The Gloriana Set

Hermione's Harmless Hobbies

Hello all: Whew, that was a pair of chapters, wasn't it? The final stretch of this story will be pretty turbulent, but fear not, it won't be entirely bleakness and angst. Hermione will contend with things in her own Hermione-like way, Astoria brings her own distractions, Luna continues to hunt Love Diggles, Harry is sticking around and Ernie will cap things off with one final event. And yes, more Dramione, too.

So there's plenty of interesting stuff ahead even if Draco is being Shakespearean about his situation.

Love,

Thebe

Hermione's conversation with Blaise on Thursday had accomplished one thing: She was through with the moping about. Draco might enjoy haunting the castle as a brooding, tragic figure until Narcissa's trial, but she didn't have to live that way. If she couldn't help her estranged lover right now, there were other interesting things she could do. One must move forward.

With such thoughts in mind, Hermione headed back to the Potions lab after DADA to check on her Scar Solution. She had taken it off the fire and let it cool for a week, and it had congealed into a lovely pink cream. Now she was ready to test it.

"I strongly advise against this, Miss Granger," Snape's portrait said for the umpteenth time.

Hermione unbuttoned her shirt cuff and pushed up the sleeve, baring the "Mudblood" scar. "Harry is in the library with Draco," she said. "If something goes wrong, there's a painting of a rose garden by ..."

"I am familiar with the paintings hanging in the Hogwarts library," Snape said with a sneer. "I was studying in that library before you were born."

Hermione unwrapped a small, clean brush, the same type she used on the flobberworms. Then she took the lid off the cauldron.

"Do you have the Aurum Potio on hand?" Snape asked.

Hermione replaced the lid and held up a bottle of thick golden potion. Snape had given her the password to his secret private stores, where she'd fetched the same potion he'd used on Dumbledore to treat the Horcrux curse.

"The incantations will have no effect coming from me," Snape warned. "You, Potter or Draco will have to speak the words."

"I know," Hermione said, lifting the lid again. "You've told me." She dipped the tiny brush into the cauldron and stretched out her arm. Then she brushed a dab of the cream on the red, raised M on her skin.

The M glowed more brightly, sending tingles up her arm. Then the glow faded, leaving the letter looking exactly as before.

Hermione frowned. "It didn't work. Maybe another ..."

"Don't." Snape's voice was tense. "Give it time."

"But it's supposed to—"

"Obviously the aconite has slowed the absorption process. An entirely predictable outcome that you chose to ignore. A few days, perhaps."

"Fine." Hermione donned dragonhide gloves and cleaned the brush thoroughly. She'd hoped the flobberworm mucus would counteract the anti-absorption effect. Maybe she should have used pond slime instead, but then the solution would run all over the ...

"Miss Granger," Snape said, sounding bored, "I assume you know the symptoms of aconite poisoning."

"Numbness, sweating, skipped heartbeats and dilated pupils," Hermione recited glibly. She buttoned her shirt cuff and rolled down her jumper sleeve. The bottle of golden potion she tucked into her bag to return to Snape's secret stores.