Enchanted ~ A Hermione x Draco fanfic

Sour greetings

'What the hell Hermione?!' Ron squeaked on the way to Potions with Snape.

'I beg your pardon, Ronald?' She replied tonelessly.

'YOU AND MALFOY?' Ron shouted angrily, and Hermione pulled them into a nearby broom-cupboard.

Hermione looked deadly serious. 'Now, I'll be quick because Snape'll skewer us if we're late. We can talk about this later, and if its any of your business-'

'So it's true?' Ron almost wailed.

'Yes. No- oh, I don't know. But what I do know is if you breathe a word of this to Harry, I'll skewer you before Snape has the chance. You know what Harry's like about Draco..'

'You're on first name basis, are you now?'

'Oh shut up, Ron. I'm going before I'm caught late; stuck in a broom-cupboard with you!'

Ron was considerably sour with Hermione from then on, much to Harry's confusion.
'What's going on with you two?' He finally said when Ron scowled once more at Hermione from across the dormitory.

'Oh nothing at all.' Hermione said unbelievingly.

Ron looked horrified that he couldn't tell Harry, his best friend and fellow hater of all things Malfoy. He stiffened at Harry's gaze, knowing he was terrible at hiding things from Harry.

'Say Hermione, did you manage to find the lost galleon?' Seamus greeted as he dumped himself onto an unoccupied sofa.

'Yes.' She said stiffly.

'Who had it?' Harry said, happy to change subjects.

Hermione knew she would regret revealing the true previous owner of the coin. 'No-one in particular.'

'Go on, spill.' Snapped Ron.

'It really doesn't matter.' Hermione said quietly.

'No, I insist.'

'Yeah, tell us.' Seamus butted in.

'It's really no one important-' Hermione insisted.

'Then why won't you tell us?' Ron continued.

'Oh I don't mind, Hermione, you can tell them.' Said a familiarly dreamy voice from the portrait hole.

'Luna? This is the Gryffindor common room!' Said Harry.

'Neville invited me in.' She smiled, and adjusted her dangling radish earrings. 'As I was saying, Hermione was just trying not to embarrass me. I never lost the galleon, it was under my pillow the whole time.'

There was a chorus of frustrated 'LUNA!'s but she only threw Hermione a sympathetic smile.

Once the conversation had dissolved, Hermione called Luna over to a corner.

'Luna, I found the galleon, why did you-'

'Oh, I'm sorry, it's just, we all have secrets. I wanted to spare you some trouble. After all, we have the galleon, that's all that matters.' She smiled.

At that moment, Hermione would have liked to hug Luna, but Neville interrupted.

'Uh, Percy said you have to go back to your Ravenclaw common room now, it's after hours.' He looked disappointed.

'Goodbye Hermione Granger.' Luna said politely.

'I love that girl sometimes.' Hermione said aloud, and Neville blushed a bright shade of pink.

****

'Now, Miss.. Granger. Could you please describe to me the symptoms of Heathling's Love Potion?'

'Heathling's. The strongest of all brands of love potions tested so far, causes symptoms of extreme giddiness, flushing, and severe attractions to the sender of the potion.' Hermione recited.

'The exact same as written in this textbook here, so of course, perfect.' Professor Charmling admired. Professor Snape had taken the day off after a severe curse had befallen his best quidditch beater, and he insisted on seeing to him, much to Madame Pomfrey's displeasure.

'Now, Love potions are particularly nasty when gotten wrong. So it seems odd that Professor.. Snape would assign you all to attempt it. Is he usually so trusting?' Professor Charmling continued.

'I wouldn't say trusting.. More-doing-i- for-the-sake-of-watching-us-fail.' Seamus said from the back of the classroom.

'Now now, I'm sure that's not true.' She tutted.

Unfortunately it was, and Neville retched frequently after just a teaspoon full of his own potion. Charmling had to send three others to the hospital wing, which even more unfortunately was where Snape was sat menacingly tending to his beater.

Ron had actually succeeded in his, much to Hermione's chagrin. Although hers too had boiled to satisfaction, Charmling had described Ron's as 'without flaw'.

'I guess you don't need love potion, Hermione. You've already enchanted someone without any.' Ron snapped at her.

Draco, whose potion was glowing unusually yellow and smelt like sick, had heard this. 'And I guess you don't need a love potion either, Weasley, since no girl in her right mind would go out with you, love potion or not.'

In the few seconds between this remark, Ron managed to hurl himself across the room at Draco, sending the class into dismay. Draco finished with a stream of blood dripping plentifully from his nose, and Ron with an already-forming black eye and a click in his jaw that suggested he'd possibly broken it. Charmling almost fainted with so much action and two girls were crying over how sudden it happened. Hermione was furious.

'What the hell do you think you're playing at?!' Hermione barked at neither of the two in particular as she accompanied them to the hospital wing.

'But he started-' Draco almost yelled before he was cut off by Hermione.

'You completely over-reacted! Anyway, he was talking to me, not you!'

Ron was looking rather smug as Hermione turned her anger towards him. 'And what makes you think you're one world class fighter? You could have been seriously hurt, either of you!' Her face was pale yet oddly dark in terms of expression.

That's when Draco started. 'And what makes you so high and mighty, Hermione? You act like you like me, then don't talk to me for days on end! And when you do, it's to accuse me of stealing one of your precious galleons!'

'I just didn't want to attract too much attention. I mean, it's hardly easy.'

'So what?! I don't even know what's going on here! With us.' Draco frowned. Ron was looking fairly awkward. 'I don't want to have to hide all the time.'

All three were silent until Hermione spoke. 'There's not much choice.' She sounded small, perhaps even emotional.

'Why?' Ron spoke for the first time since the topic change.

Hermione tried to think of some reason why. But she couldn't. Pansy, perhaps? Well, she was hardly a reason. Harry? He'd just have to accept it. 'Fine.'

Draco took a double-take. 'What?'

'She said she'll be your girlfriend, mate.' Ron said, despite the fact that Draco had almost definitely fractured his jaw just minutes ago.

'Right.' Draco still looked slightly gobsmacked.

'Draco?' Hermione said quietly.

'Yeah?'

'You're bleeding everywhere.'

They all laughed, and put aside their differences for the few minutes until the hospital wing where they'd surely argue again.

****
Neville sat in the corner bed of the hospital wing, still retching and sobbing.

'I've never heard of the symptoms of a bad love potion give you a black eye or broken body parts.' Said a cold, low voice from behind the trio as Madam Pomfrey saw to them.

'Snape!' Hermione yelped.

'That would be Professor Snape, to you.' His voice was menacingly toneless.

'There was an accident..' Hermione drifted off.

'Oh do go on, Miss Granger. I could do with the entertainment.'

'Ronald, here, went for Mr Malfoy.' Madam Pomfrey twittered when no one spoke.

A sickly smile merged across Snape's face. 'Ten points from Gryffindor.'

'But I started it, Sir.' Draco said plainly.

'You could also say that Mr Potter 'started it' when he survived the dark lord. But only one is the hero..'

'Don't go talking about him or Umbridge'll put you in detention.' Ron said stiffly.

'Another ten points from Gryffindor for insolence, Mr Weasley.'

****