It didn't take long with the use of the map to locate their friend. He was in an un-used classroom with a few other students. Hermione recognized the name Ginny had mentioned, along with a few other names she was familiar with. Justin's being at the top of the list. That seemed weird to her. She knew that Harry and him had a fight over Draco at the beginning of term.
Hermione and Ron both headed to the fourth floor and opened the door, the students all hanging out laughing, passing a bottle around. Whatever Hermione had been expecting, it wasn't a private party.
Harry was drinking from his own bottle, off to the side watching the other boys laughing playing some game,a petite girl in his lap with dark brown hair and large brown eyes. She was whispering something in Harry's ear that he must have found amusing, because he let out a low laugh.
"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione asked angrily. "Selina, you do realize that Harry is bonded don't you? To Draco Malfoy..." She approached the two, and made a face as Harry held the girl close, clearly not willing to let her up. The girl glared at Hermione but made no move to get up.
"A clear mistake on my part. I have no idea what I was thinking when I went through with that. I'm one of the most powerful Alphas today and I settled for Malfoy. Good thing I am not required to care." Harry challenged. "I've asked Selina to be here with me, she is quite aware of my mistake and I told her he won't be an issue. One good thing about all that pureblood upbringing is that he was designed to take and follow orders. So he will sit and wait for me as long as I tell him too. Heck, he would throw himself off the top of the castle if I demand it."
Hermione pulled out her wand, as did Ron when Justin and two other boys moved towards them. "If you step anywhere near my mate Justin I will end you in a blink of an eye and not think twice about it. I'm not sure what little game you have going on here or what you did to Harry but you aren't going to get away with it." Ron snapped anger flashing in his eyes.
"It's not a game Ron. This is very much real. I can't help that Harry has seen it our way. That Malfoy is finally getting all he deserves. With any luck he will pass away in that damn room with in the week and every one of us will be rid of him. One less death eater to muck up the wizarding world." Justin shrugged. "Harry is here on his own free will. This is what he wants. To be able to do as he wants. Use and take what he wants. Not be saddled with a mate who couldn't even give him an heir. Imagine being bonded to such a weak omega. No wonder Harry ditched him the second he could."
Hermione looked at Harry, "Harry, whatever this is, this isn't you. You have to fight it. You would never play with someone's life like this. Draco will eventually die with out you Harry and I know you won't forgive yourself if that Happens." Hermione watched as some type of recognition flashed across Harrys face and she heard him whisper Draco's name. "Yes Harry. Draco. He's in the hospital wing and he needs you. Come with us and we will bring you to him. He needs his mate Harry."
Whatever recognition that appeared was gone almost as quick, "That's too bad for him isn't it? I am busy and won't be wasting my time. Now if you two wouldn't mind, you are sucking the fun out of this party. We are celebrating, Selina and I have a special night planned."
Hermione saw red when she watched Harry slide his hand across her stomach and down her leg reaching under her skirt. With a few quick waves of her wand and yelled spells everyone in the room was knocked out cold but Ron.
"Bloody Hell Hermione. This is exactly why I don't piss you off. A bomb you are. It's sexy you know." Ron looked at her with a smile moving towards her, his scent clear on his intentions.
"As flattered as I am Ronald that you want to jump me, levitate Harry for me? I'm going to grab whatever this is that he was drinking. Let's get him down stairs to the potions lab. Hopefully we can get this mess solved fairly quickly." A few more waves of her wand and the group of Hufflepuffs were bound and wandless. "Cant have them escaping before we get to the head Mistress. Snape first. Come on Ron. We have no time to waste."
"You are an amazing woman and I will never in this lifetime doubt the power you possess. I pity the people who ever question it." Ron levitated Harry in front of him as they made those way down from the fourth floor to the dungeons.
The walk went by quicker than expected, and thankfully they ran into no one on the way down. The last thing they needed was to have to explain why they had a very unconscious Harry Potter floating in front of them.
Hermione knocked on the lab door, but didn't wait for their professors response before opening the door and ushering Ron inside. She had him lay Harry on top of one of the tables and looked over to see Snape staring at them with one eye brow raised in question.
"Harry... uh... well he wasn't quite himself and forced me to knock him out. Should make your job a bit easier anyways. Also, we took this. He was drinking from it when we found him." Hermione offered the bottle to Snape who took it running it below his nose inhaling its scent.
"Smart... whiskey hides the smell pretty well. The question is, who brewed it and how did it make into the school. Do you know who gave this to Mr. Potter?" Snape asked setting the bottle down pulling out a few glass phials and setting up to test the liquid to confirm whatever suspicions he had.
"Well I can't say for sure, but he was with Justin Finch-Fletchley and if I had to guess he had something to do with it. They were celebrating what I assume was Draco's suffering. They are also knocked out on the fourth floor." Hermione watched Snape work. He took samples from the bottle and frowned when the phials turned colors. "Do you know what is in it?"
"Yes Miss Granger. This whiskey has been laced with a very powerful potion. It's banned by the ministry. Just as there are three unforgivable curses, there are three potions that result in similar results. They were banned and deemed unforgivable around the same time. There is very few books left in this world that contain the needed ingredients and directions to brew this potion. It's extensive, very expensive and difficult to make even for the most practiced potions master. A few drops is all it takes every few days, once the drinker takes it, you place a single thought into their head, and the potion will make them behave based on that single thought alone. It will spiderweb into their mind making it impossible to convince the drinker that they are making a mistake. My guess is the thought they used would have something to do with rejecting Mr. Malfoy. Since Mr.Potter here seems to have higher capabilities when it comes to influential magic, they needed to dose him a bit higher and more often, which is why his change is less than subtle. His body is attempting to fight it causing the random outbursts and changes in his complete behavior."
"So it will wear off?" Hermione asked hopefully. "How long can that take?"
Snape looked at Hermione, "of that, I am unsure. I can't be positive how much he has taken and how often with out questioning his fellow class mate. The concern at this point is if the potion did any lasting damage to Mr.Potter. Under long use or over use, it can cause damage to the brain of the user. The best thing for us to do at this point will be to take him to the hospital wing and let his body detox. Once he's come down from it, we can determine the extent of the damage. I pray that Mr. Potter recovers quickly. I saw Mr. Malfoy just before your arrival and things have, well, let's just hope shall we. Mr. Weasley if you would be so kind as to levitate Mr. Potter to the infirmary while I gather some thing that the boys may require."
With that, Snape bottled up the whiskey, then shrank it down and placed it into his robes. He spoke no more and moved quickly, time was not on their side.
--
Harry blinked several times, the harsh lights above him indicating he was certainly in the hospital wing. When he tried to open his eyes full his stomach rolled and instantly he turned, throwing up his stomachs entire contents. Luckily Hermione was sitting along side his bed and was quick to grab the bucket that had been left. Snape had warned her that the detox could become messy.
"Hermione?" Harry asked weakly, tossing his stomach twice more before there was nothing left and the bile burned his throat. "What happened? Where's Draco?" He asked trying to sit up.
"Take your time Harry. You've been unconscious for two days." Hermione said gently patting his leg. "Let me get you some water and clean up this mess." She said softly standing and vanishing the contents of the bucket. She pour Harry a glass of cold water helping him take a few sips.
"Hermione, what happened and where is Draco?" Harry asked again, panic settling into the pit of his empty stomach. Something wasn't right. Hermione wasn't making eye contact with him. She had never been a good liar.
"Harry, what do you remember? What is the last thing you remember doing before you woke up here." Hermione sat back down offering her hand which Harry took as he clearly tried to rack his brain.
"I- I left dinner. I went and saw McGonagall about what you and I talked about. It... went well. She was very pleased to hear that I was taking an active interest in making changes. I- I left her office and... that's the last thing I remember. Did someone attack me? You said I've been out for two days?"
Hermione squeezed his hand lovingly. "Yes, but before that you were under a very powerful potion. It's been a week since that meeting Harry. Can you remember anything else?"
Harry frowned, a whole week had passed? He closed his eyes trying to concentrate on some of the passing images in his head. "Just dreams really... Nightmares would be more like it... Hermione. Where is Draco. Why isn't he here with you?" Harry looked around. There was no trace of his mate. No scent. Draco had not been here.
"Harry, I need you to understand me. What happened was not your fault. Justin... what he did to you.. to Draco. There was nothing you could have done. No one knew something had happened this serious. The second we did... everyone feels responsible. Especially Ginny. She thinks we should have gone to McGonagall sooner than we did. We didn't know that this... it's our fault for trying to handle it alone."
"Hermione, please stop stalling. Where. Is. Draco." His heart was hammering. Why wouldn't she look at him. "I want to see Draco right now Hermione. Where is he?"
Hermione bit her lip, one year sliding down her cheek, "Harry, I'm sorry..."
Harry looked at her taking his hand back, "You're lying to me. You're lying!" Harry frantically moved away from her stumbling as he made it out of bed. He would find Draco on his own.