The Truth About Hermione Granger

"WHOA!"

"Herm, that's so... odd!"

"When did you get that?"

"HOW did you get it?"

It was almost a week later and Hermione had finally gotten the chance to show Ron and Harry her dark mark. Their reactions had been exactly what she expected. Finally, she answered all their questions by telling them what had happened on Halloween night.

"He really HUGGED you then?" asked Ron when she'd finished her account.

"Yes," she answered. "Apparently that's a very good thing. Or so my cousin and my father led me to believe."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, what happened while you trained with Malfoy?" he asked finally.

She told them all about it, including breaking the frog's bones and even told them what her father thought she and Draco had been doing in the dungeons. When she mentioned that, Harry raised his eyebrows and looked a bit surprised. Hermione wondered if it could possibly have been him and Ginny that her father had heard, so she jokingly asked him if he'd heard anything about it.

"Hm?" he said. "Oh, I just think I may know who it was, that's all."

"Really?" said Hermione, amused.

"You haven't been doing anything to my sister, have you?" demanded Ron, anger obviously rising.

"No!" Harry defended. "I swear! Look, somebody mentioned something to me and I didn't really think anything of it at the time, but now that Herm says that her father's heard someone, well, it makes me wonder."

"Really?" said Ron, now intrigued. "Who was it?"

"Never mind!" said Harry. "I don't think he'd appreciate me saying anything. Besides, I'm not even sure that it was him! It could be someone else!"

"Well, in any case," said Hermione, interrupting Ron before he could ask more about it. "I think I've cleared that up with my father. He's so worried about me lately. I don't know, perhaps it's because he's never had me to worry about before."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Dads like to worry," he said.

Harry grinned at his friends. "Come on, you two," he said. "Let's go see what Hagrid's doing."

So, the three headed down to Hagrid's hut. On the way out the door, they met up with Ginny, who was just going in. When Harry suggested she come with them, she practically cracked her face open from grinning so hard. She took hold of Harry's hand and Ron turned red in anger. Luckily, Hermione was able to stop him before he did anything rash.

"Hello, Hagrid!" called Hermione as they approached.

Hagrid, who was in his garden, looked up at her call. "Hello!" he called. "What brings you four ter my house?"

"Just a visit," called Ron back.

Ginny was the one to spot them first. "Ooh, Hagrid!" she cried, letting go of Harry's hand and approaching the large flower bushes. "Where did you get them?"

"From Professor Sprout," he answered, beaming. "We're doing a crossover class in a few weeks."

"What are they?" asked Harry.

"Philendomon rat traps," answered Hermione, looking over the gently snapping flowers. "They grow like plants, but they depend on live prey for their food. Right now, they'll only be eating bugs and small mice, but in a couple more weeks, they'll depend on rats, rabbits and animals like that." There was no immediate response and she looked up to see her friends all smirking and shaking their heads at her. "What?" she asked.

"You're still the same, Herm," said Ron affectionately. "Show-off!"

Hermione only smirked back at them. "I also know what they're used for," she said, smirking.

"Go on, then," said Harry, rolling his eyes. "We couldn't stop you anyway."

"Their saliva is used as an ingredient in certain potions," she said, turning back to the flowers just as one snapped a hold on the hem of her robes. She tugged it free. "Mostly the ones used in becoming an animagus," she added.

"Fascinating," said Ron sarcastically.

"You're a walking encyclopedia, Hermione," said Ginny, giggling.

"Enough o' that!" said Hagrid, leaning his hoe against the side of his hut. "Have yeh got time fer tea?"

"Thank you, Hagrid," said Hermione, following him into his house.

Once the five of them were seated around the table with tea poured and biscuits laid out, Hagrid pulled another surprise out of his pocket. "Take a look at this!" he said, laying it in the middle of the table.

It was a tiny golden egg. Hermione recognized it at once as the egg of a golden sidget. "Hagrid!" she squealed. "Where did you get it?"

"Found 'em," he said, pulling out two more. "They were in a nest in a tree and the mother was dead on the ground! I couldn't leave 'em there ter die!"

"So you picked them up?" asked Ron. "Shouldn't you tell the Magical Creature Preservation Division of the Ministry?"

"I already did!" he said. "They tol' me to keep 'em and raise 'em! Can yeh believe it?"

"Wow, Hagrid," said Ginny, awed. "Golden Snidget eggs!"

"Snidget eggs!" said Harry, suddenly, as if he hadn't realized what they were. "And you're keeping them in your pocket?"

"With a hot water bottle," said Hagrid, pulling a large red hot water bottle out of his pocket and setting it and the snidget eggs by the fire. "They're tough, they are. Couldn't break 'em with a mallet. Go on, try stomping on 'em!"

"That's okay," said Harry. "I'll take your word for it."

"So, you're going to raise four snidgets?" asked Hermione. "How will they ever be able to live in the wild? I mean, who will teach them to fly? Who will teach them where to find food?"

"They gave me a puppet to show 'em how to use their beaks fer gettin' into trees fer termites and ants," he said, pulling the puppet out of another pocket in his large coat. "See? You just put it on, like this and then you peck at things. Hopefully, they'll get the idea and start pecking for bugs and find them." He grinned as he demonstrated how the puppet- which was almost too big for his hand- worked.

"That's wonderful, Hagrid," said Hermione. "Be sure to tell us when they hatch. We'll help you feed them."

Hagrid only beamed at them as they finished their tea.

* * * * * * * *

As they left Hagrid's hut, they saw Malfoy and his cronies over by the lake, poking at the giant squid with twigs. Hermione sighed and told Harry, Ginny and Ron to go on, she'd meet up with them later. She hurried over to the lake and gave Draco a playful shove. "You know you're not supposed to bother it," she said.

"Come on, Mione, he likes it!" defended Draco.

"Yeah, it's like tickling him," said Goyle. "And if it really bothered him, he'd pull his tentacles back under the water where we couldn't get him."

Hermione watched for a bit, but the squid kept settling back down and would nudge the boys if ever they stopped, so she decided it was all right. "Well, anyway..." she said finally.

Draco turned to look at her. "Are you all right, Mione?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You sounded a little off, that's all," he said, turning back to the squid, which was now poking his shoes.

"Well," she grinned. "I do so hate to be proven wrong."

He grinned and dropped his stick. "I'll see you guys later," he told Crabbe and Goyle. He then turned, took Hermione's hand and led her up to the castle. "I think they want to be alone," he said as soon as they were out of earshot.

Hermione looked back to see Crabbe reach up and rub Goyle's shoulder gently while still poking at the squid with his other hand. "So they DO like one another, do they?" she asked.

"I think so," he said, smirking. "It's sort of weird. You know, just because it's Crabbe and Goyle."

Hermione nodded. "If it were almost anyone else, I don't think it would be quite so disturbing," she said.

Draco smiled and for awhile, the two walked in silence. Finally, as Draco opened the door for her to step inside the castle with him, he spoke up. "Did you ask your father about Christmas?" he asked.

"Not yet," she answered. "We could go ask him now."

"All right," he said, heading down to the dungeons with her. But, once they were standing outside Snape's office, he said, "On second thought, maybe you'd better talk to him alone."

As he appeared very nervous, she just said, "all right. You just wait here." She knocked gently on her father's door and once he called for her to come in, she hurried through.

"Hello, poppet!" he exclaimed upon seeing it was her. "Come in, sit down."

"Hello, daddy," she said, taking a seat across from him.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, setting his quill in it's holder and giving her his full attention.

"Well," she said. "I was just thinking that it might be nice to have a friend visit during the holidays."

"Which friend?" he asked warily.

Hermione smiled sweetly. "Draco," she said.

"Absolutely not," he said, picking his quill back up and starting in on the papers he was correcting.

"Why not, daddy?" she asked.

"Two teenagers alone in a huge castle with little adult supervision?" he asked. "Are you seriuos?"

"Daddy!" she defended. "Listen. We're not going to DO anything, you have my word! And besides, Amelia and my aunt and uncle will be there, so it's not like we'd have time to do anything anyway!"

"Hermione, darling," he said, setting down his quill again. "It's not that I don't trust you. I do. I trust you more than I even trust myself! It's Draco I don't trust!"

"Why don't you trust him?" she asked.

"I know how sixteen-year-old boys are!" he said. "I was one once."

"Well, all right," she said, thinking through a bargain. "How about if we promise never to be alone together and if Amelia and I share a room?"

He studied her for a moment. "If you promise me that, Hermione, and if you can get Draco in here to promise me the same thing, I'll let him come," he said.

"Thank you, daddy!" she cried, rounding his desk and hugging him.

"All right, that's enough," he said. "Just tell Draco he has to come and see me about this as soon as possible."

"I can do better than that," she said, heading to the door. "He's waiting just outside!" She hurried to the door and pulled Draco in. "All you've got to do is promise that we will never be alone together and he'll let you come!" she said.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy," said Snape. "Is there something you want to say?"

"Sir, if you please," he started out nervously. "I swear to you on my own life that I will NOT touch your daughter, either on Christmas holidays or any other time."

"And do you agree to the terms that the two of you are never to be alone together during the holidays?" asked Snape.

"Yes, sir," he answered. "I promise."

Snape narrowed his eyes at Draco. "You seem awfully anxious to come to Snape Castle this Christmas, Draco," he said. Draco didn't answer, though, and finally, Snape sighed. "Very well, you may come," he said finally.

"Oh, thank you, sir!" exclaimed Draco. "You won't regret it, I promise!"

"Just be sure you keep your promise and I'm sure I won't, Mr. Malfoy," said Snape, going back to grading his papers.

"Thank you, daddy!" called Hermione as they left.

"Thank you, Mione," said Draco as soon as they had closed the door to Snape's office. "Now I haven't got to face Lucius this Christmas!"

Hermione just smiled at him as he took her hand and led her out of the dungeons.