The Prophecy

the prophecy

_{A Draco~Hermione Fanfic}

_{Chapter Two}

All the seventh year Gryffindors awoke feeling groggy and Dean, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati all had killer hangovers.

"Oh the pain, the pain," shouted dean in agony at seven thirty.

"God the nausea," moaned Seamus hurriedly summoning the hangover potion he and Dean had concocted before the Ball in anticipation of the morning after the night before.

Parvati, Lavender and Hermione had gotten up early and were standing in the prefect's bathroom (courtesy of Hermione's badge) reading their faces for the day. This was common practice for Parvati and Lavender but this morning Hermione felt that it would not hurt to try to look more attractive especially today; her well-masked insecurity was running rampant, what Ron thought last night had been a mistake, she undoubtedly looked better in the soft glow of moonlight than she did early on a Monday morning. She stared at Lavenders extensive range of 'Aphrodite' products.

"This, Hermione is 'Selenas Secret' it makes your hair really sleek, it will smooth out all that frizz around your curls. This is 'Persephone's Perfection', it's for your skin" Lavender shoved three or four bottles of cosmetics toward Hermione.

Hermione read the back of one of the bottles 'Selenas Secret contains powdered moonstone and an ancient charm devised by the Goddess Selena herself and handed down from generation to generation so that you can have shiny silky hair'. 'Rheas Rough Treatment' and 'Persephone's Perfection' claimed similar nonsense but Hermione was desperate so she exfoliated and moisturised like never before.

The results amazed Hermione she actually looked somewhat attractive.

"God I look kind of good"

"Uh huh just a touch of 'Liliths Lip-Gloss' for lips as luscious as the Garden of Eden itself." Parvati read off the back of the tube.

"What's with the newfound interest in all things cosmetic? Are you trying to catch someone's eye?" asked Lavender while applying her own lip-gloss.

"No, I just..."

"Feel like wowing the whole school? I know exactly what you mean," said Parvati-who was notoriously conceited- while perfecting her own image and preening in the mirror.

"Right...yeah. My, it's eight o'clock we should go and collect our books."

The girls returned to Gryffindor tower refreshed and more desirable. They arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady to find that she was still asleep and they hesitated in waking her up, as they were unwilling to face the wrath of a drowsy picture when the frame swung open and Harry, Ron and Neville emerged.

"Hey 'Mione you look like you're feeling better!" said Harry almost oblivious to Hermione's complete transformation.

"I am, thanks Harry," replied Hermione, avoiding his eye. Instead, she looked at the ground.

"Ok well see you at breakfast, we're just going to send a letter to Lupin," said Harry cheerfully.

"Yes I'll be down in just a moment, just collecting my books," she said, she didn't even look at Ron who had been staring at her. She wasn't prepared to face him she wasn't prepared to deal with the awkwardness that was sure to arise. How awful it felt, lying to Harry. Even in that moment, she felt that she and Ron had disrupted and equilibrium in the relationship between the three friends. How was she going to tell Harry, then similarly how would she tell him? He was practically her brother, it seemed somehow like a betrayal.

"Hermione," whined Lavender impatiently, "come on!"

Hermione had the feeling she was repeating herself so she gathered her thoughts, collected her books and they made their way to the Great Hall. The ceiling was grey and cloudy.

Bracing herself for discomfort she took the seat Harry and Ron had saved for her between them. She tried not to look at either of them while trying not to look as if she was trying not to look at them.

"Post," said Neville unnecessarily as the owls, Tawny Grey Brown and Snowy streamed into the hall.

"Oh thank God, mums sent on my prefect badge," said Ginny who had just arrived; she grabbed a piece of toast with marmalade and sat beside Harry.

"And my Quidditch robes! I didn't even realise I'd left them behind," said Ron stuffing them into his bag and gulping down some pumpkin juice.

"Hi Ginny," said Neville timidly.

"Neville - hi," replied Ginny who suddenly looked very interested in her toast. "Terry, hi."

Ginnys boyfriend Terry Boot a Ravenclaw seventh year who she had met at the end of her fifth year and with whom she had been having a stormy relationship ever since had made his way over to the table.

"Want to go for a walk?" he asked and Ginny left with a backwards glance at Neville.

Hermione was seemingly the only one to recognise the tension but she figured it she was projecting her own agitation on to someone else.

"Ron, Hermione come with me. Now," barked a brusque Minerva McGonagall.

Hermione for the first time that morning chanced an anxious glance at Ron and she was somewhat relieved to see him return the look. But what if the professor knew, the last thing she needed was to get in trouble on the first day back and for this, how embarrassing, from Ron's facial expression it seemed he was thinking along the same lines.

"As you two are prefects I'm asking you to hand out the timetables, I have more pressing matters to attend to," said McGonagall.

Ron breathed an audible sigh of relief and the professor shot him looked at him with her eyebrow raised questioningly but he just smiled and said nothing.

"Ok, well Hermione you take first to fourth years, Ron - fifth sixth and seventh." She handed each of them a stack of timetables and they proceeded to hand them out conversing in whispered tones as they moved along the Gryffindor table.

"Did you tell anyone?" asked Hermione.

"No! You?"

"Of course not... what about Harry?"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt 'im, right?"

"He's our best friend we can't not tell him. He deserves to know," said Hermione but she still dreaded the thought of him finding out.

"Exactly, he is our best friend that's why we shouldn't say anything how would he feel, your like his sister, it would be like I was sleeping with his sister, and that is against the rules!"

"I think perhaps we should keep it to ourselves until we find the right time and the perfect words. But we have to tell him and until that time comes I think we should carry on as though it never happened, continue to be friends until it's out in the open. He isn't stupid he would figure it out."

"Right," agreed Ron but he was clearly disappointed with the new rules.

"Hey what are you two muttering about?" interrupted Harry as they reached the end of the table.

"How it's so unfair that we still have to do potions, to think we kept it on voluntarily," said Ron convincingly.

"I know but it's necessary to be an Auror," said Harry gloomily.

"Looked at the time, we better go to class, what do we have?" asked Hermione.

"Charms"

They made their way to Professor Flitwicks class on the second floor.

***

They entered the classroom to find Flitwick accompanied by McGonagall and Snape.

"Sit down," ordered McGonagall curtly.

Just then, a pretty, young woman poked her head around the door.

"Oops! Sorry I'm late," she said as she walked quickly and nervously to the top of the room to join the other professors, "I got lost! Sorry."

"Yes," said McGonagall testily, "This" she went on indicating to the woman, "is our new Care of Magical Creatures substitute teacher, Professor -"

"Professor Diane Fauna! But you can call me by my first and last names - Professor Fauna!" she laughed merrily at her own joke and several students smiled weakly. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged a look, they knew Hagrid was working for the order and was too busy to teach they wished he could. At least he was still living on the grounds, which was something although they expected that they wouldn't see him very often.

"Yes well I have an announcement," continued McGonagall looking thoroughly irritated by now, "usually seventh years spend this year on theory for the N.E.W.T.s but there has been a change in the curriculum, Dumbledore feels that you have all come exceptionally far in the theory and consequently you will spend a portion of this year working practically in the real world. You will be expected to study a magical creature abroad, you will study the magical history of the area, some of you will come up against dark magical forces against which you will have to use the knowledge you have accumulated over the past six years, that particular test will be staged for your safety but it will be unexpected, most importantly you will have to learn to control your magic in the muggle world. In addition, of course a full report will be expected detailing each day and what you have learnt and studied. Professors Snape and Fauna shall be accompanying you. Yes, well I shall let you get back to your classes. One more thing you shall be studying abroad!"

With this, all of the students began to whisper excitedly.

When Snape Fauna and McGonagall had left Flitwick tried to settle the class.

"You can all check the notice boards for details later, your study groups are posted up as well. The report will count for extra credit in several classes but ironically not Charms so can we please get down to work?" he squeaked.

***

"Oh my God this is so unfair! Why was I stuck with Malfoy and Blaise? I'm going straight to McGonagall," Hermione Stormed off to find the Gryffindor head to rant about the obvious injustice. Harry and Ron in spite of their concern for Hermione could not disguise their joy at being grouped together.

***

Later in the common room Hermione was fuming about what McGonagall had said and was uncharacteristically mimicking her in a high pitched voice.

"I can't show favouritism Miss Granger... No, I know you've had problems with Mr Malfoy in the past but you are in your final year now and I expect that you will show some maturity, set aside your childish feuds... Miss Zabini is an excellent worker; perhaps you will have more in common with her than you think."

"Hermione even if McGonagall won't show favouritism you can bet Snape will so he will probably swap you with someone else and no other group is as bad so don't worry," chimed Ginny, the voice of reason.

"Gins right... look I said I'd go and meet Luna in the requirement room so I'll see you later," said Harry and he went upstairs to grab his invisibility cloak."

"Want to go for a walk? By the lake?" asked Ron.

Hermione smiled, it would be good to get out of the tower for a while. "What about the rules?"

"Yours or the schools?"

"Mine, I guess."

"Easy, What Harry doesn't know won't hurt him."

Hermione agreed. Well no, she didn't agree but she couldn't stay in the tower much longer, perhaps the cool night air would calm her mind.

They strolled around the grounds hand in hand until they reached the lake. With the moonlight shimmering on the surface, it was an eerily beautiful night. Hermione leant against the oak tree.

"What if I'm stuck with that idiot for all that time? Maybe Malfoy won't ask to be moved, would he really pass up the chance to torment a Mudblood?"

"Even if it comes to that we will all be in Dublin so no worries, we can meet up, you won't have to spend that much time with the little worm," said Ron, "but it won't come to that," he added hastily seeing the expression on her face while realising that the worst might happen.

Ron kissed her.

"Hey 'Ermione, Ron, what are you two doin' out here so late?" Hagrids booming voice threatened to give them away.

"Shh Hagrid, not so loudly, we were just, Ron was just talking about... he was -"

"Just talking about Quidditch!"

"Oh so that's what they're callin' it these days - Quidditch!" Hagrid gave them a knowing grin, "Well ter tell the truth I've been waitin' for this." He put his arm around both of them, as only a man of his vast stature could and led them back up to the school.

"What are you talking about Hagrid, I'm sure I have no idea," Hermione chanced pretending nothing had happened but the knot in her stomach told her it was pointless.

"Ah don' give me that, I saw yeh. You'd want to be more discreet though! Does 'Arry know?"

"Well, no and we would appreciate if you didn't tell him we want to wait until the time is right, please don't tell," pleaded Hermione.

"Course I won' say a thing, that's up ter you. Now get on up ter your rooms if someone caught you out this late it would mean detention an' I daresay you'll be wantin' ter avoid the forest this year!"

Hermione and Ron made their way up to the common room to find Harry was already back.

"What's wrong? Did you and Luna have an argument?"

"Nah someone tipped Snape off about where we were. I hate him he came sniffing in the requirement room and obviously we hid under the cloak, there he was ' I'm not stupid Potter, I know you're in here' then Luna and I slipped out and we started laughing, then he heard us and grabbed my cloak off. He then made the fatal mistake of asking if I thought he was an idiot. So I have detention tomorrow and I found out that the Dublin groups aren't staying together one is going to Malahide Castle and the other to Dublin Castle.

Hermione was livid, she thundered off to the girl's dorm. Alone with two Slytherins one of which she hated. Could it get any worse?

***

Tuesday morning was bland and misty and brought the added displeasure of double potions with Snape and the Slytherins first thing.

"Today class," said Snape as he walked through the dungeon door commanding the attention of every student, "we will be making a Polyjuice potion. I am not sure you dimwits are up to it but it is on the curriculum. Can anyone of you imbeciles tell me what a Polyjuice potion does? Mr Weasley, it's something of an anomaly to see your hand raised in this class, then I should have known you might be somewhat knowledgeable on this particular subject.." Snape had always suspected that Harry, Ron and Hermione had stolen ingredients from his stores to make a Polyjuice potion in second year but he was unable to prove it. "Well?"

"It uh changes you into someone else."

Snape sighed imapatiently, " you do not change into the person, merely assume their physical traits. Usually it would take at least three weeks to prepare for such a potion but I have taken the liberty of stewing the lacewings in anticipation of this class so follow the instructions on page fourteen of your books and begin in pairs. Granger you can assist Mr Malfoy."

Hermione screamed inside her head, as if doing her report with him wasn't quite bad enough.

"Well Granger it seems we are destined to spend time together," hissed Malfoy.

Hermione ignored him and avoided eye contact and he smirked. The next half hour passed in a silence only pierced by Snapes acerbic comments.

"Why is it Neville that whenever you attempt anything remotely complex I get the strangest feeling in my stomach, as if a group of incompetent muggle acrobats are about to endeavour to perform a high wire trick without a safety net?"

Near the end of class he announced that he would be accompanying the Dublin groups to Ireland in no less than two days and he would expect exemplary behaviour.

"As for your potions, bottle them and leave them on my desk."

Draco and Hermione reached for the same beaker. As their hands brushed, Hermione's chocolate coloured eyes locked on his grey ones, she suddenly felt dizzy and her heart fell to her stomach as she noticed the look in his eyes, she blacked out and fell to the stone floor.

***

Hermione woke up the next morning disoriented and almost immediately felt a nauseating feeling in her stomach as if she was motion sick. What had happened, she had passed out, sort of.

"Oh come on - let us in... look , look she's awake, let us in," Harry pleaded with Madam Pomfrey.

"Come on Poppy - I'm fine, really," Hermione, Ron and Harry where such regular patients and visitors to the infirmary that they were on first name terms with the kindly matron who tended to the ill and the injured. She surrendered to the beseeching voices.

"So what the hell happened to you," asked Ron.#

"Was it Malfoy? Did he curse you?" asked Harry suspicious of the malevolent Slytherin.

"No the last thing I saw was his eyes and he looked shocked... I just felt this jolt in my stomach and a sort of shock, like a friction shock, I got dizzy and that's the last thing I remember Hey how long have I been out?"

"A day"

"WHAT?!! We leave tomorrow!!!"

"Its ok Ginny packed your stuff. I'm still not sure about Malfoy though," said Ron, unsatisfied with Hermiones version of events.

***