Taught to Wed

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Taught to Wed

Chapter 5 - The Obligatory Detention

Or

Draco is a Selfish Scene Stealing Git

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Draco stared languidly at the parchment. He was most definitely not looking forward to his mission. His father wanted him to spy on Potter and his friends by using the Polyjuice potion. It wasn't the spying that bothered him so much as the potion. He had several hairs, all the same length and varying shades of red. He knew they had to belong to the Weasel. And the thought of being the Weasel, even for just an hour, made him sick to his stomach. Pulling out his diary, wanting to vent his anger at his father, Draco began to write.

*****

1 September 1997,

Father visited today. He is absolutely insane. He thinks that I would willingly lower myself to impersonating the Weasel to get inside information from Potter. Says it's the Dark Lord's orders. I doubt it. I think he just wants to make me suffer. I've been trying to be that dunderhead's friend since first year, but he keeps declining my offers of friendship. If I can't have his friendship, then I'll at least make his life a living hell. Maybe this is father's way of having me realize what a waste of time it is to be Potter's adversary, let alone trying to befriend him. Father wishes that I would just ignore Harry Potter. But that's impossible. There is no way that I could ever ignore him, even when he ignores me.

In Charms today the Mudblood sat next to me. She showed up late. I knew I should have sat next to Pansy or Goyle when I had the chance. However, it was rather fun making fun of the girl. Besides, if I sat next to Pug-face, she'd sit there all class caressing my leg, every once and a while slipping up to caress something else entirely. And in all honesty, that's not something I enjoy, at least not from her.

Bloody party games; it was Crabbe's idea to play seven minutes in heaven, some muggle game that he heard about from Zambini. I'm quite sure it was just so he'd have a chance of getting some action. I was supposed to spend my seven minutes with Pug-face. While it wasn't an all to un-enjoyable experience, it's not one I'd like to repeat. Ever.

It was quite amusing at how riled up I managed to get Granger (the Mudblood). I said something about Professor Snape and she got defensive. Hmm... I wonder if I might be on to something with that. On second thought, I hope not. The thought of Snape and the Mudblood is quite gross. Will have to say something to Snape next time I see him.

*****

Draco closed the diary and slid it into the hidden drawer of his bedside table. He was still frustrated about his mission, but couldn't vent on it further nor explore the Granger/Snape conundrum he had stumbled upon, as he had potions in five minutes, and Professor Snape disliked it when anyone was tardy, unless they were a Gryffindor, in which case he took dislike to a whole new meaning.

Draco slipped into class. There were two empty seats, one next to Pansy, and the other next to Neville Longbottom. Draco groaned and sat next to Pansy. He would much rather be molested than subjected to the ills he would face from one of Longbottom's exploding potions or melting cauldrons. Draco wasn't sure what was wrong with the boy.

He struggled to keep his snicker to himself when Granger walked into class and sat next to Neville. Snape swept into the classroom and all talking ceased. Draco's calculating gaze landed on the potions master as he stood in front of the class lecturing. He noticed how the Professor's eyes scanned the room as he spoke. Lightly drifting from person to person and yet it seemed that the Professor's gaze lingered on Granger. He would have passed it off, but it happened several times during the course of the class period.

Towards the end of class he felt a pair of eyes boring into him with an intensity that matched his own gaze on the potions master and Granger. Draco snapped his head around, looking for the source of his discomfort. It was Potter. Potter staring at him, dare he say, longingly? No, that's not right, he thought, Potter ignores me. Though he had that same look in Charms today. I thought he was just daydreaming. Maybe he is. Maybe it just seems like he's looking at me. Will have to reflect on this later.

Draco stared back at Potter, hoping to startle the boy, but it didn't work. Potter was still off lost in thought. After a while Draco got bored with Potter's staring and went back to studying the interactions between Professor Snape and Granger. Draco had to cup his hand over his mouth to prevent a guffaw from tumbling out when the Granger girl received detention. It was the first day of class. Hmm... could be an interesting term, especially if she keeps getting detention. How is she supposed to perform her duties as Head Girl if she keeps that up? Will have to taunt her about that on rounds tonight.

After class Draco made his way to the library. He immediately headed for the back corner. There were several armchairs and a bookshelf; very few however realized that on the other side of the bookshelf was a couch. Draco liked to go there to reflect and to study uninterrupted. He had potions again in the morning and while some may find it annoying, Draco found it convenient, that is unless Professor Snape decided to assign a foot due next class, not to bad if the assignment was handed out on Tuesday, but it was bloody awful if it was assigned on Monday.

Draco settled into his reading, figuring that now was the prime time to get it done. As soon as Granger's detention was done, they would have to go on rounds. However, Draco had expected to study in peace and was quite surprised to hear Potter and the Weasel's voices drifting through the bookshelf. He managed to block out most of the conversation. He really didn't care to know much about the Weasel's crush on the Ravenclaw seeker.

However the conversation led to a more interesting topic and Draco had to stifle back a cough upon hearing Potter's news. Potter was gay? For some reason he wasn't as surprised about this as he thought he'd be. He was just surprised that a topic such as that would come up in the library. But even it made sense. They were in the back of the library where they didn't think anyone would be listening. The only safer place to speak would be in their dorms, and even then they had the chance of a roommate walking in. Not to mention the comfort and openness the neutral ground of the library seemed to provide.

Dinner was fast approaching and Draco was eager to leave the library. However, he knew that leaving now would be absolute murder after all he'd heard. He would just have to wait for the trio sitting in front of the bookshelf to leave, as Granger had joined them late into the conversation.

*****

Dinner couldn't go by quickly enough. Hermione was eager to serve detention. She needed to talk to Snape about the Veritaserum. Ron kept looking back and forth between his two friends. Both Harry and Hermione were staring off into space. Though Harry's space seemed to be occupied by Draco. Thin air, and quite possibly the doors to the Great Hall occupied Hermione's space. After ten minutes of trying to get their attention, he gave up and started talking with Neville. However, the blush creeping across his face and the smirk on Ginny's face signaled to Ron that his sister was up to no good and the cause of Neville's blush. Ron gave up on the whole idea of conversation and ate in silence.

Draco looked up from his meal to see that Potter was staring at him again. After hearing twice in the library that Potter was gay, Draco began wondering if Potter's stares meant he was interested in him. He shook it off and went back to his meal and started a conversation with Zambini in order to keep his mind from wandering back to Potter.

Hermione excused herself from dinner ten minutes before she had to be in detention. Snape saw her leave and taking one last gulp of pumpkin juice, excused himself from the head table. Ron noticed the two nonchalantly leaving the Great Hall. He was quite perplexed by this; he wasn't sure if it had to something to do with Friday night, or if there was some other reason for the two to conveniently leave at the same time.

Ron nudged Harry, this time managing to get him out of his dazed longings for The Ferret without bringing notice to his observations. "Harry?" Ron asked upon gaining the attention of his comrade, "Do you know why Hermione and Snape just left? Together? Well not quite together, but at the same time?"

Harry looked at his friend like he had grown a second nose, "She has detention, Ron. She got in trouble today for not paying attention in potions."

"Oh," Ron said, sounding rather disappointed, "I thought that maybe it had something to do with the Truth or Dare game."

"Who says it doesn't?" Harry said, raising his eyebrow, "She never told us what happened."

"Hmm," said Ron, "Good point. On second thought, I'd rather not know what happened if it has anything to do with.... Yuck! I can't even think about that."

"Ron, you're such a pervert! I don't know how you ever got made a Prefect!" Harry chuckled.

*****

Hermione and Severus arrived at the potions classroom at the same time. Severus dropped the wards and led her into the room silently. The potions classroom was one of the few rooms that any of the professors bothered to ward, as it was the only one with valuable magical items that students would go out of their way to obtain.

"Miss Granger," Snape said formally, sitting down behind his desk and motioning for Hermione to sit on the chair in front of his desk. She sat down gingerly, placing her hands under her thighs to prevent her nervous habit of twisting her hands around like she were trying to turn them into pretzels.

"Professor Snape," she responded, looking him in the eyes with all her Gryffindor courage.

"May I ask what you have discovered about the Veritaserum? It's probably nothing different than what I already know, but I would rather not have to waste time explaining to you things that you have already discovered on your own. Besides, I am quite sure you have some ideas of your own that I have not thought of, yet," Snape said. Hermione wasn't sure how much was sarcasm and how much was compliment. But the fact that any part of it was a compliment pleased her greatly.

"Sir, I have discovered that there is only one way to lie under Veritaserum; building up an immunity. However, as it was the first time I have taken Veritaserum, I know that there is no possible way I could have lied," Hermione paused to take a breath and Snape took it as a sign that she was done.

"That would be correct, Miss Granger, so now the question is, how was it the truth?" He looked hopefully at her, as he knew he had no way to answer that question himself.

"That remains uncertain. I believe I may have had a vision of some sort, but I am quite unsure of the validity of it. As you may know I find little value in visions, and even less value in Divination. The only 'visions' I hold any value to would be the ones Harry receives. However, those hardly qualify as visions as they are a direct connection to the Dark Lord's mind. Yet, this is the only valid explanation I can supply. I was rather hoping you might have some light to shed on this issue," Hermione said diplomatically, hoping that Snape would be of some help.

"Well, Miss Granger, I am pleased to see that someone shares the same sentiments on Divination as I do. However, you may be on to something here," Snape said, leaning back in his chair, "If it was an actual vision it would be stored the same way in your brain as a memory. Fantasies and daydreams and other such events that didn't take place do not store the same way. They store as a conscious memory, one where you are outside of yourself in the memory. Whereas a true memory you are looking out to the things around you. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does, Professor. But how do we go about figuring that one out? And then supposing it is a vision, what caused it? I know having a vision is not a common thing. At least not for those of us who don't put faith in Divination," she said, nervous about what he might suggest.

"If you are willing, Miss Granger, we can use Legilimency."

"Couldn't we use a pensieve?" she asked, anxiously hoping that it would be an option. It would be much quicker to extract the one memory than to extract all the ones she didn't want him to see. As she hadn't been taught Occlumency, she had no formal training in pushing someone out of certain thoughts.

"Unfortunately, that is not possible. Pulling memories for the pensieve can combine views of two or more similar memories, such as the actual event and any further thoughts on them. With Legilimency I can seek out the memories and find if one of them is in fact a vision."

"Ok, if that is the case, than that is the route we will have to take," Hermione said resignedly.

"Very well then, Miss Granger. You shall return to my office tomorrow evening after dinner. Rest well and focus on calming your emotions. You will need a clear mind to guide me to the proper memories. I think we both would rather avoid any embarrassing memories. I will allow you to pull any particularly embarrassing memories and place them in a spare pensieve; however, we all have a lot of memories and not all of them will be consciously remembered until it is too late. Good night, Miss Granger," he said, dismissing her from his classroom.

"Thank you professor. I am sure you are as eager as I am to get to the bottom of this mystery," she said as she slid out of the classroom and headed to meet up with Draco at the library. They had decided that they would meet there whenever they had to do rounds together. This also provided them a chance to study while waiting for the other to arrive.