Indescribable Taste

Chapter 3: The "M" Word

The end of the next day came quicker then Hermione thought, even for having a double period of Potions class. Neville Longbottom had nearly burnt down the entire room when mixing baglabassies into a caldron full of snang mucus. A flame nearly five feet long erupted and showered on the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws; everyone took shelter under their desks. Several Ravenclaw students had to be taken to the infirmary for minor burns.

When class was dismissed by a very upset looking Professor Snape, Hermione pulled the dirty Slytherin robes out of her knapsack and headed for the girls bathroom. She didn't want to have to even converse with Lucius. She just wanted to get the week over with. Hermione prayed Draco wouldn't be in there this evening.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted from the other end of the hall near the Potions class. "Hey, don't walk so fast, woman!"

"Come to lecture me on losing fifty points for our house yesterday?" she snapped, walking faster. Ron had to jog to keep up with her.

"I just wanted to say, if you need to talk to someone, you don't have to forget about me. Harry is pretty mad at you--"

"Yeah well he has no reason to be! Seamus is such a liar!" Hermione interjected.

"--but I'm not. I don't care if you broke up with Seamus and--well our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher isn't exactly friendly. I can't believe he gave you detention for that. I mean, I figured you would get detention but it wasn't fair. You just told it like it is."

"Yeah, well, now, I have a weeks worth of detentions for dumping my muddy wash water on Draco's annoyingly perfect hair."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Ron exclaimed, clutching his stomach in laughter. "I wish I could have seen his face!" The Weasley laughed even harder at the thought of Malfoy's face covered in dirty water. Hermione slowed down her steps and smiled, nearly laughing. It HAD been funny but she hadn't had anyone to laugh about it with.

"He didn't mention THAT in History of Magic today," Ron said.

"RONALD! There you are! You just darted off after class and I couldn't find you," Lavender said, looking from him to Hermione and her worried face turned into a disgusted one. "Hello, Hermione--let's get out of here, Ronny," she cooed, stepping in between the two friends. She took his hand and dragged him away.

Ron gave a sad wave. "I'll see you in the Great Hall at dinner, right?" he called.

"Detention," Hermione called back. She heard Lavender give an obvious snort. Hermione wanted to retort but she only sighed instead. It wouldn't be any use arguing with that girl. She was so dense, Hermione didn't know how a brain fit inside her tiny head and it would be a complete waste to get all worked up.

Hermione had been surprised Ron asked her about dinner. The thought of having food sometime other then breakfast made her stomach realized once again that it was time to eat. "Why can't I just eat first then go to detention?" she thought out loud to herself as she pushed open the girls bathroom door and sat down on the closed seat of a stall that had paint flakes scattered on the floor. She pulled off her nice hushpuppies and stuffed her bobby socks in them.

This was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom but it was so quiet in there for once. She came here to get her privacy. She pulled the Gryffindor robes over her head and wiggled out of her knee high skirt. She hung them up on a hook above the commode. The fresh blast of cold air on Hermione's light skin gave her goose bumps from head to foot but it was also relieving. She sat on the toilet seat again and sighed, closing her eyes. The stress from several days seemed to leak out of her bare toes. In no other bathroom would she feel so comfortable lounging in her under clothes.

Just then, though, the door to the bathroom creaked open and someone stepped in. They didn't walk around but just stood there, surveying, and Hermione knew they were looking for her. She reached for the robes on the hook but the intruder kicked the door, making her jump and she dropped them. It didn't break but the wood the hinges were attached to made a crunching sound and nearly gave way. Hermione yelped helplessly and tried, without success, to pull the robes over her head for a second time. The person kicked the weak door again and it hung on by one hinge at the bottom but swung open even so.

Draco stood in front of her. He wasn't smiling as if this were a game.

"You embarrassed me in front of my father," he said promptly. He took one large step forward and wrapped his strong hand around her neck. Hermione dropped the robes she had been clutching to her chest and pulled at his wrist but it was no good. Draco squeezed harder the more she wriggled. "Don't fight me and I won't snap your little neck."

Hermione squirmed a few more times and grunted with a few sputtering coughs; she fell silent when nothing seemed to work. Draco used his free hand to run it up and down her stomach, torso, and legs. He breathed heavy against her neck and nibbled on her earlobe. Hermione was cringing with discomfort and she began to fight even harder then before but he quickly slapped her and shut her up. Big fat tears began to stream down her face as he unhooked her bra and tossed it over to the other stall.

"I bet Potter and Weasley have seen you plenty of times. I'd say I've been close enough to you for long enough to deserve a little of this," he cooed, but in a mad sort of tone. He cupped her breast in his hand and kneaded her nipple between his index and middle finger.

"Hermione, what's the meaning of--," Myrtle said, floating above the stall and holding a bra on the tip of her pointer finger as if it had a disease but she stopped dead with wide eyes when she viewed the scene.

"BOY IN MY BATHROOM," She wailed with a mega phoned voice, "ATTACKING A STUDENT!"

"Damn it," Draco growled, stepped away from Hermione. He glared at her briefly and, in a sound of fluttering robes, he darted off. The bathroom door closed with a deafening thud.

Myrtle floated slowly down to Hermione, who was standing against the wall, shivering but trying hard to stifle her tears. The ghostly girl, with a sad face, handed her the bra that was tossed over into her stall and Hermione tried to put it on without shaking too terribly bad. She pulled the old Slytherin robes on without much thought and put her shoes back on without the socks.

"What's the meaning of this?" a deep voice boomed. Lucius! No, she groaned to herself, he can't possibly be the one in here. It was, though. He pushed the broken stall door to the side and looked down at her from his towering height. "You should have been in my class nearly twenty minutes ago. Why are you crying?"

"You're the new teacher," Myrtle pointed out, staring at him with a glint of interest. "You're the Malfoy professor."

"I am," he said, not looking at her.

"Your son did this! I saw him!"

"My son? I saw him fleeing from here. He didn't say anything to me, though." He thought for a moment. "Out of here, ghost, I can handle it."

She put her hands on her invisible hips. "This is MY bathroom, high and mighty Malfoy so you and the girl leave!"

"Fine. Can you walk, girl?" Lucius asked Hermione. She looked up at him and two tears slid down both cheeks. He sighed and large mass of hair fell over his narrowed eyes. "I will carry you, if I must," he said. He was trying to keep his professor like demeanor but she looked so upset, he couldn't help but scoop her up without any argument and cradled her in his arms. She flinched when he touched her but she allowed him none-the-less. He draped her clothes over her lap and turned back to Moaning Myrtle who had been eying them with a mischievous smile on her face. "You don't mention this to anyone. I won't have the whole school knowing my son desires...her."

Myrtle giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think that's what you have to worry about but...ok. Who comes and sees poor, annoying Myrtle anyhow?"

**

The teachers' rooms didn't get as much attention and detail as the head students room. There was a single bed with a dark oak headboard and footboard that was detailed with the Hogwarts emblem. There was a small night stand beside the bed and they both matched. The floors were wooden and had been worn down from several years of serving several different Defense against the Dark Arts professors. Two lonely windows adorned the small stone wall; one overlooked the classroom and another smaller one looked out into the Forbidden Forest, though there were thick black curtains draped over them so no light peaked through. In the corner, at the back of the room, was a large desk that held rows and stacks of papers and a few quills scattered here and there.

Lucius laid her down on the unmade bed and propped her head up with a pillow. He flicked his wand once and an empty coffee cup soared to him. He flicked his wand again and it began steaming with hot chocolate. He handed it to her with a grunt and a frown.

"Thank you," she whispered, not knowing if she should look him in the eyes or not. She didn't have much time to worry about it as he turned his back to her and pulled his clean burgundy robes over his head. Hermione glanced only for a second at his rippling back but it made her face feel hotter then the drink she was given.

He pulled out a set of robes that were a fading gray but possibly could've been black in its better days. They were torn at both shoulders and the seams on the sleeves were fraying. He turned around as he buttoned it up to the neck. "I suppose we won't get as much done as I would have liked, but we will if I participate. Don't think you will get my help like this everyday," he included.

"Yes, professor," Hermione said. She hesitated on what she would say next. "Professor..."

Lucius held up his hand. "Don't say it. You will forget that even happened and if you don't," he raised his eyebrows and emphasized his next words, "you-will-regret-it. I'm not doing this for my son, but for my sake. I don't want to deal with questions that need not be worried about. You're fine, are you not?"

"That isn't fair, Professor! He attacked me! What if he does it again?"

"Well, then, you should learn to be on your guard more often. You can't be so weak and dependant on other people to protect you. To survive, you must be your own defense. No one else is in charge of you but you. Now, get up," he growled. "We're going to move all of the tables from their rows and scrub the floors. I will move the tables and you can scrub the floors."

"You sound like you have the easy job," Hermione muttered, sitting up and finishing her hot chocolate.

"You are lucky you're getting my help at all," snapped Lucius, but there was a faint smile on his face.

Hermione was right on Lucius getting the better job. He was allowed to use his wand, for one thing, and he simply levitated the tables, one on top of the other, while Hermione was stuck on her hands and knees with a wash rag. There were decades of grime caked to the floor but under all the dirtiness was a beautiful design of mauve and a pastel green ribbons being flown around by tiny little birds that could fit in the palm of Hermione's hand.

"Professor, why are you putting so much into cleaning this room? No one has done it in years. I can tell it's not just a punishment because you said you would have to do it yourself if I hadn't gotten in trouble."

"Why are you talking, Miss Granger? Shouldn't you be cleaning, like I asked? This isn't a gossip circle," Lucius said, not looking up from his grading.

"I can clean and talk at the same time, so it won't hurt if you answer one question," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, dear...clean and talk? Aren't you the talented Muggle? One question will turn into several and I don't intend on starting a friendly conversation with a Mudblood at this moment so shut your trap and continue your detention," he said with finality in his voice.

The door nearest to Hermione creaked and Lucius's son walked in. "Father, I...," Draco started to say but he seen Hermione and looked wholly surprised. Hermione's heart was hammering in her chest. "You're here, I see. Continue with your cleaning, Mudblood."

Hermione stood up and threw down her rag. "You better apologize to me, Malfoy," she said.

Draco smirked and folded his arms. "Why should apologize to you, Granger? I can't excuse the mistake that you were born anymore then you can."

"You will apologize to me for what you pulled in the girls' bathroom!" Hermione was beginning to lose her formality with the pale faced assailant.

He raised his nose in the air. "I don't know what you're talking about. I know you lost all of you friends but accusing me of something to get attention is no way to go about things," he said, with honey dripping from his voice.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" she suddenly screamed.

"Father, this girl is insane. I would think another twenty points from Gryffindor would be prudent, if I may say so."

Lucius opened his mouth to speak but chose not to. He looked at Hermione with taunting eyes and nodded. Like a rabid dog let out of it's pen, Hermione dove for Draco before he could pull out his wand and connected her fist directly with his nose; then on the side of his eye. Draco gave her an uppercut in the stomach and she buckled over, spraying spittle. She had lost her breath for a fraction of a second but only for a second and after that she was seeing red but he had thrown himself on top of her and had started choking her. She thought quickly, for she didn't need anyone else's help. She COULD protect herself. She pulled her knee up and got his groin. He doubled over on the floor and Hermione rolled on top of him. After three punches Hermione stopped and clutched her fist that was cut and bleeding. Blood seeped from Draco's nose and lip. One of his eyes was half closed. Best of all, for Hermione, was that Draco's nice hair was now looking like a straw heap.

Lucius stood up and strode over to them. "Get off of him, girl, get off." He pulled Draco up by the collar of his robes and sneered at him. "You've been knocked out by a Muggle--a girl no less. What kind of man do you claim to be? From now on, you are not allowed to visit this classroom when Miss Granger is here or I will see to it you have detention every evening at this time with Snape--or Mcgonagall." He flicked his wand and Draco's wounds healed themselves quickly but they were still slightly visible. "I'm no healer. Go up to the infirmary. I don't care what you tell her happened but if you somehow try to blame this on me or Miss Granger I will see to it the Slytherins don't get the kind of treatment you would so desire in my class."

Draco, who was still being held by his collar, nodded but was blatantly scowling at his father. "She's a Mudblood," he sneered, "and you're taking up for her."

"As far as I'm concerned, she IS a Mudblood but she is quite different from any Mudblood I've ever encountered. I would suggest you leave her alone so she may get her education. That should be the only thing on your mind in any case, Draco. Now, leave, before I throw you out myself," he growled, letting go of his sons robes.

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione muttered, watching Draco leave. She bent down again to wipe the blood from the floor.

"Do not thank me, Miss Granger. You stood up for yourself, which was a surprise to me. Continue this and could make a fine young Mudblood someday," he said with a playful grin on his face.

"Hardy-har," Hermione said sarcastically as she scrubbed. "You must've been a comedian in a past life."

"It could be. After you finish with that you may eat a couple pieces of pork chop and bread I had left from my dinner and then you may be excused. I'm going into my office to get some rest. You children are too much to handle these days. With that in mind, do not forget to see Madam Pomfrey before you go up to you common room. Farewell, Miss Granger."

"Goodnight, Professor." Hermione smiled up at him with her shiny new black eye. He didn't smile back but she knew he was pleased nonetheless.

**

Lucius stepped into his office and his face broke into a smile. He even chuckled a little bit to himself. She had been something else. He pulled the old dusty robes off and fell into his bed.

His sheets were still clinging to Hermione's soft baby powder smell and Lucius inhaled deeply without thinking. Something inside him stirred and he sat up quickly. He peeked through the small window that looked out to his classroom. Hermione was lying on her side, eating greedily at his left over dinner.

The thing inside him stirred again and his flesh was covered in little bumps.

Interesting little creature, this Hermione Granger was.