The Amonrae Spell

Chapter 19: "Facing Him Again"

"Where were you last night?" Ron asked to his best friend.

"Pardon me?" Harry's heart skipped a beat..

"Last night. You didn't return until late."

"Reading. You know, second task."

"Oh. Looking forward to it?"

"What?"

"The task."

"Oh, yeah," Harry responded absentmindedly. His mind was in another place at the moment; or rather, somebody else.

"You know, I was thinking of asking Hermione to be my girlfriend. What do you think?" At this, Harry dropped his books.

"Are you? Good for you," Harry managed a thin smile even when his insides were threatening to explode. Relax! She's just your friend! That's all she'll ever be!

Speaking of the devil...

"Hermione!" Ron was able to spot her hidden behind her books.

Hermione jumped. Harry turned around and there she was, in person. His friend. The

friend who had been his just last night. But just to remove the spell, he reminded himself.

"Oh, hi Ron," she said distantly.

"Let me help you with those," Ron offered.

"No. Don't bother," she said as she caught sight of Harry.

"Good morning," Harry smiled thinly at her. But this time, it was a real smile.

"Hi," Hermione lowered her head.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked, to make sure she wasn't under the spell anymore.

"Fine," she squeaked. Then she remembered what she had come for. "Harry, come here a minute."

"Sorry?" She took him by his shirt. "What?" She handed him his glasses. "Oh, thanks. 'Mione, I'm..."

"What are you two up to?" Ron interrupted.

"I've got Arithmancy. See you guys." Hermione rushed out.

"What's with her?" Ron asked, surely estranged.

"Beats me. Come on, we have class too."

****

"Mr. Potter!" Professor Snape barked.

Harry stayed behind as the other students left his classroom. He gulped. What was it now? What could possibly get worse?

"Professor."

"How's Miss Granger?"

"Who?"

"Granger! The bushy- haired girl who keeps you company!" Snape shouted.

"Uh? Oh, Hermione? Ahem! Fine. Why?" Maybe Snape had noticed the change

on Hermione too.

"Oh, well, good for her. Did she cry? She couldn't stop whining when I gave her

the potion," Snape complained.

"What?" Harry asked. He couldn't be more lost.

" Oh, never mind. You must had spent the day crying some more about poor

James. Just give her this," Snape commanded, giving Harry a bottle that contained a pink liquid.

"What is this?"

"The antidote Potter! Tell her she can stop crying now, and make sure, she drinks it. Oh, and to make sure it works, try any spell on her, will you?" Snape requested.

"Wait a minute, this is a Protection Potion antidote."

" Good Potter. At least you learned something. I gave it to her last Wednesday."

"Wednesday? But..."

"What did she do?"

"Well, I accidentally conjured the Actio summon on her..."

"Enough said Potter. That potion is against spells, not summons, or conjures."

"Oh. Can I go now?"

"Please do!"

Harry got out of Snape's classroom as Snape closed the door in his face. He spent quite a while looking at the antidote. Was it true? Because if it was, Draco's spell couldn't have worked on her, meaning that....the Protection Potion hadn't worked. She wasn't the kind of person that would joke with a spell. No, she wouldn't do that. Why would she? He put the antidote in his bag and went to look for her.

****

Hermione was seated in the Great Hall, reading. No surprise there. Harry grabbed an apple and sat across her. She looked at him with a nervous expression, forcing a thin smile and continued reading.

"Snape sent you something," Harry interrupted her.

" Sorry?" she asked, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.

" He wants you to drink this," Harry put the bottle on the table," The antidote to his Protection Potion." Hermione spat her pumpkin juice all over her book.

" I'm sorry, what?" Hermione coughed.

"You know, the one he gave you...last Wednesday, if he really did."

"Oh, well...Ahem!"

"Because if he did, it didn't work due to the fact that you were under a spell since that Wednesday, so I don't think, that.... " Hermione cleared her throat once more. It was about time that he knew the truth. Things had gotten out of hand last night, that she had liked it was not in the bargain.

" There was never any spell Harry. "