The Error of My Ways

 Chapter Eleven: The Way We Gryffindors Do Things

 Hermione had arrived early for breakfast that morning. She looked at the practically empty Gryffindor table where only a few adventurous first-years were eating some porridge. She poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice.

 "Harry and Ron probably slept in because of the party last night. Second fastest quidditch win ever. Too bad it was Ravenclaw and not Slytherin," she thought to herself as she sipped her drink.

 She watched as other students began to filter into the Great Hall. It was a Saturday and, with no classes to think about, everyone was taking their time coming down to get something to eat. She did not mind all that much and, with glass in hand, let her thoughts wander...thoughts about Percy, thoughts about her own situation, thoughts about NEWTs, thoughts about...

 "Hey, Hermione!" Ron's voice broke her train of thought.

 She smiled as Ron sat himself beside her and grabbed six slices of toast off of the closest platter.

 "Good morning, Ron. Are you going to eat all that in one go?" she asked with a smirk.

 Ron looked at her in mock horror.

 "Hermione! What kind of a person do you think I am? I do have some manners. I am not going to just stuff my face with these six slices of toast...at least, not until they are properly buttered and spread with yummy marmalade."

 Hermione watched in amazement as he did just that, smearing marmalade all over his face.

 "Nice to see that your table manners have improved since coming to Hogwarts, Ron," Ginny laughed as she sat down opposite the pair.

 Ron really couldn't answer because his mouth was full to bursting but he nodded at his younger sister in a cordial way.

 "Honestly, Ron, do you really want to show the world just how big a mouth you have?" Dean sleepily sat down next to Ron and picked up the pitcher of pumpkin juice to pour himself a glass.

 "Whoa! Dean! Your glass is over here!" Seamus hurriedly moved the glass to where the flow of pumpkin juice was being directed. He then sat down next to Ginny

 Dean recovered quickly.

 "Sorry about that. What a party last night! What a victory! I still think Harry was hiding the Snitch in his pocket the whole time."

 "Actually, he transfigured it into a twig on his Firebolt," Seamus laughed.

 "You've got it all wrong...he used an advanced Summoning Spell," Ginny giggled.

 "Rubbish...he used a Revealing Potion," Ron was finally able to speak, although choking with laughter would have been more accurate.

 "Revealing Potion? Is that on our next Potions test?" Neville asked suddenly. He sat down next to Seamus and helped himself to Belgian waffles and blueberry syrup.

 "We were talking about Harry and the game yesterday. You know, how he caught the Snitch so quickly," Hermione answered, still sipping her pumpkin juice.

 "That was one of the shortest games ever," Neville nodded, "But the party wasn't that short was it? By the way, Hermione, I was looking for you last night but you weren't in the common room. Where were you? I needed some help with that skin restorative potion for dragon burns."

 Hermione blushed slightly. She had gone for a walk with Percy out by the lake. It wasn't often that they could get some time together.

 "I was upstairs in my room, just studying. You know...NEWTs are going to be here before you know it..."

 "Oh, come off it, Hermione!" Dean interrupted, waving a slice of bacon for emphasis, causing Ron to duck. "NEWTs are ages away and besides, the study group is more than preparation enough for them."

 "Remember Hermione," Ron said, after a glare at Dean as the other boy calmly munched his bacon, "too much work and no play is not the way we Gryffindors do things."

 "And how do we Gryffindors do things?" Lavender and Parvati joined the group. Ron blushed as he pushed the pitcher of pumpkin juice over to Lavender.

 "We Gryffindors work hard and play hard eh, Ron old boy?" Seamus answered, reaching across the table to punch Ron on the arm, causing him to yelp.

 "We study hard too," Hermione added innocently.

 Ron picked up a slice of bacon from Dean's plate, ignoring Dean's protests, and waved it at Hermione.

 "You need to get out more. End of discussion."

 Harry sleepily walked up to the group. Hermione grinned as she realized that he had put his shirt on backwards.

 "Morning," he said through a yawn as he plopped down next to Ginny. Ron and Hermione looked at one another and smiled surreptitiously.

 "Good morning, sunshine!" the entire group of Gryffindors said en masse.

 Harry sat bolt upright with his eyes wide open and flaming cheeks.

 "Was it something we said?" Neville grinned.

 "Hey, the professors are starting to come in," Parvati said.

 Hermione turned quickly to see the professors taking their places at the Head Table. Dumbledore kept looking at the Slytherin table where Draco Malfoy sat, surrounded by his cronies. She noticed that the young man looked quite ill. Professor Snape came in from another entrance and walked over to Draco. The two of them chatted briefly before leaving the Great Hall together. Dumbledore watched them leave and then, sighing, returned to eating his breakfast.

 "What's wrong with Draco and I wonder where Percy is?" she thought with concern.

 "Hermione, you had better eat something before these boys finish everything," Ginny stated with a grin.

 Hermione smiled at her friend and took a slice of toast and proceeded to slather it with cream cheese. As she nibbled on it, Percy walked in, accompanied by Professor Lupin. They sat down and chatted amicably as they ate their meal. Percy looked up and, noticing that she was looking at him, smiled. She couldn't help but smile in return and her face coloured slightly. It was still amazing how much could be conveyed through a simple glance.

 She looked down at her toast and took another small bite. She really wasn't very hungry. As she looked up, she saw that Ginny was looking at her with a quizzical expression on her face. Hermione fought down the urge to bolt.

 "What?" she asked the younger girl casually, "Do I have cream cheese all over my face like Ron's face is covered with marmalade?"

 Ron immediately grabbed the nearest napkin and was wiping his face furiously, as Harry roared with laughter.

 Ginny didn't answer but Hermione felt that the younger girl knew something was up.

 "I guess we will have to talk about this later," she thought to herself. She wasn't too worried about Ginny's reaction.

 Professor Snape returned without Draco and sat at the Head Table. She noticed that he was not eating anything either but kept looking at Dumbledore as if he had something important to tell him.

 "I wonder where Malfoy is?" she thought to herself, "Maybe Professor Snape brought him to the infirmary."

 After breakfast was complete, Dumbledore stood up.

 "If I could have your attention for just a few moments. Before you embark on your weekend entertainments, I have a very special announcement to make which I am sure will make you all very happy. The other professors and myself have settled upon a date for the upcoming Yule Ball. It will be held two weeks today, here in the Great Hall, with a reception beginning at 6:00 pm and dinner to be served at 7:30 pm. Of course, we will have a band to provide us with music. As in the past, the Ball will be open to all fourth year students or higher or to younger students if they are accompanying an eligible student. It promises to be an enjoyable evening for all. Dress robes are mandatory. I think that is all. Enjoy yourselves today and thank you."

 There was an immediate rush of conversation. Hermione noticed that Professor Snape had gotten Dumbledore's attention and the two of them were leaving the Great Hall. She could just barely hear snippets of their conversation.

 "...Imperius Curse...could have been fatal."

 "...symptoms could have been mistaken...tragedy..."

 "...drastic measures are needed..."

 "...this is unheard of...never been done before..."

 "...desperate times...desperate measures...his safety...top priority..."

 Hermione watched them leave through the massive doorway and, with a sigh turned to the professors' table once again. Percy and Professor Lupin were chatting again but they looked anxious.

 "I wonder what is up now," she sighed and, with an effort, turned back to her friends.

 Everyone seemed to be talking about what to wear to the Yule Ball, who to ask, how to do their hair, how to learn to dance. Hermione tuned it all out. She felt a little sad. She knew who she wanted to go with but was it still too soon to...

 "Hermione?" Ron's voice brought her back to reality.

 "Sorry about that, Ron. I was just thinking of something I had to do..."

 "How about if you come to the Ball with me?" he said quietly so that no one else would hear.

 Hermione looked at her best friend with genuine affection. She knew that the two of them would have a lot of fun...they had last year...but this year was different. She cared about someone else and Ron...

 She smiled and leaned over to him.

 "Ron, if I went with you this year, Lavender would hit me with the worst hex she could find. You are one of my best friends but I put limits on what I will endure for you."

 Ron looked at her in surprise and then at Lavender, who was watching him shyly. He blushed.

 "You know...you really are a great friend. Promise me you will save me a dance," he asked earnestly.

 "Of course I will," Hermione grinned.

 Smiling, Ron got up and walked over to Lavender. The two of them walked off together.

 Seamus and Dean made a bet to see which of them would get a date first and they quickly went over to the Ravenclaw table.

 "Hey Parvati," Neville smiled.

 Parvati smiled as well.

 "Hey Neville."

 "Walk you back to the common room?" he offered.

 "That would be great."

 Hermione watched as another couple left their table. She, Ginny and Harry were the only ones left at their end of the table.

 "So," Ginny spoke up, "Who do you think you will go to the Yule Ball with, Hermione?"

 Hermione smiled somewhat.

 "I don't know if I will be going."

 Harry looked shocked.

 "You have to go, Hermione. You're Head Girl. It's expected," he exclaimed.

 "What about you, Harry? You are Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. You have a certain obligation to attend as well."

 Harry grinned rather sheepishly.

 "Well, there is someone I would like to ask...I just need to find the right moment..."

 Hermione stood up with a smile.

 "No time like the present."

 She left the two of them staring at her as if she had somehow defied all the textbooks and suddenly disapparated while on Hogwarts property. Looking back, she saw how Harry shyly placed his hand on Ginny's and smiled.

 As she passed the entrance, she wondered what she was going to do. She went back to her room to pick up the books she had borrowed from the library on Troll Magic. In the library, she had a short chat with Madam Pince about the new books that had just come in. Hermione was particularly interested in a new book on Nicolas Flanel.

 In the end, she decided to sign out a few books on the origins of Stonehenge for an extra-credit essay for Percy's History of Magic class.

 As she was making her way back to the Gryffindor tower, she came across Professor Snape.

 "Ah, Miss Granger. I was just looking for you," he said, "I need to speak with you in my office."

 "Of course, Professor Snape," she replied automatically as she followed him towards the Slytherin dungeons. He held the door to his office open to her and, once she was inside, shut it behind him. He motioned for her to have a seat while he sat down in an adjacent chair. The office was neat and tidy but sparsely furnished. Professor Snape did not put up his various academic certificates as other professors did. Everywhere there were books. Books on Potions. Books on the Dark Arts. Books on many different subjects. Hermione felt that, if she ever had an office, she would probably have it something like this.

 "What did you wish to discuss with me, Professor?" she asked.

 "I have been in discussions with Headmaster Dumbledore. There has been an unfortunate incident this morning but, luckily enough, tragedy was averted," he said in a quiet voice.

 Hermione could not imagine what had happened and simply looked at the older man with a confused expression.

 He sighed heavily.

 "Someone tried to murder Draco Malfoy."

 Hermione jumped out her chair.

 "What!!!"

 Professor Snape motioned for her to sit down again, which she did although she grabbed the arms of the chair so tight that her knuckles turned white.

 "Someone tried to poison him. I was fortunate enough to recognize the symptoms and was able to brew an antidote for him quickly enough before the poisoning got too advanced."

 "But how..."

 "It was done by a Slytherin...I do not know who. My guess is that the individual was controlled by the Imperius Curse and forced to administer the poison."

"That is horrible. Is Malfoy all right?"

 "He is still rather sick but, yes, he will live."

 Hermione was silent for a moment.

 "Professor?"

 "Yes, Miss Granger."

 "Could it happen again?"

 "What do you mean?"

 "Well, if it was the Imperius Curse, as you said, then what is to stop whoever it was from trying again?"

 "An excellent question...always thinking ahead. I had the same concerns and I have just come from discussing them with the Headmaster."

 "How will you protect him?"

 "We are going to do something that has, to my knowledge, never been done before at Hogwarts. We are going to switch his house from Slytherin to Gryffindor."

 Hermione's eyes widened with shock.

 "But...how...I mean...the Sorting Hat chooses where we go..." she spluttered helplessly.

 Professor Snape looked at her carefully.

 "Do you remember when you were sorted?"

 "Of course I do."

"What were you thinking when the Sorting Hat was placed on your head?"

 "That I wanted to get into Gryffindor."

 "Exactly. The Sorting Hat's main strategy in determining which house an individual is sorted into is by ascertaining what the individual preferences are. In the vast majority of instances, the preference is in perfect alignment with the most appropriate house, given their character. However, sometimes..."

 "Sometimes, there is conflict?"

 Professor Snape smiled somewhat.

 "Sometimes it is the individual who brings the conflict. Did Harry never tell you that he was almost sorted into Slytherin?"

 "Yes, he told us over the summer. It had been a secret that had been bothering him long enough, he said."

 "Well, Draco Malfoy only went into Slytherin because he was terrified of the consequences if he were to go anywhere else. The Sorting Hat had suggested the house of Gryffindor."

 "I have to say that I am a little overwhelmed by this."

 "I understand, Miss Granger. As I said, this has never been done before and I know it will cause some feathers to be ruffled but we must do what we must in order to protect Draco. He will be protected if he is in your house."

 "The others..."

"Professor Dumbledore is meeting with all the Gryffindors in the common room as we speak. He has already instructed the heads of the houses to explain the situation, albeit in much less detail, to their students."

 "This is all so strange, Professor."

 'I quite agree."

 "Harry is not going to be too impressed by this."

 "Talk to him. Although I know that he and Draco have never been friends, I think I know Harry well enough to assume he will accept this once he realizes what is at stake."

 "I hope you are right, Professor."

 "If you need anything, Miss Granger, please do not hesitate to come to me."

 Hermione smiled.

 "Thank you, Professor...I will keep that in mind."

 She got up and walked to the door, opening it slightly. She paused for a moment, as if in sudden thought and then turned around to face him again.

 "Did the Sorting Hat have any difficulties sorting you?" she suddenly asked.

 Professor Snape looked surprised at the question but a slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

 "Why do you ask?"

 "Because I think you are far too decent to have been automatically put into Slytherin." She said sincerely and then walked into the hallway, leaving a very shocked Potions Master in his office.

 As she walked down the hallway, she thought about what happened to Draco.

 "Maybe I had better check the infirmary to see if Malfoy is there or not."

 She made her way through the corridors and knocked on the door to Madam Pomfrey's office.

 The door opened and Hermione smiled at the good-natured mediwitch.

 "Well, hello there, my dear. What brings you here? You don't need a headache potion as well, do you?"

 Hermione laughed, "No, I feel quite fine."

 The older woman looked relieved.

 "It's the same after every Gryffindor victory. I get at least a dozen of you coming down the next morning complaining of headaches."

 Hermione laughed but quickly became serious again.

 "Madam Pomfrey, I was wondering if Draco Malfoy was here. I saw him at breakfast and he looked very ill. Professor Snape brought him out of the Great Hall and I thought he might have brought him here."

 Madam Pomfrey sighed and a sad expression crossed her face.

 "Yes, he is here, the poor lad. Come into my office, Hermione, I don't want to be adding to the gossip mill by gabbing out here."

 Hermione followed the older woman into her office, which smelled pleasantly of chamomile and mint. She sat down on an armchair while Madam Pomfrey sat down behind her desk.

 "I believe you already know that someone tried to poison Draco Malfoy," she said in a tired voice.

 Hermione nodded.

 "Is he all right?"

 "He will be fine. Thankfully, Professor Snape recognized the symptoms of someone who had been given the Potion of Morpheus and was able to brew the antidote for him in time. I could have done it as well but I might not have been able to administer it before...well...I am glad that Professor Snape was there."

 "What is the Potion of Morpheus?"

 "It is one of the deadlier sleeping poisons. It gradually puts you into a deep sleep and then...well, you stop breathing. Once you are asleep, there is nothing that can be done for you."

 Hermione shivered.

 "Can I see him?"

 "Of course. He will be joining your house, you know."

 "Yes, Professor Snape told me about that. It is rather a shock that such a decision was made."

 "Well, my dear, desperate times call for desperate measures. I do not want to see any of my students get hurt. I suppose he could always transfer back once the danger has passed."

 Hermione stood up, "Would it be all right if I go see Malfoy now?"

 "Certainly, my dear. Only five minutes, however. He needs his rest."

 Hermione walked out of Madam Pomfrey's office and over to the infirmary.

 "What a strange turn of events. I feel so guilty though. Malfoy said he was in danger...maybe I should have paid more attention to what he was telling me."

 She quickly found the cot where Draco was sleeping. He looked flushed and his forehead glistened with sweat. She quickly got a clean cloth and dipped it in a basin of cool water on the small table next to the cot and, after wringing it out thoroughly, proceeded to wipe his face gently. His eyes opened although it took a while for them to focus on her.

 "Hi, Granger," he said weakly.

 "Hi yourself. This is a heck of a way to get attention, Malfoy."

 He smiled.

 "It worked, didn't it?"

 Hermione returned the smile but her expression sobered almost immediately.

 "Are you really okay? I saw that you weren't feeling well at breakfast but I...I never thought..."

 "Never thought that my father would try to get rid of me in such an awful, hands-off kind of way?"

 She nodded quietly, placing the cloth in the cool water again.

 "I heard you are going to be a part of Gryffindor."

 "Sorry to disappoint you, Granger."

 "Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy. It is the best house after all"

 He smirked.

 "You should know that I am not planning to take Potter's place as Gryffindor seeker."

 "Well, I am sure he will be pleased to hear that."

 An expression of pain crossed his face and he clutched at his stomach. Hermione was about to call for Madam Pomfrey but he shook his head.

 "It's just...after effects...Snape warned me they might be bad."

 Hermione's face clearly showed how concerned she was.

 "Hey, I'm not going to die, you know."

 "Too much has happened in the last few months, Malfoy. I guess I have a hard time absorbing it all."

 "You'd have an easier time if there were a textbook right?"

 Hermione smiled slightly although she purposefully neglected to fully wring out the washcloth the next time she passed it on his face, causing him to splutter.

 "You trying to drown me or something, Granger?"

 "Whatever gave you that idea, Malfoy?"

 Draco's expression became pensive.

 "The others are not going to take this particularly well, are they?"

 Hermione sighed.

 "Dumbledore will talk to them and I will talk with them. It will be okay, I think. It will just take some getting used to. You have to admit this is highly unusual."

 You really are an optimist, aren't you, Granger?"

 "I think that is the nicest thing you have ever called me."

 Draco looked as if he was going to say something else but changed his mind.

 "What?" she asked.

 "Nothing."

 A slight blush stole across the pale young man's cheeks. She continued to wipe his face with the wet cloth and soon his eyes slowly began to close.

 "How does that feel?" she asked.

 "Better...thanks," he murmured sleepily.

 "I'll come by later...I know how much fun being in the infirmary can be. I will try to get Harry and Ron to come as well."

 He smiled slightly but his deep breathing signified that he had fallen asleep. Hermione got up quietly and made her way to the door. She stopped to look at him again.

 "How could any father do that to their child?" she wondered angrily as she walked into the corridor.

 She reached the common room entrance and, after telling the Fat Lady the password ("Godric") she went in. Almost immediately, she was practically deafened by the sounds of yelling, shouting and hollering.

 "I guess they have found out about Draco," she thought to herself with a sigh.

 She made her way to the fireplace and stood up on the oak coffee table.

 "Sonorem!"

 A loud boom echoed off the walls of the common room and immediately there was silence as all eyes turned to her.

 "It has recently come to my attention that we will be welcoming a new member to the house of Gryffindor..."

 She began to wave her wand impatiently as the yelling started again.

 "I realize that this is a most unusual circumstance and one that, perhaps, you are not particularly comfortable with. I know that Dumbledore has already spoken with you but I wanted to talk to you as well. The reason behind the change is to save Malfoy's life."'

That got their attention. One could hear a pin drop.

 "Someone from Slytherin tried to poison Malfoy this morning and would have certainly killed him if it were not for the quick thinking of Professor Snape. We do not know who did this yet but we hope to find out shortly. For his own safety, he is being transferred here. I expect you to treat him with courtesy...I have every reason to believe that he will do the same. I know this is asking a lot from you, especially given how he has acted in the past, but we must try our best."

 She waited for a response...the silence was unbearable.

 She could see Ginny whispering in Harry's ear. He nodded at whatever it was she told him. With a grave expression, he walked over to where Hermione was standing and joined her on the coffee table.

 "If someone tried to poison Malfoy then we have to do our bit to protect him. We're Gryffindors and that's the way we Gryffindors do things around here," he stated in a serious tone.

 "Yeah," Ron added emphatically, looking utterly confused but somehow feeling that he was doing the right thing.

 The conversations started up again and Hermione and Harry stepped down onto the floor.

 "Are you okay?" Harry asked.

 "Not really. I went to see him in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey said that it was something called the Potion of Morpheus. Professor Snape recognized the symptoms this morning and quickly gave him the antidote. He still looked pretty awful...feverish. It reminded me of when I was there a few months ago," she shivered slightly.

 "I'm very proud of you, Hermione," Percy's voice came from behind her. She turned around quickly and blushed at the look of admiration in his eyes. "It takes a lot of bravery to tell the others to put aside their differences like that."

 Harry put his arm around her shoulders, "It's like I have always said...You-Know-Who doesn't stand a chance as long as I have you on my side."

 The others chuckled but Percy and Hermione exchanged a worried glance. Harry didn't know just how accurate he had just been. Motioning to Harry, Ginny, Ron and Percy, Hermione moved the little group to a more private corner of the common room.

 Ginny gave Hermione a very devious look.

 "Harry asked me to the Yule Ball," she stated quietly but with dancing eyes.

 Hermione looked at Ginny and smiled. Harry smiled as well, running a hand through his unruly hair somewhat nervously.

 "I hope you accepted," Hermione said in mock seriousness.

 Percy looked askance at Ron spluttering in laughter.

 "What do you think?" Ginny grinned.

 Hermione laughed, eager to put her troubled thoughts to the back of her mind.

 "What about you, Percy? Are you going to go to the Yule Ball?" the youngest Weasley asked innocently.

 Percy was still looking at Ron and wasn't really paying attention to what his little sister was saying.

 "What? Yes, I suppose so...all the professors are going...I..."

Ginny clapped her hands in delight,

 "Perfect. Then it's settled...you can take Hermione."

 In the blink of an eye several things happened.

 Percy and Hermione looked at one another and their cheeks quickly tinged with a tell-tale pink. Harry and Ron looked at the two of them and then at one another, a look of shocked understanding crossing their faces. Ginny simply looked delightfully content at having figured things out before anyone else did.

 "Percy. Dear brother. Is there something that you perhaps have neglected to tell me?" Ron assumed his most pompous stance and crossed his arms over his chest in an effort to look imposing.

 "Yes, Hermione. Best friend and witch extraordinaire. Do enlighten us," Harry stood next to Ron in the same pose. Ginny started laughing like crazy at the two of them.

 Percy looked at his brother and then at Hermione. He smiled.

 "Why not?" he thought to himself.

 "Hermione..." he started.

 "Absolutely," she exclaimed.

 Percy looked confused.

 "What?"

 She smiled.

 "I would absolutely love to go to the Yule Ball with you."

 Percy grinned sheepishly.

 ***Sometime later***

"You owe me five Galleons, Harry," Ron whispered in his friend's ear.

 Harry nodded but he didn't really care...he had not seen Hermione this happy in a long time...five Galleons seemed like a small price to pay.