Shifting Perspectives

Shifting Perspectives

By Professor Mary

Ch. 8 Detention!

Draco briskly walked the long cool corridor towards the dungeons. He had allowed himself extra time to reach the potions classroom- he was still a bit unsure of how long it would take him to walk throughout the castle in his much shorter-legged body, after all.

A small smile was threatening to stay on his face. He chided himself repeatedly about this. Who in his right mind would smile when on the way to serve detention with the Potions Master? But Draco was not in his right mind- what's more is that he knew that Professor Snape wasn't either! Now that his thoughts had returned to his (former) Head of House, he couldn't help but to grin.

He hurried along the hallway and finally reached the classroom with only a few minutes to spare. As he stood outside the doorway, he braced himself for a completely unpredictable evening.

He hoped that Granger would come through with her part of the evening's tasks- especially the ones that she didn't yet know about. He spared another smile in anticipation for what Granger would do when she saw that she had to patrol with Ginny Weasley! He hadn't yet figured out how he'd observe them though he was counting on his newly acquired stealth to enable him to at least follow the two.

He didn't know which he was more proud of: persuading Ginny to patrol with the person she supposed was Draco Malfoy or setting up Granger to spend private time with Ginny. He regarded both as serious accomplishments - and the only things he'd done lately that really made him feel like himself. He chuckled to himself, satisfied with his own deviousness.

He put his small hand on the door handle and gently pushed the heavy wooden door open. Quietly, he slipped into the darkened classroom and walked towards the figure currently hunched over the large desk at the front of the room.

When he reached the desk, Draco cleared his throat and said, "Professor Snape, I'm here to serve my detention."

Draco felt quite satisfied when Snape jerked his head up, surprise evident on his face.

"Oh, Miss Granger. Forgive me. I didn't hear you come in," Snape said evenly.

Despite all that Draco had heard from both Neville and Blaise about Snape's altered behavior, he was still shocked by the older man's demeanor. Not only was Snape being polite and currently smiling at him- but he was doing so under the assumption that the person standing before him was actually Hermione Granger!

Draco realized that the professor was now staring at him

"Miss Granger, I realize that you are here to serve detention for speaking out of turn. In the past, I've had students serving detention prepare ingredients for class work as well as my own research."

Draco nodded. He'd heard the horror stories of Snape's detentions. Though the professor was certainly acting politely, Draco was resigned to what looked to be several hours of disemboweling newts or something else equally revolting.

"However, Miss Granger. I feel that having you drain cow placentas would be a poor usage of both your skills and intellect. For your detention this evening, I would like you to assist me in the analysis and grading of your classes' Potions of Perspectives."

Draco was floored.

He was speechless.

He'd never heard Snape bestow a greater honor than the one he'd just received. Well, the one that Hermione Granger had received, he reminded himself

Draco had never known Snape to ask for any assistance with anything. Snape didn't ask for help with his research, his potion-making, and especially not with anything related to his teaching. While many Hogwarts students might have regarded Snape's assignment as tedious drudge work, Draco was excited at the possibility. Furthermore, if he played his cards right, he'd be able to assess his and Granger's potion without alerting Snape's attention- and he'd ensure that they received a high grade.

"Of course, Professor. I'd be pleased to assist you this evening," he replied with genuine enthusiasm.

"Good. The potions are divided by class already. I've begun grading the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw class so you can take the Slytherin/Gryffindors. I've set the crate of potions on that table right behind you. I trust that you will be a fair critic of your peers' efforts, Miss Granger."

Draco nodded his head.

"Very well. Please observe this method for assessment. First, say the analysis incantation: Acclaro. This is a preliminary indicator of a potion's ingredients. The results will show up on the special parchment that I have provided. Then you must perform a more complicated charm- Potion Manifesto - it will give you a more thorough breakdown of the quantities of ingredients as well as the order in which they were added. Though the Potion of Perspective is not widely used, it is still a standard potion- thus the Acclaro and Manifesto spells will indicate whether or not the potion in question has been prepared to standard. It is likely that some students will have errors, Miss Granger. Unfortunately not every student has your aptitude--"

Draco smiled even though the compliment was not really his. Surely he could claim some credit- as the partner of the proper recipient, anyway.

"The charms will reveal a percentage of standard consistency. This number is to be marked on the bottles of each potion. Because you will be assessing the entire class, I will depend on you to assign the actual grades. Be generous, Miss Granger. Again, I remind you that your fellow students- with the notable exception of your bench partner, Mr. Malfoy- are not going to be able to measure up to the standards that you set. And of course, if you have any questions, please just ask me."

Draco walked over to the table and took a seat before the crate of vialed potions and the charmed parchment.

He took out the first vial of potion which belonged to Pansy and Finnegan. He noted that it was a nice shade of slate gray. He expected no less from Pansy. She was an excellent potions student. He had no idea about Finnegan but assumed that Pansy kept him in line. With a curt wave of his wand, he said the first incantation. He watched as the potion's ingredients were quickly listed on the parchment in front of him. Interestingly, he noticed that the scroll was in Snape's own handwriting.

A quick perusal of the listing assured him that Pansy and Finnegan at least had the correct listing of ingredients. He performed the second spell. A far more complex set of descriptions appeared in front of him. This time the scroll was not in Professor Snapes' careful loopy hand but in a blocky print- something he supposed to be the Ministry Standard.

After about a half a minute, the spell was finished. Sure enough Pansy and Finnegan had created a nearly perfect Potion of Perspective. On another parchment, he recorded the percentage of the potion. He had already decided, based on Snape's recommendation, that he'd first record the percentage and then assign the grade based on that.

The grading went fairly quickly. Many of his yearmates had fairly decent potions. Of course, some students, including Milicent Bulstrode, had completely botched their potion.

Finally, he came to his and Granger's potion. He held it up to the light of the nearest torch. It was so close to a slate grey. However, there was a slight bluish tinge that was not at all the result of the lighting or the particular glass vial. He hissed under his breath and muttered the first incantation, keeping his eyes fixed on the charmed parchment.

There it was.

The salamander blood.

"Shit," he swore under his breath. Though he had believed Granger's theory about the salamander blood, he had been secretly hoping that she was wrong. Salamander blood was a notoriously unpredictable potion strengthener. Not for the first time that day, he found himself feeling a bit desperate about his and Granger's situation.

He said the second incantation. To his surprise, the consistency percentage registered at one hundred percent- despite the inclusion of the salamander blood. He was rather confused by this result.

"Miss Granger? Is everything all right?" Snape asked in a concerned tone.

"What? Oh, yes, sir. Sorry, I was just considering how various additives to this particular potion might alter its effects," Draco said quickly.

"Miss Granger, the reason that you are here with me this evening is because you spoke out of turn in class. Though you gave an absolutely thorough explanation of the use of salamander blood, I believe, as a potion additive, I gave you detention. I feel compelled to explain my actions to you," Snape said gently.

Draco put down his and Granger's potion. He certainly didn't want to miss a single word of whatever Snape was about to say. He'd never before heard Snape justify anything.

"Miss Granger, it almost goes without saying- but you are the most brilliant potions student that I have seen in my entire career here at Hogwarts. I realize that my actions do not seem to reward your excellent class performance and overall aptitude. For that, I ask that you forgive me," Snape paused.

Draco swallowed. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Time and time again, he'd been witness to one person or another telling him how smart Granger really was. He'd grown sick of it and thus, heartily dismissed most of the praise. However, he just couldn't ignore the words of Professor Snape. Even under the influence of Alihotsy, Draco knew that Snape was speaking his true thoughts and feelings. Granted, the Alihotsy removed any inhibitions - but the actual behavior was still genuine.

So, Draco thought resignedly, there's no way around it. Granger is really friggen' smart.

Damn. He tried to squelch his ever-growing admiration for the girl. But it was getting harder and harder to do so.

"Miss Granger, do you know why I am so hard on you?" Snape asked with a small smile.

Draco hoped that the question was rhetorical. When he saw that Snape was awaiting his answer, he cleared his throat and thought fast. He was a bit surprised with how easy his thoughts came -

"Sir, you probably feel that it wouldn't be in anyone's best interest for you to show favoritism to me or any other individual student, especially, though, because I'm a Gryffindor. You have the sole responsibility to look out for Slytherins. They are, in my opinion, unfairly discriminated against by most of the other teachers. If you were to give me special treatment, it would undoubtedly create tension and ill-will within your House and aggravate existing feuds between Slytherins and other Houses. I understand this," Draco said evenly.

And he realized that he meant it. He'd long known that Snape was the only teacher who would favor the Slytherins while, indeed, many of the other teachers would actively discriminate against them. But the new knowledge was that he now realized that if Snape didn't feel obligated to look out for the Slytherins, he would be far more admiring of and encouraging to Hermione Granger. Indeed, what Snape seemed to be apologizing for was that he couldn't publicly mentor her in the way in which she deserved. It was only a small step further to realize what a waste of potential that was. He then felt that all-to-familiar burn of righteous indignation.

"Miss Granger, I am unsurprised that you understand my position so well," Snape returned. After a few minutes he said, "Perhaps we can work something out - something discreet. I have been considering offering Mr. Malfoy a special project after the Christmas holidays. It would be my privilege to have you working on it as well. I can only hope that the three of us can come to some understanding about this. Though I place great confidence in your bench partner, I must say that I fear he may be reticent to work with you," Snape said diplomatically.

Draco nearly laughed at how cautiously Snape was speaking to him. Of course, Snape was right to expect that he'd be unwilling to work with Granger on a special project. But somehow that no longer seemed to be appropriate. Draco thought back to his conversation with Ginny Weasley from earlier that day. He really was trying to change, wasn't he? And he did realize that Granger was really smart- and that she, if anyone, deserved to have special mentorship from Snape.

"Professor Snape, I would be honored to work on a special project with you and Mr. Malfoy. I honestly think that Malfoy would carefully consider this opportunity as well. I do not think he'd oppose working with me," Draco said firmly.

Snape looked at him closely before giving him a nod. "I do hope you're right, Miss Granger."

A shuffling sound from the hallway caused them both to look towards the doorway. Draco couldn't help but smile at the tall blond-haired young man who had just walked in.

*******

Hermione was really feeling great. She thought it had to be the best she'd felt since being in Malfoy's body. After dinner, she'd escaped Crabbe, Goyle, and even Pansy to finally take Malfoy's suggestion of running. She had no idea if Malfoy had workout clothes, so she shed her outer robes and jogged around the Quidditch pitch in her shirt and trousers. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it wasn't so bad either.

After running for nearly an hour- something that totally shocked her as she'd never logged more than 20 minutes on her mother's treadmill!- she finally felt her runner's high. Tension that she'd been carrying in her shoulders seemed to dissipate while the rest of her body felt wonderfully satiated. Even the light burn in her calf muscles was welcome.

In the lingering twilight, she stretched her long limbs, enjoying the lack of frenzied thoughts and tense muscles. Yawning widely, she strode back up to the castle. She still had most of an hour remaining before her trip to the dungeons.

After a quick shower, the novelty of which she mightily enjoyed, she guiltily looked through Malfoy's wardrobe for clean clothes. She hadn't warned him that she'd be needing another change and thus, felt rather uneasy in her task. Luckily, the boy seemed to keep everything rather tidy and in its appropriate place. It was no problem to find clean underclothes as well as a shirt and pants.

Before she left, she returned to her room, and looked through her trunk. Finding what she needed, she left for her next set of tasks.

At a little after nine, she arrived at Snape's dungeon. She only had a short amount of time to visit with the professor, steal a sample of their potion, and then return to her Common room in time for patrols. She paused briefly to wonder who she'd be patrolling with since Malfoy would be in detention.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, please come in," Snape said in such a kind voice that Hermione was immediately put on edge. She saw Malfoy give her a tiny nod and a small smile and she felt more at ease.

"Professor Snape," she said in return.

"What brings you down here this evening?" Snape asked amiably.

"Well, sir, I was hoping to discuss possible options for students' exercise," she said bluntly, not really knowing exactly how to plead Pansy's case.

"Excellent, Mr. Malfoy. I, too, have something I wish to discuss with you," he said, giving Draco a small wink. "But I don't want to disturb Miss Granger. She has kindly agreed to assist me with grading your last assignment. Why don't we step into my office?" Snape said.

"Thank you, sir. If you don't mind, I'd like to just have a few words with my bench partner," Hermione asked in what she hoped was a reasonable voice.

"Of course, please do. I'll be waiting in here, then," Snape said before stepping into his office. Hermione noticed that he gave them both a rather large and crooked smile.

"That was beyond strange," she whispered, as she walked over to Malfoy's table. "Did he just wink at you? And you're grading?" she asked incredulously.

Malfoy nodded at her. Then she could have sworn that he not only stifled a chuckle, but also repressed answering her.

What was I expecting? A friendly conversation? she thought.

"Okay, Malfoy. Looks like you've got much better access to our Potion than I'll get tonight. Here take this," she said quietly, sliding a small vial out of her pocket and across the table to his waiting hand.

"Granger. I've already evaluated our Potion. It's definitely salamander blood- though a rather small quantity," he said as he tilted the parchment towards her.

Hermione ran her eyes quickly over the parchment, carefully memorizing the ingredients, the order in which they were added, and the overall percentage of consistency of the Potion. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when she saw that they'd created the perfect potion, despite the presence of the strengthener.

"Okay," she said resolutely. "We'll figure this out. At least we know what we're dealing with."

She turned away from the brown haired girl and headed towards Snape's office. Before she got there, she turned and ran back to Malfoy.

"Oh! I almost forgot. These are for you," she said, handing him a set of her prized Extendable Ears- in her opinion, one of the more brilliant Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

"Thanks," Malfoy whispered so quietly that she almost didn't hear him. Surprised, she gave him a nod and then walked back to Snape's office.

"Close the door, Mr. Malfoy," Snape called as Hermione walked in.

She obeyed, hoping that Malfoy knew how to use the Extendable Ears. Then she sat down across from her professor.

"Draco," Snape started. Hermione tried to school her face into anything other than surprise that her potions professor was on a first name basis with Malfoy.

"I know that you wanted to ask me something and indeed I have something to ask you as well. But first, let me say a few things," Snape said, giving her that same wide but crooked smile.

Hermione nodded and tried to brace herself for whatever Snape might say.

"Draco, as my god-son, I have often not taken the opportunity to tell you just how proud I am of you. You are a wonderful young man with so much potential. An excellent student, a good friend to your peers, an example for your House... Indeed, you were the obvious candidate for Head Boy," Snape said proudly.

Hermione wondered if she should say something in response to all of this praise. She very much hoped that Malfoy was listening in with the Extendable Ears. She thought that he needed to hear these remarks.

She also found that she agreed with most of what Snape had to say. Even before the past few days, Hermione would have conceded that Malfoy was a model student. She would have even agreed that he set a pretty good example for his House- especially now that he was older, he was usually pretty reliable, timely, and mostly able to keep his temper in check. Perhaps a few days ago, she might have been hard pressed to think of Malfoy as a "good friend" but her interactions with Crabbe and Goyle, and especially Pansy, had convinced her otherwise.

Plus- and this was the part that she really hoped Malfoy heard- she felt that he did have a lot of potential - not just as a student or a peer, but as a human being. Without a doubt, Hermione believed that Malfoy could be far more than the annoying self-serving prat that had tormented her and her friends for years. And for someone of his stature and popularity to make such a change... well, she knew that it would make a huge difference.

Snape was now regarding her with love shining clearly from his black eyes.

"It is my wish that you and Miss Granger work together with me on a special project. You both are the top potions students and I would like nothing more than to work harmoniously with you- you both have earned this opportunity. Though I realize that you have a "history" with Miss Granger as well as her close friends," Snape said delicately. "I would like to see you put that behind you so that you can take advantage of what you both have to offer."

Hermione let go the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Special project????? she thought eagerly. She was so excited that she was having trouble sitting still in her seat.

Snape was now looking her closely, waiting for her answer.

"Work with you and Hermione Granger?" she sputtered.

Before she could say anything else, such as "Hell yeah!" or "OhMyGodYes!" Snape frowned and then spoke.

"Only seconds before you walked in this evening, Miss Granger was assuring me that you would be quite willing to work with her. She seemed so convinced that I thought you two had already worked out your differences, Draco," he said, still frowning.

Hermione took a moment to think through the implications of "Miss Granger" convincing Snape that they could work together.

"You misunderstand me, Professor," she said quickly. "I was just excited. I would be honored to work with you. Furthermore, I have no problem whatsoever working with Hermione Granger. She is my bench partner, after all," Hermione said, hoping she sounded as genuine as she felt.

"Oh good!" Snape said and clapped his hands together, causing Hermione to bite her bottom lip to keep from giggling aloud.

"Well, then, I believe that you had something to ask me?" Snape posed.

"Er- I would like to help Pansy Parkinson organize a space to exercise. She and any other interested students would need a fairly large room to move as well as music. Oh, I think they might prefer a well-ventilated space with lots of light, too," Hermione said, thinking ruefully of her past experiences in dark and stank gyms.

"Yes, yes. Wonderful idea. There are several classrooms on the ground floor that should suit your purposes. I'll ask the house elves to set up a suitable room," Snape said.

Hermione bristled at the thought of causing the house elves more work but she wisely kept quiet.

"Well, if that's all, Draco?" Snape said, standing up from behind his desk.

"Yes, thank you, sir. For everything," Hermione said and meant every word.

The two walked out of Snape's office. Hermione saw Malfoy surreptitiously stuffing the Ears in his bag. Though his face seemed to be deliberately expressionless, he did give her a small nod. She returned it and headed out of the dungeons to meet whomever she'd be patrolling with.

Hermione was half-way to the Common Room when she doubled back towards the Snape's classroom. Though she didn't yet understand the extent of the assessment results of hers and Malfoy's Potion, she realized that they might need some kind of back-up plan. As she raced through various disguise potions and charms in her mind, she knew that there was only one that could be fully controlled for their purposes.

The Polyjuice Potion.

She quietly slipped into the potions dungeons. With only a whispered incantation, she unlocked Snape's storeroom. She grabbed the illicit boomslang skin and then slipped out of the room.

Moving stealthily in her new body had been easier than moving normally- and definitely easier than riding a broom. She guessed that because she had to concentrate on every part of her body, she was better able to control her movements. Thus, being sneaky, despite the added height and weight, wasn't terribly difficult at all.

She smirked to herself, impressed with her own deviousness.

With the boomslang skin safely tucked into a pocket of her robes, she swaggered back towards her Common Room.

As she rounded the last corner, she stopped suddenly in her tracks.

Ginny Weasley was waiting for her.

Malfoy! she thought, knowing that she'd been deliberately set up.

Ginny had not yet seen her, so she ducked back behind the corner. She took a deep breath and tried to gauge her thoughts and feelings.

She was happy to see Ginny. While Malfoy's friends weren't as bad as she'd thought, they certainly couldn't match her own. So she rather welcomed the thought of spending two hours with her best girlfriend. But recent events had made extremely wary, too.

She let her eyes graze over the attractive redhead, intent on identifying any "desires."

Surprisingly, she realized that she felt a bit ambivalent. While she was fairly certain that a particular glance or touch would set her off, she felt like she could probably handle just walking the halls with the other girl. She attributed this to being exhausted after a workout, an emotional talk with Snape, and the thrill of breaking into his personal storeroom and then stealing forbidden potions ingredients.

She cleared her throat and then walked around the corner.

"You're late, Malfoy," Ginny said in an annoyed tone.

"I apologize, Miss Weasley. I -er- got held up with Professor Snape," Hermione offered.

"Miss Weasley?" Ginny laughed, her frown softening.

"Er- what else should I call you?" Hermione said awkwardly. She knew that Malfoy called her "Weaselette" but she was absolutely not going to refer to her best girlfriend in that manner.

Hermione waited patiently while Ginny sized her up. Though she felt a familiar tingle at the girl's intense gaze, she realized that her reactions were (thankfully!) much easier to control. By taking a couple of deep breathes and thinking about the steps of creating the Polyjuice Potion, she found that she didn't necessarily feel like she had to jump her friend.

"Well, I suppose you can call me Ginny. All of my friends do," she said challengingly.

Something in her voice grabbed Hermione's attention. Certainly, Ginny was testing her. But she was doing so as if she really expected that she- or rather Draco Malfoy- would rise to the occasion.

"And my friends call me Draco," Hermione said simply.

With that the two started down towards the chilly dungeons. Hermione was a bit nervous at first but gradually came to relax somewhat in the other girl's company. She kept their conversations safely around classes and mild gossip. She was careful to not too show too much concern or to offer personal sorts of advice. Mostly, she relied on sarcasm and witty responses to disguise her own opinions and feelings. Several times, she marveled in eliciting a laugh from Ginny. And more than once, she showed her own amusement at the other girl's sense of humor. She was cautious not to giggle or to touch the other girl.

By the end of the night, Hermione was both relieved and saddened that her time with Ginny was over. On the one hand, she'd missed her friend immensely. On the other, she felt overwhelmingly constrained by maintaining the pretense of being Malfoy.

Without saying anything, Hermione continued to walk with Ginny past her own Head Common room and towards the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Hermione didn't seem to notice and Ginny certainly didn't say anything if she did.

When they reached the portrait entrance, Hermione stood next to Ginny and gave her an easy smile. Ginny giggled in return.

Very cutely, Hermione thought as she stood there gazing at her friend.

"Er- Draco? Thanks for walking me all the way up here," Ginny said slowly.

"Oh!" Hermione said and stepped back away from the portrait.

"Sorry. I guess I'm just a bit out of it," she said lamely.

"No problem," Ginny responded.

But Ginny was still standing there in the corridor, obviously waiting for something. Hermione coughed nervously.

"Thanks for a nice evening, Ginny. I'm glad we got to patrol together," Hermione said, as she again began listing the ingredients of the Polyjuice Potion in her head.

"Yeah. I guess I am, too. I suppose Hermione is truly right about everything," she said, chuckling just a bit.

"Sorry?" Hermione said confusedly.

"Well, what I mean ... honestly, Draco, what I mean is that I wouldn't have thought I could enjoy myself with you. But Hermione assured me - earlier today, in fact - that you'd changed. I didn't believe her but now, I'm starting to think that maybe she's right," Ginny explained.

"She said that earlier today, did she? Interesting," Hermione muttered mostly to herself.

"Goodnight, Ginny. I'll see you around," Hermione said, surprising both herself and Ginny when she took a step closer to the girl and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

She was rewarded with another set of giggles before Ginny turned towards the portrait and quietly said the password. Hermione took a few steps back and waited until her friend was fully inside before she began her sojourn back to her Common Room.

Perhaps if she hadn't been so lost in her own thoughts about working with Snape on an independent study, or how the candlelight reflected off of Ginny's hair, or why Malfoy said particular things about himself (technically) to both Ginny and Snape, or why she was off limits to Slytherins, she would have heard the soft footfalls of someone not too far behind her.

But she didn't hear them.

Draco quietly followed Granger back to their dorm. He'd been tailing Granger and Ginny for the past hour. He was surprised when their interactions didn't even include a single kiss- well, aside from Granger's lame peck on the cheek.

Surprised, but not disappointed, he thought.

And that surprised him further. He had expected Granger to at least try something with the other girl. And he was pretty sure that Ginny was willing, despite what she'd said about Harry.

But maybe something resembling a friendship between the two would suit his purposes better anyway. If he was going to trick Harry into seeing Ginny for the attractive young women that was, he figured that it was probably better that she wasn't really getting involved with Granger.

He repressed the small voice in the back of his head that was arguing that there were other reasons for why he was not terribly disappointed that Granger seemed to be no longer interested in Ginny.