Advanced Potions: The Love Potion

Advanced Potions: The Love Potion Chapter 03

Harry woke up early, realized that it was a Saturday, and was about to go back to sleep when--

"Hey, Harry!" Harry looked out the window. Ron was tapping on his window hovering on his broomstick. "Come fly, we need to practice for the Quidditch match!" Harry was dressed in a flash and ran to get his Firebolt. "C'mon, Harry, let's go already!" Ron was doing loop-the-loops impatiently.

"Mr. Weasley, how dare you!" Ron turned and made a smooth landing, the tips of his ears growing red as he faced a very angry McGonagall.

"Hi, Professor McGonagall," he said, deciding to face the storm with humor. "Hey, that landing was a fifty-foot dive. Didn't even scratch myself! Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it!" McGonagall laughed.

"I'm sure that you learned that from Charlie himself! Did Potter tell you what I said when I got him on the team?"

"Yeah," Ron said, "I was waking him up for extra Quidditch practice."

"Well, I should take points off for flying away from the Quidditch pitch, but-"

"Professor," Hermione interrupted, "According to the rules of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it is perfectly legal to fly off of the Quidditch pitch. It is, however, illegal to play Quidditch off of the Quidditch pitch. Since I am sure that Ron and Harry were planning to actually play Quidditch on the pitch, it is not fair to deduct points from Gryffindor house."

"Very well, Ms. Granger, you seem to be very adept at proving a case. May I suggest the career of being a Witness for the Defense?" Hermione blushed. "Have a nice day," McGonagall said briskly. "Oh, and Weasley," she called over her shoulder.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Do win, won't you?"

"We'll do our best, Professor." McGonagall smiled to herself as she walked back to the castle.

A few hours later, Ron was feeling good about the practice; he was really getting to be an excellent Keeper. "Great work, Ron!" Harry said warmly as they walked back to the castle.

"Hey, guys!" Hermione walked up. "Do the triumphant heroes want to go get a drink at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Sure!" Ron said. "By the way, thanks for the save with the flying off of the pitch thing."

"It was fun, I welcomed the challenge!" Hermione answered mischievously.

That night, back in Hogwarts for the Halloween feast, Dumbledore stood up to make a speech.

"All right," he said cheerfully. "I have three things to say. One, I officially proclaim that the Hogwarts Quidditch season is in effect!" Cheers filled the Great Hall. "Two, I would like to announce the Head Boy and Girl." The room quieted and the four tables were silent in anticipation. "And the Head Girl is..." Harry and Ron looked at Hermione in silent support. "Hermione Granger!"

The Gryffindor table erupted with applause, whistles, and other demonstrations of the Gryffindor pride. Hermione smiled happily and tried not to look too pleased with herself.

"And the Head Boy is...Draco Malfoy!" The Slytherin table screamed with pleasure and stomped on the floor. Ernie Macmillan looked positively deflated. Draco smirked and nodded at the Slytherin table. "As you know," the headmaster continued, "These fine students will oversee the prefects, facilitate the meetings, and approve the passwords. They will also be allowed the privilege of a separate dormitory." Hermione paled and Draco sent a sneer her way.

After the feast, Hermione was swarmed with students offering their congratulations.

"Picture, the Head Boy and Girl!" Colin shrieked and someone pushed Hermione into Draco Malfoy. He put his arm lazily around her shoulders, and they smiled briefly as the flash went off. As soon as the camera flashed, Hermione pushed Draco's arm off.

"Just because we are bloody partners in bloody Potions and bloody Head Girl and Boy-"

"You should stop with all of the bloody, someone's bound to get hurt," Draco drawled, his eyes half-closed.

"Oh-you! You make me sick!" Hermione stormed off as Harry and Ron broke free of the Gryffindor boys holding them back.

"Stay away from her, Malfoy!" Harry said in a dangerously low voice. The back of Ron's ears were glowing red.

"Don't push it, ferret," he said breathing heavily.

Upstairs in the girl's dormitory, Hermione began to pack her things.

"We-...we'll miss you, Hermione," Lavender sobbed.

"We knew that this would happen, you're so smart, but, oh- do come back and visit!" Parvati cried into her hands.

"Don't worry," Hermione reassured Parvati, "I'm still studying in Gryffindor common room. I don't want to be near that arrogant prat all day."

Later that evening, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she lugged the last of her trunks into her new room. Blast it, she thought, why did Malfoy have to be Head Boy? She sank onto her bed, which immediately furnished itself with a dark crimson comforter, edged in gold. The curtains billowing around her head also changed from the original neutral beige into a matching shade of rose red. She looked around her; stepping on the white rug, she noticed that a Gryffindor lion surfaced and that everything that she touched turned to reflect the house of the brave and the bold. Suddenly, she looked down as the hangings turned an emerald green. A pair of masculine shoes stared back at her. Yanking back the curtains, she was pleased to see that they turned back into the color of the lion-hearted. Draco Malfoy stood there. Big surprise, she thought as she turned to face him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked coolly. Draco touched the hangings, which again turned to the color of grass. Hermione glared and turned them back to scarlet. "Is there anything that you wanted in my room?"

"Nothing, Mudblood, nothing..." he smirked. "Ironic, isn't it," he said silkily, "That not only are we sharing the same dormitory, we are working on a love potion together...."

"Just because I am forced to bear the burden of your company does not mean that I enjoy it! I am not one those girls that throws her groveling self in front of you... I am not in any sort of relationship with you! At all!" she added with finality and then reconsidered. "Unless perhaps a relationship of extreme hatred. Now get out!" Hermione eyes shot daggers at him and gave Draco the impression that if looks could kill he would be as dead as if someone had hit him with Avada Kedavra...just like his brother.... "No!" he told himself firmly. He would not think about that.

"No?" Hermione raised one of her eyebrows in a smirk that was more Malfoy-ish than she realized. She came up behind him, her hands gently resting on his shoulders. Draco's heart began to race as he felt her soft breath against his ear.

"I believe I told you to get out of my dormitory," Hermione hissed. The hands that rested on his shoulders quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted it up behind his back. She then pushed him from the room, ignoring his gritted cries of pain and death threats. As he crossed the threshold of her door her foot quickly swung out and caught him in the knees, causing him to lose his balance. Before he knew it, he was looking at her slammed door from the floor. The very hard floor; he winced, rubbing the back of his head.

"Granger..." he called through the door, "Let me in!"

"No, not by the hairs of my chinny-chin chin!" He heard a hysterical giggle. What the hell? Draco thought.

"Have you been getting into Firewhiskey, Granger?" Another giggle could be heard from the Head Girl's door. Damn it all. "Alohomora!" he chanted, tapping her door with his wand.

"Won't work, I've put a Colloportus charm on it!" Hermione laughed.

"But that's N.E.W.T. level, that is!" Draco said weakly.

"Yes, it is!" Hermione said proudly.

"You are too smart!"

"I know! That's why I'm Head Girl!" Draco smiled as her silvery laugh penetrated the corridor.

"Truce?"

Hermione laughed again. "All right, but only on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Call me Hermione."