Happy New Year, everyone!
As always, feel free to tell me what you think! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and the world of Harry Potter.
Although she had yet another dreamless night, Hermione was in a foul mood on Sunday. Were it not for the three Gryffindors, she would have gotten away with sneaking around and would not have gotten any detention.
The girl walked infuriated to the Gryffindor Tower to retrieve Harry's Cloak. She was determined to make the boys pay for their mistake. Bloody first years! What on earth were they doing outside their dorm at that hour? Were they not aware of the curfew? But of course they were… everybody is! she puffed out exasperated and then she let the train of thoughts continue Gryffindor courage. Now I understand Snape's…reservations towards my House. Hermione was angry at the boys for putting her in that position, but somehow it reminded her of the years herself, Harry and Ron spent sneaking out of their dorm and even out of the castle. But she reminded herself the times were different not so long ago. They often found themselves in trouble and had to fight off the bad guys. She sighed. She didn't know what to do. I should have let them there, let Snape catch them. At least that way they would have learnt their lesson. Or not.
"Hermione!" Ginny shouted at her best friend. She looked lost in her thoughts.
Hermione stopped from her stride at the sound of Ginny's voice and turned her head to look at the redheaded girl who was looking at her, puzzled. "What's wrong, Ginny?" she inquired.
The redhead looked even more confused at the other girl's question. "Well, you should tell me that! You're the one with the uncanny behavior after all."
"What do you mean, 'uncanny behavior'? I was just walking to our Tower." Hermione defended herself.
"Yes, and you looked murderous doing so… I thought you were going to Avada someone!" Ginny replied amused.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at the redheaded girl "Ha ha. Very funny, Ginny."
Ginny let out a giggle and then asked her "So what happened? What put you in this mood? Is it Malfoy? Can we hex that blond twat at last?"
"Ginny! Malfoy is perfectly cordial, you know?" Hermione sighed and then started walking again "The boys in our House though… I caught three Gryffindor first years last night, hanging around after curfew!"
"And that made you so homicidal?" Ginny asked with a chuckle and earned a scowl from the other girl.
"Oh, but that's nothing. It's a good thing I found them before Snape did and hushed them away, but that got me into detention with him. If it wasn't for the three dunderheads…" Hermione revolted, but Ginny interrupted her.
"Oh, relax, Hermione. It's just a detention. You will probably have to scrub a dozen cauldrons. It's over. Don't worry, everything will be fine." The redhead assured her.
"But Ginny, it's not only about the detention. It's not about me anymore. I am the Head Girl and I need to be a good example for others. I can almost hear Snape going on again about my duties and about my irresponsibility…" she sighed.
"Since when do you care what Snape says?" Ginny asked, a little amused.
"Since always! And he is right. My behavior has been unacceptable." She said firmly.
"Now that you mention it… what were you doing after curfew?" Ginny inquired with a knowing look and saw as the other girl quickened the pace and she stayed behind. She watched as the angry Gryffindor entered the Tower and then turned on her heels and walked back. It was time to start her plan.
Ginny almost ran to the Head Girl's and Boy's common room. She stood in front of the portrait for a second and then she whispered the password she heard from Hermione. The door opened and she immediately found herself face to face with the Head Boy. For a moment, they just stared at each other, neither of them being sure if they had ever exchanged words before.
"Can I help you?" He finally broke the silence as he raised a brow in doubt and he continued "If you are looking for –" but was interrupted before he got to finish his sentence.
"No, I am not looking for Hermione. I was actually hoping to talk to you." She started in a low voice and that made him raise his brow again, curious.
Draco stepped back in, leading her inside as well. "I'm listening." He told her as he crossed his arms at his chest.
Ten minutes later, they heard Hermione talking to the portrait on the outside door and Ginny quickly rose to her feet from her place on the couch. Draco swiftly mirrored her movement.
"Hermione can't know that I was here." Ginny whispered and Draco directed her to his room. He was just closing the door behind her when Hermione entered the common room suspiciously.
"Are you alone?" she asked him with a frown.
"Yes," he replied with a sincere smile.
Hermione's expression changed at that, but she wasn't convinced. "I thought I heard someone talking."
Draco couldn't believe the situation he was in. He was protecting the Weasley girl from the Know-It-All and the situation somehow amused him. It was nice to know he was needed, that he was helping in some way so he continued with the charade, making a fool of himself "Well, when I am alone, I tend to… speak…" he told her and he managed to blush slightly, making it more believable.
Hermione raised her brow in doubt and she took a step closer to him. "You tend to… speak?"
"Yes." He replied curt.
Hermione sighed. It was clear that he was hiding something. Or someone. She grinned before replying "I know that it's not allowed to bring… companions to our chambers, but I would not say anything if someone did so. We're grown ups after all."
He snorted at the thought of the Weasley girl being his 'companion'. "Really, Granger, I just told you my deepest secret and you go on about companions?"
Hermione let out a chuckle at that. "Yeah, like I would believe you!"
"Well, it's only the truth!" he grinned.
Hermione rolled her eyes amused and started walking to her room. "I'll leave you so that your… imaginary friends can come out. Have fun!" She said and she entered the room.
Draco stood still as she entered her private space and then he returned to his own. Inside, he found the other girl standing in front of the door, arms crossed at her chest. She looked furious.
"Really? You talk when you're alone? Really? That's the best you could come up with?" she attacked him when he closed the door behind him.
"Relax, at least she doesn't know that you're here." He defended himself amused.
"For now…" she replied thoughtfully.
"Well, she will figure it out anyway. She's anything but stupid and we all know it!" he said as he walked past her and jumped on his bed. He reached for his book on the nightstand and started reading, supporting himself on the bed's wooden headboard.
"And how am I gonna get out without her noticing?" she whispered.
"You can't. She will notice anyway." He told her without looking away from his book.
Ginny exhaled frustrated. "Great. Now I'm stuck here, with you" she said, emphasizing the last word.
"I'm glad you are here too!" he replied with an innocent smile.
Hermione closed the door behind her and put the Cloak on the small table next to the door. She was pleased with herself. She got Harry's Cloak back from the three trouble makers and she managed to castigate them by sending them off to Hagrid's. They would be feeding all the creatures by now. And not all of them were friendly and nice. Hagrid is a better choice than Snape when it comes to discipline, anyway. She sighed when she thought about Snape. She wasn't looking forward to his detention. She really wasn't in the mood for anything he must have planned for her.
Not long after she had made herself comfortable in her reading chair, she heard Malfoy's door close. He also returned to his room, then. Hermione listened closely for any signs of noise and she thought she heard whispers. She thought about who might be the mysterious companion. She thought that maybe since he and Pansy are always together, she might have decided to pay him a visit. Her eyes darted to her working table across the room where the Map was neatly folded to keep its secrets hidden. She took a step closer. And another. A few steps later, she found herself at the table, holding the Map in her hand. "Merlin, what am I doing? It's not any of my concern." She whispered and she dropped the Map.
Half an hour later, Hermione was absorbed by a book professor McGonnagal recommended in Transfiguration when she heard Malfoy's door open. And close. And then the door to the school's corridors opened and closed. Five minutes later, the procedure repeated and Hermione returned to her reading.
As Hermione got up from the bed early on Monday morning, starting the third week of school, she had an uneasy feeling deep in her gut. She went to bed late as per usual, and although she didn't remember having nightmares, she had the same uneasy feeling as if she had just woken up from one. But if she did have one, she was happy she did not remember its horrors at least.
She got up and was ready to go to breakfast in less than fifteen minutes. When she entered the common room she shared with Malfoy, she was surprised to not see him there, waiting for her as he had done for the first couple of weeks. After a moment of deliberation, she decided she would at least make an effort, maybe he was still asleep and would otherwise be late. She knocked on his door a few times and called his name, but there was no response from the other side. She could, of course, look for him on the map she got from Harry, but she didn't have a lot of time to look for him everywhere and she also didn't want to. Thinking about it, she couldn't recall hearing him come back the previous evening if indeed one of the persons she heard going out of his room was himself. She hadn't thought about it before, but of course he could still have friends among the Slytherins in the dungeons, he could have easily spent the night there. Or maybe he got himself a girlfriend somewhere in the castle. It was none of her business, really, so she just stepped outside and made her way to the Great Hall alone.
When she got there, her eyes inadvertently darted to the Slytherin table and he was there, chatting to his fellow classmates. She didn't think anything of it as she took her place next to Ginny and Neville.
"So, Hermione, you look much better than yesterday. Did you get your revenge on those three dummies?" Ginny asked with a devilish grin.
Hermione chuckled at that and her eyes darted to where the three troublemakers were sitting. They looked pale and they weren't eating. "Yes, but I hope that it wasn't too much for them. They seem whitish." She told Ginny, concerned.
"Don't worry, Hermione, I'm sure they're fine! After all, they should learn their lesson. They can't just walk around the castle at night like they own the place!" The other girl reassured her.
"Yeah, I know, you're right." the Head Girl replied and she looked away, her eyes setting on Neville, who looked slightly the same as the three boys and he wasn't eating either. "Neville? What's wrong?" she asked him worriedly.
His eyes turned to his untouched food on his plate at her question "Nothing, I'm just not hungry." he told her as he got up from his seat and left the room.
"What happened?" Hermione asked Ginny when he was out of sight.
Ginny sighed. "I heard that he asked Luna out and she said 'no'."
"Oh no, poor Neville! But I thought she liked him as well…"
"I thought so too. I will try to speak to her, see what's on her mind, but I don't have much hope, honestly… Anyway, I hope he is ok." Ginny replied, concern written all over her face.
"I hope so too." Hermione sighed.
The classes passed quickly and now Hermione found herself walking back to her dorm. She wanted to finish her essay in Transfiguration for the following day before she had to go down in the dungeons for her detention with Snape. Five minutes later, she was standing outside the door to her quarters and she opened her mouth to say the password, but she stopped when she saw that the door was slightly opened. Her heart started beating faster. She got out her wand and walked in slowly, cautious for any signs of danger, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw and heard.
"Surprise!" she heard twenty of her friends and fellow Gryffindors yell.
Hermione was left standing there, in front of all those people. She was counting the days in her head. 19! Merlin! She had forgotten her own birthday! How was that even possible? she thought frustrated.
When Hermione didn't respond to their "Surprise", Ginny broke the silence with a chuckle. "You forgot, didn't you?"
"No…" Hermione replied as she blushed slightly and everyone started laughing, her included. "Thank you, guys, I really wasn't expecting this."
"Obviously." Ginny replied in a Snape-alike voice and everyone burst into laughter once again. When the laughter dissipated, everyone stepped in front of Hermione and wished her a "Happy Birthday".
When the wishes were over, Ginny charmed a pillow from the couch into a music player and the party was on. Everyone was having fun, but Hermione didn't know what to do. She wasn't a party person. She just wanted to hide in a corner and watch, but Ginny and Draco got to her before that happened.
"Merlin!" Hermione exclaimed as she suddenly realized "You two. Ginny! It was you, yesterday. You were here."
Ginny let out a giggle. "You got me. I wanted to ask for Malfoy's help to make this happen."
"Thank you both! I really appreciate it!" she grinned happily. "So she is your imaginary friend, huh?" Hermione asked Draco with a grin.
"It looks like she is." He replied with a genuine smile and he handed her the butterbeer he was holding.
"Cheers!" Ginny raised her beer and the three of them drank together. A moment later, Neville joined them followed by Luna.
Although she did not consider herself a party person, she also didn't want to be a party pooper. So naturally, Hermione spent the afternoon chatting to different people, showing real interest in everyone present, partaking in board games and even silly drinking games. When evening arrived, only the five of them remained in the living room she shared with Malfoy. Hermione, Ginny and Luna were sitting on the couch and the boys, Neville and Draco, were playing wizard's chess at the small table in front of them.
Ginny let out a drunken giggle. "I've had such a good time! We should do this more often."
"But a person is only born once." Luna said in her dreamy voice. She was the most sober of them.
The others laughed slowly at the blonde girl's remark and then Ginny replied again "True, but we can do this without celebrating someone's birthday."
"I think that's a good idea" Neville stated. He also had a good time and he enjoyed spending time with his friends. And Malfoy was turning out to be a good chess player.
"As long as we stay focused on our studies." Hermione's half asleep voice could be heard from the couch. "On another note, I think I had a little too much butterbeer." She complained as she started getting veery dizzy.
"You had only three butterbeers! That's nothing." Ginny replied amused.
"You forgot the glass of firewhiskey you forced me to drink." Hermione accused as she raised her head from the back of the couch to look at the redhead, but she let it fall back when everything started spinning around her. "And the two I had to drink at Truth or Dare. Why does everybody want me to drink?" she asked rhetorically.
"Yeah, where did you get that from, anyway?" Neville asked curiously.
"It's Malfoy's," Ginny told them with a chuckle.
"It's from my father's collection." Draco informed them. "He won't even notice it."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want him and Snape storming in and claiming it." Neville reacted.
"Relax. He won't even notice it, I told you. And besides, if he were to trace this back to me, he would just send professor Snape."
Hermione, who was almost asleep on the couch, woke up startled when she heard what they were talking about. "Snape! Oh my God, I have detention with Snape!" she exclaimed as she swiftly rose to her feet, ignoring the dizziness and she stormed out of the room.
The others watched calmly as she exited the room. "I don't think professor Snape will like this." Luna voiced her thoughts.
"No, he won't." Neville said. "We should have stopped her." He continued, concerned and then he chuckled. A moment later, the room was filled with laughter. They all had a bit too much to drink.
Hermione ran through the cold and dark castle corridors and was about to turn right to enter the Potion's classroom corridor when she bumped into something hard and due to her speed, she was standing on the floor now, with her eyes closed, waiting for the pain of the fall to come, but when nothing happened, she opened her eyes and supported herself on her hands to rise her head. She couldn't believe what she saw. Beneath her, her Potions professor fuming.
"Professor? Are you all right?" She was concerned and she had to support her head with her hand to keep it from spinning. She hated herself for getting drunk.
"Well, you are the Know-It-All, so you tell me. Am I all right? Do I bloody look all right?" he raised his voice at her.
"I am so so sorry, sir, I didn't mean to –" she started but she was cut off by him.
"Granger!" he intervened. "Get off. Of. Me. Now!" His voice was threatening.
Surprised, Hermione jumped directly to her feet. She was so stunned and tipsy, she didn't even process what had happened. She had bumped into her professor for crying out loud! And she was drunk, on top of that. And she had no idea what time it was. It was at that moment, that she knew she had messed up. Badly.
The quick movement made her extremely dizzy and she had to lean against the opposite wall for support. "I'm so sorry, professor!" she told him again.
Snape stayed like that for a second before he also rose to his feet, feeling his back stiff. He stretched and the bones in his back cracked. He sighed in relief when the pain disappeared and he focused on the girl in front of him. Even in the light of her lumos she looked pale. "Are you unwell, Miss Granger?" he asked in his low voice. He hoped that she was, because that was the only reason he would accept her behaviour. Not only had she completely missed detention as it was past ten p.m and she had to be there at eight, but she was also out after curfew, and on top of that, she had assaulted a teacher! Oh, he hoped for her sake the reason she was running at least was to get to the infirmary.
Hermione watched him raise his lumos closer to her face as he took a couple of steps to stop just in front of her. She felt the need to run away from him, but her back was already pressed against the wall. Bugger!
"N…no, Sir. I am sorry I injured you, but I was trying to get to your class for detention. I know I'm late, but it's my birthday, and I completely forgot, and some friends surprised me with a birthday party, and I completely lost track of time, and –" she blurted until he finally interrupted her.
"Miss Granger!" he snapped. She could see he was angry. She closed her eyes, no longer daring to look at him. "Do you know, by any chance, what time is it?" He asked as he took one step closer to examine her more closely. He had a hunch, but he couldn't believe the girl was stupid enough for that.
"Um… I really can't say, sir." She told him as she opened her eyes. The world seemed to be spinning around her. She straightened herself on the wall, hoping she would not embarrass herself any further.
"It is past ten thirty, Miss Granger. So not only did you completely miss your detention, but you are also out after curfew. Let's not forget how you assaulted a teacher! So tell me, what do you have to say for yourself?" He took one final step towards her until there was no room for her to move. All she could do was lean backwards against the wall. The strong musky and herbal scent coming off of him could have been quite pleasant, but Hermione, being in such a sensitive state, almost felt sick to her stomach.
Hermione couldn't say anything, she was horrified by all those offenses, but she knew that it would only get worse if she opened her mouth.
When he realized he would not get an answer from the stubborn girl in front of him, he pressed the matter. "Speak, girl!" he leaned forward and for a second, their noses slightly touched. At that, he quickly retreated a step back, but the sudden movement made her lean forward and lose balance. Had it not been for Snape grabbing her elbow, she would have found herself on the floor for the second time that evening. This time alone.
Hermione took a deep breath, testing the queasiness she felt in her stomach. "I'm mortified, sir!" she admitted. She wanted to say more, but she didn't feel capable. She hoped her answer was enough for him to leave her alone. She just wanted to jump into her bed and not face him ever again.
"As you should be. Your behaviour is unacceptable. Even so, you might have gotten away with a simple detention were it not for the fact that you are also – drunk!" He squeezed her elbow and raised his wand next to her face as if to prove a point.
As the girl recoiled from the bright light, a threatening feeling in the pit of her stomach made her flinch and she could only mutter a "Oh no" before emptying the contents of her stomach directly in front of her, on the shiny boots of the Potions Master.
When Hermione raised her head from the floor, she faced a furious Snape. He looked like he was going to cast an Unforgivable on her, but he didn't open his mouth. He just waved his wand to clean the mess she had made, not even glancing away from her, and then grabbed her elbow again, dragging her into the empty Potions classroom and seating her onto the chair across his desk.
He stood in front of her; arms folded against his chest, and watched her with a scowl. After a minute of awkward silence, Hermione decided to do something about it. "Sir, I am so, so sorry, I didn't mean to… throw up on you…" she tried embarrassed. She still couldn't believe that she just threw up on her teacher. It was only his shoes, but still, she knew it was a capital offense, especially because the teacher was none other than Snape!
She got up from her chair to do something, to make him say something. She could do with an angry verbal Snape, but she didn't know how to deal with a quiet one. Again, the dizziness got her as she sat up, and she fell back onto the chair. At that pitiful display, Snape reacted at last.
"I would suggest you stay put if you don't want to embarrass yourself even more." He told her and then walked to the ingredients cupboard. When he returned to Hermione, he was holding a small vial filled with green liquid. He held it to her, but he seemed to change his mind and placed it on his desk. Hermione raised a brow in suspicion.
"That is a potion for your condition. You may not need it now, but tomorrow you most definitely will." he explained, but did not hand her the phial. "Unfortunately for you, that liquid does not leave this phial. Your future state is well deserved and you do not deserve such relief."
Hermione couldn't believe the cruel man in front of her. She knew he enjoyed seeing people suffer, but to just torment and tease her so, seemed on another level. Why couldn't he just deduct those points and throw her in detention already and be over with?
"Yes, sir, I understand." she told him slowly, her head still spinning.
As if reading her mind, he vanished the green liquid with a slight wand movement and spoke "Fifty points from Gryffindor! I expect to see you in class tomorrow and if you even think about skipping one of your other classes, or if I don't see you in the Great Hall in the morning, I will deduct more points accordingly!" the man concluded with a sneer.
"Yes, Sir!" she replied, still ashamed. She was thankful that at least he seemed to be relaxing a bit.
"Oh, but that is not all, Miss Granger!" He took a few steps towards her and the movement reminded Hermione of a lion chasing its prey. "I will see you in detention for two weeks. Eight p.m sharp every day."
Hermione sighed, she knew she couldn't get away that easily. "Yes, sir!" there really wasn't anything she could do about it, she knew what she did was bad.
"I will also discuss the matter with your Head of House. If she sees fit, she might add more castigation from her part, but you will discuss that with her."
"Of course, sir!" was all she managed to say.
The professor gave her a suspicious look before finally sending her away. "You are dismissed, Miss Granger, and please try not to get into more trouble on your way!"
She rose to her feet at his dismissal and had to support herself on the desk so she wouldn't lose balance. Snape let out an exasperated breath at that motioned for her to follow him. "Come, I will escort you to your dorm. I can't trust you to get there without harming yourself."
"Thank you, sir." She expressed her gratitude. She was embarrassed, but relieved to not be left alone.
"Yes, now let's go, I don't have all night." He cut her short and he led her to the door.
Hermione followed him out the door and started walking to her dorm. All the way, he stayed behind her, as if to catch her if she would fall. For Hermione, it was maddening. It was like he wanted her to trip and fall and then turn it against her. Luckily, for her, she only tripped twice and she steadied herself before he barged in and played the hero. Hermione was angry at the man, but she knew that it was probably the butterbeer and firewhiskey that were enhancing her emotions.
After what seemed like an eternity, she could finally see the familiar portrait outside her chambers and she turned to Snape. "Well, here we are. Thank you, sir!" she thanked him and she went to whisper the password to the portrait. Before she stepped in, she turned her head to where Snape sat just a minute ago and she was surprised to see him still standing there, watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. She shook her head and she walked in and closed the door behind her.