Shifting Perspectives

Shifting Perspectives,

Chapter 13: "Without Inhibitions, Part I"

by Professor Mary

Summary: In a moment of desperation, someone releases Alihotsy spores into the Great Hall. What results is hilarious- and rather- kinky pandemonium!

****

Draco settled onto the bench in between Harry and Ron and across from Blaise, Ginny, Pansy, and Neville. He'd been somewhat looking forward to dining at Slytherin Table all day long. However, despite Granger's ministrations, an exorbitant amount of chocolate consumption, and that Muggle medicine, Draco felt decidedly uncomfortable. He couldn't narrow down the reasons either. For one, Blaise was eyeing him like a piece of candy, which was completely unnerving. Two, Pansy and Neville Longbottom, of all people, were so absorbed in each either that neither had even deigned to say hello. Being ignored had never sat well with him. Three, Crabbe seemed to be carrying on a normal conversation - with complete sentences and everything-- with two Hufflepuffs, who were also sitting at Slytherin Table this evening. Really, he was going to have to do something about all that InterHouse Unity crap-- it was getting out of hand! And four, he suspected that Granger was avoiding him. She was sitting on the other side of Ginny, next to Crabbe and chatting with the Hufflepuffs, too. And that was really annoying.

Of course, he'd never sat at Slytherin Table in a skirt before, either. So maybe that was what was putting him off.

Granger.

She was the most infuriating person he'd ever known. How dare she sit there, in his body, at his Table, and talk to Hufflepuffs? Oh, the indignity of it! And when she wasn't talking with them, she was grinning like an idiot at Ginny Weasley. Whenever he did get back to his body, he was going to have to do some serious damage control.

"I thought you had a plan?" Harry hissed into his ear.

The dumbass. "Of course, I have a plan. I got you here, didn't I? Now you're supposed be talking to Ginny--"

"What about Malfoy?" Harry interrupted.

"Leave him to me," Draco whispered back. "But I suggest that you at least be civil to him--that should get her attention," he added as an afterthought, wondering if something similar might work in his case, as well. He eyed Harry and Ron - they really were more tolerable than he'd suspected.

Draco sipped his pumpkin juice thoughtfully. Granger was still ignoring him. He was going to have to get her attention away from Ginny so Harry could have his shot. What could be more impressive than the Royal Gryffindor, Himself sitting at the Slytherin Table? However, he was surprised to feel pity for the boy... after all, the scrawny black-haired Gryffindor had nothing on his blond aristocratic looks. He almost coughed up his juice at this thought- there was something about this line of thinking that was bothering him... he shook his head.

How to get Granger's attention? As luck would have it, the opportunity presented itself.

"So Hermione, aren't we patrolling the dungeons tonight?" Blaise said with a smile.

Before Draco could even answer, Granger had whipped her blond head around and snapped, "The Head Girl and I have business tonight, Blaise. I've already asked Hannah here to fill in," she said, gesturing to one of the Hufflepuffs.

Blaise's smile never wavered but Draco could recognize his anger by the slight furrowing of his brow.

"Of course, Draco," he answered, before turning back to the Draco who currently sported long curly brown hair. "Some other time, then, Hermione."

Draco nodded and gave the boy a deliberately shy smile. Blaise blushed but it was Granger's response that had his interest. Her grey eyes blazed and she seemed to be completely oblivious to Ginny's repeated requests for her to pass the roast potatoes. Draco smiled. So that's how it is, is it? Granger was jealous. Of that much, he was certain. Of what in particular, he was still unsure.

Based on their limited conversation about her dating history as well as her careless displays with Ginny, Draco had come to the conclusion that Granger was a virgin. And most likely, she was purposefully a virgin. He reasoned that she didn't trust him with her body. And that was fair... she shouldn't. So, her reaction to Blaise made some amount of sense from that perspective.

On the other hand, she had expressed some interest in the Hogsmeade date. And she even said that she was brewing the Polyjuice Potion for that weekend. So maybe she was mad because she wanted to experience Blaise herself. That would also explain her jealousy.

Neither of these explanations made Draco feel any better about the situation. There was still one more reason lurking in the back of his mind, though. Perhaps she's jealous because she doesn't want me- Draco Malfoy - to be with anyone else.... Because maybe she wants me...

Abruptly, Draco knocked over his pumpkin juice, splashing the orange liquid all over Ron.

"Hermione!" Ron yipped as he jumped up from the table.

Draco smirked at the red-headed boy's embarrassment, until Harry poked him in the side. He looked away from Ron and caught Granger's disapproving glare.

"Er- Sorry, Ron. Let me take care of that..." he said, somewhat half-heartedly between chuckles. But Ron had already turned away from him and was now stalking out of the Great Hall.

"I could have cleaned that," he tried to say, as he returned his wand to his inside pocket.

Ginny was laughing, too, as she said, "Oh, cleansing charms don't work all that well on Pumpkin Juice... he'll have to leave that to the House Elves."

"Really?" Granger piped up. "Why do they serve it to students, then? Doesn't make sense to give us something that could potentially cause them so much extra work."

With her comment, Draco saw two things: his opening to steal Granger's attention and an opportunity to salvage his reputation.

"Since when are you concerned with the work load of House Elves, Malfoy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

He was pleased to see that she at least had the decency to blush.

"Er... I just meant that Elves--" she tried to recover.

"Hermione, are you still running Spew? I'd really like to join. It's such a noble cause," Blaise smoothly interrupted.

Draco felt lucky that he didn't spill his pumpkin juice a second time at Blaise's disingenuous outburst. Then he supposed that Blaise should feel lucky, too, because Granger didn't hex him outright. She looked like she was clearly considering it as an option. And that, he thought, was interesting, indeed.

Now he knew how to keep Granger's attention. He smiled rather deviously.

But before he committed himself to using Blaise to get to Granger, he spared a few seconds of his attention for Harry and Ginny. Satisfied that they were becoming as absorbed with each other as Pansy and Neville, he resumed his current strategy. He was pleased to note that both Blaise and Granger seemed to be waiting, with varying degrees of patience, for his answer.

"Yes, Blaise. I am still running S.P.E.W.," he answered, carefully annunciating each letter as he'd heard Granger do countless times. "And I'd be happy for you to join our ranks. I'll be sure to let you know about our next meeting. You know, I've been considering revising our charter statement..." He paused deliberately, taking in Granger's scowl and Blaise's rapture. Then he moved in for the kill. "Perhaps you could assist me with that, Blaise."

Granger's pale eyebrows shot up so high that they disappeared behind her blond fringe of bangs. Blaise, on the other hand, seemed to have lost his ability to speak.

"I'll need to do some research, of course. I imagine you could assist me with that," he drawled.

Blaise gulped. Granger's mouth was hanging open a bit. And suddenly, Draco felt the heady rush of power that he knew only women could ever hope to possess. And it was intoxicating!

"Ye--yes, Hermione. Of course, I can do that. When would you like me to help you?" Blaise finally stammered.

From two spaces down, Draco heard a familiar voice shyly say, "I'd like to help, too, Hermione."

Draco turned his head and nearly choked to see a completely moonstruck Gregory Goyle hanging onto his every word.

Of all the... But Draco's thoughts were interrupted rather abruptly.

"Well, that settles it, then. Obviously, we need a Slytherin chapter of S.P.E.W." Granger said firmly.

Draco whipped his head around and poised to strike. This was, after all, what he'd been waiting for!

"Well, Malfoy, I couldn't agree more. I think you'd be the ideal candidate to organize it, too," he smirked.

"What?" came three overlapping voices. Harry had abandoned his conversation with Ginny, Pansy had turned away from a rather surprised-looking Neville, and Blaise seemed utterly shocked. All three were now alternating between staring at Draco and Granger. It was enough to make him snicker - because, really, girl or no, he wasn't about to giggle.

"I think that'd be an excellent idea," Granger paused before a rather evil grin surfaced on her pale face, "Hermione."

"Very well, Draco," Draco said evenly.

Several seconds of stunned silence gripped the table as the Slytherins and the visiting Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs tried to make sense of what had just happened.

Then Pansy returned her undivided attention to Neville, "So, next time, you can be my assistant- you'll be in charge of leading the class while I go 'round and help individuals with their moves..."

Ginny favored Harry with a sly grin, one that made Draco feel oddly proud. After that, Harry spoke to no one else. Goyle had turned to the Slytherins sitting on his side and began discussing how to move up the ranks of the new chapter of S.P.E.W., while Crabbe earnestly asked Hannah about her favorite Honeydukes candies.

Only Draco, Blaise, and Granger seemed to be unwilling to move on. For his part, Draco was feeling successful. Harry and Ginny represented a clear victory. And Granger hadn't stopped looking at him. Blaise... well, Blaise was a bit more problematic, but Draco felt certain that that would work itself out, eventually. Right now, he was rather occupied with smirking at Granger.

If he hadn't been otherwise focused, he might have noticed that Blaise's coolness had slipped into something more like desperation. He might have seen the boy reach into his robe and pull out a small glass vial or heard the whispered incantation for dissipation of powdered ingredients.

But alas, his brown eyes were locked with a set of blazing grey ones.

In fact, he didn't drop his gaze from Granger's even when Harry and Ginny both started sneezing uncontrollably beside him, or when Neville and Pansy began openly snogging right at the table, or when somewhere behind him, he heard Goyle convince several Slytherins that they should all go down to the kitchens to help the House Elves with the washing up from dinner. He barely noticed Snape walk up, demanding to know what Blaise had released into the air, before sneezing, himself.

Distantly, he was aware that Snape had sat down between himself and Potter. He could hear the hazy snifflings of his Head of House as the man loudly blew his nose and wiped away his tears and told Harry just how much the boy reminded him of his father. As Harry put his arm around Snape and drew the man in for a hug, Draco finally dropped his staring match with Granger and put his own arms around Snape and Harry. He wasn't going to miss a group hug with two such significant persons in his life, after all.

Only Ron's obnoxiously loud, "What the fuck?" broke the hug. Draco could understand, completely, though. He wouldn't want to feel left out, either. So he stood and pulled the red-headed boy across the table and into his embrace, not at all heeding the spilt pumpkin juice.

He hugged him tightly and whispered, "It's okay, Ron. You're so important to me and have been since we were children, you know. I love you, man. I love you."

"Hermione?" Ron said dazedly. Draco thought about correcting him but was interrupted by a nearby shout.

"Oh, Ronald!" came a deep throaty voice. And then Ron was ripped out of Draco's arms and pulled into Granger's. He felt oddly bereft. And a little bit jealous. But those weren't happy feelings, so he didn't want to dwell on them. Instead he tried to summon positive thoughts at seeing Granger- no, Hermione- hug one of her best friends. Briefly he looked for Snape and noticed that he'd gone over to the Hufflepuff Table to be with Professor Sprout.

"Oh my God, Malfoy! What the hell is going on here?" Ron was saying, as he tried to pull himself out of Hermione's long-armed hold.

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. I cherish you so much. You've been the best friend ever. You and Harry..." And then Draco saw Hermione left her blond head and peer around the table.

"Harry!" she cried. And he felt his heart fill with joy as he watched her climb over the table to get to her other best friend. He couldn't help grinning as she tried to pull Harry from his perch on top of Ginny. And when that didn't work, as he suspected that Ginny was holding onto Harry fairly tightly, Hermione just threw herself on top of both of them, hugging them closely and kissing their cheeks. The other two moaning teenagers didn't seem to mind and stopped their own liplock long enough to say things like, "Malfoy, we should be friends- please don't become a Death Eater," and "Oh, Draco, thank you so much- Hermione was right about you all along!"

Draco's attention returned to Ron as he realized that the boy was still yelling. He couldn't understand why he should be so upset. How could he be unhappy right now? There was just so much to be happy about in the world. Then he looked around at the table and noticed the strikingly attractive Millicent Bulstrode coming towards them. He counted himself lucky to be surrounded by such natural beauty.

It was clear what was going to happen even before Millicent grabbed Ron by his robes and placed her large red lips on his. He could see it as if it were perfection waiting to come to fruition. And it made his heart swell and his blood burn as he watched the scene unfold. In fact, Draco was really beginning to relish how warm he was feeling as he watched Millicent kissing the now quiet-Ron. Harry and Ginny seemed to be content stretched out across the table. And Pansy had pinned Neville against the wall. Even Crabbe was sharing a lollipop with Hannah the Hufflepuff. Draco reminded himself to get her last name at the next opportunity.

He really really enjoyed watching others. Without giving it much thought, he let one of his hands creep inside his robe, where it ghosted across nice full breasts. Why haven't I looked at these more?

"Hermione?" he heard as he felt a hot breath caress the back of his neck. Yes, he thought, where is Hermione? I'd like to find Hermione...

He turned and found Blaise standing beside him, instead.

"Blaise, my dear friend," he said, as he pulled the taller boy into a hug.

"Oh, Hermione!" the boy whimpered, tangling his fingers through Draco's long hair.

Mmm... Hermione... Draco thought, as he began to move his hips against the warm body pressing against his. He closed his eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by the hot pulsing coming from just below his belly. Really, he was going to have to figure out how do deal with all of that down there... and sooner rather than later!

"I love your hair," Blaise murmured.

Yes, all that thick luxurious brown hair.... "Me, too," Draco said softly, leaning up to allow Blaise more access to his neck. His pushed his hips more firmly into the other boy's pelvis, unsurprised to feel such nice hard pressure grinding back into him.

"So lovely, Hermione. So bloody hot," Blaise moaned.

"Oh..." Draco gasped, as hands other than his own began to move across his torso and then up to his breasts. So hot, indeed, he thought and closed his eyes. Visions of brown eyes, mounds of hair, and supple curves were dancing behind his eyelids as he arched his back into the boy's touches, all the while continuing to thrust his hips forward.

An incredibly loud banging noise filled the Great Hall then. Startled, Draco pulled away from Blaise's embrace and faced the Head Table. He smiled broadly when he saw Dumbledore's grin and red cheeks. What a brilliant wizard, he thought.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and seemed to be waiting. Draco took a few seconds to look back at the Slytherin Table and then around the Hall. Harry and Ginny were now sitting side by side, both as flushed red as Ginny's hair. Pansy and Neville were lying on the floor- well, Neville was lying on the floor and Pansy was straddling him, in a perfect position to show off her lovely muscular legs as her robes were attractively bunched around her waist. Crabbe and Hannah seemed to have finished their lollipop while Goyle and several other Slytherins were no where to be seen. Then he remembered their goal of helping the House Elves and smiled. He was also happy to note that Ron seemed fairly content now, sitting in Millicent's lap.

Then he saw Hermione. She was standing on the Hufflepuff Table, surrounded by many students from all the different Houses. He looked at them for a moment before recognizing what set them apart. Muggleborns! She was standing there, her arms around Justin Finch-Fletchley and both of the Creevy brothers. Her blond hair was pleasantly mussed and her skin seemed to be aglow. She had a huge smile on her face.

Draco sighed happily. Things felt right- well, almost perfect, he thought.

Draco realized that everyone around him seemed to be happy. As he stood there, waiting for Dumbledore's address, he made a commitment to himself: I, Draco Malfoy, will honor my fellow witches and wizards, for we- all of us- deserve to be happy.

And then he walked over to the Hufflepuff Table and looked up into a pair of intense grey eyes. Several hands and arms pulled him up onto the table. But it was Hermione who had his attention now. And when she put her arm around his waist, he recognized what had been missing. Because now, as he matched her smile, everything felt perfect.

*****

"Poppy, dear, I believe we're going to need something for next few days. Mr. Zabini was rather too enthralled with Miss Greengrass to give me the exact information regarding the Alihotsy spores he released into the Great Hall. Therefore, I believe it's going to be an interesting weekend, to say the very least."

"Oh, Albus, have I told you how much I like your turquoise robes? The whale and starfish details are so nicely done... I think I may even prefer these to your lovely earmuffs, you know," Poppy cooed.

Albus blushed deeply before clearing his throat.

"Thank you, dear lady. But, really, I must insist that you cast a Charm over the entire school population--best do the teachers and staff, too. We wouldn't want any- er - long term consequences, would we?"

"Oh, but Albus, I haven't delivered a baby in years. Must I really do this?"

Albus seemed to consider her words for a long moment.

"Over the student body, most definitely. As for the staff... well, I suppose we could just leave that to fate," he said, chuckling softly.

Poppy nodded her head and pulled out her wand to perform the appropriate Contraception Spell for all of the Hogwarts students.

"Of course, I am reasonably certain that our Head Boy and Girl and the Prefects have overseen students' return to their proper dormitories. Yes, this is merely insurance, Poppy."

Poppy thought the twinkle in the old man's blue eyes indicated otherwise, though she didn't say it aloud.

Albus offered her his arm, "Let me escort you back to your rooms, Poppy."

Poppy giggled and the two set off down the corridors towards the Infirmary.

Along the way, they stopped to offer praise and lemon drops to Gregory Goyle and several other Slytherins who were happily scrubbing the stone floors.

****

Once Hermione had met with the Slytherin and Ravenclaw Prefects and was adequately convinced that both Houses' students were in their appropriate dormitories, she headed back to her own Common Room.

Her heart was nearly overflowing with joy. She was so glad that she'd at least had the opportunity to hug Pansy after the end of the meeting. She smiled, remembering the other girl's words.

"Oh, Draco. You've been the best friend to me. And I just want you to know that I appreciate everything--helping me with aerobics, being supportive of my relationship with Neville, always being there, and - well- keeping me away from... you know what. Really, I love you, Draco," Pansy had said with tears glistening in her eyes.

And Hermione had tried her best to commit it all to memory so that she could share these warm sentiments with the real Draco.

The real Draco. She was on her way to meet with him. She could no longer deny how much she wanted to see him. She vaguely wondered why she'd ever been resistant to her feelings. After all, this was the person who'd taught her to fly, who'd embraced her dearest friends, and who'd overcome his blood racism. And then she thought of soft skin and shapely legs and lovely... well, lovely everything! Mmmm...Draco.

She picked up her pace, nearly running down the hallway towards their dormitories.

Once she was outside the portrait entrance, she stopped to take a few deep breaths. Her heart was still racing and she knew it was not from her impromptu exercise.

On the other side of that portrait was something, rather someone, she wanted very much. She said the password, summoned her House's legendary courage and walked into the darkened room.

She took a few seconds to stand just inside the doorway to allow her eyes to adjust to the dimmed light.

And then she realized that she was just inches away from a pair of smoldering brown eyes.

She drew in a deep breath.

"I've been waiting for you, Hermione," Draco said.

He stepped closer to her. She wondered if he could hear the ferocious pounding of her heart.

"I'm here," she answered and she took a step to close the distance between them.

For a long moment, she held his gaze, before leaning her head down, and finding his soft red lips with her own.

She sighed deeply, knowing she'd finally come home. This was exactly where she wanted- and needed- to be.