at the silent students and smiled. "Well, thank you for agreeing into this," he said. Upon seeing Draco glower, he raised up his hand in defense. "I'm sorry, I was telling the truth. We'll fail if we did not do our best into this. And this major project of ours is important for our future. You bunch of high schoolers haven't felt the pressure yet. Wait 'til college."
Gino soon grew silent and scrutinized the teenagers before him. They were good-looking, even from a guy's point-of-view. Despite the geeky glasses they were sporting, they were still presentable enough to look at. He bet that they were extremely popular in their school – a boarding school, they said, but did not give more details about it.
He was about to ask something more when Clara emerged, her cheeks flushed into a lovely shade. "Oh, Gino, she is perfect," she declared, pulling the hand of the brunette. "Come on, love, don't be shy."
Hermione emerged from the dressing room and a pin-drop silence settled around the whole room. Even their other groupmates, who were busy fixing the cameras and the lightings, had stopped what they were doing and stared blatantly at the brunette.
She was, simply put, gorgeous. Gino was right; she was more beautiful than before. Clara had done some Muggle magic, apparently. The college student was renowned for her simple, yet beautiful works. She had urged Hermione to put on one of her masterpieces and Clara had to stop herself from sobbing because of unadulterated joy.
The brunette had donned a black dress, which ended a few inches above her knees. A red belt was wrapped around her waist, flattering her curves. She was also wearing red high-heeled shoes ("They are darn high, Clara!") and a red headband to keep her curly hair away from her face. Finally, for her make-up, Clara had directed her make-up artist to put more emphasis on her full lips. Her make-up artist groupmate had done remarkably well, coloring her lips with a dark shade of red.
'Sexy' was what came out from Clara's mouth as soon as she gazed at the finished product, Hermione blushing furiously, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Nonsense, Minnie, you look gorgeous. You hear me!" the college student cried a tad enthusiastically. "You'll make all of them speechless, I tell you."
And speechless they were. Hermione's cheeks darkened a little more as she looked beseechingly at Clara, who only gave her a triumphant grin.
"Hello," she said, snapping her fingers in front of Gino's face. "Take pictures now, you idiot. Stop gawking."
Gino furiously blushed and went to his position, feeling a bit fidgety. Clara led Hermione in front of the white screen.
"Pose," she said.
Hermione merely blinked.
Clara tiredly sighed. "Put your hands on your waist," she said. "Come on. Good. Now, smile… oh, don't be ridiculous, Minnie! You can do better. Smile as if you are extremely happy. Think of something that made you really, really happy."
The brunette went thoughtful for a while and finally conjured a memory. It was the summer before their sixth year and she was in the Burrow. She was watching the Weasley family plus Harry play Quidditch in their pseudo-Quidditch Pitch. Ginny was the Seeker of one team and the other was Harry. Harry's group was leading, unsurprisingly, and the redhead was getting frustrated. They both spotted the snitch at the same time. And Ginny, using her femininity, had immensely distracted Harry and in the end, she had caught the snitch and they had won.
A small chuckle escaped from hers and she flashed the smile that had made the other Slytherins in the room absolutely breathless.
"Charming!" Clara cried as Gino captured her picture.
Hermione was done having her photo shoot, and now the other three were being fussed over by Clara. She smiled when she heard muffled exclamations from inside. She suspected that most of them came from Draco, who absolutely hated it when people told him how to look and what to wear.
She looked down at what she was wearing. She had finally changed from the rather "sexy" attire and was now wearing a simple blue dress that ended modestly on her knees. She had wiped off her extremely red lipstick, too, and replaced it with strawberry-flavored lipgloss, the one she usually used.
The three Slytherins finally emerged, interesting expressions on their faces. Draco was downright furious; Teddy was thrilled. Blaise, on the other hand, seemed calm as they approached the table.
"I see you're all alive," she joked lightly, noticing how their attires suited their attitudes. Draco was wearing an elegant coat and green tie, exuding his imperious attitude. Blaise, on the other hand, had donned a white-button down shirt with long sleeves and slacks – simple yet charming, just like him. And Teddy, ever carefree, was merely wearing casual clothes that made him adorable tenfold.
"Minnie and Teddy, please," Clara ushered, and Hermione stood up and followed Teddy.
Their shots were taken, carefree and almost… childish. Teddy was extremely adorable and Hermione couldn't help but smile widely at him every time they were asked to change to a new pose.
She changed clothes once again when it was Blaise's turn. This time, she donned a semi-formal white dress, which matched his. Their poses, this time, were entirely different from when she'd posed with Teddy. It was almost… sweet, Hermione thought. Blaise was being his charming self, flashing that charming smile of his.
And finally, there was Draco. Hermione felt strangely nervous when she emerged from the dressing room, this time wearing a dark green cocktail dress with silver accessories to match Draco's.
"Blondie and Minnie," Clara gestured to the front. Draco mutely glared and strolled in front, Hermione in tow.
They stood awkwardly in front of the screen. Hermione had no idea how to act around him. Blaise and Teddy's were easy. She knew their characters too well. But Malfoy, well, she had no idea. After all, he had so many different sides in him.
"Nervous, Granger?" he whispered for only her to hear.
Hermione looked scandalized. "I am not!" she retorted in a furious whisper. She willed her hands to stop shaking, balling them into fists in the end.
Her eyes then landed on his hands, which were closed as tightly as hers. A small smirk appeared on her face. "Nervous, Malfoy?" she asked teasingly. "Your hands are not relaxed at all, you know."
Almost immediately, he opened his hands. "I am not!" he cried back. She softly chuckled and he glowered. "Ah, so you're starting to act cheeky now, huh?"
Her smirk turned into a full grin. "Of course," she said nonchalantly. "I only learn from the best."
He glared for a while but it soon morphed into an all out grin. "I'm a good teacher then," he commented.
To their surprise, a blinding white light flashed and their heads whipped to Gino.
"Hey!" Draco barked. "We were not ready yet."
Gino blinked in confusion. "Really?" he asked. "Those smiles on your faces were really adorable. I thought it was your first pose."
Draco rolled his eyes and Hermione merely smiled.
"Now, pose another one for me."
"They are really something, huh?" Clara said, sidling up beside Hermione. "Those blokes with you."
The brunette diverted her eyes from the three to look at the older woman and smiled. "You have no idea," she said with a sigh.
"I'm assuming the four of you are best friends," she commented. "I've never seen such a connection among four people before, you know." A smile flitted on Clara's face. "My friendship with Gino's nothing compared to yours. Gino's a bloody bastard, but he's my best friend even if he does act like an idiot sometimes."
Hermione chuckled, looking fondly at Teddy.
"You're dating Blondie, aren't you?" Clara asked, almost accusingly.
Her cheeks flared up in embarrassment. "Oh lord, no!" she cried out. "Just… best friends."
"Really?" she asked, followed by an unladylike snort. "I swore with the way he looks at you…" Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "Oh, whatever. He's a downright git, anyway. A woman who puts up with him is probably Wonder Woman incognito."
Hermione, despite her initial discomfort, chuckled under her breath. "Oh he's worse," she said, sounding a little teasing. "Far worse."
Clara smiled, and she fondly patted Hermione's hand. "You're the little sister I've always wanted," she gushed. "I wish my big brother would someday be magicked into a girl, and a younger one than me. But I love him to pieces, so he's fine just the way he is. He can be insufferable at times, though."
"I'm ready!" Gino exclaimed.
"Excuse me for a minute, Minnie," Clara said, walking away from Hermione to stand beside the photographer.
She then morphed into professional mode and directed her gaze at the other three. "Gentlemen, find your positions," she said, clapping her hands.
In the end, Teddy was standing in between the other two. "Now pose," Gino directed. The carefree Slytherin looked at his other best friends, at a loss for what to do, when an idea suddenly came into his mind. Happily, he swung his arms over their shoulders, catching them off guard.
"Smile," Clara urged. Teddy flashed his carefree one, Blaise his charming one, and even Draco allowed himself to show his infamous 'Draco smile'. "Lovely!" she cried.
Hermione's heart swelled while watching the other Slytherins. 'They do care for each other,' she fondly thought, leaning against the table as they did their photo shoot. It was refreshing, watching them remove their inhibitions and just be… them.
"Minnie!" the college female suddenly said, cutting her off from her musings. "Come hither and I am to dress you up one last time."
This was it, their final shot. They were to shoot this together. The other three were wearing casual Muggle attire while this time, Hermione wore a red dress.
"Find your places, children," Clara directed.
The positions ended up that Hermione was between Blaise and Teddy, while Draco was standing beside Teddy.
"Now, pose," Gino said.
They looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Hermione only shrugged and smiled, directing her face at the camera.
"That's gorgeous, Minnie," the photographer commented. "You look gorgeous."
Draco rolled his eyes but did not comment at all.
"Idiots, what are you doing?" Clara called out, glaring at the other three. "Pose now, for heaven's sake! I know all of you are dead tired, and so am I. But am I complaining? I'm not."
"Feisty bitch," Teddy whispered under his breath, which made Hermione giggle.
"At the count of three, okay?" Gino called. "One."
Draco saw Teddy try to inconspicuously wrap an arm around Hermione's waist.
He saw red.
"Two."
Without really thinking about it, he slapped the back of Teddy's neck, and Teddy cried out in surprise.
"Three."
The camera flashed, capturing that moment forever.
"Oh, that was adorable," Clara commented, coming towards the four. Gino soon joined her side, hugging his precious camera against his chest.
"We cannot thank you enough," Gino said, bowing comically to show his immense gratitude. "We will undoubtedly pass this project of ours with flying colors, all because of the four of you. For that, we are eternally grateful, right Clara?"
The spirited lady smiled and held Hermione's hand. "It's nice meeting you, Minnie," she said, clutching her hands tightly. "I cannot fathom why you fraternize with these idiots, though. You're wasting your beauty!"
"Those 'idiots' can hear you," Draco said in a sing-song voice, seething at the older female.
"Because you're meant to, Blondie," she shot back. She pointedly ignored how his glare burned holes into her. "I'm really sad we're going to part now," she said, her attention on Hermione once again. "I'll seriously miss you."
The brunette laughed and patted her hand dotingly. "It's nice meeting you, Clara," she said. "This has been a great experience for the four of us."
"Wait! Before you leave, take this with you," Gino said, butting in, as he handed a photograph to Hermione. When the brunette looked at it, she recognized it as the last one they had modeled for, with an amused Blaise, a laughing her, an adorably pouting Teddy, and a glaring Draco. She couldn't help but laugh at the picture.
"Thank you, Gino," she said, smiling up at him. "It's nice meeting you, too."
The older male's smile practically lit up the whole room. He dramatically clutched her right hand and kissed her knuckles. "I'm single and available," he repeated once again. "Available."
"You've said that countless times, Bowersox," Teddy growled, pulling her hand away from his grip. "Back-off."
"Easy there, Teddy, buddy," Gino said with an easy smile.
"That's Theodore to you!" he barked out, which received an eye raise from Hermione. That meant Teddy hated him.
"Now, now, Teddy," Hermione said, clutching his arm to calm him down. "No need to be so fussy." She turned to Gino and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry; he tends to be like that."
"No worries, m'lady," he said, smiling charmingly.
"Now, lover boy, go back to your photographs and choose the ones we'll use," Clara said, pushing Gino not-so-gently. "As for the four of you, go change into your own clothes and you can leave."
They changed as fast as they could and emerged from the dressing room. The crew was fixing up the studio now, with both Clara and Gino bent over a computer.
"We'll be leaving now," Hermione cried, waving her hand in farewell. She ushered the other three out of the room. Before she left, she pointed her wand subtly at the computer, so that if a magical person ever stumbled upon their photographs, they would not recognize them.
"Goodbye," Clara said, watching them as they stepped out from the room.
"Goodbye, Minnie!" Gino cried. "I'm available, remember that! I'm available!"
"You idiot," Clara said, hitting his head as soon as the other four were gone. "Stop pestering the poor girl. She's obviously not interested in you."
Gino scowled. "How could she not be? I'm Gino Bowersox, most eligible bachelor of our school. Girls fall down on their knees just to beg me to take them out on a date," he cried.
"Keep dreaming, Bowersox," she said. "And besides, Minnie's too intelligent to go out with the likes of you. Although, I must say that when it comes to guys, the lady's absolutely dense! Blimey, those three blokes had it bad. Real bad."
Gino nodded and sighed. "Too true," he said. "Too true."
"So… tired," Hermione yawned as soon as they arrived in their room. She walked blindly towards her bed and plopped down, quickly drifting off into dreamland.
"And she hasn't even changed," Blaise said, smiling fondly at her sleeping form.
Draco sighed. "It's entirely her fault for being dead tired," he commented. "If she wasn't too… too… compassionate we could have returned earlier."
Blaise chuckled while Teddy smiled goofily. "Well, if she wasn't compassionate," the carefree Slytherin interjected, "then she wouldn't be Hermione Granger."
The blond snorted and slowly approached her bed. "I do not understand how Potter and Weasley stand her," he said. "All these years, gracing her bossy self."
The Italian nodded thoughtfully, also approaching her bed absentmindedly. "Come to think of it, she's weird." He paused and released a small chuckle. "She's different. Absolutely different."
"Yeah," Teddy agreed, nodding his head vigorously. "She's unpredictable, isn't she? You have no idea what she'll do or say next. Definitely different from the other girls we usually meet, don't you think?"
"Granger's so mind-boggling," Draco said with a resigned sigh, pulling out his wand and transfiguring her clothes into pajamas. "Sometimes, she makes me want to rip my hair out of my scalp."
Blaise smiled, and gently pulled the comforter from under her and placed it on top of her body. She snuggled comfortably under it and released a satisfied sigh. "Sometimes, she makes me want to overdose on tea in hope of calming my nerves down."
"Ha!" Teddy cried, removing her high-heeled shoes and placing them on the floor. "Sometimes, she makes me want to hug her tight just to shut her up."
"Pervert," Draco pointed out, running his hand absentmindedly through her soft curls to remove her butterfly hairclip.
"What? That's how I feel," the carefree Slytherin said, slightly pouting.
The Italian chuckled and pushed Teddy back to his bed. "We don't want to wake her up now, do we?" he asked. "She needs a good night's rest after being such a compassionate person today."
Draco rolled his eyes and strolled towards his bed, changing into his pajamas. Blaise smiled and went to his own bed, changed into his pajamas, and bid his other two best friends a cheerful goodnight. Draco answered with a grunt and Teddy with an equally cheerful goodnight of his own.
As they slowly drifted to dreamland, minds on Hermione Granger, they each secretly thought that she was absolutely perfect just the way she was.
A/N: Aww, I loved this chapter. Haha, and it's Blaise and Teddy's first mission as spies! And, can I just say that I love Clara and Gino? XD Don't know how I came up with their characters but whatever. I just love them. Period. Or if you're British, Full Stop!
Anyway, how did you like it? Tell me in your reviews.
That's it for now. See you next chapter thirty-three! Again, reviews!
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe